Prague was astonishing! The Golden City resembled a picturesque setting out of a vintage Disney movie, magically brought to real life, circa fall 2010. Strolling the streets, we were enamored by endless romantic panoramas and the capital’s magnificent castle made the perfect backdrop for a many fairy tale moments. We could pretend we’re princes all we want, but lets keep it real… GI.JOE’s adventures are on a budget. Those who truly know us, know that we’re a little hesitant when it comes to communal lodging, but we decided to give the “green” Mosaic House hostel a try. We booked a private double room (I know what you’re thinking... "Bye purpose of a hostel!” but we’re taking baby steps here!) and to our surprise it was on the top floor and featured our very own terrace garden boasting spectacular views. Not too shabby, huh?
Staying in the spirit of cheap and chic, we made our way to meet our New Europe tour guide (make sure to check out our last entry’s Diamond Tip for more info). We were introduced to countless city sites and landmarks including Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock, the Jewish Square, Charles Bridge and of course the Prague Castle.
Old Town Square is one of the city’s main meeting grounds. This area includes access to St. Nicholas Church and a great view of the famous Astronomical Clock, which is mounted on Old Town City Hall. The Clock celebrated its 600th anniversary on October 2010 and is considered a popular tourist attraction. During the time of our visit we were lucky enough to stumble upon a large holiday festival, which gave us the opportunity to enjoy some of the area’s traditional bites and domestic beer.
On our way to the castle, we stumbled upon Prague’s Toy Museum. To our luck, the mini museum was showcasing a Barbie retrospective exhibition in honor of the doll’s 50-year anniversary. Did we go in? Of course. You can check out many photos of our plastic obsession on Facebook.
We didn’t venture too much into the city’s nightworld, mainly because we were exhausted every day from all the sightseeing…
but we did hit up a boozy maze of underground bars. We had a great time making our way to the last bar deep inside and had an even better time trying to make it back out. However, our favorite pass time was lounging on our terrace and spending a great deal of time enjoying our high tea sessions surrounded by the enchanting Czech sunset.
So, yes, everyone knows Zurich is gorgeous. To die for. But you’ll end up dead broke on dark corner of Niederdorf unless a sugar daddy/momma is safely packed inside your cosmetic bag. To put it in lamest terms, you need a lot of $$$$$ to have a good time. Nonetheless, GI.JOE was resourceful and we made the best use of what we had aka we starved.
We decided to get the torture over and done with by strolling down Zurich’s world famous shopping mecca “Bahnhofstrasse” first… it doesn’t cost a dime to window shop, does it? High-quality Swiss goods, jewelers, watchmakers and international designer labels can be found here. This long walkway led us to the tip of Lake Zurich.
Lake Zurich’s scenery is a direct snap shot from the most ridiculously beautiful postcard you can find. The greenery, the fresh breeze, the army of multicolored sailboats, the pristine swans and the Swiss Alps off in the distance make it a mesmerizing sight to see. Accompany this with a hot chocolate and you’re set for a fine afternoon! We were also able to get good photos of the Opera House, St. Peter’s Church and Church of Our Lady (Fraumünster) around this area. Furthermore, one can find other amazing views of the city by taking the funicular near the Lindenhof or Grossmünster.
Our favorite meal was recommended by none other than Ms Tina Turner. Well, hello, girlfriend should know... she lives here! If you’re into heavenly sausages topped with spicy mustards and an array of newly baked breads, than Vorderer Sternen Grill is your place! Inexpensive, too! Thank god we had Löwenbräu beers to help us down our second helpings.
Need to satisfy that pesky sweet tooth? Confiserie Sprüngli took care of us! This shop is famous for Luxemburgerli colorful mini macaroons filled with a top-secret cream mixture that is totally addictive. No gorge fest here, though. We only had about 10 each. Couldn’t really resist not indulging each and every flavor.
Kunsthaus Zurich took our vote for the best artwork. This museum of modern art was showcasing a revival of the first museum exhibition ever devoted to the legendary Pablo Picasso. This particular exhibit comes second to Picasso’s grand museum in Barcelona, but it definitely was marvelous to relish in the artist’s first ever museum retrospective originally debuted in 1932.
Lastly, we have to say Zurich’s nightlife wasn’t much up to par… maybe it was because we were beat each day. Or perhaps, a random night of dancing at Schwuz’s “Madonnamania” (they only played Madonna – that’s it) was a bit too much even for us. Whatever it was, we were ready for some Spanish debauchery – and we were in full throttle!
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