The first train adventure

So I got up this morning at 7 and by 8 I was booked for a “business” trip to Salt Lake City and surrounding areas in September, ….(thanks Lori)!   I love retired life!

As I write this first part I am on the train to Prague….got to the station about an hour ahead of train departure (you’re on your own there…you can get there 10 minutes before departure if you want…..no security checks no gates to go through….no one checking. But I like to scope things out so I’m there early, and went to get some coffee at the McDonalds near the gate that I was leaving from….met 2 young girls from New York state (one of whom had been to Vancouver ) who had just finished university and were on a month long European adventure, also going to Prague.

My Eurail pass is a 15 trip over 2 month Flex pass and since I am over 26, I go first class…get to go into special short lines at the ticket centre and get to sit in plush cars. There is no option for travelling second class if you are over 26 and using Eurail passes.. If you are under 26 then you go second class. I’m going to keep a record of the both the first and second class pay as you go ticket prices to see if I will get my moneys worth out of my $1100 Global Flex pass.

The train left right on time and now we are travelling south through the German countryside…….

From the flat farmland the landscape turned into rolling hills and then small mountains. We travelled along the Elba River….the Geman couple across from me told me they rowed on that river. I also saw one of those Viking tour boats along here too. Villages and castles passed by…..it was beautiful everything green and lush and the river looks like it is very high.

Then Prague… we arrived right on time about 3:20...the weather is very warm, muggy even. I not only loaded the geocaches into my GPS, but Bookings.com .where I have been booking my hotels from, actually has the coordinates of the hotels on their site. Yeah!….so off I went in search of the Old Prague Hotel….The streets are teaming with people….tourists…it‘s like being at the PNE…..I must have heard 5 or 6 different languages as I passed by, The buildings are so old and architecturally beautiful……the streets are like mazes….I just kept following the GPS.


The Old Prague Hotel is a cute little hotel between two convince stores and across from an exotic dancer place (I will add a picture tomorrow, too lazy to go down now)…hope there isn’t too much partying from there tonight!!! The lift/elevator is the size of a small shower…..I am on the 4^th floor so I will use anything….it works but I don’t know how people with more luggage than my one backpack manages it….really, a metre by a metre if that. But the room is wonderful, clean and comfy. I’m happy with my choice.

Then I walked…from about 4:00 to 8:30 I wandered the maze of streets, taking pictures, window shopping and of course finding caches (I found 4)…the caching taking me to wonderful little surprises.

Istopped for a Polish/Czech hot dog and pop and a small basket of berries for dessert from the market around the corner.. Now I’m vegging out and relaxing and deciding what I’m going to do tomorrow…..