Our trip to Vienna just over a month ago issued in the spring season for our central European experience. We have been doing a lot of hiking and climbing all over the Czech Republic. There are many natural reserves within a two hour train radius of Prague, which should give us plenty to do until Bethany gets her visa so we can leave the CZR.
We just went to a huge castle of King Charles the IV and hiked in the surrounding furrows and woods up to the town of Beroun. The trip really highlighted the major differences between Czech and US hiking:
1) Czech hiking trails are interwoven with small hamlets and “hiking pubs” that offer well spaced refreshment and relaxation,
2) common trail-side sights are crumbling ruins and medieval castles,
3) through-hiking from town to town is well mapped and quite popular.
Trains really open up a country. It is so easy to jump from town to town, park to park, and it is cheap too. Having a car is an undeniable luxury but being able to take trains at constant intervals anywhere in the country is pretty remarkable. I would never dream of taking a Greyhound from South Bend to Cincinnati for a day trip.
Now that we are getting a bit more active, I really appreciate the genius who was responsible for the two four-day weekends in May. Check out the hiking pics (remarkable diversity of rock type within this small country).
Peace
