Daphne Nicoline

Bucketlist: Exploring Tuscany by Vespa

Tuscany is one of the most beautiful and popular areas of Italy. This is not surprising as the region has a lot to offer. Beautiful city’s as Florence, Siena and Pisa. But also the rolling hills, delicious wines, and yes, even beautiful beaches. Therefore it is not recommended to limit yourself to staying at a single place, but rather make a round trip. And what can be more fun than doing this round trip by a typical Italian means of transport? The Vespa.

Vespa is an Italian company that produces scooters since 1946. Vespa is Italian and stands for ‘wasp’ because of the slim ‘waist’ of the scooters. The Vespa is now inextricably linked to Italian culture, and you won’t be able to walk through an Italian city without spotting a Vespa every few meters.

How to rent a Vespa?

There are a number of different possibilities in order to discover Italy, or in this case in Tuscany, by Vespa. The first option is through a tour. This option is especially nice because you don’t need to plan anything. You can leave the planning up to someone who probably knows a lot more about the area than you do. You also have direct access to a guide. Hundreds of tours are offered online to discover Italy by Vespa. These vary from one-day tours, to multi-day tours, to full holidays by Vespa. Furthermore you can find both group and private tours. Whatever you like most. An example of such a ready-made multi-day tour is offered through "The Vespa Trip". They organize fully arranged trips in Tuscany, but also in Sicily and on the Amalfi Coast. More information here.

Good to know A Vespa is not the most easy means of transportation to drive. It is harder to control a Vespa than an average scooter. In addition, a Vespa in Italy often has more CC than an average scooter. Therefore, for the rental of a Vespa you need more than just a scooter licence, but at least a car driving licence. Do not enter the road unprepared, follow the traffic rules, and always pay close attention.

Another possibility is to drive around on your own. This is the option we went for. It mainly is for the people with a little more experience driving a motor or a scooter, and specifically with a Vespa. You rent the Vespa at a rental company for one, or more, days and have the freedom to go wherever you want. You can choose to make up your own route, but the scooter rental often comes with a suggested route outlined by the company.

Good to know Do you want to deviate from the suggested route? Keep in mind that although Vespa’s can sometimes drive over 80 km/h, it is prohibited to enter the highway. Google Maps has the option to avoid highways in your chosen route. Make sure you use it in order to avoid ending up at the highway (like we did, oops).

When renting a scooter, always pay attention to whether you are properly insured and what the company's insurance, damage and / or breakdown policy is. We chose to rent our Vespa at New Tuscany Scooter Rental, with rental locations in both Florence and Siena, and our experience was very good. Halfway our trip our scooter broke down and it was solved without any extra costs. Furthermore, they have a very clear damage policy indicated on their website.

Exploring Tuscany

So you have rented the Vespa. What next? What places are worth visiting? We rented our Vespa for only one day because that was all the time we had, and we had a nice route planned out which you will find below. However, we have never been able to complete this route completely because our scooter broke down in the middle of nowhere with no phone range. It took two full hours before we could continue our trip with a new Vespa, so we had to shorten our route. If you do have a full day from Florence, this is a nice itinerary to follow.

We started off in Florence. A beautiful city and absolutely worth a visit. There is a lot to do and see, and I would definitely recommend you to spend at least one full day in Florence. It would be a sin to only spend a few hours there. We already spent a full day in Florence the day before, so we picked up our scooter in the morning and immediately started our trip. Off to the first stop.

Through the hills and winelands of Tuscany we continue driving to San Gimignano. San Gimignano is a beautiful medieval city that can be seen from afar due to its location on a hill. The city is known for its many towers – once there were 72, now only 14 are left – and is therefore known as the Manhattan of the Middle Ages. Motorized vehicles are prohibited in the city centre, so you will have to leave the Vespa on a parking lot on the outside of the city. This is clearly signposted, so keep an eye on the road signs. Be sure to visit the main square of the city called Piazza della Cisterna, and eat Italian Gelato at one of the best ice cream shops in the world, called Gelateria Dondoli. Furthermore, you should definitely walk to the viewpoint for a beautiful view over the Tuscan hills. And when you leave and move on to your next stop, make sure to look back every now and then for a great view of the city.

Then, our plan was to continue driving south towards Siena. However, we unfortunately never made it because our scooter broke down. We did drive from San Gimignano in the direction of Poggibonsi and Castellina in Chianti, to drive a different road on the way back than on the way there. If you have more time I would definitely recommend to also visit Siena, and at least see the famous Piazza Del Campo. Also, on your way from San Gimignano to Siena, alongside the SR2 in between La Colonna Monteriggion and Siena, you will drive past one of the biggest sunflower fields in the world. Definitely worth stopping by!

Other beautiful spots in Tuscany

If you have more time than we had, there are many more beautiful stop worthy places in Tuscany to visit. For example the beautiful city of Pisa, with her leaning tower. Which we luckily got to visit later during this trip. Besides the Tower of Pisa, the city itself is not very interesting. Though, the tower alone is absolutely worth the visit. If you have driven in the direction of Pisa anyways, make sure to also drive to the beautiful city of Lucca, and the Tuscan coast. Its coast is not something Tuscany is known for, but it is still worth a visit!

If you are willing to drive even more south than Siena, then definitely visit the thermal baths of Saturnia. Free, unique, absolutely stunning, and also very good for your skin. Furthermore, south of Siena, you will be able to find beautiful, typically Tuscan, winding roads. For example near the village of La Foce. Perfect stopover on your way to Saturnia.

Tuscany is the perfect region for a beautiful roadtrip. A road trip on an Italian Vespa adds some extra magic to the experience. I would definitely recommend to spend at least one day on the road with the means of transport the Italian streets cannot be imagined without.

Love,
Daphne

April 30, 2020

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Jordan

Wadi Mujib: Canyoning in the lowest nature reserve on earth

Your trip to Jordan won’t be successful without visiting the unique Dead Sea. This lake (other than what the name implies it is not a sea) is located on the border of Israel and Jordan, and is known for its extremely high salt levels which make it very easy to float. Furthermore, the shore of the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Something you must experience at least once in your life. But what if I told you, besides floating, you could do another spectacular thing in the area of the Dead Sea. A three-hour canyon hike following a river through an impressive gorge at 400 meters below sea level. Would you do it? We decided to go for it, and escaped the dazzling August heath at the Wadi Mujib Biosphere Reserve in Jordan.

The Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve

The Wadi Mujib nature reserve is located right next to the Dead Sea, across the street from the equally beautiful Mujib Chalets where we stayed (definitely recommend staying here!), on a 2 hour drive from Amman. The Wadi Mujib nature reserve once was a rocky terrain, but in the course of millions of years, the rocks got torn apart creating narrow passages in between. Freshwater rivers have originated within these narrow passages, which makes the area absolutely beautiful. Because of its location next to the Dead Sea, it is located on the lowest point on our planet, and can therefore be called the lowest nature reserve on earth. A unique place!

The reserve offers two possible activities. The Siq Trail and the Ibex Trail. The biggest difference between both is that the Siq Trail makes you wet, and the Ibex Trail doesn’t. The Siq Trail is a trail following a previously mentioned fresh water river, in between two massive cliffs. That is called canyoning. Canyoning is a sport in which you walk, climb and swim through a canyon (hence, the name) usually filled with water. Besides, the Siq Trail can be done self-guided, while a guide is necessary and mandatory to get a guide during the Ibex Trail. We decided to go for the Siq Trail. Especially because we visited Jordan in August which means it got extremely hot (over 45 degrees Celcius). In between the gorge of the Wadi Mujib Reserve it was surprisingly cool and pleasant.

The Siq Trail

After having signed up at the visitor centre, and after a brief instruction about the trail, the journey begins. Because the Mujib river floats through a narrow gorge, the water is very refreshing, and the temperature is surprisingly pleasant compared to the 40 degrees Celsius outside of the gorge. Being used to the warm water of the Dead Sea, the first steps into the water makes me shiver slightly from the cold. But I quickly forget about this, as I get distracted by the beautiful surroundings and the fast flowing water. It makes us curious. Where does it come from? We start our trail. Right against the flow.

The hike is not easy. While in the beginning the only obstacle we run in to is the peacefully flowing water, it quickly turns into a strong current. Soon we run into the actual obstacles of the trail. Short rapids and waterfalls which become bigger each time. And every time we reach a waterfall, the bottom disappears which makes we have to swim. Luckily we can use the ropes which are attached to rocks where needed. We also wear lifejackets which make the experience exciting rather than scary. And as we are not the only ones doing the trail, we can all help each other reach the top.

It is all worth it. Every time we pass another bend in the gorge we are mesmerised over and over. And when we look up, all we see is fifty meters of steep red cliffs. With at the top a small strip of blue sky. Breathtaking!

After around two hours of hiking we reach the biggest, and final, waterfall which marks the end of the trail. We’ve made it. We sit down for a while on a small beach of rocks which appeared because of the current, take some pictures, and decide to join some other travellers on another miniature adventure to walk right through the waterfall and explore the cave behind it. And then it is time to start on our way back.

On the way back you follow the exact same route. In contrast to most hikes, the way back is much easier and faster than the way up. The waterfalls which we climbed on our way up turned into slides. And as we are wearing life jackets we simply float back with the current. Without realizing it we arrive at the visitor centre where the adventure started. We look back one more time into the beautiful canyon. This definitely was one of the most beautiful and coolest hikes we have ever done, and one of the (many) highlights of our trip to Jordan. That is how the lowest point on earth turned into an absolute highlight. A hidden gem located right next to the Dead Sea.

Good to know

Opening times
Before you start the Siq Trail it is important to be aware of certain things. First of all, it is important to know that the trail is not open year round. It is only opened from April – October. This is the case, because this is the dry period. The more rain, the stronger the current, which makes the trail not accessible for tourists from November – March. During the April – October period, you can start the trail any time between 8 AM and 3 PM.

Requirements
There are a few requirements you have to meet in order to be able to start the trail. You need to be at least 18 years old, you must know how to swim, and you must have a reasonable level of fitness. But what is a reasonable level of fitness? We are ourselves rather sporty, but absolutely no skilled hikers. Furthermore, neither of us ever did canyoning before. Though, compared to other hikers at the time we were there, we did well and we never experienced it to be very hard. But don’t underestimate. You will have to be able to climb waterfalls through rope ladders or simply just ropes.

Clothing
The only actual requirement regarding clothing, is that you must wear water shoes and a lifejacket when doing the Siq Trail. The lifejacket will be provided for at the visitor centre, which you have to return after the trial. You can bring water shoes with you, or buy them at the visitor centre. Furthermore, we wore our swimming suits with normal clothing on top (clothes that can get wet). After all, Jordan is an Islamic country, so even though only had to cross the road we decided to cover ourselves up. Halfway through the trail I got annoyed by the wet clothing, so I continued in my bikini (with lifejacket of course). This was perfectly fine.

Personal belongings
First of all I want to strongly advice you to bring as little as possible. Simply because of the fact that you won’t be able to take a lot with you. We only brought a small bottle of water and one of our phones in a dry bag. These dry bags can be rented at the start of the trail. We left the rest of our belongings in the car or in one of the lockers at the start of the trail.

Duration and costs
The duration of the trail is approximately 3 hours. This is including some moments to rest or to enjoy the surroundings. You will notice that the way up is longer than the way down because of the current. It costs 21 Jordanian Dinar to be able to start the trail, this is around 27 Euro. For the 27 euro you get access to the nature reserve and you can make use of one of the lifejackets and lockers. Besides, you can buy water shoes, rent a drybag or get a guide. This all, of course, at an additional cost.

How to get there
The Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve cannot be reached by public transport. Therefore I would highly recommend to rent a car. Though, there is another possibility. Some tour operators offer tours from either Amman or your Dead Sea hotel to Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve.

The visitor centre
The visitor centre is across the street of the beautiful Mujib Chalets and close to the Mujib Bridge. It has a spacious parking lot, toilets, dressing rooms and a restaurant. For more information, visit the website: https://www.wildjordan.com/destinations/mujib-biosphere-reserve

In short, a very fun and sporty activity to add to your Jordan itinerary!

Love,

Daphne

March 24, 2020

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Jordan

Travel Diary - Road trip through Jordan

Nederlandse vertaling

Amman

After our chaotic time in the Egyptian capital Cairo our arrival in Amman, Jordan felt like a relief. While in Cairo we had to wait in a long line in order to be able to leave the airport, Amman airport was surprisingly structured. While in Cairo we had to find our driver in between stinky and honking cars, in the Jordanian capital our driver was easy to find on a parking lot with almost only electric cars. The highlight of our arrival: singing along to the self-made cd of the favourite artist of our driver: Shakira. The biggest surprise of the night was our perfectly ready hotel room at the agreed time. The only thing that could ruin our mood was getting sick. And that is exactly what happened during our first night in Jordan.

Luckily it was not as bad as expected, but it did make that Stef had to explore Amman on his own during the first day. But I did manage to drag myself out of bed in the afternoon to visit the Amman Citadel together. A bit of a waste of our time in Amman, because it is a beautiful city and definitely worth a visit. A good reason to come back one day.

Let the road trip begin!

The next day was a better day. In the morning our rental car was waiting for our and our road trip could finally begin. While we had to drive through the busy city centre of Amman for the first 10 minutes, we quickly made it to the quiet and well made highway. On our way to the Dead Sea. But instead of going there directly we decided to make one extra stop. A stop for which we had to drive up an extremely steep road for about 30 minutes. Mount Nebo. The mountain om which, according to the Bible, Moses saw the Holy Land after forty years of wandering through the desert and thereafter died. We will probably never know whether all of that is true. But the view over the Dead Sea and Israel was there for sure. And visiting and admiring the church together with people from a Jewish, Christian and Islamic background made it very special.

Next we drove down the mountain again. Off to the lowest point on earth. The shore of the Dead Sea. After our arrival we immediately got reminded of the fact that we were at a place 400 meters below sea level. It was extremely hot. Over 45 degrees. Nevertheless we decided to go explore the area at the hottest time of the day, and swim (or well, float) in the evenly hot Dead Sea. Good idea? No, not really. In less than 30 minutes our skin started burning and when we made it back to our accommodation more dead than alive my face was purple. That is why we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in our room with air-conditioning.

Luckily our accommodation was absolutely beautiful. We stayed at Mujib Chalets. A small park founded by the nation organisation for nature conservation, with about fifteen beautifully located white chalets. All with the same magical view over the Dead Sea. By sunset we decided to leave our room again. The temperature got much more bearable so we could finally really enjoy the feeling of the oily water on our skins. And while floating on the Dead Sea we saw the sun set behind the Israeli mountains on the other side of the lake.

Car breakdown at the lowest point on earth

We had planned the next day well. We would get up early and start doing the Siq Trail at the Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve, thereafter we would go back to our chalet, have a shower, pack our bags and check out before driving further towards Wadi Musa, the town next to wonder of the world Petra. But, unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The visitor centre of the Wadi Mujib nature reserve was located across the street of our accommodation. But as it was a 200 meter walk uphill from our chalet, and it was hot, we decided to go by car. But right after we got there and parked our car we realized we had a gotten ourselves a flat tire during that 200 meter drive. So far our perfect itinerary. Although the rental company had brought us a new tire within two hours, we ended up walking the 200 meter uphill around four times in order to get our bags out of our chalet before noon. We immediately got punished for our laziness.

But, a few hours later than expected, we still started off with the Siq Trail. The Wadi Mujib nature reserve once was a simple rocky area, but in the course of millions of years, the rocks got torn apart creating narrow passages in between. Freshwater rivers have originated within these narrow passages. The Siq Trail is a trail following such a river, in between two massive cliffs. Other than outside the nature reserve, in between these cliffs the temperature is surprisingly pleasant. During the hike you walk against the current of the river, you swim, pull yourself forward with ropes, and climb waterfalls with rope ladders. And that in the middle of beautiful surroundings. On the way back you follow the same route. This means that all the waterfalls you have climbed on the way up, nu spontaneously turned into waterslides. One of the most fun and beautiful hikes we have ever done. This is how the lowest nature reserve on earth turned into an absolute highlight of our trip to Jordan.

After our hike we immediately drove towards Wadi Musa. We drove on extremely steep mountain roads in the middle of nowhere, with out phone range and while it was over 40 degrees outside. Maybe we were lucky with the flat tire we got at a parking lot next to a restaurant with aircon and toilets..? These roads also made sure we continuously had the most beautiful view. By the time we made it to our hotel the sun was already setting. We decided to immediately have dinner on the rooftop of the hotel, and spontaneously decided to change our plans and visit Petra by Night.

Petra by Night is an event which is held three times a week. During this even the small entryway (also called a Siq) towards the best known monument of Petra, the treasury, is beautifully illuminated with thousands of candles. While it was mesmerizing, the magic did get ruined by hundreds of other tourists who thought it was a good idea to use their flashlights. Even though we were stirred to tears because of the incredible beauty of the treasury, it might have been even better if we skipped Petra by Night and had our first glance of the treasury during the day, without hundreds of other tourists around us. The idea of Petra by night is beautiful, the execution as well, but the reality is different.

Petra: One of the wonders of the world

Our very first full day in Wadi Musa started early, very early. So early, that we had to skip breakfast, which already started at 6. At 6 in the morning we had already completed the 20 minute walk through the Siq. With as a result the beautiful treasury of Petra all to ourselves. For a solid 5 minutes. But other than what most people think, Petra has much more to offer than just the treasury. Petra actually is a big city which once had over 25,000 inhabitants. So there was a lot more to see. After spending a few hours enjoying the treasury we continued walking toward beautiful places as the Roman theatre, the Hadrianus gate and the temple of the winged lions. Accompanied by many dogs, cats, camels and donkeys. And every now and then some other tourists.

Thereafter we decided to do the ‘High Place of Sacrifice Trail’. I had seen a beautiful picture of the ‘Garden Temple’ which could only be reached by doing this trail. And when we saw guides looking for customers saying that it only was 40 to 60 minute climb, we decided to go for it, and started our journey. But unfortunately we got it wrong. De 40 to 60 minute climb turned out to be the climb of the steep stairway, carved out from the rocks, towards the highest point. The high place of sacrifice. But that was only the beginning of the trail. And that is how we ended up walking for over three hours through the sand and over the rocks, in what had become over 30 degrees, with only seeing other people once, on a path which was barely visible. At a certain point, when we really got lost, we heard someone call us from a mountain. We had deviated from the path considerably. But luckily we made it to the end, and the trail actually was pretty cool! Absolutely exhausted we ended our day at the rooftop pool of hour hotel. Feet up, enjoying the memories we had made on our first day in Petra.

The next morning we woke up early again. Not as early as the day before, but we did have breakfast at 6 o’clock sharp. And we weren’t the only ones, the breakfast area was packed with adventurers. Today we planned to do another hike. After completing the 20 minute walk through the Siq again, we ended up at the treasury. The fourth time that we saw this building, but again it took our breath away. What a piece of art. This time we immediately continued walking along the Roman theatre and under the gate of Hadrianus. Off to another highlight of Petra. The monastery. In order to be able to reach it we had to climb over 900 scratchy steps, again carved from the rocks. It was quite a climb again, but this time it was clearly indicated and we weren’t the only ones.

When we finally saw the monastery appear it took our breath away. Just like the treasury had done. This building, carved from rocks, was incredibly well preserved. And other than at the treasury, there were barely any other people there. There was a small café, where we bought a can of coke and enjoyed the priceless view. Wow!

In two days’ time we walked over 30 kilometres and climbed over 2000 steps. The second of the seven wonders of the world could officially be crossed off. We had some exhausting, but magical days!

Camping in the Wadi Rum desert

Still enjoying our time in Wadi Musa we drove off to a new adventure the following day. As if we hadn’t experienced enough already. This time towards the unique Wadi Rum desert. The place which has been inhabited since the prehistory and is mainly known from Lawrence of Arabia and the many other movies which have been filmed here. After having parked our rental car we got into a pick up truck with benches in the back, and drove into the desert.

During the tour we got dropped off at several interesting places. We started off at ‘Lawrence Spring’. A mountain in the middle of the desert with at the top a water spring with beautiful green trees around it. Furthermore, we stopped at as massive sand dune, which was very hard to climb, and two natural bridges created by erosion. Also very special: petroglyphs from the prehistory. We ended our tour on a big rock from which we had an incredible view of the sunset over the unaffected landscape. Fantastic!

In the dark we drove off to our very last stop of the day. The camp where we were going to stay the night. The camp existed out of several black Bedouin tents and one big tent where we would eat together. The food was prepared in the original Bedouin way. They dug a big whole in the sand and started off a small fire at the bottom. A tray with all kinds of food will be put in, this will be covered with a blanked and sand. Let it steam for a few hours and voilà, a delicious Bedouin meal! We ended our day on a blanket on the look for the Milky way, but unfortunately it was full moon. So we got in our Bedouin tents and fell asleep quickly, being tired of the long day in the desert.

The underwater world of the Red Sea

After our night in the Wadi Rum desert we continued our trip to our last destination, the place where we handed in our rental car. Aqaba. A city on an hour drive from the desert, with a completely different view. The city is mainly known for its beautiful dive and snorkel spots in the Red Sea. And that is exactly what we came for. To go snorkelling together, Stef to do some dives, and me to relax at the pool and get myself a tan.

Besides the beautiful coral and brightly coloured fish the Jordanian government added something else in order to attract more tourists. They let a plane and tank sink in order to create new dive spots. The tank is easily reachable from the beach to snorkel at (wear flippers). Also the plane is swimmable, but as I still panic as soon as I can’t see the bottom anymore I had to skip it.

After three days of snorkelling, relaxing and diving at the Red Sea we took a local bus back to Amman, and had one more night in the historical city of Madaba, before we flew back to Amsterdam. One last chance to buy delicious cookies and one last oh so good Middle Eastern dinner. You see, even though the area often gets skipped by travellers because of the continuing issues in surrounding countries, the Middle East has so much to offer. And I would definitely recommend everyone to visit Jordan!

Love,

Daphne

March 10, 2020

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Czech Republic

10 must do's in Prague

Prague is a versatile city which you should see at least once in your life. With her beautiful medieval buildings, lively nightlife, and interesting sights, truly one of the most popular cities in Europe. Is the Czech capital also on your list? Here are the ten must do’s during your visit to Prague.

Stroll over the Charles Bridge

The medieval Charles Bridge, or Karlův most in Czech, is one of the most well-known sights in Prague. The bridge connects the old town with the beautiful Malá Strana neighbourhood. Spread over its 516 meters you will walk into several street musicians and artists, and the bridge counts 30 statues. Its popularity of course also has as a consequence that it is often very busy. But don’t let it scare you, take your time, and indulge in Czech life. Fun fact: the very first stone of the bridge was laid in 1357, on 9^th of July, at 5:31. That time, date and year can be seen as a numerological palindrome 135797531 (and is the exact same if you turn it around).

Drink a cocktail at the secret bar ‘Anonymous’

One of my favourite things to do during city trips is finding hidden cocktail bars. Anonymous bar is one of them. It even is the bar where my love for secret bars began. The theme and the name of the bar is based on the eponymous hackers collective, and the cocktails are fully in style and very creative as well. You can easily find the bar on Google Maps, but it becomes a bit more difficult when in the city. After you arrived at the given address, you will have to go through a big door which looks private. You end up in a small courtyard where you will have to follow the path towards the entrance. Compared to other bars in Prague Anonymous is particularly expensive, but the experience is worth it!

Enjoy a Trdelnik on the Old Town Square

A trdelnik. You can hardly ignore it during your visit to Prague. A trdelnik is a spit cake made from rolled dough which is wrapped around a stick. Thereafter it is dipped into a sugar-walnut mix. Despite the fact that the dish originally does not come from the Czech Republic, but from Slovakia, the name ‘trdelnik’ is Czech. You that is why you can basically get it everywhere. Take one as a snack or lunch, and enjoy the beautiful Old Town Square.

Wander around the old Jewish quarter Josevof

The former Jewish quarter, named Josefov, is often considered to be the most beautiful quarter of Prague. Besides the most expensive shopping street of Prague, Pařížská, being located in Josefov, you will also find many other important places like the Jewish Museum, several Synagogues, the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world, and the birth house of Frans Kafka here. Whether you are planning on visiting these locations or not, a walk around the quarter is a must do to get to know its interesting, but tragic, history.

Start a fight with the Dancing House

The Dancing House is one of the little modern buildings in Prague. Therefore, it really stands out. This, of course, also has to do with its significant shape, it almost looks like it is dancing. Hence the name. The architecture was inspired by the famous dance duo, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The building now serves as an office for ING bank. Besides being able to visit the roof of the building for a panoramic view, you can also make original fun pictures with it. For example like this picture where it looks like you bend the building with your bare hands.

Enjoy the view from the Prague Castle

Located on the other side of the river is one of the main sights of Prague, the Prague Castle. The Castle was built in the year 880, and exists out of many different sights and buildings. For example the beautiful St. Vitus Cathedral, which can already be seen from the Charles bridge. Furthermore it has the old royal palace, the golden lane, and several different museums. All of these can be visited. All of these are fun, but not very special. Only the St. Vitus Cathedral is worth a visit. But only if you like visiting churches. There is, however, one thing that absolutely can’t be skipped. And that is enjoying the beautiful view. The castle is located on a hill, which makes it possible to see the entire city.

Watch the astronomic clock strike an hour

Every full hour crowds of tourists get together at the same little spot on the Old Town Square. Left from the Old Town Hall. And all of that to simply stare at the clockwork of the astronomical clock. If it strikes an hour it starts moving. Jesus will appear, together with his apostles, and you will also see a skeleton. I have to warn you, don’t expect too much, then it might disappoint you. But let’s face the truth, even without movement the clock is already stunning! You cannot leave the city of Prague without having watched the astronomic clock strike an hour.

Admire the John Lennon Wall

After having crosses the Charles Bridge, and before visiting the Prague Castle, you should definitely have a quick stop at the John Lennon Wall. This is a long wall which got fully painted with graffiti back in the 80s, inspired by the song texts of Beatles-singer John Lennon. Since then, the original portrait of Lennon disappeared under many layers of paint, and the wall regularly changes drastically. Nowadays the wall is seen as a symbol of global ideals as peace and love. A place to which it is always fun to go back to, as it is completely different every time you see it.

Go to the top of the Old Town Hall

Besides Besides that you should definitely taste a Trdelnik and admire the astronomical clock on the old town square, there is something else you can’t miss. Climbing the tower of the Old Town Hall. There are a lot of good viewpoints in Prague, of which one is the previously mentioned view from the Prague Castle, but this one is definitely one of my favourites. You can climb the tower by stairs or you can take the elevator. We did it by stairs and it was a pretty easy climb. After the climb you get rewarded with a gorgeous view over the equally gorgeous square. You will have the most beautiful view over the Tyn Church across the square. But don’t forget to turn right and look down, then you will see the beautiful little square in the picture.

Walk around Wenceslas Square

Wenceslas Square is the big square in the heart of the new part of Prague. Quite far from the old centre of the city, and very different to the part where you will probably spend most of your time. Though, also this part of the city, and this square, are worth a visit. If only to see the other, more modern, side of Prague.

BONUS: Try before you die - Try a shot of Absinthe

You will definitely walk into it. A souvenir shop full with little glass bottles filled with a green substance. That is absinthe. A strong (very strong) liquor made from anise. It often contains 50 to 80 percent alcohol. It is sometimes drunk straight, but according to the original ritual sugar and ice cold water should be added. In Prague you have an actual Absinthery. A small bar specialised in different sorts of Absinthe and the original way of drinking. A burning esophagus and fun guaranteed. Absolutely not a must do, but definitely exciting!

Long story short, there is a lot to see and do in Prague. And this list is only a small selection of all activities and sights. But one thing is certain: If you haven’t been there already, you should immediately put Prague on your bucket list!

Love,

Daphne

January 13, 2020

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Bucketlist: Exploring Tuscany by Vespa

How to rent a Vespa?

Exploring Tuscany

Other beautiful spots in Tuscany

Love,
Daphne

Wadi Mujib: Canyoning in the lowest nature reserve on earth

The Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve

The Siq Trail

Good to know

Love,

Daphne

Travel Diary - Road trip through Jordan

Amman

Let the road trip begin!

Car breakdown at the lowest point on earth

Petra: One of the wonders of the world

Camping in the Wadi Rum desert

The underwater world of the Red Sea

Love,

Daphne

10 must do's in Prague

Stroll over the Charles Bridge

Drink a cocktail at the secret bar ‘Anonymous’

Enjoy a Trdelnik on the Old Town Square

Wander around the old Jewish quarter Josevof

Start a fight with the Dancing House

Enjoy the view from the Prague Castle

Watch the astronomic clock strike an hour

Admire the John Lennon Wall

Go to the top of the Old Town Hall

Walk around Wenceslas Square

BONUS: Try before you die - Try a shot of Absinthe

Love,

Daphne

Welcome!

Where I am now

Follow Me

Follow on instagram

Bucketlist: Exploring Tuscany by Vespa

How to rent a Vespa?

Exploring Tuscany

Other beautiful spots in Tuscany

Love,Daphne

Wadi Mujib: Canyoning in the lowest nature reserve on earth

The Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve

The Siq Trail

Good to know

Love,

Daphne

Travel Diary - Road trip through Jordan

Amman

Let the road trip begin!

Car breakdown at the lowest point on earth

Petra: One of the wonders of the world

Camping in the Wadi Rum desert

The underwater world of the Red Sea

Love,

Daphne

10 must do's in Prague

Stroll over the Charles Bridge

Drink a cocktail at the secret bar ‘Anonymous’

Enjoy a Trdelnik on the Old Town Square

Wander around the old Jewish quarter Josevof

Start a fight with the Dancing House

Enjoy the view from the Prague Castle

Watch the astronomic clock strike an hour

Admire the John Lennon Wall

Go to the top of the Old Town Hall

Walk around Wenceslas Square

BONUS: Try before you die - Try a shot of Absinthe

Love,

Daphne

Welcome!

Where I am now

Follow Me

Follow on instagram

Love,
Daphne