# Home again! Trip report (pics!)



## -gunut- (May 8, 2006)

Hey all! Well I am now back home from my month long trip around Europe with my girlfriend. I stayed in Prague, in the Czech republic for about 2 weeks. I spent one week traveling around the country and hitting the ski areas and a week in Rome (22 hour bus ride there and back ). The trip was awesome! I really like the places I went. Rome was very nice for all the historical stuff but the city was very dirty. The buildings were also not very much to look at. (don't get me started on the metro). Prague on the other hand is very clean (especially metro). All the buildings are colored nice and decorated with statues and frillies.

Since Italy went to the Euro stuff there is expensive. It is almost $3 US for a soda. Czech on the other hand is very cheap. They use the crown and it is about 20 to 1 US dollar. When you go out to eat it is about $5 a plate (unless you grab some Chinese which is $5 for two+ drinks. Beer is also very cheap being about $.75 for a normal 1/2 liter drink. Since Czech is the largest beer drinking nation in the world it proved to be a very fun time. The absinthe proved to be a very fun liquor as well being 72%. New Years was crazy! Prague is definitely a very fun city with some nice bars and sites to see. Rome is also a must see but I feel that Czech makes you feel more at home while Rome had a feel that you were just a tourist.

You find many more English seekers around Rome then you do in Prague. It seems that more Europeans travel to Prague for vacation then Americans. You do not hear to much about the area in the US. Most still think that it is Czechoslovakia! Most of the English speakers you do see around the city are from the UK. Many of the shops and stores downtown know English so it is not hard to get around the city. The city of Prague has a lot of history and art and is a very beautiful place. Every year they host forum2000 where world leaders meet to talk about everything from religion to politics. I had a friend that attended this summer and she said it was amazing.

Funny thing is that there are signs everywhere around Prague saying watch out for pickpockets but I have never had any problem, any time I have been there. My first day in Rome I am in the Metro and some frickin guy starts to get into my pocket! My first day there! One thing that you lean is to never have your stuff where it is easy for someone to take. I always had a jacket on so I could put my stuff in my inside pockets. Watch out if you carry a backpack! Especially in the metro's where it is crowded.

Guns observed:

Czech: Every pistol I saw was a CZ 9mm (go figure). Guards around government buildings also carried MP5's. I was able to stop by a gun shop and saw many neat toys. Many surplus rifles, select-fire Scorpions, MG42's, and many many different types of pistols. (Glocks going for $700!)

Italy: As some of you may have guessed the majority were Beretta 92's. Some police agencies however carried CZ75's and Bank guards packed Glocks. Around government buildings the guards carried some kind of 9mm SMG that I I do not know the name of. It kinda has a Sten, grease gun look to it.

Here are some pics from my trip. Hope you guys all enjoy!

CZECH
































































ROME


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## Wandering Man (Jul 9, 2006)

Welcome home. Nice pics.

Sounds like it was a wonderful trip.

Did you bring us anything? :smt033 



WM


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## js (Jun 29, 2006)

Great pics! Looks like you had a great time....  Welcome back!


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

Yes, nice pics. Haven't been to Europe since I was 14. Nice scenery. Welcome back!


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Never been there and never will. The only way I can see things over there is with pictures and you took some great ones. What's the name of the castle setting on the hill over looking the town? I would like to explore that.
Welcome home from a safe and fun trip.


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

Great pics! One of these years (maybe for some big anniversary), I'm going to surprise my wife with a Mediterranean cruise. She's wanted to do that for a long time and I've always wanted to see Italy. I guess 2 years of art history (one in prep school and one in college) has made me curios to see some of that stuff in real life.


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## -gunut- (May 8, 2006)

Baldy said:


> What's the name of the castle setting on the hill over looking the town? I would like to explore that.


It is called Karlstein (Spell?) Karl-stein. It was built about 500 year ago to house the crown jewels.


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Thanks for the info on Karl-stein. I wouldn't mind living in the little village in the valley myself. Bet the folks living there all know each other. Oh by the way your better half sure is a pretty lady.


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## john doe. (Aug 26, 2006)

Sounds like a great time. I just watched a special about the Roman Coliseum. Amazing engineering even for our times and it was built around 80 AD.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

Baldy said:


> Never been there and never will.


Well, my mother is Danish, and I have some cousins and family there. I went 3 time by age 14. Haven't been back since, unfortunately. But, I have been to china a few times due to the wife. So, that makes up for it


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## -gunut- (May 8, 2006)

tnoisaw said:


> Sounds like a great time. I just watched a special about the Roman Coliseum. Amazing engineering even for our times and it was built around 80 AD.


It is really amazing. So is the Roman forum around it. I will post some pics later. I don't remember when construction started(sometime BC) but it was finished in 80AD.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

-gunut- said:


> It is really amazing. So is the Roman forum around it. I will post some pics later. I don't remember when construction started(sometime BC) but it was finished in 80AD.


Yes, post those pics when ya get the chance. I'd like to see them as well


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## -gunut- (May 8, 2006)

As requested got some more pics of the Roman Forum that is by the Colosseum and some others. Enjoy!


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## Rustycompass (Jun 25, 2006)

*Beautiful country ...*

Welcome back ! Those are AWESOME pictures. Looks like a beautiful country. Thanks a lot for sharing them with us. I would love to travel more. You may have already told us & forgive if you did ... but how did you choose Rome & Czech Rep... family ties ? or just somewhere you always wanted to go?


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Man that's some great pictures. Never had a chance to do that. I was to busey paying bills and changing dirty diapers.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

Wow, very nice pics :smt023


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## -gunut- (May 8, 2006)

rustycompass said:


> Welcome back ! Those are AWESOME pictures. Looks like a beautiful country. Thanks a lot for sharing them with us. I would love to travel more. You may have already told us & forgive if you did ... but how did you choose Rome & Czech Rep... family ties ? or just somewhere you always wanted to go?


Thanks! Well the girlfriend has family in Czech thus why I ever went there in the first place. I have since learned a lot about the country, and after traveling around different places I realize that it is definitely something worth seeing. Prague is known as the heart of Europe and is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. After being there I do not dispute that one bit. All the buildings are decorated with artwork and statues and you really get a good feel from the city walking around is cobblestone streets. It is really nice. I would recommend it to anyone.

A few days after Christmas I was surfing around online and I just happened to find a special from Prague to Rome via some bus companies web page. It was only $70 there and back for each of us. We talked it over that day and ended up getting the tickets the next day. Then I looked around and found a hostel and a few days later we were in Rome! It was really awesome.


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