Prague / Munich / Venice – Days 4 / 5 – Transitions

Photo above of one of many Austrian castles nestled high in the Alps.

We didn’t expect much out of the driving days between cities other than the constant drone of kids begging to stop at the dirtiest bathrooms we would be unlucky enough to find. But before we could begin that part of the journey (and go through a gallon of hand sanitizer) we had one more stop in Prague.

To start the morning we grabbed an American-style breakfast at Bohemia Bagel, which is another favorite place from our ex-pat days.  They opened around 1997 and we are happy they are still around, because it fill us up and reminds us of home.

After breakfast, our now good British buddy, Neil, scooped us up and deposited us back at the airport so we could pick up our Eurovan. She’s a beauty – complete with a large “Budget” logo on her side. Classy. Just getting that baby out of the parking garage took more concentration than I had used all week. It seemed like the Budget folks parked the van and then built the garage around it – like the van was wider than the openings in which to drive. After several minutes of maneuvering down five circular exit ramps, the garage gave birth to our home on the road (we hope that we won’t have to inadvertently sleep in it overnight).

Now our final Prague stop: we drove back into the city to show the kids our old apartment. It was fun driving in Prague as streets long forgotten became familiar again. Molli and I played tour guide to the landmarks in our neighborhood that were once part of our daily lives. Now, they are mostly forgotten. Places like the frame shop, that did most of the work for some of our collected street art; the potraviny, where elderly women would give Molli a hard time about baby Tate’s feet not having shoes on them; or simply the pattern of street blocks I would walk in order to get to my office. It was nice to share this with the kids.

After zig-zagging our old neighborhood area, we pulled up in front of our old apartment. All hopped out and we noticed a door buzzer system with names – businesses and people. Right above our heads on the 2nd floor was the place where Tate learned to walk, where we celebrated his first birthday, and where we eventually made plans to return to Texas. The day was bright and we noticed things about the building that we didn’t remember – like sculpted faces above the windows.

Across from the apartment was a park that we used for walking our dog, Samantha, and where Molli and Tate would soak up the sun. All of  us took a brief walk into the park, which had the greenest grass we’ve ever seen, but we don’t think anyone was allowed to walk on it except the local dogs. Then it was time to hit the road.

As we got back in the van, I said to Molli, “Do you dare me to buzz someone in our building?” So, I went back to examine the buzzer menu, but as I was standing there a young couple walked up and started into the building. I asked them if they lived there. They do. They are a young couple around 30 years old. As we spoke, over the young woman’s shoulder I could see Molli looking at me from the van. It hit me that this unnamed couple are about the same age that Molli and I were when we lived in the same building. It was an interesting transition in the course of a day that had not been expected. A few moments later, we found the whole family standing at the front door of our old flat. This was never anticipated. A guy downstairs said he thought the apartment was empty for renovations. We knocked. Twice. No one was there. It would have been a real coup to get inside, but we got more than we originally planned. And that was plenty.

Moving along now, we grabbed lunch as the road took us towards Plzen and then to Munich, arriving at the IBIS Hotel. In expected German fashion, the rooms were clean, orderly and well organized. Although it was already about 9 p.m. we hopped on a tram and then the metro to go to the Marienplatz for dinner.  The kids have really enjoyed being on all the local trams and metros. That has been an adventure for them at times. The famous Hofbräuhaus was our destination. From the looks of it on the inside, the party was just getting started and the Oompa Band kept things lively.

The next morning on Day 5, we found a great bakery that supplied us with breakfast and lunch for the day. I think the girls behind the counter thought that Tate and I were buying enough for a small army, which is pretty much what we are when everyone is hungry. A lot of grumpiness that only food can erase. The daily rations from the bakery worked out well as we had a day of driving to Venice ahead.

The drive south from Munich through Austria was beautiful. Saying some of the locals like to drive fast is like saying the sun can sometimes be hot. At times I was driving 140 kph (85 mph) and they were leaving us like we were sitting still. By the way, Audis are pretty cool. We must have seen 40 castles nestled up high in the alps. Every time we would see one, we wondered how people were able to build those so long ago in such difficult terrain. Molli kept telling the kids, “Look out the window! You missed it again.” At times, their “Mad Libs” were capturing their attention more than a 15th century structure.

Eventually, we made it into Italy and then on to Venice. We didn’t mean to park on the island, but before we knew it we were driving across the bridge that connects from the mainland. An overpriced, but reasonably convenient car park was our last stop of the day. Venice is not a stoller or rolling suitcase friendly kind of town. It’s not all that easy to get to it even if one had no bags to lug along. The people mover tram and then the water bus got us to our stop, Ca D’Oro, on the Grand Canal.

With very good directions from our Venetian host, Marco, we arrived at his bed & breakfast shortly after disembarking from the water bus and just before 10 p.m. Despite all the food from the German bakery, we were lacking dinner. So, Marco guided us to a couple of local places that were still serving. Four pizzas filled us and gave us the energy to return to the apartment.

By this time, it was around 11:00 p.m. and the pedestrian streets were strangely deserted. As the kids said later, if this had been their only impression of Venice, it would have seemed creepy.