A night in Prague

We visited Prague in Sep, 2016.

Transportation

Prague is the capital of Czech Republic. It is is reasonably well connected by International and European flights, so you shouldn't have any problems in getting a flight to Prague.

Just so you know, Czech Republic is considered as part of Central Europe, and not Western (or Eastern) Europe. This implies that it is less developed than say Germany and Austria, but more developed than Romania. In practical terms, this means that while hotel and food will be cheaper, you still need to be cautious while taking a taxi so that you are not ripped off. Having said this, Prague is of course a major touristic hub, and you are more than safe if you stick to touristic parts. Like most European cities, it does have a very well connection public transportation system.

Old Town Square

Three days is usually a good duration to cover (and enjoy) Prague. The absolutely essential things that you need to cover are: Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, and take a cruise on the Vltava river - this one is "if time permits", as you will already see some of views if you visit Charles Bridge.

Let's start with the Old Town Square. As the name suggests, this is main town square. Almost every monument at the square has historic significance. Even if you don't care about history, the monuments are downright impressive. For instance, we were told that some of them served as the inspiration for castles that you find in Disney Movies may be you will recognize some of the ones from the pics below :)

and they looks equally stunning at night. 

This is is the place with a lot of shops and cafes/restaurants. So its easy to spend a whole day here. 

Charles Bridge

If you are wondering what is so special about a bridge, you have to see it to believe it. Below is a spectacular night shot of the bridge:

The area around the bridge is for pedestrians only. So it provides a leisurely means to walk around and explore the many shops and cafes/restaurants around the bridge. There are a couple of towers, one on each side of the bridge, which provide excellent vantage points to take panoramic shots of the city and the bridge. 

The best time to take pictures of the bridge is around dusk. So try to be a bit early and you can take pictures of the bridge and riverscapes as it progressively gets dark.

River Cruise

Since we are talking about the bridge, let's continue with the description of the river cruise. 

The river cruises usually start from a different point than the bridge. River cruises are usually included if you take a day pass with any of the Hop on-Hop off bus tours. It is usually an hour or so long and takes you from the pick-up point to Charles Bridge and return. 

It is a leisurely cruise and you get the see the Charles Bridge, and some other bridges/monuments from a different perspective. So its nice, but our recommendation would be to prioritize it after the other 3. 

  

Prague Castle 

Finally, let's consider the Prague Castle. It is slightly outside the main city, so the best way to reach there is again the Hop On-Hop Off buses; it is of course also possible to reach there by public transportation. 

It is a wide scenic area with many impressive monuments, e.g. museums, castles and cathedrals. So plan for around 2-3 hours to cover the Castle. An alternative is to combine this with exploring the Charles Bridge on the same day. 

Exploring an active volcano in Etna, Sicily

We visited Sicily in May 2016.

Taormina and Palermo are the main touristic cities in Sicily. As our primary target this time was to explore Mount Etna - the largest active volcano in Europe, we decided to stay in Taormina from where you can easily make a day trip to Mount Etna.

Taormina

Taormina is a beautiful city on the Mediterranean cost in Sicily. It has all the "old world" of Italian cities. The city itself is quite small, and you can easily walk around most of the attractions. The primary attraction has to be the Ancient Theatre ruins (bellow):

While the ruins are by no means as impressive as say the Colosseum, the Mediterranean coast and mountains in the background make for the perfect panorama shot. From Taormina downtown, just follow the 'Theatre' signs; and you will be there in no time.

Taormina downtown is basically a very long street, with shops, cafes, on both sides of the street; and cobbled stairs leading to even more shops and restaurants in the vicinity. Do not forget to try the 'Tomato Bruschetta' and / or pistachio ice-cream (both of which seem to be very much the local favorites) in any of the cafes here.

For the shopping enthusiasts, do not be fooled by size of the city - you can easily find many local and global luxury brands in the alleyways.

At night, the city transforms itself into the idyllic seaside resort with live music and the delicious aroma of seafood wafting in the air.

Isola Bella,  Castelmola and Giardini Naxos

There are many interesting places to explore in the vicinity of Taormina. And, the best way to explore them is to take one of the Hop-on / Hop-Off buses which cover all the 3 attractions mentioned below, namely Isola Bella,  Castelmola and Giardini Naxos.

Isola Bella

Isola Bella (aka The Pearl of the Ionian Sea) is a beautiful island located slightly outside Taormina. As you can see from the pic below, it is unique in that there is a walkway (slightly below water) connecting the beach to the island. There is a small natural reserve on the island - which you easily explore in 30 mins or so. It is still a very nice experience to wade through water to the island, and definitely recommended!!

There are resorts / hotels on the beach and you can also stay on the beach if you so wish; but it is clearly not the most happening place during evening :) - and you will most likely end up in Taormina centre anyway.

There is also a cable car connecting Taormina centre to Isola Bella, however you are better off taking the Hop-on / Hop-off bus as the cable car is nothing spectacular and the bus will allow you to cover more at less price.

Castelmola

Castelmola is a charming village on the outskirts of Taormina. The village is about 1800 ft. above sea level, so be ready for a 30 mins bus ride over winding roads. However, once you reach the top, the panoramic views are absolutely spectacular  - check out the pics below. There are also quite a few cafes and souvenir shops nearby where you can relax and enjoy the view at your leisure.

Giardini Naxos

Giardini Naxos is a coastal town neighboring Taormina where most cruise ships dock in Sicily. It is a good place to take a break, have lunch at one of the many amazing restaurants on the coast, and enjoy the sea view.

Mount Etna

Mount Etna is famous as the largest active volcano in Europe. And, we would definitely recommend this place / activity as one of those "things to do before you die". A day trip is sufficient in our opinion. We booked the following trip "Mount Etna Day Trip from Taormina" (link). As we were staying in Taormina, this was ideal for us.

The trip can be divided into 3 stages: First is the bus trip from Taormina to the Mount Etna cable car station. The cable car station (shown below) has car parking, cafes, souvenir shops, and rest rooms.

The second phase consists of a cable car ride to a stop high up in the mountains. Below, is a shot from the cable car terminal (at the top).

The third phase consists of a bus ride to the absolute top of the mountains. Below, you can see the bus going through the "fuming" mountain path,

Note that the buses are not tour company specific, and they are the same irrespective of whichever tour you have booked. The buses are included if you have paid for the cable car. Otherwise, it is possible to book the bus and / or cable car separately; for people who might be interested in hiking parts of the trip - yes, it is possible to cover most of it by hiking if you feel sufficiently motivated and energetic :)

It is an extraordinary experience once you reach the top of the mountain. The pervasive black volcanic ash (you can still see fumes at many places) gives the landscape an almost extra-terrestrial feeling!!

At the top (after getting off the bus), it is safe and easy to walk around yourself. In fact, we were promised a guide as part of our tour. However, we could not find anyone at the top, so we started exploring ourselves. There are huge craters and black ash everywhere you look, so just start walking in the direction you like - you cannot get lost. There are also some guided paths to a few craters.

Spring Colors in Amsterdam

We visited Amsterdam in April 2016.

Since this was our 2nd visit to Amsterdam, our targets this time were mainly the sights and sounds outside Amsterdam - namely the Windmills and the Keukenhof flower gardens.

Amsterdam is of course a very charming and tourist friendly city, and there are n-number of things to explore within Amsterdam itself. And, we are quite sure that there are (n+1) guidebooks providing details of the same :) If you do not have the time or energy to read even one of those (n+1) guides, the best thing you can do is to head directly to the train station (Amsterdam Centraal station). There area around the Centraal station is full of shops, restaurants, cafes; and the station also serves as the starting point of most of the canal cruises.

Keukenhof Flower Festival

Tulips characterize spring in Amsterdam, and the best place to experience them is in the Keukenhof flower gardens.

The Keukenhof flower festival is held every year in the Keukenhof flower gardens (aka "Garden of Europe") situated in Lisse. Note that the gardens are only open to the public for 6 weeks every year. If you are interested in seeing the tulips in full bloom, then try to visit during the last 2 weeks. However, note that it is also incredibly crowded during that time, so decide accordingly. A good compromise might be the middle 2 weeks when you can still see some tulips, and the crowds are tolerable. We actually visited the gardens during this period, hence the pics below should be a good representation of what you can expect to see - if you visit during the middle 2 weeks,

As you can see from the above pics, there are many many other types of flowers in the garden as well: so your decision need not be dependent on the blooming of tulips only. The garden is huge, so be prepared for some serious walking :) Of course, given the beautiful surroundings, you will start feeling tired only after you have exited the gardens.

In addition to the outdoor gardens, there are 4 indoor exhibition places as well where you can explore even more varieties of flowers. These are also the places where you will find cafes and restrooms - they are clearly marked on the map. You can also buy seeds for many of the exhibited flowers here. 

The gardens are located in the city of Lisse, which is like a 45 min drive from Amsterdam. There are many tours available from Amsterdam to the Keukenhof gardens. Note that most of the tours basically take you to the gardens, and after a very basic introduction to the gardens; leave you to wander in the gardens at your leisure. So, there are not many advantages in taking a (group) tour vs. say using the public transportation / bus. However, a private tour might still be worth it, as a local taxi driver we were talking to, told us that while Keukenhof was the most famous, there are many equally impressive gardens in the vicinity. So consider this while making your travel arrangements!

Zaanse Schans Windmills and Volendam

After tulips, the second thing which comes to mind whenever you think of Amsterdam is 'Windmills'. [OK, the ordering w.r.t. the defining characteristics of Amsterdam might be slightly skewed towards "drugs" and the "red-light district" depending on your interests :), but let's stick to the kids friendly version for now!!]

The best place to experience windmills in Netherlands is Zaanse Schans. It is basically an open air museum with 8 magnificently preserved windmills. Some of the windmills also provide demonstrations of how they were used as "industrial mills" in the past, e.g. to ground spices.

 Zaanse Schans is like a 30 min drive from Amsterdam, so very close and easy to reach from Amsterdam. And, reserving half a day for this activity is usually sufficient.

An alternative, which many tour companies offer is to combine a visit to Zaanse Schans, with a vist to the fishing village of Volendam and a short ferry ride to Marken. We actually took this trip, and can recommend it as a great option for a day trip: (link)

Most of the trip details are in the tour link itself. One last things to add here is that if you decide to take this tour, do not miss the visit to the wooden shoe factory at the end of the tour - it might remind you of some very fond childhood memories :)