Cestovate: From Bogenhofen to Dresden
Whew! That was the wildest fall break I have ever had. In just a few days, I went to four cities: Munich, Frankfurt, Prague and Dresden. I took my first solo excursion, tried staying at a hostel, missed a connection due to a late train, tried to learn some Czech, practiced my German and ate way too much street food. It would be impossible to write about everything that I tried or learned during my travels, but I’ll give the highlights.
Hostels
They are definitely the cheapest way to stay in European cities. That being said, I don’t think they are for me, or at least shared dormitories aren’t. I may be “extroverted” — by German or Austrian standards — but I am not that “extroverted.” Sharing a living space with complete strangers was too much for me. After touring the city all day, I enjoy coming back to my own room and relaxing; not having to worry about if there will be any open showers, or if anyone will steal my stuff, or if people will come boisterously staggering into the room at 2 a.m. Maybe if I was traveling with a larger group of friends my experience would be different, but I think I will stick to hotels, Airbnb’s or single room spaces in the future.
Trains
I’m beginning to feel fairly comfortable about traveling by train now. So far, I have found it to be the cheapest and most effective way to get around. The trains are usually pretty reliable and long rides are the best times for a nap. I did miss one of my connections because my train was late arriving in Austria. There was a moment of panic for me at the thought of there not being another, but I hopped on the next one headed my direction and it all turned out fine. Part of traveling is having a good plan and being flexible on the fly when it goes out the window.
Languages
I thought German was difficult, but Czech is really strange. There are so many consonants in the words. I did manage to pick up a few words such as: Ahoj (Hello/Goodbye), lístek (ticket), Děkuji (thank you), Prosím (please) and Cestovate (travel). It is not much of a list, but I found the language interesting. I came to realize that I have become fonder of German. Wandering through the streets, I heard a lot of German speakers and found it comforting to have something familiar. Upon returning from break, several people told me that my German has improved, so there is hope for me!
Food
One of the things that I love about traveling is trying the local food. Get whatever is unique from the city. In Germany, Falafel sandwiches or Dürüm are very common and have grown to be one of my favorites. Prague had a deep fried pizza-like dish called Pangos. They came with either arugula, goat cheese and beets, or cheddar cheese and jalapenos. I tried both and they were delicious. Trdlos were another amazing street food. They are basically sugar and cinnamon covered dough freshly roasted over a fire and then filled with jam, chocolate or ice cream.
By Sierra Lastine