Dad and I ditched the dead weight and continued our journey North, into the tourist masses of central Europe during the summer. We started with a very expensive train ride through the mountains of Northern Italy to Madrid.

I only took a few pictures during this entire time, as dad was handling photo taking duties. But I’m too lazy to ask him for photos, so we’re going to keep this short and sweet. It was only a couple weeks after all.

Madrid

Our hotel was near the train station, so a bit dodgy at night. Surrounded by strip clubs and kabob places, we didn’t have any actual problems, and it ended up being a pretty easy walk into the center.

We were able to go to the actual Hofbrauhaus in Munich, although it wasn’t Oktoberfest (we were in the one in Hamburg a couple years ago during Okctoberfest). Still, big beers and pretzels is fun.

Salzburg

I got a bit of work done here while dad did the Sound of Music tour, but I still managed to walk through the gardens (Mirabell Palace), dancing and singing at least. We also walked up to the castle for some exercise. We also found some brauhaus’ here.

Vienna

See, I know I took some pictures of Schönbrunn Palace here, and my phone clearly lost them. Definitely not my fault. We also went to The Belvedere, which houses The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. Dad wasn’t impressed, but it was something cultured we had to do (plus I hadn’t done it last time). Good job us for going to museums and stuff.

Then we met my Austrian friend for some struuudel. Another Austrian experience checked off. We also found some brauhaus’ here.

Bratislava

I kind of added this on to the itinerary since I hadn’t been here before, and it was actually a nice little two day diversion. A short ride from Vienna, it had a little old town area, a weird alien bridge, and a soviet-themed bar we had a drink at.

I also remember there being quite a few gelato places. And I think we found a Brauhaus here.

All in all, missable, but not such a bad place.

Prague

The first time I went to Prague, I struggled with it. All the tourists crammed into a tiny area really bothered me. But this time, we stayed in an AirBnb in Praha 4, where we could breathe but still easily get into the city. Breathed a bit harder walking up the giant hill to get here, but all in all it was a much more enjoyable experience.

The Astronomical Clock was covered for restoration, which was pretty disappointing, but the rest of the city was still old and pretty.

We went to an Absinthe Bar, aptly named Absintherie. I don’t think we’re going to make Absinthe a staple of our alcohol intake, but it was a fun experience anyways. When it hits your lips, it kind of feels like your body just turns into flames in protest.

We saw the Prague Castle, Lennon Wall, and Charles Bridge – the usual suspects.

Dad did a day trip to Dresden – he did a few day trips to keep himself entertained while I was working, which worked out well.

He also left a travel pro, waking up really early in the morning and taking the cable car without any problem to the airport. I think he’s ready to do it on his own for the next trip.