I believe the guy who has the best gig in life is Rick Steves who does the PBS travel show and I'm getting to understand his world better every day.
Last Monday I touched down on my 35th flight this past year, spending parts of my time in Germany, Spain, France, England, Italy and now the Czech Republic. Sixty eight of us joined the NHL season opening with the Phoenix Coyotes playing the Boston Bruins in the O2 Arena (cell company) last week in Prague and had an amazing time in this Republic.
Europe is a joy and it truly is enriching seeing how others live.
So much is different with some good and some bad.
Spending time in churches and buildings that are anywhere from 500 to 1100 years old is simply stunning.
Most enjoyable is talking to the locals. I spent some time talking with people who lived in the former communist regime. It's overwhelming to hear phrases like "I lost half my life in that rule."
Their English was way better than my Czech but communication is relatively easy as most Czech schools have English immersion.
Their transportation system is tremendous. Prague has 1.2 million people and their metro (lrt) has three lines reaching all corners of the city with 57 stations. They are color coded, lettered, and any important building has an icon so you can see where to jump off.
The system is busy all the time. On the roads all cars are small, as are the streets. I was surprised to see few motorcycles or scooters here as they make up about 35% of the vehicles in other European cities.
The food is excellent, and you'll find precious few fast food outlets. People walk almost everywhere so most of the locals looked in great shape.
Dinner takes a good hour and a half in preparation and they laugh at North Americans for always being in a rush.
"Life is for living" or "good food takes time to prepare" was constantly restated to us.
Try the local food whenever you can. Simple things like fresh bread may amaze you.
Coffee is hit and miss. Some places it's like 1030 weight while others it's just passable. Generally if you order coffee you get espresso. Starbucks is like an oasis at times.
Non smoking areas in restaurants are "few" in Prague so get used to smoking while dining, including cigars.
The money will drive you insane. They use crowns which are approximately 17.35 to a Canadian dollar. Try figuring out a tip while you get over the shock of a 2,000 crown dinner with your pals. ATM's are everywhere, as well as banks. You're advised not to use the "exchanges" found around tourist areas as they have high commission charges.
Most overwhelming on this trip was the difference in terrorist perception warnings. We left the morning of the big Al Queda warning in North America yet saw "no increase" of security at any point along the way including London's Heathrow airport. In fact the highest security was actually in the arena - which is overwhelming - as they make you go thru metal detectors; a hand and bag check; and security is constantly wandering around the arena checking things out.
There was nothing of concern anywhere on the streets and life was virtually normal yet CNN continued to pound away to the world for almost the entire week.
The dominant theme for me, is that I wished I had paid better attention when I went to school. When you're standing in front of those giant historical landmarks, staring at paintings like the Mona Lisa, or hearing stories about King Wensaslas, the feeling of awe was amazing.
I tried as hard as I could to close my eyes and visualize people from 500 years ago walking down the cobblestone roads, or walking over bridges that somehow were built by hand generations ago and not only are functional but often depict history through statues and carvings on them.
Jet lag isn't much fun to deal with and there is little you can do about it. It's different for everybody but simply put you travel for anywhere between 9 to 18 hours and sleep is difficult on the plane. Your stomach and brain quickly loose their time clock as you try to figure out do I have dinner or breakfast. Day by day it gets better so the longer you can stay here the better.
Make sure you advise your bank and credit card companies that you are here or your bank accounts could be frozen due to security concerns. Travel with little cash and, as they say, "beware the gypsies" who are professional pick pockets. You can't feel a thing and it only takes an instant for them to fleece you of your purse, wallet, credit cards and passport. Lock those important things in your hotel room.
The hotel Concierge is your best friend and will point out these things as well as give you maps and valuable advice. Most big cities in Europe have very efficient and cheap transportation services. Take some time to map your stops/transfers off and you will be fine. Driving can be a challenge on very small roads and parking is often impossible.
Remember a universal power adapter as Europe is on a different system. You'll need to charge cell phones, iPods, etc.
Cabs can be frightening. On this trip the cabbie hit 170 kph down a road that would resemble the Whitemud. Speed limit was 80 kph.
Caution first in travelling, and especially late at night after you've been tipping a few local ale. You'll get around most of these countries with just English. Often you have to ask one or two people for help, and their speech is fractured, but it really isn't hard existing without speaking the language.
Again I wish I'd have studied harder in school as many Europeans speak multiple languages.
People are very knowledgeable OVER THERE about the sport and extremely proud of any Czech player who makes it to the league. One waiter told me that he has the NHL centre ice package and he wakes up at 4 am his time to watch his favorite team, the LA Kings play. "I pray the game doesn't go to a shoot out on the days I have to work."
Finally, A TIP...set up a Facebook site if you're travelling with a group. Give each of the guests access to post pictures. Often you'll get different views or pictures of areas you may have missed and when you pool all the shots can us "the best of them" when you print later.
Kudos to the Phoenix Coyotes and the NHL for the amazing showcase. They show up with tents, a stage, and a mini rink that gets set up in the centre of Old Town (400 years ago) and play road hockey with kids. Same to Foxsports Arizona's Graham Taylor who made me "Fan of the Day" and posted my comments on their site.
As a final 'thank you' the Coyotes President Mike Neely came by to invite 'all of us' to a reunion at a future Coyotes game. Bonus!
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