Romantic Capitals: Paris to Prague (Part 2 of review)
Our time on the riverboat struck me as more relaxing than past river cruises. Our stops in the German towns and cities were usually only for a few hours, and included both walking tours and free time. It's difficult to pick a favorite town, but if I had to, I think it would be Rothenburg (home of the original Katie Wohlfarth store, which is an experience in and of itself) or Bamberg. They, as well as most others, sported half-timbered buildings and cobblestone streets. At almost every -- if not every -- stop, Tauck offered the options of an energetic walking tour (which I always chose and did not find to be difficult), a regular walking tour, and a slow-paced tour for people who had mobility issues. I thought that that was a great idea. I believe that each of my walking tours had about 15 people on it.
We had two dinners at castles -- Shlosshotel Kronberg and Lobkowitz Palace in Prague Castle. Both included musical entertainment. After dinner in the Lobkowitz Palace, we were given the opportunity to view a portion of the family's art collection, all of which had been seized by the Nazis and recovered piece by piece following the war. We were provided with audio guides to the collection, and then, on departure, were given a book autographed by a Lobkowitz family member. Because so many people ask about dress codes, I will add that more than half of the men wore sport jackets or suits to the fancy dinners.
I did not attend the "1920s" party on the riverboat. I was told that the majority of people did not dress up for the party, but I did see photos of many couples in their best 1920s outfits. I heard one person complain that the music was not from the 1920s, which disappointed her. A friend sent me a video of people dancing the Macarena and to "YMCA." They seemed to be enjoying themselves!
The final full day of the tour was spent in Prague, my favorite city on the European continent. I spent an extra day there on my own after the tour ended. I had bee
n to Prague twice before, so I did not join the Tauck walking tour. Instead, I booked my own tours for the two days on Viator and Get Your Guide. The timing worked out so that I could join some of the Tauck group on an included beer tasting at an Irish pub (!) across from the Astronomical Clock after the Tauck group finished its walking tour.
The weather on our tour (Oct. 1-14) was generally cloudy and in the 50s with early morning temperatures in the 40s. It poured when we were in Trier and drizzled in Frankfurt. We had a few sunny days, but even those days were mostly in the 50s.
Comments
MCD nice write up.