Loulabelle's FrancoFiles episode 164
Guest: Paul McVeigh
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Currently I am in France! I have escaped the Aussie winter and returned to my fave destination! This time however, my husband Paul and I decided to couple our visit to Paris and other regions of France, with a stay with some dear friends who live near Prague.
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There were some unexpected issues we encountered, such as the fact that our internal European flight weighed every single carry on bag before boarding which rarely happens in Australia! After a walk of shame to the overweight baggage desk and many euros later, we were fine to board but it was an issue we hadn’t planned for. It was also frustrating as we had plenty of weight allowance in our checked luggage, so we were kicking ourselves for not considering the problem prior to getting to the airport for the internal European flight… we were still in long-haul Aussie-Europe mode! We did not make the same mistake on our internal European flight returning back to Paris.
It is also worth noting that not all countries which are members of the EU use the Euro for their currency and the exchange rate is not necessarily the best once already in Europe, so a bit of research prior to departure is a must.
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We adored Prague. Every building is food for a Francophile soul, even though not in France. Our friends live in Plzen about an hour from Prague, where Pilsner Beer is made. It is an amazing town with parts going back many centuries, then other parts of the city are almost stuck in the communist period. I had my hair done in Plzen w2hich was a real eye opener for the w2ay regular life takes place. I was transfixed by the difference to how we operate in Australia, or in France for that matter. We visited an ancient castle, did a beer tour in Plzen, ate incredible Czech food, attended a candlelight concert in Prague and met some gorgeous locals with our beautiful friends. I think that was the most special thing, meeting wonderful Czechs including our friends’ adopted grandma, Ivcha.
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In the middle of our Czech week, we popped down to Vienna for a couple of days to attend a Mozart concert at the Musikverein, the Golden Hall. Everywhere is so close in Europe so heading to another country to fulfil a lifelong wish is not so much of a problem. We stayed in a sweet boutique hotel which suited our needs perfectly being situated only a few minutes walk from the train as well as walking distance from most of what we were planning to visit. A great tip for visiting a new city like we did in Vienna, is to ask a local for what they would like to do if they only had one night there. We caught a cab from the station to our hotel when we arrived (I’m not a fan of being the tourist on the corner with a map or phone in hand, trying to find the right direction to accommodation with a load of luggage. I feel it leaves tourists vulnerable as they arrive somewhere new, so if you’re ever going to spend money on a cab, this is the time for it!) Paul asked the cab driver for what his fave thing is to do in Vienna and he suggested the night markets which were just out of the city centre, a couple of train stops from where we were staying. We were so glad that we took his advice and went there, as the markets had loads of food stalls/ bistros/ restaurants filled with locals.
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Sometimes throwing the itinerary out the window and doing something unplanned can reap wonderful rewards. One of my consistent travel tips is to keep the daily planned itinerary a little light in order to leave time for things that might pop up. I also often say, “Leave yourself a reason to return!” We loved both Prague and Vienna so much that there are definitely reasons to return again.
Coming up…
Among the next few podcast episodes will be more chats about the current France visit, including the Normandy Retreat, a Normandy/Brittany road trip with Paul and a second road trip with a girlfriend through Burgundy. STAY TUNED!
