Do Nothing

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world” – Gustav Flaubert

From a nervous beginning in 2016 for Euro 1 to a confident Euro 2 in 2023 it has been a wonderful journey, literally. We visited France and Switzerland in the 1st trip. This time, for Euro 2 it was five countries in Eastern Europe viz. Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. The journey between Euro 1 and 2 is interspersed with Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. COVID, of course forced a sabbatical from travel between 2020 till 2023.

Perspective

I am a firm believer in spending more time in fewer destinations to experience the place at leisure. For example, Euro 1 was two weeks for two countries. Japan was three weeks for just one country. However, this time around it was 10 days for 5 countries. So what changed my perspective.

What Changed

The experience gained from the 1st Euro trip was instrumental in increasing the scope of the 2nd Euro trip. The cities of Europe are similar in appearance with charming old towns seeped in gothic architecture, cobbled streets, cathedrals, opulent palaces and grand government buildings. The modern cities are similar everywhere. So unless there is a particularly intriguing site to visit there is no reason to extend the stay beyond two days at one destination. My holiday theme this time was to do nothing, eat local food, driving at leisure and again do nothing. It is important to do nothing on a holiday. The average latitude of my destination was above 45 North with temperatures mostly below 15 C. It therefore, was a chilling do nothing holiday.

Vienna

Vienna in Austria offered direct connectivity from New Delhi with more frequent flights and cheaper tickets when compared to Prague, Budapest or Bratislava. Almost all the palaces and old government buildings are free to visit from outside. A visit inside is possible with tickets which are expensive. The integrated system of intercity trains, metros and city buses can be accessed from the official app which offers seamless connectivity and innumerable trips within the validity of the pass (24, 48, 72 hrs). Using an efficient network of public transport and ambling on the streets it is possible to cover Vienna in one day.

Eat gorgeous local food viz. apple strudel, sacchertorte and variety of meats and sausages. Look for street food and eateries which are located away from major tourist attractions.

Cesky Krumlov – 02 hrs from Vienna

CESKY KRUMLOV

A medieval city in Czech Republic located at a meander of Vltava river, which miraculously escaped bombing during WW II. Vehicles are not permitted in the town. There is five paid parking slots (price per hour inversely proportional to distance from town). It was a short drive through quaint villages of jaw dropping beauty, tree lined winding roads and endless wheat fields with standing crop.

Prague – 02 hrs from Cesky Krumlov

The drive from Cesky Krumlov to Prague was wonderful. It started raining 20 km short of the city. Our hotel with parking was located close to a metro and bus station. Rain did not dampen our spirits and we borrowed two umbrellas from the hotel and took the metro to the city. Prague has an efficient public transport system with unlimited access to buses and metro trains usable by an official app.

LOKAL – An immensely popular chain of restaurants which specialises in local cuisine served at pocket friendly prices.

Brno – 02 hrs from Prague

My tour of Auschwitz Memorial in Oswiecim, Poland was scheduled at 1300. The drive from Prague to Brno is 06 hrs. To reach Auschwitz on time I planned a night halt at Brno. It was another do nothing destination.

We took a tram to the old city and gorged on scrumptious food at a local restaurant Kozlovna U Malchru.

Oswiciem – Read my blog for details

Nova Lesna – Read my blog for details

Budapest – 04 hrs from Nova Lesna

Budapest was another pleasant drive through sprawling countryside. The most affordable European country where the regular things are much cheaper as compared to the Western neighbours. Famous for its ruin cafes and thermal baths, the highlights were the massively popular Turkish baths and satiating food. We had local cuisine at Frici Papa, pizza at Pizza Manufaktura and delicious breakfast at restaurant Katica.

The last leg of this trip, was a short drive from Budapest to Vienna. The second time around at Vienna was placid. We had seen the entire city first time so it was 1.5 days and one night of doing nothing. We returned the car, ate a sandwich for two hours in Sigmund Freud park and started walking back to our hostel. We stopped for a break in another park and then took pictures on a street with luxury branded stores, then again stopped for coffee and again and again. We tripped into a Arabic restaurant selling pizza and burgers and it was divine.