5 Years Later after My First Trip of a Lifetime...in 22 lines

Radar 22 Listicle and commentary

Nov 22, 2023

black coated wire on brown concrete floor — Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Regarding my mega 2018 trip in Europe: stops in Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and Hungary & first river cruise journey

5 Years Later after My First Trip of a Lifetime...

Not coughing like crazy now as I did throughout my trip, on which it felt I had caught coronavirus or “some strange flu” (Hmmm…)
Cost of roundtrip ticket from Los Angeles to Rome with Philadelphia/Dallas connections using American Airlines is ABOUT THE SAME PRICE, mid $700-$800 pp!

white airplane in airport during daytime — Photo by Asael Peña on Unsplash

Cost of one-way from Rome to Prague, Czech Rep $80-$100 pp as before
Cost of roundtrip from Rome to Brindisi, Puglia about $100 pp as before

white airplane — Photo by Miguel Ángel Sanz on Unsplash

I miss Italy, ordering in Italian and having authentic pizza
I miss Italy and having Italian coffee w/cornetto (pastry, “little horn”, similar to a croissant”- this is Italian breakfast)
No crazy historic flood situation in Rome these days as it was during the time just before I visited
Ever since my 2 day stint there, Puglia has emerged as a trendy Italian destination, getting more visits from major tour itineraries and blogger attention (two Stacks I follow offer tours)
Local beer in Prague is still cheap and city tourist traps ever so tourist trappy in this ever popular city (check out clip from a fave vlog, Honest Guide, featuring Prague)

Prague: Love locks getting cut off by Charles bridge

I miss the gorgeous scenery in Passau, Germany which seems awfully underrated.
Ama Waterways Romantic Danube journeys are still rolling, including those on
ship, AmaLea
AMA VIDEO- AMA LEA SHIP
I wonder if John, the brilliant, bald British cruise director during my stay, is still leading that Danube or another Ama cruise.
After getting to appreciate a variety of white wines, I can now say I prefer them
to red varieties—completely opposite view from before
Danube river levels are still at historic lows, which affect whether ships can sail to certain destinations. (I missed Esztergom, Hungary due to record river lows in ‘18- see current conditions-Eng and Deutch translation)
I think about those fantastic soups served made from scratch during the cruise
and will try to imitate them
I miss Sachertorte (chocolate cake) being served in Austria
Vienna, Austria still reigns as the elegant crown jewel city of central Europe.

sliced chocolate cake on white ceramic plate — Photo by Luke Wang on Unsplash

I bet that riverside Starbucks in Budapest is still super busy
The Budapest street vendor hustle is major, especially along Váci utca (Váci Street)
My dear Serbian bros and adopted Italian family I met on the journey still doing well
I hope that cute dog that followed me is still alive????

Questions:

Who else has done an Ama Waterways or similar river cruise?
How were your travel experiences in Italy or central Europe?
Who else has enjoyed the rich decadence that is Sachertorte?

RELATED TRAVEL LINKS

CHECK OUT:

AMAWATERWAYS.COM - for a boutique-style river cruise experience
HONESTGUIDE.COM - for your Prague journeys

BOOKING.COM
CHEAPOAIR.COM

Marinarena Travel & Poetic Deep Dive

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