A short train ride from Prague is the small town of Kutna Hora where you will find the Sedlec Ossuary, more commonly known as the Bone Chapel. Inside the church, bones and skulls have been made into all kinds of things, from chandeliers to coat of arms. These bones came from the victims of the Black Death who were buried, then later exhumed and stacked in the chapel.
Prague exudes old-world charm and its skyline is no different. From the iconic red rooftops to the green domes and spires, it all looks like something from another century. When visiting the city, make sure you climb up those well worn steps to the top of any one of the towers (or five of them like we did) and experience this bird’s eye view. Maybe just not after a full meal.
On our way to Prague, we made a pit stop in the quaint German city of Dresden. Even though the weather there was cold and windy, we were happy to be out exploring this absolutely beautiful town. Everywhere you turn, there is another elaborate building or another statue to feast your eyes on. One of the places we stopped in was the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic church), where we found some reprieve from the cold while listening to the soothing organ music vibrating through the white halls.
Our last day in Berlin was overcast and dreary. Instead of letting it deter us, we grabbed an umbrella and headed out to the largest public park in Berlin. Walking through Tiergarten, we had a little fun with our umbrella trying to see who can have the best ‘swept away’ pose. Clearly Kim won.
There are a lot of memorials in Berlin, many commemorating the victims of Nazi Holocaust, but none as far reaching as these stolpersteine (stumbling stones). Created by Gunter Demnig, they are found all over Berlin as well as the rest of Europe. Each one is engraved with the name of the victim, the date of their deportation and death. All the blocks are about the size of a cobble stone, embedded into the street in front of the house of each person murdered. Many people may walk by and miss these small reminders, however they are there to let us know these people existed and the atrocities they have suffered.
When you get on a plane, you usually assume that you will eventually get off at your destination, but that’s not always the case as we found out this morning. We got on a plane in Dusseldorf heading to Berlin on what started off as a normal flight, and turned into one of the weirdest experiences I’ve had while traveling. Our plane took off and was in the air for about an hour. The whole ride was smooth and uneventful, with definitely no cause for concern. When the plane started descending, we thought it was weird that there was no announcements, but we assumed that we were approaching Berlin, because where else would we be? Continue reading
After a long hiatus, I am finally back on the road, but what makes this trip special is that I am going with my baby sister. Even though we are 12 years apart, we are always on the same wavelength about everything…except when she is trying to convince me to go to a rave and I am convincing her to go to a lecture at the Reichstag. LifeAfter9-5 will be featuring Kim as a guest blogger, describing her travel experience from a student’s perspective.
Unlike my cultured sister, I am unfortunately not as worldly when it comes to travelling. I’ve been to Asia a few times but my parents tend to do all the planning, and I just have to show up at the airport. Being 22, I don’t have a lot of experience organizing big trips (yet), but I’m hoping to change that this summer. Without too many daunting obligations and a year’s attempt of saving money, I’m planning on visiting a few countries. The first stop? Germany and Czech Republic with Caitlin! While preparing for my first major trip, I’ve learnt a few tips and lessons for other aspiring travelers. Continue reading
Dublin, Ireland
This picture was taken in the Long Room, the main chamber of the Old Library at Trinity College in Dublin. This is the largest library in Ireland, built back in the 1700s. Along the corridor, there are 14 busts of great philosophers, writers and men who supported Trinity college throughout the years. To the left of the entrance, you’ll see a very ornate iron spiral staircase that people used to go up to the second level.
Inside, shelves are filled with old books from floor to ceiling, all organized alphabetically. The most famous book housed here is the book of Kells, a famous 9th century gospel manuscript.
This is my idea of heaven, something I aspire to have one day. A special wood-paneled room filled with books, where I can curl up and read all day.
Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.
What started as a cheap flight booked on a whim turned into a great trip to Austria. Austria has a little bit of everything, from the spectacular pristine landscape to a bustling city rich with history and culture. Vienna transports you to another time and place where you get to immerse yourself in a different era. During its peak, Vienna was the epicenter of a grand empire, where Mozart and many other notable musical prodigies called home. Today, this metropolis continue to thrive, integrating contemporary designs and historic buildings. This trip report summarizes all the blog posts related to our trip to Austria and provides a break down of the cost.
I love planning and I love making maps. So one of the things I always do before every trip is to read up as much as I can and list out a handful of things I want to see or do while touring the city. Then I go into Google Maps and create my very own personalized walking tour. Vienna is such a beautiful city, rich with history, and filled with culture and grand architecture. I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 places to visit while in Vienna. Most of the places are within the Ringstrasse, the main tourist area of Vienna. The whole city of Vienna is quite big, but the core area is definitely walkable. It took us two and a half days to visit all these sites. Our hotel was right across from the opera house, so we started from there and followed the path to see the notable sights. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what to do when you’re planning your own trip.
life after 9to5 