Guest Wanderluster John: Prague and Charles Bridge

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Brad Christensen

Our previous post on Eight Great Bridges Around the World piqued the interest of an old friend, who felt the list incomplete without Charles Bridge in Prague.  I begged him to tell me more and he wrote up this tantalizing overview.  Enjoy!

When Brad I and I went to lunch a few weeks ago, I had a chance to tell him a little bit about Prague.  I had seen his post about some of the great bridges of the world and I mentioned that I did not see Charles Bridge on his list.  Prague is my favorite city that I have ever lived in or visited.  It’s a city that everyone should visit and one that I cannot wait to go back to in the near future.

Prague lies at the crossroads of East and West.  It is a city drenched in history.  In the last 100 years alone Prague has been occupied twice by oppressive regimes.  However, in terms of history, the fact that Prague escaped much of the devastation of World War II makes it unique among similarly situated locations.  For example, if you were to visit Dresden, Germany, then you’d see a city rebuilt from the firebombing of World War II.  Prague is different and that fact is palpable inside the city.  The city’s architectural integrity remains largely intact and visitors get to see the city largely as it naturally developed over time.

Seeing everything in Prague can be a challenge.  The first thing I usually do when I visit Prague (and I’ve been there several times) is venture to New Town and Wenceslas Square.  Prague can be seen mostly on foot but the public transportation system provides ready access to all of the major locations.  Stepping off the Metro at the National Museum presents the impressive sight of the open and inviting Wenceslas Square.  History has truly been made on this town square.  In 1989, the Velvet Revolution became a reality there.  In 1969, Czechs became martyrs there during the Prague Spring.  The square exudes history and I usually spend a lot of time just taking it all in and enjoying its scope.

Wenceslas Square ends at the almost imperceptible boundary between the New and Old Towns of Prague.  The star of the trek between New and Old Town are the narrow, cobblestone streets.  But once I reach Old Town Square, that’s where the city again just takes over.  The Old Town Square’s beauty surpasses even Wenceslas Square.  The Astronomical Clock, the spires of Tyn and St. Nicholas Churches, and the monument to religious revolutionary Jan Hus make the square one of the most enjoyable to visit.

The iconic “Prague moment” however is Charles Bridge.  I love this bridge.  There’s nothing like it and when I’m staying in Prague I visit it basically every single day that I am there.  Honestly, there’s something special, almost magical, about stepping onto this cobblestone bridge over the Vltava.  Seeing Prague Castle sprawl out on the hillside is inspiring and the steeples of the Lesser Quarter frame the entire experience.  Over 30 statues line the bridge and are spectacular.  I like to go to the bridge at night, when all the vendors have gone home, and just enjoy the tranquility that accompanies the bridge.

Though the walk from the National Museum to the Lesser Quarter is the quintessential Prague experience, the city offers a lot more.  I’ve seen operas, plays, and other productions at the beautiful and ornate National Theater and State Opera.  I’ve stopped in at the “cosmopolitan” Café Slavia for drinks and dinner.  I’ve visited Vysehrad Castle and visited the graves of Antonin Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana.  I’ve walked down the “Zlata Ulicka” and stopped in at Franz Kafka’s home.  Prague is also a convenient launching pad for Eastern Europe and other impressive Czech cities like Cesky Krumlov or Karlovy Vary.  Prague is just a great place to visit under any circumstances.  I can’t wait to take my wife and go back there as soon as I can.

Posted in Guest Post | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

From Wanderlusting to Wandering – European Sites

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Brad Christensen

We got a heavy dose of photos from Europe in our recent Travel Photo Contest – no surprise, given the surplus of amazing historical and natural sites that span the Old World.  Now, as we’ve done with others, it’s up to us to give you some ideas as to how to get there. Since flying to Europe tends to be almost the same process, I figured we’d wrap all of these into one post.

Getting to Europe on Frequent Flyer Miles or Points

American Airlines, true to form, represents the best bargain when it comes to using FF miles to get to Europe – as little as 40k when the time is right.  Thus, one option to consider would be landing 50k AA miles with the Citi AAdvantage card.

The other one that I’m just not going to let slip by is the Chase SapphireSM Preferred Card – probably the best option for flexibility in bargain travel.  Essentially the 50k Ultimate Reward points you get after meeting their spending requirement is like getting a $625 gift certificate that you can use towards whatever flight you’d like.  You have to do some digging to get flights to Europe for $625, but www.kayak.com/buzz will help.

Now, you simply need to decide which of these beauties you’d like to pursue:

  • Village-hopping in Cinque Terra
  • Trafalgar Square and the of Wonders of London.
  • A Misty Morning in St. Gilgen, Austria
  • Paris for Cheapskate Lovers

Village-hopping in Cinque Terra

Cinque Terra consists of five romantic Mediterranean seaside villages – all of which are picture-perfect and ripe for visiting.  I happen to believe that Genoa would make an excellent “home-base” from which to launch a series of visits.  It just so happens that Marriott has a property there, which can be had for as little as 10k Marriott Points per night.  Trafalgar Square and the Wonders of London

We’ve raved about the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express in post after post, and their portfolio of European hotels you can pin down for as little as 4,000 Starwood Points is one of the main reasons why.  Sheraton has a hotel near the Heathrow Airport where you could stay for as many as 7 nights with the 30k Starwood Points you’ll lock down once you meet the $5,000 spending minimum and get the 10k + 15k bonuses.

A Misty Morning in St. Gilgen, Austria

I’m going out on a limb here and I’m going to actually suggest that you pay for lodging in Austria.  I know, how dare I, but in my mind this is a place where you want to embed yourself in the culture – something you can’t quite do in the sterility of a hotel room.  Here’s a link to a quaint little farmhouse in a secluded location, but still within reach of the rail station.  I’m always a fan of checking HomeAway Vacation Rentals for some of these “homier” options.

Paris for Cheapskate Lovers 

Ahh, Paris… it’s for lovers… rich lovers who don’t mind paying up for hotel rooms.  As a general rule, you won’t find “cheap” and/or “free” in Parí.  There is a Marriott Property on the outskirts of town that you could get with a healthy chunk of your Marriott Reward points, but we’re going to suggest lodging that comes with a complimentary tour guide: www.couchsurfing.org. If that’s not cool with you, how does a home exchange sound?  Parisians are avid travelers and maybe you could pull off a swap if you list your home on www.exchangezones.com.

Whatever you’re daydreaming of, do it before life passes you by.

Thanks for going from wanderlusting to wandering with us.

Posted in Credit Cards, Europe, From Wanderlusting to Wandering, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Winner of our Travel Photo Contest!

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Brad Christensen

A few weeks ago, we launched our first ever travel photo contest and were thrilled to have some very high-quality photos rolling in.  We selected 10 from a large pool and put them out on our Facebook page to ask you, our followers, to choose the winner.

This shot of a romantic beachside cabana topped all the rest, and had our wanderlusting-faithful drooling at its sight.

We’re putting a $100 Amex giftcard in the mail for Tina, and looking forward to finishing out our series of “From Wanderlusting to Wandering” posts.

If you missed it, here’s our post about how to put yourself in this photo.

Thanks for Wanderlusting with us in 2012!

-Brad

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Why we love your comments

Posted on January 17, 2012 by wpengine

It is crazy to think that Brad and I started writing on this blog over nine months ago.  We’ve spend hours and hours doing our best to share the travel secrets with our readers.  Hopefully our secrets have benefitted you and your families.  We love hearing the success stories and how everyone else is going on amazing trips.  Keep them coming.  We are also willing to accept guest posts if anyone would like to explain deals that they have found.

We have found new friends through this blog and we have learned many things from our readers.  This is why your comments are so crucial.  We might not have all of the answers, but it is very possible that another one of our readers has the answer that you are looking for.  We would like to take a moment to say thanks for reading!

Thank you for the emails we receive from our readers showing deals that they have found and it is something that we try to share with the rest of our readers as well.  Many times you might get an offer for a special deal that alerts other readers to watch for the same deal.

Thank you for using our affiliate links.  Some of the links on our blog pay a small commission to us for signing you up on credit cards.  I promise you that we aren’t making millions.  I’m pretty sure that we’ve made about $0.50 per hour if you average it all out over the last year or so.  It does make it somewhat rewarding and it is fun to track how many people are able to score on the great deals.  The links are secure, so your information will be protected.

Thank you for all of your questions.  Sometimes we might not explain things super clearly and someone will ask for a clarification.  It is almost certain that if one person needs a clarification then someone else might benefit from additional information as well.  Your questions have caused us to write entire posts explaining how things work and other insider tricks.

A Few Things to Remember

  • Be very careful to take good care of your credit.  One sign on bonus isn’t worth paying a higher interest rate on your mortgage.
  • Share.  Let your friends know about the deals that we’ve shown you.  They will be thrilled
  • Most of these deals require you to have a strong credit score.  It is also ideal that you have a few years of experience.
  • Keep your oldest credit card open.  It will benefit your credit score.
  • Never be late on a payment.
  • Never rack up a bunch of debt on things that you wouldn’t otherwise purchase.  Use your credit card as if it were a debit card.
  • Watch your credit score by using Credit Sesame.

 

Posted in Credit Advice, Credit Cards | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Brad’s Update from Port au Prince, Haiti

Posted on January 15, 2012 by wpengine

My brother Brad, the co-author of this blog, has been in Haiti for the last week working with a few different families to rebuild their lives after they lost their husbands in the earthquake that shattered the Caribbean nation on January 12, 2010.

Happy Haitian Children

His involvement has been with the group Haiti Sak Plen.  You can read about their goals and accomplishments on their website www.haitisakplen.com.  Many donors were generous enough to pay for the tools and materials needed to work on homes that have fallen.

Although many families will be left without spouses, children, or other family members, it has been the pleasure of Haiti Sak Plen to serve them.  They’ve worked on over 10 different projects and given local Haitians an opportunity that many from the US will not understand.  Although Presidents and hopeful presidents complain about our unemployment numbers, our problems are miniscule compared to the unemployment problems of the Haitians.

Luckily I was fortunate enough to participate in a trip to Haiti where we offered relief to families that had suffered as a result of the earthquake.  My trip was in April of 2010, which was a few months after the earthquake which occurred in January.  Unfortunately there are lasting effects of the earthquake that might never get better.  Even after two years the country is still in bad shape and much of the reconstruction has yet to begin.  Our goal was to give the Haitian people hope in the future and a bright outlook on what is to come.

Stanley and Puchon

I recall a conversation that I had with Puchon almost two years ago.  He is a local  28 year old Haitian who was helping us with the construction work on these homes.  Our conversation went something like this…

Me: So are you married or do you have a girlfriend?

Puchon: No man, I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend.

Me: Why not man?  You are a good looking guy, and I’m sure that you have had opportunities.

Puchon:  Yeah, I’ve had opportuniites, the only problem is that I’m 28 and I live with my parents.  I have no job and no prospects of getting a job.  I’m very lucky that I can put food in my stomach each day.  How on Earth do you think that I would be able to provide for a wife, or especially for children.

Chalkboard Reflecting the Date of the Earthquake

This was one of the more humbling conversations that I’ve ever had in my life.  I take for granted the opportunity that we have in America, and I know that the Haitians don’t even stand a chance compared to our blessings.

I better understand why orphanages are overflowing with children in countries like Haiti.  People have children, and they know that they won’t be able to care for them.  As a result they end up dropping them off at orphanages hoping that their children might have a brighter future.

Sometimes we live in small bubbles and don’t understand how fortunate we are.  I’ve traveled to many poor countries and lived in very poor circumstances.  I spent almost two years amongst the people of Paraguay in South America.  I’m here to tell you that Paraguay is an amazing place to live compared to Haiti.  This might come as  a shocker to you, but it is true.  This just goes to show how bad life can be for these people.

True Happiness

Happy Haitian Children

The interesting thing about the children is that they are happy.  I never saw one throw a fit about not being able to play his x-box, and nobody fought over the Wii.  I know that it would be really difficult to take my children to Haiti someday, but it would be great to give them an experience where they can learn to appreciate what they have.  I know some parents tell their children…”You better eat that food or someone in Africa will starve.”  Obviously parents are trying to teach their children the principle of gratitude, but showing it can mean so much more.

I recall one visit to Mexico when we rented a van in Ensendada and drove to see the Bufadora.  I remember getting lost in one neighborhood looking for the highway.  My mother-in-law asked her youngest son what he thought about the houses and the neighborhood.  His only response was, “I wish that I could go and give them some money.”  It was a priceless moment of teaching children to be grateful for what they have.  Not is it always that giving money is the best option, but knowing that he was willing to care for them and wished that their situations could improve.

Running a Business In Haiti

This experience also taught me about the importance of not having a corrupt government.

Downtown Building

On one occasion I was speaking with a gentleman who runs and orphanage.  He explained to me that having a business in Haiti is rather difficult.

He gave me this example:  Let’s say you’re going in to purchase a drivers license.  Of course they aren’t going to require you to take any tests or anything.  The sign on the wall at the DMV says “Drivers License: $2 USD.”  Sounds simple enough.  When you arrive to pay the $2 they simply say “For you it is going to cost $200.”  Nobody stops them from requesting the bribe, and you won’t get a drivers license unless you heed their bribe.  Essentially if they know that you have the money, then they are going to ask for it. This type of corruption chokes businesses because it makes slim margins even slimmer.

Summary

From the crumbling buildings there are lessons to be learned.  I’ll be forever grateful for my experience in Haiti.  I encourage you to either contribute financially, or to work with some type of group to experience something like I did.  Even if you don’t have anything to contribute to the cause financially, give your heart.  Pray for the people who are less fortunate.

If you would like to contribute you can donate on the haitisakplen website.  If you have interest in helping on a more intimate level, please contact Brad at Bradleyjai@hotmail.com.

 

Posted in Fun Travel Stories | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Picture Quiz

Posted on January 15, 2012 by wpengine

This is the capital of one of our 50 states. What capitol building is it and who are the three presidents in the sculpture?

INK Bold by Chase

Posted in Travel Quiz | Leave a comment

BAR 2011 (Big Awesome Ride)

Posted on January 10, 2012 by wpengine

Everyone talks about having a mid-life crisis in which some guy ends up buying a Harley, a Corvette, or a Convertible Mustang.  My problem is that my mid-life crisis came at age 27.  I hope that doesn’t mean that my life is going to be shortened to 54, but I decided to buy a motorcycle already.

I know that I’ve posted a bit about this already, but there is so much more to share about our entire ride.  It encompassed over 1700 miles in five days.

We started the journey in Idaho Falls, ID and all met together at a gas station to start off the trip with a Red Bull.  The weather was absolutely perfect as we all hopped on our bikes and got ready for the ride.  Our first destination was to get to Missoula, MT for day one of the ride.

Trevor had carefully mapped out the stops, planning each of our nights so we wouldn’t be riding much more than 300 miles per day.  Some days were longer than others, but we tried to keep the average down.  After all, riding is fun, but we wanted to see the sites too.

Getting Ready to Ride

Once we had dropped down into the Bitterroot Valley we stopped to see the pack of bighorn sheep that had just crossed the road. It was precisely for this reason that we avoided driving at night. This territory is known for deer, bighorn sheep, and other big game that roam the roads.

We got into Missoula just as the sun was setting, so we timed our arrival just perfectly.  The sun had just fallen behind the mountains, but the light was still shining on the next range over.  Being a part of a biker crew brings a feeling unlike any other.  Revving the engine and cruising through town makes you feel like a true tough guy.

Pulling into Cracker Barrel for dinner was quite a treat after a long ride.  The waitress gave Trevor a full on massage as we waited for our meals to come out.  She offered free Apple Cider to all of us (Which is normally $2.50 a glass!) and topped off our glasses when they were low.

Day 2

It seems like getting bikers ready for the morning is harder than getting my wife to speed up with the curling iron.  Someone has to go to the bathroom, someone went to fill up their tank, and another guy is still laying in bed.  Once we all got our stuff together the whole crew took off for our next destination, Sandpoint, ID for lunch.

I’m from Idaho and traveled to over 20 countries and 25 states, yet I had never visited Northern Idaho.  This was my first adventure exploring the northern portion of my state.  The bends and curves around Lake Pend Orielle were stunning.  I couldn’t believe the size of the lake!

Luckily Jake survived the Scion that nearly clipped his front tire it went for a pass that was definitely too close.  It is crazy thinking that about another foot and he would have been roadkill.

For some reason there is a need for speed when you are traveling in a pack of bikes.  I’ve never been much of a speeder, but it seems like the whole crew was cruising quite a bit above the speed limit.  I kept up with the group, but never would have set that pace.

Sandpoint offered lunch on the lake at the Best Western Hotel.  Prices were very reasonable and the food was excellent.  As we compared sunburns  and enjoyed our meal we talked about our dreams, desires and aspirations.  Being on the road allows you to think about goals that you have and helps you to remember those that you love.  I spent a moment calling my wife to check in with her and my newborn son who was waiting for me at home.

The drive from Sandpoint to Cranbrook was picturesque at every moment.  Anyone could stop to take a picture anywhere along the road and sell a beautiful postcard.  The mountains are tall, and the valleys are green.  With the wheat crop approaching maturity, we enjoyed granite colored mountains, green trees, and amber waves of grain.  Driving through small town America also gives you an appreciation for our Country and its beauty.  I find it amazing that so many people are able to work together for a common good.

International Boundary

The border between Canada and the USA took much longer than expected.  They required us to get off of our bikes and go into another room so they could do a more thorough background check.  This delayed us more than we had originally suspected, so we knew that we must hurry if we were to arrive at Cranbrook before dark.

I’ve decided that following a river while on a motorcycle is always going to be fun.  The road curves around hills, and follows the river beautifully.  This section of the world is abundant with trees that fill the landscape.  It is stunning.

Cranbrook was rather uneventful and I realized that our Dollar is not doing too well.  One night in the Days Inn cost us $130!  It was outrageous.  The food was rather expensive too, I’m sure it isn’t as bad as the Euro, but it still hurt quite a bit each time you opened your wallet.  I only wish that I would have had some points to use at the hotels in Cranbrook.  Next year I’ll be sure to have accumulated points so I don’t have to pay so much.

This post will be continued in part 2.

Get some awesome hotel points with the Starwood Preferred Guest

Posted in Fun Travel Stories | Tagged , | 4 Comments