A Year Abroad: Journey to the Colder Climates for February Vacation
A few months ago, I started planning my trip in February, as I was going to have a week and a half to travel instead of one week. Three places immediately came to mind when brainstorming: Prague, Warsaw, and St. Petersburg. You’re probably thinking, “Prague I understand, but why Warsaw and St. Petersburg? It’s a bit random”. Well I have always heard amazing things about Prague, St. Petersburg has so many interesting museums and beautiful palaces, and Warsaw is a sentimental place to me as it’s where my parents first met. I looked for flights, and the price all together was less than my ticket to Greece, so I booked immediately. As much of a “random” booking these excursions may seem, I enjoyed every minute of this trip.
I arrived in Prague at night, and coming into the city you see Prague 1 and 2 all lit up, which was one of the most breathtaking sceneries I’ve ever seen. I was already hooked on this place. Because it was a bit late, I went to get a quick dinner and made a run to a local grocery store for some breakfast and snack supplies, and started bright and early the next day. I stayed near the city center of Prague 2, and so walking to Prague 1 (which is where Charles Bridge, Cathedrals, and many other famous attractions are) was about 20 minutes in total. Prague was the most relaxing city of the trips, as I mainly just walked around to look at the different sights and attractions!
Out of all of the places I saw, two really stood out to me; Charles Bridge and the view overlooking the city from the palace at the top of a hill in Prague 1. Charles Bridge has a great view of both Prague 1 and 2, but the most amazing part of it is the statues. There is so much detail in all of them, and they each have such importance in history. One thing about Charles Bridge when walking on it several times while visiting Prague, was that each time a band of 5 older men were playing instruments and singing famous older songs (i.e. What a Wonderful World by Frank Sinatra). I would stop and listen to them each time because they were so energetic and happy (and the song choices were great)! They always had me smiling and clapping or singing along. It made the bridge even more incredible than it already was. The view at the top of the hill in Prague 1 was one of the most beautiful panoramic city views I’ve ever seen. The walk to get to it made me question my lack of shape I am in, and also where this random hill came out from, but it was well worth the sight to see. At least the walk back down was less exhausting.
Before leaving Prague, I did a few shopping trips, visits to museums, and just walked around to take in everything. I also made sure to go to a Czech restaurant, and try a real Czech beer and dinner. There was so much to see and do in Prague as it is a huge and lively city. Four days was more than enough time to see everything I wanted to see, but I do hope I can go back again one day to see the beautiful Charles Bridge again.
Up next was Warsaw, Poland. As mentioned in an Instagram post of mine upon arrival to the city, “There are many ‘cities of love’; Paris, Rome, Verona, etc. but the ‘city of love’ to me is Warsaw”. This is where my parents first met, and on Valentine’s Day I made a visit to the very spot. To start off, I arrived in Warsaw quite early, so after checking into my hotel I took a nap to regain some energy before venturing out. I walked to the city square, and explored the many cute little streets and peeked around in the tiny boutiques. The colors of the buildings all differ, and the roads and buildings are all so clean. The sky was gray the entire time I was there, however, the vibrant colors from the buildings kept my mood bright. I tried quite a bit of polish food while there. Although everything I tried was delicious, since moving to France, my portions are not as big, and I do not digest greasy food well. Being in a cold climate, greasy and fatty meats are a part of the cuisine. It was a bit difficult for me during my trip as the Czech food was also quite filling (and the same for Russian cuisine). I still enjoyed all of my meals. If you have read my last blog post, you will know that I visited Auschwitz on my second day in Poland. I will not go into details, but if you wish to read about my experience visiting there, click here.
On my last day in Warsaw, which was Valentine’s Day, I walked to the U.S. and Swiss Embassies. Over 35 years ago in the U.S. Marine bar (on a Friday night Happy Hour) my parents were introduced to one another by a mutual friend. They had no idea that they worked right next door to one another. My dad proposed to my mom within 10 months after first meeting her. They’re love story has always made me a hopeless romantic. I do not wish to meet anyone soon, as I do enjoy the single life, but their relationship and love for one another is something I hope for one day. It was truly amazing to see the spot where my family first began. It was the perfect way to end my short stay in Poland before making my way to St. Petersburg, Russia.
For those who don’t know, my Visa process to go to Russia was an absolute NIGHTMARE. Being American and Swiss, I hold two quite powerful passports. Americans have the freedom to visit most countries in the world for up to three months without requiring a visa, as is the same for the Swiss (and can live anywhere in the E.U. without applying for a Visa). Not for Russia, however. While living in France, I have only traveled on my Swiss Passport since that is what I use to live here. When first booking my ticket, I saw I would need a tourist visa. I did not think that this would be such a complicated and lengthy process. When going into the Visa center, I was missing a few documents that I supposedly needed to obtain from my hotel or tour group. I was not going with a tour group, so when I called the hotel I had originally booked with, the concierge answered, and just responded with, “call me when you speak Russian”. I was at first appalled at the way he spoke back to me in my desperate time of need to get this process done (as I was leaving in three weeks from the day I went in). I luckily had a very kind worker help me. He went out to get the documents I needed. I then had to buy health insurance just for these four day in Russia, as well as pay for the actual Visa. And then the time I would have to go back for my passport in the two weeks, is the time I am normally getting my host kids from school. Thankfully, my host mom went to search for it two weeks later. I hope to never go through a hefty process like this again, but I can say without a doubt that it was all 100% worth it. St. Petersburg is absolutely breathtaking, and filled with so much excitement, history, and things to see and do.
I arrived in the evening at my hotel in St. Petersburg, which meant not much to do except grab a quick dinner and venture a bit (but not too far). Within the streets were many different local bands or artists of music. The one on my street that night was a rock band and the girl sang beautifully in Russian. Everyone was gathering around singing and dancing to the music, and if the views from my cab to the hotel hadn’t won me over, this did. This city was so vibrant, and I just couldn’t believe it! When I first thought of St. Petersburg, I always thought of the Russian revolution and the many Czars who ruled Russia, and the fall of the Romanovs. This city has so much more than just history, but beautiful Palaces’ all around, colorful buildings, music and artists within the streets, and great homemade vodka.
On my first full day I took a private car to and from Peterhof Palace. This palace was the summer home to the Czars of Russia, and is right by the Baltic Sea. It is possibly the most beautiful palace I have ever seen. Most of the ceilings and walls were made out of gold or had gold details within them, and there was even a fountain in the back courtyard made of gold as well. The rooms were absolutely breathtaking, especially the ball room, where my inner four year old self, began humming “Once Upon A December” from the movie, Anastasia, which was one of the daughters of the last Czar, Nicholas II. Living in France, I have seen many beautiful chateaus, but I have never seen such beauty and detail in one palace. The Peterhof Palace takes the cake for the most beautiful and jaw-dropping chateau I’ve seen. As stated on my walking tour that I took on my last full day in St. Petersburg, “most famous and luxurious places here are either Cathedrals or Palaces; I saw more Palaces in one day then I have in my seven months residing in France, which I did not think was possible (as there are 100’s of chateaus). Before I go on and talk more of my walking tour, I wanted to mention my second day of visiting St. Petersburg. Being that I did not have Data there, Google Maps was not doing me any good, therefore I made sure to not get too lost from my hotel. I spontaneously decided to turn right on the main street. It was beautiful seeing all of the old, colorful buildings; but had no idea that after less than ten minutes of walking, I’d end up in the famous Palace Square, where the Hermitage is (a.k.a the Winter Palace to the Czars). At this moment, my jaw actually dropped and I was in total awe. I had seen pictures of the Hermitage before coming to St. Petersburg, but they did not do it justice. It is absolutely breathtaking. As it was Monday, the museum was closed, so I knew my Tuesday would be filled with a lot. I started quite early and did a four hour private walking tour, where I learned so much about the history of St. Petersburg.
The Russian Revolution and many Czars of Russia resided in St. Petersburg. Not only were there a lot of Palaces and Cathedrals, but also monuments. One story I found particularly funny is the one of Alexander I on his horse that is in the ‘center of St. Petersburg’. The statue faces a Cathedral, and the back to the Palace where his mother lived. When the statue was first put up, Alexander’s mother complained how she did not like her son’s back to her, and had workers turn the statue around. After doing so, the Church then complained that this was unright to God, making workers turn it around again. The funniest part of this is that the two could not compromise to simply turn it the statue to one side, so that they each had a side view of it! I could tell you so much more about my walking tour of St. Petersburg, but this post is already long enough. After my walking tour, my guide suggested a place near the hermitage for the best Beef Stroganoff (and homemade Vodka) in the city. The staff was so friendly, and recommended many different things to me. I did a three shot vodka tasting, where I tried homemade cranberry, raspberry, and horseradish flavored Vodka. After that I had a lovely conversation with my server, telling her how Vodka is my prefered liquor to drink. She then brought me a free shot of a strawberry flavored Vodka. At this point, the Beef Stroganoff could not come soon enough. It was absolutely delicious, and perhaps my favorite of all the local meals I tried. Before leaving my server brought me a free bottle of the cranberry flavored Vodka to bring home with me. It was such a kind gesture, and really made my last day of vacation even more special than it already was. Alongside all of this, I also visited the Hermitage after lunch, and mainly focused on the second floor as that is where most of the popular exhibitions and Palace rooms that are still intact are for viewing. It was beautiful, however, I do think the Peterhof Palace still has the top spot out of all of the attractions I saw.
All three of these countries I visited were so different and so amazing! It’s hard to pick a favorite, as they all were so different and filled with adventure. I loved every minute of this trip, and am excited for the many short weekend trips I will be taking in the next couple of weeks, and my next big trip in April to Morocco and Portugal. Although these cities were wonderful, I think my last trip before coming home should be in a bit warmer climates!
