During my time at design high school, I went to Prague on a class trip – twice, because back then I was in my wild youth phase and I spend more time partying than studying, hence I had to repeat a grade. Back then, Prague was an amazing experience. The city had such a cool vibe, probably what people in the 90s meant when they said “Bohemian”. It is Bohemia after all.

In mid-July 2019, I wanted to revisit Prague, combining it with a trip to East Germany and Berlin. So I flew to Prague. After arriving, I went straight out to explore the city a bit. The weather was mixed—clouds and some sun—but overall quite manageable.

It was obviously very, very fast that Prague has changed a lot. It’s become a bit of a tourist hellhole. Gone are the punk and hippie vibes that I remembered from my high school trip. Now it’s all selfie sticks and souvenir shops. The same souvenir shops over and over again. Well, what can I do other than deal with it.

On my second day, I started the morning with a hike up to Prague Castle. That alone was a solid trek and brought back memories from 15 years ago when I visited during the school trip. The castle is still as impressive as ever, and it was fun to see it again.

In the afternoon, I took a train out to Kutná Hora to visit the Sedlec Ossuary—a church made completely from human bones. Skulls and femurs arranged into chandeliers? Metal as hell. This place was truly impressive.

On my third day, I started with a deep dive into Prague’s Jewish heritage. I visited four synagogues (which now serve as museums), a ceremonial hall, and the old Jewish cemetery. In one of the synagogues—the oldest—legend has it the Golem once slept in the attic. It was fascinating, but I couldn’t help thinking how much more fun it would’ve been with my partner.

Later in the day, I wandered through Letná Park and its surroundings and in the evening I visited friends that used to come to board game nights in Düsseldorf. They now have a nearly two-year-old son. We played Lords of Waterdeep and a few party games. Great night!

My fourth day was a marathon of a day. I walked from Prague’s main train station through Náměstí Republiky, Florenc, Karlín, over the Libeňský bridge to the markets (sadly, nothing remained of what I remembered from 15 years ago), then back over the Hlávkův bridge and down to the Františkánská garden, where I collapsed on a bench for an hour or two.

My legs were completely done by the time I made it back to the station to catch the train to Dresden. I waited there for about an hour, utterly exhausted.

Day 5 was my first day in Dresden, an eastern German city that I hadn’t been to before. I woke up at 7 AM to the incessant chiming of the Frauenkirche bells—note to self: never book a room next to a church again.

I set out around 9 AM to explore Dresden, and wow—what a display of grandeur! The Frauenkirche, the Zwinger, and the Mathematical-Physical Salon were all stunning. Then I wandered toward the Neustadt area, which surprised me with its Kreuzberg-like vibe—lots of small shops, a cool and artsy atmosphere.

Yet another full day of walking. In the evening, I joined a local board game night I found via Facebook. We played The Artemis Project and Bunny Kingdom—both great fun.

On Day 6, I took the S-Bahn to Rathen in the morning. After what felt like forever waiting for the ferry across the Elbe, I finally made it to the Bastei. The hike there was surprisingly short—only about 20 minutes with photo stops.

The views from the Bastei were breathtaking… if only they weren’t crowded by tourists. Originally I planned to stop there, but I kept walking and ended up at the Schwedenlöcher (Swedish Holes) trail, looping back along a stream to Rathen. All in all, I hiked for 2–3 hours with breaks.

Back in Rathen, I grabbed some food and returned to Dresden, arriving around 5:30 PM. I spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

On Day 7, I travelled further east to Görlitz, a town on the border to Poland. Görlitz, like many border towns, is fascinating. The German side is very pretty and photogenic, but honestly, I expected a bit more—especially considering how many films were shot here. It’s nice, but didn’t blow me away.

I didn’t explore much of the Polish side (even though that’s where I slept), but just the short walk to my pension and the supermarket was a striking contrast. It’s amazing how dramatically things change in a city that was once unified before WWII.

In hindsight, Görlitz could’ve been a day trip from Dresden. I must’ve walked through the entire city twice in the six hours I was there.

From Görlitz I then took the train to Berlin, where I mainly came to attend Berlin Brettspiel Con (a board game convention) and meet with family.

It was a fun trip and I got to see lots of new places I haven’t been to before. Prague however was a disappointment. I really missed the vibes of early 00s Prague, and I wonder where in the world I’ll still find places like that.

Until next time, Eastern Europe.