Spent a month in Czechia and Austria. No kangaroos anywhere.
But seriously, I have to say that the Czech Republic has a lot more to offer than just Prague, Karlovy Vary and Cesky Krumlov.
No idea why, but almost nobody in the English-speaking world seems to know about Marianske Lazne, a beautiful spa town in northwestern Czechia. In a time long passed, it was a luxury mountain hideaway that catered to the wealthy and famous, and even now visitors can still see its intricately designed buildings and drink the hot spring water it was once famed for from the public fountains everywhere.
Speaking of which, tap water in the towns in that part of the country all taste like mineral water we Singaporeans can only taste from bottles. Van didn't like it as much, but after a lifetime of drinking rainwater, the salty flavour felt luxurious.
There are many other smaller spa towns, like Frantiskovy Lazne, which is much quieter but preserved the Victorian-era-looking machine fountains that pump spring water directly from the aquifers. We spotted locals drinking from a few of them and from the little German I could understand from the brochures we found near the fountains, the water is believed to have healing properties. We tried it and it's really strong stuff, especially in sulfur. No adverse effects either.
Cheb may or may not have been objectively the best place to stay in to explore the region, but it was perfect during the trip, especially due to its location. Other than how almost nobody spoke English in the area (our Airbnb host had to rope in the English tutor of one of her kids to translate for us and bring us around, and on a side note, I have to admit we could have been friendlier to him by offering him a beer or dinner but we were too tired from the journey from Prague by public transport to think straight), the other downside was how its history was quite hidden from us.
I have read a little, and one thing that attracted me to that place was that Cheb has had a long history. Yet when I was there, other than the metal axis at the town center that displayed the timeline from its first mention in written history, there was almost nothing - no landmarks, no plaques.
It was only near the end of our stay when Van read up on it further and realized it used to be an important Nazi HQ, something to do with think tanks and the creation of certain important Nazi documents, ie Cheb used to be part of the brain of the Nazis.
No wonder they wiped out almost all their history despite being an important transit stop between various major cities in Central and Eastern Europe. Btw it's still a good transit hub for travellers today.
It's sad, but clearly they're slowly rebuilding after having shed its past, probably due to its excellent location between the rapidly developing Czech Republic and the largest economy in the EU, Germany.
One would have better luck finding German speakers than English speakers in this town.
Cesky Krumlov has a grand castle but honestly, it's hollow. It's entire old town has been converted into a tourist attraction, with hotels lining almost entire streets and covered in souvenirs. It's got history but not worth a stay. That is one thing my last Contiki tour did totally right - brought us there for a tour and got out asap.
Austria is a hidden gem for us - almost none of our friends knows anything about it and there is absolutely no hype around this country as far as we know other than for Halstatt and Vienna.
Probably my best option in travel destination ever - that is how much I love Austria, seriously.
The people are nice, the mountainous regions of the country absolutely gorgeous, and the prices are ridiculously honest. The last bit was the most impressive to me, and here's an example: there is this restaurant on this mountain where we went to for snowboarding classes, and the mountain was always crowded as far as we can tell. The view from every side is epic and there is a ski school there providing ski and snowboarding classes to people of all ages, both group and private, making this area absolutely suitable for anyone. The restaurant, being the sole source of food and beverages on the mountaintop that is a 15-minute cable car ride from the foot, is absolutely packed beyond capacity during lunch hour, yet the main courses were all large-portioned and only 3-4 of them out of about 15 were above 10 euros, net.
They could have ripped everyone off easily by doubling or even tripling the prices, but no, everything was restaurant price at most.
That's what I love most about Austria - the people aren't out to make a quick buck like the capitalists that the rest of us are.
Disclaimer: we saw very little of Vienna and capitals tend to be quite different from the rest of the countries they're in. Also, Halstatt has been ridiculously overhyped by its exposure in social media and is a different story.
Another example is the place we stayed at during our time in St Valentin, near Linz. I was actually trying to get a room in Linz but due to my low price filter, it gave me hotels further out and into St Valentin, and I booked it without realizing that till it was done and non-refundable.
Turns out to be a very pleasant mistake because the hotel was really a family-run restaurant hotel about five minutes walk from the train station - a fantastic transit hub. The prices were very reasonable for the quality and quantity, and I felt the dishes were made with love because they aren't uniform. There were two consecutive dinners when I ordered the same dish, a pork chops wrapped in bacon, and they were different. I asked the server if the chef was different that evening, but no, it's just the recipe that was different. Better, actually.
Call me ignorant, but I didn't know restaurants can change recipes randomly.
I would like to believe the chef cooked his/her dishes however he/she wanted, like a home kitchen, and that lack of sameness gave it a sort of warmth you never expect in a restaurant.
Linz, on the other hand, was a city through and through. If I were to return to the area, I'd stay at that hotel again instead of within Linz.
Anyway if anyone asks whether snowboarding is easier than skiing, I would say it's like comparing apples with oranges - they're just different.
Each is good in its own ways and has its own difficulties, but I find it unfair to say either is easier than the other after having learnt both.
Skiing:
+ It feels more versatile - you can walk upslope relatively more easily without removing a thing.
+ It's also easier to leave them when you don't need them - just stab everything into the snow.
+ Acceleration is also easier on gentler slopes or even on flat ground.
+ You can stand on it like you're wearing shoes, so you can do that when you stop.
+ Most importantly, it is a proven mobility device in times of war.
Snowboarding:
+ It feels safer in that when you fall and roll, it doesn't make your knees rotate in the less pleasant ways.
+ The snowboarding boots feel far more comfortable when you're walking in them with the snowboard off
+ It is just one board, as compared to two skis and two poles
+ It needs less leg strength but more core power.
In terms of learning both, skiing was much less painful. Standing is also an exercise of your heels-only and toes-only balance constantly when you're on a snowboard. However, the risk of injury felt higher with skiing as we newbies have to learn to resist the urge to use the poles to decelerate - it can injure your wrists and arms. Bruises on our knees and butts are nothing compared to possible bone or joint injuries.
Ultimately, I prefer the snowboard. Ski boots are clumsy to walk in and rather uncomfortable while snowboarding boots are really just a comfortable pair of snow boots with locking mechanisms above the ankle. I also have a partial meniscus tear in one of my knees so any rotation feels dangerous to me.
As a practical form of transportation, skiing is the obvious better option. You can go up and down slopes, accelerate even on flat ground, and then take them off without sitting. On the other hand, I really don't see myself using any of these to move around other than for fun, so practicality means nothing to me. The single board also makes the logistics easier if I ever invest in a snowboard.
Oh yes we stayed at a castle near a city unknown in terms of tourism, not even among Austrians themselves. An absolute hidden gem, no doubt, Schloss Mittersill, and I have to return some day.
