2014 European Wedding
The following is a brief tour of my wedding in 2014. A group of almost thirty of our closest family and friends made the trip from the United States, arriving in Prague, before making our way down to the almost fairytale village of Cesky Krumlov. Below is a brief tour of our trip.
Arrival in Prague
We arrived at Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport on Thursday evening, and after piling into a large taxi, we wound through Prague's cobblestone roads toward our hotel in the Mala Strana neighborhood As we traveled through the different neighborhoods, and finally passed Prague's Castle Gardens (over 500 years old!) we couldn't help but feel steeped in Prague's history.
Cesky Krumlov
Following our first night in Prague, we took an ill-fated bus ride to our wedding destination, the riverside-town of Cesky Krumlov. In the end, our stressful travel was rewarded with the almost fairytale sights and sounds of Cesky Krumlov. Founded in 1240, the small town sits on a bend in the Vltava River, making it a popular floating stop in the summer. After checking into the apartment building we rented out for our wedding group (over 20 people made the trip from the United States), we were eager to explore our surroundings. Instead, we all prompting took long naps. But with a little rest behind us, the excitement of the wedding kicked in and the festivities began.
Our Trip to Salzburg
Following the wedding, we had a fantastic bohemian feast at a local restaurant: The Two Marys. We moved on to a local cocktail and music bar (coincidently called Music Bar) for our reception. The morning came quickly, and as we all wiped the sleep from our eyes, packed our bags, and said our goodbyes, we headed off on the next leg of our adventure. Roughly half the group was making their way south east to the city of Salzburg in Austria, and there are few things more memorable to me than riding south across the Czech/Austrian border and into the rolling, green Austrian Alps. Once we arrived in Salzburg, we walked down the riverside, toward "The White City" for some evening exploration.
A Stop in Lucerne
As our brief time in Salzburg came to an end, our honeymoon began. We bid goodbye to the rest of the wedding party, boarded our train, and headed further east toward Switzerland. Our initial destination was Zurich, where we would head a little further south toward Lucerne. The train trip through Switzerland is nearly indescribable--the most breathtakingly beautiful location we had ever seen. As we arrived in Lucerne, the sun broke through the clouds over Lake Lucerne, revealing an awe-inspiring view of Mt. Pilatus.
The Valley of Lauterbrunnen
After spending a wonderful morning in a slapdash tour of Lucerne--the famous monument, The Lion of Lucerne, the covered bridges, a walk around the lake--we boarded yet another train and headed for our true destination, the valley town of Lauterbrunnen. In a country that is nothing but breaktaking views, Lauterbrunnen was the most awe-inspiring yet. Sitting between the Bernese Alps, this small alpen village is surrounded by over 70 waterfalls, the most impressive and visible being Staubbach Falls, which cascades over 300 feet before hitting the valley floor only a few hundred yards away from our hotel balcony.
Our Very, Very, Very, Amatuer Mountain Expedition
We spent the following days touring the various natural wonders that the surrounding area had to offer. Waking early one morning, we were the first visitors to Trummelbach Falls, which is essentially a path leading inside a mountain that is slowly being internally carved out by a roaring waterfall. Later that afternoon, we climbed an incredibly steep hillside to sit directly beneath a several hundred foot waterfall. Yet perhaps the most memorable excursion was the trip up the nearly 10,000 foot Schilthorn Mountain, affording us and other intrepid visitors views as far-ranging as Zurich and Germany's Black Forest.
An End In Sight
All our amature mountaneering behind us, we boarded our last European train with heavy hearts and tired legs. Catching an overnight train from Zurich, we headed through Germany and finally to where our trip began, Prague. The last few days of this trip afforded us a chance to see Prague in more depth: Prague Castle, historic breweries and mead halls, various shopping districts, and Prague's famous Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square. Our trip had been worth every €. Though such trips in my experience always leave one with the uncanny feeling of having passed simultaneously both fast and slow, we all left Prague feeling a keen desire to return.