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4th December 2025: The Old Town Reprise {Prague, December 2025}

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For our last half-day in Prague [Praha], it was decided that we were going to go back to the Old Town Hall Staroměstská radnice, in order to take a guided tour to see the machinery of the Prague Astronomical Clock Pražský orloj. I am not sure why we did not did the tour on Monday when we first visited, as we ended up paying for admission twice. However, a word to the wise: if you ever find yourself in Prague, do take the tour. The price is negligible in comparison to the ticket entrance and you will actually get to see something besides the view from the tower. We waited at the small frescoed hall for the tour to start.

Small hall in Prague town hall, decorated with frescoes on the ceiling and walls depicting historical scenes and herald motifs.

The guided tour was led by a very giddy lady who was extremely excted to describe all wars, murders, maiming and torture methods in full gory details. The visit started at the chapel, which is not the original one, but a reconstructed version. It is right behind the clock, so you can glimpse a bit into the mechanism. And glimpse means see a couple of gears and the sculptures. Then we continued into the only intact room of the area – the gothic Hall of Justice, which was honestly very impressive – and well maintained.

Prague town hall: reconstructed chapel and apostles inside the clock mechanism.

Gothic Justice room in the Prague town hall, with wooden decoration and ceiling.

We went on to visit a Baroque hall with paintings that depicted the Hussite war and the coronation of George of Poděbrady. The guide also explained that Good King Wenceslas, from the Christmas carol, had never been a king. We finally got to see some original frescos from before most of the Town Hall was destroyed – on the very last day of World War II.

Afterwards, we moved underground, to see the surviving Romanesque and Gothic foundations of the Old Town Hall and the city itself, which used to be 6 metres lower than it is today. They are not the only cellars in Prague [Praha] that can be visited, but they were pretty impressive and preserved.

Underground Prague tunnels and arches.

We did not have time for anything else after the visit, but I ditched my family then to do a quick souvenir-shop run, and met them at the hotel 15 minutes before pick-up. The driver could not find a parking spot, so he was 10 minutes late anyway. We got to the airport, went through security and tried to find somewhere to eat. My parent seemed to be desperately looking for something, anything, that was not Costa Coffee for lunch, but unfortunately for them – fortunately for me – nothing else was found. Ergo, I got a vanilla latte! My other parent was astonished by my happy “Costa Grin”. We had seen a few Costas around Prague through the visit, but aside from saying I liked the chain, I did not push to go into any. I knew there would be enough of them in the UK in a few days.

It did not take long for our gate to be called, and boarding started before schedule. Since I had paid for the upgrade, we were amongst the first to board the plane, despite being on the literal last row. The flight was all right – there was some turbulence, but nothing too bad. And when we were landing, I was surprised about how clearly you could spot the Torrejón Christmas park (hello there, light pollution).

We landed, got to the shuttle, then to the parking lot, and finally home. As a balance… I don’t know. More than a trip, I thought about this as “spending time with family somewhere else”, but I was a bit confused about my role in it. I was expected to sit back, but I was also expected to plan and guide, it felt like being on thin ice a couple of times. I was not disappointed because I made a big effort not to do much research beforehand – beyond what my parents had prepared. I know we missed a few interesting things, and we had a couple of hiccups, but Prague [Praha] was pretty good for a three-day escapade, and I got to see actual central Europe Christmas Markets, which we missed in Vienna in 2024.

I liked Prague’s Gothic – I know, no one is surprised. If anything, I was taken aback at how packed it was, especially tourist families with kids during weekdays. I think the whole Christmas market tourist pull is way more important than I had given credit to. Yes, I had seen actual group trips aimed to see them but… Just wow. Talk about packed. And finally, on the topic of famous and populated Christmas Markets – I am not sure a couple of them actually closed for the night. At least they were still open way past 22:00… Which would cause even more contrast a few days later in Oxford. It was also not as cold as I had expected or feared, which was decent for pictures. Maybe next time we can do something warmer. Like the North of Africa…

3rd December 2025: Josefov, the National Museum, and a Light Show {Prague, December 2025}

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The city of Prague [Praha] has a rich history, and some of it is dark. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored just because it is uncomfortable.

The day did not start well. After breakfast, I checked the plane tickets for the following afternoon’s return, and ran into the same issue as before – a message saying “you must check your bags”. Seriously, it felt like extortion, but I decided to let it go and pay up. That put us behind schedule – my mistake, I misunderstood the time we wanted to be out. On our way, a guy helped us out with directions, and offered money exchange. He was standing at the door of a legit shop. I did not trust him, but a second later my parent was talking to him! Remember my parent’s obsession with the bad exchange rate they claimed they had received from the bank? In the end, they got scammed out of a couple hundred bucks, as the guy gave him Russian roubles instead of Czech crowns. That was not a nice experience, and the day was still going to get a bit more difficult.

Since my parent just pocketed the money, we did not realise it was not valid until they tried to use it to pay for our first spot of the day in Josefov, the Old Jewish Quarter. Today the quarter is luxurious and mostly full of 20th century buildings, after it was almost completely demolished at the end of the 19th century. However, it may have started with the arrival of the first Jews in the 10th century, and reached its peak in the late 1500s. Before the reconstruction, it was composed of narrow streets and brick houses.

Amongst the few remaining historical buildings and structures there are a number of synagogues, the old town hall and the cemetery. Our first stop was Pinkas Synagogue Pinkasova synagoga. Built in the gothic style, it was completed in 1533, and during World War II, it became a repository of religious paraphernalia after the Nazis banned Jewish services. Today, it serves as a memorial to around 80,000 victims of the Holocaust. Their names are written on the walls, and there is a collection of drawings by children from between 1942 and 1944 – most of the children ended up murdered in Auschwitz. I had understood that the synagogue was working as a social centre, so I assumed the drawings were by local contemporary kids. When I realised what they were, it broke me inside. The wave of feelings – and tears – makes the whole experience a bit of a blur.

Interior of the Gothic Pinkas Synagogue, with the names of the victims of Holocaust written on the walls.

All the synagogues in the area are managed by the institution Jewish Museum in Prague Židovské muzeum v Praze, so there is one combined ticket for all of them. There was a small security check at each entryway, but the security guards were all extremely nice and kind. The Pinkas Synagogue was in the same controlled area as the Old Jewish Cemetery Starý židovský hřbitov.

The cemetery is one of the largest of its kind in Europe, and it was used between the 15th and 18th centuries. Since space was scarce, there are layers upon layers of burials, and the headstones often refer to someone who is buried in the lower levels. This scheme has allowed for older graves to remain through time, as the layers were added on top of the existing ones. Despite my general liking of old cemeteries, I found the place oppressive – probably because of the recent shock to my system.

Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague.

We then walked a couple of minutes to Klausen Synagogue Klausová synagoga. It is the second synagogue built in the same place, erected in 1884 in the Baroque style. It was the only one in that style spared by the urban renewal in the early 20th century. It struck me then that, even if I was aware of architectural styles in churches, I had never thought that synagogues in Europe would go through the same architectural trends. Then again, up until today, I don’t reckon I’d ever been into a synagogue that could still be used as such.

Interior of the Baroque Klausen Synagogue, Prague.

I later learnt that there is no actual “right” way to build a synagogue, and that any group of believers can erect one. This is usually done in the architectural style of the time and place. Synagogues have a raised platform or pulpit, the bimah [בּימה], from where the Torah is read. The Torah [תורה] comprises the first five books of the Hebrew Bible [Tanakh, תַּנַ״ךְ], and, usually in scroll form, is read daily. When not in use, the Torah is kept in a chest or cabinet called the Ark [Aron Kodesh, ארון קודש‎], which dictates how the whole building is erected, as attendees are supposed to face Jerusalem for prayers. Many synagogues have an eternal light or flame, always lit somewhere in front of the Torah Ark.

Next, we visited the Old New Synagogue Staronová synagoga, the oldest active synagogue in the Czech Republic [Česká Republika], and one of the earliest examples of Gothic in the city of Prague [Praha]. It was originally the New Synagogue to an Old Synagogue, but when the latter was demolished, and even newer ones were built, hence the confusing name. It felt a bit closed off and claustrophobic, as it was accessed by a long corridor and packed with three tourist groups.

Interior of the Old New Synagogue, Prague, showing the curtain that covers the sacred texts.

We got a bit lost on our way out, so I was able to catch a glimpse of a bit of an oddity – the Prague Metronome Pražský metronom, a giant instrument that… swings. It holds no other function than moving along with time, it does not even click like a normal metronome would. It’s officially named the Time Machine and it was erected by artist Vratislav Novák. I saw it on the other side of the Vltava River, across the Czech Bridge Čechův most.

We finally reached the Spanish Synagogue Španělská synagoga. Built in the 19th century, it replaced the Old Synagogue, and its side, which used to be a hospital, is now the Museum. It was erected in a Moorish revival style, with two stories, several balconies and a lot of gold and golden. It hosts an exhibit about the history of Jews in the Czech Republic, but there is no tangible relation to Spain, the name seems to be a reference to the art style of Al-Andalus.

Golden interior of the Spanish Synagogue, Prague.

And for some reason (aside from him being Jewish, of course), there is a Statue of Franz Kafka Socha Franze Kafky standing next to the Spanish Synangogue. It is a bronze sculpture of the writer riding a hollow suit, based on the short story Description of a Struggle [Beschreibung eines Kampfes].

The last synagogue we visited was Maisel Synagogue Maiselova synagoga, currently a museum. It is Neo Gothic, after a previous building was destroyed. It has been restored recently, and hosts a very impressive display of menorah [מְנוֹרָה], a candelabrum with seven branches, symbol of Judaism since ancient times.

Gothic Maiselova Synagogue from the outside, Prague.

We set off then to try and find the nearby underground station, near the Jan Palach square and park Park u náměstí Jana Palacha. There are several buildings and views from the square. We did not stop for long there, and hopped onto the underground to get to Wenceslas Square Václavské nám. We had a bit of time before our lunch reservation, so we decided that the two-story souvenir shop at the corner was a perfect place to spend 20 minutes because it had heating. Afterwards, we walked down the square and crossed the Art Nouveau palace-turned-shopping-hub Lucerna Palace Pasáž Lucerna. Looking back, it could have been a cool place to explore with the idle time we had, but the pedestrian passage was not heated…

We finally got to the restaurant that my parent had wanted to try from the moment Prague [Praha] had been decided upon – Pork’s. As the name conveys, their menu is basically comprised of pork dishes, and reportedly they serve the best pork knuckle in town. The original restaurant, Pork’s Mostecká, is in Malá Strana, close to the Charles Bridge, and it was the one my parent had their heart set on… Unfortunately, it books out a month in advance. We had been able to find a spot in its sister restaurant Pork’s Vodičkova.

The place was full and bustling, but we had our table ready for us. We ordered two signatory dishes – pork knuckle with mustard, horseradish, crispy sauerkraut Vepřové koleno, hořčice, křen, křupavé zelí, a salad (Lettuce salad with grilled goat cheese, beetroot and marinated pear Listový salát s grilovaným kozím sýrem, řepou a marinovanou hruškou) and a weird potato thing I had seen and was extremely curious about – Potato pancake with sour cabbage, fried in pork fat from our knuckles (Bramborák s kysaným zelím smažený na výpeku z našich kolen), which turned out to be a sort of waffle sandwich (I loved it, because I’m weird like that). The knuckle was all right but I had to peel off some of the fat because it made the dish too heavy on the stomach. For dessert, we shared some apricot dumplings – Homemade fruit dumplings with cottage cheese, sugar and warm butter, Domácí ovocné knedlíky z tvarohového těsta, tvarohem a cukrem sypané, máslem přelité.

Pork knuckles portion with cabbage and mustard.

We left the restaurant around 15:00 and my parents, who were still a bit on the upset side, decided to go to the hotel, claiming they wanted a break before the light show at 19:30. Since my sibling was up to anything, I decided to head out to the main building of the National Museum Historická budova Národního muzea. We would not have time to do the whole thing, but at least we could wander for a couple of hours and snoop around.

The main or historical building was designed by architect Josef Schulz and erected between 1885 and 1891, when it was inaugurated. It is a magnificent structure in the Neo Renaissance style, grandiose and decorated with gold and frescoes. It feels like a palace, and honestly, it does not look like a museum at all. The building was damaged during the succeeding conflicts in the 20th century, so it ended up closing between 2011 and 2018 for extensive renovations. At the moment, it hosts four permanent exhibitions: the Hall of Minerals, Miracles of Evolution, Windows into Prehistory, and (Czech) History, though the latter seems to only cover from the Middle Ages to the first half of the 20th century. Thus, I guess that it doubles as natural history and archaeology museum.

Prague National Museum building, huge constructiond ecorated with gold, white and marble.

We started at the Hall of Minerals, which is a traditional collection of minerals in vintage cases. The meteorite collection is pretty good, especially the moldavites. Moldavite vltavín is a mineral derived from a meteorite impact (a tektite), around 15 million years ago. It is a green gemstone, local to the area of Bohemia. It is not uncommon, but not widely available in the world (and unfortunately none was for sale in the gift shop).

We got to the prehistory ward, and it was really fun. As far as huge diversity goes, the exhibit was not impressive, but what they lack in actual stuff, they make up for with models. We entered through the Paleocene room with a mammoth (technically there is a baby mammoth too but that had been moved to another exhibition) and the skeleton of a woolly rhinoceros, almost complete. The latter is either haunted and has tried to escape, or someone seriously mismeasured its case, because the horn had cracked the glass at some point. Some other models included a sabretooth cat and a scene of steppe wolves hunting.

We went back in time towards older epochs. There was a mosasaur hunting an ammonite, along with a number of fossils from both invertebrates and vertebrates. We reached the Age of Dinosaurs. They have literally one bone, a femur, of an ornithopod dinosaur, similar to an iguanodon. From that, they managed to describe a whole species, Burianosaurus augustai (2017), similar to an Iguanodon. Upon studying the specimen, scientists also discovered that there were shark teeth marks on the bone, so someone recreated a whole scene of the poor beast dying and being torn apart by sharks. I’m not even kidding.

Further back in time, and deeper into the museum, we reached the wall of national fossils – trilobites. There were cases about the primitive oceans, with dioramas and replicas. From there, we entered the world of evolution and biodiversity, which again had great models but humble actual exhibits.

The History Exhibit starts in the 8th century and lasts until World War I. It held a lot of interesting artefacts that reflected how life was at the beginning of the 20th century, including some fascinating objects such as toys. The Prehistory area was a bit more strange, with lots of human remains in reproductions of burials (I really hope they were reproductions and nobody had relocated a whole necropolis…).

Prague National Museum: Bone and reconstruction of burianosaurus - the reconstruction is a dead dinosaur being eaten by sharks.

Prague National Museum: Skeleton of a Wooly rhino, reconstruction of a mammoth, colourful corals and marine mammal reconstructions (seal, walrus, sea lions).

Prague National Museum Historical displays: old town clay tiles, Medieval book, religious sculptures, carriage and toy sewing machine.

We left the museum to head back towards the hotel. There was a small Christmas Market at the end of Wenceslas Square Václavské nám, and we passed by yet another one: the regular market Havelské tržiště had been turned into a festive checkpoint, but most of the stalls had the same stuff at the same prices. It was still packed though. We made a stop at the Choco-Story shop to see if they had started selling the Christmas-tree sweets we had seen made the day before, but no such luck.

We went back the hotel to regroup and find out what time they were picking us up the following day. Later in the evening, we left once more to find Broadway Theatre so we could watch the WOW Show Black Light Theatre Prague. Notice the English name, it was clearly aimed at tourists, but the only one my parents found advertised at the hotel. Doors opened at 19:30, but placement was free, so we wanted to be there around 19:15. As we checked in, we were given some glow sticks. I don’t think my family had ever held glow sticks in their life…

We had to go down a couple of floors worth of stairs to get to the actual theatre and when we got to the stalls, we ended up getting pretty horrible seats for some reason or another. Soon the venue began to fill up. There was a huge group of young tourists who had obviously been raised in a barn. They yelled and burped and, when lights went off, they decided to start throwing the glow sticks. One got me in the back of the head, and damn, those things hurt.

Prague’s black light theatre (černé divadlo) works with black backgrounds, UV lights and fluorescent elements to create visual illusions. Basically, you only see brightly coloured bits, either props, face paint, or clothing. It was… weird. Not what I was expecting at all. The idea was that a guy came back from work, watched some TV, then went to sleep, and we got to see all his dreams, in dance version. At some point, the actors bounced some big balls at the audience for us to play with, and the rude macro-group decided to play dodge-ball with them. Some dancers also played spiders which had to move over the audience. All in all, it was an interesting experience, a bit ruined by the company, but I did not like it much. A bit too surreal for me.

Dinner was again at the shopping centre – not much choice, at the only open sandwich place. One of these days, my family will realise that buying snacks in advance is a good idea. That day was not today.

2nd December 2025: From the Pražský hrad Castle, downwards {Prague, December 2025}

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It was a grey morning in Prague [Praha] when we headed down for breakfast. The buffet was packed and the coffee horrible, but I was able to find cranberry juice, hard-boiled eggs, bread and cheese. The goal of the day was visiting other areas within the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Prague, starting from the castle to make our way down. Thus, we jumped onto the public transport system – my parents could ride free due to their ages, and my sibling and I bought tickets. The ticketing system allows you to ride for a set period of time after validating, which is done at the gate. We rode the underground to the Malostranská stop, at the foot of the hill where the castle was built. This area of the city is called Malá Strana, the Lesser Town – it is a historical name, because there is nothing “lesser” about it.

Prague Castle Pražský hrad is the largest ancient fortress in the world – a huge complex of buildings delimited by a defensive wall. It hosts the official residence of the current President of the Republic, and in the past it was the place from where the kings of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperors ruled. Construction began around 870, with the establishment of a walled church on top of a hill overlooking the area. The current palace was built under the reign of Charles IV (Karel IV), who also reinforced the fortifications. The enclosure hosts several notable areas and buildings, such as the Cathedral and the Golden Lane.

The first step was, however, climbing up from the underground stop to the castle itself – literally. This was done via stairs, which fortunately were not frosty. They were… steep, steeper than they looked, considering how wide each step was. I was a bit out of breath by the time we were up… and once at the gate there was still more uphill way to walk!! We reached the ticket office and decided on a “Prague Castle – Main circuit” (Pražský hrad – hlavní okruh) ticket, which included the four key sites: the Old Royal Palace, St. George’s Basilica, the Golden Lane, and St. Vitus Cathedral.

Right next to the ticket office there was the access to the Golden Lane Zlatá ulička. It was originally an area where the castle guards lived. Today, it is a narrow alley with coloured houses, many of which have been converted into souvenir shops or tiny ethnography museums, trying to show how people used to live there – the seamstress, the alchemist, the goldsmith, the fortune-teller… Some famous or important historical figures have dwelt there, most notably writers Franz Kafka – with a bookshop where he used to dwell – and Jaroslav Seifert (1984 Nobel Prize in Literature), and the fortune-teller Matylda Průšová. There is also a collection of weapons and armours.

Golden Alley and reconstructed dwellings: a bedroom and the alchemist's office.

Our next stop was the Basilica of St George Bazilika svatého Jiří. Despite its Baroque façade from the late 17th century, the inside is purely Romanesque. The church is actually the oldest surviving building in the castle complex, consecrated in the year 921. Fortunately, the interior has been kept Baroque-free, and it displays a severe limestone appearance (though it had to be restored after World War II) with frescoes behind the altar.

Baroque exterior of the church of St George and Romanesque frescoes inside.

The crown jewel (in my not-so-humble gothic-loving opinion) of the castle is the Cathedral of St. Vitus – formally the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert Katedrála svatého Víta, Václava a Vojtěcha. The current building is Gothic, and dates back from 1929. No, that’s not a typo. Although construction started in 1344, it did not end until the 20th century! The current building was erected over a previous Romanesque church when the latter became too small. It was sponsored by Charles IV (Karel IV) of Bohemia and originally designed by Matthias of Arras, who obviously did not live enough to see the work completed.

Gothic Cathedral of St Vitus.

Prague’s Medieval history was heavily influenced by the Hussite Wars. The Hussites were reformists, an early movement of what would later become Protestantism, founded by Jan Hus (who ended up burnt to death for his trouble). The Hussite Wars lasted between 1419 and 1434, and were rather complicated, with people changing sides, a civil war, foreign interventions actually called “crusades”… In the end, the “moderate” Hussites allied themselves with the Catholics to defeat the “radical” Hussites, and eventually rose to power as George (Jiří) of Poděbrady was crowned the first protestant King of Bohemia in 1458. While the king himself was a Hussite, he was a moderate and thus tolerant of the Catholics and their rites.

However, with the Hussite uprising, works of the cathedral came to a stop. It stood half-built until the 17th century. Finally, the early 20th century saw serious efforts to finish it in time for St. Wenceslaus’ Jubilee in 1929. Despite its 600 years of construction, the building is simply magnificent, even if there was no sun to shine through the coloured windows. The pointed arches are just perfect, and the stonework has that lovely patina that they’ve cleaned out from Notre Dame in Paris.

The final building included in our ticket / pass was the Old Royal Palace Starý královský palác, a magnificent Gothic – with some Renaissance touches – building dating back from the 12th century. The Vladislav Hall, built in the 14th century, is vaulted, with gothic nerves. There is a small room with a throne and replicas of some of the crown jewels. Upstairs, rooms with frescoes. To the side, there was a long queue to see the “Defenestration Window” – during the Hussite Wars, people developed a taste for throwing other people out of windows. In 1618, during one of the many Protestant-Catholic moments of tension, two regents and a secretary were pushed out of one of the windows in the palace. They survived. According to the side who tells the story, they were either saved by angels or by falling onto a pile of cow dung.

Interior of the former Bavarian Palace, with gothic vaults.

The family decided to get going. We passed by newer buildings, where the President lives, and headed down the hill. We found a restaurant that my parent seemed to like and we were lucky enough that they had room for us. The staff at U Dvou slunců was pretty nice, and despite me thinking I wanted some dumplings, I ended up ordering Smažený obalený sýr, fried breaded cheese with chips and homemade tartar sauce – just because I love cheese. It was delicious.

After lunch, we went to Malostranský chrám svatého Mikuláše, the church of St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana. It is considered the most important Baroque church in town. There are frescoes all over the ceiling, and the decoration is not extremely over the top. The dome is 20 metres in diameter, and the columns are actually made of fake marble, but I would never have been able to tell. It hosts two organs, one of which was currently out of service for restoration.

Baroque interior of St Nicholas Malá Strana church, with frescoes on the ceiling.

Then, we headed to the Church of Our Lady Victorious and The Infant Jesus of Prague (mouthful) – Kostel Panny Marie Vítězné a Pražské Jezulátko. The church was founded in 1584, and it is also Baroque. It is famous because it hosts the statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague Pražské Jezulátko, a small wooden sculpture of Spanish origin from the 16th century, which somehow made its way to Bohemia through the House of Habsburg. The centre of one of the major pilgrimages in Europe, the figure is about half a metre high, and it is displayed wearing embroidered vestments. On the day of our visit, the clothes were purple, as it was Advent. The church also has a display of nativity scenes and a small museum with different garments for the Infant Jesus that have been donated by wealthy benefactors. I have to say though that the poor thing is… hideous.

Baoque interior of Our Lady Victorious and the Child Jesus sculpture.

The sun was setting and it was time to cross Charles Bridge Karlův most over the Vltava river. It is a Medieval stone bridge, built between 1357 and 1402, over 500 metres long! There is a tower on each side – Malá Strana Bridge Tower (Malostranská mostecká věž) and Old Town Bridge Tower (Staroměstská mostecká věž), both gothic, and 50 statues along the way. There are also gas streetlamps that are manually lit during Advent! Unfortunately though, since the lighting is a thing, the bridge was swarmed, and it was extremely difficult not to lose each other, so we did not get to see much.

Charles bridge, with an official lighting a gas streetlight.

Back in the Old Town Staré Město pražské we got to see the Klementinum, a Baroque astronomical tower and library that I would have loved to visit, but it was not in the schedule – I would have prioritised it over the churches, but as I mentioned, I had not done any of the planning. My parents decided they were done then, so my sibling and I stayed behind again, after arranging to meet at 19:30. We explored some candy shops, and eventually caught the Astronomical Clock Pražský orloj at 17:00.

After the 17 bell strokes, I proposed my sibling to go to the chocolate museum, Choco-Story: Prague Chocolate Museum. It is not big, and it features different stages in the history of chocolate – its use in Pre-Columbian cultures, how the Spanish introduced it to Europe, and how it became a popular treat amongst the higher classes, then it became democratised. The last room was explicitly about a Czech company that used to sell chocolate. In the second-to-last exhibit there was an unlimited chocolate tasting station. Yes, the person at the entrance used the word “unlimited”. We of course took pictures with all the available props. And ate chocolate.

Choco Story Prague scenes related to chocolate history - from the Mayans to the Victorian to the present day, with the tasting station.

We eventually left the museum, and that placed us in the right place-and-time to see how they made candy from scratch. The two guys started with blocks of different colours – green, white and reddish. They worked the material until it was almost viscous. First, they made three “triangles” with the green material, which they put on top of each other. Then, they filled up with white until they had a cylinder, and wrapped that in red and green – it was a Christmas tree in the middle of a snowy circle! They ended up with something that had around 20 centimetres in diameter. And then suddenly they started pulling and pulling and made sweets that were no bigger than 1 cm, with the Christmas tree in the middle. It was astonishing!! And even better… they shared samples!

Candy-making show. The sweets have little Christmas trees inside.

On the way out, we decided to be weak and bought the blueberry tartlets we had spotted the day before, along with some souvenirs. I got a silly Christmas bauble. We headed back to the room to eat the tartlets, and at 19:00 we dropped by our parents room to regroup. At first we considered having dinner in one of the Christmas Markets, but in the end, they decided that they did not want to eat standing up, and we went to a random sandwich shop the Palladium Prague shopping centre.

To end the day, however, we did go to the Christmas Market in Náměstí Republiky square, but not for food, just for a drink. A typical drink – traditional honey wine, which I didn’t know (because I don’t drink), but it is just another word for mead. So instead of gentle mulled wine, we got a kick out of Tradiční medovina. Boy, did we sleep well that night.

Honey Wine.

Before going to sleep though, I had been tasked with booking tickets for a light show the following evening, which was a bit of a challenge on the phone – no way I’m putting my credit card on public Wi-Fi – with a website that kept trying to change its language from English into Czech.

1st December 2025: Way too much food {Prague, December 2025}

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I stayed over at my parents’ house so they could shave 15 minutes off driving, because 15 minutes of extra sleep at 5:00 matter. I gulped down a coffee and loaded my luggage in the car. We picked my sibling up and drove to the airport before the traffic jam even formed. We got on the shuttle a minute after parking, reached the terminal, and went through security without a hitch. There was really nothing noteworthy to the journey, really, once the check-in-your-hand-luggage extortion had been paid. We were picked up at the airport in Prague [Praha] and driven to the hotel, where we could not check in yet.

Thus, we headed to have lunch first. There was a restaurant in front of the hotel which served traditional Czech food, called La Republica, where my plenty and I shared a Staročeský talíř pro 2 osoby – Old Bohemian plate for two people, which comprised a duck leg (kachny), pork knuckle (vepřový kolena), pork ribs (vepřový žebra), smoked pork belly (uzený bůček), sausage (klobása), dumplings (karlovarský knedlík and houskové knedlík), white and red cabbage (zelí), with crispy onion liberally sprinkled on top. One kilo of food! Way too much!

Czech knedlík are somehow of a national staple – boiled dumplings, quite heavy on the dough, with optional fillings. Both houskové knedlík and karlovarský knedlík are considered “bread dumplings”, with a base of stale white bread, flour and eggs. They are supposed to be eaten dipped in the sauce that came along with the plate, and they were delicious. So were the pork ribs, and I’m not even a rib person!

Plate of meats and dumplins for two. Way too much food.

After lunch, we checked into the hotel, dropped our things at the room, and set off towards the Old Town Staré Město pražské, the preserved Medieval area of Prague [Praha], part of the Unesco World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Prague. The city is the capital of the Czech Republic [Česká republika], and formerly of the region of Bohemia. The origins of Prague can be traced back to the Palaeolithic, but it was around the 5th century BCE when a Celt tribe settle nearby and gave the historical region of Bohemia its name. During the 1st century BCE, Germanic tribes took their place, and in the 6th century CE, they too were replaced by Slavic tribes.

The city was a fortified settlement by the 9th century CE, when the castle construction started. After the turn of the first millennium, the city became an important trade point, and many Jews settled there. The first bridge over the river Vltava was erected in 1170 (though destroyed during a flood later) and building of the cathedral started in the 1340s. It was Charles IV (Karel IV), Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, who, between 1346 and 1378, brought the city its Medieval splendour.

After his death, his son Wenceslaus IV reigned, and though there were great achievements, such as the construction of the astronomical clock, it was a time of civil and religious unrest. This lead to a few centuries of wars, even while important artists and wise men lived in town – German astronomer Kepler comes to mind. When the 18th century arrived, things had calmed down, the city thrived, and its population increased. The area, which comprised different municipalities, eventually merged into one large city.

Prague served as the capital of the newly-formed country of Czechoslovakia after World War I. In 1939, it was occupied by Nazi Germany, which lead to the killing of most of the Jewish population. During allied bombings, many structures were damaged, including the Old Tow Hall, and Czechoslovakia as a whole rose against Nazism in 1945, shortly before the end of the war. The country became part of the Soviet Union until the Velvet Revolution in 1989, a moment in which peaceful protests ended up the Communist State. In 1992, the historical centre of Prague was declared World Heritage, and at the end of that same year, Czechoslovakia split in two countries (the Czech Republic and Slovakia) in a process called the Velvet Divorce, a stark contrast to the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the Balkan Wars, which seemed to peak at that time.

The hotel was a minute or so away from the square Náměstí Republiky, with tram stops, an underground entrance and a Christmas market. To the side stands the beautiful classical concert venue known as the Municipal house Obecní dům. Almost next to it we found the first gothic building we would see in the city – the Powder Tower Prašná brána. It is one of the original gates to the walled city, and construction dates back as far as 1475. Whether it was ever actually used to store gunpowder or not has been disputed. We crossed it and found ourselves in the main shopping street, named Celetná, flanked by traditional houses transformed into tourist shops and joints.

Powder Tower: A Goth defensive tower and Wall Gate.

We reached Staroměstské náměstí, the Old Town Square, the neurological centre of the Old Town Staré Město pražské. There stands the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Týn Chrám Matky Boží před Týnem. I am used to churches having… squares in front, but this one is literally encased within other buildings, one of which is an art gallery. It was already too late to visit, unfortunately, but we could snoop through the glass doors. There has been a church in the square since the 11th century, though the present building, erected in Jagiellonian Gothic, was only finished around 1450. Its most striking characteristic is the design of the two towers on the west façade, which feature what I can only describe as pinnacles on pinnacles. I am fascinated by those pointy towers.

Our Lady Before Tyn, inside and outside. It is a two-towered church with spikey twers and a white interior with a baroque altarpiece.

At this moment it was 15:55 so we hurried to the side of the Prague Old Town Hall Staroměstská radnice. There stands the bell tower, and on its wall, the famous Prague Astronomical Clock Pražský orloj, extremely hard to read and understand. Each hour, a Death figure rings a bell, the apostles walk around, and a bell strikes as many times as the 24-hour-clock’s hour.

Prague Astronomical Clock, a complex structure with two spheres.

After the 16 tolls, we entered the Old Town Hall Staroměstská radnice, which was a bit underwhelming (it turns out that only the guided visit gives you access to the cool areas). There is a beautiful but tiny room full of frescoes, and the ascent to the clock tower – something that for a bit extra can be done on a lift. From the top of the tower we had a lovely view of the square below, the Christmas market and Our Lady before Týn against the night sky.

View from the clocl tower: Christmas Market and our Lady Before Tyn.

Back on the ground, we snooped the gift shop, then tried our luck at the church of Saint Nicholas in the Old Town Kostel svatého Mikuláše (this got confusing during the planning stage because there are actually two Saint Nicholas churches in town). Today, this Baroque monastery-and-church is used for worship and concerts. It was unfortunately closed.

We had a run at the Christmas market, which sold snacks, drinks, sweets, decorations, souvenirs and Christmas baubles. I actually got myself a beautiful one. My parents decided to head back to the hotel for a break then, but my sibling and I were still good to go. We resolved to snoop around the market some more. It was cold but not aggressively so – it was dry and there was no wind whatsoever, so it was not that bad.

Since I had not prepared anything beforehand, I had no idea where we could go or what we could do. We explored along Celetná, where we found a chocolate and candy shop that lead to the chocolate museum Choco-Story: Prague Chocolate Museum (at first I thought it was a branch from Chocolate Nation in Antwerp, but it is a different shop – though apparently a franchise?). I fell in love with some blueberry tartlets, but I had like zero stomach-room for them. There were also a couple of guys making candy from scratch.

We looked at a couple of shops and then my eyes fell on a Horus Guard from Stargate. My sibling was game to go in and meet him – and that is how we ended up in the Steel Art Museum, which is apparently another franchise. And not only did they have a Horus Guard, there was also an Anubis Captain. The Steel Art Museum has two completely interactive floors, with different sections and 120 items. Everything in the museum is hand-sculpted using metal scraps. There are full cars from luxury lines which you can sit on, in, whatever you want. The only issue is that steel can be a bit slippery. There is a replica of the Throne of Swords from Game of Thrones, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee from Transformers, along the aforementioned Stargate soldiers on what I guess was the fantasy and sci-fi section. But then there were… dinosaurs, some more cartoonish, some more accurate, like a Ceratopsian (styracosaurus, probably). Unfortunately for me, steel is also heavy, so I could not take it home…

We proceeded to the upper floor, full of pop figures, Alien references, and even Marvel’s Avengers. We saw motorbikes, Ninja Turtles, Minions, and characters from films we did not recognise. Despite not knowing everything, we had a blast climbing – or trying to – on anything we could.

Steel Art Museum Prague: Stargate Anubis Warrior, Willy Coyote with a help sign, Transformer Optimus Prime, a quadruped dinosaur with a big frill, and a sportscar.

We headed back to the hotel, and looked around Náměstí Republiky and the Christmas market there. At first we thought it was just a few stands selling food and drinks. Later we would realise there was another part on the other side of the square. We also peeked into the shopping centre Palladium Prague, because it meant we could walk a few minutes in the warmth instead of the cold street.

We regrouped at my parents’ room, and after an hour or so, we headed out to find the restaurant we had booked for dinner – and that one of my parents wanted to try. Výtopna Railway Restaurant is located in Václavské nám or Wenceslas Square, which was currently half fenced off for renovation.

Wenceslaus I Václav I is known for the Christmas Carol Good King Wenceslas, but he was not actually a king. He was the son of the Duke of Bohemia, and lived in the 10th century. When he came to power, he used Christianity as a way to establish his position, which would eventually have him reach sainthood, and when he was later assassinated, martyrdom. The Christmas Carol tells the story of Wenceslas and his page witnessing a poor man gathering wood in winter, and going to his house to bring him a good dinner.

On the way to the square, we passed by Jindřišská věž, another gothic bell tower which has a restaurant and an observation deck. It would have been cool to eat there since the restaurant was at the top. I however did not propose it because it would probably be booked out and I did not want to cause any strife – good thing, too, because it turned out to be pretty expensive.

We found Výtopna Railway Restaurant to the side of the Václavské nám square, in a commercial gallery. Entrance was an absolute chaos. The restaurant is located on a first floor and the stairs were absolutely flooded. They did not take walk-ins as they were fully booked, so there was a queue of people waiting to see if something opened. However, the reservation-checking and seating system was slow, creating a jam. There was a group behind us who decided that, since they had a reservation (too), they could cut the whole line. We let them through, because the stairs were not a place to have a discussion and they were not open to reasoning.

The whole point of Výtopna Railway Restaurant is that food comes to you riding on little trains. They have 900 metres of small tracks and twenty or so tiny trains that bring your order to you. It’s really cute. The “motto” of the restaurant is “meat & beer on rails”. I don’t drink beer, but I really wanted to try the goulash. Unfortunately, I was still very full from lunch. Instead, I opted for a salad with goat cheese (salát s kozím sýrem): green salad with grilled goat cheese, sour apples, walnuts, honey dressing and focaccia bread. It was all right, and the trains moved fast! You had 15 seconds to take your food from the wagons – and any pictures you wanted. So I let the family grab the food while I photographed everything.

Little trains and railways carrying food and drinks.

We undid our way from the restaurant to the hotel, where I took a very long shower and got into bed. I did not sleep much though.

1st – 4th December 2025: Prague (Czech Republic) {Prague, December 2025}

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After last year the family went to Vienna, my parents came up with the idea of trying again. While the first idea was Lisbon, our first discussion happened around the time the local scenic funicular had a catastrophic accident. Somehow, the plans veered towards Prague [Praha], in the Czech Republic [Česká Republika], since my parents thought it was a “very doable” city for a couple of days. They also made clear that I was expected not to meddle with planning and just go along whatever. I had apparently unintentionally stepped on some toes in Austria, and I absolutely did not want to bruise anyone’s ego, so I took a huge I step back from preparation. I did not check out neither landmarks nor timetables, I did not look into exchange rates, and only offered opinions when they were explicitly asked of me.

My parents went to talk to our travel agent at Viajes El Corte Inglés to get an airplane-transfer-hotel pack. The original plan was travelling during the long weekend in December, but I was between projects and my sibling said they could get some time off easily. Choosing the alternative dates of 1st – 4th December brought the price down around 800 euro. Too good to let it pass.

Once the package was booked, my parents built an impossible itinerary, I made note of it, and left them to their own devices. They found a couple of restaurants they wanted to try, and the weekend before departure they enquired if I thought we should reserve. My take is that if you really want to check out a place, the best thing is booking, especially in this day and age when you can cancel the reservation with a click.

Unfortunately, if you find an instagrammable restaurant online, booking three days in advance is just not going to work, because 99% of the tourists will have also heard about it. The place, Pork’s Mostecká, books out a month in advance. Fortunately, it has a sister restaurant, Pork’s Vodičkova, less “traditional”, but with the same recipes. As one goes there to eat pork knuckles, it had to be booked for lunch (or risk a bad night of indigestion – my parents are firm believers in food-at-Spanish-times). The problem was that to book it for lunch on the day we were around there, we had to displace the other desired restaurant, Vytopna Railway Restaurant. Finally, we managed to find a dinner and a lunch to accommodate both visits.

A big issue was that our plane flew out at 8:45, which is a horrible time to brave the airport-area traffic jam. For my France / Monaco trip, I left at 6:30 and reached the parking a bit before 8:00 (theoretical driving time is 42 minutes), for a plane at 9:40. Thus, we had to leave before that time, so the jam had not formed yet – and, after discussing pros and cons, it was agreed we would drive off at 5:30 to pick my sibling up, and evaluate alternative routes on the way. My non-driving parent wanted the new route to avoid the traffic jam, but also did not want it because they were worried about getting lost.

After a lot of going back and forth, we bought some Czech crowns (Kr) from the bank, though my parent was unhappy with the rate – they got something around 21.5 Kr per euro while the official rate was on the vicinity of 24.5 Kr. Thus they got into their head that, once in Prague [Praha], we had to spend those crowns fast and then exchange more euros. I don’t get that logic, but again, I had promised to step back.

The one thing I was in put in charge of was checking in for the first flight. As it was early on a Monday, the travel agent would not be at work 24 hours earlier to do so. They expected me to do it on the computer, but I retrieved the booking data on my phone to add my frequent flier number. Before going to bed on Saturday night, I opened the app to see whether the free check-in was open, and since it was, I decided to go through it. Unfortunately, a message popped up – since we were in the last group to board, we either had to check in our luggage (for free) at the counter or pay for an upgrade. My sibling and I were travelling with backpacks, which would not take any overhead bin space. Queuing at the counter to check in two trolleys would mean an extra hour at least, hence leaving at 4:30, and lots of added stress. Therefore, I decided to unilaterally pay for the upgrades. I honestly think it is blatant extortion, and I was not happy to do it, but at that moment, it was the lesser evil. I did consider only upgrading two tickets, but then I would have gotten caught.

After the mini-flood in Monaco, I made sure to pack some boots and extra socks, along with sturdy winter clothes. I have to say we were really lucky with the weather, though. It was cold but not insanely so. Unfortunately, I forgot to use lip balm, and paid for it dearly.

I have not been this unprepared for a trip since I was a child, but I think that what my parents wanted was feeling in charge of the family again. I did my best not to step on any toes this time around (though I am not sure I managed). When I was asked what I wanted to visit in Prague [Praha], I went with the most famous sights in their schedule. The only action I took was downloading the map on all the phones. Well, and the plane upgrades, but you will keep my secret, won’t you?

1st January 2025: The Return {Vienna, Silvesterkonzert 2024}

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We got up for breakfast at around 7:30, but the cafeteria wasn’t open yet, so I had to (gasp) pack before I had coffee. That was not fun. The breakfast room opened around 8:05, and I could finally have my caffeine fix. We had been discussing all three days about the automatic pancake machine in there, so I decided to try it. Basically, you waved at it, and it made the pancakes. They were not the most delicious thing ever, but there was Nutella to go with them…

Pancake making machine

As we were already packed, there was not much left to do after breakfast. We went up to the room to collect the luggage and back down to reception. We had a transfer arranged at 9:00 and we were ready with a few minutes to spare. Check-out was fast, and off we went towards the airport, after saying goodbye to the nice Spanish lady with the card issue. I’m not sure if it had snowed outside Vienna or what we saw on the trees was hoarfrost, but everything was white once we got onto the motorway. I totally missed whatever our driver was saying because I was trying to take pictures of the landscape – but he talked a lot.

Trees covered in white ice and snow

When we reached the airport, the check-in counters were not open yet. We were flying with Iberia, which does not have a permanent crew there, the counters did not even have the lights on. It took them longer to open the counter than to actually check us in, and the worker was confused because we were only checking in three suitcases even if we were four people. The poor lady looked absolutely exhausted – maybe she had stayed up late.

Security was “collapsed with a crowd” and they told us to go through the kids gates – I don’t think I have seen any “collapsed” security so empty… But we made it through okay. We found our gate at literally one end of the airport, and left our things with one of my parents while we scattered off to look for lunch. The flight was at noon, so we had to buy something either at the airport, or on the plane. I found myself a chicken sandwich that looked rather nice. I would later learn the word for “spicy mayo” in German… Good thing I got a Coke to go with it. I also bought a “no kangaroos in Austria” magnet because I did buy a tote bag last time I was around, but I can’t seem to find it.

Airport in winter weather

The flight back took off on time at 12:20. It was uneventful, we just landed at 4S instead of 4. We knew this was going to happen this time, so we had counted on it – in the end, that was the reason I managed to convince my family to have lunch on the plane. We did not get out of the airport up until 16:00, what with picking up the luggage and all. I think I made it home around 19:00, and boy was I beat. I love my family, but travelling with them can be a bit too much…

31st December 2024: A clumsy morning yielded to an unbelievable evening {Vienna, Silvesterkonzert 2024}

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When we walked out of the rooms to go down and have breakfast, my parent’s alarmed face made me worried. They informed my sibling and myself that “it had snowed”. That was spooky for a second – until I ran to the window and saw that the “snow” was just a very thin layer of scattered white powder. It was safe to go out, even with my senior parents. We had breakfast and we got ready to go out.

Snow in Vienna

At some point, my family “caught” that I like Natural History museums, so they really, really thought I wanted to go to Vienna’s Natural History Museum – Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, and just wouldn’t listen to “No need, I’ve been there already, Their reasoning is that I had mentioned it before, which I actually had, to inform them that the Venus von Willendorf was there. That is where we ended up, and I was happy to oblige – the museum has rocks, meteorites, fossils and dinosaur animatronics. All right up my alley.

The museum’s oldest collection 250 years. In 1750, the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I bought what at the time was the largest collection of natural history objects at the time – around 30,000 objects. That same decade, the Emperor founded the Schönbrunn Zoo and the botanical garden, and he ordered the first scientific exhibition to be held. Upon his death, the collections were donated to the state, and the first museum according to the Enlightenment principles was founded – and soon expanded.

The museum building was also commissioned by the Emperor. It was designed by architects Gottfried Semper and Carl Hasenauer, with an identical exterior to the nearby Museum of Fine Arts. Works began in 1871, and the institution officially opened in 1889. Though it was indeed originally designed as a museum, it feels more like a repurposed palace, with decorated ceilings and monumental staircases. It has 39 halls with almost 9,000 square metres of exhibits, still keeping the 19th century outline. We just did halls 1 to 13: mineralogy, petrography, meteorites, palaeontology and prehistory galleries, including the Venus von Willendorf. The 11-centimetre figurine was made in limestone around back to 30,000 years ago. It is a nude woman of large proportions, and even if she does not have a face, she is mostly anatomically correct and has plaited hair.

My family was fascinated by the collections, and I guess I felt a teeny bit smug about that – considering how much fun they poke at me because natural history museums are very high on my priorities when I visit a new place (see: my first time in Brussels).

Natural History Museum Vienna

Natural History Museum Vienna

We left the museum after a couple of hours, around noon. We did not stay at the Silvestermarket at the square, but headed out towards the Imperial Butterfly House Schmetterlinghaus. It comprises half of an Art Nouveau greenhouse turned tropical botanical garden and butterfly zoo of sorts. I really love the iron-and-glass architecture of the building – and I would have loved to have had lunch in the brasserie that fills the other half of the greenhouse. The building was designed by architect Friedrich Ohmann and erected in 1901 as part of the Hofburg Palace and is, next to the Burggarten palace.

Most of the butterflies we saw, if not all, were forest giant owls Caligo eurilochus, very large butterflies originating from the Americas – they can live from Mexico to the Amazon basin. They have marks like big eyes in its back wings (hence the commmon name), and the inner wings are blue. They are pretty, and they seem to like fruit, as they gathered around the feeders to snack on it. The sad part is that they only live around 24 days.

Schmetterlinghaus

We then headed to the restaurant Centimeter, near the Rathouse (town hall) to have lunch. It is a place that has a lot of things measured – you can order sausages by the metre. I was somehow was not feeling hungry, so I decided to get Gebackener Emmentaler mit Sauce Tartare und Preiselbeeren, breaded and baked Emmental cheese with tartare sauce and cranberries. After lunch, we expected the Silvestermarket next to the Rathaus to be open, as it was one of the places to be for New Year’s Eve. We were wrong! That was a bummer, because in hindsight we could have cancelled the reservation and just stayed at the market in front of the Natural History Museum. That was a bummer, but at least we were warm.

Gebackener Emmentaler

We headed back towards the hotel, and we stopped by the supermarket next door to buy something for dinner. I grabbed myself some pre-emptive sushi, because I was pretty sure that my family was not going to find what they wanted – basically stuff like they would get at home. After half an hour of going back and forth, they decided to settle down with sandwiches and more sushi. We also picked up some chocolate thingies that would end up being more coconut than anything else. Not that I have anything against coconut, but I do not appreciate it replacing chocolate unannounced.

We took the groceries to the hotel, and had a bit of downtime before got ready for the main event. During that time, I went on the online airline webpage to make sure that the travel agent at El Corte Inglés had checked us in. The check-in was done, but someone had made a typo on my parent’s email address so we had not received the boarding passes. I retrieved them and downloaded onto my phone to distribute later.

A bit past 18:00, we left for the Wiener Musikverein, the Viennese Music Association, home to the Vienna Philharmonic Wiener Philharmoniker, where we would attend the 2024 Silvesterkonzert. It was a bit strange to head to such an event using the underground, but that was the most efficient means of transport, to be honest. We ran into the Spanish lady and her husband again – and that was great because that way we could take pictures of each other without having to get a stranger to do so.

Vienna Musikverein

The Musikverein was designed to resemble an Ancient Greek Temple in a Neoclassical style, following plans by architect Theophil Hansen. The building was inaugurated in 1870, and it has a small decorated entrance, very underwhelming staircases, a small chamber music hall, and the main music hall, the Großer Musikvereinssaal or Golden Hall. Walking in there was… surreal. It’s a hall I’d seen so often on TV, and it actually felt… I don’t know, a bit… pale. Less bright than on the screen. Maybe it was that the flowers were white and pink, so they did not pop. And it’s not like I know anything about flowers, anyway. I was just happy they were artificial enough not to trigger my allergies, it would have been awkward to sneeze all throughout the concert…

Vienna Musikverein Golden Hall

Though the “New Year Concert” is the one that everyone knows, there are actually three concerts with the same set list – the Preview Voraufführung on the 30th, the Silvesterconcert Silvesterkonzert on the 31st, and the New Year’s Concert Neujahrskonzert on the 1st. I honestly would have thought that it would be full of wealthy people and they would be all cool as cucumbers, but it turns out, a whole bunch of us were just excited noobs taking pictures of every and anything. My family’s seats were on the second floor balcony. I just couldn’t believe everything that was going around around me, nor where I was. I bought the programme, because I really wanted something physical from the soirée, aside from the ticket.

The Vienna Philharmonic was founded in 1842. It is formed by the best musicians from the Vienna State Opera. It is actually run by the musicians themselves. Every year, a conductor is chosen to direct the concerts, and for the 2025, it was Italian Riccardo Muti. Maestro Muti was born in Naples in 1941, and studied in the Classical Lyceum. He proceeded to move onto studying Piano, then Composition and Conducting. He began his career in 1968 as the music director of the opera festival Maggio Musical Fiorentino. He conducted the New Year’s Concert in Vienna in 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2018 before this year. In 2011, the Philharmonic awarded him Honorary Membership. He is also a bit of a troll.

The concert had two parts, including the encore:

First part:
  1. Johann Strauß I. Freiheits-Marsch, op. 226 – Freedom March
  2. Josef Strauß Dorfschwalben aus Österreich. Walzer, op. 164 – Village Swallows from Austria, waltz
  3. Johann Strauß II. Demolirer-Polka. Polka française, op. 269 – Demolition Men’s Polka, French Polka
  4. Johann Strauß II. Lagunen-Walzer, op. 411 – Of friends, Waltz
  5. Eduard Strauß Luftig und duftig. Polka schnell, op. 206 – Airy and fragrant, fast Polka

Second part:
  6. Johann Strauß II. Ouvertüre zur Operette “Der Zigeunerbaron” – Overture to the operetta “The Gypsy Baron”
  7. Johann Strauß II. Accelerationen. Walzer, op. 234 – The Acceleration, Waltz
  8. Josef Hellmesberger (Sohn) Fidele Brüder. Marsch aus der Operette “Das Veilchenmädl” – Fidel brothers. March from the operetta “The violet girl”
  9. Constanze Geiger Ferdinandus-Walzer, op. 10 [Arr. W. Dörner] Ferdinandus, Waltz
  10. Johann Strauß II. Entweder – oder! Polka schnell, op. 403 – Either … or! Fast Polka
  11. Josef Strauß Transactionen. Walzer, op. 184 – Transaction, Waltz
  12. Johann Strauß II. Annen-Polka, op. 117 – Polka Ana
  13. Johann Strauß II. Tritsch-Tratsch. Polka schnell, op. 214 – Chit-chat, fast Polka
  14. Johann Strauß II. Wein, Weib und Gesang. Walzer, op. 333 – Wine, Woman, and Song

Encore:
  15. Johann Strauß II. Die Bajadere, Polka schnell, Op. 351 – The Bajadere, fast Polka
  16. Neujahrsgruß (New Year’s Address)
  17. Johann Strauß II. An der schönen blauen Donau, Walzer, Op. 314 – The Blue Danube
  18. Johann Strauß I. Radetzky-Marsch, Op. 228 – Radetzky March

Vienna Silvesterkonzert 2024

Honestly, what can I say? It’s nothing and everything like what you watch on TV. The music was fantastic, but somehow it felt like the conductor did not do much, the orchestra did whatever they wanted, not in a bad way. They knew exactly what to do and just did it. I know next to nothing regarding classical music, but they made it feel absolutely effortless. I am not sure how much work they do on their own and how much they do with the conductor, but I can tell had Riccardo Muti a blast. At some point, when he was coming in and out, he knocked over some of the viola or bassoon’s music sheets all over – he was very apologetic about it. Also, although neither photographs or videos are not permitted (mine are totally… sneaky, you see), one of the ladies in the first row was shamelessly filming, and he winked and waved at her. Furthermore, he would just… jump during some of the polkas, which is a feat considering the man is 83 years old.

The concert always ends with Strauß’s Radetzky-Marsch, and the public is invited to clap along. Muti completely had the concertgoers in his pocket, controlling them (us) with a finger and a look. It was amazing to watch. All in all, he was absolutely… not careless but carefree. It was great to see, somewhat magical in a way.

Vienna Silvesterkonzert 2024

The concert felt much much shorter than the two and a half hours it lasted. We went down to the first floor for pictures during the intermission, and we were not the only ones. However, I think we kind of… snuck past the intern or something, not sure we were supposed to be allowed on that floor. People were having champagne but I only cared about seeing everything. I might be a bit… weird. I make no apologies. I really loved the experience. They say it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but to be honest, I would just try the lottery every year from now on. I mean, I now have the right clothing for it…

After the concert, we went back to the hotel where we had our dinner. To be completely fair, there was a part of me that would have totally wanted to go out to watch fireworks and Vienna’s way to celebrate the New Year – and then be an absolute wuss, freeze my butt off and need to come back to the hotel. But the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and since I did not get to see it… It must have been the most interesting thing ever! It’s okay though, because I got to see the concert, and it was already my once in a lifetime most interesting thing ever… But it took me hours to get to sleep, so maybe I could have explored some, because in the end I’m greedy and I want it all.

30th December 2024: A planned and packed day {Vienna, Silvesterkonzert 2024}

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It was a crisp morning in Vienna when we got up. We went down for breakfast and it was not particularly well stocked. The coffee was… weak, so I decided to mix a cappuccino and a black coffee to get me the energy I needed for the day. I tried some local cake, but I did not enjoy it, so I decided to stick to bread and croissants. Thankfully, I did run into the lady from the day before, and her husband, during breakfast, and told her about our plans – that way at least someone in the group would know not to wait for us and we would not delay anyone. Apparently, we were not the only ones who had made their own plans either, as the excursion had been marketed as “optional” and yet it seemed to be “a given”. Even better, we came across the driver from the day before (despite him saying he had nothing to do with the trip), and we could tell him that we were not coming, either. As we stepped out, it was freezing – literally below zero – but sunny during the whole day.

We took the underground at Zieglergasse and headed towards the city centre. I asked my parent to use their phone for GPS and maps in order to keep my battery for as long as I could so I could be taking pictures throughout the day, so they would be guiding. Our first stop was the Hofburg – the former imperial palace – and the Sisi Museum. Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837 – 1898) was the wife of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria. She married the Emperor when she was just 16 years old, and was stifled by court life. She spent most of her time travelling and avoiding royal duties. Her perceived eccentricity – today we would call it depression – and assassination in 1898 helped create an image of a romantic heroine in the media that has reached today, especially through actor Romy Shenider’s portrayal in the 1950s.

Hofburg

The museum tells about her life by showing objects, portraits and reproductions of her clothes. Then, you step into the former imperial apartments, which have been refurbished with furniture from the 19th century to make them look real. The audioguide was… corny to say the least, and I kind of skipped most of it because I got bored.

Sisi Museum and Royal Apartments Vienna

I proposed the church of Saint Michael first, and then the National Library. However, my parent had been intrigued by the church that stood at the exit of the underground. Thus, we headed there. The Wiener Minoritenkirche, Friars Minor Conventual Church, is officially the Italian National Church of Mary of the Snows Italienische Nationalkirche Maria Schnee. The church was erected between 1276 and 1350, and it was one of the first gothic churches in Vienna, following a French pattern. There were many subsequent reforms, including rebuilding the bell tower and the spire again and again – today the bell tower is flat and the spire is gone. The interior altar is Neogothic, by Ferdinand Hohenberg. Since it was still around Christmas time there were Nativities and Christmas trees.

Wiener Minoritenkirche

Afterwards, we headed towards St. Michael’s Church Pfarre St. Michael. It started as a late Romanesque or early Gothic building, maybe in 1221. The following two centuries saw Gothic annexes added. The crypt was built in the 16th century. The organ was built in 1714. The Rococo high altar was sculpted by Karl Georg Merville, and it represents the Fall of the Angels after the War in Heaven, when Lucifer was banished; underneath, there is a Byzantine Virgin Mary from the Cretan school. The outer façade was rebuilt in a classicist style in 1791. Construction officially finished in 1792. The crypt is accessible in a guided tour, but considering it has about 4,000 bodies, some of them mummified and on display, I think I’m happy we did not take it.

Michaelkirche Vienna

I proposed going to the Library again, because it was cold and there would be toilets there. My parent took over guiding with their phone, and my sibling and I got distracted as we passed by the Stallburg, where we caught a glimpse of the Lipizzan horses chilling out.

Instead of reaching the Library, my parent decided that we wanted to see the Augustinian church Augustinerkirche, a mix of 14th century Gothic and 18th century Neogothic. The original church was engulfed by the Hofburg as it expanded, and in 1634 it became the official imperial church. May Habsburg weddings were officiated there, and a chapel to the side, called the Herzgruft (Heart Crypt), contains the hearts of the members of the dynasty, from Ferdinand IV in 1654 to Archduke Franz Karl in 1878.

Augustinerkirche

I did not get to go to the Library, but we walked past the Hotel Astoria, which opened in 1912. it was built in the a late Art nouveau style known as fin de siècle (end-of-century). At the time it opened, the hotel was the latest, with electricity, bathrooms and all!

We reached the pedestrian / shopping street Kärntner Straße, the neuralgic centre for Vienna shopping. There we… met the card-not-working lady and her husband again, in what would become a funny number of encounters. We also saw the Swarovski shop. We entered it because we thought it would be warm – and hey, it had a toilet, which was handy, considering we had left the hotel over four hours before. Swarovski is an Austrian glass producer, known for its crystal glass, used in jewellery, decoration, watches, accessories. The company was founded in the late 19th century with the idea of “making a diamond for everyone”. Since then, it has produced thousands of items – from Christmas decorations to sculptures to collectible tiny figurines to whole dresses for the Vienna Opera. The place was halfway between a shop and a museum – and we might have spent a bit more than we had planned there, especially considering we were not planning to spend anything.

Swarovski flagshop Vienna

We reached DO & CO Restaurant Stephansplatz, located on the top floor of the post modernist structure Haas House, constructed in 1990. Most of the building is a hotel now. The restaurant has a fun view of the cathedral Domkirche St. Stephan. My parent and I discovered the restaurant because the opening scene of Austrian TV series Kommissar Rex, which ran between 1994 and 2004. It follows the story of German Shepherd Rex, a police dog which is “transferred” to the homicide department after his original handler dies… at the DO & CO terrace. It is such a naïve series, I just love it. Think The A-Team ingenuity with an adorable GSD saving the day every time and stealing sausage rolls as a self-reward. In a later series, Rex would move to Italy, and there is currently a Canadian reboot too…

There were no doggies in DO & CO, but both service and food were superb. They had butter and bread, and small receptacles with different types of salt, and a note on how they should be used. For lunch, I ordered kalbsbutterschnitzel – delicious minced veal butter patties with cream, accompanied with mashed potatoes, fried onion rings and a small leaf salad. For dessert, I had an ice latte that I should not have had, but I saw it pass by and I was smitten. We snuck a number of pictures from the restaurant, too.

DO & CO Vienna

After lunch, we went into St Stephan’s cathedral Domkirche St. Stephan. The building is a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic, and it was initiated around 1137 and completed 1578, and as many as four construction stages can be seen – the first Romanesque towers, the later Romanesque church, the Gothic Choir, and the outer, newest additions. The roof is tiled with as many as 230,000 pieces, one side shows the mosaic of a double-headed eagle, and the other the coat of arms of the city and the country. The bell tower has twelve bells, and the interior hosts as many as 18 altars (plus the ones in chapels). The cathedral was built in limestone, so it looks darker than other churches its size (107 metres long, 70 metres wide and 137 metres high).

The high altar was built in marble by Tobias Pock in the 1640s in the Baroque style. It depicts the stoning of Saint Stephen, church patron and the first Christian martyr. He was stoned to death by the Israelites after a rather inflammatory speech in front of the Sanhedrin, defending Christ’s teaching versus the traditional Jewish ones. According to the Bible, this would have happened a couple of years after Jesus’ death, and before the Roman persecution.

St Stephan’s cathedral

My parents were tired and they decided to head off towards the hotel, while my sibling and myself stayed behind. We wandered around Stephansplatz, Rotenturmstraße, and Kärntner Straße, checking out the Christmas lights and decoration until we reached the Popp & Kretschmer fashion store. They are a luxury women’s clothes firm, which draw tourist crowds during Christmastime to see their huge bow decoration, which makes the whole building look like a present. They call it the Vienna Bow.

Christmas decoration - Vienna Bow

We also looked at the Vienna State Opera Wiener Staatsoper, which was prepared to celebrate the new year, with a neon display saying (in English) “Hello 2025”. It was stupidly cold though, so we might have stayed in an underpass for a few minutes longer than necessary.

Afterwards, we headed towards the Sacher Hotel. The five-star hotel was founded in 1876 by the son of a famous confectioner. When the founder died, his wife, Anna Sacher, became manager. She turned the hotel into one of the most refined in the world, catering exclusively to the aristocracy. This management lead the hotel to bankruptcy, and she had to sell the business to new owners, who restored it to its former glory. The hotel serves “the original Sacher-torte”, a chocolate cake coated with dark chocolate icing, and a thin layer of apricot jam in the middle, served with unsweetened whipped cream. It was reportedly invented by the father of the founder, and the recipe is kept a secret. There are other versions of Sacher-torte, but the hotel is the only one with legal standing to call theirs original.

We had a 17:30 reservation at Café Sacher, in the hotel. Sacher Hotel actually has two cafés. The more modern one faces Kärntner Straße and is called Café Bel Étage. It had a long queue – Christmas is peak season in Vienna, as we were quickly learning – but I had been informed that reservations accessed through a particular door. However, that was not where our reservation was – I swear, I did not see the different name anywhere. The historic Café Sacher had an even longer line, and no special door. I dared ask the doorman at the hotel how to get there, and he gave me a huge grin and said “skip the line, go through the exit”. Boy, that was… awkward. Very, very awkward. I though the people just outside would lynch us!

Staff came to check on us, and since our reservation at the Café Sacher was valid – I made the reservation in July, literally as soon as the spots open – we were shown into one of the small salons. The café has a perfect offer – Sacher Sweet Treat: a perfect slice of original Sacher-torte with whipped cream, a non-alcoholic hot beverage and a bottle of Römerquelle mineral water for 22.5 € (31.5 € with a glass of the in-house champagne, Original Sacher Cuvée). I ordered mine with sencha senpai, Japanese green tea. I enjoyed the cake more than I had thought I would, and the tea was great. The staff was incredibly nice, too. They must have been used to silly tourists.

Sacher & Sachertorte

We left the Café Sacher and headed towards the Spanish Riding School Spanische Hofreitschule. For my sibling, this was a core-memory event, so they insisted we got really, really good seats for the Gala Performance Galavorführung at 19:00, on the parterreloge – the box at ground level. The Gala performance is the longest exhibition the Riding School has, and it lasts 90 minutes, with a break. The horses were gorgeous, and the riders looked very cold, but everything felt strangely… cold. I think I liked the exhibit in Jerez Riding School better.

The Spanish Riding School, considered the oldest horsemanship school in the world, was established during the Habsburg Monarchy in 1565. It is dedicated to the breed and training of Lipizzan horses. Lipizzaners are a breed of riding horses developed during the Habsburg empire. It derives from Arab, Bavarian, Spanish and Neapolitan breeds. They were selectively bred so most of them are grey with white coats – albeit there is always a bay stallion in the Spanish Riding School. The breed itself might be traced to eight stallions in the late 1700s, and it was developed in Slovenia. The horses are considered so precious that they were evacuated during WWI, and “rescued” by the US army during WWII. “Lipizzan horse breeding traditions” has been considered Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2022.

Once bred, foaled and fledged, the Lippizaners are trained. This is done at the Spanish Riding school. The traditional horse training methods used by the school can be traced back to Ancient Greece, and like many other things, they re-flourished during the Renaissance period in the 16th century. The goal of Classical training was to prepare horses for warfare as part of the calvary. Horses train for six year after they turn four.

In Vienna, the Lippizaners are housed at the Stallburg, which is technically part of the Hofburg Palace. It is a Renaissance building from around 1560, originally conceived as a residence but that was later converted into the Imperial Stables. The Winter Arena was built in 1735, and has remained unchanged since then – including the chandeliers. The arena is presided by a painted portrait of Emperor Charles VI.

Vienna Riding School - winter Arena

There was something weird in the atmosphere that made it not feel all that… fun. Before every performance, a lady walked to the centre of the arena to introduce the exercises movements in German and English. The performance was pretty though. I tried to sneak a picture or two, but I was unsuccessful – and a bit worried they would kick me out if the venue. There were a total of six different numbers, and the show, including the introductions, was organised as follows:

  1. Alle Gänge und Touren der Hohen Schule – “All Steps and Movements of the High School”: four riders and stallions in individual choreographers, including the one dark stallion in the stable, with classical movements.
  2. Am Langen Zügel “Schools on the Ground: On the Long Rein” – the riders guide the horse from the ground, they are not on top of the horse, with movements such as piaffe and pirouette.
  3. Pas de Deux “Step by Two” – two riders-horses pairs work in tandem, mirroring each other.
  4. Arbeit an der Hand und Schule über der Erde “Working Hand and Airs Above the Ground” – with three main movements: levade, capriole and courbette. Four horses work with their riders on the ground, and two of them with the riders on the saddle, but without stirrups. When horses perform well, they get a sugar treat from the rider.
  5. Am Zügel “Schools on the Ground: Curb Reins” – only one horse and his rider, who only holds two out the four reins in their left hand, and they hold the riding crop upright in their right hand, a commemoration of the military heritage of the horse riding tradition.
  6. Schulquadrille “School Quadrille” (or Das Ballett der weißen Hengste “Ballet of the Eight White Stallions”) – eight horse-rider pairs have to coordinate with each other for a choreography, ending in the Radetzky-Marsch.

When the exhibition came to an end, we tried to go to the toilets. You had to scan your tickets and pay 50 cents. Really. Two hundred quid for the tickets and they charged fifty cents for the toilets, which were filthy on top? A total rip-off.

I got my sibling to the hotel, and then I left again to meet up with my friend D****e and her father Fr***, who were also in Vienna for a few days. They were even staying in a hotel close to ours, so it seemed that we had planned it in advance. We spent a couple of hours in a small eatery – Gschamster Diener – where they introduced me to kaiserschmarrn, fluffy shredded pancakes with raisins, powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Kaiserschmarrn

I eventually had to go back to the hotel and my room. There, I spent an hour trying to find a place to book lunch for the following day. After deciding not to plan anything on the 31st, my parents had a change of mind and suddenly I found myself tasked with planning and finding a place for lunch. Most restaurants were either closed or booked off. I was not a happy camper, but in the end I managed to find something… somewhat decent. My sibling suggested the Natural History Museum, the Butterfly House and the Library before lunch. I was absolutely sure that was impossible to cram three things in the morning. We would not even do the entire Natural History Museum, but at least we would be somewhere warm. I resigned myself not to see the Library, had a shower and went to bed.

29th December 2024: Arrival, Karlskirche & Prater {Vienna, Silvesterkonzert 2024}

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With our plane boarding at 8:10, we aimed to be at the airport around 6:30, which was a successful endeavour. We had our boarding passes but we needed to drop off some luggage. As we needed formal wear, neither of us could just make do with a simple backpack or trolley. We had decided to bring a carry on each, and two large suitcases – one per room – for coats, jackets, dresses and so on. The travel agency had checked us in the day before, and we had separate seats, but that was not important since it is just a short trip early in the morning.

Once in the terminal, it turned out that Iberia did not have a drop-off counter as my parent was expecting, so we had to queue with the people who needed to check in, including non-Schengen and intercontinental travellers. We decided that two of us would line while the other two could sit down and wait for us. We stepped into the cordoned area, and suddenly… one of the attendants directed half of the queue out and into another area of check-in counters. All in all, it took us around 35 minutes to drop the luggage off. Not efficient, Iberia. Not efficient.

Luggage successfully checked in, we went past security, found our gate, and sat down for breakfast. We went to the gate early, and queued to be the first in our group because… I’m not even sure why, but it was too early in the morning to fight. I napped about half of the journey, and also took pictures of the landscape from above. Once we left Spain behind, the mountaintops were covered in snow, and the valleys in fog. This was a clue of how cold it would be when we landed in Vienna. We had a maximum temperature of around +3ºC throughout the trip.

From the plane window Flight Madrid - Vienna

We disembarked and made our way to baggage claim, where our suitcases were among the first few to come up, which is always a great feeling. Afterwards, we went out and found the people responsible for picking us up – the representatives from Blaguss DMC, the local agency which manages Viajes El Corte Inglés and Tourmundial in Austria and Hungary. First, they handed us our our hotel voucher, schedule, and tickets!! Upon opening the envelope to check that everything was correct, we found out schedule with a Vienna tour the following day that my parents swear they had never heard about – the truth is that it appears in the documentation as optional. The driver in charge of taking us to the hotel was… a character. My biggest regret though is that I did not run for a Costa Coffee while we were waiting for the other travellers to come out, but I only saw the sign when he had started moving.

We arrived at the hotel Elaya Hotel Vienna City West around 13:00. It was a four-star hotel that felt like it had dropped at least one and a half, and it was not any of the ones listed in the original documentation. There was neither a bar nor a restaurant, and the staff was not exactly friendly. I know it’s not nice to work during the holidays, but come on. I don’t think requesting two keys for a two-people room was that outrageous. At first, neither card worked to open my door, but after trying three times each card, both sides, I managed to get it open. And more importantly, though the warm option of the air-conditioning did not work, I figured out how to turn on the radiators.

The hotel room was… sad. It had a little terrace overlooking the interior yard, and two windows – the blinds were unmoveable on one and broken on the other. We unpacked, got freshened up, and went back down to find a place to grab a bite to eat. I approached reception to ask for a recommendation, and there was a Spanish lady trying to get the check-in attendant to help her with her card – she seemed to have the same problem I had had. She had no English at all, so I tried to help her out. The attendant just huffed and left to check the room herself, and I guess she managed to get the card working. When she came back, I asked for any restaurants around, and she pointed us up the street. We found a Greek place seemed okay, and that is where we ended up – at restaurant Mythos, which had very friendly staff, and decent food.

Afterwards, I would have gone towards the city centre. However, my parents needed a break and wanted to move as a group. Thus, I stayed in the room – we did not leave the hotel until 16:30, and by that time it was already getting dark. We walked to the underground stop Pilgramgasse. It was supposed to be just ten minutes away, but was a bit longer, I think we took a wrong turn.

The Pilgramgasse station dates back to the original 1899 Valley line, before electricity and all. The entrance was cast in iron, and it looked very cool. There, we bought seventy-two-hour tickets, which are awesome because you only have to validate them once, and then you can use all the transportation options in the city for 72 hours. The price of the pass was 17.10 €, so not that expensive – one trip is 2.20 €, so aside from the convenience, it is value for money if you plan more than seven trips. Though we did take more than that, the best thing is just being able to waltz down to the platforms without having to validate each time. It was also great that the frequency of the underground service was 8 minutes at the longest, and that was on Sunday evening!

We used the underground to find our stop next to Musikverein Wien (Vienna Music Society), where the concert would take place on the 31st. This was to gauge the time to get to the station and the underground system. Once we familiarised ourselves with the transport though, we realised that there was a better route. It included a change, but the station was much closer to the hotel, and the total time was around the same if you accounted for walking times. The Musikverein stands next to Karlsplatz, so once there we just had to cross the street to find ourselves in front of the church Rektoratskirche St. Karl Borromäus or Karlskirche, dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo.

The cathedral was originally designed in 1713 by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. When he died, his son took over directing construction and altered some of the plans. Though the building is Baroque, it displays a mixture of elements – the dome, a Greek temple portico façade, monumental columns based on Rome’s Trajan Columns… The altarpiece was erected by Ferdinand Maximilian Brokoff after the elder Fischer’s design. It portrays the Assumption of Saint Charles Borromeo, the nominal saint, into Heaven. There were Christmas trees on both sides of the altar, which I found strange – I had always thought that the Christian church was not a fan of them.

Karlskirche Vienna

The dome is frescoed with a scene featuring Charles Borromeo, the Virgin Mary, and the Cardinal Virtues, by Johann Michael Rottmayr. Hanging from it, there was a modern art installation by artist Cerith Wyn Evans called Forms through folds (ascending)…. This sculpture is part of the Karlskirche Contemporary Arts Program, started in 2018. That was… weird, and really out of place amongst the Baroque frescoes.

We climbed to the upper levels. The first floor hosts a choir model and the organ, built between 1739 and 1847. Technically you can also access the treasury, but it was locked away. We continued up and stepped into the terrace, which yields to a bit… underwhelming… panoramic view of Karlsplatz and the city. Vienna is a great city, but the Karlskirche is not really looking at the scenery from above.

We should have tried the Vienna Museum next to the church then, but instead took the underground to the classical amusement park Prater, where we had dinner reservations a couple of hours later. Originally a hunting ground, Prater was the area where the 1873 World Exhibition was held. Some of the current buildings were erected at that time. In 1897, the first rides, attractions and puppet theatres were established – including the Ferris wheel Wiener Riesenrad, which is the current symbol of the park. Prater was severely damaged throughout World War II, due to bombings, trenches and fire, but it was eventually reconstructed using records from local artists who had drawn or photographed the area in all its glory. Nowadays, it is considered an actual park, which just happens to have rides on it, and part of it is protected as “green land”. The actual amusement park is called Wurstelprater. There are tons of attractions, rides, snack stalls, and there were even some musical activities going on.

Viena: Prater

But of course, it was Vienna, in a late December evening. It was late and cold. And dinner reservation was hours away. We almost decided to give it up and go back to the hotel, but we found somewhere to have a drink and warm up instead. Finally, we made our way to the Rollercoaster Restaurant, the place where we had – thankfully – reserved in November. It was packed. There were around 50 people waiting to come in, and most of them did not have a booking, and were turned away – there was even a group of people checking every 15 minutes if there was an opening. We took ten minutes to get to the front of the mob to finally get our table, but we were sat around 20:15. I was so happy I had pushed for the reservation! It made me further convinced that anything in the city centre or near a tourist spot might need a reservation, which in turn made me worried about the 31st “winging it” decision.

The Rollercoaster Restaurant works with a system of rails that hang from the ceiling and connect the kitchen to the different tables. The food is prepared by human chefs and distributed by two huge robotic arms. Once placed on the rails, it rolls and slides and gets to the right table – much like suitcases inside an airport distribution system. We were also on time for one of the robot shows, where they turn off all the lights and play music while the robot arms “dance”, and it was surreally fun. One of my parents was horrified, because they are more on the traditional side of things, but the rest of us had a lot of fun! The food was all right, too. I ordered baked schnitzel fingers served with potato salad, Gebackene Schnitzel mit Erdäpfelsalat, and we shared some baked Emmental with cranberry sauce Gebackener Emmentaler mit Preiselbeeren. I kind of wanted some apple strudel, but my portion was good enough, so I decided not to get any.

Vienna Rollercoaster Restaurant

We left around 21:30, and headed back to the hotel using the underground system. This time, we came out at a stop much closer to the hotel, Zieglergasse, which was neither pretty nor classical, but nearby and functional. Afterwards, there was just a shower and bed. I could not sleep right away though, because my mind was latching onto the group trip the following day. My parent had decided that we would just not show up – we had tried to warn the representative, but the driver said it was not his responsibility. I kept thinking that if we were not there, everyone else would wait for us and that was not a nice thing to do. It did not feel right. Maybe I’d meet the lady with the key problem, I thought, and warn her that we would not be tagging along. Hopefully.

Yes, I know. I worry too much.

29th December 2024 – 1st January 2015: New Year in Vienna (Austria | Österreich) {Vienna, Silvesterkonzert 2024}

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The year 2024 marked a jubilee in my family, and my parents had always talked about doing something crazy when it came. And the time came and we did something crazy. This trip did not go as I would have planned, and in general I would have done quite a few things differently, had I been on my own. However, it was not a “real” trip, it was a family celebration. A complicated one, at that. My parents are both in their 70s and they cannot keep up with a schedule I would plan. Furthermore, they had been in Vienna more than once before, while my sibling had never visited, and I was there in 2017. Thus, a lot of balancing and compromises were needed. I would have made different choices, but after all this was my parents’ celebration, and they had insisted on paying for everything. I think that gave them the right to choose and veto.

We actually started preparation on the 1st of January 2024, almost a whole year in advance. That’s when we started looking at companies to make the trip – and attend the concert. The one everybody watches on TV on New Year’s Day. That concert. In Vienna. At the beginning of February, we signed up for the ticket draw lottery – though, as expected, we did not hit. Chances were extremely slim, but higher than zero.

At that time, we had narrowed possibilities down to two online companies that could get us there. At the end of February, we decided to ask in the travel agency my parents prefer, Viajes El Corte Inglés. There was indeed a trip option, but apparently the tickets for the concert were obscenely expensive, so my parents decided that we should settle down for the second best – the Silvesterkonzert on the 31st, which has the same setlist and musicians. When they say the concert is a once in a lifetime experience, let me tell you that it is.

Around June we had a family meeting to try and make some plans. My sibling stated they wanted to do two things – visit the Spanish Riding School Spanische Hofreitschule, and eat Sacher-torte at Café Sacher. One of my parents had said, half in jest, that they wanted to go to the restaurant where the old TV series Kommissar Rex kicks off – I found the restaurant for them, it was the DO & CO Vienna. My other parent wanted to go one of the palaces. Unfortunately, they kept confusing the Schönbrunn Palace, the Belvedere and the Hofburg. I never got to know which one it was. Neither parent cared about the Sacher nor the Spanish Riding School, though. Thus, I negotiated that we could have one evening separated so my sibling and I could do those things. It was reluctantly accepted on some parts, gladly on others.

Once confirmation had arrived in April, I had set alarms all around on the dates we could start booking for the different events and activities, so we could start moving after things were decided. We ran into a bit of an impasse, because one of my parents wanted to book everything in advance, but they also wanted me to take care of things – those things are not compatible at the same time. My other parent wanted to let everything flow and improvise – not the greatest idea for peak season. I booked the Spanish Riding School on the 23rd of June, and for the Sacher Café on the 3rd of July. My parent booked DO & CO in September and I managed to convince him to book a funny restaurant he wanted to try in November.

We made a general plan for the 29th, full plans for the 30th, and it was decided that we would improvise on the 31st. I did not find this too wise, but I went along with it, because I felt that it was not my trip So even if I wish we had been in another hotel, and or I had bought a little good-luck piggy in a Silvestermarket, or that I had been at the Stephansplatz for the New Year fireworks, it was all right. I would have made some different choices that would have made the whole thing less stressful, though. But it was all right.

11th October 2024: Istanbul Airport {Türkiye, October 2024}

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Since I had woken up early the previous day, I had also woken up early today, and I was caffeinated and ready about one hour before pick-up time. Considering that they were picking me up at 8:30 for a 13:45 flight, I decided to go for a walk in Istanbul | İstanbul before I got stuck at the airport. The Aqueduct of Valens was close to my hotel, and to get there I had to walk in front of the building of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality T.C. İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi Başkanlığı. In the town hall yard there is a fountain with a glass case and several figures inside, reaching for the water. It is the July 15 Sarachane Monument Saraçhane 15 Temmuz Anıtı, which recreates a picture taken on the 15th of July 2016 during a coup attempt. It is supposed to represent a group of civilians Muslim men performing ritual ablution before facing off the rebel military forces at the call of President Erdogan. I was not sure if taking pictures of it was a security risk, but there were no guards around…

July 15 Sarachane Monument

I continued on towards Bozdoğan Kemeri (Aqueduct of the Grey Falcon), the part of the Aqueduct of Valens Valens Su Kemeri that can be driven and walked underneath. I stepped through the arches, and then turned towards Sarachane Park Saraçhane Parkı, which was empty except for a few cats and hooded crows (Corvus cornix) which expected me too feed them…

Aqueduct of Valens

cats and crows from istanbul

I went back to the hotel, gathered my things and came down to reception – both my driver and I were there at the same time, around 8:20. I guess we managed to avoid all traffic jams, because we reached the airport about 9:30. Upon entering the terminal, there was a first security control which X-rayed all the luggage, then I could access the check-in counters. I had done my check in online, but I printed my boarding pass in the kiosks anyway, and dropped off my luggage. The employee at check-in, holding my passport and boarding pass in her hand, asked me if I had a boarding pass. Obviously, she was not having the best of days, either.

I then went to passport control to clear immigration, which took about half an hour, and then the standard airport security check, which was fast because I found a “no need to take your electronics out” queue. Everything was extremely expensive in the airport. I did buy a bottle of water, but the prices put me off an ice cream, so I munched on some crisps that I had not eaten for dinner the previous night and I had packed exactly for this.

Truth is that Istanbul airport has a museum, but entrance was 13 € (note, not Turkish lira – 13 €). And at that point I decided that I was done feeling like a cash cow and introducing euro into the economy. I spent my remaining lira in the duty free shop, and found a copy of The Little Prince in Turkish for my and my parent’s collection.

We boarded around 13:00, and the process was not as efficient as the way in, but it was easy. We got lunch on the plane – happy to report I have finally internalised that pasta on planes tends to have peppers in the sauce and that upsets my stomach, too. I watched a movie and a half, and spent the rest of the time with one I had watched before as I would not have time to finish it.

Landing was smooth, but it took 61 minutes exactly from touchdown to getting out of the arrivals lounge, what with waiting for the luggage and so. And that was the end of the trip.

Maybe the bad project I mentioned at the beginning of the report was cursed, and thus the circuit was doomed, but it has been honestly one of the most disappointing trips I’ve taken – rushed, with bad information, and horrible customer service. I complained to my travel agent, who was horrified. It has really, really put me off anything organised for a while, and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Of course, there have been good times, and awesome places, so it was not a complete disaster. Just not what I wanted, or what I thought I was buying when I chose it.

Would I come back to make up for it? I don’t know. As I was writing, I did wish I could go back to Cappadocia and Pamukkale to satisfy the geology nerd in me. Istanbul was not a city that made me feel particularly welcome, so I could skip that. Maybe in 20 years or so, if Türkiye is still a somewhat laic place, I might consider it. But the world is big, and there are many other places to explore… And the Turkish guide kept complaining that “all the good stuff was taken to Germany” so… that might be an option.

10th October 2024: The Trojan Horse & Bursa {Türkiye, October 2024}

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We had to leave by 5:30 to go see the Trojan Horse. The reason why I had chosen this particular circuit was because it included “Troy”. The only thing I got to see of Troy was the Truva Heykeli Trojan Statue, – the horse which was used by Warner’s Bros to film the movie Troy in 2004. Not a damn ruin, not a damn rock, let alone be near the archaeological site. Damn it, did I choose the circuit badly or what? I do wonder what people thought of us taking structures of the stupid thing at 6:40 in the morning. As we drove north, we saw the Galipoli Peninsula, place of a huge battle between the Ottoman Empire and New Zealand and Australia regiments belonging as part of the British troups.

Çanakkale Trojan horse

We continued towards the city of Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, and another of the World Heritage Sites – Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire. It started off as a settlement around 5,200 BCE, which evolved into a Greek city. Under the Byzantine reign, it was a city known for its garrisons and its silk manufacturing centre. It is considered the origin of the Ottoman Empire, and throughout the period, it flourished through its local silk production. Following the foundation of modern Türkiye, it became an industrial city.

Our first stop was the Grand Mosque of Bursa Bursa Ulu Cami. Its first stone was set in 1399 an important building in the early Ottoman architecture as it found its own style. It is a rectangular building with a fountain from the 19th century at the centre – originally this area was open but it is now closed with glass, forming a skylight. It has two minarets. The interior is mostly white, but at the same time, quite decorated with calligraphy, medallions and vegetal themes.

Interior of the Great Mosque Bursa

Then we drove to the Green Mosque Yeşil Camii complex. It was commissioned in 1412 by Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi, who is buried in the adjacent Green Tomb Yeşil Türbe – along with his children and their caretakers. Both the mosque and the mausoleum have beautiful decoration in blue-green tiles with gold inserts, which create the motifs and calligraphic inscriptions.

Mihrab of the Green Mosque Bursa

Bursa Green Tomb

Next to the mosque stands a building which calls itself a Silk House, but is just a huge souvenir shop, nothing even close to the actual Silk Bazaar. Afterwards, we went for lunch, lentil soup and a traditional Bursa kebap İskender kebap, making this another sort-of actual Turkish meal. It uses meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie (döner kebap) on pita bread, with tomato sauce, yoghurt and sheep’s milk butter – which was poured at the table. Dessert was a honey pastry.

İskender kebap

Then we continued off back to Istanbul | İstanbul. We got there around 16:00 and I was considering maybe heading out to a church-turned-mosque to see some of the most important museums but… at that point it felt more like a self-imposed obligation that something I really wanted to do because I would enjoy it? It was more of a feeling of “you should do it because you are not going to come back to this country”. But the truth was that I really did not want to do it. I was disappointed in the whole trip experience, and in a way, I did not… I don’t know… care anymore? No balloon over Cappadocia, not enough time for Pamukkale travertines, no Troy. Whatever.

The nice group from the trip invited me to hang out with them for a walk. Together, we walked to the Grand Bazaar Kapalı Çarşı. Then we continued towards Sultanahmet Square Sultanahmet Meydanı, from where we crossed Gülhane Park Gülhane Parkı until we reached the coastline İBB Sarayburnu Parkı, the point in which the Golden Horn and Bosphorous Strait come together. On our way back, we stopped around Sultanahmet Square Sultanahmet Meydanı to take some pictures.

Gülhane Park at night

Bosphorous at night

Sultanahmed square at night

Finally, I headed back to my hotel – Hotel Bi·setun, the same as the first two nights – to order dinner, have a shower and get ready for the return trip.

9th October 2024: The Asclepieion & the beach {Türkiye, October 2024}

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We left around 8:00 towards Pergamon Ancient City Pergamon Antik Kenti, another of Türkiye’s World Heritage sites – Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape, still in the city of Izmir | İzmir (in Türkiye, “city” and “province” are interchangeable, apparently). The origin of the city dates back to the 8th century BCE – though there were legends about a mythological foundation by the son of Heracles. Pergamon flourished and became the capital of its own kingdom, until it eventually fell in Roman’s hands. The most important archaeological area is the acropolis – though the Great Altar, which is currently located in the Pergamon Museum of Berlin, in Germany. I had had a tired / silly moment the night before and packed the camera battery charger with the battery still in it, and I almost had a heart attack when the camera would not work. Fortunately, it made a lot of sense after I opened the battery receptacle.

We did not get to go to the Upper or Lower Acropolis, but we could see the theatre, one of the steepest theatres in the world – built in the 3rd century BCE with capacity for about 10,000 people. We stayed down at the foot of the acropolis, in the Sanctuary of Asclepius Asclepieion [Ἀσκληπιεῖον] – a healing temple dedicated to the demigod Asclepius, the demigod who learnt the art of medicine from the centaur Chiron and became the first doctor in “history”.

The Asclepieion worked with a holistic approach to patient care, giving thought to tranquillity, water, and activities such an art and theatre performances. The theatre is one of the best-preserved structures in the Asclepieion of Pergamon, though there are many others – such as 70 metre long cryptoporticus a tunnel that connected the baths, sacred pools – with a healthy population of frogs and tortoises – and fountains. I also found a lizard chilling out – or baking out, considering the temperature (remember, I had packed for… autumn, not for almost 30 ºC at noon every day…). Some famous ruins include

Pergamon Asclepieion ruins

Pergamon Asclepieion tortoises and lizard

Pergamon Asclepieion theatre

I wandered around for as long as I could, but again here was no time to explore everything – though this time I came pretty close. We left at around 12:30. This was the only visit we had on the day, as we were directly driven to the hotel in Çanakkale. On the way, we saw the Red Basilica Kızıl Avlu just before leaving Izmir, and glimpsed the island of Lesbos from the bus.

Iris Hotel was in the middle of a residential area – to the point that the bus barely passed through some of the streets. There was nothing interesting around to see in kilometres, so to… compensate, I guess, the hotel had a small mini zoo of deer and fowl.

Sunset at Çanakkale beach

Behind the hotel there was a private beach with a stunning sunset, but nothing around to explore or do. Çanakkale is located to the west of Türkiye, at the end of the Dardanelles Çanakkale Boğazı, the natural straight that joins the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara, just south of Istanbul. The sea was warm, but I only got in up to my knees. At night, I watched a monster movie in Turkish. That… was an experience.

8th October 2024: Ephesus {Türkiye, October 2024}

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It is not paranoia if they are really after you. And I am paranoid enough not to set a foot onto a bus before I make sure my suitcase is on board with me. So, guess who had to wrangle their suitcase down the stairs, since the hotel staff did not do it? Yep, I did. At least down is easier than up. Anyway, we were our merry way by 9:00, and continued until noon, when we were ushered into a “typical fur-working centre” which was… I don’t know how describe it, to be honest. But neither typical nor traditional are words I would use.

First, we were taken into a room with a catwalk and given notepaper to write down the numbers of items we liked. For about an hour, four or five models showed off anything but typical leather items, a lot of them reversible. Then, we stepped into the shop. I touched some of the items – they were extremely thin and weightless, which was weird. The prices were extremely high, too, even taking into account “the 70% discount because we were special”. I am happy to report I was at no point approached by any salesperson – again, maybe I do not look targetable to Turkish people?

Lunch was okay, it had some nice dips and a soup, then another sad-meat main dish – albeit with your very own pita bread! Dessert was the only one I liked – a churros family treat called tulumba.

Lunch at Ephesus

Afterwards, we continued onto our way to Ephesus, which belongs to the current settlement of Izmir | İzmir, and is an archaeological site considered World Heritage. Coincidently, it was more than warm. It was scorching. We were there for two hours and a half, from 14:30 to 17:00. Again, leaving way before closing time to reach the hotel around 17:30, and yet this was the archaeological site where we spent the longest!

Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece – which back then included several areas of what is now Türkiye. Ephesus was founded around the 10th century BCE, and it became home to one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis, which was built around 550 BCE. It was controlled by the Romans between 129 BCE and 395 CE, and during this period, it became an important site in Christianity starting the year 50 CE or so – with the apostle Paul of Tarsus living there, and reportedly being home of “the seven churches of the Apocalypse”. The city suffered attacks from the Goths, and was damaged by earthquakes before being finally abandoned in the 15th century.

Some of the ruins in Ephesus, including Trajan's fountain and the entrance to the therms

Though the temple of Artemis was off-site and it has been destroyed, many monuments from different periods still stand or have been restored. There are two theatres, a small odeon, and a larger one – with the large one being probably the greatest in the ancient world, seating 25,00 people. There were two agoras, one for commercial meetings and the other one for business. During the Roman times, the Gate of August was built to honour the Emperor.

Since the temple is long gone, the most important building remaining is the Library of Celsus, rebuilt from the pieces left. Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus was one of the Ancient Greek governors of Roman Asia, who paid for the library himself around the year 125 CE, and is actually buried underneath. The library once held up to 12,000 scrolls in 180 square metres.

Celsus library Ephesus

Ephesus theatre

The guide kept hurrying us up, saying that he had a surprise for us – which turned out to be an immersive show about the history of the city, and after that we had to leave. The film was okay, but I would have much preferred to have more time to wander and see the real thing. The only item that was real – I hope, though it was probably a copy – was the final statue of Artemis.

Statue of Artemis Ephesus

We left afterwards. We did not get to stop by the place where the temple used to stand. We did not see one of the most famous sites outside the city either – the so-called house of the Virgin Mary because, according to the guide, “it was a recycled myth”, it was probably the house of Artemis’ priestesses. Which in my view made it even more interesting, but oh well…

Ephesus Hitit Hotel had an outdoor swimming pool that I dipped into, but it was too cold to stay for a long time. I also tried to go out of the hotel to find something to see, but the street did not seem safe. To the point that our bus driver actually saw me going out and came to ask me if I was all right…

7th October 2024: Pamukkale {Türkiye, October 2024}

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Upset as I was, it took a long time to fall asleep, and I nearly had a heart attack when the hotel’s automatic wake-up call made the landline ring at 4:20 – half an hour before my alarm clock was set. We left around 5:40, and it was cold at that time, though it would get really hot during the day. Around sunrise, we reached our first destination – a caravanserai (kervansaray in Turkish, کاروانسرای, kārvānsarāy], in original Persian). Between the 2nd century BCE and the 15th century CE, Europe and China were communicated through the Silk Road, a network of trade routes frequented by caravans. Caravanserai were roadside inns built alongside those trade routes. They were fortified inns which protected the traders from bandits and weather, providing food and water. In Turkish, they are also called han.

Öresin Han (also called Tepesi Delik Han, “the han with a hole on the roof”) is a restored caravanserai / han. It was built in 1188, according to a plate that was recovered during restoration. The works lasted between 2007 and 2010, saving the building from literal ruins (and the aforementioned hole on the roof). Nowadays, it is a shop and inn for tourists. It has thick walls and a vaulted interior to withstand the weather and possible attacks.

Cansaverai

We continued on the road for hours until an early lunch at noon, then drove to the World Heritage Site Hierapolis-Pamukkale, a combination of historical site and geothermal activity. First and foremost, there is the travertine formation. Travertine is a sedimentary rock made out of calcium carbonate which precipitates from fresh water – basically, the material stalactites are made of. Sometimes, in thermal areas, they deposit in cascade form with lakes and waterfalls.

The Pamukkale travertine formation Pamukkale travertenlerinde is a terrace formation around 2,700 metres long, 600 metres wide and 160 metres high. The local thermal water oozes onto the surface at a temperature between 35 and 100 ºC and saturated with calcium carbonate. At the surface, carbon dioxide degasses and the calcium carbonate precipitates into a gel that will crystallise into travertine. Unfortunately, the waterfalls have been mostly drained now to feed pools at the hotels.

Even from the Classical era, the travertines have attracted visitors to the point that a thermal spa was founded around the 2nd century BCE, which eventually became the town of Hierapolis. In the year 133 BCE, Hierapolis was incorporated into the Roman Empire.

We had some time to wander around the place, but way too short to actually see even a quarter of what was on display, which was frustrating – but this would again happen at every archaeological site. Along one of the nice ladies from my group, I saw the Roman baths, then basilica, now museum, which contains the smaller items unearthed – sculptures, friezes, sarcophagi. We then climbed up to the Temple of Apollo Apolion and the Temple of Pluto Ploutonion – which are closed off as the cave underneath them emits asphyxiant carbon dioxide due to the geothermal processes.

Hierapolis museum

Hierapolis theatre

There is also a swimming pool on site, and after hiking up to the theatre it might have even been inviting, if not for the fact that you could actually step onto an area of the travertines to experience them first-hand. I of course took the chance, and was surprised at how… non smelly it was, used to sulphur thermal waters in Japan.

Pamukkale travertines

Travertines Pamukkale

I did not understand why we had to leave so early, because then we just ended up at another hotel with nothing around – thinking back, I have reached the conclusion that the guide was overworked, and he kept a schedule of going to sleep early and getting up early too, that is why we were at all the hotels at 18:00 at the latest; not an excuse, but an explanation. We were at Colossae Thermal & Spa Hotel around that time. The hotel did not have a lift, and most of our rooms were on the first floor. The hotel staff brought the luggage up, and we were reassured it would be taken down again the following morning. I… had a feeling it would not.

In accordance to the thermal and spring water reputation of the region, the hotel had a thermal centre. It comprised a swimming pool, a warm pool and a jacuzzi inside. Outside, there was an actual thermal water / mud pool – which was great for relaxing, but at 33 ºC, I could not stay for long (and I tried not to feel guilty as I knew the water is deviated from the travertines). By this time in the trip, too, I had inserted myself into a group of nice people, and made acquaintances with a nice couple, which was good because it’s always useful to have someone telling you that you’re about to get into the shower with your glasses on…

6th October 2024: Cappadocia {Türkiye, October 2024}

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I had made a thing out of two coffees for breakfast, and today was no exception. The whole group was now in the hotel so we were ready to go see the sights. The bus had barely hit the road when our guide gave us a huge grin and decalred “I’m the first Turkish face you meet during this trip. Trust me. We’re going on the balloon is too expensive, so we’re not gonna do it here. We’re going to do it somewhere else”.

I was crushed at these words. Had he said this the previous day, I would have arranged to go onto the balloon on my own – today. Now, with a 5:00 departure time the following day, it was impossible. I don’t have words to write how I felt – devastated, cheated, furious. The option to ride a balloon in Cappadocia was in the documentation, and I had budgeted for it. And this guy had plain and simply… robbed me from it, because he did not want to wake up early after picking the other half of the group from the airport. Looking back, I should have tried to do it myself, hiring the flight on the hotel for today – and knowing that does not make it any better, because I could not do this one activity, which was important for me, not because of the weather or any actual problem. Just because the guide did not want to do his job. I did try to get him to reconsider, but he was like “no can do”.

Thus, I reached the conclusion that the travel agency, Oxin Travel and the guide himself sucked. Through the day (and the rest of the trip), I would build evidence on this – such as hearing explanations that did not make sense, or just contradicted what was written on the panels. I’m surprised it did not cross my mind to leave the trip at that time, because I was seething and heartbroken. In the past, I have tried to leave unsavoury experiences out of JBinnacle, but this would not be an honest trip report without all the emotions that coursed through me during that day – and to be honest, this was just the beginning of the problems. I wrote an email to the distributor that very same day, told the guide, and have complained formally to my travel agent. I have no hope for any solution, but at least I made it known that I was not happy with the services provided. And this trip was not cheap, at all.

I had to try to get over the disappointment in order to at least see what I could of the region. It was hard, I felt a cloud over my head ruining the mood. I almost did not care about anything else, but I knew I had to make do with what I had, or let my whole trip be ruined. Thus, I tried to get myself into the right mindframe to enjoy the World Heritage Site Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia as much as I could.

Around 9:00, we reached Christian Keşlik Monastery Keşlik Manastırı outside the town of Ürgüp, which is a cave monastery. Human history in Cappadocia is tied to its geology. Tuff is easy to carve, and a lot of civilisations have made their dwellings into the earth instead of on it. First, it was the cavemen, and much, much later the Christians. The first buildings from the monastery date back from the 3rd century CE. Between the 1st and the end of the 4th centuries CE, Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, coming into conflict with the established religion, which deified the Emperor. As Christianity forbade idolatry, their refusal to adore the Emperor as a god made them a target of persecution, accused of treason. In some Roma cities, the Christians took to the catacombs. In Cappadocia, they dug cave monasteries.

Within the tuff structures, ancient Christians created all the items that one would find in a regular monastery – a church, two actually, St. Michael and St. Stephen, a refectory, a winery, dwellings, a baptistery created from a sacred spring… The monks could perform their rituals and protect themselves from any possible attack. It was a functioning Orthodox church well into the 20th century.

The most important cave-building in the rock is the Church of Saint Michael. Its ceilings are decorated with black backgrounds and colourful figures, although many were damaged by iconoclast movements. There were also tomb-like structures where the monks meditated. Underneath the church, there is a baptistery, and next to it the refectory, with a long table and seats carved out of rock. Outside, you can wander around the dwellings, halfway between caves and houses, which served as rooms for the monks.

Keslik Monastery Church of St Michael

Keslik Monastery - chambers inside the rock and panoramic

Afterwards, we headed out to the Underground City of Mazi Mazı Yeraltı Şehri, known in the past as Mataza. There are between 150 and 200 known “underground cities” in Cappadocia. They were initially carved between the 8th and 7th century BCE by the tribes which dwelt in the area. Turf is easy to carve and there is no water in the soil, which made it easy for the tribes to dig “caves” under their houses. These caves became “rooms” which ended up connected to one another through tunnels. As time passed, the cities became more and more complex, with decoy tunnels and booby-traps that the locals could use to hide, safeguard their resources, and protect themselves from raids.

The cities were layered, and the levels were used for different activities – upper floors were for stables, underneath which stood the wineries and ovens… They had wells and ventilation systems that could not be tampered with by the enemies, and even a communication system to talk to people who were in other rooms. Mazi itself had eight stories, four different concealed entrances, and rounded rocks that could be used to close off the corridors. About 6,000 people could survive in its tunnels for up to a month. We did not have much time to explore as we had to move as a group, but it looked really cool.

Mazi subterranean city

We went back onto the bus to head to Guvercinlik Vadisi, Pigeon valley – so called because the geological formations were excavated into dovecotes, since pigeons were used for food and their droppings as fertiliser. As we had 20 minutes there, I could hike down into the valley for a bit and even step into one of the dovecotes. Since it has become a tourist spot, locals have decorated trees with Turkish amulets – evil eye charms – to create photo spots they can request a tip if you get your picture taken there.

Cappadocia Guvercinlik valley

Back on the bus, the guide “graciously” and “secretly” stopped at Üçhisar, a town which has turned a lot of its fairy chimneys into hotels and cafeterias. It is dominated by Üçhisar Kalesi, Üçhisar “castle”, the only natural castle in the world, built in a tuff hill.

Natural castle of Uchisar Cappadocia

Then we were taken for lunch, a rather nondescript buffet which ran out cacik (Turkish tzatziki) way too fast, and afterwards to a “jewellery atelier”. The rocks they showed us were pretty, but the jewellery was rather tacky – and their star product? A pendant made of the local semi-precious stone sultanite inside a balloon, so we were not amused. I was not the only one angry about the whole debacle.

During the bus ride the guide had pitched several optional activities, and I decided to take a so-called jeep safari, run by locals, which takes you in a kind of luxury jeep up and close with the geology of the area. I got that one because it was external and better than nothing, but I did not sign up for the “traditional Turkish night of alcohol and dancing” – I don’t drink alcohol and I was not in the mood for dancing.

The jeep safari drivers picked us up from the jewellery shop around 16:00, whilst the rest of the group went back to the hotel. I felt so cheated – six hours in Cappadocia to go back to the hotel at 16:00 is disgraceful. But then again, I was not in my best disposition. Good that I still had the chance to drive right into the heart of the valleys, at least.

It was a pity that the drivers spoke zero English or Spanish, because it made it impossible to determine where exactly he was taking us. However, we got close to the rock-houses, saw the valleys, the castle, and finally, finally, finally got close to a fairy chimney! We even caught a glimpse of one of the volcanoes responsible for the landscape. It was hard having to go back to the hotel at sunset, but I had a lot of fun – I shared the car with a couple, and the poor lady was terrified by the driver’s antics. I was honestly more worried about the times on the road than the bouncing through the trails.

Cavemen dwellings in Cappadocia

Cappadocia volcanic valley

Cappadocia volcanic valley

Cappadocia Fairy Chimmneys

However, back in Suhan Cappadocia Hotel & Spa before 18:00 made the sadness hit – and no internet in the rooms did not help for any kind of distraction. I tried to walk around the village to try to see something, but I did not find a way, and it was getting dark. I packed for the next day as we were leaving the area. After dinner, I wrote to the travel agents’ in Spain to complain, with zero hope for a solution as it was a Sunday, but I wanted it out of my system. I spent a really bad night, and it was stupidly short because I could not fall asleep…

5th October 2024: From Istanbul To Cappadocia {Türkiye, October 2024}

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The alarm clock went off at 5:40 and I was ready for pick up in 15 minutes. The guide had changed my pick-up time from 6:25 to 6:00, but apparently was the only one who had been informed about the rescheduling. The travellers in the rest of the hotels in the area had no idea, which made it absolutely pointless because we had to wait for them anyway.. For this leg of the trip we were 16 people, and the description of the day said we would “visit the Atatürk mausoleum in Ankara and see the Salt Lake” on our way to Cappadocia. A quick calculation yields to about 733 km of trip from Istambul to Avanos.

We left Istanbul and went on the road. We took a couple of breaks on the way, and around 12:30 we reached Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s mausoleum Anıtkabir in Ankara. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is often called “the founding father of modern Türkiye”, and served as the first president of the Republic, between 1923 and 1938. The Ottoman Empire had participated in World War I, and after its defeat, the Allied powers wanted to divide the country among themselves. Atatürk spearheaded the Turkish War of Independence, and upon victory, he abolished the Sultanate and proclaimed the Turkish Republic. He made a lot of changes – primary education became free and compulsory, the Latin alphabet replaced the Ottoman writing, women obtained equal rights, the country became secular and started industrialisation, the language was strengthened, and surnames were adopted.

Upon Atatürk’s death, it was decided to build a mausoleum in Ankara – Anıtkabir. There was a design competition which was won by Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, though modifications were added later on. It is a massive complex with a courtyard, stairs, the tomb hall, and exhibition rooms. The theoretical entrance to the area is an avenue lined with lions and trees, though due to security, you enter from the opposite side. The Hall of Honour holds a symbolic sarcophagus, and the actual tom is located 12 metres underneath. On the corners, there are small ethnographic exhibits. The whole complex is made out of reinforced concrete and is decorated with marble, travertine, reliefs, frescoes, carvings… Everything looks golden. Around 13:15, we saw the changing of the guard in the ceremonial courtyard.

Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Change of the guard at theMausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Then we headed off for lunch, a bowl of lentil soup and a plate of flattened “meatballs” and rice, and continued on our way. Around 17:00 we “saw” the Salt Lake indeed – we guessed its existence from a service station a few kilometres away. We reached the Suhan Cappadocia Hotel & Spa in Avanos, in the region of Cappadocia. We would be using that as base for two days. One of the things to do in Cappadocia is seeing sunrise from above. However, since the group was not complete, the guide did not offer the possibility for sunrise the next day, he just gave us the Wi-Fi password (which only worked in the lobby), and the dinner / breakfast / day trip for the morning, and left.

Riding a balloon in Cappadocia is the thing to do. It allows you to see the structures called “fairy chimneys” from above as the sun rises, and since the landscape is so unique, I was really excited. Geologically, Cappadocia is a very interesting place – some thirty million years ago, volcanoes Erciyes, Hasan and Melendiz erupted repeatedly. Over thousands of years, ash rained on the ground, creating an elevated plateau of around 17,671 square kilometres. The ash hardened into tuff (a porous rock that I have seen in Neapolitan architecture) before it was covered by a layer of basalt. Both types of rock weathered, but tuff erodes faster than the upper basalt – creating sort of mushroom-like rock formations. As you can imagine, being the geology geek I am, visiting all these was one of the things I was looking forward the most. I had even put aside a budget “just for the balloon”, as it can get quite expensive, and I wanted to remain reasonable.

I dropped off the luggage and decided to go get something to eat before I hopped into the shower – else I would not get any food at all. Dinner was a buffet, and it was overrun. The food was weird… there was a huge dessert buffet, and a lot of breads, but nothing that really grabbed my attention but a few dollops of cacik (Turkish tzatziki). Back in the room, I tried to find a TV channel with something I could understand – and was not related to Israel bombing or being bombed. I did not even find the BBC…

4th October 2024: Istanbul, day 2 – Bosphorus Istanbul (plus, again) {Türkiye, October 2024}

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It was warm in Istanbul | İstanbul when the sounds of the town woke me up. Since I was up early, I decided to find the Bozdoğan Kemeri (Aqueduct of the Grey Falcon), part of the Aqueduct of Valens Valens Su Kemeri. It was built using brick and stone in the 4th century in order to bring water to Constantinople. Construction started under the reign of Constantine II and finished during the reign of Valens, and the structure was in use under the Ottoman period. The Bozdoğan Kemeri bridge is 971 metres long, and its maximum height is around 30 metres. Today, it stands over a busy road, with cars running underneath.

I went back to the hotel for pick-up, which today happened on time. I had signed up to the other day trip offered to me at the airport Estambul Bósforo (55 €). My hopes were not too high, but at least I met with the nice ladies from the day before. This time around, the group was bigger, so everything was a bit more chaotic. Our first stop was Süleymaniye Mosque Süleymaniye Camii, an Ottoman imperial mosque commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent to his imperial architect Mimar Sinan around 1550. The mosque has four minarets with a total of ten balconies. The interior is decorated with medallions, writings, geometrical decorations, and beautiful stained-glass windows. Outside, there is a cemetery with the mausoleum of Sultan Suleiman and his wife Roxelana.

Süleymaniye Mosque

After the mosque complex, the bus headed out towards the Asian side of Istanbul for a panoramic viewpoint up Çamlica Hill Çamlıca Tepesi, which implied getting stuck in traffic for a long time again and driving past a lot of interesting buildings – visiting any of those would have been a better use of our time.

View of Istanbul from Çamlica Hill

We went back to the bus for the boat ride, which despite being advertised as a Bosphorus trip, was only up and down the Golden Horn Altın Boynuz for about an hour. At first, I tried to pay attention to the guide as he explained things, but I got bored pretty quickly. This was not a good sign, considering this one guide was the one who was to take me onto the tour around the country…

Bosphoros boat ride

For lunch, we had been asked to choose either bream or chicken. I had ordered the chicken because I had a feeling I could not trust a random restaurant in Istanbul… I was right. The bream turned out to be sea bass. Again, food was nothing remarkable. Then, we walked towards the New Mosque Yeni Cami, which was the next visit, but we did not get to go into that one for reasons that escape me. Instead, we were taken into the Spice Bazaar or Egyptian Bazaar Mısır Çarşısı, for a demonstration inside a particular shop. I do wonder how many and how much commissions go into decisions like that.

New Mosque Istanbul

Egyptian bazaar Istanbul

This was the end of the day trip, around 17:00, since the guide had once again stated that “your hotels are close, no need for the bus”. I said goodbye to the nice ladies, and headed out towards the Grand Bazaar Kapalı Çarşı, described as a “network of indoor souks and market streets”. It is actually one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, and it has thousands of shops – literally. It dates back from 1455, just after the Fall of Constantinople into the hands of the Ottomans. It was an interesting structure, but I only found trinkets and souvenirs, and it was packed with people.

Grand Bazaar

Thus, after crossing out the Grand Bazaar from the list, I headed towards the university İstanbul Üniversitesi, my reference for the metro stop Veznecıler. From there, I could take a train towards Taksim Square Taksim Meydanı, the gateway to Independence Avenue İstiklal Caddesi, on the other side of the Golden Horn but still in the European side. The area is a tourist hub with shops, fast food places, and ice cream vendors who play around before they serve you the ice cream cones. One of the highlights of the avenue is the “nostalgic tramway” İstanbul nostaljik tramvayı, a revival or heritage tramline with tiny cars, built from memories and photographies. It is not a novelty thing for tourists, but an actual working system that goes up and down the avenue, line T2. I was happy to be able to see it, the car was packed – mostly by tourists though…

Taksim square

At the end of İstiklal Caddesi, stands Galata Tower Galata Kulesi, a former watchtower, now a museum with an observation deck. The origin of the tower dates back from 1204 though the original tower was destroyed and rebuilt in the Romanesque style in 1350. At that point, it was the highest building in the city. At the moment, it is almost 63 metres high, with nine floors, and a renewed roof.

Nostalgic tram and Galata Tower

Afterwards, I caught the underground at the nearest stop – though I was a little bit tempted by the nostalgic tram – and I headed back to the hotel. I settled the bill for the water bottles I had bought and went up to my room, where I decided to order the same dinner as the evening before – kebap and yoghurt. I then had a shower and packed, because pick-up was at 6:00 the next morning. Good thing that I had found a vending machine in the underground system that sold canned coffee, even if it was “almond flavoured”.

3rd October 2024: Istanbul, day 1 – Classical Istanbul (plus) {Türkiye, October 2024}

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I spent the day in Istanbul | İstanbul, probably the most important city in Türkiye, and certainly the largest, but not the capital. It was founded as Byzantium in the 7th century BCE, straddling the Bosphorus Strait, which is considered the boundary between Europe and Asia. In 330 CE, Roman Emperor Constantine renamed the city into Constantinople after himself, and made it the capital of his domains. The so-called Fall of Constantinople in 1453 started the Ottoman Caliphate – sometimes called the Ottoman Empire. The empire survived until it joined World War I and was subsequently defeated – Istanbul was the capital during most of that time, until the Turkish Independence War, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk made Ankara the capital.

Istanbul is probably the only city in the world which stands between two continents, separated by the Bosphorus strait and the Golden Horn – an estuary flowing into the strait. To the west of the Bosphorus is Europe, and to the east Asia. The European area south of the Golden Horn is called the historic peninsula.

Istanbul has claimed its rightful place in history as a key step of the Silk Road and the spread of Christianity during Roman times. The historic peninsula is a Unesco Heritage Site, the Historic Areas of Istanbul, which the day trip I had hired, called “Classical Istanbul” Estambul Clásica (50 €) was supposed to cover.

I woke up around 7:00 and went down for breakfast. Coffee was… unexpectedly dull, considering the fame of Turkish coffee – and I had two cups to kickstart my brain. The scrambled eggs were particularly good, but the bread so-so. At 8:20, ten minutes before pick-up time, I was ready and waiting at reception. At 9:10 I wrote to the person who had picked me up from the airport, who had told me to text her with any question, and at 9:15 they showed up – there was apparently “a lot of traffic”, and we were stuck in it for a while. I spent the time checking out the ruins of Constantinople’s ancient walls Bizans Surları, which are also part of the Unesco Heritage Site.

The group comprised around 30 people, and the bus headed towards an area called Pierre Loti Tepesi, Pierre Loti Hill, and reached there around 10:00. This is a viewpoint above the Golden Horn Altın Boynuz, with a viewing terrace, a café and the Eyüp Cemetery Eyüp Mezarlığı. We were told we’d visit the cemetery later, and were given twenty minutes to take in the views. Afterwards, we hiked (considering the speed, “marched”) down the hill through the cemetery, and saw several tombstones from the Ottoman period, but there was no visit whatsoever.

Istambul from Pierre Loti hill

We hopped back onto the bus to drive towards the quarter called Fener, which we were told was “movie neighbourhood”. We were going to visit the Venerable Patriarchal Church of Saint George, the Orthodox cathedral of Istanbul Aziz George Katedrali, which closed down as we arrived for “an unknown length of time” because the Patriarch was coming out. Instead of letting us amble through the neighbourhood before the church, the guide insisted on us waiting for about 20 minutes before we all came into the church, and he gave a couple of explanations, and gave us free time to check out the church and the neighbourhood.

The church of St George was one of the few places with “real” security. We got through a lot of places with metal detectors and such with guards who would not even care, but the ones that did were ridiculously strict in contrast. The truth is that with the rise of Turkish nationalism, a lot of the church’s flock were deported, so the church and Patriarch are mostly symbolic and a pilgrimage point, and it has even been attacked by terrorists at times. The church itself used to be the centre of the quarter, which was historically the Greek quarter, even after the Ottoman Turks had taken over former Constantinople. Though the church existed previously, it became the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople since the early 1600s. It has been damaged and rebuilt several times, the latest as recently as 1991. It has three naves and aisles, with a rich iconostasis (decorated screen that separates the altar from the nave) in golden wood.

Church of St George Istanbul

After the cathedral, I wandered the quarter of Fener on my own for as long as was given us as free time. I found a colourful set of stairs Renkli Merdivenler, which led to nowhere but area pretty. The whole area was a hill, and I climbed up to try to catch a view of a very interesting building – the private school Phanar Roman Orthodox Lyceum Özel Fener Rum Lisesi. The building was designed in an eclectic style by Greek architect Konstantinos Dimadis, and built around 1882, though the school itself dates back from 1597. I also saw a film crew on a break in one of the streets.

Roman Orthodox Lyceum

Once we were called back to the bus, we headed out for lunch. The entrées looked good, actually Turkish, including hummus, rolled paçanga böreği, dolma (stuffed vine leaves), cacik (Turkish tzatziki). The main was rather unremarkable, and something that I could have easily had in either Jordan or Egypt – a sad-looking plate with eight fries, two slices of cucumber, one slice of tomato, a mouthful of rice, and some chicken and lamb. Dessert were the ubiquitous Turkish delights, which are extremely sweet and I’m not a big fan of. Looking back, however, this was one of the most Turkish meals I ended up having, besides kebaps. During lunch, I made acquaintances with some nice ladies who promised to make sure I was not left behind – which has been a bit of a worry of mine when I’m in a guided tour since my last day in Egypt.

Turkish meal

Around 14:00 we walked towards the area known as Sultanahmet Square Sultanahmet Meydanı, the neuralgic centre of historic Istanbul. There, the first stop of the afternoon was Sultanahmet Camii, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque colloquially known as the Blue Mosque. It was built between 1609 and 1617, during the Ottoman era. Designed by architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha, it was the last great mosque built in the Classical Ottoman style, and combines Byzantine details and Islamic architecture. It has a central dome (43 metres high) with four semi domes and six minarets. The interior is decorated with tiles and mostly blue decoration, hence the name – though honestly I mostly felt it was… golden. The mosque has windows which originally had coloured glass, and are now modern, and it has chandeliers hung from the ceiling, with some of the lamps being ostrich eggs, a typical feature in Turkish mosques. One of the minarets was being restored.

Blue mosque

The mosque stands next to the square, which is long and narrow – it is actually built on the former Hippodrome of Constantinople Hipodrom, the centre of the city during the Byzantine period. Upon the founding of Constantinople, both Constantine and his successor Theodosius the Great brought works of art into the area. Today, there stands the Serpent Column Yılanlı Sütun, an ancient bronze column representing a hydra, whose heads are now missing (part of one is now in the nearby Archaeology Museum). Another monument of the square is the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius Dikilitaş, originally erected for Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479 – 1425 BCE, 18th century) in Karnak. It stands on a Roman pedestal from the time it was transported to Constantinople around the year 390 CE. The final construction in the square is the German Fountain Alman Çeşmesi (The Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain), a neo-Byzantine fountain that was constructed to commemorate the visit of German Emperor Wilhem II to Istanbul. It has eight sides, with marble columns and an inside covered with golden mosaics.

Monuments at Istanbul hyppodrome

The official day trip ended there – though they were supposed to take us to the Grand Bazaar. However, the extended tour (25 € extra) included visiting the Orthodox church-turned-mosque-turned-museum-turned-mosque Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque. The current structure was commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I to be the Christian cathedral of Constantinople as the Church of God’s Holy Wisdom, designed by Greek geometers Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. At the time it was built, it was the largest interior open space in the world.

It has a central dome with rises 55.6 metres from the ground and a diameter of around 31 metres. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 it was converted into a mosque. In 1935, the new Turkish Republic turned it into a museum, but in 2020 the controversial decision to turn it back into mosque was made. With the first transformation into a mosque, minarets were erected and the Byzantine mosaics on the ceilings were covered or destroyed. They were recovered for the museum period, and now they are hidden away. While originally the mosque was going to be “open for all”, now the ground floor, covered with a carpet, is only for praying Muslims, and tourists have to pay to access the second floor and see the Christian mosaics. From the second floor, you can see the mosaics, and are close to the domes, which allows you to see the questionable state of conservation. The dome is fantastic, and there are mosaics of the archangels there. On the way out, there is another mosaic depicting the Virgin Mary with the child, and Constantine and Justinian giving them presents – Istanbul itself and Hagia Sophia. The walls however, are in dire need of restorations.

Hagia Sophia Istanbul

The day trip ended after an introduction to the building, and I wandered around for a while, seeing everything I was allowed to before I stepped out. At that point it was 16:50. I had the option of walking, as recommended, to the Grand Bazaar, but I decided that I had better things to do. I rushed towards the palace-turned-museum Topkapı Palace Topkapı Sarayı. Construction of the complex was ordered just after the fall of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror overlooking the Golden Horn. Closed-off by walls, it has several buildings and palaces, some of which hold exhibitions. The palace closes at 18:30, and the ticket booths at 17:00. I was able to buy a ticket at 16:57 because I am very motivated, and I even saw most of the key areas of the palace in those 90 minutes. Though the recommended visit time is four to five hours, at least I felt accomplished – I wished I had prepared better for it, but I thought that I was standing next to the palace, and even if it was expensive I could return the next day if I felt I wanted to see more.

The first courtyard is free for everyone to see, and that is where the ticket booths are. I hurried towards the second courtyard, where I was able to see the Ottoman Empire Imperial Council, the Treasury, the Arms collection, the Gate of Felicity, the Chamber of the Sacred Relics, the Harem, the Baghdad kiosk, the Grand Kiosk, and even the panoramic view of Marmara Sea, among other smaller buildings – and of course, the feral cats. I did miss the porcelain and miniature collection, but I felt rather accomplished for the 90 minutes I had.

Topkapi palace Istanbul

Topkapi palace

I left the palace among the last visitors, as they closed the gates behind us. I had two options now – head back to the hotel and try to see the Grand Bazaar, or explore around for a while. To be fair, the area looked rather full and with a bunch of tourists looking more like a target than myself. That happened a lot during this trip, fortunately. I was not considered “targetable”.

Most visitable monuments had closed or were about to at this point. However, I knew that the Basilica Cistern would reopen an hour later, so I decided to wander around and try to get to the promenade along Kennedy street Kennedy Caddesi, which allowed me for nice views of Bosphorus Strait İstanbul Boğazı, the Golden Horn Altın Boynuz and Galata Bridge Galata Köprüsü.

Golden Horn at night

I went back towards the city centre through Gülhane Park Gülhane Parkı. At this point it was dark, so the fountains were on, and they looked very fun, all lit up.

I reached the queue to enter the Basilica Cistern Yerebatan Sarnıcı (Subterranean Palace). The ancient cistern has a normal opening schedule, and an evening schedule, which is a bit more expensive, with live music. But it worked for me. The cistern was built in the 6th century with the goal of providing water to the Great Palace of Constantinople, which stood where the Blue Mosque is now. It is an underground chamber with 336 columns that are up to 9 metres high, and it can hold up to 80,000 cubic metres of water. The columns seem to be recycled from ruined buildings, and at least one of them is carved with an upside-down Medusa face on the base. Today there is very little water, and there are modern art installations, and there are cool changing lights that give it a very interesting look and feel.

Basilica Cistern Istanbul

By the time I left, I kind of regretted having signed up for the second day trip, because I had been rather more efficient on my own, but again, I had not done much planning for the city. I went back to the hotel and I ordered food using the online room service. This time I decided on a kebap chicken wrap and a Turkish yoghurt, which was delicious. I had a shower and went off to bed.

Kebap and yoghurt

2nd October 2024: MAD → IST {Türkiye, October 2024}

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I had a Turkish Airlines flight at 12:00, and a strong recommendation to get to the airport three hours in advance. Back in July 2024, the outage of Microsoft systems caused chaos at the airport, and apparently the system has not completely recovered. Thus, my travel agent insisted on the three-hour margin. Since the flight was not an insane time, my parent had offered to drive me to the airport, but they “don’t believe in being at the airport three hours beforehand”. In the end, I negotiated a drop off a bit after 9:00.

I got to the baggage drop counter, which should have been a fast affair, but it was held up by a passenger who was checking in firearms – I was in the plane with a party of hunters. It was a bit creepy, because at some point they opened the gun cases for everyone to see, in the middle of the check-in line. Finally, Turkish Airlines opened a second counter while someone dealt with this traveller. I had my boarding pass, and my luggage was about 13 kg. I had packed an extra pair of shoes, long sleeved T-shirts, jeans and a couple of sweatshirts, along with a long cardigan that can be used as outerwear, blanket or even pillow as the situation requires – and I knew there were a lot of bus hours to come.

After checking in the luggage, I went through security and passport control, and found a seat until it was time to board. The boarding process was extremely efficient and fast, and we took off on time. We got lunch on the plane, and there was on board entertainment, so time passed quickly. Upon reaching Istanbul International Airport, there was a passport control upon exiting the plane, but I’m not sure what they were checking for, as everyone got waved through. Most passengers went onto connecting flights, and I headed off to immigration. I obviously chose the wrong line, as it took me a long time to clear it. I got my passport stamped – a brand new passport, and they stamped it, upside down, on page number 19, because why bother, I guess.

Welcome to Istanbul

After clearing immigration – I was not even aware of customs – I had to go to a particular gate to meet the representative from Oxin Travel outside the airport. I had bought an e-sim for my phone to have “unlimited internet for ten days”, so I activated that on my way, and it worked very well. When I went out the gate, I was supposed to look for a person with the travel agent’s logo, but I was surprised that there was actually a woman screaming my name. I was the only passenger on the tour that came on that flight.

She took me to the car park, where she left me alone to find our driver. When she came back, she told me about Istanbul’s day trips and sent me the information via WhatsApp, and recommended stuff to do. I booked both day trips because the whole point was having to plan little and save mental energy. Hindsight being 20/20, I regret that choice.

The drive to Istanbul | İstanbul took just above one hour, 20 minutes of that were spent trying to get out of the airport. It was already dark when we arrived in town, and I was able to catch a glimpse of Galata Tower Galata Kulesi. We reached three-star Hotel Bi·setun around 19:00 maybe, and the representative and the driver left to have me do the check-in on my own – good thing that she had confirmed on the phone that the hotel was expecting me, because the way we pulled into the area made it look a bit shady.

During check-in, the hotel kept my passport, and that was a bit creepy. When I got to the room, I found that the hotel had a nice system where you could order food through a special webpage – it was like an outsourced room service that could be paid by credit card, which was extremely convenient. I ordered a pacanga pastry paçanga böreği, similar to a quesadilla, and a lentil soup mercimek Çorbası.

I then went down to reception to buy a bottle of water and retrieve my passport. After the food arrived, I ate, had a shower and settled down to sleep. It was a rather uneventful journey, to be honest, but somehow it did not feel… smooth. The bit about being the only person picked up at the airport was weird, and communicating with the representative via WhatsApp a bit awkward.