Our first journey: Europe Fall 2013 - Off to Prague! (Day 5)

We didn't have hotel breakfast today as we thought of getting a real Bavarian breakfast! Yup, xxxx-wurst! Didn't do enough research on Munich since this city was chosen because it's convenient, very good as an interchange :x

After that we realized that this place has lot's dessert, pastries... should have spent more effort on looking for a good dining place! After comparing among the 4 countries, this city is good for shopping too!

Designs are pretty up to date, price is slightly cheaper than Prague and Salzburg. Weather's getting colder day by day so I bought my wife a Hilfiger windbreaker at €200 and almost slapped myself silly when I checked out their outlet at 1 Utama... RM1499 for an older design! (-_-)"

Retook some morning shots when there isn't much crowd... Marienplatz... love the architecture here!

Had weisswurst (traditional Bavarian white sausages) and pretzels for breakfast at Weisses Brauhaus. Like I said, not enough research because we were expecting grilled ones instead :P

And they only have 1 kind of sausages in the morning... this is 2 sets (4 sausages). We loved the taste (initially), very good combination of spices and meat! But started feeling it was too much when we reached the second sausage, I ended up having 3 since my wife couldn't handle them any more :x

Freshly baked!

Had a walk at Viktualienmarkt after breakfast, most of the stalls were just preparing for business:

We went back to the hotel to check out and head for the bus stop just outside the main train station. Just next to this stations is the bus stop for Munich Airport.

Sky got a little gloomy with thick clouds forming and after 15 mins or so.... It started raining! Eventually became hailstones size of raisin! Great thing it... there's no shelter! Everyone was rushing and squeezing towards the airport's bus stop, the nearest shelter around...

There are a few bus companies from Munich to Prague. We booked ours via Bahn (you may refer to the costing and planning page for the website). Print out the e-ticket and bring it along as it will be validated by the conductor.

Why bus? Its faster than the train! Though its a whooping 5+ hours ride... You'll be able to see Prague around 4.5 hours, going into the city will take some time depending on traffic conditions. Some shots:

The bus stop is... like an abandoned building... most of the travelers on the bus was pretty much surprised upon arrival... But underneath these ruins is a modern main station, and its pretty huge. Didn't manage to take any shots as ours hands were full and it was pretty hard looking for the ticket counter and exits.

Here's the 24-hour ticket bought at the counter. Please keep this ticket with you as there are officers randomly checking passengers at each station. For more info, checkout this webpage:

We stayed at the funky, ultra modern Fusion Hotel, which is within walking distance. Its located few streets after the park from the Main Station.

The bathroom

It comes with Apple TV :D
That pipe is actually the ventilation or air conditioning... The only complaint (yeah, brought it up with the reception when we checked out) that we have is if you close the windows, its quite stuffy... but when you open the windows, you can smell cigarette smoke from the lobby... we stayed on the 4th floor.

But, this hotel's location is super convenient! Breakfast is free and its not bad :)

Some shots on the way to Můstek Station:

This one of the easiest public trains to take on this trip, there are only a few lines. Worst was Amsterdam (we will come to that later)

One stop away is Old Town Square (Staroměstská Station), some beautiful evening shots... the weather is colder compared to the previous 2 cities:

We had a fantastic dinner at Pasta Fresca, highly recommended Italian restaurant located within walking distance on Old Town Square!

There's a monthly recommendation on the menu:

Fresh bread (soft on the inside, crispy on the outside) with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Shared a refreshing lime drink

Roasted calamari (This is perfectly grilled! You get that smoked taste and upon chewing, you get the calamari juices gushing out) and Tomato soup as appetizer

Tuna pasta and Seafood pasta as mains, you'll be asked if you want freshly grated Parmesan on your pasta! This is the first time we tasted fresh paste. Its different from the ones you get at the supermarket, its thicker, more chewy and tasted better, fresh is always better :P

Finishing with an awesome dessert! I didn't snapped the menu (you can check it at their website), its a fascinating combination of pineapple and whipped mascarpone topped with grated coconut and drizzled with caramel, must try!