Accommodations in Prague and Nuremberg
During our independent driving tour from Prague to Rome in May-June ’03, Europe was experiencing record high heat.
• In Prague we chose the historic Grand Hotel Europa (Wenceslas Square 25, Prague 1, CZECH REPUBLIC; phone 420 224 228 117, fax 420 224 224 544 or e-mail info@itastour.cz), a 3-star, Art Nouveau-style property dating from 1906. There was an elevator but no air-conditioning.
The rooms were large. €109 ($137) for a double with bath. A substantial breakfast (included) was served in a beautiful, oval-shaped hall overlooking the restaurant/bar below.
• We picked up our rental car in Prague and began our journey. Our first stop was Nuremberg, GERMANY, where we stayed at the Romantik Hotel am Josephsplatz (Josephsplatz 30/32, 90 403, Nuremberg, Germany; phone 0911-21 44 70, fax 0911-22 44 72 00 or e-mail josephsplatz@romantikhotels.com).
This beautifully decorated boutique hotel is nestled in the heart of town. It has 36 well-furnished rooms and a tiny elevator that would carry either two people or two pieces of luggage (but not both). While it didn’t have air-conditioning, our room did have a small fan and two large windows. €60-€120 ($75-$151) for a double with breakfast.
Breakfast was a lavish buffet in a pretty breakfast room with an attentive staff. In fact, we really enjoyed the staff, especially one receptionist who had a great sense of humor and with whom we enjoyed chatting and joking.
The next day we chose a German-speaking tour of Kaiserburg Castle. We don’t speak German, but one of the men on the tour was gracious enough to interpret for us, even staying afterward to tell us more. He was very friendly, helpful and generous with his time.
On the way to Munich we thought we’d spend an hour at the concentration camp at Dachau. We ended up spending the afternoon — and slept fitfully that night. “Dachau: the significance of this name will never be erased from German history.” — Eugene Kogon
• We selected another hotel in the Romantik chain in Munich, the Romantik Hotel Insel Mühle (Von-Kahr Strasse 87, 80 999 München-Untermenzing, Germany; phone 089-810 10, fax 089-812 05 71, e-mail insel-muhle@t-online.de).
This hotel is on the outskirts of Munich. It boasted huge, comfortable rooms with balconies overlooking a garden with a babbling brook. There was a Biergarten on site with a pond, shade trees and a children’s playground. German families came to have picnics, drink beer, play cards and relax. Snacks, ice cream and full meals were available in the Biergarten. In the restaurant, a complimentary cake was provided for my husband’s birthday.
€106-€140 ($133-$176) for a double with bath and breakfast. Free parking.
KARYN DéMARTELAERE
Chandler, AZ