My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
It was my last full day in Prague. Denisa thought she might be able to meet up with me again, but she ended up having to work. She gave me a suggestion of a place to visit that was a bit further out than I’d ventured thus far. I decided to check it out.
I love figuring out public transportation in various cities. It makes me feel accomplished to figure it out, it’s usually a cheaper way to get around and it makes me feel like I’m living like a local. I had planned on figuring out the public transportation before using it to get back to the airport, but so far, everywhere I had gone had been within walking distance. I knew one could buy tickets at metro stations, but they weren’t always available at all the bus stops. I copy and pasted the place to go into a couple of apps to figure out how to get there. If I took a subway and then a bus, I knew I’d be able to get a ticket. I cautiously set out.
It worked! The apps guided me step by step out of the center of Prague.
I just have to say that technology has made such a big difference in being able to get around. When I first went to London I printed out maps on paper from MapQuest and tried to figure out where I was trying to go. It took me nearly a week before I figured out that the street signs were on the buildings instead of sticking out on the corners like they are in the US. Plus a paper map doesn’t tell you if you’re walking in the right direction! I would pace back and forth down the street trying to match corners with what was on my paper.
Then in 2017 I traveled around Europe with a smart phone. These map apps were a game changer. I would plug in where I wanted to go and the app would guide me step by step. I then followed the route backwards to find my way home. If I had multiple stops I had to have it all planned out before I left my wifi zone. I could only change my plans if I could find wifi, or if I could find my way back to the route.
Now I have slow local data and the world is my oyster. I marvel at how I can find restaurants with good reviews in the area, plop in a destination while I’m on the go and have my phone guide me there. My favorite feature is on the city mapper app that has a ‘get me home’ button. I wander around with no worries of getting lost, because whenever I’m done, I click on that button and I’m guided back to my apartment. I especially love when it recalculates a different route as I’m drawn down a more interesting looking street. I’m curious to see the advances for my next trip.
I’m pretty sure I ended up following Denisa’s advice backwards, but I ended up in a beautiful green park with lovely flowers.
There were lakes all over this park and the paths made me feel like I could walk on water.
After all that walking I was only about 30 minutes from the apartment, so I decided to walk back. It was fun to find a different way than the efficient route that the app had mapped out. I found another beautiful park.
And then I realized I was looking out over the old town! I knew where I was! It was so nice to find myself at the top of the hill rather than the bottom, set out to climb it.
