Hi from Rick: “Underappreciated” Central Europe
I love being inspired by 20th-century European history in my travels. That's why Prague's Wenceslas Square — long the national stage for the history of the Czech people — is a favorite spot for me and our tour guides. This grand boulevard is where jubilant crowds celebrated the birth of Czechoslovakia after World War I, where the Prague Spring briefly blossomed before being crushed by Soviet tanks in 1968, where two college students set themselves on fire to protest the ensuing Communist occupation in 1969, and was the site of the 1989 Czech revolution, when people-power overthrew Soviet control in a transition of power so peaceful it was dubbed the "Velvet Revolution."
When I was in Prague earlier this year, I wandered down Wenceslas Square with a local Czech tour guide. We paused beneath a balcony, and he shared with me a firsthand account of that thrilling history. "In 1989 I stood right here, night after night, as hundreds of thousands of my countrymen gathered," he said. "Standing in front of that balcony, we jangled our keys at our Communist overlords and chanted in unison that it's time to go home." And then one night, those Soviet puppets were gone, and the balcony was filled with Czech freedom fighters waving Czech flags and declaring that the Czech people were free. They had won their democracy. The story — especially when told right where it happened — still gives me goosebumps.
I love traveling in Central Europe because the history here feels so immediate and accessible. The region's underappreciated countries — which many Americans still stubbornly call "Eastern Europe" — were shrouded in Communist gloom until 1989. But now they're thriving, and redefining what it means to be European. And for our tour groups to be right there and hear such stirring stories from people who actually lived that history is a travel highlight, and a tour experience I'm so proud to offer.
We run four tours in this recent-history-rich part of Europe. Our flagship itinerary, Central Europe: Prague to Slovenia in 15 Days, is a good introduction, as it stops in five countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, and Slovenia). And, for a deeper dive, we also offer the Best of the Adriatic in 14 Days, Best of Poland in 10 Days, and Best of Prague & Budapest in 8 Days.
In this month's Tour News, we'll explore our Central Europe tour with a colorful, day-by-day slideshow; get to know one of our favorite Slovenian guides, Tina Hiti; learn what's special about touring in Central Europe from our recent tour members; and go on a short video tour of Wenceslas Square.
Standing in Wenceslas Square, it hit me: When I first founded my company, going here was like venturing into a forbidden world. But, in my lifetime, Prague has gone from a soot-covered city trapped behind the Iron Curtain to a thriving and inviting tourist hotspot. And we now cover it through guidebooks, TV shows, and tours — with seats available, ready and rarin' to inspire travelers…like you!
Keep on travelin',
Rick