In the peak of a European Summer we made our way from Padua in North East Italy to the Czech capital Prague. We stopped along the way to visit notable tomb sites, swim in glacial waters and discover the local design. Here tracks our journey from Padua to Prague.
Upon first landing in Rome, a 4 hour train journey took us the charming town of Padua to meet up with friends already fully immersed in a European way of life. We shared an evening meal in time with the heartbeat of the city, eating cold spaghetti with anchovies and burrata, washed down by classic Negronis and frizzante as the clock struck close to midnight.
Awake early the next day with excitement and offsett body clocks we explored the city in the early light of the day, stopping for espressos, pastries and flat peaches.
After many espressos we moved on, heading further North to San Vito d'Altivole, home of the famous Brion Vega tombstones, designed by the Italian legend Carlo Scarpa. By the heat of a midday sun, surrounded by fields of corn crop, we took in the grandeur of his work, mind and the craftsmanship of his details. This place deserves more than a couple of lines and a single photograph, so a more detailed recount will follow.
From here the road got wilder and steeper as we made our way into the mountains of the Soca Valley in Slovenia. With no destination in mind, we witnessed the change in landscape, food and culture and finally settled on a night next to the glacial waters of the Soca River.
The next day we ventured deeper into Slovenia (going back through Italy and Austria to get there) and spent a night at Lake Bled. Whilst I wouldn't particularly recommend a visit to Lake Bled, we did enjoy the constant feeling you were living inside a Wes Anderson film, and Bled Cream Cake.
From here we drove further North, heading through the small Austrian town of Graz, again witnessing a change in architecture and culture, before settling into 24 hours in Vienna. The heat of Europe had properly set in, along with hours spent in a car on the AutoStrada and we felt weary, and slightly reclusive from exploring Vienna. A standout meal at a local restaurant offered local wine, traditional Weiner Schnitzel and a revival of spirit.
Leaving Vienna, and our friends, we picked up a train heading for Prague and spent the next 2 days enjoying the heat of a European city in Summer, finding solace in parks, bars and century old buildings.
