Jubilee Year

A Jubilee Year is a special year declared by the Pope, which usually happens every 25 years. It is a time, when Catholics are encouraged to reflect, go to confession, receive communion and pray for the Pope. Doing these things with the right intentions allows the believers to receive an unconditional indulgence - basically a spiritual reset. And as a part of this tradition is walking through the so-called "Holy Doors".

Well, I am not a Catholic, but receiving at least a piece of indulgence by walking through the "Holy Doors" could be a good opportunity for me, because it is 2025 and I am in Rome.

There are four Holy Doors in Rome, which are opening only in Jubilee Years. And one of them is in St. Peters Basilica.

I am staying in the very center of Rome, so the way to Vatican on foot would take only 30 minutes.

Surprisingly, there is no long queue at this time on the square. So, I was quite fast near the church.

The camera is on, and I am ready to record the moment, when all my sins are forgiven immediately (or some of them).

So, I successfully passed through the Holy Door, left behind sin and entered a renewed life of grace.

It is Sunday, and there is a special mess at this time, where cardinals take part, but there is no Pope here.

The Pope is going to pray at 12 pm, from a window in the Apostolic Palace (second window from the right on the top floor). Typically it lasts around 15–20 minutes and includes the pope’s message, the Marian prayer, the blessing and sometimes a short greeting to pilgrims. Of course, I could not miss this chance to hear the voice of the Pope Leo XIV.

After Vatican I am going back to the Rome city centre. With visiting all remarkable places there. Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Monument to Victor Emmanuel II and Pantheon.

Finally, back home. It is the right time to relax a bit after such a long walking and drink some coffee!

The most iconic method of brewing coffee in Italian homes is undoubtedly with using a Moka pot. Of course, I have it in my rented apartment.

And here is a short instruction how to make perfect coffee:

1. Add water. Fill the bottom chamber of the Moka pot with cold water up to the safety valve.
2. Add coffee. Fill the filter basket with ground coffee; level it off but don’t press it down.
3. Assemble the Moka pot. Screw the top and bottom parts together tightly.
4. Heat it up. Place the Moka pot on medium heat; leave the lid open at first so you can watch the coffee rise.
5. Wait for the magic.The water in the bottom will heat up, creating pressure that pushes the water through the coffee grounds and into the top chamber.
6. Listen carefully. When you hear a gurgling sound, the coffee is almost done; remove it from heat right away to avoid burning it.
7. Cool the Moka. Cool a bit the bottom of the Moka with the cold water from the faucet.
8. Stir and serve. Stir the coffee in the top chamber with a spoon for even flavor; then pour into small cups.

Still, there is some time for evening strolling around Rome. It is only 30 degrees outside, so it must be a good evening.

I hope, I would not need to wait for another 25 years to visit Rome again.

Berliner Weekend. Day1

Another attempt to pal up with Berlin. The first one was almost a year ago, and at that time I have noticed that the city was very diverse, but quite gloomy and not very friendly.

I came to Berlin with the train. I think we even do not have any direct flights from Prague. However, if you set off early in the morning, you would still most probably feel sleepy, so you can sleep on the train some hours.

The spring has just come to the city. Not much greenery and leaves on the trees.

Wide streets in the city centre. Very pedestrian-friendly, with large sidewalks, bike lanes, and well-marked crossings.

Here is the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. A powerful symbol of the destruction of war and the resilience of peace. It was largely destroyed in a bombing raid in 1943 during World War II, but nowadays it is preserved in its ruined state as a memorial to remind the horrors of war.

I am staying at SORAT hotel, a small, cozy city hotel in a prime location directly on Wittenbergplatz, located in Berlin's Schoneberg district, at the edge of the famous shopping boulevard Kurfurstendamm. One of the main attractions here is the iconic KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens), a Berlin institution and the largest department store in continental Europe.

The late lunch I had in some traditional restaurant. And in that traditional restaurant I tried the traditional food - the Schnitzel. To tell the truth, Schnitzel originated in Austria. But it has become a beloved and widespread dish in German cuisine too. In Germany, the most common version is Schnitzel "Wiener Art" (Viennese-style Schnitzel), usually made with pork instead of veal. The Schnitzel was served here with potato salad (Kartoffelsalat). Very delicious and very heavy :-)

The day was not finished with Schnitzel, of course. After having a nap at the hotel I had a long walking in the neighborhood of Wittenbergplatz, visiting many local bars. Yet, the night life in Berlin is more exciting than the daylight life.

Triangle. Amsterdam.

My final stop of staying in the Netherlands, the third point of the geography triangle, the jewel of lowlands is Amsterdam.

What do we know about Amsterdam? Red light district, smells weed everywhere and Heineken. But did you know that Amsterdam is built on over 11 million wooden poles, its canals stretch longer than Venice’s and the city has more bikes than people? 

Amsterdam’s canals are iconic, with picturesque bridges, houseboats, and historic buildings lining the water. Over 100 kilometers of waterways are crisscrossing the city. There are 165 canals and 1200 bridges!

Many streets in Amsterdam date back centuries, with narrow, winding paths and charming, old buildings. And of course, most streets are designed with bike lanes, allowing cyclists to glide through the city.

But all mentioned above is not important for me at the moment. Because I am rushing to the museum of Van Gogh, where I have ordered an excursion with a tour guide.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam houses the world’s largest collection of Vincent van Gogh’s artworks. It features over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and hundreds of personal letters. 

The top masterpieces for me are The Potato Eaters (one of his earliest major works), Sunflowers, The Bedroom and Almond Blossom.

The tour guide was boring, and instead of declared 2 hours it was lasting only 45 minutes. Maybe next time I would take an audio-guide.

By the end of the excursion the hotel room is ready to check-in. At this time there is nothing special about my room, because I really wanted to have the one with the canal view, but it would be too much expensive for me.

I continue walking around the city centre and cannot stop admiring. Amsterdam’s architecture is full of unique and clever details. For example, many of the old canal houses lean slightly forward - not because they’re falling over, but to make it easier to pull goods up with a hook and pulley system. Many old houses have hooks at the top - these are still used today to move furniture through windows, since staircases inside are often too narrow. Another interesting fact is that many buildings are tall and narrow here because people in the past used to be taxed on how wide their homes were.

If one night in Rotterdam or the Hague can be enough, I would not say this about Amsterdam. So, I want to return to this city one more time and to spend at least 3 nights, but not during a weekend, because it would cost me a fortune.

Nevertheless, I am happy to finish my current trip and come back to Prague. By the way, the flight is very short - it is only 1 hour and 30 minutes, and the city is very accessible by train from the airport. Why did not I travel to the Netherlands before?

And just not to forget, here is the wish list for my next staying in Amsterdam:

• visit the Rijksmuseum;
• see the floating flower market;
• take a boat tour on the canals;
• try many variations of Dutch cheese from a market;
• relax in Vondelpark.

See you soon, Amsterdam!