Prague - Day 3

Day three started a little later than yesterday due to aching legs from a packed day of walking. After the rather bizarre take on a cooked breakfast in the hotel, Doozr and I headed out into the sunshine. As Doozr has hogged the blogging for the week so far, I insisted that day three would be mine to write about.

We decided to spend what was left of the morning doing a little trinket shopping. We both wanted to take our childs something 'traditional' back for them as a keepsake. Doozr had previously spotted a cute little mole character and thought his childs would appreciate him. I figured that whatever he got them, my child would also appreciate and so off we headed to find a shop selling wooden versions of the little guy. A quick chat with the shop assistant and some of our own research revealed that he is a famous character here in the Czech Republic called Krtek, created in 1956 and staring in 63 movies and numerous childrens books.


After a lovely half hour sit under the trees at the old town square we decided it was time to sample some more Czech cuisine. We headed towards Restaurant Lascala, a place we'd spotted that sold the local goulash served in a bread boat. The goulash was again awesome and neither of us could finish off the massive loaf of bread the goulash came in.


After lunch we headed towards the Jewish Quarter. Doozr treated me to a necklace and he bought himself a tiny Golem from the little stalls along the roadside. Golem is apparently a stone creature who used to guard the synagogue. Whatever he is, we think he is cute as.


By this point we were feeling more than weary, the sun was blazing and our legs were still a little sore. We headed back for the shade of the trees at the old town square, grabbed a crépe and enjoyed an hour in the shade watching the world go by. Just sitting, just being.


To be honest the day didn't much change after this. We grabbed a coffee before heading across Charles Bridge towards what appeared to be a park on the map. Indeed it was a park and when we finally scrambled our way through the hordes of teenagers that seem to have descended upon Prague overnight, we arrived at the most stunning of locations. The gardens are called Seminařská and, although there were a few people about, it was much quieter than we'd become used to.


After a few hours of lying together in the sunshine, chatting, dozing and taking in the scenery we decided to head back to the hustle and bustle of the old town square and have some tea before going back to the hotel to pack for tomorrows trip back to the UK.

Tea tonight was a little less extravagant than last night and we opted for a little Italian called Pizzeria Al Minuto, just along from the Astonomical Clock. I had a simple chicken salad and Doozr had a Quattro Stagio pizza. Of course this was washed down with a couple of Pilsner Urquells. When in Rome and all that.

Plans for a night cap in the pub across from the hotel were scrapped due to an annoying stomach ache I'd not been able to shake all day. The rest of the evening was taken up with Doozr rubbing my stomach and trying to pack! Not exactly the ending to the day I'd hoped for but still. The iPhone played us some lovely tunes while we listened to the noise from the train station through the open window.

Prague - Day 2

Day 2 has proved quite eventful! A nice early start followed by hotel breakfast of cereal, sausage and cake, and off out and about. We started off by heading to the old town square for a few brief moments of Internet and a nice sit down in under the trees. Then up to the famous Charles Bridge where we spent a little time listening to the musicians, admiring the views and appreciating the fabulous weather.


Over the bridge lies Prague castle, with a lengthy uphill trek to the top. The further up we climbed, the more spectacular the views became. Prague is a very beautiful city from the ground, but from above it's really quite amazing. Lots of photo opportunities meant I was never without my camera, and in the end decided to just keep it tied to my hand the whole time.

Once we reached the top of the long, shallow stairway our legs felt fit to drop. We had an icecream in a lovely little courtyard overshadowed by the tremendous St Vitus cathedral. The queues to get inside and a have a look were almost as long as the cathedral itself so we opted to carry on into the next courtyard after one or two (or three or four) more photo opportunities.


We almost missed the changing of the guard, but managed a rather obscured view through one of the many massive gateways. After that, we continued up toward the castle but spent some time admiring the even more impressive views of the city. The white walls and red roofs of the buildings looked particularly pretty in the bright sunshine.

Rather than continue upward, we headed down into the town and up to the rooftop of the Cowboy Steak and Cocktail house. We'd spotted the terrace from the castle wall, with it's distinctive whole-cow spit roast mascot and it was as lovely to sit in as we'd both hoped. The 69 spiral stairs up the inside of the castle wall helped us build a thirst, if the sun hadn't already!


Back across Charles Bridge, it was just coming up to lunchtime so we went to our new favourite restaurant, the Prague U Parlamentu, where we devoured onion soup and gloulash ready for the afternoons entertainment. A short soirée to Wenceslas Square for a look round and a drink was in order while we decided what to do next.

We decided, on 23inertia's suggestion, to go to look at the Jewish quarter. She said that the architecture was well worth a look, and it's right next to the Prague Metronom, which intrigued me.

Unfortunately, after several navigational mishaps, we managed to not only miss the Jewish quarter, but the bridge for the Metronom too. In fact, we were an entire bridge further along than we expected. We crossed it just to see what was there and realised the only way to get back would be to go back the way we'd come, or walk through a large green area on the map.

We opted, of course, for the large unmarked green area. Always up for an adventure, and frankly keen to get out of the midday sun that was slowly turning my forehead into a red glowing beacon. Up we went. And up. And up. And, indeed, up.

At the top we were very pleasantly surprised to find a lovely wooded park, complete with a sports club to service our thirst and lavatorial needs. It was lovely to just sit under the trees in the shade and relax for an afternoon. Once the drink was empty, though, we thought we'd better push on, and I was extra motivated after checking the map and discovering we were actually almost at the Metronom.

Walking through the park we were amazed at how many brilliant children's play areas there were. If I were 10, I'd have had a go. I think they might have thought a couple of 30-somethings would have looked odd trying to get up the rope slide, though. Instead we satisfied ourselves with walking hand in hand through the trees and looking at the amazing views over the city afforded us by the aforementioned up and up.

Finally we arrived at the Metronom. It is ... Well, it's a metronome. Looking to be about 30 feet long and ticking about every 8 seconds. I still have no idea what relevance the time interval has. Subsequent research has, however, told us that it was built on the site of the Stalin monument and is on top of Prague's only nuclear bunker. The Stalin monument was blown to bits in 1962 after a very sad history.

All that up and up had proven very tiring, and we were both ready for some grub. We'd earlier been told of a restaurant built in a cellar with live music as we ate. Sounded good to me, so after popping back to the hotel to freshen up we headed back to the U Zlaté Konvice.


What a treat awaited us there! The waiter who invited us in earlier in the day recognised us as we entered, and we sat deep in the cellar on a long banquet table. A quartet consisting of a double bass, an accordion, a violin and a ukelele serenaded us with songs about beer while we ordered and consumed a hog roast consisting of 3 plates each, and a whole basket of bread. I had a lovely dark beer, the name of which escapes me competely, while 23inertia has a whole litre of Pilsner Urquell that apparently came served in a vase.


The food tasted great and certainly filled us up. The main plate was a cutting board containing roast pork, straight off the pig. A side plate of salad and another of potatoes completed the trio, and a small side of mustard, horseradish and pickled things were thrown in. We both polished it off nicely, and noted with some amusement that another couple had opted to share a single serving despite us having a whole one each.

After such a hearty meal, some rest and relaxation was in order. None of that though! Night had fallen, and I wanted to go to Charles Bridge for some nighttime shots. These were, unfortunately, not entirely successful. Mostly due to my tripod being too big to bring in the hand luggage. Got one or two nice shots, though. We shall have to wait 'til they come out.

Not wanting to go to bed too early, we stayed out for one more beer while sitting at the side of the old town square. At this point a very panicky little fellow started trying to push a leaflet into my hand, apologising constantly and telling me it was for "maybe later".

The pictures on the front advertised some burlesque dancing shows, but he wouldn't let me turn it over to see the back. This puzzled me, but once he'd left it all became clear. The dancing shows were a distraction. It was a strip and live sex show with "sometimes up to 150 girls". No wonder he was panicked: 23inertia was sat right there. Once we realised what he was trying to give me we couldn't help but laugh. There was a stag night out on the other side of the square. They would have been a much easier target.

A slow wander back to the hotel is all that remained for us to do. We picked up some essential supplies (chocolate and Haribo) and returned to the hotel. Thoroughly worn out, but thoroughly happy.

Prague - Day 1

Day 1 in the beautiful city of Prague. After catching up with some sleep we realised it was only 2pm so we had plenty of time for some exploration. We headed out to the old town square and had a look at some of the architecture. I took lots of photos (on my other camera, so you'll have to wait) and we had a nice couple of hours just sat.


There was some sort of event going on in the middle of the square involving, from what I could see, trial riding, live music and men on offroad segways. I really fancy one of those. After taking some pictures of the gargoyles and the astronomical clock, we spent some time sat outside a bar and enjoyed a glass of genuine Budvar. Lovely.

I am realising only now, and blame the tiredness entirely, that I'm struggling to remember the names of places we've been. I will endeavour to photograph them from now on to make sure we have some clue as to what we did!



Following our lovely relaxing sit down, we decided it was time for food. We headed out away from the old town square for reasons of both exploration and thrift. A plate of goulash and dumplins was 1/3rd the price, despite only being 2 streets away. Absolutely delicious, though, and went well with the Pilsner Urquell.

After this feast, it was time to head back. Despite only being 7pm, 23inertia was feeling the strain of the 29 hour day. I was feeling surprisingly sprightly, but decided that my body was probably just fooling itself so we decided to call it a night. We slept 13 hours!

Prague - Prologue

The big day has arrived! After days of wondering, the TME excursion to the Czech capital has finally begun. After a (literally) sleepless night and a 2am start, the car was loaded and off we drove into the sunrise.


No hiccups en route and, save for the satnav sending us down a road that didn't exist, we got to Robin Hood airport in good time. The parking system at Robin Hood airport is quite brilliant. It's right in front of the terminal building so easy to find, and if prebooked it's possible to gain entry with the card used to book it. It even greets you by name, which is nice.

A swift breakfast and a long wait later, we boarded the plane and set off across Europe. The flight itself was uneventful, so nothing exciting to report. A cup of tea and a gentle doze and we were notified of our imminent descent! Possibly the least hassle of any short flight ever.

Getting from the airport to the town centre was to be by the AE, or Airport Express. After a short scout about we located the stop and headed across town. It was a very pleasant journey and we saw a lot of the city, but a little panic set in when we drove past our hotel and the station we thought we were supposed to get off at.


Silly fools that we are didn't realise that the hotel is near the other train station. Actually there are quite a few. So after alighting we set off across town. In entirely the wrong direction. On the plus side, we got to see a decent amount of the city, gained our bearings (after accidentally stumbling into Wenceslas Square) and learned our first practical Czech word: nádraží. Train station.

So here we are, thoroughly settled in our cheapy hotel. We're right above the train station and look down on the roof, we can hear our neighbours through the plumbing, and there's no kettle. But we're happy. The room itself is nice enough, the snooker is on the telly live from Sheffield, and best of all, we've arrived!

TME Goes On The Road

The Mix Eclectic is soon to have it's first international field trip. As something of a relaxation measure and just because it's a nice place to go, Doozr and 23inertia are flying off to Prague next week for a sampling of Czech beer, good grub and picturesque scenery. It's all very exciting and everything was going to plan until ...

EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL

Yes, the ash cloud emanating from that most unpronouncable of all volcanoes that has shut down most of Europe for the last week is still at large, although much diminished. Airlines are frantically trying to get planes in the air and everything is going horribly, horribly wrong. Hopefully all will be well come next week, but if not, we need a backup plan!

So if we can't get to Prague for beer, food and scenery, what's the next best thing? Why, staying in England and doing the exact same thing from a nice little country cottage, of course! It has come to our attention through some searching that some holiday cottage companies are trying to boost their Spring business with handy tag lines like "Flights cancelled? We have cottages to rent TODAY!" So that's the first plan; go and spend a week in a lovely little cottage and get quietly sozzled on the English moors. Or something to that effect.

Of course, being the cautious sorts, we didn't want to risk getting to the big day and not being able to find an available cottage. With all the upheaval it's possible that next week will be fully booked all over the place. So what is a self-respecting Englishman to do if there is nowhere to stay and he really wants to go on holiday? There's always ... this:

Even though 23inertia has to date shown an almost pathological fear of tents, she has recently mellowed a lot and, in fact, suggested the idea! So if, come flying out day, it all goes completely pear shaped, we'll be heading down to Towsure and CCC. After rapidly stocking up on camping equipment and finding a nice campsite we will go somewhere rural, calm, relaxed, and with a good source of beer.

Cheers!