4.27 kms walking.
Woken by some yobo and his
mates shouting in the street below at 5. Then an unloading truck! Finally time
for the alarm, but by then I had booked a shuttle from the Prague airport, a
final pack and downstairs for breakfast….which didn’t open till 7:30 on Sat/
Sun! Back to my room for a while then back again. Gulping it down this time. Up
to pick up my bag, checked out and waited in the foyer for the shuttle bus for
an 8:15 pickup. Hacking cough now and it has moved down to my lungs, so I’m
glad I have the antibiotics.
The driver was early at
8:05- love it when they are early. At the airport by 9. Very busy
airport. So again asking lots of questions and directions. Got my boarding
pass, and it was listed as Sky Priority again which means the faster lanes.
Security was fairly strict- scarf, vest, jacket, boots off, computer out and
then I got the most personal pat down ever, including all parts of my bra-
front and back and waistband of my pants - thankfully by a lovely but
professional lady. My carry on got “done” again. Had to unzip it – they just
wanted to look in my cord bag and instamatic camera? All done and walked up to
the gate to sit for the next two hours. Got a cuppa and typed up my diary from
yesterday. They were being very strict on carry-on luggage. Basically one bag
unless you are Priority! I only had one anyway. I typed up all of yesterday’s
diary with my computer in my carefully balanced airport style. Back pack on
floor. Handbag on top, with the strap around my waist. Cover for the computer
on top to form a steady base and good to go. Finally time to put the computer
away and go to the toilet before boarding.
I got to go on board right
after the kids and elderly! And 7D so right near to the front. We took off 5
minutes late and landed five minutes early for the 55 minute flight and in
between time my ears gave me hell and my sinuses were unhappy too! When I was
reading my book about Prague, the man next to me showed me places to go in
Prague and told me to use the ATM or card not the money changers. The local currency
is the koruna. The exchange rate is about 1€ = 22 Kcl. The money changers here
are basically sharks and not to be trusted and he didn’t have much good to say
about taxis either. He suggested I should catch the public Metro or walk.
Disembarked at Prague and
happened to check my pocket for a tissue and what did I find? The hard-boiled
egg I’d forgotten about from breakfast, but absolutely smashed to pieces.
Luckily it was wrapped in a napkin. So that got put in the bin on the way
through. It is a much smaller airport than many capital cities. I waited in the
queue at the ATM and only wanted to get a small amount of money, because you
have trouble changing it at the end.
I found the shuttle man
waiting for me with a sign but there was some language confusion and I was
waiting for him while he thought I was following him. The shuttle company rang
me on my phone to solve the issue and soon I was in the shuttle.
Prague is not at all what
I expected. The countryside comes right up to the city. Huge green and yellow
fields and very hilly. In the city section, we drove through some rather sad,
high rise apartments and neglected houses and nature strips, until the streets
got narrower and narrower and in some places steeper and steeper. Basically a
bit scruffy. Cobbles replaced bitumen and the lovely old buildings emerged once
we crossed the river. The Vltava River is very wide and has a series of
impressive bridges crossing it. The streets were only just wide enough at times
for a car, so pedestrians had to move out of the way. Eventually I was dropped
off near my hotel door €15 which included a tip. Much cheaper than a taxi. I
had to drag my case along the last 50 metres over cobblestones.
The Savic Hotel used to be
a 13C monastery, now a 28 room gorgeous boutique hotel. The receptionist,
Alice, was lovely.
My room was big,
with two full size beds. Lovely furniture and a much larger bathroom with all
the bits that most hotels supply. It even had both a jug and a coffee machine
and a fridge! And a restaurant, which serves all day. I had a shower, unpacked
and washed my clothes. Eventually I got a grilled chicken salad, despite having
issues with asking for gf. It was delicious, especially at 3:45 and I had a cup
of tea, which came in a bucket size cup. It cost 278K = about €12.
While I was seated outside
I was people watching. There seemed to be a LOT of party goers both men and
women. Hundreds of tourists packing every restaurant or narrow alley way eating
the local ice-cream, or drinking beer. Many groups following tour guides. Then
there were the tourists who had come to see the city by themselves walking
around, map in hand looking up and down (cobblestones) but with no bicyclists
ready to run them down. What a blessing.
After “lunch” I went for a
stroll. It is a difficult place to get your bearings /directions because the
streets are so narrow, the houses so tall and the streets don’t follow a grid
or pattern, but I didn’t get lost, so that was a bonus.
I walked to the Bethlehem
Chapel and learned all about Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake for being a
heretic. His crime was basically pointing out the corruption of the Catholic
Church at that time and making some suggestions about ways to improve it, to be
more equitable for the poorer majority. He lived in the house attached to the
chapel and preached to 3000 people at a time in the chapel. I think the
entrance fee was 6k.
From here I walked around
taking random photos of buildings until I reached the town square. This is
where I am supposed to be having a walking tour tomorrow. Except it is also the
venue for a marathon race, which was being set up. Hopefully I find the tour
leader tomorrow? The other bothersome fact is that famous Astrological clock is
being renovated. I returned to the hotel
about 6. My nose was not happy flying again but seems to be better inside. Very
civilised in this room, a tea pot for the tea and real cups!
Iran out of time to
download photos but should get extra tomorrow afternoon and this chair is quite
uncomfortable.
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