Prague - I had wondered if I was going to be well enough to go. I'd had infected toe nails and the chiropodist had chopped bits out on wednesday - good job I've lost a lot of feeling as it wasn't that painful and then I'd developed a chest infection so was on antibiotics and got told off by the doctor for not going earlier. I actually wasn't going to go but the hospice nurse had seen me and made me go!!! Well, they definately helped me so it was good advice.
My mum and sister came down on the thursday night and spent the night on the bed settee - which was lovely as it meant hubby and I kept the bed. We set off at 8am for Bournemouth airport friday morning. Whta a complete difference to the hectic mayhem of Gatwick. There was one tiny coffee shop with about 16 seats and only about 6 check in desks and our Prague flight was the only one due out.In true British fashion, a queue formed behind one desk leaving no-one at the other check-in desk. Guess one we chose!!
We had to organise mum's liquids into the one sealed off plastic bag to go through security but she had the last laugh as she was wearing flat shoes so didn't have to take them off whilst sister and I had to take our boots off to go through the scanner. I hate having no shoes as my feet are so painful when it gets cold. My sister go told 'well done' for having her liquids so well organised - don't know what mum and I had done differently.
It was a good flight but with a very steep take-off - perhaps the run way is short!! I hadn't realised we'd booked a cheap deal flight so it was very limited in flight food which wasn't a problem as we'd eaten egg on toast at the airport. That was another experience, they only gave us plastic cutlery and it was impossible to eat the rubbery toast. How do they make the toast so rubbery - mine is never like that.
Parague airport was quite busy but efficient. The immigration official did stare at me rather hard as my hair is quite long and straight in my passport and not the microphone head style I've now developed. We got a taxi easily. Perhaps too easily - other people obviously knew things about this taxi driver that we didn't. I sat in the front and he nearly climbed in my lap as he was driving. He did speak english but it was very difficult and funny at the same time. My sister kept asking him about his family and wife and telling him I had a husband and children but to no avail!!
Our hotel was brill and was a 10 minute walk from the Charles Bridge. We were on the 6th floor and the lift finished on the 5th, Ho hum!! We had a Z shaped room so we put mum ropund one side - closer to the bathroom (sorry mum!!) and my sister and I had the other side. It had velux windows which didn't matter as there was no view being it overlooked the busy street and it was quieter.
After we swiftly unpacked, we walked into the centre. Well that was the plan - but as we were hungry we went to the Downtown Cafe for lunch. Seemed a cross between a cafe and an italian restaurant with very odd seating and bright decor. Don't think we passed the trendiness test as everybody else seemed to be students and very trendy but the food was lovely. I had the mushroom risotto with garlic and parmesan with a huge capuccino - bliss.
We then did a bit of window shopping and real shopping and into a beautiful church before crossing the Charles Bridge in the dark (views of castle, cathedral and other bridges good in the dark as all lit up)so all the stall holders and musicians had gone home apart from one brave soul who played some keyboard thing and at the end of the song gave a huge cry of 'yip' which gave us a bit of a fright!!
After more looking in shops (good job I did go with 2 women and not my hubby) we found the Wenceslas Square and the Astronomical clock and more stalls for us to look at and touch pashminas and wooly hats and those Russian stacking dolls etc. We even timed it right to see the clock chime and the apostles go round and see the skeleton ringing the bell so that was a success. Even more successful was that we even managed to find our way back to the main street to our hotel and to the czech restaurant we had planned to eat in. We did this without a map might I add!!
We were the only people in the restaurant but the food and service good and I liked the czech wine. All for about £10 a head. Poor sister did have to answer her phone several times during the day and I had to call her back in for dinner - I think she was discussing what temperature her hubby had to put the washing in at the time!!
Back at the hotel, I phoned hubby to see if AJ had gone off to the joint Beaver/Cub Second World War theme camp to find his mobile switched off. Luckily, I knew he was spending the evening with friends so I phoned them and guess what he was asleep beside them!! I'm surprised anybody ever invites him round as he is always falling asleep in company!! He could not seem to understand why I thought it was an issue that the 2 boys were at a camp and he wasn't at home and his mobile was off. Men are from Mars.........
Up early saturday for an interesting breakfast. There appeared to be very few seats and we ended up at the end of a row of Germans feeling we were in the wrong place.. After a while, it clicked, the Germans sat in the main part of the breakfast area with the food whilst the English sat round the corner away from the food!!! I never realised there was still such a partition. Saying that, they were freindly enough but it just felt like we were in the wrong place. I don't recomend czech bread - hard and dry and yucky margarine. The fruit and yogurts were lovely though.
Off on a tram to the castle. This became a bit of a farce. We had an English version of the map so the place names were spelt in the english way. Of course, the tram signs were written in czech so we missed the stop and had to get another tram back again. The czech's were so polite and kept giving up their seats for mum who of course would then give it up to me which puzzled them but how could we explain why. We had a long walk to the castle which was then completely over run with parties of tourists all follwoing some guide with a different coloured umbrella or an umbrella with a soft tpy on the end of it. It was a ghastly experience and when we went in the cathedral which looked beautiful it was so full of people we jsut walked staright out again.
We had a much needed hot chocolate and wandered off down the Golden Lane which are medieval buildings with shops in - more shopping!!! Stopped for a look over the city from the walls and down a steep path to the tram.
As the trams were so efficient, we took a tram back to the Down Town Cafe - well eventually after catching a tram going the wrong way and having to go back again. Shhh -don't tell anybody that bit. Back to the hotel for more clothes as it was getting cold. Mum followed a drunk Scotsman out of the lift - for some reason, she kept turning left out of the lift so kept following strange men when we were supposed to be going right and up the stairs. 'He's alone and she's alone' became the catchphrase of the holiday - poor mum. We did tease her rather a lot but we had lots of giggles about everything so it was lots of fun and as it was the first time in 13 years we'd actually spent anytime alone without the children or husbands so we had a lot of catching up to do!!!
We then did a boat trip which gave us the opportunity for a sit down and a drink and to see the views. As it was getting dark, it was not the best made plan but never mind.
More shopping and eating and drinking of course!!
Sunday morning breakfast we ate in the 'english part' which was quieter and cooler. We then had about 2 hours before the taxi driver came to take us to the airport. We took the furnicular railway up to the Petrin Observation Tower. First stop the loo, we had to pay the princely sum of 50p to use the facilities and this entitled us to 'listen to music as we sprinkled' as it said on the postcard on the loo door. There was also plastic flowers!!!
Mum went to buy the tickets to go up the Tower and the sellers had a quick conflab and kept looking at her and then charged her the senior citizen cheap price and hustled us into a lift. You all know I am not keen onlifts at the best of times and this was a very novel and scary experience. The lift space was supposed to take 6 people but we were squashed with 4 of us and the other 3 are much smaller than me. 2 metal doors then closed on the outside and 2 metal shutters then slid up from the floor enclosing us in. It was very scary. The lift operator pointed out that the lift was built in 2000 and had never broken down - not a good thing to say!! She then took us all the way to the top which appeared to say 50m and then gave us a choice of 10 or 20 minutes before she came to collect us. It seemed it was only if you were elderly or disabled you could use the lift so thank goodness for mum as I'd have never made it and I don't appear ill. The view was fantastic and you could see all the bridges across the river and the castle. The view was especially good when it was pointed out ot us that the windows opened and that you didn't have to look through smeary windows!!! Don't think we'd pass any initiative test then.
The lift lady took us down to the next viewing platform where we nearly got blown away but you ccould walk outside and then it was a quick march back to the furnicular lift and hotel to collect our belongings to go home.
This time we had a non-speaking english taxi driver who kept himself to himself!!!
We had 3 very gay stewards on the plane home and decided after a spectacularly bumpy landing that we had a new pilot as well.
Bournemouth airport is obviously not designed for more than 1 plane at a time. It took us 40minutes to get through passport control. This was mainly due to the high number of non-EU passengers who took longer to be processed. One chinese guy must have given the wrong answer as he was led off for more questioning..
Hubby and Woody met us. Woody had won Best Cub at camp. I think mainly because he went to sleep at night!!!! The Beavers had settled well by 8.30 but the cubs didn't settle until 3.30am. The Beavers then woke up at 6.30am hence rather tired leaders!!!
All in all a very fun and packed holiday and I was pleased that I still could keep going and my hip held out. It was brilliant to go away with my mum and sister so we could all reel out all the old family jokes and teasing and for once be child free which was odd and nice at the same time.
My mum and sister came down on the thursday night and spent the night on the bed settee - which was lovely as it meant hubby and I kept the bed. We set off at 8am for Bournemouth airport friday morning. Whta a complete difference to the hectic mayhem of Gatwick. There was one tiny coffee shop with about 16 seats and only about 6 check in desks and our Prague flight was the only one due out.In true British fashion, a queue formed behind one desk leaving no-one at the other check-in desk. Guess one we chose!!
We had to organise mum's liquids into the one sealed off plastic bag to go through security but she had the last laugh as she was wearing flat shoes so didn't have to take them off whilst sister and I had to take our boots off to go through the scanner. I hate having no shoes as my feet are so painful when it gets cold. My sister go told 'well done' for having her liquids so well organised - don't know what mum and I had done differently.
It was a good flight but with a very steep take-off - perhaps the run way is short!! I hadn't realised we'd booked a cheap deal flight so it was very limited in flight food which wasn't a problem as we'd eaten egg on toast at the airport. That was another experience, they only gave us plastic cutlery and it was impossible to eat the rubbery toast. How do they make the toast so rubbery - mine is never like that.
Parague airport was quite busy but efficient. The immigration official did stare at me rather hard as my hair is quite long and straight in my passport and not the microphone head style I've now developed. We got a taxi easily. Perhaps too easily - other people obviously knew things about this taxi driver that we didn't. I sat in the front and he nearly climbed in my lap as he was driving. He did speak english but it was very difficult and funny at the same time. My sister kept asking him about his family and wife and telling him I had a husband and children but to no avail!!
Our hotel was brill and was a 10 minute walk from the Charles Bridge. We were on the 6th floor and the lift finished on the 5th, Ho hum!! We had a Z shaped room so we put mum ropund one side - closer to the bathroom (sorry mum!!) and my sister and I had the other side. It had velux windows which didn't matter as there was no view being it overlooked the busy street and it was quieter.
After we swiftly unpacked, we walked into the centre. Well that was the plan - but as we were hungry we went to the Downtown Cafe for lunch. Seemed a cross between a cafe and an italian restaurant with very odd seating and bright decor. Don't think we passed the trendiness test as everybody else seemed to be students and very trendy but the food was lovely. I had the mushroom risotto with garlic and parmesan with a huge capuccino - bliss.
We then did a bit of window shopping and real shopping and into a beautiful church before crossing the Charles Bridge in the dark (views of castle, cathedral and other bridges good in the dark as all lit up)so all the stall holders and musicians had gone home apart from one brave soul who played some keyboard thing and at the end of the song gave a huge cry of 'yip' which gave us a bit of a fright!!
After more looking in shops (good job I did go with 2 women and not my hubby) we found the Wenceslas Square and the Astronomical clock and more stalls for us to look at and touch pashminas and wooly hats and those Russian stacking dolls etc. We even timed it right to see the clock chime and the apostles go round and see the skeleton ringing the bell so that was a success. Even more successful was that we even managed to find our way back to the main street to our hotel and to the czech restaurant we had planned to eat in. We did this without a map might I add!!
We were the only people in the restaurant but the food and service good and I liked the czech wine. All for about £10 a head. Poor sister did have to answer her phone several times during the day and I had to call her back in for dinner - I think she was discussing what temperature her hubby had to put the washing in at the time!!
Back at the hotel, I phoned hubby to see if AJ had gone off to the joint Beaver/Cub Second World War theme camp to find his mobile switched off. Luckily, I knew he was spending the evening with friends so I phoned them and guess what he was asleep beside them!! I'm surprised anybody ever invites him round as he is always falling asleep in company!! He could not seem to understand why I thought it was an issue that the 2 boys were at a camp and he wasn't at home and his mobile was off. Men are from Mars.........
Up early saturday for an interesting breakfast. There appeared to be very few seats and we ended up at the end of a row of Germans feeling we were in the wrong place.. After a while, it clicked, the Germans sat in the main part of the breakfast area with the food whilst the English sat round the corner away from the food!!! I never realised there was still such a partition. Saying that, they were freindly enough but it just felt like we were in the wrong place. I don't recomend czech bread - hard and dry and yucky margarine. The fruit and yogurts were lovely though.
Off on a tram to the castle. This became a bit of a farce. We had an English version of the map so the place names were spelt in the english way. Of course, the tram signs were written in czech so we missed the stop and had to get another tram back again. The czech's were so polite and kept giving up their seats for mum who of course would then give it up to me which puzzled them but how could we explain why. We had a long walk to the castle which was then completely over run with parties of tourists all follwoing some guide with a different coloured umbrella or an umbrella with a soft tpy on the end of it. It was a ghastly experience and when we went in the cathedral which looked beautiful it was so full of people we jsut walked staright out again.
We had a much needed hot chocolate and wandered off down the Golden Lane which are medieval buildings with shops in - more shopping!!! Stopped for a look over the city from the walls and down a steep path to the tram.
As the trams were so efficient, we took a tram back to the Down Town Cafe - well eventually after catching a tram going the wrong way and having to go back again. Shhh -don't tell anybody that bit. Back to the hotel for more clothes as it was getting cold. Mum followed a drunk Scotsman out of the lift - for some reason, she kept turning left out of the lift so kept following strange men when we were supposed to be going right and up the stairs. 'He's alone and she's alone' became the catchphrase of the holiday - poor mum. We did tease her rather a lot but we had lots of giggles about everything so it was lots of fun and as it was the first time in 13 years we'd actually spent anytime alone without the children or husbands so we had a lot of catching up to do!!!
We then did a boat trip which gave us the opportunity for a sit down and a drink and to see the views. As it was getting dark, it was not the best made plan but never mind.
More shopping and eating and drinking of course!!
Sunday morning breakfast we ate in the 'english part' which was quieter and cooler. We then had about 2 hours before the taxi driver came to take us to the airport. We took the furnicular railway up to the Petrin Observation Tower. First stop the loo, we had to pay the princely sum of 50p to use the facilities and this entitled us to 'listen to music as we sprinkled' as it said on the postcard on the loo door. There was also plastic flowers!!!
Mum went to buy the tickets to go up the Tower and the sellers had a quick conflab and kept looking at her and then charged her the senior citizen cheap price and hustled us into a lift. You all know I am not keen onlifts at the best of times and this was a very novel and scary experience. The lift space was supposed to take 6 people but we were squashed with 4 of us and the other 3 are much smaller than me. 2 metal doors then closed on the outside and 2 metal shutters then slid up from the floor enclosing us in. It was very scary. The lift operator pointed out that the lift was built in 2000 and had never broken down - not a good thing to say!! She then took us all the way to the top which appeared to say 50m and then gave us a choice of 10 or 20 minutes before she came to collect us. It seemed it was only if you were elderly or disabled you could use the lift so thank goodness for mum as I'd have never made it and I don't appear ill. The view was fantastic and you could see all the bridges across the river and the castle. The view was especially good when it was pointed out ot us that the windows opened and that you didn't have to look through smeary windows!!! Don't think we'd pass any initiative test then.
The lift lady took us down to the next viewing platform where we nearly got blown away but you ccould walk outside and then it was a quick march back to the furnicular lift and hotel to collect our belongings to go home.
This time we had a non-speaking english taxi driver who kept himself to himself!!!
We had 3 very gay stewards on the plane home and decided after a spectacularly bumpy landing that we had a new pilot as well.
Bournemouth airport is obviously not designed for more than 1 plane at a time. It took us 40minutes to get through passport control. This was mainly due to the high number of non-EU passengers who took longer to be processed. One chinese guy must have given the wrong answer as he was led off for more questioning..
Hubby and Woody met us. Woody had won Best Cub at camp. I think mainly because he went to sleep at night!!!! The Beavers had settled well by 8.30 but the cubs didn't settle until 3.30am. The Beavers then woke up at 6.30am hence rather tired leaders!!!
All in all a very fun and packed holiday and I was pleased that I still could keep going and my hip held out. It was brilliant to go away with my mum and sister so we could all reel out all the old family jokes and teasing and for once be child free which was odd and nice at the same time.
posted by dippykate @ 12:10 PM
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