Train from Prague to Budapest

We were keen to get to the train station nice and early for our 9.35 am departure from Prague. Having been told not to pay more than 200 CZ and to hop from one taxi to another (they're reputedly not the most honest), we were quoted from 250 to 350. A couple of homeless men were very happy to receive our left-over supplies and chowed down immediately on the ham and cheese and sweet things that Sabina had purchased for us in an attempt to apologise for Tomas' initial email.  (Tomas is certainly punching above his weight.)

The train trip was delightful, around an eight hour journey in all.  We met a couple on the platform, Janet and Dennis, from Canada, who were looking a little anxious. We were fortunate a bloke offered us assistance; we assumed he worked for the company, he had an official looking lanyard hanging around his neck with the word "porter" on it, however, no ... he works for himself! We were keen to rid ourselves of some Czech money so he benefited nicely.  He helped us put our luggage up (actually he did it all himself!) onto the luggage racks above someone else's head (John's is too big and heavy to have it sitting above ours) and we were off.  Another couple, Helen and Ken, joined in and it turns out they're from Surrey Hills back home ... and they're on our cruise. 

At around 2 pm we found signs indicating we were going through Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The scenery was gorgeous, very lush green vegetation but the buildings, like many areas around train lines were very run down and dilapidated and had the ever present scourge of graffiti and tagging.

It seemed each couple had similar ideas regarding lunch - although there is a "dining car" attached to the train, we had each bought rolls with some sort of filling in them, however, Dennis had also brought along a lovely bottle of Australian red.  After filtering some plastic cups from the dining car he poured each of us a small glass to enjoy with our paninis (yes, they use the same term for rolls as the Italians).

The money: $64 AUD = 1,000 Czech = 9,150 huf (what the Hungarians call their forint). It's all a bit confusing really, thankfully John is keeping on top of it.  (It goes along the lines of drop off the last two digits then divide the reminder by two, and that basically give the AUD equivalent.)

The train station is very old and grubby but the windows are quite gorgeous.

Janet and Dennis were keen to catch up for dinner last night (and as John had lent them 5,000 forint he was keen to catch up with them too.  We found a pub and had some good Hungarian food - again they love comfort food like the Czechs - heavy and rich but I'm sure it's all recommended by their National Heart Foundation.

After blogging last night I got to bed around midnight - John went for a late night walk and got home around the bewitching hour.  A great night's sleep between beautiful crisp white sheets saw us wake at 9 am!  So a quick brekky and we're off to explore and maybe find those famous baths.

Buda and Pest

We've walked and walked and walked today ... my legs are aching and my feet are sore. We've certainly got our money's worth from our metro ticket today - I'm not sure how many wrong trains and trams we got on but it was all good - we saw places we didn't expect or intend to see!

We took off on a tram this morning across the Danube to the other side.  We decided to just head out into the suburbs to explore and it's basically the same as home, blocks of housing commission flats multiplied in the dozens.  Graffiti adorns most of the buildings and subways; there's very little grass, mainly just brown flattened dirt; lots of dogs and evidence of them on pathways; cigarette butts abound - the "Keep Australia Beautiful" people ought to come here to beautify the streets of Budapest (and Prague) cigarette butts and rubbish just thrown into the streets.  There would be a world of work for the "Quit" people too.  The young things here are quite gorgeous and the current fashion seems to be very stylish sheer tops with tight jeans and high, high heels.

We walked alongside the river past Parliament House, a magnificent building.  Some very old and grubby cruise ships were anchored in front (Emeline - thankfully not the APT line!) and there was oodles of debris floating in the Danube.  Have they had floods here recently too?  The modern architects have been at it here - there's a space-age looking building squeezed in between two beautiful (baroque?) buildings - it reminds me of the plans they've got for Flinders Street Station.

We grabbed a pilsner at a small box-like "café" sitting all by itself in the middle of nowhere - the temperature was very warm today 27C and we were still lugging our coats around with us - we've had cool and at times damp weather since we arrived in Europe so we've not thought to head out without our jackets. 

We jumped back on a #41 tram heading back towards the city.  The tram stops here are few and far between - we'd have probably 2-3 stops for their one.  So once again, we ended up going one stop too many and had to take another tram back one stop.  Part of the problem, I thought that "Nemeti Dohanybolt" was the name of the met/tram stop - turns out it's a sign for a beer!

We climbed up the (I lost count at 700) steps to Gellert Gyogyfurdo to the huge cross half-way up the mountain - it reminds me of the Christ in Rio statue that overlooks that city.  We continued the, "get out the defibrillator", steep climb to the top where we found other people in similar states of "totally stuffed" lolling around.  It was a great comfort to also see an ambulance in its own parking spot. The ice-cream vendor was doing a roaring trade, and we obliged.  We could have tried our hand at archery, or purchased one of the many hand made embroidered dresses, table cloths, or hats for sale.  We chose to start the trek back down the mountain.

After a couple of wrong trams, either wrong line or wrong way, and ditto for the trains, we eventually made our way to the Palace of Art but it was late - we'll do that tomorrow.  We walked through the park that houses Vajdahunyad Castle.  It has been built in various architectural styles - baroque, Gothic, Tudor and Romanesque - it was a real mish mash.  I swear Connor that I could see a dragon at the top of this castle ...

We continued our walk and found the Szechenyi Baths. It's a huge neo-classical place that has a dozen thermal baths and five swimming pools.  You can choose between thermal mineral pools at different temperatures.  We thought we'd head there tomorrow for some 'healing waters' but I saw the scrolling visual signage above where the tickets are sold: "The drinking water is good for gastro enteritis". I'm  not sure if it's simply a language barrier that has made this information sound like a warning, but I've decided I don't want to be on board a boat for the next two weeks with 'gastro enteritis' so I'm giving this part of the experience a wide berth.

Last Day in Prague

We caught the #22 train to the "Perin Lookout Tower" and after walking through the gardens we took the funicular to the top.  The tower is 130 m high and we walked the 299 steps to the top of the tower.  It is an Eiffel Tower lookalike and we felt well and truly chuffed to have made the climb up and back down again with just a little bit of huffy puffy!

Half-way up the Tower

On the drive back down, the funicular driver slumped over with his head on the desktop. Panicked, I knocked on the window and he eventually looked around and smiled and gave us the ‘thumbs up’ - he was texting! 
 

Fabulous view over Prague from half-way up the Tower.

We caught another tram and met up with Alice and Greg for lunch at “The White Lion”, on Route # 22, Stop BŘEVNOV, past Prague Castle, three stops past the pyramid building and it’s on the left hand side. (Lots of details in case you're ever here - a terrific joint to have a cheap traditional Czech meal). We enjoyed our meals of pork with warm potato salad - ~ ¼ the cost of the food in the city.

We hopped back onto the #22 line tram and headed further up the mountain to the six-star shaped building in the forest built in the 16 Century by Ferdinand of Tyrol. It is the Museum of Czech Literature, (The Hvezda Summer Pavilion, National Cultural Monument) and was designed primarily as a place of relaxation and recreation after hunting. A 'galaria' completed in 1558 is one of the oldest ball game halls in Bohemia.

The current exhibition is Zdemek Dvorak a 1930's abstractionism artist.  He was a member of the anti-Nazi Resistance movement who paid with their lives for their civil attitude.  He joined in early 1942 when the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia.  He joined as a member of the underground "National Revolutionary Committee of Intellectuals".  He was kept in Pankrac Prison, Prague to be deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in Poland and like to many others, finally executed.  His works are quite beautiful and it was great to walk through the huge forest and walk on the grass to see the building and the exhibition - it was so good for the soul.  It's amazing the simple things you miss but often don't realise it.

Back on board the #22 tram to the bottom of the mountain saw us eagerly searching for a pilsner – we stopped for a ½ lt at a pub  just to keep us going (the cheapest we’ve found yet at just $2.25 AUD).

We then walked alongside the Charles Bridge, but this time under the bridge and we enjoyed looking at some home-made pieces of Czech linen with hand embroidery.  We’re sure that Floss will enjoy the piece we bought for her.  Further along we watched a woman hand painting some Christmas and religious ornaments and they were quite exquisite. We spent some time in her shop organising for some tiny rocking horses to be hand painted by her with the names of our Grandies written on them. Mary was an absolute delight and gave us the ornament she had been painstakingly working on! I burst into tears, the stress is obviously still quite near the surface.  Next time we’re in Prague, she said we must let her know and we’re to rent a newly renovated apartment her friend owns, just alongside her shop. “It’s so much better over on this side of Prague” she told us; “the shopping is much better, living here is better, we are a wonderful community over here”.  Mary lives above her shop.

We walked alongside the river and read panels detailing floods in Prague in June 2013. There were dreadful scenes depicted on the banners.  We walked past the "Barcode Baby" sculptures, and John joined the throng of others who climbed onto their backs.

We walked across “Most Leglii Bridge” to see the National Theatre but as a performance was in progress we could not enter to look at the building. We had dinner on the opposite corner at the “Restaurant Slavia”.  We had the Czech staple of beef goulash with dumplings.  I had a dry martini, John a pilsner and we farewelled Prague.

We then left to head to the apartment to pack and get ready for an early departure in the morning.

 

 

Sandeman Walking Tours ... and a Spot of Ballet

We had a very ordinary night's sleep - no sheets on the bed! "That's what we do here" said Tomas.  We may be able to get you some sheets tomorrow (for our last night in this "Luxury Apartment"). So another night's sleep on what appears to be a terry towelling mattress protector. An interesting review will follow on Trip Advisor I'm sure.

After doing some domestics this morning, we took off on an early morning Sandeman Walking Tour which went for about three hours and was fantastic.  They're free tours, and they just operate on tips.  Fine I'm sure if you've got a large group but not so good with just a small group.  We had an interesting bunch of walkers: three just-graduated lawyers from the States; a couple from Canberra; a delightful couple who were our "buddies" in the buddy system, Nancy who is a Chinese born, Peru raised, educated in the US, married a Frenchman and moved to France, now living in Canada with her husband, Carlos, who was born in Argentina, educated in the US, worked as an educator in France, married Nancy after his divorce, and is now a retired lecturer who consults to a Spanish education firm.  It was a fairly large walking group and we didn't get to chat in depth with everyone obviously.

We walked around the Old Town Square and got a good 7 1/2 minutes crammed with Czech history. Off to see the Astronomical Clock (which has huge crowds gathering in front of it on the hour, every hour), where a skeleton rings a bell ... ... and eventually a rooster crows - or is meant to.  It stopped crowing and people wrote on Facebook etc what a disappointment the Astronomical Clock was.  So the government now employs a person to play a bugle or similar instrument to ensure everyone feels like they've witnessed something amazing.  Strange really.

Wenceslas Square was next on our trip followed by the Republik Square and the Jewish Quarter.  It was in the first half of the 10th Century that the Jews came to this section of Prague, named the Jewish Quarter.  There were 80,000 living here by the mid 18th Century and by the end of the 19th Century it was destroyed due to it having become a ghetto plagued with over population and many diseases.  It was rebuilt at the beginning of last Century.  The bloke who made this clock knew that Hebrew is written and read from right to left, and apparently the numbers on this clock are written that way.  (I've tried for the past hour to get the pic of the clock loaded without success so you'll have to take my word for it or Google it!)

We learnt so much about Prague's fascinating history with Kate an ex-Aussie, married to a Czech, a mum of three, studying to be a primary school teacher via long distance education from Armadale and with a love of Jewish history, she is writing a book.  We enjoyed the tour so much, we signed up to do the Prague Castle this afternoon.

Apparently 75% of Czechs are atheist - so what to do with all of those beautiful Catholic churches? Turn them into hotels!

This was once a Catholic Church, today it's a pub!

(Gremlins still in the system - uploaded but sideways.)

And ditto re the above pic - there must be some sort of censor in the works -

I can't upload a Jewish pic of a clock or a Catholic pic of a church/hotel!")

There were many stories - many I cannot remember - the same applies to this particular pic!

 

 

Note that the bloody gremlin doesn't stop this pic uploading!

After 8 1/2 hours of walking, our legs were absolutely aching and in need of a Thai masseur.  A quick shower and change and off to the Kaderna Restaurant for a schnitzel dinner with sides of potato and gherkin all mixed together (somewhat like a potato salad) together with slices of lovely red tomatoes (unlike the white-ish green ones we've not enjoyed lately).

The restaurant is opposite the Hibernian Theatre where we were to see a production of "Swan Lake".  It was very eagerly anticipated by me - not so much by John of course.  He snored his way through part of Act 1.  I must admit, the dancing left a lot to be desired; the title, "Hippo Hop" would have been more appropriate - and so many people were taking videos with their i-phones and chatting during the performance we left at interval.  We found a much better way to end the night - a mojito in the undercroft of the Kaderna Restaurant. An exquisite setting: leather booths, vaulted ceiling, bevelled cut glass mirrors all around the space in arched window shapes.  There was lots of gold everywhere and chandeliers sparkled in front of and behind glass shelves holding bottles of spirits of all kinds of colours and shapes.

Back to the Luxury Apartment to blog while listening to the rain falling steadily - this is summer in Prague.  Apparently the last few weeks they've enjoyed weather here around 25-35 C.  Since we arrived, we've had Melbourne weather, cool and wet.  Still, it's Prague and we're having an absolute ball!

 

First Full Day in Prague

We slept well and woke refreshed at 8 am. We showered, no stretch or yoga (note R&P!) and headed off to a fabulous brekky.  We headed out early to take the trains to the central station and apart from one wrong train and only one station visited unnecessarily, we made it to our designated station and bought tickets for our trip to Budapest on Thursday.

We got a nasty email from Tomas, our host at the "Old Town Square Luxury Apartment" who was furious that we got the receptionist at our hotel to ring him to get directions to said luxury apartment.  Turns out there's strong competition between hotels and they do not like private apartments in the mix.  If only he'd replied to our emails  requesting an address and directions. His wife met us at 1 pm to take us to the apartment with huge apologies, and a bag of groceries for us. Tom has apparently been under a lot of stress at work!  A follow up email from Tom carried his apologies.

John pointing to our "luxury apartment", second floor on the corner.


On our way back to Old Town Square, we passed a bloke who was talking footy ... I caught the words, "Essendon", and "goals kicked" and listened in to his conversation.  We had a long chat with Greg and his wife Alice from Burwood, Victoria and met them for dinner at a local pub.

The afternoon saw us train it to somewhere near Prague Castle - a place where four European dynasties governed Bohemia (you might recognise this term from Bohemia Crystal). It's like a fairy tale castle reflecting the city's Bohemian Baroque architecture.  It's been the seat of Czech rulers for over a thousand years.  Today it houses the office of the president.  Contained within the castle walls are three courtyards, shops, restaurants and St Vitus Cathedral, a gothic landmark of the city which was started in 926, and it's always been the centre of Prague's religious and political life and it's the home of the Czech crown jewels.

We walked back to the Old Town via a very, very steep set of stairs and paved road, and across the Charles Bridge.

A relatively early night after blogging and checking emails for an early start tomorrow.

Bound for Prague!

After the obligatory bubbles and beer at the international lounge, we truly realised we were on our way.  What a month it’s been ... in fact, what a year it’s been.

Safely ensconced in our seats; me in “A” a window seat and John in “C” an aisle seat - our strategy worked – a spare “B” seat so three seats to ourselves for the Melbourne to Singapore leg, an eight hour flight.  At 5.15 pm our first meal arrived ... a fruit platter for me.  At 9.30 pm our second meal arrived and for me ... a fruit platter!  I don’t know why airlines have such difficulty dealing with a mushroom allergy even after being advised umpteen times.  So after discussing with them their vast meal options for: Babies, Post-Weaning, Child Meal for Infant, Child Meal, Kosher, Kosher Vegetarian,  Muslim, Raw Vegetarian, Vegetarian Indian, Vegetarian Jain, Vegetarian Oriental, Vegetarian Vegan, Vegetarian Lacto-Ovo, Bland, Diabetic, Fat Free, Gluten Intolerant, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Fibre Residue, Low Lactose, Low salt, Non-Carbohydrate, Non-Strict Nut free, Ulcer Diet, Semi-Fluid, Soft Fluid ... truly, check out their website ... and I’m only asking for a meal without mushrooms!  I happily received a business class meal of fillet of beef, mashed pumpkin and asparagus – with not a mushie in sight!

It was a l-o-n-g flight – 30 hours door-to-door but thankfully we got a little sleep on the flights over.  There were three in all, an 8-hour from Melbourne to Singapore, a 12 ½ hour from Singapore to Frankfurt, then an hour’s flight to Prague.

We arrived in Prague and grabbed a taxi to our hotel. We checked into our hotel then walked with the throngs of tourists around the Square ... we tried to resist the slabs of pork, sausages, pancakes, pretzels, and donuts all on offer from tiny stalls with plastic yellow roofs adorned with bunting of the same material.  The donuts were made in a long thin strip, wound around a pole and cooked over an open flame, then rolled in sugar and cinnamon and served in a ‘tower’ structure.  I watched with great interest as a little boy, who had obviously had sufficient, decided to put it on the seat of his trike then tentatively try to sit on it without squashing it.  His mother saw my amusement and stopped him just in time before it became a donut pancake.

We walked the Old Town Square unsuccessfully looking to find our apartment for tomorrow.  More about that later!  We wandered along the side streets looking at the wares on offer – one artist told me she had sold out of "her" work and was selling some friends’ work only to see shortly afterwards many more of those same works of art - ie mass produced crap.  We looked at some crochet work for Miffy – we were told it was ‘home made’ but I was very dubious.  With tummies rumbling, a piece of baked cheese on a slice of rye bread was lunch; a bratwurst in a baguette was enjoyed by both John and myself - amazingly it was quite delicious. 

There are so many homeless people here, mainly men who dive through rubbish bins looking for off-casts of people’s lunches, it is excrutiatingly sad to see.  We bought another bratwurst baguette and gave it to one fellow.  I offered him my half-drunk pilsner, and John reckons he was reaching for it well before it was offered.  We heard tonight that the pension is the equivalent of $13,000 dollars per year and $11,000 of it goes in rent.

We went to Vodaphone to organise sim cards – and found out that Europe isn’t all of Europe when it comes to telephone corporations – there’s EU (Euro Unified) that includes Germany and France for example, and then there’s Hungary and Chechoslovakia ... where different rules apply. Anyway, we bought sim cards to ensure we have backup if we get lost or separated from each other (I’m sure John feels much better knowing that!)

We struggled with tiredness and decided to head for a pub for a beer/wine trying to stretch out our dinner and bedtime.  We managed to get to a restaurant for a bowl of broth, some (very few) julienne carrot strips and (very few again) noodles, and flopped into bed at 7 pm.

Day one in Prague came to an early end.

Should We Stay or Should We Go?

Should we stay or should we go?  Are we getting omen after omen telling us not to go on this trip of a lifetime?  What more could we cop?  A fire ... stuck in a two-bedroom dog box in St Kilda ... a hernia ... all accommodation options are going .... going ... gorne!!!!  And do we leave Melanie with the burden of finding accommodation and overseeing furniture removalists ... on it goes.

Stay tuned ... where to from here?  Will we be in Prague this time next week?  Please AAMI get your bums into gear.