Prague...

Spending the weekend in Prague was really a lot of fun...once I got there!  

This was my not so auspicious start to the weekend...

I missed my plane in London after sitting in traffic for 3 hours - there was an accident on the M11 so nothing was moving.  There were no more flights to Berlin, Tegel is closed to arrivals after 11:00 PM, so I had to spend the night in Stansted - the middle of nowhere! how can they even call it London?! - and wait for the next flight in the morning, which was 7:55 AM and with the time change meant arriving in Berlin at 10:55 AM which meant that I would miss my train to Prague which left at 8:45 AM...the best laid plans!  

Arriving home, I unpacked and prepared for Prague and left for the 2:45 PM train...unfortunately what I could gather from the cab driver in my still quite broken German, is that the Doctors were demonstrating/striking (does that really happen?) and traffic was bad and I might not make my train due to "stau".  I began to think that maybe I really wasn't meant to see Prague.  I decided to call the train station to see when the next train would leave for Prague.  

Meanwhile, my friend Beth who left on the 8:45 AM train to Prague was already there, getting settled and scoping out what to do for the weekend.  I was hoping that someone at the train station would be able to speak English and was lucky after waiting a few minutes to get someone...I was informed that the next train was at 5:00 PM and I would arrive into Prague at 9:30 PM.  Not terrible news, at least there was a train!   The cab driver asked my options and I told him about the 5:00 train, he seemed relieved that I had another option.  He suggested that I sit in the station, relax and have a coffee.  I suggested that by the time I arrived at the station and had missed my train I might prefer wine.  He then said that after 2 hours of drinking I might be too drunk and miss my train again...of course, I didn't exactly understand what he was saying so he started acting out me being too drunk to walk...all this while driving! ; )

When I was on the phone with Die Bahn the gentleman had said that the train was leaving in 1 minute and that they left on time.  German transportation is notoriously timely so I didn't have high hopes that it would be late - but it was my lucky day! (okay, not really but at least this part was lucky!).  The train was still at the "gleis" and I was able to talk to the conductor who let me use my same ticket even though it was for 2 people and the ticket should not be split.  I settled into my First Class seat and began the 5 hour train journey.   

Arriving into Prague h.l.n. was like another world, it was dark, parts were under construction and it wasn't exactly clear where to get a taxi.  I finally spotted a sign and head in that direction, as I approached the exit a light was shining in the distance through a smokey alley where about 5 gruffy men were gathered in muted conversation smoking.  It was like a scene from a scary movie where you were willing the character not to go out the door because something bad was going to happen.  I really had not choice but to face the demons.  I exited to the smokey alley and found that it was a dead end under scaffolding with more men huddled around a fire in a garbage can.  I saw one car with a yellow taxi sign on the roof facing the exit somehow validating that I was in the right place.  I still wasn't sure but after asking was assured that this was the official taxi stand...welcome to Prague!

The taxi headed to Hotel Clarion one block from the river and on the edge of the old city.  The cab driver spoke only Czech so that limited me to taking in the sites as we drove to the hotel...ten minutes and 30 Euros later, I had arrived.  Beth had gotten us a great rate 115 Euros and a room with a view of the castle!  I was starting to relax and get in the spirit of a weekend away!

We dined at Nostress, and the restaurant was a psychological portal for me to actually have "no stress" at dinner I began to unwind and appreciate my surroundings.  The message in the name of the restaurant was not lost on me, nor was the humor or the irony.  Nostress was French Asian fusion, not exactly local but the fish was delicious and the wine was great.

Saturday morning we awoke to the amazing view and began our 'walkabout' journey...[more to come...pictures too! ; ) ]