Jumping ahead to Prague now
Pictire: A New Orleans style jazz band entertains the throngs on Karlov Most
Click here to see my Ofoto album from Prague
Hi from Prague. I feel like a real backpacker again. I bought a train ticket for Prague at Frankfurt Airport but the train left at midnight so I had five hours to kill in Frankfurt. I started with the red light district which lies by default outside the train station but eventually broached that and made it to the old rejuvinated part of town, found a footbridge across the river, and had a meal on a boat with hefe-dunkel beer washing down some kind of pork roast with kartofflen and saur kraut. Pretty good food, substantial and cheap, swans and ducks on the river at dusk, rowers out, and the occasional heavy duty transport rolling by, rocking the boat we were on, causing knocking noises to reverberate for a while till the river became calm again.
My second class compartment to Prague was mine most of the night so I actually got a few hours sleep stretched out on 3 seats but at 8:30 a.m. I had to find an accommodations office in Prague and face the reality that it's not easy to walk on in Prague and get accommodation just like that. But the office stuck with me and found me a hostel on the outskirts of town. Good news is it was a metro trip of only ten minutes. Also, turned out to be a nice hostel, friendly, and I got my own room, only $20 a night, near shopping (fruit) coffee, and beer served where you get coffee, good Urquell pilsner. Well in prague you're never far from beer, and it costs about a dollar or two sometimes for a half liter.
Anyway, I showered and left the hostel at around one p.m., and I walked and walked some more, stopping only occasionally for beer. Actually, it is almost nine now, so I guess I've walked for about 7 hours. That included a climb up a hill and then a climb up a mini Eiffel tower. I've taken lots of pics.
Prague is one surprise after another around every street corner. It's full of interesting buildings being gawked at by tourists. I don't remember the Charles bridge being so packed, but 30 years ago I was there in winter. Also, the Russians didn't let just anyone in across the border. The visa system was much more cumbersome then. Now stumbling across groups of tourists following guides holding aloft flags and umbrellas, do I miss those days??
anyway, still a nice place. More later.
Click here to see my Ofoto album from Prague
Hi from Prague. I feel like a real backpacker again. I bought a train ticket for Prague at Frankfurt Airport but the train left at midnight so I had five hours to kill in Frankfurt. I started with the red light district which lies by default outside the train station but eventually broached that and made it to the old rejuvinated part of town, found a footbridge across the river, and had a meal on a boat with hefe-dunkel beer washing down some kind of pork roast with kartofflen and saur kraut. Pretty good food, substantial and cheap, swans and ducks on the river at dusk, rowers out, and the occasional heavy duty transport rolling by, rocking the boat we were on, causing knocking noises to reverberate for a while till the river became calm again.
My second class compartment to Prague was mine most of the night so I actually got a few hours sleep stretched out on 3 seats but at 8:30 a.m. I had to find an accommodations office in Prague and face the reality that it's not easy to walk on in Prague and get accommodation just like that. But the office stuck with me and found me a hostel on the outskirts of town. Good news is it was a metro trip of only ten minutes. Also, turned out to be a nice hostel, friendly, and I got my own room, only $20 a night, near shopping (fruit) coffee, and beer served where you get coffee, good Urquell pilsner. Well in prague you're never far from beer, and it costs about a dollar or two sometimes for a half liter.
Anyway, I showered and left the hostel at around one p.m., and I walked and walked some more, stopping only occasionally for beer. Actually, it is almost nine now, so I guess I've walked for about 7 hours. That included a climb up a hill and then a climb up a mini Eiffel tower. I've taken lots of pics.
Prague is one surprise after another around every street corner. It's full of interesting buildings being gawked at by tourists. I don't remember the Charles bridge being so packed, but 30 years ago I was there in winter. Also, the Russians didn't let just anyone in across the border. The visa system was much more cumbersome then. Now stumbling across groups of tourists following guides holding aloft flags and umbrellas, do I miss those days??
anyway, still a nice place. More later.
It was no nice to have you join the conference tonight helping to show how real Webheads get together and share their ideas. I hope you will enjoy the last hours abroad before having to leave for home and work .
yours, Sus