July 21-28

I am in Prague, the Czech republic and will have a couple days rest so am going to get my blog done up...am going to include some pictures

July 21, 2009

Today is going to be a recovery day or a t least not so much do day….but Milan is not a big tourist place anyway….
Breakfast consisted of a cup of Cappucino and a Croissant….but at least it got you off with a buzz…
Tried to get on the internet….no such luck…..I had been on theirs for about an hour last night trying to get some things done…so today, I got on again and what do you know

JENNIFER HAD HER BABY ABOUT A MONTH EARLY….MARINA WAS ON SOME SORT OF YAHOO MESSENGER AND I JUST TRIED IT…..so the wait is over….I bet she is relieved and happy…will get on Facebook and have a look at the tyke
So today I went over to the local laundromat and washed some clothes….there was an attendant there so he did it all…all I had to do was come back in about an hour……one down….
Found an internet place where I could hook in my computer and get the stuff that I wanted done….all the letters on this computer and all my blogs for the last 10 or so days…took about an hour……went back and picked up my clothes….folded and all for 10 Euros…ok as my clothes were ready to walk by themselves…..
Back to the hostel….not open and no one at the front desk….had to wait 15 minutes outside and finally someone came out so that I could get in….so in I go and put my stuff in the suitcase and then off to the InterMilan football stadium…about 15 minute walk from here……took some good photos but did not bother to go on the tour…noticed that their turf was being replaced….so maybe summer is the turf time for all the fields…..saw two young English lads…asked them about Wembley and Old Trafford….Wembley in London and Old Trafford in Manchester……may make a trip up to Manchester after the wedding on the 15th to see that one …..aw well as spend a day in Liverpool…home of you know who…..then take a night train back to London and will be ready to depart for home….

Got back put the camera away and the manager was here…..got him to log in for me….finally…..did a few minor things and then Vivian called me……she was a little emotional and we talked for about an hour and a half……she wondered how I could leave someone that I love and go on a tour by myself…..hard to explain that but there were mitigating circumstances….. anyway, I think we have accepted this and will deal with it when I get back…I think I will pay for it …one way or another
Then went out for some supper…..except I stopped at a cocktail bar and had a Bailey’s … went to a place for some spaghetti… Italy=spaghetti …right…..was ok…bought a few munchies and came back…
Tried to get back on the internet and couldn’t …really spotty service here….am typing this so that I can put it on my blog…
Talked to the manager and he is getting me another bed near the railway station for tomorrow as he is full up here…..so I will be moving…and I will be checking out the trip to Zurich and getting some more information on the marathon….think I might only do the ½ as I haven’t been able to do much training…only walking all over hell’s half acre….
Signing out for now….whew

July 22, 2009

After the regular breakfast of a croissant ( which I supplemented with a pear) , at the bar below that is associated with the hostel, I went down to check out and was able to get the directions to the other hostel. I had 3 magnum bars left from last night so I shared them…. one with the night staff and the other with another hosteler who was going over to the same place. Rachid ( 30 years old)and I became friends for a day…well a little more than a day…but we hung out together.

He is 30 years old and has a business or two and has been traveling for some fun and adventure…..he is from Atlanta, Georgia.

We easily found our way over to Hotel Beem, but had to wait for the sister to get there to open up. The place is better than the other…brighter, cleaner, newer and in a much better location. We could only put our bags in at the time and so we left them there and said we would come back at about 1400 to put them away.
Rachid and I headed off to take pictures of a cathedral and were also going to try to find a castle…we got there easily…he knows his way around quite well and doesn’t mind heading off in wrong directions….we did some tourist shots and then headed for the plaza…there were some real Louis Vitton and Prada shops there so we both went in to see….no prices on them but at the counter one lady was bringing out about 200 Euros for a purse…we weren’t buying, that was for sure…..and really, the ones that I send back are damn good copies….right beside…a MacDonald’s restaurant….tastefully done!!!!!
We decided to have something to eat and couldn’t find anything under 10 Euros so we headed back to our old hostel area where we had a kebab sandwich for 650 including drinks …a good meal to get us by as , later we will be going to a bar that gives free eats if you buy the cocktails or beer. Tried to find the castle and got lost on bus number 54.

It was now around 1700 so we thought it might be a good idea to go back and check our luggage in…..I had left a small bottle of milk in the luggage and thought it might have spoiled by then…. I was also able to talk with Vivian again as we did have skype connection……the best reception I found was in the bathroom….so we chatted for about 30 minutes…she insisted I talk to Jennifer and then we would talk again so I did…..in the mean time she got tired and went to bed….
In talking to Jennifer, I found out that all was well with the family except that JJ would not drink…so they were off today to get a breast pump and also some clothes and diapers that would fit him as he was a little smaller than what they had anticipated. So except for the early date all seems to be going well.

Showers done, we found another guy from the bottom floors, we were on the first, and headed to the bars for happy hours as they called it…I bought a Sex on the Beach and the others had equally good ones…and Richad filled up like he was starving ..the fellow from Japan was average and I for some reason could not eat a lot….too damn hot maybe…

Finished there after about an hour and decide to try to find the castle again….well we took bus 54 and got lost again….it now became a standing joke….we tried a couple of subway trips and all this without a pass for Richad as he had left it at the hostel….
Finally at about 2100 we found the castle…it closed at 1800 …looks like a well kept and/or restored castle…..we took a couple of photos and then headed home…took a couple pictures of a bus 54.
Downloaded all the pictures as Richad wanted some of the ones that my camera had taken of him….he took a lot of photo-op pictures that he wanted for posterity….did some emailing and checking out hostels…..can’t get one in Switzerland so I decided to head to Munich in Germany since Milan was only supposed to be a bridge to the Swiss marathon….don’t think I will get there…..too bad. Got one day booked at a hostel in Munich and will go from there…..one of my favourite secretaries has quit back at Beijing, heard from Mark Graham’s Australia/Canada vacation
Off to bed at about 130. Richad flies out at 630 so he will have to get up early….
Couple of Notes…..Richad flew with Ryan Air from Frankfurt Germany to Milan Italy for 5 Euros…..he bought a drink on the plane that cost 5.5 Euros….go figure
The coffee is very strong here…at least the ones I have had …need about 3 spoons of sugar so I can even drink it
Richad…even he didn’t like how American girls talk…..”oh, my god,”….’like, …like’’…like” he said, she said, he said,….,like,…” we laughed as we sat with a group of 4…it was hilarious
Man a lot of women smoke here……well I guess to be fair, a lot of people smoke here. I sure notice this at the bars….
Small coke in a glass bottle as they used to be in Canada…2.5 Euros
Got a couple of compliments about looking young again…… vanity thy name is Darryl.
Noticed a lot of corn growing and a lot of dairy farming….along with the grapes of course….


July 22, 2009

After the regular breakfast of a croissant ( which I supplemented with a pear) , at the bar below that is associated with the hostel, I went down to check out and was able to get the directions to the other hostel. I had 3 magnum bars left from last night so I shared them…. one with the night staff and the other with another hosteler who was going over to the same place. Rachid ( 30 years old)and I became friends for a day…well a little more than a day…but we hung out together.

He is 30 years old and has a business or two and has been traveling for some fun and adventure…..he is from Atlanta, Georgia.

We easily found our way over to Hotel Beem, but had to wait for the sister to get there to open up. The place is better than the other…brighter, cleaner, newer and in a much better location. We could only put our bags in at the time and so we left them there and said we would come back at about 1400 to put them away.
Rachid and I headed off to take pictures of a cathedral and were also going to try to find a castle…we got there easily…he knows his way around quite well and doesn’t mind heading off in wrong directions….we did some tourist shots and then headed for the plaza…there were some real Louis Vitton and Prada shops there so we both went in to see….no prices on them but at the counter one lady was bringing out about 200 Euros for a purse…we weren’t buying, that was for sure…..and really, the ones that I send back are damn good copies….right beside…a MacDonald’s restaurant….tastefully done!!!!!
We decided to have something to eat and couldn’t find anything under 10 Euros so we headed back to our old hostel area where we had a kebab sandwich for 650 including drinks …a good meal to get us by as , later we will be going to a bar that gives free eats if you buy the cocktails or beer. Tried to find the castle and got lost on bus number 54.

It was now around 1700 so we thought it might be a good idea to go back and check our luggage in…..I had left a small bottle of milk in the luggage and thought it might have spoiled by then…. I was also able to talk with Vivian again as we did have skype connection……the best reception I found was in the bathroom….so we chatted for about 30 minutes…she insisted I talk to Jennifer and then we would talk again so I did…..in the mean time she got tired and went to bed….
In talking to Jennifer, I found out that all was well with the family except that JJ would not drink…so they were off today to get a breast pump and also some clothes and diapers that would fit him as he was a little smaller than what they had anticipated. So except for the early date all seems to be going well.

Showers done, we found another guy from the bottom floors, we were on the first, and headed to the bars for happy hours as they called it…I bought a Sex on the Beach and the others had equally good ones…and Richad filled up like he was starving ..the fellow from Japan was average and I for some reason could not eat a lot….too damn hot maybe…

Finished there after about an hour and decide to try to find the castle again….well we took bus 54 and got lost again….it now became a standing joke….we tried a couple of subway trips and all this without a pass for Richad as he had left it at the hostel….
Finally at about 2100 we found the castle…it closed at 1800 …looks like a well kept and/or restored castle…..we took a couple of photos and then headed home…took a couple pictures of a bus 54.
Downloaded all the pictures as Richad wanted some of the ones that my camera had taken of him….he took a lot of photo-op pictures that he wanted for posterity….did some emailing and checking out hostels…..can’t get one in Switzerland so I decided to head to Munich in Germany since Milan was only supposed to be a bridge to the Swiss marathon….don’t think I will get there…..too bad. Got one day booked at a hostel in Munich and will go from there…..one of my favourite secretaries has quit back at Beijing, heard from Mark Graham’s Australia/Canada vacation
Off to bed at about 130. Richad flies out at 630 so he will have to get up early….
Couple of Notes…..Richad flew with Ryan Air from Frankfurt Germany to Milan Italy for 5 Euros…..he bought a drink on the plane that cost 5.5 Euros….go figure
The coffee is very strong here…at least the ones I have had …need about 3 spoons of sugar so I can even drink it
Richad…even he didn’t like how American girls talk…..”oh, my god,”….’like, …like’’…like” he said, she said, he said,….,like,…” we laughed as we sat with a group of 4…it was hilarious
Man a lot of women smoke here……well I guess to be fair, a lot of people smoke here. I sure notice this at the bars….
Small coke in a glass bottle as they used to be in Canada…2.5 Euros
Got a couple of compliments about looking young again…… vanity thy name is Darryl.
Noticed a lot of corn growing and a lot of dairy farming….along with the grapes of course….

July24, 2009

Got up at 800 and went to the tourist info place to check on how to get to a few places….then went and tried to get my tickets to Vienna…well not so much…the fellow gave me some times and I tried to book it but he sloughed me off….and I thought I had something but no money changed hands nor did he look at my Eurail pass…..so I went back to the tourist guy who basically told me it was just your possible time…….

So I went back to the ticket lineup again and waited for another 30 minutes to get ticket to Vienna at night ….leave a 1230 and get there at about 730…..I had asked about tickets to Prague but the first guy told me I get them in Vienna….so I guess you can’t book too far ahead…
Had a fruit cocktail drink and a croissant with something like apples but only sour inside and a couple of fruits and I was off to the Glockenspiel….then to the Englishear Gardens….they are a huge park and I mean huge….I walked for a bout 1 and ½ hours and didn’t make it to the end….then I came back….even sat down for a few minutes and I think I fell asleep because the people opposite me left and I couldn’t see where they had gone too so I must have been sleeping for about 5 minutes….
Came back and went into a beer hall…the Oktoberfest kind….it was quite full…some costumed people and an Oompah band playing…..didn’t want to stay as it was smoky and humid…..went to another market garden type area…bought a sausage and potatoes combination and a beer…although I am not taking too kindly to the beer…I get a little headache from them I think…..took a few pictures during the day
Got my stuff from the luggage storage in the hotel and headed out to what I thought was a fairly close hostel…..not….about 6 blocks later and I was getting tired…made a left instead of right turn and had to double back and then finally got to the new place…a better place but a poorer location….
Internet access 1 Euro for 1 hour or 24 hours for 2 Euro…now that is a math problem
Talked with Vivian who was so excited about Jennifer and Doug’s pictures of JJ and Kenzie…that she almost didn’t need to speak to me…..she is funny about that….
Was able to get an extension for a couple of days on my ticket back to Beijing……I leave on the 22nd of August….. which basically gives me 2 full days in Saskatchewan….not much….don’t know the reason for the quick return……may have something to do with the swine flu…..

July 25, 2009
Got up at about 830 and made my own breakfast after getting a few groceries…..then put the extra in my backpack for another day….I checked out and left my luggage and headed for Salzburg.
It is a two hour trip…in a good train…..the landscape is really nice and it rained off and on….really green and surprisingly flat for what I thought….lots of dairy farming and haying…..
The typical little village was on the hillsides as we went by in the train……I took some pictures…it is a postcard kind of vie with green hillsides, villages, mountains in the background…..the last 10 minutes of the train ride, you are in Austria.
I took a few pictures of the castle and it was a long way up…thought I would climb to it but changed my mind…..then took some pictures of their church and it was impressive…a picture in front of a Mozart statue…..and a few more shots and I was on my way back to Munich……
For the second time I had someone tossed out of the first class train and sent to the second…..AND…two derelicts got on first class and made it to another stop before they were asked, in a very direct manner to get off the train at the next stop….
Munich again and I wanted a picture of the Olympic stadium…I headed there by the metro and it was quite busy….I got off the train and everyone was heading there….wondered why……the only day I am there, there is a concert that ends with a fireworks that night…..decided to go in anyway….got some good shots of the stadium and it was like an Exhibition Day in Regina except no rides…lots of beer and pretzels and eats….I even bought a bratwurst and beer and also had some of those little doughnuts…..stayed for a while but had to get back to the centre so that I could get my stuff out of storage and then walk back to the station……did so along with a nasty comment on the internet…they had asked for honest opinions….
Met two ladies in the station from Alberta who were going to Vienna tonight and would also be going to Prague in the next few days…..we had only a little time to talk….one was studying for an EMS and the other had been let go from a bakery that was closing down…..
Got onto the train at 2340 only to find that someone was sitting in my seat…..had to kick em out…….they didn’t have a ticket for the seat…thought they could just sit there until the conductor came …the ones left were good…..2 Mormons who were traveling after some college…talked a while with them and then tried to go to sleep….I had to get off the train by 545 …gnite

July 26, 2009
We got off at the right station according to our ticket but not according to getting another one to Prague….so the 3 of us waited for the next train to come and we caught it….used the Eurail pass….then I waited in the station until about 8 oclock and went to find the A and O Hostel….took the subways as they said and got out only to find I had no idea which direction….so I called the place and the lady on the end of the phone told me to go south….OK….well then told me to go back the direction I had been traveling on the subway….not necessarily an easy task…..only said 2 minutes….I walked right by it…..the sign was not too large…so I had to call again and be guided back…..once there well, it is easy to find…left my backpack there after waiting about ½ hour while others checked out…..room not available until about 3 or 4…so I gathered some stuff (camera, money and a map) and asked where the information booth was……way the heck in….I walked….to save money and to see some of Vienna……lots of museums…holy Toledo…..still no info booth….asked several people for directions….nope……not sure….see what I mean by planned ignorance…..eventually found it and asked to show me how to get to the Lippizanner stallions…showed me that and their football stadium location….will try to get to all of them….
Did the stallions…but the stallions are on holiday…..apparently they get 2 months off just to go romp around free and wild…even while on holidays, they are watched for their character….only 4 or so horses get selected each year and there are a total of 34 that are able to show…..takes about 12 years to make the show and they last until they are 25…quite a regimen of training or so it seems… even for the rider…over 100 applied last year to become a rider 4 were accepted….several points to become a rider….should not be that well educated as a rider as then it is harder to un-train you from different habits, size ( you actually need to be shorter with long legs)…
Found the subway and made it back to the g=hostel at 3 …no check in until 4 so I started this….got that done and then bought the internet package…1 Euro, 1 hour 1.5 Euro 2 hours…now that is more like a rate you would usually see but yesterday’s was unusual….
Had a chance to email some stuff and clean up some other emails…then had a chance to talk with Vivian…it was quite late there…got another hostel booked in Prague…Prague Plus…has a pool and a sauna but is not centrally located…no worries…I am a veteran of the subway systems!!!!!!!!!!!!!...
Decided to see and hear some music while here…Duh Vienna, Waltzes, operas, music…so took in on of the shows….about 12 people playing in a room that holds about 1000 people, it was packed…approximate cost was 40Euros….so each show they are making about 40 000 Euros…and they do it right....they play the popular stuff…music that people have heard and can associate with….the ones the Disneys and the cartoon guys made popular as well as just plain good listening……if the symphonies would play that stuff as will as their unknown works in Canada, I think more people would go to the classical music ….
Finished at about 2200 so took the subway back towards the hostel got off a couple of stops early but there were hardly any restaurants open….backup was a Burger King…
Got back at about 2300 and did some writing before the only girl that is staying in our room (from Ottawa) came back…..I was in bed quite quickly and fell asleep just as fast….the train ride last night didn’t let me catch much sleep…..tonight’s will be a little better…..


July 27, 2009
Had 4 people come in at about 300 in the morning…they had to be a bit noisy as they even woke me up…but after about 10 minutes I was back to sleep.

Productive day
Went to get some breakfast …bought some stuff at a grocery store…apple juice…I litre and some fruit…good stuff…was stopped by the Austrian police who asked for my id……guess I must have looked suspicious…then bought another day ticket and off I went….went to their football stadium first and the maintenance guy there let me I to take some pictures but not on the field or in the stands just below…but grass was in …he said it was the Austrian national team’s stadium…. Impressive......not sure how many seats…right beside it was 6 soccer fields and also an athletic/tennis field….
Walked back one subway stop…this looks like a sort of normal part of the city…..lots of trees…they had a shopping mall….newer part of town….
Back to tourist center and I took lots of pictures of cathedral and parks and opera houses and then found this really tall cathedral/church with 343 steps to the top…cost 7 Euros to go…so I did….and you get a fabulous view of the city from there…..took several photos as well as one down to show how high we were…..67 metres apparently….doesn’t sound high but it is…..also took tram number one and it looped around all the major attractions so I was able to see what and where they were so that I could take some photos….went to their high class shop area again…just for a laugh…took a picture of a Ferragamo outfit for a man…..consisted of a jacket, shirt , shoes, pants and maybe the vest …total cost 6,200 Euros or about 10 000 dollars….just to look good…mmmmmmm….I also saw some prices of purses…..1 200 Euros…….Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana, etc….and I can get some similar ones in China for $10 -$16….unbelievable…..hmmmm
Saw their parliament building and city hall…they do have one thing on us….history….I don’t think these buildings could ever be built like this again….too much time to do it and too expensive…..but they are impressive…..
Headed back to my hostel to pick up my luggage…got onto the internet for 1 hour to check the email and to find out how to get to my next hostel…..that would be important wouldn’t it….was able to do it and also check out the news from Sask….sent a let to Vivian and Janet….
Went to the train station early and was able to rest a little…. met an Australian mother and daughter who also are going to Prague….they hadn’t booked a bed and were wondering….we laughed a little about the trains in Europe and the Eurail pass….I got on first and had my room …..asked if I wanted an upgrade to 1st class ..said no…only difference was a bathroom in your room …..found out there are 4 people on the train…..the two Aussies and the roommate from Korea…..the rest of the train was empty…..the conductor wouldn’t move us as he said we had paid only for a 3 bed compartment so we were not able to have our own…..sounds like good bureaucracy to me….no others and yet you have to sleep with another person in the room……are all the others first class…no…..but then you would be getting more than you paid for….except if I was the only one and not the Korean, I would almost have had first class….the bathroom was at the end of the train….and only two of us used it…..it had a shower……and was well kept…..so I showered and brushed the teeth and now am on the bottom bunk…..going to go to bed so that I can be woken up at 6:45…in the Czech Republic…where everything has to be paid in Kronins?????


July 28, 2009
Got in 3 hours late……I guess I shouldn’t be surprised….but had a decent sleep…had about ½ km to walk from the train to the station….and what I thought were the best directions yet…..weren’t…yep you guessed it lost in Prague….about 10 minutes in , I realized something was up so I stopped at a tourist information place and she directed me to the metro and then to the stations and then I got to the stop and had to ask about 3 more times before I made it here…….not much of a orienteering guy I guess and I thought I wasn’t too bad…Plus Prague Hostel and it is very clean very spacious and very affordable with lots of extras……even the spa and swimming pool….which I may get to yet…..it is 2300 and I have just returned from night out…I didn’t get here until about noon and then had along shower and shave and then free internet in the lobby so that helps…Vivian phoned as soon as I latched on to the skype…she is getting lonely and would really like to be here…she said there isn’t much to do….she is learning to play the piano better with Kuan Kuan her teacher…but the days are going slowly for her.
What turned out to be a almost do nothing day became ok as I ventured out after supper { Lasagna for 170 crons ($10)} on my own looking for their football stadium….seemed to be a few people going my way….found out it was game night…Sparta versus Cosmos….both Prague teams I think…at least that what the fellow next to me tried to tell me….. the game ended in a 3-1 score for the home team Sparta …I can see why they make such a big deal about a goal…they are few an far between and there may be a lot of action but nothing seems to happen for long stretches at a time…..but they were loyal and loud enough….12 058 official attendance….in a stadium of about 20 000…
I had purchased a ticket for the to the stadium that a kind gentleman told me about…but I didn’t need it…as they had an express bus…got there about 45 minutes before game time to see the crowd and take a few pictures and watch warm up….not really much…they run ad stretch and then have a couple of drills…I am really not sure why these guys get the big dollars for soccer….more power to them…..oh the ticket cost 250 crons ($15)…or so I think…not Euros as Czech is not part of the EU…even my Eurail pass doesn’t work here….
Got back on the bus and got off at the original stop…now the test can I get back home the same way….nope…..but I did make it to within 2 blocks before I had to ask for directions……from another hotel…..oh well, it is an adventure some time…..back in my room now and no one else here….but a few have moved in…there are bus loads of them come in so I think that schools and universities and groups use this place a lot……I think I will take the free tour tomorrow at 1000 to see some of the main sites…..I also have to phone Beat Patliewicz….a teacher from our school who is in Poland now and had asked me to stop in if I was in the area….well I am so I will….
Need to make my train arrangements and hostel for the next couple of places….so it is good night from me today…I am usually the first in bed but also the first out in the morning….the young guys and dolls go till all hours of the night…