Thursday, August 25, 2005

Prague?...isn't that some form of small fluffy mammal?


As most of you will know I spent the last weekend in Prague with my wife and her sister and husband. I was really looking forward to the break as it happened to come at the end of a fairly stressful few months at work. I am not going to mention work as A I can’t and B I’m bored with it at present. Ok last day of work was Friday so we all got up at the usual time, 7am. I mention this because we had no sleep on Friday night. Came home from work and put the last touches to the new bathroom floor. I would not have done this out of choice but it was ripped up by me a few days before because the new central heating was being put in. And Annie and Martin were due to come around for supper before the trip and I do think it’s important to offer your guests a toilet.

After supper we all sat and watched a bit of telly. Then it was time to leave the house. Lock front door at 2.30am Saturday morning. Drive to Stanstead and park in the mid stay car park. All booked on line weeks before and very convenient. Except the machine that reads the credit card to confirm your booking would not do its job. After pressing the help button a little man comes over and says this often happens “it’s the strip on the back they get dirty”. He then proceeds to spit on the card wipe it on his shirt and insert it. Hey presto the card is read we are in and I now have a Visa card covered in flem and god knows what else. Never mind we are off on holiday so I refuse to get annoyed. Car all parked and on to the bendy bus to the terminal. I know it’s the middle of the summer holidays and the busy season but the place is heaving with people. Never mind there not queuing for our check in. It’ now 4am and the check in opens at 4.20am.

Annie is a girl after my own heart and likes to get there first so as to beat the rush that is flying with Easy cattle. Bags checked move through passport control where we all take part in the age old game of taking this piss out of your friend’s photos. Thank god mine is due for replacement in 2007 because I’m surprised they let me in anywhere. 5am is the time that all the shops open in the airport, and at this stage I really feel fine no sleep and breakfast baps followed by a very strong coffee heavy on the caffeine please meant I think that sleep is for wimps and how much more I could do if I never slept. 5.50am board great I have to say at this stage I love flying and I always get excited like a kid when I board a plane. 6.20am and we move across the tarmac and it’s up up and away thanks to Tselios and his Easy Prague machine. Ok the flight is one hour and twenty min’s plus putting the clock forward as well means we land at 8.40am. Work out baggage claim and try to work out where to go (its all in foreign you know) step out into the fresh sunny former iron curtain morning in the Czech Republic.

Smart men in suits are on hand to direct you into taxis which are state run to take you where ever you want. The cost is good as well 700kronner for a twenty minute drive. That’s about £12 to you and me. We pull up outside the hotel Axa and make our way in. We find we have been moved to another around the corner so with trolley bag in toe we walk the 300 metres to our new hotel. The Axa has a problem with no water on two floors. We have been put up in the Marriott part of a big American chain. Result this is a far better establishment than the Axa and our rooms are to say the least palatial. I have in my time been lucky enough to have stayed in some nice hotels and I am impressed with this one. If we had been paying the full rate and not got the Axa to pick up the bill it would have been £255 per night. Get into the room 10.15am drop bags shower etc and arrange to meet at 11am to start the adventure. Its time to walk around the city of 1000 spires. So until next time when the tour starts properly good bye.

4 comments:

piddy77 said...

oh we like the bit about the phlegm! lol

Anonymous said...

Bloody hell, I'm feeling shattered just reading this, but I'm left wishing there was more. I have seen the photo's on flickr, fantastic architecture, and it looks so clean(unlike your credit card). How are things going? Catch up with you on Saturday night. Gx

Anonymous said...

wow that was great i love it when you have to wait for the next gripping instalment - Lisa xx
nice to see the usual suspects are still contributing to the blog cant think what happened to the blog master this week lol Lxxx

Anonymous said...

Glad you have invested in a big bed, it's great having all that space to yourself, which I am sure will still happen as I don't think the space will cure your snoring!!!
Managed to watch Extra's but fell asleep before The Catherine Tate show started, prehaps Matt and I are in the minority, I can't say I found it that funny.
See you on Saturday. Gx