Prague,Cambridge and Jess

The weather is much cooler in England this weekend, but I had a great time with my kid regardless.
Time marches forward.
It seems just yesterday I spent my afternoons chasing after her trying to keep her out of trouble.
She's growing up.
My days with her now are full of little girl news, (horses, school and friends) and I've come to realise that sometimes my visits correspond with "friends stuff".
For a ten year old this presents a dilemma.
She wants to see her dad but also wants to do things with her friends.
I'm sure I'm not the first dad to feel a tug at the heart strings over this.

I've been quite busy lately and am just about to get another flight as I write .
Apart from hanging out with Jess in London I've been in Prague and Cambridge.

Black beer (tasting more like Stella than Guinness) is one of the attractions of of the Czech Republic. Prague has changed so much over the past 10 years.

It's become a slick destination for package tours and stag weekends, though there's still plenty of charm.

I've taken so many pictures of Cambridge that I'm not sure its worth posting more
but given I don't have much to say today, I'll put them up anyway.

Dawn is a great time to take photographs anywhere but I think Cambridge is most interesting when there's no one around.

Coming back to the city conjures up surprisingly few memories.

I lived here for 4 years but don't think I ever really felt at home.

Not sure why that is, but there you have it.

Stay well everyone.
T

Prague

Prague was hot and sticky during the day but pleasant in the evening. Its changing at breakneck speed and all that EU money has resulted in a rather spic and span tourist friendly place. I've been about 6 or 7 times over the past 12 years and I kind of miss the city I first discovered way back then. It was grittier and dirtier but there wasn't a Starbucks in sight.
The crooked taxi drivers are still a fixture unfortunately.
As far as value for money goes, its still in my top 10. and all you yanks will still get decent return on your green-back pesos, (a rarity in Europe at the moment). If you want a quick trip to Europe this summer I'd suggest a week splitting your time with Budapest (again good value for money though a bit grittier).
OK travel guide section over.
Scotland is playing a friendly against the Czech Republic tonight and the city was filling up with members of the "Tartan Army".
Scottish fans have a well deserved reputation for being good natured. They're friendly and in Prague at least, well received. I chatted to a couple of cops from Glasgow and found them charming, funny guys. It seems the camera failed to save the pictures of them, and I know they were going to tune in today to have a look to see themselves, so apologies guys.
You'll have to settle for a couple of pictures of your colleagues. I was only in the city for two days, and my time wasn't my own so there aren't many pics to post. There are some here , here and here from earlier visits if you're interested. That's it for today.
I'm taking my daughter to Belfast for the day on Sunday, then walking Hadrian's wall with my dad next week. I'm off for 5 whole days!!!!!
Whether or not I post will be dependent on Internet-availability.
I'm leaving my B-berry at home.
Love to all and wish the Jocks luck...they're gonna need it!
T

Last bits and pieces from Prague

The statue above is of Charles the 4th and sits at the foot of the bridge of the same name. My Czech friends insisted that I take another picture from another angle as the in joke in Prague is that it appears his highness is relieving himself after a night of black beer.
I'm not sure.
It kind of looks that way..........

The weather has been nothing short of tropical. The sun is shining and the temperature has hovered in the low 80s.

Nice.

Past trips here have been characterised by rain and grey skies.

I'm up at 6 and flying back to the UK. After a day in the office I'll drive to the East coast to bid my folks "bon voyage" as they set off on a Scandinavian cruise.

A full day ahead indeed.

The Czech republic has come a long way since I first visited 15 odd years ago.

The first time was with a backpack and was escaping the UK for the weekend. I found the place crawling with yanks , drinking cheap beer and chasing the women as they played at a Bohemian lifestyle of pop philosophy and self conscious navel gazing.

The locals were bemused at these youngsters with impossibly white teeth who saw it as an intellectual badge of honour to slum it in the Emerging East.

They did figure out fairly quickly how to separate them from their dollars.

The Americans enjoyed themselves immensely, so I guess everyone was happy.

Taxi drivers were a band of cutthroats who thought nothing of ripping you off in the most shameless manner.

Though not as bad now, THAT still goes on.

Last night I got out of a cab and shut the door loudly.

The driver jumped out and proclaimed at the top of his voice that I had jammed the back window (he'd locked it with the master switch).

My Czech colleagues appeared and a loud discussion ensued. Foiled in his bid to extort 3,000 KR, he drove away giving us the finger through the rising back window.

I just smiled through the whole thing and watched them yelling at each other.

On my 30th birthday I remember a friend and I saw the sex pistols at a drafty hockey arena in the suburbs !It was surreal surrounded by 18 year old czechs screaming the words to Anarchy in the UK at a fat, cynical Johnny Rotten waddling around the stage.

Most comeback tours are a bad idea.

That one was bizarre.

Its still cheap"ish" but the budget travellers have moved on to Poland and points East.

A couple of years ago I was here about this time of year and watched the celebrations on the night the country was admitted to the European Union.

Now THAT was a party.

Today the country is affluent, pretty much free of overt corruption and very much a part of the EU. The hangover from the communist era seems to be a fading memory from another time.

Prosperity has not come to all however. Too tired to say much more.

Turkey next week.

Love

T

Alternate transport in Prague

Quick pic between meetings.
I'm going to a reception in a castle tonight.
Tough I know but somebody's gotta do it.
More stuff later
T

Prague

Greetings from Prague.
Not much to say except the black beer isn't as scary as it looks (it tastes like lager but looks like Guinness).
Here are some quick pics from 24 hours that has had no time for pics.
Its tropical here in the Czech Republic.

M- where are my movies????

S -see ya Saturday

G- let your momma be

K -no worries all is well

L- visit late June?

Felix- glad you're seeing sense and still in NYC

The rest of you- go about your business.

Love to ALL

T