Noel and Ruth escape to Europe

Flight from Christchurch to Sydney is just a warm up for us really. This sort of (3 hour) flight is fairly familiar to us. Across the Tasman is no sweat really. So the flight consists of us getting the hang of the Emirates entertainment/information system (computer in the back of the chair). Very cool technology that works well. Good selection of movies, and a huge selection of music.

However it is a new concept to be going through a transit stop. So we get off the plane (a B777 - 300, extended range, BTW) and try to pay attention to the instructions about which gate to head for, and what time we need to be there. Then navigate ourselves around the corners and lounges and past the Duty Free shops (we had already bought 6 bottles of booze at Chch, for picking up in a month's time!) to the gate. But how do we buy a coffee or a snack? Or a bottle of water? No Aussie dollars and can't be ar*ed changing currency or paying by credit card for an $8 purchase. So a sip from the water fountain and wait for boarding. Only 10 minute wait anyway...

Next leg is about six hours to Bangkok. This is a bit more demanding. Watch a couple of movies. Decided on some oldies - John Wayne western plus "Something About Eve" - hilarious...

Meanwhile Ruth has struck up a conversation with a lady across the aisle, a kiwi who is teaching in Abu Dhabi but has been home for the school holidays.

Another transit stop in Bangkok, in the middle of the night. Going through another security check and scan. A little bit scary this time, thinking that Asian states can be a bit finicky about things and take security very seriously.

Barely enough time to get off the flight, walk through the terminal up the stairs, along for 50m, around a corner, back 50m then down the stairs. Basically it gives the inmates time in the exercise yard, to stretch their legs while they have a chance to clean out the cells, err... aircraft. Strangely, many pax choose to use the travelators rather than walk the 40m. Either they don't really need or want to stretch their legs, or they are in a hurry to wait at the gate till they let us back on.

Back on our 777 for another 6 hours to Dubai. Middle of the night so will skip the movies, but look for some suitable music to help me sleep. So it is Tom Waits over India, and Pink Floyd over Iraq. Sat next to a guy from Sydney who was going to visit his family in Lebanon for a month (and we actually saw him on our flight home at the end of September!)

Dubai now. Very tired but we have four hours in Dubai to recover. Aircraft took AGES to taxi to the gate, the airport is so huge. Then onto a big low red bendy bus for the trip to the terminal building. First thing once we go down two escalators and back up three) is to check the departure board for the gate number (we swap aircraft at Dubai) and time. Then try to familiarise ourselves with the layout.

Look through the shops (but bought nothing). Ben would love an iPhone, but the are USD1200! Will have to settle for a T-shirt I'm afraid...

Time to hunt out the showers we can rent for a freshen up. Signs and maps are very confusing but resort to asking someone. Showers are great and feel much better now. Use the comfy chairs in the hotel lobby for a rest. Felt guilty so bought coffee and breakfast (fresh fruit salad - yum).

Wander down to a quieter end of the terminal (past Macdonalds!) to the tropical garden feature.

Back on board for the last leg. Eight hours to Vienna. Pretty tired for this part, so slept as much as I could, although the flight has really filled up. Barely any spare seats.

[PS, this is really "Day 1", technically]

Land in Vienna (Wien), Austria and fall off the plane. Stumble through security and head for customs. Spot a sign saying "nothing to declare" and walk through the door... into a shabby little airport! Wasn't quite ready for that - expected more formalities and rigmarole. AND expected to see a more sophisticated airport terminal actually.

First step is to buy a "Wien Cart" which gives us free and easy travel on the metro and buses etc for 3 days. Then collect our bags and try to find the train to Vienna. Not at all as easy as I had thought! I think they wanted to make it hard for us. Out of the terminal building, turn left and along a short but bumpy road to a strange looking building that is the stairway to the trains. Luckily, spot the elevator (the stairs look treacherous).

Next step is to decypher the metro schedule for the S-Bahn and figure out how to buy and validate our tickets. Whew. On the train through the shabby area of town (industrial) but then into the more sophisticated part of the city. Transfer to the U-Bahn and head for Zeiglergasse. Then figure out which direction to our hotel (Metternich) just off the Mariahilferstrasse. Made it!

Friday 28th. Well back to being a tourist again, and back to keep Ruth company (although Gary had still been showing her around).

Ruth and I decided we needed to have a good introduction to Prague, to understand the place a bit better. While Gary was very familiar with the layout, the history and most of the more obvious highlights, these were all new to us. So we took the "Ultimate Tour of Prague" that our hotel (Castle Steps) had recommended - I think they had a deal with them.

So we met our tour guide in Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti) at about 10:30 in the morning. This was to be our first time in one of the Tour Groups. Now when you are in one, they are great value, very informative and fun, and very good value. However when you are just showing yourself around a place they seem to be a kitschy, touristy, PITA. Funny how your view varies with different perspectives, eh?

Anyway, this tour was very well organised and (seemingly) complete and professional and all. But what made it a bit special was our tour guide - let's call him "Dave", because we couldn't recall (or pronounce) his real name. He was a native Czech who spoke perfect English. Actually he told us how, when he was young, he struggled to speak proper Czech. When he was growing up in Prague, kids had speech lessons to learn how to make their particular language sounds - all those guttural throaty consonants! His mother paid for the lessons but also gave the lady teacher chocolates, which were a real treat in Cold War Czechoslovakia. So the teacher had no real interest in Dave passing the course, so taught him the wrong pronunciation. Mum eventually caught on, sacked the lady and took Dave to another teacher, who had his speech sorted out in a mere year! No wonder visitors seldom make the effort to learn the language...

So Dave's commentary through his tour (which included the Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock, the Jewish Quarter (Josefov), river boat tour on the Vltava (Muldau) river incl Charles Bridge and up to Prague Castle) was interlaced with social and political commentary and humour. He was particularly passionate about the Velvet Revolution, the disappointment of the Czech people with the aftermath, and the current government.

So while the buildings of Prague sometimes seem a little dull and dirty, the city itself is full of colour. And it's the Czech people that make it colourful. For example, the way the Czechs reacted to the invasion by the Russians, the martyrdom of a couple of students, the huge crowds that gathered in Wenceslas Square in 1989 to protest the Communist Government. And the way the government works; blowing up Stalin's statue under cover of night

After the tour finished, and we dispersed, Ruth and I went back to the rooms (Castle Steps, RIGHT by the castle) for a breather, then took the short walk back to the castle, where we had a closer look at the Cathedral, and some other points of interest like the lane of tiny houses.

-- more on this in later ---

Had to leave Ruth and Gary in town while I ventured out to Racice. So they had a nice look around the monestry at the top of the hill, explored some of the minor areas etc.

But meanwhile, what an adventure! Decided my best option was a bus to the town of Stati. Interesting trip trhough the countryside with all sorts of locals getting on and off the bus... As we got further out of town, the fog came in! Arrived in the desolate desperate bus terminal at Stati. OMG, what a place! I feel DEEP behind the iron curtain here!

I was walking 'blind' into a misty town in a very strange land. All the locals seemed friendly enough (to each other) but very gruff to anyone else. Virtually nobody out here could speak English (nor any other language at a guess) and I really had no idea where I was going. So I had to rely on my recently acquired friend, my GPS ("Jason") to guide me into the mist, across a river and about 3km walk to the Racing site...

Great venue, but it cost me 1000 CK to get in! Shirley Boys Dragon Boat team were supposed to add me to their team list, but the gate people didn't have my name, so had to pay the fee (about NZ$80).

Supported Shirley for several races, but they are really knocked back by illness.

Rocked up to IDBF at theontrol tower to organise sitting the IDBF Race Officials Exam. Bryan Hartley handed me 50 pages of statutes and bylaws and said "Exam in 2 hours. OK by you?" Errr, well, OK. Find some shade and a bite to eat. Speed read... Passed... Whew. Holiday, huh?

Gary sorted out bus tickets for us yesterday. Decidied on the bus mainly because the walk to the train station looked too daunting. All through town then up a big hill. Anyway the bus was primo - good comfy seats. Got to watch "Friends" in Czech hahaha I think...

But before we left, took a quick walk aroud behind the main square, and along the riverside...

Got to 'Praha' at about 2 pm. Bus stop at Prague was a bit wierd. Had to wait for Gary to get his bearings but found a 'Tabak' and bought tickets for our area of town, Mala Strana. The new town. Ages old actually. But nice hotel on the "Castle Steps". Hot work carrying bags up the steps though.

A full day in CK to look around the town, a little shopping and a tour of the castle.

Had a bit of a chance to use the PC at receptioon to update the blog, but there's plenty else to do and see.

Tour of the Melk Castle. Guided group tour, by a guy who was clearly working to a deadline. Kind of interesting, esp after Schonbrunn, which was so full of the glory of the Habsburgs...

Made it back to the Brewery restaurant at an early time today - 7pm for dinner. Actually turned out not as good as the wierd riverside restaurant. Had the Carp, but it was pretty rough. Bony. Rubbish fish compared to Trout, that's for sure.