This had not been as simple an operation as one might like to have imagined. Paris had been the originally intended destination but on discovering Eurostar had almost doubled their prices in the space of a few days, and determined not to be ripped off, an alternative 'city experience' was sought and late on Tuesday night, Expedia having nearly exasperated 'him' booking the trip, finally Prague was decided upon and booked.
Things were still not to be quite straightforward. Having made last minute arrangements we set off for Gatwick and our flight. We should have heard the warning bells ring when the automatic check-in 'thingy' appeared to have no record of us, but assuming (as one does) that it was the fault of the computer, we made our way to the desk. One look at the operators face was all we needed to impress upon us that something was wrong....and indeed it was. Our flight was from Heathrow! Oops!
We had needed to change the outbound flight at the last minute on the previous evening and had assumed (ok wrongly) that the new flight would still depart from the same airport. Um....lesson....never assume anything!
Thankfully we had arrived in plenty of time and luckily the M25 was clear as we made a mad-ish dash for LHR...I think if I am correct we did it in less than 30 minutes! Yup...Fletch can certainly drive, though it isn't always an experience for the faint of heart! ;o)
.....and finally we were checked in, boarded and airborne,
only to discover two hours later we had to remain 'parked' on the Prague runway for over an hour, courtesy of a bomb scare in the terminal. This did not look an overly promising start to our break, but things from there on in thankfully improved dramatically!
Our hotel was amazing, if you like 'modern and funky' which I do, (I can't tell you what the red 'thing' is in the image of the hotel foyer but there were a number of them dotted around and they were fab and fluffy) and was situated just off Wenceslas Square,
perfect for a few days meandering around the city...which is just what we did, wandered to our hearts content enjoying the beautiful architecture and scenery.
I'm not sure quite what I had expected Prague to be like but the reality was far and above anything I had imagined. This was perhaps a good time of year to visit, there were no hordes of tourists and none of the much warned of 'hen and stag nights' to contend with...though with beer at a pound a pint one can see why it attracts those in search of some 'pre-nuptial' party fun!
The architecture is stunning, the castle and churches adorned with incredible spires and gilding, gargoyles seemingly by the hundred hanging from every corner and masonry so intricate in places it's hard to imagine how it was ever completed!
Oh....and this is one very clean city!
There were of course other pleasures to be had, Prague is a cosmopolitan city with restaurants from most major cuisines, heaven for those among us who 'do food'....the inclusion of very good wine at very reasonable prices is a also a bonus and not one to be overlooked!
We were lucky, for whilst the UK suffered quite extreme storms while we were away we had only one night of wind and rain which provided us with a suitable opportunity to sample the hotel's noodle restaurant and celebrate Fletch's birthday without having to 'stagger' back in any kind of inebriated state!
All too quickly Saturday came and along with it our return flight back to Heathrow. I could happily have filled another few days 'investigating', I loved the place and I had the most fantastic time. The language might have been a little 'challenging' but aside from that it was perfect.... cigarettes were £1.50 (or less) a pack and there was even a Marks and Spencer! ;o)
(All images clickable)
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