Unbelievable!

Do you ever get that odd feeling, the one that no matter how hard you try to imagine otherwise, something persists in feeling unbelievable, despite your knowing it happened?!

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As a teenager I long harboured dreams of one day just packing a rucksack, taking myself off to Heathrow, buying the first ticket I could and heading off into the big wide world indefinitely. I never did of course, the closest I ever got was

dropping someone off for a flight or picking them up on their return but even that filled me with dreams and excitement and I would stand by the gate imagining what it must be like to actually go somewhere. I would look at those returning from far flung destinations and try to conjure up images of where they had been,it didn't really matter to me whether it was Ibiza or China or anywhere in between, just the mere fact that it was a possibility filled me with wonder.

But in over forty years I never went anywhere outside of England, save for one trip to France aged five. I'm not sure why really, a combination of factors I suppose, other priorities, lack of funds, lack of anyone to go with etc. etc. etc.

I had never even flown!

And then it all changed and in a little over a year not only have I have flown, I have sailed and I have visited ten countries....and still at times it remains completely unbelievable to me! Often I sit here with my laptop in front of me and just gaze in open mouthed amazement at photographs of the places I have visited and in an instant I am almost back among those sights, those people, those experiences, lost in the wonder of it all, the diversity of the geography, the geology, the climates the cultures, the sounds and the smells, it is everything I ever imagined , even standing in a queue at an airport still holds excitement for me!

I couldn't choose a favourite place, be it riding accross the Alps seeing real glaciers, eating pizza in Tuscany, standing on the Ponte Vecchio, walking through the beautiful city streets of Prague at night or lying in the Andalucian sun every moment was wonderful and no matter how hard I look at the pictures or how hard I try to imagine I still find it completely unbelievable that it was actually me that went to those places, that I was lucky enough, not only to visit one country but ten....sometimes it just seems all too amazing to be true! :o))

Good stuff!

Maybe it's just me.... but this shop sign we saw in Prague really amused me!

What a star!

Harking back to part of a tale I recounted earlier in the week, there is more to tell, a tale of service beyond the call of duty and of proof that there are still some good guys out there!

You may (or may not) recall in my 'Prague...at last' post the small matter of myself and Fletch arriving for our flight at Gatwick only to discover it departed from Heathrow.....well what happened next was pretty amazing for this day and age and kinda renewed my/our faith in human nature.

We had parked in the long stay car park, which for those of you who aren't familiar with Heathrow is bloody miles a fair distance from the terminal and one has to utilise the services of a shuttle bus to be ferried too and fro. This is no mean feat if one is in a hurry, timetables don't exist and the bus to the terminal you need is never the one that arrives in a hurry.

So...having been informed we had turned up at the wrong airport and in the full knowledge that we had to make it to the right one via the dreaded, and usually gridlocked M25, we dashed out of the place and to the designated bus stop. As it happened we had a fair amount of time to spare but none the less were aware that the motorway could soon change that situation.

Our shuttle bus arrived, it was empty save for the driver and as we boarded we laughingly told him of our plight. Now, rather than grumble or 'harumph' as the average bus driver has a habit of doing all too often, this one grinned widely, laughed heartily and then (and this is the really amazing bit) radioed into his control to inform them that he had two fools passengers onboard who were at the wrong airport and as a consequence he wouldn't be stopping at any stops enroute to the long stay car park!! With that he put his foot down and laughing and joking took us directly and swiftly (no stopping, no bus stops and no more passengers) back to the car....wishing us good luck in making it to Heathrow in time as we disembarked!

What a guy! What a star! He was a real pleasure to meet, way more helpful (and without prompting) than the norm and a happy reminder that there are still the good guys out there! :o)

Prague....at last!

So....the first few days of our holiday having been spent in Cambridge it was off to Prague in the Czech Republic on Wednesday for a few days.


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)

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I know....

....I know, I've been a very bad blogger recently, barely any posts and then when I promise I'll catch up, I do no such thing!

What can I say? I just don't seem to be able to stay awake long enough the last few days to do anything but the essentials....someone, please tell me it's possible to have jet lag 48 hours after a two hour flight! Ok....perhaps I'm pushing my luck somewhat there! ;o)

I will though, I really will get to blog our trip to Prague soon but in the meantime..... will a couple of pictures suffice in getting me off the proverbial hook temporarily?



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