Prague

OK, still no photos but thought I would update about the trip before life totally overtakes me and I forget I even went. "Prague?? What? Who? What did Rosie just put in her mouth?!...etc, etc."

J's driver picked me up at 5.30am on Friday and I have to say that just the peaceful ride to the airport, browsing the shops at Heathrow and sitting quietly reading a book on the plane were heaven. By the time I arrived I was rested and Zen-ed out. It all went very smoothly and I even had over an hour at the hotel to freshen up and read some more before Nikki arrived. Heaven, heaven, heaven.

We took it easy on Friday and just roamed around the city, which is beautiful. It's small enough to walk everywhere and has amazing architecture, lovely shops and charming little cafes around every corner. We had dinner at an Afghan restaurant called Ariana. Neither of us had eaten Afghan food before and it was delicious. Nikki had the qorma tarkari which was vegetables with Persian bread (Nik's veggie) and I had the mantu which is mutton, onion and cabbage stuffed into dough pockets a bit like ravioli with a split pea sauce. We shared some palaou rice and drank the best chai tea I've ever tasted. Afterwards we went to Ebel Cafe for dessert which is said to have the best coffee in Prague. We were not disappointed. We both had Viennese coffee with fresh whipped cream and I had a slice of Czech honey pie (which was more like a cake) and Nikki had some of their famous apple strudel. It was all wonderful.

One of the major sites in Prague is the Charles Bridge. Our hotel was about 100 yards from the bridge. Our room had two French windows which opened up overlooking the street and if we looked out to the left we could see right across the bridge. It was a fantastic location. The hotel was in the heart of the city and actually on the Royal Way which is the old royal parade route. It's now more like "Tourist Lane" and it's a 24 hour kind of party place. The hotel has a 24 hour bar/restaurant on the ground floor and various nightclubs including a strip joint in the basement which all close at 6am. It was hot in Prague and the first night Nikki and I went to bed around 1am with the windows open for some cool air (no AC of course). At 5am when people started singing football chants under the windows I reached my limit and got up and closed them.

On Saturday we slept late then crossed the river for brunch at Bohemia Bagel which was really, really good then visited St Nicholas Cathedral. We spent ages in the cathedral. It's absolutely breathtaking and I took loads of photos which will probably bore everyone but me. After the cathedral we walked up the hill, stopped for drinks at a cafe overlooking the city then visited the library at the Strahov Monastery. In the evening we met up with Nikki's friends from UC San Diego for dinner and a show. We went to see Laterna Magica which is sort of a poor man's Cirque du Soleil. Considering the fact that I actually had to stop myself giggling through half of it, and not in a good way, I'm afraid that I cannot recommend it.

We went to a bar afterwards and Nikki and some of the others tried the absinth. I don't know why I didn't join in. I just didn't fancy it. It was interesting and Nikki said it was like drinking mouth wash. As far as I know, she didn't have any hallucinations afterwards but maybe she just didn't drink enough. It was great to meet Nikki's friends who were all very nice and a lot of fun. Nik and I left early though because she had her presentation to give at 9am the following morning. Well, I say we left early. We didn't get to bed until after 1am, which is actually pretty late for these old bones.

Sunday morning we were up and out to catch a tram to the exhibition grounds for Nikki's presentation. She did really well. I was so impressed with her presentation. So relaxed and wasn't constantly saying "ummm... ummmm" like so many of the students. Some of the photos from Nikki's presentation had gone missing so she ended up using a laptop and flat screen to show them since they're available online. It worked out really well and you can take a look at them here.

Sunday afternoon we had lunch at the Ebel Cafe and then met up with Nikki's friends to explore the Jewish Quarter. We saw the little door on the Old New Synagogue where the golem of Prague is said to be stored, walked around the Jewish cemetary and visited the Spanish Synagogue. One of Nikki's friends is Jewish and she was able to explain a lot of the history which really added to the experience.

By Sunday afternoon I was happily exhausted but starting to get homesick. The journey home went smoothly and I arrived late that night and collapsed into bed. It was a really fantastic trip and so good to have some time with Nikki. She's in Croatia now on her own for some peace and recovery before she arrives in London on Thursday night. Our itenerary is already filling up for next week with a visit to Hampstead Heath, the Hayward Gallery, shopping at Primark and about a dozen other things.

Maybe I'll rest in August.