On foot

It feels like I've spent most of past day walking around the city. First a group of us went out for pizza and ended up missing the last tram back so we spent what must have been an hour failing to find a bridge over the river that was open to pedestrians.

The view from the tower

Charles bridge

Not Charles bridge

This morning I then went over to a copy of the Eiffel tower on a hill overlooking the city and climbed to the top. To be honest I did take the funicular railway up the hill but then I walked from the park down to the town and round the Jewish museum and cemetery. The cemetery was filled with centuries worth of stones all in one small area and many of the buildings had displays about the history of the Prague ghetto but it was definitely the first building that stays with you. Downstairs the walls were covered with lists of names and dates and upstairs was a display of rather old childrens drawings. If this needs explaining then it shouldn't, it certainly didn't at the time.

I've got one more night and then off the Cesky Krumlov in the south.

Praha

The journey was slightly longer than expected, extended at one end by Arriva neglecting to mention on their website that the train had been replaced by a bus leaving from a different place at a different time and at the other by directions that didn't quite know the difference between left and right. But I arrived and slept and was up in time for the all you can eat breakfast at Sir Toby's.


I spent most of the day exploring Prague castle, which unfortunately doesn't allow photos inside but I did get a few shots of the city to be updated later and learned about the importance of defenstration in the history of Europe. You can still see the window from which the city councillors were thrown but the 'miraculous' pile of horse dung that broke their fall has been moved.

Quote of the day, from the Prague city spy map "This area is where full of embassies and foreign diplomats, so keep an eye on your valuables"

Art thys thinge workinge?

So, I'm off again. Not so far this time but to Europe, I start in Prague and have 22 days to get back to the UK. Where will I end up? Your guess is as good as mine.

29th-30th November 2001

Thursday 29^th

After dashing around to get to the airport I found the flight was delayed till 4 anyway but it wasn't bad as airports go. The plane had back of seat screens with a choice of channels and games, a big step up from Aeroflot.

Stopped for a bit in KL airport, which was smaller than I had expected then on.

Friday 30^th

Landed at Heathrow at 5.30am and took hours to get my bags. There were no customs officials at all so I just walked through and got the train to the the coach to home.

24th - 28tth November 2001

Saturday 24^th

Slept in and did little all day.

Sunday 25^th

Went on a coach tour with Jim's tours to Nimbin, a very bizarre place with a museum supposedly about dope but actually full of random things suggesting the designer was stoned at the time. This was followed by a visit to a river where we could float in tyres and to Myon cliffs, which was supposed to be a waterfall but had dried up.

Monday 26^th

Set off back to Sydney with Dave and Cerys we stopped for the night in a camp site by the road and I hid in the van so we only paid for two people.

Tuesday 27^th

Got to Sydney around midday and after a long walk found a place called Nomads backpackers, a run down building where I had to go out onto the flat roof of the ground floor to get to the dorm.

Wednesday 28^th

Got a day ticket for Sydney transport and took a train to circular quay then a ferry to Darling Harbour which had fantastic views of the bridge and opera house.

At Darling Harbour I visited the aquarium, which was very good with lots of underwater areas to see fish swimming round you as you went through a tunnel. After looking round the area a bit more I ended up watching a film about Antarctica at the Imax theatre.

In the evening went briefly to Kings Cross, which is supposedly the nightlife centre but all there seemed to be was kebab shops and strip clubs, no where to go for a pint.

23rd November 2001

Went on the triple challenge tour. It started with abseiling down an overhang into a pool then over a waterfall. At the next site they set up a kind of zip line called a flying fox running down over a pool, it started with a sudden drop before turning in to a slide down to the water. Finally we went to some caves where we had to crawl through a muddy cave before washing off in a swimming hole where another cave was accessible by swimming under a rock. The tour ended with a barbie outside a factory.

In the evening went to a place called The Rails to meet Dave and Cerys, Nikki and Jo. The girls left early but the three of us stayed till 12 then went for a burger. Afterwards I still wasn't tired so when they went back to their camp site I checked out somewhere called Cocomangas but it was shit so went back.

20th -22nd November 2001

Tue 20th

Arrived and checked into The Arts Factory.

Wed 21st

Slept a long time.

Two nice girls who just moved into the dorm volunteered to come out for my birthday.

Went to the Arts Factory Cinema, which is decorated with glostars and has sofas instead of seats and watched He Died With A Fallafell in His hand, which was nothing like the book. Then there was a BBQ and Aboriginal dance show and finally we all ended up dancing on the table in a place called Cheeky Monkeys.

Thu 22nd

Dave and Cerys from Ko Phangan showed up, from knowing no one in the town I got four people for a birthday party in under 48 hours.

Walked out to the lighthouse and the most easterly point in Australia then back along the beach. There was a visitors centre with ecological management plans and a temporary jobs list.

In the evening the streets were lined with buskers.