Homeward Bound

I'm homeward bound. I'm sitting in the Minneapolis airport waiting for my connecting flight, feeling like I've been flying for days. Which I have.

Yesterday I left the Czech Republic to return to London. I lucked out and Mark's morning class was cancelled so he drove me into Prague which got me an extra hour of sleep, and an extra hour of chit chat with Nichol. I hope that he, Radka and the Baby (when he arrives) get to Manitoba next summer so I can return some of the hospitality they served me this past week.

When I got to London, the handle on my suitcase was broken, which meant I could not roll it along. This proved to be a problem because that particular suitcase weighed in at 19 K when I checked it. I also had 2 other bags, my purse and a bag full of duty free (you will all be doing shots with me shortly). Lugging all that crap across London was a bitch. (Literally across London - Heathrow to Arsenal is about as opposite ends as you can get) Luckily Garnet met me at the train station on his scooter, and he took the big bag, while I walked to his flat with the rest. This morning was a different story all together. Garnet had gone to work (and graciously let me sleep in), but his place is about half a mile from the station. I felt silly calling a cab for such a short distance and (mistakenly) decided to walk it, carrying all my stuff. (WHY DID I BUY SO MANY BOOKS?) It was a struggle to say the least, my arms are so sore now, They may fall off. I did, however, luck out again when a nice young man drinking a can of Stella at 11 am, came along and helped me carry the big suitcase the last couple of blocks, and down to the platform. Which was a lifesaver, as I was having to put it down every 10 steps by that point. But It's checked now. And I'll make Dad carry it when they pick me up. :)

Had a great last night to my holiday. Garnet and I went out for a curry on Brick Lane, a street filled with curry houses, all of which employ a guy to stand in the doorway to draw customers in. As you walk down the street they are all touting the best curry, best Naan, best everything. We had a gorgeous meal. I'll be dreaming of it for a while. After that, we met up with a couple of Garnet's friends for a drink at a pub near the Tower of London. Good times.

I'm sad that my holiday has come to an end, but I'm excited to see my own bed, my cat, my car, my Skyler, and all of you guys. 

Good thing we've got a long weekend coming up. I could use a rest!

Festival of Fools, I mean Beers

The Beer Festival was a success. We had beer, oompa music, and barrel rolling. In my opinion that is a day well spent (Although if I had my ruthers, I would replace beer with girlie drinks). I also got to meet the guys who Mark refers to as his "Redneck Friends".

A group of 6 of us (2 Canadians, 1 American, 2 Czechs and a German) hopped on a train yesterday morning, and when we got off, I was told that we had a short walk to the brewery. And by short walk, they meant a walk to the next town, 3.5 K away. It was a hot and sunny day so by the time we arrived at the festival we were nice and thirsty.

The day was warm and full of beer, although as an amateur beer drinker I think I was out paced 2 to 1. Sometimes 3 to 1. That's okay, someone had to lead us back through the garden trails to the train station! (although in the end the drunkest guy was the one who led the way.)

We closed the night off with a drink in Plzen, where I had a gin and seven, with ICE! A great end to the day.

Drinking Beer

Today I went to not one, but two breweries. And I drank beer. AND I liked it.

The first batch was blueberry beer, which was good, you could smell and taste the berries. And the second was a more classic beer that had won third place in the Czech beer competition. I would be interested in tasting the first and second place winners.

Tomorrow Mark and I are going to a beer festival in West Bohemia, which should be interesting. I am told that we depart tomorrow morning at 8 am sharp. I believe drinking will begin 10ish. Yeesh! I will have to pace myself. I am not seasoned like these Czechs when it comes to drinking. They are quite talented at it.

Had a busy day visiting the breweries, but also a castle, 3 chateaus, and the smallest city in Europe (which is an adorable cottage town with a beautiful Gothic Bridge). Radka and her dad were giving me the history behind everything, and Radka and I chatted more about the changes in the country since the revolution.

The Chateaus that we visited today had been restored, but a couple of them not completely. When the communists came into power they took family properties away from the rich, as under communism they belonged to everyone. As often happens when things belong to everyone, and no one specific, no one took care of them. Buildings (not just posh ones too) fell into a horrible state. Now, after the revolution, this country is in a constant state of reconstruction and restoration, but it is very expensive and time consuming. Often projects are half done and the contrast is startling. But even with the contrast this country is so beautiful, and the history fascinating. 

It makes me wish I paid attention to history as it was happening back in Jr High. But then again I was very busy back-combing my hair, listening to Mötley Crüe and thinking about boys. Who had time to be bothered with watching history unfold?

PS Crüe Rüles

Yesterday I was too pooped/drunk to write an entry.

I spent the day in Prague yesterday, I walked to the Old Square, saw the famous clock, fought the crowds, shopped in the gift shops. (Bought myself a gorgeous necklace, you will all be envious of it when I wear it). Then I made my way over to the Black Virgin House to see another example of cubist architecture, although the one from Tuesday was a much better example.

After that I decided I could walk to the Museum of Modern Art. After all, it would be much easier than figuring out the subway, or trams and taxis here are not to be trusted. I forgot to account for the fact that it was 25 degrees out, with the sun beating down, up hill. But I trudged on, finding some GREAT graffiti in the park. The park itself offered up spectacular views of Prague, and once I found somewhere to buy myself a cold ice tea, I was more than happy to take a break and enjoy the view from the park bench.

The Museum was great, although I ran out of time - I did 3 floors out of 5, but I had a train to catch and an hour and a half walk to get there.

When I was picked up at the train station here, Mark and Radka were entertaining some friends in the garden. So I got to meet some more friendly Czechs. Being sunburnt and parched from my day bootin' it in the sun, the wine Mark was pouring me was going down a little too easily. Once I realized how easily, I tempered with much water. I think that saved my butt this morning.

Today was a slower day, went shopping with Radka, out for lunch, mushroom picking with Radka's dad (again it was a total bust), a big dinner in the outdoor kitchenette with the family and a relaxing evening in.

Mark and Radka have been amazing hosts, I will be sorry to leave them on Monday morning.

Catty

Saw an orange tabby sitting on a fence post today. Had pangs of guilt for the whole drugging/abandoning incident.

Also, I kinda miss my car. I hope it's not too lonely without me.

Prague, my love!

I think that I am in love with Prague. 

It is a stunning city, and I am glad that I made the decision to switch from Brno to Prague for these days. To be honest, I knew it was the right decision from the start. As I was telling Mark I was thinking I should do the old switcheroo, INXS' Video Never Tear Us Apart came on TV, and that is filmed in Prague. It was a sign. INXS wants me to go to Prague, and who am I to argue with an 80's band?

Today I did the rounds, didn't arrive until after 12 pm, as my first train was late. So I wasn't pounding the pavement until after 1. I saw the cubist houses, the dancing buildings (nicknamed fred and ginger), the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and a string ensemble concert. 

Charles Bridge ranks lowest on that list of cool things I saw today. It's packed with tourists and crappy artisans selling overpriced junk. Maybe if you go first thing in the morning, or later in the evening it might be nicer, but otherwise... meh.

The Castle was cool and worth a look-see. and even if you don't do the full tour, it's worth the climb for the view of Prague.

I'm also happy to be able to speak English again. I feel very American, forcing people to speak my language in their country, but Czech is a tough language, and is very foreign to me.

Rain delay

Today I woke to pouring rain. So I decided to stay in bed watch Czech movies and do laundry. I think it was a wise decision as I would have been soaked and cold had I gone. 

Also, after weighing warnings from Radka that Czech conferences are often small and shitty, the 6 hour train ride, the language barrier that I am facing out side of Prague, and the time I would like to spend in Prague, I have decided to skip Brno, and go to Prague for a couple of days instead. (I was planning just the day trip, but I think that won't be enough time)

Had dinner with Radka's folks again, I wish that I could understand Czech, because Radka's father is quite the story teller, and although everything is translated for me, I think that some of his deadpan, comedic timing gets lost in translation. Plus I would love to tell Radka's mom how delicious all of her cooking is. This is Radka and her father in her parent's outdoor kitchenette, where we had potato and wild mushroom soup and stinky cheese and potatoes for supper. yum.

Oh those Russians

Today, I went on a day trip today to Karlovy Vary, which is a spa town in the NW of Czech. It is filled with rich Russians, who, by the way, dress worse than the czech men. Seriously, super cheezy and tacky. It's been a bit of a rough transition, because the men in London dress very well. (I kinda miss them)

The spa town is centered around 24 hot springs that are tapped throughout the town. Many Czechs (and even more Russians) go there on Dr's orders. The different springs are said to have different properties, and are ment to cure what ails you. I tried drinking from one, and was satisfied that I had tried it. But was not thirsty to try more.

What I was more interested in was the architecture. It was relatively untouched by communism, and the beautiful 19th century buildings remain intact and have been restored beautifully. I spent most of the day walking around taking pictures of the town.

Still trying to get used to trying to navigate my way without language. In the smaller areas English is only used by the young, and even then they are sometimes hesitant to speak. Signs are difficult to read as well, because it is such an unfamiliar language for me. I am getting by on lots of smiles and gestures. It is much easier when Mark and Radka are with me, and do my talking. I have learned Hello and Thank you, but that's as far as I've gotten, and even then I suspect I am butchering it.

Tomorrow, I'm off to Prague for the day, and Tuesday I will test out this design conference. Should be interesting.

Smell you later!

It's Complicated

Maybe it's the mead and grog talking, but men's fashion in the Czech Republic leaves something to be desired.

Men of Czech heed my advice: Your sandals do not need socks, your short hair does not need length in the back, and please, please stop wearing such complicated jeans. It is not becoming.

I'm not even going to get into the Czech men who dress in the style of Hip Hop. It misses the mark by quite the margin.

Vegetarian

Well the verdict is in - It wasn't even Mark that gave me my first drink!

We arrived in Kaznejov (small town outside of Plzen) yesterday, where Mark and Radka's house is, we hadn't even taken my bags inside when we went to say hello to Radka's parents, who live next door. The first thing Alena did was pour me a beer to say hello! They don't speak any English, and I not a lick of Czech, so instead we communicated by toasting each other - raising our glasses smiling and taking a swig. This continued throughout the night until we had polished off the bottle of champaign between the two of us. The international language of goodwill - Booze.

We joined Radka's folks in their outdoor kitchenette for dinner last night - Sausages were on the menu... I thought I better let Mark know I was a veggie. I think that Vegetarianism is a hard thing for people from such a meat eating culture to understand. Alena was very concerned that the salad and roasted veggies we were going to make for me would not be enough, so she brought out some eggs for me. And I kid-you-not she fried up seven (yes 7) eggs for me! They were delicious, but obviously too many for one person to eat at a sitting! I think another international language of goodwill is food!

Today we went into Plzen (the birthplace of beer) for lunch, and a walk around the square. Mark had a pig's knee (see above) and I had fried mushrooms in a bread bowl. I suspect that all the light eating and extra walking I did in England will not be evident when I return to Canada. Meals here are plentiful, rich, and often fried. Also I am told that a Czech specialty is Fried cheese. And I plan to eat it at every chance I get. 

This afternoon we also went mushroom picking (with little results), but I got to walk around a Czech forest which was cool. Because we did not find many mushrooms, we did not make mushroom soup, but instead Radka and I had strawberry dumplings for dinner while Mark napped (must have been the pigs knee lunch). Strawberry Dumplings are really something we should consider doing more of in Canada. (soooo good!). I ate too many, so to "aid digestion" Mark gave me a shot of something very strong made in Plzen, which despite my skepticism seems to have worked.

We're having a great visit, the Czech is beautiful. I'm very lucky to be with Radka, because I'm getting a great history lesson on the differences between Communist Czech and Independent Czech. Fascinating.

Rotten to the Core

Me = Spoiled rotten.

I'm sitting in Heathrow airport having (at last!!!!) an Ice Cold beverage, just thinking how lucky I am. And as much as I love London, I think that I prefer the English countryside.

My stay in Somerset was perfect, every moment of it. Dilys and David (My british parents) completely spoil me. I was toured around the area in luxury (BMW), visiting attractions and relatives. Louise and Lily drove down on Monday (both played hookey) so that we could have a little visit. Which was a great surprise as I did not expect to see her. Lily has grown and is now 11, which is impossible to believe. Maureen, another cousin picked me up at the train station and joined us on our shopping trip on Monday. Diana and Ann-Sofie were there from France too, so I finally got to meet Dilys's sister and niece! (And picked up an open invitation to their place in Grenoble as well).

We packed in the sights - Wells Cathedral, Bristol, Dunster Castle and Church. But my favourite part of staying in Somerset was the garden. Living just down the lane from the sea (a five minute walk to the beach), there is a stream that runs through their garden, one that requires them to have a little walking bridge. The garden is divided by rose bushes and grape vies into three parts. One morning when Dilys said to me "The sun is in the summer-house, Why don't you read in there this morning." I gladly accepted the offer. The summer-house is a cedar gazebo tucked in the far corner of the garden along the stream. I took my book and left the door open so I could hear the water rushing past. It was perfect. Then Dilys showed up with tea and biscuits for me. Totally spoiled!

Good times were had, I was sad to leave after such a short visit, but grateful for my time with them.

Now off to Prague! Mark is picking me up at the airport. Any guesses at how long it will take for him to get a drink in my hand?

M'Dawgs are barking, yo

Tomorrow I leave London for the comfort of the Farrant's in the country side. I'm sad to leave London, but looking forward to a slower (maybe) pace. 

I did, however make the best of my last day in London. A walk down the Shad Thames to the Design Museum, which was as always, Awesome. (another book was purchased). Then I met up with Garnet, and we took a stroll down the river walk, past the tower bridge and the london bridge. We checked out the Boroughs Market which puts my beloved St. Norbert to shame. Garnet treated me to the best cup of hot chocolate on the face of the earth (seriously, heaven). 

We kept walking and catching up, and came across the Tate Modern, and had a tour of the gallery. We then walked some more, and then across the river to Sommerset House where we met up with Garnet's girl and her friend for a chat in the courtyard. A really beautiful day, with a great visit.

Living in Winnipeg, I rarely walk anywhere, even if it is a few blocks. It's certainly something that I love about Large cities, the fact that there are people on the street, moving from one community pocket to another, being outside, with your neighbours. It seems to me in Winnipeg whenever we go out it is a drive to a destination, and then drive home. The stumbled upon treasures are few and far between, as is running into people on the street. I know this is certainly not true of everyone, especially in Osborne village, but I believe it to be true of us suburbanites. Despite my tired feet, it is something that I will miss when I leave. It also helps to have a decent public transportation system...

Yesterday I managed to wrangle a ticket to Billy Elliot, which I went to tonight. It was INCREDIBLE! I am not normally a fan of musicals, but when it is done right, wow. I loved the movie so much, that I thought that I would try-out the West End Musical. The T-Rex sound track was dropped for something more narrative (written by Elton John), but I didn't even care! I cried, like, 5 times. The boy who played billy tonight, had his last show, and he is off to open the Broadway version of the show. So if you are near New York I would HIGHLY recommend it.

Fantastic!

I'm going to go and soak these tired feet (I swear we walked for 3 hours straight today).

The adventure continues tomorrow in Sommerset!

Lost Again

Confession: I totally slept until noon today.

What a waste! It totally threw my plan for today off by several hours. Also the fact that I think I know London better than I actually know London really messed up my schedule.

Once I hauled myself out of the my comfy bed, with it's cozy down comforter and made myself presentable (This is London after all, you gotta step it up a notch) I decided it was time to purchase some theatre tix. Because I'm so worldly and have done this before, I hopped on a train to Leicester Square (where they sell half-price tickets for West End shows). Well, it has been a few years and my sense of direction seems to be weakening with age, because I walked in circles looking for the actual square, once I emerged from the tube station of the same name. The sad thing is that I was there (in the square) the night before, however I had walked there from Piccadilly. Totally lame.

But, as always, wandering does end up bringing surprises that you would never have had if things went to plan. After deciding that a coffee on a sidewalk patio was in order, I made my way down to Covent Garden Market, then up Charing Cross Rd, which is a book lover's paradise. There was a different bookstore every second store front, used, new, specialty, you name it! I even managed to find Magma (which was on my to-do list). It's a design book store, which is fantastic. I managed to contain my purchases to 2 books - Typographic Systems and a gorgeously illustrated children's book called This is London. Skyler will not be allow to read either of them until she can drive.

I eventually got my theatre tix, but only by hopping on a train, going one stop back and walking to the square. Turns out I just needed to cross the street. Whatevs. Good news is, I'm going to Billy Elliot tomorrow night.

I managed to also hit a MUJI this afternoon, which is always fun. It seems that the hot Japanese look of today is wrinkled cotton. All of their clothes were smooshed-up crumpled cotton items. Finally! I hate ironing!

I then ran home for a quick shower and change-a-roo (it was humid and sticky today, enhanced by my meandering) and I was off to the Globe to watch "A Mid-Summer's Night's Dream". 

The Globe is fairly new (1997), but has been faithfully rebuilt to resemble the actual Globe Theatre. They have done a wonderful job. It feels really, really old. Constructed from wood, and open to the elements in the centre they have 3 levels of seating, some good, some not-so-good, all on wooden benches, which MIGHT be worse than the benches in the Walker balcony. The exception to the benches are those on the floor, where it is standing room only (also in keeping with the real Globe). For better or worse (tonight they were rained on) they are exposed to the elements, but pay next to nothing for their view.

The show was great, every time I see a shakespearean plan during the first 5 minutes I think "Crap. What the hell are they saying? This is going to be a long 2 hours." But then am always surprised at how quickly you adapt to understanding the language. It helps that the actors give you clues with their gestures and expressions, but I think you also fall into pace with the lyrical rhythm of the language. Good times were had by all except for the bitchy woman I was sitting next too. She did not enjoy. 

sweaty

humid humid humid. 

This prairie girl is not used to this humidity. Now I stink.

Gotta go get ready (read: get unstunk) for some Shakespeare at the Globe tonight. (Midsummers night dream).

More later, skaters.

PS It's Acheson's birthday today, take the time to write happy birthday on his facebook wall. He deserves at least that!

Day Two

Wow! What a busy day!

I had a great night sleep last night and don't seem to be suffering too badly from Jet lag, hopefully I'm able to sleep again tonight and stay on schedule.

This morning I made my way over to the Victoria and Albert Museum where I checked out the China Design Now and Blood on Paper Exhibits. China was incredible, featuring the latest graphic and Fashion design as well as the latest in Chinese Architechture. It's a great show that really looks at the conflict between the traditional and contemporary in the work being created in China right now. 

Blood on Paper sounded promising, being about the art of bookmaking, however it was book as Art. Art, with a capitol A. Which can be pretentious, and lame. And it was. I wasn't allow to take photos in either exhibit, but I picked up the show catalogue for the China Design show. 

The V & A has a great collection, an I could really spend days in there, so I looked around a bit, then had lunch in the courtyard, as it was a beautiful day out, hot and sunny.

After lunch I made my way across the city to try my hand at the type walk. I managed to get off course (of course) about a third of the way through the map, so I just made up my own type walk. Then, sever miles later, I gave up and hopped on a train back to the hotel.

The beautiful weather had everyone out tonight for a drink, pubs were spilling out into the roads. I met up with Garnet in Soho and we joined the hoards for a drink, then met up with Garnet's girlfriend and went to Mildred's for some amazing veggie cuisine. Had a great visit, and hope to see him again before I leave town.

Today while waiting for my train this afternoon, there was an announcement that a station would be closed this evening to remove an unexploded WWII bomb. Certainly not in Canada any more!

Now, it's time to settle down and get ready for bed!

Safe & Sound

Arrived safely in London today. The flight was long and uneventful (also un-restful). The highlight of travel was the butternut squash soup I had at the Wolfgang Puck Express in Minneapolis. Delish.

Checked into my hotel room this afternoon, it's beautifully located, and just down the street from Earl's Court station, which is super handy. Not having slept on the plane, I'm pretty pooped and didn't do too much today. I just wandered around Earl's Court and High Street Kensington, lots of great shops, interesting people on the street.

Tonight I will be retiring early, but am still going to try and stay up for a few more hours yet. I've got to rest up for a big day tomorrow.

Verdict

My version of yesterday's events:

I gave the cat the prescribed dose of sedatives so that he could remain calm on the way to the lake, where I left him with loving, familiar people (my parents) in a familiar, pleasant setting (the cabin) so that he would not be lonely while I am away.

The Baron's version of yesterday's events:

She shoved pills into my throat, threw me in a cage, dropped me off in shack in the woods, while I was drugged out of my tiny little cat brain. and then left.

The Truth of yesterday's events:

The prescribed dose was clearly too much, he still pooped in his carrier, when we arrived he couldn't even walk, I was terrified that I had done permanent damage to him as the drug did not wear off for over 9 hours, now I have double the guilt for giving him the meds, and for leaving him.

Please know that he is fine, and is probably cuddling with mom right now and thinking about talking dad into giving him extra treats and not even giving me a second thought.

Almost Ready

It's almost officially time for me to head out. Today I am up before nine (unprecedented!) as I am driving up to the lake for one night only, to drop the cat off. He will be having his vacation while I am away and is staying with Mom and Dad in Clear Lake. We also get to try out those Tranquilizers that my vet sold me last weekend. Here's hoping the 3 hour trip to the lake goes better than the 20 minute trip to the vet. 

I thought that it was about time I sent out the link to this blog to all my peeps, so y'all can bookmark it and...ahem... Czech in on me whist I am gone. Usually when I'm traveling I keep a journal, but now that they have this new thing called the "internet", I thought I would just journal online, and be able to share it with yous guys.

Tentative Itinerary

How can you tell I'm beyond excited? Because it is two months away and I am posting my tentative itinerary on a blog I just hooked up.

Tonight I also figured out my budget. Of which half is spent in those 4 days in London.

Here's the scoop:

June 3

Leave Winnipeg

June 4

Arrive London

June 8

Leave London, Arrive South West England

June 12

Leave SW England, depart from London to Czech

June 17

Leave comfort of Mark's for design conference in Brno, Czech

June 20

Leave Brno, head to Beer Fest

June 23

Leave for London

June 24

Leave for Winnipeg