Prague

I'm now killing time in the Prague hostel before my sleeper train leaves at 2132 for Krakow in Poland.  The architecture is stunning to look at (see the photo of the Opera House - the decoration is not unique to this building by any stretch) and the history of the City and its key components can be traced back over hundreds of years. I have enjoyed myself here immensly and would like to revisit in the future. Unlike Ljubljana, where having a companion is obligatory, here I have had a good time by myself but couples are extremely well catered for as well.

Last night, leaving at 7pm, Myself and two other punters indulged ourselves with a Segway tour of the city. For those who are unsure, a Segway is a two-wheeled device which one stands on, and its motion is controlled by your weight shifting. That is, if you wish to go forwards you lean forwards, backwards you lean backwards, and to stear you move the handlebars left or right. Clever electronics and gyroscopes handle the rest. After only 1 minute of tuition and a few minutes practice we all became confident and were able to whizz around the city, scattering pedestrians in our wake. The tour takes around three hours and setting off at dusk gave us stunning views of the city and also meant the streets were much quieter.

Unfortunately my mobile phone camera does not do these scenes justice so I can only tell you that the view from Prague Castle, overlooking the city on a clear night is simply brilliant. At the top of the hill, after looking at the castle with its various palaces (at 5 sq km the largest castle complex in the world) and with our machines needing a charge we pulled into a microbrewery for a couple of glasses of their 6.3% abv Amber Special which washed down their goulash extremely well.

At this point everything was going well, but in typical clumsy May fashion a combination of beer, a steep downhill gradient, lack of concentration and over confidence conspired to tip me off my stead and fall flat on my face! I am now sporting a grazed hand and chin and a nasty graze on my left knee. Hey ho, these things happen, I proceeded rather more cautiously to the bottom of the hill.

The tour takes around 3 hours to complete although last night with the meal break and me doing a faceplant we actually took around four. Fantastic fun, highly recommended and well worth the cost. Click this link if you are going to Prague and want to know more: Segway Prague

I have spent today mooching about in the sun, drinking perhaps a little too much beer at lunch time but enjoying the bright sunshine and warmth. Wearing just a t-shirt in late March, a slight breeze but nothing more, on the banks of the river, with a large glass of Urquell in hand, this is a lifestyle I could get used to! Apparently Prince Charles is in town and although he has not come to say hello yet I did see Camilla being driven past in a motorcade. She looked most hacked off being driven around on such a lovely day, but she did manage a wave as she passed.

So to sum up, Prague is lovely, it is a good time to come as the main tourist season is still 2-3 weeks away so while the city is busy it is not overcrowded. The weather is lovely, apparently only 3 weeks ago it was around -20 degrees centigrade with deep snow clogging the streets. However, I have found the cost of living to be pretty expensive - for a two course lunch and a single beer for one expect to pay around £20.00. At least it seems safe, the people are friendly and the food generally good. The beer, of course, is excellent!