Brom on the road again

Coocoo

Today we were back in the car. Mara and Gera were quite happy with that (both having blisters from all that walking), but I could easily have stayed in beautiful Prague a bit longer. But, Mara says the new place we were traveling to was beautiful as well, so I guess it's okay.

I think I have the best view

First we had to find our way to the motorway. Because we haven't got a nice man or woman telling us where to go (no gps), we had to do it by the book once again. Fortunately we could check it online and we were fine. 

Wang (or Vang) Stave Church

Our first stop was in Karpacz. We thought we had taken the wrong road at some point, but we were too impatient, so we had to go back and continue on the road we were on in the first place. 

Isn't it lovely?

Karpacz is a town in the South of Poland and we went there because Mara had seen there was a Norwegian church there and she wanted to see it. We finally made it to the church and it was very beautiful. 

No, I didn't take a bite out of the tower...

The people who had rebuilt it after it was taken down from Norway and brought to Poland, hadn't understood what was supposed to be on the in- and outside, so some parts were wrong. But it was still very beautiful. We went inside as well and there were dragons carved in the wood.

A little piggy at Meissen

After that they had a small lunch of sausage and drink (I'm a vegetarian don't you know and they didn't do cakes) and then we drove on. To the hotel in Kraków. It was a long way on the motorway and quite boring as well. Large fields that stretched into the distance and almost completely flat. Fortunately after a while there were some hills and it became prettier. 

On the Charles Bridge in Prague

Mara and Gera were worried about the road though, we had to pass a big town (Katowice) around rush hour time, but we hardly saw a thing. And we made it to Kraków in good time. Almost right on the dot. It was a bit scary with the road signs though: would we see them in time? Plus it was difficult to read the Polish: so many letters!

Mara, which river is this?
The Vltava or Moldau Brom!

But we did and we made it to the road where our hotel was supposed to be. Where it wasn't! However, Mara knew it was and Gera made us turn around at the lights and drive back and there was the sign to the hotel.

Waiting for a tour to start

Since Mara didn't take that many photos today (she was the designated driver), I will show you some more from our trip so far.

Hello!

Brom meets Albert

Coocoo

Day four of our road trip and our last day in Prague. What a beautiful beautiful city it is, just looking up would give us enough to look at, but there is so much more than that!

We started the morning a quarter of an hour late and thought we had missed the beginning of our tour through the Jewish quarter, but then we saw them only five minutes in and we were allowed to join them anyway. There was a really nice man who told us a lot about the whole area and the lives of the Jews since they first arrived until today. 

10.38am

There was a funny story about the clock that went backwards (it was made by a Christian who thought that since Hebrew is read from right to left, clocks probably were too!), there were success stories and there were a lot of very sad stories, from when they first arrived to when they were almost eradicated in WWII.

The cathedral in the castle grounds! HUMONGOMASSIHUGE!

After our tour through the Jewish quarter, we made our way to the bus again to go to the castle. Because we were going to have a tour there as well. It was not big. It was not huge. It wasn't even humungohuge. It was absolutely humongomassihuge! There was a big cathedral in the castle grounds and several more churches. There were gardens, big big buildings and so many court yards, I lost count! The king that lived there must have been very very rich!

One of the guards to the castle

When we had seen everything, we made our way down the hill again, towards the bridge. Mara asked one of the artists on the bridge whether he would draw a picture of me, but he didn't want to and all the other ones were busy. I would have loved to have a picture of myself, but not from somebody who thought I was silly. 

With Louis de Funès

Because the weather was so hot and we had paid for it, our last tour of the day was through a wax museum. We saw John Lennon and Elvis and Martina Navratalova (who is Czechoslovakian born), Albert Einstein, Saint Wenceslas and the little mole. 

With the little mole

And then we bought some souvenirs and went back to the hotel. Mara and Gera have some writing to do because it will be goodbye to this beautiful city and on to Krakow and Poland.

Yum!

Brom tells the time

Coocoo

Today I saw a lot! I waved at a little girl on the metro and she waved back. There was a really nice waiter who got an extra napkin to wipe my face and gave me some money back! And there was a nice lady at the boats who said hello to me. But we also saw a lot of other things. 

Waiting for the metro

We went on two buses to see all the sights and decide what we want to do tomorrow. We went on a boat ride which was really lovely and nice. We went on the metro twice and we walked and walked and walked and walked! All in temperatures of 30+. But the sunscreen worked.

The Astronomical Clock

There was this really great clock in the center of town and when it was two o'clock, there was a skeleton pulling the bell and apostles appeared. It's the astronomical clock and it looked really difficult and fancy. I didn't really understand much of it and neither did Mara, but it was very well made.

A bit scary

We crossed the Charles Bridge (Karlovy Most) when the sun was almost setting. It was still very very busy though with lots of people taking photos and lots of little stands where you could buy things and mebobs and such. 

The Charles Bridge from the river

A lot of people were on the river in pedaloes. It was really busy, nearly as busy as on the streets. And then there were a lot of big boats as well and we were on one, enjoying the view from the river Vltava. 

Franz Kafka

And we saw Franz Kafka, or at least a statue of him. I am not sure which one he is, but if you look closely, you can see me in the sleeve. We had to be quick though, because there were a lot of people wanting to take photos and not many that wanted me in it. Go figure!!

Grand Café the Orient. It was beautiful!

Mara says, that there may be a little surprise for me tomorrow. But she is not sure yet, so she won't tell me what it is. But we will be visiting the Jewish quarter and the castle for definite, so more stories to follow!

Yum

Brom goes by the book

Coocoo

Today was our second day on the road and it was lovely. But the first thing today that was lovely was right after breakfast, when Mara showed me where we had been staying for the night! A castle!! A real castle! 

Jagdschloss Letzlingen

We didn't stay in the main part, but in a sort of porter's house, but it was brilliant. We didn't stay long though, because we were going to visit the Meissen china factory in (wait for it) Meissen! 

NOT chocolate, but some sort of china

Today was Gera's day for driving and we made good time to the factory. Much better than yesterday I can tell you! The factory was absolutely humungohuge and there were so many beautiful things there as well. 

A full height figure of Saxonia
The 60 centimeter version cost 28,000 euros!

First they showed us how everything was made. Not in the actual factory, but in a small visitor area. It was interesting though. Something that looked green came out blue in the end. And how they made the figurines was amazing as well. You had to have such eye for detail. One sneeze and you could start again!

After the little tour, Mara and Gera went to see what had been made through the years. And there were so many beautiful objects it was hard to take it all in. Was it the big urn, or the little harlequin? What about the little pig or the huge eagle? She even put me in a few photos when the guards weren't looking!

Mara's favourite (and very expensive) vase

When they had looked at everything, they decided that they wanted to own something beautiful as well. Both wishing for big fat wallets stuffed with hundred euro bills, they had to make due with a small vase each. And those weren't cheap either. I just hope they will have enough left to go home in the end!

For the reopening of the American Embassy in Berlin a few years back

From Meissen our way went to Prague. Mara opened the gps, typed in... typed in... did not type in Czech Republic, because the gps wasn't set for it! But, Mara had been clever before the trip and had printed out the route to the hotel. Just in case. Well, we guided Gera almost to the hotel, before Mara made the tiniest little mistake and we took a wrong turning. It took us about 15 minutes, but then we finally found the right turning and there was the hotel!

He was a pussycat really

All our other destinations will have to be by the book as well, because neither Poland or Hungary are on the gps either. But for now, three nights here in Prague and lots more photos and stories to come I hope.

Yum!

M is for...

Most

This is one of the few remaining historic buildings of the small town of Most in the Czech Republic. During the 1960's most of the town's old and historic buildings were destroyed to make way for the lignite mines. However, one building was saved: The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, a Gothic church built in the 16th century.

The building remains, however the site changed. 'Prior to moving the building, the peripheral masonry, the bearing and supporting pillars were reinforced, and the remainder of the western tower was demolished. The church circumference was reinforced by a concrete ring and the church was gripped by a steel framework construction on the inner as well as outer sides. 53 transport trucks were set on special rails, which were inserted under all statically important points of the church. These transport trucks worked using computer controlled hydraulics, as were four booms used to pull the church. During movement of the church on the road section, rails which had already been passed over were moved from behind the building to in front of it, allowing them to be used again.' All houses that stood between the old and the new site had to be demolished as well, to make way for the convoy.

It took seven years of preparation and 28 days of actually moving the church 841 meters (920 yards) to its new site. They moved at a snail's pace: 1-3 centimeters per minute or about 30 meters per day. After the move they continued restoring the church until it was finally finished in 1988. In 1993 the church was solemnly blessed again. According to the Guinness Book of Records, it is the heaviest building ever to be moved.

This photo was taken (not by me, but one of my colleagues) during a 'learning trip' through Europe several years ago. It was the start of my career as an international driver and we saw Paris, Trier, Prague and Berlin in about four days. Needless to say I don't remember much. It was however great fun and since then I've had the opportunity to go to Italy, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany and of course the Netherlands with varying groups of people, a chance I wouldn't have had if I hadn't been on that course.

For more M words please check out: ABC Wednesday

Oh, and here is my L word for last week. Since I wasn't even fashionably late anymore!