Prague was the last place we visited on our brief European tour, (yes I know it was about a month ago, but c'est la vie). Prague is an absolutely stunning place, and I definitely want to go back. We stayed with Jan , one of Matt's colleagues based in Prague.
The castle was a highlight with a unique beauty about it. We climbed to the top of the second bell tower to see the view over Prague. The King's Garden (The Senate), just down the way from the castle was like a fairytale, as was the very famous 'Orloj' - the medieval astronomical clock that marks the old town centre.
We were blessed with good weather (most of the time) and enjoyed strolling across Charles Bridge: a stone Gothic bridge that connects the Old Town and Malá Strana. It's construction commenced in 1357. Along with the local village talent in photography, jewellery and drawing, we met an American poet in a little caffe just off the main drag. He has been living in Prague for eight years, and has just published his third book.
Praga at night: Jan took us to a traditional Czech pub/restaurant. The beer they were selling is brewed on site, and along with a very potent 'herbal' spirit, it is the 'only' drink served...period. :) If your glass drops beneath 1/3 full, watch out, there'll be a big burly Czech bar tender slamming another dark beer down on the table in front of you. Grrrr.
On another night Matt and I had the magical experience of going to the Old Town Opera Theatre to see Mozart's Don Giovanni...wow...
Here's one of Jan, Matt and, a colleague of theirs, Scott, just down from the museum. More photos here.
PS...the people next door eat lamb chops...every night.
Jo and I headed up into Cumbria for another day's riding in Grizedale Forest last Saturday. We almost have the packing down to routine: helmets - check, pads - check, tools - check, ...... Once we arrive in the car park at the Forest Centre Jo goes and rents her bike while I set up mine (and generally mess around :-) ). Our hope has always been to ride as much of the 'North Face Trail' as possible - a moderately technical, mostly man-made, trail that climbs through the hills around the car park, but we've always missed bits out and walked a lot of the tough bits.
Not so this Saturday. Jo just stood up and rode off into the distance; up the goat's trail, up-and-over the rocks/roots/wild boars (almost) without even a dab (placing a foot down for support). Couldn't believe it. We followed the whole trail as it climbed and dived around trees and down through gullies, stopping occasionally to catch our (my) breath, before diving back into it.
Jo even managed a bit of a stack; before getting up and re-riding the same section, just to prove that she could do it. From what we could work out, Jo's front wheel just skidded out coming through a right-hand corner; it's a frustrating stack (one that I've done a *few* times). You're usually going relatively slowly and you feel the bike lying down and you know that you're going to loose a bit of skin off your elbow and there's not much you can do about it. Jo actually did contain it all rather well. Check out the photos (can't have a stack without photos...).
Once we rode back into the car park and swapped Jo's bike over (Jo snapped her first bike chain - about 20 yards from the bike shop - Praise God...), we climbed back to the top of the fateful downhill run - with a new bike and elbow pads from the car - and re-rode the same sections.
On the last downhill section I stopped and filmed Jo coming down and across a bridged gully. Enjoy!
Running Time: 24sec
Jo here: The video of me is on the last down-hill section of the day, so I was feeling pretty tired and slow. (That was the only reason I allowed Matt to get far enough in front to stop and shoot a movie :-) ).
From Belgium we flew to Warsaw in Poland to meet Adam, one of Matt's colleagues from work. Having a 'local' as a friend is the best way to see the heart of a place. We visited 'Lazienki Park' on Saturday and walked through some beautiful gardens, after a leisurely stroll around the lake, as well as visiting Chopin's Monument. :)
As you may be aware Warsaw was completely demolished in 1945 in the war. So, the city, while being re-built to the original blue prints, is really only 50 years old. We visited areas of the 'old town' of Warsaw that have never been restored. The statue of the little boy soldier (left) is a memorial of the many people, including children as young as this boy, who died in WWII, fighting for their Independence. On a brighter note, on Sunday, Adam drove us to the south east of Poland to Wroclaw, a beautiful old town perfect for a night out. We enjoyed coffee and beer while watching street performers before dinner. Afterwards Adam took Matt and I to a couple of local night clubs. Dang; the Polish can dance!
Bright and early Monday morning (ouch!) Adam drove Matt and I to a train station where we caught a train to the into the Czech Republic and on to Prague!
Our first day of holidays: we set off from Manchester to Brussels, in Belgium. We flew with Jude (a friend from church) who was meeting her Belgian fiance over there, Yves-Pascal (Y.P). We had the amazing pleasure of staying with Antoine and Linda, who are both Violin Makers. Antoine is French and works in violin restoration and Linda is and Aussie and makes original violins. How cool is that! We saw Antoine's workshop and were given a brief lesson of the process. Absolutely fascinating. (You can just see some of their tools in the background of the photo).
Belgium was beautiful. We 'did' all the 'must see/taste/touch/smell' things like waffles, beer, french fries, (which by the way does not mean fries from France; rather, the word 'french' actually translates to 'cut': 'cut fries'). One of the 'must sees' in Belgium is the 'Mannequin Pis' - which has many myths attached to it, and has been stolen twice. To be honest, it was a bit of an anti-climax; though the Grande Place nearby was impressive, not the mention Belgian Chocolate!
We spent a night in Le Da Panne with Jude and YP, just out of Brussels in a caravan on the beach! Beach! Beautiful quality time with them both, playing silly games on the beach and experiencing a true Belgium breakfast thanks to YP. I have never tasted croissants like it! I couldn't eat for the rest of the day! They are so rich!
We also spent some time in Brugge which is a beautiful little town, lined with cobbled stones and renowned for its lace and good chocolate. There is a horse and cart to take you on a trip around the town if you so desire. We sat in the middle of square sharing a baguette with ham and cheese: how very French of us!
Back in Brussels we packed up and had time to try one more beer at Antoine and Linda's 'local' which prides itself on their menu of 350 beers for sale.
