Master of Lights and Loos

July 30th Update **Pictures Added**

Michelle and I agreed that this should be the title of the next blog since every room we go into has a different system for turning on the lights and every bathroom a different way of flushing the toilet...hence our new designation of M.L.L. Master of Lights and Loos.

We are back in Prague now and again I am not sure how long I can get away with using this computer so I'll just make a start and carry on whenever I can.

Some general comments....Great coffee in the Czech Republic....hate the fact that a lot of people smoke in restaurants...hotels have been great especially the one here in Prague which is close to everything and was something like $85 a night and includes a giant breakfast which is one of our two meals a day.

In Prague people speak English but in Karlovy Vary where we have just been they only spoke German and Russian. Never thought I would go to the Czech Republic to improve my German but that is in fact what happened. Very few English speaking people in Karlovy Vary. Lots of Russians, a very rich crowd, and Asians especially Koreans.

Ok...Karlovy Vary....WOW!!!
We took the train there in favour of the bus and enjoyed it very much. Nothing really out of the ordinary about it except that we were surprised to see row upon row of solar panels. We both like the train and you can move around more easily and don't have to be strapped in. The journey took us 3 hours and we saw some nice country on the way.

The hotel in KV wasn't as big or classy as the one in Prague but our room was about the same price and perfectly adequate. KV is a smaller place and again we were right near the centre. My friend and distant relative Carol was waiting for us at the hotel and no sooner had we arrived and dropped our stuff than she had us on the bus going across the river to my mother's old home town. It used to be called Fishern (in German) but is now called Rybare (which apparently means something to do with fish as well). I had taken along a photograph taken in 1991, the last time anyone had photographed the house that once was my grandparents business and home. Neither Carol nor I knew where it was on a long street originally called Hauptstrasse (Main street) and now called something else. Of course once the German speaking population were driven out of this area all names were switched to Czech names and in many cases, because the place was occupied by the Communists, to names of communist sympathisers. Anyway a man in the street saw us looking at the photo and then looking at the house fronts and he beckoned me over to see if he could help. He wasn't totally sure so he waved to his buddy across the road who took it into a bar and came out moments later and told us where to look. Sure enough we found it, sadly not in very good shape but we'll post a picture here once we can upload the pictures.

Building In Fishern Once Owned by the Simon Family

Carol's partner wanted to visit a local shop so Michelle and Carol and I stood outside the shop, which unfortunately was closed, and talked about my mum and my grandparents. If anyone thought this was going to be an emotional moment, it turned out not to be.

For those of you who have never heard of Karlovy Vary, formerly called Karlsbad yes, where the lager comes from, this is a spa town. The locals have directed the very hot and mineralized water to various taps throughout the town and people come here to drink the water.

Ornate Fountain in Karlovy Vary

Fountain in Karlovy Vary

Before WWII this was a very fashionable place and there are many many wonderful old houses and many hotels which cater just to this. Since the end of communism in the Czech Republic they have been renovating the old places to their original architecture and painted them up and the place is absolutely incredible. They river runs through the town and they have closed the roads on either side of the river and paved them over.

Walking Beside the River in Karlovy Vary

So....miles and miles of these gorgeous old houses with amazing carved decoration. Paved walkways for easy walking and lots of little touristy outlets with everything from Czech crystal, to scarves, and specialty foods AND, the most important thing, little cups with spouts so that people can fill the cup with the spa water and then walk along sipping it. I thought it extremely funny to see people walking along with, in one hand the spa water which is supposed to make them more healthy, and in the other hand a sobrani!!! People here smoke a lot! There are also many signs for the WC for obvious reasons.

 Looking Down the River and Along the Main Street

Looking Down on the Statue calling for Peace Between Religions

On the first evening Carol took us to this walking area and we had our first look before dinner. On the second day she lead us on a tour of places where apparently my relatives had once lived and/or places where my mother had once danced as a teenager. Some of the hotels are still called by the same names and anyone who ever chatted to my mother about her childhood would have heard about the tea dances she went to. Also these hotels were once my grandparents' customers as they had a wholesale and retail store selling, amongst other things, china and glass to the many hotels.

 Richmond Hotel

Grand Pupp Hotel

Imperial Hotel

(This one is perched on the top of a hill and looks out over the city)

This blog cannot do justice to these hotels until we have the photos up. The hotels are absolutely enormous, and often perched up on the hillside overlooking the town. In one case we rode a cable car up to the hotel, had a coffee and rode down again. Of course everything you do here costs you money including going to the bathroom which costs about $0.60 CAN. That can get expensive when you stop several times a day for coffee!! We walked until we thought our feet were going to drop off and both nights we were happy to stop for dinner and eat authentic Czech cuisine.

Michelle and I took the train back to Prague on Sunday arriving in time to go for an evening stroll...or should I say we both limped very slowly to see the astrological clock, one of the sights for which Prague is famous.

Today we took the tram to the top of the hill overlooking Prague and walked back down, taking in sights of the Castle and it's surrounding buildings with a walk over the very famous Prague bridge. Unfortunately our feet have got the better of us so we couldn't do this all justice but we did manage to walk very slowly and see most of it.

Tomorrow we are flying back to London and the following day will rent a car and head out of town. If we get a chance, Michelle will add some photos to the last two blogs...but no promises.

A car, a car. My kingdom for a car!

Hi From Prague

July 30th Update **Pictures Added**

Not sure how long I will have on the computer so will start by saying that we arrived here safely and had a great day today visiting the synagogues of Prague. We already have our tickets for the train tomorrow that will take us to Karlovy Vary. This site is all in Czech so I'm hoping I can remember how to post this blog.

I'll backtrack a little now to say that we were up at five am yesterday for the flights to Prague via Munich. We weren't too impressed with having to get off on the tarmac since it wasn't just pouring but coming down in buckets and the ground was just one great big puddle. With all your hand luggage and waiting for the people in front of you to move, it wasn't much fun. However, we did like the free coffee in Munich airport. The second plane to Prague was the tightest we have ever been and Michelle said she felt like a sardine in the tin.

We got off the plane in Prague where, if anything, it was raining even harder and thank goodness there were signs in English. We managed to buy a three day pass for the bus-subway system and found our way to the station closest to the hotel. I figured that by the time we got to the hotel we would be like a couple of drowned rats but lo and behold the hotel was just steps away from the subway. If we had had access to the computer last night we would have invited you to a party in our bathroom which is bigger than Michelle's living room.

 Bathroom at the Hotel Christie

The room is great too with two single beds, bar, safe and two massive windows overlooking a courtyard.

Our Room at the Hotel Christie

We didn't want to go wondering around for food so went to the hotel restaurant which serves food till nine thirty. Nobody else was there when we arrived so we thought we were out of luck but we ended up having a wonderful meal of chicken with a herb topping and roasted vegetables and a basket of bread for the same price we had been paying in London and about eleven dollars Canadian. If you are wondering why I am not writing the numbers nor abbreviating with apostrophes it is because there are four characters on the top row and its taking just too long to figure out which keystrokes for which letter.

Anyway things seem quiet around here...so I will just carry on. We made some enquiries about the train to Karlovy Vary tomorrow and were told that we should pre book as tomorrow is Friday and the people in Prague go back to KV for the weekend. So...before starting our real day we found our way to the main train station which looks very nice and modern. The subway here seems to be very quick and efficient and the subway map very easy to follow. We then set off on our main mission to go to the one synagogue that has the names of all the holocaust victims inscribed onto the walls. What an amazing sight. They are listed by town from which they were rounded up so you have to know that in order to find any names. Fortunately we have this information for quite a number of my relatives and we did manage to find {and photograph} the names of my grandparents, as well as some other close family members.

One of the Large Rooms in the Pinkas Synogogue

(The walls here are covered with places and names)

 Closer View of One Panel in the Pinkas Synogogue

 Close Up of Wall in Pinkas Synogogue

(Entries are alphabetical, first by city then by surname.   Surnames are listed in red followed by the first name, birthdate and the last date the person was known to be alive.   Families with the same surname are divided by a golden asterisk.)

Photography is not allowed but there are as many people breaking this rule as those observing it and so we continued except for the one occasion when Michelle was told specifically to stop. The photos will have to wait for another day. There are two courtesy computers in the hotel and I think everyone is at dinner right now.

Which reminds me that we had the most amazing buffet breakfast this morning which was included in the price of the room. I thought continental breakfast meant rolls and coffee but not here. There was everything from cold cuts, cheese, cereals, cake, yoghurt and fruit, every imaginable beverage etc. etc. Because of this we had a huge breakfast which kept us going until four pm when we went for some typically Czech food of roast pork, potato dumplings and sauerkraut. This blog is going to end up sounding as if we spend all our time eating but my feet will attest to the fact that we have walked miles. The tickets for the synagogue actually includes five synagogues many of which are museums so we are well and truly educated in Jewish traditions and customs, something in which we have been sadly lacking. So far we have only visited the old town of Prague. As well as the synagogue we visited the old cemetery with graves dating back to the twelve hundreds. You will have to wait for the photos but it is amazing. The lack of space meant that they buried people on top of others creating higher ground and the grave stones are at every angle crowded together very closely. Obviously some of the trees have been there a long time as they have grown around some of the grave markers.

 Old Jewish Cemetery

Old Jewish Cemetery

I must admit that I was very moved in this synagogue and the graveyard. Maybe a sentimental feeling for things that might have been. My mother always refused to retrace her steps and visit Prague and her home town. I believe today that she felt tremendous guilt about leaving her parents behind and I never pushed her to come with me although it would have been awesome to do this trip with her. Still Michelle and I are enjoying the experience together.

The Spanish synagogue was amazing...haven't yet figured out why it is called Spanish but anyway it was full of holocaust memorabilia including a Daily Report from Terezin or Theresienstadt as it was called in German, which was dated the day before my grandparents were shipped out of there.

Alter of the Spanish Synogogue

Dome and Star of David Chandelier in the Spanish Synogoue

Close Up of Wall Detail in the Spanish Synagogue

Nothing special about that I suppose but since it was the report of the daily activities, the date caught my eye. Sorry this is all a bit scattered but I'm just chucking things down as I think of them. Lots of stone in this city...buildings, floors in the train station, cobbled streets and mosaic patterns of stone on the sidewalks. You will have to backtrack to this blog at some time to get the photos.

Well, I'm feeling a bit guilty as I chucked some guy off the machine. He was just doing Facebook and listening to loud music. Now there is nobody here and it looks as if I could go for another while. But....I have packing to do.

Again...not sure what we will find at the next hotel. I have a feeling that it is a bit smaller than this one but we are getting used to surprises.

By six in the evening we were totally done and so here we are at home going for an early night so we can be up early again so we can check out and be on the train by nine thirty.

I'm thinking that publikovat prispevek means post this blog so here goes
love to all.

Last day of London sight seeing

We planned a fairly easy day today but it didn't quite work out that way.

Just to catch up I'll tell you that we hopped on the train to Redhill yesterday to visit my 90 year old aunt. Boy! if I'm in half as good shape when I'm 90, I'll be doing well. Michelle was looking forward to meeting her and she wasn't disappointed. My aunt, always a beautiful woman, looked amazing. In her fashionably modern sweater and beautiful white hair, she smelled so good when she opened the door to us.

Sue and Aunty Katja

Although she relies on her walker (zimmerframe) to get around she is full of jokes about the junk she carries around with her in the storage compartment and full of stories about her life's experiences. Michelle thought she might be reluctant to speak of her time in several concentration camps during WWII but she was very down to earth about that period and continued on to tell us many stories about her subsequent life and work experiences. Sitting in the sun room of her beautifully furnished and spotlessly clean bungalow she served us up a lovely cake and tea and we were amazed that 4 hours slipped by very quickly. As always I was really sorry to take my leave of her and regret very much that I don't live closer and could visit her more often. Unfortunately her two daughters with whom I spent time as a child, were both out of the country yesterday.

So...on to today. On our way home last night we bought tickets on-line to go up The London Eye for 10.30 am today. The tickets are cheaper if you buy on-line but you need a printer to print them off so we had to go to an internet store that is close to the apartment. We were hoping that if we got there early in the morning (they only open at 10) we'd miss the crowds and we seem to have been successful although once we started lining up to actually get on, we noticed that we hadn't beaten the hoards by more than a few minutes. It was a very grey and cloudy day today which you will see by the photos but the clouds were high up enough that it didn't interfere with the sights.

A grey day at the London Eye

An empty compartment of the London Eye

I'm not sure what they call the "compartments", "bubbles", "cars" whatever...the containers that you go up in, but there were about 22 people in ours and plenty of room to move around and take photos without other people getting in the way. The wheel does not stop on the way round and you just get in and out as it moves very slowly. At the bottom it meets the platform for long enough that two people with equipment go through every "compartment" checking for bombs between every group of people and we also had to submit to a very quick check before we got on. The complete circle takes half an hour and so by 11 am we were out of there.

Big Ben from half way up on the London Eye

Statue of Bodicea in the centre

Big Ben and Houses of Parliament from the top of the London Eye

Round building is new Hotel

Front right: Charing Cross Station

Back tall column: BT tower (where my mum had her gall bladder attack)

Left centre: Nelson's Column (white with black top)

Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square

St. Martin's in the Field, Trafalgar Square

Looking down river, Charing Cross Bridge

The new London Bridge

For some reason a single man in the next compartment

They call the pointed highrise "The Gherkin"

Looking down river

Looking straight down to the ground

Although we had some things planned for the afternoon we decided, as we crossed the Westminster Bridge back to the bus, that we had time to take a short river cruise so that Michelle could at least see the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

We hoped aboard one of the many boats and I actually got a seniors discount for the first time on this trip. The journey down river took about 45 minutes and the trip back only about 15 minutes but as you will see, Michelle took some nice photos despite the weather.

One of the river cruise boats coming out from under Westminster Bridge

A different cruise boat

Westminster Bridge and London Eye from up river

The Milenium suspension bridge

Old Buildings converted to condos with St. Paul's in background

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

Reproduction of original Globe Theatre (with thatched roof)

Old docklands building converted to condos (flats)

Other buildings with new covered portion in the middle

Another old docklands building

She is always taken with the new glass buildings alongside buildings that are hundreds of years old. When you are up on the London Eye you really do get a better sense of how much the older and much smaller buildings are being crowded out by the new glass towers. Some of those old buildings are so gorgeous but it is hard to appreciate them because the view of them is never from a proper distance where you can take in the decoration at the tops and/or the roofs, but you are always looking at them from the sidewalk right out front.

Here you see the small old building right next to monster glass tower

Anyway, coming back up river from Tower Bridge it was very chilly and neither of us were properly dressed for the occasion. When we hit the Embankment again which is right around Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, we were right back into the thronging masses and so we jumped aboard our favourite Number E-L-E-V-E-N bus and headed back towards home. We had to call in at the bank, which amazingly went very smoothly..you know the fun I have with banks here... and the young receptionist gave us great directions to some eateries away from the main road where we found a relatively empty pub and had a fabulous lunch. One Fish and Chips and one Steak and Ale pie....both excellent!!!

On the way home we stopped at Marks and Spencer. I've already had the packet of lox I mentioned in an earlier blog but oh M&S do such wonderful desserts that I'm afraid I set a very bad example to my child and had to buy a Mocha Chocolate light as a feather yummy thing and a chocolate eclair for tomorrow.

Our agenda for tomorrow is to pack up as if we were leaving for good, except of course we are now off to the Czech Republic. However, when we get back we're only here for one night before picking up a car and heading north. We are staying in small hotels while we are in Prague and Karlovy Vary but we think they both have internet available to us so we'll try and keep you posted even if it is without photographs for now.

Thanks again for all the positive feedback. Your responses to the blog have made it a lot of fun for us too. On to Prague!

Planes and teapots

Since I have some extra time this morning I thought I'd share some observations with you...things that we've noticed and on which we have made comments to one another.

London airport is of course very close to the big city itself and so planes are constantly overhead. Michelle probably hasn't seen as many airplanes in her entire life as she has seen since arriving in London. From Clare's flat they pass directly overhead and you can often see two or three stacked up on their approach to London Airport. They are surprisingly quiet although they appear to be fairly low.

Talking of quiet...London is not quiet. Coming from a small place, even after our many years in a Toronto suburb, we realise just how noisy the city can be. Car and people noise continues throughout the night although I have to admit I quickly adapted to sleeping through it despite the continual siren noises which I realised is not so much the police across the road but the ambulances which are probably twice as loud as those that we are used to. Perhaps we'll notice the silence when we get back to Nanaimo.

We've also noticed the many helicopters that circle the city constantly. Earlier in the week when we visited mum's friend in Cricklewood (a London suburb) we had to stop our conversation 3 times in a two hour period when the helicopter passed immediately overhead, as the noise bothered our friend's hearing aid.

Certainly the Brits are still very cautious of possible terrorist attacks and we soon realised that the amount of garbage around is probably because they have removed all the garbage cans for fear that they provide places to leave bombs. We were taken by surprise when we were asked to open our purses yesterday at the London Eye but to be honest it wasn't much of a search. Then of course they also checked the compartments....which are mostly glass, but they used mirrors for high and low places in the centre where something could potentially be hidden.

Ok...so the next small thing in which we have taken some delight is that the teapots don't drip!

In Canada we are all used to those dreadful metal teapots that spill tea everywhere as soon as you tip them. Here the teapots are all ceramic and they DONT drip. Of course the other delightful thing is that they sell so many lovely looking pots and were it not that we are scared to break it on the way home, we would probably have bought one...or six!!!

And of course, the tea itself is delicious. It tastes completely different here and I'm sure it isn't just the water.

When you order water in a restaurant here you have to specify if you want tap water or they assume you want bottled water and they ask you if you want still or sparkling water. Tap water here is pretty disgusting to taste but perfectly safe to drink.

Certainly in London, the restaurants and other service areas are all manned by foreigners.

Mushy peas are offered here with your order of Fish and Chips and we've been quite amused to be asked about something so very English, by so many different accents. Sometimes the waiters themselves have trouble understanding the customers.

And while we are on the subject of foreigners, there are a lot of Muslem women in headscarves and just as many in full black garb with only their eyes showing. You can certainly understand why it has become a contentious issue. The dress code for these women makes them not only a visible minority but adds another dimension to their difference. In Vancouver, we are very used to the Sikh or Chinese groups and believe that we "don't even notice". However, we have noticed that getting into the elevator with just a pair of eyes is a very different experience. I'm sure it would be something we could all get used to but it certainly brings home to us the fact that we subconsciously judge everybody, even those with whom we step onto an elevator, based on dress and appearance and so someone behind a complete cloak of black is an unknown quantity.

Going back to the Fish and Chips for a moment, the portions are definitely much bigger than what we are used to and to my taste buds, also much better. The price would be about the same.

Michelle has commented that she loves the fact that there are so many small stores and that it is possible to shop every day on your way back home from wherever you have been. No need here for giant shopping expeditions that take all afternoon.

Scarves are on sale everywhere here and they sell in every price range right down to 3 for £5.

Thats 3 for about $8CAN. Needless to say we've already bought 6 and yes, they are probably pretty crappy material. If you want good stuff, Marks and Spencer and other places charge the same price they would be in Canada.

One thing I always enjoy in the UK is the fact that stores carry clothes that are so much more fashioned than those we see in everyday places. Even cheap stuff here has a design to it and is more than just a straight T-shirt style. Michelle has bought a couple of things but more for the difference from something at home rather than for the price. The shoes at M&S are lovely but of course I'm stuck in the same pair of shoes for ever and Michelle takes a size larger than standard.

The largest and most obvious thing to mention is the enormous number of things to see and do. It isn't just that London is an old city so that buildings themselves hold a fascination for those of us who live in new places, but also that money is invested in the arts here. These museums that we have been going to are all free, asking only for donations of £3 ($5 CAN). Nobody watches to see what or if you pay anything. I realise that many of these marvellous things housed in these buildings have been there for a long time and so that support has been there historically but the fact is that the money continues to support them. And all of them provide decent restaurants, interesting gift shops and good access.

While I enjoy living in Nanaimo and will certainly look forward to returning to the peace and tranquility of the place, I find myself asking why my friends should visit me there. Unless they want to spend two weeks hiking, scuba diving or playing golf there isn't really anything to keep them once they have looked at the natural beauty of the place. I don't say this to put down Nanaimo or Vancouver but merely to say that people who are trying to entice tourism in either of those places need to recognise what the competition offers and come up with a reason for someone to linger in our area for longer. Small places can't be expected to provide funding for this on their own but people who visit need to have a variety of things to experience in other local towns and cities. The proximity of the big cities to smaller European towns is to their advantage so a tourist needs a reason to come to Nanaimo other than a walk in the woods!

Bitch me out if you will but it seems like a no brainer to me!!

Well, thats all I can think of to comment on right now and its time to get the day rolling.

TTFN

Done like dinner!

(photos to follow whenever Michelle can find time)

Tonight I am absolutely shattered after another day at the museum. It was pouring with rain today as we set off for the Victoria and Albert museum so we decided to eat lunch there. Michelle had a write up which said that this was the best of all the museum cafeterias and we can now certainly confirm that it was good. We both ordered roast pork, roast potatoes, veggies and gravy and as the guy piled it all higher and higher we realised that we could probably have been perfectly happy sharing one meal. It was amazingly good considering the number of people going through the place and better than other restaurants at which we had paid much more money.

The entrance from the subway and the foyer of the museum was swarming with people so having picked up the floor plan we headed for the top floor to try and get away from the crowds. That worked pretty well and I hope you all enjoy the pictures of the amazing pottery from around the world. We were absolutely staggered by the number of pieces and you can see that the cases housing the exhibits run from one end of the room to the other. Michelle took literally hundreds of photos and she'll have trouble picking the best ones.

Shelves of China

(This is just a quarter of what was in this room.   This is only half of the row of shelves and there is another row behind it.  There were at least 6 rooms like this.)

 Lovely Dinner Plate

 Large Decorative Plate

Panel of Tiles - Bull Motif

 Serving Platter

Panel of Tiles - Urn Motif

From there we made our way down the floors. We saw many different sections and I'll leave it to Michelle to label them so you have some idea although we haven't made any notes so can't be too specific. I just loved the tiny Japanese carvings with so much detail and also enjoyed the beautiful furniture. Roger has taught me to appreciate good wood working and some of the pieces are exquisite.

Table Sue Really Liked 

 Statue of St Peter

 Information on Japanese Netsuke

 Netsuke Man

Netsuke Cock 

 Netsuke Man Riding a Horse

Netsuke Beast

At 4 pm we'd been walking around for 3 hours and I was starting to feel a little tired so we headed back to the cafeteria for our afternoon tea. I just hope that all this exercise is taking care of the extra few calories. Previously we've both had a cup of tea and shared a piece of cake but today it just looked too good to share. The cafeteria is divided into several rooms and here are the photos of the room where we had tea.

Stained Glass Window

(This was the room we had our tea in) 

Second Room in the Cafeteria 

Third Room in the Cafeteria

After another hour I just couldn't stand it any longer. The lower we went in the building the more the crowds increased so we headed for the gift shop and decided to call it a day after that.

Although the exhibits in the museum were absolutely wonderful I found this gift shop quite uninspiring and ridiculously expensive, more so than others we've visited, so I headed for a seat outside while Michelle continued to wonder around. Outside on the benches I ran into the other walking wounded and felt a lot better after a man at least 20 years younger than me said that this day was more tiring than a day at work!

When we got outside it had stopped pouring and seemed quite a nice evening so we decided to walk down to Harrods. Well...I've run out of words to describe the crowds but Harrods was the worst yet. Michelle wanted to buy a Dr. Who toy so we literally fought our way through masses up to the 4th floor. For those of you who don't know, Harrods covers a city block and the 4th floor is divided into toys for boys, toys for girls, designer clothes for children and who knows what else. It was totally nuts and Michelle kept saying "no way would I ever bring my child here". In the end we couldn't find what Michelle wanted and so we got out of there as fast as our little feet could carry us.

By the time we got home I didn't even have the energy to make a cup of tea and so Michelle has been catering to me all evening. Tomorrow we are off to see my aunt so I doubt we'll have much to tell you.