Hats all folks

Weirdest breakfast ever, in keeping with our rather cheap and cheerful, rough and ready, raggedy Prague hotel. Hot Dogs for tea is it boys? No breakfast.

This will be a rather self indulgent blog reminding ourselves of our favourite bits.  My fellow blogger Haydn (take a look at his current trip to Hawaii, Alaska here https://fireandice2019.blogspot.com/ )hints in one of his earlier posts about reflection, and also writing for a broader audience, but the blog also being a record for himself, and ultimately that is what this is about.  Something for us to look back on in future years.  As I've tidied up some of our older blogs now, even the Australia one is now workable again and has been great to see how we have all evolved.   Well most of us ...






Drive to the airport duly done, tank filled up and returned to Avis;  we have clocked up somewhere north of 2100 km on this trip in the car alone, let alone an average walk/run of around 6 - 10 miles each day I would suggest.  Final bit will have to be by plane

your carriage awaits

2200 kms and not a scratch, clutch well used mind

airports not quite so exciting on the homeward leg

Usual coffee stuff in the airport and some reflections on the best bits to take away.  Who knows if this will be the last blog, Bryn probably done with these kinds of holidays, and not sure the dynamic will work with 3.  Am sure both Carys and I will blog again on our travels, whether that is separate or together remains to be seen.

1 hr 40 mins flight back from Prague, then M4 of doom for a couple of hours, having caught the hoppa back to collect car from Crowne Plaza.  A few more laughs, feeling pretty sprightly all things considered, not that draining effect of a long haul holiday but with all the adrenalin of a trip well done.

so long and thanks for all the (monk) fish

-Carys-

I wasn't really feeling breakfast, so I just had some light things, bread, a boiled egg etc. We weren't exactly rushing, but we didn't have all the time in the world, meaning after breakfast we all had to chip in a bit and get on with packing the - many, many, MANY - bottles of alcohol into the suitcases.

weirdest breakfast ever

keep it under your hat, the wine that is

With bulging suitcases, and heavy hearts we left our hotel and drove to the airport. whilst waiting, we had  a Starbucks - which I was very pleased with as they used a reusable glass and I rejected the straw, so my drink was more eco-friendly than a normal Starbucks one.

eco and unhealthy

Drop Off...Immigration...and we arrived in Duty Free. Dad scoured the shelves, looking for something not so overly priced which we could spend the last of our Czech kronas on. we thought this wouldn't be a faff and we'd be done in  no time, but after choosing out 3 MIlka  bars (for buy 2 get 1 free) and a few Lindt balls, we had a bit of a kerfuffle at the desk.

Even though, all the bars had been labelled with the 'buy 2 get 1 free', the desk assitsant explained to us that there was a mistake and some of them weren't part of the deal. There was some runnning back and forth to ask which ones were part of the deal, and to find a bar which actually was. In the end, another assistant brought over at least 15 bars that were all part of the deal.

Fuss over, we came to sit and wait for the gate to open - getting some blogging done during the wait too.

last bit of airport blogging

The Williams Family Europe 2019 Favourites -

Meal:

C- Vegetable Wraps, Tyrol
L- Costermano Pizza
CH- Vietnamese Meal
B - Costermano Pizza


Accomodation:

C- Munich hotel, very spacious, luxurious, lovely beds and I slept well, enjoyed the club room
L- slovenia vinyeard, novelty, we didn't really know what was happening, beautiful sunset and views, randomness
CH- Treviso, beautiful, quirky house, nice for us all to spread out
B- Treviso house, large rooms with double beds, good WiFi


Country:

C- Slovenia, we did lots of things, nostalgic of old holidays
L- Slovenia, went to all sorts of places there, bneaches, mountains, cities
CH- Slovenia, new place
B- slovenia, different experience


Activity:

C- Swimming in the river in Munich - the rapids. I was proud of myself for doing it and it felt exhilarating
L- Electric bikes, experience of cycling up a mountain like Tour De France - with some cheating
CH- Electric bikes, did it even though she doubted herself
B- Inflatable course, fun


Parkrun:

C- Kudowa Zdroj
L- Farfalle
CH- Farfalle
B- Kudowa Zdroj


Run:

C- Brno, good way to see the city and our guide was lovely, great time
L- Austrian mountain run, new experience, exhilarating
CH- Brno, unusual way of sightseeing, and running
B- austrian mountain run, brand new experience, really good fun


Experience:

C- Gondalas in Venice, a popular attraction that Venice is know for. Very peaceful
L- Swimming and paddle-boarding in Lake Garda, cool, crystal, non salty water
CH- evening swim in Lake Garda
B- partying in Jankas place, 5 second rule







The City European Championships as randomly drawn and scored by Williams family - penalties = rock, paper, scissors


Final

Ljubljana v Brno 2-2 (Lube one on penalties)


Semi Finals

Ljubljana v Venice 2-2 (Lube on penalties)

Brno v Munich 3 - 1


Quarter Finals

Munich v Piran 3-1

Treviso v Brno 1-3

Innsbruck v Ljubljana 2-2 (Lube on penalties)

Prague v Venice 0-4



And yesterdays quiz answers fairly accurate to the hour if not minute:

ITALY 4 days 5hrs
SLOVENIA 3 days 19 hrs
AUSTRIA 3 days 1 hr
CZECH 3 days 1 hr
GERMANY 1 day 4hrs
POLAND 21-22 hrs

- Carys -

Me, again. I haven't much to say because you can kind of guess how the rest of the day went - we got on the plane, had a quick, easy flight. Picked up the car, drove home and bought some bits in Co op to make a dinner (hoping to replicate our Costermano pesto pasta and then realsing we didn't have an pesto).

I just want to say thankyou to anyone who's stuck with us on this, or any of our blogs. I'm glad we do them because we'll always have the memory of our adventures here for us to look back on.

Can I have a P please Bob? #parkrun #poland #prague #pivovar #peeingdown

Today's extended route, let's avoid going right through Prague I said, straight to the hotel I said, and that's what we did.  But it turned out the wrong Pivovar was entered into the maps, so we had an extended drive through Prague, not the centre, but enough trams and u turns to make for some interesting moments.

record numbers at kudowa

https://www.relive.cc/view/r10007298137

Anyway, before all that we had the joy of our third parkrun at Kudowa - Zdroj.  Suitably impressed with the town yesterday, the people came to the fore today, as we congregated next to the big piano for our parkrun briefing.  We met a few triathletes who had come down from the mountains for their first parkrun (much to Bryn's annoyance who had his eye on the first place prize) and who added a few explanatory words of English when needed. In my case they were probably 'go faster' but 2 weeks of European beer beginning to take their toll and a bit of an effort to just get close to respectability today.  The course was lovely, probably the nicest of the 3 European parkruns we have run, 3 loops of a really interesting park, with a range of surfaces, one sharp hill, a small lake, and a few historic buildings.  What am I saying, it was the Polish version of Tredegar House in Newport!

international tourists

can i play a song for you?

blog title mission accomplished

show me your zlots

A little discount available in the cafe across the road where the last of our Polish Zlots were used up, have managed our little time in Poland on a £50 budget, a very cheap place to come compared to the other European countries we have visited.  That said, our time really was limited, less than 24 hrs in Kudowa, another Travel Man record of sorts.  And certainly our shortest place in any country.  Spot prize for those who know the country we spent the second least amount of time in. Answer below in the comments.  And a better prize for those who have worked out where we spent the most time.

We hit the road to Prague, our final stop on this years European tour.  Much of the journey spent discussing our respective highlights (to be revealed tomorrow), although also passing a heavy metal festival in Jaromer, stopping for a Mc Donalds at a service station, and enjoying the grooves and shakes of motorway driving in the Czech Republic.  The rain joined us for the first time on this trip for an extended period, so really felt at home driving.

As mentioned above, having navigated the outskirts of Prague we got to what we thought was our hotel and I was emotionally finished for the day.  Sadly, I had to find more energy for another 30 minutes to get to our actual hotel, a quirky little number next to a crematorium.  A mad axe murder type was hanging around outside, so everyone on their toes. Convenient for the airport though :)

the right one, or the wrong one?

We caught a tram into Prague in the rain.  My last time in this city in 1999 was a miserable affair, and this version didn't lift the mood all that much.  Last day of travels, tired, raining etc  Shame really as if you can lift your eyes above street level and the mass of tourists, there are some really interesting features on almost all buildings.  Glimpses of the past everywhere and juxtaposed with the modern services and stag dos.

hang on its a tram

a feet eye view of wenceslas square

the day the russians arrive expo

look up for goblins

Not enough time to do very much so showed kids the Good King Wenceslas Square, the astronomical clock and the Charles Bridge.  Found a couple of bars for the last few beers of this trip, and a real taste of Prague, pork, saukraut, onions,pancakes, mint and gravy.  The sun came out as we headed back to our tram, and the bars and atmosphere on the streets below the castle hinted at some good vibes and places that we just didn't have the energy to sample.  Bit of second wind at the hotel where several beers, games of pool and games meant our concerns about the rough and ready nature of the hotel were allayed .. we were the rough ones :)

busy bridge

last bridge photo

rate my plate

hang one

not more beer surely?

-Carys-

Being so conveniently near the park was so helpful this morning - no rushing around, arguing about being late and getting lost. Simple and straighforward start to the morning. We got up, I watched some tv and we got ready with time to spare. The stroll to the start took 5 minutes, where we were greeted by the run director of the event and a team of what looked like pro-athletes.

serious competition today

We'd apparently come on a day where lots of people - including some fasties - had chosen to run. The run event had its record broken of attendance numbers. People just kept filing in, until we had 40 odd people - still a small enough number, but lots more people than we had expected because of prior attendance numbers.

I really liked the course, and even though I ran a few seconds slower than last week, this parkrun has been my favourite. It was a really lovely course, and I enjoyed it thoroughly - despite getting lost once and having a rather excitable dog bound around me. I think I've got a problem with dogs now.

parkrun tourism

Briefly, we had a drink in the cafe  - which we got a parkrun discount for - to quench our thirst and then had to rush a little to get showered and packed up ready to leave for 11. I always get paranoid about forgetting things, but i think everything is with me, besides, my charger. I don't think I've mentioned this, but a few accommodations ago I lost my charger somehow. I think I lost it in the car, so we need to have a good look for it before we give back the car.

Today's drive was a little shorter than other ones we've had, 2 and half hours or so - we're all getting a little tired by now. Dad noticed a McDonald's so we pulled over to get some food - we hadn't had any breakfast, besides our drinks. I just had fries, as I didn't fancy any vegetarian options, but they did have a McCafe where I had this really delightful slice of caramel apple pie. I was really surprised.

nearly made through the whole trip without a mcdonalds

Back on the road, and we were soon at our hotel, which wasn't actually our hotel. We came to the wrong place, as we were informed at the desk, so turned around in the car and drove to where we were meant to. Bags in the room, we hopped on the tram and rode it into Prague.

We'd happened to come on the day that Prague Pride was happening - the streets were filled with lots of people with glitter and flags. I even had a free hug off some people who were offering them out - it sounds weird but was cute. Mum and dad showed us some sights, the clock tower, bridge, castle, museum. All interesting tourist attractions but we all felt a little off because it was raining - unfortunate weather for the pride parade.

pride and oppression

astronomical clock

Near the clock tower - which i went to see strike at 6 with Bryn - we had a drink, and after crossing the bridge we ate our food. Instead of a pizza or anything similar, i tried something different. A salad with goats cheese and some of the best potatoes I've ever had. Tired still, we got the tram back to the hotel and spent the evening playing games and having drinks in the restaurant bar.

a whole vegi section, I'll have the lot

Tomorrow is our last blog, so we mention some stats of the holiday, our favourites list - which hasn't appeared at the end of a blog for a while - and the results of a little game we've called ''The European Cities Football Championships''.

My family and I were looking for .... (Clark Griswold)

A much quieter getting from A to B kind of day.  Didn't rush out of the hotel in Brno, I did a bit of time on the treadmill, even though there was a park opposite that probably would have been the nicer bet.  Took some advantage of the large buffet breakfast, but more thirsty than hungry, so drank a large selection of their fruit juices.

Packed up and packed the car, we are pretty proficient at doing this now, years of practice.  Our route today:





Not much mileage but smaller roads, driving through lots of pretty little villages, and lots of pretty ordinary villages.  At times we could have easily been in Wales on the Machen to Caerphilly road.  The second half of the journey was through some very tidy forests, something I hadn't necessarily associated with the Czech Republic, but worth a mention for the general aesthetic appeal.  We didn't have a guide book for Czech so were unable to make sense of everything that was around us but did pass from Moravia to Bohemia, and through a recommended UNESCO Heritage site Litomysl, that is seen as artistically inspirational, if you stop, which we didn't.  Apparently there is some view of further separatist movements in the Czech Republic, feels like global politics forever a game of nationalist contraction and expansion.

small breakfast

only 3rd petrol stop of the journey

small roads

bigger roads

tree lined avenues

heading for Poland

Crossed the border to Poland and hit our sixth different country of the trip.  Chrissi missed the moment which has become a tradition, the border town of Nadchod  not particularly impressive, glad we hadn't chosen to stay there which was seen as an option for the parkrun we have gone for.

oh right so we are in Poland

too late for all the photos now

Couple of miles into Poland we turned left into Kudowa Zdroj, chosen because of its parkrun and proximity to the Czech border.  Had done absolutely no research into the place, expected a small village, turns out its a spa town, one of the oldest in Europe, very touristy, with wall to wall restaurants, people, activities and the lovely park that we will be running around tomorrow a centre piece.

Checked into our apartment, after a few loops looking for a parking space.  Didn't have to knock on any doors and utter the immortal Griswold line 'my family and I were looking for sex' (the number of the house) although it has brought a smile to our lips many times on this trip.  Ellen Griswold is the car name BTW.  Drive today took it out of me, but a little bit of exploration required. Some grand oldish hotels as befits a spa town, and the park, we walked around, knowing will need to go a bit quicker tomorrow.  Spent some time chilling in the apartment, then popped out for food.  Only exchanged about £50 into polish money so working to a budget, had sweet waffles this afternoon, pizza this evening, and bought a plaster as need some adhesive to mend my suitcase.  Couple of chocolate bars and probably enough for a coffee in the morning before we skedaddle.

bath spa

waters preserve people well here

waffles preserve people well here

tinkling the ivories at tomorrows start line

pierogi, the only one eating local tonight

comfort food

-Carys-

Dad was off to the gym when we woke up, so the rest of us had a lie in to energize us for the day. When we were all dressed, it was breakfast time down in the buffet. I made the mistake of eating too many mini donuts because I got excited that they were there, and then felt a bit ill. I still managed some yoghurt and dried fruit though.

It wasn't long before we were on the road, saying goodbye to Czech, for now, and driving to Poland. Our stay there is short but sweet, and I'm sure it would be nice to go back in the future. The drive took a few hours, and we were all starting to feel the annoyance of a lot of travelling. Especially Dad, since he was driving.

The apartment is one of my favourite places we've stayed in! It's absolutely beautiful, just like the kind of apartment I'd like to have when I'm older. It's really modern, a little short of space and me and Bryn have to share a sofa bed, but it's conveniently just a stones throw away from Parkrun, and has character to it.

Most of the afternoon was spent chilling in a room, and I went next door to the convenience store where I bought some chocolate for us to eat. Milka, it's been eaten quite frequently on this holiday - I think it's Austrian so it's quite relevant. Or it was at least, when we were in austria.

We went for a wander around the smallish town, which mostly consisted of the park and lots of cafes and restaurants. It was a bit like a resort, in some ways. There was an icecream stand which sold hot waffles though, so we each had one with strawberries in cream and sat in the park. They tasted perfect. After finding the start of parkrun (so we knew for tomorrow) and explored the park some more, we sat back in the room for a while.

park walk

Later on, Dad had to buy some plaster band aid thingy in the pharmacy - to save his suitcase from ripping apart any more - so we waited outside and then deliberated where we should have dinner. The restaurant owned by the people who also own the apartment was an option, but in the end we chose a bistro-style restaurant. I had a pizza, it tasted really good. Carb-loading for Parkrun tomorrow! Now to get some more sleep for our run, and final full day on holiday.

more interested in the waiter than pizza eh Carys?

mr boby centrum says we LOVE Brno

(Lloyd)

Well we found a new way of city touring today, and any shaky views we had of Brno through our hair raising ride last night were immediately laid to rest. Our running guide Bara told us today, you either love Brno or hate Brno, there is no inbetween. Well we love Brno!

running family

Worked out well as it was Chrissi's birthday today, but as we both sacrificed our birthdays for the sake of a greater good, it was a lucky break it turned out so exceptional.  With everything so different today, it was nice that cake featured as part of the hotel breakfast at the Cosmpopolitan Bobycentrum; am I the only one who finds that name amusing?



We walked into the city centre, having booked a running tour, and told to meet our guide by the 'big horse'.  And fair play, there was  big horse, a new statue in a city that has many statues, many of which have both humorous and serious significance.  Opposite the big horse is a big fat fella that represents justice for example!

big horse

our guide Bara

you fat b*S****

We learnt a lot of the important and irreverent facts from our running host, Bara, who works at the University, and was a fantastic city guide. She showed us a church with a little man baring his arse half way up as a bit of a fuck you to the church down the road that had issues with the architect.

bare arse

She showed us the townhall, with the crocodile/dragon that is the symbol of this great city, and a wheel that also is steeped in mythology, but is now used as part of 50k ultramarathons, where people, in teams, need to run, and roll the wheel .. now there's a thought?

crocodile and a dragon

wheel

Bara took us to see the astronomical clock and main church, both that have significant goings on at 11am  This dates back to a war against Sweden in the 1500s when it was decided after a seige, the Swedish would give up on midday in mid August.  Things were so touch and go, convincing the Swedes that 11am was midday was important, meant they retreated early and the city of Brno has forever attached huge significance to this time.

Part 1 https://www.relive.cc/view/r10007249588

astronomical clock, balls out at 11

church goes mental at 11

advancing swedish hordes

Part 2 of Running Tour https://www.relive.cc/view/r10007249784

She showed us some great views of the old and new city, walls, posh houses, great parks, observatories, universities and so much more. We ended with an ice cream, and running friends, I say here and now, a jog around a city with good company us something you should all consider.  If its Brno check out https://www.facebook.com/runningtoursbrno/?__tn__=%2CdkCH-R-R&eid=ARCxAWSkDShpSAifoH8pUZZMBdgpYKh2JWs94OVQ7wgPQaA1RO7iEIQCYz1b2uswgqsNaCWpEEfvFjKt&hc_ref=ARQNvz8U5N9-4j-SkaOstVQKEHzCHoimP7WOs75ekamv8rsgyZ9iBkb0BVSBdJq-DW0&fref=nf&hc_location=group on facebook.

We parted ways over a gluten free icecream, and then had some time in the Hotel Bobycentrum, drinking that lovely home made lemonade and preparing for our afternoon outing.

One thing we hadn't managed in the morning was the architecturally significant Villa Tougendhat, a UNESCO world heritage site. Built pre war it was seen as something quite unique with a 'less is more' feel, using the design to provide the aesthetics rather than any additional features. We sat in the garden and learnt how it has been used by film makers (Hannibal Rising), the Gestapo (ransacked in the second world war) and was also the site of the documents signed to separate Czeck from Slovakia in the early 1990s.  Bara was telling us this morning how there is strong mutual understanding and respect between the 2 proud nations who just wanted their own identity, but no malicious feeling at all.

villa

wind down the window

We then walked back into the main town of Brno.  Lovely old streets and the whiff of early evening beer in the air.  Found a Craft Ale house, and then a bar that sold the more traditional Czech beer.  Both great, although the beer snacks, hot salted peanuts with chilles, something I might need to replicate at home.  We stayed out for dinner tonight and went Vietnamese. We learnt today that since the 1950s they have become the third largest ethnic group in Czech republic, coming over in masses as communist workers and settling. I have never eaten Vietnamese food before, the starter was a bit of prawn tempura, but the main, chille pork, garlic, wide noodles absolute taste sensation.  Chrissi and I missed our chance to go to Vietnam when she fell pregnant with Bryn back in 2003, the country and its food is now back on the radar for future trips.

seen one of these before

and these

but not these like this

vietnamese virgins

ate it all with chopsticks, when in ..umm Brno

modern tram

beautiful Brno

-Carys-

A really great day today filled with lots of exploring and fun things. It all started off with giving mum her birthday card and wishing her a happy happy happy birthday. Then we all went down for breakfast in a very big buffet room. It had tons of stuff, everything you could imagine from hot food to pastries and cakes to fruit and yoghurts. It was amazing!

birthday cake being lovingly prepared

Unfortunately, we didn't stuff ourselves to our full potential because we needed to stay light for our exercise. I had some yoghurt and dried fruit - which I realised I love. I also had a small pancake with jam on it. Not tons of things, but enough to keep me from getting hungry.

We left the Boby Centrum hotel and took the 20 minute walk to where we were meeting our tour guide, Bara. Of course we almost got lost and took a weird way round, but in the end we made it and were in a square with a gallery and lots of strange sculptures including a giraffe-horse with very long legs and a man holding a square with water coming out of it - as a fountain.

that horse was important to find our guide

Bara arrived, and we introduced ourselves and she told us some things about the sculptures, like how the horse was a new model even though it looked practically ancient. We started our tour, which took us all through the streets of Brno as Bara talked us through all the architectural buildings and interesting history of the city. In the entrance to the town hall, there is a model of a crocodile which had an interesting story, as well as a wooden wheel carved by a man many years ago.

town hall, city flag crocs

The crocodile was thought to be a dragon by the people of Brno many years ago, and some brave citizen slayed the beast and was renowned as a hero. People were too scared to visit the city because of the 'dragon'. The wheel was made in just one night, after a man was told he couldn't make the whole thing in that short amount of time though. He did it, and wheeled it from his home to the city. Now there is a challenge to see how quickly someone can roll a wheel 50km. Something to try if we ever return to Brno, perhaps?

The run included some 'mild' inclines and it was quite hot out, so each stop to talk about something was a relief. It was so intriguing though, and lots of fun. We got to see the city, learn about it and get exercise all in one. Bara was lovely too, and even bought us an ice cream at the end - which were vegan. They were quite like a sorbet, and tasted delicious. They were very thirst-quenching.

dolphin or shark?

girls looking good, less said about me the better

Bara taught us so much stuff

aliens even

job done, rundone

After we'd thanked Bara we said goodbye and went back to the Boby Centrum, where we all showered and got changed for what I guess was the second part of the day. Mum had told us about the glass house where a German, Jewish family had been kicked out of by the Gestapo during World War 2. It seemed interesting, so we went along to look for it, and it turned out to only be a 10 minute walk from the hotel. You had to book in advance to look around the house and it's gorgeous architecture and interior design (which I was intrigued by) but you could pay to look around the gardens.

garden

photos of photos

These were pretty too, with plenty of plants and flowers, and added to the atmosphere of the house. We had a little nosy around, and then strolled off into the city where we were this morning for our run. Mum fancied having a beer so we went to a bar after sitting down in two other bars and walking around looking for one we wanted to go to.

C&A

They didn't actually have any soft drinks, only alcohol and crisps, so mum bought us some drinks from a store near by and we munched on crisps before going to ANOTHER bar. This one was nicer, and we got to sit outside in the sun with a big pretzel, peanuts and drinks. We had good fun.

pretzel

soda

Even though we'd eaten quite a few various snacks, Dad had seen a Vietnamese restaurant where we could have dinner earlier, so we decided to go there for mum's birthday meal. I'd never had that kind of food before, and I tried a seaweed and tofu broth! It was delicious, and it I really enjoyed trying seaweed, and actually tofu, for the first time. I had a main course too, noodles with tofu which I couldn't manage to finish but it tasted great.

vietnamese vegi

Brno has been full of fun, even though we've only had 1 full day. We've got plenty done, and it's another place to add to the list of favourites for this holiday.

david brent

morecambe and wise