Prague - Lost In Translation

Oh boy someone had a mighty hangover.... Not good at all. Woke up at about 7am and fell out of bed as l lost my balance getting to the bathroom.  Practically had to crawl my way there, which is ok cause of the low ceiling in my room....anyways, today l get a room change finally and really looking forward to that.  Eventually make it back to bed and woke at 8 where l proceeded to attempt some sort of shower/wash/water spraying to get myself organised for the day.  Everything took longer this morning and a Skype call was made to mum & dad for sympathy....guess who got none.  I did start the call with mum/dad l am so sick and concerns of what's wrong were gone immediately when l explained it was a hangover...dad proud, mum not so much, lol.

By 10 l managed to get myself together and l also managed to speak to a guy who could only speak a little bit of English and arranged for a loads worth of washing to get picked up and returned to the hotel as well and at a great price 200Koruni, which is $10 bucks for a 5kj bag of clothes, bargain!! 

I get to breakfast to meet Ange and Paul, who had started to eat and also felt a bit under the weather...must have been something we ate at dinner...lol!).  As always a good greasy breakfast would get me back into shape again. So l took on some eggs, bacon and sausages with a bucket load of Apple Juice.  Breakfast was entertaining cause Z had blonde moments or is very naive.....As Ange has her fruit plate she makes a comment "yum Kiwi fruit, all the way from NZ" and l go "really they bring Kiwi fruit from NZ..."...take note, this first comment is how the rest of the day goes and a comedy of issues and laughs.

After breakfast a lie down for an hour was required before we could move again but the
thought of Swarovski crystal retail therapy got me up and going.  We went to a store were
many sparkles of earrings and rings were purchased and another rest was required. Good
news was also received from the hotel that a bigger room was now available for me and could be mine when l return from my adventures.  Ange and l walked around some moreand window shopped, people watched and she headed off back to the hotel while l went searching for a place to get my eyebrows waxed.  According to my map the place l found was a 10 minute walk from where l was and l had a rough idea of where l was going cause it was near the square we were at yesterday. So l head off and get lost, walked around for 30minutes and l ended up at the top of the square where all the strip clubs where and l found the waxing place only to find it closed, grrr.  So l decide that l will get that done in Rome and head off towards the hotel, the heat was getting to me and feet were sore and on the way back l head into a small shopping mall and there right in front of me (near the hotel, l should add) a hairdresser that can do my eyebrows. Due to it being hot and me bothered l also decided to shout myself to a hair wash and blow dry (we are going to dinner at the Four Seasons after all).  Text Ange with my news and find and within 15 minutes she is in the chair next to me also treating herself.  Good work Z!

Head back to the hotel all glamorous with my hair done and get to see my new 'palace' of a room... The bathroom was as big as my lounge room and kitchen, it had the biggest bed l
have ever seen, an entrance area and a little lounge room section....wow, they finally knowwho l am! Lol.  So l collect my bag from the terrace and head to level 3 where my knew room is.  One annoying thing about being on the terrace is that it took 5 minutes for the lift to come but all good and in no time l was in my new room spread out and no longer needing to duck my head to walk around or shower.

Time was ticking by and it just occurred to me that my washing wasn't back, so l ring the guy from the morning who tells "lady washing back tomorrow".... What! "i go to Rome tomorrow" and he repeated the same thing 10 times and so did l and he must have got sick of listening to me that he said if l was at the hotel at 7pm in the evening today l could collect my washing from the driver at reception.  By this stage l don't expect my washing to come back and have visions of people wearing my clothes.  As I didn't pack much l am thinking that l will need to buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes now...but let's see what happens at 7pm.  Trying to remain positive.

About 3 minutes later my phone rings and it's the guy going the driver is at reception and that he got confused....sorry lady....yeah, yeah no probs all good l am thinking and just thankful that my washing is back.  Get to reception with my money and the driver is holding onto my washing which has been dry cleaned, pressed and each item hung on its own hanger and l am thinking how great are these people, wow.  Then l find out that my bargain thinking was not a bargain at all.  He advises me that l need to pay him 1076Koruni and not 200.....what "the guy on the phone said 200 for 5kgs". Nope this is th price he goes and l am thinking this has to be a joke cause 1076 is like $55 bucks (I did my own washing in Seville for like 4euro, yes it wasn't dry cleaned or pressed or hung but omg).  So the driver calls the guy and tells him that l am questioning the price and the hotel receptionist is playing translator for me and says 200 is for washing (and l am thinking yeah l get that) then she goes, another 200 for drying, 300 for pressing, 150 for powder, dry cleaning and hanging.....WTF!  I guess it was a big lost in translation moment and l still claim that it had nothing to do with my hangover cause in the end he was correct 200 was for washing which is what l asked for...lol...at least my clothes smell nice.

So l get my washing and all hot and bothered due to running up and down stairs to collect money (i gave him coins mostly as well) and l am waiting for the lift, once again, holding this heavy washing and l can see the lift coming and l am next and think thank god as l need to change and get to dinner.......the lift arrives and in it are 5 (Dutch l think) good looking men heading to the terrace for drinks/dinner who knows and l go "can l squeeze in" (at this point l just want to let go of the washing) and they go "sure" so one of them makes room for me and l step in and then all of a sudden the lift starts beeping and one of the guys goes "now we are too heavy and the lift won't move".....l was so embarrassed and to try and save myself l say "sorry, must be my washing...blah!" got out of their quick smart and was so embarrassed. One guy tried to say it was him but l was out of there.  Omg.

In summary I had a very average day but fun anyway.  Dinner at the Four season looking out to the castle at night was majestic and very beautiful.  Packing back when l get back as we are off to Rome tomorrow.

See you Z xx

Apologies for long post but didn't want you guys to miss out on my eventful and embarrassing day!

Prague - walking tour

This morning we wake and get ready for the Prague walking tour for 4 hours we had booked.  We met the tour group at Charles Bridge and all except 2 people on it were from Australia and most were Collingwood supporters.

 We walked across Charles Bridge and learnt about the history and statues on it and then into small town 'Mala Strana' were the stores are small, cute and full of glass and crystals.  Definitely worth a visit on day 2 of Prague.  We caught the number 22 tram....yes in such an old city they have a fantastic tram and train network.  To be able to put tracks down on old cobble stone streets is very impressive but the streets are very hard to walk down with heals on.  We got off the tram at Prague Castle district which is so picturesque, medieval and flowing of history.  We saw the changing of the guards, the president also lives up in the hill and he was in town as well (flag raised represented that he was in the country) and we walked through the gardens and had a nice view from the top of the rest of Prague.  Prague also has a replica of the Eiffel tower which for a moment l had to think about which city I was in.  It's built on a hill and represents the same height as the Eiffel tower when it is climbed.  It also has a viewing platform but no lifts, you need to climb the stairs....clearly l let that attraction go and instead enjoyed the view from where we were.  We then walked down the hill through the gardens and to a coffee shop for a break.  Post our break we saw some very interesting artwork/sculptures... It was 2 male statues who moved their hips only, held onto their penis's and swiveled to pee into a pond which was the shape of the Czech republic.  Hilarious!! Whoever designed those statues needs to take a look at the length of those things....lol.  Not only was the peeing and hip movement funny but also was the way they held it....l am still laughing about it and it's a Zana thing l think (esp for those who know me and the things which l find funny). The tour guide was concerned that l was the only one who knew about these statues as well....clearly l did some research.  Years ago you could send a test to a mobile number and they would pee your text into the water.....but they stopped doing this cause their hips were getting out of place due to the high number of texts being sent....blah!  Enough of that, focus Z.....We then headed over the bridge and into the Jewish and Paris quarters.  We walked down Paris avenue which has all the designer stores on it and finished at the Astronomical clock which was vey convenient cause that's where our hotel was.  By this stage my feet were aching and stomach wanted food.  So we rested, ate and people watched...gee some of the outfits.  Brad, FYI, white pants everywhere.
After lunch we headed off to Wenceslas Square which is famous for its bars, shopping, apartment and strip clubs.  Clearly l spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and doing retail therapy.  My legs were killing me and finally just before dinner time l made it back to the hotel for a quick change and dinner.

We had dinner near the hotel that evening due to us not being able to walk far and then drinks on the rooftop terrace overlooking the Old Town Square.  We had a beautiful bottle of red wine from the Tuscany region and l took a photo of it to keep for when we get to Italy.  Off to the roof top for drinks we did and from then on it was downhill, many cocktails were consumed and when the roof top terrace closed we headed to the basement bar....like 1 bar and 5 strong cocktails and wine wasn't enough. Someone l am thinking might not be in her full form tomorrow morning me thinks.

Stay tuned for day 2 update of Prague shortly.  Until then see you, love Z xx

Ahoj from Prague

Ahoj (hello) is one l won't forget.  Landed in Prague this afternoon after my Michael Schumacher ride from Barcelona to the airport in the taxi and l say this cause a 30 minutes drive took 14 minutes.  No idea why he was in a rush and l put it down to needing to get to an appointment or the toilet! Even though l made it in good time the whole time was spent waiting in the queue for my Vueling flight to Prague.  Flight was good but instead of landing, l would be calling it 'dropping out of the sky' instead and bouncing a couple of times whilst trying really hard to slow down instead of running off the runway.  At least we were on the ground and safe.  I collected my bag and noticed that a lot of people were going to the money exchange counter....mmmm they don't use euros here?  Nope they still use their own currency so l change some money for a taxi and head into the old town of Prague were we are staying.  I say we, cause now l meet up with Angela and Paul were we will travel together in Prague and Italy.

My taxi driver, this time was a lovely gentleman who drove me to the hotel in the centre of the square and l am staying in the oldest hotel here.  Driving into the place, it was so cute, old and gee it would be full of history which l look forward to learning about on my 4 hour walking tour tomorrow. Checked in and the door man 'Patrick' insists on taking my suitcase to my room and showing me where it is......once l got there l understood why.  My room is off the terrace in the corner of where the roof line finishes in the rafters, right up the top of the hotel.  The room is built for dwarfs (no offense) it has a small short walkway a bed in the corner where you shouldn't wake up to quickly and lift your head as you might lose it and the smallest bath tub that has a little window where l assume you would place your head when standing cause otherwise there is no way you can take a shower.  The noise from the balcony is nonstop and l am seriously going to ask for a room change tomorrow.  This is too much.  My view from my room is amazing as l look onto the cathedral in the square.  I am taking photos cause even those won't explain the shape of it...lol

Once l met up with Ange and Paul we walked to the Four Seaons hotel for a hotel inspection which she had booked, we dropped her off and Paul and l walked across Charles Bridge
which was amazing and back to the Four Seasons to collect Ange for some dinner.  The
guide Ange had at the hotel was a lovely gentleman who sat and spoke to us for hours.  He was fascinating and provided us with very handy tips and advice.  He also explained that the hotel (spectacular) was practically full with only 3 rooms left and great for the economy and l attempted to suggest (ask) that it would be even better if all their rooms where taken up and to provide 2 rooms to us complimentary.  He thought l was hilarious when l asked for a limo
ride to the airport instead cause their cars have wifi and we could try it out and pass on the feedback to the hotel and promote it to Anges clients.  Had to try....instead we got free tea, coffee and cake and made a booking for dinner on Saturday which we really look forward to.

Dinner we had at the hotel which was really nice and it was nice to have 1 dish to eat off for a change and not have to share.  I was planning to update you all this evening on my cats and dogs status which was going to go along the lines of "no cats at bars or anywhere which is great and all dogs have been on leashes...thank god".....however the cat status remains but the dog status has changed to "most dogs on leashes, apart from the one who decided to sit with its owner behind me in the restaurant this evening at dinner", panic.  Lucky the dog was only interested in sleeping and the owner was very good with it.

Off to my tiny bed and noise now.

See you Z xx

Montserrat

Up early for Montserrat tour with Rachael as we get on the bus for the hour drive to climb some mountain that has amazing views and is very high.  That's all l knew about this place prior to going and the rest l learnt on the bus as our tour guide (known as Helga to us) said she would give us some minor information about the region and Montserrat as we drive towards it.  There was nothing minor about it, she spoke from the time the bus left to the time the bus arrived.  She spoke in German first, then English and then Spanish to cater for everyone on the bus and upon boarding she asked if l was English and l said Australian and 4 other people got excited that fellow aussies were on the bus.  It was draining but also interesting in some parts and this is were we learnt about the black faced Madonna (Virgin Mary) and the Monastery, the choir boys, the holy grotto and that it is 1236m high.......well wish l had known this before getting on the bus and Rachael as well.  We were both holding onto our seats for dear life as the bus climbed the mountain which had the biggest drop I have seen.  The driver had to navigate small roads and with 2 buses coming at each other in opposite directions l still don't know how they got those big buses around corners.  Motion sickness was really setting in more than anything for me but the fear of heights got Rachael as she curved into a ball into me to not look out the window and panic. Finally we reached the top and the 10kms of climbing which the tour guide explained as a romantic drive was over....romantic, my you know what!

We got out and the mountain looked something like 'mount richmore' as the rocks looked like people and were huge.  We walked around lit a candle and decided (stupidly) to join the queue to see this black faced virgin Mary and l say stupidly cause we had 2 hours to spend on the mountain with phenomenal views and guess how long we waited in the queue before we got to see her.......just over 1.5 hours.  So we got into the Basilicia, took some shots, we did listen to the choir though which was nice, saw the black faced virgin and had to run back to the bus to make sure we didn't miss our ride back.  So we get on the bus and seriously kid you not a huge man (twice the size and look of Shrek) sits across from us who proceeds to ask me about where we live, have we finished school yet (omg, how young did he think we were...lol), did l work, what l did and were we married.  Replies were short sharp and sweet as l was no mood to be talking and he proceeds to tell me about where he is from (Sale, incase you were curious) and that his daughter is in Melbourne studying to be a vet and that his son is studying to be a shipping captain and that he is much better looking than his old man.  Then comes along the big one as he says "l ask about your martial status as l am trying to get him married off". He needs to settle down and etc, etc, etc and then the guy sitting in front of Rachael puts his chair back and crashes into her and her big camera...blessing maybe as l turned to the man and say "apologies would love to chat but we need to move seats, we have no room to move, see you".  Got out of there quickly.  Most of the photos of the view had to be taken out of the bus window by Rachael cause my motion sickness prevented me from moving.  Furious we were with waiting for a none event so to speak and due to our stresses we spent the whole afternoon at the beach relaxing and tanning away.  Ben joined us as well and we entertained ourselves by people watching, especially the no shirts beach volleyball and soccer ball skills some active men were doing.  It was exhausting just watching.  At least we can laugh about it now and had a good time.

Ritual pre-dinner drinks were had on the roof top and that evening we even had a band which was great.  Dinner was tapas in one of the lane ways off La Rambla which was really nice and then home to pack the bags as Rachael and Ben head off to New York and myself to Prague.

Adios Z xx

Barcelona - Sight Seeing

We woke early (well sort of) had breakfast and prepared ourselves for the day of sight seeing.  What better way to see the city as we step onto the Hop on Hop off bus.  As Barcelona is so big with so much to see and do bus tours have 2 routes....green (east) and orange (west).  We only had interest in the green tour and to stop at 3 stops.... La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell (Gaudis work park) and Casa Batllo (a house designed by Gaudi).

The sun was beaming and sitting on the top deck was great as not only did you get a view and listen to the history but also got a chance to work on the tan.  First stop was La Sagrada Familia and that structure still amazes me to today.  Construction continues with additions and expansions and again l did not go in as the queue was out the door, around the corner, around the other corner and would take at least 3 hours.  The view from the outside was enough as we snapped away and ensured that our belongings were secure due to the known pick pocketing in the area.  Next we headed off to the park which had spectacular views of Barcelona.  Gaudis' work is amazing the more and more l see of it and the park set in beautiful gardens is a pleasure to walk around and do nothing for hours.  The locals even cater for shopping as well with many of them trying to sell fans, statues and jewelry (without getting caught by the police).  Some even tried to sell water for 1 euro but the only issue was that the bottles were already opened and the water was just tap water from around the corener.  At least they try.  Apart from seeing his work we also got to experience many different cultures where some ladies walked up hills and climbed steep stairs in the smallest dresses and stilettos l have ever seen....let's just, that view was one l was not interested in but most of the time it was there without even asking for it and don't get me started on the poses people were doing....hilariously entertaining l must say.  We also got see Tibidabo, which is an area that has an amazing castle and at the bottom a theme park and from what l could see in the photos we took, it looks like it has a great long water slide.  Back on the bus we go as we made our way down from the park and by this stage there was no way we could do Casa Batllo due to tiredness and instead we headed back to the hotel where l got a burst of energy from somewhere and decided to walk down La Rambla.  Wow how much this strip had changed from what l remember.  I remembered that it had artists and souvenior stalls.  Now it has plenty of florists, deli take away stands, souvenior stalls and plenty of really dodgy people.  This strip is the only part where l had to have eyes on the back of my head, held onto my stuff and made my way down as people tried to sell me all sorts of stuff.....the most popular being a duck whistle (yeah, like l needed one of these...not).  Some retail therapy was attempted on the way back to the hotel but no purchases were made due to exhaustion.

Short rest was had and then off to our ritual pre-dinner drinks on the roof top and off to Barcelonetta region we went for dinner for Paella.  We found a place which took for ever to be seated and let's just say that I have had better Paella in Aus but l guess when you travel we need to expect that some places wil be nice and some won't.  Off to bed early as tomorrow we are off to Montserrat which has a Basilica with the black/dark....trying to be politically correct here but cannot cause that's what they say the color is of the black faced Madonna (Virgin Mary).

Adios Z xx

Barcelona

Barcelona. 

We made it to Barcelona, safely and onetime for anyone that was wondering based on my minor panic attack from the previous post. I just have one more flight to go with Vueling.

Barcelona greeted us with some great weather and a nice hotel which also has a roof top bar, but is much nicer than the one in Sevilla.  It has big lounge chairs, shades and even better......cheap cocktails.

After checking in we hit the stores where bargains were purchased and some well deserved cocktails on the roof top were had to drink to our purchases (any excuse would do). First drink was a 'Ginger Rogers' which sounded like a Mojito but instead was a version of a Mojito with ginger on steroids. It was drunk fast so l could work my way down the list.  We did some research on dinner and found a seafood restaurant which is very good in Barcelona and one which is visited by VIP guests when in Barcelona......well our name was written all over it and we booked dinner for 9.30.

Arriving at the restaurant we were on the look out for a George Clooney (or anyone would do) we saw no celebrities but we were treated like celebrities. The food was amazing! Rachael died and went to heaven twice, Ben enjoyed some lobster and we got a private cooking lesson by a waiter who l think had worked there since a teenager and was now in his late sixties.  He cooked in front of us Crepe Suzette (which l had never had and if anyone is thinking what they are, they are basically crepes which are soaked in 4 different types of alcohols and served with ice cream). He gave me a pen and paper and told me to write the ingredients and steps and put on a show for us.  The free pour of the 4 types of alcohol took its toll and l was drunk, however l may have already been a bit happy due to the cocktails and wine at dinner but this topped it right off. We could not breath but we ate it all and they continued to treat us like celebrities with a free bottle of dessert wine and desserts....we felt so bad cause we couldn't eat another thing, but we did drink some more.  We felt so bad that we couldn't eat another thing that at one point l suggested stealing the desserts in a napkin and putting them in my handbag. We decided against that and instead we paid the bill and grabbed a taxi back to the hotel where we could lay down and rest after such a huge meal.

Today we spend the day site seeing and looking to have a traditional Paella for dinner tonight.

Adios.  Z xx

Sevilla

Hola

Our first full day in Sevilla saw us doing laundry, walking around, tapas, siesta and more tapas.  As we were tapased out (if that's a word) we had Italian for dinner instead which was lovely and then onto a roof top bar where the view of the cathedral at night was stunning.  Early night this evening as the previous night maybe one too many bottles of wine were had and why wouldn't you take advantage of 13euro bottles of wine....it would be rude not to.  

This morning we went site seeing to the Cathedral and Alcazar which were both beautiful pieces of architecture. The Cathedral is the largest in the world based on it's volume (length, height and width) and the Guinness Book of Records certificate is on display for it.  Spent hours walking the lane ways and even stopping off at a pub to have a Cerveza and watch a bit of football (soccer Barcelona vs Valencia) and the atmosphere was great but l had no idea who was following whom but the passion was amazing for the game and any excuse to get out of the heat and have a drink l guess.  By 2pm the heat had got to me and the afternoon was spent by the pool in the shade, swimming, some tanning and many mojitos.  The chef at our restaurant only works 3 days a week and Sunday's is one of the days he doesn't work so take away pizza and salad was purchased to have by the pool.  I even took one for the team and returned to the store to purchase lunch, where previously that morning we had breakfast and a certain person (might be me) had a bathroom incident that resulted in us paying the bill and getting out of there quick smart.  Let's just say the toilet was not working and the signs should have been a give away.  

This evening we headed out for our favorite, tapas and sangria. A short stop at a souvenir shop and back to pack the suitcase for Barcelona.  Mind you a moment of panic set in as l read the article on news.com.au about a Vueling flight which was high jacked from Malaga to Amsterdam by fighter pilots as they flew into the airspace without any radio control.  Thank god it was only that l guess....bloody news headline made me think it was onboard.  Still l am worried about my flight to Prague now, which is on my own and l guess that if something happens during our flight to Barcelona we will be ok cause the Spaniards wouldn't care within their own airspace l guess.  Need to just block it out l guess and get some sleep for our flight to Barcelona.

Adios from Sevilla xxx