Romanian Road Trip - Day 2&3 Sibiu

From Turda we went to Alba Iulia for a short visit of the Citadel. i will write about it in another post because it is really worth the time (for me to write and for you to visit). This was the second time we visited and we stopped because our friend has an interest in Vauban fortresses but also because we enjoyed the beer we had last year, inside the Citadel.

Our target was to get to Sibiu before nightfall in order to visit a bit as well so I booked a room in a pension, just to be sure we don't waste time looking around. Next time I will chose something more central and quieter but still, it was ok, the choice is quite varied, as in all the cities we visited on the trip.


We visited the center a bit and ate at the first restaurant we found, in the Small Square or "Piata Mica", it wasn't a bad choice but the concierge had a better advice, oh well. We wandered around the medieval streets of the downtown Sibiu, it felt almost like in a fairy tale or a RPG.


Most of the visiting was left for the next day. Around 11 we came to town, found a parking lot, very easy to find but a little more complicated to pay for as the vending machine was not working but luckily the lady at the boutique just across the street had the tickets on sale.

The center was booming with people of all ages, despite the bitter wind. The weather didn't stop us either: we bought some pastries at a local boulangerie with lots of choice for few dimes (at least for us, tourists), fresh fruits and orange juice completed our brunch on a bench in the Piata Mare or the Big Square.

I am sorry I didn't take a picture of the little girl chasing a pigeon on her pink bike. She was fearless and determined but got scolded by her mom. We smiled, thinking of the pigeons from the restaurant in Cluj.

We continued our stroll and headed towards the Bridge of Lies and I told them the legend behind it. And the bridge is still there! Going towards the Huet Square we found some antique and souvenir shops. They were interesting as well as warm and we found some gifts.

 This time we also visited the Evangelical Church (I hope I am right about this, religion is not my forte). It was warmer than outside and we felt good about giving 1RON for the restoration because they were doing a great job at it, a part of the Church had already been restored and it was marvelous. Last year we had seen a French guy doing some woodwork in the Garden, he was singing a little known song and we found it funny to sing a long. Below, the Cript.

As we went out of the Church, I saw the sign of a Julius Meinl coffee so we headed inside for some Viennese delight. From there we had a great view of the roofs and the atmosphere was very Interwar.

 We wandered around town some more and then picked up our stuff at the pension and left for the open road our destination was Busteni, on the Prahova Valley, with a small stop over in Brasov, another cool place to visit and maybe even to leave in. So far our list of Romanian cities to live in includes Sibiu, Cluj and Brasov.

The road from Sibiu to Cluj passes through a very beautiful region and there are many places to see. Last year we went on the Transfagarasan road which climbs up to 2000meters but we decided against it this year, the visibility was again poor. Instead, we took the traditional road which is very well kept and which offered us a surprise. Halfway to Brasov fe felt hungry and decided to stop somewhere and have a picnic. And just then we saw a sign to the Ruins of Carta Monastery and decided to leave the main road.

The ruins have an out of The Alchimist feel and were a great choice for the picnic. Someone in a house nearby was playing the piano. It was almost magical.

We stopped as well in Brasov, but we had already visited the year before and it was already late so we headed to Busteni where we had a Romanian homemade dinner and lots of tuica or plum brandy. To be continued...

Romanian Road Trip - Day 1 Cluj

When I made the planning of the trip, I knew I had to go here. I didn't know about other places of interest around Cluj, but this restaurant was on my list after reading this about Mazilique's favorite restaurant. You can say I built the whole trip around this central point. I chose to enter Romania via Oradea because it was closer to Cluj, we then went to Sibiu via Turda where we visited the salt mine because that was close to Cluj as well and so on.

What is there to see in Cluj, you might ask, because I will make you wait a bit until the best part. To be honest, I hadn't researched Cluj Napoca as much as I did Oradea before leaving, maybe because I already knew for some years that I wanted to visit Cluj, a vibrant city, with a strong presence of students due to the many excellent universities and with an important Hungarian minority.

The city spreads around the two squares: one with the Church of St Michael and the Statue of Matei Corvin, king of Hungary of Romanian descent, born in the city and the other with an Orthodox Cathedral consecrated to the Virgin and a Statue of Avram Iancu, hero of the Revolution in 1848. You can see both squares here, first in a picture from the afternoon, notice the clouds again and the second in a picture from that night.

I also like to observe people in squares, more about that later, and try to imagine how it is to live in a certain town and people from Cluj seems more relaxed than folks from Bucharest, maybe it's because of the reputed calm of Transylvanians.

  

Other sightseeing points of interest surround this center such as the Botanical garden, with a beautiful Japanese garden, the Central Park, the Palace of Justice etc. The many universities and associated nightlife venues, are close but not directly in the center. As the hotel manager in Oradea warned me, the center of Cluj Napoca is not very compact, he was right once again.

Nevertheless, Cluj Napoca made it on the list of the cities I wouldn't mind living in, if and when I decide to "expatriate "myself back home.

Our hotel was on the street connecting the two squares and we could have found many restaurants and pubs there but we already had a target.We spent some of the evening after the restaurant in town, going to a bar or two and it was fun. I've heard that the night clubs here rival the ones in Bucharest but we were already to tired and haven't sampled that. Maybe next time. 

Come back for the pictures of yumminess.

Romanian Road Trip - Day 1 Oradea

I'm back after a wonderful week spent on the road in Romania. It was tiring but well worth it. The three of us (me and two French guys, lucky me), left From Prague on Friday around 2pm and we reached the Romanian border town of Oradea at 1am, local time. We got back last Sunday so in total we spent 9 days and a half on the road. The trip to Romania was quite Ok, except for a bit of a traffic jam in Hungary and the fact that the highways are not well indicated and I have a feeling there was a slightly shorter way to get to Oradea. The two drivers took turns behind the wheel and I did the navigating part, including the sandwiches and so time flew by.

When we arrived in Oradea, the hotel manager was already waiting for us. This was the only booking I made in advance because the trip was only roughly defined: I had in mind the general points of what I wanted to do and see and back ups to my plans so that the guys could also have a say in this schedule. The room was clean but the downside was the noisy street. We were still very much awake from the trip so we had some beers before going to sleep at 3am. In the morning we had brunch in the room: smoked Italian ham and salad and headed out to visit Oradea.

The usual gateway into Romania is Arad, at least for me, because the roads are better and the highway now passes Szeged and goes almost all the way to the boarder. But we had already been to Arad before so we wanted to see something new. And not to mention Oradea is closer to Cluj, you'll see why soon :) . Oradea is a charming town with many baroque and Secession style buildings and even, as the hotel manager told me, a pedestrian street. So keep this in mind for when you will visit Romania.

We started our visit on the pedestrian Republicii street. The weather was not very friendly, raining and unusually cold for this time of the year. The pedestrian street is a very nice touch, resembles a bit what we had already sen in Brasov, bars, restaurants and shops on both sides and bar tables in the middle. It would have been pleasant if it weren't for the rain. Here you have some views of the street, it was not very crowded yet, maybe because of the rain, but we soon found a lot of foreign tourists and some lively places. 

Oradea seemed to me to be emblematic of a trend in Romania: many thinks have been done to improve the quality of life but there are still many things to be done and the vision of the future is lacking. Behind the shabby facades you could see that the boarder town was once glorious. Indeed some buildings have already been restored to their former beauty, some are undergoing reconstruction work while others are still waiting. But Oradea is on the good path, maybe it's the western influence since many people here work in Hungary.

Since it was raining quite a lot, we hoped into the first bar we saw: The "retro lactobar bistro" as advertised by the cow outside. I  will talk about it in another post, the place certainly had personality and it was great fun, together with the pubs and discos around our hotel, I think the night life here must be at least worth a try. This proves that the airplane magazine that lead me to even consider Oradea as a stop over, was right: there is life outside Bucharest.

When we finished our coffee it was raining less and we managed to find enough courage to go outside. and wandered around the  beautiful Ferdinand square. We passed the State Theater, one of the best theaters in Romania, according to my artistically inclined friends.  Periodically there are theater festivals and the tickets are cheap compared to the quality of the artistic performance. 

Some more buildings in the area are nicely restored or under restoration. In a few year, when they'll finish the restoration work, the city will be splendid, as I'm sure it was during the Hapsburg. 

Actually, Oradea was meant to resemble Vienna, so many buildings here are in the same style as the ones in the capital of the Empire and were been built by Austrian architects.

The map I had had for free from the hotel pointed me towards the other side of the Crisul Repede river, where the center of the town lies as well as the citadel of Varadinum. 

Over the bridge, the Town Hall is looking along the river. Along the Crisul Repede river there are many green spaces, parks and other recreational spaces

As I said before, the proximity to the West is beneficial to the town which has good links to the rest of Europe: the highway in Hungary goes to Debrecen, not very far from Oradea, there is an airport here and the airports of Cluj and Budapest are not very far either. It took us 10 hours to come here from Prague, by car.

The main square with a Statue of Michale the Brave, the first to unite the Romanian provinces. I found it interesting to see a statue of him here, he is more of a symbol for the Southern part of Romania. 

With better weather, it's a nice place to sit down and watch the passers by but this was an atypical summer as you can see from the menacing clouds in the background. This is where we saw our first wedding of the day: with all the rain, there will be at least 5 lucky and rich couples.

 

  

The Black Eagle Palace, shopping gallery in the Art Nouveau style, named after a stained glass ceiling depicting a Black Eagle. Close by is the Church with  the Moon, where one can find an interesting astronomical clock which follows the phases of the moon. Interesting fact: the first Meridian was considered to pass by Oradea, long before it was established in Greenwich.

According to Wikipedia, there are over 100 sites of  religious service and many of them are in and around the square: Roman Catholic, Franciscan, Orthodox, Evangelical, Jewish, Baptists, all are represented and sometimes in close vicinity as you can see below.

The citizens of Oradea are 70% Romanian and roughly 28% Hungarian (some Roma and others make up the rest) for a population of over 200 000 people, a large town by Romanian standards. Don't be surprised to hear Hungarian spoken a lot here, as in other cities in Transylvania.

Oradea is not without it's importance in the history of Europe, having suffered hoards of invaders from the Mongols to the Ottomans. The ruins of the citadel testify to it's troubled past. 

The bastion fortress is being restored, much in the same way as the one in Alba Iulia has already been restored. When we were there the site was under heavy reconstruction but still some wedding parties were taking pictures in the park.

This is were we ended our walk around Oradea, we got back to the hotel to have a tea before heading towards our next destination, Cluj. There are more things to see and do in Oradea such as the Muzeum of  the region or "Tara Crisului", a baroque Palace with 365 windows. Just 5km South of Oradea is the spa town of Baile Felix with a beautiful waterlily reservation (again, the hotel manager proved to be a great source of information). If you want to make a detour, there is also the glacier cave of Scarisoara in nearby Alba County. But we had to be in Cluj by nightfall and you'll understand why soon.

From the sky

I know, I've gone AWOL on you, I haven't said much for the last two months but that doesn't mean nothing's been going on in my life. Quite the contrary. I've been to two or three weddings (I'm loosing count) and this meant a lot of travelling so I do have some photos for you.

Yes, food again, call me obsessed. I just had to capture this because I was surprised to have such an unconventional meal (usually is a very safe bread ham cheese sandwich) and it tasted fairly good. It was a chicken wrap with a nice sauce. One of the best in flight meals I've had and I think my top 3 includes only Lufthansa food. I'm flying a lot with Lufthansa these days because they have good prices on flights from Prague to Bucharest, even if they stop in Germany.

On the return trip I had another wrap, veggies this time, but not quite as good, still decent and better than the usual; and an apple juice, healthy leaving.

A picture from the sky, just to say good bye and sorry for being late :p

As Seen by Me : Episode 1: In the Train

I want to show you some funny things I spot around, without many comments from my side. Sometimes the quality will be poor, that is because they are unplanned and sometimes unexpected snapshots.

I used to take trains a lot when I first came here. I didn't have a car, I lived in a remote place (remote from the places that interested me) and I had to rely on the network of trains and buses, which, I might add, is quite dense and somewhat reliable (this is more true for the latter than for the former). But before last summer I had never seen this object pictured below. Or if I had seen it, I did not pay any attention to it, for me it was a sort of urban legend I had once heard. But behold, here it was and I had to take a picture of it, unfortunately I didn't have any beer on hand.

Yes, folk, this is a bottle opener in a train. Another testimony of how much Czechs love beer (if the wine was not enough). Of course, you can use it for your bottle of fizzy water or Coke, or even of the local Kofola, but let's be honest, a cold beer is much better on a long train ride through the country that gave us the Pilsner beer. 

Back in the Czech Republic (2) There and Back Again and Christmas in January

My hoards of fans are on my case to continue the story of adventures on the bus, so where was I? Ah yes, leaving Prague. I got on the bus, I sat down next to a girl, considering this to be the safe choice, the other was some strange manele-listening, jerking off kind of guy. Besides, sitting next to her must be some sort of camaraderie as we were the only girls traveling alone, the other two or three girls were with boyfriends or husbands (there was one more girl traveling alone but she was one head taller than the tallest guy so she could fend for herself).

I don't know how this happens but I always find myself talking to the person sitting next to me in the bus or train. I guess I get bored. Maybe I want to know more about my fellow traveler because we are crossing roads for a while, be it shorter or longer. So I can tell you that the Czech grandma in the Student Agency coach was going to visit her 3 granddaughters from her daughter. They live in Prague and love cookies and being read stories. Mihaela, the Romanian girl on the coach home, also has a daughter; a toddler living with her grandma and aunt which hasn't seen her working mother in several months. The Romanian is working here in a laundry, with other Moldavian and Romanian girls, speaks no Czech, gets a minimum salary and lives in a Ubitovany (like all workers) with her husband, also a worker.

So off we are, one or two passengers more than the number of seats, but at least I have an OK place: behind the driver. Of course the drivers smoked all the way and so they kept the window ajar and I was cold and smoked almost all the way . Had some conversation with the girl but dosed off now and then, that's how it is when you're traveling by night. Ate the delicious sandwiches my boy had made for me, drank very little water, read a bit of my book, Czechs in a Nutshell and that was about it. But really, Bulgarian music and weird looking guys with strange names (Trifon, he had a number plate with a name, that's how I know), I was like in a mafia bus taking girls and pimps to the West (only I was going East).

And just like they would do on the way over, they stopped in odd places like in gas stations in the middle of the road (to let people off or change drivers) and gave no toilet brakes (I managed to snack out). Yeah, I know, I talk a lot about toilet brakes but people, it's a necessity, really basic stuff that Eurolines drivers have to give every 4 hours and these guys had to be begged to stop the bus.

On the journey to CZ, I took the bus from Brasov and not Bucharest because there were no more places so I had to take a bus coming from Chisinau. Ludmila, from Prague, the Orlan girl, was traveling with us, again bossing everyone around and spreading wafers. Luckily she did stop the bus more than the first time. The trip you've all been waiting to hear about, was boring people. I had a Slovak seat mate, a blond that spoke English so we did talk a very bit. And I can tell you my mom's chicken schnitzel sandwiches were delicious. Other than that: boring, nothing to read, cause too dark, I just slept, listened to some radio and called the police when I got bored. Well, yeah, there was a truck on the side of the road, with nothing to signal it apart from a dim blue light that I might have imagined, so I called the cops, cause maybe someone was hurt there, right? Yeah, you've guessed it, false alarm...

20 Hours later, after snow blizzard in Hungary and police stopping us after the border we finally arrive in Prague, right on schedule (it helps not giving pee breaks) altough it would have really helped being late: no bus to Plzen for about an hour and a half (and the one I got was backed) and no boyfriend (back home only in 6 hours).
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you one last detail : no keys either. I had absolutly no keys of the flat or of the car so I would have been stranded outside in the cold if it wasn't for a friend who picked me up.

When the boy came and we finally went back home we had Christmas number 2, exchanging presents we had each got from the other one's parents. He got an apron fit for a chef and some scarves (he's French) and I got a lunch box and we both got tea mugs and a tea pot. I'll post pictures, promise.

That is more or less the account of my winter travels. Any questions? Feel free to ask.

Back in the Czech Republic (1) Going Home

Well, the holidays are over. No more mistletoe, no more holiday cheer. Gone are lazy days playing cards and all sort of games with friends. The food has been eaten; the champagne has popped and flooded our glasses with sparkling wonder. The last firecracker was heard and we are back to work.

What I wish you all is what I wish myself for this year, and for every year: health and strength to go through all that the New Year has to offer, good or bad. For me, 2009 has been a good year, as I already told you but I find it strange when almost everyone around finds it was a terrible year. The crisis may account for that I think. But even with the crisis (which at one point turned into a big personal financial crisis), overall I found the strength, humor and love to pass all the difficulties. So I wish the same for this year.

The holidays passed like a charm and here I am back at work, back home in the Czech Republic. Yes, home, because on the way over it hit me that I was actually leaving one home for the other. The flat in Plzen is not just "the flat" but it's "home" You're going to say I did a lot of thinking...well yeah, because on a 20 hours bus trip, there is little to do but think. And try to sleep. And call the police with unfunded warnings about turned over buses but more about that later.

My fans want to know about my latest adventures, so without further ado I will start from the top: Going to Romania for the Holidays. I think this will generate another post, but I'll see about that later. What you must know about this trip is that I did not plan it in advance. So here I am middle of December, without a ticket to get back home, planes and trains are too expensive, Eurolines are booked out so I find myself having to reserve a ticket from a strange bus company. Why strange? You'll see. And to make things even nicer, the three days before my departure I made so many miles, going to Prague, going to work from Prague (at 5 o'clock because I had forgotten some papers. Yes, AM), then going on a business trip, coming home, going to a Christmas dinner, going back home, packing...On the morning of the trip I was exhausted.

So here we are, December 23rd, I leave my nice flat in Plzen, and the boy takes me to the bus station, where I take a seat on one of the last places in the Student Agency coaches. First off let me tell you this: Student Agency is the way to travel in CZ. No pub here, just facts: comfy seats and a nice hostess giving you a free hot drink: coffee, good hot chocolate, tea, and putting on a movie for your viewing pleasure (with English subtitles). All for the price of a normal coach ticket. If you manage to find places that is. The trip to Prague: bliss, I even stroke up conversation with the lady sitting next to me, yes in Czech (well very poor Czech).

From there it all goes downhill. Picture this: me with a huge luggage, half empty but just as heavy as if it were full and a smaller bag meant to hold all the food I'd bring back (I had a large order of sarmale, carnati and other Romanian delicacies). The next part of the trip was so long and difficult (thank God I didn't have to change metros, from Zlicin to Florenc it's all straight and they do have some elevators but I still had to carry my huge coffin-like bag up and down) that I was glad to reach the coach station and hopeful that the worst was behind me. I still had some time to kill before my coached arrived so what do I think? let's get a burger and chips from Burger King, cause you know, I usually like the burgers here. Well yeah, the burger was ok (at 10 o'clock in the morning) but the chips were awful. Yes awful. Stale. And cold. And did I mention awful?

Being a bit nervous, and afraid I'll miss the coach (it could happen, especially with my track record: missing busses and trains is a specialty of mine), I go to the toilet for the last time and then I go wait for the coach on the quay. And a good idea that was: it was already full, mostly of my compatriots, but also Bulgarians, Ukrainians and Moldavians. All working here, more or less legally. And now you will understand why I said strange when talking about this company, you see, I had no ticket. Nothing. Just a phone call with a guy who said I had to pay 500 crowns up front, but if I couldn't, I can get my ticket from the Ukrainian girl that will be at the coach. And so I go to look for Irina who gives me my ticket in exchange for some crowns (cheaper than Eurolines) and also a business card with her phone number and those of the company. And she also sells me another ticket for the way back, with another business card. (it's a leitmotif that one).

Coming down from a coach with a hostess and getting on another coach with a hostess, I think to myself (mummy >:D<) I'll get a decent ride after all. And then I see the other girls, Moldavian, Ukrainian, hostesses like Irina (Ludmila and Iulia) and they are all nice, frail girls, well dressed and wearing make up, showing the Slave heritage very well. But they boss around the hordes of workers, telling the guys where to sit and the guys listening, despite some (futile) resistance. And they give candy too. But the trip was made without the Slavic goddesses, only the two drivers remained, the same who put the luggage in a very irrational way and then started smoking on the bus. By this point I was like in a mafia movie: strange looking characters, lots of men wearying big rings and a longer pinky nail, longer hair at the back and shorter in the front (80's style) or other strange hairdos and I've even spotted the blade of a knife (I was carrying an Opinel myself).

Half an hour later, bags packed in reverse order (Bucharest bags where somehow to the front of the pack), men put at their seats in the rear and girls traveling alone at the front, couples seated together, candies distributed, and we're off.

(to be continued...)

SkyEurope : Bratislava Strikes Back

First weekend in September was to be fabulous: a trip to Brussels with my one and only sweetheart. But fate wanted otherwise and so, at the last minute, our flight got cancelled.

I’m outraged, plans were made, very nice people were waiting for us, and beer was in the fridge. And SkyEurope cancelled all that. If you didn’t already know, they filled for, what in the States would be Chapter 11 and promised no flights would be affected. Well every flight we’ve had with them has been delayed and this is too much. At least if they had the decency not to sell tickets for the last month so people would not get scammed into buying them and then get their plans turned upside-down.

Here’s what they say on the website :

Those of you who have purchased flights with a credit card, please turn to your credit card issuing bank to seek refunds for unused portions of SkyEurope's flights.

If you are already at the destination or have rented a car through SkyEurope's business partner, you may stay at the hotel and use the vehicle during the period originally agreed. You must, however, order a return flight from some other airline at your own expense.

I am completely appalled. Everyone should be informed about this, not to get to the airport for nothing. And if you're wondering what the relation to Bratislava is...well it's the curse again, remember, SkyEurope is/was partly Slovak owned, q.e.d.

We’re changing our plans, of course, we’ll surely have a great time, and trying to get our money back, but still it’s sucks big time.

The Bratislava Curse

Known to the scientists studying this phenomenon as the Bratislava syndrome or the Bratislava effect, The Curse is a radiating, Bermuda Triangle like occurrence in Central Europe that follows Murphy's Law and where anything that can go wrong, will most certainly, go completely wrong.

The epicenter of this Phenomenon seems to be the city of Bratislava, on the Danube River, most famously known as the capital of Slovakia. Its proximity to Vienna gave it the nicknames Little Big city or Twin City. So far it is believed that the influence of the curse spreads as far as Vienna, thus inflicting its influence on a radius of 1hour's drive from the epicenter.

Manifestations

The curse manifests itself on travelers to Bratislava. No direct occurrences on locals have been noted so far, although there is a supposed influence. To this day, all locals questioned about the city have expressed a negative opinion about living there. However, no proof has been brought as to definitely link this to the Curse. The locals are very helpful and nice.

More precisely, the curse acts on travelers, attracting them to the city, causing them misery, trying to make them turn on each other (so far it hasn’t worked). The curse induces a state of frustration and fatigue by making the travelers lose their way around town, making them turn around many times to search for an address, etc, leading to a terrible time for the unwary traveler.

Despite help from the natives, travelers often loose their way and have trouble finding their friend’s flat. The curse sometimes attracts unknowing travelers to the labyrinth of the panelaks, the old communist apartment building complexes, making them turn in circle for hours.

Other manifestations are related to the city’s transport system, outgoing and ingoing trains and buses are affected, as well as tramways and buses inside the city (there is no metro, or none has been spotted by our researchers, despite their best efforts). Thus, trains and buses are often late. Should the train or bus be on time, Murphy’s Law is applied once more and the traveler will, most certainly either: be late himself or he will be mislead (the curse acting again) and will try to embark on the wrong train or bus.

Zone of influence

So far, the curse seems to be stronger in the area that spreads from the main railway station to the main bus station. Looking at a map, one will see that these are in opposite parts of town, meaning that the curse cover the whole of Bratislava.

Some accounts state that a focal point is this communist fresco in the departure hall of the railway station.

Scientists studying this phenomenon have been lead to believe that the curse, probably due to some strange paranormal activity in the area, might be stretching as far as Vienna, possibly even influencing flights and buses in the region. What is known for sure is that the curse tries to keep travelers in Bratislava for as long as possible, or as long as it takes for them to miss connecting buses and trains.

Examples and occurrences

The first time a strange event was spotted by our researchers (without it being called a Curse), was in November 2008, when, during a road trip in the area, two of our fellow scientists, I.D and V.A, passed through Bratislava on the way to Zvolen. While trying to find the bus station, the two saw almost all that was to see of the town, under steady rain. The pair got on the last bus, taking the last seats, and thinking nothing more about it. Two days later, while going from Zvolen to Brno, the two ha to change trains in Bratislava, at around 22.00. Because of misleading information, the two board a train to Minsk, only to realize this a few minutes before departure. Thankfully for them, they managed to break free of the curse and arrive at their destination.

One of the most famous occurrences happened in June 2009 when our leading researchers, I.D and Jiminy Cricket, a.k.a. A.R decided to take a trip to Bratislava, to visit some friends. They became aware of the Curse by mere accident, as the plan they had was simply to take one of the buses or trains from Prague to Bratislava and have a weekend with friends. The Curse started to act before they even left Prague, as I.D was stuck at work, making them loose all connections and forcing her already tired and preoccupied with work, boyfriend to come pick her up.

After a long trip, under the rain, the pair arrived late at night in Bratislava and tried, against all hope to find their friend’s flat. By the time they are rescued by the friend’s girlfriend, the couple had already been in the Panelak for an hour, searching for the street name on the buildings. During the whole weekend, they were too tired and some friends were too sick to go out and have fun.

When they decided to leave Bratislava, on Sunday, the Curse decided they had to stay and they found the car locked by the police for wrong parking. One hour later, after paying the fine an releasing the car, they finally leave, only to arrive to late for the last bus to I.D.’s home. Deciding to go to A.R’s house, the two loose one more hour in a traffic jam, thus ending a weekend haunted by the Curse.

Finally, the last event related to the Curse happed in August 2009, when the same couple was returning from a long weekend in Romania, via Vienna. The effects of the Curse on transportation were very obvious, as the two had a one hour delay coming from Bucharest and so missed the bus to Prague.

The Curse was now obvious, as they were forced to board a bus to Bratislava, from where there are more connections to Prague.

Once trapped by the Curse and brought to Bratislava, they had to face the city transport system in order to get to the railway station and lost precious time because of it. Murphy’s Law came into effect once more, and the worst happed: the train had a one hour delay. Once in Prague, the Curse seemed to follow them once more, as I.D. missed her connection and was forced to wait for hours for the next one.


Two before and after pictures of Jiminy Cricket, of JCOBW – Jiminy Cricket Observatory for a Better World(c), waiting for the train in Bratislava. (1) Hopeful that the train will be on time, and (2), after he learns that the train will be delayed, demonstrating the power of the Curse.

Zelezny Brod or how to make tourism out of nothing at all

Yet another weekend by myself in Bakov, and yet again I decided not to spend it in Bakov nad Jizerou. I've been planning to visit this glass factory in Zelezny Brod and the town seemed quit interesting from the internet pages and local accounts, so off I go.

Zelezny Brod has a privileged position close to the Cesky Raj and the Giant's mountains and so it's a stop over for many tourists going to the hiking trails of the mountains. The town is associated with glass making, many business have been developed around town, making glass jewellery and other items. You can visit the factories and expositions related to glass making, plus old timber houses kept the same as they were a few hundred years ago.

On my way over I had a glimpse at the Czech Paradise, high mountains with bizarre rock formations, a bit like these in the picture.
It certainly gave me a reason to go back to the region for a hiking trip. There are lots of things to do around here, rafting, mountain biking, and all winter sports you can imagine. There are several towns in the region offering all these facilities in the renowned Czech hospitability and politeness. :-)

Getting back to my day trip, there were lots of signs pointing you to the sights of the town: the 1900's Town Hall/Teather, the town museum, including an old timber house, the glass school with an exhibit of glass work.

But I didn't find what I was looking for, the picturesque town with lots of streets you can wander on, like I was lead to believe. I did find the Small Place, Mala Namesti, which reminded me of pictures I saw of turn of the Century "mahala" in Bucharest. Different style of course, timber houses (again!) and Empire style houses, a typical church (next to a pub).



I also wanted to see the house they had restorated as it had been a few centuries ago, another timber house with objects related to the day to day lives of the first people to have come here, but no success. There was no electricity in that part of town, so all businesses, including my glass factory and the museums, were closed.

But one thing I have to say: these people knew how to sell themselves. They had signs everywhere (rare around these parts), they pointed to the main attractions, had panels telling you the stories behind these so called attractions.

All you actually had to see were timber house after timber house (the flowers on the windows changed) and old, falling down and badly renovated houses. But they advertised all of these and they were proud of the cultural heritage. All without having a very touristy town, selling crappy souvenirs or advertising beds in guest houses.
Maybe a lesson for our own tourism. Don’t get me wrong, I felt cheated of the 4 euro trip I made (4 euros, 2 way ticket), but I still went there, spent a little more than an hour, and had it not been for the electricity, I would have bought some hand crafted, glass jewellery. Ad I'm going back, maybe not to the same town, but in the same area, for my little hiking trip, whenever I decide to take it.

Mnichovo Hradiště or how to follow the impulse

Remember I told you about me and plans and how they don't aways work out? This Saturday, right after my 25th bday, I decided to finally take the trip to Zelezny Brod, to see the glass factory. Ok, the first bus was my fault: I was still half asleep. But the train, more than one hour later, just didn't show up. So I took the next bus to wherever it was going. Mnichovo Hradiste. A town about 15 minutes from here. Not very adventurous, but after Bratislava and recent events, I don't care much about adventures.


This is the post office. Interesting building and I'm wondering i the people living there work for the post? It was just across the street from the Town Hall, pictured below. There was actually a wedding there an the party followed me around town (I had seen one of the cars in the wedding party, parked right behind my house).


Looking at the signs I found out these people had a castle. Well of course, like the French, they have a castle in every town. So I followed the sigs like brad crumps and saw other pretty things on my way.

Such as this Church. I was wondering if I'll like this style. Before going to Chartres I wasn't found of Gothic, and then all the other Churches and Cathedrals I saw in France, changed my point of view. But I'm having a hard time with Baroque. The inside is pretty, although a bit to elaborated for my taste.

Picture through the links of a fence.

The town seemed nice also, very provincial, but bigger than my Bakov. When I came here, it was suggested I live in Mnichovo Hradiste (of course none of the Czech speakers offered to help me find a place). I prefer Bakov nad Jizerou, at least I'm in the countryside and that's it.

Comming up to the castle on the hill. It had a big garden and a chapel dedicated to St Anne and a lapidarium. I didn't visit the inside of the buildings bcause of lack of time but from the pictures I saw, they were well kept.



I sat on a bench under a tree and eventually fell asleep reading my book. There was a gentle breeze through the leaves and the sounds of the city so far away... I just doazed off. The wedding party followed me, with all the noises; the castle is a favourit for wedding pictures. It has quite a romantic feeling.


Speeking of romantism, this is one of my famous do-it-yourself pictures, in the castle toilet...

Went back to the big square and had a banana milk shake on a terrace, waiting for the bus. The buses work well around here so even a foreigner with very basic Czech, not able to form a bigger phrase, can get around. And the prices are reasonable, so I can take my little weekend trips and take pictures for you guys.

Pupici.