Beer is for Breakfast (Czech Republic – Country #12)

I spend a quick 3 nights in Prague, Dave was supposed to come but he was busy in Salt Lake having lasers fired at his eyeball. Fun. I’ll just summarize the cool shit. I will say that two full days was simply not enough for that city.

Thursday

Yeah I am in Prague! First of all, I love Europe because the public transit rocks. Don’t get me started on the US - where we can figure out how to bomb a single blade of grass from space, but I cannot get from SFO to San Jose without a major clusterfuck (sorry for the f-word mom) involving 3 hours and 3 methods of public transit. Anyway, I hopped right on the 119 bus-which cost about $2 and was waiting right there at the curb for me-then took the subway to my hotel. The whole things was simple, cheap, fast, and painless. I arrived at my hotel (Hotel Amour) at about 7:00pm and had a quick dinner – half of a lovely looking roast duck.

Friday

On Friday morning, it was gorgeous and WARM (I love warm). It was almost too hot for a cappuccino but what else is there, oh yeah beer. Seriously, it was not even 10:00am and everyone was drinking beer everywhere. I only do that in Mexico, and I try to make myself wait until AT LEAST 11:30am.

Anyway, I had not done a speck of research on Prague, aside from locating the Hotel Amour on my Streetwise Prague map (love those maps). I decided to *possibly* take a 4-hour tour with Discover Prague, well actually I decided to scope out the spot where the tour was supposed to begin at the appointed start time. If there were a bunch of douches waiting there, I was going to bag the tour and just spend the $15 on guidebook instead.

But it was just me and the guide. Uhm strange, but honestly I was looking forward to ANY company after so much “alone time” while traveling of late. I am so glad I did the tour. I had the most lovely afternoon and learned so much. Petra, my tour guide, grew up in Prague and knew everything about the history of the city, the architecture, cool places to visit, etc. We had a lunch together and chatted about everything: life, history, dudes, food, kids. It was fantastic. After our tour, which ended late because we were so chatty at lunch and she didn’t want to cheat me out of anything we were supposed to do during the tour, she gave me an agenda of cool stuff to see on Sunday when I was on my own. What a doll!

The amazing Petra and I.

 

Time to clean the castle.

Sunset in Prague.

Saturday

OK - I hate crowds. For me, off-season travel is the only way to go. Saturday was crowded. Prague turned into Disneyland, with tourists by the busload coming in the town center. Kill me now.

You can't quite see how bad it was in that photo, but I assure you - it was hot, sweaty, and annoying with no one paying attention to where they were going; with lots of American and German tourists in their travel/safari gear (WTF people wear normal clothes, you're in Prague not the Outback and the Italians think you look ridiculous). Anyway, I immediately turned around, walked away from the Charles Bridge and the town center, and went to Petřínský Park. I climbed to the top of the hill, and then climbed further went to the top of the Petrin Observation Tower to enjoy the views, following Petra's advice. 

Then, being that I was very thirsty after my climb, I went to Strahov Monastery, which was founded flippin1142 (coolness), for a beer. And a lovely, cold amber lager it was. The rest of the day, I avoided crowds and got lost wandering the city. It was just way too nice to be indoors.

The climb to the top of the park, everything was blooming and it smelled divine.

This woman was praying, and I cannot think of a better spot to do so.

There is still so much I want to see and do in Prague: all the Jewish museums and temples, the Communist museum, the National Museum, the buildings I missed on castle hill, a boat tour, bike riding along the Vltava River……. I will have to go back this fall with Daverooni.

And Finally - Flying Monkey Not-so-Official Prague Tips

1) Do a tour with the divine Petra though Discover Prague. It is a great way to get yourself orientated, and she knows so much about the history and significance of those gorgeous buildings in front of you. Plus she is a lovely person.

2) Go during the low-season. If you HAVE to visit during the high-season, try to avoid the major attractions on Saturday and Sunday. You saw the picture…… It is no fun waiting in line with 400 sweaty people to see the inside of a church. Then once inside, you never really see the inside of said church because those 400 camera-happy people are then in there with you.

3) Enjoy the green spaces. Prague’s topography makes for amazing views from the parks that surround the city.

4) Count your change. OK - I don’t want to dis the good people of Prague, but almost every time I made a purchase there was someone ahead of me arguing over the change they received. Be careful too where the price listed is by weight. I paid WAY TOO MUCH for one beer and some hot potato salad (a divine mix of potato, bacon, cabbage, and dumplings) in the main square. There was a huge line in back of me so I just paid, then sulked. Nothing like feeling ripped-off to ruin your evening.

5) Book your hotel at Booking.com. This goes for almost every city for me now-a-days. You can sort the hotels by neighborhood when searching. That way you can find a hotel in a neighborhood close to the center without paying the “exactly in the center” prices.

And on to Prague

I think after a week of traveling alone in Nice, I have officially gotten over my “fear” of voyaging solo. Whenever I felt a bit isolated, I just went out for a walk or for a beer in the square and almost unfailingly, I would end up meeting and talking to someone. During the trip, I was actually thankful for the time to read a lot, linger in tiny shops, and eat whatever I wanted (as in 3 scoops of gelato for lunch one sunny afternoon). 

My friend in London (the gorgeous Miss K.B.) sent me an email saying she found traveling alone to be "liberating". I wasn’t sure what that really meant at the time, but now I get it.

In any case, I am very excited for 4 days in Prague at my nice hotel. I am no longer worried about being put on display as the poor woman traveling by myself at a restaurant. Instead, I think of what I feel when I see women traveling alone - that they are adventurous, interesting, fearless, badasses. Now I am one of them!

Overall this experience will make me a better travel partner with Dave too.I have been depending on him a bit to much lately for entertainment. Now I have lots of stories to tell him when we see each other on Sunday.

I'll let you all know how Prague goes. xoxox

Where’d I Park My Ferrari (Monaco – Country #11) and More France

Monte Carlo and Monaco Ville

If Dave counted freaking Scotland, I get to count Monaco. I took a gorgeous 20 minute, 3 Euro train ride from Nice to Monaco. The train traveled through Dirty-Rotten-Scoundrel sounding towns like Beaulieu-Sur-Mer and Villefranche-Sur-Mer, and I made a mental note to return on a bike to check them out.

Anyway, what can I say about Monaco…….it is shockingly beautiful with gorgeous parks, huge yachts, and more nice cars than I have ever seen in one place in my life. Seriously, there were Porches, Ferraris, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and other cars that I wasn’t able to identify – I only knew they were cool because people were taking photos of the cars as they thundered by. Being right on the border with Italy, there is a striking mix of Italian and French - the language is French but the coffee (finally a proper cappuccino) and food are mostly Italian.

I was in Monaco on a Sunday so, as in most of France and Italy, all the shops were closed. Which was fine by me, I don’t think couldn’t afford anything there anyway. So I checked out the casinos and decided they were a good place to use the restroom, had lunch on the beach (more pizza - I have a problem), and wandered over to the medieval fort and castle. Once my feet got tired, I found quiet places to read and contemplate existence. Overall, not much “There” there in Monaco. My 6 or 7 hours in the tiny country was plenty.

Could there be a more perfect spot to read?

 

Monte Carlo harbor.

Back to France - Train De Pignes

I adore train travel. I think it is the fact that you are required to sit down and do nothing - no movies, no internet (for now), nothing really to do except relax and watch the countryside pass by outside your window. There is no fighting over navigation, finding gas stations, or annoying drivers honking at you. Knowing the crowds that would invade Nice on Saturday, the Train De Pignes was just what I needed.

The train begins in Nice and travels northwest into the Provencal mountains, terminating at Digne les Bains (about 4 hours away). I only went as far as Entraveux, which was about 2 hours away. The Train De Pignes is definitely not the TGV, but rather a fairly slow haul from village to village along the Var River.

Entrevaux is a tiny village with a badass fort and medieval village. It is striking (see photos), but the town was really quiet in April. Given that the Train De Pignes runs only every 2 hours, I had a choice: 1) no sipping a coffee or having a long lunch, instead it would be a quick tour around the town and up to the fortress, or 2) a long day in a fairly tired little town where most of the shops were closed. I chose the power-tour, though regretted my decision at the top of the fortress where I found one of many trails that crisscross the mountains. Dammit! To be fair, I had no idea how long the trail was, or where it went. Perhaps it was better I took my photos and came back down……or perhaps I’ll always regret not hiking that trail on the right there.

To the top, can you see the winding path to the top?

 

Almost there.

 

The fortress at the top, WOW.

 

Rolling Again and Nude Sunbathing Photos (not really)

Again today I braved ridiculous headwinds and hills on the 125lb rental bike. I rode to the towns I saw while on the train to Monaco, Beaulieu-Sur-Mer and Villefranche-Sur-Mer. OK I can only post so many photos of a gorgeous hillside and sparkling blue water. These towns had a lot of that loveliness. They also had a lot of really white, very friendly Brits, who were all about 75 years old. Surprise – an unbelievably giant cruise ship was anchored in the deep water bay at Villefranche.

When I got back to Nice, I stumbled in the most amazing flea market. I was obsessed with the linens and art, but (as I kept reminding myself) I have a tiny flat. I didn't buy a thing, except for several scoops of gelato to keep me occupied while browsing.

And, I did it! I had to. After my bike ride, I spent a glorious 10 minutes (it wasn’t that warm after all) on the beach reading with my top off. I am officially French. It wasn’t particularly liberating or anything, just a bit cold. No one really even looked, but then there was a lot of other, more significant boobage on the beach today. People probably thought I was a dude. So for all you pervs, no photos. That was a ploy to get you to read to the end……

Boat, big boat.

Pizza again, good god - I am eating salad the rest of this week.

 Everyone please send good mojo Dave’s way. He is having his eye surgery on Thursday (while his horrible wife goes to Prague, I am evil incarnate). He is in good hands at the Moran Eye Center in Salt Lake City, but I know he is nervous and could use whatever prayers/positive energy you can send him. Thanks peeps!

My dinner the last night in Nice, I miss that husband of mine.

Just Stop It - More Nice, France

Yup, this was a great decision. There is nothing like being by the ocean and warm, period. Dave always likes to joke that he has made me into a mountain-girl, but being here makes me realize that I am still very SoCal/beachy at heart - and that I can NEVER live in a cold, non-mountain climate ever again.


Nice, France is an ideal place for a lone traveler. The area has great transit, lots to do, a million restaurants, and enough tourists that it is entertaining but not over the top (a-la Brugge). Plus, there is nothing like a coffee or cocktail by the beach, you can sit and just stare and contemplate the world and not feel like you have to check your phone or read a book to look busy or whatever.

So what have I been doing....... Yesterday the forecast was for rain so I hit up the amazing, bite-sized museums in Nice: Matisse, Chagall, the archaeology museum, and the freaking-Roman bath ruins and amphitheater (so awesome and I didn't even know it was here). Nice just keeps revealing more and more of it's awesomeness the longer I am here. OH AND THE SUN! I love being warm. Look how happy I am at the ruins over there.

Roman Ruins with the Matisse museum in the background.

I also accidentally ended up at the Monastery of Our Lady of Cimiez complex after the museums. There is a gorgeous Baroque church from the early 17th century there. It doesn't look like much from the outside but HOLY COW it is cool inside, sorry no photos allowed though. Perhaps it is the years of Catholic school, but I cannot break the no-photo rule when it is posted......sorry peeps.

Sweet old church.

I did get a few photos in the cloister. That is an old well there, I just thought it looked pretty.

 

It might be the severe lack of sun I experience in London, but for some reason I couldn't get enough of the monastery garden.

Stupidly beautiful, and I am not really a botanical-garden type of person at all.

I am going to become a nun and live here.

Nice was French then Italian, then again officially became part of France again in 1860. The names here in the graveyard (where I got stuck during a sudden rainstorm) are almost all Italian. OMG plus don't get me started on the pizza, with crust so cracker thin it brings tears to my eyes. I have consumed so much pizza here that I think my nails and hair will grow an inch this week.

Sorry, this is a dumb picture.

This is my little lunch at the Chagall museum - a goat cheese salad. And you WILL have dessert after lunch and dinner or else your waitress will look at you like you are weird. Everyone has dessert here and they are still all so thin. Amazing, I think they are all just happy.

YUM, again my hair and nails will be an inch longer when I get home.

  

Today I rented this sweet little bike and rode the 20k (plus or minus, I got lost a few times) west along the coast past Cagnes-Sur-Mer and Villeneuve-Loubet to Antibes. The ride itself was windy and mostly along a busy road, though still next to the beach with a spectacular view of the mountains. OK - I know they say it is "the engine and not the machine".......but it was a tough ride. In my defense, I think the bike, basket, and lock weighed more than I do. It was worth it though! Check out the pics, they say more than my words could for sure.

Best cappuccino ever in Cagnes-Sur-Mer.

 

Antibes, there is a reason you have heard about this place.

Not the ideal shoes for a day of cycling - but whatever.

 

Picasso museum.

Me and my 125lb bike.......

Look closely, can you see the snow on the mountains!!!!

 

Mountains, or beach - how about both. That's it, I am moving here!

 

Cagnes medieval center viewed from the beach, are you kidding me!!!

Tonight for dinner I am cooking up some fresh veggies to make pasta sauce for the homemade ravioli I bought at the little store below my flat. Then I am laying low the rest of the night with The Marriage Plot (very good but then I love pretty much everything by Jeffrey Eugenides). I know how to party! Actually, tomorrow I am headed into the mountains on the Train Du Pignes for some hiking and sight-seeing and the train leaves at 8:50am so I will be up early to get to the station.

I have a feeling it will be amazing. I'll post some more photos tomorrow. Love to all - xoxoxox.

My Lunch Was Better Than Yours - Nice, France

Don't hate me because my pizza was so good, and my carafe of wine was 4 Euros - OK you can hate me.

 
Hello peeps, yes I am in Nice and it was the perfect cure for the London no-sun-for-the-next-10-days blues. It was partly cloudy and about 65 degrees (I am obviously still not used to Celsius temperatures). I effing love France. They know how to live, and men in scarves are lovely - I don't care what anyone says.

I was here probably 7 years ago with Dave. We came for a day while staying in Avignon. Everything is pretty much how I remember it. Nice is like a much bigger Santa Barbara - with better food and about the same number of Americans aimlessly wandering.

I was one of those wandering Americans today. Except with my barely-there French, I can get away with not looking *quite* as ridiculous - at least in my opinion. I am probably deluding myself.

Anyway, here are a few pics from the day.

Farmers market, for everyday and not just the weekends!

And flowers too.

View from the old castle hill this afternoon.

  

Life really sucks.

 

Where am I possibly going to park the yacht?

I love this picture, look at the snow just off in the distance on the Alps.

While I am here, I hope to make it to Antibes by bike, Monaco, and possibly into the alpine foothills for a day on the Train De Pignes. Please send me suggestions if you have any.
 
As an aside, I realized why this flat was so cheap. It is freaking LOUD! The flat is located in the Vielle Ville, which is an amazing location: almost no traffic, meandering narrow roadways, close to the beach,  and cool buildings. However, noise in these narrow streets has the propensity to echo. Every sound made at the bars and cafes (that look so freaking cute during the day) is amplified and echos between the building walls. Last night at about 1:00am some dudes with a guitar started playing and singing in the street and people that walked by joined in. That would be very cute and French at 8:00pm, not so cute at 1:00am.

I am old and need my sleep. Effer. This cheap trip might suddenly get expensive if I cannot take it tomorrow night and have to move to a hotel...... 

Sammy Update

Well Sam (a.k.a. Witty, Witty Ding Dong, The Ding Dong, Sammy J Ding Dong, Boo Boo Face - don't think he liked that one) seems to be doing well in his new home with N.A. This weekend, they are down near Yosemite for some hiking and general goofing off. N.A. has another dog (Bit) and Sam is getting along fine with him.....and by getting along fine, I mean Sam is generally ignoring Bit. That is Sam's "I am an old grumpy dog" style.

 

This is the dog that used to run 7 miles a day with me.

 

Sam is not photogenic, Bit looks possessed.

Doggie heaven, he is smiling in his sleep I promise you.

In other news, I am missing Dave while he is in SF but trying to enjoy my time alone. I think it is good for me. The Dalai Lama (look at me quoting the Dalai Lama) says that if you are struggling with a person or situation, then you haven't yet learned what it is trying to teach you. Here is some other good stuff he says that I like. I think that my struggle with 3 weeks alone in London is teaching me something. I need to be OK doing things by myself, and enjoying it - that sounded dirty. 

Dave and I have been together so freaking long, I had never been to the movies or out to dinner by myself really. I have never traveled alone anywhere - ever (except for work trips and those don't count because I was usually in weird desert towns looking for places to put cellular antennas, and there was no where to go out anyway). That is just plain weird. After these 3 weeks, I will be a pro. I am making friends with waiters and bartenders left and right, which never hurts, "Would you like some free dessert wine madam?" Why yes - I'd love some.

I think these weeks alone will also help me to be more independent here. I rely on Dave and his work friends for entertainment far too much. I need to develop my own life and make my own friends. I am making progress already. Tonight I am going to dinner with my swim friend D.M. and his wife. They are from Northern Ireland and are here for a year or two for work also. YAY! Monday, I am going out to lunch and shopping with M.W. YAY!

On Tuesday, I leave for a week in Nice, France. I found an awesome little apartment steps from the beach for 400EUR/week on VRBO. I am quite excited for sun, warmth, and more French food. I have some recommendations for day trips from H.R. (who used to live in that area) and cannot wait to trail run in the hills around the city! I am thinking of running to Monaco and taking the bus back as a sweaty mess. Won't they LOVE that in snobby Monaco.

Then I am off to Prague. I was supposed to go with Dave but his eye surgery is scheduled that week. Mom - don't panic, it is a fairly minor procedure. Though, I still feel like a horrible wife that I will be in Prague and he will be under the knife in Utah. But it is a quick procedure and he will only be there for 3 days - then back to London.

I'll post updates on Nice and Dave's eyeball. Stay tuned.