Hop over to S's blog for his take on it.
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 December 2010
netherlands in november
We spent a quick weekend away in Den Haag and Amsterdam at the beginning of November. On the downside, it rained. On the upside, I love The Netherlands and even the rain couldn't dampen our spirits. Since it was hard to take photos while holding an umbrella, I don't have much to share. But I did take pictures of bicycles and boats.
Hop over to S's blog for his take on it.
Hop over to S's blog for his take on it.
Monday, 9 November 2009
Pic of the Week: 9-15 Nov
Cycling near Meissen in Germany
This is from the last day of our cycle trip last year. I managed to take a few pictures and even a video while riding in the back along a lovely, flat path.
Click on the photo to see a larger version on flickr.
Monday, 12 October 2009
Monday, 22 September 2008
Prague to Meißen: Conclusion
I re-read my posts, and realized that I ended without much of a conclusion. I suppose one question on people's minds will be, "Well, would you do it again?" I could be seriously tempted to do another cycle tour now that I have finished this one. Some of the people in our group had done similar trips: Prague to Vienna, the Blue Danube, Poland. And not-so-similar trips: Guatemala. I would like to explore more of England. We're already here... And I know some of my friends would enjoy it (hint, hint, SOAS gals!) I might also consider doing a ride for charity. My colleagues at work were not impressed when I came back and told them I hadn't raised a penny. They all thought I was off doing some selfless act; ha! I showed them. The only money raised went to Explore's coffers.
So that's the next question: would I do another Explore tour? I have now done two with S: Jordan & Egypt, and cycling in the Czech Republic & Germany. Overall I am impressed with them. They tend to be well-organized and cover a lot of ground. The itineraries are almost exactly what they advertise, so there are few surprises. My only complaint would be that they often choose hotels in inconvenient parts of town, i.e. out of town! Sometimes it would be nicer to have a base that is closer to the heart of the city. It certainly would have been nice in Melnik.
As for the physical challenge, the cycling was easier than I thought it would be. All my worries were quickly alleviated once we got on the road. I was disappointed that I missed one day of cycling, but what can I say? Some days my body hates me. At least I didn't suffer one of my three-day migraines on the tour. I was happy that I had invested in a few cycle-specific items: padded shorts, baggy shorts to go over the padded shorts, bike gloves. They made a big difference to my overall comfort and ability to ride for hours at a time. I also wore (wear) my helmet with pride. I might look like a dork, but I'm a dork with pedal power.
And perhaps that leads me to my final observation. Those of you who follow me on twitter know that my bike is in the shop, boo hoo. I came home to a flat tire; decided it was worth the extra money to get it properly serviced; and the shop discovered that the back tire is cracked. They are waiting for a new one to come in. Meanwhile, no cycling for me :( I am still curious to see how my bike feels after being on the big touring bike.
So there you have it. A better closure for this episode. I am happy I was able to chronicle so much of the trip on here; the strange thing about this trip was that the photos don't really tell the story. I haven't written so much while traveling in a while, but when the memories start to fade (oh no!) I'll be able to come back here and re-live it. Hurrah!
So that's the next question: would I do another Explore tour? I have now done two with S: Jordan & Egypt, and cycling in the Czech Republic & Germany. Overall I am impressed with them. They tend to be well-organized and cover a lot of ground. The itineraries are almost exactly what they advertise, so there are few surprises. My only complaint would be that they often choose hotels in inconvenient parts of town, i.e. out of town! Sometimes it would be nicer to have a base that is closer to the heart of the city. It certainly would have been nice in Melnik.
As for the physical challenge, the cycling was easier than I thought it would be. All my worries were quickly alleviated once we got on the road. I was disappointed that I missed one day of cycling, but what can I say? Some days my body hates me. At least I didn't suffer one of my three-day migraines on the tour. I was happy that I had invested in a few cycle-specific items: padded shorts, baggy shorts to go over the padded shorts, bike gloves. They made a big difference to my overall comfort and ability to ride for hours at a time. I also wore (wear) my helmet with pride. I might look like a dork, but I'm a dork with pedal power.
And perhaps that leads me to my final observation. Those of you who follow me on twitter know that my bike is in the shop, boo hoo. I came home to a flat tire; decided it was worth the extra money to get it properly serviced; and the shop discovered that the back tire is cracked. They are waiting for a new one to come in. Meanwhile, no cycling for me :( I am still curious to see how my bike feels after being on the big touring bike.
So there you have it. A better closure for this episode. I am happy I was able to chronicle so much of the trip on here; the strange thing about this trip was that the photos don't really tell the story. I haven't written so much while traveling in a while, but when the memories start to fade (oh no!) I'll be able to come back here and re-live it. Hurrah!
Sunday, 21 September 2008
Day 8: Leaving Prague
There is not much left to tell. We checked out of our room in the morning, and had a few hours to spare before we had to go to the airport. We went back to town and climbed the tower.
Lift to the top of the tower
Reflection in the ceiling of the lift
The people look like ants
Gradually we made our way back to the hotel, after another slow lunch (it must just be a Prague thing.) Our driver to the airport must have been the long-lost Czech cousin of the guy who took us to Heathrow on the first morning - he drove like a maniac and swore prolifically at the other cars. We had time (and some korunas) to spare at the airport, so I bought some duty free cosmetics and then worried about getting them through security. Note to troublemakers: if you are traveling within the Schengen Zone, there are no security checks that we could see at Prague Airport. Even for flights outside the Schengen Zone (e.g. to the UK), the security checks seemed more like a formality. Just don't tell them I told you!
I have been blogging for hours now. I will most likely go back and edit some posts when I discover the typos, remember important details and squeeze in a few more pix. But now I am going to sleep. Hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip!
Lift to the top of the tower
Reflection in the ceiling of the lift
The people look like ants
Gradually we made our way back to the hotel, after another slow lunch (it must just be a Prague thing.) Our driver to the airport must have been the long-lost Czech cousin of the guy who took us to Heathrow on the first morning - he drove like a maniac and swore prolifically at the other cars. We had time (and some korunas) to spare at the airport, so I bought some duty free cosmetics and then worried about getting them through security. Note to troublemakers: if you are traveling within the Schengen Zone, there are no security checks that we could see at Prague Airport. Even for flights outside the Schengen Zone (e.g. to the UK), the security checks seemed more like a formality. Just don't tell them I told you!
I have been blogging for hours now. I will most likely go back and edit some posts when I discover the typos, remember important details and squeeze in a few more pix. But now I am going to sleep. Hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip!
Day 7: Back to Prague
Our cycling was done - it was over in a flash, really. No more helmets, no more waddling through pretty towns in padded shorts. We were all ready at 8:30 AM, but where was the minibus? Not again... We didn't have to wait as long this time, and soon we were back in Prague.
We had about an hour and a half before we had to meet for our walking tour, so S and I tagged along for lunch with M, E, St and Su. We ordered some pizza and thumbed through a real estate magazine while we waited. Long story short, the pizza didn't come. We realized that if we didn't say anything, we wouldn't eat. The server was apologetic, but ultimately could not do much to speed it up. Again, the meals came separately, so we shared what came, shoved it down our throats, and ran to meet the group. Why has mealtime been so complicated on this trip?
We took the Metro to Muzeum, and met our walking tour guide for the afternoon. She took us to many of the same sites that we had seen before, but gave us more information than we had gleaned on our own.
Apparently, the blue doors at the top of the clock open every hour on the hour, and 12 apostles parade by while Death - the skeleton - rings a bell. (The following day we happened to see the hourly march of the apostles. It was disappointing. We were expecting a full cuckoo clock-like display, but they just rotate behind the doors for a few seconds before the doors shut again. The rest of the crowd was impressed and clapped, though.) She explained how to read the clock, but I must admit I didn't understand her explanation. She also told us that it was possible to climb to the top of the tower.
She took us through the Klementinum, over the Charles Bridge (make a wish on the statue of the drowned martyr saint, who happens to be in the construction zone right now), and up to Prague Castle. The view was beautiful, much nicer than it had been the week before.
We saw the (very brief) hourly changing of the guard.
Then we went into the church. The sun was shining through the stained glass windows, giving a lovely glow to the stones.
Detail of the window by Alphonse Mucha
The tour guide was very good and she managed to pack a lot into just three hours. K gave us the option to stay in central Prague for dinner, or go back to the hotel. S and I had left our extra korunas back at the hotel, but did not really want to eat back in that neighborhood. Everyone else opted to go back, though, so we duly followed...
And thus we had our most ridiculous dinner yet! Maybe the kitchen staff worked at the place where we had lunch, and just ran back and forth between the two all day. That would be one explanation for the slow food and bad service. Maybe they weren't used to serving such big groups. Maybe that's just how things are done in Prague. But at any rate, my dinner came after some people had finished their desserts. St had the saddest "nacho salad" that fellow Californians M, E and myself had ever seen or tasted. And the server didn't do a very good job of keeping track of who had eaten what. We got charged for several leftover lemonades and beers at the end. Sigh, oh well! Still, the group had bonded quite well by that time, and people began to say their bittersweet good-byes.
We had about an hour and a half before we had to meet for our walking tour, so S and I tagged along for lunch with M, E, St and Su. We ordered some pizza and thumbed through a real estate magazine while we waited. Long story short, the pizza didn't come. We realized that if we didn't say anything, we wouldn't eat. The server was apologetic, but ultimately could not do much to speed it up. Again, the meals came separately, so we shared what came, shoved it down our throats, and ran to meet the group. Why has mealtime been so complicated on this trip?
We took the Metro to Muzeum, and met our walking tour guide for the afternoon. She took us to many of the same sites that we had seen before, but gave us more information than we had gleaned on our own.
Apparently, the blue doors at the top of the clock open every hour on the hour, and 12 apostles parade by while Death - the skeleton - rings a bell. (The following day we happened to see the hourly march of the apostles. It was disappointing. We were expecting a full cuckoo clock-like display, but they just rotate behind the doors for a few seconds before the doors shut again. The rest of the crowd was impressed and clapped, though.) She explained how to read the clock, but I must admit I didn't understand her explanation. She also told us that it was possible to climb to the top of the tower.
She took us through the Klementinum, over the Charles Bridge (make a wish on the statue of the drowned martyr saint, who happens to be in the construction zone right now), and up to Prague Castle. The view was beautiful, much nicer than it had been the week before.
We saw the (very brief) hourly changing of the guard.
Then we went into the church. The sun was shining through the stained glass windows, giving a lovely glow to the stones.
Detail of the window by Alphonse Mucha
The tour guide was very good and she managed to pack a lot into just three hours. K gave us the option to stay in central Prague for dinner, or go back to the hotel. S and I had left our extra korunas back at the hotel, but did not really want to eat back in that neighborhood. Everyone else opted to go back, though, so we duly followed...
And thus we had our most ridiculous dinner yet! Maybe the kitchen staff worked at the place where we had lunch, and just ran back and forth between the two all day. That would be one explanation for the slow food and bad service. Maybe they weren't used to serving such big groups. Maybe that's just how things are done in Prague. But at any rate, my dinner came after some people had finished their desserts. St had the saddest "nacho salad" that fellow Californians M, E and myself had ever seen or tasted. And the server didn't do a very good job of keeping track of who had eaten what. We got charged for several leftover lemonades and beers at the end. Sigh, oh well! Still, the group had bonded quite well by that time, and people began to say their bittersweet good-byes.
Day 6: Pirna to Meißen
I slept like a log and felt like a different person in the morning. My appetite came back and I was ready to ride.
It was cooler in the morning (mamasita mentioned that I was wearing my windbreaker, while S was in a t-shirt, when I emailed her this photo. Well, mamasita, S put on his jumper shortly after we hit the road.)
I volunteered to take the Back Marker position at the end of the group, and took it easy. I was also able to keep my camera in my pocket, so I got lots of pictures of rear tires.
Riding into Dresden
We stopped in Dresden for a few hours. S and I walked around taking pictures and dodging construction sites.
Frauenkirche
We also found a very modern kitchen store.
However, Miss Bonny and Mister Clyde did not come home with us.
Architectural oddity: is this really an overly elaborate fire escape?
Leaving Dresden, we headed for our final destination: Meissen.
All the duckies in a row
Action shot: in my next life, I should be a cameraman. Check out my steady hand.
Meissen on the horizon
Meissen was another pretty town with nice detailing:
...and deer heads coming out of buildings?
But what Meissen is really famous for is its porcelain.
In a word: yuck! I won't even mention the price tag. You can decide for yourself.
The church
Kilroy was here
We had dinner on the hill overlooking the town. Our server was hilarious and attentive - until the very moment when we wanted to order dessert. He disappeared and by the time he came back, we just paid the bill and left.
Day 6 Stats:
Distance: 46km
Position: back marker
Porcelain bought: none
It was cooler in the morning (mamasita mentioned that I was wearing my windbreaker, while S was in a t-shirt, when I emailed her this photo. Well, mamasita, S put on his jumper shortly after we hit the road.)
I volunteered to take the Back Marker position at the end of the group, and took it easy. I was also able to keep my camera in my pocket, so I got lots of pictures of rear tires.
Riding into Dresden
We stopped in Dresden for a few hours. S and I walked around taking pictures and dodging construction sites.
Frauenkirche
We also found a very modern kitchen store.
However, Miss Bonny and Mister Clyde did not come home with us.
Architectural oddity: is this really an overly elaborate fire escape?
Leaving Dresden, we headed for our final destination: Meissen.
All the duckies in a row
Action shot: in my next life, I should be a cameraman. Check out my steady hand.
Meissen on the horizon
Meissen was another pretty town with nice detailing:
...and deer heads coming out of buildings?
But what Meissen is really famous for is its porcelain.
In a word: yuck! I won't even mention the price tag. You can decide for yourself.
The church
Kilroy was here
We had dinner on the hill overlooking the town. Our server was hilarious and attentive - until the very moment when we wanted to order dessert. He disappeared and by the time he came back, we just paid the bill and left.
Day 6 Stats:
Distance: 46km
Position: back marker
Porcelain bought: none
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