Tuesday 9th December 2025

Around Helsinki

No use reporting on the sleep, it’s too depressing, as is the lurgi we have contracted from all those sniffers on buses , in market crowds and everywhere that tissues and hankies are non existent.

Buffet breakfast was huge , but reasonable restraint exercised and there was also none of Santa’s sleigh pullers to devour.

Decided to see the City via the Hop On Hop Off bus so headed for Stop 1 where tickets were available.

Got there after a 30 minute walk to join another bemused Australian family who had pre- purchased their ticket yesterday. As luck would have it the buses don’t run this week from Tuesday to Friday. Whilst we were disappointed the family realised they had bought a €105 ticket that was for yesterday and they were devestated.

We decided to walk the majority of the bus route with particular emphasis on getting to the site of 1952 Olympics.

The Finnish were a bit prepared having been allocated the 1940 Games only for WW2 to intervene. In 56 they were the smallest country ever to host the Games.

Under almost blue skies we headed off past a deserted market sitting below the Cathedral which looked even more grand in daylight hours.

We were not the only ones hoofing it today, it seemed that on every corner there were groups of  20-25 kids in brightly coloured vests from dacate centres doing tours. Poor old teachers were struggling herding the cats.

We grabbed a couple of late minute cold climate goodies before heading up past the modern Boat Museum and a weirdly shaped wooden chapel.

On the way to Olympic stadium we decided to detour to the Tennis centre- oops Tennis was the name of the building.

Already the difference between Finland and the Baltic cities is becoming evident with modern buildings and street statues all over the place. Very few of the unit buildings have that post war look about them, probably because the Finnish batted for both sides in WW2 and suffered very little collateral damage.

Had a mid walk coffee in a cafe run by a multi-lingual Chinese girl from Vietnam- can’t say it’s not cosmopolitan over here. That all aside had the yummuest sweet delights to go with the coffee.

Down through some riverside parklands and we came upon the Regatta site. Still lots of active rowers here given the number of boat sheds. Remarkably the original grandstand still remains, it made the old Leichhardt Ovalgrandstand look like Accor Stadium. 

Up through the adjacent parkland and came across another modern statue in honour of famous violinist Sibelius. A lovely young Red Setter wasn’t showing it the respect it deserved, if you know what I mean.

The statue was in spitting distance of the old Olympic Village which was 15 apartment blocks, built to complement a tent village housing 2500 other athletes. The buildings still have flagpoles and are now social housing estates.

After a brief visit to the tram Museum we found the Stadium with its imposing tower climbing about 75 metres into the sky. It has the bowl for the flame atop. The flame was originally lit by Parvo Nurmi and they somehow transported it to the top for life of games. Pretty ironic that the flame would be passed onto Aust for 56 Olympics.

The nearby Museum,adjacent to National football stadium, was a fantastic journey through time.

Interestingly the first display was a Lotto Drawing machine with its brightly coloured and numbered table tennis balls. Between 1971 and 2022 Lotto funds were the primary source of sports funding until the Government got a pang of conscience raising money from gambling,with funds now going into Consolidated Revenue.

It showcased a raft of Finnish athletes including VIren the distance runner , Nurmi and footballer Litmanen who made a name for himself with Liverpool FC.

Then there was Markkanen the first Finnish badketballer to play in the NBL AllStars game

Australian medal winners namely Strickland, Jackson and Mockeridge also featured. There was also recognition of the highly skilled Winter Olympics competitors.

Interestingly, Finland which is relatively flat has hosted World Cup Alpine Sking World acup events for the last 60 years, primarily due to lots of Finnish ingenuity.

It would have been great to see the Swimming Centre, which from films looked about the size of North Sydney pool. Swimming was only an evolving sport then and interestingly 10 male swimmers broke the 400 metre freestyle world record at the Games. 

A bundle of kids were living out their dreams in the interactive room , including some getting to try wheelchair basketball.

The darkening skies had us treading the 2-3 kilometres back to our hotel passing Parliament lhouse and the Univetsity of the Arts. Again the contrast between past and modern art was evident in the statues/sculptures.

Another noticeable difference here as against Baltic countries is the number of young women smoking and a lesser focus on alcohol which is very expensive.

Back at hotel we met the other 24 tour members and the Tour Director who whet our appetite on what to expect over the next 10 days, including lots of snow and -15 temperatures.

Headed out for a warming Nepalese dinner and then home for our last sleep before tomorrows flight above the Arctic Circle to Ivalo.

8th December 2025

Tallinn to Helsinki

Usual sleep pattern l, only made bearable by fact that midnight dashes to bathroom were across a tile with underfloor tiling.

A Supermaket bought breakfast, quick repack and we were soon in our Uber headed for Terminsl D to start our sojourn to Helsinki and say goodbye to another magical city.

A very modern terminal not that different to an airline terminal greeted us and we went through checkin quickly and were soon sipping coffee in the waiting lounge.

Struck a group of Aussies who just arrived back from Northetn Lights cruise where they saw the lights. Hope the luck rubs off.

They made us shiver just hearing stories of minus 30 degrees on some days at places we visit over the next 10 days.

Soon onboard in a well appointed lounge in a ship which turned out to be a floating Duty Free shopping centre. One area about 150 square metres was about fashion and personal items whilst the deck below had a similar area allocated silly to alcohol. Surprisingly there was a pokies salon on board.

A smooth trip of just 2 hours had us passing a craggy group of little island before disembarking in the huge harbour area.

Next was a 2 km walk to town with suitcases in hand, passing a weird welcoming statue.

Thankfully walk was on paths with a little bit of grit rather than cobblestones.

Arrived at Art Nouveau hotel, which was previously a dormitory for male technology students, to be warmly greeted by the staff and given early access into our room.

Dropped the bags and headed down to the former market on the harbourside which had been converted into a cafe/restaurant precinct with a real multicultural offering.

Grabbed a sandwich and beer at an eye watering cost which set the scene for rest of day and likely the next two weeks in Scandinavia.

No rest for the wicked and we headed into Central Helsinki, which is a vibrant, modern and seemingly sophisticated place.

A bit of shopping in an upmarket DJ’s, search for a pharmacy, where drug prices matched the lunch, then down to the market passing some very clever Xmas decorations on the way.

The market was in a square overlooked by some very impressive buildings. It was a little different to the others in Tallinn and Riga with more emphasis on goods. That said there was plenty of stalls selling food and various warming alcohol infused drinks.

surprisingly the centrepiece was not a tree but a huge statue.

The biggest queue was at the hut selling the Korean equivalent  of a Pluto Pup / Dagwood Dog  or a Dippy Dog if you hailed from Adelaide. Only difference it was reindeer not a Frankfurt dipped and fried. 

Gave it a miss and continued to deplete the stock of reindeer by having a toastie with a dash of Prancer, Brie and cherry jelly on a sourdough piece of bread bigger than an open hand. Supplemented it with a mulled wine and sat in a wooden cabana with a few young Finns.

The day was flying by and at 600 we began a crooked walk back to our hotel.

Managed the amazing feat of staying awake until 900pm. 

Tomorrow will be a bit of sightseeing then meeting the tour group.

December 7th 2025

 Tallinn by Foot

Well so much for the restful sleep, up at 2 hourly intervals from midnight. Maybe it is the glogg ( gluhwein alternative here) .

Another chilly day with wind chill factor taking temps down to 0. Making it a little less pleasant was the wintry mix, a meteorological term for rain, ice and snow.

Headed to town in relative darkness at around 830 through a town square almost devoid of people, only thing we passed was the Chimney Sweep statue which we rubbed for good luck on the way to Reval Cafe for breakfast.

Fuelled up we started our foot tour of town, passing a raft of cafes and restaurants and one bar which might have some appeal to Slim Dusty if he is still writing songs. 

Some beautiful old buildings with different architecture and in pristine condition.

The famed St Olav church with its huge spire stands out amongst the rest of the town. History has it that the spire has been rebuilt five times after fires and lightning strikes through history. They have installed a lightning rod in recent times to lessen the risk.

Back towards the Town Hall,adorned with two angry looking dragons, and we were in the almost deserted Xmas Market. On the way we passed a human sized reindeer decoration which Jane eyed off and I snuck past after eating one of its kin for dinner last night.

Took the winding path up into the old Town and wandered through the old castle and walked the ramparts. The ramparts gave a beautiful panorama over the city as well as providing a ‘day at the races’ atmosphere with its decorations. Inside the castle was a great display paying homage to the coffee culture which existed from the 60’s right through until today. It included some quirky artwork.

More step scaling up to see the resplendent Danish King’s palace, before wandering the backstreets taking in the history and then snatching the chance to warm up in a quaint cafe which was packed to the rafters. Ironically there was a Ben Stokes doppleganger there who responded with good humour to news the Poms had suffered another crushing loss in the cricket.

This ESim we bought has been great for a raft of things- keeping up with cricket and golf scores particularly.

Spent a couple of interesting hours with a guide or more a street performer getting a great sense of history through the ages later in the afternoon.

One interesting myth was when drinking water was first found it was so putrid they threw cats into the well to improve the taste. Apparently that didn’t work so they decided to add a few things to it and produce beer. Maybe that’s where the saying ‘that tastes like cats piss’ emanated.  
Our old mates the Blackheads, the unmarried traders group, also made the presence felt with both the women and buildings.

We came across an interesting way to grow vegetables in a narrow lane leading down to Xmas Market. It was right next to the oldest clock in Tallinn which still works – well at least twice a day.

The modern day history was no better demonstrated at our finishing point, by the huge number of banners outside the police guarded Russian embassy . The Estonians share exactly the same negative view of the Russians as the Latvians.

Decided a mid afternoon Linner (lunch and dinner) would be a great opportunity to get out of the now bitter cold and try a few more local delicacies in a Medieval themed restaurant.

Got to say the mixed tasting plate which included red deer, bear and some exotic pate was an interesting experience.

Warmed and fed we still had some walking to do to see the KGB Gaol Museum. It was an underground arrangement of cells, confinement rooms and torture mechanisms where local dissenters were meted out Communist justice. 

Some of the prisoner recollections were chilling.

It was gobsmacking to read one snippet that both the Russians and Nazi’s were critical of each others cruelty against prisoners. Think they needed to have a good look in the mirror before making that statement.

Dark was soon upon us and we ended up in the market for a a farewell Glogg ( only 15% alcohol) and some tradition Estonian profiteroles before splashing our way through the streets, passing a 50 metre long line of people heading into the church where we heard the choir the evening before.

As has been the case since arriving over here it was another early night. Tomorrow it’s on the ferry to Helsinki.

One thing I failed to mention was the vehicle below which was either a decrepit farm truck or Russian missile launcher.

Saturday 6th December 2025

Riga to Tallinn

The Balsam didn’t quite act as a sleep tonic,  though we did make it through until 530.

Like our first day train cancellation we were advised late yesterday that our hotel booking  in Tallinn had been duplicated and despite it being booked for many months we lost the ballot and were offered alternative accommodation a bit  further out of the city. No time to search for another so it will be hoofing it a little further.

Up and packed then out to our now favourite French patisserie for breakfast. Just as good a fare as yesterday and fed and watered we returned to hotel to checkout after another great experience with hotel staff.

Parked out front was a food delivery bike all set up for wintry nights with handlebar mittens.

No tipping here,  but most of the other hospitality places ask for a tip. I find it tacky and as mean as it sounds only tip those with no expectation.

We clattered our way over to the bus terminal, found or bus along side an icing over river, passed passport check by driver (which was as thorough as seeing the front cover ) – so much for security of borders.

We were sat adjacent to a woman from Adelaide in front seats and chatting until Jane’s dream from last night materialised- ‘excuse me you are sitting in our seats’ came from a German couple. 

Our mistake about how seats were numbered saw us pushed back into the next row. 

Off we went for a 5 hour journey initially through a myriad of post war Communist unit blocks and then forests. Tragically,  the story about the forest murder of Jews was evident with many roadside forest graves. 

Two hours in we crossed the border into Estonia where we were greeted by the rain which was predicted for the entire afternoon.

Whilst road flowed through forests dotted with tiny wooden houses the map showed we were tracing the coastline along the Gulf of Riga.

Lots of chalet styled brightly coloured wooden houses lined the streets of the main road heading into our halfway stop,  which was pretty eventful. 

Five drunk Russian guys started harassing an Estonian guy, 3 left and returned to restart the bout. None could fight and single Estonian guy held his own.

Thankfully someone called the police and the gutless Russians must have got wind of it and staggered off before they arrived.

We sought the safety of the bus to avoid the cold and fracas. Oh the joys of transport terminals.

Sitting up front of the bus can be quite angstful when you see the driver distracted, fiddling with equipment and often popping onto the verge. I had to keep up with the cricket scores to distract myself.

Continued to see more forest than Robin Hood as we moved further  into Estonia with minimal farming and absolutely no animals. Logging seemed to reign supreme.

Five hours ticked by pretty quickly and we arrived in a surprisingly modern Tallinn. Booked an Uber and paid the princely sum of €4.50 for the 10 minute drive to our modern alternate accommodation,  right next door to a different alternative – the Hare Krishna temple.

Spent little time settling in and headed off in the rain bound for the Old Town. Immediately came across a beautiful church where the choir was practicing. It was pretty haunting in this place with its high vaulted ceiling.

Back into the rain and soon in the modern town square overlooked by the liberation monument and another  gorgeous church.

Further along we were entertained by a couple of figure skaters before finding the famous Xmas market. A couple of pretty handy skaters were doing all the pirouette stuff whilst the others shuffled around at various paces

To my surprise I am not tiring of them. Maybe it’s the wonderful spirit of Xmas that exudes from them.

Had a nice dinner of red deer sausage and sauerkraut which probably reduced the size of Santa’s sleigh-pullers  seriously, given the size of the sausages.

Took a more circumspect approach with our two mulled wines by only sipping on the 15% alcohol version. I had a black currant and lemoncello version whilst Jane deferred to a Red Cherry one after the initial one.

Given we missed all of the little kids Christmas Extravaganza’s back home we thought it only fair to stand in the rain and listen to an equally ‘entertaining’ rendition from the local primary school.

A bit rain soaked we headed home ignoring a ride in the Xmas  train instead opting to be serenaded by the Hare Krishna guys heading back to their shrine.

Home around 7 and embarrassed to say hit the sack.

Friday 6th December 2025

Riga 

No we didn’t die overnight, but did get 9 hours sleep which hopefully broke the drought and it might be back to some normality.

Managed the vagaries of how to bathe  in the unusual bath/ shower arrangements without the need of the rescue squad to extradite us from the bath.

As you do on a balmy 5 degree day you breakfast at a French patisserie in the Old Town of Riga, albeit in the dark at 830 in the morning. 

Then it was off to do a 2 hour guided walking tour of the City which recently achieved UNESCO listing.

Here comes the walk of temptation

Went down what might be termed Debauchery Avenue where all of your sins and cravings could be satisfied in the one strip. Try the Coffee House, aka Weed Shop, Vape Shop, any bar you want with enticing signs like 59 Shots for €50 and the Adult Shop – lucky we were on a schedule.

Tour started at the House of The Blackheads which we passed yesterday It was named after St Mauritius a  black Saint who was Saint of the Promiscuous Traders in lay language. He was apparently beheaded for crimes unknown.

In the same square was a house, where legend had it, female herbalists,in ancient terms witches, wove their craft only to be burnt. 

They love their myths and legends over here.

Our very knowledgeable guide then bought us back to reality with grim stories of the 159k Jews murdered  in the woods,  mainly during WW2 by both Germans and Russians.

There is not a lot of love for Russia and with a population of only 1.7 million and a nett population decline of about 20k last year they fear a possible Ukrainian situation.

The Govt is trying to reverse the population decline by offering  job security and full pay for a year and a half, plus  providing  €60 a month childcare rate when back in the work force.

In a less sombre environment we visited the huge spired John The Baptist church and the Mayors old house.

In the square behind the church is Hamlins donated sculpture of 4 animals supposedly looking behind the Iron Curtain. Touching all animals simultaneously brings good luck. Looking at the sculpture it sounds like one weird game of Twister.

Hobbled along some very wavy cobblestone paths whose state of repair comes from fact they are laid on top of a still present stream.

The roads were on the edge of the old palace wall into which houses were built. Remnants of the wall still remain inside a modern hotel.

Hotel also had a collection of interesting art.

Seemingly every building has a black cat somewhere on display. It’s become a symbol of Riga. Seems some architect trying to join the Architects Academy tried to exhibit his skills by including them in a building design opposite the Academy. Reject by the Foreigners only members be reversed the cats with their bums facing the academy – might just be a Ripley’s  Believe it or not event.

One thing that stands out in Riga is its cleanliness. Apparently kids are taught at an early age not to litter. There is also a sense of safety and our guide suggested they had one of the lowest crime  rates of the Balkans.

Chatting to one of the Pommies  on tour and remarkably they had relatives in Gymea not far from where my daughter lives. The old 6 degrees of separation.

Wandered along the old outer wall of town hearing stories about the life of the Executioner,murdered starcrossed lovers and how some of the cemeteries ran out of room and just collected the skeletons and placed them in church tombs for everyone to see. It was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle with heads arms and legs in different piles.

Architectural differences abounded during the tour and later in the day we would tour the Art Nouveau area by ourselves. 

Overall it was a great tour led by a passionate, educated and knowledgeable guide which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Farewelled our Pommie  tour companions with a quick cricket update and popped into Market to try a Black Balsam, aka sweet rocket fuel drink with 45% alcohol before heading off for more walking.

Off along the riverbank with a great view of the spectacular National Library across a quite expansive river.

Arrived at bus station to do a bit of reconnaissance for tomorrow before heading to the markets situated in some old buildings looking like domed plane hangars.

Each of the hangars housed different products including meat fish, groceries and dairy products. The poor old fruitier were consigned to spots outside between the hangars.

There was an amazing product range, with none of it particularly cheap. 

Jane nearly created an international incident when she attempted to check out the huge fish holding tanks, with Olga the 100kg fishmonger giving her a dressing down.

Tails between our legs we were off grabbing a Uzbekistan styled lunch.

Enjoyed a brief respite back at the hotel before restarting our journey to see the Art Nouvea side of town which gained its reputation as a leader of the movement between 1898 and 1915.

On the way over we meandered along the canal which was formerly part of the city protection system, through beautiful parklands. In one the boys were grooming and testing the outdoor ice skating rink.

We were joined on the walk by what may have been half the Latvian Army as they marched , weaponless, along the pavement.

Soon reached the magnificent Cathedral and refreshed our minds of the wealth that existed in the church. It was an interesting arrangement with no pews just standing room.

Arrived in the Art Nouveau area where street after street was dotted with wonderfully ornate houses. It was also full of Embassies,  hotels and eateries – any one going hungry simply wasn’t trying. You might go thirsty though if you are a wine drinker looking at discount prices in the bottle shops.

Had our fill of culture and headed back towards town grabbing a couple of happy hour drinks in a bar where we could have been everybodies grandparents – just a couple of old hipsters listening to the music in reality.

Worked our way back to the market enjoyed another Black Balsa, some sort of caramel cone and did some trinket shopping before bopping along to a bit more music- wondering if there was more than herbs in the Balsam.

Traded our collection of cups in for €8 and wandered around a bit more, engaging with a few other tourists then off for a light dinner at an Italian eatery/wine bar. But not before a visit to another properas decoration store.

With even ruddier cheeks from a little red wine we headed home for our last sleep in Riga before heading to Estonia tomorrow.

Tuesday 2nd December

Prague Round 2

Can’t say sleep has been plentiful and it’s best illustrated than by the bags under my eyes.

The eyes were working early when I did a weather check out back door of the hotel and realised we were only 50 metre from the Charles bridge- so pretty happy with hotel selection from afar. On top of that the hotel staff have been remarkably friendly and helpful.

Tried to be circumspect at  breakfast and may have got a B minus for effort.

Today was all about tours starting with a self guided one where we walked past the house of Einstein ( thinking he might only have popped in for wine and strudel but it makes a good story.)

Around the corner was a mark of respect Czech style to Sigmund Freud with him hanging from a lamp post- funny sense of humour over here.

Being early we passed several groups of school kids all rugged up and daisy chained to a teacher  as they entered the local school.

Headed down to the Clementine to book tickets to see the astronomical tower and Baroque library. A queue of about 300 people suggested we should return later and book tickets for tomorrow, not knowing the line would be the same until all tickets were sold.

We wandered along the riverside to the Jewish Quarter and decided on a tour. It was an emotional few hours walking back through history and seeing the mistreatment they endured under the various regimes.

The graveyard with tombstone from 1400 to 1700 were strewn rather than neatly placed through the cemetery, but it didn’t take away the sombre atmosphere.

Inside the Pinkas Synagogue Memorial it was a much more confronting and emotional experience with wall after wall of the names and lifespans of the hundreds of thousand killed in the two World Wars and various occupations. Pictures drawn by kids in interment camps was a bit of a reminder that many of them and their Mum’s never escaped.

It was a tour like those in the theatres of war in Gallipoli and Northetn France that ram home the futility of war.

Took a break for coffee and then visited the New Town and what is dubbed the Richest Street in Prague. The designer shops and cars parked nearby certainly cemented that fact. In one 200 metre stretch we counted

1 Rolls Royce

2 Bentleys

10 Mercedes

3 BMW

2 Audi’s 

1 unknown vehicle straight from the war front.

The majority of cars here bear the Skoda brand suggesting locals support the manufacturers over here.

Headed for the next tour we worked our way along the riverside,  getting to see some interesting sites on land and on the Vltava River.

Some more weird statues, including one paying homage to those in the IT world and another a very sizeable cat. Those looking to learn to drive a bike or scooter were well catered for with a sign laden “learners pad”. 

The river was abuzz with boats doing river cruises with most boats unsurprisingly full of tourists. Moored was a Boatel that had seen better days with an army of contractors trying to restore it to it more glamorous past.

After burning a bit of time before our walking food tour,  we were beckoned aboard a floating brewery to start the tour with some beer, wine and local cheeses.

There was 12 on the tour mostly from UK and USA. Tour leader was supposedly a Polish Professor who was teaching in Prague and using guiding as a side hustle. It took little time for him to talk about poorly paid guides and the generosity of tourists.

Soon transitioned from floating to walking and were tasting the delights of Prague as we meandered across town.

Gingerbread was first on the agenda where we indulged and then rationed up with some goodies plus a bottle of eggnog. Being big on bread it was inevitable the next stop was to sample an open sandwich washed down with mulled wine.

We managed to waddle over to Wenceslaus  Square, which is actually a rectangle , the sight of many marches and protests during the Cold War. It’s currently under renovation but you can still close your eyes and imagine what is was like in those days. It is the site of a Cold War bunker beneath the Yalta Hotel which we will visit tomorrow. In line with the war theme it was ironic to see a Tiger Moth fighter with butterfly wings suspended from the side of a building as we wandered about. Shame I deleted the picture and had to substitute it with a weird sculpture depicting life and death.

The last port of call was the fabulous Cafe de Paris which simply reeked with history with it dark wooden furniture, ornate lamps and tie wearing wait staff. The wine and strudel were great but the classical slow cooked beef and potato dumplings in a vegetable puree got the thumbs down from most – filling was probably the most apt description.

The whole guide tipping process has gone from a thanks and small note to a bloke recommending an amount and having tap and go facilities if you had no cash. 

Headed off home? No way there are more markets to see, this time the biggest local one which was a 30 minute uphill walk in the dark. The walk was warranted with a great atmosphere as mostly locals drank and ate their hearts out. and plenty of opportunities presented themselves for Jane to sate her Xmas tree decoration penchant.

The cold drove us home, with a walk  back through the major market only 5 minutes from home. Ran into Santa, his Angel and a Devil. Myth has it that good kids get a visit from the Angel with gifts and I don’t have to explain what the naughty ones get.

Soon home sitting on the side of the bed saying ‘sipping cold eggnog ain’t that bad at all’.

There ended another great day in Prague.

Wednesday 

Wednesday 3rd December 2025

Prague

Another fitful sleep, but welcomed by a crisp 2 degree day in Prague which would be one of walking , walking and more walking. 

Felt a bit spoilt to walk out the back door and walk onto one of the most famous bridges in the world to start the day. 

First mission was to head to the Clementine to get our tickets for the tower and library. At 845, even before the ticket office opened a couple of hundred people had beaten us to the gun.

After a chilly hour’s wait we managed to secure some of the last tickets for 330pm session.

Then headed off to drop clothes  at laundry and could only contemplate a mulled wine at that time of the morning. The lady sure has developed a niche business and at least 3 others were there when doors opened. For those that washed and waited she had a 1960 tv to ponder, below her 60cm version. Makes you wonder what the younger folk would have made of it at 30 odd cm’s.

Headed off along the river on what to be a day of statues grabbing the attention.The bank was littered with statues of all sorts including the David Cerny one outside the Kampa museum of the babies. He is one hell of an artist, even though the teacher trying to explain it to a gang of wide eyed little kids seemed to be having a time convincing them of that.

Found the John Lennon Peace Wall where it was a line up to get a picture. The little gallery in the adjacent Museum had an interesting array on display, including a whole Fu..ing set of ceramic crockery.

We may also have found Magic Johnson’s ideal Xmas present – a crystal badketball ring.

Headed off over yet another bridge to see the contentious Dancing Building which divided opinions when an historic building was demolished to make way for its construction- think someone was trying to out do Mr Cerny with its architecture.

Speaking of Cerny his next work, the Spinning Head was absolutely amazing. It was an image of Kafka in silver tiles that rotated like a Rubik’s Cube dissembling and reassembling itself every 90 degrees on the quarter hour. Words don’t do it justice.

Headed up to Wenceslaus Square in hope of getting tickets to the Cold War Bunker Museum.

Plumb in the middle of the walkway was an ice skating rink full of skaters of varying degrees of ability.

Grabbed one of those Chips On a Stick things on the way, before arriving at hotel to find there were no tickets available.  With a tour in 10 minutes we decided to sit around in case there was a cancellation and as luck would have it 2 dropped out and we were away with a wise cracking uniformed guide 20 metres below ground level.

Built to accommodate 150 it had everything from operating theatres to communications centres. In the Cold War days anybody in a hotel room was unaware they were being monitored in bugged rooms. Not sure if it was fact or fiction but Russia had nuclear capability in Czechoslavakia in 150 monitored different sites across the country.

The Czechia economy apparently survivesd on Skoda and a healthy, if that word can be used, weapons industry in those times.

Back above ground, it was a quick sandwich and off to our tour at the Clementine. No line up this time we headed straight in ready to tackle the 178 steps over 5 stories to get to the top of the tower.

A really great guide took us through the history of the Barique Librsry which houses 27500 books spread over 2 levels. Given it was built by the Jesuits level 1 was all about theology. The mathematicians, astronomers and historians were on the next level, along with the promiscuous books that remained despite decrees from various Pope’s to destroy them.

Fresco’s from 13th century adorned the ceiling including one off a man with donkey ears to depict those considered illiterate.

Scaling the narrow wooden staircases and metal spiral staircases to the floors covering work done by astronomers was worthwhile.

The simplicity of their equipment and plain ingenuity to achieve remarkable outcomes was amazing.

Atop the tower and outside we got a post sunset panoramic look of Prague before carefully negotiating the stairs to head off to the laundry, via the Charles Bridge and an up close and personal look at the lamplighter.

Collected laundry and retraced our steps across a less crowded bridge to plonk in a small bar to exhaust our remaining Czechia cash reserves before heading into our hotel for dinner.

Learned our lesson from last visit and shared a pork knuckle before heading upstairs to pack and ready ourselves for the 500am taxi to the airport to head to Riga on a two hop flight through Vienna.

Monday 1st December

Prague

Still getting the body clock synchronised meaning lots of early morning wake ups and fiddling with phones and other things. Found the room temperature a little warm before finding the heat controller and the handle to open window for some fresh air which helped.

A pretty spectacular breakfast where some caution had to be exercised without offending the Chef who was doing the rounds of the dining area.

The day was all about seeing the sights of town, firstly by ourselves and later in the day on a free walking tour that cost 50E.

Started day with a run to bank as Czechia has its own currency except where the equivalent of ‘cashie’s” occurs and Euros are welcomed. Used the new Wise  card on this trip and it works well with low fees and conversion costs.

Cashed up we crossed one of the 17 bridges that span the river(a bit Budapest like only bigger). As we meandered along the river passed some unique statues, including a string of penguins overlooking a boathouse and the spillway and lock on the river. Penguins in Northern Hemisphete seemed a bit odd, but the area was littered with odd statues.

Further along found a few brass kids with their arses in the air and the best of all was adjacent to Kafka Museum with two guys pussing onto a metal pool in the shape of Czechia . Apparently it was the artists impression of how the rest of Europe had treated the country.

Not many tourists but great clumps of kids heading to Charles University, which is one of the oldest in Europe having been established by Charles 4th. The kids were followed by a plume of smoke or whatever it is that gets emitted by vapes. Interesting not many of the older generation smoke or vape openly.

Some cute little Xmas markets were still being built one with a particularly nifty Nativity scene.

The cleanliness of Prague is amazing and it’s probably attributed to the guys in orange who take their Orange Dogs for a walk.

Reached our first major port of call Prague Castle which was a long step filled climb giving you a wonderful view of the city. Even on a Monday the place was packed with tourists and lots of police and armed servicemen.

Seems a lot of the people in customer service positions missed courtesy 101 at the training school and service was regimented without a smile.

Armed with our tour ticket we joined the processions of people to wander through the various exhibits. St Vitus Chapel was enormous with its usual display of church wealth. Just on wealth the Crown Jewels are secreted in the chapel where it’s protected by 7 locks whose keys are held by 7 different civil and religious dignatories across the city. There will be no repetition  of the recent Louvre heist unless they are happy to pinch the replicas which are on display.

Whilst most of the crypts and tombs were sealed the last display in St George’s display was the bones of a nun.

Like many chapels the building was built,modified, burnt down and rebuilt over centuries and it’s a mix off many architectural styles. The centrepiece outside was the ornate tower and clock.

We shuffled off with the ever increasing crowd and visited the palace which featured an amazing great hall as big as a football field and a library area where landholder records dating back centuries were stored. 

The ceilings were covered with family crests and a working ceramic heater took pride of place .

Outside again we visited the Golden Lane which was a collection of houses and shops built into the wall of the castle and were only a few metres wide.

The trip through history took a very modern twist on the way out with Starbucks operating two outlets- guess upkeeping history takes funding from all sources!

Out the gate past the Czechian version of Grenadier Guards and followed a cobbled route back down the hill that took us towards the university quarter where we grabbed a bit of traditional fare before wandering through the streets taking in the history. 

Food is important here and the desire to sate hunger was best illustrated by the 200 metre long queue to get into Pork’s which is as the name suggests is famous for its pork knuckle and other porcine offerings.

Alcohol is also important and as travellers we have other needs like keeping the clothes clean. Both requirements satisfied in one spot at our next stop Sip and Spin- a laundromat with a wine bar- reckon we will be visiting there on the last day.

Wend our way through the Embassy area which was protected by a mix of military and civilian guards. The Polish Embassy was simply stunning with grand buildings and manicured lawns. Two International schools abutted the Embassy and a United Nations tribe of kids flowed into the streets to jump into a cavalcade of swish European cars. 

Soon arrived at the meeting point for our ‘free’ tour. Met our guide a Dutch multilingual teacher now living in Prague and after waiting 15 minutes for the other guests, we 3 set off – guess it’s easy to book a free tour and not turn up.

We visited Kafka Museum, narrowest street in Prague before joining thousands of people on the famous Charles Bridge to witness the lighting of the gas lamps ( it’s supposedly the only bridge still lit by gas powered lamps and the city has refused pushes to electrify them). It’s a pedestrian bridge now but was up until 1968 used by cars and trams.

Meant to mention the visit to the Little Venice spot which has now become both a popular boating spot and location for movie shoots.

Made our way through town to Clementium with its Astronomical Tower and Baroque Library. We got the history but won’t be visiting till Wednesday.

An interesting sculpture was a little girl perched on a ledge who supposedly thought the best way to share books was to make them into paper planes – un urban myth perhaps!

The library theme continued as we visited the Municipal Library with its book cone- a conical structure made from 8000 books. You could join the 309 metre queue and wait 1.5 hours to take a selfie or walk up the adjacent library stairs and get an equally good view. No guessing what option we took.

Across the road was a fabulous little Xmas market where some lovely replicas of paintings by Josef Lada captured the spirit of Xmas. Another great reminder of the joy Xmas brings to kids was the booth with a scroll where they recorded their Xmas wishes.

Went from small to big and revisited the main Xmas Market and watched the lighting of the tree which is now repeated daily rather than at the start of the season. Pardon the poor man”s time lapse photos

We crossed into the New Town where the difference is very apparent and far less charming, though the backstreets did have some great bars and restaurants – most full by 500. 

We finished the tour early. Paid our ‘free’ fee and wandered back through the OldTown taking in the spirit of Xmas that was enveloping the city. 

After the big lunch our dinner was a chimney cake and some mulled wine.

On our first non hiking holiday in 13 years we succumbed to 8 hours of city hiking and dragged our weary  bones up the stairs to have an early night and hopefully sleep off the lag.

Come on Bohemuan Rhapsody

Sunday 30th November 2025

Frankfurt to Prague

What’s the use of another 600 alarm when you are suffering jet lag and have already laid awake for 3 hours?

With an early train it was up and down for a hearty breakfast before heading to the station in 3 degree temperature to get more clarification on the second leg of our trip to Prague. 

Crowd was a little thinner and clarification non existent with office opening at 900. So it was cross your fingers whether our seat reservation counted.

Onboard the first train to Regensburg with only a few companions, mainly American tourists, we were thankfully in our rightfully allocated seats.

Not a lot to see early on other than copious forests and then it was open fields with no animals, but plenty of snow covered solar panels sitting adjacent to the fields- pumping out how who knows how much energy, while the wood fuelled fires kept people warm.

The route was dotted with a myriad of quaint villages tucked into hillsides and also many along the river banks. 

We passed through a couple of major cities, including Nuremberg where we visit after our Scandinavian tour.

First leg of journey finished at Regensberg which is situated at the very top end of the Danube where it converges with two other rivers..

With a 50 minute wait we got out of the cold onto a platform swarming with spectators of the local football team, most with a beer in hand which seems a pretty common trait over here.

Managed to find out there are no reserved seats on the next train- it’s a free for all. Invariably it was a waste of energy worrying as for the next 4 hours we had a 6 berth cabin to ourselves. The only ordeal was lifting 18kg into the overhead luggage racks – will nee to do some gym work when I get home.

To our surprise the train backtracked for about 30 minutes giving us a review of the scenery before heading east and eventually crossing into Czechia.

Train journeys certainly provide more than just scenery, people jumping off at stations for a smoke and restocking beer supplies, forlorn travellers running along the platform to just miss the train and an incessant desire by guards to have tickets checked, with 5 separate visits in our journey.

The countryside was mostly farming and small villages with the larger towns having a strong industrial flavour. One Pilsen had a real  flavour bent being the origin of pilsner beer,  particularly  the Urquell brand which was created by Josef Groll in 1842 and  it still remains one of the major brewers in Central Europe.

The paucity of animals continued with about 6 horses and either 2 goats or large dogs the only sightings.

After nearly 4 hours rural turned into suburbia and we were soon hauling suitcases through Prague’s railway terminal which was heaving with travellers.

A decision to walk the 1.5 kms to our accommodation near the riverin the  dark at 500pm turned out to be a little ill- conceived,  as the cobblestone paths and roads are not made for wheeled suitcases.

Vasco took on the navigation role as we wend our way through town on what was an adventurous route through main streets, shopping arcades, small Xmas Markets and dingy lanes often frequented by homeless people – the constant click clacking of our wheels introducing our arrival.

Finally reached our hotel which was situated in a palatial old building owned by the Malvaze brewing family famous for their dark beer. It still brewed beer on site.

Our two 18kg bags which we had hauled along,  were no challenge for the porter who plucked them off the floor and made light work of the stairs to our room. The room was lovely and Jane was delighted with the Loccataine bathroom offerings.

Couldn’tlet  the jet lag or fact it was only 530pm have us laying around so we tidied up and headed downstairs for dinner. Valuable lesson learned at our first sitting – you don’t need a Starter because the main could feed a small village in Africa. The food servings were matched by the beer with the stein of pilsner weighing almost as much as a suitcase.

We waddled our way out into the streets and headed for the main Xmas Market. The streets were alive with people celebrating the first day of the festive season, albeit a day early.

The Cathedral which created the backdrop for the market square was bathed in light and had a Disneyland affect to it. Being just before 700pm there was a huge crowd gathered below the astrological, or probably better named the astronomical clock for its array of features, waiting for the parade of characters which appear on the hour. 

The locals and tourists were out in their thousands enjoying a fabulous array of food and mainly mulled wine. Trinket sellers were also doing a great trade, as were the restaurants that surrounded the square.

The centrepiece of the Marker was a huge Xmas tree whose lights are turned on and off hourly to give everyone that wow factor.

With such a huge weekend crowd we decided a weeknight visit might give us a better opportunity to see things in more detail so we headed home for what would be another fitful nights sleep.

one interesting shop on way home may have enhanced our euphoria but we declined.

HAMBURGER WITH THE LOT

Saturday 29th November

Seoul to Frankfurt

Day started with a 515 alarm so we could be up and ready for the 600am shuttle to the airport for the 13+ hour flight to Frankfurt.

Weather was chilly and windy but not enough to rug up in the Winter woolies- that would be for later in the day.

The F1 driver must have slept in and was replaced by an escapee from the Driving Miss Daisy team who pottered along with the assistance of Google Maps to take almost double the time to reach airport.

At 545 on a Saturday morning the airport was mayhem, it felt like half the 55 million residents were heading off on an international holiday.  Once we found the actual entry point Korean efficiency saw the line move pretty well  and we spent about 40 minutes getting through Customs and Security.

A light breakfast in the Lounge and we were soon boarding the upper deck of the A380-800 psyching ourselves up for the almost 14 hour trip. Like our trip over we were under the control of one of my distant relatives Captain Lee.

A bit of bingeing on a tv series, a few bites to eat and the odd drink, plus some fitful sleep and the journey was over arriving in a mild and rainy Frankfurt mid afternoon.

Pretty seamless entry process and then a search for the station and the usual ‘ how the hell do these ticket machines work’  moments, before we paid our 40 Euros and were off to the main railway station. 

Another grand piece of architecture full of food stalls and a mass of humanity.  Thankfully we found the Railway Information booth and sorted out the rebooking of tomorrow’s second leg of the journey to Prague.

Vasco got her compass and map out and we negotiated the 300 metres to the Hotel Hamburger. If the service we received from the reception staff was a precursor of German hospitality, we are in for a ripper of a trip.

Freshened up and rugged up we headed to the Xmas Market at about 430 in the pitch black. The streets were alive with people, as were the bars and cafes on the 25 minute walk. Frankfurt is a wonderful mix of the ild and new. The diversity of the food offerings certainly cements fact that it’s a true multinational destination.

The crowds on the streets  getting there were only a precursor to the throng of people at the Xmas Markets. Anybody that went thirsty or hungry simply wasn’t trying, as long as the wait didn’t deter you.

Pop up bars were very popular, with most people tossing down the mulled wine from little mugs that you drank from and kept as a soyvenier( sure saved washing up).

Full of sensory delight and slightly wet after the walk and wander around in rhe rain we headed home via the Mitchell Inn food truck, where we grabbed our first German Sausage and 500ml can of Beck’s to finish the day.

Next stop Prague for a few days.