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TRAVEL - FOREIGN TRIPS AND HOLIDAYS - MEMORIES
ENGLAND - London , GERMANY-Dresden, Düsseldorf, Berlin and Cologne, SWITZERLAND ,
AUSTRIA, POLAND, SLOVAKIA, CANARY ISLANDS , EGYPT , MADEIRA , KENYA , DUBAI , TUNISIA , GREECE ...
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The information in this article is even 30 years old (1990 - 2020), so it is possible that much has changed.
Also currently due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many paths cannot be realized.
Nevertheless, I believe and hope that this writing will interest, enrich, make laugh and maybe teach someone :-)
uvod_cv
If I do not count my stay near Piešťany in Slovakia, when we tortured our teachers' comrades as compulsory weeks as children in school, I made the first trip abroad to Germany to Dresden. In the end, at that time I lived in Czechoslovakia, so Slovakia was not abroad.
The goal of the trip to Dresden was to buy things that were not with us. It was a few years after communism and so he went shopping to buy who. I got it marky and my friend and I got on the train and set off. Not far from the station was the store I wanted to visit. I bought a jacket, I got a pen and a lighter and I was happy :-) Then I married Denisa, with whom we only traveled to cottages after a year, we divorced and I (despite the fact that I had quality protection and did not have to) volunteered for the war and for a year I traveled only at the shooting range, barracks and airport: - )
Subsequently, I traveled to Slovakia (shortly after the partition of Czechoslovakia), where I actually got a little by accident. At that time, in addition to working and participating in various events, I also played one online game. The Internet was at the beginning of the boom, and at that time I was regularly failing a dial-up, table game with minimal graphics on a dial-up landline connection (I suspect 40 kbit / s).
Today, probably no one would play such a game, but it was full of kingdoms, magic, battles, kings and queens.
And so it happened that there were also meetings and some were in Slovakia. In the end, I went to Bratislava quite often because I found a liking in Queen Julia :-) In the end, everything ended because the queen killed herself on horseback and I tried to work in complete sadness and despair and started to build a company. I was sitting in an office in Prague and I hadn't been going anywhere for at least a year.
A short and funny visit to Austria affected me during a holiday in a camp near Horní Plané u Lipno reservoir. My friends and I had the idea that we would go to see the nearby Moldaublick lookout tower (Vltavská vyhlídka in Czech), which is about 1 km from the Austrian-Czech state border. We got on the ferry that took us across Lipno and crossed the border. There was a pub on the way to the lookout tower so we tasted the local beer, which we really liked. It was July the sun was shining, it was nice :-) The hike of the Sulzberg mountain was very difficult, but when we arrived at the metal structure of the Moldaublick lookout tower we ran 137 steps to a height of 24 m we had a beautiful view. Since we could clearly see from the lookout tower where and where we went to the lookout tower, it was quite obvious that we went around it a lot. We decided that when we descended, we would not follow the road, but a straight line through the forest to Lipno. That was a big, but really BIG mistake :-)
Absolutely completely unmaintained, totally overgrown forest with an uneven surface, which until recently "was" part of the border zone, so no one went into it. After more than an hour (before that we went to the lookout tower for a weak half hour), tiring work in the terrible heat, we reached Lipno, waited for the ferry and left for the camp. When we came, our women and friends who didn't come with us laughed and asked what had happened to us, because we looked like after the fight - dirty, scratched, torn and the horror of a terrible experience shone in our eyes :-)
Londýn
ENGLAND - LONDON
As it turns out one evening in a bar, I met a cheerful girl, Andrea, and she gave her word, and it was only a few months old, but a very intense love. Due to a certain coincidence and also because she worked as a flight attendant on the bus line to London, I got to England. It was a long journey, but really interesting and I also saw a bit from France. The ferry from Calais to Dover literally thrilled me, because, among other things, the price of whiskey in this duty-free zone was more than favorable. So in Dover at the check-in, where everyone was asked why he came to England, where exactly he goes, how long he will be there and how much money he has with him, etc. I answered cheerfully :-) Andrea went to visit her sister who worked there a short distance from London and I went to visit a "friend of my friend" whom I also knew and who had worked in London for more than a year as an Au-pair and a waitress in a restaurant. Everything was, of course, agreed in advance, and I, alone with poor language skills, stood around Victoria at noon in London and took the tube. I knew where I wanted to buy a ticket and I had a subway map with a marked start-finish route. But as many know, the London Underground is really a staple of almost 300 stations and 11 routes distinguished by name and color. However, that's not the point, I'm still from Prague, when I can change from B to A, so I can do it here too :-) But oh :) The problem was that I needed to change from Victoria Line to a specific station on Northern Line. light blue to black and then get out until I hear the name of your station. Well, when you hear that she reports that due to the delay they will not be in the station where you need to stop, you will just cross it (it will not happen to you in Prague and of course I did not expect it at all). I accepted this "trip" :-) I get off at the next station I walk to the train on the other side, which arrived in the opposite direction, and I mess with knowing that I'm leaving another station, but how-that he doesn't report to her and reports a completely different station. And that's the fun thing ... When you cross your station in the London Underground and go to the other side of the train, you come back to one station. You have switched to another route and you are going somewhere to ... :-) If you want to go back on the route you have to go one floor lower and not opposite the train from which you will get off. Eventually a black man advised me and I got to my station and met Pavla.
It was a very pleasant evening and since I wanted to stay in London for 4 days, we talked a lot about where we were going and what I would be interested in. Great was that only one afternoon she had to go to work otherwise it turned out perfectly and she had time off, so I had a guide. I bought music, I bought sweatshirts, shoes, I ate and drank well, because Pavla knew where to go. I saw the Queen coming from the park at Buckingham Palace, I was in Trafalgar Square, where, among other things, they are lighting up a London Christmas tree. I also walked to the bustling Piccadilly Circus, which is also London's hub. I was at Madame Tussaud's wax museum, which I can highly recommend. I also experienced Chinatown (Chinatown) in Soho, where, among other things, shopping is good. In the end, I really enjoyed the party in a pub in London.
Pavla brought her 6 friends who also worked as an Au-pair so I'm really nice to me :-) I was surprised that the girls, even if they were in London for more than half a year, did not see even a fraction of what I and envied Pavla, because she she went everywhere with me. I also learned that this is how we met in a pub for the first time. I had to realize with some regret that girls didn't have it easy at all. They came to London to make money, and if they "jumped out" they wouldn't bring much home, so work, school, talk to a friend, phones, food and sleep. Zero fun, but I understood that I also felt that London was not a cheap affair and I had a great guide and a free night's lodging. It should also be noted that all girls pay for school to bring an English certificate in addition to the money. Maybe that's why the party was really more than the happy girls were torn from the chain, and I was sad only when I realized I was leaving tomorrow. Interestingly, the pub was completely full, but when the chief rang the end without any discussion in a few minutes, the pub was empty. I had breakfast with Pavla in the morning and said goodbye to her at Victoria station where she accompanied me. I bought something to eat and waited for Andrea, who had already texted me, that she would be there in a few minutes. Then we waited for the bus together and headed to Prague. After a few days, Andrea and I broke up and unlike the other breakups I had behind and which followed this sorry to this day. Andrea was pregnant with me and I stood like a calf (just no enthusiasm) so she had an abortion and we broke up. So I worked here again and again, I went for a beer with my friends and I didn't go anywhere for a few months and I wasn't in the mood for anything.
Then fate brought me into the arms of a Moravian girl, Katka, and we lived between Prague and Přerov. Katka was a nurse, so it was not a problem to get her a job and teleport her to Prague. As part of a rather poetic relationship, I was partially forced to visit Poland more precisely, the markets in Cieszyn, Poland. Well, they had where what. I don't even remember if I bought anything, but otherwise I bought a lot. However, I remember that I was fascinated by the traffic lights at the crossing with three dolls. Germany and the West True West - Düsseldorf. It was an interesting week, but despite some bonuses, it was quite expensive. I remember seeing men's gold Rolexi in the shop window in the square, which had diamonds in excess of CZK 1 million instead of numbers. I've got a few watches in my life, but I've never worn them, so it didn't excite me much, I just wondered how someone could buy it.
In a few months Katka and I went by bus to Switzerland. We went with another couple of our friends. The trip was long, but we had a good time. The girls fell asleep and I talked and drank a beer with a friend. An acquaintance of us all rented a mountain hut and rented rooms to skiers, especially in the winter season. We had a discount on accommodation and we still had a good advisor "what, where, where, how". Les Diablerets is a village and ski resort located in the village of Ormont-Dessus in the French canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The village lies at an altitude of 1,200 meters on the north side of the Diableret massif, 3,210 meters, in the Swiss Alps. It was interesting that the communication with the locals was a bit complicated, they strictly refused to speak German and spoke English with a French accent, where one understood every fifth word :-) However, the people in Switzerland were very friendly and kind.
Of course, it must be admitted that the Swiss franc is indeed a hard currency, so it was not cheap. As part of the savings, we even drank wine rather than beer on occasional visits to local restaurants because it was cheaper. The girls didn't mind, but my friend and I sometimes had a kiss - the wine was quite bitter. One day we also visited the water park. He was monstrous and the water slides unreal. I wouldn't even write about it aquapark is aquapark, but such an incident happened to me. Although it was all great, there were a lot of small and large Swiss and Swiss women and the best attractions were quite queues. So I once climbed the stairs to the "pipe" where there were few people. When it was my turn, I climbed into it and bounced. Then I just flew and with the absolutely terrible feeling that I would definitely die, I fell down. I didn't feel the floor of this tubular water slide at all. After about a minute, it slapped me into the water and I finished at the end. Subsequently, I found out that this toboggan is extreme and there is a timer on its ascent, and if I set a record of the day, a siren would sound and I would win 100 francs. Well, I didn't break the record and I didn't try it a second time :-) It would be weak to write that Switzerland is beautiful - we knew it devilishly wildly beautiful. It really was great! So we went to Switzerland in July, so no skiing, but if you take the cable car to Glacier without a little 3000 (m asl), you can easily build snowmen from morning to evening :-) Everywhere on the rocks fall small and large waterfalls from mountain springs and the air is saturated with the scent of trees, shrubs and all plants. Another great experience was also a sightseeing cruise on a lake on Lake Geneva, where I was captivated by Chillon Castle. The castle was built in the 13th century and is one of the best preserved medieval castles in Europe. A unique experience is also a ride on a mountain panoramic train. We have completed this several times. We couldn't get enough of the taste of different cheeses on a regular basis and, of course, we didn't miss the Swiss national dish Fondue. Beautiful nature everywhere clean, well-being, quiet and grazing cows. That was my Switzerland.
Švýcarsko
GREECE
Katka and I also went on holiday to Greece for the first time. I didn't fly the plane for the first time, but I didn't land on my first flight because I jumped out with a parachute :-) Well, it's a different plane, but it was nice. Only the check-in and waiting at the airport bothered me (but I didn't know what I would experience in later years). We did not fly on vacation alone, but a friend with his girlfriend and another friend who was alone flew with us. We were just such a bunch.
So we landed in Thessaloniki in Thessaloniki and from there we were taken to a hotel. Accommodation was sufficient so no comfort, but it worked. At that time, no one from our party had much money, so we tried to make it a "low-cost" holiday. Strange and annoying was that in Greece in many places, including what we were, there are outdated sewer lines - they just have too narrow pipes and often clog - you don't have to throw paper in the toilet on it's basket next door. In the hotel we had only prepaid breakfast so we went to a nearby town and sometimes had food in a restaurant, but we had a lot of excellent Gyros from the stalls. Greek cuisine suited me very much and I especially fell in love with Tzatziki forever. The strange thing was that we didn't find a piece of classic bread everywhere, we sold such ages or baguettes everywhere, so it was all about white bread.
The nice thing was that we were a few meters from the beach, so we enjoyed the Mediterranean. We always went along the beach to shops and restaurants, so the trips were pleasant. Once we went a little further and we also bought some things, so we agreed to get together and take a taxi back. Never before and never after have I experienced access to a lunch break like in Greece. You have no chance of any services between 12 and 13 o'clock. We offered the taxi driver twice what the trip would normally cost, but it couldn't be broken, so we walked in peace. During the walks along the beach, we regularly passed one interesting place. It was a shallow lake washed up by the tide of the Mediterranean, and there were perhaps thousands of crabs in it. It looked like a moving bottom, a little disgusting, but definitely interesting.
We only made one trip, but it was worth it. The monasteries of Meteora are beautiful and impressive. Meteora are monasteries - monasteries on the tops of conglomerate rocks in the region of Thessaly in Greece, near the town of Kalambaka. Monks and hermits settled here as early as the 11th century, but it was not until three centuries later that the first Byzantine monasteries of the Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churchs began to emerge. You must be sufficiently covered during the inspection (men must have covered knees, women shoulders). No photos or videos are allowed inside. For entering the monasteries, the monks collect an entrance fee of about 4 EUR. Today, if I were in Greece, I would definitely make many more trips. I was quite sorry at the time that I had not seen the Acropolis in Athens, among others. There was little money and I also learned in the future who to go with and not to go on holiday. Not that there were any major conflicts, but Katka and I wanted to have peace and someone was still bothering us. Especially the friend's friend was often unbearable. So a little recommendation - think carefully about who on holiday can quite disrupt your experience.
Řecko