Today has seemed like a very long one, first of all it was up at 04:15 and a very quick get ready so i could be out of the door before 05:00. This time I was heading to Stanstead Airport as I had to catch an Easyjet flight to Prague. The journey was quite run of the mill and with a few very minor hold ups I was parking at the car park a little earlier than anticipated at 09:30.
When I got to the airport and the Easyjet check in this is where I got my first experience of easyjet counter staff, luckily it wasn’t me as I was still in the queue. Someone in front of me, a couple had packed a bag that was 18 kilos and apparently three kilos over the limit, the customers argument was that there was two of them and it did say 20 kilos each but apparently it is 20 kilos each when you put your share in two bags and thus pay for two bags in the hold. The customer said she would pay the excess but was a bit shocked at the price of £11.00 per kilo over the weight. Then another customer was checking her in weight bag and was going to take a second bag on the plane but the member of staff pointed out that the lady had a small purse also that made three bags and she wouldn’t be allowed without an additional surcharge. She got around this by putting her small purse in her slightly larger bag. I know these are the rules and it does tell you the rules on the website but there is no leeway, not even the slightest amount. I also know the flights are cheap but what bothers me is that even though it is cheaper than BA or any of the other main carriers you do feel ripped off. There were numerous other bag enquires, too many to really mention but it may be cheap but you can soon fall foul of some rule or other and then you are stung big time.
The flight took off and I was quite surprised how many people took the refreshments on off on the plane even though the prices were rally high, couples would happily pay between £10 and £15 for a sandwich and an alcoholic drink each. Again I know most people on the plane were on holiday but it seems strange to me when we have just left an airport where the prices were high but not as high as the planes.
No to the best bit and we arrived in Prague and immediately confronted by a really nice airport, immaculately clean and very efficient. We left and got a taxi to the station to get a train to Ostrava. We used a taxi as we could have got the bus but we were concerned that it was already 16:00 and we knew the train time will be over three hours so we wanted to get to the hotel in Ostrava tonight.
The train station again was fantastic, so efficient. Lots of shops to look around, the ticketing area was very plush and the staff so helpful. This is one country it seems that is built for tourists. We caught the train which was easy as everything is so well signposted and we found our reserved seats and the best was to come, firstly they offer full free wifi on the train, with a website that shows the map of the train and where it is as well as on onboard cam where you can watch from the drivers cab of the train travelling along.
We sat down to do some work and it was not long before a lady came through the train giving out free bottles of water, bearing in mind we are in second class not first. Then after the conductor had checked our tickets and we had got it right the next lady came through the train offering coffee, again we partook of refreshment. Again sometime later the lady came back through the carriage carrying a tray of magnum ice creams for more refreshment. I didn’t partake in an ice cream as I was too busy working.
Now your probably thinking what was the cost of this journey to pay for all this, well we are travelling for three hours and eleven minutes according to the schedule and the total cost, including reservation as we are on the super city pendelino of 100 crowns came to a total price of 400 crowns or in English just under £16.00. Also don’t get mistaken this is a former eastern block country, struggling like so many former communist states are, this is a first class country and apart from the style of building you would think you were in any western European country. We also passed Marks and Spencer, C&A and Tesco whilst travelling on the train.
The countryside was a mixture of green fields, woods and farm fields both arable and with animals in. The one thing we haven’t seen from the train is industry or heavy industry. Small workplaces, but not factories.
Ostrava itself if very much a working town and looks as you would expect, with an industrial area that we passed on the way toward the station on the train. As it was past 8.30 p.m we couldn’t really determine much of the town from the taxi window and as the station is about three kilometres from the hotel there wasn’t a great deal to see.
The hotel itself is very nice with a pool which I must admit I ventured to as soon as I had deposited my suit case into my room and salvaged my shorts. The reason of my haste was that it has a closing time of 10.00 p.m. and I felt like I needed to get some exercise after sat in planes and trains for what seemed the whole day. The swim was nice and as I had the place to myself it made it more of a treat.
I have now finished off the evening with a bowl of tuna and noodles that you warm up in a cup of water. The cup of water begged from reception as it did state on the hotel website that there was tea making facilities but that seems to have been stolen by the last guest although they did leave a fully stocked mini bar so if I do get something to store cold I at least have that.
So with my stomach full and a little bit more work to do before I turn in I will bid you.
Night all
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