Central Europe ‘23 – Day 8

Our last moments in Prague were spent together in the early morning roaming the cobbled streets of the Charles Bridge and Astronomical Clock/Old Town areas of the city. Very quiet, with dog walkers, photographers and the odd “late nighter” moving about as the sky began to brighten. We have really enjoyed this city. Whether considering attractions, cuisine, art, architecture… there is something for everyone.

The run down on Prague… 

• Weather – Really, some of the nicest weather of the trip. Excellent for walking and tours.
• Currency – We moved freely with card and Euro, and really didn’t encounter crowns during our visit (except Janie’s interesting exchange of Euro for Crown at Prague Airport)
• Metro – This city was entirely walkable! We got on the Metro once (A Line) and all moved as expected. We did use the trams on our Bunker Tour to get back and forth to that attraction. As our guide described it, the trams have the “right-of-way”, and get two days off for accidents… don’t walk in front of them! That trip was a bit of an adventure… elbows up for sure, but good people watching.
• Connectivity – Excellent access wherever we went… including attractions / food service spaces. We used it a lot! I did download Google maps for offline use this trip (as we did in Ireland) and utilized that excellent option in all four cities.
• Language – Kind of ashamed, but I knew “No” Czech arriving, and the same amount leaving. These folks move from language to language with ease!

Once again we opted for an Airport transfer from Hotel. Undoubtedly a more expensive commute, but darn convenient and our driver was waiting patiently as we hit front desk! The scheduled pick up for 8:00 AM allowed us plenty of time to give the room a double check, settle up/pass keys as well as snag some breakfast. The commute from downtown to Vaclav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) took us about 25 minutes, as we wound our way across the river and to the airport. Worth the 40 EUR to get picked up and dropped off with our driver providing instructions on navigating Terminal 1.

Online Check-In was not available for this flight, and for us that puts us in a queue early in the process for no real reason. Thus, we had to wait for ticketing service and line up for Boarding Passes. Then it’s a busier Passport Control & Security. All accomplished, but I wasn’t fond of the Prague airport security process at the gate. Once again, stalled for no “real” reason and idle employees standing about while having lines of patrons form… not that orderly! Passengers that are early and want to avoid lines (such as us) get jammed up and restricted early and often.

In the end British Airways Flight 855 departed close to on time and we started our journey back, with an initial flight to Heathrow. Here, the plan was to transfer from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2, find a place to store bags, then commute to London to go exploring for the day. To make this possible, the objective was to have a quick turnaround. We hoped to make good use of our time by doing some sightseeing and taking in a couple of attractions. We’ve been to London several times, each occasion scheduling different activities. There is so much to see and do!

Flight left a few minutes late, but got on the ground at Heathrow around noon (GMT). As always here, a fair bit of taxiing about the airport jockeying for gates, so we weren’t out of the plane until 12:25. Then the following gauntlet;

• Customs (now an entirely electronic process) ✅
• Commute to Terminal 2 ✅
• Stop at left baggage (found out that T2 not an option/Paddington is 👍) ✅
• Purchase 2 Day passes (Zones 1-6) for Tube ✅
• On our way to London via the Elizabeth Line by 1:30 PM ✅
• Bags stored for the day at Excess Baggage Company Paddington ✅
• Purchase – 2 Cornish 😋 Pasties ✅
• Off to enjoy London! 🚨

We had two planned events for the day… the rest was eye candy! We managed to see Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, The Mall, Admiralty Gate, Trafalgar Square and the Horse Guards Parade before our first attraction. Great walk around a bustling, fine weather Saturday in London. Even stumbled into several protests (Illegal Migration Bill & Stop ULEZ) as well as a film set on the mall. Gotta say, I wasn’t sure we’d get to do this Saturday so I was pleasantly surprised how it all unfolded (time, weather, navigation). In many ways, I was perhaps secretly happy we remembered so much from what really was our first trip abroad way back in 2008!

Our big afternoon visit was through timed entry tix for IWM Churchill War Rooms. Reviews were solid for this attraction and it was a good fit! The core feature is Churchill, and museum creators segment the content into five periods of his life. All is housed in the actual WWII space where the Prime Minister ran his offices during the Battle of Britain and German bombing raids throughout the war. Exhibits are loaded with information, both in artefact and interactive forms, surrounding the sometimes heroic, sometimes catastrophic political figure. We enjoyed the visit! However, one might add that we experienced a specific point of view in regard to the “history” provided and felt there were some inaccuracies in both content, omissions, and perhaps even more importantly, a lack of balanced exploration in the “other side” of this story. I’d venture a guess that we spent an 1:45 hr on site. It was busy but not overcrowded, and while somewhat expensive in cost we were offered an immense collection with audio guides included. For war buffs, an excellent way to spend an afternoon!

Post museum, we set out again on foot and passed by the newly restored Big Ben, hopped on the tube towards the east end, and toured the Tower Hill area admiring a beautifully lit Tower of London and storied Tower Bridge. In case you thought we may not have eaten at all on Saturday, we did stop at Traitors Gate Pub for sustenance and an ale! We sampled a couple of cold beers, chicken / ham hock & leek pie, and a crowd on the edge of their seats glued to the televised rugby fixture! Enjoyed it all, even turning over our booth seats to a couple of Yanks that stumbled in when we were just rallying. All so entirely and delightfully British 🇬🇧! Expensive part of town, but oh so close to our last attraction of the trip.

At that, we made off to our final bit of fun, an after dark London Walks Jack the Ripper Tour. Reserved this one on a whim, as it’s something out of the norm for us. Basically, group members involved in the tour meet up with a guide and he/she provide a moving tour through important sites and locations in East End London. The tours are an exercise in the macabre, as gruesome takes of murder, early detective work, period (and present day) architecture and, especially, living conditions in 1880’s London are detailed. Our guide (Andy), wove a suspenseful story around the five grizzly murder victims, potential suspects, policing efforts and the state of London during the period. In the end, a 2 hr tour through winding streets and alleys, churches and tenements, by yards and pubs. It’s popular, with competing tours (there must have been 1/2 dozen others) working the area. Unknowingly a great decision, as we had an excellent tour and really not much left in the tank except this “info provided/guided” type of tour where the only real responsibility is showing up!

After bag pick up at Paddington, the adventure home to our accommodation, Ibis London Heathrow Airport took shape. We planned for the tube, to an unknown stop, and a transfer to bus on the fly near Terminal 2. What could go wrong, right! Janie had her trusty detailed route on the phone, had mapped through the scenario, and it seemed all pivoted on finding the bus stop and correct bus. Guess what? Worked perfectly to the point where we arrived as or more quickly than we might have with subway to T2 and airport transfer! Well done Ms Lumsden! Ah… quickly to the bunk for an early rise and a morning of navigating Heathrow for the last flight home.

Central Europe ‘23 – Day 9