Prague

When you suffer the consequences of doing something ridiculous it makes you stop and ask yourself "Why do we do stupid things?". The frequency of this question over the last couple of days has prompted me to wonder if it's lack of common sense or in fact just a way to add value to out otherwise mundane routines. The first instance of this question came about Thursday night. I was at the gym "experimenting" with a new back exercise. During the last set I fell into an awkward position and felt the entire right hand side of my back lock up. Oh uh, I thought, stupidly enough I continued my work out fighting through the pain. Only after I got home did I realise I had sprained my trap muscle and my back was disfigured and hideously disproportional.

The extent of this injury became apparent the following morning after a 15 minute endeavor to get out of bed. Range of movement in my neck, back and shoulders were severely limited, It felt like I had broken my body with the only way to avoid the sharp thronging pain was to live life in slow motion.

There is in fact a correlation between European travel and the seasons. Winter makes for unpleasant holidaying with the most influencing reasons being the cold, the limited hours of daylight and the possibility of delayed flights. So as the European winter draws to an end the weekend of the 7th-8th February was to be spent in Prague. In total, 8 of us would travel to the capital of The Czech Republic.


We arrived at Ruzyne International Airport shortly after 10 am local time. After a 20 minute bus ride from the airport to Dejvicka station we found ourselves on the metro being shuttled to Staronestska, the centre of town. First thing on our agenda was to find our apartment where we could freshen up and then explore the city. To say that we were enthused about being in Prague would have been a lie. We had taken a couple of wrong turns and our feet were heavy from the lack of sleep and the agonising pain of hunger. Passing a KFC we resisted the urge to succumb to the Colonel's secret recipe. We eventually found a local bar and had the waitress call the owner of apartment to come fetch us.

The apartment was enormous and one of the best accommodations I've stayed in Europe and at around €20 per person/per night was a bargain. Going by recommendations we ended up eating at U Sadlu a medieval themed restaurant specialising in Czech cuisine. The amount of food that we consumed was obscene. We sat in the dimly lit music saloon each staring out into space, we had all eaten too much. Despite being completely satiated we ordered desert and drifted into consumption comatose. Why do we do stupid things?


The next two hours was spent walking the streets of Prague.

Charles Bridge:


Astronomical Clock:


Old Town:


We had covered most of the key tourists attractions on this side of the river and with our Saturday night already planned we headed back to the apartment for some much needed rest.

The evening kicked off with a dinner reservation at Gordan Ramsey's Maze. Admittedly we were still full from lunch but found the food and service top notch.


The next Czech experience involved us being seated around the apartment coffee table as we each took turns burning sugar cubes into Absinthe. Feeling quite warm we headed back out into the cold to Karlovy Lazne. Left club just before 3 am and spent a substantial portion of the evening trying to retrace our steps to the KFC. We were preparing to go to sleep and with one last ditch effort tried to finish off the remaining Absinthe. Why do we do stupid things?


Sunday morning was a complete write off. In the afternoon we headed across St Charles Bridge and explored Prague Castle. It was a nice walk but the groups' energy level had been sapped. Unanimously we decided to once again return to the apartment for an afternoon nap. We checked out at 6 pm and made for the local KFC. We bought a bucket of chicken and another bucket of wicked wings and proceeded to gorge ourselves silly. Why do we do stupid things?


Prague rates as one of my laziest European trips. I can safely say that we spent more time in the apartment than on the streets of Prague. So here I am, typing up a recount of my last few days. I'm extremely tired, my back still hurts, I've put on the extra calories, I'm down £200 and admittedly, this doesn't phase me one bit.

"Worst snow in 18 years"

What appeared to be another typically overcast Sunday afternoon in London. Me sitting on my bed, TV in the background as I stare out the window, daydreaming, reflecting, sleeping with my eyes open. Steam billows from the adjacent restaurant as the sun sets over drab London. Snapping back into consciousness I notice a certain irregular consistency moving through the air. Initially it looks like dust and pollution being thrown about. Closer inspection reveals it to be flakes of snow drifting down from the sky. For the best part of 10 minutes I attempt to take photos of the falling snow from my bedroom window. This exercise in futility leaves me wanting and after many failed attempts I toss my camera aside and draw the curtains close.


Oddly enough it wasn't the sound of my alarm clock that broke my slumber but a strange luminance seeping from behind the curtain. Pulling the curtains apart revealed a picture of white. It was as if a kid had gotten his hands on his first snow globe and given it the shaking of a lifetime. Snow was bouncing off the glass and the dreary scene I was staring at yesterday afternoon had been transformed into a snowman utopia.


Wow, I thought as I stepped out of my apartment. Pavements, cars, roofs, streetlights and trees all covered in snow. The streets were deserted and there was little evidence of human passage on the footpaths. As my foot hit the ground I slipped and almost face planted. Epiphany number 1, leather shoes on ice makes for impractical walking. I trudged to the Tube Station and was shocked to find the platform ridiculously overcrowded. The sign indicated that the next train would be 20 minutes (Usually, trains run every 2 minutes). Epiphany number 2, snow cripples the public transport system.


Eventually getting to work over an hour late I was welcomed by an small cheer from an otherwise empty office. I survived the trek into work! Turns out 1 in 5 people weren't present at work, either working from home or just physically unable to make the commute. Tube lines were either part suspended or experiencing severe delays. The bus network had been suspended. Most shops and services closed before their regular closing hours.


Despite the chaos and blatant inconvenience I heard not a single complaint about the snow. There were complaints about the transport, about work, about closed shops but not one ill word was said about the snow. It was as if the city had become mesmerised. Within a flurry of powder and snowballs and snowmen it was a time to stop and reflect. Epiphany number 3, snow sucks.

CNY/Australia Day

Not to harp on the issue but as previously mentioned the hardest part about being overseas, isn't being overseas but having the status quo torn away. I've also noticed that yearly festivities just aren't the same. It's only really become more apparent during the last couple of months. Birthday, Christmas and New year have been acknowledged but not in the same granduer and braggodacio of previous years. Which brings me to another annual get-together that left a distinct lingering feeling of dissatisfaction. January 26th 2009.

1933. For those who care that was the last time that both Chinese New Year and Australia Day crossed paths. Does anybody really care when the last time these two days coincided? Festivity wise there's probably no better combination. The food and family of CNY combined with the friends and laid back celebrations of Australia Day. Both quite obviously absent from London. Hum, think I'll either go to the temple or down to the pub...

Winding down

There's less than 3 hours left of the year. I can't help but reflect on the year that was 2008. I don't know if I have completely accepted my new life. For most waking hours I still haven't come to terms with the idea of being in London. There was no "culture shock" so to speak of. I felt more deviation walking the streets of Lakemba.

The biggest difference between here and Sydney has been the sudden disconnection from family and friends. I don't know what I expected from this distraction in my life but I do know that what they say is true. "You don't know what you got until it's gone". If that's the only thing I take away from this adventure it was well worth it. Heading off to Covent Garden Jewel Bar. Happy New Year!

Waffles, Chocolate, Beer

Let's be honest now, there's really only one country that you can legitimately prefix to each of the above mentioned indulgences to suggest quality and abundance. Add to this mussels, fries, The Smurfs and Tin Tin and it becomes glaringly obvious that Belgium would make an interesting holiday destination.


I could do my usual trip breakdown, but really, it's the end of the year and I can't really be bothered. Put simply, Belgium was all about consumption. The consumption of food, drinking and atmosphere. Majority of our time was spent in Brussels, with a day trip to Bruges and a 10 minute wander around the block in Antwerp.


The outstanding events from this trip are as follows:

• Fondest memory: Trudging in from the -2 degree weather into a warm Belgium Pub and spending the rest of the evening in front of a fire place sampling Belgian beer.

• Forgettable moment: Some guy tried to mug one of us.

• Regrettable decision: Exploring Antwerp.

Crisis Christmas 2008

Volunteer work during Christmas. It's something I've always wanted to do but have always had prior arrangements. This time, being in London, without family presented itself as the ideal time to help out the homeless on Christmas. It may not be a lot but I managed to help out at the homeless shelter on Commercial Road - tiring yet so rewarding. Merry Christmas!

London Abodes

It's probably safe to say that my time spent in London isn't entirely made up of traveling, partying, exploring, absorbing London. It should then come as no surprise that a large percentage of my time is spent confined in my private quarters. The place where I sleep, laze, pass time, eat, read and ponder the greater issues in this life; more commonly known as my room. My stint in London has had me living out of different accommodations in the various boroughs of London. Here are my lodgings from the past half a year.


Upon arrival in London I dossed (n: Temporary make-shift bedding) for 2 weeks on a friend's couch in Paddington.


After forfeiting his lease, thereby leaving himself and I homeless I found myself short-letting with another friend at a discounted rent of £200/PCM in Highbury and Islington.


Upon completion of that short-let I managed to pick up a 3 month short-let in the suburb of Royal Oak.


Which finally brings me to my current dwelling in Soho, Tottenham Court Road. I can quite confidently say that this will not be the last place of residence in London.