Prague at last

I set off from Ansbach at 0815 am after an excellent German breakfast. The journey to Prague was predicted to be three hours and forty minutes. I was hoping to arrive in time to have lunch with an old friend and didn’t fancy my chances of parking near the restaurant. My plan was to arrive early, leave my car at the underground parking I’d booked near Babicka’s apartment and take an Uber to lunch.

The drive through Germany was great. There was some heavy rain as forecast but mostly conditions were perfect. There were occasional road works, which slowed traffic to 80kph, and a few speed-restricted sections of autobahn, but a fair chunk of the run was on unrestricted roads. I didn’t go nuts (I never exceeded 182kmh (about 113mph) but in no time at all, I was in the Czech Republic where the generous (by British standards) 81mph limits seemed like a snail’s pace.Stopping for fuel and a comfort break on the outskirts, I was in central Prague by 1130am and parked up by noon. Babicka was still at the hospital with her mum, so would’t be back until late afternoon. So my other friend and I had a long, leisurely lunch and enjoyed reminiscences of our careers in Central & Eastern Europe. I arrived in Poland in 1992. She arrived in Prague in 1993 so we’d lived through the same experiences of post-Communist revival. She’d also lived in Poland for a while, which is where we got to know each other working on the same deals. 

She’s not ready to retire yet, but we discussed her plans down the road. I was surprised to learn they involved leaving Prague and offered some advice about how to plan for it.

When she headed off for a meeting at 1530, I returned to the garage to collect my bags and walk with them to Babicka’s flat. She was not home yet, but I had keys and let myself in. It’s lovely and I am sorry I missed my opportunity to stay here for a week.

When she eventually returned much conversation ensued – particularly about the cabin baggage only policy for the trip. She was still convinced she could increase Speranza’s cargo capacity by arguments about her needs. She expects feminine logic to warp reality. I held firm. I really don’t want anything in the cockpit to tempt opportunist thieves. 

A word about my parking arrangements in Prague. I booked them in advance online. The operator has locations around the city centre and they use interesting technology. You’re issued with a telephone number, valid for the duration of your contract. No-one answers when you ring it, but the garage doors open. Access was tight, but with care I was able to drive Speranza in (despite her muscular haunches) and install her safely in place.

No new photos today, but the TrackMyTour map has been updated here. Tomorrow, Babicka and I take the road together to our first stop – Salzburg.