Onward to Prague

Our flight to Prague left from Gatwick.  Unfortunately, that proved to be challenging.  Had we left from Heathrow, it would have been a quick tube ride on the Picadilly line.  Getting to Gatwick, however, was a trick.  We had to get to Victoria and then buy tickets on the Gatwick Express.  Once we got to Victoria, however, I couldn't put my hands on my credit card.  Unfortunately, this became a bit of a recurring theme.  I was forever having difficulty finding this or that.  Cindy was able to pay for the two round-trip tickets, and we were on our way.

We flew on EasyJet, the cheapest option I could find.  I believe Gatwick is an EasyJet hub.  When I'd flown to Istanbul, Turkish Airlines flew out of the North terminal, the International terminal.  I assumed that we would have to use the International terminal for our flight to Prague.  After looking at the readout, I was unable to see the Prague flight, which is when I realized my error.  I had failed to read the itinerary carefully, which clearly stated South terminal.  This was not the way I wanted to start our trip, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world.  We had enough time, and we made our way over to the South terminal without difficulty.

The flight was fine, and we made it through Passport Control without incident.  After collecting our bags, we proceeded to follow the instructions our B&B hostess had provided.  I had been somewhat anxious about it, but it was not a difficult process.  We caught a bus directly outside of the terminal.  We failed to buy tickets, but that didn't seem to be a problem.  The bus deposited us at the Underground, where we did buy tickets which could be used for both the tube AND the tram.   We were on the tube for only two stops, and then caught the tram heading south for the Podoli neightborhood where our B&B was located, right on the river.

We disembarked one stop early, but it was an easy enough fix.  We didn't have long to wait to catch another tram, and then there we were.  The tram stopped directly in front of the apartment.  When we rang the bell, our hostess Hana told us to wait for her to come down  to guide us inside.  The halls of the building revert to darkness if one doesn't actively switch on the lights.  Hana took our bags with her in the elevator and we walked up the two flights to our flat. 

Here's what we found.

Although we shared a bed, we each had our own duvets, which made it more comfortable.  Also, we had our own reading lamps, so we could indulge our own reading patterns.  The paintings above the bed were artworks Hana's daughter produced.

Although we didn't turn on the television the first night, we actually did watch some Czech TV while searching for English language services. 

The bedroom was quite spacious and offered a lovely view of the River Vltava, or Moldau.

There were many, many books on art, and quite a few novels as well.  Naturally, they were all in Czech.

The breakfast room was very nice--quite a lot of room, actually.

The bathroom was well designed, and very self-contained.

It was a lovely apartment and we were very comfortable. 

As an added bonus, there were a few restaurants within walking distance.  There was a restaurant less than a block from the flat, so that's where we chose to eat.  I don't remember what Cindy had, but I chose traditional Czech fare--roast pork, gravy, dumplings, and onions.  I also had a delicious Pilsner.  The server didn't speak much English, but we managed quite well.

As more guests filled the restaurant, so too did smoke.  Fortunately, we were able to take showers upon our return. 

We made an early evening of it and started reading by 9:00 p.m.  We had an early morning ahead of us.