6/5/2012

We have arrived at Frydlant nas Ostravici. Yesterday morning we bounced out of bed at 5am, after retiring very early. We head an early walk heading the opposite direction to the day before. It was a lovely day and the light was very soft, we found more towers and churches to photograph. Very old and beautiful.

Breakfast started at 7am at the hotel, and was included in the price of our stay. It was in a lovely huge room, which could have been a ballroom in a previous existance. All the food was lined up and wonderful, there was even an afternoon tea stand with cereals and cakes.

Afterwards we made our was to the station over all the various cobbles with out suitcases, which proved to be very bumpy, found the right train, seats but the wrong carriage. We didnt find that out till after the train glided out of the station. The train was a Pendolino fast train, all announcements were in Czeck and English. A young couple came looking for their seats and we discovered there were also carriage numbers, they were very nice and organised with the conductor to take our seats (so we didn't have to move), the girl had lived in Sydney for 2 years and had an uncle in Melbourne.

All together the train took about 4 hours. The Prague station was totally huge with a shopping centre and all within a massive building that looked like a museum.

The land scape and all the little villages along the way were totally beautiful, lots of fields with canola and other crops and industry, some of it left derilect by the soviets. We were totally crazy trying to photograph it all, but mostly ending up with photos of poles and trees in the way. C'est la vie! the buildings were mostly in bold colours and very pretty.

We had a change over in Ostrava for the last leg of the trip. It was right at the end of the platforms the trains were very old and you could open the windows and do the puffing billy hanging out of the window thing! Which was a lot more fun for taking photos, Guy took up pole position on the opposite window. Some stations were just of strip of concrete along the train, but most had a guard standing there as the train went past. There were dogs (with their owners) on the train as well.

We arrived and found the family standing there waiting for us beside the rail track (we had the concrete slab as well). An easy walk back to their appartment. A lovely place, with views in all directions. Explored the town a bit, shopped and a long walk to the next village where there was a church with a view of the whole valley. The weather was perfect, beautiful and warm. The village is so lovely really, there were people everywhere living the outdoor lifestyl; Bikes, motor bikes, rollerskates,and many many walkers. It is quite hilly here too.

It was so lovely to catch up with Jonathan and Lisa again and meet little Carter.

Today more exploring !