After my first week in Milan I went to visit mum's friend Chris de Boos, and her husband Allan. They are living in Biella, a town about 1 and a half hours away from Milan by train (not that long to drive though!) which is pretty much at the foot of the Italian alps and near the Swiss border. We had a fantastic weekend exploring the mountains around Biella, Chris and Allan drove me all over the place! On Saturday we had a wander around Biella old town, on the top of the hill, and then went up to see the Sanctuary at Oropa, a destination on a kind of pilgrimage trail through churches in the area. It's a big complex with 2 or 3 churches (in typical Italian style, the 'new' church is not finished!) and lots of other buildings originally for housing pilgrims/monks. They even had a pharmacy up there! (not open when we were there!) One of the churches houses a Black Madonna statue - carved out of dark wood. We also walked along a corridor in the Sanctuary which is covered in all sorts of tributes, photos, paintings, embroidery, and everything else you can imagine, showing things that people have prayed to the Black Madonna for - anything from health, car accidents, soccer matches - it was very interesting! The whole area is covered in snow, and being relatively high up in the mountains it has spectacular views!
Chris and Allan took me to dinner with friends of theirs, the Berchi family, and also Alfredo, another friend who is about my age and lives in Milan. Conversation was in a mix of Italian and English: language skills varied from the mother who spoke virtually no English, to Allan, Chris and I who spoke almost entirely in English with occasional wavering Italian! Very funny. We talked about Australia alot because they are all thinking about coming out to visit Chris & Allan and travel a bit this year. The family were very friendly and even gave me a CD of their daughter's choir, which specialises in early and baroque music. Wish I could find something like that in Milan!
The next day was sunny so after a walk around the centre of Biella (some cute old buildings, all pedestrianised which is really nice!), Allan and I decided to try walking part of the pilgrimage trail, from the Sanctuary of San Francesco, the next sanctuary on the trail, back through the mountains on a trail that includes a tunnel through the mountain to Oropa, where we had been the previous day. Unfortunately the snow was too thick (about knee high, and always getting higher) for our jeans and runners - we ran into people wearing snow boots who told us that the going didn't get any easier further on, and that the pass was blocked anyway! After about 45 minutes (with still over 3km of snow-bashing in front of us) we gave up and headed back - but not before we'd taken some photos of the amazing view! Chris and Allan took me on an awesome drive through the mountains, past the Bielmonte ski resort where I had my very first cioccolata (more on that to come), and also through lots of little towns in the area which are very important in the textile & clothing industry, part of Allan's work. We also stopped for a view of Monte Rosa, one of the highest mountains in the area, in the same range as the Matterhorn. We spent a lot of time that day driving through fog and cloud, and clambouring through snow, but it was definitely worth the effort! When I finally made it to the Youth Hostel in Milan that night it took hours for my socks and shoes to dry!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Milan
Finally arrived in Milan from Český Krumlov on a monday morning after almost 24 hours on public transport and at train stations: Bus from Český Krumlov to České Budějovice, wait for 2 hours, train to Linz, wait for another 3 hours, train from Linz to Villach, wait for another 2 hours, and finally a sleeper train to Milan. Met some very drunk Austrians on the way who had just been to some sort of ski jumping competition (Austria came second, apparently - beaten by Finns!) and were very keen on blowing these extremely loud plastic trumpet-type things they'd picked up there. Entertaining for a while but I was happy to leave them behind before Villach! The sleeper train was an interesting experience, can't say I slept particularly well, and I didn't exactly see any scenery either!
The Youth Hostel in Milan wasn't open till the 13th, a week after I arrived, so I spent a few nights in a hostel for girls run by nuns. Pretty funny place, really clean, very central which was handy, and not too expensive. Curfew at 10.30, but that wasn't a problem because it was too cold and I wasn't particularly keen on going out on my own anyway! None of the nuns spoke English, but I managed to negotiate my way through in Italian! I spent most of my first week doing touristy things, seeing the Duomo and surrounding area, wandering a bit through the streets, trying to work out the public transport system.... There really isn't all that much to see in Milan! Most of the major monuments seem to be covered up for restoration, so there haven't been many good photo opportunities. Even the Duomo is half covered as they clean up the place - something which I gather has been happening for a number of years now, in typical Italian fashion! The finished part looks good though. The Piazza outside the Duomo is packed with hawkers (mostly africans) offering books, bracelets, and seed to feed the pigeons with. The pigeons outside the Duomo must be the fattest pigeons in the entire world. I was sitting in front of Duomo contemplating my map when I heard 'Helen?' - Antonio, who was on exchange at Melbourne Uni last semester, was walking past and saw me! Very funny to run into someone I knew in Milan!
I also had dinner with Rachel Landgren and Sarah Castles from choir/college on the Friday night after I'd arrived, which was great - nice to see familiar faces after travelling for 2 weeks on my own. We had a good night, and I only just made it back to the nuns in time for the 10.30 curfew!
In Italy the main meal is lunch, and for most of the country it is customary to return home for lunch. That's not so much the case in Milan, but there is still not much open between about 12 and 2, most businesses, museums etc close up and only the many, MANY cafes and pizzerias are open. So just like in Poretta all those years ago, you can still get caught out trying to do stuff in the middle of the day over here. There are also some restaurants that open for lunch but not dinner. I'm getting used to it, slowly - Milan is a lot better than most of Italy, but everything is still very inefficient and it can be really frustrating trying to get anything DONE over here!
Italians don't traditionally do cereal for breakfast, usually bread, and it's really common to have a panino on the way to work: basically a flat roll with cheese, prosciutto, maybe lettuce and tomato as well, and usually half-toasted. There are sandwich bars EVERYWHERE in Milan, seems like every second shop sometimes, and they are usually pretty close to empty except before 9am and at lunchtime. Most food & drink places have a cashier separate to the actual service part. At most places you pay, then give the people at the bar your receipt and tell them what you want - but at some, you just order, then pay at your leisure at the cashier. It's a bit confusing at first but it's nice to be.... trusted, I guess.
Public transport in Milan is pretty good too, there's a system of underground trains, which run regularly (but finish at about midnight), trams and buses. The routes for the trams and buses are very strange - they kind of meander through or around the city without any sort of order or system as far as I can tell. Most buses don't actually go into the centre of the city, just wander around the suburbs. At least in Melbourne you can pretty easily get into the city if you find a tram line. Not so in Milan.
I heard a lot of reports of Milan from various people before I came. Cosmopolitan, dirty, hustle-bustle, snobbish, etc etc. A lot of people say they didn't enjoy being here much as a tourist, and I can see why, it really isn't an easy city to be a tourist in. Things like the weird tram routes, lack of (English) signage at monuments, not being able to find an internet cafe easily, locals who are pretty brisque - and plus the fact that there's really not all that much to see - all have an influence, I think, on how you experience a city like Milan. The first time I went past La Scala I didn't even realise it was there, just walked straight past it. Milan certainly doesn't have the same charm as most other Italian cities and towns, it's much more modern (by Italian standards). As for being a 'cosmopolitan' city - again, compared to the rest of Italy, yes, but compared to the rest of the world.... Melbourne's more cosmopolitan than Milan. You could even say Geelong's more cosmopolitan than Milan. For those who aren't familiar with Geelong, that's a BIG call. But at least you can find something other than pizza and pasta to eat in Geelong. Not that I object to pizza and pasta.
It's a much better place to live, once you know your way around and get used to the northern Italian ways. I think the snobbish, busy city idea just comes from the way things are done round here - people are very direct, which can probably be misinterpreted as not having much time for you. I've found people here really friendly and helpful. Of course it helps to speak a bit of Italian! As for the pace of life... well I think it's pretty much the same as most other medium-sized cities I've been to.... except anywhere else in Italy.....
The Youth Hostel in Milan wasn't open till the 13th, a week after I arrived, so I spent a few nights in a hostel for girls run by nuns. Pretty funny place, really clean, very central which was handy, and not too expensive. Curfew at 10.30, but that wasn't a problem because it was too cold and I wasn't particularly keen on going out on my own anyway! None of the nuns spoke English, but I managed to negotiate my way through in Italian! I spent most of my first week doing touristy things, seeing the Duomo and surrounding area, wandering a bit through the streets, trying to work out the public transport system.... There really isn't all that much to see in Milan! Most of the major monuments seem to be covered up for restoration, so there haven't been many good photo opportunities. Even the Duomo is half covered as they clean up the place - something which I gather has been happening for a number of years now, in typical Italian fashion! The finished part looks good though. The Piazza outside the Duomo is packed with hawkers (mostly africans) offering books, bracelets, and seed to feed the pigeons with. The pigeons outside the Duomo must be the fattest pigeons in the entire world. I was sitting in front of Duomo contemplating my map when I heard 'Helen?' - Antonio, who was on exchange at Melbourne Uni last semester, was walking past and saw me! Very funny to run into someone I knew in Milan!
I also had dinner with Rachel Landgren and Sarah Castles from choir/college on the Friday night after I'd arrived, which was great - nice to see familiar faces after travelling for 2 weeks on my own. We had a good night, and I only just made it back to the nuns in time for the 10.30 curfew!
In Italy the main meal is lunch, and for most of the country it is customary to return home for lunch. That's not so much the case in Milan, but there is still not much open between about 12 and 2, most businesses, museums etc close up and only the many, MANY cafes and pizzerias are open. So just like in Poretta all those years ago, you can still get caught out trying to do stuff in the middle of the day over here. There are also some restaurants that open for lunch but not dinner. I'm getting used to it, slowly - Milan is a lot better than most of Italy, but everything is still very inefficient and it can be really frustrating trying to get anything DONE over here!
Italians don't traditionally do cereal for breakfast, usually bread, and it's really common to have a panino on the way to work: basically a flat roll with cheese, prosciutto, maybe lettuce and tomato as well, and usually half-toasted. There are sandwich bars EVERYWHERE in Milan, seems like every second shop sometimes, and they are usually pretty close to empty except before 9am and at lunchtime. Most food & drink places have a cashier separate to the actual service part. At most places you pay, then give the people at the bar your receipt and tell them what you want - but at some, you just order, then pay at your leisure at the cashier. It's a bit confusing at first but it's nice to be.... trusted, I guess.
Public transport in Milan is pretty good too, there's a system of underground trains, which run regularly (but finish at about midnight), trams and buses. The routes for the trams and buses are very strange - they kind of meander through or around the city without any sort of order or system as far as I can tell. Most buses don't actually go into the centre of the city, just wander around the suburbs. At least in Melbourne you can pretty easily get into the city if you find a tram line. Not so in Milan.
I heard a lot of reports of Milan from various people before I came. Cosmopolitan, dirty, hustle-bustle, snobbish, etc etc. A lot of people say they didn't enjoy being here much as a tourist, and I can see why, it really isn't an easy city to be a tourist in. Things like the weird tram routes, lack of (English) signage at monuments, not being able to find an internet cafe easily, locals who are pretty brisque - and plus the fact that there's really not all that much to see - all have an influence, I think, on how you experience a city like Milan. The first time I went past La Scala I didn't even realise it was there, just walked straight past it. Milan certainly doesn't have the same charm as most other Italian cities and towns, it's much more modern (by Italian standards). As for being a 'cosmopolitan' city - again, compared to the rest of Italy, yes, but compared to the rest of the world.... Melbourne's more cosmopolitan than Milan. You could even say Geelong's more cosmopolitan than Milan. For those who aren't familiar with Geelong, that's a BIG call. But at least you can find something other than pizza and pasta to eat in Geelong. Not that I object to pizza and pasta.
It's a much better place to live, once you know your way around and get used to the northern Italian ways. I think the snobbish, busy city idea just comes from the way things are done round here - people are very direct, which can probably be misinterpreted as not having much time for you. I've found people here really friendly and helpful. Of course it helps to speak a bit of Italian! As for the pace of life... well I think it's pretty much the same as most other medium-sized cities I've been to.... except anywhere else in Italy.....
Cesky Krumlov
From Prague I made my way to Cesky Krumlov after an annoying morning of missed busses and lots of walking around and catching trains to different stations with all my stuff. Am looking forward to being rid of a lot of this stuff - after Milan I certainly won't be carrying around my laptop, big Italian dictionary and a whole lot of other stuff that I intend to send home or throw out. In the meantime moving around is a bit of an effort. I'm pretty sure I haven't left anything behind yet, though, which is good!
A bus to Cesky Krumlov from Prague costs 180CZK+, about $12. Drove through lots of countryside thinly covered by snow, which was of course very exciting (having only been in the snow once before, I think it will take a long time to lose its charm - if it ever does!). Cesky Krumlov is a picturesque little town near the Austrian border. It's a really beautiful place, and it was all covered in a thin layer of snow when I was there. There was a cat at the hostel - waltzed into breakfast and sat up on the seat, checking out what everyone was eating and enjoying the attention. Very cute!
Went to the Cesky Krumlov Castle, the second biggest castle in the Czech Rep. Unfortunately it's closed all through winter, but it was still worth seeing from the outside - the walls are beautifully decorated and it offered plenty of great views of the town! AND there were BEARS in the moat! (Obviously there was no water in there). Big space but they looked pretty bored.
Had a bit of a look around the town in the (Saturday) afternoon but by about 3pm everything had closed - even the supermarket places. There is was virtually nothing open on Saturday evening or sunday, except for the many pubs and bars (I'm not sure how a town of 15,000 plus a few tourists supports so many pubs. I guess they really like beer). A hearty meal and a soft drink costs about $10 in most places here, which is OK I guess. Self-catering is definitely much cheaper, here and in Prague - basic foods from the supermarket are REALLY cheap.
Trying to figure out how to get to Milan from Cesky Krumlov is complicated. There is no direct train route to Milan from Austria, and any route will require a few changes. I have no idea how long it will take, but could be a fair while and might also be pretty expensive - I also have a feeling I might be spending a fair bit of time waiting for trains in train stations, especially as tomorrow is Sunday.
Getting from here to Linz, the closest major train station (just over the border in Austria), is a major problem. It's about an hour to drive, but there are not direct train routes - you have to backtrack to major town called Ceske Budejovice (incidently, where the original Budweiser comes from - but I think the one we know just uses the name), catch a train from there to the Austrian border and another from there to Linz - takes about 3-5 hours. There are a few shuttle services but they are run sporadically (as this is the low season and there aren't many tourists around). I was hoping to get one today but it didn't end up running, so I had to stay an extra night, but I didn't mind - it gave me plenty of time to wander around in the snow and take lots of photos. This hostel was a pretty social place with a bar downstairs, only costs about $17 per night including breakfast! Might as well take advantage of that while it lasts! Met three aussie travellers here - all from Melbourne uni! There were heaps of aussies at the Clown and Bard in Prague too - I guess for us, it's the time to go travelling!
This year I'm going to try to read a lot of the books I've always wanted to read but never got around to. So I dived straight into the deep end today and bought Crime and Punishment from an English-language bookshop next door to the hostel for about $6. Should be good.
A bus to Cesky Krumlov from Prague costs 180CZK+, about $12. Drove through lots of countryside thinly covered by snow, which was of course very exciting (having only been in the snow once before, I think it will take a long time to lose its charm - if it ever does!). Cesky Krumlov is a picturesque little town near the Austrian border. It's a really beautiful place, and it was all covered in a thin layer of snow when I was there. There was a cat at the hostel - waltzed into breakfast and sat up on the seat, checking out what everyone was eating and enjoying the attention. Very cute!
Went to the Cesky Krumlov Castle, the second biggest castle in the Czech Rep. Unfortunately it's closed all through winter, but it was still worth seeing from the outside - the walls are beautifully decorated and it offered plenty of great views of the town! AND there were BEARS in the moat! (Obviously there was no water in there). Big space but they looked pretty bored.
Had a bit of a look around the town in the (Saturday) afternoon but by about 3pm everything had closed - even the supermarket places. There is was virtually nothing open on Saturday evening or sunday, except for the many pubs and bars (I'm not sure how a town of 15,000 plus a few tourists supports so many pubs. I guess they really like beer). A hearty meal and a soft drink costs about $10 in most places here, which is OK I guess. Self-catering is definitely much cheaper, here and in Prague - basic foods from the supermarket are REALLY cheap.
Trying to figure out how to get to Milan from Cesky Krumlov is complicated. There is no direct train route to Milan from Austria, and any route will require a few changes. I have no idea how long it will take, but could be a fair while and might also be pretty expensive - I also have a feeling I might be spending a fair bit of time waiting for trains in train stations, especially as tomorrow is Sunday.
Getting from here to Linz, the closest major train station (just over the border in Austria), is a major problem. It's about an hour to drive, but there are not direct train routes - you have to backtrack to major town called Ceske Budejovice (incidently, where the original Budweiser comes from - but I think the one we know just uses the name), catch a train from there to the Austrian border and another from there to Linz - takes about 3-5 hours. There are a few shuttle services but they are run sporadically (as this is the low season and there aren't many tourists around). I was hoping to get one today but it didn't end up running, so I had to stay an extra night, but I didn't mind - it gave me plenty of time to wander around in the snow and take lots of photos. This hostel was a pretty social place with a bar downstairs, only costs about $17 per night including breakfast! Might as well take advantage of that while it lasts! Met three aussie travellers here - all from Melbourne uni! There were heaps of aussies at the Clown and Bard in Prague too - I guess for us, it's the time to go travelling!
This year I'm going to try to read a lot of the books I've always wanted to read but never got around to. So I dived straight into the deep end today and bought Crime and Punishment from an English-language bookshop next door to the hostel for about $6. Should be good.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Impressions of Prague
- My brother-in-law Paul said that Prague is a great city to go wandering in, and I couldn't agree more. One day I wandered through a park near the hostel and a few blocks later came across Wenceslas Square and the National Museum. Similar thing happened the day before - I came across Old Town Square, a major tourist attraction, almost by accident. It's easy enough, just go down whichever street appeals, and follow the crowds of tourists if you want something structured....
- The city is packed with tourist groups (especially since I was there over European holidays). I sometimes tagged along with Italian groups for a bit to test out my Italian comprehension (I did pretty badly, should have kept studying after my exam!) - if I get funny looks I just pretended I didn't understand. Which wasn't hard.
- There are a lot of people who don't speak English but I found most people very helpful - it's amazing how much you can get across with gestures and saying very important words (like 'train') very slowly, I didn't have many problems getting by! Lots of people seem to speak German as a second language which I guess is slightly more comprehensible than Czech!
- Lots of beautiful buildings. Even the residential places in the suburbs are worth a look. Every second building is ornately decorated, even if it's just patterns on the bricks, but many have statues above the doors and decorations on balconies etc. Some, especially in the outer suburbs, not well maintained, often with graffiti all over the walls of the ground floors.
- Lots of evidence of dogs around.
- Boots are very popular here - and finally I can understand the practicality, given the weather.
- Gothic style's pretty big in Prague - I don't think the Renaissance caught on as quickly here as it did in the rest of Europe.
- There are Christmas trees EVERYWHERE - churches, public places, inside and outside big public and private buildings. Nice to be somewhere where Christmas actually has some community significance and isn't just an overblown exercise in consumerism.
- Beer is available in supermarkets in fridges alongside Coke and other soft drinks!
- Most common things sold in touristy souvenier shops: Crystal and Glass products; Wooden toys and marionettes; Babushka Dolls; Corny t-shirts with such logos as 'Prague: Czech me out!'. Ugh. Not too many pens but I'm getting there. I tried everywhere to get a T-shirt with something written in Czech (crazy language) but of course everything cool has slogans in English...
All in all - an awesome place to be!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Staromestske namesti and surrounding area
The other morning I went for a walk before breakfast, and there were occasional tiny blobs of white fluffy stuff falling from the sky. I didn't think it would turn into anything, but gradually the blobs got bigger and bigger, and there was more and more white stuff flying everywhere! Not much snow, but more than I've ever been in before! It was pretty cool - I sat down on a park bench and watched it for a while, people thought I was pretty mad I think.
A major attraction in Prague is Old Town Square, Staromestske namesti. It's a piazza surrounded by beautiful buildings (of course), including the Old Town Hall, an Astronomical Clock (judging by the noises the crowd made, something cool happens every hour, but I couldn't get close enough to see!), a beautiful old Church, St Nicholas' (one of two st nicks' in Prague), a few galleries and another Church, Tyn Church. When I arrived the piazza was packed with stalls selling czech 'traditional' food and handicrafts - I did have some good food, and saw Smurf-shaped lollies! I say 'traditional' because there are about 5 stalls of each type all selling exactly the same thing.... There's also a beautiful big Christmas tree, which I saw being taken down yesterday - a massive operation as it was full of fairy lights and enormous decorations.
The Tyn Church was AMAZING - beautifully decorated with paintings and statues EVERYWHERE. It's a big church, but the ceilings are incredibly high. It's also packed with Christmas trees at the moment, and the effect of all that, and the smell of the incense they use, is really surreal and beautiful. A lot of churches in Prague are richly decorated like that (and plenty have Christmas trees too!), but I reckon that's the best so far. There was a scary old man at the door demanding donations and chasing anyone who tried to take a photo (or made any noise) out, so no photos, and the postcards they had available really didn't do the place justice. So you'll all just have to go see it for yourselves.
I've been wearing my Cats scarf (as a matter of necessity, not just pride!) all the time, and in Old Town Square (on the first day I wore it, as soon as I arrived there!) I passed by another guy wearing a Cats scarf! We exchanged a quick 'Go the Cats'. Good moment. Meeting lots of Aussie travellers at the places I've been to so far.
I was about to head home when I passed by a choir singing on the steps of St Nicholas' to catch a crowd for their concert inside. Naturally I fell for it. They were an American school choir, pretty damn good for a school choir, but their accents came through so strongly! I hope we don't sound like that! They did a program of carols (with a few token non-US ones) which was really good. Will post a video sometime soon if I can.
I think I have the Prague public transport system figured out. There are trams and underground trains in the centre of the city and buses going further out, and like most of the rest of the world, the system is simpler, cheaper, and functions more efficiently than Melbourne's. I wonder how it can be so hard to get a system where services at peak times can keep up with demand, when so many other cities seem to be able to do it easily. Like Singapore and KL, you don't need a timetable in Prague because the trains are so frequent. Maybe it's the city loop thing. Who knows? Trains are very comfy, and the trams are toasty warm - and never seem to get held up by traffic!
One thing I haven't worked out, though, is the ticketing system. As far as I can see, it's like buying metcards, except there are 3 different types of machine which seem to be selling the same tickets, but at 3 different sets of prices. Hmmmm. Hope I'm doing the right thing - haven't been checked yet at all. A trip pretty much anywhere in the city on train costs about $1.
Took me a few days to get the jet lag sleeping thing sorted out but I think it's fine now. Probably doesn't help that it starts to get dark at about 4pm here - very confusing. You want to eat dinner at 4 and go home! So far I haven't worked up the courage to go out after 6pm - it's just too cold!
A major attraction in Prague is Old Town Square, Staromestske namesti. It's a piazza surrounded by beautiful buildings (of course), including the Old Town Hall, an Astronomical Clock (judging by the noises the crowd made, something cool happens every hour, but I couldn't get close enough to see!), a beautiful old Church, St Nicholas' (one of two st nicks' in Prague), a few galleries and another Church, Tyn Church. When I arrived the piazza was packed with stalls selling czech 'traditional' food and handicrafts - I did have some good food, and saw Smurf-shaped lollies! I say 'traditional' because there are about 5 stalls of each type all selling exactly the same thing.... There's also a beautiful big Christmas tree, which I saw being taken down yesterday - a massive operation as it was full of fairy lights and enormous decorations.
The Tyn Church was AMAZING - beautifully decorated with paintings and statues EVERYWHERE. It's a big church, but the ceilings are incredibly high. It's also packed with Christmas trees at the moment, and the effect of all that, and the smell of the incense they use, is really surreal and beautiful. A lot of churches in Prague are richly decorated like that (and plenty have Christmas trees too!), but I reckon that's the best so far. There was a scary old man at the door demanding donations and chasing anyone who tried to take a photo (or made any noise) out, so no photos, and the postcards they had available really didn't do the place justice. So you'll all just have to go see it for yourselves.
I've been wearing my Cats scarf (as a matter of necessity, not just pride!) all the time, and in Old Town Square (on the first day I wore it, as soon as I arrived there!) I passed by another guy wearing a Cats scarf! We exchanged a quick 'Go the Cats'. Good moment. Meeting lots of Aussie travellers at the places I've been to so far.
I was about to head home when I passed by a choir singing on the steps of St Nicholas' to catch a crowd for their concert inside. Naturally I fell for it. They were an American school choir, pretty damn good for a school choir, but their accents came through so strongly! I hope we don't sound like that! They did a program of carols (with a few token non-US ones) which was really good. Will post a video sometime soon if I can.
I think I have the Prague public transport system figured out. There are trams and underground trains in the centre of the city and buses going further out, and like most of the rest of the world, the system is simpler, cheaper, and functions more efficiently than Melbourne's. I wonder how it can be so hard to get a system where services at peak times can keep up with demand, when so many other cities seem to be able to do it easily. Like Singapore and KL, you don't need a timetable in Prague because the trains are so frequent. Maybe it's the city loop thing. Who knows? Trains are very comfy, and the trams are toasty warm - and never seem to get held up by traffic!
One thing I haven't worked out, though, is the ticketing system. As far as I can see, it's like buying metcards, except there are 3 different types of machine which seem to be selling the same tickets, but at 3 different sets of prices. Hmmmm. Hope I'm doing the right thing - haven't been checked yet at all. A trip pretty much anywhere in the city on train costs about $1.
Took me a few days to get the jet lag sleeping thing sorted out but I think it's fine now. Probably doesn't help that it starts to get dark at about 4pm here - very confusing. You want to eat dinner at 4 and go home! So far I haven't worked up the courage to go out after 6pm - it's just too cold!
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