Matt Unplugged

Well I am back this week, so you can stop your withdrawal now, though feel it may be a short entry to wean you slowly back on.

So last Monday P and I flew to Prague. I would like to thank British Airways for making the journey so easy and quick. The journey direct usually takes 2 hours, but as BA were on strike we had to make a connection in Switzerland, Geneva on way there and Zurich on way back. This took the journey time to 3 hours going and coming back. So a big thank you to BA for cutting into our holiday time and making the journey more adventurous. Twats they are, (oh how I hate unions, and don’t get me started on that Bob Crowe, how he isn’t hit on a daily basis I cannot fathom) but it did not ruin our holiday as we had a splendid time and I am now a fan of Czech.

The hotel was really amazing, well after an initial hiccup it was. P had booked it and so all kudos would have to go to him, though feel absolutely free to throw some my way. It is called Kings Court, and is a five star hotel, and it really is earning those stars. When we got there our room was not ready, so they apologised, though we were early, and we left our cases and went to wander, this means we went to the square opposite and wasted no time in stuffing our faces with ham and pastries. When we went back the room wasn’t ready still so they asked us if we would have a complimentary drink and wait in the bar, ever the alcoholic I agreed readily.

We sat there for about an hour and then I realised that we still hadn’t been shown our room, ever the brave man I sent P to complain. Well he does it so well, and seems to quite enjoy having a good moan at people, nothing like me at all! After they had finished laughing they kindly showed us to our room and had given us one on the executive floor which was cool, so through P moaning on at them we had got agree upgrade. The room was lovely, the bed was really soft and I slept really well whilst there (not having Milo jump on me and wake me at 6.30 each morning may have helped). The shower was to die for and I loved it, if only I could pull it down and fit it in my suitcase. The room was so nice that p celebrated by breaking the lamp then trying to balance it so the maid thought she had broken it!!!

On our first evening there we spent ages looking for this bar that the transfer driver had told us about, it was called Golden tiger, even the name was cool. It may be busy as locals go there he had said. Well it took us about an hour of walking round to find the place, only to discover if we had taken a road behind the hotel it would have been a ten minute walk. We eventually found it, more by luck than judgement, and went in. Five minutes later we came out again as there was absolutely nowhere to sit, the place was packed, and the food looked more like bar food than actual dinner, which is what we needed. So we saw this restaurant opposite and went there. It was a traditional place that was in the basement, it was fantastic. The waiter was great (I am using that word far too much, note to self enlarge vocabulary) and really friendly. We ordered traditional food and when it came, we were quite apprehensive, it was delicious and the portions were so large, I made the most of the fact that they drink a lot of wine and P made the most of the fact that they smoke inside still. Would definitely recommend the place.

On the second day, which was Tuesday, we went exploring and discovered the quick route to the area we had taken an age to find the previous evening. We had lovely cake and coffee in this coffee shop we stumbled upon, then in the late afternoon we went to the hotels spa, they had a fantastic (that’s better than great again) hot tub/Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna etc so we chilled there for a while. Then for dinner (you’re not going to believe this) P wanted to try the Chinese food so we went to a Chinese restaurant. It was surprisingly different from the ones here but tasted nice though it wasn’t very busy at all.

Last Wednesday we did our culture vulture bit and went to the National Museum, which was up a steep hill that I managed to complain about all the way up. The museum is really well put together and thought out, it is in the old palace (so P tells me so if its wrong then its his fault) and the building and rooms are lovely, even the toilet had high ceilings. There are three floors and it takes quite a while to get round them. There are sections on all kinds of things from dinosaurs and mammoths, to wildlife, to volcanoes. Surprisingly there is little on the Czech royal family and heritage.

In the evening we went for dinner at a bar that did meals, it was literally 3 minutes from the hotel. It was a very enjoyable evening, the lady serving spent as much time smoking and drinking as she did serving, in fact more probably. The atmosphere was outstanding as it was a local bar not a tourist one. The food was lovely and we had a really nice time (I have the word great stuck in my head now). Afterwards we went to a gay bar, it was not what you would expect and led us to the assumption that the gay scene in Prague must focus on weekends. There were only three other customers when we got there and two of those were a straight couple, the other turned out to be the DJ!!! The barman was also straight! But three five other people came in later which made the numbers up! But we still managed to enjoy ourselves, I got exceedingly drunk…..

A little, well a massive amount, too much actually as I ended up ill in bed all of Thursday, I just lay there feeling as if I were dying. What an idiot I felt, I also felt a shit as I had ruined a day of P’s holiday as well as mine, which really wasn’t fair.

Friday we spent time just wandering around and exploring. We went to one of the cafes that are known to be nice and had cake and coffee, oh how fat am I now. We went round the old market square and found a local market where we got some amazing tasting strawberries, far more flavour than the mass grown ones we tend to get in supermarkets. We looked at the bridges and river, revisited some of the places that had seen during the week, we ate loads, well more I than P really. Then we remembered we hadn’t bought any gifts yet, we had been far too busy enjoying ourselves, eating, oh and having my hangover from hell.

Saturday we flew back to dreary and wet old London so that was fun! But getting here was good as T met us at the airport, well when I say met us we came out of arrivals and looked for her and both said, smoking lounge. She wasn’t there, she was outside smoking! It was great to see her though, I had hardly sworn all week as not had her bad influence there. So off we went, she wanted to stop off at this fish and chip shop in Old Street that she went on, and on and on about saying how great the chips were, well I don’t agree, they were not all that at all. So we headed, after calling Dave, to the Prospect to have some nice food, but I forgot to order onion rings, so disappointed.

When we got back home we were both really excited as were looking forward to seeing little Milo. The only downside to going away was that we both really missed our little man. Dave looked after him and sent us pictures but its not the same as seeing him all the time. Also, Dave had told us that he was quiet and sad in the flat and looked around for us, mainly me I am sure, and cried. My poor little soldier, he was missing his mummy and daddy. But he went ballistic when we walked in the door, was jumping and bouncing and going mad, it was so sweet to see him so happy. He was even happier when we gave him his presents!!!

Sunday P and I went to a new Chinese place that he wanted to try, called (imaginatively) Noodle Street, it is in Limehouse. It is a new place so we had no idea what it would be like but P said the menu looked food, not the layout but the food selection. It’s a really nice place, very clean, very nice looking and the food is simple but really tasty, I really would recommend going if you are in the area ever. We both had a nice time there. After which we went to Canary Wharf as P wanted to get a few bits and to look around. We were going to a movie later so had time to kill so it was nice and leisurely which is unusual as we are normally rushing to get to the movies on time.

I had taken my laptop wit me when went away, why would I do that you ask yourself? It because I needed my weekly fix of thumping tunes, of chair dancing, of happy music, of free music that is the ultimate in enjoyment the mighty BOOM!

Hello to T as usual (just to save my ear drums from a foul tirade) and to little Stan and the very naughty Sid, oh what a bad boy he is.

See you again next week? Miss you.

You have come here expecting your weekly laugh and dose of my exciting life, well I am so sorry to leave you gasping in eager anticipation but there is no entry (other than this) this week as P and I are on Holiday in Prague, thats in eastern Europe.

So I do hope you will come back next week.