i almost did not push through with the trip. only because of the persistence of my partner, i was convinced to go. i have to tell you he is really good at that. you see, i just moved to a new job and i did not want to leave a bad impression from the management. im still in the prove yourself stage at work. and i was literally struggling and still adjusting to living on my own. to be very frank and honest, i did not prepare well with the transfer. there were times i wanted to go back and take the easy road but in life, we always have to lead on. i can only learn from my own mistakes. and move on.
anyway, at my age of 25, i still believe in signs. not that it proved reliable to me in the past, coz there had been times that it wasnt. but still keep on believing. i asked for a schengen visa and if i will get it, Go with the trip! Indeed it arrived. its another visa in my passport. i love it!
next step was making sure that my work schedule was blocked on the trip dates. i talked to the manager, of course, gave a more valid reason (white lie), which worked apparently.
so off we went!
czech republic was the 3rd european country that i visited after uk and ireland. my excitement was on tops!
by the way, we did not really came to Prague as tourists. my beautiful baby had to play for a tennis tournament for GLTA and he wanted me to come and support him. sweet, aint it?
we got to London Luton Airport early, we still got time to grab a bite there. while we were queuing for check in, we saw other two players on the same flight as us. a couple too, i think!
the view from the plane was very nice. city of bridges indeed.
it was very sunny when we got out of Praha Ruzyne Airport. and it was good to see again a normal car, that is, driver sits on the left front seat.
we headed straight to the registration which was at Latimerrie Bar in central Prague. we took the bus and metro, which was very cheap. on our way, the sightings were so beautiful. its such a lovely city.
Latimerrie was a very compact bar. baby introduced me to his friends. said hi. had drinks. and we headed to our hotel. another story. we booked a botel which came at a very cheap price but the reviews were great. it wasnt very central but there were activities around the area that we were looking forward to do. we took the tram there. a good 15 minute ride. only to find out that they run out of room for us, but they took responsibility and booked us in a 4 star hotel in the city central. their driver took us to our new hotel. we got a very big room and all the perks. and all for the same price. we got lucky! we thought.
we got so hungry. we left our things and went out again to find a good restaurant nearby. surprisingly, there were a lot of italian restaurants around. so we headed to the nearest. the waiter was very naughty! the food was good though. filled us up for that night. we had a a little walk around the area. the city was very beautiful. anywhere you look, you can see beautiful structures. i was so amused.
friday, july 17 2009, was still a beautiful day at 31 C. it was very hot! good news to the players. my baby only played one match that day. and it was a very good to see him win!
we went back to our hotel at around 3pm. had shower. and explored the city. although we booked a guided tour at 7pm, it was still nice to be all by ourselves. tooked some pics. visited the famous, Charles Bridge, the Old City Hall, The Opera House. Great! It was just sad that it rained hard at around 6pm just when we headed to the meeting area of the guided tour which was in the monument of St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of Prague. But anyhow, we got there on time.
it was very interesting to know a bit of Prague History, how they fought for their democracy. It was very much like my country. That is why they have their Vaclav Havel as to our Corazon Aquino.
we ended the tour in a pub going to the Prague Castle but again it was raining very hard plus it was getting late, so we decided to call it a night.
the next day was horrible. It rained whole day. Lot of matches were cancelled. They had to play indoors. But my baby won all of his matches that day, both singles and doubles. Well done!
the organizers hosted a dinner and steamed cruise that night at 9pm but my baby had to play the finals the following day, and it was as early as 8pm. we decided to spend the night all by ourselves.
we had dinner near Prague Castle. We were supposed to go to Cowboys which was mentioned in Spartacus Guide, had an overlooking view of the whole city. But when we got there, they were fully booked. It was the same, except for this one cute restaurant, Restaurate U Certa, which had authentic Czech cuisine. it wasnt very expensive. and we had a very lovely dinner. then we walked towards Prague Castle. the view from the top was gorgeous. looking at the citylights was very romantic. and most especially with your loved one, just right beside you. it was a very perfect setting. we went inside the castle. and a big OH MY GOD to St. Vitus Cathedral. Absolutely the greatest! I thought that kind of church only existed in movies. But it was right infront of my eyes. All around, it was just amazing. the detailing, the wall painting, the gold windows. Hats off to the architects! I have never seen like this in London. Only in Prague!
it definitely was worth it not going to the cruise. what we had was more personal and memorable for the two of us. we slept with smile on our faces. but sad because we left the following day.
we brought our luggages to the court because we headed straight to airport after baby's matches. it was both finals for singles and doubles. but he lost. he did fight hard because the 2 matches got to 3 sets. not bad. he did his best and thats what matters most. plus according to the cheeky guy, he's got the best trophy already.hmmmmm...
when we got to the airport, some guys from the same tournament were also on the same flight. went duty free shopping. had dinner. and boarded the plane which was delayed by the way.
we got back to London at around 930pm UK time. got home at 11pm. tired! even then, the trip had been a breather for us.
infront of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle 
backdrop: Charles Bridge
Hotel Arkada
Metro Station 
