SofaWolves

123 – Lost in Prague

NB – the first half is an insight to our marriage…some might think we need counselling. You can skip ahead to find out what we actually did in Prague – it was fun!

Have you ever been so angry you have purposely got lost…or hoped the person you are with would get lost? Well today I blew my casket with Mark, partly because we were lost. I then stormed off, leaving him lost in Prague and us both trying to find our way home separately.

Let me explain…I’m biased but would say typically I’m lovely, calm, very patient and manage my frustrations. However if I hold them in, and Mark gives me a good shake, I can explode…on a bridge in Prague. I literally said: “we have no idea where we are, I’m so angry with you!” With hindsight when I said before leaving the van in the morning, my phone battery won’t last the day, I could have made a note of the trams back, the street where our campsite was on, and checked Mark had sorted his data on his phone…a 2min task he has had a week to do.

Instead we ended up lost in Prague with no phones which was made more frustrating as the pups were already tired and as we were limited for time I’d flagged all the things to see…on my phone. W

A normal couple might have gone to a cafe or a tourist information and got a map, or heaven forbid worked as a team to remember the way back. Instead my anger was built on bubbling frustrations that I have to do all the driving, routes, find city attractions and then have him ask me where/what next? He is so laid back and just follows…which is nice in one way but puts all the responsibility on me. And when things go wrong, I’m expected to fix it. I got overwhelmed.

So I flashed my angry eyes, told him I was angry and all he does is blink because he only operates in neutral mode 😂🙈 So Ernest and I stormed off. He, Jasper and Mabel couldn’t keep up, and so we each made our own way home. 45minutes later he spots us on the ferry back to the van and sits beside me. And it’s funny… rediculous that it even happened. But it’s telling, our two approaches. He found a tourist information centre and got a map. I retraced my steps back to the first sight and then remembered the way home. We are very different, we think and operate in different ways. It was no different in Norwich; being on the road doesn’t change that. Perhaps the journey will change us a little but Mark’s not keen to change, he is confident and happy with himself, and I love him for that. Nobody is perfect… I’m certainly not. So until the next ‘blink Vs angry eyes’ we continue, safe in the knowledge we can laugh it off later.

***The bit about Prague***

With a long list of things we wanted to see and do, we were up and organised. We decided to walk the pups into the old town, through Stromovka and Letenska parks, then follow a sculpture route I’d planned on my phone. There is a great golum story linked to the old new synagogue (great name!) – the golum is supposedly buried there. And there is a gorrila with golden nuts that drew the largest crowd 😂

After a marital hiccup, we had lunch and got the tram into town again. Feeding Absinthe to a wife who doesn’t typically drink proved successful, and I felt quite tipsy on half a glass of the foul stuff. I think it added to fun tour at Speculum Alchemy – a quirky short tour in Prague’s second oldest building, with some interesting facts. It’s based in the Jewish quarter as Christians were hostile towards science whereas Jews weren’t. And a translation error means Moses has horns. The place really reminded me of some of Walter Moers drawings, I could easily picture his zamonian creatures living there.

The wierdest thing we saw was a mummified arm hanging from St James Bastion as a warning to others not to steal – you can just about see it in the top left pane of glass (we didn’t want to disturb the church service).

We had a tasty ice cream at Creme de la Crème (3 vegan options, and a small is huge!), then it was off to the sex machine museum. Basically people have been thinking up ways to put things up women for a long time… originally in the guise of treating hysteria. It’s amazing how creative us humans are 😂

It was then home for dinner and dog cuddles, when both our phones died (this time no anger as we knew the way back). At almost 9pm Mark was keen to go out again… unheard of! I’d pencilled either the Ice Bar or Cross Bar but the cost and tonights DJ put us off, so we went to see yet more sculpture.

Cities look so different at night, and Prague has so many hidden treasures, including a vegan gingerbread shop called Pernikovy Panacek that was open at 11pm (seriously my diet doesn’t stand a chance 🙈). Still we walked over 21 miles today…might even do the same tomorrow. Though it’s 1am now, I will likely be shattered.

If you are ever going to Prague and want a full list of sights, please ask.

Day 122 – Spectacular archway in nature

Our pups really are spoilt – what a cultured morning walk pottering around Dresden old town. Mabel and I considered driving on ahead in a flashy ferarri, she had a roll at the planetary sculpture and I spotted a moose head. There is so much to see, you really must remember to look up and in every direction for the extra details. We also heard someone playing the handpan which I’d love to learn if they weren’t so darn expensive 😂

Have you seen the film – The Great Budapest Hotel? If so you may recognise these photos, taken at our first stop of day Molkerie Pfund Café. The downstairs deli is ornately tiled, but the upstairs cafe is rather bland…to be fair most places would be in contrast. There was no vegan option…not even soya milk, so I had to sit patiently while Mark tried the local delicacy Dresden Eierschecke – a light, three layered cake. His review – nice but not outstanding.

By this point it was gone 12 and I’d not had any breakfast so it was a quick dash to Bio ist Genuss cafe for a slice of vegan apple strudel before the hangry monster appeared. I’d recommend a look at the tiles in Pfunds, but then eating at Bio as it’s much nicer and also serves Eierschecke. (P.s. you aren’t meant to take photos Sshhh)

Stuffed full of cake we drove out to Konigsberg fortress. This looks so impressive from the outside, especially from a long distance. Once inside, it’s strangely like being in a normal street, rather than a youth detention center (one of its previous uses). There were reports of multiple escape attempts through the lift shaft…you certainly wouldn’t want to go over the sheer fortress walls – it’s a long way down! Mark visited the armoury and left me playing with 4 puppies ❤️

We then crossed the border into Czech (you can buy your vignette at border) and into the Saxon Switzerland National Park to do a long up hill hike to see the Pravčická Archway. It was well worth it! We got there 7minutes before closing so she let us in for free for a quick look at the view from the ‘paid’ side.

On the way up we had noticed ambulance and fireservice vans and were concerned someone had hurt themselves but at the top it was clear it was a training exercise with 20+ personal (they were also training at Koningsberg). One of whom was a gorgeous Merle collie who Ernest spent the entire walk back down trying to catch up with. Thus 1.5 hours of heel work on slippy rocks and sand…I’d love to say he got the hang of it, but nope, bulldogs are seriously slow learners. On the plus its great resistance training for my arms 😂

Having researched Prague there is so much we want to do there, so we had some dinner and drove late into the evening to arrive at River Camping Prague, where we will stay for a couple of nights as wild camping is forbidden in Czech.

Day 121 – Architecture and kababs

Well we are back in the flow of traveling again, digging out the tourist flavours and hidden gems.

We had a nice walk at Seeser Bergbaufolgelandschaft just 15 minutes from Lubbenau. Though nothing special scenically, it was great seeing Mabel morph straight back into hound mode and dash about following scents…and then she found poo 🙈 Oddly Ernest gets aroused by her smelling vile so we have the double mischief of trying to keep him off her, and bathing her as best we can asap. Ah the joys of dogs!

Looking slightly more respectable we went on to the little town of Meissen, which has a striking castle and cathedral, lovely cobbled lanes, and a disappointing cake called a fummel bun. It’s €3 for a thin hollow balloon of pastry with the only taste coming from the icing sugar sprinkled on the top. I’ve got a sweet tooth and a cake addiction…this didn’t pass muster, half of it is still hiding unloved in the cupboard 😂

Arriving in Dresden we found parking easily (opting for Kraft works) and let the pups sleep while we did a recce. The old town is stunning with beautiful architecture in such a compact area. We saw the Knonetor, Zwinger, Semperoper and Castle then wandered further into town to see a ‘life under the red flag’ mural and German food market.

Being foodies we tried another new pastry – a Baumstrizel (hollow roll of pastry with sugar and cinnamon). It was nicer than the fummel but the inside pastry was still raw…not sure if it was meant to be.

Every city has its hip, foodie place and currently for Dresden it’s in Neustadt. We walked over one of the many bridges and knew instantly when we had arrived in the area. Higher density of younger people, locals, quirky shops, graffiti and lots of food options. I love these places!

We strolled around looking at the graffiti and found Kunsthofpassage almost by accident. It is 5 blocks of creative buildings and shops – one of which has funnels on it and makes music when it rains.

For dinner I’d told Mark I was taking him to a kabab house…you can guess he wasn’t too impressed. However for an affordable, filling and delicious vegan kabab Der Dicke Schmidt comes highly recommended (we had pulled seitan). It’s a great little place 😋

I also did, what Mark considers to be one of my daftest things yet. I bought a book by my favourite author in german…despite not speaking the language 😂 In my defense, I’ve read every book Walter Moers has written that has been to translated to English but it’s been years since a new one came and meanwhile he has released three books in German…to learn German by translating his books may be my only option 😳😜 It’s going to be a fun challenge and keep me busy over winter.

We had a lovely walk back, I always find cities so beautiful at night. I really should have invested in a better camera (I use an old phone), but it gives you an idea. Roll on tomorrow…

Day 120 – On the road again

It really took me a while to get my head around moving again. We had settled so well in Potsdam and it had everything we needed – basically parks, a friend and a great vegan cafe. Still adventure awaits and there is always more to discover.

We still had a few chores to do, and it was gone 11am before I went for my run and lunchtime when I got back. With the neverending mess that is British politics, we wanted to sort out and post our proxy votes. Bar family and friends there is really nothing encouraging us to come back to the UK any time soon 🙈

So letters posted it made sense to have our lunch out…we tried three different cafes before heading back to Rosenberg – it’s just the nicest, healthiest, vegan choice option. Can’t believe I chose green stuff over snickers cake 😂😋

By 4:30pm we were finally on our way, restocked water at a campsite and drove to Lubbenau which is part Spreewald nature area – it’s known for its mini indigenous forest. Thanks for tip James!

We had a nice potter around the town, lucked out on a central parking space (it’s clear they prefer motorhomes on the edge of town), and will explore the forests tomorrow.

119 – Rain…lots of rain

Today has been the perfect weather for ducks and not much else. In fairness though a wet day is always useful for catching up on odd jobs and ticking off the ‘to do’ list.

All morning was spent beavering away in bed with travel research, meditation, and odd tasks.

We braved the wet in order to pick up some food shopping (we eat so much!). And had our final visit to Rosenberg cafe to test the acclaimed carrot cake, which I can confirm is deliciously moist.

By the time we got home we were soaked through and just hid in the van keeping warm. For a dog that will dart into fountains, Ernest hates the rain so not even he was pestering to go out.

We had to force little Mabel to come out as we’d booked her in for her annual vaccination at the vets, but she was not impressed. That soon changed when they bribed her with lots of meat paste. I’m not sure she even noticed the injection going in 😂

Bless her, Heike gave up her acro and yoga class to spend our final Potsdam evening together, and we turned up dripping wet, with laundry. Our saving grace was we had also brought food. Heike made soup, Mark a spicy pineapple rice dish and my cooking extends to hot chocolate. We were foiled by the TV technology so couldn’t watch a film so instead played more games (Exploding Kittens, Hey that’s my Fish, and Itchy Feet). Heike is definitely a strategist on the game front 😂

We have had such a lovely long break, and should really do this long stop thing more often. It definitely helped seeing friends each day.

118 – Simple pleasures

Not every day is a riot of new and exciting activities. Sometimes it’s nice to just potter and enjoy the simple pleasures. Sundays are ideal for this – I’m always slow to get going on a Sunday.

That said when I did emerge from bed, it was on with the trainer’s and out for a 5 mile run to discover yet more of Potsdam, including a doggy shop and new vegan cafe – Cafe Kümelfee.

It was here I met up with Mark and the pups, ate cake, and started planning the next stage of our journey. As much as we are loving Potsdam and seeing friends each day, our itchy feet are back and it’s time to move on. It was either that or stay until November enrolled on a German language course – hugely tempting!

Next on the route are the cities and the surrounding areas of Dresden, Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava, Vienna and Budapest. All recommendations gladly received, especially the more quirky things to do and great vegan food.

In the afternoon we met up with Heike and had a lovely long walk along the river through Nuthe and Babelsberg Parks. We had a nice coffee at Kleines Schloss, where the waiter spoilt the pups with a bowl of water each. Also if you like quiche, it looked delicious!

We were out for around 3 hours so the pups certainly slept well while we went round to Heikes for dinner and boardgames (Kodama, Banagrams and Antidote). Before leaving the UK I packed 16 games into freezer bags to save space and feed my game addiction 😂

I must thank Heike again for sharing her amenities. Laundry, free water, and that long hot shower was divine. It’s going to be a shock to the system going back to typical van life on the road again. We really do appreciate the simple things in life.

117 – Mechanical monsters and ultra pink

After a lazy lie in, we took the pups for a long walk around Neau Garten park before meeting up with Heike to visit a new part of Potsdam.

As promised Heike had found an event that combined Marks love of science with my love of movement and so we went to a talk on sustainability and dance. Plus the venue had great graffiti and a flea market so I was in heaven mooching around.

The talk was a little stilted and took a while to get going but Heike and I were brainstorming ideas that came up and who knows it may inspire a research paper.

We then got the train back to the Dutch quarter and visited the girliest cafe I have ever been to. It was noticable that any men chose to sit outside… all except Mark who made do with the pastel shades, love hearts and wall of pink roses 😂❤️🌹

After a lovely wander around a ceramics street market, Mark took the pups for another walk while I sorted things in the van. We then we got the train to the east of Berlin in search of Zeus pizza – one of the best vegan pizzas in Berlin! Fair to say it was so yummy we forgot to take a photo. I’d say I’ve had better dough but the fake tuna was a nice change (tasted more nut roast then tuna). And just 3 minutes walk was Balaram vegan ice cream so a scoop of apple and cinnamon (like eating the best apple sauce), and another of crazy peanut flavour and we were ready to waddle back to the tram.

Our lovely friend Mia had suggested going to the monster cabaret last week but we had missed it, so although conscious Heike wasn’t overly taken with the concept, off we went to try it out.

It’s basically a handful of eccentric robot monsters hidden in a basement and the guide takes you through them with a loose story line and a bit of dramatic laughing. It’s definitely a marmite thing – Mark really liked it, Heike and I not so much. I think my expectations of the monsters were a bit high. The area it’s tucked away in is really cool, so worth visiting, so it’s likely worth a €8 punt if you are intrigued.

From here another tram ride to visit the Sony Centre. To be honest this was a bit disappointing, the vibe of the place is dead. It’s just chain restaurants and so sterile. It’s funny how the ‘now’ places change. Currently the best food and vibe is definitely in the east.

I feel like I’ve had a great taste of the ever changing Berlin, and certainly tried every mode of transport (bus, tram, s bahn, u bahn and overground train just to get home last night 😂). If visiting I’d suggest a longer weekend of 4 days or more as there is just so much to see and do. But you can always come back and it will have changed again 😊

116 – Birthday spoils

Be it a husband, dog or best friend, for me any birthday is going to revolve around great food and lovely company. Today was my dear friend Heikes birthday and we are staying in her home town of Potsdam, to share it with her (well her home for a short while).

We met up for brunch initially at a popular German cafe called Backstoltz but bless him the waiter was really honest and said they didn’t do anything vegan and we were best to pop across the road to Rosenberg cafe – where we went yesterday 😂

To be fair Rosenberg is great and so we were happy to return and test the breakfast options. Heike had bread and spreads, Mark had cake and I had a spiralina green bowl, all of which were delicious. When Mark got home he discovered Ernest had also had spiralina for brunch, as he’d evidently climbed onto the surface, stolen my packet and eaten/spread it all over our bed 🙈 So great, he has had a huge healthy kick of additional energy, and concentration, plus we can add spiralina to the list of random foods he will eat (salad, peach, strawberry, blueberry, sheep intestine, dog treats, crackers, acorns, grass…. anything… literally anything 🙈

To spoil the birthday girl (and me), Heike and I went to Vabali Spa which is a bigger version of Liquidom but designed as a Bali retreat with 36 steam/saunas/pools and divine lounge areas and restaurant. It was absolute bliss. I can’t believe I’ve been to two spas in a week! It’s a digital free area so we only have a photo from outside but do look it up if interested.

We lounged by the pool soaking up the sun, a lovely swim, tried a steam room and three different saunas, one of which we did a rose petal salt body scrub in. We were there for 4 hours but could easily have spent the whole day. It’s certainly a contrast to van life 😂

By sheer willpower we dragged ourselves off the sun loungers and back on the train home to meet friends for dinner at Les Cyclo – a delicious Vietnamese restaurant with multiple vegan options. It was great to meet a couple of her colleagues and hear about their work/lives. Potsdam is creating a name for itself as a science city, and certainly has plenty on and a sense of collaboration within the institute. Mark and I both really like the feel of the place…good choice of location Heike! 😊

115 – Ecstasy is dancing like nobody is watching

I’ve been having so much fun that I’ve totally fallen off my fitness regime and thus been eating everything in sight and doing no exercise. I’ve sort of loved it, but my body feels lethargic and misses the healthiness so today was catch up day.

We had parked right next to Neun Garten in Potsdam, so I rolled out of bed, popped my trainers on and went straight out for a run. In the back of my head I knew I had 11 miles of training runs to catch up on (a 5 mile and 2 X 3 mile), but as 4.5miles was the longest I’d run in months I thought I’d just see how it went.

Over two hours later, through 3 gorgeous parks with lovely palaces, pyramids, trees, lakes and rivers, I eventually rock up home having ran a half marathon and felt great! Running really is a great way of exploring a new city.

We then met up with Heike and took the pups to Sanssouci Park, and had a two hour stroll through the magnificent palace grounds.

We then had a late lunch at a Russian cafe called Cafe Matschke and I got to try Borscht – totally forgetting it was a beetroot and cabbage soup and I don’t like beetroot. Mark said my face dropped as soon as it arrived as it dawned on me what I’d done. In fairness though it was fine, and I’ve ticked another tourist to do box 😂

After a quick nap and meditation, I met up with Heike again and we caught the train to Berlin to attend an ecstatic dance event. This is not something I’ve ever been to before, and I was a little nervous as it’s a bit hippy and out of my comfort zone, but it turned out to be the best dance night I’ve ever had!

You start by sitting, lying or standing in a room with around 160 people depending on the size of the event and you are talked through a ‘grounding’ and connection with mother earth. You can choose to move slowly in any way you wish. Then in this instance there was a live band with amazing drums, percussion and a steel drum that built up the music in waves from slow to full on high energy.

It is definitely best to embrace this new experience and just go with the flow of it. You very soon lose your inhibitions and get completely absorbed by the music. As someone who has been teased for dancing like a chicken with my elbows, it was so liberating to know there was no ‘wrong’ way to dance and no expectation to dance with anyone else. I closed my eyes, felt the music and it took over my body in the most freeing way.

If it had been filmed I’d likely be mortified by the moves and shapes I was pulling, but with no phones or worries about others, you just do whatever your body feels. Towards the end I nipped out for some water, and Heike joined me. I was on cloud nine, ecstatic and just felt so alive. Thank you so much Heike for introducing me to this! We enjoyed a hot cocoa (no alcohol event), wound down and caught the train home. I got in just before midnight and was nattering away at 100miles an hour telling Mark all about it. It’s always a difficult balance of wanting to share the joy I’ve felt, but knowing it’s not something he is keen on doing/experiencing. We are going to research more science talks and activism events as currently activities have been skewed in my favour and I don’t want Mark to miss out. If you are open to unusual dance events though, I would highly recommend! I’m already eyeing up another on Sunday morning 😂

Day 114 – Eeking out the last few days of summer

Mark and I are loving being in one place for so long as we are properly recharging. Mark is reading books at a rate of knots and I’m doing random stuff.

We had a quiet morning in Spandau, picked up yet more market food – I love the daily fresh fruit 😋

And then the tricky part. Mark has lost so much weight his clothes are hanging off him, so I forced him to go shopping…his ultimate worst thing. The third shop yielded results he – has dropped two dress sizes and is now in slim fit jeans and tops, and looks amazing! All this walking and time outdoors is evidently good for him. I should likely feed him more cake though, or else he will disappear.

Speaking of cake, in the afternoon we met up with Heike in Potsdam which is a gorgeous city with rich history and evidently still very affluent. We soaked up the sun and Heike and I went for a swim in the lake. It’s so refreshing, and once in you forget the cold and enjoy swimming in such an expanse and beautiful surroundings.

Jasper was most put out he wasn’t allowed in the lake the whole time, and Mabel and Ernest were barking nightmares every time another dog went past 🙈 I think we have spoilt them, they definitely need more training, as have a huge sense of entitlement.

Anyway back to cake…we found a lovely cafe called Rosenberg, which had some tasty Budda bowl options and some epic vegan cakes, that we evidently went for. Mine was apple strudel so counts as a fruit portion right? 😜

The cafe was opposite a boardgame shop, so we got lost in there for a while, then headed back to Heikes for a nice salad dinner and played Cobra Paws (a super quick and easy tile spot and grab game) and Kodama (a gorgeous tree building and spirit collecting game). Heike is a whizz at cobra paws, while Mark won Kodama. It was the perfect end to a lovely day