Botanical gardens, bands & a puke
I woke to sunshine, which is a rare commodity these days. I decided to make the most of it & get out of the bustle of the city to walk to the Botanical Gardens…a 1.5 hour walk northwest of where I was staying. The walk started off really ugly as the GPS took me through the main train yard where I had to cross multiple train tracks , being careful not to get smooshed, to get to an even more industrial area with nothing remotely pleasant to look at. I bleched at the Apple GPS & trudged on. I must of made a wrong turn somewhere as I thought I had been walking for ages, but when I looked at the GPS again it said I still had over an hour to go, so I called for an UBER to take me to the Planetarium, which was a 20 minute walk to the Botanical Gardens through a lovely park…thus, cutting some time off.
But, I couldn’t get an UBER to come. I am finding this happening more & more. I call for an UBER via their APP, where I connect with a driver & then the driver cancels when it looks like he’s fairly close. Fine then. Because I’m now sweating, I tie my sweater around my waist & slog on.
When I’m finally out of the equivalent of a Mad Max scene & get into the park, it becomes beautiful. Lots of families out walking & the air is cool but lovely. Prague has the Vltava River running through it & there are multiple pedestrian bridges over it, with picture opportunities galore. When I finally reach the Botanical Gardens, I’m knackered. I pay the entrance fee & walk up through a vineyard, winding my way on a cobbled path to the most beautiful garden area. The place is teeming with people, but in a good way. There is a concession area with multiple food booths, washrooms, drink vendors & a community center where kids are making Halloween crafts out of gourdes. The atmosphere is lively & upbeat. I grab a cold drink of grapefruit beer & wander around the gardens. It’s such a magical place, up high on a hill overlooking the city, with views to yearn for. Another part of this city that I am falling in love with. I find a secluded place on the grass & lay down…closing my eyes to enjoy the peace & sunshine. Quickly, I doze off & wake up with a ladybug in my ear.
Whitney had messaged earlier that we should have a night out & since the sun was starting to fade & I really should refresh before meeting up with her, I once again put myself through the pain of trying to get an UBER. I’m way the hell-and-gone up in Troja & it’s rush-hour…this won’t be easy. And 30 minutes later & multiple cancellations, I finally switch APPS & get a BOLT taxi to take me home.
I quickly freshen up, but feeling utterly exhausted honestly, I set off to meet Whitney at Jazz Docks, where she’s secured us tickets so we don’t have to worry about getting skunked out of the place. I get there a bit ahead & figure out our seats. It’s a cool room, overlooking the river, with a long bar on one wall, tables in the middle & a glass wall that overlooks the river. The band is at the far end & they are just finishing a set when I sit down. I love that Whitney is never late & she shows up right at 7 p.m., when the band takes the stage to begin their set. I can’t remember the name of the act, but they were excellent. The lead player, a woman who played both the piano & acoustics…a cross between Carol King & Nora Jones, was amazing. The two hour set flew by.
Since I was already up to 25,000 steps on my Apple Watch, I just couldn’t bare the thought of walking the hour home, so I called the dreaded UBER, which luckily came in minutes. Whitney & I hugged goodbye with promises to see each other again soon.
I got home with the start of a massive headache…which turned into a puking migraine which I had no choice but to succumb to all the next day. Damn it to hell!
My body was worn out. I didn’t beat myself up about it too much, but just rolled with this punch. Thankfully it wasn’t a travel day & I could lay in bed to recover. Lesson learned about dehydration & only drinking beer to quench my thirst!
I need a holiday from my holiday!!
