Category Archives: Sightseeing

Papilonia Butterfly House, Prague, Czech Republic

08 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Insects/Bugs, Sightseeing, Travel News & Tips

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Hamleys is a famous British toy store that opened in 1760. I was amazed to see them open an enormous store in the centre of Prague last year. I think it’s bigger than the original Hamleys on Regent Street in London.

This month they’ve opened a live butterfly house in the lower ground floor. I went to have a look…

We entered Hamleys store. There is a lift to right and so we jumped in and pressed -1. Nothing happened. We asked the security guy near the entrance and he explained that you have to walk to the back of the store and take the escalator down. We found the entrance.

The cashier advised us to be careful that we didn’t step on any butterflies that may be on the floor and also to check that we didn’t leave with any extra passengers.

Inside was hot (26 deg.)  and really humid but it was a typically hot day in Prague and so we were dressed for warm weather. The place is themed like a Cambodian temple, although the plants need to grow a bit more.

There were large exotic butterflies everywhere.

One landed on my arm and was happy to stay while I wandered around. Then another landed on my hip while I was having this picture taken:

There was a butterfly hatchery:

 

I took a short video that shows just how many butterflies are flying around.

There’s a long mirror at the exit so you can check you aren’t carrying any butterflies.

We really enjoyed our visit. Apparently the butterflies change by season, but I can’t imagine visiting during cold weather as would overheat in the butterfly house. Maybe they should think about a cloakroom.

Papilonia Butterfly House
Hamleys, floor -1
Na Příkopě 854/14
Prague

Open every day from: 10:00 – 20:00

http://www.papilonia.cz/

Tel.: +420 777 77 40 40
E-mail: info@papilonia.cz
Entry:150 Kč
Child:100 Kč
Small family:350 Kč (two adults, one child)
Large family:400 Kč (two adults, three children)

Beauty Contest in Czech Nuclear Power Station causes sexism row

21 Wednesday Jun 2017

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28th July 2017 update: Plenty of faux outrage in the media has resulted in the Facebook page being taken down and this apology issued by the company:

We did not want to offend anyone with this contest. The purpose of participation in the competition was to support technical education. However, if the original concept gave rise to doubts or concerns, we are very sorry and apologize.

World media picked up on the story. The British Sun newspaper chose the best headline: Atomic Kittens.

I’ve added a new article ‘Who are the girls from the Czech Nuclear Power station photo shoot’ with other pictures and more details about each contestant.

The Temelín Nuclear Power Plant is the largest power generator in the Czech Republic.

They maintain a Facebook (now deleted) page that shows news and events. Yesterday they posted pictures, taken inside the cooling tower, of ten attractive girls in bikinis and asked that people vote for their choice. The girl with the highest number of likes will take up a two-week internship at the Nuclear Power Plant.

In reality this was just a beauty competition run by Maturantky – I’m guessing both sides thought this would be a piece of harmless publicity. However, the promise of an internship led to criticism of sexism in industry and the usual faux outrage from Facebook visitors to the page.

Of course it was probably a mistake to make it look like the vote was for a job, albeit an unpaid intern, based on mostly looks alone. But one thing I like about the Czech Republic is the innocence and lack of political correctness that has such a stranglehold on the West. I’m sure everyone thought it was just a piece of harmless fun and I hope nobody got into trouble over it.

In that same Czech spirit, the contestants are shown below:

Operation Anthropoid Events, Prague, Czech Republic June 17th and 18th 2017 – review

18 Sunday Jun 2017

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Operation Anthropoid was the code name for the assassination of SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei Reinhard Heydrich.

I previously wrote about the events to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Operation Anthropoid in Prague on May 27th. I then wrote about my visit to the event. I thought that was it as the date had passed. But then another group organised an event this weekend of Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of June.

We aimed to visit Karlovo náměstí at 15:00 to see shots fired from a canon at 15:10. But we missed the tram and arrived at 15:12. I don’t think the canon shots were that loud as we weren’t far away and didn’t hear anything.

We then walked around what the organisers call:
A period camp of the Czechoslovak Brigade in Great Britain showcasing a number of period techniques and historical artifacts.

 

This man looked like a Nazi spy using a futuristic communication device:

Past the camp were some vintage military vehicles:

And some people in costume:

But there weren’t many people in civilian costume as the previous Anthropoid event, the majority were soldiers.

There were a few tents selling beer (slightly over-priced at 40Kc and food:

It was all interesting enough, but really only took 20 minutes to look around and we were ready for the 15:40 – Rehearsal for attack on Heydrich’s car. This wasn’t a reconstruction of the actual attack, but a demonstration of how the soldiers trained for various scenarios; shooting, grenade.

The first attempt was reasonably successful, although one soldier’s gun didn’t fire:

The second attempt was a complete fail when the grenade failed to explode:

The event continues today and you still have time to see:

12:40 – Rehearsal for attack on Heydrich’s car – hopefully more successful than yesterday!
14:00 – 16:00 training demonstrations
15:10 – shots fired from a canon
15:40 – Rehearsal for attack on Heydrich’s car – last chance

All events are free.

Church Night, Prague, Czech Republic

11 Sunday Jun 2017

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Church Night this year was Friday 9th June. We had dinner in the garden at Pizzeria Grosseto, by Náměstí Míru and then went on a church tour. None of the churches we visited had a queue or wait to enter.

First was the Church of St. Ludmila at Náměstí Míru.

Next we jumped on a 22 tram all the way to Malostranské náměstí. The plan was to visit St. Nicholas Church. We joined the swarm of people heading the entrance. At the entrance was a sign that said ‘Entrance’ with an arrow pointing back from where we just walked. We walked the entire circumference of the church and decided it was shut – shame on you St. Nicholas Church.

We walked back one tram stop to the Church of Our Lady Victorious:

Next was a walk across Charles Bridge to St. Salvator Church.

This was the best visit so far. There was eerie music being played:

You could climb up to a gallery:

And take pictures looking down:

It was now just after 11pm. We walked along Karlova Street to the Old Town Square, then straight into the Church of Our Lady before Týn. Was good but the church is so much more impressive from the outside:

That concluded our Church Night. Thanks to all the churches that opened their doors.

May 27th 2017 Events in Prague to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Operation Anthropoid – Review

28 Sunday May 2017

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31st May 2017 update: There is a new event planned for weekend of 17th and 18th June.

I previously wrote about the events to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Operation Anthropoid in Prague. Operation Anthropoid was the code name for the assassination of SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei Reinhard Heydrich.

I went on May 27th for the 14:15 sequence of events. I didn’t go for the morning plaque unveiling, nor the reconstruction of the military attack on Heydrich, although I did get off the tram at U kříže where the reconstruction occurred.

There was nothing at U kříže to show where to go. Luckily I was able to ask someone and they directed me.

The actual location was a small area in front of the Municipal Authority of Prague 8 building on U Meteoru 6. There was a stage area with audience seating; alongside that a few tents selling beer, noodles, cakes and Czech sausages. Behind the seating were several historic vehicles and a 1:1 replica of a Spitfire.

The Scottish bagpipe band performance started and although I wouldn’t listen to recorded bagpipe music, live bagpipes do add an atmosphere to military events.

Here’s the view from the other side of the stage, with an Austin 8 car and Spitfire plane in the foreground.

There was a board that could have been from 1945 or may have been produced for the event.

A Chevrolet C15 truck.

A Vauxhall staff Limousine.

What I think was a Jeep.

What I know was a Jeep.

There was a cameraman and presenter from the Czech news channel CT24. I asked if they’d filmed the recreation of the assassination and she said yes and that it would be online – I posted that near the end of this article.

Then there was a demonstration by the Čsl. Independent Armoured Brigade. It was all in Czech and so I wandered around and tried to find the reconstruction of street scenes of occupied Prague. The Operation Anthropoid poster promised; streets and buildings will be themed; posters, tailors shop, newsagent, post-raid civil defence office of auxiliary of the German Red Cross. I suppose I was expecting too much, having been on movie sets where the budget allows for an entire street to be themed; each building with a façade.

In reality, there were a few posters, a wooden kiosk made to look like a news/tobacco shop and an entrance with some red cross theming. Also directly in front of this was a modern car, covered in a brown tarpaulin – I’ve no idea why this wasn’t moved. I was pretty disappointed. However, there were lots of people in costume they really brought the place to life:

Just past the red cross was an SS Volkswagen Kubelwagen:

At 15:30 the costumed players began acting out scenes from life during the German occupation. There was a constant and, in my view unnecessary, commentary throughout – but the actors did a really good job:

You can see how that modern car completely trashes the scene. Here are two more videos – note that there is some simulated violence in both.

I didn’t have the memory space on my phone to film the entire sequences – I planned to find the CT24 film and share it, but I couldn’t find it. I’ll update this page if I find something.

I did find a CT24 video of the reconstruction of the military attack on Heydrich at U kříže – again an unnecessary commentary throughout:

Here is a news video that tells the history:

Lastly a picture of the Rebel Pipers taking a break:

Churchill War Rooms, London, England

19 Friday May 2017

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We were staying at the Hilton Paddington. On Saturday we took a tour of the hidden tunnels of London Euston and then had dinner at Mughal’s Indian Restaurant near the hotel. With a few hours spare on Sunday morning, we decided to visit the Churchill War Rooms. This is the formerly secret WW2 bunker that tells the story of Winston Churchill’s life and legacy – the place is run by the Imperial War Museum.

There wasn’t a queue when we arrived and we were able to purchase our tickets without delay £19 per adult with donation £17.25 without. I’m pretty sure that nobody says they won’t donate, even though it isn’t clear what the donation is for – I’d hoped it was for ex-servicemen, but having looked since, it seems it goes to the Imperial War Museum, which at least is free to visitors.

Each visitor is given a ‘phone’ where they can listen to various guides in their chosen language.

Once inside, I was surprised that the bunker was so close to street level – I’d hoped and expected it to be far underground.

The place is quite large and you could spend several hours reading the text that accompanies all the exhibits in the central hall. There’s obviously been some money spent and the various wartime rooms, offices and living quarters are decorated and inhabited by mannequins.

There’s even a door that appears to have come from No. 10 Downing Street.

We enjoyed our visit, although would of course preferred to discover the place prior to the refurbishment as a museum – perhaps abandoned as it looked several years after the war.

I think £19 per person is expensive – £9 would be about the right value. But that doesn’t seem to deter tourists as there was a long line waiting when we left.

Churchill War Rooms
Clive Steps
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AQ

9:30am – 6pm every day

London Euston – The Lost Tunnels (Tour)

14 Sunday May 2017

Posted by in Sightseeing, Train & Bus Travel, Travel News & Tips

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London Transport Museum regularly run tours of disused Underground stations and tunnels. These tours are always popular and sell out really quickly. I previously visited the old/disused Strand/Aldgate station and really enjoyed that – so was pleased to get tickets to a new tour of the lost tunnels of London Euston.

The Museum website wrote this about the tour:
Discover a labyrinth of dark and deserted passageways which were once used by the travelling public and see a gallery of preserved vintage poster fragments that have been hidden for over 50 years. This secret space is located below a busy Tube station that serves almost 42 million passengers each year and Euston national rail station.
Tour duration: 75 minutes approx.

We met in Melton Street, outside one of the original station buildings at 17:45 – tour scheduled to start at 18:00.

Tickets and ID checked, high-vis ‘Hidden London’ jackets issued and we were ushered inside the old station building. There wasn’t much to see there, but the room was used to display some slides and allow our guide to talk about the history of Euston Station. Our guide was well-informed and obviously keen on the subject, but as they always hand out a booklet related to the tour, I can read that later – so you can imagine we were a little impatient and keen to see some hidden tunnels after 30 minutes.

We were taken into the main station and down the escalators to a regular underground platform.

At the end of the platform was a normally-locked door – we were lead through into a series of disused tunnels.

The most impressive sight was an old ticket booth, where tickets were sold to passengers connecting between two different railway companies:

I couldn’t resist a picture as the spooky ticket seller – the light really helped with that.

Most of the tour then decided it was a good idea and quite a few similar photos were taken.

The posters were in pretty bad shape and not as interesting as those in Strand/Aldwych.

We walked along a completely circular tunnel.

Viewed an old elevator shaft, now used for ventilation (this picture taken looking straight up).

And looked down onto a working platform above:

We enjoyed the tour, although nowhere near as much as Strand/Aldwych. There wasn’t as much to see and only 40 minutes our of 75 were spent in hidden tunnels.

The Prisoner Convention at Portmerion, Wales

13 Thursday Apr 2017

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Portmeirion is a complete, uninhabited (apart from tourist guests), village and hotel. The entire place was created by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis from 1925 to 1976. He wanted to show how a naturally beautiful site could be developed without spoiling it. The village is probably most famous as the setting for the Prisoner TV series.

I’ve created four reviews; one for Portmeirion Village, one for the Hotel/Cottages, one for the Hotel Restaurant and one for the Prisoner convention attending Portmerion the weekend we visited.

We booked a cottage in advance to stay for one night, Friday 31st March on their dinner, bed & breakfast rate £278.

If you aren’t staying in the hotel or dining, you need to pay (online price shown first):
Adults: £11 (full price £12)
Concession: (over 60) £9 (full price £10)*
Children: £7 (full price £8)
Family Tickets also available

The village is beautiful and a wonderful place to wander around. The surrounding area is spectacular with many woodland walks and the tidal estuary.

On the weekend we visited, the Prisoner society were holding their convention. This really livened things up as they re-created scenes from the TV show. If you want to align your stay with their next convention, check their site: http://www.portmeiricon.com/ there’s no need to pay to join the convention unless you want to attend their indoor events.

Below some pictures and video that show the convention guests re-creating scenes from the TV series. I joined in by donning a stove-pipe hat, which together with my long coat was close enough to the ‘undertaker’ characters in the show. from the village – click here to see the village before the convention arrived:

The Hotel Portmeirion
Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth
Gwynedd
LL48 6ER
Wales

+44 (0) 1766 772311 (Tollgate)
+44 (0) 1766 770000 (Hotel Reception)

 

 

 

Portmeirion Village, Wales

13 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in Sightseeing, Travel News & Tips

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Portmeirion is a complete, uninhabited (apart from tourist guests), village and hotel. The entire place was created by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis from 1925 to 1976. He wanted to show how a naturally beautiful site could be developed without spoiling it. The village is probably most famous as the setting for the Prisoner TV series.

I’ve created four reviews; one for Portmeirion Village, one for the Hotel/Cottages, one for the Hotel Restaurant and one for the Prisoner convention attending Portmerion the weekend we visited.

We booked a cottage in advance to stay for one night, Friday 31st March on their dinner, bed & breakfast rate £278.

If you aren’t staying in the hotel or dining, you need to pay (online price shown first):
Adults: £11 (full price £12)
Concession: (over 60) £9 (full price £10)*
Children: £7 (full price £8)
Family Tickets also available

The village is beautiful and a wonderful place to wander around. The surrounding area is spectacular with many woodland walks and the tidal estuary.

On the weekend we visited, the Prisoner society were holding their convention. This really livened things up as they re-created scenes from the TV show. If you want to align your stay with their next convention, check their site: http://www.portmeiricon.com/ there’s no need to pay to join the convention unless you want to attend their indoor events.

Below some pictures from the village before the convention arrived – click here to see the convention pictures:

 

The Hotel Portmeirion
Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth
Gwynedd
LL48 6ER
Wales

+44 (0) 1766 772311 (Tollgate)
+44 (0) 1766 770000 (Hotel Reception)

 

Toboggan Ride, Monte to Funchal, Madeira

25 Saturday Mar 2017

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Toboggans have apparently been sliding down the streets between Monte and Funchal since the 1850s. The two-seater, wicker, sledges slide on wooden runners, pushed and steered by two men traditionally dressed in white trousers, blue jacket and a straw hat – they wear rubber-soled boots to use as brakes.

The easiest way to reach the toboggan is to take the cable car up from Funchal – the cable ride is spectacular by itself. Then, you should visit the amazing Monte Palace Tropical Garden. You could also take a second cable car to the Botanical Gardens – but these aren’t that impressive and not really worth the visit. I think you can buy a combined one-way cable car and Tropical Garden ticket in Funchal.

Or, you can take a bus to Monte. The buses aren’t expensive and you can buy daily, multi-day and weekly passes.

The Monte toboggans are at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Nossa Senhora do Monte Church – this isn’t far from the entrance to the Tropical Gardens.

Here’s the view from the church:

There are loads of toboggan guys; some waiting for customers, some on a break just hanging about chatting and smoking. There wasn’t much of queue. Ride for two people is EUR30.

We jumped in – there’s no fussy seatbelts, helmets nor a safety demonstration, the ride just starts, with two guys steering from the back of the sled. The ride lasts about 10 minutes and covers 2km – I managed to video the first stage before my phone memory was full:

The video ran out at what I thought was the end of the ride. But this was just a flat part where they pull you along until the second downhill stage.

The ride ended and I tipped something like EUR 4. I’d heard that they ask for tips, but I was happy to tip, considering the effort they put in, despite all being heavy smokers!

At least the toboggans are taken back up by a van – not sure what they did back in 1850.

At this point, we were halfway to Funchal. There are plenty of taxis waiting. We took a bus that stopped nearby – still using our EUR 20 weekly pass.

If you are visiting Madeira then you really should take the toboggan ride.