Dwti Draig

Let’s start with the calm before the storm shall we? That seems like a very good place to start! We left the deserted Allrad field and drove south. We were heading down towards Munich to meet up with Lyn’s ex-boss and friend Manuel. Lyn found us a lovely park up in a very quiet location. It was tucked away on the outskirts of a big forest and we nestled in just behind a large section of cut and stacked logs that smelt divine. We took a walk along the lovely canal, and both appreciated the peace, quiet, and beautiful scenery. 

We drove on to the town of Eching, which is just north of Munich. We easily found parking alongside one of the two lakes there, and Manuel picked us up for the evening in his Porsche! He took us to his house where we had several happy hours with him and his wife, who cooked us the most beautiful Turkish meal. I had severe garden envy, and now have plans for 2027, which is the next time we will be home long enough to make them happen. It was so good to see Lyn and Manuel together. He regards him as the best boss he has had in 35 years of working. Amazingly they have only met in person once; five years ago, for 10 minutes in Manchester. They now have a real friendship based on mutual respect and trust. It is a total bromance and so cute to see. Hopefully it won’t be as long until we see them again; maybe at their new holiday home in Italy!

We had a very long drive into Czechia the next day, so started it with a quick dip in the lake. The drive was LONG, and all motorway based. It was to be my first time to Czechia, although Lyn had been once before on my Dad’s stag do to Prague. 

Czechoslovakia was founded in 1918 after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, and fully occupied in 1939, before being liberated at the end of WW2 by Soviet and US forces. It became a socialist state in 1948 after a Communist coup backed by the USSR. There was a brief period of political liberalization in 1968 led by Alexander Dubcek who became the leader of the Communist party. He aimed at creating “socialism with a human face.” This included more freedom of speech and press, less censorship, more political and personal freedoms and limited moves towards economic decentralisation. The Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact countries saw it as a threat and the movement was crushed in August 1968 when Warsaw Pact troops invaded. The hardline communists took over again. This lasted until the Velvet Revolution, which was a peaceful non-violent uprising in late 1989, ending 41 years of communist rule. Democracy was restored. 1993 saw a peaceful split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia (the Velvet Divorce), and the Czech Republic joined the European Union in 2004, adopting the official short name of Czechia in 2016. 

We were heading towards a campsite about 30 minutes from Prague. As we crawled along in the motorway traffic we could see the outskirts of Prague, dominated by soviet style huge blocks of flats. We were both exhausted by this long travel day, having been stuck in a traffic jam for an hour in 30 degree heat. As we navigated into the campsite I spotted the double gates on the right as we approached. There was not a lot of room; especially as there was a car parked opposite. There was not a lot of room for Lyn to turn in. Taking it slowly going in through the high gates between buildings we got half-way in and the habitation box tilted over towards the right and hit the metal gate hinge. At this point we were stuck. We couldn’t go back and we couldn’t go forward. Lyn had to make the hard decision to slowly pull through and unfortunately the hinge smashed the glass in one of our windows. We heard the popping noise from the cab and the sickening realisation of what had happened. 

Lyn got out as soon as we were inside the peaceful oasis of the campsite, only to see the devastation that had occurred. Not only was the glass smashed, but the truck had massive gouges above the window. The owners of the campsite were amazing, and apologized. It was very definitely not their fault. Our priority was to sort the glass out. Luckily it was only the outer pane, and it was tempered glass so it was not too sharp. We spent ages picking it out of the grass and then Lyn got up the ladder to pull the rest out, with me standing below him with a bucket. Luckily it was on the side of the awning, so we threaded the awning through and folded it back to catch a lot of the glass as it came out. It was a long job, and we were both covered with glass shards and dust, and Lyn had cut fingers. 

I think I was in a bit of shock at this point, and a bit tearful, but Lyn went into practical mode. It wasn’t until he woke the next morning that it hit him, and he began to go through the “I should have…” stage. There’s definitely been a lot of expensive lessons learned here. 

We spent the next day in Prague. It’s very definitely a beautiful city, but we absolutely did not do it justice; it was too hot (37 degrees!) and too busy. I would love to return out of season when it is cooler. We had breakfast and coffee, walked around the main sights and had an over-priced drink in the main square.

The buildings are spectacular, but, as always, it is the quirky bits that interest me. I particularly loved the sculptures of David Cerny. There are around 20 sculptures of his dotted around Prague, and I only managed to see a few, but would definitely like to see more when I return. His aim was to shake up the historical city with provocative playful art. Some have historical reflection, and others have political and social critique. 

We saw the statue of Hanging Man, which is Sigmund Freud, and the rotating head of Frank Kafka (although it was not rotating due to a mechanical fault!). My favourite, however, was Babies (Miminka). We saw the 3 bronze babies in Kampa Park, but failed to see the 10 fibreglass babies that climb the Zizkov TV Tower. Next time! The babies are quite creepy and represent dehumanisation. 

I also enjoyed the John Lennon Wall, which is a vibrant and ever changing symbol of peace , free expression and resistance. The wall was part of the Knights of Malta property and already carried love poems and subtle political messages during communist rule. After Lennon’s assassination in December 1980 an image of him and lyrics were painted, which led to candles and tributes honouring his message of peace. Authorities repeatedly white washed it, but young Czechs persistently re-covered it in an act of silent protest. The graffiti became more political, part of the broader opposition movement that preceded the Velvet Revolution. Post communism it became a colourful canvas for visitors worldwide. Art students painted it over in white in 2014 leaving only “Wall is Over”, sparking fresh graffiti immediately. It had an official redesign in 2019 with portraits and a world map reading FREEDOM in 30 languages. Spray painting is now banned; messages must be added in chalk or markers in designated areas. It is now a legal living mural whose walls invite free expression, reflection on global causes and reminders of peaceful resistance. I loved it!

We sat in a peaceful Beatles themed beer garden nearby and thoroughly enjoyed a few drinks in the quiet. 

We crossed the river and caught a tram back; both flagging in the heat and agreeing to do Prague Castle “next time!”

We left the campsite next day, after Lyn had a sleepless night worrying about driving back through the gate. The owner of the campsite kindly used his car to block off any possible parkers, and drove forwards as Lyn exited, to give him more room. His wife and I watched from outside the gate, ready to tell him of any possible problems, but all was fine. It’s all in the angle of entry, and the fact that he was able to take a straight run at the gate made it unproblematic. Phew. 

We had no really firm ideas of what we were doing next, so headed north. We have been camped up at a parking spot at a Czechian lake for the last 3 nights, enjoying some very much needed lazy days. We have read and napped, and Lyn managed to take his bike out for a ride into the beautiful countryside. He ended up doing about 80 miles, criss crossing the Czeck/Polish border and riding through countless ski resorts. He adored the tiny roads with switchbacks, huge forests with cool shade and gorgeous smelling wood. He returned happy and content as he got to do what he loves. We may stay here another night;it’s peaceful, chilled, has a bar next door and has no narrow gates!