Friday, August 14th - Prague, Czech Republic to Mataro, Spain

This should be a short bog and it should sort of match the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" from a mobility perspective.  It was a travel day for us and ours would have to be called "Tram, Bus, Plane, Bus, Train, Train and Taxi."  We checked out of our Prague hotel about 7:45 a.m. and checked into our new hotel in Mataro just after 5 p.m.  

There is not a log of exciting news to report from the travelling.  The tram and bus connection worked well in Prague to get to the airport.  The tram stop was right outside our hotel so that part was easy.  The transfer location was pretty easy too except that we didn't know exactly where to go to catch the airport shuttle.  When we figured out it was just down the street a little ways, we missed the first airport shuttle bus which was virtually empty.  The next one was crammed full and we just managed to get in but then had to stand all the way to the airport.

I have to digress here to say that I am using my newest piece of luggage - a replacement from Westjet last year after they damaged my new suitcase when I was on my way home from Florida.  The replacement is very nice although also quite heavy, which is annoying when you have to stay under 20 kg and when you have to lift it on to trains and buses.  It has four swivel ball wheels which I originally really liked and it seemed to roll quite easily - but that might have been when it was empty.  It is definitely harder to wheel when it is full AND it is a pain if you are on a bus or tram or metro or an other moving vehicle.  A regular suitcase with just two wheels you can just set down and it is fine but this thing takes off on you when you least expect it.  Turn a corner and off it goes.  Make a sudden stop and off it goes.  Speed up and off it goes.  You need to have it totally trapped or it will roll away.  That's just a warning if you are thinking about buying a new suitcase.  Four ball wheels may not be the best way to go.

Back to the trip.  We arrived at Terminal 2, which seemed like a brand new terminal, and there were very few people there.  We checked in quickly and got our boarding passes.  After that we moved further down the check-in line and stopped so we could organize things.  I was going through security first so I got all of our Czech money in case we wanted to buy anything.  I had no pockets in my pants so I pulled out my small black over-the-shoulder purse to put the money in.  I already had my euros and my credit card folder in there with two credit cards, bank card, drivers license and medical card, BCAA card, travel medical card and a few other things in it.  My boarding pass and passport were tucked in the front pouch of my backpack for easy access.  As we walked away from the counter I put on my backpack and left the small black purse behind - so I discovered later.

Later was only about 2 minutes and 100 steps later.  I took off my backpack outside security so I could have a last drink of my water before I threw out the bottle.  That's when I remembered the small purse.  I quickly looked to see if it was in my backpack - it wasn't, so I went back to where I had left it but it was gone.  I looked all over the counter area and nearby but found nothing.  I went to the closet check-in clerk and asked if anything had been turned in and he said no but got up right away to check where I had left it and talk to the other agents.  No one knew anything about it so he gave me the number for lost and found and told me where to find the phone.  I phoned them and they had not received anything.  I don't think they were even in the same terminal so it was questionable when they would ever get it if it was found, and when I would then get it.  I checked a few garbage containers in the area and then decided to talk to information re the process for lost and found items.  

I told the guy there my story.  He talked to the girl for a while and then made a call.  They hadn't seen or heard anything and I'm not sure who they called.  However, when he got off the phone he asked me just to wait for a while that something had been found somewhere but he didn't know what or  if it was mine, but someone was bringing it over.  While I waited I worked on the list of everything that was in the purse.  This was relatively easy to do since I had just put everything there about an hour before so I could actually remember.  I wasn't even finished my list when a lovely young man showed up with my purse.  Strangely enough he didn't ask me what was in it or ask me to identify it but, since they had already gone through the purse and my driver's license was in it, he was probably sure it belonged to me.  He did make me go through and determine if everything was still there and it was.  Whew!!!   I mentioned that everything was there but it was in a different order/place and that's when he told me that, because it was an unattended bag, they had to treat it as a security threat and test it for certain substances.  When it passed that test they still had to look at the contents.  I think my driver's license was on top just so he could easily identify the person who claimed it.   Anyway, I thanked him profusely and then went back to the check-in counter to let them know that the lost had been found.  I was very pleased to have it back and the whole experience was a good reminder to pack (and dress) more carefully and keep valuable items more secure.  Obviously I was getting a little too nonchalant about it.  

After that, the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful.  Our flight from Prague to Barcelona was 2.5 hours and it was very smooth.  I think I slept through much of it.  From the Barcelona airport we took a bus from one terminal to another and then took a train farther into the city and then switched and took another train out of the city to Mataro.  From there we took a cab to our hotel so "tram, bus, plane, bus, train, train, taxi" works for the day.

The only time we actually got to enjoy the scenery was on the train for the last part of the journey.  The track ran right along the coast and it was such a treat to see the sandy beaches all along the way.  A relaxing holiday was certainly what we were looking for and this looked pretty ideal.  However, when we got to Mataro the beaches suddenly disappeared or changed in to large boulders.  We were not impressed by the sight but at the hotel we were informed that there were four beaches.  They are just behind the boulders.  I guess well just have to check that out.

Our hotel is nice but we needed to find a place for dinner so we went out the door and headed down the street.  There was a pub at the end of the block so we decided to give it a try.  I had a burger and fries as I knew what they were on the menu, and they were very good.  There is supposedly English on the menu but we can't figure it out.  We never did figure out the one that translated as "nose" but we knew we really didn't want to try it.  English is the third listing generally, with Catalan coming next (or whatever the language is called here in Catalunya.  They are technically part of Spain but you'd never know it by the language.  I also had a "chocolate milkshake" last night.  If you're going to have an unhealthy meal you might as well go all the way, right?  Anyway, after it was ordered and being made the waitress asked if I wanted it hot or cold.  That was the first hint that perhaps the translation wasn't quite right.  What I got was a hot chocolate (I think) but cold.  It was pretty sad and didn't get finished, and such a disappointment from what was expected.  All together I think it cost 9 euros for my meal, which is cheap around here.

We were sitting most of the day so it shouldn't have been a tiring day but I was beat by the time we got back to the hotel.   By 10 p.m. I was in bed and sound asleep so that was the end of my day.