Travel Diary

Prague, Czech Republic

It's a beautiful Saturday in Prague, sunny and warm. Today is a day of downtime for me, after the travelling and photography sessions of the past week. It's good to take a day just to recharge and to reflect on my relationship with God. I walk across the Charles Bridge and take an early morning boat ride on the Vltava River, watching the historic buildings on the banks of the river as we pass by, a great Czech beer in hand.

In the evening I have dinner at a little place I discovered the previous day, Karlova 30. I found the staff to be very friendly and welcoming. I had the Rump steak (250g), with rosemary potatoes and home-made sauce. Tasty!! The prices are quite reasonable and the food excellent, and I'm sure to return on my next visit to Prague.

Website: Karlova 30 Website and reviews: Trip Advisor Review.

Update: 10/03/2018: I did return and found this restaurant and its staff to be just as warm and friendly as on my previous visit.

Frankfurt, Germany to Prague, Czech Republic by Train

Travelling across the German countryside, the train runs silently. Outside the window everything seems perfectly quiet. The train stations we pass through are empty. German towns at this time of night, 11:00 pm, are very quiet; few cars are out and about. I'm very much at peace, looking out the window.

My route takes me from Frankfurt, through Nürnberg with a 4 hour layover and a change of trains in Regensburg.

The train line from Regensburg to Prague passes through Schwandorf via Cham to Furth im Wald and the Bavarian Forest before entering the Czech Republic, almost unnoticed, except for the German police on board checking passports, on its way Plzen. The line, was built by the Royal Bavarian Eastern Railway Company, founded in 1856, and is entirely single track and non-electrified, and was constructed between January and October, 1861.

Bad Neuenahr, Germany

Dahlia Garden

I'm back at the Dahlia Garden along the Arh River in Bad Neuenahr. This garden has become my go to location; I find photographing the flowers to be relaxing and a great way to start the day.

The garden is located near the Ahr River along a footpath. There are benches that I enjoy sitting on early in the morning, getting a good overview of the park. The flowers are planted in multiple plots throughout the park with a footpath between them. On the morning of my this visit, it had rained a little the previous evening. A lot of the flowers were damaged, and being so late in the year, I wasn't expecting much. However, I did find several plots where the flowers were in good shape and thriving.

Heidelberg, Germany

It was cold and rainy when I arrived in Heidelberg. It's been a many years since my last visit and I was curious and interested to see what had changed. I didn't expect much, as Germany is a country that values its heritage. My last visit had been a quick overnight visit with little time for photography. This trip, I had planned on 3 days of photography and writing, before going north to Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler.

I took a taxi from the train station, having recently arrived in Germany from Phoenix, Arizona. My hotel for the next 3 days was the Hotel Zur Alten Brücke, which is located across the street from the entrance to the old town bridge (in the Altstadt).

Moab, Utah

Goose Island BLM Campground

This is a small campground with mostly tent campers. I'm in one of the few spots - and the only one open - that will my hold my travel trailer. The toilet is next to me, but the smell isn't too bad, and it's only for one night. It's cold, around 30° F. The campground is between the road on one side and the Colorado River on the other.

26 November 2016

It got cold last night, how cold I don't know, but I guess below freezing. I kept the furnace in the trailer at 58°F and it cycled on/off every 10 minutes or so. The battery gauge (idiot gauge) reads E (empty) but the heater is still cycling. The water pump is sluggish and the interior lights dim. I'll use the truck to charge the battery, so I can move to another campsite this afternoon; one with electricity. The heat in my trailer is very uneven, hot in the bathroom, cold in the bedroom. I've got the hot water heater running on propane, so I can at least shave. I'm planning on leaving early, around 11.

This trip, so far, has been an eye-opening one. Not for what I experienced, but what I didn't. I expected the act of towing the trailer 300+ miles in one day to be an exhausting one, but I arrived feeling like I had enough energy to explore and relax.

The battery drainage was disappointing, so I think I'll need to upgrade the electrical system before I do any more cold weather boondocking. The cold isn't too bad, but not being able to run the furnace all night defeats the purpose of having a trailer for camping.

Dead Horse Point State Park

Moving onto Dead Horse Point State Park, about 2000 feet higher in elevation, it's much colder. There was some light snow flurries, but nothing that stuck to the ground. After living in Hawaii and southern Arizona for many years, I wasn't quite ready for that much cold; but still I enjoyed it.