Walking with Hillary

Window Reykjavik Restaurant, Praha

The photo was taken from inside Reykjavik Seafood Restaurant in Old Town Prague. In 1996 it was among Prague’s top restaurants. I had dinner there the night I walked across the Charles Bridge with Hillary Clinton.

After dinner, I was walking across the Charles Bridge on my way home to my apartment in Smichov (with a stop first at U Maleho Glena). Hillary Clinton joined me on the walk. Sort of.

It was a day or so before the fourth of July. Hillary Clinton was on a European tour with a stop in Prague. As I walked, east to west, across Prague’s landmark pedestrian bridge, Hillary and entourage were crossing west to east.

The Charles Bridge is always crowded but never more so than on a warm summer evening. As I started across the bridge, there was the normal heavy evening press. As I neared the center of the bridge, the crowd moving toward me became increasingly dense with something of an urgent press forward. I was clearly going against the flow when I encountered a flying wedge of secret service and security shouldering the crowd out of the way so that Hillary and company had a wide swath of un-crowded bridge to casually stroll across. I was one of the folks elbowed aside to create that space.

I’ve walked across the Charles Bridge with Hillary.

Prague, 1996 revisited

A magic time in the golden city

Sunday morning after a rain. This 1961 Skoda Octavia has the street to itself.

On the left, Prague roofs viewed from the clock tower in Old Town Square. On the right, the Mill on Kampa Park (now restored).

Golden Prague. The Embankment and Old Town Prague seen from Kampa.

Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral.
Prague at night is magic



Click on the Pic.

to see a different side of 1996 Prague.





Read my post Walking with Hillary about my stroll across the Charles Bridge with Hillary Clinton.

Or check out my idea of A Perfect Sunday in Prague

Mala Strana, Karlov Most and Old Town Prague from Prague Castle.

To see more photos from this magic city please visit my PhotoSets Prague 1996 and Prague 2002 on Flickr.

Attitude Adjustment Time II

A Visit to Amsterdam

Click on the Pic for an alternative attitude adjustment.

Checking the Map

Everybody needs a little attitude adjustment time. Amsterdam is perfect. Opportunities abound just a few steps away in any direction.

Take a walk along the canals

Visit the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh

Explore the city then enjoy a foot massage and a nice dinner.

A collection of photos from a March 2003 visit can be found at Amsterdam on my Flickr PhotoSharing site at my Amsterdam PhotoSet on Flickr

An alternative Amsterdam attitude adjustment can be found in my earlier post Attitude Adjustment Time on LostBob's Blog.

Wadi Shis

The green jeep of the story below.

That's Sregei on the rocks.

Wadi Bashed

Return to the Scene

The real story was the year before.

I was driving. Sergei was navigating using the Wadi Asimah trip description in “Off-Road in the Emirates, Vol 2" by Dariush Zandi.

“…Follow the track that disappears into the water and comes out again…”

Opps, too late. There was more water that day. And the rocks that are piled against the small dam were not there…yet.

Picture the previous year’s jeep, a green one. front wheels hanging in the air above those little rock ramps that are not there yet. Picture the frame cross member resting squarely on that little concrete dam, rear wheels dug in to the axel in loose gravel at the bottom of the pool. Imagine it is 42 deg C (108F).

Glad there was water in that pool.