This was the spaceship that launched my fourth visit to Bubenec this summer. Bells blasting me out of bed before dawn, I caught the 0614 in the almost dark while rain smashed down on my plastic blue-coated form dodging puddles and clambering over fences. Didn't even notice the horses.
The train ride ended in Novy Bor and a quick change onto a bus to Strizkov, Praha, then metro, McD's and tram to the Korunavacni stop on Letna Plain.
At the Erotic City sex shop, turn left, head straight along Coronation Street, past the birds-with-their-boobs-out statue and my destination stands just across the street from the mammoth Russian embassy with a park in front bearing a no-nonsense message for Putin.
The train ride ended in Novy Bor and a quick change onto a bus to Strizkov, Praha, then metro, McD's and tram to the Korunavacni stop on Letna Plain.
At the Erotic City sex shop, turn left, head straight along Coronation Street, past the birds-with-their-boobs-out statue and my destination stands just across the street from the mammoth Russian embassy with a park in front bearing a no-nonsense message for Putin.
Bubenec (Boob-en-etch) always puts a smile on my face as I wander leafy avenues lined with villas and mansions and embassies adjoining the wide expanse of Stromovka city park, whose semi-wildness reminds me of Hampstead Heath in London.
Getting a Saudi visa is not easy, a Czech pipefitter told me in the embassy waiting room. Tell me about it! The main reason for this difficulty is due to most of the planet's 3rd World, much of the 2nd and quite a few of the 1st wanting to work in the sand. There are about 15 million expats in the Kingdom, mostly Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi, plus assorted Africans and Arabs. It is a highly sought after posting, hence the bureaucracy involved in getting the all-important visa that grants permission to work, without which you won't get on a plane into Saudi.
The process requires a thorough medical check, an equally thorough criminal record check from Czech and UK police (100% clean, I'd like to report.). Then there are more papers and certificates to gather, lawyers to apostille these documents and if there is one minor error you have to do it all again, hence multiple visits to Bubenec.
With apprehension/dread I exited the tram and turned left at Erotic City ... an hour later, stamping my documents in an important manner, the lady at the embassy reception told me to return at 2pm to pick up the visa. Yeehah! It only took 5 months.
In celebratory disbelief I wandered along Ukrainian Heroes Street and had lunch at an 'urban food restaurant', whatever that means. Who knew eggs benedict were urban? On the dot of two I returned to the embassy, through yet another security check before the all-important approval was handed over. Mission accomplished, unbelievably slowly.
Pretty much skipping out of the gates, I decided on a brief detour to Zizkov, hopping on handy tram 26 which dropped me off at Lipanska. Ambling over cobbles, I found myself repeatedly checking the visa was actually in my passport and safe and secure in my pocket.
Getting a Saudi visa is not easy, a Czech pipefitter told me in the embassy waiting room. Tell me about it! The main reason for this difficulty is due to most of the planet's 3rd World, much of the 2nd and quite a few of the 1st wanting to work in the sand. There are about 15 million expats in the Kingdom, mostly Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi, plus assorted Africans and Arabs. It is a highly sought after posting, hence the bureaucracy involved in getting the all-important visa that grants permission to work, without which you won't get on a plane into Saudi.
The process requires a thorough medical check, an equally thorough criminal record check from Czech and UK police (100% clean, I'd like to report.). Then there are more papers and certificates to gather, lawyers to apostille these documents and if there is one minor error you have to do it all again, hence multiple visits to Bubenec.
With apprehension/dread I exited the tram and turned left at Erotic City ... an hour later, stamping my documents in an important manner, the lady at the embassy reception told me to return at 2pm to pick up the visa. Yeehah! It only took 5 months.
In celebratory disbelief I wandered along Ukrainian Heroes Street and had lunch at an 'urban food restaurant', whatever that means. Who knew eggs benedict were urban? On the dot of two I returned to the embassy, through yet another security check before the all-important approval was handed over. Mission accomplished, unbelievably slowly.
Pretty much skipping out of the gates, I decided on a brief detour to Zizkov, hopping on handy tram 26 which dropped me off at Lipanska. Ambling over cobbles, I found myself repeatedly checking the visa was actually in my passport and safe and secure in my pocket.
Finally relieved of burden, I took the Zizkov walk under the tracks and a train home, sleeping like a log until the very next day when war broke out in Gaza ...