Sunday 17.08.2008
After our everyday and, used to by now, procedure of breakfast and loading our bike, we started very early so we pay a short visit to the town of Brno, just before the race. We followed the signs passing through a very beautiful root before heading to the highway.
After a few kilometers, we could see the first signs for the race track and somewhere there an incredible long queue of cars and bikes leading to the highway exit for the track, was visible! Without thinking a lot I turned too, because if we headed to the town first, we could be in a lot of trouble…So our short visit to Brno was postponed definitely, since after the race we would depart directly back to Prague.
Leading to the parking area of the track, there was a lot of traffic, but the organization was great, so in little time we were at the parking zone for bikes. In fact, we are talking about a field in which there were many employees, showing you exactly where to park, giving you a piece of wood for the stand of the bike and paying for the space as well. Amazing was that after the race to leave the parking space, you had to show the license of the bike to the policemen who were checking everybody, to prevent any thefts!
Needless to say that I haven’t seen before so many bikes parked next to each other. Several had Greek license numbers too! Exiting the parking area, buses were taking us closer to the race track, 2-3 klm further up the road…
As soon as we got off the bus, we looked around for the appropriate gate to take. Finally we decided to enter through a gate over an - S – like part of the circuit with a small straight in between, which turned out to be lucky in a way, since around the 3rd round we saw Stoner crush!
The whole atmosphere, walking between people, led more like to a celebration, rather than a sporting event…In a few minutes, we sat on our place on the downhill, not so comfortable, I must say, but with a great view! It is characteristic that at some point, our helmet started rolling down the hill, before stopping on the back of an unfortunate lady…
That moment the 125cc race was on. When it finished I made a quick walk for about 1klm, to buy some souvenirs. When I got back the 250cc race had already started, and after that the countdown for the MotoGP main event was on! In the meantime a helicopter performed some impressive stands, exciting the crowd watching it!
Getting close to the start of the race, the police bikers appeared and checked the whole tract. After that the warm up round and finally the race was on, giving an end to our long waiting. From the start Stoner jumped in front, with Rossi right behind him, so our expectations for a great fight were high, since they had some old scores to settle from previous races, and especially that in Laguna Seca. Unfortunately our expectations vanished, as on the 3rd round Stoner lost control and was out of the race, leaving Valentino to have a healthy walk around the track until the end that sent his fans delirious! After the end, some Italian fans jumped the barriers and entered the track and knelled, as Rossi was passing cheering…
Our first time experience came to an end, so we headed for our bike, getting ready to return to Prague. One of the most beautiful scenes of the whole journey was that at almost every bridge, we passed on our way back, was full of people cheering and waving at the bikers, giving us the impression that this was for them the event of the year! Lets hope that some day, we create a circuit like this in Greece, so we can enjoy not only the race itself, but the whole festival that comes with it…
After about 2 hours and 195 klm of boring national highway, we took the first exit to enter the cosmopolitan city of Prague. For me it was the second time visiting this beautiful city, since I was here 10 years ago,( by plane that time ) having the best of memories, but visiting by bike this time is a whole new experience, a different sense of freedom! Our gps led us to the pansion that I had a reservation.
After unloading the bike, I took it to a parking, pointed to me by the receptionist, since I was persuaded that anywhere else I would get a fine by police. I returned and after arranging our things in the room, we went to a nearby restaurant to eat, since we were starving….
We got up for our first walk in the city, when the night was falling. From the region of Mala Strana, we headed towards Charles Bridge, to cross the Vltava River, to the center of the town. When we reached the bridge, it was already dark enough, so we could not observe the different statues, but that would be possible the next day, since it was a two-day stay. Nevertheless, the whole atmosphere on the bridge, with the view to the river and the illuminated castle, was a great welcome for us.
We continued through the various narrow roads, to end up to the main square of the town, with the astronomic clock. You had the impression that it was a festive period of the year, but it was just summer! That is the way it is then, when you walk around in one of the best touristic attractions in Europe.
The pleasant surprise of the evening was our discovery of a small store making the tredlik (our favorite sweet), which of course we tasted one more time. Our day was coming to the end, so we went back to the hotel to rest, since the next day we would cover a great distance, even with the bike still parked…
After a lot of internet searching, all the hotels located to the center of the city were very expensive! Double room under 100 Euro existed only outside the city. By chance, I fell on www.thecastlesteps.com , which had rooms and studios in various parts of the city. We booked a room in the Luxemburg suite, located on Nerudova Street, exactly at the historical center of the town, just a few minutes on foot from Charles Bridge, or the Castle! Its suite, included a private room, and all the other areas (kitchen, bathroom, livingroom) were communal. There was a washing machine and a drier in the bathroom, so we had the chance to wash all our clothes! We stayed in the Daffodil room, big enough for three persons with 70 Euro! Breakfast was included and was served for all the rooms, in a specially organized area, located just 10 minutes further away on foot.
