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Published: June 26th 2017
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Geo: 48.9745, 14.4746
0800hrs: Breakfast as usual consists of rather good chipolata sausages (Czech sausage "Technology" is second only to German and as we are close to the border, the pre-requisite skill sets have rubbed off)........ fried egg and salami.
We then head for the Hotel carpark which is situated on the first and second floors above the Reception. We press the small "HOOTER" button which summons "Mikey" the slightly bandy concierge. The 1920's car lift arrives......a heavy metal door opens and we slow rise............all very "Tracey Island"........I carefully drive "Neddy" into the same lift and we descend to the street level below and after a quick "tweak" of "Margeret/Svetlana" the Sat Nav we head due South in the general direction of The Austrian Border.
In CZ it is law to drive with the main headlights..."ON".....a 5000kr penalty awaits those who disobey or a worse awaits for those who fail to carry spare bulbs..............10 years in solitary. Being prepared, I had made at least two visits to Halfords Epsom......run by "PIMPLY" youths and a check out girl who looked like "Looby Loo" on acid. However, it was money well spent as 15 minutes after take off a warning light appears on Neddy's complex instrumentation
panel.......BLOWN BLUB!!! Rather like a response to an engine failure on a 747 we pull over.....and assess the situation....... Dipped Head Lamp Bulb blown......port side........do we continue or return to Heathrow??????.........main beam and side lights still operational........bright sun........we decide to fly on...........
Time Check 0900hrs Friday.
We have spent the last two days touring South Bohemia.......rustic villages, unspoilt pastures with wild flowers.........forests..........little churches with "onion domes".......and castles perched high above with towns with unbelievably well persevered "Old Towns".
The "well known centres" such as Telc and Slavonice come to mind. Not far from the Austrian Border but still with perfectly preserved Baroque (17th/18th Century) and Renaissance (14th Century) Town Centres and NO TOURISTS in sight.
We sit in the town square of Slavonice eating cheese and ham rolls constructed earlier, pleased with our purchase of a new Czech Metal Post Box (metallic green with a little post horn motif!!!). This will look good at home.........
We pound the highways and byways of the area..........Neddy taking it all in his stride.......until I spot a small red car heading towards us at high speed.......too close to the centre line for comfort!!!!!!!.....I correct right but fearing the ditch I go no further........CLACK! The red car's
wing mirror clips us and our mirror glass "flops down shattered"!!!! I get out....... go over to the little LADA type contraption......his whole mirror stalk is hanging down by a thread........no point having a row and I stump back to Neddy..........it could have been worse!
The prospect of the three days drive home without a wing mirror on my left hand side is a real worry! Cathy spots a local garage and we pull in. The ever resourceful Czech's say that they can have a new one by the morning (no good as we are 50 miles from base camp) or they can transplant a small SKODA mirror by gluing it on top of the shattered one!!!! We opt for thee latter and are thankful for their help and ingenuity.
This is the second time in 24hrs we have had to get help. Yesterday we managed to find a little SKODA dealership happy to change the headlight bulb free of charge.................HOWEVER it is a sobering thought just how dependant you are on your own CAR in this sort of trip..........
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katie.jenks28
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Looks gorgeous but poor Neddy will be traumatised for life! Better treat him to some slap up oil x