Greece Is The Word

I discovered a small, overgrown park full of forgotten statues -- all with sports themes -- while I was cycling in the Prague suburb of Liben awhile back.

One of the unexpected pleasures of writing this blog continues to be my interaction with so many cool readers, from the Philippines to Norway, Australia to Russia and everywhere in between, it seems (including some obscure island off the eastern coast of Africa).

In addition to leaving posts on the blog itself, many write to me at my Yahoo address, asking cycling advice or passing along comments. I try to answer every one.

I received a really nice e-mail from one reader in Greece the other day, which I thought I'd share:

Hi Grant,

I'm Costas from Thessaloniki, Greece. I've been reading your blog for a few months now (from your "Gotta Chata" post, to be specific), and I have to admit it has really grown on me! : )

I loved Praha ever since I first visited it (a very cold week back in December 2002), and I’ve come back as often as I could ever since, either with my wife or alone.

Up until now, and apart from a couple of trips to Karlovy Vary and Plzen -- the former for being so famous a town, the latter for, well, the beer! : ) -- I was staying in the urban areas of the city, enjoying the architecture and its special ambiance but contending myself with its great parks and Petrin hill as far as nature was concerned ...

Well, reading your blog, I came to realize that there is a great deal to see going off the beaten track around the city center in those places that to me were just difficult to pronounce names on the metro map!

I can’t pretend I’m a dedicated biker (although I owned a mountain bike until a few years ago, when it was stolen), but after reading your blog regularly, well, I almost wish I was going around the Bakerloo Run myself, seeing the city in a way I haven't done before! : )

Which brings me -- with the possibility of being in the city at the end of this month -- to ask you if there are maybe in Praha any organized bike tours that you know of?

And can you maybe please give me some more details where that park of forgotten statues is, the one near Liben going to Karlin, I mean? I was captured by that idea of a district somehow frozen in an era that is gone forever, derelict buildings and all, complete with works of forgotten art seemingly taking refuge in some overgrown, neglected somehow sad, green corner ...

Well, I hope that this wasn’t too long a missive ... Thank you for the interesting reading and, hey, keep it up!

Cheers,

Costas

P.S. Did I mention I especially like the beer aspect of your posts? : ) I’ll try to find that Blues Shack in Hlubocepy. You’re right -- it’s too cool to miss, what with smoked klobasa and all ... I’ll try to get to the Koliba place, too, although that seems a bit more complicated.

I told Costas to look me up when he gets to Prague and maybe I can take him out to Liben myself. I also passed along the contacts for Ave Bicycle Tours and City Bike, which I hope will help.

Again, thanks to everyone who reads this blog, and especially to those who take the time to give me feedback, either on the blog itself or by e-mail.

I'm feeling pretty good now after suffering through a nasty cold, and I plan to go riding on Friday at the latest, so stay tuned.