By Ricky, on July 16th, 2014
Our heating & hot water plant © Ricky Yates
Visitors to the Chaplaincy Flat, when they look out from our main balcony, often ask exactly what is this industrial building, with its very tall chimney? The answer is that it’s a plant that produces hot water and heating for a large number of buildings in the immediate vicinity.
Judging by the utilitarian nature of it’s architecture, the plant clearly dates from the communist era. But it was obviously built with a far greater capacity than was necessary when first constructed. For now, the whole of ‘Rezidence Pobada’ is also supplied with heating and hot water from it. ‘Rezidence Pobada’, where the Chaplaincy Flat is situated, has been developed over the last ten years on the site . . . → Read More: A week of cold showers
By Ricky, on July 13th, 2014 A month ago yesterday, this blog was nominated for another award – A Liebster Blogger Award. This is an award given by fellow bloggers, to show appreciation for other blogs that they enjoy reading and think deserve to be highlighted and receive some praise.
My blog was nominated by Emily aka Writergem, whose own blog Czechesotans, is also about living as an expat in Prague; in her case, from the viewpoint of being an American teaching in an international school here for the past year. In her nomination of my blog she says, ‘Consider yourself educated after reading this one’. I did say in reply that I clearly needed fresh polish for my halo after receiving such praise 🙂
As part of the nomination process, the nominator sets a . . . → Read More: My Liebster Blogger Award – part one
By Ricky, on June 9th, 2014
Sybille about to set off on her pilgrimage © Ricky Yates
This morning, my wife Sybille set out from the front door of the Chaplaincy Flat, to begin her long distance pilgrimage, walking from Prague to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. I took this photograph just before giving her a long kiss and hug, as if all goes to plan, I will not see her again for about two months.
Sybille started out this morning at 05.30, wanting to take full advantage of the cooler hours of the day whilst we are experiencing a Central European heatwave with temperatures rising to well over 30 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. Her main aim today is to successfully walk out of Prague, hoping to reach a campsite between Zbraslav and Radotin, . . . → Read More: The Pilgrim is on her way
By Ricky, on May 29th, 2011
Pat’anka 2614/11A © Ricky Yates
Last Wednesday 25th May 2011, Sybille & I changed our address. No – we haven’t moved out of the Chaplaincy flat. Instead, solely due to the intricacies of Czech bureaucracy, the building in which the Chaplaincy Flat is located, has been re-numbered.
All buildings in Prague have two numbers. One number, on a red plate with white lettering, is the registration of that building with the local authority – in our case, with Praha 6. Prague, like Paris, is divided into numbered districts, each of which has its own mayor and council. The registration number of our building – 2614, is unchanged. The other number, on a dark blue plate with white lettering, is the number of the building in that particular street. Our building was and still is, Pat’anka 11. But because there are two separate doors & staircases to . . . → Read More: We have a new address
By Ricky, on April 11th, 2010
'Residence Podbaba' with the Crown Plaza Hotel © Ricky Yates
The immediate area of Prague in which our home, the Chaplaincy Flat, is situated is known as Podbaba. The terminal station for the Number 8 Tram which we catch to travel into the City Centre to reach St. Clement’s Church, is also called ‘Podbaba’. ‘Pod’ in Czech means ‘under’ and behind our flats complex lies a steep wooded ridge between the Vltava and Šárka valleys which is called ‘Baba’. Hence we live in Podbaba – ‘under Baba’.
We regularly walk up the tarmac pathway through the woods, which leads from our flats complex up onto the Baba ridge. From the ridge, there are some wonderful views which I hope these three accompanying photographs help to illustrate.
In the foreground of the first photograph is our flats complex that the developers like to call ‘Residence Podbaba’. . . . → Read More: Baba and Podbaba
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