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Holiday: 23 & 24
Yesterday we went to visit the boat builders. It was quite clearly a macho culture, presenting a very heterosexual view of the world. Walls adorned with scantily clad ladies in interesting poses, and those who left even less to the imagination, who surely would catch their death of cold caught the eye immediately. It was so 1970s, that a scout for a remake of The Professionals or Sweeny would have been in heaven. There was swarf (cuttings of metal) everywhere and a diddy fork lift, and welding equipment. This was a place of industry.
The boat itself is a gorgeous creation. Still being welded, I have some truly arty shots of men at work. We wandered inside and out of our new home. Discussing with Ivo the best use of storage, and the positioning of the stove. Truly surreal. But at least we know we only have another 6 weeks in the Travelodge.
Today, after a sleepover of 7 hours, I am in Prague airport again. It reminds me a little of JFK, with its wide boulevards and shopping mall feel. It is also strange that we’ve not cleared security yet. We do it at the gate apparently. And terribly efficient it is too.
An airport before dawn is the food for writers. It is full of people who – on the whole – get to airports early. Unlike the herded cats (I’ve kept the earlier analogy for the sake of consistency) these travellers reach their gate in plenty of time. They spend their time reading; chatting in low tones. One couple are playing cards. What children there are, are well behaved. One young lad has a storm trooper baseball cap and a Star Wars backpack. He is carrying his teddybear. Both look like they have done this many times before. The security guards have a slow measured tred and are louder than the rest of us. They draw attention with their laughter. An obligatory canoodling couple completes the tableau. At this time of day there is no running or shouting. Or stress. It is like being in the twilight zone.
It is interesting to watch an airport wake up. Duty free is 24/7. There is a coffee shop (not one of the recognisable chains) serving wonderfully strong coffee. At 5am the advertising comes to life. OH suggested they were powered by Windows 10 and had been on for hours really. He might have a point.
With security cleared, there is more waiting. People are now trying to get sense out a vending machine – supplied by the Sirius cybernetics corporation. It really is not glad to be of service. It is utterly unhappy in its work.
I am looking forward to the flight. 3am local time is an early up in any language.
More than a Cat 
You certainly get about a good deal.
I want to see pictures of the boat!