UP DATE

OK called the boss yesterday and was told to call in on Tuesday late pm so looking like well have had two weeks off by then well nearly .Just have to wait and see whats going on from then ..
I have a request if you read this please can you just drop me a reply even if you just put HI THERE my name is------ and where you are from wound be nice. Just to see if there are some one out there reading this . as the world counter thing is not working .Sorry for the white thing in the side bar it was going to be a photo side show but did not work write so have to remove it ..OK keep it sunny side up till the next one .

END OF A 9 MOUTH TOUR

Ok this is a bit late but did not have a internet link for about 15 day's. Then when I got to Caz's place I just chilled out as been away for 7 weeks this time .Well the tour finished on the 10th May and it was just like all the other one's at the end you make great friends when your on tour some you like to keep in touch with and other's are just mate's but on this one they were all good friends and it was a sad time but ha ho we still have the internet and skype to talk on so the world is really a small place now .Ok as this one photo says it all the show is over and it was time to pack it up for the last time in Europe for this year as it is heading to South America they start there in about 2 mths time so everybody is home at the mo .




Well we left on the Sunday night did about 4.5hrs drive till we got to Trencin in Slovakia and called it a night so it would leave us about 19hrs drive to do in the next two day's




This photo is coming up to a small boarder in to Czech it is a very small one and so are the roads, we are heading for Brno the road E50 is small but when they put in a diversion in the road it's a lot smaller so no photos of that as it was up and down and round and round and very tight nearly lost the drivers mirrors about 5 times and some drivers dont give a shit . This photo is coming to the boarder on the slovakia side.

the boarder into Czech from Slovakia

This is coming into Prague. Welcome back to the west and traffic jams, they have a rule where trucks are only allowed on the inside lane so we had a 10km tail back, I think this is the norm around Prague but it sucks big time lost about 1.5hrs here .

A couple of photos of Prague

this is a tram track

Look at the first photo of the truck and this one. Yes it's an old one and you still see a lot off them in Czech but look at what is holding the container on .There is nothing but for a bit of chain across the back and front of the tlr.

Well got to the company yard in Rotterdam dropped the trl off, and then helped the other drivers to drop off their container's off the chassis; did that then had about 1 hr left to drive so went to get a shower and something to eat for the day was over for me till the morning as I

was heading back to Kosice for one of the trl we left there. There is 4 down there but 3 other drivers had 4 hrs driving time left so they left earlier and were a good 4 hrs in front of me. So that was Tuesday. Ok so Wednesday morning was here, and time to move south again

I was heading back the same way I came up, back to Venlo into Germany Kolne/ Frankfurt/ Numberg, then over to Prague and then Brno over the border in to Slovakia and down to Kosice but did not get to Kosice so by Thursday night I got back to Trencin and this is me parked up looking over the town and what a view there was .

This is looking at the castle, town and river of Trencin .

Ok Friday morning .

I have grown to like Slovakia there is a lot of history here to see just by driving in this country and there is some beautiful scenery that takes your breath away but may be in a couple of years time it will be different place. I think it will spoil the land but its there country .So here are some photos and this is only a couple of what I took .

Just look at it, I did for about 1.5 hrs just sat there with a coffee or two .

It looks like some kind of church they where working on, but they must have stopped some time back .

Well got back to Kosice late on Friday afternoon, it left me with about 4.5hrs drive time left so that would put me in a gas station with nothing to do so got the ok from the boss to stop in Kosice for the weekend so got a hotel, Caz not to happy about it but where the trl's are parked is about 10kms from everything; its a field with about 20tons of hardcore on it so spent the weekend in a cheap hotel it was 49€ a night and the room was nice but the internet sucked; didn't work at all. So spent the weekend there again before I knew it, it was Sunday and booking out of the hotel.

There is alot of the former Russian influance about and alot of them speak Russian but there is alot of them who also speak English as well. These photo's of the former Russian infiuance of the old communnistic era are just outside the hotel and had to walk passed it to get into town.

The next two photos are the wrong way round the first one is looking down the main street, its a walk way only and the other one is looking across from the hotel to the main street .

Just in front of the bus is the Russian thing .

Ok the show season is over for us till September. I got back to Caz's last Thursday afternoon, came back in the company car. Got to call the company later today to see what the plan is next. The last plan was to have 3 months off with 1mths full pay and two at half pay but can not afford to do that as got divorced and have to pay a shit load of cash to the ex; so will find out what the plan is today and if not much work; then going to make some phone calls to see whats about; not a lot at the mo I have heard though the grapevine. This week I have done sweet FA. Went to the tattoo shop to have some more work done on my back so still got about 20hrs left to go not looking forward to the lower back by my belt as thats going to HURT big time but the rest of the out line is nearly done so just that bit to do then it's the shading and that I can take, it will look really cool when its finished; well i think so anyway. It has take me about 10 years to plan it out and then the money as well but ha ho no pain no gain. As you can see by the spelling Caz is checking it for me before you lot read it so hope you enjoyed it better this time .

Well from now on until September time, it might be a bit slow on posting as don't know what I will be doing in the next 3 mths but will do my best to keep it up to date so keep it sunny side up till the next time ....

KOSICE WATER AT NIGHT

As my previous post; here is the water fountain at night with the light show. Will update fully later. Keep it sunny side up till then.

HOME

Hi all just a farst one got back to swindon to day and got abit to do like 7weeks of washing .well do a cach up post from the larst one later on but all whent well leaveing kosice but did not have internet till now . Back at caz's till 1st june so well have time to do it all .So keep it sunny side up till then

KOSICE WATER .

the water fontian in the afternoon hope before leaving here to have the one at night where its to lights .on the run to night as it`s end of tour party to night .so keep it sunny side up to next time

KOSICE

Ok this was taken from the city Guide book . and only part of

The first mention of the city comes fromthe year 1230 in wich Kosice is referred to as "Villa Cassa"in relation to the Lubina municpality, which later ceased to exist .Other important written mentions of Kosice are in documents from the year 1249 and 1261 .Privileges of the German colonists who were invited by the ruker Bela IV, are mentioned in these documents .Kosice gradually became a significant economic cultural ans social centre .on may 7th 1369 Kosice received a caot of arms from kijng Ludwig of Anjou. it was the first coat of arms of a city in Europe ,which was certfied by a coat of arms charter .The city was actively involved in determining the fate of the contry by its action and standpionts . the caot of arms and signet as special historic sources are the most reliable symblos of the city and degree of the attainedrise of the city .


Among the large amount of cultural and historic sights,it is essential to mention the gothic cathedral,which is the furthest in the East in Europe, and which is the largest in Slovakia,the cathedral of Saint Elizabeth. It was built in the high gothic style and was consercrated to Saint Elizabeth. Its construction began in the 1380 on the site of a parisf church, which had been destroyed by fire .The constrution continued in several stage until the year 1508 ...

this is anther biulding in the town but still got that gothic look to it ..

IMMACULATA

The most beautiful sculpture in Kosice .It was built as a thanksgiving for the ending of the plague epidemic,wars, ans famine in the years 1720-1723 .

this is as you can see the water dance to muisce and at night it has lights to go with it .I have a small vid of it in day light hope to get one of it at night with lights going as well .will hope to put it on here but will see .

All the stuff about Kosice came from the free city Guide book what was in the hotel ..

For me it is a very historic and cultural place to be . I like looking at buildings and the architectural of place with a lot off history to them and thinck they did all that without a computor or enthing eles what we of this day will ues to builkd the same things .I find that a newer biulding in a lot of the time is ugley has no life to it but the older was of the 14th to 17th centrys have a story to till and some and i think they make a place alive .

Ok thats all for now keep it sunny side up till next time ......

+

ON WAY TO KOSICE

Ok its monday morning and the load out whent ok all they way till they got to the larst trl !they have been loading the contians now for over 9mths and they still got one of the boxs in wrong os the doors will not close they put the bass spekers inwrong and they arenot light at all and the ramps where away and the fork left had gone as will so a bit off broot force and one box in to trl 5 and it was all over .out back to monday morning had to go up there to get the fcp trl ok going up

But comeing down they had loaded the heavey stuff in the front and the fuel tank crapt as i went over coming down but no damge dun on it or the landing legs

my co driver for the trip over to Kosice .head sparky Gary he has ask before but as we where over nighting a lot of the time it was not poss as my top bunk is fall of my stuff .But this trip was only about 5hrs drive and its was a very nice one no motorways just nice roads and sites on they way here are just one or two of my photos of that trip .

Ok got to kosice but we where not allowd to park in the arena as it was monday and we are not due in there till thursday at 4 pm so had to get some where to parl the tlr .will we uesd a transport yard larst time we had ani ce show here so it was in to kosice and outr the other side heading back to hungary by 20khs. This site is in the middle of no where its afield with 50tons of hard core down and nothing eles around .Robbie spoke to the boss and got a hotel till thursday am thats where i am now doing this the holet yasmin its a 4 star and only been open about 4 months the rooms are very nice as the pickys below say but for one thing its a king size bed with a singel cover on it so if caz was here i now it will be me with no cover on at night .

the wc is in the other conner of the room by the door .and its a smoking room .

Ok then will post this one as got a lot of photos and info on this town for the next post and a small filem if i can grt it on here well be try .so keep it sunny side up out there and the ones at home hope you are haveing a GREAT time back home (mike) i ow my girl whound of kill me if i did what you did on here birthday mate ........... see all you lot nexet time

BRATISLAVA

Ok here are some photos of Bratislava .well this is not, but it is whats on one of the minibus the cast and crew use to get to work .

it looks like one of the machines in the film war of the worlds but it is a support for the bridge over the river and on top its a restaurant, very expensive.

bratislava castle looking from the arena side of the river. all the green you can see on the castle is scaffolding as they are restoring it.

looking back at the arena to the right of the bridge from the castle

going over the bridge in to old town. And after this photo some photos of old town .

Heading up to the one of the castle gates

A plan of it

this is the way in up the steps .

one of the court yards

looking down on it .And what a view from up here some more photos of Bratislava from up high.

If you look at the boats counting from the right, the third boat and behind it you will see a stage as it's bank holiday mayday there is a free live music show on all day till 2200hrs finishing with a fire work's display there was a lot of them as it went on for a good 20mns .

Dont know why the's rocks were there for some reason may be the blue prints for the castle

Looking over the town.

This is the meaning of the photo above .

Old town.

Nice legs had to put it in .but they had there noses up in the air .

This guy was good .

two photos of a tour bus around old town

Sorry dont now why

This was on the out skirts of old town.

Just some building.

Looking down one of the streets in old town

the park just outside the gate to the venue

This was home for the week, the cable hanging down is power for us .Well thats some of my photos of this town it does not paint a full picture of the place just what i saw there was a lot of tourist's about as this place is not cheap out here. so till next time keep it sunny side up ..