This follows the entry below, Thursday continued.
Funicular, descending. 
Near Petrin.
Near Petrin.
This was my beer... after walking around and climbing the lookout tower.Friday
I took a tour by bus to Terezin. It was too rushed for my liking, especially in the museum. Also I always find people taking photos of cells etc in such places completely inappropriate and disrespectful considering the horrific things that happened there, and in Terezin over centuries of political imprisonment in the small fortress. Do they really need a photo of the cell where Franz Ferdindand's assasin was kept for 2 years?
Way to Terezin. 
Terezin.
Memorial garden at Terezin.Saturday
A completely different agenda for the weekend. After an early start, Jan and Martina picked me up in Jan's car just before 8am. We then drove north into the bohemian countryside, in search of glass and glass nmmuseums and factories.
First stop, Zelezny Brod, home of the school of glass-making. Luckily it was open day at the school and we could see students (it's like a high school) making various products. The hallways were lined with students' amazing work. there are not many places like this and the students are highly skilled and thus employable all over the world. One student told Martina that once he finishes this year he has secured a 5 year contract in Spain.
Martina blowing glass.
As above. Getting bigger...
View from glass furnace/glass-blowing room: nice place to go to school.
Student work.
Student work.
Student work.
Work of student.
Glass figure/sculpture workshop.
Medics in glass.
Work of student. Next stop: Jablonec nad Nisou
I had of course been researching for this trip and knew that this was the holy grail of glass production.
We went to the museum first, then had lunch, including mixed beer.
The museum is fantastic, goes through the history of glass-making in the area, different applications, samples of all sorts of beads, jewellery, glassware etc etc and coins also because there was a mint in the town also. I have included just the tip of the iceberg of the collection, really it is quite amazing. I loved it, Martina was amazed how modern some of the old stuff looked and Jan just went along with it, he preferred the school where stuff was actually happening.
Jan's lunch, Martina's looked the same. 
Bramborak - coronary here we come... no garlic in these, thankfully... I also had a big salad the picture of which I accidentally deleted.
Entrance to Jablonec glass museum, the area is an old seat of glass manufacture of all types...
Fancy beads! 
Necklaces... a small sample of the collection.
Old school buttons. 
New school buttons, from the 70s and 80s.
Earrings, anyone?
Bangles and their pre-cursors!
Jablonec glass museum.
Jablonec glass museum.
Critters at Jablonec glass museum. Next stop: Josefov Dul
This is where Martina's parents have their "cottage". It's really a house with numerous outbuildings, a large meadow and gardens. We dropped off our things and went walking in the town. It's quite small with a mixture of really old mansions to mid-size dwellings to very small shacks. The Cottage was formerly the administrative building for a glassworks. We got caught in the rain and went to the local pub for some really nice pivo. Then back to the house for a simple dinner.
Martina and Jan. They met at a ball at Prague Castle - how romantic! And have been inseparable ever since.
The woods near the house.
Finds in the garden. The house used to be the administrative building for a glassworks. During renovation Martina's parents found many such items in the garden, and guess who was allowed to souvenir some? Lucky me!!! I have started to clean them, but will do more soon. To me they are priceless - you can't buy such old pieces, and so much more meaning than some tourist thing from Prague.
The country house, side view.
The country house, yard and outbuildings.
The area near the country house. Sunday
Woken at 4.30am by thunderstorm, about 4-5km away by my count. Breakfast of bread, homemade jam, cheese, strawberry cake, tea. Discussion of differences between Czechs (Bohemians), Moravians, Silesians etc.
Drive to Turnov, visit to "Museum of the Czech Paradise", collection included items below, as well as archaeological finds, minerals, old tools and all manner of things up to anti-communist literature.
Returned from the wild.
Quick run to Tesco. Early sleep.
Old school work bench.
See inside an ancient czech stone-cutters' shop. 
Traditional costumes.
Traditional costumes.
Martina with her first ever iced chocolate. I explained the Lindt cafe concept. 
Jan with iced frappe/coffee.
