August 15th is a holiday in Germany as it is Assumption Day, but only in communities where there is mostly Catholic inhabitants. Herzogenaurach, the town in which adidas is located, is one of them. Sooooo, a nice long weekend for Tim (and Jayne)!
We had recently bought mountain bikes and we decided to do a biking weekend in The Czech Republic. I had heard alot of a town called Mariánské Lásnê (Marienbad in German and pronounced Maarinebaaad) http://www.marianskelazne.cz/en/. Golden yellow and creme buildings set in a hilly green landscape. Music, fountains, spa waters and parks. Gorgeous!!! It is known for its many spas as there are around 100 healing mineral springs in the area. And the architecture........ So off we went.
We rented a wonderful apartment in Peidara Dvûr (Päitara Hof in German, Peter's Farmstead in English) in a little village just outside of Marienbad called Ovesné Kladruby. The farmhouse used to be owned by the current owners great-grandfather.
Architecture Of Mariánské Lásnê
Fountains Of Mariánské Lásnê
Parks of Mariánské Lásnê
Food and Drink
Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad in German - a better known spa town about 35 km from Mariánské Lásnê)
On Thursday afternoon we drove up to Karlovy Vary.....
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Local Scenery Around Mariánské Lásnê
On the Friday, we drove into Mariánské Lásnê to walk around the town and have lunch. As we were search for a place to eat, ( (Jayne) accidentally rolled / walked off a curb and fell to the ground crying in pain. I knew I hadn't sprained my ankle (been there, done that) as it wasn't the part of my foot that hurt. I got up and walked a bit, felt dizzy, rested and walked to the closest restaurant. My foot was sore, but I could walk, After lunch we walked back to the car and went back to the apartment so that I could put my foot up.
I probably should have gone to the hospital but thought I would wait until we got home as I can hardly understand German, never mind Czech.
The next day we went for a bike ride, as my foot didn't hurt while biking......jump ahead to Monday morning back in Germany.....
I have what they call a Jones Fracture. After the operation, I am in a cast for up to 8 weeks and cannot put any weight on it at all. Needless to say, both Tim and I were in a bit of shock, especially as we had a planned (postponed once from April) holiday to Spain in a week and a half - NOT!
We really did have a great weekend. The mountain biking was great, the Czech people wonderful, the architecture amazing and the scenery beautiful. We will be back!!!!
An aside - - - The German Health Care System took amazing care of me. Here is my story......
Monday, 19 August
@ 0800 hrs
As my doctor was on holidays, I go to the doctor that is taking their patients for the week.
One doctor looks at my foot and then calls in her colleague for a second opinion. He thinks that there isn't anything broken (as I rode my bike there and walked into their clinic) but says that I can go for an xray if I want. Yes, I wanted to be certain. They wrap up my ankle and with referral in hand I ride my bike to the radiology clinic, in the hospital (Waldkrankenhaus.) behind our place.
@ 0930 hrs
My foot is xrayed and I consult with the doctor - yes, I have a fracture and I should now go to see the Orthopedic Surgeon in the Orthopedic Department.
@ 1000 hrs
I meet with the admin staff in the Orthopedic Department and am told I have to wait up to two hours to see the doctor (it is August and nearly the whole country is on holidays). Within 45 mins I am called into the doctor's office and they tell me that I have a Jones Fracture and I need an operation to insert a screw into the bone to ensure that the tendon doesn't pull the fracture apart (screw is then taken back out in about 4.6 months).
Then off I go, directly to get a cast put on and then over to the registration department to register to be a patient for my operation next week. I get a prescription for painkillers and blood thinners.
@ 1100 hrs
I call Tim and tell him the news! REALLY? was the reaction - no kidding. As I rode my bike to the hospital, I needed a ride home.
@1300 hrs
Tim arrives (after riding his bike home from work and then picking up the car) and picks me, and my bike up and we go home and commiserate.
Tuesday, 27 August
@0630 hrs
I arrived at the hospital, as requested, at this ungodly hour not really knowing what is suppose to happen. Tim asks the Information Desk and is told that I should go directly up to Section C3. Up we go and I am then told to take my clothes off and get into bed and 'they' will be up to get me for my operation within the hour.
@0730 hrs
I am wheeled away for my operation. Tim is told that I would be back in my room at around 1300-1400 hrs. Once transferred to the sterilized gurney, they give me a general anesthetic and am out in.....seconds.
@1330 hrs
I wake from the anesthetic in the recovery room and then transferred back to my room These Germans certainly are precise!!!
blah, blah, blah.... I stay overnight...Before Tim leaves, he asks one of the nurses what time the doctor will be around in the morning and was told that he does his rounds at 0730 hrs
Wednesday, 28 August
@0730 hrs
Doctor arrives with an entourage of 10 (and Tim)!!!
I am told that all went well and that I will have a non-weight bearing cast on for 8 weeks (2-4 wks if I was 16) and then a walking boot for .... I don't really know. I am told that I will be discharged today.
@1030 hrs
I am taken for another xray and to get a cast put on.
@1230 hrs
I am discharged and Tim picks me up.
And all of this cost me....
€36.00
(€20.00 (a mandatory €10.00/day in hospital) and €16.00 for the drugs (in Germany you pay 10% of the cost of the drug or a minimum of €5.00).
It really was an amazing experience (not that this was on my bucket list). All the staff at the hospital we so nice and patient with me, due to my unsophisticated German, and everything ran like clockwork.
Oh, did I tell you that I haven't ever broken a bone before or ever been in the hospital, never mind staying overnight and in a foreign country!!!
Anyway, water under the bridge. As I write this It has now been 2.5 weeks since the operation and all is well except that I can't do much and Tim has to do everything AND work!
Tim's Dad and his girlfriend Joanne arrive in a couple of weeks - I'd say this was bad timing :(
C'est la vie!!!
We had recently bought mountain bikes and we decided to do a biking weekend in The Czech Republic. I had heard alot of a town called Mariánské Lásnê (Marienbad in German and pronounced Maarinebaaad) http://www.marianskelazne.cz/en/. Golden yellow and creme buildings set in a hilly green landscape. Music, fountains, spa waters and parks. Gorgeous!!! It is known for its many spas as there are around 100 healing mineral springs in the area. And the architecture........ So off we went.
We rented a wonderful apartment in Peidara Dvûr (Päitara Hof in German, Peter's Farmstead in English) in a little village just outside of Marienbad called Ovesné Kladruby. The farmhouse used to be owned by the current owners great-grandfather.
 |
| Our Apartment. |
Architecture Of Mariánské Lásnê
Fountains Of Mariánské Lásnê
 |
| Singing Fountain is 18m in diameter and features 12 stone sculptures representing a flower in the center of its shallow bowl. It has 250 water jets and plays to music (Chopin, Mozart, Bach, etc) on the odd hour |
Parks of Mariánské Lásnê
Food and Drink
 |
| OMG - Crepe with Hot Sour Cherries and Real Whipped Cream |
 |
| Local beer - pronounced 'hodovar' At our local bar (see below) a 0.5L glass cost 17 CZK (Koruna) = € 0.65 =$0.88 Cdn - Wow! {I have to say, we did go there are 'few' times ;) } |
 |
| Our local bar in Ovesné Kladruby |
 | |
| Hostinec u pejska a kočičky - Inn on dogs and cats (or something like that) A restaurant in Závišin, just minutes from our apartment. |
 |
| Hostinec u pejska a kočičky menu - looks like Greek to me (ok, Czech) We went a couple of times - the Wiener Schnitzel mit Pommes was to die for... and for only €4.50 |
Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad in German - a better known spa town about 35 km from Mariánské Lásnê)
On Thursday afternoon we drove up to Karlovy Vary.....
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| Air guitar with a pig's leg!! |
Local Scenery Around Mariánské Lásnê
 |
| is at an elevation of 578m (1896 ft) |
 |
| The back of the neighbours house. |
 | |
| Klášter premonstrátů Teplá (Tepla Abbey) |
On the Friday, we drove into Mariánské Lásnê to walk around the town and have lunch. As we were search for a place to eat, ( (Jayne) accidentally rolled / walked off a curb and fell to the ground crying in pain. I knew I hadn't sprained my ankle (been there, done that) as it wasn't the part of my foot that hurt. I got up and walked a bit, felt dizzy, rested and walked to the closest restaurant. My foot was sore, but I could walk, After lunch we walked back to the car and went back to the apartment so that I could put my foot up.
 | |
| It didn't look normal. |
I probably should have gone to the hospital but thought I would wait until we got home as I can hardly understand German, never mind Czech.
The next day we went for a bike ride, as my foot didn't hurt while biking......jump ahead to Monday morning back in Germany.....
 |
| Yup, that's me! A fractured foot, in a cast, walking with crutches and an operation planned for next week to insert a screw. |
We really did have a great weekend. The mountain biking was great, the Czech people wonderful, the architecture amazing and the scenery beautiful. We will be back!!!!
An aside - - - The German Health Care System took amazing care of me. Here is my story......
Monday, 19 August
@ 0800 hrs
As my doctor was on holidays, I go to the doctor that is taking their patients for the week.
One doctor looks at my foot and then calls in her colleague for a second opinion. He thinks that there isn't anything broken (as I rode my bike there and walked into their clinic) but says that I can go for an xray if I want. Yes, I wanted to be certain. They wrap up my ankle and with referral in hand I ride my bike to the radiology clinic, in the hospital (Waldkrankenhaus.) behind our place.
@ 0930 hrs
My foot is xrayed and I consult with the doctor - yes, I have a fracture and I should now go to see the Orthopedic Surgeon in the Orthopedic Department.
@ 1000 hrs
I meet with the admin staff in the Orthopedic Department and am told I have to wait up to two hours to see the doctor (it is August and nearly the whole country is on holidays). Within 45 mins I am called into the doctor's office and they tell me that I have a Jones Fracture and I need an operation to insert a screw into the bone to ensure that the tendon doesn't pull the fracture apart (screw is then taken back out in about 4.6 months).
Then off I go, directly to get a cast put on and then over to the registration department to register to be a patient for my operation next week. I get a prescription for painkillers and blood thinners.
@ 1100 hrs
I call Tim and tell him the news! REALLY? was the reaction - no kidding. As I rode my bike to the hospital, I needed a ride home.
@1300 hrs
Tim arrives (after riding his bike home from work and then picking up the car) and picks me, and my bike up and we go home and commiserate.
Tuesday, 27 August
@0630 hrs
I arrived at the hospital, as requested, at this ungodly hour not really knowing what is suppose to happen. Tim asks the Information Desk and is told that I should go directly up to Section C3. Up we go and I am then told to take my clothes off and get into bed and 'they' will be up to get me for my operation within the hour.
@0730 hrs
I am wheeled away for my operation. Tim is told that I would be back in my room at around 1300-1400 hrs. Once transferred to the sterilized gurney, they give me a general anesthetic and am out in.....seconds.
 |
| I was certainly happy for the intravenous drip of painkillers and morphine and whatever else there was. |
@1330 hrs
I wake from the anesthetic in the recovery room and then transferred back to my room These Germans certainly are precise!!!
blah, blah, blah.... I stay overnight...Before Tim leaves, he asks one of the nurses what time the doctor will be around in the morning and was told that he does his rounds at 0730 hrs
Wednesday, 28 August
@0730 hrs
Doctor arrives with an entourage of 10 (and Tim)!!!
I am told that all went well and that I will have a non-weight bearing cast on for 8 weeks (2-4 wks if I was 16) and then a walking boot for .... I don't really know. I am told that I will be discharged today.
@1030 hrs
I am taken for another xray and to get a cast put on.
@1230 hrs
I am discharged and Tim picks me up.
And all of this cost me....
€36.00
(€20.00 (a mandatory €10.00/day in hospital) and €16.00 for the drugs (in Germany you pay 10% of the cost of the drug or a minimum of €5.00).
It really was an amazing experience (not that this was on my bucket list). All the staff at the hospital we so nice and patient with me, due to my unsophisticated German, and everything ran like clockwork.
Oh, did I tell you that I haven't ever broken a bone before or ever been in the hospital, never mind staying overnight and in a foreign country!!!
Anyway, water under the bridge. As I write this It has now been 2.5 weeks since the operation and all is well except that I can't do much and Tim has to do everything AND work!
Tim's Dad and his girlfriend Joanne arrive in a couple of weeks - I'd say this was bad timing :(
C'est la vie!!!
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