Kosice, again
Aug. 6th, 2012 10:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lyornLast time I was on a business trip in Kosice, I wished that I could go there some time when it was warm.
I got my wish when we got the task to transfer a second system, and while I am not truly the expert on that system, I was the one available, as my tech lead was on an extended summer vacation.
I took the same bus and train, at the same times, arrived in Prague at dusk and shared the sleeper compartment with a woman who did not speak German or English. The weather was warm and sunny when I got out of the train, and I did not want to drag my luggage through the park to the hotel (even though it would have taken only 15 minutes), so I took a taxi.
Hotel was also the same as last time. The room was very similar, a little smaller, but had a skylight in the bathroom. Also, it was very hot, because the hotel does not have AC in the economy rooms. But I knew that.
I put in 9 hours of work every day and still felt that we were hardly making progress. Routine tasks on the system we had moved in March interfered, and as I said, I am not the prime expert on that second system and had to do much research and try-and-error.
But this time, when I got to my hotel from the office, the sun was still high in the sky, and I could walk over to main street, have ice cream, enjoy the light of the sun on the roofs, sit in one of the tiny parks near one of the many fountains and read, then walk back to the hotel, have a coffee in the yard, which is nice and quiet and also has a fountain, and read some more until the early sunset drove me inside. I got good food and enough sleep and was generally happy.
One day I had Bryndzove halusky for lunch, and those lasted me until dinner the following day. That is not warm-weather-food... but sooo tasty!
I read "The Well of Ascension" by Brandon Sanderson (liked it), and "Sharpe's Escape" by Bernhard Cornwell (hey, it's Cornwell, always a good way to pass the time).
I had booked a train back late on Saturday, so I would have a day to enjoy some more of the town. Only, Saturday was the hottest day yet, 35°C in the shade, if there had been shade. The main street runs North to South, so while gets shade in the late afternoon, there is none at all during the hottest time of day, and I was out of hot weather clothes and had to wear blue jeans.
I bought a birthday present for my mother in the Craftmen's alley, and a book in the large bookstore, and then decided I would be well cooked before noon if this went on. So I went to the second hand clothing store and bought a short white cargo-style skirt (with pockets!). I changed in the store, and the day instantly became much nicer. And the skirt only cost incredible 50 cents.
In the afternoon, I tried to take the bus to the botanical garden, but unfortunately it was the school holidays, and the bus was not running (as I found out by waiting for it for 20 minutes, not being able to read the timetable). So I walked from the closest bus stop, about 2 km. Kosice's botanical garden is very large, and runs up the side of a hill, most of it is woods and park land. Unfortunately, at this time of year the woods were full of horseflies and other unpleasant beasts, so I only took a short walk and then went for a tour through the tropical greenhouses. And you can guess how hot and damp those were! If my tolerance for heat had not gone from "zero" to "kind of high" in the last three years, I would have fainted. But then, if it had not got that high, I would have taken a hotel with AC'd rooms and never moved outside, and that would have been a pity.
Clouds had been gathering while I was inside, and wind had come up. There was distant thunder behind me while I walked all the way back to town. At the hotel, a wedding party was taking place, but I could sit on the other side of the yard and have that nice dinner I missed out on in March. A light shower came done, but the sunshade was enough to keep it out of my food, and the temperature got very pleasant. Finally, around half past eight, I had a taxi called, went to the train station, got into my train, where I had the compartment for myself, and was home shortly after noon the following day.
While I had been less then impressed with the result of the business trip as a business trip, my boss was happy enough. However, I decided, if any more meetings in person are needed to transfer that system, the person travelling 1000 km (twice) for the meeting won't be me.
(Posted Aug 30th, backdated.)
I got my wish when we got the task to transfer a second system, and while I am not truly the expert on that system, I was the one available, as my tech lead was on an extended summer vacation.
I took the same bus and train, at the same times, arrived in Prague at dusk and shared the sleeper compartment with a woman who did not speak German or English. The weather was warm and sunny when I got out of the train, and I did not want to drag my luggage through the park to the hotel (even though it would have taken only 15 minutes), so I took a taxi.
Hotel was also the same as last time. The room was very similar, a little smaller, but had a skylight in the bathroom. Also, it was very hot, because the hotel does not have AC in the economy rooms. But I knew that.
I put in 9 hours of work every day and still felt that we were hardly making progress. Routine tasks on the system we had moved in March interfered, and as I said, I am not the prime expert on that second system and had to do much research and try-and-error.
But this time, when I got to my hotel from the office, the sun was still high in the sky, and I could walk over to main street, have ice cream, enjoy the light of the sun on the roofs, sit in one of the tiny parks near one of the many fountains and read, then walk back to the hotel, have a coffee in the yard, which is nice and quiet and also has a fountain, and read some more until the early sunset drove me inside. I got good food and enough sleep and was generally happy.
One day I had Bryndzove halusky for lunch, and those lasted me until dinner the following day. That is not warm-weather-food... but sooo tasty!
I read "The Well of Ascension" by Brandon Sanderson (liked it), and "Sharpe's Escape" by Bernhard Cornwell (hey, it's Cornwell, always a good way to pass the time).
I had booked a train back late on Saturday, so I would have a day to enjoy some more of the town. Only, Saturday was the hottest day yet, 35°C in the shade, if there had been shade. The main street runs North to South, so while gets shade in the late afternoon, there is none at all during the hottest time of day, and I was out of hot weather clothes and had to wear blue jeans.
I bought a birthday present for my mother in the Craftmen's alley, and a book in the large bookstore, and then decided I would be well cooked before noon if this went on. So I went to the second hand clothing store and bought a short white cargo-style skirt (with pockets!). I changed in the store, and the day instantly became much nicer. And the skirt only cost incredible 50 cents.
In the afternoon, I tried to take the bus to the botanical garden, but unfortunately it was the school holidays, and the bus was not running (as I found out by waiting for it for 20 minutes, not being able to read the timetable). So I walked from the closest bus stop, about 2 km. Kosice's botanical garden is very large, and runs up the side of a hill, most of it is woods and park land. Unfortunately, at this time of year the woods were full of horseflies and other unpleasant beasts, so I only took a short walk and then went for a tour through the tropical greenhouses. And you can guess how hot and damp those were! If my tolerance for heat had not gone from "zero" to "kind of high" in the last three years, I would have fainted. But then, if it had not got that high, I would have taken a hotel with AC'd rooms and never moved outside, and that would have been a pity.
Clouds had been gathering while I was inside, and wind had come up. There was distant thunder behind me while I walked all the way back to town. At the hotel, a wedding party was taking place, but I could sit on the other side of the yard and have that nice dinner I missed out on in March. A light shower came done, but the sunshade was enough to keep it out of my food, and the temperature got very pleasant. Finally, around half past eight, I had a taxi called, went to the train station, got into my train, where I had the compartment for myself, and was home shortly after noon the following day.
While I had been less then impressed with the result of the business trip as a business trip, my boss was happy enough. However, I decided, if any more meetings in person are needed to transfer that system, the person travelling 1000 km (twice) for the meeting won't be me.
(Posted Aug 30th, backdated.)
