Thursday 17th April

We left Bratislava behind us yesterday morning and set off for Prague, with the idea of getting there early enough to have a look round the city. Miracle of miracles, we actually organised ourselves reasonably well, and got to our hostel in the city centre in plenty of time to have a quick walk around. We were even jammy enough to find two parking spaces next to each other right in front of the hostels.

I have to say, we can’t believe the luck we’ve had with accommodation so far - we’ve phoned ahead on the same day and always got space in pretty good hostels, in great locations, and always at bargain price. Not bad considering we are essentially flying by the seat of our pants.

It was refreshing to actually get to a city with a few daylight hours left for exploration, and Prague was probably the best place on the trip so far to do this. A quick stroll from the hostel and we found ourselves in the main square having a ‘snack’ of ribs, chips, goulash soup and garlic soup (one of Bob’s favourites). We even managed to take in a Salvador Dali exhibition – how cultured are we?

Knowing we had a long drive ahead of us the next day, we opted for an early night - no, really. We settled in to the bar next to the hostel and had a few pizzas and a couple of games of cards – our own version of “S***head” for those of you who know the game. For those of you who don’t know the game, trust me, you don’t want to lose. Bob managed to lose again, resulting in much humiliation from the rest of us. Quent seems to have escaped losing at cards and he’s normally tucked up in bed a lot earlier than us – but we’ve recognised his tactics and are determined to stitch him up at some point. Somewhat incredibly, we got ourselves into bed by about 11pm, in preparation for today’s six hour drive out through the Czech Republic and across most of Germany.

The Czech Republic was our 12th country, so we’ve achieved part of our mission. We’re planning on going to Amsterdam tomorrow, but wives and girlfriends should know that we’re only doing this to notch up another country, and not for any other reason whatsoever.

Another part of our original plan was to drive a couple of laps round the Nurburgring in Germany, and that’s where we’re heading now. In case you don’t know, it’s basically a racetrack open to the public. Well, having lost the van we were relying on the two cars completing this part of the challenge but at this stage we’re not too sure about the Jag. If we do take it round it would have to be a very sedate lap (the professionals can do it in under seven minutes, so we’re thinking about half an hour should do it). The BMW is looking a little low at the back, but we’re more confident that it will get round. Don’t worry, we’ll be sensible whatever decision we make.

Two important milestones today. Firstly, by the end of today we’ll have travelled 2,000 miles since leaving Rickmansworth. Secondly, and more importantly, we have raised over £9,500 for Christie’s – just £500 off our target. Fantastic news, and thanks so much again for your donations. It makes us feel less guilty about having a good time knowing that it’s all for a good cause.