And then there was Prague – on Segway

Yep, you read that right! mom and I spent our full free day in Prague riding Segways and seeing the sights. Mom was a little nervous at first (actually, so was I, never having ridden a Segway before), but the tour included training. So we showed up at the place, strapped on our helmets and got going!

Mom learning from Rene, our Rastafarian, Brazilian, quadrilingual guide.

It turns out that our Segway tour was not only fun (WAY FUN!!!!) but a great way to cover a lot of ground. It was a three-hour tour, and we voted as a group to stop and get a coffee (or hot chocolate in my case) about 2 hours in. We saw lots of the city, with Rene giving his tour in both Spanish and English.

It was tons and tons of fun (i may have mentioned that the tour was fun) right up to the 2hour, 45 minute mark, when Mom fell off her Segway just like Arte Johnson on his trike. It was totally not her fault, though. We were attempting to go across the Charles Bridge which is being renovated due to a 2002 flood. The entryway to the bridge is probably about 4.5 feet, 2.5 feet of which is stairs. The other 24 inches are a ramp, and a Segway’s wheels are close to 18 inches. And when the two wheels don’t travel at the same rate of speed – say, when one hits the scaffolding of a construction site on an ancient bridge) – the machine stops. Suddenly.

Mom’s fine, although she was a little sore right through to this week. And, trooper that she is, she got right back up on her Segway and finished to tour.

My big problem right now is that I’m a little Segway-Tour addicted. Or maybe just Segway-addicted since I’m trying to justify WHY I need one. The correct answer is, of course, that I don’t. But I want one very badly. They’re a LOT of fun!