This is a
custom
designed trip for baseball players. It's the only one of it's
kind to provide a baseball vacation in the Czech
Republic. In addition, you'll have many opportunities to
interact with Czech
citizens.
Baseball is a new medium between our cultures, even if you don't speak
Czech you'll be able to interact with the locals. We'll eat at
some
great restaurants, be entertained by a full time agenda, see some great
sights and Play Baseball, Czech style.
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Trip is open
to any adult person who plays baseball.
The average age of
our
teams is usually in the mid 40's with players ranging in their 20's through their 60's. The trip will be scheduled for
mid to late July of 2006 so we can participate in a local
tournament. Players, wives, family
members, kids and tourists
are all welcome. We'll be limiting ourselves to a maximum of 14
players.
We will need 3-4 good pitchers, a couple of catchers and some good
position
players. Come as a team or come as a pool player and join the
team.
You will
need a valid passport.
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trip is far
more economical than any travel agent could or would do. This
is a unique opportunity that we have the Czech Baseball Association
sponsor
us and give us use of their fields and ball parks. No travel
agency
could put together a trip like this. The Czech Republic is not as expensive
as some of the other European countries so we'll be going at a reasonable cost that includes first
class
treatment in every step of the way. The trip will include
all
lodging, ground transportation, all baseball, all tours, lots of
sightseeing,
shopping sprees, full time guide and some meals. Our trip is customized with us in mind
at a reasonable price of less than $2,000 not including airfare.
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Most
every day
we'll tour a different area, see the local attractions and play a local
baseball team. Some evenings will have group outings or
dinners.
Occasionally there may be joint meals with the local teams that
will
allow the Czech and USA players to get together, exchange ideas and
make
new friends. You'll find baseball enthusiasts of a variety of age
groups and levels as many of their players are Czech American
players.
They are eager to meet and play ball with you.
Don't
be just
a tourist, be an International Baseball Ambassador, get to know
the people not just the postcards.
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Baseball
Baseball has
only
been played for a few years in the Republic.
This came about after the iron curtain was eliminated. They now
have youth leagues, adult leagues, local and national
tournaments. There best teams are probably low college
level. We'll be starting our trips with a game or 2 in Prague
against local teams before heading to Brno for to play in the Starobrno
Cup (Starobrno is the name of a Czech Beer company). After 3 days there,
we'll return to Prague for the last day and departure. Though
there are no big professional stadiums, the
fields look very nice and we'll be using their best facetious. We'll be playing at least 5, maybe 6
games. Our
team
will
be made up of US players from various leagues and organizations.
Transportation
You'll need to
make
your own airline reservations to and from Prague. Once there,
you'll be met at the airport and transported to our hotel for check
in.
We will have a team bus
that will transport us
from
the different venues and tours while in the Republic. Upon
departure,
you'll
be transported to the airport and assisted by our tour guides.
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Food
Breakfasts
will
be included with the rooms at the hotels. Lunches and dinners
will
be at your own expense. At least 1 welcoming dinner and 1 final
dinner banquet
is included.
There may also be some dinner or lunch get together with the local teams.
Restaurants are in our hotels and others within easy walking
distance.
Food in
the Republic varies from French, Italian, Japanese, Lebanese,
American and even Tex Mex. They are also famous for great beers,
which I am sure we'll be sampling quite often. Check these sites
to see information on Prague
Restaurants and Brno
Restaurants.
Brno is famous for it's great food and will be
hosting the International Food Fair in 2006.
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Entertainment
Both Prague
and Brno have centuries of history filled with old churches, castles,
beautiful squares and monuments. There are plenty
of restaurants, bars,
discos,
night
clubs and other
activities to keep
you busy each day or night, Prague rocks!
With the baseball, tours and your own outings, you'll be exhausted by the end of the week.
What's happening in Prague?
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Sightseeing
After our
first
day of arrival, we'll be doing extensive
sight
seeing each day and then evening baseball games. We'll
visit some of the most attractive and interesting places of these
historic cities and their surroundings. Prague,
the City of Hundred Spires, is an old European city of grand opulent
beauty. Some of the tours will include the Grande City Tour,
Prague Castle, and Wenceslas Square. Tentatively, there is a
dinner boat cruise along the Vlatva River which runs through the
city. Our hotel will be located close to the old city center and
Wenceslas Square so you'll have easy access to major tourist
attractions and city life.
Brno
is similar to Prague but on a much smaller scale, sans tourists and
much less expensive. As you can see from the photos, it has lots
of beautiful buildings and scenery. We'll be visiting some of the
more interesting places each day before we play our baseball games.
At typical day will
consist of day time tours and afternoon or evening games. Each
day will consist of tours to different places so you'll have lot's of
opportunities to see the cities and the surrounding areas.
There will be one full day off
for touring where we'll take a day trip to some places outside of the urban areas. This will give us a break from
the big city and get a chance to rest before our final games.
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Accommodations
When you
travel a long distance to a foreign land, you want a comfortable place
to stay. Prague has lots of expensive hotels so we'll be choosing
one that is close to various tourist activities and easy to get to and
from our various events. Right now we are scheduled to stay at the Hotel Harmony near the downtown area. It's nice being close enough to local
attractions, bars, restaurants, discos etc. so that it is a short walk
or taxi drive. We'll probably be
staying
in at least 3, maybe 4 star hotels, depending on who rates them. You
can see information on various Prague hotels at the Prague
City Guide. The hotels look very modern with the necessities and amenities you are accustomed
to. Like most European countries, rooms are generally pretty
small compared to US standards.
In Brno, we'll be staying at the Veronez Hotel,
conveniently located in the downtown area. Both of these hotels are centrally located, have
adequate to very good facilities and all the amenities we will probably
need.
In Brno, we'll be staying at the Veronez Hotel
which is conveniently centrally located near fields, restaurants and
shopping. Czech hotels havevery good facilities and all the
amenities we will probably
need.
Requirements
This trip is for
amateur baseball players. Most our players are members of local
amateur baseball leagues. Ages ranging in the 20's through the
60's. Average age of the teams is generally in the
mid-40's. Wives, family
members, kids or
other tourists
may also attend as this is a family friendly trip. You will need a valid passport and visa.
We'll
get into more detail on this as we get closer. Players need to bring a dozen baseballs.
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Schedule
and Agenda
Late July to
mid August have been recommended as the local teams will still be
playing baseball and we can play in a local tournament in Brno. We'll start the
trip when you arrive at the airport. You'll be met at the
airport by one of the travel agents who will help you get to the hotel
for check in. Most flights
will
arrive morning or early afternoon. You will have the afternoon
off for
decompression. In the evening, we'll have a welcoming dinner at
the hotel or close by restaurant. Official departure will also be
on the
following week. You are, of course, welcome to come earlier or
stay later on your own. If you do, you'll be responsible for your
own transportation and accommodations during those times. A
preliminary detailed agenda is shown
below.
The 1st day, you'll depart the US. You'll loose a day on the way.
The 2nd day will be arrival, hotel check-in, catch your breath, relax and a welcoming dinner party.
On the 3rd day, we'll take a boat cruise along the Vltava Rive to get a water side view of the sights of Prague. We'll end up the morning at Old
Town and
Wenceslas Square where we'll have lunch. In the afternoon we'll
cross the Charles Bridge to visit
the Petrin Hill Lookout Tower for an aerial view of the city.
We'll top of the afternoon with a visit to Prague Castle before we
return to the hotel to get ready for Game #1 against local Czech teams.
On the 4th day, we'll take a short trip to see the sites of country side around Prague.
We'll have lunch and continue to tour the area until time to return to
get ready for Game #2 against local Czech teams.
The 5th day will be a travel day to Brno where we'll spend
time visiting some of the outlying areas in the Czech republic to get a
feel for it's Bohemian culture. After lunch, we'll arrive in
Brno check into our hotel, visit some sights and have a nice dinner in town.
Day 6 we'll be transported to the ballfields where we will have our first game of the Brno tournament, Game #3. Afterwards we'll do some sight seeing before a dinner with the local team.
Day 7 will be playing early again. We'll leave in the morning for Game #4 with the local Czech teams on our way to sweeping the tournament. We'll return to the hotel where you can have
lunch and the afternoon on your own. Dinner and entertainment on your own tonight.
Day 8 will be championship day. We'll leave in the morning for a late morning Game #5 with a runner up Czech team. After collection our trophies and awards, we'll head back to Prague. That evening, we'll
have a farewell banquet at a local restaurant.
Day 9 will be get away day. We'll have breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport and off the the USA, a new and enlightened person.
All in all, between the baseball
and the tours,
this will be a very
busy schedule that will give you a great experience and a chance to see
lots of the Czech Republic. You'll have lots of opportunities for
evenings out after the games. There may be some nights where
we'll go out as a group or you are welcome to go on your own.
Outline
of Schedule for 8-day tour, 7 nights
Day
1
Monday
July 23
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Depart
US
Lose a day |
Day
2
Tuesday
July 24
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Transfer
to Hotel for decompression.
Afternoon on
your
own
Evening
Welcome Dinner with team members.
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Day
3
Wednsday
July 25
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Breakfast
at the Hotel
Morning tour of Prague
Lunch at local
restaurant
on your own
Afternoon
tours of Prague
Transfer to
ballpark
for Game #1
Dinner on your
own or with local baseball federation
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Day
4
Thursday
July 26
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Breakfast
at the Hotel
Day tour to surrounding Prague areas
Lunch at local
restaurant
on your own
Afternoon
tours
Transfer to
ballpark
for Game #2
Dinner on your
own
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Day
5
Friday
July 27
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Breakfast
at the Hotel
Check out of hotel and transfer to Brno
Lunch at local
restaurant
on your own
Afternoon tours of Brno
Dinner on your own
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Day
6
Saturday
July 28
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Breakfast
at the Hotel
Transfer to
ballpark
for Game #3
Lunch at local
restaurant
on your own
Transfer to Brno Hotel
Dinner on your own or with local team
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Day
7
Sunday
July 29
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Breakfast
at the Hotel
Morning tours of the country side.
Lunch at local
restaurant
on your own
Transfer to ballpark for morning Game #4.
Transfer to Prague Hotel
Dinner on your own.
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Day
8
Monday
July 30
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Breakfast
at the Hotel
Morning Game #5
Lunch at local
restaurant
on your own
Return to Prague
Dinner banquet at local restaurant
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Day
9
Tuesday
July 31
|
Breakfast
at the Hotel
Transfer to
airport
for departure back to US
Arrive in US the same day
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Dates
July 24-31, 2007, note these are preliminary dates.
Late July will be the dates for going to Prague. We'll start the
trip when you arrive on a Tuesday. You'll be met at the
airport by one of the travel agents who will help you get to the hotel
for check in. Most
flights
will
arrive morning or early afternoon. You will have the afternoon
off for
decompression as Prague is 6-9 hours ahead of the US. In the
evening, we'll have a welcoming dinner at
the hotel or close by restaurant. Departure will also be out of Prague on the
following Tuesday. You are, of course, welcome to come earlier or
stay later on your own. I usually come a few days early or stay
an extra day or so. If you do, you'll be responsible for your
own transportation and accommodations during those times.
Cost
We need at least 10
people for this trip to happen, plus any additional non players. Costs are
currently being worked out with the travel agents. Look for something in the $1900-$2000
range, value of the dollar is sinking so the exact cost is not determined yet. These
costs will be based on staying at 3-4 star hotels in double
occupancy. If you want a room to yourself, add around $450-$500.
Airfare
to and from Prague is not included. Current prices from San
Francisco are
about
$950-$1100. From New York about $750-$850. There are always deals around for those who look.
Universal
Currency #1
Currency
Converter #2
Current Exchange Rates
Weather in Prague
Weather in Brno
If you would like
more information on playing in Prague send an email to Dennis@DennisMc.com
Included is: Transfer to and from Airport
Hotel accommodation for 7
nights.
All local transport to scheduled activities via tour bus.
Admission to scheduled tourist
attractions.
All Breakfasts at hotel
2 Dinners
All baseball costs (umpires, fields, etc.)
Translator/Guide at all scheduled tours
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Not
included is:
Air fare to and from Prague
Non-scheduled
trips
(taxis, buses, trains etc.).
Lunches
and some dinners
Each
player to bring 6 leather baseballs
Each
player to bring
their own playing gear & uniforms.
Visa,
international travel, import or other similar costs
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Contact
Dennis McCroskey,
Baseball Adventures
P.O. Box 707
Mendocino, CA 95460
707-937-4478
707-937-2349 fax
email: Prague@DennisMc.com
Sign
Up
To sign up for this
trip you need to fill
out the application form and send a $500 deposit. The balance
of funds will be due by June 1,
2007. If for some
reason, if the trip does not happen, all deposits will be returned in full.
This trip is for amateur baseball players.
Wives, girl friends, family members or other tourists may also
attend. You will
need a valid passport, a visa is not required.
Roster
We needed a minimum of 10 players with a maximum of
14. Friends, relatives, girlfriends, kid and others may also attend.
Roster of Interested
Participants
| Player |
Status |
Positions
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Dennis
McCroskey
Jack Marion
Mike Baldwin
John Angelesco
Dennis Veltz
Ron Conte
Paul Raymond
Robert Thompson
Mike Oshay
Tony Cabot
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Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
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P,IF
C,IF,OF,P
P,IF,OF
OF
IF,OF
IF
IF
IF,P
IF
|
Non Players
|
Status
|
Positions
|
Cris Raymond
Alex Raymond
Linda Oshay
|
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
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| We need a catcher, another pitcher plus several position players. |
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Bridges over the Vltava River
Same game, different location.
Harmony Hotel
Modern Rooms
More than just Cabbage.
Sunset on the Vltava River
Quality Fields.
Oranized teams.
Karlstejn Castle
Brno Castle
The Charles Bridge
Petrin Hill Lookout Tower
Hotel Voronez, Brno
Voronez Accomodations
Old World Service
River Cruisers on the Vltava River
Wenceslas Square at Night
Vysehrad
Power Tower
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