Top Ten

Maybe you were expecting the ten best sights/experiences in Europe between 1 and 16 May with J. and H. Guess again.
10. So, you can either watch where you are walking on the cobbled streets trying to avoid a turned ankle OR you can gaze upwards and the glorious spires and steeples, but not both.
9. By all means, listen to the flight attendants when they tell you to check for all your personal belongings before deplaning, or you might leave your jacket rolled up in a ball against the back of your seat, where you yourself placed it to support your back during an AMS to MSP flight. The airlines pillows are about the size of a pincushion.
8. Be choosy about what you go to see -- you cannot see it all in three days in any city. Of course, it is hard to choose what to see and what to leave out, because you do not know everything that is there.
7. Take the time to write notes each day, no matter how tired you are, so you can identify the locations on the photos later, or you will spend hours arguing with your travel companions about where the statue was.
6. Or, wait a number of weeks after your return to identify photos. Then, you can label each one "Europe --2008, miscellaneous." Because, really, who will care?
5. Or, wait a number of weeks and then make up locations and titles. Because, really, who will know? Well, your travelling companions, but they have their own photos and why would they be looking at yours?
4. "Schnitzel" means "a slice of" or "a cut from" so a slice of apple could be a schitzel, too. Usually a weiner schnitzel is made of veal sliced thinly, pounded flat, breaded and deepfried. Or it could be pork or chicken. Actually, they could probably serve you anything and call it schnitzel.
3. Do the "air-o-bics" exercises they show on the video screens embedded in the back of the seat in front of you. These exercises are to help prevent deep vein thrombosis. In any case, you do them. Only the kids on board will be doing them with you, but you'll get some attention -- they look cool the air-o-bics. And you, too.
2. Watch out for bikes on bike lanes adjacent to and looking just like sidewalk. They have serious cyclists and they have the right of way in their lanes.
1. When the tour book's ad identifies the pace of your tour as "comfortable to leisurely" don"t believe them.
-1. Fly first class some time in your life, just to see what it's like.
-2. Eastern European chefs really like meat and potatoes. I didn't see one grain of rice. Vegetables seemed a little scarce also.
-3. Get to Europe (or whatever place is your dream destination) as soon as possible in your lifetime. If you leave it too late, and discover how much you love it, the opportunity to return may be difficult to orchestrate.
-4. I should have thought this through before saying "top ten" because after I got down to 1, where was there to go? The last three items were not minuses.

It's taken me a week since our return to sort things out in my head (which is still rather overloaded) and these were just a few of the things that floated to the top when I began typing.

Home Again

OK: I typed this really long, and (I thought) entertaining account of our trip home, began to fix my spelling errors, and the &%$&$&$(&^%*& thing disappeared!! So, being as it's already after 7 am, I am going out for the first REALLY good cup of coffee I've had since I left!! Will write again later, after coffee and a sleep. Maybe the other thing will magically re appear. J

Homeward bound

More on this later!

Last day in Prague

I can't believe that it's nearly time to leave!! I think this is my favorite city on the whole trip. Could easily have spent the whole 16 days here, and still not seen it all.
We went up to the Castle today (which is really a palace, a couple of gorgeous churches (cathedrals??) and a little village. Very impressive!! Many cobblestone streets (hard on the feet) many different styles of architecture (hard on the brain) and many little shops (hard on the pocketbook).
Walked down innumerable steps, to get to St. Charles bridge. This bridge is home to 30-ish statues, and is flanked by huge stone arches/gates. Very impressive. Very crowded, very much under re-construction. Still lovely, and giving wonderful views of the city.
Tonight, we're going to hit the hay early: we have to leave the hotel at 7 am tomorrow, so up at 5:30 (that's really up at 11:30 pm Thurs night at home), and don't get in till 10:30 pm home time (which will feel like 5:30 am Saturday this time). It's all very confusing to me, and sounds like an awfully long trip, any way you look at it!!
See you all soon. J

Day in Prague

We'll add more here when we aren't dealing with persnickety computers....

Prague

We took both a high speed train (Munich to Nuremburg) and a 1960's model train (Nuremburg to Prague) today, but we arrived safely. Staying at the Crowne Plaza, which is pretty fancy for us country folk, but we'll adjust. Will go exploring tomorrow, using tram/subway, and then take a river cruise tomorrow night. We've managed (read Heather lead G and I around) the subways in both Vienna and Munich, so we should be OK here, too.
Hard to believe that our trip is nearly over: could easily spend weeks in every city we've been in.
All places quite expensive: hopefully here is a bit cheaper, once we get out of our hotel.
Weather has been pretty much perfect. Hope it stays that way for a few more days.

Now in Prague

The permissions for the computers in the hotel (YAY for free computers, compared to the Hiltons' 0.35 euro per minute!) are set sort of wierd, so I'm locked out of a lot of stuff. Joan can't seem to post at all from her temrinal, so I'll log off here and she can log in.