Travel Luck

Dober Dan & Buenos Diaz,

I thought my travel luck had run out this morning! I missed the stop to the intercity bus station and had to hoof it three k,s to get there, had two minutes to spare! The bus driver sold me the ticket on the bus. When we got to the ferry station, the ferrymen didn,t let the bus on! The driver was none too happy, but we made the next one. It,s pretty tricky getting one of those big things on a small car ferry!

But here I am in Korcula, a city on an island about 4 hours from Dubrovnik and I have my ferry ticket back to Dubrovnik tomorrow. Korcula is a mini-Dubrovnik, smaller, quieter and windier. I,ll post photos tomorrow back at the good Internet place in Dubrovnik. I had a nice lunch and went for a swim and a snooze on the rocks outside the city walls. On the coast, the restaurants all serve spagetti, pizza or seafood. Since I,m not big into octopus salads or pasta with scampi, I,ve had my share of cheese pizza and spagetti bolonese.

Oh, and the Marko Polo Travel Agency, recommended by Rick Steves, hooked me up with a sobe, room for the night. It,s very nice, my own bath and a terrace for the guests. Right in the middle of the Old Town.

There is the local sword dance this evening that I,m going to go see. It celebrates a historical battle with the Turks that was once fought here. Tomorrow, there,s a few small sites to see before catching the ferry, which should be a really pretty ride.

Adieu,

Steph

Lokrum Island

Dober Dan,

I must show you photos of where I went swimming today! The island just offshore from Dubrovnik, Lokrum, (it's behind the cruise ship in the last post), one of the most lovely swims I've ever had! It is a nature preserve and as it was relatively cool today, I had a good walk around and got some, hopefully, great photos overlooking Dubrovnik from the old fort ruins on the high point.

By then it was hot and I was ready for a swim. Because it had been raining, I think, there was hardly anyone at the beach and it was absolutely, as I said, lovely. You can't see them, but there are ladders going down into the water from the rocks, so it's easy to get in and out. The water is quite cool and feels wonderful in the heat and the whole beach was shaded by the forest! Lovely! I stayed until the last ferry return at 7:30.

Now, I'm off for dinner at the restaurant of the hotel where I'm staying. The wait staff is familiar of me and this afternoon, the waiter said that if I didn't stop in for food the next time I wandered by, they'd put me to work doing dishes ; 0 I get a 10% discount, so I figure I'd better or they won't let me leave in a few days.
So, till next time, Steph



A peahen and chick I saw on my walkabout today.

Exploring in the Rain

: ) Rain!! It's wonderful! I have my raincoat, umbrella and Keens, the Keens are absolutely necessary to keep from slipping. I've seen several ladies already today slipping and sliding, very dangerous. I also see lots in high heels! Very crazy! The Keens have also been great swimming on the rocky beaches. It's not pouring down rain, but just enough to be slippery.

Here is my Dubrovnik sitting room. Upstairs is a loft with the bed and AC. It's very comfy!

After breakie, I paid Lora, the manager for the room, since I might not see her again. She works 'till noon only. She thought I'd be disappointed by the rain, but, of course,. I was smiling. I almost melted yesterday! It was only in the high eighties, but the humidity was up near 70%!


A cruise ship leaving the Old Port. There's another out there today, but I think it's mostly Europeans. I don't see too many Americans today. Still lots of Aussies around though.

So, yesterday, I swam in the public beach right outside the Ploce Gate. Had to pay to use a lounge chair w/ an umbrella, but it was worth it. Again, lots of crazy Europeans & Aussies sitting out in the full sun all afternoon (ladies with no tops on) and baking their skin! Then I headed over to the Lapad side of the new city to check out the other tourist walk and beaches. Nothing great. In the evening, I went to check out a musical festival event going on, but didn't stay. It was three hours of theatre in Croatian language. I did some exploring of the many city streets inside the wall, instead.


See! The clouds in the sky and waves hitting the rocks! The Adriatic has been very calm, no waves or breakers at all. You just float on top of the water. This is one of the defence fortresses guarding a small bay by the city.

Today, I've been doing a bit of souvenier shopping while exploring around the city and close bay. I bought some Ajvar, it's a very popular Balkan condiment and very tasty. I bought the mild, still have to find the hot kind. I think I'll be heading over to the Old Port to see if the local ferry is running out to the nearby island. it will be a good day for walking around there, I think. It's still very warm so, of course, I'll be taking my swim suit and probably take a swim somewhere. Other than that, packing a small bag for my overnight at Korcula tomorrow.

'Suppose you and Dad have your bags packed and ready to get out of the heat, eh, Mom? Well, Matt, I'll write again, but be looking out for me Wednesday evening, probably very tired. Then, Kristi, I'll be back home early Thursday afternoon, I reckon. This is all with luck that I catch my flights OK.

Later, Steph

Exploring in the Rain

Photos...maybe

On the Dubrovnik Wall. This thick wall surrounds the Old Town and helped keep Dubrovnik a free Republic for centuries. The Venician Republic was their worst enemy. Oh, and also Adriatic pirates.
A city street going down to the Stradum (main street) close to my hotel. My hotel entrance is in a street like this. Actually it is an apartment room, not a hotel room. The tiny streets and high buildings actually help keep the streets cooler and catch any stray breezes.
City of Dubronik from the Wall. You can see the other side of the wall in the upper middle.
The Buza cafe from the wall. Bill Gates goes here when he's around. Below this is the Buza beach where the locals swim. There is a little ladder going out into the water.
Looking down to the main street from the wall. This is the same view you get from the web cam link I have on my blog.
In front of the Tirana on one of the islands.
Susana, from Croatia, and I on the Tirana.
Well, we,ll see. I'm at another place not far from my hotel. There's two cruise ships off the Old Port today and I hear lots of Americans! The place is packed with them & they are all melting in the heat. There is a breeze today though, but steamy, humid clouds in the sky. I'm going to head out soon and find a beach, with hopefully, a tiny bit of shade for me to laze in. The water is soo refreshing, though. And if it clouds up a bit, I may try to brave the walking tour before cleaning up for dinner. What else??

Chloe is gone to the Backpacker hostel, so I have my place to myself. The air-conditioning works well after the sun goes down & at least adequately during the day. I tell you it is hot! So good for my skin! The Ragusa 2 hotel is also a restaurant on the restaurant street. I haven,t eaten there yet, but Chloe did & said it was OK. Well, I have had breakfast there a couple of times, but their coffee is not so good. It's better to sit at one of the cafes outside the wall, quieter, shadier and breezier.

Lora told me about the Buza beach, where the locals swim. I checked it out, but it's outside the wall on the cliff side of the city! Lots of steep steps to get up and then down to. The beaches here are either rocks or cement. No sand, unless I go out to Lopud to the skinny-dipping beach.
; 0 I hear it's really popular with the Germans, but, I suppose I'll leave it for them. Besides which it's a half-hour walk from the village...too HOT! So, I'm headed a short way out the Ploce gate to the public beach or maybe I'll get through one of the fancy hotels and use their beachfront, like we do in Mazatlan. : )

Maybe it'll rain a bit. Will still be hot, but maybe a welcome change. This computer is really the American type, with the z and y and puncuation marks in the right spot. OK, well you have a taste of the sites in/around Dubrovnik, though it's not like being here. Off to the water now,

Steph

Tirana Galleon

Dobra Dan,

Well, I just enjoyed a cappuchino at a shaded cafe overlooking the Old Port in Dubrovnik. With a slight breeze and shade, it is very nice. out in the sun, it is HOT and HUMID. On my way to the internet, I noticed some steamy clouds coming over the mountain range. Lora, the hotel manager, said today is a "not too hot" day! Well, we,ll see. I was doing some research on how to spend my next few days. I,ve decided to go to Korcula, an island about 3 hours away Monday morning by bus, stay overnight (they have a sword show something Monday evening) and take the ferry back the next day. Tuesday evening, I,m going out on the Tirana Galleon again for the "Sailing With Mozart" cruise. I will be able to see the city walls from the sea by night. The next day I leave early for my airport connections back home. I am confirming my reservations for those now.

I,m going to try to post some photos, but the connection may again be too slow. No, I can,t get it. I will try again later from another internet place.

Anyway, yesterday I wne t on another sea excursion on the Tirana, a duplicate of a 15th century sea galleon. See http://www.tirena.com/ for more info and pictures. It was great! I met a couple and their son, Sebastian (about Seth,s age) who live in England, but she is a Croatian. They come every summer to visit her family in Zagreb and vacation here on the coast. Sebastian is growing up bilingual like the boys speaking Croatian and English. They were really pleasant to spend the day with. I have photos of them I,ll post when I can. Anyway, we went to three different islands in the Elepant (sp) chain and enjoyed a grilled fish lunch with local Croatian musicians. Susanna introduced me to some special olive oil grown and processed by the locals at one of the islands. They don,t even sell it to the public, but she was able to get some for herself and me as well (bottled in recycled coke bottles)...great memories. i,ll have a special olive oil and bread hor,d,vure when I get home.

Mom, you must overlook all the spelling and grammar errors. It costs $$ to be on the web & I don,t have time to check all the Croatian (and other) words, sorry!

The Wall Walk is spectacular! I went in the evening when it wasn,t quite so hot. Hope I have some fabulous photos. In between times, and this morning i,ve been exploring the tiny, steep streets of Drubrovnik. I,ve found the cheapest places to eat. Most of the two main streets are sit out side, more expensive restaurants, but I,ve located the fast food places. One is like a self-service cafe where the local ladies doing the cooking, nothing fancy, but tasty and saves my $$ for these excursions. There is a fruit smoothy place I found this morning, but didn,t open till 9:30, will try it today or tomorrow. Another one, I saw is the Croatian version of veggie food, might try that one later this evening. So, Mom & Dad I,ll be able to tell you where all the cheap places are when you come to visit this fall

Tomorrow, Sunday, after an afternoon of swimming, I,m going to check out the Lapad section of the new town. Lots of hotels, etc that cater to the European crowd, but the promenade is supposed to be an interesting place.

So, now, I,m moving to another workstation to try again for a few photos for you. I want you to see some of the places I,ve been here. Also, it,s not as crowded in here now which may help. Besides that it,s cool in here! And I have all afternoon for swimming. Well, there is a five o,clock walking tour on the defence and politics of mediveal Dubrovnik I,d like to do, but it may just be too hot. I,ll see what I,m up for.

Till next post,

Steph

Magical!

Dubrovnik really is Magical!! I had a wonderful day today. I,ll show you pictures when I can, but we,re having a technical gliche here at this workstation. I,ve been trying for 20 minutes or so.

Well half an hour later & we,re still having techinal difficulties due to heavy traffic, I think. Anyway, I will just leave you hanging to see photos of my magical day....boat tour ( tower of babel, but nice overall), Wall Walk (compares to Plivice Lakes) and hanging out with Chloe.

It,s magical but does remind me of Kuranda,above Cainnes, Australia in the summer, very humid and hot. Kristi, we don,t even need any moisturizer here! My apartment is really in a good spot as well. Thanks, Rick Steves! Right in the center of the Old Town and the manager and people working there (they have a restaurant as well, breakfast included) are very friendly. Remind me to tell you about the water crisis they had yesterday when Chloe and I arrived....

So, tomorrow, I go on another boat tour. it,s a pirate ship, would show you pictures, but can,t at the moment. Another time soon, I hope.

Oh, yea, Matt, lots of Aussies around here! Can,t believe it! I hear them everywhere. Lots of young adults your age backpacking everywhere. I see them alot on line in the internet places looking for their next place to stay. And the boat tour today, must tell everyone more about that, the Boat of Babel! The guides spoke in no less than 7 different languages! Very few Americans here, lots of Germans and Slavs (Czechs, etc...I swear, Honza, I,m going to run into you and Zuska here...).

OK, enough time here, I will try with the photos again on Saturday, as I,m out on the water tomorrow (swimming in the Adriatic is magical as well...)

Hasta Vista, Steph

The Pearl of the Adriatic

Well, I made it here to Dubrovnik with no problems. Croatia has great public transport! Right off the tram to the bus to the plane to the bus here in beautiful Dubrovnik. I got off the bus & met Chloe from NYC. She was looking for a place for the night, so I sold her a place in my apartment. It has a little loft with a bed and a downstairs with a couch and bathroom. We just got cleaned up and are out getting our bearings here. I,m headed for a nice dinner because I have a long day on the water tomorrow toMjlet (sp) Island, which is a National Park. Will be going on a hydrofoil. Any way, I will have new pictures to share on my next post, but must be on my way now.
Oh, nice weather, hot, but not scorching, a bit of rain fell today as we were driving in from the airport. By for now,

Steph

Zagreb

Hi all,

Well, I am on my own now, no Hansa or Renee to babysit me through passport controls, language difficulties or itinerary plans. I got into Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, a couple of hours ago. My hotel was right across from the train station, so it was easy to get to. Following Rick Steves book, I caught a tram up to the main square and checked out the tourist info spot. That,s how I found this internet place. It was raining a bit an hour ago and so it has cooled off a little, but very humid. Won,t complain though, cause it,s not close to 113.

Kristi, Dad tells me Mika has grown lots?? Does she ever go home to her own pool at all? Matt, I bet it seems cool in Seattle compared to home, eh? Was the garden still alive? The cats were glad to see you, I bet. Is it going to cool off soon? Well, I,ll take a swim in the Adriatic every day starting tomorrow for all of you.

How did Becca and Diana like the Cinque Terre? Hope they enjoyed a swim in the Mediterranean. I think they,re up in Switzerland now, right? Should be cooler up there for them.

So, I,m off for some sightseeing and something to eat here is Zagreb. I take a short flight ( 50 minutes) to Dubrovnik tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, I can find my Dubrovnik home easily. I,ll write from there in a day or two.

Photos

This is Lake Bled from the luge place up on the hillside.



OK,

I figured out the CD. The photos are on there, I just needed the admin access to the computer. So I will post a few with captions & then must be off. Oh, I have a great room here in Lake Bled. I got the assistant guide,s room, because I had to wait until the end for my own private room. it,s a suite! I am hosting a happy hour tonight for some of the tour people before we go to the dinner. It cooled off a bit yesterday & we got some rain while we were driving up to the Lake. We went into a cave yesterday in Slovenia, lots of stalagmites & stalagtites, but not much color. However, there was this deep chasm we had to cross over the river about 100 or so meters down into the cave. It was pretty scary for me. I remembered that I don,t like being deep underground & I don,t like heights much either. And, of course, the guide had to turn out the lights once when we were in the middle of the cave. ; )
By the end of the walk, I was right behind the tour guide and ready to get out into the sunshine! It was nice and cool in there though. When we got done, the clouds were forming, so it felt better outside. We drove to the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljiana, for a walk and dinner before coming on up to the Lake.


On the Plenta going to the island on Lake Bled. This is Dolores, our Southern Belle.

Hansa and his wife Zuska at the Plivice National Park.

Our guides, Hansa and Renee (she lives in Seattle) with Zuska, on Rab Island in Croatia.









Pizza with two of my roomies in Ljubljiana. Lissa, from Seattle, and Gretchen from Tempe, AZ.









Must go now for an afternoon walk around the lake. Will write, maybe from Zagreb before flying to Dubronik. Stay cool.....

Steph

Lake Bled

Hi,

We are on our last day of the tour today in Lake Bled. Several people went up to a higher lake in the Julian Alps called Lake Bohinj, this is where our bus driver lives and has a zimmer (room). A few of us stayed in the Lake Bled village today. We took a plenta boat out to the island and also went down the newly-opened luge, which was very fun. It,s beautiful here in the Alps, you would all love it.

I am having a slight problem with my photo CD. I just got my recent photos on it & it doesn,t show me them from this computer. I have to go back to the photo shop to make sure it got burned properly, so I must keep this short. If I can, I will write again this afternoon with photos.

My bus, train, flights & hotels to Dubrovnik are all confirmed. I leave tomorrow morning from here on a bus, catch a train to Zagreb, stay overnight & catch a plane to Dubrovnik. Tonight we are having our final meal together as a group & everyone is heading their own way tomorrow.

Anyway, I,m heading back to the photo place now & will try to post more later.

Steph



I

Croatia Time

Hi everyone,

Because of this spam problem I set up a word verification step. When you post a comment, you will have to type in the word on the screen and hopefully this will block out all the stupid spam comments.

Dad and Mom, you really must come to this part of the world. You would love it. Croatia is just lovely. Yesterday we spent the morning hiking Plivice Park. It has wonderful waterfalls flowing through the forest. Matt, you would have loved it, also. I hope my pictures look OK, but they still cannot do justice to the beauty of the place. Everytime you turned a corner, there was a prettier waterfall to see. And the water was a beautiful, clear color.

Again, I haven,t found a CD burning place, so I have to upload from the camera which is slower.
These are all photos from the Plivice Falls Park.

After our walk, we drove to Rab Island in the Adriatic. It is wonderful also. Hot, but laid back, like Mazatlan. The small seacoast town is delightful and one hears all kinds of languages spoken, Czech, German, Croation, Italian and some English, also. I,ve been wandering around this morning. Soon, I,m picking up a quick lunch and heading out to swim in the sea for the afternoon. Tomorrow, we drive to Lake Bled in Slovenia for our last two nights of the tour.

There are five single women here on the tour, so we trade off roommates at every stay and every few days we get to have a room to ourselves. I had my own room at the Lakes, beautiful view and also the last stop in Lake Bled, I should be getting a room to myself. There are three guys traveling on their own as well, they do the same thing. Everyone is very fun and friendly. We have two sisters who are here with their husbands, and one of the sisters has two teenage girls. Thea are a really caring and fun family to be around. Many of the people have Master,s and even Doctorates, so sometimes, I don,t feel so smart. Oh, we also have a Southern Belle who is an absolute hoot. She always has comments on everything.

Kristi, I see your last comment, but I don,t see any of the others you said that you posted....Thanks for taking care of my cats, I am missing them. I am glad that Mika is having a great time, I bet she,s grown some, eh...

OK, one more photo of the Adriatic Coast, then I must get out into that water.
It,s very hot here today, 100 degrees or so.
A war-damaged building in central Croatia, on our way to the coast.

A kitty I saw in BudaPest who was lazing
at his home on a hot afternoon.

BudaPest

Well, Budapest is a big city! I don't like it so well as Krakow or Prague, though it is OK. Last night we went on a Danube cruise which was very nice. The buildings of the city are beautiful in the evening. We had a walking tour of the Buda side yesterday afternoon when we arrived. The castle area is much more modern than the other two cities. This is our last big city that we will stay in. We are staying in the Pest side, close to the market and the waterfront. Hansa got all of us a day pass for the Metro, so we can hop around all over the city.

This is Martha and I on our bike ride in Krakow.

Today, several of us are taking the waters. It is very hot today, will be close to 100. I am now on my way to the Great Market to look for the hottest paprika I can buy to bring home. I hope to make it to the House of Terror, a museum about the Nazi & Communist methods of controlling the population, before heading to the Szechenyi Baths in the City Park.

We leave tomorrow for Croatia and the Plivice National Park which sounds wonderful with lots of vegetation and waterfalls. After a night there we head to the Adriatic Coast! That should be fun.

Oh, Egar was a wonderful town with really pretty countryside. Lots of corn, wheat and grape fields. We had a wonderful time at the winery. We met the owners and they had some Hungarian music and we sang & danced on the patio looking out over the country.
I am trying to get a photo or two up here, but it is taking a long time, so I may have to just skip that for now. I'll try again, maybe, later today, at another place.

Here's one more, dancing at the winery. Look at the pretty countryside.

Oh, Dad, try double clicking on the photos, that should enlarge them. Oh, my, I just checked the weather for Outlook! UGG! Hot days coming! Kristi, do you think the girls can put the cats in for the afternoons & let them out in the evenings? They'd really like that, I think. Later, Steph

Eger, Hungary

We are visiting Egar for a day only. There is a castle area famous from the 15öö,s for holding back thousands of Turks for many days, though it was later conquered by them. Because there are several teachers in the group, Hansa has arranged a visit to a school this afternoon. We will be having lunch there and meeting a teacher and touring the school. Should be very interesting. Then we are having some wine tasting, the famous red win from here is called Bull,s Blood ö. I am on my way to an organ concert in the Cathedral now. I just toured the market. Matt, I bought some seeds for some interesting and HOT paprika plants ő. I,ll write again from Budapest with more photos, I hope.

On to Hungary, Part Two

Well, on our way to Krakow, we spent the afternoon at Aushwitz-Birkenow. Oh, maybe I talked about that, so I'll just post a photo or two. This one is the entrance to Aushwitz that is seen in books, etc. often, "Work Makes Free".

Here is the gas chamber & crematorium and a photo of Birkenau camp.

On a happier note, here is part of the group at Wavel Castle in Krakow and also my favorite Cathedral ever, so far, St. Marks, in the Main Square of Krakow. This is where the trumpeter trumpets every hour of the day in memory of the trumpeter who was killed by a Turkish arrow while trumpeting the alarm in the 12th century. Oh, and here is where Pope John Paul II always stayed when he came to visit his home town. There is a very nice display in the Planty of his life as Pope. He is very revered here. I also did some sourvenir shopping and bought a nice amber necklace and saw the home of Oskar Schindler, he lived on the same street as our hotel is on! I think I'll head back up to Wavel Cathedral now and then find someone from the group to go to dinner with. Early to bed, we have an early start tomorrow.

So anyway, I probably won't be able to write until BudaPest in a couple of days. We'll be in Eger, Hungarian wine country for a couple of days. How's cherries going are you done with Lapins yet? Is James still at my home? When are you going to check on our cats, Matt? How goes your work, Matt? Any changes? How's Diana & Becca doing? Have the boys forgotten about their Mom, like Mika has probably forgotten about me?

I expect to see some comments or emails about what's going on at home when I check back.....

Steph

On To Hungary

Dzien dobry,

I transferred the photos I have so far onto a CD. It works very slick to get them posted onto this blog like that. It only costs 12 zlotys (about $4.00 to get it done here in Krakow and only took about 5 minutes. Also, this Internet place in Krakow is really, really fast!

It finally rained yesterday afternoon. It had been really very hot until then. Now, there's a cooling breeze and clouds 7 sun mix. It might rain again. this afternoon. We were caught in the rain yesterday. We were on a walking tour of Kashmierz, the old Jewish Quarter. We had to huddle under an awning for 15 minutes or so because it was really coming down hard.

Today is our free day in Kracow, we leave early tomorrow to drive to Hungary. I rented a bike today with another tour member, Martha, and we biked around the Planty (the park around the Old Town) and by the Vistula River for a couple of hours. It was very fun. An old Polish man talked to us for about 10 minutes when we stopped for a water break, the only words we understood were vodka & voda (water), but he just kept on talking.

I don't seem to be able to load any more photos on this post so I'm going to continue on another.

Lunch with the group on the way to Krakow.



Hiking in the Carpathians.


Folk dancing in Troyanovich. This is Sandy from California.




Our sheperd guide, Hansa, teaching us about the Wallachians. I hold a Wallachian passport now. (This is where he got the nickname, Cap't Jack).

Krakow

Dzien dobry (Good day),

I arrived in Krackow this evening. We just finished a nice tour group dinner in the Old Town. Tomorrow we will be having a walking tour with a local guide in the morning & an afternoon walking tour of the Jewish Quarter, possibly followed up by a Mozart concert in the Barbican. A few of us plan to rent bikes for an afternoon, maybe the next day, & ride around the Planty, a park surrounding the Old Town, where the walls used to be.

We toured Aushwitz this afternoon. It was sad & interesting to see the place where so much suffering and death occurred at the hands of the Nazis. We went into the one remaining gas chamber & crematorium in Aushwitz, the four at Birkenau were all destroyed by the Nazis before they left. This smaller one was the first one built & wasn't destroyed because it was later used as a bomb shelter for the staff and guards during the bombing raids. We went out to Birkenau & saw a couple of reconstructed barracks to get an idea of how the prisoners lived (& died). I will try to post a couple of pictures in the next couple of days, too tired right now.

Yesterday, we hiked up in the Carpathian Mountains & then watched a village dance troup perform for us in Troyanovich. It has been very hot every day, it was nice to be up in the mountains & enjoy the fresh air & scenery. Hansa, our guide, dressed up as a medival Wallachian shepard to show us how they lived up in the mountains. We've nicknamed him Cap't Jack, because he so resembles Johnny Depp. Did I tell you he is a student at the Praha college? He and his wife, Zuska, are working on their doctorates in languages. He is doing Chinese and she, I think, Farsi. He also does several tours a year for Rick Steves and helps keep the guide book updated as well. Our assistant guide, Renee, lives in Seattle. She just recently joined the company & is in the tour operations department.

I hope everyone is doing well & my animals are all OK. I wish you'd hurry & get those Lapins picked so my cats can have their territory back : ) Girls, have you been refilling the food for them & keeping the dog pool full? Thanks!! I am off to rest now for another full day of adventures. Czesc (Bye)

Leaving Praha Tomorrow

Well, we leave tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM sharp. We are going to a small town/village in Moravia. It's called something like Troyanovik. We'll only be there one night & then to Aushwitz and Krakow.

Today, though, we had a really wonderful day. Our guide, Hansa (he looks like Johnny Depp!) took us on a walking tour of what used to be the Jewish Ghetto. There are very few Jews left in the city & the ghetto has been rebuilt in Art Nuvoe style, but the synagogues have been turned into museums & memorials to the Jewish History in Europe. I toured the Pinkas Synagogue that houses drawings done by children in the Terezin Concentration Camp. It also lists on the walls of the building the names of all 80,000 Jews who never returned from the Holocaust. The Jewish Cemetery was also amazing!

After that we had some hours on our own. I had errands to do, watch battery to replace, stamps and hairdryer to buy. We met at to hear about the Velvet Revolution in 1989 from Hansa who was there! Right in the middle of the demonstrations! He was 14 years old! Anyway, he told an amazing story about the events that occurred through his own eyes as we followed the route of the students' first demonstration and to Wenslasas Square where the following demonstrations were held. He is very intelligent and passionate about Prague,Czech history and his beliefs and philosophy. Ithink we are lucky to have him on our tour.

Then we went to the Municipal House for a classiscal concert with the National Orchenstra of the Czech Republic. What a day! No time for lunch & I'm just now going to grab a bagel sandwich here at Bohemian Bagel & head back to get organized.

Oh, I must tell you about my roomy, Gretchen. She is a reading teacher from Tempe, AZ. We get along very well, but each time we go to a different place, us gals will be rooming with a different person. This way, we will all get at least one time with a room by ourselves. Many other interesting & friendly people. Last night, Gretchen I& I went our to dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant near our hotel, very authentic atmosphere and food.

Well, I may not be able to post for a day or two until we are settled into Krakow. Hope it's not too hot at home & everyone is doing really well. Enjoy the photos below.
On the Charles Bridge.
Gretchen & I up at the castle looking over Praha.The Jewish Cemetery, there can be over 12 layers of people because of shortage of space.
On our Velvet Revolution Walk, looking towards the National Theatre.
Hanza speaking about his experiences at the Memorial to the Velvet Revolution.
Wenslasas Square

We are here!!

Everybody,
Diana, Jill, and I made it here! We are in Holland right now and REALLY tired. We just took naps and then went to the first meeting. We are now getting ready to go to dinner and then on a walking tour of Haarlem and then we are going to go to bed early to try to get adjusted to the time difference.

The flights were good, everything is fine. We finally e-mailed Uli today.

Dad, How is Jaycee Jay?

Love,
Bec and Diana

Football in Praha

Dobre Den everyone,

Well, last night in the Old Town Square it wasn't a concert, it was the football (soccer) game between Germany and Portugal for third place. There was a big screen in the plaza & everyone having a bratwurst and beer watching the game! That's a photo of it on the right. I didn't stay long, so I still don't know who won that one. Anyone know?
Tonight is the final match for first and second between Italy and France.

Since I've arrived yesterday evening, I've gotten lost at least 5 times now ; ), The twists and turns in the Old Town streets take you the opposite of where you think you're going. It's a very lively Old Town though. Lots of fun little cafes in the Main Square and around every little turn in the cobbled streets. The left photo is of the Castle and Charles Bridge, the famous walking bridge of Praha.

Today, I missed my walking tour because I got lost & couldn't make it in time. Oh, well, I'm sure I'll get plenty of walking tours in during the next couple of weeks. So, I just had a nice breakie with coffee, included in my Pension Accord stay at a nice courtyard cafe, met a couple with a Rick Steves book who are traveling on their own with his book. At the LA airport, I met two ladies who are going to be in Dubrovnik around the same time as me. We traded emails & will, hopefully, meet up there.

I took the Metro to Wenslasas Square, that's King Wenslasas's statue there in front of the National Museum. When I am with the tour, I'll get someone to include me in the photos ; )
So now I'm just wanderind down the Square & hope to find the Helvinski (or something like that) Market. I ran across this good Internet spot, where I could download these photos to share with you all. Here's two more because I don't know when I'll be having time to blog again, hopefully before we leave Praha Wednesday morning for the Czech countryside.


This is the Astronimal Clock in the Old Town Square and here is Jan Hus, famous heretic who was burned by the church in the 1200's, I believe.

TheCzechs are very friendly, helpful and honest so far. I've been practicing a bit of Czech, but for the life of me cannot get 'Thank you' to stay in my brain. It always comes out 'gracias' or 'grazie'!
Sorry, I'm having trouble putting these photos in any kind of orderly sequence. They always end up at the very top.

Be sure to post comments and check as more are added. I find it easy to go to the blog site itself to add comments to your comments.

Bye for now! Steph

Arrived in Prague!

Hi All,

After traveling forever & ever, I finally got to my hotel in Prague about 7'ish. The keyboards are different from home, but I'll do my best (sorry, Mom). I'm just strolling around the Old Square & Charles Bridge, getting my bearings tonight, cause it's getting dark already.

Tomorrow, I'm going on a walking tour in the morning, to the Hel...something Market for lunch, & I don't know what else. I hope to find a good internet place where I can upload a few pictures for you. It's a beautiful town. There's some kind of band concert going on in the Square tonight. Getting out of the airport was easier than I thought it'd be, took me awhile of wandering to find my hotel, but I was on the quiet side of the action, not in the middle.

Tomorrow, I move right across the street to the Hotel Central with the tour, so that'll be a snap!

Becca & Diana: Bon Voyage!

I'll write more tomorrow on my free day,

Steph

Airport

I found an internet site at the airport, so I'm practicing uploading photos from different computers. The problem is that I can't 'save as' to shrink the photo for the internet, so I don't know if this will work. It might be too big & I may have to delete the post & try again somewhere else. I'm just getting ready to board the plane for LA. Hoping I have time to get a coffee first. Later, Steph

Packing!

I've been packing for the last couple of days, trying to compact things as much as I can into one bag that I can carry somewhat easily. Do you think I can zip it shut? I'm not sure!

Here's what it looks like all ready to go for tomorrow. And, really, it's not too heavy! I just wonder what I'm forgetting....