Lufthansa Flight: 8 September 2016
Day 70

Susan was up to send us on our way.  The shuttle arrived right on time at 5:30 am.  Thankfully, this was the only sunrise I've seen in the last seventy days.  So, we lived in Germany for just under two and a half years.  We certainly did pack a lot into that short amount of time.

Gemma's check in went smoothly.  I don't think the lady even looked at her passport and she didn't ask for the health certificate from the vet.  This was even so different from getting pets in and out of Japan.  Lufthansa had a desk for check in with your pet.  No tracking out to the cargo terminal like PetCo with United.  Gemma is still in with luggage but this was really smooth and less traumatic for all of us.  She gets to wait in the "lounge" while we head off to clear immigrations and security.

Justin bought an eye mask while we were in the airport but unfortunately that alone wasn't enough to make our Lufthansa flight tolerable.  This was, without a doubt, the most noisy flight I've ever been on...ever!  Cranky kids in every direction!  At least it was only a nine hour flight.  We wrap up a 70-day grand European trip as we head back to Wisconsin..  What a glorious way to end my time with DoDEA and to begin the next chapter.  I can't wait to see what is in store.

Kaiserslautern, Germany: 7 September 2016
Day 69

A day to unpack, pack and repack.  We met Mimi at Sanders in Landstuhl for breakfast at 8:30am.  She is doing fine; it was great to hear about her travels!  Off to the vet to get Gemma's health check.  Since this must be completed within ten days of travel, there was no way to complete the task earlier.  And now we hear she needs to have four more teeth removed.  We Matt for lunch.  He suggested a new South American restaurant on the way to Ramstein...yummy empanadas.  He was spending the day clearing with his landlord and with the utility companies so the timing was great to be able to meet with him and not have work pulling at him too.  He and his family fly later this month as he will begin his new job as ISS in Quantico.  Perhaps we will see him next in Virginia.  Back to pack and sort through our stuff for a bit before we return our rental car.  With as few words as possible, the return goes without a hitch and within just a few minutes Susan was there as our taxi.  

For our last dinner in Kaiserslautern, we went with Dave and Susan to our favorite Thai restaurant in Einsedlerhof.   It was not surprising to me that German food didn't call to either Justin or me for our last day in Germany.  We headed to bed just before midnight with the hopes of uninterrupted sleep before an early alarm.

Kaiserslautern, Germany: 6 September 2016
Day 68

After our night's stay at the Lady Maria Hotel, everybody was fed and watered and we were on the road about 9:30am.  We were on our way to Bolzano and Utzi man.  I had looked forward to this museum for a couple of years and I was not disappointed.  It was a thorough but quick visit and shortly after lunch we were on the road to Ktown. In the Alps, there were almost constant exclaims of "wow" and "look at that!"  It was interesting to compare the methods of cultivation of grapes between here and in Germany.

Our route today led us from Italy through a corner of Austria and into Germany.  At one point early on Justin said he said he had the bit in his mouth and was heading for the barn.  Unfortunately Germany had her own way to bid farewell.  We were stuck in a stau seemingly forever.  Construction everywhere confirms that the economy is doing well and that there is still a bit of time before winter sets in.  

On the B40 heading into Hoenecken Justin had just exclaimed that he'd seen a deer when both of us saw a wild boar!  We'd heard about them since we first arrived in Germany.  We've eaten them a time or two and they can be delicious but today we saw one along the side of the road rooting around looking for a snack.  Thankfully we didn't see one up close and personally either while out hiking or on the front bumper of our car.  

Originally our GPS indicated that we'd be back in Kaiserslautern by 6:15pm.  Of course, that didn't allow for pit stops.  We pulled in to Dave and Susan's a bit just before 8:00pm.  I am glad we didn't make dinner plans with anyone.

Bolzano, Italy: 5 September 2016
Day 67

A perfect lazy morning taking time for yet another cup of coffee.  Justin and I continued catching up with Kim and Brian.  Although we'd seen Kim last fall when she visited us in Germany, we hadn't seen Brian since they came to our reception in July 2014.  Yes, we had lots of stories to exchange.  Since Brian has been retired for two years already, Kim is the only one of us who remains gainfully employed.  I recalled my first Labor Day when I joined DoDDS; I was on a bus with the football team and cheerleaders traveling from Yokosuka Japan to Misawa (twelve hours one-way on a good day).  Today was my first Labor Day in a long time not to labor.  

After a luncheon of pizza and pasta Justin and I got on the road for Bolzano.  I drove first
and we made great time.  Unfortunately, we hadn't programmed the GPS correctly and I was heading the totally wrong direction for about an hour.  After we backtracked, got gas and re-oriented, we got stuck in a traffic gam for too long.  Trying to make lemonade from our lemons, at least we were on the Italian weinstrasse and the views were beautiful. 

As we went farther and toward the passes near Mendola.  There were dozens and dozens of switchbacks and lots of motor cycles out for a great day of biking in the mountains.  We climbed to an altitude over 1380 meters within just a few minutes and the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in just a few minutes.  After a beautiful day, we spent the night in a quaint little hotel with awesome views of the mountains.

Vicenza, Italy: 4 September 2016
Day 66

Justin was able to pick up our car at 9am.  After a cheery goodbye to Stipe, Doonya and the girls we were on the road by 9:40.  GPS Indicated that we had a bit over a 700 km drive ahead and that we'd be in Vicenza in time for happy hour.  First stop however was to get gasoline.  Justin was jonesing for a worst brochen but none was to be found so we stopped at a roadside rest stop and made yummy chicken sandwiches.

We pulled into Kim and Brian's in time for happy hour but before dinner we took time for a grand tour of their apartment.  The fourth floor penthouse apartment with four bedrooms and marble floors give Kim plenty of opportunity to show off her new Turkish carpets and the plentiful built in cabinets proudly display her collection of Italian and Turkish pottery.  Their view is spectacular overlooking gardens and slow running river and long views of Italian churches, towers and countryside.  They are right downtown very near the historic district on Vicenza.  Kim has realized her dream of being able to walk to dozens and dozens of Italian restaurants.  And, she had chosen one for our dinner this evening.  You simply can't argue about Italian food when you are in Italy!  After gelato and an evening stroll, we headed home to wind out a perfect day.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 3 September 2016
Day 65

Justin was awake at o-dark thirty making calls to the local road side assistance team.  Stipe came by at 9am and made the recommendation of a local repair shop.  Thankfully, we are finally getting somewhere.  With help, we got the car into the shop by about 11am and then we had a free day in Dugi Rat.  They said the car would be repaired by tomorrow which puts us back on schedule only having to forgo our time in Venice.  We had a chat with Stipe, Doonya, the girls and Stipe's parents before we headed to the beach for one last time.  Gemma got a bath this afternoon to wash away the beach. For our "second" last dinner we headed back to Poseidon for great fish, shrimp and Dalmatian vegetables (spinach and potatoes with garlic and olive oil).  We set an alarm for in the morning but I really doubt we will need it.   

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 2 September 2016
Day 64

We made reservations to rent our speed boat again today, but unfortunately when we got to the rent-a- boat location about 9am, they told us the boat had mechanical problems the day before.  We settled for a much smaller boat -- a 16' day boat with a small cabin and an 8hp outboard.  We had identified four communities toward the north on the island of Brac to visit.  There was absolutely no wind in the morning so it might have been just as well that we weren't on a sailboat.  Not long after 1pm we stopped for lunch.  Our arugula salad with marinated anchovies and shrimp was fabulous and the fried calamari were delish!   We splurged with a chocolate and walnut filled crepe for dessert.  After turning the boat in we hung out on the beach for a while.  I didn't want to leave the beach; I didn't want to leave Croatia.  

Well, looks like we don't have to leave just yet.  When we were leaving the parking lot Justin ran over a rock that got hung up on the undercarriage and jeopardized the fuel line.  We could smell gasoline immediately...yikes!  A couple of local guys tried to help us move the car, but we were not successful.  After making a dozen different phone calls and hitting the wall, we locked the doors and starting walking home.  

We had decided to go to the beach bar-restaurant side of Forum for our dinner on our last evening.  We stopped there even though we didn't have a clue about the car.  I texted Stipe to tell him we'd need his advice and that, more than likely, we'd need to stay an extra day or three.  

Back in our flat I made a dozen more calls to try to connect with Avis road side assistance and again, I hit the wall.  We were already halfway packed and now totally frustrated.  We went to bed trying not to worry about excessive roaming charges and praying that no one would throw a cigarette butt under the car.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 29 August 2016
Day 60


Outside morning, noon and night

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 28 August 2016
Day 59

We drove north to Split today.  We continued our search for a sail boat to rent.  We've asked in almost every decent sized marina we've seen.  It is all about power boats here so we headed to the big city Split.  And we struck out... again.

We had a scrumptious lunch that was all about squid -- black ink risotto with squid and fried calamari-- super yummy!  Justin really enjoyed his Leffe beer.  He said it was the best beer he'd had since he'd been in Croatia.  He tried the local brew Pan and quickly moved on to Ozujsko.  He left that behind shortly to settle on Karlovacko.  The Belgium Leffe was a nice treat for him. 

Back in Dugi Rat we ended our day at our favorite sandy beach for a quick plunge, a round or two of cribbage and a beverage for sunset.  Ain't life grand!

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 27 August 2016
Day 58

We started the day by Watching game highlights from the Green Bay - San Fransisco pre season face off.  Justin is trying to keep up with packer news and the political scene while I read my book and keep my head in the sand.

We had an early-ish start to go find a sail boat. We drove to Omis walked around the tourist section of town. Justin bought a pair of swimming goggles and we looked at some art work.  We were very tempted to buy an enhanced photo of a water colored blue fish.  Justin and I talked to the artist for a while, but finally settle at no.

While we were walking along the river we passed a local home with a small, well tended garden.  It that tiny plot we saw pomegranate, fig, olive and citrus trees as well as tomatoes, brussel sprouts, grapes, cabbage and dill.  What a cornucopia!    We have pomegranates and olives growing in our backyard at our AirBnB but they look rather sad and neglected. 

We stopped for lunch at our favorite spot, Most Caffe Grille.  It is a little dive along the road headed south.  They don't have a beach view but great fish! Dorado is the local fish of choice this time of the year.

The tourist population is significantly decreased from when we first arrived just 12 days ago.  Pisak and Mimice were among the communities we visited just south of Omis for our next visit.  We are looking for a beach removed from the road with a laid back feel.  Poluk is off of the road but doesn't really give you good beach access.
Drove down into one part of Mimice that was a dead end and then another that seemed ok so we stopped for dinner where Gemma met two Yorkies on the beach.  We still need to get down to Medici. 

 We had an early evening ... Why am I so tired today?

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 25 August 2016
Day 56

Justin and I went for a swim in the morning.  Ok, admittedly, "going for a swim" is a bit of a stretch in my case since the water is just darned cold.  Justin laughs at me and that's ok, because it is just too dang cold.  Gemma found a bush to lounge under while Justin and I got our vitamin D dosage for the day. 
We took a walk along the beach and ended up in the Centar portion on Dugi Rat.
Now we are looking for a place for Justin to get his hair cut.  We did find a place that is open from 8-12noon and 5-8pm so perhaps we will come back. 

Given that we are on vacation and we are of legal age, we did a bit of bar hopping this afternoon.  Justin has not been impressed with the local beers but he keeps giving it the college try.  I too keep trying whatever the house has as their white wine of choice with varying degrees of success. 

Justin prepared pasta for dinner and his famous feta-tomato salad.  There was a band that performed from about from 11am until just after 3am just like last week...aargh.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 24 August 2016
Day 55

We went for a swim this morning before I went for a manicure and pedicure in the afternoon.  I headed out about an hour early fully expecting the 4 km drive to take about forty minutes.  That gave me time to pop into the Studenac grocery market for a few items.  Unlike previous trips, there was virtually no traffic.  We had heard that this was the end of tourist season and the change has been noticeable -- not profound, but noticeable.  This might increase our interest incoming back off season.

After I returned, we hung out on our beach, watched tv and had more watermelon and figs!  The figs are a different variety that those we have at home.  These are still green when ripe, sweet and delicious.  In Japan we got figs that were large and beautiful, but dry and mealy.  These are fabulous.  Yes, I confess, I've been known to nab a few from time to time when we are walking down the street.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 23 August 2016
Day 54



Mouth of the Cetina River in Omis

I finally had an appointment for my hair.  Doonya, Stipe's wife, recommended her stylist in Omis and made an appointment for me.  We headed out mid-morning; Justin and Gemma hung out and explored a bit until I was finished.  Afterwards, we headed south to see where we would want to go when we come back.  The beach in Dugi Rat is quite close to the main road and the beach is stones.  We'd much prefer something a bit more removed and therefore quieter and a sandy beach.  The roads are tiny and steep and how we ever got out of there without me burning up the clutch in the car will remain a wonder.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 22 August 2016
Day 53

 Today we drove south to Makarska.  The scenery along the way is simply spectacular.  Each beach view is better than the one before and the farther south we go the rocks seems to get more severe.  It was easy to see that there is simply no soil at all above the tree-line.  We are checking out several of these sea-side beaches for when re return.  In all of the towns, most of the roads are really steep and parking is extremely limited but when you get down to the beach, it was all worthwhile.  I thought I liked the looks of Brela until we got closer to see that it was just too crazy.  We still need to check on Krvavica and Mala Luka.

The inland route back from Makarska led us through an ecological preserve.  We wound our way down to the river and found the point where many of the rafting boats launch.  After a bit of exploring we headed back to the car.  We passed several stands when individuals were selling their local olive oils, wine and fruit.  We've passed on the oils and wines, but I can't pass the figs.  They are so juicy, so sweet and so good!

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 20 August 2016
Day 51

Thanks to the Kaiserslautern Administrators who gave me a generous retirement gift that I promised was earmarked for a boating experience, Justin and I rented an open 15' run-about with a center console and a Bimini and went out to explore today.  We thought about going around the island that we see off our shore in Dugi Rat so we headed that way.  After a bit where I even had my turn at the helm, we stopped for lunch at Stars Uljara, in the village of Povlja on the island of Brac.  When we asked the waitress the name of the island, she laughed.  She asked "you are here and you don't even know where?"  Yep, that about summed it up.  We had delicious fresh fish and Justin's favorite octopus salad.  We anchored off the island closer to home on a great sandy beach and went for a swim and short walk.  After a full afternoon

on the water we headed back and spent just a bit more time on the beach before heading back to our part of town.  Both of us like our new found beach area.  A bit more than half way between Dugi Rat and Omis, there seems to be a little more space, the tourist seem to be a bit more calm and sand!  We found this area yesterday when we were driving to Omis looking for a place for me to get my hair cut.  I needed a hair cut when we left Kaiserslautern and I really need it now.) Stipe and his wife tell us that usually the number of people on the beach has started to decline by this time in August but it seems to still be high this year.

We've eaten dinner outside every evening since we have been here and breakfast most mornings too.  The weather has been perfect -- highs in the 80's, lows around 70' with no rain.  We are watching the Olympics when we can.  It is interesting to see what the are showing here even though we can't understand the commentary, we've watched quite a bit of Croatian volleyball, field events and water polo.

I had a dream last night that they called to tell me I couldn't retire and that I had to come back to be the principal at Sullivans High School.  After I exclaimed that there IS NO Sullivans High School the whole thing went in circles.  Was that a dream or a nightmare?
 

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 18 August 2016
Day 49

We are having internet problems in our flat.  Stipe, our host, indicated he had a plan for a short-term remedy but we haven't seem much relief yet.
There was a band on the beach last night that played ALL night long.  Well, probably not all night, but about 2:15 I got up and turned on the AC thinking that would muffle the sound enough to sleep.  The were probably a pretty good band, but nothing is that good in the middle of the night. 

We drove south to Omis today.  Dugi Rat is located partway between Omis and Split.  The traffic was miserable just to get there.  Ok, maybe miserable, but more than we wanted to endure.  What can you expect on a two lane road right on the beach in the middle of summer?  We didn't find too much to write home about, but we did find a fruit stand when we got there and had some of the best watermelon I've had in a couple of years! We also found a place to rent a boat so we will keep that in mind for one day soon.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 18 August 2016
Day 49

We are having internet problems in our flat.  Stipe, our host, indicated he had a plan for a short-term remedy but we haven't seem much relief yet.
There was a band on the beach last night that played ALL night long.  Well, probably not all night, but about 2:15 I got up and turned on the AC thinking that would muffle the sound enough to sleep.  The were probably a pretty good band, but nothing is that good in the middle of the night. 

We drove south to Omis today.  Dugi Rat is located partway between Omis and Split.  The traffic was miserable just to get there.  Ok, maybe miserable, but more than we wanted to endure.  What can you expect on a two lane road right on the beach in the middle of summer?  We didn't find too much to write home about, but we did find a fruit stand when we got there and had some of the best watermelon I've had in a couple of years! We also found a place to rent a boat so we will keep that in mind for one day soon.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 17 August 2016
Day 48

We had a lazy morning today...ok, we had a lazy day.  We watched an old Roc Hudson movie ( he hadn't yet changed his name to Rock) and crushed candy.  We don't have reliable internet and that is a problem for us.  Our car has arrived in the states, HHG are in Green Bay, no word about our Texas HHG yet but I would imagine that will happen quite soon.

We went down to Poseidon for lunch and cribbage in the sun then on to the beach.   Based on recommendation from both Eileen and Loyane I started reading Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth.  Based around the construction of a cathedral in the 12th century, this book, in tandem with my continuous reading of the Outlander series will keep me busy for a while.  I may not have time for current events and the circus we are calling an election.

Ice cream is the dessert of choice so we indulged after dinner.  A bit more Olympics on tv rounded out another day in paradise.

Dugi Rat, Croatia:  16 August 2016. Tuesday
Day 47

 

Our first morning in Croatia; I had dreamed of this and now it was truly a reality!  We met with Stipe so he could share some info on where to go and what to do before we headed down the street to Kraljevic Grill.  Stipe called ahead to let the owner know we were on our way.  He cordially prepared a breakfast of fried and scrambled eggs, a cold meat and cheese platter, bread, butter and jam, coffee and tea.  Delish!  (I would learn later that breakfast fare is not very typical at all in at least this part of Croatia.)

We roamed around our beach for a bit before returning to our AirBnB  to get settled.  Mid to late afternoon we headed to the beach.  I dipped my toe but it was too cold to go much farther.  Justin was brave enough and went in for a swim. 

We enjoyed the sunset at a restaurant on the beach with a glass of wine and a beer followed by calamari on rocket greens.  A long walk home accompanied by an almost full moon.  I could get used to this.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 15 August 2016
Day 46


On the road by 7:40am to start our 12 hour drive to Split.  Today we saw Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia on our way into Croatia.  We experienced significant delays by a wreck early on in Austria.  We tripped across agility dog trials  somewhere in Austria before Wein (Vienna); we stopped just to take a break.  We ran into rainy-nasty weather as we passed over the Alps. I slept through reportedly spectacular lightening but I saw plenty of evidence of fields flooding when I did sit up and pay attention.


When we arrived in Dugi Rat it was close to 10pm.  Stipe, our host at our AirBnB met us to direct us to the flat.  He and his family live on the top floor and his parents live on the beach side of the property.  We'll be in a new unit that has been available only about one month.  With five separate units of varying sizes, they can have up to thirty guests at one time.  We got most of our treasures out of the car before we sat down with Stipe for a welcome beverage.  His father makes a local brew (Orahovica) that was similar to the Italian Nocino made from green walnuts but this one did seem to pack an extra punch.  We talked for an hour or so before Justin and I headed to the beach for a moonlight stroll.  I didn't want to wait one more minute to see the water... to hear the waves lapping...to dip my toe...to BE at the beach.

 It was warm when we were in Paris and warm one day in Wales, but the thermometer pegged out at 86'F as we entered Croatia.  Let' see what tomorrow holds...

Krakow, Poland: 14 August 2016
Day 45

Yogurt and granola for breakfast was accompanied by a meaningful chat about faith and the existence of God.  Justin and I have quite different views here just as we do in regard to politics.  We don't get into the nitty-gritty too often so this morning was particularly poignant.  Perhaps we were both already introspective given that we were headed to Auschwitz.  While we waited in line (for two hours) we got the free tickets to enter without a guide at 4:20pm.  By the time we got to the front ot of the line, the 4:20 option was the best available, so we sat under a crabapple tree and read and napped.  It was a quiet ride home.

Dinner at Rubenstein's Restaurant back in our neighborhood.  This dinner wasn't just good, it was great.  Justin started with scallops on fennel purée topped with grapefruit segments and followed with roasted duck in a black currant sauce served on a spinach and potato purée.  I started with a goat cheese cake on spinach sauce with chanterelles and followed with duck ravioli.  

 All in all, a strange day.  I don't think I took one single picture today.  I can't imagine looking at photos from Auschwitz on Apple TV and having them prompt memories of a fabulous day on vacation.  No, I'll rely on my memories rather than photos.

Krakow, Poland: 13 August 2016
Day 44


Justin had read about "white castles" outside of Kraków and that was on the list for today.  We drove outside of town in our search.  We found our way to Pieskowaskala Castle which is a branch of the Wawel Royal Castle in the old town.  The had a permanent exhibition of European art from the Middle Ages to mid 20th century that was most impressive.  They were very concerned about the preservation of the floors so in a pseudo-Japanese style, we were given slippers to put on over our shoes.  It was a bit cumbersome as you went from one set of rooms to the next you had to remove the slippers.  All in all, it was fine.  

Justin took advantage of the opportunity to have a real Polska kielbasa (sausage) at lunch.  We ate at a roadside stand; Justin had sausage, a sour kraut soup and I had goulash soup.  The traffic was consistent so the proprietors are probably doing just fine.

Later back in I town, we drove through the city center and old town before we headed back to the Jewish quarter for dinner.

Krakow, Poland: 12 August 2016
Day 43

On the road to drive to Kraków.  Today's drive was a bit over five hours.  Thankfully the weather was great.  There was lots of construction on the roads once we got outside of Prague and that slowed our progress significantly.  While I drove Justin read articles from International Living and from Money magazine.  Justin started reading aloud to me long ago and on this trip we've been working our way through old copies of these now well-travelled magazines.  Later, while Justin drove I started reading aloud Steven Hawking's "A Brief History of Time."  This will take a day or two...
 

Our AirBnB home for the next three nights is a third floor walk up right off the Vistula River.  After settling in we started on a grocery store run (we need laundry detergent) and found a sushi restaurant.  A bit more wandering around and we saw that we are right in the heart of the Jewish quarter.  Menus looked ever so inviting!  We settled on Israeli fare for dinner; the sign on the wall reads "make hummus not war."  Perfect ending to a banner good day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prague, Czech Republic: 11 August 2016
Day 42
 


The Basilica from inside the castle grounds

Back to Richard's Kitchen for lunch.  I really like to go new and different places to eat even when we are at home, but you just can't beat Richard's.  Today I had an arugula , quinoa, plum and feta salad that was scrumptious.  I'll want to repeat this one when I cook again...and that won't be this week. 

We took Gemma home and told her to take a nap while we headed to Prague Castle.  Gemma certainly has the life.  She hasn't had to stay at home or in the car very much at all this trip but today was not for little dogs.  We were disappointed when we learned that the castle was closing early today so we bolted through the Basilica, the national buildings and the grounds before we learned that the reason for the early closure was a concert in the Basilica.  A string quintet with one vocalist provided an awe-inspiring intimate performance with some favorites for both of us.  After a bit more wandering around the castle grounds and a cab driver who didn't know his city very well at all, we found our way along the river to a dinner cruise with a pianist.  Water opportunities always call to Justin and me so we signed up and boarded.  This particular sailing had less than twenty passengers and the food and service was great.  We were able to go outside in between courses and take in all the sights of the city at dusk and later in the evening.  I told Justin this could count as my birthday dinner... and I am STILL not back at work! 

The castle from the river

Prague, Czech Republic: 10 August 2106
Day 41

What a fabulous day!  After a leisurely start, we headed first to Richard's Kitchen for luncheon and then on to explore.  Our AirBnB is in new town, so named in the 14th century.  We explored and strolled through the streets and along the river getting a feel for the town.  We meandered and gawked.  Justin said early in the afternoon that he thought he liked Prague more than Budapest and in just a few hours he amended that to say that he even liked Prague more than Porto.  The buildings are very ornate and exquisite.  The city was never destroyed like so many we saw in Germany; one can see why the town is referred to as the heart of Europe.  There are spires in every direction as well as awe inspiring vistas.  I could easily spend 90 days here one summer or spring.  Mid-afternoon we had a traditional snack "trdlenik."  Made from a sweet yeast dough, thinly rolled tubes are wrapped around a cylinder and grilled, then rolled in cinnamon and sugar.  We watched two ladies make several dozen while waiting in line; I had an original one while Justin had one filled with chocolate cream.  Oh, my goodness. 



We walked along the Vltava River trying to take it all in as we got to the Charles Bridge.  There were lots of vendors but nothing distracted from the touristy yet beautiful setting.  On the opposite bank, we wandered through more open green spaces and found our way to the John Lennon Wall rather by accident. 












We had heard about the astronomical clock in old town and we made it there just in time to see the 9pm march of the Apostles.  Not so much compared to the glockenspiel in Munich, but a very interesting and rather complicated time piece from the 1400s.  Dials included tell not only the time today and the traditional Czech time but also the sign of the zodiac and the month.  After another traditional dinner (Czech board of ham, pork roast and sausage with dumplings and red and white kraut) we walked back to our part of town.  Over 15,000 steps today according to my fit bit.  I'll bet I would not have gotten that many in during a typical work day at the DSO. 

Prague, Czech Republic: 9 August 2016
Day 40

Started the day off with a hearty German breakfast.  I am going to miss this... cheese and meat platter, hard cooked or scrambled eggs, muesli, quark and yogurt, fresh fruit and juices and bro hen!  Ah, the roll selection complemented with jams, jellies and Nutella.  Yum!

We took a bit of a detour to go through Pilsen on the way to Prague.  We always have time for a tribute to beer, yes?  Could I spend a couple of months here one summer?  Sure.  Very quaint, old city.  Lots of growth and refurbishing that was quite different from the looks in Leipzig when I was there a few years ago.

 Pulling into Prague we headed straight to our AirBnB.  It was before 2pm check-in time so we strolled around our neighborhood a bit and took time for an early afternoon beverage at Richard's Kitchen.  We will certainly want to go back there during our visit.

We checked into our basement flat and took time to get settled before we went back out to explore.  We found a variety of restaurants and the local Tesco grocery store in our neighborhood.  The local liquor stores, "Alcohole," are on every corner.  No shortage or liquid enjoyment here.  We will head to "old town" tomorrow but for this, our first evening in Prague, we stayed in our local Nove Mesto (new town) area and went for traditional Czech fare with our dinner choices.  After a starter of herring, Justin had boar with special dumplings and I had pork with red cabbage and dumplings.  No beverages with dinner, but our appetizer and two entrees set the bank back about $12.00... Yes, really.

Nuremberg, Germany: 8 August 2016
Day 39
 

We left Mons this morning, or actually Jurbise on the 6:43am train with the goal of getting into Kaiserslautern about 12:30pm.  We missed our first connection in Brussels-midi... How can one be expected to buy a ticket and catch a train in 7 minutes when you don't know your way around the station?  Things went smoothly in Koln but we missed another connection in Mannheim to get into K-town.  Despite the adventure, we got into Kaiserslautern and collected our rental car and were at Susan and Dave's by 5pm.  Happy hour anyone?  Well, where's the water?  I had planned to do laundry.  And of course, there's always that middle of the night trip down the hall.  Justin putzed around in the kellar to find the connections, but was not successful.  With no water, we called Matt to tell him we couldn't meet for dinner (but we certainly will when we return in September.  Matt doesn't even have orders yet so he and his family will still be in town when we get back.) and we got back on the road.  What I thought would be an interim day, in actuality, turned out to be day number one of the next loop.  We got past Nuremberg before we reached our hotel... Gasthjof Hotel Zum Schwarzen Baren.  We were dog tired; the owners were quite happy to see us at midnight so they too could go to bed.

 

 

Mons, Belgium: 7 August 2016
Day 38


What a day!  Lorayne was supposed to read at church this morning, but Eileen's car was parked behind her's and she thought she couldn't get out.  She didn't know the keys were in the car.  What's a girl to do?  She started preparing our eggs Benedict breakfast.  Justin and I popped the cork on the bottle of Taittinger champagne we bought in Reims at Memorial Day.  Purchased for the sole purpose of celebrating our retirement, it was perfect to be able to celebrate with Lorayne.  Ken and Eileen joined us shortly for a long, liquid     brunch.  ( Funny how Lorayne and I have tended to do this over the years.)

We tried to pack and sort through our "stuff" during the afternoon.  (This task seemed especially difficult as we just needed to talk and then we needed to take a nap.)  We would be travelling by train from Mons to Kaiserslautern which meant we needed to consolidate and lessen the load.  Justin did a bit of grooming with Gemma before we headed back to Ken and Eileen's for a dinner of Chile Verde.  I need to get Ken's recipe!