Budapest

 Budapest
Here we are at the end of our cruise.  It has been too short.  Just as we got in the rythmn it was time to end.  We have enjoyed getting to know our cruise companions and will miss them.  We plan to meet Ron and Barbara in Budapest and go to the Gellar spa.  Geoeff and Kay are doing back to back cruises so will be off for more on the Avalon Passion.
It was so nice to have prepaid our tips.  We left extra for Birgit, our maid as she was very sweet and attentive.  I asked for one extra bath towel and some days we had 5 of them. Everyone took very good care of the guests.  Considering they are on the boat for 8 months we only 1/2  day off a week they were in great spirits.
Tony told everyone to be on deck as we sailed into Budapest so we were up extra early.  It was interesting to see what are obviously holiday homes intermingled with beautiful new homes buit for year round living.  But then, we arrived in Budapest.  We cruised past Margaret Island,  a beautiful, traffic free island, under  the Chain Bridge, past the glorious parliament buildings, and the castle high on the hill in Buda and docked near the Lisbeth (or White) bridge.  It was one sight after another.  With Tony narrating we knew where to be looking and that was a good thing as there was  much to see.   After docking we had a bus tour of Budapest which should have got us orientated but it didn't seem  to work for me.  We seemed to go over a bridge and then back over another until I didn't know if I was in Buda or Pest.  Roy said it didn't help him much either but we both had some landmarks and that helped.
We got a walking tour of Buda.  Took pictures of the view from the Fisherman's bastion and toured Mathias church.  This was not, as Roy said, an ABC (another bloody church).  It has almost no gold trimmings but every available space was painted in patterns which in my memory are earthy tones.  The organ music was pleasant to my ears and made it feel like a place to worship.   We even found time on our way back to the bus to pick up an ornament for our travel tree; an egg shaped, hand painted wooden ornament.   Now that we are home and looking at it I fear it probably wasn't hand painted,  oh well!
We are being careful with our purchases in the hope that we can go home with only carry on luggage.  Glass objects purchased in Prague may put that idea out of reach but we will see.
Back on the bus we finished our tour of the city and we're on board for our last lunch.  Lunches are buffet style.  I have been trying  hard to be careful not to gain too much weight  and find buffet meals harder than meals served to me.  It is a bit strange because I can take only what I want but I seem to be better at portion in what is on my plate a day eating only part of it.
After lunch we went out on our own.  We haven't done enough preparation for Budapest so had to sit down and read our trusty Rick Steves book for a bit.  There is much to see so we have to be organized. A plan in place we set off for the Market and walk down Vaci Utca on our way. Though Rick Steve says this street is over rated we enjoyed our stroll where vendors sell ice cream in originally presented displays, side walk cafes abound and a shop with unique hats attract our attention.

Crossing the tram lines and street to the market is interesting.  There are traffic lights that no one heeds and they don't seem to actually work anyway so we finally just cross when it seems safe to do so.  At the market entrance a lady in traditional garb is passing out advertising for something and she let's me take her picture.  Barbara and I discover we took identical pictures.  I wonder how many times a day she is photographed?

The market is huge, and hot.  It covers 3 floors and covers a city block.  It is rated the second best market in the world.  In the basement you can find live fish in tanks, food, kitchen tools and liquor.  The main floor offers mainly food, with fresh food stalls around the perimeter ( the smell of the fruit is tantalizing.  Cherries are in season, blueberries, raspberries,  peaches.  They all smell so good!  The vegetables are equally inviting and artfully displayed.)  Meat vendors are in the next row in facing the fruit and vegetable stalls.  It all looks great too. Oh, to be able to shop here for our food.  It is an intoxicating idea.  Not that we want to live here but it makes the markets we know, including Granville Island look dull.  There are spice vendors and we check out several in search of paprkia. Prices seem the same at them all. I am determined to go back to the first but in the end we just buy at the last one we stop at.  The couple we met from the southern U.S. are looking for paprika as well.  While Liz decided how many bags of parika she needed.Roy showed Bruce the  currency converter on his phone. We had already spent time doing that and will discover, when we get home that we are short a bag.  Did we pay for it?  We will never know.

Parliament 

P

Finished with the main floor we take the stairs to the top level.  This is all clothing, tablecloths, tee shirts, touristy junk and crafts.  We find the first pillow covers we have seen on this trip and buy one.  The stall has hand carved Santas that are beautifully painted but not as well carved.  Both of us think that one would be a nice souvenir but Roy decides  that they are overpriced for the quality of workmanship.

Back to the boat for the last dinner aboard. We dine with our friends and exchange address information.  Barbara and Ron are interested in going to the thermal baths as are we so we agree to do that together while we are in the city.
Roy and I went to the upper deck for a last shipboard drink.  A free one! Mickey  signed us up for the Avalon cruise club and we will have to thank her as it got us extra perks -a fruit basket in our room, a free drink each, Avalon pins.  Nice!  It is pleasant up there. Not many people and the views of the city are pretty.  We opted not to go on the city light tour but that may have been a mistake.  They didn't get back until 11:00 and packing still had to be done so perhaps we don't have many regrets.
Next morning we have breakfast and say goodbye to the crew we have grown to know.  They all seemed to relax after the talent show.  When I comment on this to one of them he said it takes a few days to size up the passengers and decide who they can joke with and who they have to be careful with.  He particularly had a problem with people who are okay with him but complain to someone above him.  They are a nice bunch and seemed willing to chat about themselves, the boat and the passengers interests.  The boat is their home when  they are sailing and they treat it as such.   The captain was usually around and willing to chat and generally made the passengers feel that they were welcome in his home.  Our cruise was seven days.  I think the 10 day version might be a nicer option.
Our taxi picked us up just before 9:00 and drove us to Hotel Palazzo Zichy.  I never, never want to drive in Budapest!   The driver had grown up in that area and told us about shopping on Saturdays with his dad in the Great Market (not a favourite passtime), and where  the bakery that had been when he was a boy, his school and he suggested where to eat that evening. We did eat there and enjoyed it immensely.   The restaurant had a history and I think everyone but us were locals. Roy had a pizza that was tasty and quite spicy and I had a salad that had more prawns than lettuce.  He had beer and for about the first time I only had water.  My stomach was rebelling because I indulged in too much sweet stuff in the afternoon but it was totally worth it! More on that later.

After we checked into the hotel we went to the metro and bought 24 hour tickets at a kiosk.  A young woman was buying a ticket at the same spot and as we were all novices we helped one another.  Roy and I  left her helping the next people in line.  You do meet the nicest people. We took the underground and got more help from two young ladies from Belgium who were on the way to the highly rated zoo, and managed a transfer.  After that we used the underground and mainly the trams all of the time.

Our first destination was the Opera.  We could tour the lobby which is very impressive.  English tours were cancelled that day.  After that we thought we might go to the House of Terror but there were huge line ups and we were booked for the Parliament buildings at 1:00.  We took the subway to the  Parliament buildings and found a place to have lunch.  A nice little sidewalk cafe where we had a beer and a tasty ham and cheese sandwich.   I mention this because it seems to be about the only sandwich filling.  It is usually called toast.  Off for our tour.  Of couse there is airport style screening and what does Roy have in his pocket - his new knife. After a bit of fretting it is our turn go through screening.   They tell him to put his knife in his backpack and all is well.  We enjoyed the tour.  It begins with a climb of a 133 step flight of stairs and then you can view the 96 step grand staircase.  It is quite impressive.  Then on to look up at the dome which is 96 meters tall.  There is a significance to the number 96.  896 is the year the Magyars came to Hungary.  Below the  dome the crown jewels are under 24 hour, armed guard. The guards even have a guard and we are told to stay two meters away from the armed guys. No problem!  The tour finishes with a trip down some secret stairs and then back to the ones we came in on.  The tour over, we caught the tram in front of the Parliament buildings.  The line runs along the river and besides being very scenic is historic.  I believe National Geographic voted it second most beautiful line in the world.  It would be even more beautiful if they washed the windows.

Roy figured out the tram lines and we went on to find The New York  Cafe ...
Marianne told us about The New York cafe and we planned to meet there before we discovered that we would be there on the same date but different months . An old but newly renovated cafe in Budapest.  Wow, what a place!  It is neo Baroque and neo Classical, over the top.  A virtual palace.  We ordered Sacher torte, a chocolate cake with apricot filling and slabs of dark chocolate on each side.  Thats not all - iced cappuccino with raspberry yogurt and whipped cream for our drink.  Yup! A real blowout.  I cannot imagine the calorie count.  Probably a weeks worth.  After our dinning experience we wandered about two of the three floors of opulence and took pictures.

Roy suggested we try to visit the House of Terror now.  Maybe the lines have died down. Off we go first at tram and then the subway.  Everyone had moved on and there are no lines.  We walk straight into the exhibits. I wiĺl quote the brochure for it says it better than I can.
"The  House of Terror is a museum now, but it was a witness to two shamefull tragic periods in Hungary 's 20th century history. It was a house of terror.
In 1944, during the domination of the Hungarian  Arrow Cross party, this building was known as the "house of Loyalty" was the headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis. Then between 1945 and 1956, the notorious communist terror organizations, the AVO and it's successor, the AHV, took up residence here. 60 Andrassay Blvd has become the house of terror and dread. This museum commemorates the victims of terror, but is also a memorial reminding us of the dreadful acts of terror of dictactorships."
The museum depicts the atrocities carried out by both the communist and the Nazi's in this house.  It is horrifying and tragic to learn of the cruelty inflicted in this building. I am brought to tears by pictured and movies of Hungarian people trying to escape the country.  How sad that we cannot learn from the mistakes of the past.


Ron has texted us today to say that they have talked to people on the cruise who felt the thermal baths weren't that clean and the prices are confusing.  We decide to go out for dinner and to a concert at St. Mary's church the next evening.
After a rest we try out the taxi drivers restaurant suggestion this evening. As I have already written, it was a success.

Our room at the Zichy is quiet and we are able to have a good rest.  The room is pretty much like any other but the door to the bathroom is a glass door.  It has art like they put on bus windows, a baroque design, I think.  It didn't offer a lot of privacy.
The breakfast room offered pretty much the same as every other on this trip except they didn't have eggs cooked to order.  They did have a grapefruit juicer which was a novelty the first morning and then we decided that we like the fruit better.  We did have had great breakfasts.  Norwegian smoked salmon was a sure thing every morning.  After my Prague experience I didn't touch it again until the last morning. I have to say it was awesome!
After breakfast on our last day in Budapest we tried to book our concert tickets.  We had to use a computer in the hotel business center in order to print the tickets.   I am still a bit concerned that we couldn't clear the history of our transaction with our credit card number in it.  Got a confirmation saying this was "not the tickets and that it wouldn't be recognized as tickets at the door.  The real tickets would follow in two working days if available". DAMN!  Now what to do.  We texted Ron and Barbara and told the, we would go out for dinner but might not manage the concert.  The front desk gal said she would look into it for us and she did but we found the church ourselves and there was a young man there, I guess taking  reservations and when we told him of our dilemma he opened his note book and there was our name at the top of the list (the only name in fact).

Our day was a bit jumbled.  The tram to the Great Synagogue wasn't running so we walked. It wasn't far. We were using the tram to save time.  When we got there there was no tour til 11:00 and that was 45 minutes away.  Decided to do a self guided tour.  Oops,  there is airport like security and someone has his trusty pocket knife.  Oh well, it turned out that was the least of our worries.  I had on a sleeveless top and Roy was in shorts.  No shoulders, no knees.  No synagogue for us.
We ventured over to Androssy  Street, named after one of Hungary 's greatest statesmen, Count Gyula Androssy.   Jill and Dave had recommended the Book Cafe so we went there for lunch.  Another opulent cafe on the top floor of a book store (much like Chapters).  We should have visited it first as the New York Cafe had spoiled us.  It was pretty special though.
We revisited the Great Market using the subway and tram again.  Darn, we are proud of ourselves!  I should say Roy, as every time he told me the direction we should be going I thought we should go the other but learned early on to be quiet as I discovered I was usually wrong.  I finally figured it out.  Just go opposite to what I thought.

We had missed one whole level of the market sof decider to go  back aND see what welse missued and maybe have another look at the Santas . Live fish swimming in tanks. Other than that it was pretty much the same as the other floors but not as touristy.  We went to the top floor and wound up getting the grandkids each another tee shirt.  We found ones with bicycles for the  boys and what I hope Marlo and Alex and V will like.  No Santa.
Back to the Zichy.  We downed a few bottles of their free water and printed our boarding passes.  The was a lawyer fellow in the business center who set our teeth on edge because he knew that the Hungarian revolution  didn't happen but was just some communists fighting amongst themselves.  Having just come from the House of Terror this was a little hard to swallow. We left him to believe what he wanted but we're very happy to get away from him.   Tickets printed, refreshed and redressed, suitcases packed we set out for the tram to meet Barbara and Ron at the Intercontinental.  It is a much busier lobby than the Intercontinental in Prague.
Their concierge had suggested Cyrano for a place for dinne.  It turned out to be a Michelin star rated restaurant.   It deserved it.  Our first!  The food was exceĺlent. I don't think I have had better.  I could go on but you get the picture.  The bathrooms were quite something too. The walls were all glass. Roy and Barbara both went and came back bemused.  I went and walked right into a mirror. If they did they weren't admitting it.
It was a short walk to St. Ann's church and we were there a few minutes early.  It is a beautiful, small church with an extremely ornate sanctuary.   The priest came in before the concert was to begin and looked disheartened by the poor turn out.  The churches all have concerts to make ends meet.  It might be a good idea for them to put in some more comfortable seating.  Those pews would put a saint off going to  church.  The concert was excellent.  The acoustics were too.  We hear J. Pachelbel's Cannon,Vivaldi's Gloria (Domine  Deus), Albnoni  - Adagio, Schubert  -Ave Maria, Mozart -Church sonate  in D minor, Ave Verum, Alleluia from Exsuitate Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Saint-Saens the Swan.  There were seven strings called The Duna  string Orchestra and a soprano (that we could have done without).
After the concert Ron said we should go for strudel as I had been whining that it had been my goal to have strudel in Hungary and I hadn't  found any.  We went to a place they had found and the apple strudel was divine!  Thanks Ron!
Then it was time to say good bye to them. A sad momment for we truly enjoyed their company and felt a bond with them. It would be nice to maintain that connection.  I rarely feel a mutual bond that strongly.

The next morning we were up at six and breakfast and ready for the airport before  8:00 when the taxi would pick us up.   We had lot's of time to kill so had coffee and I blogged away, then had a muffin and I blogged some more.
We were delighted to find that we were the row behind the ugly seats we had going over.  The people who got them were just as unhappy as we had been only they were luckier than us and had a daytime flight so we're not trying to sleep. We had scads of room!  Still no screen in the back of the seat but we had a window blind and we're away from the bathrooms.
The flight was late getting off the ground so we were late arriving in Toronto. We had to go through customs.  Roy eyes wouldn't scan for the Nexus retinal scan but the lady at the desk stamped our declaration so that helped save time.  Once through customs we had to find the domestic flights. Up one escalator, down another,  up an elevator.  Then we have to go through security and there are about 50 people ahead of us and no Nexus line that we could see.  I asked the security guy if he could let us move up in the line and showed him the departure time on our boarding pass. He said we had lots of time.  Then after a few minutes told us the line was shorter upstairs, we should go there.  The bloody lines were longer.   Eventually we made it through.  Someone along the way suggested our time was out on our watches, and we had an hour. We decided to hurry anyway,  a good thing for as we raced along we both thought, dimly, that we heard Berg paged but didn't ever think it was us. It was. We just made it onto the plane.  In hindsight we wish we had missed it and got the next flight.  Many people had their flights rescheduled but not us to Vancouver.  The plane was spacious, roomy, and clean.  What a treat.  You had to pay for gross food but the plane was clean and big.  Who cared. We arrived in Vancouver and waited for our one checked bag. We had decided to check an tote bag that we brought for that purpose as things the carry on were getting bulky and a bit heavy.  We probably would have been okay but decided to play it safe.  It seems we were supposed to have to have taken it through customs in Toronto and checked through to Vancouver.  We didn't know that so, oops!  The man in Vancouver at the lost luggage was very calm and said that our bag was in Toronto and would be in YVR by morning and would be delivered my afternoon.  Sure enough it was...
So we got home safely, a few of our belongings came a little later but on the whole  it was a very successful journey.  We met the nicest people, had a wonderful cruise even with a glitch because of the high water, our time in Prague and Budapest was well spent and we saw and did lots.  What more can we ask.

MELK/VIENNA
We went for a guided tour of MELK Abbey founded in 1089 and is dedicated to saints Peter and Paul. The tour  is included as arequired most of the tours.  It is a Benedictine Abbey located in the Wachu Valley.  They may have been sworn to poverty but the abbey is lavishly Baroque.  They have a portable altar made of pure ivory.  The library is huge and old.  The bindings all match to fit the Baroque style. They have  85,000 books and 2000 illuminated manuscripts.  We took a bus there and then walked down through the pleasant town.  It was nice to have a walk.
In  the afternoon we sailed through the Wachu Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  There were castles galore.  It was beautiful.

  I went for a tour of the kitchen later in the afternoon.  Wow that kitchen is pretty little yet they manage to feed 168 people 3 meals a day. There are 9 people  cooking and they come  from 7 different countries and there are 10 wait staff.  At times the all have to be in the kitchen (when the meals are ready to go out to the tables).  They have 15 minutes to get the main course plated and ready to be served.  All tables are served at the same time.  That evening we went for the Bistro dinner in the salon.  Only 24 can go to it each evening

.   Barbara and Ron, Jeff and Kay and Roy and I went.  We didn't get to sit together but it was an enjoyable time. They served 8 or 9 different things in small sampler size portions.  It was all good. We were a bit concerned as Barbara and Ron are vegetarian but as usual the crew took care of them.
The crew performed for us this evening.  What a talented crew.  None of them seemed to want a career in music but they were good enough. Everyone was in awe.

Linz, Austria
It does make you think of The Sound of  Music!
We could go to Salzburg,  Cesky Krumlov or stay in Linz. Strangely enough we chose to go to the Czech Republic again.  I had read about Cesky Krumluv  and really wanted to visit it. My wish was granted.  Celtics tribes settled here a century before Christ. Then the Germanic tribes, then the Slavs in the 9th century.  The Rosemberks controlled the city from 1302 up until 1602 and their symbol the rose is easy to find in the town.
The bus trip there was interesting and scenic.  We passed a gingerbread factory (they make it for the Christmas markets),  the gingerbread tastes like Christmas and is very good. We thought about bringing some home but didn't think it would travel well.  Next was a sausage factory, then a 5 star hotel where Hungarian workers can go for a three week treatment if they are ill or injured.  They have treatments each day and must be in bed by 10:00.  If they break curfew and are caught they are sent home and must repay the cost to that date.  They can go for treatments this 3 times in a 5 year period.  Wonder if WCB would do that at home?.
Our route was the scenic road, not the main highway (we came home that way) so we drove through forests and along the river that flows through the town.  It has rapids and calm parts.  There are people canoeing /kayaking along the river in droves.  It is a very popular pastime.  There are camp grounds all along the river that seemed to be full to capacity, also little cabins. It looked  like a nice way to holiday.  The Czechs, Germans, Austrians seem to know how to enjoy their leisure time.  It isn't long ago that they had nothing to enjoy.    Though it looked idyllic not that long ago, before the fall of the iron curtain (1989) there were check points at the border (iron curtain) that sound terrifying to pass through if you were even allowed to cross.


Your passport and papers were turned in at the first check point, then you traveled several miles through no man's land to another check point  where your papers were returned.  This could take a long, nerve wracking time.   A town and pulp mill, built during the Communist regime was a stark reminder that life has been very hard here.  The communist built apartment blocks look more like prisons than homes.  Everywhere we have been the guides tell of the grey , communist builtbuildings, they even painted over existing buildings.  The food lines and shortages.  How school ciriculum was strictly communist.  They had to learn Russian for 8 years and their history classes were all about how the Russians saved them.  There was nothing about the western world.  Our guide in Cesky Krumlov told us that he thought he would never visit Austria.   Cesky Krumlov is in the Czech Republic.
We arrived in the beautiful little town, dominated by a big castle high on the hill above it.  To enter the old town you cross Horni Bridge.  All around are old ornate and colourful buildings. Boater's are floating under the bridge, the water sparkles in the sunlight, music is playing in the background.  It feels like  a good place to spend some time.  We wish we could.

After the scenic bridge we are in the old town.  They did a neat thing with the plaster.  They painted it in layers and achieved the look of brick by scratching an outer layer to reveal the one underneath.  You have to touch it to believe.  The 3d look is that good. The main square is next. Our guide is old enough to remember Soviet occupation well and tells us stories of what it was like for him.  Every guide speaks of the gray buildings.  All colour removed from your life must be very traumatic.  We saw a plague door. A small door within the door that could be opened to check to see if the person on the other side had the plague.   The plague killed all but two residents of a nearby town but didn't devastate Cesky Krumlov and so they built a monument in thanks to God which still stands in the square today. The square has seen much history.  Hitler  celebrated the annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938 here and Russian tanks intimidated the local people who sought freedom in 1968.  It is so peaceful today, may it remain so.
We had lunch at a restaurant recommended by  the guides called 2 Mary's.  It had traditional Czech food. Two couples invited us to join them.  It was lovely sitting  by the river but very hot in the sun.   I had garlic soup, yum and a salad.  Roy had the Czech sampler which had about 8 different small portions of different things.  He said it was very good. Maryann and Michael and Elaine and Bob, all from California were our lunch companions and we walked up to the castle with them afterward.  As we crossed what had been the drawbridge Bob spotted one of the three bears that live in the moat on either side of the bridge.

It was very hot so we wouldn't have been too surprised not to see them at all.  I believe there have been bears there since the 16th century when the Rozemberks added them to  their coat of arms. The views are very dramatic.  We didn't climb the many steps to the tower due to time restraints and the heat nor did we go in the castle. ( You just don't have enough time  to do much except get a overall impression on these tours.  We expected to be able to get off the boat and wander on our own but that was not the case at all.  Perhaps it was because of the high waters or because of tours but it wasn't what we expected.)  Mike, Maryann, Elaine and Bob are very nice people and we really enoyed their company.  We walked up to the top and through the gardens and back to the meeting point in the square. We stopped on the way back to get something for the girls.  Then back through the town to the bus. The bus took a different route back so it was quicker.  Our guide played a piece of classical music that I will buy when we get home.  It is by a Czech and was perfect as we drove through the Czech woods.

When we got back to the boat Michelle, our new friend from Australia wanted to walk into the town square in Linz when we got back to the boat.  It was 34 degrees.  We walked up to a bridge and took a picture of a statue then up into the mainstreet.  There was some sort of street fair going on and there was a large group of cyclists with bikes they had modified and totally changed.   We talked to a fellow who had a bike welded  on top of another bike. He rode the top bike and claimed it was easier than a regular bicycle. The was also an ambulance with it's doors open for display.  Roy is always looking for ambulances to take pictures of for Rose.  He and Michelle were taking pictures of another statue (ABS) so I began taking pictures of it.  One of the paramedics asked if I'd like to sit in it.  I thought he meant the back but no, he put me in the driver's seat and turned the lights on and then got my camera for picture.  I felt pretty important.

Back at the boat we had a much needed shower.  Then off to dinner.
I forgot to mention that the first night on the boat (after I let them fill my wine glass at dinner too many times) Roy and I went up on deck.  It was a beautiful evening and we enjoyed floating along until quite late.  Roy went down to get the camera so he could take pictures of a lock we were about to go through and missed seeing them lower the wheel house as we went under a bridge.  Two younger couples who had too much wine too came along and weren't listening when they were told to sit down.  They were in grave danger of being decked by the bridge.  They got yelled at!  It was idllyic sitting up there  watching the the shore as we floated along.  It will be a beautiful me or of our cruise.  I will remember to say, "that's enough for me thanks" to the waiters at future  meals.

Passau

Thursday, must be Passau
Wow, time is going so quickly 😂.   We couldn't dock in Passau because we were a day early so we are docked 10  minutes away in Lindorff  (I think).  We are shuttled to and from the boat.  They will take us to town for our tour and then bring us back for a Bavarian lunch.
Passau is a picturesque little town at the confluence of the Danube,  Ilz and Inn rivers. Three waters are different colours so you can tell them apart. The Romans built a fortress here in 80AD and we were able to see Roman remains.

  We toured the old town which is quite romantic and  historic, as they all are. We visited we visited St Stephens church and if we want the history we can look it up on the internet. We saw Johann Kepler's house.  He calculated  the eliptical orbits of the planets. Now that's an achievement!

Kepler's house 2nd from right

We could take a bus back to the boat for lunch but we opted to stay in town so after our tour we had lunch in a Italian sidewalk cafe. The waiter was a feisty little Italian guy who thought he could whistle.  He couldn't seem to find the tune but let a pretty girl go by and he could manage a pretty passable wolf whistle.   If the girl was extra hot he rang a bell.  We walked by later but the bell didn't ring??
Now, what to do we have three options.  The Roman Museum? Too far away.  The castle?  Same problem.  Not enough time.  So we are going to the glass museum.  It turns out we need at least an hour to see it all and we don't have that long.  Okay, we will see what we can.  It's 5 or 6 floors in an old castle and each and every one of them has 6, 8 or more rooms.  Sometimes you have to twist and turn to find them all.   Beautiful glass. The oldest at the top level where we are told to start.  There is a problem - we know nothing about glass and almost all descriptions are  in German.  Oh, that's pretty was about the extent of our commentary.   We did find some glass that is like the pitchers my parents we given as a wedding gift and that caused a little excitement.

Ice cream on the way back to the boat made us feel better and cooler.  It was a very hot day.  In the 30's.
Back at the boat we followed what has become our daily routine. Shower, wash out a few things, download pictures and blog if there is time then off to happy hour followed by Tony's Port talk and dinner.  We finished dinner we went to the lounge to hear some rock and roll with Thorsten.  We have made our travel friends and more about them later but for now I will introduce them.   Barbara and Ron from the United States, Kay and Jeff from Sydney, Australia.
Thorsten was singing when we arrived and to my ears, murdering the song.  Somehow our ears became accustomed to his singing and before long we were up dancing - at least Barbara, Roy and I were.  It was lots of fun and by now we know quite a few people. Don and Patricia  (Australia ) dance as though they went to the same school of dance we did and are having as much fun as we are.  Roy and I were the first to actually jive and sort of had the center floor for a bit. It was a bit odd to be watched but fortunately didn't last.  Just as we we leaving a new song began and Barbara wanted to dance again.  I went along but as I got on the floor I realized it wasn't a song I could dance to.  GG was the only other person on the floor. ( Guess  I'd better tell you about GG.  She is 5 foot 8 without her heels and she always wears heels, has a  beautifull statuesque figure, is black,  and has her hair in the finest, teeny tiny braids I have ever seen (and there are lots of them!).  GG also has the most outgoing personality.  She is very thoughtful and kind to everyone.  I became Ms Linda and I am very happy to say that we got on well and I felt she liked me.  GG was travelling with a neighbor who was somewhat handicapped in his mobility and speech but was a very nice fellow and was very protective of GG.  His mother died earlier and GG was looking out for him.  Pretty nice.  GG does Lady GaGa's makeup.  How about that!)
Anyway, I turned to walk off the dance floor and felt hands on my hips, GG is pulling me back on the dance floor and there is no getting out of it. GG, Barbara and I did some sort of dance together with lots of under arm twirls and spins.  It was so much fun!  I don't know what the onlookers thought but at that moment we didn't care.  We were dancing.   There was applause at the end and I'm sure it was for our audacity not our skill. Either way it was okay.
That was our day...

Regensberg

Wednesday
We are docked in Regensburg and our tour is to Weltonberg and the Danube Gorge.  Flood waters had covered the bus parking lot the day before .  Today we got to see them scooping the mud  out of it.  It was a short walk along the Danube to the Abbey.  The Danube is narrow here and the big boats can't  get down it.  The land on either side is now enviormentally protected because of the flooding.  There are a few people still living there and the government buys them out at 80% after a flood but they just use the money to rebuild.  It is a beautiful,  tranquil place.  I can't blame them for wanting to stay. Some of the houses have been torn down and nature has reclaimed the land in a very short time. Flowers remain to show someone lived here.  We saw a huge snail with a pretty shell and spared it's life.  Now that's kind of me because I kill everyone I find at home.
There are seven monks at the abbey and of course they do the all work to run the abbey and some have outside jobs.  Before we entered the abbey church we each were given a beer that was brewed at the abbey.

They have been brewing there since 1050. It  was a dark beer and very tasty. We also got a gigantic German style pretzel  which was great with beer at 10:00 in the morning.  We consumed pretzels and beer and the mosquitos consumed us.
We went for a walk above the Abbey while we waited for our trip our of the church.  The was a chapel but you couldn't get inside.  It was a pretty walk but hazardous with all the mosquitoes.
The Abbey church has a horse on it's altar.   Saint George, the dragon slayer is riding it. There is a dragon on one side of the horse and a princess whose name I can't remember on the other; they represent good and evil.  The dome above the altar was interesting because it looks like a domed roof but it is flat.  It is very convincing.  It would have been interesting to go up and see it up close.

  Our local guide, Enrie was excellent as all the guides have been.  Enrie is a lady, and a long distance runner and looked to be in her 60's.  She was knowledgeable and very humorous. Just slightly irreverent in the church.


Each tour we have a guide on the bus who talks about the area and prepares us for the day.  Then when we get to the sight we get a guide who specializes in that town, church, etc.  It is a good system and seems to work flawlessly.  They have all had good English.  There are 35 Tiwanese people on the cruise.  They have their own tour guides and buses.
Then we had lunch at the oldest sausage place in the town of Regensberg.  Avalon gave every one 15 Euros and a chit for this sausage lunch in compensation for all the changes.  We didn't mind being 30 € ahead or a free lunch but it didn't make up for the time missed.
Anyway that's all water down the river (ha ha).
The sausage house had a large main restaurant that was full so we were directed to the little house.  It must have been the original restaurant. Believe it or not you enter through the kitchen and go into a small dinning room. We sat at a long table for 8.  Kay and Jeff from our cruise (our cruise friends from Sydney ) and we didn't know the others.  Our meal consisted of 5 skinny sausages, sauerkraut, bread and beer.  It was all really good, especially the beer.  I did something I swore I'd never do and took a picture of our meal.  Maybe Roy will post it here.

After lunch we had a guided tour of the old town.  We saw remains of a Roman wall, and had a walk through the old town.  We saw the exterior of St. Peter's cathedral and after the tour went inside on our own.  Impressive and extremely ornate .
The river is still high and there are flood markers are on a lot of buildings indicating the year and water height of each flood.  A little time for a walk on our own and back to the bus.  We did see a knife shop.  They had ever so many knives at good prices but Roy had his knife.

Tuesday, June  21
We have been to Nuremberg.   Got off the bus long enough to get a Christmas ornament (key chain) and a pocket knife for Roy and have lunch.  We came came carry on so he couldn't bring his trusty knife.  We have missed it.  Now he has one.  Lunch was in a Bavarian restaurant. We were given a glass of Tasker been when we sat down then a very nice salad, followed by pasta noodles and chicken in gravy.  Ice cream for dessert.  Then a whirlwind bus tour of the city.  A lovely Scottish lady came on as our local guide.  Our guide for the day from Prague is  Helena and our driver is  Vasislov (Wenceslas).  They have all  been excellent.  Thank you tour guide gods.
We were driven around the Old Town which was very scenic.  It looked like it deserved a walk about but that was not to be.  The bus took us past the old city walls, a dry moat, the court house where the Nuremberg trials were held, and to the Rally Grounds where Hitler held his rallys.  It must have been a stirring sight if you were a Nazi. Attendance was mandatory for party members.  They  were preparing the steps for a car race when we were there.  Across a lake from the Rally Ground is an immense coluseum that Hitler built but it was never used for rallys.  It is now a protected national site. It was a very sobering visit.
We are to be taken to Degindorf to catch our boat and at this moment are late.  Lots of us on the bus so guess they won't sail without us.  We have no Internet on the bus social am typing into a word processing program and praying we can remember how to transfer it to the blog.
The sun is shining  - so much happier than the rain this morning.  You can feel the change of mood on the bus.  It has been a very long day of bus riding.  We have to remember that we chose this option.  When we chose it our thoughts  were "autobahn, no speed limits".  Am I right.  No, no, no.  There is lots of construction,  stall, lots of big trucks (they can only do 80, lots of busses and they can only do 100km. Going was pretty slow and we were late.
To the boat...

Monday, June 20
Last day in Prague
We hadn't done the Mala Strana area so got tram tickets for the funicular at the hotel and off we went.  It is such an easy city to walk in.  We are told the transportation system is very good too.  If you are over 70 you ride for free.  Any way we are walking.
First stop was Saint Nicholas church in Lesser Town Square. The original church was built in 1283.  Today's church was built in 1775 and took a century to build. Three Generations worked on it.  Father, son, and son-in-law .  It is one of the most valuable Baroque buildings north of the Alps.  It is a very impressive building.  It's chapels, altars, ceilings are beautiful.
After we left the church we set out to find Petrin hill and the funicular line.  Up the hill, we almost got out at the half way point thinking we were at the top.  Fortunately we were able to hop back in.  That what happens when you don't speak the language.   Made it to the top and walked around the most beautiful and extensive rose gardens.  Several photo ops later we wandered off to find the Petrin tower, a replica of the Effiel tower.  It is the same height as the Effiel tower because it is situated at the top of a hill.  We cheaper out and didn't pay for the privilege of climbing 400 stairs to the top.  We did pay 10kz to use the washroom.  I got locked in!  Eventually I pushed my knee into the door an got out.  The attendant was frantically giving directions in Czech from the other side.  She found Roy about the same time I freed myself.  We couldn't find most of the places we were looking for and though it's a beautiful park we departed in search of lunch.  There was a pizza place near the Charles Bridge that looked good so we ordered a beer each and waited for our pizza, and waited, and waited, and waited.  I finally got up and a waiter and asked. About 5 minutes later he indicated that it was on its way.  10 minutes later it arrived.  We were careful to ask for our bill early on in the meal.
After lunch I wandered into a shop that sold Bohemian crystal and we did a little shopping for folks at home.  On our way back to the hotel we got tickets for a concert at the home of the Czech Philharmonic. Then back to the hotel where we had our afternoon rest and shower.
We had dinner in Ungelt Square.  Italian this time - Roy had a different tasting lasagna and I had a salad with spinach, tomatoes, pears and Norwegian smoked salmon.  The smoked salmon tasted a little off so thankfully I stopped eating it.  My tummy felt queasy for awhile after.
The concert was good.   Not necessarily what we expected but good.  The building was beautiful.   You could imagine, white wigs, fancy dress, etc.
We finished packing and headed for bed.  The water level hasn't dropped and there are two Viking ships stranded been Passau and Nuremberg.   One has taken out a bridge.  We chose  to go to Nuremberg and leave at 8:00 as we may never get there again.  It will be a long day.

Sunday, June 19
A new day and time to visit the Jewish Quarter.  Tony, from Avalon was there at his desk when we went down for breakfast.  All the things we had heard about river levels.  Yup, they are  high between Nuremberg and Passau so we may not be able to board the boat at Nuremberg but at Passau instead.  We will have a choice of visiting Nuremberg by bus and then to Passau. It will be a long day and may not even happen but he is warning us so we have time to think about whether we want to take the bus to  Passau (4h rs) or Nuremberg and Passau (8hrs).  Time will tell what we will be doing if the river drops or not.
Breakfast was nice but the hotel is huge so there are lots of people all wanting to fill their plates at the same time.  No eggs for me today!  Angela, a retired English teacher  from the Southern US sat with us.  She uses a scooter and has a tour of the Jewish Quarter as well.  The Jewish Quarter was fascinating.   So much sad history, how on earth can we find anything to moan about?   We visited the Maisel Synagogue first.  There we found a very interesting history and exhibit that tells about the life of Jewish people in Czechoslovakia.  Hitler planned to turn this building into a museum  of the " extinct Jewish race".  Despicable man.
Once we had our history lesson we proceeded to Pinkas Synagogue where humankinds disregard for others brings you to dispair.  The names of 77,297 Czech Jews sent to gas chambers at Auschwitz  and other camps are handwritten on the walls.  More than 155,000 Jews passed through Terezin camp.  Most died.  Their names are written here.  The writing is tight, no spaces and covers every square inch of wall. Up a flight of stairs is an exhibit of the Terezin's children's art. Of the 8000 children sent to Terezin, only 240 survived.  The art and photos of the children is incredibly moving.  I didn't want to go to Terezin because I knew I couldn't handle it having read about the camp, but I was wrong.  We should have gone in memory and in tribute to those souls.

The old Jewish cemetery is outside the synagogue.   It is huge. Graves are 500 years and more old.

The Klaus Synagogue was next and is now a museum dedicated to  displays depicting Jewish life, holidays and rituals. Again, we'll worth the visit.

Wedged in between visits to synagogues was a trip to the market.  Your mind gets saturated after a bit in museums so we had a complete change of pace.  The beauty of Prague is that everything is so close.  A five minute walk puts you in a different zone.
Haveiska Market is a block long with stalls set up down the middle of the street.   They sell crafts, crap, fruit, vegetables you name it.  There has been a market here since the 13th century.  We had Chezh ham (me) for lunch and Roy had kobesha.  Unfortunately the sold they ham by the gram and I wound up with enough for a meal for 4.  It seemed you took what they gave you.   It was very tasty as was Roy's sausage.  Then we had to try the ice cream cones.  They make a pastry, roll it on a cylindar, cook it over heat on a spit until it is a light brown.  Then they cut it in about 4 inch segments, dip it in sugar and cinnamon and fill it with ice cream, drizzle chocolate on top. Yum!

We were back to our room for a rest and shower and then out to the Czech cultural and folk dinner with the cruise people.   It was interesting!  We met some of the people.  Most seem to be from the deep south, at least  most at our table were.  There are some from Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and a few from Canada.  First we were given Becherovka, an old Czech liquor made of 27 herbs and reminds slightly of Akquavit.  They had long pipes they squirted the wine into your glass with and seemed to refill it after every sip.  The food was delicious and the entertainment fun.
The drive back into Prague took about 15 minutes.  Prague Castle looks beautiful lit up at night so Roy and I strolled back to the bridge to enjoy the view and take some photos.  Then off to bed...

Saturday,  June 18

The night was long for me as I seemed to be unable to get my internal clock set.  I finally got up and went down to the lounge (I had to ask them to unlock it for me) and  read.  Breakfast was being cooked and the aroma was tantalizing.   I read for a bit then went back to our room. Roy was showered and dressed so we repacked our belongings.  Not much was unpacked so it didn't take long.  Breakfast was tasty, they cooked soft boiled eggs for us.  There was everything under the sun to choose from but somehow olives, smoked salmon or cheese don't appeal at th
at time of day.  The breakfast servers were very anxious to make sure we enjoyed our meal and had everything we needed.   As a matter of fact everyone in the hotel went our of their way to be helpful.  It was a great place to stay  as the staff always greeted us and they may not have known our names but they remembered our faces.  Damir got us organized for a tour to Kutna Hora when the outfit we had planned to go with wasn't working out.
After breakfast we checked out and took our bags for a walk to the Intercontinental Hotel.  It was maybe a ten minute walk.  Both hotels are in excellent locations but areally quite different.  The Intercontinental is swankier but not as friendly. Swanky is nice but I really like the Maximillian.

The Avalon fellow, Tony was at his table and already had a line up of people - it was barely 8:30 in the morning!   They would meet with everyone at 6:00 pm.  so we got  ourselves checked in (they had a room ready at 8:30!) and headed out for Prague Castle.

Getting to Prague Castle was an adventure and education.  First we walked to the Charles street Bridge to find out about the tram.  The TI  Office  had been closed but the lady working at the museum told us where to go to get tickets and catch the tram.
We went to the tobacanist for tickets as she told us to do but he wouldn't sell us return tickets. "Walk back down the hill he said."  "It isn't worth buying tickets."  He didn't,  however, give us very much information on how to find our way back on foot.  We walked across the bridge and figured out where to stand for the 22 tram, we hoped, but still didn't know how to validate our tickets.  Three young women came along; an Indian, a New Zealanders and a Scot with Indian ancestry.  Sounds like the beginning  of a joke doesn't it?  The girl from India and the gal from New Zealand work for Green Peace and had been here for a conference.  The bubbly little gal from Scotland had been working at the hotel where they had stayed.  She was returning home to Glasgow in the evening and the other two were also returning home in the evening.  An unlikely trio but we had interesting conversation with them all the way to their tram stop at the castle.  Roy knew all about the Scottish gals family in that short time. It's so nice to meet people when traveling.  You never know what you will learn. We even found out how to validate the tickets so now we are authorities.
We went two stops further than the girls just like Rick Steve book told us to do.  Then we had difficulty getting our landmarks.  Eventually we figured out that we needed to head down the hill so off we went.  It was like a small town on the way to the castle so we decided to have our lunch in one of the restaurants.  We had a breakfast  as we couldn't find anything appealing on the menu.  Just simple, right.  It cost $30.00 in the end and was worth about half that.  Part of the price was the table tax.  Who knew?  It was sure not Chez Marcel.

We arrived at the main palace gate in time to see that last bit of the full changing of the guard ceremony.  Us  and several thousand others.  We lined up for tickets, Roy in one line and me in the other because we didn't know which lane would be faster.  At first it looked like his line was moving fastest so I joined him, then his line bogged down so we went back to my line and had tickets quickly.  Their system is not the most efficient.   We skipped St Vitus Cathedral as there was a long line of people waiting to get inside.  The Old Royal Palace was next so that's where we went.  Vladislav Hall (when you enter) is said to be big enough for horse jousting and markets.  Coronations were held there. Next door, the adjoining rooms are called the "Czech Office".  In 1618 angry citizens stormed the rooms  and threw two governors out the window.  The governors weren't badly injured for some reason for it sure looked a long way down.
Next was the Bascilica and Convent of St. George.  It is small and you feel that you have stepped way way back in time.  It was founded by Wenceslas' dad and dates from 920.  Perhaps that why it feels old. Actually the present building dates from the 12th century.  Somehow Wenceslas' dad got hold of a piece of St Vitus arm and built the church to house it.

The Golden Lane was next and it is named for the goldsmiths who worked there.  Before we got into the lane there was a window with  a man on the other side etching glass with  a stone wheel.  Both of us were fascinated so had to go inside.  My gosh he has to concentrate!  His designs are original and the pattern is in his head.  The price for each item is astronomical and well deserved. We purchased two small vases that we both like but they weren't originals and didn't merit papers saying they are authentic.
The journey down Golden Lane was next.  It was very busy and we skipped the shops where you could buy trinkets but saw Kafka's home and went in some houses that had been set up as they had been used.  People had been living in them as recently as the second world war.  One was the home of a historian and cinematographer.   He managed to save a good lot of film from being destroyed by the Nazis.
The prison tower was next stop.  Barbaric! I'll say no more.

                                            A quilt store what else

We finished up with St. Vitus Cathedral.  It is a very impressive Cathedral. The stained glass windows are beautiful.   The window done by Mucha is lovely.  The colours are vivid and so different from the other windows.  The centre panels show Wenceslas' grandmother teaching him how to pray and the surrounding panels tell the story of the saints who brought Christianity to the region, brothers Cyrillic and Methodius.  Cyrillic designed an alphabet for the Czechs who had no alphabet  (Cyrillric), and Methodius meditates.
The carved relief of the city of Prague is also very impressive.  There are many altars that are large and ornate.  Wenceslas chapel is in the church and also very beautiful.  His tomb is here.

After the cathedral we are tuckered out and not sure how to get home.  The map can be interpreted in two ways - which way to go?  A couple about our age are heading the way Roy feels is correct.  It turns out both ways will work but one is easier.  I asked the woman if they were going back to the city.  She hoped so but they weren't sure they were going the right way.  They had walked up and there were many, many steep stairs and .she didn't want to go down them!  Roy and her husband did some map consulting and we all set out together, the men in front and their loyal wives behind them.  The women talked the whole way down and so did the men.  We really didn't see much of Little Quarter but I'm pretty sure it is old.  They were nice people, from Philadelphia and we enjoyed their company for a while.  Interestingly later that evening as we crossed a street two young men struck up a conversation with us and they were from Philadelphia as well.  Nice kids.  Philly must be a good place. Met lots of nice people!  We parted company and we headed to one bridge and them to another. Roy said, "I could sure use a beer" (it was hot) so we stopped and he had beer, I had iced tea and it was half the price of our lunch beverages.   We were so dehydrated that we stopped for a second drink before we got back to the hotel.

Time to shower and clean up after a busy day.  Then it was time to meet with Tony the cruise director.  There are about 164 on the cruise and the boat isn't quite full.  There is a problem with high water between Nuremberg and Passau.  The boat may be unable to  come from Passau to Nuremberg so we may get bussed.  We have the option of going to Nuremberg and then to Passau or skipping Nuremberg and having 2 days in Passau.  We will go for the Passau option if we need to.
Dinner.  It seemed like a long time since our early and less than wonderful lunch.  The Old Town seemed like a good place to shop for dinner.  Found a restaurant that looked good but its kitchen was closed.  We wound up in one that I don't even remember it's name but I had grilled chicken breast and lots of veggies.  Nice.  We wandered a bit after dinner and Pappas found the replica of the tee shirt we got Hudson in Amsterdam.  He likes that shirt and has asked us to go back to Amsterdam so we could replace his that is too small now. Hope he likes the Prague version.  Iwhat to get the other four kids?
Home to bed...

Saturday,  June 19

June 17

I left you after breakfast, it was pouring rain outside.  By the time we got outside it had pretty well stopped raining.   Hooray!
We visited Wenceslas Square.   Be proud of us, we didn't sing Good King Wenceslas once.  I'm not sure why except that it was dreary outside so we didn't feel exuberant enough to burst into song.  Wenceslas actually was a benevolent duke and  not a king.  he was literate, and we'll educated and he Christianized and lifted the culture.  He was murdered in  929 and was canonized.  Wenceslas became a symbol of Czech nationalism.
The Square which is really a Boulevard is topped by the National Museum. It's facade is under tarps while they restore it. Apparently the facade is the part to see and the inside is rather uninteresting.   That saved some time.  Further down the Square is a memorial to two lads who decided the best way to stand up for the independenc and .freedom of Czechs was to set themselves on fire.    That was in 1969.  Twenty years later in 1989 their independence from Communism was finally achieved.
The architecture covers everything from Neo Gothic to Art Nouveau and is spectacular to see.
We left the Square and headed for the Old Town Square and the Astrological Clock.  We were there for 10:00 and had good viewing spots.  I was to video with  the new camera and Roy would take stills.  I held that camera valiantly aloft in the rain for the entire ringing of the chimes which is all if thirty seconds.  Did I get a good video of the event?  Did I get any video of the event. Nope, nothing.  Roy had tested it out at home and it worked but not in Prague.
We had to have an early lunch because we were taking a tour to Kuna Hora so we went to the French restaurant next to our hotel.  About a month before the trip I met Susan Taylor from my Fraserview days and she told me about a French restaurant that she thought was near our hotel in Prague. She had eaten there and thought it very good.  We'll it was next door and is very good!  Thanks for the tip.
Kutna Hora
Kutna Hora once boasted Europe'so largest silver min and was Bohemia'so second largest city after Prague.   Most of Europe's coins were minted there and the king got 12 % of every penny.  The siver mines were depleted by the late 1700's and the city  gradually died. We visited an ossuary.  Not tops on my list any day but it was part of the tour.  It is certainly  the most unusual ossuary we have ever visited.  The Select Bone Church is filled with bones.  Bones from 40,000 people.  The bones are stacked  into 20 foot pyramids.  Skulls every few rows with tibias and femur in between with just the ends sticking out.  There are also skull pyramids with each skull holding a femur in it's lower jaw. It did seem rather grisly.  Now, the graveyard got over full and there was no one to pay the rent on their burial place so the monks had to get creative .  They wanted to remind people that in order to live well one had to constantly remember death and that the church is a community of the living and the dead.  Been there...
After that we  visited St. Barbara's Church.  A Gothic structure was funded by silver mining and is named for the patron saint of miners.
We had a walk about the town and saw the stone well which was built to give the miner's families clean drinking water.
The scenery between Prague and Kuna Hora reminded us of Saskatchewan, right down to the wind, which seemed to be blowing constantly.
We were first to be picked up, the second couple to get on the bus were also from Canada, the Windsor area this time.

By the time we got to the church the sky had cleared and when we came out it was a pleasant temperature.   We returned to a sunny Prague.   As we were close to the Astronomical clock when they dropped us off we went back for another try.  On the way we stopped to listen to two street violinists  (can you say violinist ?).  They were amazing.  We tried making a video on the new camera but no luck.  Again we got a good position at the clock and Roy video taped it on the old camera.  Someone jostled his arm at the end but otherwise it was good.  After that we checked out some garnet earrings and I got a pair. Probably paid too much but they are an excellent souvenir for me and they don't take up room in the suitcase!  Then, though we had planned to go back to the Chef Marcel where we had lunch, we decided we liked the action on the streets near the Square.  After much menu reading we were back at Ungat Square and the Dubbliner.  It definitely wasn't Czech tradional but it was a lot of fun.  In order to use the WC you had to go inside, down a flight of stairs, down a few more stairs and in the bar, through a mob of  young men with a skin full beer of watching the football  (they parted for me as though I was the queen), then up a flight of stairs past more happy, noisy young men watching football on an even bigger TV screen and into a beautifully clean washroom.  I was in the third stall.  Young girl in stall number 2 asks if girl in stall #1 has seen someone's new apartment.  This is in the broadest Irish accents I have ever heard, even in Ireland.   The conversation continues and girls #1 says"sure  and isn't the flat right old fashioned? "  I loved it.  Back through the sea of cheering young men. Thank goodness no one cheered as I passed through or I might have been injured.  Meanwhile our meal has arrived (I know, I don't want to know what everyone ate but just this time).  Roy had the best looking fish and chips and my salad with Norwegian smoked salmon was on good, especially the mango dressing. Back to our home away from hom. We walked over 12 km today.  Too tired to figure out how to post pictures.  Maybe tomorrow, it's late now.

Prague

We are in Prague!  I started to compose this last night and kept drifting off to sleep.  I'd wake up and see the last word I had typed as walkeďddďd.  Time to go bed.   Of course I could have conquered the world at one am.

We arrived in Prague at 8:00 and the driver was there waiting for us with a placard with our name on it.  I always thought the people who had some one waiting for them with a sign with their name were VIPs.  Now I know they are.   We always had drivers waiting for us in Greece thanks to Mickey getting us on the self guided tour. We liked it!

There was a room ready for us at Hotel Maximilian that early in the morning.  What a blessing for we were exhausted.  Not only had we been traveling for what seemed like days (5 hour flight Vancouver to Toronto, and 8 hours Toronto to Prague plus waiting time) but a our flight was changed and the seats we paid extra for should have been issued at a discount.  We were in the same row as the bathrooms with a wall (for a bathroom   in front of us).  Charming? Not!  The whole flight it was flush, and slam as they closed the door to exit.  Think of all the passengers in economy taking multiple turns using the toilet over 8 hours.  They line up by our seats and chat witheach other . Then a constant  flush and slam.  Then there was the yoga class.  A mom brought her kids to the space by the toilet doors and taught them stretches.  Then the darn kids kept coming back and teaching each other more stretches in a volume only kids can achieve.  I appreciate the need to stretch but had to shush them.  There was a gorgeous sunrise and that did compensate somewhat for the noise but not for the fact that we had no blind on our window.

Roy and I got settled in our room and set out for a short exploration of Prague.  What an amazing city!   It truly is fairy tale.  I could for some jet lagged reason imagine Shrek and Fiona in the castle.   The buildings are amazing.  Some look like fancy cakes with their balconies, turrets and pastel colours.  Some make you think of all they have been through over the years.  Two world wars and 2 occupations just in very recent history.

We walked along the river to the Charles Bridge and over the bridge.  The scenery was beautiful as was the day.  Fishermen on the river, even a boat the was a car made into a boat.  There were lots of vendors selling things on the bridge and adding to the scenery.  We rubbed the statue of St. John to ensure our return to Prague.   Once across the bridge we turned left and visited some of the shops beside the bridge.   There was a marionette shop that was more like an art  gallery . The marionettes were works of art and so interesting to look at.  Of course you want to take them home but they'd be lonesome without all their friends so resisted the urge and saved a bundle of dollars.  They were interesting to  a wood carver and someone who likes to sew though.  We wandered up the street from the bridge before decided we were  done for now.  Saw some beautiful Christmas ornaments and crystal in shops.  We shared a very different but tasty pizza and back to the hotel for a couple of hours sleep.  Then we hit the cobbles again.  Visited the Old town square and saw the Astonomical clock but twice missed being there on the hour.  Stopped for a drink at a pub with an unlikely name for Prague.  The Dubliner!   Now for the eerie bit.  We sat outside at a table between tables occupied on one side by a couple and two men on the other.  What are the odds we'd all be Canadian?  Well we were.  The couple were from Newfoundland and the men from Ontario.  So we sat  and had a beer together.  The wives of the two men came along and one of their names was Linda.  Spooky.

We finished the evening with Czech goulash.  Not that memorable.   But the violins were nice.  Then back to our room just before a huge thunder storm hit.  What good timing.

We awoke to pouring rain this morning.  Not so nice but we have been blessed with great weather on all our vacations so guess we have been fortunate.  Just hope and pray the rain knows enough to stop as my shoes are mesh on top and will be wet in a heart beat.  Today we have booked a tour of Kunta Hora.

June 15 and 16

Here we are in Prague! !  Yes, it is rather exciting.   All these old world buildings, the fairy tale castle.  It's hard to take it all in.  That's called jet laagggg  and we have it.

To go back to the beginning.  
Roy and I stayed at the Accent Inn in Richmond rather than get up a 2:00 am to drive to the airport.  The alarm went off at 3:54 and we were dressed and ready for the shuttle at 4:40.  That's  a.m.    When Roy went on line to confirm our flights he discovered that our flights had been changed and we were no longer  flying Luthansa.  No be deal.  Oh hoh....
We had breakfast and found some fed that would sustain us for the f

June 14, 2006

Well here I am playing around making sure the blog is functioning and of course there are glitches (as usual).  I already did a little entry and it seems to have gone either to the garbage or a place I can't.  

Tomorrow we are off on a Danube River cruise.  Yep, we are excited.  It has been a while since we traveled.   We came home from Peru and Equator tired and travel weary.  Our travel friends all went on a Danube cruise is the autumn  and we have regretted not going along ever since.  The travel bug struck in March and after a few cups off coffee and tossing ideas around we called Mickey. She was able to get us a good deal and what we were looking for with Avalon Waterways.  So away we go...