Playing it Safe

​Because we’ll be on the bus for roughly 6 hours today, I decided to keep it simple for breakfast😊.  Muesli, one boiled egg, and a slice of salted fresh cheese.  Delicious. Oh, and a coffee of course!

The Procession

The most unexpected adventure of our day came in the form of being in the right place at the right time! Yesterday was the day the country of Czechoslovakia appointed a new archbishop, which just happened to take place at the historic cathedral on the castle grounds. You’ll recognize the pictures of the cathedral, as I took several when I was there on my own just three days past…

Because of the high profile people in attendance, as well as the pomp and circumstance surrounding the event, the church was closed to the public that day. HOWEVER… the security forces were just beginning to cordon off the pathway for the processional to walk through as they exited the church, and we literally had front row seats to that! 😃

Above is the new archbishop…

Above is the country’s president, although he doesn’t play such a significant role as our U.S. president we were told.  He does reside on the castle campus though, and works from there as well. 😊  His office, and the site of his public appearances…👇

We all agreed that we would much rather have witnessed this amazing celebration rather than seeing the cathedral. What a blessing that was!

And now we are on the bus driving along to Austria, so I will stop for now lest I miss out on seeing the countryside.

Ready or Not!

​All packed up. Just need to head down when it’s time for breakfast. I’ll grab a boiled egg today… For some reason in Europe, the eggs seem awfully wet if they are scrambled, but they’ve been a good source of protein to tied me over until my later afternoon, lunch/early dinner. 😊  I do believe I am the only one with just a carry-on only! I was walking yesterday evening with one of the group, and he asked how I could manage to fit everything into one carry-on bag.  

““ And a backpack” I clarified. That holds a lot too.”

I think the most difficult thing for him to understand, was where I put all of my liquids that were over 3.4 ounces. I explained how I started using shampoo bars when I travel, and just have smaller containers for the mornings that I leave so my shampoo bars aren’t wet and squishy.😂😂 

“ But what about sunscreen?” he asked.

While he does seem especially prone to burning, it is never something I’ve had an issue with, especially over here where the temperatures are still much like they are at home. I just shrugged. Not much more to say at that point.😂😂 But I will reiterate yet again how liberating it is to just have a smaller suitcase and a backpack!😱😂👏👏👏

Upright Endeavors

​Good morning on my final day in Prague! I apologize for missing last night‘s blogging session, but after a full day with the group, we were all happily exhausted, and I crawled into bed as soon as I got back to the hotel room. 

Alan, in the top photo, is from Northampton, England. And Michelle, next to him, is from San Francisco!

Then to add one to the mix, is Steve, from Detroit. A funny story about him later!😂

Our day started out early, as we made it to Old Town to wander through the Jewish quarter, and then later the Jewish ghetto, and then the rest of the ancient city.  We covered much of the same area that I’d spent my initial three days exploring, so it was fun hearing about all of the amazing things I had been seeing!  After dividing up into smaller groups for some free time, we had an afternoon castle tour scheduled. Five of us found a neat restaurant in a seller, and we were the only people down there, which was hilariously, funny, and enjoyable. Most preferred to sit up top in the sun, whereas we got to see the ancient and old of centuries long gone in our cellar💕!  It was only because of our local Prague guide that we knew where to go to find this! What a gem she was!

Off to the left of the building above, also a Jewish synagogue, is an old Jewish cemetery with some tombs dating back to the 1600s. I would’ve loved to have had an afternoon to walk through here, but time did not allow for it yesterday.

The photo directly above is an ancient Jewish synagogue, but still being used by the Jewish people living in the neighborhood. 

And I totally forgot about the ‘Upright’ title! Much like Israel, the streets here are uneven and paved with cobblestones. And to make things more difficult, going into any entryway of a shop, a museum, a toilet, or a market, there are graduated steps up, but all of them differ from one another so you really have to be paying close attention lest you fall flat on your face!  I took a couple of pictures to show you some examples…

Verrrrry tricky! 😂😂

I have to pack up so I don’t run out of time, so I’ll continue this later.💕

PS… My thoughts are scattered just now because our day was just so full of so much wonderful! And I haven’t taken time to proofread this, so I apologize in advance for any errors!

Well, Well, Well 😃

​What a plucky group of people! There are 33 of us in all, although I think a few were missing at the 6 pm meeting. I was surprised to hear that most everybody, at least everybody I spoke to, actually arrived just this morning 😱. So needless to say, all were dead tired. One couple took a nap, so I doubt they will sleep much tonight 😂. But I hope that’s not the case! We’ve got a couple of Aussie‘s, one Britt, one Canadian, and the rest are mostly from the east or the west coast. Our guide is from Slovenia, and he has a very thick accent, so we have to listen carefully to understand him. Several solo travelers like me, so I feel much better! It’ll be a fun adventure with this new group of friends.😊🤗

I picked this up at the grocery store on my way back to the hotel. It was smoked mozzarella, and very tasty. Sadly, I do not have a refrigerator in my room tonight, so I had to throw much of it away.  The other photos are just from my wandering around in the new ‘hood. 😊

Dejavu

​Well this is ironic! My room number for the past three days was 411, and I was at the end of a hallway near a window. My room number for the next three days is 611, again at the end of the hallway. Near a window. 🤓😂😂.  I feel like I am still in the TWILIGHT ZONE!😂😂😂

Very cozy!  Time to unpack with a cup of tea. 🤗

I walked past my little friend’s home at 1:54. I decided not to ring the buzzer because I figured it probably wasn’t safe for either of us to go off to a market as strangers. And I really wanted to get the great UNpack done. Hopefully she will forgive me.😳

😱😱😱

​UZBEKISTAN😱!  Samarkand is in UZBEKISTAN! Wow! My first time trying Uzbekistan food 😱!