Marci and Steve Go Back to Europe

Hump Week not Hump Day Most of us work (ed) and define hump day as that mid workweek day, the one that let's us know the weekend isn't too far away and we can make it. Most of us vacation for a week or ten days at a time and hump day is that point where you feel you have been away a long time and at exactly the same moment you feel like your vacation is over.  You start consulting your list of sights not seen and meals not reserved to pack it all in during the last half of the vacation. I would never have believed we would be gone so long, that we would have a hump week, but here it is. We have been traveling for eight weeks, so next week is just about our midpoint, our hump week.  You might wonder does that feel?  It feels good to know that after eight weeks we still can have good conversation, still are laughing at getting lost, still looking forward to the next place we'll visit.  Approaching hump week, we realized that we were at the point where we had to make th...

Marci is too busy planning our next 6 or 8 weeks of travel, so today you get me, and the next edition of WTF...?? ( you did know this was always meant to be filler, and I save these up as I go, right?) Here it is - Seen in the lobby of a special building in 'center city' Praha ( Prague in Czech, if you still haven't figured that out yet)..... A special CZECH prize to the first correct answer that Identifies what it is...... Thanks for playing...... Steve Schwartz

Leaving Lasting Impressions as we Leave Prague Every city makes a distinct impression. It probably depends on the time of year, where you stay, who you meet, and the sights you see. It is usually during a fleeting three or five or seven day stop. It is usually made of whirlwind days and late nights, pre-set tours or researched dining spots.  This was not our Prague - Instead,  we had to time to soak up the small sights and observe people, both tourists and locals, so in no particular order...... There are so many pregnant girls and every one carries like she is having a boy with nothing but a big basketball belly.  Czech women range from tall to really tall. You never wait to be seated at a restaurant, you just sit at any empty table ( how refreshing! ). You have to PAY for TAP water at the restaurant.....no, really. Like 30 CZK for a glass bottle of tap water, with maybe a lemon slice....much more for San Pellagrenio, etc. Czechs help create, and inspired, cubism, modern...

Winding down in Prague The weather is heating up and we are winding down. Our long list of sights to see, whether they were opened or closed, is mostly ticked off and our bellies full of mostly good mostly non-Czech food ( Steve really likes the traditional food, but in cooler weather). We made it to the top of a couple of towers, to the depths of the 10th century and climbed up and down more hills than we knew Prague had.  We mastered the trams and metros, explored the center and the 'hood. We have a few last chores like laundry and a hair touch up before we say goodbye. Each day we seem to relax more and sit longer at our morning coffee at Cafe Jen just around the corner while the morning still has that hint of coolness and outdoors is delightful. Dominica, the young friendly owner who recently opened this adorable cafe, knows what we drink and that we don't take sugar so I guess we have almost gone native.  Half of the nights we eat local where practically the only English ...

New Metro Stop, New Sights The morning was for chores, first heading to the post office,    (THERE'S THAT BLUE COLOR AGAIN!!!) sending a package home (#5) and figuring out how to fill out the form all in Czech. Then onto the farmers market to resupply for our last week and looking forward to another delicious smoked trout for our lunch.  But our smoker must have another weekday job or market, as he was not in his spot and so my search was on for interesting lunch food. We could do produce and make a salad, or buy some fresh yogurts and cheese and bread OR we could try this unusual looking food cooking in a hugh paella pan being stirred by a pretty young girl who luckily spoke a bit of English and could kinda sorta tell me what was in the delicious smells wafting out. So even though her words were sauerkraut, potato, bacon and ham, I bought 200 grams knowing Steve would at least try it - "when in Rome" -Turns out it was delicious, much lighter than expected and the potatoe...

Bloging doldrums Today was a great day but a total repeat for a blog. More art, more museums, more languid lunches on terraces overlooking the Vltava. So today, we have a trade off-we post a photo essay, of the Prague we are seeing, walking and eating our way through, and in return the quid pro quo for everyone reading is this: we are planning our eastern euro road trip and are asking for any recommendations for sights or eats in Vienna or Budapest or Krakow or anywhere in between, including a drive through Slovakia, for which I am guessing I will get NOTHING.   We have been giving you our best " Rick Steves" style tips all along, so please send us yours. Is there a spot everyone goes that can easily be skipped,or is overrated, or a gem we might overlook, or a little cafe for the best of something? Our hotels are booked but if you have a great one, send that too.  So starting with today's tasting menu for lunch, here is our Praha.