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Epilogue 10/13/2019

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We have all returned home safely and recovered from our jet lag.  In thinking about what to put in this segment of the blog I thought I would share my thoughts on European travel.  But first I will share a few things we did on our last day in Prague.  At the completion of our castle tour we returned to the old town and had a traditional Czech meal in a local restaurant.  Linda and I had a meal for two that included an assortment of pork, beef, sausage, ham, duck, and vegetables.  Harry and Amanda had chicken kabobs.  We all had garlic soup, Cokes and Czech beer...  a fitting way to end this trip. When we make these trips abroad, I try to get a haircut in the countries we visit.  After lunch the ladies went shopping and Harry went with them.  I went to the barbershop.  The last thing Linda told me was "do not come back looking like you are still in the Army".  I said "yes, Dear".  When I got in the barber's chair, I told him I w...
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Prague Castle 10/08/2019

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We just concluded our last touring day in Prague.  We took a walking tour of the Prague Castle.  Before I forget to mention it, we logged 21,700 steps in this effort.  Our tour guide for today's tour was a young college student from Dallas, Texas.  She has been over here for 18 months attending the University and earning extra income conducting English speaking tours around Prague.  Her name is Julia and she is good at her job.  She is entertaining and knowledgeable about the history of Prague and the Castle.   Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world.  It occupies and area of 750,000 square feet. It is 1870' in length and 430' wide.  It is among the most visited tourist attraction in Prague.  The first wall of the castle was erected in the year 870.  There were many changes and improvements made over the next 600 years.  Churches were built, fortifications were strengthened, the royal palace was built and rebu...
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Prague 10/07/2019

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 Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic.  It is the country's largest city with 1.3 million residents.  It is a political, cultural, and economic center of Central Europe.  A country with a rich history,  it has suffered through a number of changes that have influenced its path.  It has been in existence for over 1,000 years.  It was occupied by the Germans in WW ll and by the Russians following.  As a member of the Eastern Communist Bloc, Prague did not fare well under the communist rule from Moscow.  That changed in 1989 when they were able to free themselves from Russian rule and became a free nation.  That is behind them now and they have moved forward.  Tourists from all over  visit Prague each year and these numbers are increasing.  I am glad we decided to come here.   Prague enjoyed quite a bit of economic progress in the reign of King Charles IV.  He was a progressive King and made a huge impact on ...
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Moving Day 10/06/2019

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We recovered from the football game last night, loaded onto our bus, and began a 7 hour journey through Hungary, Slovakia, and into the Czech Republic.  We made a rest stop while in Slovakia.  Does that count as visiting another country?  I think not.   The trip we are on is called independent travel.  We purchased our hotel and airline tickets through the Gate One Travel agency.  It included our airline tickets, hotel in Budapest, transportation between cities, and our hotel in Prague.  Our 3rd trip using this company.  We are pleased.  No surprises.  The bus was there at 7:30 am and we got to Prague around 4:00 pm.  A couple of breaks with a lunch stop.  Nice trip.   While traveling through Slovakia the tour guide told us about the country.  One bit of information caught my attention.  Russia used Slovakia as a manufacturing sight to produce most of the ammo used in the AK 47 automatic weapons used in the Col...
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