Blogs from Prague, Czech Republic, Europe - page 16

Up and at em again. Bags out on time and down for breakfast Then on to the bus. Lynne gets on the bus and wisles us all well, giving an update on Peter's situation. No change from last night. we all wish her luck And then we go. Drive today is to Prague via Dresden. Rolling along when Kari Anne wanders down to see how we are all going. Oops, forgot to mention that our rotation has us in the naughty seats today, right down the back. Reckon these might be the best seats, 4 across instead of 5 and even more legroom..... Anyway, she asks if we have any questions, I say yes, she looks worried. I ask who won the trip arrival guesstimate contest. She is now happy as she had forgotten and I ... read more

What does it mean to be a tourist? Of course, there is not one definition that summarizes the concept with any finality. I recall watching a documentary about the James Bond film phenomenon where the narrator explained that the first films from the 1960s tapped into an emerging phenomenon of middle class Americans traveling overseas in larger numbers. A curiosity about other places and increased earnings created a new breed of traveler. The movies that showcased exotic locations that Americans might visit whetted their appetite for such adventure (seeing Sean Connery as Bond didn't hurt either!). Yet even today most Americans do not have a passport. It seems to me that it is possible to be a consumer as a tourist in much the same way as one can consume other sorts of products. To be ... read more

We decided to stay in the locality of our apartment on Sunday so headed back "Into the Woods" where we discovered that many locals do exactly the same thing. But it's such a lovely area, so peaceful and such a wonderful way to enjoy the natural world that there's no wonder the place is so popular. In the grassy area surrounding the Hvêzda Summer Pavilion there were lots of family groups either picnicking or frequenting the café there. And this time, with no weddings utilising what is also called the Star Summer Palace, we bought tickets to explore the place and attend the exhibition which was celebrating the 50th anniversary of 'The Most Beautiful Czech Book of the Year' competition. Not being able to read or speak Czech we couldn't really work out what the books ... read more

We arrived at Prague airport very late in the evening so were very pleased to be met by Magda and Dalibor - the couple who stayed at our house with their two children earlier this year as part of a Home Exchange site we both belong to. Thanks Magda and Dalibor, it was greatly appreciated and very sweet of you both. Magda, Dalibor and their two gorgeous daughters arrived the next day to give us the run down on the apartment which was very helpful. Practicalities over we all walked to a local restaurant for lunch which was full of other families doing the same thing, lunch being the main meal here. After Magda, Dalibor and the girls left Kev and I decided to go for a walk, which Dalibor had told Kev about, encompassing parklands ... read more

This week we have finished up our classes at Anglo-American University, and we are finalizing our preparations to begin phase 3 of our summer trek...our walk on the Camino de Santiago. In addition to teaching his classes this week, on Tuesday evening Ray spoke at the inaugural event for the AAU Center for Leadership Studies which he has been tapped to direct. As an out-of-class experiential learning activity last weekend, Ray took some of the students from his AAU leadership class to a high ropes course to practice cooperative learning activities. This was the first time any of the students had participated in a high ropes course, and--by their report--was a great learning experience. Here is the link to a short video showing some of the elements Ray worked on with the students: https://youtu.be/xFRK7gF_MGk Our classes ... read more