May 26 Very early start this morning. We took our last vaparetto ride (those 72 hour rolling tickets were definitely worth the money), and got to the train station just before 8am. Then we had a four hour train ride to Rome. Finally we see why you need reservations for some trains. Until this point, we never saw the train cars more than half full. This train was packed, and people had soooo much luggage with them. I feel like I have too much and all I have are a carry-on size bag and a backpack. Many people have those extra large suitcases, and then seem surprised when it is hard to get around with them, or there is nowhere to put them on the train. Pack light people, pack light. The train ride was mostly ... read more

May 23 We woke up at 5:15, had some breakfast thinking there would be no food on the train, and took a tram to the train station which was only two stops away. We were pleasantly surprised when the train showed up. It was the best train that operates in the Czech Republic. Shortly after the train departed there was a complimentary coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, orange juice, croissants, and baguettes. Better than being on a plane for sure. There was also a dining car with full bar and wide selection of meals. The train was almost empty and so we could spread out anywhere we wanted. Once we got to Austrian border, there were some technical difficulties and the train was 16 minutes late coming into Vienna, but overall it was a very good ... read more

May 19th We slept in until 11 this morning, so we are not quite used to the time change yet. We are staying with Filip's grandma while we are in Prague. Filip called the Czech Airlines to see about our bag, and if it had come in already, or if they had at least located it. They had located it in London, and thought that it should have been on the flight that had come in half an hour before, but were not yet sure. We tried to venture out to find this grocery store near Babi’s (Grandmas) apartment that might have some soy yogurt and other items that I could eat, but since it was cold and rainy we didn’t look around for long and went back to the apartment. Filip again tried the Czech ... read more

On last Monday and Tuesday Filip and I drove the 1600 miles from Salt Lake to Grand Rapids. It took about 24 hours of driving and we completed the entire trip in about 31 hours. It was quite uneventful except for the drive around the bottom of Lake Michigan, near Chicago. They drive like maniacs, and force you to drive like a maniac just to avoid being run over by a semi. One nice thing to see on the way are the wind farms that are mostly located in Nebraska. We are just about ready to leave for Europe, flying out tomorrow afternoon. Still getting things ready and getting our packing finished up. Next time we write, we'll be in Czech Republic. Molly... read more