Today would likely be our final day of sightseeing in Prague, before moving on to Munich, so we decided to visit the area known as Wenceslas Square. Many important historical events have occurred here, and it is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings. The square is named after the legendary and much revered duke of Bohemia who ruled from 921 until his assassination (by his younger brother) in 935. His martyrdom and the popularity of several biographies gave rise to a reputation for heroic virtue and piety that resulted in his elevation to sainthood. He was posthumously declared to be a king, and eventually came to be recognized as the patron saint of the Czech state. He is also the subject of the well-known "Good King Wenceslas", a carol for Saint Stephen's ... read more

Yesterday's activities were most assuredly not planned as part of this year's itinerary; however, given the circumstances, it could have been worse. In our experiences over the years, nothing has been more unsettling and stressful than finding ourselves in a foreign country with a medical issue. In 2014, Dee developed shingles while we were in the south of France, which required a trip to the ER in Aix en Provence. The following year, while in Paris, I went to the American Hospital there with borderline pneumonia. Then in 2017, during our around-the-world trip, I succumbed to a nasty intestinal infection for which I sought treatment in Athens, and subsequently in Nice. Last year we came away unscathed, but this year we've not been as fortunate. A few days before our departure, I strained, tore or severely ... read more

This morning, under cloudy skies but mild temperatures in the upper-60s, we embarked upon the first of two guided tours of Prague booked through a local agency. Today's itinerary focused upon the Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter (Josefov) and the Charles Bridge. Our personal guide, Marek (along with a friendly young driver named Karel), turned out to be an impressive guy in his 40s who speaks nine languages--incredible! Throughout the tour he exhibited an encyclopedic knowledge of Czech history, while setting a pace that was easily manageable for us. The driver dropped us off in the vicinity of the Jewish Quarter, a three-block area in the Old Town that has been home to a Jewish community for a thousand years. Jews first came to Prague in the 10th-century, where they were allotted the least hospitable ... read more

This morning we had an early wake-up call, as the ship docked at the port in St. Petersburg, Russia. The shore excursion this day, under blue skies and mild temperatures, was expected to be challenging--lots of stairs, walking and crowded tourist venues. It turned out to be even more grueling than expected, and by the time we limped back to board the ship at 5 o'clock, we were virtual zombies. The city of St. Petersburg (pop. 5.2 million) has a rich and glorious history going back to Peter the Great (1689-1725), whose vision it was to turn the city into an imperial capital. He was largely successful in doing so, and thus commenced the 300-year reign of the Romanov dynasty. After passing through the Russian passport control at the dock, we boarded our tour bus, then ... read more

After thirty-six hours of cruising on the Baltic Sea from Copenhagen, we docked in Stockholm this morning shortly before 9 AM. It has been surprisingly smooth sailing thus far, with sea conditions calm. When we docked, the air temperature was 33 degrees, but it rose to a balmy 60 degrees by mid-day, with clear blue skies and sunshine the order of the day. We had booked an excursion, "Stockholm On Your Own", which provided bus transportation to three separate locations in the city, where participants were free to visit what they wished independently. It seemed like a flexible approach, but as it turned out, there were simply too many sights and too little time devoted to each location. As a result, we came away from today's experience both frustrated and a little disappointed. The first stop ... read more