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

This has been one of the most beautiful cities so far, it is magnificent in all aspects, no wonder it was very crowded. Very cheap too and currency is not the Euro.... read more

This city of Prague (Praha) seems to rival others in terms of the immense expanse of glorious ancient beauty in architecture, influenced by countless dynasties, rivalries, war and change. Fortunately it is all there before us to see, feel and enjoy. The old city and the area surrounding the great castle across the river just ooze with history. Just walking the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River (built by King Charles iv, starting 1357) after leaving the castle, says it all, baroque-style statue after statue (replicas now), depicting important parts of the city history. I found it very difficult to absorb it all and settled for simply enjoying the ambience of this magnificent city which was so intertwined with religious conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and her Protestant challengers centuries ago. Now the Church's influence ... read more

The second leg of our quest-trek during summer 2015 focuses on teaching at Anglo-American University i(AAU) n Prague, Czech Republic and continuing our Camino training schedule. This is the 8th year we have come to Prague to teach at AAU, and the 14th time we have visited this beautiful city. Every time we come we discover something new, and we expect the same this year. We have rented a terrific apartment about a 20 minute walk from campus (or 2-stop tram ride for those rainy days) that is conveniently located between 2 huge parks. This makes for easy early pre-breakfast training walks as we have enjoyed exploring these lovely parks along with the other areas around Prague with which we are already familiar. AAU has recently moved into a newly restored castle built originally in the ... read more