We're off on the road to Passau.....

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Our last day in Prague came so quickly but we were ready to pack up and go to Prague via motor coach which is really just a bus. Tom and I felt it only appropriate that this bus was built by Mercedes. The comfortable padded seats were already in the laid back position and each had a seat belt. We were told the trip would be approximately 3 1/2 hours from Prague to Passau so we settled in for the ride. Our host was Guillome who sat in the front of the bus and spoke softly into the microphone describing the scenery as the bus sped from the Czech Republic towards Germany.

I closed my eyes to rest but instead was riveted by his telling of the history and culture of this area. He told us the first half of the trip was boring and to nap if we wished but we should stay awake for the second half which was the best part. I chuckle to myself now because as it turns out Guillome was from Passau and halfway through the trip we'd be in his cherished Germany.

Still in Czech Republic our host pointed out a tower in the distance ant told us that during the Communist Occupation Uranium was mined there and sent to Russia for building atom bombs. He spoke of quietly of Czech sports and Czech farming. It wasn't until we came to the rest stop when he perked up and said "now you are going to see the truly beautiful countryside of my country. As we approached the boarder he told us to watch for a red iron Steele marker. It was the symbol of the Iron Curtain from long ago, but never forgotten.

I learned that Germany has 16 states and apparently the best one just happened to be Bavaria the very state in which Guillome lives and the one in which we were now traveling. "Bavaria" he would say "is the most expensive state to live, and Munich is the capital." "Munich is the most expensive City in Germany and it's not meant for everyone to live there." Then a long list of companies that were created here and still headquartered here including BMW, Seiman, adidas, puma, the list went on. I listened as I stared out the window mesmerized by the beautiful countryside. Lush green forests on rolling surrounded us shich were dotted with those chateau type houses you'd probably associate with the movie Heidi, they were white plaster with the heavy dark wood beams on the second story. Each house had flowers spilling over the balconies and had neatly trimmed landscaping with vegetable gardens surrounding the properties. Farms had cows in the fields that were literally sitting lazily around rounded bales of hay. Some had the huge Clydesdale horses munching away and they'd raise their heads and tweet their ears as we passed. Rather than being on the autobahn Guillome took us down the Bavarian country roads pointing out the beauty of this part of Germany. All I could think of was how lucky we were to be on this bus, off the beaten track with Guillome softly extolling the wonders of his country. I closed my eyes and tried to commit the landscape to my memory.

I have no actual photos of this part of the journey to show on this blog, just the ones stored in my minds eye.

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