Czech Republic Visit Day 5-Prague

On Monday April 18 Vlasta had arranged for me to meet an acquaintance of hers, Lucie. She is a tour guide part time and a teacher another part and very fluent in English. This is perfect! I could see Prague with a tour guide, one on one. How special is that.
Once we figured out how I might get a transit pass as it's so complicated here with passes for hours or the number of stops your are going to travel or days or weeks or.... oh the list goes on but it is kind of overwhelming but we got to Museum station where Wensceslas Square is.

Once we got out of the subway and up to street level there were 1000's of people! For my first few days in the Czech Republic I have seen few people but here. Wow! What a difference. There were hundreds of tour guides and their mob of followers in this area. It is quite large so it wasn't too bad with the amount of people but it was such a change from what I had been seeing over the past few days. Now, though, we were in the thick of Prague. This is where the history is, this is where it all comes together.

Meeting Lucie was wonderful. She was going to take me to all the true sights of Prague and orient me to the city so I would be able to come back on my own and check out the things I wanted to see again or in more detail. She was able to explain to me and show me the difference between Baroque architecture vs. Renaissance and Art Nouveau and Art Deco and Gothic and.... phew! So much to see!

It was the most amazing time and I have a hundred pictures of the most beautiful buildings in the world. I cannot put them all on this blog now but I will show some of the most famous things and parts that I found exciting. High lights of the Old Town were the Church of St. James, the Old Town Square and the cobble stoned everything! Lucie took us down some smaller streets that were less congested and having a personal tour guide was so special in this way. We also chatted about what each other did for work and our families. It was a lovely time!

Inside an Art Deco Cafe



Old Town Square and the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn

 As you can see by the picture above the Old Town Square is decorated for Easter. As I've mentioned before this is a HUGE holiday here in the Czech Republic and Lucie explained to me that this time is the one that all Czech people wait for. It is a sign that spring is here. A time for regrowth and blooming things and happiness. I can see it  here too! To day the temperature was a beautiful 20 degrees celcius and many people were out in the gardens and parks enjoying the lovely weather. Of course with my skin's ability to be challenged by the sun in Canada on first exposure it was noted to be the same here. I did bring sun block too! Maybe I'll come back with a tan.

After 3 1/2 hours of walking all over Old Prague, venturing over the Charles Bridge to the other side of the Vltava river we ventured around Little Town. A little different in architecture but the same feeling. For some reason there were less people around which is just as well as the streets are VERY narrow here. We saw the consulates for British, American, Serbian, Italian and Irish which are housed here. There was a great vantage point from this side of the Vltava to see the skyline of Prague. I'm sure I have a picture somewhere of this from Dad's collection of things. It was spectacular though! The penguins you see below in the picture are part of an Avant Gard art display. I have included this picture for my friend L, who LOVES penguins! The statues were about 4 feet high!

We met Vlasta at the base of the Funicular tram for the ride part way up the hill to a restaurant that has a lovely patio and overlooks the valley of Prague city and is on the same elevation as Prague Castle. This was outstanding. Words cannot express how lovely this moment was. Everything was just perfect and I could have sat there ALL day!

 

After our meal, Martina joined us and she and I walked along the walkway to the back part of Prague Castle. This was a beautiful vantage point to see all of Prague stretched out beyond us. She and I had a great converstation time and we talked about our lives outside of this visit here. She is a talented and fun girl and I know she will be a great success in what ever she does. Right now she's working on her thesis for sport psychology and is looking forward to her research. She is also an elite snowboard cross competitor and, again, a sports nut like the rest of her family. She and I walked to some places that I might not have seen in any other tour!
But first there were these lovely steps to walk up. In Prague there are small streets that join different parts of the city together, well, this is a walk way!

We had a lovely time wandering all through this part of Prague.
As Martina had to head off to a meeting I was to meet Vlasta near the apartment via Tram. The trams are more like our streetcars with dedicated areas for the tracks to be. I found the right one for my trip (#17) which happened to be the same one for Martina but going the other way. It was rush hour time in Prague, also with the influx of tourists at this time too it was quite something. The trams were packed but I'm used to that travelling in Toronto so I piled on and waited for my stop. I am quite comfortable in the transit system here as it is quite similar to the Toronto one. Thankfully the stops were announced and displayed for me to see! No problem!

This tram took me along the Vltava river and I could see a place where swans were gathering and people were there feeding them and there was a lovely island where other people were relaxing in the nice weather. There were many rowers on the river and I decided then that I will have an afternoon there wandering around. Everything is accessable by walking or tram here. I don't know that I'll need the subway but it is a faster way to the Old Town.

Next week I'll have several days to explore Prague again on my own and I am grateful for the tour today and the opportunity to take the tram on my own and see what it was all about.
After a well deserved (and needed I think) shower and relaxing time in the apartment Vlasta and I shared a light supper and a glass of wine! It was girls night in as Mirek is away for a few days in Germany on a conference.

On Tuesday (day 6) I am alone for the morning, tidying up all my brochures and things and taking some time to catch up on my blog and pictures. If I don't lable the pictures now I'm doomed! So it's also a chance just to slow down, it seems like we've been on the run, going here and there for 5 days now.

So again, a beautiful day (the weather certainly helped) and sight seeing with a fantastic lady and guide and a lovely lunch with her and my cousin!

This is just GREAT!

Day is done... gone the sun...

Harrachov and the Glass Factory on Sunday 17 April

On Sunday Vlasta had arranged a tour time at the glass factory in nearby Harrachov which, by the crow flies is probably only a few kilometers away from Paseky but with the winding mountain roads it seemed a little farther. Along the side of the road there was a stream or rather small river that had obviously been flowing for centuries as the rocks were smooth on either side. As spring is a little later arriving in this area you could see for several meters in the woods and it was dense and rocky. I can only imagine that people first settled here because of the water.

The glass factory was started in 1712 and much of the old building still exists. The Germans took it over during the war in the 1940's and then it reverted to the state after that. Now it is owned again by a single person, Frantisek Novosad, from 1993. This factory is the oldest working glass factory in the world. We had a lovely tour of the facility and I had an English interpretaton to follow along with. It was spectacular and so fascinating to see the glass being blown for beer glasses and fancy wine goblets. Of particular interest to me was the gentleman making pigs! They were so intricate and he made them so fast. There was a whole tray of the gleaming crystal piggies! I had fun in the store afterwards let me tell you!

The tour winds it's way to the etching or cutting room. It's not really a room it's more like a tennis court. It's huge! It dates back to 1895! There are 12 etching stations that large grinding wheels are attached to a moving spindle that is powered by water! The factory still uses a Francis water turbine to power each cutting station. Hanging from the ceiling were 3 chandeliers! One of which looked VERY similar to the one that came from the Vejvara family home here in Prague and how hangs in my cousin's home in Shedden, Ontario. It was so weird to see it hanging there. It was covered in glass dust as it is right in the cutting room. I guess they need light there too, but a chandelier??? It was surreal.

Attached to the glass factory is, of course, a brewery and they make "healthy beer". Well, for me any beer is healthy but this is the type that is unfiltered. We call it wheat beer. They call it healthy. Either way is fine with me.
With your admission to the factory there is a free beer! Wahoo! It was so great tasting and cold. Something about fresh beer! The vats are sitting right in the little restaurant area and there are artifacts of the glass making all over the place. The menu is held up by a old mould of a goblet. I always think this is the neatest thing ever. The worker would blow the glass into this mould, which is made of beech wood and it would be cooled ever so slightly then the mould would be opened and the glass removed to another station where the stem would be fashioned. The process took probably a minute to do and these folks worked with precision and grace as they are paid also by the perfection of their pieces.
                                       

I was also very pleased to see that one of my favourite things was also attached to this glass factory. Since they have a brewery, they have a SPA too! Guess what? One of the treatments is a BEER SPA. Get this.... natural spring water (it's everywhere here) then 5 litres of light lager, milled hops and 5 litres of dark lager and you BATHE IN IT. Oh wow! How cool is that.
The brochure describes it as "great for your cardiovascular system and skin. The effects of beer also help to cure acne and cellulite and they reduce tiredness." Right because you're drinking the bath water!!!! Ewww. Really though I think it's something that might fly! Hmmm I wonder if Ste. Anne's would have such a thing?
When I found that this treatment was here I really want to come back! Vlasta and I have figured out that when we retire we will both go on a Czech Spa trip. This will be one visit I'm sure.

We departed the glass factory, my purchases in hand, nicely packed for the journey home so I can't even peak at them until they come back to Canada, to go into Harrachov and check out the last remaining open ski centre. There is one slope open, mind you it goes for over 1 km down the mountain and we could see the ski jumping and ski flying centre there as well. This area is a 3 season resort area. Really in the fall there isn't much to do here except hike but during the summer there are many events to keep anyone occupied! There is kayaking on the river, a slide ride type thing, trail riding on bikes and ATV's and relaxing in the town. I think of it sort of like Collingwood, Ontario.

Our journey for the day wasn't over as we were now heading to the Jizera mountains where there is a cabin (cottage) that my father worked in during his army time. Each member of the army was assigned to a job. My father's was to be a caretaker in a mountain cabin for the winter of 1946. This winter, it is said, was to be one of the hardest ones on history. There was 4 meters of snow and people had to leave out of their homes through the top windows.
We parked at the top of the valley and walked the 2 kilometers down to the cottage. Cars are not allowed on the road except for disabled flagged vehicles and residents of the two inns at the bottom of the valley. There was snow, there was a beautiful clear wind and it was exciting!

Once we reached the bottom of the valley there was a bit more to walk to the cabin. It is currently being refurbished by someone and hopefully in a couple of years it might be open to see inside. Right now there isn't anything to see in there. It's just to know that this is where dad worked was very, very cool. The setting was beautiful but I could see how it would be very desolate in the winter. Dad would have had to be pretty handy to resolve issues with the building in this place. Again, it was wonderful to see part of history, my history.



65 years later a Vejvara is back!

 In these small villages there is always an inn or two. We had lunch (okay I was starving by this point) at Pansky dum. There I had the most amazing dumplings with pork in them and kraut! Oh boy it was good. Maybe because I was hungry or it was the great ambiance (again) or that it was just SO exciting to be there it was all so awesome. The Pansky dum is quite a nice resort and has all the amenities that you could think of. All right there in the middle of no where! Very nice. From there Vlasta and I walked up the valley to the car to come back down and get Milena and Mirek. They had already left the inn and were heading up. Milena said she was going to get some exercise after her big lunch too. She was walking poles (like ski poles) and she was just motoring along. It was a lovely day. Now it was back to Paseky to snooze then pack up for the drive back to Prague. We had travelled safely, thanks in part to Krkonose (kirk-oh-nosh-eh) who is a moutain spirit/man. He is everywhere and I took a picture of him in Pansky dum's front entrance.

Once back in Prague Vlasta and Mirek's son Petr came over to visit briefly. It was exciting to meet another cousin! He is an engineer and is doing very well and excited to be working now, like all grads. He is very tall (takes after his father!) and is a sports nut like as is his whole family.
After a short meal, and a beer of course, I settled off to bed. On Monday I will have my first look at the whole city of Prague!

I have found some roots....in Semily Czech Republic

Greetings all!

I have been travelling around the country side and through Prague so this post will reflect the activities of the weekend, specifically Saturday. Sunday's a whole other day of adventures!

Here we go!

Aunt Milena had arranged a visit with a teacher of archives (archivist) and historian in the town of Semily in the mountains of North Bohemia. This interesting gentleman, Milos Plachta, took Vlasta, Milena, Mirek and myself through the most amazing trip through family history. Josef Vejvara was a journalist, for lack of a better term, in the area of Semily, which was hub of industry in the late 1800's. The display of Josef was of articles and some pictures. We were also escorted to the upper part of the museum which was closed to the public to see what life was like back in the days that he was alive. I think there is a family resemblance for sure!

Milena, Vlasta and I had the thrill of writing in the VIP book of the museum of relatives of famous people from Semily. It was an emotional moment for me and for them as they had not met any direct relatives of one of their noted people. I showed my passport to the curators there and it was "proof" of who I was, despite the fact that I did not speak Czech!

This is my aunt Milena signing the VIP book.

After the museum we walked to the water's edge of the Jizera (Yeh-zeer-ah) river that runs through Semily. One of the streets over looking the bank is named after my Great Grand father.
We were ready for lunch at a local eatery named "Roka Bar", again, awesome food and pivo to drink! Mirek is making sure I have at least 1 beer a day. No problem here!

We stopped at the Semily cemetary and there found the grave site of Great Grand father and other members (cousins?) of the Vejvara family. It was again, a thrill to find the gravesite and see more of my heritage. The cemetaries in the Czech Republic are all being decorated for Easter time, which is a very big celebration here.

We headed toward the mountain apartment of Vlasta and Mirek in Paseky but first we had go to the Semily golf course! This is one of the oldest courses in the region and had opened for the season last weekend. Mirek, who is a golf freak, much like The Mother, grabbed a 7 iron and some golf balls and we played the "Chimney Hole". As this is very hilly land, the course is 9 holes and situated where ever they could get a piece of land large enough to put a course. The Chimney hole has one challenge. If you over shoot the green you go down a cliff and land in the side of a factory that is built there. The chimney of which is what you see from the tee box. We had fun running around a couple of the holes of the course and played the one hole with gusto! Mirek would still be there if we didn't head towards the car with out him!

 

7 iron on par 3 Chimney Hole, Semily Golf course.

Our journey was complete for Saturday when we landed (and as Vlasta drives sub sonically, you really do land) in Paseky (Pass-ek-ee) for the night. The air was cool and clear and the mountains beautiful before us and little patches of snow up higher. It was fantastic!

After a snooze by all members of the travelling party it was time to head to a lovely Czech restaurant Na Vyhlidce ( veh-lee-tuh-zeh) high in the mountains in the village of Korenov.

The food was traditional, the ambiance was traditional, the beverages were traditional and we had a lot of fun! I had potato pancakes and a dessert of 'crumpets' with blueberries and cream as this area is known for it's abundance of blue berries. Oh yes we started the meal with a traditional aperitif-Campari-YUM! and an appetizer of smokey ham with a whipped cream like filling with horseradish in it. Oh MAN was that good.

All this glorious food was necessary as Vlasta and I attempted walk to the restaurant (5 km) over the mountain but we had started too late to make it. We met Mirek and Milena in the car. We had gone about 2 km (straight up I might add) and we didn't want to be late for the dinner.
Though the food looks very heavy I can tell you the exercise and mountain air makes it all the more delicious and worth every bite. We had a great time there!

Then it was to bed! What a fantastic day! So much I have learned, so much I have seen, so much I am thankful for!

Prague Day 2-First View of City

Dobra Den! (Good Morning!)

It is 1 am Ontario time as I write this. 7 am Czech time. We will be leaving at 8:30 for the mountains and town of Semily and Harrochov and the tourist (cottage?) area of Bohemia.
Vlasta and Mirek and Milena and I will go by car there. It is an hour and a half due north of Prague.
We come home tomorrow night so there won't be a post until then.

Yesterday Friday,day 2 of my adventure began quietly as Vlasta and Mirek allowed me to sleep in and get organized for the rest of my adventures.
After a hearty lunch (that's something they do well here, eat great food!) of a lovely tomato based soup and baked turkey with a ham and cheese topping. This is a great meal to begin a 3 hour walk around Praha 4, the section of Prague that Vlasta and Mirek live in.
Not far from them is the subway train station and we will get a pass for me to use over the next couple of weeks as it is much cheaper than paying each day. In Prague you pay by the time that you will be using the system or by hours, day, few days, week or month.

We visited the 5 diamond baseball facility that they both spent many hours at as their children and Tomas' were all involved in the baseball program here. The facility, home to the Prague Eagles, was the largest baseball facility in Czech Republic. It really is very beautiful and well maintained. Vlasta and Mirek knew many people when were there watching a youth tournament that had started. There were teams from Poland, Germany and Croatia there. I have to remember that those countries are only a couple of hours away by bus or train!

We walked over many streets and areas where Vlasta showed me different ways that people coped during communism and the changes that have happened after that regime has gone. The transformation has been really quite beautiful with gardens full of flowers (yes, the tulips are up here) and buildings restored.
There are few flat roads here, they are all quite hilly and we both got a work out to get back home.

When walking in Prague one has to remember that people drive very quickly and pedestrians are somewhat of a challenge to them. I stayed on the sidewalks, though uneven and cobblestoned I knew I wouldn't get squished!
Vlasta took me to a look out point that allowed me to see many parts of Prague from the south end. We even saw some rowers on the Moldau and I imagined this is where Dad rowed. It is lovely flat water and at one point I counted 10 boats, some singles, some doubles and a team of 4 working out.

Once we got home Vlasta began to work on a translation of much of the information she has received on my father's history here in Prague and the Czech republic. It is hard work for her as her English is very good but this is a difficult task. I thank the world for her effort. I read one of the pages she has worked on and it is most interesting. I did not know that my father and 2 others left Prague via canoe on a lake that borders Austria but due to some metal barriers that had been put in the lake to prevent just what they were doing they had to swim part of the way. Again they had to swim across the boarder into France! It took them 12 days to go from Czechoslovakia to Paris. Wow, what a time that must have been.

Dad (whose nickname here was Vara) was awarded 3 medals, though he never received them as he did not return after his escape in 1947. A Scouting medal for resistance activities during the war, The Czechoslovak Medal for Bravery and the Czechoslovakia Medal of Merit, first grade. This is all so interesting and gives me a peak at what life was like and what his life was like in that time.

I also had the chance to meet Martina, Vlasta and Mirek's daughter, she is an elite snowboardcross athlete for the Czech Republic. She is also at University here at the moment. We will have a chance to spend more time together as my visit continues.

So, this blog post was much easier as we discovered the password for the wireless internet that they have here from Petr (Vlasta and Mirek's son) who could give it to me over the phone. This is helpful and makes posting much faster!

I will have much more to post when I return from the "mountain apartment" the Krejci family has there (think condo at Blue Mountain I believe).

Until next time!

Mirek (front) and Vlasta walking down a typical Praha 4 road.

Vlasta and I walked UP this road! Good work out!

Prague Day 1 April 13-14, 2011

Greetings readers of my travels.

I'm finally here!!!!

As I was waiting for my final train to take me to Prague I kept thinking of the movie, Trains, Planes and Automobiles. That's the kind of day it was.

My friend A, picked me up from The Mother's house to take me to the Airport. There I checked in at one of the kiosks as I have an E-ticket. I'm not the swiftest at those things so it took me a while to figure it all out. Then I realized I wasn't in the Executive Class waiting area and headed to the right place. Everyone was and has been so nice in my adventures.

First Class really does have it's advantages. There was a lovely lounge to hang out it before the flight boarded with free everything. I guess I've already paid for it really but it was lovely. Comfy chairs, lots of nibblies and beverages. I really enjoyed watching the families and business people prepare for their flights, some seemed excited (like me) and others just going about their daily business. 

The seats in the plane for first class aren't really seats at all. They're BEDS! There were 7 controls to figure out that would make the seat/bed move in any direction you wanted. It was really something. There was a nice blanket, pillow, bottle of water and 'care kit' (toothbrush, paste, lip balm etc) waiting for me.  

The staff was amazing, the flight uneventful except for a couple of turbulence times and I watched Black Swan, True Grit and a bit of Kung Fu Panda (okay, I watched a cartoon when I woke up from a couple of hours of rest/sleep). I even caught some XM Satellite radio too. Didn't really get time to read my book. We were in the air for 6 1/2 hours. Descending into Germany was beautiful. The sun was coming up over the clouds, as we were above the clouds for a bit then there was the green fields and forests of central Germany. There were many wind farms visible from the air. 


Once I finally got to the passport review place and my luggage (tons of walking but well signed) I found my train waiting area and settled in Frankfurt terminal for 2 hour wait for my train to Dresden. Frankfurt is a European hub and there was everyone imaginable there, from every country it seemed. I loved it! 

The trains are all electric in Germany and Czech republic as far as I could tell and very, very quiet. I put my iPod on just to kill the silence! I'm so used to Via clicking and clacking along but here, nothing! First class is very nice in the German ICE (intercity express) and all done in light wood panelling and glass. Very comfortable and the trains FLEW! No wasting time here. I reached Dresden 5 hours later.

Travelling through Germany I saw so many homes with solar panels on the roofs. The roofs, by the way, are all red clay tiles as there are very few homes with asphalt shingles on them and thus all the same colour. There were many homes that were just abandoned and left to ruin. My cousins tell me this is because if there is no money to fix it up it is just left. Very sad to see but I guess that's what some European countries are coming out of.
Many fields had deer in them and there were lots of swans grazing in the new wheat fields. It was very neat to see. We don't see swans as much but here they're very plentiful.

I changed trains in Dresden and couldn't resist buying a warm pretzel to snack on. My time was all mixed up as we are 6 hours ahead here. So right now, as I type it is 7 am in Ontario. Weird!
Anyway the train to Dresden was a little more down scale in fanciness but still went very fast and travelled along a beautiful track that was beside what would become the Moldau (Vltava) river in Prague. I took pictures out the train window as best I could, it was raining so it wasn't the perfect venue for it but I captured some memories. Beautiful little chalets (and not so little) were built into the side of the mountains. Then, as we approached the Czech Republic, things flattened out and it became more farm like again. 
Though the train announcements were a little difficult to catch, even in English, I got off at the right station with Vlasta, Tomas (cousins) and Milena (my aunt) to greet me with flowers and the traditional bread and salt, which I was to eat immediately! I was wonderful to see them and I had finally finished my journey. In total I had been travelling 15 hours! Wow!!

Tomas and Vlasta both have SUV type vehicles and we flew through the streets of Prague. Tomas suggested that we go through the old town so I would see that first. It was a wonderful idea because it was a spectacular way to see it first. The streets are SOOOO narrow and all cobble stoned and these guys fly down the roads! It was fun. Vlasta and Milena showed me all the places and streets that I will be able to investigate but we had to make one stop. The apartment building that Dad left when he escaped. It is on a street that stops at the river and the building used to be a walk up and they were on the 4th floor. Milena said it was 90 steps to the top! Yikes! There is an elevator in there now and the new owners of the building have refurbished it so it is clean and very nice looking. Not all buildings in Prague are as some have not been renovated yet.

Once home in Vlasta and (husband) Mirek's apartment I began to feel settled in. I unpacked and we all looked at maps and tourist information that they had found for me. A nice dinner Vlasta had prepared was lovely (schnitzel and soup and salad!) after a long trip and Mirek and I enjoyed my first Czech beer! After dinner we intently watched the weather report as we are heading to the north Bohemian area and they have had 10 cm of snow there. I brought my snow gear so I am ready. 

Mirek makes his own recipe of a type of European sherry. We all enjoyed a taste of that (think port with cinnamon and cherry! Really good)
Then for me it was to bed. It was only 9 pm Czech time but I was just spent. My eyes hurt from looking at so many things and trying to figure things out. A nice comfy bed awaited me.

So there ends day 1!
I will have pictures attached when I figure out the Czech instructions on this computer! (I'm using Mirek's right now.)

Tomorrow It's Fly away day!

So, like the little ones that get all nervous and excited all at the same time about the first day of school, I too am nervous and excited!

First of all I won't be back at work until May! Wow, that's really cool to think about.
Then I had the pleasure of going to a local establishment for wings and beverages after work "with the boys".

Thanks T for suggesting it. It was a great idea! A super way to start my vacation.

Thanks B for impressing me with eating the "Hotter than hell" St. Louis Bar and Grill Wings. My nose is still tingling with just the smell of the sauce. I don't know how you do it. I hope you have a blast on your travels in May and June. See you in 2012!

Thanks D for lending me the Prague book. I will try hard not to wreck it in my travels and thanks for your suggestions of places to go. I'll have a few more suggestions for you when I return.

I've repacked my knapsack a couple of times and have it down to the essentials that I'll need on the plane and train.
Yes, S, my "carry on liquids" are all packed in the zip lock bag you gave me a few weeks ago. I'm legal. I think!

I'm currently charging all my electronics and the new phone charger I bought (since I left mine up north) works just fine with the Canadian adapter. I'm sure I'll be good with the European one.
iPod and netbook are being charged as I type and that should give me hours of power as I wing my way east.

One more sleep!
I can't believe departure day is TOMORROW!
Yikes!

2 More Sleeps...

Well, it's even CLOSER now!

I have packed my suitcase, fanny pack and have a pile of things for my knapsack for the plane.

I've got the Man set up with flight aware to track the plane as it goes and comes back.

I've arranged all that I can arrange.
My to do list is now empty.
Wow!
That is really something!

I have even Skyped V. in Prague and we have had a few conversations already!
I think I'm addicted to Skype!
It's soooo fun to see and hear people that you're talking to.
I hope to use it a few times while I'm there.

I can honestly say that work tomorrow will be rather hazy as I start to get in vacation/travel mode.
The lab is working very smoothly despite one of the team being on jury duty for 2 weeks. I know I'll leave it humming along. The boys will survive without me! I'll send them pictures to remind them of what I'm up to! Hmmm maybe not!

I have spent more time before this vacation organizing technology than I have anything else. The packing is easy. Setting the Mother up on Skype is a challenge but I think we're there. I have touched on all the safety features that I need to for the trip, both financially and for me. I think I'm well prepared and now I'm really looking forward to it. Speaking to V. on Sunday really got me closer to knowing that I am going to be there and see some family history that will astound me I'm sure.

On the weekend I attended a 50th anniversary of my cousins. It was so interesting to learn how they met, what was the first movie they saw together (A Summer Place) and meet members of their wedding party. It was history but it was now. It was meeting people that were there and could give me a little more insight into their life together. It was fun!

As I am provided with the information of my father's family I will become more acquainted with his history and where he came from and, ultimately, where I came from. It will be so enlightening!

I will miss The Man and I know he will miss me. He even requested "Sentimental Journey" from the keyboardist on Saturday night. That was something so special to me. I will remember that as long as I live. It was a beautiful memory to take away with me as I travel. (yeah, he's kind of special!)

So, all that's left is charging all my various electronic devices before the trip and I'm dearly hoping the plug adapter I received for Christmas works well and I can keep everything charged up. I tell you, travel years ago was easier I'm sure with less electronics to worry about.

Right, so I hope to post a couple of times before I fly away!
It's down to the wire now!

Wow!