Weather still cloudy this morning but it looks better than last night, so we pack up and continue north and soon we are on the other side of the mountain going into the Polish side. Luckily Mom is driving so slow we didn't miss the sign. That's all there is................... not a living soul in sight.

The roads are disastrous and I have to sit up and watch everything as a responsible codriver as I am, it's quite tiring.

Look a house just like Mom's puppy school

Driving along we go through so many villages and every single one has a bar, restaurant, and hotel? I wonder who'll stop in this village of three houses and why? Many of them have cosmetic something shops which Mom thinks is a beauty parlor. Mom would like to get a haircut but haven't yet found a shop with parking big enough for Lucy.

As a matter of fact, Mom has been looking to get her hair done for a while now, and she's been keeping her eye on many signs that said MEBLOWY which she figured must be like the haircuttery chain at home. She had a thought of going there and tell them to put the words in correct order and skip the Y but on second thought, that might give them a different clientele

Today she had a chance to ask about the chain because the girl at the reception spoke perfect English. So Mom pronounced MEBLOWY and the girl had no idea what she was talking about. Mom insisted and wrote the word down on a piece of paper, and the girl said "Oohh that's a furniture store" when Mom explained how she had read it, the girl blushed...............

It's not easy to food shop when you have no idea what anything looks like or what it's called. Mom looked for creme fresh but I think she ended up with mascarpone for this chicken dish..................I thought it was ok

Polish people make awesome sausage says, Mom, I don't get a taste she says they're too strong for me .......I say give me some and I'll let you know

We are now parked on a big green field and it's very quiet, as a matter of fact when we went for a walk I could sense this is not a happy place, so I'm not sure why we're here?. To learn some history Mom says, but she also told me I'm not included in this excursion because "No Dogs allowed thing"

It's ok I don't want to go anyway, I'll watch Lucy and take a nap....................

Mom had mapped out a drive to a town named Namestovo that was 120 km (74miles) and according to Linnea, it should take about 2 hours. As usual, the plan change as we get started so the trip lasted all day.

These roads have a lot of sharp curves and steep hills, and speed limits every few miles it seems. Mom doesn't mind the slow drive, but people behind her have no interest in enjoying the view. At one time we saw a pheasant a deer and a stork all on the same field so Mom hit the brakes and cars behind blew the horn. Probably gave a certain gesture too, but Mom can't see behind Lucy which is a good thing..............

    So we are the Tatra Mountains, which is part of the Carpathian mountain chain in eastern Europe, and it creates a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. Both Slovak and Polish sides are protected as national parkland and are popular destinations for winter and summer sports. The Tatras are home to wildlife including the Tatra chamois, marmot, lynx, and bears. Slovakia has the highest mountain in the range: 2,655m (8710 feet) Gerlach Peak.

Mom spotted the American flag and said that's a great parking spot saved for us......

  , 

The weather wasn't the greatest which really spoiled the view, and since Mom is a little scared of these roads (still plan to drive them?) we pulled over and waited until the rain stopped which wasn't long.

 We continued driving north toward the Polish border and again stopped at a ski resort we already forgot the name of. Looks like Lucy is having a cloud over her head

All of a sudden Mom started humming?????????????? she never does that? Do Re Me........doe a deer a female deer.....ray a drop of golden sun...........me a name I call myself......................lalalalaaa

I think she is doing this to keep me and herself awake .............or why else ?

Many castles on the hilltops..................

here's some real tourist shopping, and Mom stopped...................Thought the cow would look good at Lotta's house, the Gator for herself, and the Yorkie for Penny...................but came back with nothing? strange ??

Finally, almost supper time we arrived at Namestovo and parked for the night by the largest lake in Slovakia Orava dam which is a reservoir in northernmost Slovakia. It was created by the construction of a dam between 1941 and 1953 on the former two sources of the Orava river.

This is the view from our window.

Hope it'll clear up tomorrow so maybe we can go fishing.............and get a better view

Good Night all..................

Around noon Mom decided her lungs needed a rest from all the exhaust fumes and cigarettes. (seems like everyone smokes here) and head north towards the Tatra Mountains.

We had a great stay at the campsite and the service was terrific. The girl at the gate spoke great English and loved me so much she could hardly keep her hands of me. She told me she too has a Shih Tzu

Driving through the city was a nightmare, and Mom missed Linneas instructions once so we were sent around a few narrow streets but eventually, we made it out of the city. It's very difficult to read street signs and Linnea are having difficulty to pronounce the names, can't say I blame her.

Driving north we're now leaving Hungary and entering Slovakia and this is how it looked at the border. We stopped and tried to figure out if we needed a toll ticket? not sure it's for big trucks only so Mom approached a police asking for help.

Not a chance she only got some barking back in a foreign language so what the heck. We have been driving on many roads without so I suppose we'll get the bill sent home later.

Driving along there's a lot of farmland on both sides especially gorgeous are the fields of sunroses.

the speed limit is mostly 90km (55miles), but through every village (and there's a lot of them) speed is lowered to 50km (30miles) 30 km (20miles) and most villages are so small that Mom just downshifted Lucy and got the speed down when it's time to step on the gas again. Keeps Mom awake ............Now we need EUros again so we stopped in a small village to find an ATM. many places do not take credit cards so we always have to keep cash on hand. We now have so many different currencies Mom is having difficulties keeping it all apart.

We finally stopped for the night in a town called Zvolen and it was a very nice peaceful night. I thought the best part was all the green grass to run on.

So today we'll continue North and we'll see what interesting sights Mom can find today. No big city ..............she promised..............at least not today.

all is well. Buttons

So the first day in Budapest we stayed around at the campsite so Mom could get the laundry done and to have a day to rest. It was so hot we didn't feel like doing anything anyway. Our new found friends from GB left around noon and in the evening we went to the restaurant for another great meal. The weather rapport had promised a cooler Friday, but we didn't expect COLD, but that's a good day for sightseeing Mom said, so off we went, me in my carriage.

First stop was the Parliament building.

Budapest was united from three cities in 1873 and seven years later the resolved to establish a new, representative Parliament Building, expressing the sovereignty of the nation. The building was planned to face the river. An international competition was held, and Imre Steil emerged as the victor. Construction from the winning plan was started in 1885 and the building was inaugurated on the 1000th anniversary of the country in 1896. It was completed in 1904. (The architect of the building went blind before its completion.)

About 100 000 people were involved in construction, during which 40 million bricks half a million precious stones and 40 kilograms (88 lb) of gold were used. Since world war 2 the legislature became unicameral and today the government uses only a small portion of the building. During the communist era, (which ended Oct 23 1989) a red star perched on the top of the dome, but it was removed in 1990. 

this is the ethnographic museum, we skipped that, we'll study the people in the streets instead .............

There was a training course for acrobatic pilots over the Danube river. It was exciting to see but way too noisy for my taste.

We were so lucky to b in time for the changing of the guards, which looks like really serious business. To our surprise all of a sudden the guard stomped his foot and said in English, "Please proceed and take pictures with us" It took a while before people understood that we really could do that..........we left.

walking along we saw a lot of these signs, but Mom ignored them since most people think I'm a human baby and pay no attention to an old woman struggling with a carriage on the stairs..............Uhoh,there goes a treat...........I meant a YOUNG lady
   

Children always spot me and wants to talk, and that's ok with me.

not sure what or who this statue is, but maybe it represents all the poor people sleeping in the streets.......

This is the view across the Danube river from the parliament.

 crossing the bridge was very frightening, not only did the planes buzz over our heads, you can feel the traffic and shaking your feet. Mom made the cross very quickly.

The Chain bridge  is a suspension bridge that was closed due to the flight event Designed by the English engineer William Tierner Clark and built by the Scottish engineer Adam Clark, it was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Hungary. It was opened in 1849.

. At the time of its construction, it was regarded as one of the modern world's engineering wonders.It has asserted an enormous significance in the country's economic, social and cultural life, much as the Brooklyn bridge has. Its decorations made of cast iron and its construction, radiating calm dignity and balance, have elevated the Chain Bridge to a high stature in Europe

It became a symbol of advancement, national awakening, and the linkage between East and West.

Budapest is an AMAZING city but from this sign it seems like not everybody agrees ?

We wanted to get to the castle, and we got a ride in this little electric train

Looking out on the city from up here was absolutely breathtaking

more guards with a serious expression

and some very colorful people

 Matthias Church is a Roman Catholic church and according to church tradition, it was originally built in Romanesque style in 1015, although no archaeological remains exist. The current building was constructed in the florid late Gothic style in the second half of the 14th century and was extensively restored in the late 19th century. It was the second largest church of medieval Buda.

The Buda side castle wall was protected by the fishermen's guild and this is the reason why it was called fishermen's Bastion. Other people say, it got the name from the part of the city, which lies beneath the tower. The guild of fishermen was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the middle ages. It is a viewing terrace, with many stairs and walking paths.

A bronze statue of Stephen 1 mounted on a horse, erected in 1906, can be seen between the Bastion and the Mattias Church

It was featured as a Pit Stop on the sixth season of Moms favorite show Amazing Race

This shoe store have a pretty intersting name we thought.

Saint Stephen's Basilica Budapest's largest church was built in Classical style between 1851 and 1905. Inside is the Hungarians' most revered relic - the mummified right hand of Hungary's first monarch, King Saint Stephen.  Since its consecration, the church has played an important role in Budapest's musical community. Today classical concerts as well as contemporary music performances are played here.

this must be  the fancier part of town with no cobblestone which I find great after rattling in my carriage

we stopped for a bite to eat and a gentleman approached us and gave Mom a 1-hour long lecture on Hungarian history

and that gave me a chance to catch up on my nap. Later we found a dogpark where I made a couple of friends. W

We have no language issues at all.............I sniff you, you sniff me. done

It's getting late and we spent the entire day walking ( well Mom walking me riding) so it's time to get back to Lucy. We hailed a taxi and both of us fell asleep within a few minutes.............big cities are exhausting but exciting too.

this is the eye of Budapest, which of course there's no way Mom would get into because she's terrified of heights.

but she was trying to figure out a way to get my carriage on one of these vehicles so we could rent one and buzz around town ...................afraid of heights huh?  but not of this totally insane traffic where there seem to be no rules at all.

another eventful day is over .................don't know what is next on the agenda.

bye for now 

Driving south towards Vienna in scorching hot weather Mom got sleepy very quickly so when she spotted a camp she quickly pulled in and parked. It wasn't many miles left and she still hasn't figured out how to drive avoiding the zones Lucy weren't allowed because of her dirty diesel fumes. 

On the highways, there are many overpasses especially built for the wildlife to pass safely, which we think is great.

Finally, Mom realized there was no way for Lucy to drive in Vienna, so she decided to skip it all together which is a shame, but a rule is a rule. We continued to Budapest instead.

Since all these countries belong to EU there's no passport control so most of the time it's only a sign to let you know you're in a new country. Leaving Austria and entering Hungary felt a little different because the old buildings and bunkers were still there and in a disintegrating shape. It looked so spooky Mom expected police hiding and will come out at any minute, so she didn't dare take pictures. Of course, that was all in her mind. Maybe this was leftovers from the communist era.

we are in Hungary now, and the first sign we have seen that was also in English..................

it is hot and humid 32C 90F, and the traffic stopped several times because of roadwork. When we finally got to the campsite in Budapest Mom went directly to the restaurant for a cold beer....................again? Not sure what's going on with Mom she never ever drink like this at home......................she says it's because beer is so so so much better here and tastes great in this heat. 

now we have new money again and 10 000 forint is about $35.................we did find out we could have used Euros also.

after a well-deserved shower for mom and a quiet nap for me, we went back to the restaurant to eat and was served a three-course meal. Started with a delicious goulash and main meal were chicken skewers and dessert a chocolate bomb that tasted great.

A band that played gypsy music was the entertainment. I hid under the table when they came too close. It was not my cup of tea. We met a nice Brittish couple that Mom chatted with and shared travel stories.

Today we may go into the city but it's really hot and humid, so maybe we'll stay here in the shade under a big tree and the cooling fan on high because tomorrow they promised will be cooler. Mom says it's also time to do laundry.................

Update \.we lost power because some lady just hit the electric pole, hope they'll fix that quickly.

all is well.

This morning we got up early as usual and the plan was to make it to Vienna by the evening but first Mom wanted to visit the Punkva caves that are located a little bit north of a city named Brno. Mom has now named Brno the city with the worst roads ever. Driving through the city was a horror.

What kind of supermarket is this ?

we were driving around on narrow winding roads forever and when Mom spotted the green I that's the logo for tourist information she quickly pulled over, parked and ran across the street but it was closed. A big guy in a black Tshirt was quickly approaching which gave her a moment of unrest but lit up when she saw it was a police officer and thought we'll get help now. He was pissed, we had parked illegally and he shouted back to his partner to come with the police car.

He spoke no English, just shouted "passeporte" ok ok , and Mom handed it to him. He wrote 200 kr on a piece of paper as he kept talking loud and angry. His partner was looking at our Linnea, guess trying to figure out what we were doing there. Mom had the 200kr bill ($9)and the police tried to grab it as Mom pulled it away and shouted "receipt" back to him. He was trying to make an extra buck ............ha not with Mom He had to give in and write the ticket and I think he was cursing as we drove off. No help from them, he must have been one of those Gestapo in his previous life.

after circling around on these small roads Mom was ready to give up finding the caves but decided one more try, and hallelujaaa we found it. Unfortunately, this meant I was left guarding Lucy since I wasn't allowed to come along.

Again Mom had communication issues with the lady at the reception. She claimed she spoke English, but it wasn't a kind Mom could understand. Finally managed to get tickets for the boat ride and the gondola getting down the mountain. Scary steep Mom said. The caves were magnificent well worth the hassle.

Unfortunately, this entire tour was not translated which was a shame because the guide in the boat apparently told many funny stories since everyone was laughing so much. 

Not until the tour was over a young man who was a guide came up to Mom apologizing he wasn't aware there was an English speaking person in the group, or he would have explained everything. his English was excellent. Mom said she didn't know she had the option, and let him know what she thought of the lady at the reception. He called her the Bword.

Leaving the caves it was already 4pm and we had to go back the winding steep roads Lucy sure got a good workout. Not easy to find a place to pass a slower moving vehicle like this one.

we passed through many small villages and almost every one had some kind of church or big magnificent buildings.

We wished they Czechs would pay as much attention to their roads

we are now pretty close to Vienna but since Lucy is a diesel we cannot drive into the center of this city so we stopped to make plans on how to proceed. Mom decided to make it a night and that's ok with me.

this picture is stolen from their website....................good night

I really think Mom has lost count on what day it is because last night we stayed in Kutna Hora and now we're on our way to see some caves....oh well who cares

Getting up early as usual and leaving Prague Linnea took us straight through town, lucky for Mom it was Sunday or maybe Saturday?so the traffic wasn’t bad and we got through it without any incidents. Linnea is great in cities, it’s all the crazy detours around roadwork she can’t handle very well

this is a shanty town in Prague suburb, looks a little cool to live there but water does not look inviting

I’m convinced all people both here and in Poland owns an eighteen wheeler as a second car because there are millions of them on the road.

This time we were heading southeast to a town called Kutna Hora only about an hour drive from Prague A small town that began in 1142 with the settlement of the first Cistern monastery. By 1260, German miners began to mine for silver in the mountain region, which they named Kuttenberg, and which was part of the monastery. The territory greatly advanced due to the silver mines which gained importance during the economic boom of the 13th century.

The earliest traces of silver have been found dating back to the 10th century, when Bohemia already had been in the crossroads of long-distance trade for many centuries. Silver dinars have been discovered belonging to the period between 982–995 in the settlement.

From the 13th to 16th centuries, the city competed with Prague economically, culturally, and politically.Since 1995.

after circling the town a few times on very narrow and steep cobblestone street we finally found a campsite and parked even though there was no one there. In a few minutes another car with a caravan showed up, and to our big surprise, they were Swedish. We had a great evening together.

We took an evening bike ride and it was gorgeous with many chapels statues and churches.

Saint Barbara's Church is Roman Catholic in the style of a Cathedral and It is one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe and it is a UNESCO world heritage site. St.Barbara is the patron saints of miners (among others), which was highly appropriate for a town whose wealth was based entirely upon its silver mines.

Construction began in 1388,but because work on the church was interrupted several times, it was not completed until 1905. Work on the building was interrupted for more than 60 years during the Hussite wars and the work resumed in 1481.

The original design was for a much larger church, perhaps twice the size of the present building, how that could be even possible we thought Construction, however, depended on the prosperity of the town's silver mines, which became much less productive. So, in 1588, the three-peaked roof had been completed,and a provisional wall was constructed. A little later it was occupied by Jesuits who gradually changed the structure into a baroque style, though parts still remain in Gothic style.

We met a family from Prague who’s adorable children fell in love with me, and impressively they both tried speaking English they were taught at school.

The entire city's street is cobblestones and the hills are steep. I thought my few remaining teeth were going to fall out rattling around in the basket as Mom tried to bike these streets. Sure gave Mom a great workout, and it was all worth it since the sights are amazing.

we did not stop for anything to eat here

Not sure what this artist will cal his work?  putting a squeese on the world? squeese my ball? 

In the morning we drove to the famous bone church that was located at the other end of town, and this time I was left to guard Lucy. Figures when there's something I would be interested in I'm left behind............huh

The well-known story of the Bone Church (to be more correct or ‘Kostnice’ in Czech) is that, in the 13th century, Jindřich, the abbot of Sedlec monastery, returned from a visit to Palestine with a pocketful of soil and sprinkled it on the cemetery surrounding the Chapel of All Saints.

The green awning was put up for workers that were digging all around to repair the foundation and doing that they found even more bones.

This direct association with the holy land led to the graveyard becoming a sought after burial site among the aristocracy of Central Europe. At the time of the thirty years’ war in the 17th century, the number of burials outgrew the space available, the older remains began to be exhumed and stored in the chapel, and it’s estimated that the chapel now contains the bones of up to 40,000 people.

It really is a weird and somewhat eerie concept. Mom found the idea very bizarre yet once inside looking around she admitted it was very fascinating. I just hope that nobody now gets an idea to copy this in the 21st Century!

The Monks entrusted with the care of the chapel were the first to begin piling the bones into geometric shapes.

 Above the center hangs the chandelier that is often touted as the highlight of the bone church because it contains at least one of each bone in the human body

It wasn't easy to get any decent pictures since you weren't allowed to use flash ..........

  This is the coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family, and there's a segment depicting a raven picking the eye from an invading soldier........pretty sick if you ask me,

Here was yet another Cathedral on UNESCO  list.

The Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady and St John the Baptist is a convent church of the former oldest Cistercian monastery in Bohemia this church makes up a comprehensive complex of the oldest part of Kutná Hora. The cathedral was built in 1290 – 1320 and combines northern French Gothic cathedral architecture with German elements

The cathedral was left in ruins following the Hussite invasion in the 15th century, yet it was so monumental that in 1681 it was awarded the title of  – the most splendid basilica.

 As part of the cathedral, he incorporated cantilever construction elements – a vault known as the “Bohemian flat vault“ and a cantilever staircase, which are unique in the world. The cathedral began to serve as a Roman Catholic parish church after the abolition of the Sedlec monastery by Joseph II and the establishment of a tobacco factory in its former buildings. Mom walked up a staircase under the roof where she could look down 

not sure if there's real people in these coffins............

this guy has been around for a while, looks pretty hungry to me.

lots of bloody old paintings in here, none of this is MOm's cup of tea, but still fascinating of course.

Not sure where we are now, but I know we are going to some caves Mom read about. Once again the entire road was dug up and we are sent on a detour around to nowhere...............after looking closely on a map, asking questions pointing waving and smiling we finally found out we're only 40 km from where we wanted to be, so Mom decided to park and sleep and continue tomorrow...............

Good Night All.

Yesterday when we got back from the city we were both totally exhausted, Mom can't understand why I should be since I was riding in the carriage the entire time? Well, let me tell you even if I feel rather safe in my spot it's impossible to take naps like I'm used to because there's so much stuff to look at and constantly people are coming to take pictures of me and make comments about a spoiled dog............me spoiled?? This city is crowded with billions of tourists everywhere. It's an amazing city. 

Again we took a taxi into the main square 100 check krona is $4.50 and everything is inexpensive. The beer cost less than water and taste very good.

Today there was a big party to raise money for MS that the motorcycle club had arranged. It was police, fire, and EMT Mcclub. The music was loud, and for a moment it felt like we were back in the USA again.

This police dog only had eyes for his master, no matter how much I tried barking, he didn't care...............who does he think he is?  "A very well trained police dog," Mom said..............Oh, and that's a big deal huh? 

Sure is Mom said, so ok then

these ladies got the Harley logo painted on their heads, and they agreed on having their picture taken only if we also agreed to have OUR picture taken and pay 125kr, which we did since it was for a good cause.

this car seemed to be a real novelty here, and a lot of Ford mustangs was parked in a row, but we had seen them many times before so .............big deal.

we continued away from the music which I thought was way too loud, and Mom agrees with me on that. This poor lady was asleep and we felt so bad for her so Mom bent down to put money in her hand, and the lady sat up and said a prayer for us. well, at least that's what we think she did since she spoke Czech we had no clue.......

Gorgeous buildings everywhere and even if Mom figured out the names of the buildings she has already forgotten so...............

oh well, it's buildings.

oh no, Mom did not buy one of these even if the sales lady said she could detach the star. Mom responded with she'll have no need for it in Florida, and that was that

Many street performers everywhere and they all wanted money if you wanted to take pictures. Mom cheated on most and zoomed in from a distance. What could they do about it? 

This was a booth where you buy a brick and paint it and the money goes to the disabled children A good cause so Mom painted our calling card. We should have donated brushes because the ones they had were of little use. The young lady in this booth spoke very good English and could answer Moms curiosity about Czech culture. She also gave a name of a restaurant off the tourist path where we can order a more authentic meal. 

it was hot and did I say crowded? so we found this guy who'll drive us up to the castle ..............it was a great ride and a lot of fun, but if I may suggest a catalytic converter on the cars the air would be a lot better. The exhaust fumes and million of smokers do not help the air quality here. 

So lucky we came just in time for the changing of the guards

I think every country have their version of this ............

The wiev over the city from here was pretty cool

Driving back on cobblestone streets we met the motorcycles on their equivalent to our toyrun.............it was great said Mom.

so the driver who's name Mom already forgot ............well so did I, too many vowels..........nice guy spoke English well and once again Mom got answers to many questions she had about life here now after the communist era.

He dropped us off at a restaurant he said was authentic and had good food. Not many tourists here he said, but 2 guys from North Dakota showed up and when MO masked them how they found this place, they said they were lost ..........and thirsty. Mom ate had a couple of beers and chatted for a while. Forgot the name of this dish, but it was delicious and way too much so half the portion would have been more than enough.

In Prague they have an astronomical clock that's very famous and heading there we found out it's under repair so we didn't get to see it............disappointed Mom got her feet cleaned by fish ..................meanwhile I got a well-needed nap in my carriage away from busy street life. Mom is sitting in a window waving at people as fish are eating away........wow what's next?

this bear must be hotter than hot in the costume, and he did look sad we thought.

many beggars everywhere and we're not sure if this guy was praying or crying, he sounded like he was crying

pretty girls one of them getting married tomorrow

on our walk, we continued to Charles bridge which is a historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV and finished at the beginning of the 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau) until 1841, Charles Bridge was the most important connection between the castle and the city's old town and adjacent areas. This "solid-land" connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe.

The bridge is 621 metres (2,037 ft) long and nearly 10 metres (33 ft) wide, it was built as a bow bridge with 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three towers, two of them on the lesser quarter side and one on the old town side. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas.

Repairs are scheduled to start in late 2019, they should take around 20 years.

Apparently, this was THE place everyone visited so crowded and many street vendors and artists selling their stuff. 

As nutty as Mom is she decided to hold the snakes, and for a little while no one crowded her.

these are a special kind of Dove, very pretty and the owner was a little worried when one flew and sat down with me. Mom reassured him I would not do it harm..............

mom was worried get poop in her hair, but they were trained not to ? who knew that's even possible?

this gut said he was asking for a donation to enter Tour de France with his bike? Highly unlikely Mom thought, but never the less this is excellent woodwork.

so we crossed the bridge dodging more vendors and found a cab to take us back to Lucy.

Back at Lucy and we were both ready for bed. what an amazing eventful day we had...................

we'll be leaving Prague later today, not sure what direction yet, but I do know MOm scratched the plan to go to Croatia since it's a heatwave in the forecast and she remembers the torture from last years visit to Italy in 104 temperatures. I'm glad she came to her senses, and maybe we need some mountain time now?