The wifi is not dependably strong, so my plan to post daily is somewhat affected… I will do as much as I can when I can. Uploading text is much easier than images. I will be keeping these short, and will do a large summation at the end of the cruise, once I am home with plenty of solo time to edit, and wifi strength to upload lots of photos….
In a previous life I sent (or tried to send) a fair number of people to Prague, and felt I had a pretty good grip on the history and sights of the city as a result. I was delighted to have a local guide that was native to the city, grew up during the communist era, and was a participant in the Velvet Revolution. What a wonderful insight she was able to share with us as we t
oured the city. Prague is a hilly city, and the Old Town is in a lower section on a bend in the Vlatava river. The view of old town from any of the surrounding hills encompasses over 100 spires. It really is picturesque. S
adly our tour day was dark and overcast, so I have no photos that we took to
share with you. We had one chance to take a photo of the incredible view of Old Town with so many spires coming up. I am amazed I cannot find the view we had in some stock photo on line, but alas I cannot. This one comes close though…
We saw the usual spots on our bus tour of city center. The dancing house in real life is just as lovely as the photos I have seen. This was one of my favorite photos to include when I did a slide show of Prague. 
It offers something a bit different from the standard churches and synagogues. I knew Prague had a lot of churches… in fact, 120 of them. During the communist era most of those churches, as well as the Abbeys and Monasteries, were abandoned or went unused, except for the occasional clandestine worship service. Communism as most know, does not allow for religion. However, according to our guide, an exception was made at St Vitus cathedral. In exchange for cleaning the windows of the Pr
esidential Palace, one priest was allowed to hold the occasional mass. The sheer size and number of windows he had to clean to the satisfaction of the officers is a testament to his faith. Our guide did not know the number of masses actually held over the years, but the followers were also faithful. When word got out, they filled the pews. Today Prague remains largely Catholic, with only a few of the aforementioned churches being protestant. A not insignificant number of synagogues also Grace the city and skyline. Our evening in Prague ended with a lovely Italian dinner, and a late evening massage, before we stumbled back to our room to sleep.
I love Surprises. I also love Larry’s delight when I have the chance to surprise him. Though it may not be the best of etiquette to invite the inlaws along on one’s honeymoon, I could not resist the chance to set up a surprise meetup with Larry’s sister and brother in law, who live in Germany.
It was a 4 hour bus ride (including the 1/2 hour break just before the border) from Prague to Nuremburg, where we are to embark on our cruise. The drive is through pine forest covered hills, and the terrain, with the short needle pines, reminds me very much of Oregon. Our 30 minute stop is at a way station with wifi, where I send our arrival time and location over to my co-conspirators. Our stop in Nuremburg is at a small Christmas market, specializing in handicrafts. I’m slightly concerned because I think it may have the kind of things I might be interested in. Luckily, only 2 of the stands are actual handmade local items, and I am interested in neither. As we are browsing a ceramics store, I hear Larry yelp, and then his sister’s giggle, and know they have found us. Our afternoon in Nuremburg is spent laughing and catching up with family. We skip the welcome cocktail party on board in favor of dinner with the inlaws. The dinner is a typical German meal involving 3 kinds of meat, 1 kind of sausage, 3 kinds of potatoes, and 3 kinds of cabbage. LOL. There is more meat on the platter than either of us has seen since we left. We consumed our fair shares, and our bodies rebelled in a most unpleasant way.
After dinner, we eventually find the boat (after a misdirection from Waze, who stills swears that road has not been turned into a pedestrian path) and are welcomed aboard by our cruise director, who was in on the surprise. He had emailed me the GPS coordinates so we could make our way onboard without too much difficulty. We have a top level suite with a balcony, and it is perfect.
Still Loving Life.