tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50220121650699072632024-03-14T06:52:23.683-07:00Family Quest for a Simple LifeJust a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-21870036928492419702014-09-15T14:00:00.003-07:002014-09-15T14:00:44.929-07:00Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wednesday,
June 11, 2014 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
arrived in Halifax under clear blue skies and enjoyed a day of great weather.
We started out by following the boardwalk to a playground. The playground was
shaped like a submarine and Stevie and Hannah enjoyed it. Next to the
playground was a large wave that the kids attempted to climb. A nice perk was a
free wifi from the information center next to the playground. We got to check
e-mail and Stevie played Clash of Clans for a little bit as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We ate
lunch in a restaurant near the playground called The Waterfront Warehouse. The
menu was actually quite limited and lacked gluten free options (our usual fall
back is hamburger but we were informed that they put flour in their
hamburgers). The only thing that Stevie could eat was lobster. Steve ordered
one and split it with the kids. I had a club sandwich and I ordered pasta for
Hannah from the kid’s menu. The lunch cost $70 and the kids did not eat much. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
lunch we walked up the hill to the Citadel. We paid for tickets and walked
through the fort on our own. After the Citadel visit we walked back to the
playground and the kids got to enjoy the sun and fresh air a little more before
returning to the ship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Overall
it was a pleasant day. The city was very nice and clean and people were nice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-88493753238686235082014-09-15T13:59:00.007-07:002014-09-15T13:59:49.800-07:00Westbound<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Friday,
June 6 – Tuesday, June 10, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Steve is
feeling better and we are starting to enjoy the ship. All pools on board are
heated but the weather is cold and windy and we are swimming in the indoor pool
on deck 12. The water temperature is very pleasant. There are two hot tubs and
the water is hot so they are very nice to use. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Overall,
we liked the Eurodam better than Queen Mary 2. The food on Eurodam was better
and the whole atmosphere was not as stuffy. Out of the 8 nights on the ship,
four are designated as formal. And the only difference between informal and
formal nights is that men do not have to wear a tie. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, jacket is still
required. Unfortunately, the requirements for formal nights are much more
stringent here and if you do not wish to dress up, you are only allowed on Deck
7 in Kings Court. The Kings Court is the open dining buffet. In the evenings,
only a small area is opened. The Chef’s Galley adjacent to the Kings Court is
also open and we eat there most nights. The Chef’s Galley offers burgers, hot
dogs and sandwiches during lunch and pasta and pizza at night. It is the only
place where we can get gluten and dairy free options for Stevie. All other
areas of the ship are off limits if you do not dress up in formal wear.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We ate
in the main dining room one time on an informal night. The only plus was that
they had gluten free bread for Stevie (the only slice of gluten free bread we
have been able to get the whole time) and dairy free sorbet. Again, this was
the only opportunity for Stevie to enjoy a treat. The only gluten & dairy
free desert available outside of the main dining room (room service included)
is jello. Yes, artificially flavored and colored nasty jello. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In other
words, if you do not want to dress up in a tuxedo and fancy dress to eat, you
are truly delegated to a second class citizen on this ship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On the
plus side, the children’s program (The Play Zone) is awesome. It is well
staffed (there are usually 3 or 4 ladies) at all times to play. They are on the
floor with the kids playing. The ladies also tailor the activities to the kids’
interest. If a child does not want to do crafts, they will do something else.
The kids are engaged and having a great time. We are very pleased with the
program. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">One
afternoon they did a treasure hunt. The kids and caregivers dressed up as
pirates and went all over the ship following clues. The kids even got to go on
the bridge. I am grateful that such a great program is made available for the
kids. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-5107293271481243342014-09-15T13:58:00.000-07:002014-09-15T13:58:20.710-07:00Sail Away!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Thursday,
June 5, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This is
the day we get on the ship to go back home. We are SO ready. It is not that it
is not nice here, but we have just had enough of travelling and we miss our
house, our beds, making our own food … just being home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
purchased vouchers for breakfast in one of the fast food places in the rest
area because we were down to last 20 pounds and we had to have cash for a cab
to the port. We ate breakfast, packed up and left the hotel around 11:30 AM.
Our ticket said that we should board at 2:30 PM but we did not want to take a
chance being late. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I was
tossing and turning last night and had a bunch of dreams about missing the
ship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Steve
drove us safely back to the rental car place and we asked them to call a cab
for us. The lady from the car rental company came out to check the vehicle.
When she saw Hannah and Stevie hanging out on the sidewalk with the suitcases,
she made sure to tell us that American kids are not polite like British kids. I
thought that the insinuations she made about our kids behavior were rather
impolite as well. Time to go home!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The cab
showed up soon and drove us to the port. The fare was 6 pounds but the driver
did not have change for a 20 – the only bill I had. I pulled out all of the
coins we had and came up with about 5.70 pounds. He said he would take that
instead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The port
was busy with quite a few passengers arriving. We took the escalator upstairs
where they were assigning letters that corresponded to a check in time. When
they saw we had kids, they sent us to the desk for people with mobility
handicap. That was nice as we got to check in right away and did not have to
wait in line. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Steve’s
back was hurting really bad and we needed to get in our room so that he could
lay down. We got in the line for security check and waited our turn. Then, out
of the blue Steve started wheezing like he was choking. I was so scared! (I am
sure he was pretty scared too.) I was wondering if I needed to do the Heimlich
on him but he signaled for a drink (unable to talk). I had a little bit of Sprite
left in the backpack. He drank it and was able to start breathing again. Steve
was chewing on an aspirin and a larger chunk went down his throat. He is not
sure if it was an allergic reaction to the aspirin or if it was a physical
reaction because he was dehydrated and his throat was dry. Either way it was a
very scary moment. He was also in a lot of pain from his arthritis and all I
wanted was to get him in the room so that he rest and get better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The line
through security moved slowly but we managed to get through and were walking on
the gangway to the ship. We were stopped again because a man in front of us got
into an argument with a port or cruise employee. They requested a wheelchair
for his wife and it was not ready for her. The man was upset that his wife was
in pain. The situation was escalating and it seemed for a moment that the men
would start a fight. What a start to our cruise! But alas we made it to the
room and Steve could relax. I prayed the whole day for him to get better so
that he can enjoy the cruise. And all I really wanted was to go home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">One of
our suitcases was already waiting for us and the other was delivered shortly
after. We stayed in the room and rested. The Play Zone was opened in the
afternoon for registration so I took the kids to get them registered. They were
both excited to go play and were said that they could not stay yet. The Zone
would open at 6 PM that night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-90668067041737084652014-09-15T13:55:00.004-07:002014-09-15T13:55:48.007-07:00Southampton<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wednesday,
June 4, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We have
two missions for today – give Stevie and Hannah more time to play and do
laundry. We drove into Southampton and after going in circles a couple of times
due to road closures, we managed to park in front of the Play Shack – an indoor
playground. We paid for parking for 2 hours and the kids ran out to play. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Play
Shack had a large maze out of ropes and nets and inside the maze were slides
and other play equipment. The kids had a blast and Steve and I relaxed on the
couch sipping hot chocolate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
play time, we found the street with the Laundromat (or launderette as they call
it here) and parked right in front of it. One load of laundry was 6.50 pounds!
That is 11 or 12 dollars. Luckily, the washers were large and everything fit
into a single load. While the laundry was washing, we walked down the street to
find a place to have lunch. We came across an Indian restaurant. It was not the
cleanest place on the planet but the food was alright. It was also the least
expensive meal we have had in the UK - $40 for a lunch in a little hole in the
wall type of place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I walked
back to the Laundromat to move the laundry into the dryer while Steve, Stevie
and Hannah waited in the restaurant. When we returned to get our laundry, we
only had a few minutes left on the dry cycle. The dryer cost 50 pence (about a dollar)
for 4 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Once the
dryer stopped, we put all of the little stuff in a bag laid the shirts flat.
Some of the items were a little damp but we were ready to head back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
rested in the hotel, the kids played and we Skyped with everyone before we get
on the ship tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-83362075208889109442014-09-15T13:54:00.003-07:002014-09-15T13:54:42.576-07:00Winchester Science Centre<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Tuesday,
June 3, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
browsed through different pamphlets in the lobby and online for activities for
kids in the area. We did not want to do much driving and we also wanted the
kids to have time to play. Both days were rainy although it did clear up some
in the afternoon. We decided to drive to the Winchester science center that was
about 20 minutes away from the hotel. The bad news was that it was off our map
but we got directions from their website. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
center itself was a bit out of town. The kids enjoyed the play time. It was a
lot like the science center they have been to in Orlando. We spent about an
hour and a half. After the visit, we decided to drive towards town to see if we
can find a place to eat. We had no map for this area and got lucky as there was
a nice restaurant on the road that lead back to town. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
weather cleared up by the time we finished eating and we asked if there were
any playgrounds nearby. We were directed to one just around the corner from the
restaurant. Stevie and Hannah enjoyed playing outside. They have not had much
of it in the last couple of days and they were getting cabin fever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
noticed that the local city buses going past the playground had a sign that
said that they went to Tesco. We got back in the car and drove around in an
attempt to find Tesco to get some groceries. We did not find it without asking,
but by the time we asked someone, we were very close to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
stocked up on fruits and veggies and groceries to make sandwiches for dinner.
We also got ice cream and sorbet for a treat. It also turned out that one of
the exits on the roundabout in front of Tesco lead to motorway M3 that we had
to get on to go back to the hotel. So even though we did not have a map for the
area, we got back without any trouble. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We made
sandwiches for dinner and left some ham for sandwiches for breakfast the next
day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-3158185434215875192014-09-15T13:53:00.004-07:002014-09-15T13:53:28.157-07:00Swansea, Wales to Southampton, England<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Monday,
June 2, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
breakfast at the hotel, we packed up and took a taxi to the train station. We
got there early enough to buy a couple of soda bottles and chips for the train
ride. Our train was in the station but not ready to board yet. We went to scout
out the seat situation and it seemed that nearly every seat was reserved. But
once we asked, we were told that the last car does not have any reserved seats
and we found four seats facing each other so that we could sit together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
train ride from Swansea to Cardiff took about 55 minutes. When we got there, we
only had 5 minutes to get on the next train. Luckily there was a railroad
employee on the platform to help travelers. She helped us find the car that had
no reserved seats (we had the same situation on this train with only two
reserved seats). We put the kids in the train and loaded the luggage as fast as
we could, as soon as Steve stepped into the train (he was loading the luggage
from the platform and I was at the top of the stairs with the kids), the train
started moving. We were happy that we managed to get us and our luggage all on
the train on time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The ride
from Cardiff to Southampton took about 2 hours and 20 minutes and we were glad
that this is our last train ride before we board the ship. We are all done
travelling and ready to head home. We found a cab outside of the train station
and had him take us to the car rental place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
basically had no choice but to rent a car as the hotel I booked was in a rest
area on the motorway (or what we would call an interstate). The car we got was
a Hyundai – some type of a small SUV. We did not want to pay 14 pounds (25-28
dollars) a day for a GPS and asked for a map. Of course, they did not have any
but directed us to a gas station about 2 miles from the office to buy a map. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Steve
drove – his job was to drive on the correct side of the road while using a
manual gear shift (it is not only on the other side than what we are used to,
but the speeds are in different positions and reverse is in the front). We
bought the map and I asked the clerk to mark on the map where we were. I
located our hotel but the trick was that we would be coming on the opposite
side of the motorway and had no way to get to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Studying
the map closely, I found a little road that looked like a back road to the rest
area (I thought maybe this was for the hotel guests so that they could get in
and out without getting on the motorway). When we got there, the little road
was marked “service vehicles only”. We decided to go ahead and go. One illegal
drive through a gate and hooray! We were at the rest area. However, we could
not see the hotel at all. We pulled into the gas station and the attendant said
that the hotel was back there behind the trees. He also pointed out a small
road that connected the parking lot we were in with the main parking lot. We
pulled in through the tiny narrow road only to realize that we were /in the rest
area parking lot that was not connected to the hotel parking lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We were
tired of travelling, unpacked and walked over the grass and down the sidewalk
to get to the hotel. We asked at the reception how to get in there parking lot.
The hotel is situated between junctions (exits) 3 and 4. We were told that we needed to go to junction
2, get off, get on the motorway to go the other direction all the way to
junction 5, get off, turn around and get back on the direction we originally
started on and get off at the rest area exit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
rested for a moment and then loaded back to up move the car to the hotel
parking lot. We had to move the car in less than 2 hours as after that one was
required to pay for the parking via a cell phone which we did not have. Steve
wanted to drive 50 feet against traffic and be done with it. I was against this
thinking it was unsafe. It turned out that driving miles on the motorway,
navigating roundabouts at two different exists and spending 30 minutes in
traffic put us at higher odds for getting into a crash than driving 50 feet
against traffic. But what was done was done and in the end we were safely back
in the hotel about 50 feet from where we started earlier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We ate
dinner at the McDonald’s in the rest area and stayed put for the night. The
hotel had no air conditioning. It was doable with an open window in this
weather but we were happy we were not staying here during the summer. At least
the internet access was free and had decent speed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-77410379336321179462014-09-15T13:51:00.002-07:002014-09-15T13:51:17.199-07:00Rosslare, Ireland to Swansea, Wales<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Sunday,
June 1, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We got
up early at 6:30 AM. Kay prepared breakfast for us at 7 AM and we planned to
leave no later than 7:45 AM to drive to the harbor. We were scheduled to take
the 8:45 AM Irish Ferries ship from Rosslare to Pembroke Dock, Wales. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We left
the rental car in the port and waited with the other foot passengers to get on
the ship. We were unpleasantly surprised when we had to take two long flights
of stairs down to the bus. It was quite challenging to get the kids and all of
our luggage downstairs. Ugh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We got
on the bus and other passengers confirmed that the bus stays on the ferry.
Therefore we did not have to carry our luggage all the way up on the deck. We
just took our valuables and food. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We found
a place to sit with an electric outlet so that Stevie could play his game.
Hannah went a couple of times to the kids play area but did not have a good
time. A little girl (3 ½ years old) appeared friendly at first and took Hannah
by the hand. But it soon was apparent that she just wanted to drag Hannah
around and would not let go of Hannah’s hand. I helped Hannah get away (in most
polite way I could) and we stayed away from the play area after that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
ferry arrived in Pembroke Dock on time. We thought we would get British Pounds
at an ATM or an exchange office at the port, but we did not realize that
Pembroke Dock is basically the middle of nowhere. Somehow we got lucky and a
cab came up as we exited the building. He would not accept Euros but he would
drive us to an ATM near the train station so that we could pay him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
train station was also pretty small – truly the end of the line. We got there
around 1:30 PM and our train (one of about 3 trains that ran in there on
Sundays) was not leaving until 4:45 PM. There was a little pub opened at the
train station until 2:30 PM. We decided to eat there and stay as long as they
would let us. The cab driver said this pub was OK but warned us not to go to
another pub around the corner. He said it was pretty rough and not safe for
kids. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
attempted to buy tickets using the machine (there was no ticket office) but –
of course – it did not take our credit or debit cards. The machines only take
cards with chips. The waitress in the pub said we would be able to pay for the
tickets with cash on the train. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When the
pub closed, we went to wait on the platform. The good thing was that we had a
bench and spot out of the rain. The bad thing was that the station smelled of
urine and feces. You know how they say not to use train toilets while in the
station? Well, people do … it was all on the tracks in front of us, toilet
paper included. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Our
train did arrive and we got on about 15 minutes before it was scheduled to
leave for Swansea. We reserved a hotel in Swansea about half mile from the
station and we could not wait to get there. We are all tired of travelling and
ready to go home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
arrived in Swansea after about 2 hours on the train. When we got off the train,
we bought tickets for the next day to get to Southampton. The only hick up was
that since the kids ride free, we only got 2 reserved seats. We figured we
would deal with that the next day and took a taxi to the hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
hotel room was nice and clean but the free internet turned out to be free only
for the first 30 minutes. We went ahead and paid 3 pounds for 24 hours of
internet access but it was annoying that the hotel advertises free internet
access. We have been looking for hotels with internet access as we have been
planning our future stops as we went. So the internet access has been very
important to make future hotel and rental car bookings as well as researching
train routes and schedules. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-19831251371237708282014-09-15T13:49:00.001-07:002014-09-15T13:49:48.101-07:00The Dunbrody<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Saturday,
May 31, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Today we
decided to visit the Dunbrody famine ship in New Ross about 25 miles away. The
Dunbrody is a replica of a ship that used to cross the Atlantic in the mid to
late 19<sup>th</sup> century. We learned about the time in Ireland when there
was famine due to failed potato crops several years in the row. The ticket cost
3 pounds per person. At the time, a worked got paid 1 shilling per day. To earn
3 pounds, one would have to work 36 days straight without spending it on
anything else. You could also buy an acre of land for 5 pounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The ship
took 6-8 weeks to reach America. It is hard to imagine sailing that long in
such conditions. The space in the ship was set up as bunk beds with each area
being about 6 by 8 feet. This area was for 6 to 8 people. The captain also made
them leave most of their stuff behind and all that passengers were able to
carry was what fit into a small basket. The passengers were allowed to go on
deck for 30 minutes a day, just long enough to cook their bread and dump their
bucket that they used to go to the bathroom. In these conditions, about 20% of
passengers died. On some ships, as many as 50% of all passengers did not make
the trip. This is what earned the ships a nickname – “coffin ships”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">We
stopped at the Johnston Castle on the way home. The castle itself is not open
to public but the gardens are. The kids ran around the gardens for a while and
then we continued our drive back. We ate dinner at the pub across the street
from bed and breakfast and decided to drive to the playground we did not make
it to the other day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Stevie
was not in the mood to go but we were h</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">oping he would get into it once we got
there. The playground was on top of the cliff overlooking the ocean. Somewhere
down below us was the Rosslare harbor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Shortly
after we started playing, Stevie bumped his face on one of the spinners. He
busted his lip and got a black eye. I guess we should have listened to him when
he said he did not want to go. We went by the grocery store again to get snacks
for the ferry in the morning. We wanted to avoid buying food on board again.
This was only a 4 hour ride so we should be able to snack until we get to
Wales.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-24015278739120040422014-09-15T13:48:00.002-07:002014-09-15T13:48:47.910-07:00Wexford, Ireland<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Friday,
May 30, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We woke
up around 8 AM and ate breakfast at the B&B. Breakfast was fantastic. Kay
had a continental buffet ready for everyone and then made eggs, omelets, bacon,
sausage and other items to order. It was perfect and she was able to
accommodate Stevie’s gluten and dairy free diet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
breakfast, we waited for Anne from the rental car company to pick Steve up. She
came over around 9:30 AM and Steve was back with an Opel sedan shortly after 10
AM. Unfortunately, they did not have any cars with automatic transmission so
Steve would have to tackle driving on the left with a stick shift. (I am so
proud of him to be willing to do this!) They also included a GPS with the car which
was very nice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Once
Steve came back with our rental car, we got ready for the first trip to Irish
National Heritage Park in Wexford. The weather was nice for an outdoor
adventure and the park was only about 10 miles away. It was a great outing for
the kids. The park was set up as a walk through the history of Ireland starting
in the Stone Ages all the way to the 18<sup>th</sup>-19<sup>th</sup> centuries.
Several sites throughout the park had activities for kids to try a skill such
as weaving the walls of a hut, moving a large stone and panning for gold. We
had a really nice time. Halfway through the visit at the Heritage Park, we ate
lunch in the park restaurant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
our trip we went to the grocery store to stock up on some snacks. The store at
Rosslare had a nice gluten and dairy free section so Stevie got a few nice
treats. After shopping we returned to the Old Orchard Lodge and relaxed in our
room. We had a good internet signal and Skyped with babi, granny and David. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Kay also
let us wash our laundry in the lodge. This was very helpful to get us through
the next few days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-1584628056599653112014-09-15T13:47:00.002-07:002014-09-15T13:47:33.686-07:00Rosslare, Ireland<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Thursday,
May 29, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After a
very expensive breakfast on the ferry (the food was not very good), we made our
way to the play area and hung out until the ship docked at Rosslare, Ireland
around noon. Once we exited the port, we looked for a taxi but there were none.
The ladies at Irish Ferries desk helped me call for a cab. It was just a short
drive to the Old Orchard Lodge Bed and Breakfast. As we drove by, the road was
lined with B&Bs all the way to our destination. Despite our early arrival,
our room was ready and Kay welcomed us with tea, cake and cookies. The room was
very nice and we took a little bit of time to settle down and figure out where
we go from here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This was
the last reservation I made while we were still in the Czech Republic. I was
relieved that everything clicked and worked out but now we had to plan again.
We decided to spend 3 days in Ireland (in the south-eastern county of Wexford)
and then take a ferry to Pembroke Dock in Wales. We were lucky because Kay had
our room available for another two nights as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
determined that we would need to rent a car (and drive on the left!) in order
to get around. Kay called the rental car company at the port and we made
arrangements to get the car in the morning. Anne from the rental company said
she would pick Steve up at 9 AM the next morning and drive him to the port to
pick up the car. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Kay
recommended a couple of places to see nearby. We chose to go to the Irish
National Heritage Park near Wexford and to the Dunbrody famine ship in New
Ross. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Once all
these decisions were made, we walked across the street to the pub to eat
dinner. It was nice to be in a restaurant where they charge just one charge for
the meal and it includes a side and any condiments. They also served free jug
of water for the table. Of course, the meal was still in the European price
range (about $60) but at least they were not nickel-and-diming everyone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
walked to the playground after supper. This probably was not the greatest idea
as we walked quite a while on the shoulder of a busy highway (although we
obviously survived). It was also not uncommon for people to walk along the
highway in this area. It was windy and Hannah was cranky in the stroller.
Eventually she fell asleep. We thought we should be at the playground soon but
when we asked someone, they told us it was another 10 minutes walking. Since we
have walked for about 30 minutes already and Hannah was asleep, we decided to
turn around at that point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
walked to a coffee shop on the other side of the highway to get some coffee and
to warm up. Afterwards we went to the grocery store next door to get some
snacks for the evening. Refreshed we walked back to Old Orchard Lodge to relax
for the night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-63159534114325536052014-09-15T13:45:00.002-07:002014-09-15T13:46:28.814-07:00Cherbourg, France to Rosslare, Ireland<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wednesday, May 28, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We got
in the car and drove back to Cherbourg. We stopped at McDonald’s for dinner
about half way between Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and Cherbourg. The kids played at
their playground and had lunch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We got
back to the rental car company in Cherbourg around 4 PM. The lady from the
rental car office drove us to the port in the car we rented. This was a big
help as otherwise we would have had to take a taxi. We checked in and went
through passport check exiting France. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
officer who checked our passports noticed that it was Stevie’s birthday and
wished him Happy Birthday. Stevie’s response was excited “you speak English!”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
waited about another hour before the bus took us to the ship. We were taking
Irish Ferries’ Oscar Wilde to Rosslare in Ireland. The ferry was scheduled to
leave at 6 PM and arrive at 11:30 AM the next day. We booked a small cabin with
4 bunk beds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We were
waiting on the bus in the port for quite a while and started getting concerned
about missing the ship. But in the end, the bus took us there just a few
minutes before the ferry sailed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
settled in our cabin and went to explore the ship. They had a small padded play
area for the kids which the kids enjoyed as they could literally bounce off the
walls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We had
dinner at the self-service restaurant. It was very expensive (came to about
$80) but at least it was decent food. After dinner, we went back to the little
café next to the play area and visited with a couple from Illinois we met on
the bus while the kids played. When Stevie realized they spoke English, he
wanted to sit with us and speak with Cindy. We have never seen Stevie carry on
such a long conversation with an adult (usually he is pretty shy) but he was
simply excited to speak to someone who understands him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Settling
for the night in our cabin, the boys took the top bunks and the girls took the
bottom bunks. The kids slept well, the grown-ups not so much. The beds were
comfortable but neither Steve nor I slept well that night. It may have been
because we slept 12 hours the night before (after being completely exhausted
from the night on the train). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Surprisingly,
the ferry ride was pretty smooth. We were expecting more waves but the weather
was good and it was smooth sailing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-79029678949778125262014-09-15T13:43:00.003-07:002014-09-15T13:43:44.386-07:00Omaha Beach<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wednesday,
May 28, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
thought we set the alarm clock for 6:30 AM to pack up, eat breakfast and go
pick up our rental car at 8 AM. But when we woke up, it was already 8 AM! We
slept 12 hours – that tells the story of how little sleep we got on the train
the night before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Steve
got up and walked to the rental car office to get our car while I tried to get
the kids to eat breakfast and pack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When
Steve returned, we were pleasantly surprised with a free upgrade to a larger
car (which was really needed to fit our stuff). The vehicle itself was very
nice with all the latest bells and whistles, option to use manual or automatic
transmission, and a hybrid diesel/electric engine. It was really nice and we
fit well. The rental car office was about half way between the hotel and the ferry
port and the lady at the office said she would give us a ride to the port when
we got back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
loaded up, Steve got a quick bite for breakfast and we headed to Omaha Beach.
There was really just one main road going that direction but if you pulled up the
directions online, you got 2 pages of directions. We decided to wing it and it
worked out just fine. As we approached the beaches, everything was well marked.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">First we
stopped at the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum. We walked through the museum and
then watched a short documentary about the D-day invasion. From there we moved
a short distance to a parking lot near the memorial on the beach. We got out,
walked on the beach and took photos. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
the visit to the beach, we followed the signs to the American Cemetery that is
the final resting place to 9,387 American Soldiers killed in Omaha.
Preparations were going on for a big event on June 6 which marks the 70<sup>th</sup>
anniversary of the event. Many world leaders are coming to Normandy for the
event and we were glad we got here now when it was still possible to visit the
sites. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
cemetery area where people are normally allowed to walk among the crosses was
blocked off. On the way out we saw the cemetery map and realized we saw only a
small portion, the first lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A choir
was practicing singing the national anthem and other songs for the event. We
wished we had more time to listen to them but we had to head back to catch our
ship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
stopped at the restroom at the end of our visit and have seen something we have
not seen since we left the US – a water fountain. Even the kids noticed and had
to use them right away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-64049461566431443922014-06-28T21:35:00.001-07:002014-06-28T21:35:24.446-07:00Eggs in a BlenderTuesday, May 27, 2014<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> The kids
seemed happy to be have a little time in their own space and dumped a bunch of
toys on the floor. We all took showers and rested for a little while. Then we
decide to venture into town to find a place to eat. We were unable to get any
recommendations at the hotel as the lady at the front desk did not speak any
English. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> We
stopped at a tourist information office a couple of blocks from the hotel and
asked for a restaurant recommendation. They marked a few in the guide book and
we set out to find them. We found one and were excited to get inside, sit down
and enjoy a meal. Unfortunately, we were told that they serve dinner only after
7 PM (we still had more than an hour to go until 7). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
continued walking through town while Hannah whined that she was starving. We
saw a grocery store and decided to buy food for dinner and breakfast. The hotel
offered breakfast for 6.50 Euros but it did not include any eggs or meat that
Stevie could have. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIRalFDyM9MzcfiSpoCTQnyVd8dyw3t2VIcgWh1kLeXi1FRpocJA-IMSwYIUSCNrQWXoAMSXTGdUSLwWAwHFhwNC2muRCiy5rRQTK8VyCFLa8QM8GivVJ4oZtJX62DPHe5WRm7L5chnw/s1600/IMG_1599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIRalFDyM9MzcfiSpoCTQnyVd8dyw3t2VIcgWh1kLeXi1FRpocJA-IMSwYIUSCNrQWXoAMSXTGdUSLwWAwHFhwNC2muRCiy5rRQTK8VyCFLa8QM8GivVJ4oZtJX62DPHe5WRm7L5chnw/s1600/IMG_1599.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> On the
walk back to the hotel we saw an open pizza restaurant and decided to give it a
try. The waitress did not speak any English but I still had a note on the piece
of paper saying “my son cannot have gluten or dairy” in French. She pointed us
to eggs on the menu. It was decided that Stevie would have eggs and bacon for
dinner. We did our best impression of making scrambled eggs in an effort to get
scrambled eggs for Stevie. We ordered American pizza for the rest of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Our food
arrived very quickly. Stevie’s eggs arrived sunny side up. We tried to explain
again that he would like them scrambled. The waitress said “Ah, mix!” She took
Stevie’s plate and a moment later we heard a blender. Our fears that Stevie was
having eggs and bacon puree were confirmed when the waitress reappeared with
his plate. It looked like a pile of regurgitated eggs and bacon. It tasted
the way it looked - NASTY! (The ham on the plate is one we bought in the grocery store, it did not come with the meal.)</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwzAJS0oinyNBjxG9SF31iWW934tE86e69yUluaVNKvJjjtAFEFkt45fiBe8TlZ7KrK6lc_nhxIQLKvi00jXrChl2iDDekewif00o5uqLL0H3Xk8JiJbxhvZeSuIINrrlZulsaVwxdbA/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwzAJS0oinyNBjxG9SF31iWW934tE86e69yUluaVNKvJjjtAFEFkt45fiBe8TlZ7KrK6lc_nhxIQLKvi00jXrChl2iDDekewif00o5uqLL0H3Xk8JiJbxhvZeSuIINrrlZulsaVwxdbA/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The kids
seemed happy to be have a little time in their own space and dumped a bunch of
toys on the floor. We all took showers and rested for a little while. Then we
decide to venture into town to find a place to eat. We were unable to get any
recommendations at the hotel as the lady at the front desk did not speak any
English. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
stopped at a tourist information office a couple of blocks from the hotel and
asked for a restaurant recommendation. They marked a few in the guide book and
we set out to find them. We found one and were excited to get inside, sit down
and enjoy a meal. Unfortunately, we were told that they serve dinner only after
7 PM (we still had more than an hour to go until 7). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
continued walking through town while Hannah whined that she was starving. We
saw a grocery store and decided to buy food for dinner and breakfast. The hotel
offered breakfast for 6.50 Euros but it did not include any eggs or meat that
Stevie could have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On the
walk back to the hotel we saw an open pizza restaurant and decided to give it a
try. The waitress did not speak any English but I still had a note on the piece
of paper saying “my son cannot have gluten or dairy” in French. She pointed us
to eggs on the menu. It was decided that Stevie would have eggs and bacon for
dinner. We did our best impression of making scrambled eggs in an effort to get
scrambled eggs for Stevie. We ordered American pizza for the rest of us. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Our food arrived very quickly. Stevie’s eggs arrived sunny side up. We tried to explain again that he would like them scrambled. The waitress said “Ah, mix!” She took Stevie’s plate and a moment later we heard a blender. Our fears that Stevie was having eggs and bacon puree were confirmed when the waitress reappeared with his plate. It looked like a pile of regurgitated eggs and bacon. It tasted the way it looked - NASTY!</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwzAJS0oinyNBjxG9SF31iWW934tE86e69yUluaVNKvJjjtAFEFkt45fiBe8TlZ7KrK6lc_nhxIQLKvi00jXrChl2iDDekewif00o5uqLL0H3Xk8JiJbxhvZeSuIINrrlZulsaVwxdbA/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwzAJS0oinyNBjxG9SF31iWW934tE86e69yUluaVNKvJjjtAFEFkt45fiBe8TlZ7KrK6lc_nhxIQLKvi00jXrChl2iDDekewif00o5uqLL0H3Xk8JiJbxhvZeSuIINrrlZulsaVwxdbA/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Our
pizza looked different than any kind of pizza we have had before (it had ground
beef, fries and some type of a creamy, mushroomy sauce). But it tasted good.
The kids ate French fries and peanut butter we bought at the grocery store. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeahgYtX_WwCAN-F5QhbK8M5HqYnPOAKv2oWXQFzXn82lEa7lvDTaGU8u9VG0InyBecggMtYOg53dDU5dZMf7c2R2ZUxNa4WK9igz8CYAC6HnTYqGjw4btAbCAlJcx6kSy_mYLUSvepCw/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeahgYtX_WwCAN-F5QhbK8M5HqYnPOAKv2oWXQFzXn82lEa7lvDTaGU8u9VG0InyBecggMtYOg53dDU5dZMf7c2R2ZUxNa4WK9igz8CYAC6HnTYqGjw4btAbCAlJcx6kSy_mYLUSvepCw/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
dinner we walked back to the hotel (less than 2 blocks away) and crashed for
the night. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-54712310345862042712014-06-28T21:23:00.001-07:002014-06-28T21:23:50.718-07:00Paris to Cherbourg
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Tuesday,
May 27, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We were
excited to arrive in Paris and get off the train. We had about a 25 minute
delay but it was not a problem as we allowed plenty of time to transfer from
Paris l’Est to Paris Saint Lazare train station. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> I wrote
down two different ways to get to the Saint Lazare station and I am glad I did.
While we saw the metro line 4 listed on signs, we did not see the direction we
needed to go. Therefore we chose to take metro line number 7 for 5 stop and
change to line number 3 at the Opera station. From there, Saint Lazare was only
2 stops away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> We found
a place to buy the metro (subway) tickets but then struggled to get through the
turn stiles with luggage and a stroller. It was clearly impossible. There was a
gate behind the turn stile that opened only once you went through the turn
stile. There was no way to slide a suitcase under the turn stile. Steve went
through the turn stile first and we were trying to get the suitcases over to
him when a French speaking gentleman came by and showed us a gate for people
with strollers and luggage. It was locked and he called someone. We had no idea
what they were saying but it sounded like they were arguing. We got the
impression they did not want to come unlock the gate. But a man showed up to
unlock it and let us through. Once they unlocked the gate, the man who called
for help just said good bye, we thanked him and he walked away. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We took
the escalator down but further down we had to walk down regular stairs. Someone
stopped and helped me carry the stroller. At first we were apprehensive about
this since our experience with the gypsies in Rome but no, this guy was just
simply being nice. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Our
train arrived and we had hard time getting everyone on fast enough. A couple of
people helped hold the door open while we got on. It was surprising to get this
much help in a large city. We certainly have not experienced nice, friendly
people like this in Rome or Prague (rather otherwise). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We made
our transfer and arrived at Saint Lazare station about an hour before our
departure. The only sit down place to eat we could find was again Burger King.
So we had another hamburger lunch. It was conveniently located right across
from the platforms and we found a plug so that Stevie could play his game for a
little while. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaODpqEJtZlPdDQKZ0EL_RX44yz7mUdYR9cfNs2_N-X9iYa2r3RaQcZ8pevtSnR0IRQP3WuiW0fydHJNgDwYtHUVJTVTkhZyfOv91_-ONJUbZvejzRsOuXg5N16waKaUmYSbyuxGVDphw/s1600/IMG_1596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaODpqEJtZlPdDQKZ0EL_RX44yz7mUdYR9cfNs2_N-X9iYa2r3RaQcZ8pevtSnR0IRQP3WuiW0fydHJNgDwYtHUVJTVTkhZyfOv91_-ONJUbZvejzRsOuXg5N16waKaUmYSbyuxGVDphw/s1600/IMG_1596.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Our
train was announced about 20 minutes before the departure time. We got on and
found our seats. This time the train was opened and we had 4 seats facing each
other. We also had power plugs so the kids could watch a movie and play on the
ipad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
enjoyed the view of the French country side and arrived in Cherbourg at 3:25 PM
as scheduled. Our hotel was supposed to be right across the street from the
train station and it was. The room was basic, but clean and comfortable.
Compared to the last night on the train, it looked like heaven. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-88312972335038516942014-06-28T21:15:00.001-07:002014-06-28T21:15:40.749-07:00The Night TrainMonday, May 26, 2014<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It took
our train 6 hours to get to Munich. We missed not having a power plug because
Hannah cold not play her movie on the computer to stay entertained. But despite
the lack of electronic entertainment, the ride went well and we arrived in
Munich on time at 7:15 PM.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Our next
train was not scheduled until 10:50 PM. We found an Asian place to eat and then
made our way upstairs to a waiting room. We bought some fruit and drinks to
take on the train with us. We spent at least $10 going to the bathroom. It was
really nice and clean. However, as it was late in the evening, bunch of
unsavory characters were milling about the train station.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Eventually,
our train arrived and the platform was announced. It was a tad confusing as the
signs showed our train number and destination as Paris l’Est but it also showed
another train number going to Amsterdam. We found our car number and our cabin.
We paid a little extra to have a 4 person cabin but the way it was set up was
that there was one bunk on the bottom, the middle bunk was lifted up and we
used it as a shelf for some of our stuff and then there were two bunks on the
top. The top bunks were smaller than the bottom bunks and they were definitely
too high for the kids to sleep up there. We decided that Steve would sleep on
the bottom bunk, the kids would share the other bottom bunk and I would sleep
on the top. We used the other top bunk to hold our large suitcases. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> The kids
were very tired and cranky but soon fell asleep. They were the only ones to get
any sleep on the train. A few hours later, Hannah woke up, I climbed down to
get her back to sleep but I did not feel like climbing all the way back (it was
a tad scary). So I just grabbed my blanket and pillow and settled on the floor.
It was just as hard as the bunk except I did not have to worry about falling
down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Steve
had hard time sleeping too and since there were no power plugs, he was not able
to use his CPAP. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> When the
conductor came to check the tickets, we confirmed that we were on the right
train. Apparently only the first three cars were going to Amsterdam and at some
point our train split into two. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-58410309119434884502014-06-28T21:05:00.001-07:002014-06-28T21:17:28.445-07:00Last three days in the Czech Republic<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Saturday, May 24, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> We spent
the day getting ready for our departure. We went to Oaza to buy some groceries
for the trip and the babi paid for the kids to ride the horses in Oaza one last
time. We started packing our suitcases.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Sunday,
May 25, 2014<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Steve
and I got up early and started getting more things ready. I cooked pasta sauce
and got the salad ready for lunch. Vlada and Blanka were coming to visit in the
afternoon one last time. By the time they got there, we were pretty much packed
and could visit without stress. In the evening, we washed the last batch of
laundry hoping it would be dry by the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Monday,
May 26, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
gathered up the last few things in the morning and were just waiting for Pepa
to come pick us up at 10:30 AM. He arrived early and we had plenty of time to
install car seats and put the luggage in the van. We left Kladno at 11 AM while
babi waved good bye from her balcony.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Pepa
dropped us off at the parking lot in front of the train station. We said our
good byes, thanked him for his help and off we went. We were early and decided
to have lunch at Burger King while we waited. Burger King also had free wifi so
the boys could play Clash of the Clans while we waited. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> We
talked to a young couple from Brooklyn who were sitting next to us in the
restaurant. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Our train was at the platform about 30 minutes early and we made our way there. We reserved seats but we could not find out car number. We found an open compartment/cabin and settled in. The train conductor told us that the car we reserved was not there today but they did reserve seats for us in another. Since we were already seated, we told him we would stay where we were and he freed up the seats in the other car. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-54905958103882333952014-05-24T07:34:00.001-07:002014-05-24T07:34:18.959-07:00Princess Hannah turns 4<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Friday,
May 23, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hannah turns 4 today! She is so proud to be
a big, four year old girl. We have not done anything special as we already had
a birthday party for both kids. But we congratulated her on her birthday.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took the bus to Kaufland to pick up a
photo book for Petr and Jarka. We made a small book from our visit as a thank
you for taking care of us while we visited. We also stopped at the bank to
exchange money for Euros and ate at McDonald’s (mostly so that the kids could
play on their playground).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked back to babi’s and shortly after
we got home, it started to rain. The rain cooled the temperatures down which
was really nice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mrs. Drahosova, Renata, Pepa and Zaneta came
to visit in the evening. We enjoyed some snacks and good company. </span></div>
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<br />
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<br />Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-37908090589141516102014-05-24T07:34:00.000-07:002014-05-24T07:34:07.399-07:00Visiting Blanka<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thursday,
May 22, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made plans to visit with Blanka in the
afternoon. However, Blanka got a call at 1:30 PM that her finger surgery was
scheduled for next week (she has been waiting for months) and that she had to
go to the doctor’s office immediately to pick up paperwork to start her pre-op
appointments. We went to the playground by ourselves and stayed there until
Blanka got there around 3:30 PM. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Blanka got there, we went back to her
apartment and she had some chicken ready for us. The kids were hungry and much
happier once they ate. We stayed until about 7 PM and then took a bus back to
babi’s. It is really neat to see how the kids are happy to come back to babi’s apartment
– it is their temporary home. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While at Blanka’s we watched the world
championship hockey quarterfinals game between the USA
and the Czech Republic. It seemed like a clear win for
the Czech Republic until the
few minutes prior to the end when the US scored 2 goals in less than 2
minutes. Steve jokes that he is possibly the only American who is watching the
championship (not to mention watching the game live) but practically the whole Czech Republic <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is watching the Czech team. </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before we left, we got to see Denisa and her
husband Pavel for a few minutes. Even Steve got to see that Pavel is not an
imaginary person (due to his work schedule, we have not had a chance to see him
at all). </span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-33105513473780481372014-05-24T07:33:00.002-07:002014-05-24T07:33:58.944-07:00Big travel plans<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wednesday,
May 21</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We
decided to go to a little playground in the woods behind babi’s building. It
was truly small and the kids played for about 5 minutes. After that we went for
a walk down the trail.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXUTkB1TurJibcy4x1fRfWNTCNFRHwpwoiESdY1iLeVntZWgYDUyA_Ui4ijif-6xzT9qY1AseZiIL_Vw_BPLYdkPikHB5NCxQKmObVYcSKeZnVi9y9wWSIWQlmhPxUVtrTHbANa1BRFA/s1600/IMG_1406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXUTkB1TurJibcy4x1fRfWNTCNFRHwpwoiESdY1iLeVntZWgYDUyA_Ui4ijif-6xzT9qY1AseZiIL_Vw_BPLYdkPikHB5NCxQKmObVYcSKeZnVi9y9wWSIWQlmhPxUVtrTHbANa1BRFA/s1600/IMG_1406.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZBCQT5Xks16Sc8sPCHqdWIkHIjzNQAwUY6H5vA4j4r3yqswb5yJ0OsFemIToIjXlxLSVY44LNeZGUJQJ3cioIGJnw5E4_P5VRUwq2KfXaPqnq9_QYRzY8dHWrj6riSfe62GUbrmql94/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZBCQT5Xks16Sc8sPCHqdWIkHIjzNQAwUY6H5vA4j4r3yqswb5yJ0OsFemIToIjXlxLSVY44LNeZGUJQJ3cioIGJnw5E4_P5VRUwq2KfXaPqnq9_QYRzY8dHWrj6riSfe62GUbrmql94/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Before
we left to go to the playground, I was wondering if there were ferries going
directly to Ireland (our
original plan was to go from Caen to Portsmouth in England). I found ferries going
from Cherbourg which is about an hour and a half
by train from Caen.
We discussed changing our plan to go straight to Ireland while the kids played and
decided to make a few changes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here
is our final itinerary:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Monday,
May 26</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">–<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">train
from Prague to Munich,
Germany – the train leaves
at 1:15 PM and arrives in Munich
at 9:15 PM</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">–<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">train
from Munich, Germany
to Paris, France
– leaves at 10:50 PM and arrives in Paris
at 9:25 AM the next morning</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tuesday,
May 27</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">–<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">transfer
from Paris East train station by subway to Paris Saint Lazare train station</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">–<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">train
from Paris to Cherbourg
– train leaves at 12:08 PM and arrives in Cherbourg
at 15:20 PM</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">–<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">we
reserved a hotel for 1 night in Cherbourg
directly across from the train station and about 1/3 mile from the ferry port</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wednesday,
May 28</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">rent
a car from the ferry port and make our own private D-day tour of the beaches
and the memorial</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">leave
by ferry at 6 PM to go to Rosslare,
Ireland – the ferry
arrives in Rosslare at 11:30 AM the next day</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thursday,
May 29</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">arrive
in Rosslare, Ireland at 11:30 AM and take a taxi
to bed and breakfast we have booked for 1 night</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">After
that we plan to spend several days touring southern Ireland
and then take a ferry to Wales
(the ferries leave from the same port in Rosslare).</span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-68351387318771820282014-05-24T07:33:00.001-07:002014-05-24T07:33:42.894-07:00The countdown begins<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Monday,
May 19, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Since
our trip is coming to the end, we had to start preparing for our westward
journey. I have spent quite a bit of time online planning our trip to France and Ireland. It turns out that one
cannot purchase a train ticket all the way to Normandy. We would have to buy the ticket
from Prague to Munich
from the Czech Railways, Munich to Paris from
the German Railways and Paris to Caen (which was
initially our destination in Normandy)
from French Railways. In the end I decided that we would buy our ticket from Munich to Paris
at the railway station in Kladno as I was unable to get 4 beds (the kids travel
free and therefore the online system was not assigning them a bed). We also
decided to wait to purchase the rest of the tickets until we bought the night
train tickets. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hU7B6-Tmg7s6s7AXuVbw-ADsvx6LsdxsjZlfTAji7_GdYkCV0dKMaN2nObOAwpESC6ufrcz3S5ev1ZOUNlRSPMDT65kuwe4XKYzyjBSJ5UlDRRCph-QZwVqOO3xqEKEDkjCxmlD91EM/s1600/IMG_1445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hU7B6-Tmg7s6s7AXuVbw-ADsvx6LsdxsjZlfTAji7_GdYkCV0dKMaN2nObOAwpESC6ufrcz3S5ev1ZOUNlRSPMDT65kuwe4XKYzyjBSJ5UlDRRCph-QZwVqOO3xqEKEDkjCxmlD91EM/s1600/IMG_1445.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tuesday,
May 20, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We
stopped at the railway station to purchase the tickets from Munich
to Paris. The
lady at the counter did not have access to any better information than what I
found online but at least she could print the ticket before paying and see if
it is what we needed. Online, I would not be able to see the ticket and
assigned beds until after it was paid for and after that the ticket was
non-refundable, non-exchangeable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
much looking, it turned out that the easiest way to get tickets for all 4 of us
in a single cabin was to pay for 4 adult tickets. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Once
we had our ticket, we went to the pool for the last swim before we leave the Czech Republic.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
we got back to babi’s apartment, I went back online to finish the rest of our
train reservations. By the end of the day we had tickets all the way to Caen in north of France
and a hotel for 2 nights in Caen.</span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-76178380685105148362014-05-24T07:32:00.001-07:002014-05-24T07:32:51.758-07:00Dan and Veronika<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sunday,
May 18, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Our original
plan was to visit Dan and his wife Veronika in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it
was raining all day making a bus trip difficult. It takes about 5-10 minutes to
walk from the bus stop to their place (longer with kids) and it is just not
that much fun in the rain. We returned Vlada’s car yesterday and therefore we
asked if Dan and Veronika would not mind rescheduling or coming over to visit
us by car. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcCuR9mNEpxbTeFfoQQsnGXe_SKnjcrn5dWEEyoLMJDpXAqJQjebXGlyh4elhNO_ojZuyIt6EA9wupu60mDhRAe6wRTcdn2TuyUhzDim2Z7L1qpU-mkOAjEnRAy_-Egp5gA-rTKxUKH0/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcCuR9mNEpxbTeFfoQQsnGXe_SKnjcrn5dWEEyoLMJDpXAqJQjebXGlyh4elhNO_ojZuyIt6EA9wupu60mDhRAe6wRTcdn2TuyUhzDim2Z7L1qpU-mkOAjEnRAy_-Egp5gA-rTKxUKH0/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxFLaR7PaWpQfQM2hCngmIkTu6JqqfWV3_6uuMw3kyuem1_RqNIBcR4PMuH4McCTTBwOGlx1awupgVGqFcEfcY7KIBYnc_QYr1Rs4Bs7-UKTdd1JYWmvNFngbbkZIHzdqXE3RRIsT10s/s1600/IMG_1396.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxFLaR7PaWpQfQM2hCngmIkTu6JqqfWV3_6uuMw3kyuem1_RqNIBcR4PMuH4McCTTBwOGlx1awupgVGqFcEfcY7KIBYnc_QYr1Rs4Bs7-UKTdd1JYWmvNFngbbkZIHzdqXE3RRIsT10s/s1600/IMG_1396.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRGRp5P05jr64X7Sbs2vwa7yHwnVkOUKgDQZjyEbcDNksiC1CrZXjWFqBcy7rCcRPZ3bMvLHOjVwFCK6bsBGZPoUPyLb_oJycysxFN3oMLOdz3HyJZWs8q0FPpCNLa2plGCohiEiyptk/s1600/IMG_1398.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRGRp5P05jr64X7Sbs2vwa7yHwnVkOUKgDQZjyEbcDNksiC1CrZXjWFqBcy7rCcRPZ3bMvLHOjVwFCK6bsBGZPoUPyLb_oJycysxFN3oMLOdz3HyJZWs8q0FPpCNLa2plGCohiEiyptk/s1600/IMG_1398.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> They
were happy to come over and we spent the afternoon together at babi’s
apartment. Both Dan and Veronika speak English and it was great that I did not
have to interpret at all (except to keep babi in the loop). It was the longest
English conversation Steve has had since we arrived here. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
rain slowed down enough that we decided to go eat dinner at a restaurant about
10 minutes away. The kids rode their scooters and we walked. Dinner was very
nice and even though it was raining lightly on the way home, the rain was not
too bad. </span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-52107438749901698822014-05-24T07:26:00.003-07:002014-05-24T07:26:47.079-07:00It's birthday party time<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Saturday,
May 17, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I
spent most of the morning preparing snacks for the birthday/nameday party in
the afternoon. Just before noon, I put the pork chops and potatoes in the oven
and left to pick up the cakes. After picking up the cakes, I went over to pick
up Vlada and Blanka and we went back to babi’s together. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I was
hoping the gluten and dairy free cake would look nice. It did! We also ordered
a small sugar-free cake for babi. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The
kids were so excited to have a cake and it was killing them to wait through
lunch. After lunch we put candles on the cake and sang happy birthday to them.
Then they got presents from babi, Vlada and Blanka. We also gave Vlada his
nameday present. Stevie was excited to get the Pig Rock Raceway he has been
wanting for weeks (if not months). Hannah enjoyed most playing with sticky
foam. It is like play doh but is made out of tiny balls that stick together.
Hannah cooked food with it in her new tea set and also made animals with
Blanka. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> At
the end of the day, everyone was tired from all the partying. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
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</div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-90449127328898111762014-05-24T07:26:00.002-07:002014-05-24T07:26:34.606-07:00Back to babi's house<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tuesday,
May 13, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Steve
and I woke up early – at 5 AM. As usual, it was light outside and we got to
packing and cleaning up. Jarka and Petr came over at 8:30 AM<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and by then we were ready to go (we have even
finished breakfast). We said our goodbyes with Jarka and Petr drove her to work.
He came back a few minutes later to visit some more. We again invited him to
visit us in Tennessee and he said that he was increasing the odds of them
traveling to the US from 15% to 30%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We
left shortly after 10 AM. The weather was better than during our drive to
Moravia and we arrived in Kladno in 5 hours. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Mom
had a nice dinner ready for us. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wednesday,
May 14, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> To
recover from the long drive, we went to the pool. This time we stayed longer in
the pool and the boys did not make it out of the lockers on time. Hannah and I
made it about a minute before our time expired (we buy tickets for 90 minutes)
but the boys were about 2 minutes too late. When they inserted their chips in
to unlock the turnstile, they were detained until they paid for additional
time. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thursday,
May 15, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Babi
paid for the kids to play in the play area in Oaza. They had a good time but
were not quite as excited as the first time as they already knew the toys. We
ate Chinese in the food court for lunch, had coffee, ice cream and got grocery
shopping done. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Friday,
May 16, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I
went grocery shopping in the morning to get the things we needed for the party
on Saturday. We planned a little early party for Stevie’s and Hannah’s
birthdays and also for Vlada’s nameday. In the afternoon we went to Doksy to
visit the Drahos family. We visited for a little while while Hannah and Stevie
played. We also made arrangements with Pepa to drive us to the train station in
Prague when we leave. We stopped at Tesco on the way back and bought another
deck of prsi cards and a few other items.</span></div>
<br />
<br />Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-9246432398242377862014-05-24T07:26:00.000-07:002014-05-24T07:26:06.414-07:00The wooden village - Roznov pod Radhostem<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Monday,
May 12, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We
drove to Roznov pod Radhostem that has a large outdoors museum about the local
history. We visited the Wooden Village (Town) which was assembled from local
log cabins from mid to late 18<sup>th</sup> century. The houses were brought
there and re-assembled. Some were newer reconstructions, however, it was
impossible to tell which was which without reading the posted information. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
were enjoying our walk through the museum until the “creepies” started
following us. People work in the museum and they monitor visitors. However, one
lady just kind of appeared behind us and continued to follow us in somewhat
creepy manner. After that, we wrapped up our visit and drove back home. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pA0DrCMhrzB3YGZKDZCGXssVSVz1n_hKOX_FMCgJ9-YkK6EOGOMGgr24onlIlivfms_JPOYlR7B9C-41fe7WmGzZZVHWh6H1EIk3SneZvYrybkAIzEUcrXQEfRQqoKG5QVqw26sjct8/s1600/IMG_1247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pA0DrCMhrzB3YGZKDZCGXssVSVz1n_hKOX_FMCgJ9-YkK6EOGOMGgr24onlIlivfms_JPOYlR7B9C-41fe7WmGzZZVHWh6H1EIk3SneZvYrybkAIzEUcrXQEfRQqoKG5QVqw26sjct8/s1600/IMG_1247.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFsDI5xfDfAvKMEkP1jrudg4bw4ZN9uCDXr0BKEC9AcWYLL-y02_fYQryoFl37yqkk1usPfgwAhyFHILc__gqEYpXa5KSW9FQv1pLt8wp_uWfcdV_vroSitIqK3rrJ9-ubNqXlz317dw/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFsDI5xfDfAvKMEkP1jrudg4bw4ZN9uCDXr0BKEC9AcWYLL-y02_fYQryoFl37yqkk1usPfgwAhyFHILc__gqEYpXa5KSW9FQv1pLt8wp_uWfcdV_vroSitIqK3rrJ9-ubNqXlz317dw/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beehives</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We
made arrangements to visit with Regina and her family after 6 PM to say goodbye
but since we got to Nosovice at 5 PM, we went to the playground. I sent a text
message to Regina to let us know when she gets home. Regina left her phone at
home but Pavla got the message and came to the playground. A little while
later, Regina’s husband Petr came to the playground as well. We went to eat
supper at a restaurant nearby. Stevie and Pavla rode the scooters. </span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We
planned to visit with Petr and Jarka as well but we did not make it back to the
chateau until 9 PM. Petr just finished working on the property and we briefly
talked to him. He said that they would come visit in the morning before Jarka
went to work.</span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022012165069907263.post-71840257334708092692014-05-24T07:25:00.000-07:002014-05-24T07:25:12.983-07:00Poland<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sunday,
May 11, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We
decided to drive to Poland since we were just about 10 km from the border. We
drove to Cesky Tesin – a town that sits on the border. The Polish side of town
is called Cieszyn. It was pretty much a straight shot down the road from our
chateau. We crossed the Olse River into Poland and found a nice playground on
the Polish side. The kids rode the scooters from the parking lot to the
playground and thn across a bridge connecting the Czech Republic with Poland. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We
wanted to have lunch in Poland but when we finally found a square with a lot of
restaurants, there was only paid parking (all full anyway). We did not have any
Euro coins to use in the parking ticket machine so we kept driving. When we
finally found a restaurant and a parking spot in the same vicinity we were back
in the Czech Republic. We had a nice lunch and then stopped by a grocery store
for some good snacks. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> From
there we drove to Regina’s house. I made plans to visit with her while Steve
and Petr and a few other guys went hunting. Steve was expected at Petr’s house
at 5 PM so Stevie and Hannah stayed with Regina while I drove him there.</span></div>
Just a regular personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552618377601742680noreply@blogger.com0