Sept 23 -- Prague!

There were no glitches with our flights and one very surprising plus -- passport control. Our flight from home landed in Frankfurt, Germany and we changed planes to get to Prague. Seriously, we walked more than a mile between gates! On our way out of Terminal Z to Terminal A, we encountered a small booth with 2 German police types who checked our passports quickly and let us thru. No line, no paperwork, nothing. When we got to Prague, I assumed we would encounter serious passport control and customs. But NO!! there was just a sign saying to check with customs if you were bringing in more than 10,000 Euros, and only one agent, who was actively engaged reviewing someone else's bags. WOW!!

Our pre-arranged airport shuttle to the hotel was great -- the driver was a former Canadian who came to Prague 25 years ago and decided to stay, got married, has a couple kids, and gave us advice on using public transportation. Our hotel is pleasant and is on the major metro line, but it is not a tourist hotel and nothing is very close -- except for the Jewish Cemetary outside our window (Franz Kafka is buried there) and the Chinese Restaurant across the street from the hotel.

We met the 40 other people on this part of the trip, and many seem like they are still active like we are. This part of the trip is with Grand Circle, the parent company of OAT who we usually book with. Their literature all seems to suggest that they are aimed at a more sedentary crowd and certainly the groups are MUCH bigger -- 40+ vs. 16 max. But so far, so good.