Aug 28 – After a good night’s sleep, some espresso and an egg breakfast, we are ready to face the day’s adventures.
When Jim told me that Prague had a Lennon Wall, I had visions of Russian Marx and Lenin, but no! After his assassination in 1980, someone painted a mural of John Lennon on a downtown wall. People added song lyrics, poems, signatures and graffiti until the image of John was completely covered over. Every time the government painted over the images, the next day a new mural would begin.
Over the years there were images of short-haired John, long-haired John, bearded John, Yoko and John, and John with kaleidoscope eyes. Today, John was not to be seen, as his face was totally covered with graffiti.
That might be some Beatle mop-top hair under all that graffiti……and that might be Lucy in the Sky and Strawberry Fields. Who can say?A lot to take in🎶Two of us standing solo in the sun… (see what I did there?)Time to cross the very famous Charles Bridge, started by King Charles IV in 1357. It spans the Vitava River, connecting Prague Castle to the Old Town. Here are the steps to climb up the bridge.We were there very early in the morning, trying to beat the crowdsThe bridge boasts dozens of statues, mostly added in the 1600s…including St John Nepomuk, who was martyred by (not so good) King Wenceslaus, who had him thrown into the river after refusing to reveal secrets that the queen told him during confession.At the base of the state are two bas reliefs that every passerby touches for luck: the dog sitting loyally by his knight (good dog!) and……the depiction of St. John being thrown off this very bridge. The patina has worn off the reliefs from being touched by so many hands.We also obligingly touched the dead Saint on a gate at the center of the bridge.More statues – we learned that all the statues on the bridge are replicas, with the originals stored for safety in museumsWe thought this guy was praying, but before the day was out we’d seen several of these beggars, humbly holding out their begging cup and not looking at passersby As we approached the end of the bridge, we could see the tourist crowds heading our way. Glad we got an early start!We strolled around the Old TownLooking at more statues…and interesting buildingsAnother penitent beggarWe looked in shop windows…and considered a snack until we saw it was called Spit CakeA fun day!
Aug 27 – Easy travels today, from Norfolk to Philly, then a straight shot into Prague. No delays, no drama. The hardest part was trying to convince myself after landing that it was 8am, when my brain knew very well that it was only 2am and I hadn’t had hardly enough sleep. The entry system into Czechia was easy peasy – kiosk for passport, fingerprints and photo, and practically no line for an entry stamp. Good job, Czechia!
Google Maps gave us detailed directions on how to get to our apartment – the #59 bus from the airport to the metro station, then the A train for 7 stops to get us within a few blocks of our place. Our usual concern is how to purchase transit tickets, but with this country’s “old folks ride free” policy, we just hopped aboard!
We were concerned that we were arriving way earlier than the stated check-in time, but thought perhaps we could ask to stash our packs for the morning. Fortunately, the receptionist was there early and let us right in. We dropped gratefully onto our comfy bed for a catch up nap.
We roused ourselves to find some lunch and sunshine (the best way to counteract jet lag). After some burgers and our first local beers, we walked into the Old Town to see what we could see.
Lots of crowds and pretty pastel buildingsOrnate carvings A colorful mosaic atop a fancy old palaceLots of statues…and facesIn the Old Town Square is the Old Town Hall, which boasts an Old Clock Tower containing an astronomical clock that dates back to the year 1410.The top circle is a form of astrolabe that shows the movements of the sun and moon. The bottom circle is a calendar.Every hour, the two little doors above the clock open up and the twelve Apostles can be seen (just barely) rotating through the doors. The figures of the Four Despised Things (lust, greed, vanity and death) on either side of the clock do a little shaky dance. Thus endeth our day!
Aug 25– We opted to stay home this summer, taking the grands to the beach, the bowling alley, and the pool, and enjoying the tomatoes that Jim’s garden produced in abundance. Now that the kids are heading back to school, it’s time for us to hit the road.
We plan to spend the month of September in Czechia, also known as the Czech Republic until 2016, previously part of Czechoslovakia from 1918 until 1992, and historically called Bohemia. Ever since we’ve been traveling, others have told us that it’s a must-see place. Now we will see!
What do we know so far?
The capital is Prague, or as the Czechs call it, Praha, the 5th most visited city in Europe. We are starting there, and then visiting Kutna Hora, Olomouc, Cesky Krumlov, Pilsen, and Karlovy Vary.
Although part of the European Union, Czechia maintains its own currency, the Czech Krona (CZK). Right now, $1 = 20CZK. There is a good public transport system, and old folks ride for free! Uber is available in the larger cities, as is a local ride sharing app called Bolt.
We’ve been warned to steer clear of ATMs in the tourist areas that charge outrageous fees.
We understand that Czechians are a serious people, who are suspicious of Americans because we smile too much. We’ll try to keep that in mind. Fun fact: most of the world’s beer is produced and consumed in Czechia. That just made me smile! 😊
Czechia is landlocked by Germany to the west, Poland to the north, Slovakia to the east and Austria to the south. The little beer steins show where we will be staying.
Feb 20 – We took advantage of the amenities of the Radisson Resort that separated us from the water. We’ve been to many places where interlopers are kept out of the resort by security, and you have to show a room key or wristband to use the beach. Not so here! The beach is public property, so we walked the resort, lounged in the lounge chairs, and swam in one of the many pools. How fun to rub elbows with the upper crust!
We had time for one more adventure, so we walked down the beach in the other direction, to see if we could get to Quarantine Point. It is the site of a former leper colony, and the place where travelers suffering from TB, yellow fever, and other communicable diseases were kept back in the day.
Sodom appleSea grapesQuarantine Point in the distance We admired the artwork as we walked alongWhen the beach ended……we walked up to the road…then up the hill …to a series of thoughtful signsSounds like the Four Way Test of the Rotary Club!And indeed, it turned out that Quarantine Point is now a park maintained by Rotary Club International.…with lovely murals…a children’s playground…with views of the surrounding hills…and views back toward Grand AnseAnd so ends a wonderful respite to a very cold winter.Happy to say that our flights home were uneventful, despite Homeland Security closing Global Entry. Thank you to the TSA agents who showed up to do their jobs under trying circumstances. ‘Til next time!
Feb 18 – As nice as it is to swim and sit on the beach, there’s something to be said for exploring. We hopped a van to travel a few miles up the coast to the Carenage, the busy downtown area where the cruise ships dock.
Last week we were in St Andrew’s parish, now we are in St George’s.Very hilly streets – see the cruise ship out in the harbor? There is a different ship every day.You know we like cathedrals, so we stopped by the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at the top of the hill……but they were celebrating noon mass, so we just peeked in and moved on.Lots of the same baggies of spices at the tourist market. See the cinnamon sticks?Plenty of hot sauces, nutmeg jam and rumGinger and tomatoes Red papaya and soursopTJ’s sounds like a good place for lunchJim’s chicken curry pie was huge, and contained four thighs, complete with bones. Don’t bite down hard!We spoke with a German couple from the cruise ship. They stop at a new island every day.Plenty of wall art!Here’s the Grenada sign, partially obstructed by taxi drivers waiting for a fare.The Sendell Tunnel connects the two sides of town. We thought it was for pedestrians……but it’s for car traffic too. A tight squeeze!On the other side of the tunnel was the harbor……where the rich folks dock their yachtsA fine day!
Feb 16 – A 45 minute ride down from the hills in a packed van, followed by a 20 minute ride in a local van, got us to our next abode. The Bouganvillea apartments in bustling St. George’s, are just a block from beautiful Grand Anse Beach.
We have a kitchen here, and are near a grocery store, so we can be more in control of what we eat. I think we both gained 10 pounds eating Ingrid’s cooking! We’ll be here for our last week in Grenada.
The weather is exactly the same here on the coast as it was up in the hills; low of 78 and high of 82 degrees F every day. Ideal!
Our new home, complete with verandaGrand Anse beach – white sand, warm crystal clear waterThe beach is about a mile and a half long All beaches should have shady trees right near the shore – no umbrellas required!Our favorite street vendor made us some fresh Trinidadian doubles for lunch – curried chickpeas in a spicy pepper sauce wrapped in two flour tortillas.Yummy doubles!We checked out the local marketGrenada is known as the Spice Isle, so lots of spices are packed in little baggies for tourists – cinnamon, red pepper, turmeric, mace and gingerThe main export is nutmeg, here in its whole formLocal wildlife Pink clouds in the afternoonThe swimmers go home as the sun goes downWe could get used to this!
Feb 14 – Today, for something completely different, we walked to the main road and caught a passing van heading toward Mt. Carmel Falls, a must see attraction on this part of the island.
The falls are on private property, so there is a fee to enter…past the owner’s house…and down into the jungle!Hmmmm, these falls are somewhat underwhelming…We continued down the hill to the larger falls……and watched some swimmers taking advantage of the natural water slideVery nice!Another restaurant that doesn’t look like a restaurant……with a local lunch that couldn’t be beat, including soursop juice and callaloo. Callaloo, which is fun to say and to spell, is the green of choice around here. Somewhere between spinach and collards, it is spicy and delicious.The rest of our week was “lather, rinse, repeat” with more beach, more pool, and more good meals.Found a wall art mural called The Cocoa to Chocolate GardenIt went on for several panels. We understand cocoa is grown locally, and there is a local tea called cocoa balls.On Sunday all the shops and restaurants are closed, so Ingrid made us some callaloo soup……followed by more food than I could consume; swordfish, rice and roasted yams. The starchy root vegetables served with every meal are called provisions, and are not my favorite.With many thanks, we bid adieu to Ingrid……and the goats.On to St. George’s!
Feb 12 – We are in super relaxed mode, as there is really not too much to do here. Ingrid makes our breakfast in the morning (we have no input on the breakfast selection, but everything is very good), we walk down to the beach to swim, have lunch in town, and then swim in the pool in the afternoon.
We bring back take-away for supper, as we just can’t consume the quantity of food that Ingrid provides, and she doesn’t seem to be open to negotiation. We asked if we could perhaps have a smaller supper, and she told us, “no, the supper is fine.” Sigh. Her meals are more expensive than the restaurant in town, and there is no ATM here. I hope our money lasts the week!
Jim got up early to capture the sunrise from our veranda Breakfast of vegetables, cheese and fry bread with nutmeg jam, enjoyed with our new friend Angela from Canada.Fresh tropical fruit every morning, most plucked from Ingrid’s garden – star fruit today!So many flowers!The road to the beach – no signs, no traffic A farm along the roadside growing cabbages in the shade of pepper plantsWe have the lovely white sand beach all to ourselves The man with the wheelbarrow rakes the seaweed off the beach every morning A person could get used to this We walked by this place, figuring it was an abandoned building. Inside was a little old lady who served us… …the best chicken curry ever!Girls walking home from schoolBoys waiting for a bus – they must live farther awayOur evening swim – the pool has a deep lap area that Jim really likes.Around sunset, a big wind blows through, roaring like a locomotive and bringing five minutes of rain. Then it is over and the calm returns. Ah, the tropics!
Feb 10 – Our apartment host picked us up at the airport, and drove us to a supermarket and ATM so we could purchase some supper and pay for our room. We found out that cash is needed here (two of our three hosts asked for pay in Eastern Caribbean dollars, worth approximately one third of a US dollar) although our research beforehand said that credit cards were widely accepted.
After a night near the airport, we prepared for our bus ride up into the hills. Our first task was to find a bus to take us into the city of St. George’s.
We asked a young man walking down the road if buses passed by here. We understand that you just put out your hand to stop a little van going in your direction. Sure enough, the young man flagged down the next van and we all hopped on.
A sunrise view from our apartment The van has a driver and a conductor who collects the fare and opens the door. The goal is to squish as many folks into the van as humanly possible.Twenty minutes later we reached the St. George’s cruise ship terminal where we all got off the bus. There were hundreds of cruisers strolling around the waterfront.We stopped for some lunch before our onward journey. Here is our yummy fish and rice meal in St. George’s.Maurice Bishop was the Prime Minister until he was assassinated in 1983, the year the U.S. invaded Grenada. He is a hero here and the airport is named for him. Fortified, we hopped onto the next bus that will take us up to the little town of Crochu.The driver let us off on the main road, and we walked to our new home.Here are some of our neighbors!The Big Sky Lodge will be our home for a week, hosted by Ingrid, her husband Thomas and daughter SophiaHere is our cabin, with tropical flora all around. The big rock outcroppings remind us that this is a volcanic island.A lizard on your ceiling means your mosquito population will be kept under control!We have a lovely pool, complete with a goatFor our first night’s supper, Ingrid gave us each a whole fish with vegetables, salad and a huge serving of nutmeg ice cream for dessert. Delicious!
February 9, 2026 – This winter has been especially cold in Virginia, so it’s time for a little relaxation in the sun. Want to come along?
Our destination is the Caribbean island of Grenada (pronounced Gre NAY da, not like the city in Spain), just north of Trinidad/Tobago and Venezuela.
The island was first spied by Christopher Columbus in 1498, colonized by the French in 1649, then ceded to the British in 1763. It is currently a realm of the Commonwealth, independent for 50 years but still acknowledging the British king. The official language is English. UK electrical adapters are needed.
Grenada is also known as the Island of Spice, as its main crop and export is nutmeg. The local time is one hour ahead of EST, so jet lag won’t be a problem. The weather is tropical with temps between 77 and 82 every day. Are you ready? Let’s go!
We rolled out of bed at 3:15 am, grabbed a cup of coffee and were ready when our Uber pulled up at 3:45. 6am flights are not my favorite! The first leg to Miami went off without a hitch, but we sat on the ground for two hours before the technicians gave up on all the problems with our second plane (mechanical, computer, and then plumbing!) and sent us back into the airport to a distant gate in another terminal with the promise of a better plane. Another hour and we were on our way.
A handsome young Queen Elizabeth graces the currency hereWaiting to pass through Customs, we spied some interesting airport personnel… this figure reminded us of the Semana Santa penitents we encountered in Spain. We understand they are JabJab costumes for a festival celebrated here in August.Can’t wait to start our adventure!
Taking Our Time 