Easter 2023

What a long Easter weekend.   First Claudia and Tünde came for a visit, then Natalie came, then Katka came.  Lots of fun visiting and some adventures along the way.

Although it was a bit rainy we visited the Brno Easter market.  

Even the Brno dragon got in the spirit and is currently sporting wings.

On Saturday, we went to Moravský Krumlov to see The Slav Epic.  This has been on the Czechland to-do list for years and it didn't disappoint.

It was great to spend time with the girls.  The only glitch was that poor Nat got pink eye which required a visit to Bohunice but that's another story.

Back to Back Berlin Weekends

Last weekend I was in Berlin for the Pet Shop Boys concert with Claudia.  This whole last week I was on a business trip to Frankfurt.  I wasn't planning on being in Berlin this weekend but with Natalie making a surprise visit to see the girls I just had to join in too.  

Once we finally arrived, we went to Claudia's parent's place in Rahnsdorf.  It's been hot in Euroland.  It was 35℃ (95℉) so the swimming pool felt great.

Once pool time was over, I was put to work picking cherries.

Later on we went to to Friedrichshagen and grabbed some döner kebabs for dinner.

This was a whirlwind weekend but I got to see Nat a second time while she's here with the Red Cross and Tünde got a double godparent visit.  But I was completely knackered after the delay getting to Berlin on Friday night.  

I left around 7:30 am because my train from Hauptbahnhof to Brno left at 9:16 am.  I had a seat reservation in 1st class but there was a last minute reconfiguration and there was one less 1st class wagon.  

Of course, the wagon that wasn't there was the one where I had a reservation.  So lots of people were scrambling to find a seat.  Not a big deal. but the train was late and I missed my connection in Prague.  

The next Prague train was completely booked so I had to wait just over three hours for the next available train to get back home.  On Thursday I go to Dresden and Moritzburg.  My fourth trip to Germany in three weeks. 

A Natalie Visit

I got to see Natalie!!  Claudia and Tünde must be jealous that I got a visit from our favourite Kiwi.  

Nat has been back in Euroland since April as part of the Red Cross deployment to help with the flood of refugees from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  She's been headquartered in Budapest but she's been helping in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Moldova.  We are so proud of her!

She arrived in Brno on Friday evening.  On Saturday we went to to breakfast and had a walk through the city and some cafe time.  On Saturday afternoon she headed to Vienna for a visit on her way back to Budapest.  It was a short visit but I'm so glad that I got to see her.

Я за Україну. Я за Україною. Слава Україні  Stojím za Ukrajinou!  I stand with Ukraine. 

2022 International Family Day

Today is the International Day of Families.  It takes place every 15 May and it was first proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993.  The goal is to promote awareness of the issues which families face and to increase the social, economic and demographic processes that affect families.  There's a different theme each year.

This year's theme is Families and Urbanisation.  The goal is to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable, family-friendly urban policies.  Cities and settlements should be inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Family homelessness is increasing.  Germany and Slovakia have the largest homeless population per 10.000 people.  Sweden, Luxembourg, and Latvia also have a significant homeless population.  Many people think that is in large part due to the increasing number of homeless refugees and migrants.

Meeting My Cousin

Who does't fly to Italy for lunch?  Well that's what I did this weekend.  So what had happened was...

My aunt wrote me a message that her granddaughter, so my 2nd cousin, whom I've never met, is studying in Florence.  We got in contact on Facebook and planned to meet yesterday in Milan.  

I had a 7:15 flight from Vienna to Bergamo and then an hour bus ride to Milan.  I booked a B&B so I dropped off my backpack, had a short nap and then headed out to meet Azalea.

I took her to lunch and we traded some family stories.  Afterwards we walked around the city a bit before she had to catch her train back.  I don't have any contact with that side of the family so I wasn't quite sure how this would end up.  I'm glad that I did it for my aunt and Azalea really is a sweet girl.  She's only got a couple of weeks left in Italy before she goes back home to California so I'm glad that I did this.

Although I wasn't so happy this morning.  I had to leave before 3 am to catch a bus to the main station, then another bus back to Bergamo for my 6:40 Ryanair flight.  I hate Ryanair, and the middle of night travelling wasn't ideal, but at least it was a direct flight to the Brno Airport and I was back home in my flat by 9:30 this morning.

Gram's 100th

1939

My grandmother would have been 100 years old today.  She passed away in 2011 and I still miss talking to her every Sunday.

At least I know that she keeps watching over me on all of my travel adventures.