update #5

Date: Sat

16 Aug. , 1997 07:35:32 (PDT)

Subject:

Update Number

Five-

Rochester

RTW Travels

WE ARE IN AN ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY AND IT IS GOOD!

This update comes from Rochester, Kent, England. We are staying with a Dallas friend who now lives and works in England. We love her house and are quite spoiled after a week of luxuries: hot showers, comfortable bed, lovely countryside, washer AND dryer, etc. We’re never leaving. Thanks, Michelle!

25 July, 1997

Budget travelling is not all it’s cracked up to be. After travelling for 5 hours jammed into a second class compartment with 4 other people and a complete array of backpacks, daypacks, bags of food, bottles of water and dirty socks, we have treated ourselves to a 1st class sleeper compartment. We are over-nighting (18.37 - 9.40) from Prague to Paris. We have 2 beds, bunk style, clothes and luggage racks, a sink with hot and cold water, clean cloth towels and soap laid out, and are in shorts and flip flops “all stretched out.” We feel so pampered we’ve taken to referring to each other as Nick and Nora, and we will probably order Martinis when the porter comes around. We will even buy a little spotted terrior when we get to Paris. Only problem is, Nick and Nora Charles would never lounge in shorts and flip flops eating Cheese Whiz and crackers.

After leaving Vienna, we didn’t go to Krakow, because Poland was flooded and no trains were going in for 10 - 14 days. Poland was closed, in other words. Story of our lives in Europe.

We went to Prague, instead, which was wonderfully, gloriously, beerily, deliciously, beautifully open. Except for the luggage check at the train station. They had to eat lunch while 50 people sat on backpacks, waiting and watching.

“Prague rules, dude! The beer there’s sooo cheap!” said with a California surfer accent. Embarassing when shouted in a crowd by a drunken twenty year old fellow countryman. But oh so true. Prague rules.