Czeching out of Prague

Zurich, Switzerland

June 19, 2010

Prague, Czech Republic -Munich, Germany-Zurich, Switzerland

The past few days we've taken trains from Prague to Munich to Zurich. Trains are an easy way to get around Europe. Within the European Union there are no passport controls at the borders so you seemlessly enter each country. The last passport control we went through was leaving Turkey and going in to the Greek Islands.

We did see two men being questioned outside the train station in Venice and on the train going in to Germany we overheard an officer asking the people in the cabin next to us for their passports. It does mean you don't get stamps in your passports (wish you could request stamps :o)) and once you are in Europe you are IN(makes it easy).

From Prague we traveled to Munich for one night - literally - we got in after 9 p.m. and had a dark walk through the drizzle to dinner at 10 p.m. just before everything closed up. The next morning we headed out to Zurich, Switzerland where we are now. In Zurich we are staying with friends we met in a Bedouin tent camp in Jordan (!) who kindly offered us a place to stay in Switzerland. They are incredibly interesting and speak three languages (at least!) each. We've had a great time with them and only wish we lived closer so we could hang out longer with them.

Zurich is a green city on a lake surrounded by hills with the Alps in the distance. It's been overcast and raining so we haven't actually seen the Alps but have enjoyed walking through the cobbled pedestrian-only streets of the old town filled with people carrying umbrellas. We looked in store windows at the Swiss chocolate and caught whiffs of pungent cheese floating out of a fondue restaurant. In the gummy bear candy store we joined the locals in trying samples and buying gummy bears to go.

Tomorrow we head out to the French countryside to stay in a lovely home in a quiet village for a week of relaxation.

Jackie