YCGL - Day 4 - April 6, 2025 - On the Road Again, From Prague to Budapest

Hey, you know what?  The sun is up at 7:30!  Who knew?  And the water runs in showers at 6:00!  

Actually, I did know that, but usually I go back to bed after using certain other facilities in the same location….or I’m Going to bed at that time…. 

I’m on a tour bus heading to Budapest, you know, like a small jet flying really low and slow, but having more comfortable seats.  I imagine I’ll think the same thing about the Viking ships being lower and slower than the bus.  I hope the bed is more comfortable than these seats!

Actually, it’s nice to see the countryside.  One branch of Sally’s maternal grandparents, the Sykora’s, were from an area about 25 miles (40 km) north of about where we are now.  Cousin Meryl was at the house in the 80’s.    I think Sandie’s husband Wilbur Wojahn’s family was from around here also.  (Jaye? Jere? What do you remember?)  It’s very pretty, rolling farm land and forested hills.  I wonder whether they preferred flat southwestern Minnesota?  I image it would be based on land ownership and politics in the 1880s, just like it is now.

I’ve really enjoyed Prague, more than I kind of thought I would.  It is such a blend of 1000 year old and current history.   I attended a small concert last night in a 600 year old church that I’ll tell you about yesterday.   

That old church is buried in the basement and the 300 year old church was built over it, but it’s still there.  And the acoustics are wonderful.  It is a Hussite Church, St Nickolas, located 100 yards from the statue of Jan Hus in the center of Old Town Square.  

And the main Catholic Cathedral on Old Town Square is entered by walking through a tunnel in a set of apartment buildings immediately in front of the facade.  The arch next to the shop roof is the entrance.  I walked around the whole building looking for a way to get in!

And KFC’s!!!   

Yeah, Colonel Saunders has at least four shops in Old Town alone.  And they are standard restaurants at the highway truck stops!  And Laramie couldn’t even keep theirs open! (Of course, the fact they were selling pot from the drive-up window didn’t help either…).  Oh, we just passed a truck stop with a Mickey D's. You need some variety!

I really would like to go back for a week or so.  There is so much to explore, enter, learn about, I could easily spend that much time.   

Oh, it's 11:00 and we just left the Czech Republic and entered Slovakia.  Check off another country.  I'll have to count up at some point on the trip.  And not just count airports, like some people.  Although we won't be long here, just passing through to get to Hungary, where we'll have lunch.  And speaking of, it's 11:45 so it must be Hungry.  And they have McDonalds, where i Did not eat   i had a reasonably good BBQ chicken leg at the nice truck stop.  

Budapest in two hours..

It's just Spring here.  The trees are beginning to bud and flowers are beginning to pop put.