Dberry

The rooftops are gold and shine like fairy tale castles. The people are so physically beautiful – stunning. I watched a wedding taking place in front of the great clock in the square in old town, the bride and groom were exquisite. Prague has a magical aura I can’t explain, fairy tale mixed with intelligence. And great light quality.

Night life was so much fun! Talk about having intriguing conversations with interesting people late, late into the night! All that I met were well read, interested in philosophy, politics, people and ideas. You don’t even have to go to a club if you choose not to – you can just stop on one of the bridges at night and gaze out on the lights on the river, the lights on the rooftops, people will stop and talk to you.

My pictures of that visit, mostly the rooftops, were lost in the last move (soaked in Oregon rain-water due to a badly placed tarp). I mourn that. I don’t usually take photos but Prague (and Italy) begged for them.

I stayed in an old castle high above the city. In the dining room, there was a ceiling which, on fine days, would be rolled back on some ancient pulley contraption, and – TaDa! – you were sitting under the sky.

The last time I went to Italy, I made no plans, took Rick Steve’s book with me, bought a phone card, rode trains until I saw a town that sparked interest and stopped, called the cheap places in Steve’s book, always found a really interesting room and stayed in each place until I was ready to move on.

Oh Italy! The people, the food, the cities, the sea, the mountains and VENICE! Ciao, Bella Italia!

Travel alone if you can – you’ll meet more people and have more adventures.. in my opinion, at least.

I re-read these books constantly, raised my children on DNA’s philosophy, all that. When I traveled internationally on biz, I always had a copy of book #1 with me. Somehow, when you land at the airport in Jakarta to find that ALL the cabs are marked “Blue Bird” which, you have been told, is the ONLY cab company that won’t kidnap, rape, rob or murder a single woman so trust no others, that riots have broken out all over the city, that the airport guards carry carbine rifles over their shoulders and they will use them, and, most weird, that the airport in December of 1999 looks exactly like it did in “The Year Of Living Dangerously” complete with people shouting, pushing and frantically waving their passports, but Mel Gibson and Sigourney are not there, YOU are – somehow, to sit a moment while they search for your luggage that got left in Singapore and read “Ford, you’re turning into a penguin. Stop it.” makes everything all right, everything just as it should be, you are fine.

I have to add that Jakarta turned out to be great, Indonesia is one of my favorite countries with some of the kindest people on the planet. But the airport on the arrival side is very, very scary.