This & That

- I was surprised at the amount of English around us at the airport in Frankfurt. The music, signs, and advertisements were all in Enlgish. A lot of people spoke English and the airline even offered both German and English newspapers to passengers.
- We bought Carmel Double Magnum ice cream bars at the airport. Very yummy! We hadn't had one since our last time in Europe five years ago. Something we definitely enjoy here.
- We got to enjoy about twenty minutes of conversation with the train ticket checker. He looked at it as a way to practice his English, whereas we looked at it as an opportunity to gain more of an understanding of the culture. He was quite amiable and even came to help us with our suitcases when it was time to get off the train. He shared with us that he picks mushrooms in the fall, which I had read was something the people here really enjoy doing.
- The bathroom in the train between Dresden and Prague was pretty average for public transportation. The train between Prague and here definitely needed a bathroom upgrade, or maybe better yet, a good dose of bleach and aroma therapy. I definitely put mouth-breathing to use in there. To flush the toilet, I had to push down a lever on the side. It then spouted water, which sprayed here and there. That must have been why there was a puddle at the base of the toilet. I was relieved to discover it was that and not something else.
- We thought we had lost our train ticket yesterday, which was $100. We dug through all our bags, to no avail. Jason then ran off to retrace his steps. He found his ticket on a table where he had accidentally left it behind. I was in tears because I was so worn out and so concerned we would have to buy another ticket.
- The Czech people are rather reserved. They don't even smile very much. This is something to get used to, since normally it is polite to smile even at strangers in the U.S. and possbily even offer a greeting. They tend to keep to themselves, though they do enjoy spending time with the few friends they have.