Czechoslovakia

The next country that we visited was Czechoslovakia. The countryside in this part of Europe is also extremely gray and dreary. We saw lots of military police with machine guns over their shoulders; fortunately we were never provoked. Arriving in Prague was a treat after experiencing the poverty of the rural areas. Prague, the capital city, is nicknamed The City of a Thousand Spires. One visit and you'll understand why. This city is very old and beautiful. It seemed as though all the building were covered with ornate moldings and sculptures. There were statues everywhere we looked! This was the first city that John and I visited while traveling solo. Martin had sold us a car the day before, a Volkswagon Derby, and we were driving on our own. I wouldn't recommend this mode of travel in Eastern Europe for everyone, but with John behind the wheel (he had traveled Europe by car in past trips) I felt very confident we could do it.