One of those hosts was a young lady in the village of Istebne, Slovakia. Jana was only 20 years old at the time and still living with her parents, but she said she would be happy to show us around the area, and even arranged for us to stay at a nearby student residence that was vacant for the summer.
We had a lot of fun over three days with Jana, her new boyfriend Lukas, Jana's sister, and two other friends. Hanging out with the young people keeps you young!
Fast forward ten years and Jana and Lukas are married and living in Prague. We stayed in touch via facebook and this is the first time in those ten years that we have been close enough to get together again!
They arranged to meet us in a village 50 kms (30 miles) outside of the city and go for a hike.
Krivoklat Castle looks interesting, but we all decided it was such a nice day we should spend it outdoors.
Scenery along the way.
We passed by this small gorge.
Lots of people out enjoying the day.
Kevin, Jana, and Lukas.
This area has a lot of weekend cabins.
Spring wildflowers.
This one is really pretty.
Lukas, Jana, and Ruth.
Ruth, Kevin, Jana, and Lukas.
Of course the conversation focused on travel. When we met them ten years ago, they had not done much travel, but they wanted to. They both spoke English at the time, and I remember Jana telling me that if you want to get somewhere in life you need to be able to speak English. (Jana is also fluent in Spanish). Now, they both have good jobs in Prague, and they both get five weeks of holiday every year. They have been to New York City, Mexico, the UK, and a lot of Europe. In a couple of weeks they are going to the Faroe Islands for ten days! So, it's nice to see that they are making their dreams come true.
We stopped at a restaurant for lunch...
I had a traditional pork dish.
Ruth had pork as well.
More beautiful scenery.
Really nice to see them again, and to see that they are doing so well in life. They both really like Spain, so maybe that is where we will meet up with them next!
Today, we cross the border into Germany.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good price on this Countertop Ice Maker.
And in Canada...
Kevin can you post a google map snapshot of your travels through Germany?
ReplyDeleteKevin is sorry that he hasn't posted a map of our travel days lately, he will make sure to do one today. We actually won't be in Germany too long as we are pretty much driving through and up to Denmark but yes he will post a map.
DeleteIt never fails to amaze me at how many new friends in so many countries you've met and reconnected with over the years. I'm so impressed with you both.
ReplyDeleteWe have definitely made lots of friends through our travels over the last 15 years or so and we are still in contact with many of them. The internet makes it so easy to stay connected and also to reconnect with them and if we are in an area that they are then we reach out to them or them to us. One of the many reasons that we love traveling is meeting people along the way. :-)
Delete