Two weeks ago my mom crossed the pond, on a ten-day journey. It’s likely that her idea of how to spend 10 days in Europa may have been a bit different than Marta’s and mine. We had plans to show mom as much as possible. Prague, Myjava, Bratislava, Vienna, and Berlin, the menu was full, and we were on a mission!
After picking her up at the airport in Prague, we grabbed some food and took a walk through the magical old town. It was the end of October, and the herds of tourists had begun to thin a bit, giving us room to breath and really take in some of the city. It's so rewarding when you can actually get the feel of a city, and imagine it's past. Mom had been up for 20 hours, and was fading fast, so we headed for the hills... Myjava, that is!In Myjava, mom finally got to meet Marta’s parents. It was so fun to watch her speaking English to them, then coming to the realization that they had no clue what she was saying… welcome to my world, Lady! Marta’s fam
ily is amazing, and it was so nice that my mom could meet them. The language barrier was nothing compared to the determination of Marta’s parents, and my Momma. With some translating help from Marta and Juro, and some common ground with Danka’s knitting skills, everyone really hit it off.
ily is amazing, and it was so nice that my mom could meet them. The language barrier was nothing compared to the determination of Marta’s parents, and my Momma. With some translating help from Marta and Juro, and some common ground with Danka’s knitting skills, everyone really hit it off.
After checking out a few local castles in the Myjava area, we made our way home to Bratislava. Marta and I had to teach three days before our fall break, and this gave mom a chance to come to school with us and see us hard at work. My students were thrilled to see another American, and they used the opportunity to get some childhood stories about their teacher… punks. On her second day in Bratislava, my mom got brave, boarded a tram and headed to the city-center for some sightseeing and shopping… I was so proud of her! There were no signs of slowing our adventure down so we made a short trip to Vienna for some world-famous tort, and pointed our car toward Berlin!
We made a pit stop along the way in Dresden, where we spent the day walking the streets of this beautiful historic city. Standing among the magnificent buildings, it was hard to believe that the city of Dresden was reduced to rubble and smoke during the Second World War.
Upon arriving in Berlin, we met up with Hana and the legendary Mathias for a nice “meat-filled” 
dinner. I once saw Jesse put down a pound of steak in one sitting, but Mathias is possibly the only other human being that could manage this feat with a smile the morning after. We spent the following 3 days walking through Berlin, seeing as much as possible. It was one of those trips where you really get to enjoy it after you have a chance to sit and digest all that you saw. But face it, Berlin is freaking amazing! The history deserves a month of reflection, and we made the best of the time we had.
dinner. I once saw Jesse put down a pound of steak in one sitting, but Mathias is possibly the only other human being that could manage this feat with a smile the morning after. We spent the following 3 days walking through Berlin, seeing as much as possible. It was one of those trips where you really get to enjoy it after you have a chance to sit and digest all that you saw. But face it, Berlin is freaking amazing! The history deserves a month of reflection, and we made the best of the time we had.
Mom’s visit was short and sweet and we’ll surely never forget it. We had such a good time showing her a piece of Europe. Our only hope is that we didn’t wear her out! I doubt it though… she is one tough lady.
