There was no free internet in Prague and it was slow besides, which accounts for the lack of good posting. We were safe and sound, even at 3 a.m. in a random small Czech town. At the time, we were returning to Prague after a day-trip to Cesky Krumlov, a preserved Medieval/Renaissance town with a castle that is visible from everywhere and a surprisingly good gallery dedicated to Egon Schiele.

Schiele's mother was from Krumlov and he ended up moving there with some artist friends. The town was unimpressed with their bohemian lifestyle and habit of having young teenage girls pose nude and basically ran them out of town after a couple years. So it's funny that Krumlov now seeks to have any kind of memorial to this artist, never mind one that is as thoughtful and beautifully designed as this one. It's housed in an old brewery and also displays work from contemporary artists, including one who is younger than we are by a good six months.

We discovered a huge market that included a warehouse of produce stalls near our hostel yesterday. It was a good end to our stay in Prague as we bought strawberries, cherry tomatoes (like candy), bread, salami, and really good fried noodles for a picnic under some large mulberry trees.

Berlin got off to a good start because of our train in. In Dresden, a tall German man sat down beside us, and told us his wife would be boarding at the next stop and we chatted for a bit before returning to our various activities - postcard and journal writing, staring out the window. When she appeared, she was not the leggy, blonde model I'd been expecting (for some reason) but a really sweet Scottish woman who, after a conversation in German with her husband, told us that he'd been pleasantly surprised that we spoke in such an intelligent, educated way, as opposed to so many of the Americans he'd met. We took it as a compliment because they were a lovely, friendly couple, the kind that you want to emulate should you find yourself in a relationship. She spoke German with rolled r's and totally knew where Alyssa's going to school next year and was properly impressed.

Also, Berlin's pretty fantastic. We had Indian food for dinner. AND SPÄTZLE.