People always ask..."What were your favorite places on the trip?"

   Jack and I agree that it is A) Difficult to choose and B) Czech Republic! Turkey! Israel! I guess if we could choose....ummmm it would be these three.

    We did not post too much on our way back through the Czech Republic because our hosts were very magnificence and very thorough. We saw everything in their tiny town of Kopřivnice and learned so much of their Czech custom and food. We met Pavel and Lenka on a night train from Romania and on a whim (and after a bottle of white wine they shared with us) we decided to spend the last week of our trip in their home. It was one of our most memorable experiences by far!

     This is in Stramburg, after we hiked a trail to a cave where a child neanderthal skeleton was found, we headed up to this picturesque tower to watch the sunset. 
Our fire in the old quarry! Pavel and his brother Michael are in the background playing their song 'Ahojte!' and Elena roasts delicious cheese over the flames (which Jack and I later determined to be Halloumi which we have done on the BBQ at home!)

   This is the wild (WILD) hedgehog we ran into on our trek home through the dewy fields. I was in awe that he let us pick him up....Pavel's friend 'Peppa' says he knows him and sees him often in the area at night searching for bugs and slugs and whatever else hedgehogs eat. 

   Well I gotta return to school work, which is seemingly never-ending despite the fact I am part-time?!?!? Hmmmm....

Over and Out, Deeeeeeelilah

The Canoe Trip on the Magnetewan

       Yeah, I am kinda a procrastinator!!!!! But it is a new school year and I no longer have to rely on dial-up (the only internet available in the boonies where Jack and I currently reside). So I am back for good! People keep asking about updates...they say "WWHHEEENNNNNN?????" So here I am back in my old haunt, pining for the times spent on the open road and planning our next big trip!!! It won't be for a bit, but I am not going to settle for mediocrity! Period. 

   

     The camping trip went great and I finally got some photos uploaded. It was largely uneventful (many fish fry's, swimming, hikes etc...) with the exception of when our canoe tipped over when we tried to get over a beaver dam. Jack was in the back steering and I was hesitant to get my feet wet. Big Hmac (mom) was in the middle and had reassumed her roost in an orange lawn chair when it happened. Over went to boat. Luckily we had dropped off most of our supplies on shore but nonetheless I was waist high in beaver shit and not happy. Judging from the sound that came from my mouth , Jack was positive I had broken something. Thanks to my life jacket my head did not get wet, but Big Hmac went directly under and came up with a mouth full of beaver water.  

     My brother and his GF (Gypsy women as I will refer to her as due to her Hungarian gypsy heritage) could see us. We knew they were laughing. "Most likely to tip....TIPPED!" Gypsy women later sputtered as she laughed incredulously. She was merely jealous as we had dubbed our boat the 'party boat' and she was not privilaged to be part of it. 

    Anyways, I managed to navigate myself to the top of the dam and gain secure footing (after struggling to extract myself from the black sludge in which I was submerged). We got the water out of the canoe and Jack was so kind as to dive in to retrieve the orange lawn chair that had made itself comfortable at the base of the beaver home. 

    After we reunited with Daddy-O, Jake and my lil' Bro they expressed unrestrained mirth and mentioned how long it took us to get going again. Hmmmmm... I now have a personal vendetta against all beaver-kind. We then commenced the five hour canoe out to Big Bing Inle, soaking wet and quite cold. 

     I promise more stories will follow!!!!!

-Delilah