Rebel54

When we were in Prague last time we did Taste of Prague food tour https://www.tasteofprague.com/ Great combo of tour and food tasting. I highly recommend it.

I asked someone when they were live on a cruise this week if you could use bluetooth earbuds with the whisper. If you have one of these (or similar) you can: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQZBMXD4?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details She had one and tested it out.

When we did Mekong they were very strict. I remember some of my shipmates having to pay over $100 because their bags were too heavy for some of the in country flights.

When we did ours we had 3 suitcases between the two of us. Hubby is a big guy, has to work out and we had need for some nice outfits for Paris so we traveled with a bit more than we should have. They weren't happy when we checked brought our stuff for the bus in the am to head to the ship but it was what it was. After that we didn't hear anything. I had a small, under seat bag too. Not a lot of space on the boat for storage but we were fine. On my upcoming 3 week trip I plan to do a roller carry on and under seat weekend bag. Last time going to Prague my bag got left in Paris and I was without anything for almost 2 days...and it took me going back to the airport to find it. Ugh...frustrating.

I saw everything from smart casual to fancy to shorts and a polo. Never saw anyone turned away. You dress how you are comfortable and enjoy yourself.

We are staying here in Prague before our cruise....there is an elevator. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/820954?source_impression_id=p3_1677939464_%2BTNYTADcu4S2c%2F80

I remember using eVisa to enter Vietnam at the airport. When we were on the Avalon boat, they took care of the visa's we needed when crossing borders. It's been a while since we went. I seem to recall that the cruise line "recommended" I use a company for my eVisa but it wasn't mandatory.

I'm doing Germany to the Black Sea in June 2024 with Avalon. I originally was looking at August but due to being worried about water I moved to June. I prefer Avalon because I can book way in advance but don't have to pay until a few months before the cruise. I'd rather lose my small deposit than have to fight over a good chunk of money. This will be my 3rd cruise with them and I really enjoy their product.

I was just looking at my numbers and saw I have a bit of Viking in me....I was pretty excited 🙂

@notamermaid I love that castle. One of my favorite. I remember pushing my daughter in her stroller while prego with my son. By the time we got up there I thought I was going in labor. I would love to see it again one day.

I do tell people to think very hard before they spit in that tube.....your life can turn into a Jerry Springer episode over night.

I have a LOT of exploring to do 🙂 I can't wait to start.

My mother is from a long line of Mennonites....her ancestors came from Russia and Prussia to Germany and then on to the US. Given that they had to live in groups that were not allowed to socialize with the locals when they were on the run for religious freedom....there may be a few branches on that side that are a little straighter than one would like.

Very interesting. I will get there one day in the near future. My ancestry search started in an effort to help my mother who was adopted at birth, locate her family. She's had a series of strokes and I wanted to make sure she had some of that info before it was too late. Trying to help her, I opened a whole can of worms that she wasn't expecting. Not sure if it's memory damage from the stroke or she's just not wanting to admit that she knew all along....but she was "genuinely" shocked when I told her. I don't think she would have been as willing to take the test had she known/remembered but who knows. My father (the one that raised me) comes from a long line of Native American and Irish. I had NO native American and a small amount of Irish....Clue one. Clue two..he didn't show up as my relative in the list of family and he did a test too. A little digging later I now have two dads and a half sister that I never knew about.

LOL I was a Vietnam baby. Marine on the way to his tour in Nam. Met my mom when she apparently was on a break from my "dad". A couple ancestry.com tests later at the age of 51 (me) and everything changes. I'm not shocked, mad or upset. It is what it is and explains a lot. Sounds like you have your own story to tell CPT.

I do plan to visit one day. Trying to convince my father to go with me but he's a bit wary of traveling because of the "world situation" with extremists and terror plots. Me, I don't let that stuff stop me. I refuse to be held back because of fear. I do want to get there before I am too old to enjoy going.

Have you ever been to this town? A few years ago I found out that my birth father was someone other than I thought he was. Since then have discovered my European roots. This church in this town was where many of my ancestors were baptized or married. One day I want to go check out this region. I wish I had known when I lived in Germany.

The last few days here in Brownsville have been cold. We finally got some sun today!

That makes me sad. I wanted to try them out. Avalon it is.

Hahahaha....why didn't I think of that....there's an app for everything. 🙂 My 2 year old grandson can almost work his mom's iPhone better than she can! This way of eating is pretty new to me so I need to learn to think outside the box. Shortly after we entered this journey I was doing a craft fair with my best girlfriend. She went to grab us something to eat and brought back hotdogs....before I thought about it I had eaten half. Pretty sure they weren't beef. It's a process. Having lived in Germany for three years I remember some of the amazing pork meals...but I just have to enjoy all the other amazing food that I can have. Everyone here has been very helpful in all my cruise planning. I love coming here and having this interaction. I might not be the only person that worries about certain foods but they don't want to ask so I hope this helps someone else.

I've tried some substitute meats but not a huge fan. I will just do my best to avoid what is considered unclean. When eating out one can only do so much. I usually manage ok in the US but I don't have the language barrier. You have been awesome :). I really appreciate yours and all the other suggestions.

No need to apologize. I've also seen what goes into sausage so I tend to keep to home made or Halal sausage that I can order and have delivered.

If you have access to a Bible...Leviticus 1 talks about what is clean and unclean food. There are some other things that I don't eat but pork and shellfish are the two main things. Also, many people know the story of Noah's Ark (two of every animal) but if you read the whole story it was 2 of every animal AND 7 of those that were deemed clean and acceptable to eat.

Thank you. My German is not so great so I will have to learn some specific phrases before I go. It's very hard to find sausage in the US in a regular store that is not encased in pork. I have found places that I can order from so when I'm craving some saurkraut and brats...I'm covered.

Good morning. I do not eat pork or seafood for religious reasons, but I am neither Jewish or Muslim. We follow both the Old and New Testament in our faith (keeping the Saturday sabbath and not eating unclean foods). There are several religions that follow this belief that are not Muslim or Jewish. If you are curious you can search Messianic Judaism. I am pretty sure I can dine on board without any issues. I really want to be able to enjoy some brats while there .... just don't want to break with my beliefs.