Breakfast conversation

Aussie brother: Do you have kumquats in England?

English brother: I'm sorry, I don't like that kind of talk!

Il Postino

For four days last week we received no mail, an unprecedented event for us. When pressed for a reason, the postman explained that it was due to the improvements they were making to the Italian postal system.

We should have known.

A Prague Spring

After Madrid, it was 3 days in Prague. As in Madrid and Venice, I was there for a meeting, but there was also a little time for sightseeing. Don't be jealous just because I have the best job in the world.

One evening, our hosts arranged a boat trip on the Vltava River for the meeting's participants. A guide pointed out various important sites along the banks of the river, including the Rudolfinum, one of the main concert halls in Prague. Adorning the roof of the building are statues of various composers and musicians. Our guide pointed out that the building was used as a command post by the German army during World War II. The German commander was upset, however, to learn that one of the building's statues was of the composer Felix Mendelssohn. He ordered his soldiers to remove the statue of "the Jew". The unfortunate soldiers had no idea what Mendelssohn looked like so they searched for the statue with the largest nose, and ended up removing the statue of ... Richard Wagner!

After touring the river, we transferred onto a larger boat, where we were served dinner. The food was wonderful, as was the atmosphere. It was a memorable occasion in one of the most beautiful cities of the world. If you have not seen Prague, you must go! I will also put in a plug for "Venice of Prague," the company responsible for the boat trips, which I do without shame because they were most generous and hospitable with us. I highly recommend them.

Madrid

After Venice, I went to Spain for a similar three-day meeting. The meeting was held in Alcalá, not far from Madrid. After the meeting, I spent the night in one of our monasteries in Madrid. Not having been there before, I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be a very nice place—simple, but clean and comfortable. I snapped the accompanying photograph just outside the door of the monastery. The white building seen behind the trees in the background is the Prado Museum. You are probably wondering the same thing I did: "How did the Prado get such a prized location next to our monastery?"

Few places in the world...

... have street signs that are wider than the street itself!