Dear Brian and Kayla, Can't wait to see you! May you have a safe and happy trip home! We love you!! Mom, Dad, and Family

Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed your travels very much.

Dear Brian & Kayla, Yes, we were very happy to receive your message this morning! A red flag went up when you did not respond to my last email, and when you did not send a birthday greeting to Kevin. We thought it might be an internet problem, but we did not know for sure. Thanks to Rose, who called her cousin in Rome to inquire if you had registered at his motel; thanks to Bob for his great suggestions; thanks to Donna, Nancy, and the Rootstown gang for their interest & concern. Special thanks to Brady, for sharing Facebook pictures you had sent him. It was great to know you are OK! A picture IS worth a thousand words! You've probably heard about the protests in France. The French gov't. is scheduled to vote on raising the retirement age from 60 to 62, & on overhauling the pension system. Associated Press reports "Wildcat protests blocked train lines around Paris on Thursday. Protesters in cars & trucks blocked several highways around the country, from near Calais in the north to the Pyrenees in the south...Families are on edge over the gasoline shortages because school vacations start Friday...Toulouse city university is closed because of protests..ten other universities were blocked..& Lady Gaga cancelled two Paris concerts scheduled for Friday & Saturday, as there is no certainty the trucks can make it to the show!"

Our neighbor, who is from Germany, said that all of Germany is beautiful. Benedict XVI, in an address to artists, said "What is capable of restoring enthusiasm and confidence, what can encourage the human spirit to rediscover its path, to raise its eyes to the horizon, to dream of a life worthy of its vocation - if not beauty?"

Thanks for sharing with us all the beauty you are finding in nature and art. Seeing you in the pictures is beautiful, too! Love always, Mom P.S. Love and best wishes from Dad and all the family

AM enjoying the updated pics this morning.....when I left Prague I knew in my heart I now knew what old really was..and true beauty..I did take a boat cruise on that river (danube? james?) and we had a traditional Czech dinner on it. I saw the car parked in the station lot in your photos that said Europa on it..to take people to the hotel :) I thought I had seen it all..until I arrived in Vienna.....if you can take the horse drawn cart tour of the town..it was wonderful.....we did take a bus tour at night and saw all the ladies selling their "wares" in the windows in the brothel district. When I was in Vienna Elton John was on a tour there and his posters were up everywhere. We stayed up all night in Vienna, it was on a week end and the entertainers were out full force..playing their songs and dancing and eating. I see you have been made aware of the "terror alerts" I would think that would be the way all the time and never let your guard down ,and stay alert..always..everywhere. From Vienna I went to the Interlaken area and the Tyrolean alps..rode an old train up a mountain side and saw one of Hitler's many hideouts..it was cold and snowy there..in the spring... Take it all in and savor it..the memories will last a lifetime. Your eyes are seeing what many others only view in books. Love all the photos....keep it up :)

Yeah, Richard sent me a message with an article about it. Until that, I hadn't heard anything over here about it. I'm glad he sent it and I've been trying to keep track of it too now. I think there is more security in places like train stations. In Prague, there were groups of two walking around every 10 minutes. Hopefully its only a treat and no action.

Kayla, Did you know that Obama issued an advisory to all Americans traveling in Europe, nothing specific but be careful.

Love, Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom see you soon

Aw, thanks Aunt Carol!

Bob, Brian asked me if I thought people would voluneteer their bones for art... as a serious question...

Jean, we didn't notice any bullet holes so maybe they fixed them. Vienna is really amazing!

Brian, I hope you don't think you're going into bone art when you get back, but if you do, make me one of those skull lamps. One of those skulls looked like someone I knew once, I always wondered what happened to him. Take care. Bob

Hi Kayla and Brian, Looks like you are both having a fantastic trip, the photos and blog are great. Have fun and see you soon. Be safe.

Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom

The facade on the train station was full of holes from the war when I was there, because it had been under communist rule they had never been allowed to fix it..am wondering if still the same....besides the art museum in Vienna you have the big ferris wheel and the opera house and the Lipanzer stallions..I stayed in the hotel in downtown Vienna by the big outdoor fountain..no cars, buses allowed to drive in there..only taxis to pick up and let off...Vienna was my fav of all Euro cities..you must sample the torte..YUM..there are many glass shops in Prague on the Square..I stayed at the Europa and met the Prague Orchestra...be very careful of pick pockets in Prague on the square..they are everywhere...very crowded. Glad Kayla is better..makes for a much better time.

Hi everyone, thanks for the comments.

Jean, to answer your questions, we do plan to visit Vienna and Prague. The train station in Prague will be the first thing we see there. So far, from the stations we've seen, I think Antwerp had the grandest by far. Unfortunately we won't be going near England again.

Bob, they wanted 135 Euros for it, which I guess is around $175. I imagine they could have come down if I explained I really wanted it, but I wasn't about to do that. It was a nice mall, much like the 1-76 because of all the glass cases that you had to get someone to unlock. We didn't name the mouse. I asked Kayla if she wanted to, but I think she was a little mad at it at the time for waking her up. Now she says it's named "Squeakers."

Brian, I have to ask, how much was the wooden device that you saw in the antique shop, and did you ask about a dealer discount???? hehe I have a few other questions, but will refrain from asking till you get home. Did you name the mouse? You two sound like you are having a great time, except for the cold. Can't wait to hear all your stories. Take care.