I took a spill on the gravel surface and rocky surface of the trail at the Plitvice Lake National Park in Croatia. I decided to look up and around instead of down when I stepped on a rock and just lost my balance. Thankfully all I did was bruise my right knee. Peter and Sanel, our great and caring Rick Steves tour guides, moved quickly to get me some ice and make sure I had what I needed. The adventures of travel. May 13, 2016

Before leaving Croatia, our tour group stopped at the Croatian passport control office on the border of Croatia and Slovenia. May 15, 2016

The beautiful waterfalls of Plitvice Lake National Park in Croatia. May 13, 2016

The muddy trail at the Plitvice Lake National Park in Croatia. May 13, 2016

The beautiful fields of yellow flowers called rapeseed can be seen dotting the countryside in the Czech Republic. Its oil content is processed for a number of things from salad dressings to bio-degradable lubricating oils. May 4, 2016

My selfie attempt at the Old Town Hall’s Astronomical Clock in the Prague’s Old Town Square. I have no idea how the clock operates, but it really is a beautiful piece and quite the crowd pleaser. April 29, 2016

By the time I made it around the corner of the Old Town Square in Prague, I had passed a Starbuck’s and then I came upon this Hard Rock Cafe. Since I had not eaten dinner from the night before or much in the way of breakfast or lunch today, I was just hungry and wanted some comfort food…chicken and beef fajitas with garlic and herb fries. The taste wasn’t the same as home, but really who comes to Prague’s Old Town Square to have fajitas at a Hard Rock Cafe? April 29, 2016

Thank you Tim (whom I’m sitting next to) and Eric (to the right across the table from me) for the great company and delicious meal this evening. I met these two gracious men on the train ride from Berlin to Prague and they so kindly invited me out to dinner on the last night of their travels. The food and lively conversation were enhanced by a beautiful violin and guitar serenade. Safe travels back home my friends! May 1, 2016

After our Rick Steves tour group dinner, we were treated to The Prague Castle Orchestra is one of the city’s most entertaining acts, performing regularly on Castle Square with a lively mélange of Smetana, swing, and 1920s cabaret songs. …. May 2, 2016

A close up of Alfons Mucha’s 1923 “Coronation of the Serbian Tsar,” one of 20 massively large pieces of art from his series called the “Slav Epic.” The series tells the epic story of the Slavic people from their humble beginnings to the optimism of the post World War I era. Mucha is also known for his willowy, pastel works that became known as Art Nouveau. May 3, 2016

A close up of Alfons Mucha’s 1912 “The Celebration of Svantovit in Rugen,” is one of 20 massively pieces of art from his series called the “Slav Epic.” May 3, 2016

A close up of Alfons Mucha’s 1912 “The Slavs in Their Original Homeland,” one of 20 massively pieces of art from his series called the “Slav Epic.” May 3, 2016

Mucha spent many years working on what he considered his life’s fine art masterpiece, The Slav Epic (Slovanská epopej), a series of twenty huge paintings depicting the history of the Czech and the Slavic people in general, bestowed to the city of Prague in 1928. He had wanted to complete a series such as this, a celebration of Slavic history, since he was young. From 1963 until 2012 the series was on display in the chateau in Moravský Krumlov in the South Moravian Region in the Czech Republic. Since 2012 the series has been on display at the National Gallery’s Veletržní Palace in Prague. May 3, 2016