DOH-bree-den, Praha!

I feel incredibly alive.  

Not only because I am having a great time traveling, but reclaiming a great sense of curiosity and self confidence that I seemed to have left behind  in the back seat of a metro bus on my way to work.  It is a humbling experience to travel on my own in a country where I speak none of her language, know nobody except the two Couch Surfer hosts who have now become my new friends, and appreciate little of her history except what I have read in history books.   

Praha didn't make me come alive; I made me come alive.  Praha was the catalyst that did it.  It is a subtle yet important difference.  It is the beckoning from curiosity and the crave for people connection. 

As for self confidence, it wasn't that I have somehow "lost" the confidence.  It is the contentment. Things got easy, so I stopped pushing myself and the boundaries.  I settled, and then I became content.  And the mind went stagnant.  I am not talking about the typical concept of "career growth" -  by the way do you know who made up that concept, by the way?  Me neither.  I am talking about  the growth of the mind.  A growth that can only be developed and expanded through the insatiable appetite of curiosity.  

Six days into the Praha/Krakow excursion...

What I appreciate: 

The time spent and relationship built with my niece Katie, my travel companion.  

Worst food so far: 

Mystery meat with creamed spinach and lukewarm tortellini with coagulated cheese sauce,  courtesy of Delta Airlines on our trans-Atlantic flight. 

Best food so far: 

Kristyna, my CS hostess' home cooked meals in Pardubice and Cestko, CR

My new motto: 

"I don't have a schedule; I'll just play it by ear."  

(Given what I do for a living, it is not exactly a phrase I should repeat often, at least not aloud.)

What feels really good: 

Getting around and traveling by ourselves on trains and city buses,  tackling all the unfamiliarities, unknowns, confusion, and physical discomfort

What I remind myself constantly: 

"I can do this."

What I miss the most:

Fresh salad that Eric makes everyday

I am heading to Auschwitz/Birkenau tomorrow. I don't know what emotions I will feel afterwards.  One thing I know, however.  History must be learned and remembered.    And some of them must never ever allowed to repeat.