Who shall we start with?
...how about our tour guide, Katka!Born and raised in Prague, our guide Katerina Svobodová [Katka] brought the life, the excitement and the stories of her home directly to our group. She was, and is, so excited to be able to share her cultures and experiences to those that are interested. There can be a lot learned from reading books or watching documentaries, but nothing can compare to hearing stories through first-hand experience. From how she viewed and participated within the Velvet Revolution, to their Christmas tradition carp [Karl], and on through how they used to try to bring new clothes home during the time of Communism.
Katka not only brought our group to the stops on the tours, but she really did connect with each and every member at a personal level. We were so glad to be able to see her again at the tour reunion and we hope to visit her again in Prague some time in the future! She is an amazing guide and genuinely made our trip a once in a lifetime experience, you will not be disappointed if she is your guide on this wonderful trip! |
Next up, our bus driver, Branco!Our bus driver was introduced to us on our way out of Prague, he is a very kind man that can drive a bus exceptionally well! He was very professional, kept a squeaky clean bus, and did everything he could to make our group members comfortable.
We ate dinner with Branco one evening, saw pictures of his home and family, and had a great time. He was more than just a "driver", he was definitely one of the group in many ways....especially down the tight mountain switchbacks! It was also very cool to drive into Lake Bled where Branco honked and said "wave to my home." Having both a local guide and local driver made this trip fantastic! |
...last but not least, our group!
Our group was made up of a wonderful mix of people. We managed to make around two dozen new friends while on our trip. Nicole and I had dinner with everyone at one point or another and shared many outings together. We keep up with each other frequently through Facebook and within our own tour Facebook group Nicole and I arranged. We managed to have the most tour members at the 2014 tour reunion with twenty members!