Famed Astrological Clock Towers Over Prague

PRAGUE, CZECHIA — I embarked on a four-day solo trip to the historic capital of the Czech Republic, traveling by train from Garching, the closest station to the Bavarian village of Unterneukirchen, where daughter Mere and son-in-law Matt have lived for three years. The trip took about six hours. Luckily, I only had to change trains once. With more transfers, I could have mistakenly ended up in Budapest. I have always wanted to visit that city, but my hotel reservation was in Prague. I figure traveling by myself in a foreign country, with its different language, protocols, and customs, is good...

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Surfing and Beer Drinking in Munich

München, Germany — The polka band inside the Augustiner Festhalle at Munich’s Oktoberfest is playing Sweet Caroline. Daughter Mere, son-in-law Matt and I are seated outside at a picnic table, finishing up an early lunch of roasted chicken, potato salad with cucumber, thinly sliced and savory radishes and a half-liter mug of Augustiner Bräu — a widely acclaimed lager from a brewery that began operating in 1328. Some beer aficionados aver that Augustiner Bräu is the best in the world. I don’t know about that, but it is the best I have ever tasted. That is one reason I am back for the second...

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