Home again!

Yesterday morning we woke up to a snow-covered Prague. It was beautiful. The taxi arrived early (6:45 am) and we were ready. As Plan B, Gloria had thoughtfully purchased one-day tram tickets for us so if the taxi didn't show we could take the tram to City Center and catch a Taxi to the airport. We were plenty early for our plane. When through security (1st time) and boarded the plane before 11am and then waited while the plane was de-iced before take-off. Landed in London and went through security again (2nd time). Phylis and I headed for a restroom. When we came out, I noticed that she was trailing toilet tissue on her left shoe. She couldn't get it detached. Then I tried. By this time, we came into Chuck's view. We were his source of entertainment and frustration---that he couldn't get to his camera because he was loaded down with our coats and backpacks! Before we boarded the plane, we went through a 'secondary security search' - they hand searched all carry-ons and patted everyone down (3rd time). Half (approximately) the passengers were Indians who were employed by a banking company out of Milwaukee. They were on the way to a meeting there. Now we know who answers the customer service calls! Arrived in Chicago, went through customs, and out the International Terminal door to catch the bus to Rockford --all with five minutes to spare or we would have waited another hour. We were home by 9:30pm. Phylis stayed over so she could go to Crystal Lake this morning and the birthday party for Henry and Julian who turn 7 tomorrow. We love to travel, but it is always great to be home!
LAST MINUTE OBSERVATIONS FROM CHUCK----
1. Prague is a wonderful old European city with a lot of history. Despite going through some awful times in WWII with the mass deportation and execution of the Jews, the city itself came out of the war unscathed which is quite unusual for European cities.
2. It is interesting to note the architecture of old Prague (before 1940, city buildings were very ornate and beautiful), communist Prague (gray concrete cube shaped buildings with little imagination), and the post communist buildings since roughly 1990 (more modern glass and stone buildings which are just coming about).
3. The countryside looks similar to many areas of the Midwest with good soils and rolling hills.
The Czech farmers manage their wooded acres very well---trees are thinned, trimmed, and grown for firewood, posts, lumber etc. Farmers all live in villages rather than individual farmsteads.
4. Czech beer is excellent and appreciated there. Czechs consume enough beer for every adult to drink 84 gallon per year!
5. We don't want to walk on any more cobblestones for a while.