Europe is a Big Country

18 April, En Route to Budapest

On the truck again today; left the Czech campground at 7:30 (okay, 8-ish) this morning for a very long day of driving, to Budapest via Slovakia. Yesterday proved the peril of blogging on good weather—started raining just as we got up and continued past midnight. Prague is as lovely as they say, the buildings are just one beauty after another—ooh, look at that

 one! Ooh, that's rather unlike Poplar! Shop windows full of miniature Infants of Prague—the first thing that ever tempted me into church was the little Infant

 at St Pete's, which the Altar Rosary ladies dressed in new clothes every few weeks. Nanny and Poppy and I would sit near the front and contemplate the doll and his costumes—I suppose there's a reason people think Catholics are idol worshipers—because we kind of are.

Waterproofs remained waterproof, however, so that's cool. We strutted about in our waterproof jackets and largely matching, convertible, quick-dry trousers, looking like the bunch of middle-class travelers we are. The city is laden with tourists, and more American accents that we've seen since London. But the rain appears to have kept the worst of them away, and we had no trouble wandering all over. Saw the Orloj, or the great clock—the 12 Apostles pop out and bless you, one-by-one, every hour on the hour. Feeling rather holy catholic and apostolic just now.

David and I were on cook group yesterday, although the kindly Tee and John got up at some ungodly hour and pretty much sorted breakf

ast. Dinner was slightly delayed as the crew couldn't find a taxi from Tesco (even in Czech, ubiquitous), but we produced goulash at 9pm, eaten in a marquee at the campground (still pissing down rain outside). All tents have proved resistant to the rain, which is excellent news also.

As we go east, the sun is appearing from the sort of grey sky that I think of as London-ish. Just passed the city of Brno with it's pastel tower blocks circling the centre like a necklace of socialist relics—the sort of jewellery that looks better from a distance. Collectively, we've recently emptied a petrol station of it's stock of bacon-flavoured crisps (thinking of you, Brett & Natasha) and Coke Zero. My sense of Europe is already altered—we've tended to travel from airports to cities and back, maybe the surrounding area, but this gradual traversing the land makes it feel more of a whole. We've driven from Calais to Budapest this week, and having a better time than expected. Europe suddenly seems much bigger than it has before.

Also, the roads in the Czech Republic? Shite.