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In 2019 we visited Europe for the first time with Viking Cruises. Our first city, and one of our favorites to this day, was Prague in the Czech Republic.
I still remember stepping off the plane, completely exhausted, and wide- eyed trying to capture absolutely every- thing around me. The airport was quite a distance from the city center and our hotel, so I sat in the van with my face plastered to the window. I had to see everything.
The first thing I noticed was the people. They’re so kind and helpful. I had studied a few words in Czech, but not near- ly enough to carry on anything resembling a conversation. So the plan was to stay
with the group and not stray too far. That plan went out the window almost as soon as we arrived. We decided we wanted to find a convenience store and get a Coke.
So we left the hotel and approached the first person we saw to ask for directions. Joanie B. walked up to this unsuspecting woman and, in a very strange accent, asked her where she could buy a Coca-Cola. The woman had to choke back laughter as she pointed down the street and said, in perfect English, “There’s a shop around the corner.”
I laughed uncontrollably all the way down the street and still give Joanie B. a hard time about her “Czech” accent. That should be a pretty good picture of the