Jacques and Rollande: October 10

For those of you wondering why I am writing in English, there are 2 reasons one is that my tablet is auto correcting all my French words into some indecipherable language, I think that Lucille can attest to that. Also, one of the recipients of my emails does not read French. But I will have to find someone who can help me with my settings when I get back home.

Today we overslept and only woke up at 8, but that's ok because there wasn't anything planned until 9:30 when we had to go to the mandatory safety drill.

After the drill we went up to the lounge to sit but the program director was there giving a talk of how it was growing up in in a communist country. They have only been liberated since 1989, not so long ago. She told us that many older people still have not adjusted to being liberated and would much rather still live under the communist regime because there everyone had a job.

We watched the boat pass through one of the numerous locks that we will be going through. A bit boring after a while. We arrived in Bratislava at 1:30 and were on the bus at 2:15 for our combined driving and walking tour. Here again the tour guide told us about growing up under the communist regime and that her parents wished that it would come back.

We ate supper with 2 couples from New Hampshire who were all retired teachers. It was the most enjoyable meal so far. We talked politics and school systems as well as religion. It was thoroughly enjoyable. But the culmination of the evening was a group of local musicians who played and sang some operettas. The violinist had a violin that was over 300 years old.

It was an amazing day.