Memories of an unforgettable journey Part 2 At that time the Czechoslovakia was part of the Soviet Block, and crossing the border of that country, it has been one-of-a-kind experience! There were soldiers heavily armed with the infamous AK-47 pointed at us, trained dogs, barbed wires and we were thoroughly searched. Eventually, after clearing the custom, we could breathe a sigh of relief. We were on the road another time, next destination Prague. In a few hours, we arrived in close proximity to the city, despite the fact that we still were far from it, we were able to see its superb skyline, it seemed to look at a fairytale city, . That impression would be confirmed in the days afterward. Being in Prague was like living in a fairy tale indeed, I can't forget the colorful houses in pastel colors, the towers and bridges in medieval style, the cobbled streets, the Prague Castle hovering the landscape etc. We were also looking closely at the effect of the soviet regime on people life. We were stricken by the sense of desolation and the loss of dignity that you could feel in that people, the grocery stores were basically empty, the goods scarce and badly displayed, and for a simple task like cleaning a building windows, there were at least 10 people on it, one with the bucket, the second with the sponge, another one with the suds and so on; where is the self-respect if you know that your job is worthless? I have a funny/sad episode that give away what was living under the soviet influence, even the campsites were managed from the state, no matter how long was the queue for checking in, the clerk closed the office exactly at 5pm, you can immagine a private campsite in Europe, during peak season that closes the gate so early in the afternoon! Nevetherless, we've had a wonderful time in Prague, the people were really nice and friendly. Next stops were, Bratislava and Budapest.

Memories of an unforgettable journey Part 1 The first travel is like the first kiss, you will never forget it! It was the summer of 1986, right after the graduation from my School of Nursing, when my fiancé and I, with a couple friends of ours, set off for our first big adventure in the world. I don't remenber who was the planner, but I can't forget the excitiment before our departure. Our budget was really low, around 600.000 lire per person (around 300 euros now) for two weeks on a road trip across Europe. We loaded the Citroën 2 CV, owened by our friends, with two Canadian tents, 4 slepping bags, 4 rucksack, a camping pots set, a small camping stove, some spaghetti packages and several tomato sauce tins, because of the car so old and overloaded, we traveled slowly enough that everyone overtook us! Our road trip included several stop-overs, the first one was in Innsbruck, a nice town in the Tyrol region of Austria, yet the city that stole my heart for good in Austria was Salzburg. As soon as we arrived, we could feel a sort of excitement in the air, all people in town were going to a free big concert in the main square of Salzburg, a lot of them were dressed up with fantastic typical Tyrolean outfits, many were drinking beer and singing on the streets. I must confess that we had a lot of fun that night! the next day, after recovering from the wild night, we were back on the road again. Next stop would be the border with the Czechoslovakia.

Giving advice I am mad about the oceans too and as a former scuba diving, my piece of advice is: "do it now!!!" do not procrastinate, it's almost impossible to explain to you the emotions you will feel, while breathing under the water, just give it a try, it will be the most unforgettable experience in your life.

Do we read to show off? (From BBC learning English) What do you read when you are on the bus or train? Some people might hold a copy of a classic novel to impress other commuters. Actually, I do the opposite! Since I am an extrovert person, always engaged with new ideas and projects, my brain needs to unwind with light reading, I suffer from people around me judgment, they often make fun of me because I am into romance and thriller books, they consider me an intellectual woman, so for them I am not allow to relax with whatever takes my fancy!