Somehow this trip snuck up on me, and I can't quite believe we're leaving so soon, but as Ethan just posted, we're off to Prague tomorrow. We'll spend four days there, and then a few days in Budapest. Prague is mostly vacation for us; Budapest will continue to be vacation for me (though not so much for him.) I'll return on the 18th, just in time to host speculative fiction author Naomi Novik at Inkberry, the literary arts nonprofit I used to run. Never a dull moment!

My last trip to Prague was in the summer of 1993 -- I was there as Ethan was on his way to Ghana for the year. I spent ten days in the Czech Republic that August with my mother, my grandparents, and my aunt and her two daughters, exploring our family's roots. My Russian grandfather went to medical school at Charles University, my grandmother was born and reared in Prague, and my mother was born there, so my familial connections to the place are strong.

I'm looking forward to returning, and to seeing some of Budapest with Janet, too. Blogging will be light while I'm away, but I'll post when I can. (Similarly, I doubt I'll be able to stay abreast of what's happening in all of your lives and blogs while I'm on the road, so please forgive me for not commenting, or replying to comments, in a timely manner.) Be well, everyone! And if you happen to be in or near Prague or Budapest next week, hey, drop me a line...

Technorati tags: Budapest, Prague.