Planning an annual visit to Europe

Each fall I like to go and see my sister who has lived on a farm near Canterbury in England for more than 50 years. The date is usually planned (as it was with visits to my mother who died 9 years ago at the age of 97) to coincide with the Canterbury festival so that we can go to concerts and other events together. It is also a time to catch up on my sister’s large family of four children and eight grandchildren.

Also for the last five years I have tacked on a visit to European capitals. Four  years ago Penny and I spent a week in Berlin. Three years ago I went on my own to St Petersburg. Two years ago to Italy - Rome, Florence, Mantua and Venice. Last year to Spain - Barcelona and Madrid.

This year it is Budapest (Hungary) and Prague (Czech).

A couple of things read of historical and present interest. The Economist had a piece on August 29th 2019 titled "How Victor Orban hollowed out Hungary’s democracy - his achievements are bad for Hungarian liberty-an object lesson in what is possible for would-be autocrats elsewhere". As a tourist however I guess one will not be too aware of the current politics affecting Hungary. 

In our men’s book club we read Madeleine Albright’s "Fascism: a warning". She served as the U.S. Secretary of State from 1997-2001 under President Bill Clinton. She immigrated to the United States in 1948 from Czechoslovakia. She obtained a Phd from Columbia University in 1975 writing her thesis on the Prague Spring which occurred between 5 January and 21st August 1968.