Journey Home

Trips like this are always whirlwind affairs with too many activities and too little time.  In spite of our best planning efforts, we always go away wanting more and needing to return.  That is certainly true for all four of our stops on this trip.  We also found ourselves a little tired after two weeks of active traveling and touring.

The trip home started with a 4:30 am wake-up call Saturday morning in our room in Salzburg (that was 9:30pm Friday night at home in Houston!), with a 5:30 am departure in a van for the 90 minute drive to the airport in Munich.  Arriving in plenty of time for our 9:30 am departure, we had some time to relax and have a coffee before boarding.  The flight from Munich to Charles de Gaulle was uneventful and when we checked in for our flight to the US, we had a wonderful surprise at our departure gate.  We were upgraded to Business Class on Air France!  That was really a treat and made the long flight to the US much more enjoyable.  The seats reclined to horizontal for a more restful sleep, the space was generous, and the food was terrific.  Air France does a great job with food anyway, and Business Class was really good.

Our return was through Minneapolis, as the only non-stop from Munich to Houston left much too early for us to catch.  So, one more leg and we walked into our house at 9:00 pm Saturday evening, 23 1/2 hours after  our wake-up call in Salzburg!  It was a very long day, even with the Business Class perk.

This was another wonderful trip and we really enjoyed sharing it with our longtime friends, Paul & Vickie Pitts.  This was our first time traveling internationally with friends, and I know it will not be our last.  It was great having another couple along on the trip to share the experiences and memories.

Thanks to those of you who have followed along with this blog as well.  I am finishing this last post a week and a half after returning home, so I have not kept up as well this time.  But, I have enjoyed writing about our experiences and working with the photos.  I hope some of you have enjoyed this as well.

Jim

Final Evening

Our last evening in Salzburg, and the last evening of the tour, we all met in the hotel restaurant for dinner.  It was a good time to tell some stories and remember everything we had done over two weeks.  Some of the original group were not there as Salzburg was an optional extension and not everyone chose to do it.  Dinner was good and it was a nice way to cap off the trip.  We then gathered in the lobby for a group photo (see below).  The next morning we left very early (5:30am), the bulk of the group left at 9:30am, and one couple left about noon.  So this was good-bye.  Hugs all around.

The Eagles Nest

One of the top highlights of the entire trip was our visit to Hitler's Eagles Nest in the Alps just across the border from Salzburg.  This was our final tour of the trip, following the morning visit of the salt mines.  Known to the Germans as Kehlsteinhaus, this is a chalet-like structure built on a sub peak of the mountain complex above Berchtesgaden.  This chalet was built as a retreat for Hitler and a place to bring dignitaries.  

The road up to the entrance of Kehlsteinhaus is private and traveled only by buses operated by the facility.  The view is progressively better as the bus climbs the mountain.  The day we visited was cloudy and drizzling, so the clouds made interesting layers and patterns and were changing constantly.  Below is a photo from the bus as we climbed the mountain.

We exited the bus then walked a long distance down a bricked tunnel to the very same elevator Hitler used to ascend to the Kehlsteinhaus!  Once on top, the views were spectacular!

But the real treat was still ahead of us.  A pathway extends from the level of the Kehlsteinhaus, up along a ridge to a point well above the Kehlsteinhaus.  There are many photos from our walk up that ridge, but my favorite of all of them is below.  The view of the Kehlsteinhaus from the ridge above it, with the clouds slightly embracing the structure from the left, is really spectacular.  This may be my favorite photo from the entire trip!

There are many beautiful photos in this album and it is one to not miss!  This visit was one of top two or three activities of the entire trip!

The Salt Mines

Salzburg's early growth and wealth was largely due to the salt deposits discovered in that area.  In fact the word Salzburg means literally "salt fortress" in German, also "salt castle". The names derives from the barges that transported salt down the river in the 8th century and paid tolls when they passed by.  Salt built Salzburg.

This tour was on our final day and included an underground tour of the salt mines.  It was very interesting as these particular salt mines have been in use for over 500 years.  No photos were allowed inside the mines, so a description will have to suffice.  We put on jumpsuits over our clothes and then boarded a "train" where we faced forward, strattling a bench seat.  We were seated very close and had to hold onto the person in front of us, much like riding a motorcycle behind someone.  The train moved quickly down into the mines for about 10 minutes, then we got off and walked the rest of the time.  In two places we used wooden slides to rapidly go down to the next level, sitting in groups of four on the slide.  That was really fun!

The mining technique was a surprise.  They create large underground caverns the site of large gymnasiums, and fill them with water to the very top.  The water then sits in each cavern dissolving the salt from the surrounding rock, creating a brine that sinks to the bottom of that cavern.  The brine is allowed to collect for many years before extraction begins, then they pump the brine from the bottom.  The extracted brine is then processed in a nearby plant leaving the salt crystals we all use.  They have a large number of these chambers in operation at the same time, keeping the plant busy.

One interesting observation is the color of the stream running along the road where we visited the mines.  Due to the mineral content of the rocks, the water was a cloudy blue.  You can see that in the photo below.

There a few photos in this album of the area around the mine entrance and one of some of our group wandering around a bridge.

An Evening with Mozart

One of our special events was a dinner/concert at the oldest restaurant in Europe (so they claim on their sign).  It was an elegant evening with dinner and a wonderful concert of Mozart.  The waiters served a first course, then the musicians and singers entered to play and sing a few pieces, then left and the waiters returned for the next course.  It continued that way the entire evening.  It was a very nice event.

Hohensalzburg Castle

As with every city we visited on this trip there was a castle/palace on the highest ground in the city.  In Salzburg it's Hohensalzburg Castle that towers above the Old Town.  Below is a great shot of the castle from the Old Town.

We were so tired we almost skipped taking the cable car up the mountain to the castle.  The views were fantastic from the castle and this album is not to be missed!!  These are some of the best photos of Salzburg!

Construction on the Hohensalzburg Castle began in 1077 and was originally mostly wooden.  The castle was expanded over the years with the towers and ring walls added in 1462.  The castle was refurbished in the 19th century and today is one of the largest and best preserved medieval castles in Europe. The history of the castle is interesting and you can learn more about it at Hohensalzburg Castle.

There are several photos in this album that are favorites and I would like to highlight them all here, but that would overwhelm the text.  I will just insert one of my favorites below that show Salzburg and the river below.  Please check out the other photos in the album with this post.

Fountains, Squares, & Streets

Salzburg is so very picturesque that it is difficult to pick out a single scene or view that is a favorite.  The Old Town is filled with great architecture, beautiful squares, and marvelous fountains.  It was too hard to keep track of the name of each one, so I have collected them together in a single album here.  Some of the photos in this album are obviously taken from a second story, and those were from the outside balcony of the cafe where I had the apricot strudel (see previous post).  You will also see horses hitched to wagons in these photos, as there were many lined up for hire for the tourists.

One of my favorite fountains was in the square above where you see the horses.  This square was also the backdrop for a couple of scenes in The Sound of Music.  Below is another view that includes the fountain and also shows the towers and the dome of the Cathedral in the background.

This was a holiday for Austria and Germany (it was a Friday) and the square and the Old Town were filled with European tourists.  I found a bench at the edge of this square and just sat and enjoyed the scene and watched the people for awhile.  It was really interesting and a nice chance to rest my feet!

The album with this post contains some really nice shots and I encourage readers to take time to look at those photos.

Coffee & Apricot Strudel

After a full morning with our walking tour ended, we all were tired and ready for a break.  There was an attractive cafe on one of the squares in Old Town that we decided to try.  The outside tables were full, and it was still drizzling, so we settled for a table inside, and the space inside was very nice.

Immediately a server came around with a tray full of beautiful pastries for us to select.  Unfortunately, I was not quick enough to snap a photo of her tray.  As we started selecting pastries, she indicated we paid her for the pastries, and a different server would come by for our drink/coffee order!  That was a strange approach, but was exactly what happened.  We all had something different, but I really like the looks of the Apricot Strudel, and it was delicious!  A cappuccino made a perfect match.

Salzburg Cathedral

Next stop on our walking tour was the Salzburg Cathedral, a beautiful 17th Century baroque-style structure. The cathedral was originally founded in 774, rebuilt in 1181 after a fire, then rebuilt again in the 17th Century to its current form.  The cathedral still contains the baptismal font in which Mozart was baptized.

The Cathedral has a long and interesting history that you can read more about at Salzburg Cathedral.  The towers and dome of the Cathedral are visible in many of the albums for Salzburg, and are not repeated in the album for this post.  But there are some really beautiful photos of the interior of the Cathedral in this album.

We spent a short time here but found it quite a nice Cathedral.  The pipe organ was especially interesting and looked fantastic, and there was an organ concert scheduled for that evening, but we had other commitments.  It would have been fun to hear the organ.

The Nonnberg Abbey

One of the most beautiful places we saw in Salzburg was the Nonnberg Abbey, made famous in The Sound of Music and the actual abbey where Maria Von Trappe lived.  We walked all around the grounds and found the cemetery beautifully landscaped and filled with flowers.  It was particularly interesting to see how they have created slightly raised flower beds above each grave, which makes a beautiful presentation of the flowers planted there.

Views of the neighboring buildings were really nice here.

Salzburg Old Town

As the morning wore on the clouds returned and it drizzled on and off.  From the Gardens we walked on across the pedestrian bridge into Old Town.  Walking across the river we could see that the water level was clearly above normal, and the current was very fast.  Our guide confirmed that they have had an abnormal amount of rain over the previous weeks and the river was above normal levels.  The high water is apparent in the photos with this post.

Hohensalzburg Castle sits high on a hill above the Old Town and is clearly visible in the photos of Old Town from across the river.  As we walked through Old Town our guide pointed out buildings that were built in the 1300's and earlier.  During restorations, the dates of original building and of restoration are often placarded on the outside facade.

The Getreidegasse is one of the oldest streets in Salzburg and is filled with shops and shoppers.  Each shop marks its location with a unique sign hanging above the door.  The streets were very clean and neat, and we finally discovered why when we saw a street sweeper/cleaner pushing a cart down the street, picking up trash.  Getreidegasse 9 is the building where Mozart was born.

The architecture of Old Town is really beautiful and the photo album with this post contains some really nice pictures.

Mirabell Gardens

Our first full day in Salzburg cleared a bit and the rain stopped, making our morning walking tour more enjoyable.   We started with Mirabell Gardens, just a few blocks from the hotel.  The gardens exist because of Mirabell Palace, which was built in 1606 outside the medieval walls of Salzburg for the mistress of the Prince-Archbishop at the time.  As he was not allowed to marry, he chose instead to simply have a mistress with whom he fathered several children, and build this beautiful palace for her to live.

In the 20th Century this garden became famous as the location for several scenes for the movie The Sound of Music.  It is a beautifully landscaped garden with fountains, statues, and the Salzburg Old Town and fortress clearly visible in the distance.  It is a beautiful scene.  The album with the post contains many beautiful photos from the garden.

Salzburg

Salzburg is the 4th largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg.  The city is famous for its well-preserved baroque architecture, and is one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps. Salzburg is also famous as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and as the location for the movie the Sound of Music. Salzburg has a historic and beautiful city center (Old Town), palaces, churches, and is surrounded by the scenic and beautiful Alps.  It is a popular destination for tourists.

As with all of the old cities of Europe, the history of Salzburg is long and interesting.  You can read more about it, if interested, at History of Salzburg.

Arriving Salzburg

After a really long day in the bus from Prague, we were all really glad to arrive in Salzburg.  The hotel was nice and we were glad to get settled.  A few shots of our room are in the album for this post.

It was raining when we arrived and we had no activities until the next morning, so many of the group just ate in the hotel.  But we felt more adventurous and decided to strike out, umbrella's in-hand, to find someplace interesting to eat.

It was an easy walk down the street and over a pedestrian bridge to Old Town where we started looking for someplace interesting with Austrian food.  While there were cafe's and bars, we were not having much success until we walking into a small place that was jammed with people and buzzing with enthusiasm.  Unfortunately, they were fully booked for the evening and could not take us, but sent us further down the street, deeper into the Old Town, in search of one of their sister locations.

We never found their recommendation, but we finally stumbled upon a restaurant that was busy with a crowd that looked local, and with a decent menu.  I was very happy to find schnitzel and spaetzle on the menu, and that's what I ordered.  It was fabulous.

We found our way back to the hotel, in the rain, and crashed for the night, as the next day started early.

Final Thoughts on Prague

It seemed like our time in Prague flew by and we had barely scratched the surface.  The rain during our first full day was a bit gloomy, but we still did everything that had been planned.  Nevertheless, I went back to some of the locations the next day to take better photos, and that made me feel like I had not seen as much as I should have.

The architecture in Prague and the bridges across the river were really beautiful, and the Old Town was quite walk-able and accessible via public transport from our hotel.  So, getting around was fairly easy.  The pork knee was a wonderful surprise and something I would do again.  Old Town Square and the Astrological Clock were beautiful and fascinating.

We made sure to rub the statue of St John of Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge, so that means we will return to Prague one day.  Let's hope its not too long.

Leaving Prague, Cesky Krumlov

Out bus trip from Prague to Salzburg was the longest of any of our travel days, running about 8 hours start to finish.  This was actually about 6 hours of driving, with 2 hours of stops including a walking tour of the village of Cesky Krumlov, near the Czech border.  We all agreed this was a difficult day, as that is a very long time to sit in a bus, and since the Salzburg stop was an optional add-on, not all of our original group continued with us.  That meant we were in a smaller, and less comfortable bus.

Cesky Krumlov is located in South Bohemia along the Vitava River.  This location was a ford in the Vitava River, which was an important trade route at the time.  The Cesky Krumlov Castle is very large for the size of the town, and is second only to the Cradcany castle complex of Prague.  The town and the castle were started under construction in 1302, but most of the architecture of the town and the castle date from the 14th through the 17th centuries.

We also grabbed some lunch while stopped in this town, and I opted for one last traditional Czech meal.  Their beef goulash with onions, gravy, and the bread they call "dumplings" hit the spot!

The town is quite picturesque and from the castle grounds the view is very good.  There are some nice photos in the short album with this post.  We were all glad to have a walking break, but the general consensus was to get back on the bus and press on to Salzburg.  We all wanted to get there!

Chateau Sychrov

Chateau Sychrow, also known as the Sychrov Castle, is a Neo-Gothic style castle from the second half of the 19th century.  The original Baroque castle was purchased in the early 1800 by a French aristocrat who was exiled from France during the French Revolution, and brought his family here to live.  The family rebuilt the original castle and added to it, and continued with various reconstruction projects over the subsequent 100+ years that the family owned the property.  Because of the influence of the family's French ancestry and style, the castle and property have somewhat of a Chateau feeling and thus,  the use of Chateau in one of the names for the property.

The photo album with this post contains photos from inside many rooms of the castle, as well as some outside views.  The castle contains the largest collection of French portrait paintings in Central Europe, as well as a very large collection of painting of the French family who owned and occupied the castle for so many years.

In addition to the tour of the property, our tour guide also had arranged a private concert for our group in the Castle's concert hall by a small ensemble of professional classical concert musicians from the Czech Republic.  Because the famous composer Dvorak had stayed at this castle during his life, they selected some Dvorak pieces to play for us.  It was really quite nice and very intimate.  After the concert we had dinner at a restaurant nearby.

Boulevard of Wensceslas Square

Wensceslas Square is one of the main city squares in the New Town of Prague, with the National Museum at the hilltop end of the boulevard next to the Wensceslas Monument.  The square is named after Saint Wensceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia.  The boulevard extends down the hill from the monument with a wide and beautifully landscaped medium dividing this very wide street, with beautiful buildings on either side.
We enjoyed a nice stroll up the boulevard where I snapped a lot of nice photos of buildings and flowers, and we also posed for some personal photos.  This set of photos shows some of the beautiful architecture of Prague.  Learn more about the history of this square at Wensceslas Square.

Prague Street Market

No real surprise that we would find a market of some type, and this one was setup in a street sectioned off for this purpose.  This would not be of great interest except for the fabulous produce, especially fruit, that they were selling.  Notice how the individual fruit containers are setup, with a variety of fruit in each one.  They are made to purchase and eat on the spot.

They were also selling vegetables in some stands, and there were many other stands selling the typical items targeted at tourists looking for souvenirs.  I was struck then by how fresh and ripe their produce appeared, as I was on our trips to Italy 2 years ago and Greece last year. In the US we seem to have lost our sense of fresh, vine-ripened fruit and vegetables. Most of what we see in our supermarkets falls short.

Walking the Charles Bridge

The busiest and most famous bridge in Prague is the Charles Bridge, a 14th century bridge linking the two sides of Prague, and which is restricted to pedestrians.  The bridge is lined with 75 statues, mostly of saints and historical figures in Prague's history, and is bordered in either end with a magnificent stone tower and gate.  Artists setup booths along the bridge and you can buy art of various types, mostly targeted for the tourists.  You can learn more history of the bridge at Charles Bridge.

Midway along the bridge is a statue of St. John Of Nepomuk, the court priest of King Wenceslas IV who our city guide called "the 5-star man" for the ring of 5 stars around his head. Touching the statue is a ritual in Prague to bring good luck, and tradition says anyone who rubs this statue is destined to return to Prague. You can see in the photo below where many have done so, and we did as well.  We would definitely like to return to Prague one day.

Presidential Palace, Sunny Day

The weather finally changed our second full day in Prague and we revisited some sites that we had only seen n the rain.  The Presidential Palace in the Castle District photographed much better in sunlight and there are a few nice photos in the photo album for this post.

Wallenstein Garden

There are likely many beautiful gardens in Prague.  But we found one near the city center that we explored and enjoyed, the Wallenstein Garden.  This garden is located adjacent to the Czech Senate, so it's likely enjoyed by the Senators during breaks from their sessions.  We found it peaceful and beautifully landscaped. We also used it as a backdrop for some personal portraits.  As you can see below, the guys spent some time relaxing while the gals walked around.  More photos are in the album for this post.

Prague Architecture & Bridges

Prague stands out among the older European cities because it was never bombed or damaged during either of the World Wars.  Prague has survived the Napoleonic Wars, Nazi invasion and rule, and the domination of the Communists.  It's streets, monuments, and buildings stand mostly as they have for hundreds of years.  After WWII when the communists dominated the city, there was widespread neglect.  But everything was preserved and the city has been restored since the fall of communism.  Prague is a wonderful fabric of architectural styles spanning hundreds of years.

Because the city is divided by a river, bridges are also critical to the life of the city.  There are many and each one is unique.  The rive also changes levels as it passes through Prague, so there are mini dams spaced along the river to provide stable pools where boats can run.  There appeared to be a lock or set of locks along one edge of the river, but we didn't have time to explore that.

In the photo album for this post there are various shots of buildings and bridges that caught my eye, and this set of photos gives a good representation of what you see in Prague.  

Pork Knee & Beer

After a full morning of our walking tour of the Castle District, we were damp, hungry and tired.  So, we picked a restaurant that looked interesting and had a good Czech menu, and enjoyed a leisurely lunch.  Our waitress was very helpful and suggested several items that would be typical and were good at this restaurant.  I settled on the pork knee, which is a section of a hog's leg that includes the knee (or knuckle).  It's cooked with the skin on and bone included, and is apparently marinated in a spicy sauce.  It's served as it is cooked and you cut away the skin and the layer of fat under the skin to reveal dark, tender, and very tasty meat.  It's served with two kinds of mustard, one spicy, and apple horseradish. The apple horseradish was really tasty and milder than straight horseradish. Our server said they mash raw apple and mix with the horseradish to make this mild version.  Red cabbage and some slaw were also served on the plate.

To stand up to this spicy meal your best choice in the Czech Republic is beer.  Where Hungary and Vienna are great for wine, the Czech's are much better at beer.  So, our server recommended a local beer that would be good with this meal, and she made an excellent choice.  It was a great combination.

This was a memorable meal and I would have pork knee again!  It was delicious!

Prague Presidential Palace & Castle District

As in Budapest and most other medieval cities, if there was high ground, a castle and a small community were built there.  So was the case also in Prague.  Today the castle is the Presidential Palace where the head of the government works in one wing, and the rest of the palace is a museum.  Also built on this hill is St Vitus Cathedral with its magnificent high ceilings and beautiful dome and towers. St Vitus is the most important cathedral in the Czech Republic and the oldest parts of the cathedral date back to the 14th century.  and the Golden Lane,  a row of 11 very small houses built against a fortification wall.  It was originally known as Goldsmith's Lane due to the many goldsmiths living there. Today the houses contain historic displays as well as shops for the tourists.

This day was rainy from the start and we were huddling under umbrellas most of the day.  We started at the Palace, tried to see the changing of the guard at the front gate, then visited the cathedral, walked down through the row of small houses, enjoyed fabulous views of the city from various places, and ended up on the Charles Bridge.  Like most cathedrals in Europe, this one was beautiful inside with many wonderful stained glass windows.  Thre are some great photos of the stained glass in the photo album for this post.  

Prague is known for it's many towers, and the towers are apparent from the views we had from the Castle District.   In every direction, wherever you look, you can see medieval towers of every type.  It was a beautiful sight.

Old Town Square & the Astrological Clock

After our group had checked in and settled in their rooms, our tour guide offered a short walking tour of the Old Town with the intent of seeing the famous Astrological Clock strike the hour.  This clock is over 600 years old and still works as designed and keeps accurate time!  Installed in 1410 it is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest still working.

The clock face is quit different and in the style used during the medieval period for astrological clocks. The clock face includes the phases of the moon and the position of the sun as well as various other astrological and astronomical indications.  To learn more about the very interesting history of this clock, see Astrological Clock.  Above the clock face are two doors the open every hour on the hour and some figures parade by and in turn look out each door.  It's a short program, but very interesting and fun to see.

The album with this post also contains a video of the clock,striking the hour and the short animation that accompanies that.  The album also contains some nice photos around the Old Town square and nearby blocks, showing the buildings and a large statue.  The architecture of Prague is different, older, and more varied than Vienna and you can see the different styles in these photos.  Prague contains some of the oldest and also the most varied architectural styles of any city in the world.

Arriving Prague & the Hotel

Everyone was excited to finally arrive in Prague, as that seems to be the place most talked about these days in traveling circles and the place everyone wants to visit.  When we arrived at the hotel, we were surprised to find the front desk on the front side of the square bar in the middle if the room.  The restaurant was just beyond the bar on the right side with tables extending along the bar both on the back side and across the front.  The lobby, what there was of it, was on the left side and opened to a nice gathering area and lounge with sofas, chairs, and low tables.  With our bus full of people and carry-on luggage arriving at one time, and other people in the area at the time, everything was jammed and confused.  It was the oddest design we have ever seen.

Our second surprise was in the corridor leading to our room, as the corridor was painted black or a very dark color, and there was sparse lighting.  It felt very much like a dungeon or prison.  Since we had been immersed in the experiences of our guides with Communism in Budapest, we all seemed to feel like this was a throw-back to that era.  However, this hotel is newly decorated we were told and it is definitely a very modern, urban, "edgy" style.  The rooms were fine but done in a minimalist style, very modern and simple.  The lounge was actually very nice and we enjoyed sitting down there a couple of times.  In general the decor put off most of our group.  You can check out our room in the photo album with this post.

Prague (pronounced PRA-ha in Czech) is the largest city in the Czech Republic and is the capital.  It is also the historical capital of Bohemia.  Prague has a long history dating back 1100 years to the Romanesque period, and was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.  Today it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and is the 6th most visited city in Europe.  To learn more about Prague's rich history, see Prague in Wikipedia.

Leaving Vienna

Departure day was another early start and we were off on the bus for Prague.  It was interesting to see how everyone in the group settled by now into a pattern, hanging out with the same folks and sitting in the same seats.  If someone chose a different seat, that upset the situation.  It didn't happen much and everyone seemed to be content to chose the same seat every time.

In the photo album with this post are a couple of photos of one of our short rest stops at a service station.  What struck me in taking these photos was the contrast between the very old castle on the hill in the background and the modern truck and gas pumps in the foreground.  In Europe old and new are side-by-side at every turn, but sometimes the contrast is stark.

Vienna Architecture

In the photo album Beautiful Vienna Architecture are a collection of miscellaneous photos of some of the many beautiful buildings in Vienna.  Many do not fit into a particular category, and some are repeats from other albums, but I wanted to group the most beautiful ones here that I had photographed.  I have excluded the Opera House here since I dedicated a full post to it.  It's hard to pick one or two favorites, but here are couple of them below.  See the album for the full set.

Vienna was everything we expected and more.  The city is beautiful, the buildings and architecture elegant, the music wonderful, and the people friendly and welcoming.  Our time here was much too short, so we will plan to return one day.