This was a holiday of a number of firsts.  Rataje is a small village in the Czech Republic, about 100kms south of Prague, and is the home of my girlfriend, Mila. The first first, well, we drove all the way, but not in her father’s Trabant!   I drive a lot anyway and was a bit nervous about trying to cover such a distance, about 1,500kms without an overnight stop. In reality, it wasn’t too bad, but we did sleep in the car for a couple of hours.

I bought a Garmin StreetPilot III to help with the navigation and it worked pretty well, although the maps of the Czech Republic are lacking a little in detail.

The second new experience, was meeting Mila’s father and brother - her sisters and mother had visited us in the UK before.   Meeting your girlfriend’s father isn’t the easiest of things normally, but when you don’t share a common language, it is a little daunting. I must have done something right (brought his daughter home after a year away??) as I was welcomed warmly and was soon drinking his beer and we were toasting with slivovice (a spirit that is similar to schnapps).

My first impressions was that the country is beautiful with much of it forested rolling hills.

To be continued!!!