Best Laid Plans

It's here! It's here! God bless that woman. Taxis are yellow in the Czech Republic, too.

(Side note: I can finally spell "Czech" correctly on the first try. Chezk, Ceck, Czeck.)

Oh *@#! What's that girl doing? She's getting in OUR taxi? Dammit, nothing's easy, ever.

Oh, wait. She's not getting in. "Taxi, no?" says the driver, confused.

"No," the girl replies, then turns to me. "Did you call for a taxi?"

Oh, God bless her, too. And the woman at the taxi service last night, did I mention her?

"Hi, do you speak English?"

"Yes?" She responded as if she were asking question.

"Hi, I'd like to schedule a taxi for tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning, yes?"

"Yes. At seven forty-five."

"Seven forty-five, yes?"

"Yes. To the central station."

"Yes? Train station. What time?"

"Seven forty-five."

"Seven..."

"Forty-five," I respond, completely doubting, at this point, that this woman understands a word I'm saying.

"Central train station, seven forty-five. Okay, bye bye."

It was at this moment that I realized I had neglected to give her the crucial detail of where to pick us up. "No, TO the train station. TO."

"Yes? To the train station? How many persons?"

Not immediately understanding her through the heavy Czech accent, I assumed she asked where to pick us up. "Uh, Krumlov House?"

"Yes? Krumlov. How many persons?"

Still not understanding, I replied, "Seven forty-five."

"Five persons, yes?"

"Oh no, two."

"Okay. Three persons at 7:45. Okay, yes?"

"No, two people. At the Krumlov House. Do you know where that is?"

"Krumlov House, yes? 7:45, three persons, yes?"

Close enough, I thought. "Yes."

"Okay. Thank you. Bye bye."

"Thank you. Bye." I hung up, not sure at all if I had requested what I wanted to request.

Even the best laid plans go awry. That is one of the primary lessons we've learned on this adventure. Taxis sometimes go to the wrong hostel. Transit systems occasionally have detours. And language barriers, at times, seem insurmountable. You keep plugging along with faith that your Plan B works, and if not, you'll be able to devise a Plan C. Sometimes - many times, probably most of the time, but we usually take it for granted - things work out perfectly, like the taxi at the front of our hostel in Cesky Krumlov, saving us a forty minute walk, uphill, with our luggage.

Munich, here we come.