Let's Get Babicka a Skateboard for Vánoce…
Nov. 18, 2011

As we enter the final stretch of 2011, the Autumn is upon us like the morning fog. The year was good to us, and left us just enough time to take care. Our children continue to grow and never cease to surprise us by how well they adjust to our hectic Summer schedule.
The van, now in it's 4th year, is as reliable as ever. Even the Dollar, which skirted near a 2 year low, was still manageable. All in all, 2011 marked the first time in several years that we dared dream again. The view from our window in Prague is that of hope.

The season started earlier than usual in March, which typically is rather slow here. This was followed by a family trip to Germany, for our first flight in a Zeppelin NT. We hope that such Airship Cruises will become more common, and someday will be another way to visit Bohemia. This alone could have been the highlight of the year, but it proved only to be a great beginning. Each day, starting in the early Spring, brought a host of new requests, to fill our Summer and Autumn calendar.

As we look back, there were more trips in 2011 than we have enjoyed for many years. Most of these to extraordinary places, accompanied by new and old friends. It is as though we took off in a dirigible, and we have not yet come down. Return to earth we must, however, to resume the work at hand. To improve ourselves further, what must be done?

As we asked our 4 year old, what to get grandma for Christmas, he quickly replied, a skateboard. And so, here are the results of many wakeful dreams (Tom's contribution), and concrete business planning (Marie's influence):

1. We plan to expand our travel services at PATHWAYS to include destinations and activities we most enjoyed over the years. Keep in mind, though, that these trips are mostly the product of our guests requests, and so we welcome you to send us your wish list, whatever strikes your fancy. Yes, we can turn your dream into reality.
   
   
2. We plan to increase the number of our Friends & Partners, listed on both P.A.T.H. FINDERS Intl. and PATHWAYS s.r.o. web sites. These include old acquaintances and new associates. There will be more tips for lodging and places of interest, and a new Feedback page. We encourage all our visitors and guests to add their overall impressions about lodging, restaurants, transportation, etc. (not only the nice things that they say about Marie...).
   
   
3. We wish to thank those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Simply identify your branch of the armed services, and we will discount our travel services by 15%. Also, for anyone serving their local communities as fire fighters, police, or teachers, we will give a discount of 10% for research and travel services (combined).
   
   
4. Finally, we wish to remind those of you who have someone special you may wish to send your holiday greetings, we can help. This year our "Gift Baskets for Friends & Relatives" is more affordable and convenient than ever. While prices remain mostly unchanged from last year, we have increased the size of the message you can now send, and reduced the cost to send a color family picture. Furthermore, we now accept payment by credit card, to help expedite the process. To insure that your gift basket will arrive on time, though, please order as soon as possible, as the coming weeks always seem to disappear too quickly.

Best Wishes for Blessed Thanksgiving
Tom & Marie Zahn