National Security

Thursday we rented a car and drove south toward Cesky Krumlov. We stopped off at an ammunition factory on the way. I don’t know how many of you have toured an ammunition factory, but let me give you a couple of tips.

One: if it is in a foreign country, do not send the guy who doesn’t speak any of the language to talk to the guards. The guards will then follow him to the car with their big guns and make the situation very uncomfortable.

Two: do not make jokes about national security or act too interested in which government defense contracts they have. It is not felt to be funny.

Three: bring your own safety gear. Even though the signs say that eye protection and ear plugs should be worn, they might not be given to you. Your ears might ring for an hour or so.

Four: do no stand too close to the belts, particularly if they are jerry-rigged.

Five: the bullets are hot when they come off the press and sticking your hand in the big box of them is a bad idea. That should cover it.

After the tour we continued south to Cesky Krumlov. It was by far the prettiest town I have seen the entire trip. It puts Prague to shame. It’s a medieval town on the World Heritage list or some such nonsense. Practically, this means that the roads are exactly wide enough for one economy car to get through. The charm more than made up for the narrow streets. We dubbed this ‘the pretty town’.

We stayed at my favorite hotel of the trip here. It was adorable. James had a little trouble with the doors trying to scalp him a few times, but that was the only flaw. The bathroom had a bidet – the first one M. had ever seen. There are a whole fleet of stories that go with that, but we have agreed to keep them between us.