Our trip / family reunion ended last night in Prague. Beth & I are traveling by FlixBus back through Austria on our way home to Zagreb.

A few disconnected thoughts:

• We did 2 days in Budapest, 2 in Vienna, and 2 in Prague. We LOVED Prague; it’s a lot like Zagreb. And we loved Budapest. But the empress Vienna left us cold.
• Evangelical Christianity has little success in Europe, and most of the success I see is unhealthy. I think the greatest single factor behind this is the influence of the state church, which prizes conformity over faith and Christendom over Christ.
• There is such a horrible history of suffering in this part of the world. Everywhere are reminders of the Holocaust & awful persecution of the Jews, and of Nazi & Soviet oppression. (The horrible history of suffering & inhumanity isn’t limited to central & eastern Europe, of course.)
• Modern architecture can be beautiful, but my favorite buildings are the Austro-Hungarian residences. Clean lines, with or without ornamentation, high ceilings, terra cotta roofs, courtyards & yards in the back.