The group includes cynologists with rescue dogs among other experts. They set off from the military airport in Kbely, Prague, passing through the U.S. airbase Ramstein in Germany.

Rick Steves, renowned expert on traveling throughout Europe, recommends adding this "vibrant gem" of a city to your itinerary on the continent.

My passion for Slovenia was forged in the context of war, when I wrote about its brief battle in 1991 to break free from ...