Off to Berlin!

We got an early start today and on the way to Berlin we were able to stop in Dresden for lunch. Dresden, as a city once inhabited by a senator of the Hapsburg empire, is a beautiful little riverside city. It's most well known as being the site of the worst civilian bombing of World War II. More than 80% of the city was destroyed. The people rebuilt the city and purposefully used as much of the original materials as possible. Because of this, the black smoke damage is prominent on many of the buildings:

After lunch we got back on the coach for the rest if the journey to Berlin. When we reached the city we went on a brief driving tour that included a drive past some of the major sites and a stop at a memorial erected by the soviets at the end of WWII.

The soviets built these memorials throughout parts of Europe, but this is the last one that still has their infamous sickle and hammer symbol:

After the driving tour we settled into the hotel and set out for some dinner. We found a traditional German restaurant for some wurst and weinerschnitzel- not an easy feat in this city!! Berlin as a city is modern and typical. Because of their turbulent history, the historic sites you hope to see have mostly been destroyed or torn down. For example, here is the Nazi S.S. Headquarters used throughout WWII: 

Pretty sweet... At all of these "sites" they have placed plaques telling you what used to be there and the significance. It's interesting, but not exactly what I had imagined. The buildings are, in a word, hideous. Stemming from their communist era, everyone got the same type of housing and buildings were made cheaply and quickly. As a result, you get an entire city of this:

It's also difficult to find anything that you would classify as typically german. They have a huge Asian and middle eastern influence and we passed about 50 Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian restaurants before finding a touristy German place. 

After dinner and drinks, we wandered back to the hotel. On the way back we stopped at Checkpoint Charlie: 

Crossed back and forth over the Berlin Wall: 

And checked out Europe's first traffic light: 

Then it was off to bed!

Beautiful Prague!

Our free day in Prague was jam-packed. There's so much to do and see! We started out by hopping on a tram and heading up to Prague Castle. The steep climb to the top of the hill was definitely worth it:

The castle and immediate surrounding areas are enclosed by a wall and guarded by the traditional guards:

Upon entering the gates we came upon an amazing gothic cathedral. The archetecture was amazing, but the real surprise came when we walked inside:

The church had the most incredible stained glass windows I'd ever seen. They were very intricately done copper-foil style with hundreds of tiny pieces making up each pane.

The colors cast on the columns and floor of the church were prismatic:

After the church we headed into the castle. I had never been inside a castle like this before. It was modern enough that you could really picture the monarchy holding meetings and the royal family living there. It felt like a fairy tale.

Adjacent to the palace is a small cathedral that was used as a place for prayer but also as a burial spot of royals- most notably princes of the Hapsburg family. 

Our our way out of the castle grounds we walked down Golden Lane which was once full of shops and services necessary to the people of the area. Now some of the shops continue to function, and some are set up on display.

We walked back towards old town and got some great views of Charles Bridge:

After a bite to eat, some shopping, and enjoying the Old Town Square and it's astrological clock:

We set off for the National Marionette Theater. Prague is known for it's puppet theaters. Puppets are sold everywhere and on any given day you have a choice of several different shows in theaters throughout the city. Against my typical uneasiness about puppets I was really interested in seeing the show. We decided on Don Giovani. The show was fantastic. The stage was small- think the puppet scene from sound of music- and the marionettes were very intricately made and controlled by the puppeteers who could be seen the whole time and were even incorporated into the show. There were even special effects such as a rainy thunderstorm that splashed the audience a bit. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I didn't think I'd laugh as hard as I did or enjoy the Italian opera as much as I did!

Tomorrow is an early morning- next stop, Berlin!!

Dobrý den z Prahy!

Hello from Prague!

As soon as we arrived I knew that Prague would be one of my favorite cities.  I admittedly knew very little about Prague or the Czech Republic in general, so had no real expectations. Prague is a beautiful, well preserved, gothic-era city. A subway system and tram cars run throughout which makes getting around easy. 

Wandering through the streets of old town there are countless traditional brewery pubs and shops. At the breweries you can order either light or dark house beer and any of the house specialties such as potato pancakes, dumplings, pork knuckle, goose confit, goulash, or my favorite- fillet of beef with jam and whipped cream. 

The city is gorgeous at night and it's easy to pub crawl through all the small bars in the area drinking beers and eating pretzels and sweetbread. 

 Of course absinth shots were a must....

Goodnight!!

Mauthausen.

This morning we departed the Austrian Tyrol region for Prague, Czech Republic. Our day stop was at the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. If you've known me for very long you know that the only way you'd get me to a concentration camp would be to bus me in and give me no choice. Luckily, that's exactly what happened. I have an appreciation for visiting places like this and getting a deeper understanding for what these people had to endure, I just find it extremely difficult emotionally.

On the bus ride there we watched a brief video about the camp that included some first-hand accounts of prisoners and people from the surrounding town. It was difficult to watch but gave me an appreciation for what I would see at the camp.  If you YouTube Mauthausen Concentration Camp you can watch the video- it's about 40 minutes long. 

Mauthausen was the last concentration camp to be liberated. The people that arrived through the big wooden doors were told: "that is the way in...

And that is the way out..."

What the people endured here was absolutely harrowing. 120,000 people were murdered there either via extermination in the gas chambers or due to brutal treatment, malnutrition, exhaustion, or disease.

The site for the camp was chosen for it's isolated area and quary. Able-bodied prisoners were forced to work in the quarries. The guards made them carry huge stones up the "death stairs"- a long, steep, stone staircase. Often they would stumble, taking down others on the staircase. 

Although this was a difficult stop, it was extremely informative. The museum and memorial portions were extremely well done.

"For the dead and the living, we must bear witness." -Elie Wiesel

The Hills are Alive!

Austria is beautiful! After breakfast to took a short ride into St. Johann. There was a beautiful farmers market and street fair to wander around and we stopped for weinerschnitzel for lunch.

After lunch we had to hurry home to put on swimsuits for canyoning. Canyoning was awesome. We jumped off cliffs into white water and rappeled down waterfalls. The guides, Andy and Andy, were excellent- photos soon!!

Pozdravi iz Ljubljane!

Today we left Pag Island on an early ferry and set out for Ljubljana, Croatia. On our way we were able to stop for a few hours in beautiful Lake Bled. We had a great morning walking around and exploring the lake and town. 

After leaving the lake it was just a short few hours of driving to Kirchdorf, Austria. Kirchdorf is a tiny town in the Tirol region of Austria. The region is in the Austrian Alps and is known for all kinds of adventure sports. We stayed in an adorable guesthouse:

We had a barbecue for dinner which included steaks and sausages. After dinner we hung out playing card games and then hit the hay so we'd be well rested for a jam-packed day. 

Dalmatian Coast

Pag Island is a small island off the coast of Croatia. The landscape here is unlike anything I've seen before. The island is basically a barren plateau made of loose rock. Pretty much the only things that grow are herbs and low shrubs. Somehow it's actually beautiful:

Pag Island is known for it's beach clubs. It's kind of like a spring break in Cancun 24/7. We went to Aquarius for Abby's birthday. Aquarius has two big pools as it's main dance floors. We had an awesome time drinking and dancing soaking wet in the pools. 

The next day was overcast. We slept in and then spent the day shopping around, having lunch in a cafe, and exploring the old city of Pag as the thunderstorms came rolling in. 

For dinner we went on a quest for the specialties of the island: Pag cheese and spit roasted lamb. The sheep on the island graze on the natural herbs that grow there. Because of that, the cheese and meat has a different, herbed flavor. The cheese tasted like a Parmesan-provolone hybrid. The meat was unbelievable.

 

Next stop: Slovenia!!