Monthly Archives: December 2017

Berlin

We left Dresden and were on to Berlin. After arrival in Berlin we were on our own for dinner. We went to a local restaurant and of course had beer.

Then on to the Christmas market. The market was closing so we returned to the restaurant for a nightcap. While we were inside it started snowing. The snow was accumulating pretty quickly, but was gone by the next morning.

The next day we had a brief bus tour of Berlin. We saw the Brandenburg Gate

The State Opera HouseWe also saw remnants of the Berlin Wall and the Reichstag building. We did not have time to tour inside the Reichstag but if you go it definitely is a must see. We were taken back to the hotel and had several hours before our farewell dinner. My son and I walked to KeDeWe a German department store that is like Harris in London or Macy’s. On the way we saw a Lego store went in and saw a huge replica of the Brandenburg Gate made from Legos.then we went to the Christmas market until we had to return to go to dinner.

The next morning we were up early for transport to the airport. We flew from Berlin to Zurich. The Zurich airport is bigger than Atlanta so it was a sprint to make our connecting flight. We flew from Zurich to Tampa and now we have been home for several months before I have completed this section of the blog.

Dresden and Berlin

Again we were in the bus this time headed to Dresden. We were met by a local guide who gave us a brief history of the city and then we walked to several really nice Christmas markets. The pictures are of the palace and a museum.

Prague

In the morning we were bussed to Prague Castle, but unfortunately there was no changing of the guard which is impressive at the castle.

We then walked to St Vitus Cathedral. Then we walked back to Old Town to leisurely stroll the Christmas market. The Czech Republic is known for good beer so naturally we went in search of craft beer.At dinner time we decided to eat at one of the many food stalls in the market. I’ll was cold but we wouldn’t have this opportunity again. The street food is delicious.Finally we returned to the hotel to prepare for another another day of travel to get to Dresden.

On the road to Prague

We got up early so we could get breakfast and be on the road for another travel day. One problem is none of us can stay awake on the bus. We all nap intermittently. We had a stop just before the Czech border and it was a world of high finance as we pooled our money to spend our last few Polish pennies. It was a success! Onward we went, crossed the border into the Czech Republic and then to Kutna Hors where the bone church is located. I had been here before but it was amazing to see the expressions on everyone face as they entered. For those who don’t know the entire chapel is decorated with human bones. It is beautiful and creepy at the same time.We left Kutna Hora and drove on to Prague. We arrived later than expected so we just waited for dinner. After dinner we decided to go to the Christmas Market. The hotel is in a great location- we can walk to everything. I was disappointed in the Christmas Market. It is mostly good with very few craft booths. We wanted to get some mulled wine so we could collect the cups as souvenirs, but it was served in plain paper cups. However it did snow a little bit while we were there. OlEarly tomorrow there is a tour of Prague then Brian and I are on our own for the rest of the day.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

The next day we headed to the salt mines which is amazing. My pictures did not turn out well so I’ll only post one. But the tour is wonderful and the mine amazing. I did find out that the last horse to work the mine was named Bashka, a nickname for Barbara. Saint Barbara is the patron saint of miners and that’s where the name for the horse came from. The picture is in the mine and it is a sculpture of Copernicus with our guide describing it.From the mine we boarded the bus and on to Wroclaw. It was really a travel day so we spent most of the time on the road on really only stopped for dinner and the hotel. But there was a Christmas Market so of course we went. We had wine that is sold at all the markets so we would have a souvenir cup. Our guide also told us about plums covered in chocolate that is very popular, but we couldn’t find any. Many places were sold out. Back to the hotel because we had an early start in the morning. Pics of Christmas Market.On to Prague tomorrow.