Good to be home - enjoy some photos

 Berlin Cathedral - this is in East Berlin - what used to be behind the iron curtain

 Brandonburg Gate - last remaining gate surrounding Belin - used to have many surrounding the city - this was part of the Iron Curtain

 View from the Berlin Cathedral

 Cathedral

 Cathedral

 Cathedral

 Munich

 Munich

 Salzburg, Austria

 Fortress in Salzburg

 Salzburg

 Astronomical clock in Prague

 Prague

 Prague

 Prague Castle Guards

 Krakow, Poland square

 Krakow Square

St. Mary's Cathedral, Krakow

Heading Home

This morning found us leaving Poland the way we left all the other countries: in a mad dash! We made it the airportand through security in time to make our 8:50 flight connecting through Munich- so we visited Germany one more time before leaving the continent. Enough of a layover to spend the last of our Euros. Then on to Chicago, which took 9 hours. Then, once in Chicago it took 2 hours to go through customs and security. Now we are waiting for our flight to Indy-we could have rented a car and driven it faster but after being in different time zones and travelling all day who wants to do that? Our lil group is down to 3 now- no, no one got left behind, but since Jerry lives in Chicago he went on from here. We are all glad to be back and the only casualty was Alex's suitcase which suffered a broken zipper. Once I get to my computer I will post some photos. Now, I have to get back to my supersized diet coke WITH extra ice :)

Auschwitch and more

Today we took a tour of Auschwitch concentration and extermination camp. We had a personal guide for the four of us. She was able to explain the horrible and unthinkable events that took place there with dignity and grace. It was a long, life-changing day-an experience that fills you with such sadness and awe at the resilence of those involved. Our last evening was spent shopping, having dinner in an outdoor cafe on the square, and enjoying one last gilatto-best ice cream ever! Did I ever tell you about restaurant experiences here? In the US, eating out is a eace to the finish. The wait staff rush you along so they can get more people in-here, it is the opposite.Want to sit and order a drink and that's all for an hour? No one cares. But, if you are starving, look out-it takes about an hour from tbe time you order until the food arrives. Ready to leave? You have to chase down the waiter to get your bill. Why? Because here they view eating as an enjoyable event to be savored-not devoured. Rather than gulping your food and running, the people here socialze and relax over a meal. It is a different attitude from the fast food mentallity that we often have at home. Packing and getting ready to be at the airport at 7:15 AM for a long day of travel. It's been a great journey but we are all ready to come home.

Made it to Krakow

The night train was yet another " cultural experience". Our couchette car had three bunks on each side and room for one to stand up. Not quite the luxury suite I had imagined! Leaving at 8 PM and arriving at 7 the next morning meant 11 hours in that room with about 4 of them not moving. Evidently we had a layover or whatever they call that by train travel jargon. But, luckily we made it and basically gave ourselves an extra day in Krakow. This city is the smallest we have been to, with a main square that is easy to navigate on foot. Our bnb this time is right on the main square-the only complaint-wait for it- you can guess- not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 flights of stairs up to our rooms. No elevator for Europeans-not enough space in these funky buildngs. But the good thing is the exchange rate here- the currency is the Zloty and it is 20 cents to the dollar! So a great Italian meal in a sidewalk cafe costs the equivalent of $8.00. First day spent shopping and seeing the St. Mary's Cathedral- a beautiful church with blue and gold detailing in the ceiling and walls. The city still has part if the wall that protected it during the middle ages going from the castle on the hill to the end of the main square. Weather: first day with no rain at all.

Last two days in Prague

During the last two days we worked in  more shopping and sightseeing. Jerry and Alex visited two Torture museums and a ghost and legends museum. Alex and I did the Royal Palace and St Vitas Cathedral tour. The Royal palace is the older original palace dating back centuries. It isn't decorated much but has information telling how it was used as a fortress. The cathedral, with its soaring ceiling, murals, stained glass, marble, and statues looks as intimidating as some of the castles. We also saw original suits of armor and the dungeon where prisoners were kept. Alex and I visited the Ice Pub Prague. It is made entirely of carved ice- the bar, the tables, a throne, a replica of the Charles bridge and the glasses are hollowed out ice cubes. They give you thermal parkas and gloves to wear and you are allowed to stay 30 min. in the 19 degree atmosphere. They also shine blue lights on the ice that makes it seem colder. Another unique Prague experience. In a few hours we catch the night train to Krakow, Poland and should be there by 7 AM. There we will be using zloty, the Polish currency. Not sure what wifi will be like there so may have to wait till Tuesday when at the airport to update this. Our trip has been wonderful but we are all looking forward to being home. No one will miss all the subway, train, and streetcar travel less than our mom!' "On a sad note, we have been following news from home and are saddened to hear of the awful tragedy in Colorado. Our prayers go out to the families of those affected by this senseless act of violence."

Learning our way around Prague

The past two days we have become more familiar wirh the area here. We are staying in a family run residence on a street on the tram line. Our rooms are in a huge re-furbished house but each room has outside entry. Our room is above a coffee house so we can get fresh coffee as we board our tram for the 10-20 min ride to various parts of town. More shopping and gawking at historical landmarks. Now, I promised to share our blacklight theater experience. This is a form of theater that is unique to prague and originated in the 1960's. It mixes mime, dance, music, and florescent effects with no words- so there is no language barrier. There is no set, but the stagehands wear all black and the props and scenery glow and look as if they are floating. Alex and I saw one with Beatles music based on the 60's. It was strange, random, and interesting. Colorful, glowing butterflies seemed to fly through the air on stage when in reality the stage hands all dressed in black were moving them. The theater was very small and we were two of the 20 audience members in a room that could hold about 40. It was a cultural experience. Other cultural experiences noted today:as we were throwing away our food a young boy grabbed the plate so he could finish the last few bites. An older man looked eagerly as he accepted the chips I offered him rather than throw them away. We throw food away everyday without thinking about it. Today for the first time here I noticed the people hanging around the food stands waiting for tourists like us to throw away "their next meal". This evening we took two elevators and some stairs up the clock tower for great views if the city. This is the astronomical clock that has characters every hour and a real person plays a trumpet from the tower. We spent time around sunset in the tower and it was breathtaking. Then, as darkness fell, we walked through the streets to the river and the Charles Bridge. The photo on this blog page is the Charles Bridge looki g toward the Powder Gate. They used to store gun powder for the castle here. The cathedrals, castle, and towers were all lit as well as the boats on the river below. Fireworks were going off in the distance. A short walk (our mantra is "everything is a short ten minute walk" as our guide books always say) to the trams and we are in for the night. All the walking is starting to take its toll on us, some more than others. We wonder what Mom is really writing in her travel journal each night and in her tell-all book who gets the blame for all the short ten minute walks she has been dragged on...)

First full day in Prague

The day started out with rain, as most of our days have the past few weeks. Of course it is hottest summer ever at home and rainiest one here. But it usually lets up enough that we can keep going.Today we took a tram to the top of the castle hill and saw breathtaking views of the city. The castle has guards who change every hour. It is a huge complex with courtyards, gardens and a cathedral. We walked down the hill and to the Charles Bridge. This connects the city and has 31 larger than life statues along the railing. This is one of the oldest bridges in Europe, dating back to 1100. After lunch at a cafe on the river below the bridge, we walked along the street near the bridge. We found a nice monument dedicated to the NY firefighters who lost their lives on 9-11. Walking further, we found the John Lennon wall. In response to his death, the the oppressed people covered a wall with graffiti as a memorial and the pice would have it painted over. Until 1989 when freedom came to the people here and the wall art stayed. Alex signed the wall during our visit. Our evening was spent walking around the New Town area- new because it was created by the king in the 14th century well after the old town. The gothic buildings and churches are beautiful lit at night. Food here has been easier to navigate. At lunch, we ordered dumplings as side dishes, they wegre slices of warm white doughy bread versus the noodle-type we are used to. BUT I still miss ice so much. And I miss the oversized supersized soft drinks in the US. Here, because I guess the people aren't gluttons luke we are, the Cokes in restaurants are served in what can only bedescribed ad juice glasses at home. The beer comes in 10 gallin drums, though. (I should mention that I am writing this on my iphone- so if there are typis its most likely because I can't see what I am doing... Tomorrow we investigate the Black Light theatre ...