Czech Republic: Prague, May 16

After our tour of Berlin on speed, we headed out Friday morning to Prague in the Czech Republic. I was excited this time about the drive in the hot, sweaty car because we were going to physically drive across the border between Germany and the Czech Republic, which was once part of the Iron Curtain. I figured we would definitely have to stop at Border Patrol, and I was kind of intrigued by the process, since I've only crossed borders previously in airports. Sadly, we zipped right across the border - there was no patrol, no stopping, just a regular drive, like crossing from Pennsylvania to Ohio. Oh well.

The drive into Prague was the second time on the trip in which Brandon annoyed me but it was really just a foolish moment and there's no need to recount it here. We found our hotel near an outdoor market, dropped off our belongings, and headed into Old Town Square to begin our four-hour tour of Prague. Our tour group consisted of Brandon, myself, and a couple from Australia, who were seriously lame. Our tour guide was a nice man, native to Prague, who introduced himself by his Czech name, but insisted we call him George.

Our tour began in the Old Town Square, which is one of the most architectually magnificent places I have ever seen in person. Generally speaking, Prague's architecture in every corner is magnificent and fascinating. Thankfully, George was well-versed in architecture and pointed out many of the highlights. In this area, we were able to see Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, the Jan Hus memorial (of who founded Prague, now Charles, University), Church of St. Nicholas, and the Old Town Hall, which houses the Astronomical Clock. I am still quite amazed by the clock, which began functioning in 1572, and has a solar clock, lunar clock, zodiac features, tells current time - this thing is just amazing.

It started to downpour on the next part of our tour when we headed into the Jewish Quarter, where we learned about the Old Jewish Cemetery (where roughly 200,000 Jews are buried in layers) and the Old-New Synagogue.

From there, we headed to Charles Bridge, which crosses Vltava River. Charles Bridge has the Old Town Bridge Tower, from which I took some amazing photos later in the day. The Bridge is also home to 30 different statues of saints and religious figures. Apparently, the statues today are replicas, but the originals can be found in local museums.

After crossing Charles Bridge, we hopped on some public transportation up the hilltop to Prague Castle , which was built in the 16th Century. Today, the President of the Czech Republic works here on a daily basis, amidst a sea of tourists lurking around grounds at every corner. We spent a lot of time in and around St. Vitus's Cathedral which was built over 500 years. George taught us a great deal about the intricacies within the cathedral, and I captured many of these images in photos. At the castle is also the Royal Palace, from which defenestrations occurred in the 1400s. Defenestration means "death by being thrown out of a window" in case you were unsure.

Our tour ended at the Castle, so Brandon and I spent the next few hours back-tracking, taking photos, and more closely exploring the sights that George showed us. We also had a great meal near the Old Town Square. I had beef goulash, which is a typical Prague meal, and it was quite delicious. Like Berlin, we covered a lot of ground in Prague in a short period of time. However, I can honestly say I was able to take in some amazing sights in just a few hours. If you ever have the chance, Prague is worth every penny.

Germany: Berlin, May 15

After Weird Wednesday, we drove back to Brandon's house for a night of mid-week rest. We also thought it would be funny to eat at the "American" restaurant near his house, so we chomped down some huge, nasty burgers and french fries. It was definitely amazing.

On Thursday, we loaded the hot, sweaty car for our last road trip, and headed off to Berlin. We arrived in time for a four-hour afternoon tour, led by a young woman from Lock Haven, PA. No joke, I spotted her accent immediately, and she was quite humored by the fact that Brandon and I were part of her tour. It's a small world, afterall.

Touring Berlin is an overwhelming experience because it has such a unique history and is filled with so many important historical pieces of information. Obviously, I can't remember everything I learned - Brandon probably does since he loves history and found all of this information extremely fascinating. Again, I was overwhelmed. We basically spent a good 10 hours either on tour, in a museum, or exploring on our own, and there was just so much to see. I will try to list the main points of interest:

1. Dunkin Donuts by the train station (hahaha. dead serious)

2. Telespargel or TV Station - largest tower in the city (spargel means asparagus)

3. Berliner Dom, or Protestant Cathedral

4. River Spree

5. Art Museums (we only looked at the exterior to see bullet holes from WW2)

6. Zeughaus, pink building that housed artillery (yes, pink)

7. Book burning memorial (across from Humbolt University)

8. Alexanderplatz (historic core of old Berlin)

9. Unter der Linden (once a famous mall, site of French and Russian Embassy)

10. Brandenburger Tor, or Brandenburg Gate (symbol of Germany's division and symbol of Nazi Germany)

11. Museum The Kennedys (JFK spent less than a day in Berlin, but gave a famous speech - "We are all Berliners")

12. New US Embassy on Pariser Platz (near The Gate and Kennedy Museum)

13. Reichstag, or the Parliament Building

14. Holocaust Memorial for Jewish victims (abstract in design)

15. Spot where Hitler committed suicide (now a parking lot at apartment complex)

16. June 17 1953 Memorial (in front of only standing Nazi building)

17. Berlin Wall

18. Checkpoint Charlie

19. Potsdamer Platz (where we saw two Memphis student-athletes by complete randomness)

Like I said, lots to see. Lots to do. Lots to learn. All fascinating, all insightful, all historical.