Prague! I missed doing an entry now although I missed doing one yesterday. So, starting with yesterday: We woke up early and had breakfast, which was very good. The hard boiled eggs in particular were cooked exactly to my liking. After that we finally got a good tour of Berlin seeing lots of the historical sites. We stopped at a holocaust memorial where I was able to procure a cup of coffee before moving on. Then we went by bus to the things you should see in Berlin, the Reichstag and the like.
We ended at checkpoint Charlie, and went into the museum by the same name. I grabbed some food nearby (a pastry and more coffee, of course), and we were soon on our way. We had been given, as a group, the options of having free time or paying an additional 10 Euros to make an additional trip to Potsdam, and everyone in the group opted for the later. After some public transportation, we found ourselves there. We walked around the area, and took saw the very beautiful Palace sanssouci.
Then we headed towards the Dutch quarter, where we went to a bar that served Cherry beer, which, I am told, is not actually beer in the strictest German sense of the word, but was delicious nonetheless.
We then made our way back to Berlin where we had dinner at a Restaurant, which was apparently serving Russian food. It was ham in gravy with potatoes. Not bad either. We all walked back to the hotel and then those that wanted to made an excursion to a bar which turned out to be toilet themed. So, I had a beer served in a vessel which was originally intended for urine. But the price for said novelty was atrocious, so a group of about 5 of us went off in search of another bar. We searched in vain for quite a while, and then eventually had to stop back at the hotel for a pit stop (the urine beer was fulfilling its destiny). Then we went back out and ran into Jürgen by chance on the street. He directed us towards an area where bars might be open and reasonably priced on a Sunday night. We found one but were told that it was closing in 20 minutes. But our dreams were revived when the bartended told us that there was another bar just across the block that was open 24 hours a day!
So, we went there, and had a beer. But by the time we finished them it was closing in on midnight, and seeing as the wake up call was coming in at 6:30 local time the next morning, we headed back.
We ended at checkpoint Charlie, and went into the museum by the same name. I grabbed some food nearby (a pastry and more coffee, of course), and we were soon on our way. We had been given, as a group, the options of having free time or paying an additional 10 Euros to make an additional trip to Potsdam, and everyone in the group opted for the later. After some public transportation, we found ourselves there. We walked around the area, and took saw the very beautiful Palace sanssouci.
Then we headed towards the Dutch quarter, where we went to a bar that served Cherry beer, which, I am told, is not actually beer in the strictest German sense of the word, but was delicious nonetheless.
We then made our way back to Berlin where we had dinner at a Restaurant, which was apparently serving Russian food. It was ham in gravy with potatoes. Not bad either. We all walked back to the hotel and then those that wanted to made an excursion to a bar which turned out to be toilet themed. So, I had a beer served in a vessel which was originally intended for urine. But the price for said novelty was atrocious, so a group of about 5 of us went off in search of another bar. We searched in vain for quite a while, and then eventually had to stop back at the hotel for a pit stop (the urine beer was fulfilling its destiny). Then we went back out and ran into Jürgen by chance on the street. He directed us towards an area where bars might be open and reasonably priced on a Sunday night. We found one but were told that it was closing in 20 minutes. But our dreams were revived when the bartended told us that there was another bar just across the block that was open 24 hours a day!
So, we went there, and had a beer. But by the time we finished them it was closing in on midnight, and seeing as the wake up call was coming in at 6:30 local time the next morning, we headed back.
In the morning, my body and the wake up call didn’t see eye to eye, and I slinked out of bed around 7:10. I rushed downstairs for breakfast (the eggs were runnier this time, unfortunately) and then back up to pack up my things, and then back down with my suitcase. We were shortly on our new bus (a Mercedes, mind you) and off towards the historic city of Dresden.
The bus ride there passed in a flash for me, as I slept as soon as I saw what it was like to be on the autobahn, namely exactly like being on a US highway. We stopped at an outrageously priced rest stop, and were soon at our destination. We were fortunate enough to have part of the tour on the bus, because it was very cold outside. But, ironically, it was the heat on the bus that put me to sleep. So, I missed a portion of the views. But, It was bound to happen because the lack of sleep was catching up with me. I woke up, we finished the bus part of the tour, and then we did the walking part, which took us through another Palace, and then to a church (Frauenkirche) which was destroyed almost entirely in WWII, but has very recently been restored. We got some bratwurst nearby,
and sought out more food for a while. Then we got back on the bus and went off to the Czech Republic, which we reached near nightfall. We quickly unloaded and went off to dinner, which was chicken noodle soup, sautéed chicken and French fries, with a piece of cake for desert. Very good. Next we headed off to the castle for photo opps!
We then came back to the hotel, and some people headed out for a nearby bowling alley. I opted to stay at the hotel to get a chance to write all of this down, as well as hopefully make some phone calls and use the internet for the first time since the trip began.
The bus ride there passed in a flash for me, as I slept as soon as I saw what it was like to be on the autobahn, namely exactly like being on a US highway. We stopped at an outrageously priced rest stop, and were soon at our destination. We were fortunate enough to have part of the tour on the bus, because it was very cold outside. But, ironically, it was the heat on the bus that put me to sleep. So, I missed a portion of the views. But, It was bound to happen because the lack of sleep was catching up with me. I woke up, we finished the bus part of the tour, and then we did the walking part, which took us through another Palace, and then to a church (Frauenkirche) which was destroyed almost entirely in WWII, but has very recently been restored. We got some bratwurst nearby,
and sought out more food for a while. Then we got back on the bus and went off to the Czech Republic, which we reached near nightfall. We quickly unloaded and went off to dinner, which was chicken noodle soup, sautéed chicken and French fries, with a piece of cake for desert. Very good. Next we headed off to the castle for photo opps!
We then came back to the hotel, and some people headed out for a nearby bowling alley. I opted to stay at the hotel to get a chance to write all of this down, as well as hopefully make some phone calls and use the internet for the first time since the trip began.
I’m really enjoying the trip so far. The long days have really messed with my conception of time, so it feels like we’ve been on the trip forever. I’ve really loved the cities that we’ve been to, and I’m excited to see the rest. I do wish that we had more access to internet, and hopefully we’ll see more of it soon.
Oh, and the camera won’t let me upload pictures onto my computer, so I’m hoping to get a driver or to borrow an SD card reader from somebody.
Update: Got it to work once I got on the internet! Pictures hopefully forthcoming.
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