Prague

Prague was an intreating place. It seems that we were there the same time there was a pretty big flood. It was one of the worst they had in years. It made getting around pretty difficult. 

Because everything was in Czech listening to the news reports I could only get what I could through the pictures. Many in the city had to relocate until the waters receded but if you look close at the bridge you can see how high the river was. 

When we were the rain had finally stopped but they still had the barriers up that they had put up earlier. The flood had shut down much of the subway which made the pubic transportation a little crazy as well. After trying to figure things out we were able to make it into Prague to see some of the sights. 

 There are a lot of things to see but we were only there for the day and went to Old Town and New Town to see some of the sights there (At least that is where I think we went ;). I really hope I have the name of this church right but it really had some neat architecture. 

 This is inside the Tyn Church and the above pic is the outside. It had some pretty intricate windows and stone work. It was nice that my camera had a pretty decent zoom so I didn't have to pay to get closer. They had a roped off area around the inside but had to pay, but I was able to see everything and get some decent pics without having to get closer :)

 I was impressed with how big the city was. This was a nice spot to get a nice view of the city. It seems this is where most of the people live because one we got outside the city it was just grass and hillsides. 

One of the last things we seen before we left the city was this Astronomical clock. Its purpose was to give you info about the positions of the moon, sun, constellations, and some of the major plants. 

Buchenwald concentration camp

Germany is rich with very old history and fairly new history. I am sure many of us are aware of its WWII history. We all know about the horrible treatment that was given to the jews at that time. There are still some concentration camps that are open for exhibits and memorials. 

 If you go to school in germany all are required to visit one. It was a very sobering experience for me, it seemed fitting that it was a foggy and drizzly morning. The above picture is the gate into the camp, you can't see from this picture but on the gate of the door it says: "Jedem Das Seine" when translated literally means " To each his own". Which is a odd in its own way seeing where its at. Also the clock stays at 3:15, which is the time that the US army arrived and the prisoners where liberated. 

 Buchenwald was one of first and largest on German soil and those that died were from starvation and disease, because of the conditions they were exposed to. Although this was not an extermination camp, it was estimated that over 56,000 people died while imprisoned here. 

I think what really brought things into more of a reality for me, were seeing faces and pictures attached to all these victims. Reading and learning about it in history I had a sense of what what happened but I really had no idea until I was here. It was more then numbers and facts that I was reading about but seeing faces and letters from the people that were here, that really puts a true reality to what happened here. I was also amazed at the strength of the human spirit as well and the strength to live for many of the survivors. When reading about the liberation and how incredibly happy, relieved, and grateful they were to see and receive food and medical supplies from the US troops. 

Berlin

Berlin was a pretty interesting place to visit. We were able to drive around and you can still see how different east and west Berlin were. You could still tell with all the cookie cutter apartments and block buildings, that it was part of east Berlin. 

 The day we walked around Berlin was another cold, windy, and rainy day. So we put on our coats grabbed our umbrellas and were on our way. I think it would be a must see would be the Brandenburg Gate. It was pretty neat to see and say now that I have seen a pretty well known landmark :)

 So as we were walking Mark pointed out these guys that sell these bratwursts on the streets of Berlin. It was pretty funny to see but the man in red behind me had this little grill hooked on the front of him.  He cooks the brats and hooked on his back like in a little backpack is his gas source that hooks in to his grill. And of course also hooked on his back is the umbrella. So we ran over and for 1.50 Euro he put the brat in a little bun and it was delicious! Probably the best one I had!

 Berlin is also very proud of their little walking guy. When you cross the street and you have the red guy telling you not to cross and the green one telling you your good to cross. But I guess only in Berlin he has this little hat on. Behind they even have stores that you can get your own little walking man with a hat merchandise ;)

 I can't remember why they have these bears all over the city but they were fun to spot. Each one is standing/posing differently and painted different. This one of course was for the Olympics. 

 One of our last destinations was the world clock. It would tell you anytime in the world it was. 

After a fun filled morning it was time for a pastry and hot chocolate ;) There are no shortages around Germany for a pastry shop they are about on every corner or town. It was nice to warm up a bit and get out of the rain :)

Tier

The trip to Tier was another little day trip we had planned. It is not too far from the base and has a lot of history. It was a little hard for me to get use to that when things are old, its not like 1800's old, more like before B.C. old. As this town is. 

 I have to admit my world history is not well known as my U.S. history, so I had a lot of fun seeing and learning many things over in western Europe. Anyhow this is gateway to the city is a big attraction, it is called Porta Nigra. It was built back I think 200 AD by the Romans. I

 There seems to be two prominent religions Catholic and Lutheran. They have some pretty impressive stone work and stained glass windows of this buildings. 

As it was explained to me that when these churches were built so many hundreds of years ago many people could not read so they taught though pictures. The detail that was done was pretty amazing.  

Bern-Kastel

The next day Kris took me to this cute little town of Bern-Kastel. It was not too far and it was great for little shops and some nice fews. 

 Despise being there at the end of may/beginning of June it was still pretty cold and rainy. The weather  didn't seem to bother anyone as they just put on a jacket and grabbed their umbrella. 

 After doing a little shopping Kris treated me to my first experience at a pastry shop. I was amazed to see all the wonderful things they had to offer. It was a little hard to make a decision, and lets just say I had my fair share while I was there I really can't remember which one this was. But I think it was some kind of apple something ;) Because it was still pretty chilly it went great with a nice cup of hot chocolate :)

Since I am not a wine drinker and really know nothing about it, except that it is made from grapes, I never really had an interest it. But this little town was surrounded by these huge vineyards. All the plants were perfectly spaced on these rather large hills. I can only imagine when it comes time to pick the grapes what a work out it could be! There were thousands of these grapes so this is just a small sampling of what we seen. 

My first day in Germany

I had a great opportunity to go to Germany this summer. We went to several countries and I had a lot of fun experiences. Because they are seven hours ahead of us I had an overnight flight and the first few days I was a little mixed up on my days and nights. 

 With Mark and Kris being over here for a while they had all kinds of places to show and tell me about. The first evening we headed over to an abbey, not far from the base. Just on top of this little hill was a nice little restaurant. 

 It would be hard to travel to Germany and not get a schnitzel and some kind of potato. So this is what I ordered. It was yummy and I was starving so yes I was a pig and ate the whole thing. 

We did brave the weather and for most of our meal we were able to eat outside and enjoy the scenery. When it started to rain a little harder we did head inside to eat our ice-cream.