Ljubljana and Lake Bled Slovenia

Sept 20: It was so nice to see this city during the day! It was hard to get a feeling of this place last night since it was dark. Ljubljana is very quaint, clean, and non-touristy. We walked to the out skirts of the city to Joze Plecnik’s (Famous Architect) House. It was cool, because this house was decorated exactly as it was the day he died. He had so many projects (models) in his house. He built the library and the triple bridge here in Ljubljana (along with many other sights). We passed the city gardens on the way back to the hotel that supplies the daily market in the city center.

We spent the afternoon at the castle and market. We hiked up to the top of the hill to check out the castle area, but it is currently used for receptions etc. We found many buckeyes (buckeye trees) up on this hill. GO BUCKS! The castle wasn’t very impressive, but it provided a good view of the city. We shopped a bit at the market once we hiked back down the hill. We had dinner at a “Mexican” restaurant, but it wasn’t quite Mexican enough for us. I think we will wait till we get back to California for good Mexican food.

Sept 21: Since Ljubljana took us only one day we decided to take a day trip to Lake Bled. This was quite an amazing place! The lake prohibits motorized boats which helps keep the deep blue color of the water. There are these cool row boats called “pletna” boats that Eric and I took to the little island in the center of the lake. A local said that Slovenia has only one island, and it is in lake Bled (this is funny because Croatia has so many islands off the coast). We had cappuccino in the afternoon before heading to the Vintgar Gorge just outside of the town. We had to take a bus for 15 minutes, and then we walked for another 15 minutes to reach the Gorge. We paid 3 euro to hike the Gorge and it was every bit worth the money! The views were spectacular, and the water was energetically rushing through the small space given. This has been one of our favorite place to hike! There was a wooden path running across and along this gorge. We hiked back into Lake Bled to try its world renown cream cake called kremna rezina. Yummmy! Then it was time to return to Ljubljana to catch our night train later in the evening. First was had dinner at a really great restaurant called Gostilna As Lounge. Eric had a huge sea bass served whole on his plate! It is a good thing that he learned how to fillet his fish earlier in Croatia! It was quickly time to get our train to Munich. Our train was an hour late (sucked) and when it arrived our wagon was not there? We saw another couple who were looking for our same wagon! We finally asked the train worker and he said that our wagon was coming shortly. They do a lot of attaching and detaching train wagons on these night trains, because when we got to Munich our train was 5 times longer than when we boarded!

Split and Hvar Croatia

Sept 16: We woke up early, and Viktor had coffee and grappa (yuck) ready for us in the morning. Grappa is a strong wine liquor… not something we are used to in the morning! Then we caught the city bus to the long distance bus station. We got on our bus (with no bathroom) as I was wondering how I was going to make it 4 hours with out peeing! Our bus had an exhaust leek that made for a noisy ride! Anyway, I later found out that the bus stopped every 1 to 2 hours for small breaks (yea!). We needed these because the bus sucked! Eric was a little hung over and a little sick. Dylan gave him some antacid that helped. Then the bus started getting really hot and crowded! It sucked and I don’t think we would recommend taking a long distance bus again! We were so happy, and sweaty, when we arrived in Split! Our apartment was nice and was decorated like a boat with ropes as the railing along the stairways. The apartment was small, but three levels high and located just outside of the Old Town. We were ready for something real to eat after the bus ride so we found a place to eat that was recommended both by our book as well as the lady who booked our apartment. It was a bare bones place but a cool mostly locals place and the food was good and predictable…when you ordered chicken that’s exactly what you got and not a whole lot more. After dinner Leslie and I took it pretty easy, Leslie took a nap and I sat in the massage chair (a nice addition to our apartment) and Dylan went for a quick walk around the Old Town. After reconvening Dylan guided us to a cool café area near Old Town where we enjoyed a couple of cappuccinos (he tried to order a double but just got two) and Les and I had Oranginas. I’m not totally sure but we probably got gelato on the way home too.

Sept 17: Recharged today we were ready to check out this city that was built around Diocletian’s 4th century palace (He was a Roman Emperor). We headed out for a walking tour around Old Town where we rubbed the toe of Bishop Gregory of Nin (statue) for good luck; saw several of the original 13 black sphinxes that Diocletian had originally brought here from Egypt. Peristyle Square was the centerpiece of the palace where residents would often meet and discuss matters of the times. We shopped our way through the end of the walking tour in the recently (during the past century) rediscovered basement of the palace. We bought a ticket to tour the cellars, and an area that was used for sewage during the middle ages. Later in the evening we all went out to dinner at our favorite Split restaurant (the only one we ate at the whole time we were there)… it’s called Buffet Fife and it was right around the corner from our apartment. Dylan’s treat… even better…. What a nice guy!

Sept 18: We caught a high-speed catamaran ride to one of the islands off the coast of Split this morning, called Hvar. We checked out Hvar town and some castle ruins on top of the hill. The hike to the ruins was well worth the view! We could see many of the islands off the coast, but it was a very windy day so we didn’t stay too long. We had to catch a bus to the other side of the island (town called Stari Grad) to catch our ferry home. Our ferry ride home was very nice with amazing views! We met a man out on the back of the ship (where we were sitting drinking our beers) from Ireland. He owns a boat and cottage there in Hvar and was returning back home. He recommended that we go to Lake Bled while we are in Slovenia. He was bringing his boat from Ireland to Hvar Island and regrets not stopping there for a few nights. The boys talked about racing and we were back to Split before we knew it.

Once again we had dinner at Buffet Fife, where I had the best calamari I have ever had! The seafood was so fresh, and the price was right, so it wasn’t worth going anywhere else! We hung out a little while but turned in early since E and I had to get up early to catch a 7:30 am train to Zagreb then on to Slovenia.

Sept 19: Today was such an early day! We said our goodbyes to Dylan, and walked to the train station where our train waited. Our train was very short containing only about 3-4 wagons. We had first class ticket reservations that included a coffee and sandwich. The train ride was very beautiful. We passed some rivers that were a brilliant aquamarine blue! This color is from the calcium carbonate (a mineral deposit from the limestone) and causes such high calcium deposits ever changing the landscape (especially around water falls). We arrived in Zagreb on time, but we had a 4-hour layover. We took this opportunity to walk around Zagreb (the capital of Croatia). The city was very nice, clean and quaint. We were happy that we had the opportunity to check this place out for a few hours. Later this evening we arrived into Ljubljana pretty late. So we walked to our hotel to get some shuteye.

Dubrovnik Croatia

Sept 12: We had a great breakfast in the morning in the dinning room of the Ferry. We ate as we watched the Croatian islands pass by through the windows. It was really cool, but extremely early. Maybe the drugs hadn’t worn off yet? We arrived at 7 am and the man renting us our apartment, Viktor, met us at the dock. He bought us bus tickets and invited us in for some coffee. Once again we couldn’t get the apartment until later in the day so he showed us around the city and told us to return around noon. We walked all around and took many pictures. It was so beautiful and the weather was so nice! The water was extremely clear and blue. We went back at noon and made ourselves at home in the studio apartment. We had a kitchen and bathroom… it was very nice. We took a nice little nap before going out again. We went to dinner at this restaurant that Viktor recommended early for fresh seafood. Dylan had squid, Eric had Cuttlefish Risotto, and I had fresh shrimps. There were many stray cats running around trying to get any scraps that they could. We sat outside right in the old marina surrounded by such amazing scenery. We walked around through the old city, and outside the giant walls of the city after dinner. The whole city of Dubrovnik is enclosed within the old walls!

Sept 13: It was so nice to wake us refreshed and rested. We went to the beach today for some sunbathing and swimming. The water was a bit cold, but felt good after getting in and used to it. You could see the bottom the water was so clear. Everyday there was a cruise ship docked off the coast in the bay between Dubrovnik and Lokrum (island just off the coast). We stopped by the grocery store for some sandwich stuff on the way back to the apartment.

After lunch we went out to explore the city from its walls. We bought tickets to walk the walls of the city in the evening as the sun set. With the infinite number of picturesque scenes it took us a while to get round the whole city. Every step brought a new view of our stunning surroundings. We have so many pictures! We climbed up the tower (with the best views of the city) to the highest point of the protective wall. It was said that this same wall helped protect the people of Dubrovnik in the 1991 bombing of the city by the army of Yugoslavia. There are posters as you enter or exit the city marking each location where bombs hit the city! It was covered in these dots! It is hard to imagine because it was not so long ago and the city looked as it does today while it was bombed. All the people here remember these times vividly, but not many will talk about it. The only remnants of the bombing are the new orange roofs of the old town, which were much more worn in the past.

At dinner, we all split a huge seafood platter. It included shark, squid, fish, zucchini, potatoes, and muscles. Our waiter was a very nice young man. His parents own and run the restaurant and he and his brother help. He told us some cool bars that we should check out. Eric and Dylan went out for a drink around midnight, but I was too tired to join them. They took some cool pictures of the city at night after most the tourist had gone to bed.

Sept 14: We decided to catch the little ferry to the island just off the coast called Lokrum. It is a natural preserve with some old fort (and monastery) remains. We got off the boat and started hiking up a path through the woods until we came out onto the cliffs and water below. The rock was very sharp and jagged but there were some very nice jumping spots! So Dylan jumped after making sure the water was deep enough. After Dylan jumped a few times, Eric and I decided to jump as well! It was so fun, but we had to keep our shoes on because getting out was a little tricky and included a little rock climbing. Check out our pictures! I smacked the crap out of my arms on my last jump so I was done for the day! After drying off and getting ready to leave, Dylan found another jump. This jump was quite a bit higher than the last so we let him do this one alone. Once he had jumped, actually on his way down in the water he opened his arms and popped his shoulder out! This was the same shoulder he had had surgery on a while back. It pooped back in before he got out of the water, but that was the end of cliff jumping for all of us!

We hiked up to the top of the island where a fort once stood. We met some guys from San Francisco who were traveling through Italy, Croatia and to Montenegro! We hiked back down and around the island to the boat dock. There was a little restaurant/café where we grabbed some lunch before heading back to Dubrovnik.

Later in the evening we had dinner at a pasta place! The guys had lasagna and I had pesto pasta! It was good, but a bit heavy. Then we went out to a Latino disco club, and after to a club located on the beach called “East West”. It wasn’t very crowded anywhere, so we went back home for the night!

Sept 15: Dylan went on a tour to Montenegro for the day. Eric and I slept in… we are not used to going out at night anymore! Once we got up and ready we went to the bus station to get our bus tickets to Split for the next day. After we returned we went to the beach for the afternoon. We laid out and went swimming again! It was very nice to relax and do nothing for a day.

After Dylan got back we went to get pitas for dinner! The pitas were the closest thing we have had to good old Californian food. We sat down next to some English guys that had been drinking all day! We started drinking with them. One of the guys was a bit arrogant and annoying spewing political criticism of America. His friends were very embarrassed but we all got along and kept drinking. All the while the same guy was getting more drunk and chanting football (this is soccer for us) songs. I taught him an OSU football chant, and he added to it (it was really funny). Then he taught me some chants for the Newcastle team (where they were from). We left since we had to catch the bus in the morning but it was a good night all in all!

Formula 1 and Italy

Sept 5: Today we packed because we were leaving for Milan tonight on an overnight train. Gerd took us to the Wutha train station after he got off of work (so nice). The train ride was pretty good, but we got into Milan very early the next day.

Sept 6: Today we woke up in Milan around 7:30 am and got off the train. We then found our hotel, but this took us a little while. Of course we got off the bus a few stops too early, but no harm done, just a little more walking before we got to the hotel. We grabbed some cappuccino and croissants across the street at the bar. The owner of the bar was so very nice and was glad to hear that we were from the USA and California. Then we went on a walk and did a little shopping (a must in Milan) because Dylan was not due in untill the afternoon. He had to take about 5 flights to get from Santa Barbara to Milan. He bought his ticket with points late and had to take what was left. When Dylan arrived we took a walk to the Duomo (large church in the city center) and the Galleria. We had dinner at a little bar (good lasagna) just down the street from the church.

Sept 7: Formula One starts today in Monza! We caught a train in the morning to the racetrack. Monza is located just north of the city of Milan. Once we got to the track we found out we had to pick up our tickets at another location about 4 km away! After a little more walking, we picked up our three-day passes and entered the racetrack. The cars were so loud and fast! We walked around all day to see the many different twists and curves of the racetrack. We saw a few cars lose control and spin off the track a few times. We sat down in the main grand stands to watch many of the formula 1 cars come out of the pits then come hauling down the straightaway.

As we were leaving the track, Eric and Dylan went out on the old circular track to take some pictures (before they were kicked off by a couple of angry Italians). The curve of the track was so steep that you couldn’t walk to the top of it. Next we watched some of the Italian Army men take off and fly away in their helicopter. We took the train back to Central Station (we thought), but instead we ended up in another train station in Milan. A worker knocked on the door of the train to tell us that we were here and that we needed to get off:-) After 15 to 20 minutes we figured out where we were and took the subway back to our hotel.

Sept 8: Today we decided to go to Lake Como (located at the base of the Alps). As we were walking from the train station to the lake, we stopped into an art store. Eric and I found a cool painting of the Eiffel Tower, which we bought later on our way home. We reached the lake and took in the scenic views. We took the funicular (a trolley that goes up the mountain) to the top of one of the mountains. It was so scary because we were stuck in this thing going up about 2,000 feet! It stopped a few times and you could feel the cable stretch and give a little bit! Anyway, I was able to enjoy the views more at the top when we got off it. We walked through a wealthy neighborhood to a good viewpoint. We grabbed some lunch in the middle of the city after our trip down from the mountain. It was a great day, with great weather!

Sept 9: The Monza Formula 1 race is today, we asked the angry Italians from a couple of days ago that kicked us off the track when we should get there to get a good place to watch since we only had general admission tickets and they said around six in the morning…well that wasn’t going to be very likely. The race didn’t start until 1pm so we were not ready to get there 7 hours early and camp out in one spot all day. Instead we lucked out and the free train from Milan for the race dropped us off right by where we wanted to watch around 11 o’clock. The Italians were right and the place was pretty packed already. People were hanging from trees, had tents set up, and some even brought their own ladders. Dylan and I went on a mission to find something that we could stand on. We found a huge log, with one end still smoldering from being on fire the night before from some squatters. Together we picked it up and made a beeline for our spot, with the burning end leading the way we were able to easily part the crowd and set up our perfect location. The crowd was buzzing with energy and drunks for that matter, as Ferrari flags were flying proudly throughout the nearby stands. Unfortunately one of the Ferraris was quickly out of the race and the other didn’t challenge which quieted the crowd down for most of the race. Mercedes McClaren driver Fernando Alonso won the race. Dylan and I had a great time and Leslie survived another whole day of racing. After the race we joined the massive crowd at the train station and headed back to Milan and back to our hotel where we tried to waste as much time as possible before we had to catch our overnight train to Milan that night. Fortunately our hotel let us leave our bags there and take showers that night so we weren’t filthy for the train. We’re off to Bari!

Sept 10: Once again we woke up early on the train when we arrived in Bari. We grabbed some cappuccinos and croissants for breakfast (this was a common theme during our trip). We caught a taxi to our bed and breakfast about 2 km away. We had a really hard time, as well as our driver, finding this place! Finally the taxi driver called the hotel and then he took some unnamed road into a sports complex where our B&B was located. Whew… we thanked and tipped the taxi driver then went to check in. None of the people spoke English, but we gathered that we couldn’t check in till later. So we went back into the city to do some site seeing around old town.

We discovered that this city was a little rough after dark but safe enough during the day. Our book said not to walk through the tight streets of old town at night because you will come out with empty pockets! It was really cool in the old town because the streets were so narrow only disturbed by a scooter now and then. Looking down the alleyways we saw old ladies cleaning vegetables. We stopped into a little store, and the lady offered us samples of these bread rings (crackers). Eric and I bought some wine and bread rings to snack on (some plain and some with peppers). We had lunch and did some more shopping (Eric and Dylan found some t-shirts). Then we headed back to the hotel. Later in the evening we set out to find the nearest restaurant (our place was not in a touristy area) in the drizzle. We had to ask a few people but we finally found the restaurant. The food and service was great but it was a bit pricey since it was the only restaurant around!

Sept 11: We leave for Croatia later this evening on an overnight Ferry! I think we are all ready to get there, but first we had a whole day to spend in Bari. So we checked out as late a possible, and headed to the train station to store our bags for the day. We walked around for a while then stopped at a café for lunch. We had a great lunch and met an American man traveling to Greece named Jon. He was a businessman turned writer and was looking for a peaceful getaway in order to write undisturbed. He was having some problems with his new Mac and Eric was able to help a little. It was nice to talk to someone who spoke good English. After lunch we left to old town again to see the old castle remains. Once again we ran into Jon and spoke some more about our trip and his past professions. He was leaving earlier since the Ferry to Greece was about 16 hours while ours was only 9 hours.

Later this evening we grabbed our bags and some dinner at McDonalds (I think this was the first time we had fast food during our whole trip). Then we walked to the Ferry Dock (around old town… not through). We met two Australians who were traveling around the world. We picked up our tickets for the boat, but the Australians had some troubles getting their tickets and had to buy two more! Anyway we took a shuttle bus to our Ferry that dumped us off right in front of the boat with out directions. We all stood there for a minute and then Eric, Dylan and I just started walking onto the ramp where the cars were driving onto the boat. It was really funny, and seemed a bit dangerous with all the busses, trucks, cars and passengers. The boat looked safe and I think we were all a little relieved because we didn’t know what to expect!

We got our key to our room, because we had reserved a room with beds and a sink. Our room was down stairs below the cars. It was a bit creaky but not too bad. We left our bags in the room and went to the deck for a few drinks at the bar. We said goodbye to Bari as we set sail on our boat with drinks in our hand. It was late and rainy outside so we went down to our rooms and went to bed (with the help of some Dramamine and sleeping pills). We all woke up around 3 am, maybe because it was a little rough and the boat was a little loud? But we took some more Dramamine as a precaution and went back to bed till morning.

Back in Germany

Aug 27: Today Jorg picked us up and we went shopping for roof materials. Eric is going to help Jorg tar the roof because it has been leaking. Randy is going to put a new roof the next time he is able to come back.

Aug 28: I think it rained today (can you believe it??????)

Aug 29: The weather is much better today, actually a little warm! Eric and I worked on a path behind the guesthouse in the back yard. Another neighbor brought us some tiles and we broke them to make something like a mosaic looking pathway! It was fun working outside, and hopefully the weeds will not grow there anymore. We hope Randy likes it!

Aug 30: Today is Roof Day! Jorg came over in the morning with some Brotchen (bread rolls) and fresh homemade strawberry jam for breakfast! Then it was time to cover the roof with tar (not the most fun job in the world). It was a little dangerous up there since the roof is soooooo steep (that is why I just stayed on the ladder). It took about 8 hours to finish the roof with three people (although I didn’t do as much as the men).

Sept 1: Now that all the roof work is done, Eric and I went on a hike towards a town named Tahl. On the way we found Tropfsteinhohle (this was a mine as well as a cave)! So we decided to take a small tour of the mine and caves. We had to wear these bright blue hats as I later found out were for safety (since I hit my head on the ceiling). It was a long way down and I started getting a little scared. The mines were cool, but most the caves were too hard to get too and not viewable unless you wanted to crawl (more like shove your body through very small openings) between huge rocks on your stomach for 200 or 300 meters! This was a mine for some kind of heavy metal used in the medical field. I have to say that I was a little relieved when we came up out of the mine, but it was a very cool experience.

So we continued our hike to this old tower (I think remaining from an old castle) at the top of a hill in the small village of Tahl. We walked around for a while trying to find the path up. Finally we made it to the top! The tower had been renovated in the early 2000’s so we climbed all the way to the top to enjoy some scenic views.

Later in the evening Sabine (and her sister) picked us up to go to a wine festival in downtown Eisenach. There were many different booths with food and wine from many different wineries! There was a band playing all kinds of music… even a little salsa with dancers (we thought of you Scotty). We ate, drank, and danced all night until we were very tired. It was a very cool evening hanging out with Sabine and her friends!

Sept 2: After waking up a bit hung over and queasy from the night before. We went next door to learn how to make a Thuringen dish called Rouladen with our neighbor (another Sabine) Sabine. This is our favorite traditional meal but it is very hard and time consuming (of course) to make. First you take very thin, long pieces of beef. You roll up the beef with mustard, onion, speck (bacon fat pre cooked) and pickles inside! Then you boil it with some water and herbs. Then you make the red cabbage (with onion, apple and more speck) and KloBe (the “B” is like a double “ss”), which are like a potato dumpling. The KloBe take a long time to make, first you peel the potatoes, and grate them (very dangerous, just ask Eric) into a mush. Poor Eric had to use 3 Band-Aids to stop the bleeding that was caused by catching his fingers in the grater! Then you use cheesecloth to squeeze all the liquid out! Next you are left with the dry grated part of the potato. You add boiled potatoes (1/3 of the total potatoes peeled) and mash and mix them into the dried grated potatoes. Anyway, then you put a crouton in the middle and roll them into balls and boil them till they float! Whew! It is hard but soooooo tasty. It is served all together with the beef roll, red cabbage, and KloBe all covered (or swimming) in the beef gravy! Yummmy! We will try to make it at home for everyone to try. After a while we were able to kick our hangovers and enjoy a great lunch with the neighbors.

Sept 3: Not sure what we did today!

Sept 4: Eric and I had Reggie, Connie, Sabine, and Michael over for dinner. We made good old American Cheeseburgers. I made some German salad and Reggie brought some baked beans and champagne! Sabine brought over some cherry liquor and a few different jellies. And to top it all off, we had fruit parfait for desert. It was so cold here so we decided to come back inside. It was a great night with many funny stories of Reggie and Connie’s trip to California!

Prague with Scott Mike and Dan

Aug 20: Eric and I got up early to catch our train to Prague…. Mike and Scott were catching a later train. We met a couple from Argentina on the train. They were the nicest people and convinced us that we want to visit Argentina some time too! They were studying in Spain and were traveling with friends during their break. We were heading there earlier to meet up with Dan since he had an early flight in from Amsterdam. True to Dan form when we arrived he was sitting out on the terrace, sipping his tea and chatting it up with a couple of British ladies staying at our B&B. Once settled, we decided to walk down towards the city’s center (about 2 miles). We saw the Dancing House (Frank Gehry-designed modern building), but we turned around to walk back before we reached the heart of Old Town Prague. We soon learned how to take the 15-minute tram ride downtown. Dan, Eric and I had dinner at recommended restaurant down the street. Mike and Scott had a little trouble finding the Bed and Breakfast, and unfortunately it was pouring down rain! Needless to say, they were drenched once they finally found the place. Mike and Scott went to the same restaurant that we went to but the kitchen was closing and all they could get was fried cheese! Welcome to Prague. Leslie went to sleep fairly early and the rest of us ended up staying up BSing fairly late. Obviously about nothing too interesting but it was good to have the crew all together again and in Prague. Dan did manage to break down Mike’s timeline to prove he indeed found sightseeing in New York City to be a priority over emailing or contacting us waiting for him in Berlin, good laughs!

Aug 21: I wouldn’t necessarily say we got an early start today. Between everyone still adjusting to the time change and the fact that our ‘apartment’ contained one bath or shower or shower without a curtain that you can’t stand up in because the roof was in the way…whatever it was it didn’t help get everyone ready too quickly. Sometime after noon we headed toward the subway to get city transportation tickets for everyone for the week and then headed to Castle Quarter. Castle Quarter was filled with two main churches several streets and entrance gates manned by guards…probably mainly there for the tourists sake. We would learn the favorite picture taking technique developed by Mike and Dan during their last visit to Europe. Basically one person lies on the ground in front of a giant church, building, statue, something old…whatever and takes a picture looking up at the other person in front of the site. I’ll have to give it to them it actually makes for pretty cool pictures. After a few small group photos, Mike broke out one of his sandals, the camera timer and after several tries and few laughs from onlookers we had a perfect picture of the five of us in front of the St. Vitus Cathedral. After a fruitless search for a brewery tour, Mike and Scott headed down toward Little Quarter, and the rest of us stopped at a ritzy little café where Dan ordered a $20 soup and an $8 cappuccino…unfortunately it wouldn’t be the last one of those for him on this trip. The view was great though (as well as their ice cream) and we had a good time catching up some more.

After lunch we walked back down the hill into Prague’s Little Quarter. After stopping in some stores we came to the famous Charles Bridge. This definitely reminded me of something out of the mid-evil times. I am sure the thick layer of clouds rolling in helped with the mood as we were walked across taking pictures. Luckily we were meeting up with Mike and Scott as the winds started ripping through the streets like in a movie. Mike and Scott had bought some souvenirs (for Mike this was of course a T-shirt). Mike had mentioned that he doesn’t pack many shirts because he likes to buy at least one from every stop on his journey (he even had time to buy a New York T-Shirt when stuck there on the way to meet up with us in Europe). We jumped on a cable car back to our cozy little apartment. We stopped at a great little neighborhood restaurant called Josephine’s. At this restaurant we ate like kings and queen! I am being serious… Scot and Mike shared a mixed meat plate (made for two people) along with ordering their own meals! After we washed our meal down with two bottles of wine the check came to about 15 bucks a person (ok… maybe Mike and Scot paid a little more for their two meals each). Once again I went to bed before the guys so that they could have their manly time together (this usually consisted of Dan giving Mike a hard time and talking investments).

Aug 22: OK another early start, post noon, we are off to complete Tour de Mike of ‘Old Town’. We make it to Old Town and our first site we only have 40% participation, Mike and I (E) forked over 2 bucks each to see Bethlehem Chapel, the church where Jan Hus had preached and began his movement for reform in the Catholic church, arguing for religious autonomy and that the word of God did not have to be spread solely through the Vatican. This was met with much adversity and he was eventually burned at the stake in 1415. His predecessor 100 years later, Martin Luther, finally ended up being successful although through much strife of his own in successfully breaking away from the Catholic ideals. Although the chapel was fairly plain inside, it was an interesting place to visit and had a lot of info on Hus’ life. We came out to find everyone sitting at an outdoor café although only Dan was enjoying a drink. Apparently the service was poor at best and Dan was enjoying his second $8 cappuccino in Prague, this is just bad luck by now. Once Dan forked over his Korunas we headed to a bar around the corner that Mike and Scott had found in the meantime. They had Budweiser there…sweet glorious Budweiser…well I believe we were ready to go after one or was that five and a couple of hours later. Leslie, Mike and I left there and tried to finish the major sites in Old Town. We raced to The Church of St. James where they had hung the arm of a thief hundreds of years ago above the entrance and its crusty remains hang still today. The story goes that a thief tried to steal the Madonna Pietatis from the inside of the church, when his arm was frozen as soon as he touched the statue. His arm had to be cut off to release his grip from the Madonna; it was then hung above to stand forever as a warning. We didn’t quite make it so we rushed to the Old Town Square to see the ringing of the Astronomical Clock at the top of the hour…once again we missed this because we were trying to see the arm. Well we did see the Old Town Square, which couldn’t close on us and we found out the ringing of the Astronomical Clock was kind of overrated. We met up with Scott and Dan later, grabbed a quick bite to eat and checked out a club. Leslie and I took off early and went back to the apartment.

Aug 23: Today we saw the arm in St James Church! This was our first task of the day that we completed without getting distracted by the many pubs we passed along the way. We left and headed for Old Town Square once Mike was finished taking pictures inside the church. We walked through the Jewish Quarter and saw the huge metronome perched above on the hill created to send the message that for every power there’s a time to go. The metronome was erected during Prague’s centennial exhibition. Mike and Scott went into the old Jewish Quarter, including the old Jewish Cemetery (there were many deaths with only a small plot of land to bury their dead resulting in so many old stones sticking out of everywhere.). Dan, Eric and I were in search of a painting that we had seen a couple days before. Dan bought a colorful abstract oil painting of a naked woman (it was very nice). We met up with Mike and Scott a little early since Mike’s train was leaving around 9 PM. We all went to our favorite restaurant and ordered another feast of Pork Ribs and desert! As the waiter brought our desert, Dan said “Mike what time does your train leave because it’s 8:15PM”! As much as Dan just wanted to sit there with his mouth shut waiting to see if Mike would realize on his own the time, he didn’t! The problem was that Mike had to walk back to the Bed and Breakfast, pack his belongings, walk to the subway, take the subway about 7 stops and catch an overnight train to Poland! Amazingly enough he finished his desert in a couple of bites and made his train (I can only guess with no time to lose). The rest of us went back to the apartment (wondering if Mike was going to show up later:-)

Aug 24: This morning Eric and I went back to Castle Hill and toured the inside of the St. Vitus Cathedral. We also climbed up the 250 stairs to the top of the bell tower for some magnificent views of the whole city. Next we visited the Little Quarter in search of the John Lennon wall. This was a wall that was covered with peace sayings inspired by John Lennon himself during the communist era! You can imagine that the government did not like it and covered it up every day because when they cleaned it the next day it was back as if they hadn’t cleaned it. After the fall of communism it has been left here as is so that anyone can add his or her graffiti. The next place we visited was the Monument to Victims of Communism Who Survived (long name, but very interesting). This monument started from a far with parts of a man, but as the image of the man got closer the more there was of him (hard to explain but check out the pic). This just resembled all thought people who had to recreate who they were after such a repressive governing body.

At 6 PM Eric and I met up with Scott and Dan to attend an orchestra concert at the Basilica of St. George in the Castle Quarter. It was very cool, they nine member orchestra played classics from Mozart and Bach (there were other composers to). Later in the evening we went out to a club (once we found it)! About 1 hour later and asking 3 different people directions, we finally made it! The club scene wasn’t very crowded but it was pretty cool. The club had a roof top deck overlooking part of the New Town area. After a few drinks, Eric and I headed back to the apartment for some shuteye!

Aug 25: Eric and I went to New Town today to do some shopping. This is the only place that the currency is about at the same level as the dollar. The Euro has continued to climb (as the dollar has fallen) while we have been here in Europe. So Eric found some white pants (very Euro) from Energy. I wasn’t really able to find anything so we headed back to Old Town for a little while. I bought a sketch of a ballet dancer that was done by a Russian artist (it is very good, no so cute looking like in the States, but really technically good). It seemed like the last day here went so fast! This has been such a great trip hanging out with friends! We hate to see it end…

Aug 26: Eric and I caught our train this morning after saying goodbye to the guys! We were sad but can’t wait to see everyone again back in California. Scott and Dan were meeting Mike in Budapest later today. Just another ordinary travel day, but I do love traveling by train!

Berlin with Scott and Mike

Aug 17: Eric, Scott and I woke up early to catch our train to Berlin. Of course the train was packed full of people after we told Scott that we wouldn’t need a reservation. Luckily we all found seats, just not necessarily together. The seating only further complicated things when we all got off the train and we only had two suit cases??? Since Eric has such good manners he had forgotten that he had carried my bag onto the train and placed it behind his seat. So he jumps back on the train in search of my bag… after a few seconds Scott starts heading for the door of the train to find E! Just as Scott is about to board the train again I see Eric coming out the door on the other end of the wagon. Luckily Scott heard me scream that E made it off so he didn’t end up stuck on a train headed for Copenhagen.

Our first day in Berlin was great. We visited the remains of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church just up the street. This is a reminder to Berlin of the destruction of the second World War. There is a new wing with 11,000 little blue glass windows covering a modern building… depending on the time of day the lights glow on the inside (from the sunlight) or from the outside when it is dark (from lights within). We went inside the new church and listened to the organ music.

Next we all headed to the East! I wanted to go up in the renovated, both modern and historic, parliament building. On our way there we passed through the Brandenburg Gate. There is a glass dome on the top of the parliament building with spectacular views of the city of Berlin. You are also able to look down into the legislative chamber inside (with the message that there should be no secrets in government). I made Eric and Scott wait in a long line with me to see this. They were such good sports!

Aug 18: After a good night sleep we went to a photography exhibit of Helmet Newton’s life work. There were many naked people but all in all it was pretty good. I think Eric really likes photography so he really enjoyed this exhibit! As we were headed to the S-Bahn (train/subway) we saw many people dressed in their soccer garb! Yes, there was a “football” game today in Berlin against Stuttgart. We all decided pretty quickly that we wanted to try to get tickets to see what all the fuss was about. After a little nap (and waiting for Mike to show up…. We will talk about that later) we showed up at the stadium. They had cheap tickets for sale at the ticket office so we were in luck. We went inside and Scott bought us some rather large beers (that is an understatement). I have to admit that I hung with the boys drinking my liter of beer just a quick as they did. That just meant that I had to pee 3 times as much as them, and I was about twice as drunk! OK… back to the game, Berlin won after Stuttgart took an early lead! The fans were so fun to watch down below us. They were constantly chanting and singing songs! It was a great experience… and a little contagious (Scott, Eric and I were singing along even though we had no idea what they were saying in German). The stadium was amazing… I believe that it is where the World Cup championship was played a year before. It was built during the Nazi era for the Olympics and the 1,000 year Reich. There is so much history in this city. It’s a little hard to believe it all took place here!

Meanwhile we headed back to the hotel expecting Mike to be there (late as usual) but there is still no sign of him?????? I think we all start to worry a little bit considering he was to be here by noon today. We grabbed some dinner then went out for the night. We left a note for Mike because our hotel was really a pension that closed around 7 PM… so if he were to show up late he would not be able to get into the building. Then we went to the East for a night out on the town. Scott asked a girl on the street where we should go, and we followed her to an underground Reggae Club. It was very cool… the modern music was all mixed with a little Reggae beat. We stayed until 3 AM when it started to get really crowded and smoky then headed back to the hotel…. Still wondering if Mike would be asleep on the sidewalk waiting for us to get back:-) Although there was no Mike when we returned to our hotel. Really worried, Scott went to an Internet café to see what he could figure out. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to figure out anything.

Aug 19: Today we woke up and there was still no Mike????? It was so funny when he arrived around 11 AM considering he was a day late. Turns out that Mike got stuck in New York because of bad weather and had missed his connection. It would have been nice to know just because we started getting worried. Turns out Mike was busy touring the City of New York and forgot to send us an email:-) Anyway we figured that a night sleeping on the floor of the airport was enough punishment for one trip!

We decided to take a bike tour of Berlin in the afternoon. We wondered around the East for a couple of hours before our tour started. We passed through the Topography of Terror (where the SS and Gestapo headquarter were located), which was right by a rather large remains of the Berlin Wall. We met up with our tour group and jumped on our beach cruisers (mike got stuck with a girly bike:). We visited the remaining sites in Berlin during our tour: Reichstag, Wall & Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gate, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Potsdamer Platz, and the spot were Hitler’s Underground Bunker was located! Our tour guide was very informative and energetic. He was about 26 years old, from Central California, sold an on line business, and is now traveling the world for 5 years (he studied world history in college too). The bike tour was about 5 hours long so we decided to get some dinner afterwards. E and I went home, but Scott and Mike went to a local bar to grab a beer since Mike hadn’t had the chance to go out in Berlin.