Attempting to become cultured...

While in Prague, I decided to immerse myself in the culture by indulging in some typical forms of entertainment.  I knew in Prague they were known for their ballet and their black light theatre, so we decided to see both as well as visiting a water/light show that we had heard numerous good things about.  

1. The ballet we attended was Swan Lake.  I have not seen a ballet since the Nutcracker as a little girl.  I very much enjoyed the music, and I appreciated the dancers abilities.  I am not sure if I will be attending another ballet soon, but it is definitely something I will do again.  

2. The black light show was entertaining.  The show was called "WOW" - which basically had no main story line, it was just about a man and his different dreams.  If  I were in Prague again, I think I would see another black light show. I wouldn't expect too much, but at least they provide entertainment.  

3. As for the water/light show - I would NOT recommend this to anyone.  First of all, we spent about 35 minutes getting out to the Krizkovy fountain which lies in what looks like old abandoned fair grounds.  It reminded me of the scene in the movie "Big" where Tom Hanks revisits the site of the carnival to find the same machine to make a new wish.  It was quite creepy and if I had been alone there is no way I would have stayed. The show consisted of the water pressure of the different parts of the fountain rising and falling to the music - which was terrible: Toni Braxton, R. Kelley, etc. They, of course, referred to this music as Top 20 Hits.

Prague National Theatre - Home to the Ballet

Swan Lake

Short Clip of the ballet

Aren't we cute?

Black Light Theatre - One scene from WOW

Pretty difficult to capture on film

Krizikova Fountain

Linds & CoCo...taking more pics of ourselves

Prague Castle

The Prague Castle dates back to the 9th century.  It is now made up of 60+ buildings all with different architectural styles, from Gothic to Romanesque.  The palace used to be the home of the Czech Kings and now houses the Presidents offices, as well as multiple museums.  Most of the castle is open to tourists.  We walked around the grounds, but I decided against venturing inside.  

Front of the castle - the flag was raised which meant the President was there

Main Entrance

Changing of the Guards happens here at noon 

(not quite Buckingham Palace, but interesting enough)

Lindsey & CoCo on the Castle Grounds

St. Vitus Cathedral

One of many stained glass sections of the cathedral

Leopold's Fountain - located just inside the main entrance or in the second courtyard

Castle Grounds

Charles Bridge

Built in the 14th century by King Charles IV, it connects the Old Quarter of town with the Little Quarter and the Castle.  

View of the entrance from the Old Quarter 

View of the Bridge from further down the Vltava River

In front of the entrance on the Little Quarter side

View from the River

One of the 30 statues located along the bridge

All of the originals have been moved into the National Museum in Prague

Staroměstské náměstí

Don't ask me how to pronounce anything in Czech....I was just getting used to German and now I have to deal with new money and a new language.   But this is the name of the main square in the Old Quarter of Prague. 

Tyn Cathedral

Old Town Hall and the Astronomical Clock 

(first of its kind, located on the other side of the town hall)

St. Nicholas Church

Not a good picture of the girls....

but gives you an idea of the square at night

View leaving the square and our choice restaurant, U Prince

Living Bohemian Style

I arrived in Prague on Monday.  I found my hotel right in the center of Old Town - I couldn't have asked for a better location.  Monday afternoon I took a boat tour down the Vltava River which runs through the center of Prague.  It was a beautiful day and a nice way to relax after a 5 hour train ride.  On Tuesday, I woke up and took a walking/bus tour through the main sites of Prague, including Prague Castle.  Carolyn was arriving Tuesday afternoon by train from Graz.

So far, I can honestly say Prague is a wonderful city.  It is small, quaint, and has that great European feel I love when I travel.  The city is small enough to walk everywhere and you can see most of the major sites in a day, which allows plenty of time to sit in a cafe and relax.  One of my favorite parts of traveling is getting to experience and enjoy the day to day life of someone who actually lives in the city. 

Ventana Hotel - located above Swarovski Crystal

Celenta Street (location of hotel)

Oldest street in Prague 

Part of the Royal Route leading to Prague castle

Under the Linden Trees in Berlin...

Unter den Linden, as it is known in German, is a boulevard in the center of Berlin linking Brandenburg Gate to what used to be the royal palace.  The name comes from the line of linden trees up and down the boulevard, which were planted as part of a beautification project in the 17th century.

I am particularly fond of this street because the meaning of my name is "linden tree island".  I think I learned this when I was a young girl searching through the "Book of Baby Names" with my friends.  

One with myself ;)

Ben's last day in Berlin - 

Realizing how much he was going to miss me 

(I still have 16 days to go!!)

   Part of the boulevard has an art exhibit

This particular section was devoted to Sports photographers.

Our very own walking tour

Holocaust Memorial

Monument to the Murdered Jews

There are 1,000 concrete blocks laid out in a wave like pattern.

The symbolism of the blocks are up to individual interpretation.

It really is quite moving.

I think it is hard to capture the true feeling unless you see it in person.

When you walk through the blocks, it is like a maze.  You can get lost very easily, and you soon discover that you are hidden because the height of the blocks tower over you.

 

There are over 500 memorials throughout 

devoted to other groups murdered in the Holocaust

Inside the Holocaust Memorial

Bebelplatz

Home of State Opera House, St. Hedwig's Catholic Cathedral, and Library

Most known for National Book Burning in 1933

20,000 books by Communists, Jews & Pacifists were burned

Memorial in the ground - 

look through a window to see empty bookshelves

Outdoor book fair held everyday (rain or shine) across at 

Humboldt University as a tribute to those whose books were burned

TV Tower - put up by the Soviets to demonstrate strength of the Communist party....funny they had to bring in the Swedes to help put it up

Alexander Platz

Don't have better pictures 

because it started raining on us again

Stopped at a street fair - which are everywhere ALL the time, so FUN - 

and picked up this little contraption - a head massager

Ben's Favorite part of the day ;)

The Reichstag - German Parliament

It is said the burning of this building in 1933 

helped lead to the uprising of Hitler.

Glass dome on top of the building - which is the reason for the line - 

gives a nice view of part of the city and it looks down into meeting rooms.

  

Checkpoint Charlie

obviously a replica, but this is the exact location

Building next to Checkpoint Charlie

Top floor was used by the CIA 

to spy across the wall, 

and on the opposite side of the street 

the Soviet KGB 

were doing the same thing 

on the top floor of a building that no longer exists.

Ferrari - who wouldn't want a $250,000 car??

Enjoying Ben's last day in Berlin

Most famous hotel in Berlin...

think Michael Jackson, baby out the window

Located right next to Brandenburg Gate

A little piece of Rome....

It is known as Gendarmenmarkt.  The square is flanked by a French Cathedral on the right side and a German cathedral on the left, and a concert hall in the middle.  In and around the sqaure there are dozens of cafes.    The area is known to be quite affluent.

This is said to be one of the pretties places in Berlin.  It actually reminds me a lot of Rome, which is why I loved it!  We couldn't remember the name of it when we passed it on our bus tour, so I made Ben walk around until we found it.  

French Cathedral - 

built for the French people who came to Berlin at the 

end of the 17th century as a "thank you".  

About 5,000 came which is the reason for the 

strong French influence here in Berlin. 

They were expelled from France by Louis XIV because of their 

religious beliefs - they were all Protestant and Louis was Catholic.

German Cathedral - almost identical to the French.  

Built for the Germans as to not upset them about the French 

having their own cathedral - of course they built their own a bit taller.

Konzerthaus - Concert Hall

Of course it began to rain AGAIN as we reached the square,

so we holed up in a cute little cafe 

and enjoyed a nice cheese plate and some mini beers.

Bike Tour of Berlin

Part of Museum Island (Berlin's original settlement place), 

Protestant Church

Hitler's Bunker was underneath this parking lot

This is where he committed suicide in 1945.

The bunker is located 15 meters underground 

and the walls are 4 meters thick.

The buildings surrounding the area was the place to live 

if you were in the part of the Nazi regime.

Hard to see, but this is Humboldt University.  

It is the most prestigious university in all of Germany.  

29 nobel prize winners have attended the univeristy, 

as well as plenty of other names you have heard of,

including Albert Einstein and the Grimm Brothers.

Brandenburg Gate - symbol of unification

The square in the front is known as Pariser Platz and 

on either side of the gate are embassy offices of the United States and France.

Shady place where our bikes were stored