Like the Berlin post, we're including a map for the reader to follow along.  These maps are also useful for us when we return to these cities and would like guides of what we've seen.  Anyway, the map.  Apologies for its width:

The answer

Sarah was standing next to a bust of Lenin in the Communist Museum.

Impressions of Prague

Joe had forgotten that Czech was the model communist state during the Cold War until he arrived.  We saw examples of the long standing communist regime everywhere, and will be including them as we go along.  Our hostel was adequate, quaint, fairly unremarkable except for the owner, who was hilarious.  Joe is convinced he's ex-KGB because of his quite impressive English capabilities for his old age and no-nonsense attitude, but that's up for debate.  It's hard to get in writing, but Sarah does a wicked impression of him, so ask her next time you see her.  "There is room over there.  For smoke, if you smoke, I don't know, it's there."  Sarah does it better than the web.  Ask her.

Check out what Joe believes are Communist tiles in the very old building:

Now check out the exposed plumbing.  The building was so old, it wasn't constructed with indoor plumbing.  So they just burrowed in the walls and didn't bother to cover it up:

Finally, the metro, which is at least 1 km below ground:

We were completely unprepared for the cultural differences between central and western Europe.  They are many, and we had underestimated them.  We felt like we were being stared at pretty much everywhere we went (everywhere that wasn't a ridiculous tourist trap, that is).  Contrary to what Sarah had heard, the English abilities of Czechoslovakians was not up to snuff, and if you haven't tried it, Czech, being a Slavic language, is a pretty difficult language to pick up.  Sarah tried, but only managed "thank you" and "I don't speak Czech" which is more than we can say for Joe ;)  Additionally, Czechoslovakia is either not a customer-based society, or we got swindled because we look like tourists, but we had more than one negative consumer experience while in Prague.  We'll detail later down in the post.

Czech Currency

Last, we had a major issue with money in Prague.  The Czech Republic doesn't use the Euro yet and won't for at least ten years.  It uses the Kc or Crowns.  We knew going in that the money would be different, but we didn't know how different and difficult it would be to get the money.  We needed 20 crown coins to get a metro ticket from the train station to the hostel, however the ATM machines gave out 2000-crown notes.  Before you think we took out too much money, realize that 18 USD = 1 Kc.  Eating out in Prague cost at a minimum 300 Kc per plate.  With the tourist trap premium, in most places you'll spend 1000 crowns for two.

We tried changing the notes at a change counter, but they wouldn't do it.  We then looked for a bank or a staffed transit counter, and again no luck.  Joe went in to a McDonalds (we saw 10 while in Prague) to change the bill, and they told him he had to buy a cheeseburger.  Without any other option, Joe bought the cheeseburger:

 

No, we didn't eat it, although Joe did offer it to our hostel owner.  It ended up in a Prague trash can (would you have eaten it?).

But back to the money.  We saw more "change" or "currency exchange" counters in Prague than we did McDonalds -- which says a lot.  They lined the streets offering "no commission" transactions.  There are two reasons we can envision why they don't charge commission.  First, the commission is included in the exchange price.  However, the market was so saturated with these places that prices had cleared to the point that all exchange rates were about the same.  There wasn't room for the exchange places to skim off the top.  So a second idea is that the exchange places tended to buy foreign currencies much more than Czech Crowns (remember, we stayed in a tourist trap area).  So, the exchange places were getting strong Euros for weak Crowns.  The exchange places could be betting that the value of the Euros will increase by the end of the week relative to the crown and effectively increase their real purchasing power.  (Hint: Joe thinks the currency valuation strategy is the real reason).  As evidence of this strategy, we saw many places offering drinks and menus in both crowns and euros.

Purchasing things in Prague was a real hassle with the foreign currency, not to mention things were overpriced as it was.  Oh yeah, Prague also has a big problem with counterfeits.  In addition to making slightly different versions of the Czech money, apparently there is a problem with people trying to sell Hungarian money to unknowing tourists, which is much less valuable than even the Czech currency.  Banks post signs about all of the confusingly similar notes:

Can you tell the difference?  Should you have to?

Number One: Old Town Square

We arrived in Prague in the late afternoon, with not a whole lot of time to sightsee the first day, so we decided to do something fairly low-key, and get a lay of the land by exploring the 'Old Town" and the adjoining famous square.  We saw the town hall, a pretty cool statue, some nice architecture, and lots of tourists milling about.

Number Two: Dinner

After some wandering, we were starving, so we looked for a place to eat dinner.  We noticed as we were looking for places to eat that most places, we would have to drop 1,000 crowns for dinner while our hostel owner had advised about 200 for the two of us for dinner.  We realized that it was most likely the influence of the location that was driving the prices up, but we didn't know how far we'd have to wander and so settled on a restaurant that seemed marginally less expensive and said it was located in the oldest cave in Prague, so that was pretty cool.  We ate in a 1,000 year old cave!  The dinner was quite good, and there was even live entertainment!  We got the bill though, and they charged Joe double for his coke.  We normally would have said something, but with the language barrier... we decided it wasn't worth it.  But 120 crowns ($8) is a lot to pay for 40 centiliters of coke (4 shots)!  One of the primary ways the Czech restaurants make their money is by charging a ridiculous amount for all beverages, we came to find out over the course of our time in Prague.

Joe enjoying the live music!

Joe's chicken dish on the left, Sarah's lamb on the right.

 

Number Three: Grocery Store

We spent a lot of time here and you'll understand why in a bit after we've ranted a bit more about the restaurant business in Prague.  "Albert," it's called.  Joe wanted to remark on the impressiveness of the structure.  It's underground, and not only is it underground, but there are two floors underground so that the lower floor is about 1 km below ground.  It was pretty cool.

An example of Czech prices at their best.  149 Crowns ($10) for a pint of ice cream, sheesh.

Number Four: Jewish Museum

We woke up the next morning to explore, what we thought would be, the bustling Jewish Quarter.  Unfortunately, there are only 1,700 Jews left in Prague after World War 2 and only 5,000 in all of Czechoslovakia.  Before the war, Czechoslovakia had the highest population of Jews of any country in the world.  Even more, we found the "Jewish Quarter" to be a huge tourist trap.  In fact, the whole time we were visiting the museums and synagogues, we were eerily reminded of Hitler's plan to save the synagogues in Prague and create museums to remember what Jewish life was like, after they had all been removed from the planet.  It was pretty creepy.

That said, we were also disappointed to not be allowed to take photos in any of the sites.  Sarah snuck a few covert shots though.  It's really too bad that we couldn't take too many pictures because the synagogues themselves were beautiful.  So, if you know someone who can change this silly rule, please get it fixed.  Pictures only spread buzz about a place.  The actual information wasn't too impressive, as it mostly focused on what Judaism is and how it is practiced.  A subject both Sarah and Joe are fairly familiar with.

 

Number Five: Spanish Synagogue

The Saphardic synagogues are more ornate and decorated traditionally, and this was no exception.  Every inch of the interior walls were covered in decorative painting in deep green, red, blue and gold.  This synagogue also had an organ, signaling it's classification as a reform synagogue.

Before you gloss over these pictures, remember that Sarah sneaked the inside ones since they were forbidden.

Number Six through Nine: Remaining Jewish Sites

There were a couple more synagogues, a ceremonial hall, and the oldest European cemetery that made up the remaining part of our Jewish Quarter experience.  The cemetery was also quite unsettling, as it appeared that the Nazis had perhaps just gathered every headstone written in Hebrew that they could find and crammed them into this one old site.  The cemetery was in complete disarray with headstones nearly on top of each other, three or four in the place where only one should have stood.

Number Ten: The restaurant for lunch

After seeing the Jewish Museum, we were hungry.  It actually was past lunch and around 2:00 pm.  We went in, got a menu, looked for poultry, and were happy to find a grilled turkey dish.  Sarah pointed the dish out on the menu.  We then waited for a good 45 minutes for our food to come out.  The people around us, who ordered the same time we did, already had their food.  Remember, we were hungry, and this place wasn't anything special.  In the mean time the waiter brought us bread and ketchup.

Finally the waiter brought out our food.  Only problem is he brought out cordon blue (a fried ham dish), which wasn't anything like what we ordered.  The waiter walked away.  We looked at the food, conferred, and agreed it wasn't what we would eat.  Sarah confronted the waiter.  She said, this isn't what we ordered.  He responded by barking, "No. No. No."  How many of our faithful readers have ever had a waiter tell them they were wrong?  How about in a very rude manner?  We can both now say yes to those questions.

Sarah asked to see the menu again, and pointed out the correct dish.  The waiter shrugged his shoulders to say "sorry, too bad."  Sarah asked for our original dishes, and the waiter said no at first, and then conceded it would be a 1 hour wait.  We left.  They probably would have spit in a second dish anyway.

This experience turned us off completely of the restaurant scene in Prague.  The first waiter swindled us, and the second waiter got the order wrong and didn't want to fix it.  The good news, from our side, is that we didn't tip the waiter or pay for what would have been an overpriced, bad meal (the portions of cordon blue were half what you would get in the states for the same price).   Most restaurants have a "table charge" they claim is for brining out ketchup and bread.  It's on the menu in fine print, so it's completely legit.  Then again, sometimes it's not on the menu and therefore not legit at all.  Needless to say, we refocused our culinary budget to the grocery store and lived off bananas and bread for the next couple days.

Number eleven: Communism Museum

This museum chronicles the relatively short life of communism in the Czech Republic.  It is a quaint, charming museum that has a good mix of source documents, exhibits, and information.  The funniest thing about the museum is it proudly advertises that it's located above a McDonalds.  The museum is one floor, about half the size of the Anne Frank house museum.  It starts with the rise of communism, talks about the lies and constant shortages, and then shows video footage of the final protests in the Czech Republic.  The protests took place in the same squares we visited as tourists.

Sarah's favorite picture: for more information about Communism, read one of chained the books.  Isn't it ironic that information about a regime that controlled information is locked down?

Joe's favorite picture: the caption reads

"War hysteria, amongst other measures, served to frighten the population through civil defense dills in factories and other locations. From the point of view of propaganda, the most powerful tool was the exercise of defense against weapons of mass destruction. The instructors painted an image of perverted enemies who wouldn't stop short of dropping atomic bombs on schools and hospitals, spread epidemics of deadly diseases, and pollute the atmosphere with poisonous gases or contaminate the drinking water. The horrific appearance of gas masks and other means of anti-chemical warfare played on the public imagination of apocalypse supposedly in preparation by Western powers against communist regimes."

In case you got confused, this exhibit was about communists in the 1950s.  In all, we appreciated the story the museum told of communism in Czechoslovakia. 

Number twelve: Main drag towards museum

There is a main pedestrian shopping center that ends in the famous Museum.  Not much more to say than there were 3 McDonalds along the street, two H&Ms, and a warning about pickpockets.

The museum building was pretty.  We think it's a natural history museum.

Number thirteen: Monday Morning Services

Joe wanted to go to services in a foreign country to see if they really were the same everywhere.  Since we've been traveling most Saturdays, Joe settled for a Monday morning service in Prague.  He figured there would have to be something because of the extensive Jewish museum.  Anyway, services are held in the "real" or "working" synagogue that you can't see as part of the Jewish Museum.  To enter, you have to know which door to go in to, and it is guarded by very well armed police (the best armed we've seen in all of Prague), a bouncer, and a security guard inside.  We told the bouncer we would like to go to services, walked through the metal detector, and led around two corners and up stairs to a small orthodox schul.  It was a traditional orthodox shacharit service.  There were 11 people total at the service, including Joe.

Afterward we talked with some of the members.  They mentioned that there are no good kosher bakeries or restaurants in Prague, and that the two we saw were for tourists.  We got the sense that the Prague Jewish community is close-knit but struggling with its 1000 members.  One of the men lived in Quebec for 30 years and spoke French with Sarah.  Another man was from Israel and gave directions and suggestions for our sight-seeing later that day.  On the whole the experience was positive and the community was very welcoming.

Number fourteen: Czech Senate

The Czech Republic's senate meets in a beautiful building just below the Prague Castle.  Outside the building is a public garden.

We only found out about this because we followed one of many french tour groups through some random gates.

Number fifteen: Prague Castle

The Prague Castle is home to the longest-running governmental headquarters of any people.  It is a large complex sitting on top of a hill overlooking the rest of the city.  This is the place Hitler came, Stalin had his huge monument, and tourists take snapshots.  The castle complex has St. George's Basilica, the "old palace," and "gold street."  The changing of the guard:

  

Gold street is marked as the footprint on the map.  It is a touristy shopping street with expensive trinkets that you pay to get in (which should be a hint about how well the merchandise sells).

One of the houses dates from the 14th century on the street, and another is the smallest in all of the Czech Republic.

The old palace is where the famous picture of Hitler looking over Prague was taken.  You actually can go on the same balcony today, which is a bit unsettling if you think about it too much.  The place is so old that you can see the imprecise measurements of the frame -- the room is not square.

The Basilica has a long line to get in, it wraps around the whole building.

But if you go in through the exit, there is no wait and no one to stop you :).  Silly tourists.

The main hall:

Some of the stained glass:

There is a tower with one spiral staircase to the top.  When we ascended, people stopped often in the cramped space.  We think they got confused by the two-way traffic on the narrow stairs:

The river running through Prague:

The old square:

The Charles Bridge:

Number sixteen: Mala Strana Park

This is a large city park just south of the Prague Castle.  It features a smaller replica of the Eiffel Tower.  Having seen the real thing, we just walked around.

A view of the Castle:

Number seventeen: Charles Bridge

Charles bridge is one of the oldest bridges in the world, built in 1375, and a must-see sight while in Prague.  The bridge was lined with vendors and tourists taking pictures.  It also was under construction.  We felt like it had been hyped up for nothing.  Ok, cool that a bridge survived for almost 700 years...now what?

Well, that's Prague for you.  On the way to the airport, on the metro, we got checked for our tickets.  We weren't sure we had bought the right tickets, but the man smiled and everything seemed ok.  We like turn-styles better.  Joe realized during the experience that the real reason why a community picks controllers over turn-styles: the relative costs of labor and capital.  In a place like Prague labor is cheap, so it's cheaper to hire people than it is to put in gates.  It's simple economics.

Nashledanou,

J+S

Different than Amsterdam, we feel we budgeted too little time for Berlin.  Anyone who thinks (i.e. us) they can do Berlin in a day and a half is painfully wrong.  We underestimated the historical significance of this city for the time periods before the world wars, during them, and then after during the cold war.  We would have loved the extra day to spend more time getting to know the city.

The following is a map roughly in the order of sites we visited (the one exception is that #15 should be before #9, but we were too lazy to fix it).  The numbers are sites we actually visited and the letters are sites we would like to see.

Number one: Train Station

We arrived on a quick 1.5 hour train from Hamburg at Hauptbahnhof (German for Central Station).  Joe wanted to point out the train station because it was, in his humble opinion, the most impressive he's seen yet.  The station is clearly new within the last 5 years, very clean, and it is a great motivator to talk about the city in general.

Over 90% of Berlin was destroyed in the second world war.  Then during the cold war sections were built and re-built quickly to show off to the other side.  For instance, we walked past pre-fab apartments that the Soviets built along the border to entice west-berliners to come over. More than just the buildings, though, it seems that the German culture was devastated during the war and rebuilt using the Soviet and American cultures as models.  Now with the fall of communism, and reunification, the city has adopted the American culture nearly exclusively.  This may be why we saw Starbucks/McDonalds/Burger King/Dunkin Donuts/Schlotsky's on many corners and SUVs driving around.  It's safe to say that Berlin is still developing its identity.

The interior of the station just as we left:

The front entrance facade from the Europe Plaza where we picked up the bus.

 

Number two: Berlin Circus Hostel

Following the trend from Amsterdam, we'll spend a moment to talk about the Berlin Circus Hostel.  Different from Amsterdam, we liked this hostel.  It was new for the 2008 summer season, and for less per night we had a 5-person room.  There was free wifi, clean showers and toilets, clean sheets, amenities, and very friendly staff.  The staff walked us through the policies at check-in and then asked us how we liked it at check-out (a hostel first).  As an example of their confidence, they ask guests to see accommodations before paying.  In Amsterdam they charged us the full amount at time of reservation with a no-refund policy.  Hmmm....

Anyway, one funny story about the hostel.  The hostel purchases monthly transit passes and rents them out to guests for a per diem fee less than an all-day pass costs.  It's our understanding in most other municipalities this is not exactly legit.  In fact, it's probably illegal, but we saved 4 EUR.  So we're all about it.  (e.g. Next time look for the "non-transferable" fine print).

While we're on the subject of mass transit -- Berlin's transit system is by far the most illogical and difficult to navigate thus far.  Like Hamburg, they have an S-train and a U-train for surface and underground.  As far as we can tell, there is actually no difference between the two.  And, at some stations, you go below ground to get on a surface train and above ground to get on an underground train.  Additionally, multiple lines arrive at the same platform, and they don't always use the terminal station to indicate direction.  Perhaps German engineering like this is an acquired taste.

Oh yeah, they don't actually check your transit ticket anywhere.  It's all on the "honor system," so in theory we could have gone without purchasing transit tickets the entire time.  Our host family in Hamburg told us that there are plain-clothed controllers who randomly check people's tickets (although we never saw any, we think).  We hypothesize that after years of secret police randomly asking for your documents, the natural tendency for Germans is to rely on controllers over automatic turn-styles.

Number three: Cupcakes!

We walked the kitschy neighborhood, Prenzlauer Berg, just north of the hostel.  Sarah enjoyed popping in and out of unique boutiques while Joe waited patiently on the street.  We did find an adorable American cupcake shop, and we indulged on the fine pastries.

Number four: Brandenburg Gate and Paris Plaza

We took the walking tour through Berlin that was offered by the same company as our Amsterdam tour.  Similarly, we found that this tour was very recommendable.  The tour met at the Starbucks at the Brandenburg Gate.

The Brandenburg Gate connects the central city park in West Berlin with the Paris Plaza in East Berlin.   The gate itself was built before Napoleon and has participated in the major wars since.  In particular, because the German Parliament is behind the gate, the Soviets advanced through the Paris Plaza.  Today the American Embassy and the classy Alstor Hostel (where Michael Jackson dangled his baby) are there.

The gate and plaza have a lot of history, which pictures on a blog don't do justice.  For the rest of the post we'll include links to wiki articles to provide background and context for these sites.  Learn more about the Paris Plaza (called Pariser Platz in German) here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pariser_Platz

The Gate itself looking west from East Berlin.

The statue on top was stolen by Napoleon and placed in the Louvre.  The Germans then "stole" it back in World War 1 and modified it slightly.  They changed the goddess from peace to victory and tilted her gaze to the side so that she "looks down" on the French embassy.  They also replaced the original olive branch with a badass German scepter.

The Adlon Hotel.  Bullet-proof windows, rocket-proof walls, and 5-star cuisine.  Plus, Michael Jackson almost dropped his baby over the railing.

The American Embassy.  Unlike other American embassies, there is no perimeter zone around the door.  You could walk up to the door without being frisked.  Even has a bike rack for the eco-friendly terrorists... err....

Number five: Holocaust Memorial

Officially called the "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe," the memorial is just to the south of the Brandenburg Gate and across the street of the American Embassy.  It used to be the space between the Berlin walls.

The memorial was very moving.  By walking through, even when there are several others present, one feels completely alone and overwhelmed in the vastness of the structure.  Please take time to read the wiki article on the memorial: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_the_Murdered_Jews_of_Europe

Number six: Luftwaffe Headquarters

This building is the largest office building in Europe and the second in the world behind the Pentagon (according to the tour guide).  Today it houses the tax ministry:

The building was home to many protests during the communist regime.  There is a 150 meter mural on the side of building that shows idyllic communist life with a similarly-sized photograph showing one of the many popular protests below it.  This is a piece of the mural:

 

Number seven: Berlin Wall

Joe felt slightly under-whelmed at the Berlin Wall, as it is nearly gone.  It is not a wall that could stop an army or do anything beyond mark a boundary.  The remaining bit is protected by a fence, which we found to be quite ironic: the most hated fence in the world is now protected by a fence.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall

 

Number eight: Checkpoint Charlie

This checkpoint was the last to fall when the Berlin Wall went down.  Above it stands the picture of the last Soviet and American guards to leave the checkpoint. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkpoint_Charlie

We don't know who these people are, but they want you to pay them a euro for a picture.

 

Number nine: Babel Platz

Here is the sight of many of the Nazi book burnings.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebelplatz for more information.  There is a memorial for the burning: a window in the middle of the square which shows an empty bookcase.  The bookcase can hold the 20,000 books that were burned in the square.  You can faintly see the bookcase in the window, below.

 

Number ten: Berliner Dom

We entered the Berliner Dome simply as a second thought, because our tour guide recommended the view of the city from the top and the tour ended there.

We were pleasantly surprised by the magnificent sight to be seen inside.  The Protestant church done in the Baroque style is highlighted by gold to an amazing degree.

The ceiling:

The alter with one of many tourists taking pictures.

The large organ off to the left:

This is the detail on the columns:

We hope the pictures convey the beauty of the church.  (Sarah was not frustrated after spending time in this church, which says a lot).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Dom

Number eleven: Topography of Terror

This sight told an extensive story of how the Nazis and Hitler orchestrated the war.  A warning if you ever decide to visit: it is a lot of information.  Plan on reading it in chunks and sitting down regularly.  We rushed through it in an hour and a half.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topography_of_Terror

 

Number twelve: EU Celebration Parade

We accidentally cam across this on our way to find the New Synagogue and Jewish Museum.  We had no idea it was occurring, but apparently in Berlin there is the EU Celebration Fair and parade the 30th through the 1st of June.  There was a street lined with vendors selling treats from each member nation, as well as carnival games, bands, and a parade.  If we weren't so pushed for time, it would have been nice to enjoy a crepe or some sangria

.

Number thirteen: Reichstag

The Reichstag building has housed the German government for over 100 years.  During some years, like the time of the Nazis and Communists, the power of this building was minimal.  However, today the German Parliament meets here and work in the large office buildings along the north side.  A cool feature of the modern government is that anyone, for free, can go to the roof of the building to enjoy a wonderful view of Berlin and look down on the Parliament chambers below.  There is a little information on wiki on this building: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_(building)

In the dome, seen below, you can walk up the spiral ramp to the top, which has a seating area and open-air skylight.  Along the route you can look at one of the many mirrors that reflect the Parliament chamber.  Our guide told us that the motivation for this design is for parliament members to remember they are not above the people and subject to public scrutiny.

A view of chamber and mirrors (top of picture):

Number fourteen: Jewish Museum Berlin

A BIG regret we have during our time in Berlin is not spending more time here.  Sarah and Joe both agree it was their favorite museum in Europe.  It was a perfect mix of artifacts, testimonials, history, art, multimedia (Sarah to listened to several poems in Yiddish), and touching (in the emotional sense) memorials about Judaism and the Holocaust.  Joe adds the museum did a good job of telling stories.  The bottom floor of the museum houses the Holocaust tower.  The tower is a four-sided room with walls 125 meters high, dark except for a small window at the top of the wall that meets in a point.  The "tower" evokes strong emotions in different people and is something you have to experience for yourself.  It was a very somber experience for us both.  Here's the shape of the room:

 

The other prominent feature of the first floor is the garden of exile.  It is a concrete sculpture that resembles the other Holocaust memorial.  Again, it's an exhibit you have to experience yourself.

The upper floors of the museum feature the history of Jews in the German Diaspora starting in the middle ages and progressing through the Second World War.  It confirms information we saw at the Frankfurt Jewish Museum about continued persecution and requiring Jews to wear yellow circles in the 1400s.  We ran short of time in this Museum, however, as our train to Prague with reserved seats was leaving soon.  This site is on the top of our lists to see again the next time we're in Berlin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Museum_Berlin

Number fifteen: Alexander (?) Platz

We don't remember the name of this plaza exactly and cannot find it on the maps, but Sarah remembers the guide calling it Alexander Plaza.  It is home to French Catholic and Protestant churches made in similar styles.  Between them is the Philharmonic with cheap last-call tickets:

Site A: Museum Island

There are 5 museums on the river Island and site of the previous Royal Palace.  We would have liked to see them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_Island

 

Site B: Humbolt University

Humbolt University revolutionized the concept of "professorship" by requiring all candidates to contribute to their field before getting a PhD.  Today this is the requirement all accredited universities use today.  It also was home to Max Plank and Karl Marx during their studies.  We would like to see more.

 

Site C: New Synagogue

This synagogue was rebuilt after the war to model its original look.  We saw it from the Berliner Dome and thought it was a Mosque because of the gold.  We went looking for it, but we didn't walk far enough north.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Synagogue

 

Sites D and E: Berlin Opera and Philharmonic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_State_Opera

We don't have a picture of the Opera, and we just showed the Philharmonic.  Apparently the tickets are cheap and often available at last call.  This is one of the oldest arts centers in the world, and we would like to see a show.

Site F: Berlin Library

This is one of the original large libraries that was made by the Frederick the Great (check the wiki link).  When we visited it was under renovation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_State_Library

 

Site G: Potsdamer Platz

Potsdamer Platz is a cultural center of West Berlin.  It has nice and new buildings -- our tour guide talked it up. From the Reichstag it flowed blue and purple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdamer_Platz

Site H (not pictured): Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachsenhausen_concentration_camp

One of the original and "model" concentration camps is just North of Berlin.

Auf Wiedersehen,

J+S

Quick update:  We're safe and sound.  Internet in Prague is hard to come by, so we're a bit behind in our posts.  We're headed to Italy which we anticipate to be better connected.  Enjoy the two posts from Germany that we posted, and we hope you're all doing well!

If you're curious, we're writing these blogs offline using Windows Live Writer and Windows Live Photo Gallery.  It's a simple matter of writing and dragging pictures.  The photo gallery in particular has been pretty cool for offloading cameras and tagging as we go.  Then when we get internet access we simply press publish.  This approach has been a great way to fill train rides, and we recommend it to other travelers.

J+S

Just a quick taste of what you'll get when we post our Prague blog.  Can you guess who this man is next to Sarah?  :)

We stayed with friends in Hamburg, which was a nice change.  They hosted us in their lovely home just outside the city. 

We found Hamburg to be a quiet, welcoming city, and felt quite comfortable here.  As we're spending more time in Germany, we're feeling that the culture is quite similar to American culture.  Germans are hardworking people that are just going through their lives.  Like Frankfurt, the Hamburg dress was a similar blend of casual and stylish, with the usual selection of thematic cuisine.  We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant, for example.  We decided that German bread is too heavy for our taste, though.

The city of Hamburg is a little spread out, so we opted for the perhaps slightly lame double-decker tourist bus to see the sights.  It ended up being a good choice in terms of ability to see everything.  Unfortunately, we accidentally chose a German tour, so all we understood was "Napoleon Bonaparte," "Buckingham Palace in London," "Coffee," and "Thank you goodbye."  But we managed to follow along on the map and revisited a few of the sights later in the afternoon.

Hamburg is a harbor city, so we walked along the harbor after the tour, eating fish and chips.  The weather was great, but a little windy.  Then we headed back to the city center for a look at St. Michael's church, which had been recommended to us by our friends and Sarah's guidebook as a great view of the city.  It was indeed a great view.  The church itself was quite pretty. The inside was done in the Baroque style, which is a nice change from all the Gothic architecture.

Pictures of the church, including the gorgeous organ.

The following are pictures of the view.

The historic Town Hall, which is next to the Mockenburg strasse shopping center.  Like Frankfurt, this shopping center is modern like the Kansas City Plaza.

The famous television tower on the north side of town.

Germany has extensive use of renewable energy, such as this building's large solar power array.

The harbor and docks where we started the German tour and had lunch.

 

After the church, we went to the Austeralster, which is a large lake surrounded by trees, paths, and benches.  We spent nearly the entire afternoon there just enjoying the day.  We were quite surprised at how many people were in the park on a Wednesday afternoon.  Joggers, lovers, businessmen reading the paper, quite the variety.

Auf Wiedersehen,

J+S

Yes, Frankfurt, Germany (275 miles away).

10 points if you guessed right on the country, 20 if you got the city.  Yep, we picked Frankfurt because it was within reasonable distance between Amsterdam and our next day's trip to Hamburg.  (4 hours from Amsterdam, 3 from Hamburg).  Plus, it was on a train line that didn't require a reservation, so the trip was "free" to us as well.

Because internet in Amsterdam was shoddy, we went to Frankfurt blind and without our usual wikitravel insights.  We arrived at the train station and asked the tourist information desk for a map and checked in to a nice budget hotel (the same Joe stayed in Besancon).  Our hotel was right on the river Main which runs through Frankfurt, so we decided to take a nice afternoon stroll toward the city center.

The train station and our hotel are only 1 km away from the historic Frankfurt downtown, so we were happy to walk along the river towards it.  The city is a mix of pre-war, post-war, and modern buildings.  More buildings felt from the post-war period, and in general we both commented on how similar Frankfurt felt to any other American city.  The people tended to dress like you would see in a downtown, there were larger cars than in France, and in most places we saw at least one American brand:

 

Here's Sarah in front of the statue of Justice in Romer square.  Romer Square is the city hall center we mentioned in our last post that alone survived the war.  In the background (not pictured) is the large church spire that was under construction.  We had to fight a band of Asian tourists to take a picture in front of the statue.  We won, albeit the victory was short-lived.

Notice how the windows of old-german buildings are more frequent and closer together than their Dutch or French counterparts.  They take up the entire front facade of the buildings.  We found dinner along a pedestrian mall that started at the Opera.  The pedestrian mall was a central shopping center like you would find in the plaza in Kansas City.  Joe tried a locally-brewed beer, Binding, with his cheese ravioli:

And Sarah had a Frankfurter and Apple Wine, a traditional Frankfurt drink.

Here is the backside of the city hall building:

And a modern building:

All of the taxis we saw were Mercedes.  We're unsure whether this means Mercedes is an economy car here or if means the taxis are nicer.

The "old" opera house.  Just down the block is the "new" opera house that we think is much uglier.

The morning we left for Hamburg we decided to see the famous Jewish history museum, Judengasse.  There are two Jewish history museums in Frankfurt.  One is part of the old Rothschild palace (a wealthy Jewish family that founded the British colony we call Israel) and the other is in a newer building in a part of town that used to be the Jewish Ghetto.  The first museum is about the holocaust and the second is about pre-war life in the ghetto.  We saw the second museum.

The Judengasse museum told the story of Jews in Frankfurt from the 12th century.  It was about the same size as the Anne Frank house, although this museum had much, much more content.  It documented using primary sources the pogroms, the ghetto life, and the great fire and emancipation of Jews.  In the middle of the room was an excavation of a ghetto building from the 14th or 15th century that was uncovered during construction of a utility building.  Actually, the new construction was on the site of the old, famous Jewish synagogue that was demolished during the War.  The German government would not halt construction so the museum benefactors got approval to move the ruins to the museum.  They did so in a manner to recreate the site to scale.

The old buildings were made of irregular stone and had a population density of areas we call "slums" today.

On the whole we were very impressed by the museum content and very modest cost (2 EUR each).

Auf Wiedersehen,

J+S

OK, as you may have guessed form our last post, we didn't groove on Amsterdam as much as we had hoped.  So, we decided to be spontaneous and a little adventurous.  We deviated from our itinerary!  Can you guess where we went from these picture hints?

This city is a financial center in Europe.

Apparently, this city has a fancy for turquoise jewelry.  Remember, flights back to the US are pretty cheap now...

 

This is the only square in the city that survived World War Two, also the location of the historic city hall.

  

This is the home of the European Central Bank (and the Euro).

We'll reveal our secret in the next post!

J+S

Amsterdam.  What to say?  We had heard from most people -- almost unanimously -- that we would love Amsterdam.  For that reason we budgeted three nights for the city instead of the usual one or two.  We expected there to be many attractions, traditions, and other experiences to fill the time.

The setup

However, we quickly realized that Amsterdam is to the Netherlands like New Orleans or Las Vegas is to the United States.  It doesn't represent the long-standing and proud traditions of its nation, and has evolved into a cheap tourist trap selling vices for quick dollars (err, Euros).  Just as Vegas and New Orleans live off subsidized airfares, gambling, booze, prostitution, and shallow shopping, so too does Amsterdam.  Amsterdam, though, is a bit more extreme than Vegas is, with its window-shopping red light district and legalized use of marijuana.  And just as there is an uneasy tension between people inside Vegas and outside Nevada (think of the gambling opponents in northern Nevada), there too is an uneasy tension between people inside the canal wall and outside.  Apparently within the last year one third of the red-light windows were forced to close due to license compliance issues.  Soon to close are two of the most famous erotic theaters because they couldn't demonstrate clean businesses (a requirement to operate such businesses in the city).

Also, we learned that only smoking marijuana is legal in the city.  Every other portion of the supply chain is illegal -- growing, possessing (beyond a small, personal amount), transporting, importing, and selling (again, beyond a small personal amount).  Thus, all of the coffeeshops that sell weed have to smuggle in the weed from other countries.  Amsterdam is not as straight-forward as you would expect.

When we arrived, we both quickly got over the hype of the city, and realized it wouldn't be our thing.  Sure, if we had wanted to spend a couple days baked, we had allocated the correct amount of time.  But, we didn't, so we had allocated too much time.  In fact, we walked the entire city and saw most of the main landmarks within the afternoon we arrived.

Speaking of arriving, we first checked into our hostel Stayokay Amsterdam Stadslokendfnasdfnlkadjf (Dutch is ridiculous, although Sarah picked up the words for "Ladies and Gentlemen" and "Chicken").  Let's talk about the hostel.  We have said very little about our previous hostels until now because they were adequate.  The hostel in Paris was a room with 10 beds, and each bed had a private curtain, outlets, and a night light.  The hostel in Brussels was equally clean and private with individual bathrooms instead of a dorm-style one like Paris.  Each had some rough spots that you wouldn't put up with in a hotel, but on the whole they were fine experiences.

The hostel in Amsterdam was unacceptable.  They offered beds in a 20-person dorm without curtains, outlets, or night lights.  The room was markedly dirty, smelled of formaldehyde (or something else noxious), and also had a faint smell of body odor.  The bathrooms were dorm bathrooms that the cleaning staff just hose down (no sanitation), and there wasn't any toilet paper or paper towels.  We weren't happy.

The first hostel:

The one redeeming quality of the hostel is that they gave us a tourist map which listed other hostels.  While we went on our self-guided walking tour, we made a point to stop by other hostels.  We actually picked the worst possible day to be unhappy in Amsterdam.  We arrived on a warm, good-weather Saturday that drew in last-minute holiday travelers from around Europe.  Every hostel and hotel in the city center was booked.  However, we came across a poorly-marked hostel that was really just a bar with rooms in the upper floors.  We walked in, they had openings, asked to see the rooms, and quickly realized for the same price we could get a cleaner room with a cleaner bathroom and at most 5 beds.  This was a no-brainer decision.  The second hostel only dealt in cash, so Joe believes they rent out rooms off the books for extra party money.  The second hostel:

The bar downstairs.  Sunday morning there were people passed out in the booths from the crazy partying the night before.  This wasn't a loud-party bar; they were very quiet and docile.

On the whole we were happy with the decision to change.  Our stuff was safe, our beds were clean, and the room was surprisingly quiet.

Funny story -- right after moving our things from the first hostel to the second, we looked for the internet to contact the credit card company.  Sarah walked into a random hotel and asked how much it would cost to use their internet for a few minutes.  The receptionist first responded 50 EUR/hour, and when we started for the door, he laughed and offered to let us use it for free.  We sat in the lobby and as he was quite chatty, we conversed on various topics.  He even offered Sarah coffee!  It was quite the positive experience, thanks to Sarah's travel savvy.  He described the transition from the old Dutch currency to the Euro and how it effectively decreased everyone's real wages (the bank set the exchange rate at 1 Dutch currency = 1 EUR even though trading was closer to 1.5 Dutch = 1 EUR).  It was interesting to see someone's take on transfer payments and the emergence of a federal government.  This gentleman lived outside of the city, by the way.

The City

The name Amsterdam comes from the phrase "Amster Dam" or the dam of the river Amster.  It was founded as a sea-based trading village in the 12th century.  This emphasis on trade has led Amsterdam to switch flags, religions, and government styles multiple times.  Our tour guide suggested it was also the reason for more pragmatic approaches to laws and social problems.

Because the city was built on a river next to the ocean, it is full of canals that people travel just like roads:

Amsterdam also has more bike traffic than car traffic in the inner city.  Outside the train station there is a multi-story bike parking lot:

The more famous city tours take place on barges like this one using the canals.  We were warned against the tour since it is conducted in five languages and most of the sights require street-level to see.

The biking frenzy has even reached to the taxis.  We saw a number of regular, automobile taxis, but many more bike taxis.  Apparently though they cost 3 Euro a minute, so they're really just another tourist trap.  The real Dutch bike themselves.

The central meeting point is the National Monument, which is opposite the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.  This square was full of people every time we passed by.

We also saw street cleaning crews pick up two or three times per day.  We know of no other city which has this regular and frequent cleaning program.  Even with the program -- which picks up at 9:00 am and 9:00 pm -- we still walked over broken bottle glass, tons of cigarettes, and fast food refuse.  This is a picture of the worker cleaning off the national monument after just a few hours of use:

In every grocery store we went in, Sarah was impressed by the wide selections of Dutch cheeses:

Sarah posing in a clog display on the street next to the National Monument:

Sarah expected an ever-present red glow in the Red Light district instead of red lights in the windows.  She was disappointed to see only some red lights occasionally.  We took a guided tour through the district so we knew where we were going and what to see.

 

Taking pictures of people is strongly discouraged in the district, although not illegal like some guidebooks and urban legends would suggest.

This is the coffeeshop that was featured in Ocean's Twelve.  Inside are pictures from production of the movie with Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

We enjoyed a coke inside with Sarah's friends who were also in Amsterdam.

On our guided waling tour we saw some buildings that were leaning to the side due to foundation issues from the shifting marshland.  This building supposedly was also leaning forward by design to allow ancient merchants to hoist up goods without scraping against the building in the wind.

Our Irish/English/German tour guide who rolled her Rs and was pretty well animated.

At one point in time homeowners were taxed based on the width of the houses on the canal.  For some reason someone built a 1.8 meter (about 6 feet) wide house (the red one in the middle).  Yes, it's basically the width of the door and two exterior walls.  The stairways in Amsterdam are very narrow, so we suspect it has a small spiral staircase in the back for the second and third floors.  If you look closely you can see the owner in the second-floor window.

Lastly, we saw the Anne Frank house (the house where her family hid from the Nazis for two years, and a major Amsterdam landmark).  We found the museum to be among the most overpriced and least informative holocaust museums that either Joe or Sarah has seen.  It basically was empty rooms with a few quotes printed on the walls, random short video clips, and loosely related period material.  The actual diary was a replica.  In most rooms there was one display per wall with only 10-15 total rooms.  Given the enormous crowd, waiting took more time than learning. It didn't tell a story -- either Anne's story, the story of Jews and the Nazis, or the story after the war.  You didn't learn anything from going to the museum other than how large the living quarters were (not to discount the peril they went through, but they didn't live in the attic).  The eight people lived in an average-sized New York Apartment in an annex to the house that wasn't visible from the street.

Yet another disappointment with Amsterdam.  We would not recommend paying the 7.50 EUR each to see the museum.

Tot ziens/Good Bye (They speak excellent English in the Netherlands)

J+S

Here is the map of our second day's events in Brussels, so you can follow along geographically!

 

Number one: Our hostel

Our starting point.  Clean, well located, etc.

Number two: A church

We were on our way downtown, and spotted a large, impressive building not too far out of our way.  We decided to check it out.  It turned out to be a pretty cool church.

Number three: Sunken Gardens

On our way to the next stop, we wandered into a sunken garden.  It was gorgeous!  We randomly came across it, and were so smart to momentarily forget our path, because it wasn't in any guidebooks or anything, totally non-touristy, just a peaceful garden in the city.

Number four: Shopping

We both bought practical shoes.  Our feet had been complaining for awhile, so we had to give in and get tennis shoes.  We also walked for awhile in the shopping district of Brussels.  Three H&M's!  These Europeans like their H&M, let me tell you.

Number five: Another church

You'll probably be bored or pictures of churches after we've finished our adventure, Sarah is already, but she's completed a cathedral tour in France.  So here's a picture of church number 107 for Sarah.  We both thought it was kind of ugly actually...

Number six: Grand Place

The architecture in the Brussels Grand Place was quite impressive.  Like we mentioned earlier, Brussels is known for being erratic in its aesthetic, but this is one place that is purely beautiful.

We stopped for waffles on our way through the Grand Place, another culinary must in Brussels, and had to pause on a stoop to eat them.  These puppies were labor intensive with all the toppings piled on.  Joe chose one with Praline ice cream and chocolate, Sarah chose whipped cream and chocolate.  The sugar high was unbelievable -- although to be fair, we made up for it by walking 12 miles that day.

 

Number seven: Belgian Royal Palace

It was slightly disappointing that there was construction surrounding the palace, but it was striking nonetheless. 

Number eight: Manneken Pis

This little guy is Brussels' mascot.  His name is Manneken Pis, and the locals sometimes dress him up for special occasions.  We got lucky, here he's dressed like a bellhop.  But he was seriously tiny.  Like maybe a foot tall.  It was a little anti-climactic, albeit amusing.

Number nine: Cantillion Brewery

Historically Brussels has been known for its chocolate and beer, so naturally we chose to see a Belgian Brewery.  One that was recommended by a few of our travel guides was the Cantillion Brewery.  Cantillion is a microbrewery that prides itself on making "authentic" or "traditional" gueuze (goo-ez) beer.  They contrast themselves from the larger breweries that make modern "sweet" gueuze.  The fundamental differences it hat Cantillion takes 3 years to brew a bottle of beer since the fermentation is "spontaneous."  The more modern breweries add sugar to brew beer within 3 weeks.  There is a markedly different taste between authentic and modern gueuze, even though there is no differentiation between labels.  The authentic gueuze is very bitter and sour -- a beer that is very much an acquired taste.  The modern gueuze, with the added sugar, is sweet and generally palatable.  We ran across this difference by accident on the first day when we ordered modern guezue at the restaurant and authentic gueuze at the bar.  This microbrewery also only brews in the winter, so while we visited they had stopped production for the season.

The first step in the process (something to do with distilling):

The second step in the process (something to do with adding ingredients).  We were allowed to wander by ourselves to avoid the elderly tour that came through (and was rather rude):

The third step (I believe boiling ingredients):

 

Sarah in front of the barrels that sit for 2-3 years:

 

Joe in front of the barrels:

Where they dump the boiled ingredients to allow fermentation.  This particular step requires a narrow range of cool temperatures, and this brewery chooses to let the natural airflow regulate the temperature.  This step is why the brewery only brews in the winter.  If you look closely, where the roof meets the wall there are vents that change airflow through the room.  It was weird because the barrels are stored in a very warm room (70+ degrees F), and on just the other side of the window through which we took this picture the room is very cool (40 degrees F).  We stuck one hand on one side and another hand on the other, and the wide difference of temperatures confused us.

An employee bottling product for distribution.  The bottles sit for 6 months and continue to ferment.

 

Number ten: Palace of Justice

From the brewery we walked to the Palace of Justice, one of the highest points of elevation in Brussels.  Something we didn't know before is that the city is on a hill that slopes downward toward the west (toward the coast).  The top of the hill seems to be the more well-to-do part of town, with the Palace of Justice, the Royal Palace, parks, etc.  The bottom of the hill (where the brewery was) seems to be a not-so-good part of town. We made the mistake of walking through a markedly poor part of town that definitely was not meant for tourists.  To be fair, it was in broad daylight, so it wasn't a big deal.  But we weren't expecting to see the broken glass bottles and run-down apartments.

We could not go inside the palace since it was after five (remember, things close very early here).

Off in the distance you can see the Atominium, a structure built for the 1950s world fair to celebrate the atomic age.  According to a few travel guides this structure was Brussels' Eiffel tower.  We left seeing it for the next trip.

 

Number eleven: Brussels Park

On the way back to the Hostel for dinner, we walked through Brussels Park.  It is just south of the Royal Palace and features statues of 30+ professions in Brussels.

 

Number twelve: Kebab Street

Just south of Grand Place we ate on Kebab Street, a famous street known of Kebabs.  When we went there the different restaurant owners courted people to sit down and eat.  Most of the shops were Gyro shops as well, so we aren't quite sure where the Kebab name came from.  We told one owner no since his tables were full of smokers and sat at a restaurant a few down with no smokers.  Within minutes, however, all three people sitting next to us pull out cigarettes and start smoking.  Let's just say Europe reminds us how spoiled we are in places with smoking bans.

Number thirteen: Jazz Festival in Grand Place

Finally we enjoyed the internationally-renown Jazz festival at the Grand Place.  We didn't know the festival was going on before we arrived, but we saw the signs everywhere and the dates matched.  Throughout the city for 3 days Jazz musicians performed live in bars, at city parks, and also in important squares like in Grand Place putting on a total of 162 concerts.  This one was the biggest.

The music was pretty good, and like any Belgian event, they featured their famous beer.  We each had a rodenbach.

The steeple of the city hall lit up for night.

Au revoir/Tot ziens

J+S

Thing number one on the agenda in Brussels was to check out the European Union buildings.  If you did not know, the three major cities for EU headquarters are Luxembourg, Strasbourg, and Brussels.  And Sarah being the political science girl that she is, of course we had to check it out.  There were significantly more buildings in the complex than we had thought, and they were pretty spread out.  So Sarah asked directions from a Eurocrat (the local name for those who work for the European Union).  He was kind and directed us to the parliament building.  We went inside and asked about visiting the parliament, and Sarah was hoping we'd be able to sit in on a session, but none were going on.  So we settled for a guided tour and learned some interesting facts about the EU!  For example, the EU budget cannot go into deficit.

The EU parliament building.

 

Us in front of the flags for the 27 member countries of the EU.

This says "European Parliament" in the 23 official languages of the EU.

Also, it seemed every Brussels building also flew the EU flag, as if the EU was emerging as a strong federal government. 

After walking for four days straight, we both decided we needed better shoes.  So after our parliament visit we went downtown to window shop a bit and were surprised at how everything was already closed at 7:00pm!  Apparently the Brussels citizens enjoy working even less than the French.  So we re-chartered on to dinner.  Brussels is a city of many culinary masterpieces.  The waffle, chocolate, fries, mussels, and of course, beer.  We made it our mission to eat as unhealthily as possible in Brussels.  First, beer.  Sarah, being not exactly the beer enthusiast, eased her way in at dinner by ordering a peach beer (the Belgians make fruit beers that are delicious) and Joe ordered a traditional Bruxellois Gueuze (we later learned the this particular beer was not traditional, but hold on to that thought until tomorrow).  Oh, were they good.  Sarah noticed though at dinner the differences between Belgian and French dining procedure.  Most places will offer coffee or dessert in France, presenting a prime opportunity to decline and request the bill.  In Brussels, we had to hunt down our waiters to get the bill.

 

We had gotten a little taste of Brussels beer, but it just wasn't enough.  So we tried out a bar recommended by a friends of Sarah's, called Morte Subite ("sudden death," in French).  Sarah was not exactly adventurous, and ordered a raspberry beer.  Joe ordered a house specialty Gueuze and was confused by the marked difference in taste from the beer he had enjoyed only an hour ago.  (Like I said, explanation to come).

Then we walked in town for a little while, discovered a chocolate store, and had to indulge a bit more.  We bought 100 grams of assorted chocolates (7-pieces) and shared so that we each got a taste of each one.  Good God, we've decided to move to Brussels based on the chocolate alone.

 

We turned in for the full-day adventure tomorrow.  Au revoir/Tot ziens,

J+S

 

We began our final day in Paris by venturing to the American Embassy.  Why?  Joe was curious.  Story of Sarah's life.  So we shed all our stuff (no stuff allowed in) and found the embassy, located by the obelisk at the other end of the Champs Elyeeses from the Arc de Triomphe.  On our way there, we traipsed through a seriously nice part of town.  We're talking Dior next to Chanel next to the Ritz Carlton next to Armani.

We had to treat ourselves to some Godiva chocolate.

At the embassy we saw a 40 minute line just to enter the building and had second thoughts about spending time there.  However, when we showed our American passports, the guards let us cut to the front of the line.  We then went through ridiculous security screening -- they even took Sarah's emergency toilet paper.  Inside, to our disappointment, the embassy was basically a DMV complete with "numbers," waiting areas, and old coke machines.  We were expecting a grander experience... but so it goes.

On our way back to the hostel to retrieve our backpacks, we saw a familiar sight on the head of a constructor worker at the Obelisk.  Even Parisians are Huskers at heart.

After getting our backpacks, we did the obligatory climb up the Eiffel Tower.  This step says 668, but Sarah swears that there were 750 the last time she climbed it.

 

Sarah at the top, in front of the mall.

Joe at the bottom, enjoying his lunch of a chicken and cheese crepe.  Yum!

Then Sarah led the way to Sacre Coeur, the other must-see cathedral in Paris.  We'd been sight seeing all day, and Sarah was tired, so Joe let her rest on the green space in front of the church for awhile before continuing on.

Finally, that night we got to do something Sarah hadn't done yet and had been looking forward to since high school.  Wednesday nights the Centre Pompidou, or the Parisian Museum of Modern Art, is free for students so we took full advantage.  We saw some interesting things... including a Microsoft mouse.  Yes.  As a piece of art.  In a museum.  Not altered in any way, just a mouse, in a box.

And a red rhinoceros...

But there was some seriously cool art too, like a ton from Picasso, Mattise, and Chagall.  This one below was Joe's favorite (Picasso). 

 

After museum wandering for three hours, we had worked up a healthy appetite, so we ate a lovely French dinner on the right bank.  Joe was able to get chicken, and was therefore very happy ;)  We then explored a little, and found Les Halles, a verdant park, and took a romantic stroll.  It was a great way to enjoy our last night in Paris.

Next time you hear fro us, we'll be in Brussels!

Au revoir,

J+S

First thing on Day 2 we went to Gare du Nord to make train reservations for Brussels.  We found out, while waiting in the information line, that there was a 36-hour strike of Brussels train transit workers.  The lines at Gare du Nord of all the people trying to get on alternate trains were too long for us, so we went to Gare de l'Est (the next metro stop on the 5 line) to make the reservation.  Having success with the reservation, we hoped that the transit strike would end as planned.  While waiting in the much shorter line at Gare de l'Est, some dumb woman cut in line and multiple people in line yelled at her.  Apparently tensions run high while at train stations in Paris.  We got our train tickets and continued with our day.

We next went to the Latin quarter and saw Notre Dame.  It is a magnificent building that is as beautiful as its reputation suggestions.  It sits along the river Seine on an island, and the day we visited there were lines of visitors, which according to Sarah is rare.  The following is the outside of Notre Dame:

Some of the detail surrounding the building:

 

The main stain glassed windows at the end of the cathedral:

The main sanctuary:

The opposite facade of Notre Dame:

We walked north from Notre Dame and explored the neighborhoods around the street Rivoli.  This is a typical Parisian street:

Notice the rectangular windows, french balconies, and limestone walls.  Every street in the inner sections of Paris look like this -- the city is nearly uniform.

We wandered into the Jewish Quarter and bought fresh Challah (egg bread) on a Tuesday!.  We saw a crazy man try to direct traffic in broken French and Yiddish.  Onlookers called him an idiot from the crowd.  Past the Jewish Quarter we stumbled on the Place des Vosges.  People were enjoying their lunches on the grass.   How cool!

 

At this point, Sarah surprised Joe.  We had completed a puzzle last summer of a seemingly random French cafe.  Sarah discovered in her other travels in Paris that in fact it was a quite famous cafe, located in a posh part of town, and once frequented by the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simoone de Beauvoir.  Some heavy French philosophy went down in this cafe. So she found it.  She brought Joe here as a surprise, and he enjoyed a rich hot chocolate, she, a refreshing lemonade. 

Us in front of Les Deux Magots

Then, Paris weather being fickle as it is, we decided we both needed a pair of pants.  So we hit up H&M for some cheap wares, then headed over to the Luxembourg Palace and Gardens in the afternoon.

We posed in front of the Palace, which is where the French parliament meets.

From there we went North to the National Assembly building, which is near many other government buildings, a new part of Paris for Sarah.

 

For dinner Sarah brought Joe to her favorite Moroccan restaurant in Paris.  This restaurant is located in a part of the Latin Quarter that is buzzing with touristy eateries.  Greek, Italian, French, they all try to lure in the susceptible passers-by, by offering free drinks or cajoling people until they give in.  After we explored a little and laughed at their antics, we shared a delicious dark chocolate gelato.  Here, Sarah is posing with the cone, which resembles a rose! 

Au revoir!

J+S

Well, we arrived in Paris!  Our train took us to Gare de Lyon, and from there we took the Metro to our hostel, St. Christopher's, in the northeast.  We settled in, locked up our stuff, and headed off to the Louvre.

For those (like Joe) who don't know, the Louvre used to be the French palace for the kings.  It is what you would expect from a palace: spanning three blocks and oozing ornate finishings, it has a very modern mall in the basement.  We ate at the food court (how American), and we weren't sure which dish to choose: Italian, "American," French, Japanese, Mexican, Spanish, and Chinese.  We chose Italian, if you were curious.  Sarah commented how depressing the effect of Americanism is on Europe.

After the food, we went inside the Louvre.  The following pyramid from the DaVinci Code, which is actually just a prop underneath the lobby of the museum:

 

Inside the Louvre we saw many ancient statues, including the original "hear-no evil..." monkeys...

 

Of all the famous art in the Louvre, by far the Mona Lisa is most well-known.  This is the crowd surrounding it.  Surprisingly, it wasn't very difficult to get close to the rope:

Everyone at the rope was taking multiple digital pictures.  We hope it was for the purpose of admiring the work at home and not to post on a blog to show off to friends.  We certainly wouldn't do that...

 

The museum was very efficient at removing people at closing time.  It took them less than 15 minutes to clear 80% of patrons with well-placed ropes and signs.  Outside we admired the ancient royal courtyard:

 

A view of the Louvre from farther away:

 

We then walked towards the Champs Elyeeses and past the Obelisk.  On the Champs there was a crazy crowd outside of the Sephora store.  We stopped and onlooked for a bit too.  Inside Sarah Jessica Parker was promoting her new perfume.  Sarah wanted to get a glimpse of her, but SJP was behind displays and not viewable from the street.  The crowd:

As we walked on, we crossed the Champs and took this picture:

  

As you can tell from the sunset, we were hungry, and we ate at a nice (and moderately-priced) restaurant on the Champs.  The hostess insisted on taking our picture as we sat down:

We then walked to the Arc de Triomphe.  Inside the upper structure is actually a small museum (would you have guessed they had rooms in there?), although we did not have the energy to go up.  The Champs and this plaza had very heavy traffic, although the traffic was not congested.

Finally, we took the Metro to the Trocadero stop for the night-time viewing of the Eiffel Tower:

The building to the left with gold statues is the Museum of Man.

A recap of our journey from today (we won't do this every time):

 

Au Revoir,

J+S

Hey there!

Here are a couple more pictures from Besancon.  The first picture is a view of centre ville from the university along the river.

 

The second is of the citadel, an ancient fortress built in medieval times to protect the city from invaders.

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Besancon, resting and watching movies.  We both caught up on The Office and 30 Rock from this past season (Andy Bernard is an idiot!).  We went out with Sarah's friends to local hotspots for the study-abroad group's last horrah on Saturday night.  Sunday night we ate a Thai restaurant (yes, in France we ate Thai!), and it was just like a good Thai restaurant in the states.  Later Sunday we finalized packing since we would have to live out of our suitcases for the next 30 days.  Joe laughed as Sarah sorted through her mess and rationalized each item into her bag.  Right now we're on the train to Paris for a 3-night stay.  Having just finished one of the movies from Joe's stock, we thought we'd send out a quick update before we arrive in Paris.

The last picture is us waiting in the train station with our tickets -- Paris, here we come!

For those who don't know where Besancon is, here is a map:

Joe flew out to Besancon, France, today to meet up with Sarah.  He started in humble Cedar Rapids Airport and flew to Charles De Gaulle through Newark.  On the flight to Newark he met randomly a fellow college grad also off to Paris on the same Air India flight.  They agreed to spend the layover time, after checking in, to eat dinner in Times Square.  They took the NJ Transit line to Penn Station, walked the 10 blocks to 42nd and 7th, and they had just enough time to order McDonalds before hurrying back for the return train (thanks papa for the directions!).

The Air India flight had a swarm of people waiting to board.  It was a very full flight with a mix people stopping in Paris and others going on to Mombai.  The plane was a 757 with individual media center consoles.  It was pretty cool -- a person could select a variety of new and classic movies, television shows, music, and games to watch and play on demand.  Joe watched Dirty Harry and Knocked Up (though he didn't put the headphones on for the latter).  This whole on demand concept can be beautiful when executed well.  On the other hand, the CPU units took up leg and bag room under the seats.

Joe met Sarah outside of customs at CDG, and the two of them took the metro to Gare de Lyon (a major train station in Paris) for the train to Besancon.  Passport control was painful since there was only one agent checking the entire plane.  Customs made up for the delay by not inspecting Joe's bags.  The train station Gare de Lyon reminded Joe of the train station in City 17 from Half Life 2.  (Joe: "I'm unsure whether City 17 was modeled after Paris or if multiple train stations are just like Paris.  We'll see.")  The train from Paris to Besancon took 2.5 hours after the 1 hour it took to get to Gare de Lyon from CDG.  Once in Besancon, Sarah showed Joe around the town briefly, and Joe checked into the hotel room.  Joe took Sarah back to her dorm, and the two turned in early to catch up on much needed sleep.

Tomorrow they plan to explore more of Besancon, eat in French cafes, and get Joe used to the foreign country.

J+S

Hey all,

This is a blog to record the Europe adventure of Joe and Sarah during Summer 2008.  We'll post stories and pictures from our trip to share with friends and families.

Joe flies out on Thursday, May 15, and meets with Sarah in Paris on Friday, May 16.  More updates will follow then.  Below are the cities we're planning to hit during the whirlwind tour:

J+S