Prague, Czech Republic with the Jones!

July 3, 2016-

Only 2 hours in the car lands us in the beautiful and unique city of Prague! Although, we have been to Prague once before, there was plenty to see that we did not previously see when we first visited. We arrived in the morning and stopped for brunch at this cute French cafe called Cafe Savoy. Check out the ceiling below- this Neo-renaissance ceiling dates back to 1893. It was covered during World War I when the Cafe was changed into small shops. During the socialist years new members were recruited here without a clue as to what lies above. This rare ceiling survived both World Wars. Today as you can see from any seat in the Cafe this amazing masterpiece which tells its own story in history.

 Then we walked around town headed to the Prague Castle. On our walk we found these unusual statues-

Prague Castle is a must see and tour. We were amazed by all that the complex has to offer and could spend hours there. We visited first the Katedrala sv. Vita, St. Vitus Cathedra, a Roman Catholic Gothic style architecture. Founded in 21 November 1344.

Stary Kralovsky Palac, the Old Royal Palace, is part of the Prague Castle and its history dates back to the 12th Century and it is designed in the Gothic and Renaissance styles. Its Vladislav hall is used for inaugurations, being the most important representative hall in the country.

Bazilika sv. Jiri, Basilica of St. George, is the oldest surviving church building with Prague Castle. The basilica was founded in 920, dedicated to St. George.

Zlata Ulicka, Golden Lane, is a street situated at the end of the Prague Castle. its name is connected with 16th Century alchemists, who had to look there, according to legends, for a reaction to produce gold. Even though the lane was temporarily called the Street of Alchemists, Alchemist never actually lived or worked there. Golden Lane consists of tiny colored houses in a row along the street. They utilize the small spaces inside the row houses very effectively. Within the 14th Century fortification there is a Medieval Museum of armory. At the end of the Lane is Dalibor Tower, which use to be a dungeon.

After touring the castle we headed to the city square to see the Astronomical Clock still functioning. On the way there were gorgeous panoramic views of the city of Prague from a landing at the end of the Golden Lane. 

Next stop drinks, we walked by and decided to take a look inside the Beer Museum. Education on the beer process and then beer samples! The Prague Beer Museum states that,  "the Czech Republic lagers are are celebrated around the world and its citizen consume more beer per head than any other country."

So long Prague, we had a great visit with our friends. Next stop Berchtesgaden. Keep reading.. 

Our first visitors arrive in Germany- Amberg and the Mariahilfberg Fest

July 1-8, 2016-

Michael and Samantha Jones fly into Munich on a clear, sunny day! Jeremy and I pick them up from the airport and plan to bring them back to our town of Amberg to settle in. Halfway back we stop for lunch at Abensburg with a stop in the hops fields that are growing now! Abendsburg number one attraction is the famous beer garden and artist who designed this unique beer tower. Kuchlbauer-Hundertwasser-Turm. We did not tour the brewery but sat outside and enjoyed a beer and lunch in the sunshine.

After lunch we headed to Amberg, Germany and showed them our home and our town. They settled in and then we set off to explore Amberg! We had our own tour guide and personal photographer- Eric Davis! Thank you, photo credit to this incredible guy :) First stop is the city square with the City Hall, also known as the Rathaus, dating back to 1348- pictured below. The cathedral is in the square as well. Next stop the fortification of the city walls, Amberg has a very well maintained ring around the city. Nabburg Gate is the focal point of entry into the city ring. It was first mentioned in 1317 when King Ludwig of Bavaria founded the Amberg hospital. The city gate, designated as the "hospital gate" in the middle of the fourteenth century is no longer to the original that you see today due to city expansion. Over the gate a fortified two story towers were built. 

The Mariahilfberg Fest was currently going on, so after we walked around the lovely town of Amberg, we took a bus up the hill to the fest for the night. It was a clear night and we had plenty of time before the sunset to enjoy the incredible panoramic views from the patio restaurant on top of the hill. Once again, photo credit given to Eric Davis! Thank you. According to the Tourist information, "It is impossible to properly describe what constitutes the particular charm of this experience, you simply have to experience it for yourself! It is likely the natural coexistence of the spiritual and the physical enhancement without the urban daily hustle." Thousands of people from near and far make the pilgrimage to the Mariahilfberg on July 2nd in accordance with this old saying. Many first attend the sermon, while at the same time others stop in one of the Amberg brewery tents. Many emigrants also return to their homeland for the mountain festival to meet with friends, relatives, and earlier classmates, to talk, to eat, and to drink. Beer and grilled sausages, cheese and spitzl, radishes and cabbage.

Our trip will continue to Prague, Czech Republic. Stay tuned.

Berlin, Germany- J&S 1st Year Wedding Anniversary Celebration

May 20-22, 2016

First trip to Berlin, Germany with our great friends, Chris and Elizabeth Brown to celebrate our first year of marriage! A 4 hour road trip with traffic landed us in the wonderful city of Berlin.

Day 1- First stop, the Reichstag building. Must book online before to visit the glass dome with panoramic views of Berlin as well as an audio guide tour offered in all languages. The guide was very informational and a great over look of the city. http://www.berlin.de/en/

Day 2- Started on the hop on and hop off bus offered daily with 30 stops along the route and an audio guide tour while on the bus. The route stops at many of the tourist stops that we hoped to see and since Berlin is so large and spread out the bus was the best option for us to accomplish all sights in one day. First for us would be lunch, we stopped along the famous Kurfurstendam street at the Hard Rock. The Hard Rock has the guitar on display with remains from the Berlin Wall. Great food and drinks out on the patio while crazy soccer fans prepare for the match by drinking and live music outdoors next door.

We got back on the bus at the end of Kurfurstdam street right in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The original Church was built in the 1890s but was badly damaged by bombings in 1943. The rebuilt church stands tall keeping the original damaged spire. The memorial church is a landmark in West Berlin, nicknamed by Berliners as "The Hollow Tooth" ("der Hohle Zahn"). This Church is gorgeous from the outside and full of history once you step inside. We also really enjoyed this Church since we are currently living on Kaiser Wilhelm Ring.

The hop on and hop off bus also stopped at Checkpoint Charlie, Bradenburg Gate, Memorial of the Berlin Wall, the Holocaust Memorial, Hitler's Bunker sites, Tiergarten, Berlin Cathedral, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Victory Column (Siegessaule), Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg), Soviet War Memorial, Humboldt University, Rotes Rathaus, St. Nicholas Church, just to name a few. We enjoyed this way of seeing the city since it is large and spread out which makes it difficult to walk to all landmarks.

Day 3- Started off with lunch at Pirates Berlin restaurant on the river with close views of the Oberbaum Bridge (Oberbaumbrucke). It links Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg boroughs, formally divided by the Berlin Wall. This bridge now symbolizes the unity between East and West Berlin. This is a two story bridge, the lower deck is a roadway with a pedestrian walkway and the upper deck carries the Berlin U-Bahn.

After lunch we walked along the longest standing remaining part of the wall known as the East Side Gallery. The East Side Gallery is a monument to freedom of expression. The remains of the former wall stretches 1.3 km long reflecting painted patchworks. Numerous artist display there graffiti and paintings on the wall. This is the largest open-air gallery in the world with over 100 paintings by various artist. First created in 1989 after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the same artist restored their paintings in 2009.

After touring the Gallery we made our way to the famous Sunday Flea market (Flomarket) in Mauerpark. After reunification of the former death strip of the Berlin Wall between the districts of Wedding and Prenzlauer Berg became a public park. A 300 meter strip remains on the far side of the park covered in colorful artwork. Hundreds of booths are lined along with food and drink stops. Every Sunday this market is held, with people shopping or relaxing in the park on a beautiful day. Highly suggest checking out this market, lots of treasures to be discovered! We will be back to Berlin again one day.