Europe Trip, Part IV: Berlin

We've made it to the recap of the 4th stop of the European Extravaganza!

Berlin, Germany

Side note: in multiple of the cities that Micah and I visited, we used airbnb to find places to stay and it worked fabulously! In Berlin, we stayed with two sisters and they gave great recommendations. In particular, the night we arrived, it was late and we were hungry and they suggested a Vietnamese place that was near their place. It was called Si An. And, it was the BEST Vietnamese food I've had!

Now to the pictures....

We did a second walking tour in Berlin and while I enjoyed parts of it, I'm not sure I would enthusiastically recommend it to someone else (especially it that someone else had limited time in such an incredible city!)

Holocaust Memorial

Our tourguide was quite educational and gave not only information about the sites we were seeing, but the more general historical and present day context of the city. In fact, it was kind of like a 3 hour outdoor lecture, and had it not been freezing temperatures out I probably would have enjoyed it more.

Oh, Berlin, we parted too soon.

Berlin is a little rough around the edges, in a gritty, real kind of way, in a way that remembers its past but doesn't quite know its future. For being a capital city, I expected, perhaps, a bit more sophistication, pretentious sophistication. Pretentious it was not. Sophisticated it was in the international and intellectual sense, but not in the "look at all my fine china" Vienna sense.

In fact, there were a lot of things that reminded me of San Francisco in our visit to Berlin. And you may not know, dear reader, but San Francisco will always hold the trophy for my first city love.

Berliner Dom

East Side Gallery: an outdoor art exhibit that has been created over part of the Berlin Wall.

Walking around Berlin, I saw a lot of growth. It was in the roped off areas and construction sites. It was in the prevalence of babies and small children (especially in the neighborhood we stayed in). It was in the large crowds of tourists.

Berlin seemed to be blossoming,

and the energy I felt from being there was invigorating and unexpected.

There was so much more of Berlin that I did not get to see and I'm hopeful that one day I will be back to visit again.

Next up: Edinburgh

Europe Trip, Part III: Prague.

Prague, Czech Republic

{Warning Picture Overload!}

Prague welcomed us with open arms and freezing temperatures. We spent a lot of time walking around and it never even got up to 32F degrees the entire time we were there. No matter the cold weather, I enjoyed Prague's beauty. It's easy to feel miserable when you can't feel your toes and fingers, and your eyes are burning from the cold wind, but thankfully we had some sun that made it bearable and cozy cafes that offered sweet relief.

Prague Castle

We hit the ground running when we arrived from Vienna. A friend met us at the train station, we went back to her place and dropped our stuff, and then hightailed it up to the Castle only to find out that the indoor portions had already closed for the day. Closed castle or not, we took tons of pictures of the outdoor areas. The view of the city was incredible!

When our bodies could no longer take our outdoor wanderings, we made out way to Vytopna, a restaurant suggestion from Liz (friend we were staying with). And while warmth was not its strong suite (we were sat right near the entrance where the breeze would come in every time the door was opened), the food was delicious and abundant. The drinks are served by toy train and, yes, Micah's beer in the photo below is green.

Upon making our way back to where we were staying, we were exhausted but determined to enjoy more of the evening, our first night in our new city. We followed another of Liz' suggestions to Sudicka, close to home I might add because it was FREEZING.

The door opened low and I followed the steps down into the cave-like, cellar restaurant. It was filled with people, people toasting and people laughing and people relaxing. For a busy Saturday night & no reservation, we lucked out on the only table open, a table for 2. The walls were brick, the warmth was palpable, and the tables and chairs were wooden and worn. I was in love. The place I stepped into felt cozy, removed, and a touch magical.

The fact that our evening also consisted of beer/wine, tea, and desserts, all of which were incredible, just added to its charm. My wine was from Moravia, a cabernet sauvignon, my tea was chamomile, and my desserts (that I begrudgingly shared) were chocolate cake and cheesecake. To re-live this night again...I would do it in a heartbeat.

The next morning we were running a tad slow and ended up having to book it over to Old Town Square in order to join Sandemann's New World walking tour, a "free" tour that you decide at the end how much to tip your guide.

Three hours later I had seen lots of sites, heard a fair bit of Prague history, and felt quite proud that I had managed to survive hours in the bitter cold without abandoning ship in exchange for a warm cafe.

One of the unique aspects of our tour was actually some of the tourguide's research that she shared about Terezin, a fortress built by the Hapsburg monarchy that was converted into a concentration camp by the Nazis. There was a woman named Friedl Dicker-Brandeis that during the time she was imprisoned at Terezin, she provided art lessons to children and encouraged them to express their emotions through art. It was one of the early forms of art therapy by helping children cope with the horrors and fears of their lives in the camp. The Jewish Museum in Prague actually holds an exhibit of some of the artwork that was hid (by Friedl Dicker-Brandeis) and later found after the war. I would have loved to visit it, perhaps next time...

After touring around Prague, we crossed the Charles Bridge, where I rubbed the bronze plaque under the statute of St. John of Nepomuk. Legend says that if you rub the righthand side you will have good luck and you will return to Prague, and if you rub the other side you will have bad luck and never return to Prague!

These red doors reminded me of some of our wedding pictures that we took, so I suggested that we recreate the poses. :)

Finally, we hunkered down at Cafe Savoy for a couple hours to return our fingers and toes to normal temperatures. We shared some lentil soup and ate another piece of cheesecake (who knew Prague had such great cheesecake?!?)

Our second and final morning in Prague, we returned to the Castle to see the indoor, ticketed areas that we had missed on our first attempt. We went inside both St. Vitus Cathedral (pictured first) and St. George's Basillica (pictured second). The two had vastly different styles, as you can see below.

To sum up my Prague experience, I loved, loved, loved Sudicka. I found the city as a whole to be beautiful as it navigates the line between sticking with tradition and engaging international influences. It appeared that Prague is finding its own self apart from its rocky, changing history. I also really enjoyed seeing the city through other people's eyes (Liz and our tourguide, both of whom have been there awhile) because it gave me a slightly broader perspective.

Next up: Berlin

Europe Trip, Part II: Vienna.

Onward to Vienna, Austria!

Eager to see Vienna when we arrived, we devised a plan for dinner and dessert/coffee. Dinner was in the Stephensplatz area at a restaurant called Figlmueller, famous for its wiener schnitzel. We got a table right away, even though it was crowded. We, of course, ordered the weiner schnitzel, which was huge and barely fit on the plate it was served on. For sides we got a mixed salad and browned potatoes.

After, we walked a few blocks over to Cafe Halwelka, a Viennese coffeehouse that opened in 1939. We ordered coffee with whipped cream and an apfelstrudel to share. The coffee was dark and creamy, slightly bitter, but perfect when paired with the sweetness of the apple strudel. But what I enjoyed most was the casual, unhurried tempo, which allowed us to linger long after our coffee, dessert, and water were finished.

The next morning we went back to Stephensplatz to see St. Stephen's Cathedral. Exiting out of the metro, the cathedral towers above. The inside is rather dark, even though there are numerous windows and stained glass. It is incredibly detailed, particularly impressive given it was built in 1160!

We walked over to Le Bol, a French cafe, for breakfast. It was an internet find I had looked at the previous day. From what we could tell, it was a pretty local crowd. People seemed to be meeting up with friends and colleagues for a leisurely breakfast. A bowl of fruit and yogurt, a croissant, a cappuccino, and a glass of water later and I was satisfied and ready to explore.

One of the only things on our itinerary for Vienna was going to the Hofburg Palace. We had decided to spend our time in Vienna a little more spontaneously, therefore not much was planned out beforehand. A ticket to the Hofburg Palace admits you to the Imperial Silver Collection, the Sissi Museum, and the Imperial Apartments.

The Silver Collection is ridiculously big and encompasses the Hapsburgs various dining services and centerpieces. One set was commissioned for this, another for that, one was commissioned and never used and one was commissioned for journeys alone, etc. Interesting tidbit, some of the royal dinnerware is still used for state functions, so at least it does more than sit in glass cases!

Micah acting all royal-like.

Chocolate and coffee are two things Vienna is famous for doing well. The wall below is from a chocolate shop called Xocolat. Not only did this place produce their own chocolate goods, but they also gathered and sold chocolate from all over (although I didn't see any from the U.S., Hershey's anyone?).

We also went to Cafe Central, another Viennese coffeehouse. However, I would recommend steering clear of this tourist trap. The space is nice, large, curved ceiling and marble columns. It's fancy alright, but very touristy. Stick to Cafe Hawelka, it is much superior.

We then randomly decided to go to the Vienna Ferris Wheel and take a ride. Micah enjoys being able to have a grasp on the layout of a city and I swallowed my fear of heights to not only go but to suggest it.

We did get some great views of the city, that is when I was not practicing breathing relaxation techniques because the kids that were in our car enjoyed running from one side of the car to the other to have it swing back and forth.

Vienna was beautiful and elegant. It was communal and reflective. In the day and a half I was in Vienna, I drank coffee four times (two coffeehouses, once for breakfast, and once for a nightcap at a bar). Each time a little glass of water was served with it. To me, this tradition speaks of hospitality and offers the encouragement to stay a little while. As with dining experiences in Europe, customers aren't pestered to leave. Customers ask to leave instead of the other way around. And in this atmosphere, community is created and fostered. Experiences such as these seem to be more than just eating food or drinking coffee, there is an element of enjoyment in shared time and space with others.

Next: Prague!

Europe Trip, Part I: Budapest.

Well, I did it! I checked off the very first number of my 30 by 30 list: Travel to Europe!

Micah and I visited 5 countries (they were Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, and Scotland) in 2 weeks. Since we took about 1500 pictures and saw and did so much, I've decided to break down our adventures by country, and for all but one country we visited only one city in each.

So, let's start back at the beginning of our trip, which takes us to Budapest, Hungary.

We arrived in Budapest on very little sleep, but that did not deter us from getting out and seeing some sights that first afternoon/evening. Lucky for us, we had received a very detailed itinerary from Lauren of what to see and do in Budapest and we tried to stick to it!

We were staying in the Parliament district, so our very first sight was the Parliament building. It is located on the Danube River, which we then walked along to cross the Chain Bridge. The Chain Bridge connects the Buda and Pest sides of the city.

We then took the funicular up to the Castle district, which offers insanely beautiful panoramas of Pest. The view from the top was expansive, far bigger than I had expected.

After grabbing something warm to drink, we continued our walk to Fisherman's Bastion. I was completely unprepared for the beauty of sun setting over Budapest. It was incredible! Micah and I later agreed that it was one of the highlights of our time there.

We woke up pretty early the next morning and our day was full of Budapest experiences. We walked past St. Stephen's Cathedral, although we did not stop in and see St. Stephen's shriveled hand.

Breakfast was at Alexandra Bookstore Cafe and we got there right when it opened and pretty much had our pick of tables. This was my second favorite thing that we did in Budapest. The coffeehouse was a big, open room. The ceiling was ornate and the light bounced off the gold coloring. Two large chandeliers hung on each side of the room. Morning light streamed through the almost floor to ceiling windows. We enjoyed good coffee, the best croissants, and split a traditional hungarian cake which was layered with walnuts and cream.

Next on our itinerary was Terror House, a museum dedicated to remembering the tragic double occupation of Hungary by Nazi Germany and communist Soviet Union. The location of the museum was actually a prison/torture/killing headquarters under both occupations.

Each room is creatively constructed and designed to provide both context of the time period and witness to the atrocities that occurred. It is an incredibly well done museum and I would highly recommend it.

Moving on from the Terror House, we walked to Heroes Square

and then to Széchenyi Thermal Bath. Before going into the bathhouse, our hungry tourist stomachs led us astray and we got duped into buying a terribly stale and overpriced pretzel. Good thing we quickly followed that up with splitting a huge lángos.

I was a little concerned/anxious about going to the Bathhouse. I wanted to go because I had read good reviews about it and Lauren recommended it, but I hate not knowing protocol and the Bathhouse seemed like a recipe for not knowing what to do and how to do it. But once I stepped into the hot water, soaking my tired feet and jet lagged body, I was sold. Not many cities have a local experience so oriented to relaxation, so it was nice to join in and not feel as though I was taking away from other must-see tourist sites.

Afterwards we bought our train tickets to Vienna for the next day and walked to the Jewish Quarter. It was almost dark when we got there, so we didn't see much of the large synagogue. We did manage to find Printa (a local shop Lauren suggested) and buy some postcards, and then had dinner at Kloeves (another Lauren suggestion)! We finished off the night at Szimpla (you can probably guess who we got the recommendation from), a hip bar with tons of space, live music, and a girl selling carrots in a bowl. We were most definitely confused/intrigued by the carrots, and it was one of those times that I really wished I had spoken Hungarian to be able to ask.

Our last morning, we went to á table, a french cafe that we had passed the first night near the place we were staying. It was the BEST breakfast of the entire trip! I had a slice of quiche, served with a tiny side salad, and it was amazing. Seriously, I would venture back to Budapest for this quiche alone.

Stay tuned for Vienna, coming up next!