Venice

The train ride from Munich to Venice, while long, was one of the most beautiful trips I have ever been on. In Germany, everything was green and lush, and there were waterfalls and the most amazing mountainsides I have ever seen. Immediately after we crossed the border into Italy, we saw more vineyards than I could have previously imagined. There were wine vineyards and sunflower fields growing as far as the eye can see. Here are a few pictures that I tried to take out the window of a high-speed train.

Venice was exactly how I pictured it, but much MUCH hotter. I know it is warm back in Texas, but you are constantly on the water in Venice. We had some amazing food and some not so great. It is incredibly touristy in Venice, but I think everyone should make the trip at least once.

Our new artist friend, Sebastien Salva. This guy was a tad bit schizo, but he was incredibly nice and talented. He spoke more than five languages, too! I am quite jealous.

Squid ink pasta! It is incredibly rich, and unlike anything I had previously tasted.

Munich

Munich has been one of the biggest surprises for us. We really did not know what to expect, nor did we have any conception of what to do in the city. However, from the second we arrived until the minute we left, we were busy. In fact, we were certainly not ready to leave when the time came. One interesting thing we noticed about Munich, at least while we were there: it rained like clockwork. During the day, we had perfect weather, but at 10:00 each night, a thunderstorm came around. It made for perfect sleeping weather after long days.

We visited the largest beergarten (beer garden) in the world while in Munich. Immediately adjacent is a deer preserve. It makes for good entertainment while sitting back and drinking 1.5-liter glasses.

At all of the beer gardens, we noticed that they enjoyed smoked mackerel. This is not served with a plate or anything; you eat it off of the skewer! Another treat Germans seem to love while enjoying a good beer: radishes.

We visited the Olympic Stadium, which is where the 1972 Summer Olympics and 1974 World Cup were held, and where major events continue to occur.

The Olympic Tower

We got locked in the Olympic Stadium Building!

A good view of the BMW building across from the Olympic Stadium.

A meal we bought from various vendors at the best outdoor market I have ever been to. It was absolutely incredible. We had to buy the sauerkraut in kilograms - I did not previously know what a kilo of sauerkraut looked like. Haha. Not bad for less than $2 though.

Europeans appear to be obsessed with clocks and bell towers. Many of their clocks, including this one, put on shows at the top of various hours throughout the day. Munich's was at 11, 12 and 5?

Prague

Prague is probably the most beautiful city I have ever been to in terms of architecture. It is funny that the locals do not understand why people visit for more than a day or two. They truly have no clue what they have. I suppose it has something to do with the circumstances under which they lived until recently. The entire country is still recovering from the clutches of Soviet Communism (though they actually chose to convert to the Communist model). 

The Czech currency - crowns or korunas. The current exchange rate is about 16 crowns for each US dollar. Thus, when we went out to eat, we might pay about 400 crowns for an incredible meal with drinks, which comes to about the equivalent of $25.

A tribute to Franz Kafka - the Czechs pay tribute to many people, but their two favorites are Franz Kafka and Michael Jackson!

 A few pictures of St. Vitus's Church and the castle. Sorry to bore you... These are just a few of probably over 100. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen.

Several of their churches were built in the Gothic style with 2 towers. If you look closely, you will notice that one is bigger than the other. They are symbolic of Adam and Eve. Guess which one is the bigger of the two? Yes, it is Eve.

It tells time clockwise and counterclockwise (for the Jewish people reading from right-to-left). It also has a zodiacal dial, which no longer works. There were statues on both sides of the clock, which stood for virtues and vices... It was quite interesting.

One of many synagogues in Prague. Lots of Jewish history there!!

When you see this symbol in Prague, it is in remembrance of a battle that took place. The Czechs were quite crafty when it came to fighting the Nazis and other invaders. Their stories are fantastic.

New town.

Traditional Czech food. Yum! Haha.

St. Charles's Bridge

John Lennon Memorial (at night)

The guards were quite terrible at keeping their composure. One of them was checking women out the whole time.

We had some of the most incredible food in Prague, including what I would consider the best meal of my life (yes, better than Italy), and it was "dirt cheap." We had some truly great experiences relaxing, but we also had some incredibly emotional and powerful experiences. In particular, we went to the Pinkas Synagogue, which contains a memorial to the 80,000 Jews from Bohemia and Moravia who were victims of the Holocaust. Out of respect, we did not take any pictures, but imagine 80,000 names on the walls belonging to people who were senselessly murdered. Hitler loved Prague so much that he was going to make it the "Paris" of his empire, complete with a museum to commemorate the genocide he committed. On the top floor of the Pinkas Synagogue, there were hundreds of drawings created by Jewish children during the Holocaust. One woman used forms of art therapy for the children in turbulent times (many were shipped to concentration camps never to return), and buried the drawings in the ground. You could not walk out of that room without crying.