Day 18 - Seeing Prague in Style

July 16, 2014 - Czech Republic

Today we set out with a sightseeing agenda.  First off, Don and I went out in early am to see the bridge without the massive crowds. Very different atmosphere as we watched a lone fisherman out in his rowboat.

After searching out a breakfast spot we headed out to see the KGB Museum.  It was fairly interesting, but it was the owner who made the tour. He was certainly a staunch Russian who never left the Stalin era. You could see the patriotism and sadness that Mother Russia is no longer intact. No photos here.

Next, to offset the last tour, we visited the Vrtba Gardens.  Very structured and well kept. There were several steps to various levels. The top level provided a great panorama of Prague. Don made a stitched panorama photo to capture as much as possible.

After a refreshment break we were in search of the perfect vehicle to have a tour of Prague. Cory's treat!

Tomorrow we leave Prague behind and take a train to Vienna. This ride is 5 hours so I hope we aren't in the aisle again.

Day 16 and 17 - Train arrives in Prague

July 14, 2014 - Germany

Yesterday was spent getting to Prague by train. I had reserved some lovely seats with a table to have our train picnic and Cory had purchased some scrumptious looking salads at the station. The first indicator that this wasn't going to be a regular trip was that the train was going to be 35 minutes late.

Finally, waiting on the platform, our train rolls in and there is a mad dash when it didn't stop in the right spot. Rushing about, we couldn't see our carriage # to get on the right car. I asked a staff person and she said "There is no carriage 255, just find any seat."

Once we were on the train, we discovered that a whole car was indeed missing and the reservations were useless. We, and all the other unfortunate souls booked on that car, were unceremoniously stuck in the aisles, standing or sitting on our luggage for the 2-1/2 hour trip. Fantastic.

We were greeted by the private car I had booked thankfully, and the rest of the day went smooth.

July 15, 2014 - Czech Republic

Today we wandered around Old Town, Prague on the east side of the river. Our apartment was steps away from Charles Bridge, a world UNESCO site. Even better than the statues and great views were the performers and people watching. We will be coming back over the bridge early am tomorrow.

Although people we chatted with were enthralled with Prague, I must say we were underwhelmed with this city. We are enjoying what Don refers to as comfort food.

Cory considered the Segway Tour but decided against it in the end.

Day 15 - Dresden Sights and Sounds

July 13 - Germany

It was another morning on the Autobohn getting to Dresden. I certainly appreciated having a vehicle that couldn't go too fast as it is a little unnerving. We were going 160 km/hr in the slower lane and people were whipping by us.

The main sites we wanted to see here were the Zwinger Palace - the blog header pic is from here - and the Procession of Princes mural. Along the walk to both, we took in how extreme the bombing damage from WW II was. Dresden has put in a lot of effort to restore it to its former glory and they have done a wonderful job. When you see darker stone, it is the original building. The lighter colour represents the restoration.

The Procession of Princes Mural was 394 ft long and showed the Princes from 1100's to late 1600's.

The Zwinger Palace grounds were just as beautiful as the picture I saw. The Nymph's Bath was full of very intricate statues and sculptures.

Today ends the Germany portion of the trip and tomorrow we head to Prague. Not knowing if we would get a chance to see any symphonies in Prague or Vienna, we chose to buy some last minute tickets to a Galakonzerte by the Dresden Zwingers at the Dresden Zwinger Palace. As Cory so aptly stated "We started and ended Germany on a good note".

After dinner we headed back to the hostel and enjoyed watching Germany win the World Cup. Quite the commotion.

Day 14 - Onward to Selbitz

July 12, 2014 - Germany

We spent the early day exploring Rothenburg some more. We walked part of the perimeter and in the end, found Hell. This restaurant was named in medieval times because that part of the wall was closed in and therefore very dark. The superstitious folk hated the dark and aptly named the restaurant The Restaurant in Hell, or Mittelalterliche Trinkftube Zur Holl. (Sorry, I don't have special characters handy. The O should have two dots over it.

The most interesting part was that it is still home to over 6000 people. We found one home that obviously had not been restored, but the backyard (shared with three others as a courtyard) was immaculate.

When done there, we carried on to Selbitz. This is a small town close to the Czech border, but still classed as south Germany. As we moved east, the changes were evident. The houses were more farm oriented and would accommodate very large families.

Gasthaus Napoleon in Selbitz opened in 1647 and has been run by the same family since then. Due to language barriers I couldn't ask about its name, as Napoleon wasn't around until early 1800's. We were handed our room key and wondered how to carry it around in a pocket.

Day 13 - Rothenburg ob der Tauber

July 11, 2014 - Germany

In the early a.m. I was sitting in the breakfast room catching up on work as it was a payroll day. I looked out the window and saw the misty hills greeting me.  

Much better on the soul than the traffic jam we ended up in on the autobahn on our way to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.  We were basically at a standstill for two hours.

We finally made it to Rothenburg, a medieval city that has been maintained throughout the centuries. This is the view from our room.

Our first stop was dinner at the pub after checking in to our room above. Three flights up on the top floor right in the middle of old town. Cory and I are in search of a sauerkraut to match the great flavour found at the Crowsnest Restaurant in Cawston, BC. So far no luck.

We chose to go on the Nightwatchmen's walking tour in the evening. This man is very entertaining and so informative at the same time. During the tour the sun came out at just the right time to showcase a portion of the city.

Day 12 - Black Forest Mystery

July 10, 2014 - Germany

After leaving Wolfach we headed toward our room for the night in Bad Peterstal. It was a misty, moody drive through the thickest parts of the forest. Don also chose a very secondary road to add to the experience. 

After checking in and grabbing a pub meal we searched for a place to walk off dinner. Lo and behold, off on a side road past a factory was a road up into the forest. Here, we soaked in some much needed fresh air and nature.

Day 12 - Schiltach and Wolfach

July 10, 2014 - Germany

Today was a day of visiting the old villages between Triberg and Bad Peterstal. It was like stepping back in time as we walked through the streets of Schiltach. The best part of this village was the small cafe we heard of on a blog talking about a foodie adventure in Germany. He was right; this was the best Black Forest cake.

Our next stop was Wolfach, and at first glance I didn't know why I chose this town. Thank goodness we needed a bakery for more sandwich bread or we would have missed the enormous pretzel and a walk along the river through town.

Day 11 - Neuschwanstein Castle & Triberg

July 9, 2014 - Germany

After a fine German continental breakfast we checked out of our rooms at the Schlossrestaurant Neuschwanstein and toured Neuschwanstein Castle and took in the view of the town below where the father's castle stands above but below his son's.

Then we drove west past Lake Constance onto Triberg in the Black Forest.  Not the best weather for sightseeing as we had scattered showers most of the time but it did keep Don from getting too carried away on the Autobahn

After checking in at the Hotel Café Adler in Triberg we had our first authentic dinner across the street  and then walked up to Germany's highest falls, Triberger Wasserfälle.

Tomorrow we'll be travelling through the Black Forest (Schwarzwald).

Day 10 - Travel Day to Germany

July 8, 2014 - Germany

It was an early morning to catch our flight from Paris to Munich. We are starting to get comfortable with the underground / metro / subway. The wording differs based on where you are.

On arrival in Munich, you could feel the difference in culture. Everything was orderly, very clean, and structured. This feels more like our style instead of France. The wheelchair service was impeccable here; we were greeted right at the plane and two young ladies took us all the way to the rental car desk.

At the desk we were upgraded for free to a diesel minivan with nav system. The upgrade included an automatic transmission so Don got a bit of a driving break.

The weather is grey and rainy and it looks like it is here for awhile. We checked into our room after doing a bit of grocery shopping for snacks, lunch stuff, and beer. The gasthaus we are staying in is older than the castle we are exploring. It was used for the workers that built the castle. It was great because we were right below the castle.

We had a picnic indoors for dinner. Both Cory and I hit the sack early as we were beat but Don went looking about and got pics of the castle all lit up as well as the castle and village across the valley.

This was the night that Germany beat Brazil 7-1 on their own turf in the semi-finals of the World Cup. Every time they scored you could hear the guests roar. We will still be in Germany for the final game next Sunday. Should be loads of fun.

Day 9 - Bad Taxi and Great Notre Dame

July 7 - France

Today we had a good old fashioned sleep-in after a late night walking around. By the time we got moving after brunch it was close to 3 pm our time (6 am PDT).

I was too beat to walk more so we hailed a taxi to Notre Dame. At least that is where we asked to go. We knew he was taking us for a ride, literally and figuratively, but we figured it was better to leave it be after he saw we took out our GPS and veered back in the direction we were supposed to go anyway. Lesson learned.

Notre Dame Cathedral was just as spectacular on the outside as it was inside.

I couldn't resist having a Nutella crepe to boost the system. It seems like anywhere we have travelled to, there is always something made with Nutella, my favorite spread.

Home to another French style picnic of sorts in our room as it is our last night in Paris.  I am packing up now for our flight in the morning to Munich, Germany.

Day 8 - Strolling by The Seine to the Eiffel Tower

July 6, 2014 - France

We started down along the banks of the Seine looking for a spot to picnic in view of the Eiffel Tower. With wine, baguette, Camembert, olives, and dessert in hand, a spot was chosen.

Onward to the Eiffel Tower where we waited for the light show while having a glass of wine.

On the walk back, Don was taking lots of photos with the beautiful lights flickering over the river, and at the end, The Louvre all lit up.