September 2008

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."
- Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

It's hard to believe that another summer has come to an end but it's true. We've been looking forward to Dad and Kathy's trip since spring and hoped that two weeks would be enough time to give them a proper tour of 3 or 4 major cities in central Europe. Originally we were thinking of taking them to see Vienna, Budapest and Krakow but Berlin's draw was just too much for Dad to pass up.

I can't say I blame him, Berlin is one of my favorite cities in the world. It offers so much more than just WWII and Cold War history, although those are great to experience, and it's citizens offer up such an intoxicating mix of contrasting cultures and lifestyles that always keeps me wanting more with every visit.

Vienna is a special place as well. It offers a lot of attractions, the Habsburg palaces, the state opera house and other classical music venues, and who could forget the world-class art museums. Our friend Benjamin once said, "visit Berlin for the people (and food); visit Vienna for the architecture (and coffee)." He's right on both accounts.

At the end of the two weeks, I asked Dad and Kathy which city they liked best. Their answer: Prague. Enough said. I love my home town.

Until next month,

-Britt

We're here! The dynamic duo finally stopped by our home town for two weeks of sightseeing, trains, birthdays, and toddler fun.

Wow, that's big! St. Vitus cathedral is a must see.

Happy couple with Mala Strana, Vltava river and Charles Bridge below.

Taking a break at Walenstein Gardens. Lolo looks like she needs a nap.

Papa Bob likes to take swinging to the extreme. In fact, he takes playground time pretty seriously...his inner 3-year old comes out and sometimes you'll catch him going down slides, laying under the swing as Lolo goes by, and goofing off in general. Lolo loved it of course.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
We waited while Papa Bob and Grandma Kathy hiked all the way up the to of the clock tower above Old Town Square and snapped a bunch of photos.

It's fun for those who have seen the astronomical clock a thousand times to watch the tourists go crazy as the clock strikes the top of the hour. Snap, snap, click, click, ooh, aah.

That 4.5 hour train ride to Berlin felt like 10 hours, not because of Lolo--she was an angel, because we did it with *no* air conditioning! We couldn't even get the conductor to open a freakin' window. That was one hot, miserable train ride...luckily the destination was so much fun we ended up staying for a few days.

The white kitty brings Papa Bob comfort, he doesn't know why.

We met up with our old pals Benji and Karin at a wonderful Thai restaurant in Kreuzberg, near our flat. I wish Prague had Thai restaurants as good as Berlin's.

The Pergamon Museum is a must see and hosts an enormous amount of archaeological treasures from Greek and Roman antiquity, as well as Islamic art and middle eastern artifacts. Shown here is the Pergamon Altar from the 2nd century BC.

The Ishtar Gate is mind-blowing! It's hard to believe that something so old still exists (in part) for us to enjoy. The gate, being part of the Walls of Babylon, was once considered one of the Seven Wonders of the world. It was constructed around 575 BC and was one of many gates leading to the inner city of Babylon.

Berliner Dom with the Fernsehturm (tv tower) behind.

Whatever you do, don't push the yellow & red button!

Oh look, Papa. Ponies!

Papa Bob and Lolo at Brandenburg Gate.

What's next on the agenda, Papa Bob?