Today, we woke fairly early to drive to Nuremberg. We helped Becky get the kids off to school and then we hit the road in their new sweet ride. It was a dreary, rainy sort of day. Evidently, we had brought the rain with us; before us it had been hot sun and shiny days. The trip went quickly bringing us past grassy hills and quaint houses.
Our first stop was the Nazi Rally/ Documentation Center and Museum. Also known as Reichsparteitagsgelande. say what?
It was fascinating. It wasn't a Holocaust Museum, but a Center that documented how the Nazi party actually came to power, how they bamboozled everyone (literally), and how they implemented their actions on Europe. Truly horrifying, but yes, fascinating. Dusty was riveted. I hope he isn't getting any ideas about dictatorship. :)
Becky drove us into downtown Nuremberg. She wanted to show us the little castle in the center of the old part of town.
As we got closer and closer, we decided it wouldn't be happening. It started to hail! We did get lost for a minute in all the microscopic streets, but Becky found her way out. Don't those clouds look ominous?
This large wall on the left is the old wall that originally surrounded the city. The old town center is in the middle of it.
During a lull in the storm, we got out of the car and checked out the town square. I love how each village/city has a place to gather and celebrate.
This is a unique church in the corner of the square.
We wandered a minute around the stalls. We weren't in the market for any produce today, but it was fun to see the selection. In the winter, this is where the famous Christmas Market is located. I would love to come see it sometime.
This was a particularly cool fountain. It must be repainted often. It wasn't on today, but maybe turns on in the summer?
Soon it was time to return home so we could be there when the kids arrived from school. We enjoyed a little more down time; I caught up on my journal, Dusty and Becky chatted. Becky told us about her experiences living in Germany and where they had already been to visit in Europe-- a lot of amazing places.
Eventually Ben got home from work and we packed up the car to drive to our next destination. Prague! Becky had planned on coming, and had sitters lined up for the kids, but her baby was sick and she didn't feel like it would be nice to drag her around a foreign country. We were very disappointed that she couldn't come with us, but we know how it is to make those hard/best decisions for your kids.
The Czech Republic is about an hour east from where Ben and Becky live. We hopped onto the autobahn and zoomed away. (Dusty got a chance to drive on it, he was so excited) It's crazy to see little Audis and BMW's breeze past you when you are already going over 100 mph.
The gray skies had evaporated, and we were left with stunning views like this.
We could tell when the we had crossed border lines because the autobahn disappeared. We had to slow down and suddenly the signs looked even more impossibly foreign. Sorry, but Czech makes absolutely no sense to me.
After about another hour and a half of driving we arrived in Prague. With Ben's GPS we had no trouble finding our hotel. Becky had reserved it before we left and it was a great place to stay-- Hotel Vaha Zlata. This is a look at the street in front of the hotel.
After getting all checked in and settling into our rooms, we needed to find a place to park the car. The concierge told us there was a parking garage near the train station. It took us a minute to find it, but find it we did. Then, we set out on foot towards the Old Town Square. It was getting to be twilight and so very lovely. Twilight is my very favorite time of day.
We passed lots of amazing looking buildings. Prague does night lighting fabulously. Everything sparkles and shines.
I believe this is the Powder Tower. A great building, no?
We began to get hungry and started hunting for a good place to eat. We didn't want to settle for just anything and passed over a Steakhouse, an Italian joint, even a yummy looking Mexican place. Finally we stumbled upon some authentic Czech food.
I ordered the trout "cooked in the miller's style". It was very good.
I can't really tell you what Dusty ordered, but it was a plate loaded with all sorts of meats and other things. Also very good. Ben had pork, I think, with cabbage and potatoes.
After eating, we walked into the Old Town Square. Here is the statue of Jan Hus. He was years ahead of Martin Luther, and tried to convince the people that not all was rosy in Rome.
A wide view of the square. It's such a great city at night!
We walked about halfway across St. Charles Bridge. Over on the other side are the castles. You can't see them well in the picture, but look at Prague! Such a jewel.
Isn't this where the first Mission Impossible scenes take place? Just wondering. . .
The city was amazing, but we were tired and decided to walk back the hotel and get to sleep. Prague is very walkable and we didn't have any trouble getting around with just our feet.
Our first stop was the Nazi Rally/ Documentation Center and Museum. Also known as Reichsparteitagsgelande. say what?
It was fascinating. It wasn't a Holocaust Museum, but a Center that documented how the Nazi party actually came to power, how they bamboozled everyone (literally), and how they implemented their actions on Europe. Truly horrifying, but yes, fascinating. Dusty was riveted. I hope he isn't getting any ideas about dictatorship. :)
Becky drove us into downtown Nuremberg. She wanted to show us the little castle in the center of the old part of town.
As we got closer and closer, we decided it wouldn't be happening. It started to hail! We did get lost for a minute in all the microscopic streets, but Becky found her way out. Don't those clouds look ominous?
This large wall on the left is the old wall that originally surrounded the city. The old town center is in the middle of it.
During a lull in the storm, we got out of the car and checked out the town square. I love how each village/city has a place to gather and celebrate.
This is a unique church in the corner of the square.
We wandered a minute around the stalls. We weren't in the market for any produce today, but it was fun to see the selection. In the winter, this is where the famous Christmas Market is located. I would love to come see it sometime.
This was a particularly cool fountain. It must be repainted often. It wasn't on today, but maybe turns on in the summer?
Soon it was time to return home so we could be there when the kids arrived from school. We enjoyed a little more down time; I caught up on my journal, Dusty and Becky chatted. Becky told us about her experiences living in Germany and where they had already been to visit in Europe-- a lot of amazing places.
Eventually Ben got home from work and we packed up the car to drive to our next destination. Prague! Becky had planned on coming, and had sitters lined up for the kids, but her baby was sick and she didn't feel like it would be nice to drag her around a foreign country. We were very disappointed that she couldn't come with us, but we know how it is to make those hard/best decisions for your kids.
The Czech Republic is about an hour east from where Ben and Becky live. We hopped onto the autobahn and zoomed away. (Dusty got a chance to drive on it, he was so excited) It's crazy to see little Audis and BMW's breeze past you when you are already going over 100 mph.
The gray skies had evaporated, and we were left with stunning views like this.
We could tell when the we had crossed border lines because the autobahn disappeared. We had to slow down and suddenly the signs looked even more impossibly foreign. Sorry, but Czech makes absolutely no sense to me.
After about another hour and a half of driving we arrived in Prague. With Ben's GPS we had no trouble finding our hotel. Becky had reserved it before we left and it was a great place to stay-- Hotel Vaha Zlata. This is a look at the street in front of the hotel.
After getting all checked in and settling into our rooms, we needed to find a place to park the car. The concierge told us there was a parking garage near the train station. It took us a minute to find it, but find it we did. Then, we set out on foot towards the Old Town Square. It was getting to be twilight and so very lovely. Twilight is my very favorite time of day.
We passed lots of amazing looking buildings. Prague does night lighting fabulously. Everything sparkles and shines.
I believe this is the Powder Tower. A great building, no?
We began to get hungry and started hunting for a good place to eat. We didn't want to settle for just anything and passed over a Steakhouse, an Italian joint, even a yummy looking Mexican place. Finally we stumbled upon some authentic Czech food.
I ordered the trout "cooked in the miller's style". It was very good.
I can't really tell you what Dusty ordered, but it was a plate loaded with all sorts of meats and other things. Also very good. Ben had pork, I think, with cabbage and potatoes.
After eating, we walked into the Old Town Square. Here is the statue of Jan Hus. He was years ahead of Martin Luther, and tried to convince the people that not all was rosy in Rome.
A wide view of the square. It's such a great city at night!
We walked about halfway across St. Charles Bridge. Over on the other side are the castles. You can't see them well in the picture, but look at Prague! Such a jewel.
Isn't this where the first Mission Impossible scenes take place? Just wondering. . .
The city was amazing, but we were tired and decided to walk back the hotel and get to sleep. Prague is very walkable and we didn't have any trouble getting around with just our feet.
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