When in Prague...

Today is our last day in Prague, and Sheas last day of the trip! In the last week, we have been in Berlin and here, in the best city that I have been to!

Berlin was a lot of fun because it was so much different than the other places we have been. It is not as well known as a tourist destination, so we got to experience the real city, with real Germans everywhere. It is a busy place, but it also feels very laidback, and we got to relax a little more there, mostly in beer gardens. Except for the day that we got lost in the rain and walked for two straight hours through the city and a massive park to find a beer garden that was ultimately closed, we all had a blast experiencing a place with so much history and so much going on in the modern day. The city is very upfront with its history of WWII and the Holocaust, which was refreshing because they are clearly dedicated to making sure nothing like that could ever happen again. We wandered through the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe and toured countless museum exhibits about the horrors, and then stood on top of the bunker where Hitler took his life at the end of the war. The only thing there now is a parking lot because the Berliners refuse to commemorate him in any way. We actually stayed in East Berlin, so the city from that side seems pretty drab. But once you get over to the west side, it is just as beautiful as any city that we have been to!

After Berlin, we trained over to Prague, which has been a real highlight of the trip. I have always wanted to go here, so my expectations were pretty high. But on the first night, when we walked across the Charles Bridge at dusk, everything I hoped for was absolutely blown away because Prague is better than I ever imagined! It is undoubtedly the most beautiful city I have ever seen, and we have spent countless hours exploring cobblestone streets, castles, cathedrals, and the Vltava River, including two paddle boat sessions! It is also a great place for nightlife, and we went on a bar crawl with a 2.5 hour open bar...you can imagine how that went. All in all, we really do not want to leave because Prague has something for all of us. We have all found things that we really enjoyed touring, including the Prague Castle, Petrin Hill, a mirror maze for kids, an orthodox church where Czech resistance fighters hid out, and the most beautiful town square that any of us have ever seen. It will be sad to say goodbye, but according to legend, if you rub a certain bronze sculpture on the Charles Bridge, you will return to Prague during your lifetime. Shea, Elyse and I are already comparing schedules for the next ten years to find a time when we can come back together!

Now Shea is moving on to real life in New York, and the rest of us are on to Croatia and Italy. Elyse and I have a 16 hour bus-train-train journey to Zagreb tomorrow, but then we get to see the Plitvice Lakes )google it if you havent already seen how breathtaking it is!) It is getting really hot, and these Southern countries are going to be a whole new experience for our backpacking skills! Wish us luck!