Praha, Gateway to Eastern Europe

I must say, Prague is a pretty cool city. All the buildings look like something out of a fairy tale, and the population is international and cosmopolitan. A very compelling advertisement for Eastern Europe.

My bro came to visit, and we kicked off the week with a few days in the Czech Republic, which was better than I anticipated. It's hard to explain the feeling, but for some reason I felt more at ease there than I do some days in Germany...

We checked out all the major tourist and sight-seeing attractions: the St. Charles Bridge (which got progressively more and more choked with pedestrians as the day wore on), the Mala Strana neighborhood, Petrin Hill, and Prague Castle.

 

On the eastern side of the river, we visited the Old Town, the under-construction Astronomical Clock in the Rathaus, and the old Jewish Quarters.

We ate some Trdlo confections, sampled beers, and I was very excited to have company that wanted to eat at vegan restaurants, so we tried out Vegan's Prague and Estrella, which were both awesome veggie places. (We didn't go to the above-pictured Hard Rock Cafe, I just thought it was a hilarious juxtaposition of Old Town architecture and new-world kitsch.)

And for extra touristy fun, we checked out a black light theater production (Afrikania) and zorbing on the Vltava. Nice weather, nice city, nice price, 5 stars.

Berlin is a Male

Berlino is the Italian version of Berlin's name, and I wondered how one can tell whether a city is male or female. Putting this question to the test over a weekend trip, I got a few clues. (All-night-döner, the omnipresent 24/7 corner Spätis, and ashtrays built into the walls in club bathrooms are just a few ideas that come to mind.) But I also saw some interesting and/or nice things.

An old, abandoned amusement park, complete with a small train system around the border; not sure what this weird spider-looking pavilion was, but maybe part of a ride.

The Insel with water access and festival-type foods

Flower wreaths in Treptower Park commemorating Soviet efforts to free Berlin in WWII

(I happened to be there May 10, the day after Victory Day)

Soviet soldier rescuing a German child and crushing a swastika

Abandoned train cars and old train station... exactly the post-industrial, apocalyptic look I'd hope for in Berlin

Reichstag German parliament building

The popular tourist spot, Brandenburg Tor

Hotel Adlon, where Michael Jackson infamously held his baby over the balcony 

(on the far right, actual room just out of the picture)

Fashion for the large (or exxxxtreeeemmmmeeely large) man

Ashtray built into the bathroom stall wall