Berlin has a very different feel than that of other European cities. It’s a unique spot that has become a melting pot of people, cultures, and beliefs. I was surprised by the differences that still exist between East and West Berlin. The amount of history here could fill volumes of books. Stories from the lives of its people would fill even more. Luckily, we were able to experience a number of unique spots as we walked the streets.

It felt like we were really able to dig below the touristy shell in Berlin because we stayed with Colleen’s cousin, Katie, and her husband Juan. They are impeccable hosts and we have some incredible memories to take with us not to mention a bunch of laughs. Visiting with friends and family makes any stop that much sweeter. I know we would have missed out on so much the city had to offer if we just came through and stayed at a hotel.

Our room at the Hotel Neruda. Located just below Prague Castle this hotel has a great atmosphere and modern vibe. It was a fun little change from most of the hotels we stayed at. Luckily it was reasonably priced unlike a certain spot in Rorschach, Switzerland.

It was a refreshing stop at this point in our trip and especially after a very full day of walking.

Luckily we had time this morning to stroll through some other parts of Prague. We caught a few more sites then began our drive towards Berlin. It was a pleasant drive and the scenery was great until the highway just ended. So we put our trust in Sean the GPS and drove on. There are a couple shots while we were between major roads. Apparently this is the way to go when traveling from Prague to Berlin. I was initially concerned at the route we took, fitting more than one car on the road at a time proved difficult, but after a few exciting minutes we were directed to the highway which started again as abruptly as it had stopped.

That evening we arrived in Berlin and found cousin Katie and Juan’s apartment with surprising ease. It’s good to see familiar faces.

Hurricane->Tropical Storm->Tropical Depression->Big fat nothing Bonnie rolled through town and didn’t bring any rain. It did bring magnificently clear skies and “Simpsons Clouds” according to one unnamed individual. I unfortunately don’t have a picture of said clouds but I’m sure you can imagine it. Maybe.

Its been very hot for a couple months and the garden has seen some changes. The heat is hard on the plants and I’d imagine it’s affecting their output. I water just about everyday but it still seems like they are thirsty. That said there have been some successes. There were a good number of tomatoes and a couple bell peppers. I tried some potatoes and onions just to see if they’d grow – they didn’t. Everything else has done respectable except the zucchini but that was due to bugs. These fruits/vegetables are some of the successes. In about 2-3 months when we get cooler weather I may try some new varieties. Until then I’ll be sweating and harvesting what I can.

In Prague we stayed at Hotel Neruda. I decided to go for the upgraded room and wasn’t disappointed. Getting to our room was an adventure. It wasn’t a problem with the number doors like we have at the office, it was the sheer variety we encountered on the way there. Starting in the lobby you go up a few steps then take the elevator up to the second floor. Go straight out of the elevator, hang a left about halfway down, walk through the next hallway, up a few stairs, follow the hallway as it curves around to the left, turn left at the next intersection, follow curved the staircase downstairs and there’s our room.

It was actually quite neat to see how it all connected. The design and style also changed as we weaved from one area to another then to a completely different one. The hotel had expanded and bought the building right next door so I can imagine try to connect the two was an interesting problem. I probably missed a few pictures along the journey, but you get the idea.

Our sweet rental car in Europe, the Renault Megane. We drove around 3000km (1865mi) through 4 countries and managed to keep it in one piece. We were assisted by a GPS unit we named Sean. He had an Irish accent and was much more pleasant than the British chap who we had at first.

Got this baby up to 188 km/h (118 mph).

We woke up in the delightful town of Ceský Krumlov, Czech Republic. Yesterday we saw some of the town while hunting for some dinner. Today we enjoyed the atmosphere of this beautiful medieval town. We made it up to the castle and explored some of the smaller streets and shops. Around lunchtime we headed out to Prague. It was just in time, everyone was heading into Ceský Krumlov for the weekend.

Prague is a great city. Like most of the stops we made it was hard to really see everything in such a short time. Luckily we arrived in Prague early enough to really get a good look around. St. Vitus cathedral inside the Prague Castle is stunning. It felt like we walked 20 miles but it was a bunch of fun. That evening we found a great Italian place, grabbed some gelato, and strolled on the Charles Bridge enjoying the cool air.

There were some ominous looking clouds around while I was cutting the grass. Luckily they also make pretty pictures.

We spent most of our day hiking through Vienna. Neither one of us feel like we really got to know the city well even though we spent a couple hours driving through it the previous evening. In the morning we took a quick tour of the opera house followed by St. Stephens cathedral. The views from atop the bell tower are great. The tower elevator is a small round capsule which six people get stuffed into. The best part is the operator is also the ticket agent so you buy your tickets on the way up.

Our last stop in Vienna was Schönbrunn Palace. A very nice palace complex with a ridiculously large garden surrounding it. There are numerous statues, fountains, a rose garden, and the world’s oldest zoo. After we exhausting ourselves walking around for most of the day we got back to our car and headed towards the Czech Republic.