We arrived in Děčín around mid day, chowed down on some home made strudel Marush had waiting and headed off for a hike. Pavel (senior) gave us 2 choices for our hike. Short and steep or long and flat.

Half way up the hill from where we parked and it seemed like Short and Steep was not so bad. After all, the watchtower at the top of the hill was visible after only 30 minutes…

30 minutes later we were up top chomping on some grapes and enjoying the view.

Then Pavel pointed out the next tower, down the ridge and then up another peak, about equal to the first. Great! An hour later we were enjoying similar views from the second tower – including views back to the first tower.

As we gathered our things, Pavel told us one more tower.  No problem!

Another 45 minutes after a steep assent we came to a bit of a peak and could see the last tower… over yonder!

This third tower was accessed by climbing a series of iron ladders and railings. The view from there back to Tower #2:

Downhill and looping around along the ridges we made our way down and back to the car. Supposedly only 6km total, but with quite a bit up and down.

On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at an old palace with a view across the river to the whole town.

Back at the house, Marush had goulash and dumplings and pasta along with freshly picked tomatoes and half sour pickles. The rest of the trip, despite many attempts, Lethy never found a better goulash!

After dinner we made the drive to Česká Lípa were we stayed one night at a very poorly designed and oddly furnished hotel. Lethy and I had to go through a restaurant and a pizza area, up a flight of stairs with no lights to our room. The next morning we hit the road early towards Prague.

All pictures of Děčín can be found here.

Dresden Day 1.

The next morning we made our way out of Berlin and over to Dresden.

Dresden’s tourist area really only consists of a few block radius from the Frauenkirche (old Protestant church) to the Hofkirche (old catholic church) and Zwinger (palace turned museum) up against the Elbe. Everything was very nicely rebuilt within the past 5 years or so – new hotels, new restaurants, but even the more modern elements fit in nicely with the classic style of the old buildings.

We arrived just in time for a late lunch after which Mom, Lethy and I went for a walk to get the lay of the land.

As night approached we reconvened for a spectacular dinner in a newly opened restaurant nearby with a great courtyard.

Dresden Day 2.

The next morning up and out at 8 for what at first seemed like an overpriced breakfast that turned out great. Fresh fruits, jams and honey with croissants and rolls.

From there we crossed the square to the Frauenkirche. It had been almost completely destroyed in WWII and was just finally rebuilt and reopened.

Then we went down the alley with the large mural showing pictures of the various benefactors of the city and poked our heads into the Hofkirche. The difference in styles was immediately obvious. I did find the modern sculpture depicting 3 souls (Purgatory ascension, condemnation left to right) in the left side chapel to be odd.

From there we headed towards the Zwinger. Parked out in front was a Trabant limo. For those not familiar, Trabant was an East German car, renowned for its… crapitude. Mom was determined to have her picture taken with it, alas she came up short.

The Zwinger grounds were still under quite a bit of reconstruction and repairs. Some areas were closed off completely while others had the statues missing as they were being cleaned (from fire damage in 1945).

After walking about, we went inside the armory where I learned 2 things:

1. Just because you see a reflection with your eye, does not mean it will come out (or look cool) in a photo.

2. No pictures allowed inside the armory!

From there we headed to a group of 6 other exhibits including medieval science instruments, coins, and more… but alas it was closed. We drowned our miseries in lunch and pastries.

Yes, they were as good as they looked. Before heading back to the Zwinger, we made a dinner reservation. In the afternoon we went through the gallery at the Zwinger, but Dad and I had to leave early for a conference call.

Back at the restaurant…

Yum. Lethy and I decided to walk some of it off…

Lethy found a cool ride!

The next morning we would be packing up and heading to Decin and then on to Ceska Lipa as we made our way to Prague. All Dresden photos can be found here.

Lethy, myself, my Mom and my Dad just got back from a whirlwind tour through Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Pilsen and a few small stops in between.

First off, we flew out overnight, but it was first class. We are now eternally spoiled and future long range endeavors will seem barbaric in comparison I’m sure. The morning we landed we checked in and immediately hit the pavement, lest we get tired and lazy and succumb to jet lag.

Of course there is only one way to truly enter Berlin and that is through the Brandenburg Gate.

The white tents were being set up for some hush-hush ceremony. I don’t think we ever found out for certain what took place.

From there we walked a few blocks to the Reichstag – now called the Bundestag.

The line seemed harmless enough, but apparently tour groups get to cut the entire line and therefore we would stand still for lengthy periods. The line took almost 3 hours. Once inside however, the architecture of the rebuilt German parliament house was quite interesting. The facade may still seem “old world” but the inside is completely redone. The glass dome in the center also serves to facilitate various “green technologies” for both temperature control (via vents causing various circulation techniques)  and lighting (using many mirrors dispersing light into the main chambers below).

The audio guide used RFID’s activated by plates in the floor to point out various buildings on the skyline as we ascended and descended the dome. Very nicely done and a great way to get a lay of the land in a new city.

After a completely unspectacular lunch we went back to the hotel (2nd room was ready) and then over to Check Point Charley.

The surrounding area was still being rejuvenated but the information on the bill-boarding around the empty lot across the street really set up the importance of the place nicely.

We had dinner a block or two from the hotel and it was fantastic, capped off by some great desserts.

Day 2 in Berlin would begin with Lethy, Mom and myself hurrying off to the Pergamon museum. For those not familiar with it, it’s basically a museum with the facades of several famous ancient buildings, most notably much of the Pergamon Altar.

Also of note, the gates of Babylon:

The current temporary exhibit was one about how ancient statues were likely painted. Honestly, they look better unpainted.

We had to hurry through at the end. That afternoon we had a boat tour of Berlin…

Followed by a traditional royal dinner at Schloss Charlottenburg…

With a live opera night cap…

Certainly not the best opera you’d ever see, but a nice taste of what its like. Lethy found it quite relaxing!

Day 3 in Berlin we made a bee-line for the New Museum.

A little chaos ensued inside, but the collection there of Egyptian artifacts was great – highlighted by the famous bust of Nefertiti- and according to Lethy the top floor’s Caveman exhibit was spectacular. My personal favorite was “Tired Jesus” in the Middle Ages exhibit. I couldn’t get a picture though as I was in a rush to find Lethy so we could go meet up with Dad.

The Berliner Dome gave Lethy her first taste of a European Church.

The audio guide was massive overkill details and froth with historical “liberties” in trying to keep things exciting. Regardless, the Dome itself and the view from it were great.

Afterward we had a very late lunch and then zipped through the “old” museum and its small collection on pre-Roman Italian peninsula art and then a small section on Roman statues.

The next day we would head for Dresden.

All pictures from the Berlin portion of the trip can be found here.