Czech Republic

I get excited whenever I see different cellphone companies on  my phone. That simply means that I am in a new country!

Czech's beautiful architecture...

My mummy freaked me out a little about the trains in Eastern Europe, especially for a lonely traveller like me. I wanted to stay safe throughout my trip, so I took the day train from Berlin to Czech Republic. Man, it was expensive. Unlike those Europe backpackers travelling around with their Europass that cost a little over 400 euros for a month or so, I opted to travel the local way. So, I bought the ticket for 61 Euros (yes, I cried a little while paying for it) and proceeded to board my train. Czech, here I come!

The moment I arrived at the hostel in Czech, I threw down my bag and headed towards Petrin Hill to climb the tower for an epic view of the city.

War Memorial at Petrin Park.

This reminds me a little of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Ahhhhhhh, how I miss Semester at Sea and my crazy travels!

And this would be the Astronomical Clock at the Old Town. The clock-maker was blinded after he made this because the king didn't want him to make any other clocks for anyone else. The clock, with the 12 dancing apostles,chimes every hour and it is huge. If you take an upclose view of the clock on the right (i don't think u can see it anyway), it has 365 names on it. In the past, there were only 365 names to be used, and you're supposed to name you child after the day he was born on. Contrary to popular belief, if it's ur bday, u have to buy beer for everyone else! So people would always bluff their way through by changing their names.

Some Saint (can't remember who) on Charles' Bridge. It's supposed to bring me good luck if i touch it. Hahaha, I was tiptoe-ing, yet I could  barely reach it. People have to start building stuff for shorties like me!

Public toilet, just for Angelina Jolie?? I had to pay for toilets in most of the Eastern countries I've been to so far.

Mac D, non-stop. That's how they say 24 hrs in Czech.

At the Jewish Quarter, I had an insightful tour of the area. The Jews led a tough life. For example, land was scarce for them, so they burried their coffins one of top another, and the tombstones had to be stacked against each other as well.

The story of St James church. And the chopped off arm is still chilling in the church right now...

Sausages. Yum yum.

And this would be my tour guide for the day! He's from Ireland btw.

That night, I made friends with two hong kong guys at the hostel. Since I was alone on this trip and they were friendly enough to invite me to join them, we made a day trip to Karlovy Vary together. That is where Casino Royale, one of the 007 series, was filmed. Well, at least part of it was filmed there.

I can see why they picked this location. It's famous for its thermal spring, and has gorgeous scenery.

The water was hot!

With my two new friends from Hong Kong, Jack and Jonathan.

See the steam coming out from the river. That's hot. Real hot.

We also tried the famous Czech wafer that was as huge as my face. I'm not even kidding about it, but it was so cheap!

Postcard with a magnifying glass.

Typical Karlovy Vary building.

Do you see us? I'm not alone... I have friends!

View from the observatory tower.

And that would conclude my trip in Czech Republic. So far, I have a pretty good impression of the Czechs. At least the people there spoke enough english, unlike in Poland where the locals still stuggle a lot. Not gonna lie,  my trip got more and more exciting as the days went by yo!

Berlin

Berlin. Germany. Last leg of my europe tour with Chris.

I am overwhelmed with feelings right now as this is possibly my last European trip for the year. I love Europe. I love the weather. I love the people and most importantly, I love travelling. How am I ever gonna cope when I go back to the States this coming Friday? Time will only tell. Really. Seriously.

Picture along the river outside the DDR museum, which was also my favorite museum in Berlin. It's small and tiny, but it taught me so much about the lives of the people in East Berlin in the past.

East and West Berlin were separated by the Berlin Wall that completely enclosed the city of West Berlin.

With the closing of the East-West sector boundary in Berlin, the vast majority of East Germans could no longer travel or emigrate to West Germany. Many families were split, while East Berliners employed in the West were cut off from their jobs.

Clever play of words to depict the lives of the housewives in the past.

Bricks on the road show where the Berlin Wall used to stand.

The controversial Jewish Memorial that's so abstract. What exactly does it mean though? That's up to you and your imagination to come up with an explanation for it. Some say it represents the tombstones, some say the upwards-slanting blocks represent the increasing death rate of the Jews during the war, some say... something else.

Trabbi cars used to be the normal form of transportation for East Berliners. Now, you can rent them and drive around the city for your sightseeing tour!

Mascot of Berlin. Note: I come from London, hence the British flag!

Checkpoint Charlie.

Checkpoint Charlie "Checkpoint C" was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Germany and West Germany during the Cold War.

Everything was destroyed during the war, but they rebuilt the entire checkpoint at the exact same location for tourists like you and me to snap pictures.

Chris getting his stamps for his passport at Checkpoint Charlie. They were selling it for a few Euros per passport stamp. The Germans do know how to rip us of our money eh? 

 Beer Bike. You drink while peddling, which powers the engine of the Beer bike, and you sightsee with this form of transportation.

They even have a museum for hotdogs. Interesting!

Book-burning Memorial. Hitler burned all the books so that intellectuals can't have anymore access to powerful knowledge.

While we were on our tour, there was a protest going on - Legalise marijuana in Germany!!  For the whole time, they were playing a really funky music and I was dancing away to it until some security guy saw me and made a funny face at me. That's when I decided to stop rocking =p

Chris and I. This is probably our only group picture together for the entire trip.

After consulting with our receptionist at the hostel, we headed out to a mom-and-pop kind of restaurant for authentic German food. I had a pint of German beer to go with my fried dumplings. The Germans eat in massive portions btw!

Then we continued our day in the city after dinner. The Parliament looked really nice in the dark, especially since the lights were all up.

Section of the Berlin Wall that remains till today.

Next day, I went off exploring Berlin by myself since Chris left for the airport. I climbed up the Parliament dome, and was in awe with the entire structure. As you peer downwards the dome through the transparent glass panes, you can actually see the parliament members hard at work at their tables. If you are lucky, you can catch a live debate in action.

Then I headed back to the Gate and realised that a marathon was going on. There were live bands playing music all the time to welcome the runners.

Notice how the first few runners who made it to the front were all Kenyans? Lol.

And then a few minutes later, the first non-Kenyan was spotted!

Hotel Anon where Micheal Jackson dangled his kid from the balcony. Remember that scene that made headlines on all major newspapers?

Third day - I made my way to Potsdam which was about 40 minutes away from Berlin. I was palaced-out and gardened-out after my Potsdam trip, since there were at least 4 different palaces in the massive park.

See the long, never-ending path? That leads everyone to the main palace. My hike from the entrance of the park to the palace took a grand total of 1 hr. My oh my, what a walk!

 

But this wonderful palace is totally worth the hike =p