Just before hitting the road we made a decision to skip Prague and Vienna and go straight down to Munich. We had to make some cuts from the list and those seemed more doable in the future. We took the Autobahn almost all the way to Munich. We stayed with Steve's friend Erik, whom he grew up with in Rodersdorf. We arrived in the evening and went to a Bavarian restaurant. I had a spargel (asparagus) cream soup and a salad. Erik and his girlfriend gave us their co...

This post is belated but still worthy of inclusion. Our last week in Berlin was spent at the apartment with my brother and his wife. Brian and Sarah arrived late on May 4th. Having prepared a long list of to-dos but still with class to attend in the mornings, I tried to organize some cool sight seeing for them. Steve and I waited to see several things so as not to double-up. We made a big German breakfast for them the following morning consisting of fresh bröt...

After returning to Berlin from the Willage we got back into the city groove quickly with the May 1st celebration. About 10 minutes after putting our bags down in the apartment we were back out the door. The streets were filled with people, drinks in hand, walking around the city. May 1st is Labor Day in Germany but in Berlin it is a politically charged event. Many years ago it was a day of riots and protests with police cracking down on every street corner. Dem...

Taking advantage of the train ticket system in Germany is the privilege of one with insider-information. Luckily Steve has the scoop. On the German website mitfahrgelegenheit.de you can find people who are offering either a ride in their private vehicle to a distant location or a group train ticket that ends up costing each traveler around 9 Euros rather than 28. You can buy a 5-person group ticket for 40-something Euros that is valid for any train travel in t...

After a week in Berlin I have started an ongoing list of things that enhance my love for this city. So far we have: Cobble stone streets Apartment keys that look like those from The Secret Garden Graffiti that actually enhances certain areas An endless variety of gummy candy No open container laws A different language heard daily An affinity with spreadable cheese that I can relate to Sight-seeing opportunities that won't quit So far my only comp...