On our third day in Berlin, Germany we visited the historical sites of Checkpoint Charlie, The Memorial for the Jews, and the Berlin Cathedral. We also looked for some well known street art and checked out two Christmas markets making it a full day of activity.
Europe
The Painted Berlin Wall and Festive Christmas Markets
On our second day in Berlin, we navigated snow and explored significant sites, including the East Side Gallery, which features themed art from various artists. Then we visited two Christmas markets, first in Spandau, which disappointed with limited non-food stalls, and another near the Berlin Cathedral, offering more variety and festive decorations.
Finding Famous Sites in Cold Berlin, Germany
Two years ago we decided to visit Christmas markets in Europe. We went to Budapest and Prague because they had markets that continued after Christmas. However, we felt like we really needed to go to Germany to truly see Christmas markets. This year we realized we could visit the markets early over Thanksgiving week when travel was less expensive. We started with a visit to Berlin. My daughter and her friend would join us for the first half of our…
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40th Birthday Trip to Budapest and Prague With My Parents
My mom has always mentioned that she would love to see the Christmas markets in Europe. Given I’m still making up for missed trips due to COVID, I suggested that we make the journey to Europe this year to see some Christmas markets. My dad suggested Budapest and Prague. Of course perhaps I also wanted to go because I was turning 40 and felt like I deserved a special trip for my birthday. Ten years prior, for my 30th, I…
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Prague: From the 70s to the Jewish Quarters
Saturday was our final day in Prague. Unfortunately Silvette was not feeling well. She had a bad cold and decided it would be best to stay at the hotel and rest. Andrea and I then took off to take in our final experiences in the city. It didn’t all go as well as we had hoped. Our first stop for the day was a place I had discovered online. It was the Retro Museum. Prague seems to have a museum…
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Spending a Day in Prague’s Castle Complex
A visit to Prague requires one to visit the castle complex. I say complex as this is a large area with a number of buildings and things to see. The complex is easily visible as it looks down over the Vltava River and the Charles Bridge. Today was our day to explore this significant part of Prague. First one has to make it up the hill. We weren’t exactly sure how to get up to the castle, but we figured…
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First Day at Prague’s Charles Bridge and Christmas Markets
When we visited Budapest, we walked everywhere. Our hotel was near enough to the city center that we could walk there in about fifteen minutes. Such was not the case in Prague. We had a very nice hotel, but it was some distance from the city center so we took a light rail back and forth every day. Fortunately for us, seniors over 65 ride the light rail for free so only Andrea had to pay. Payments were made on…
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A Morning in Budapest then a Train to Prague
Wednesday was our last day in Budapest. We would be leaving by train for Prague in the afternoon. We should have had another full day here, but as happens too often, I managed to be confused about the dates when I made the reservations. Since Andrea had been to Budapest before, she was more excited about visiting Prague so it worked out. Our train to Prague wasn’t leaving until 3:30 so we still had time to take in more of…
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More of Budapest and an Evening Cruise on The Danube
Since we had only one full day in Budapest, it meant we had a lot to see in that day. Having visited the Fisherman’s Bastion the previous night and our first Christmas market on this day, Boxing Day, it was time to find the second Christmas market we planned to visit. We knew it was close by, but we were having a little challenge finding it. However, getting lost only allows one to explore the area even more, and we…
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A Christmas Market in Budapest and More
One of the things Silvette wanted to do was visit the European Christmas markets. The most famous markets are in Germany, but the German markets finish on Christmas Eve. This year was Andrea’s 40th birthday on December 26, and when she heard we were thinking of going to the markets, she wanted to go with us. Unfortunately, as a teacher she was not able to go until about the 21st which would be an expensive time to fly. After some…