Reunion and more - Germany & Czech Republic

[OZDUCK]

And to finish off Berlin some photos mostly without a theme.

Moltke Bridge again









The Germans do seem to like dancing by rivers







Berlin Hauptbahnhof always fascinates me with its multilevel construction and profusion of shops. I do note however that in line with the apparent German obsession that you must pay to use a public toilet there appears to be only one toilet area priced at 1Euro. From the crowds using it I think it most be the most profitable part of D Bahn.



The new (opened 2021) U-Bahn station on Museumsinsel. The design is a nod to the works of Berlins most famous architect who was responsible for many of its most famous buildings - Karl Friedrich Schinkel



I first became aware of Schinkel when I saw a documentary on Berlin over a decade ago. We walked around Berlin with a German friend in 2011 who is also a fan of Schinkel. He took us to many of the buildings associated with Schinkel and to his gravesite in Berlin Mitte. we also visited, by accident, his town of birth Neuruppin in Brandenburg. Buildings associated with him include the Neue Wache, the Altesmuseum, the Konzerthaus Berlin in Gendarmenmarkt.

Karl Friedrich Schinkel - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The remains of Schinkels Academy - near the Humboldt Forum

 

[OZDUCK]

How the academy looked after WW2 bombing







The Neue Wauche on Unter den Linden- one of his early buildings



Inside is a copy of the famous sculpture by Käthe Kollwitz. Those of you with a good memory will remember another example of her work that we saw in Cologne.



The Konzerthaus

 

[OZDUCK]

And in a more sombre mood

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe







The memorial to the naz_ book burning in Bebelplatz



The Tränenpalast ( "Palace of Tears") - the former East/West Berlin Crossing point near Friederichstrasse Station



Outside Friedrichstrasse Station is a memorial to the children whose lives were either saved or taken by rail journeys. Remembering the Kinder Transport that took some to safety in the UK and the trains that took others to the Death Camps.





My translation is places of horror - never forget. A u-Bahn Wittenbergplatz

 

[OZDUCK]

A final two memorials.

Berlin Wall Memorial on Niederkirchnerstrasse. The building in the background is part of the German Finance Ministry. It is the former Luftwaffe Building built for Hermann Goering



The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.



Nearby Kurfürstendamm



And KaDeWe



This time we had a small snack at the famous Food Hall on Level 6.







We caught the 100 bus back to our apartment. If you are in Berlin don't bother with the Hop on/Hop Off bus just take the 100 Bus on your public transport ticket and it passes most of the sites for a fraction of the cost.





Bellevue Palace - residence of the German President

 

[OZDUCK]

A final few. We had 8 nights in Berlin and still only managed to do about 40% of what we had intended to do.




trout for my wife



Beef roulade for me



And the final photo I took in Berlin city was an appropriate farewell - and one of the relatively few bits of sunshine we had

 

[OZDUCK]

We then set off for Prague. Our train was a Czech one. They and D Bahn share the route and you can book on either the Czech or German rail sites. The price can be different on each site. For us the D Bahn site was slightly cheaper but apparently the Czech one is usually cheaper. It cost 77.80 Euro total for a 1st Class Ticket for the 2 of us for the 4:19 hour trip which seems like a bargain. It was certainly much cheaper than the ICE trains we used in Germany. The Czech train was a bit older but was also softer sprung and seemed more comfortable. It is by no means an high speed train by European standards. It also had the grubbiest windows that I have seen on a train so please excuse the lack of clarity in some of the photos.

Me on board the train - apparently counting to 10



Looking the other way



The double seats -



Up until Dresden the scenery was pretty unremarkable





Crossing the Elbe River at Dresden with Bruhl's Terrace in the background



Not a mosque but actually a Tobacco Factory built in the early 20th C.



At Dresden about half the passengers got off the train. We then had a lovely scenic trip alongside the Elbe and because of the lack of passengers we could swap seats around to get a better view. The train was travelling very slowly alongside the river so the viewing was good.

 

[OZDUCK]

The famous Bastei Bridge and lookout









Bad Schandau



Konigstein fortress

 

[OZDUCK]

A little ferry









Decin Castle - Czech Republic

​

 

[OZDUCK]

The train eventually left the Elbe River Valley for the final hour or so to Prague and the land became a lot flatter and the scenery less interesting





Signs of suburbia

 

[OZDUCK]

We had booked a hotel that was on one of the numerous 'passages' that run off Wenceslas Square







An "IT Crowd" inspired show was playing in town.




The hotel - Elysee Hotel & Apartments was an old one that had obviously been updated just after the overthrow of the Communist Government in what they considered to be the height of Western style. It was huge and a little worn but still offered good value for the location - 124 Euro per night including a good buffet breakfast.



There was a mini fridge & dishwasher there





We didn't get the coveted car park view but a least got a suitably scenic alternative

 

[OZDUCK]

After we had dumped our bags in the hotel room we went out and had a light lunch. When I stood up I almost fainted as the muscles in my lower back suddenly went into a spasm. It took me about 25 minutes to cover the 400 metres back to the hotel. For the next couple of days I had to spend a few hours every afternoon lying down and using paracetamol and Voltaren. It eventually improved but did restrict my activities a little. There was certainly no climbing of more than a few steps and we decided that it was not sensible to take any train trips to the cities an hour or so outside Prague. I also made more use of the very good public transport system in Prague. Even better it is free for those 65 and over. For the first time in years we carried our passports as they do random checks and we had to show them once to a plain clothes ticket inspector.

One day we took a tram to the other side of the river to go up Prague's version of the Eifel Tower - the Petrin Tower built in 1891. In order to avoid climbing up the hill we took the cable car that runs up Petrin Hill - also free for over 65's. We had to pay for the tower but being over 65 it was half price. There was even an elevator, the smallest I have been in, running up the tower. It could just take 4 people plus the operator. There were certainly excellent views from the top.

Petřín Lookout Tower - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral

 

[OZDUCK]

We spent a few hours doing a self guided audio tour of the Old Jewish quarter. Information and Reservation Centre | Židovské muzeum v Praze

You know that you are entering the Jewish Quarter by the footpath



The Jewish Town Hall



The Old Jewish Cemetery. used from early in the 15th C until late in the 18th C. Due to lack of space the graves are 12 layers deep in some places. The style of gravestones changed over the years. Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague - Wikipedia











Maisel Synagogue - built in 1592 and reconstructed several times since

 

[OZDUCK]

The Spanish Synagogue. the newest one in the area being built in 1868











The Pinkas Synagogue - partly built in 1535 with extensions being added in the 17th C. "the walls of the synagogue were covered with names of about 78 000 Bohemian and Moravian Jewish victims of Shoah. The names are arranged by communities where the victims came from and complemented with their birth and death date."





The Old-New Synagogue - Europe's oldest active Synagogue. Built in 1270. We bought our tour right next door.



Franz Kafka is never far away in Prague - and especially so in this area

 

[OZDUCK]

To avoid the steep climb up to Prague Castle we took the Metro and a Tram to be dropped off right by the back entrance.

I was surprised by how steep some of the escalators are in Prague



Actually the tram line up to the castle was pretty windy and steep as well. This is on the way back down.




They had obviously just finished a Changing of the Guard ceremony as this band was marching out as we came in.



The first part we visited was St Vitus Cathedral - construction began in 1334 and it was not finally completed until 1929











St Wenceslas Chapel

 

[OZDUCK]

We arrived there at just the right time of the morning to get some lovely lightshows courtesy of the windows















My favourite

 

[OZDUCK]

Around the castle

Vladislav Hall in the Old royal Palace. The hall was built 1493 -1502





Diet Room in the Old Royal Palace





St Georges Basilica - consecrated in 921 but affected by fire, neglect and rebuilding since then





The Golden Lane - small houses built into the castle wall in the 16th C.to house guards of the then Holy Roam Emperor Rudolf II





There is a Museum of Medieval Armour in the 14th C battlements here.

 

[OZDUCK]

Some of the house recreate the workshops of artisans who lived in them and some are souvenir shops


nd the compulsory 'Torture Chamber'.



A bit of stamping and marching was going on



\\





Schwarzenberg Palace - now a museum and art gallery





The climb we avoided.

 

[OZDUCK]

Views from the castle





On the way back to the tram we descended a slopping wooden staircase to the gardens in the old moat. It was surprisingly quite and pleasant. But there were a few armed soldiers wandering around.

 

[OZDUCK]

On one evening we attended a short concert in the Clementium Mirror Chapel near the Charles Bridge. The musicians, and singer, were obviously doing this to supplement their normal jobs but seemed to be having a good time playing up to the audience and being able to 'express themselves' a bit more than in their normal more regimented activities. The chapel was also a very pleasant spot to attend a concert. It was fun to have the organ blasting out Bach's Toccata and Fugue in such a small and appropriate place.

 

[OZDUCK]

I have to admit that enough though most people who had been to Prague raved about it I was surprised about how attractive a city it really is. When we were at the reunion in Berlin even the Germans, who have many historic cities of their own, were all in love with it. Because of my painful back we did not see as much as we wanted so that is a good excuse to go there again. So now for a fair few photos of Prague city.

The National Museum overlooking Wenceslas Square



And with a political demonstration in the square



The Lucerna Palace - entertainment and shopping complex with an arcade built between 1907 - 1921. It has some pretty obvious Art Nouveau features.









The hanging horse head is featured in the next photo



And a sculpture by David Černý who has many artworks dotted around Prague



A few blocks away is another work of his - the kinetic 'Head of Kafka'. It has 42 rotating panels