I started this mini-blog by taking
AmaWaterway's Europe's Rivers & Castles Itinerary,
and some Paris tips that Lauren sent us in an eMail, then added pictures & videos that we took during the trip, along w/ a little commentary...
we enjoyed this trip tremendously, especially the making of, and journeying with,
new friends...
hope you enjoy this mini-blog (sorry... it's long...):
Arrive in Paris and transfer to your hotel. The remainder of your stay is at your leisure. Enjoy Paris' famous sights during your morning guided tour. Visit Notre Dame Cathedral, see the unique Louvre Museum, the commemorative Arc de Triomphe,
Opera, La Madeleine, Les Champs Elysées and much more. Explore the amazing "City of Lights," where romance fills the air. Stroll along Les Champs Elysées,
the boutique-lined boulevards, or see the Eiffel Tower, built for the World's Fair of 1889. Paris at night offers unlimited possibilities for every taste.
Lauren (Nick's gf), studied abroad in Paris so... she graciously gave us some pointers on what to visit, given the limited time we had there. Here's what she
had to say, along with some of the pics we took along the way:
Louvre (€10): warning
its GIGANTIC. They have maps at the info center that break everything down and highlight the most famous works. Definitely visit the Mona Lisa,
Coronation of Napoleon, the egyptian wing with the mummies and sarcophagus, and the sculpture hall.
We entered the Louvre area via the Rue de Rivoli street entrance:
Video standing in line at the Louvre entrance pyramid:
btw, folks on FB started commenting on my "Murse", but... walking down Les Champs Elysées, all the dudes were carrying them...
and again btw, all the dudettes were wearing tight jeans and knee-high boots like lisa... seemed like "black coats" were in too...
so... i think we fit right in!
On our way to the Mona Lisa, we had to climb the stairs to the "Winged Victory":
The painter created duplicate "The Coronation Of Napoleon"
paintings, one is in the Louvre, and the other is in the Versailles Palace:
haha.. the locals are probably thinking "stupid americans" (when we were taking the following shots):
Here're some nicer shots with Lisa:
The upside down Pyramid you saw in the Davinci code is not really in the Louvre, it's right outside one of the Louvre entrances, in a shopping mall):
Outside of the Louvre is the Tuileries garden
(free) with more sculptures. The Louvre is a former castle and
the Tuileries are the garden of the castle.
Lisa's sitting right in the middle under that tree, see the little yellow bag between her feet (full of candy & bisquettes that we lugged all throughout the Louvre btw...)?:
Along Rue de Rivoli, the street that is on the northern side of the Louvre, is the famous
Angelina's (€10-€20).
It's known for its hot chocolate and desserts. I'd suggest getting only one hot chocolate because it's super thick and kind of like drinking chocolate
syrup haha.
I'd also suggest walking to the end of the gardens to Place de la Concorde
(free), the famous public square where Marie Antoinette was
guillotined.
Eiffel Tower (€13): must see during
the day and at night when it lights up.
Eiffel blinking at night:
You can get good pictures if you take the metro to Trocadero where the
Palais de Chaillot
(€8) stands (on the metro it will say the stop for the Eiffel Tower
is "Bir-Hakaim" but Trocadero has a better view and you can easily walk to the Eiffel Tour from there.) There is a very accessible and free outside terrace
area at the Palais de Chaillot where you can get great pictures.
A pleasant walk if you have a couple hours, is to walk east along the Seine from the Eiffel
Tower to Notre Dame. It takes you along a path lined with monuments and its really romantic :)
You can go by the Invalides (
€7) where Napoleon's tomb lies and Musee D'Orsay
(€8) where you can see the works of Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Degas and all those
other impressionist people. It offers a change of art from the Louvre, instead of mostly people in paintings, many of the paintings at Musee D'Orsay are
of scenes and landscapes such as Van Gogh's Starry night.
Eventually if you keep walking down the river, you will get to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame
(free): The church is located on a small island in the middle of the city
called Ile de la Cite. It's extremely intricate, take a look at a cathedral in the city and then look at Notre Dame and the difference will be
phenomenal.
Also located on the island next to it (a short walk across a bridge), Ile Saint Louis, is Maison
Berthillon (€10) an ice cream shop.
The line will be long but it's worth it even if its cold and they have interesting flavors like almond milk, pear, blueberry, chocolate whiskey, etc.
we had scoopes of the "bitter chocolate" and "fig":
The alleys are really crowded in this area but for good reason. There are many places to eat great food including fondue, grecs (meat sandwiches were they
shave the meat off of a spic), escargot, and frog legs. If you were ever to eat snails, Paris is the place to do it. They are usually served in a pesto
sauce and they taste really good.
South of St. Michel is Quartier Latin known for being the neighborhood where all the universities are located. There you can visit
Jardin du Luxembourg
(free), where part of Benjamin Button was filmed when she is dancing
on that circular stage thing.
The Pantheon
(€8) is also in this neighborhood where the tombs of Rousseau, Victor Hugo,
and Louie Braille.
My favorite are of this neighborhood is Rue Mouffetard
(shopping) one of the oldest
roads in the city that originally led people towards Italy when Paris was a Roman city called Lutece. There are tons of cute shops and really French
feeling restaurants on this narrow cobblestone street and it's a sight worth seeing.
Rue Mouffetard Street Musician:
Nearby are the
Catacombs (€5.5),
an underground tomb of more than 6 million people. There is usually a line to go down in to the Catacombs so I'd suggest going first thing in the morning.
It's basically piles and piles of real human bones and its really creepy/cool. It's cold and dark in the tunnels where they lie but there are many tourists
who go to see them everyday and they don't smell or anything haha.
Last but not least is the northern region of Paris where Moulin Rouge
(€102-180) is located. It's pretty expensive to see a show there and I'm not sure that its worth
it but it is worth driving by and taking pictures. Moulin Rouge is kind of in the ghetto of Paris, there will probably be Africans and Arabs on the streets
nearby selling random things and running if any cops appear. I don't think its very unsafe though..just not as nice looking as the middle of town. Also
in the northern area is Sacre Coeur
(€5), a beautiful basilica on top of the hill Montmartre, the
highest point in the city. It's worth the trip and there is a lift that will bring you up or you can walk. There you can see great views of all of Paris
and the surrounding neighborhood has more cute, Frenchy things to eat and buy. Finally, there is
Pere-Lachaise cemetary
(free) where you can see the graves of Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde,
Balzac and tons more famous people. It's the oldest and largest cemetery in Paris and it's a little out of the way. If you don't have time to see it,
there are many other cemeteries that you will probably stumble upon while viewing other sites.
Those are the main things that I can think of to do. I'd also suggest eating at the top of Tour Montparnasse (€10.5) at night. There is a
delicious restaurant and you can see the entire city and the Eiffel Tower from there.
I know I listed a ton of things but Paris is small and walkable, the metro is reliable, and cabs are easy to find. I'd suggest reading the
Wiki Paris page before going so you have an idea of what to expect. Most people
know at least some English and they are used to tourists so it shouldn't be hard to get around.
I hope this all helps! I know its only a few days before your trip but have fun and eat lots!!!!!!
Other things we did and-or saw in Paris:
We stayed at the Novotel Tour Eiffel:
here's a vid of the area around our hotel:
this store is like the "Target" of Paris (we bought bottled water and pastries there):
our first night in Paris and what do we eat? haha... italian... (but we did meet Anna & Rich for the first time here! dang, should've took a pic...)
On our first full day in Paris, we started off on a hop-on, hop-off, bus, just to get our bearings:
after visiting the Louvre, Tuileries Gardens and Place de la Concorde, Lisa and I took a strole down the world famous
Les Champs Elysées
(pronounced shawn zay lee zay, the french spell things weird)... to be honest, i was a little disappointed... it didn't really strike me as a uniquely Paris street and it kinda sorta felt like we
were just walking down market street in san francisco... oh well... tons of people though...
Off the Champs Elysées, we decided to try an iranian restaurant for dinner... We walked in what we thought was the front door, looked around... and there were
a bunch of folks sitting around smoking hookas... (i whisper to lisa, "let's go somewhere else") but... the waiter came in and tells us to enter the
restarant from a side alley... anyway, here're some shots of what we had:
then, after dinner, we continued our trek up Les Champs Elysées, til we hit the Arc de Triomphe:
Cool Mirror Chandelier room (used in both "Midnight in Paris" and "The Three Musketeers" movies)
Versailles Garden:
haha... so... i went up there & posed:
after Versailles, we took the train all the way back to the Notre Dame area, then made our way down to Rue Mouffetard, then on to Luxomberg Gardens, then
strolled back along the Siene river until we found a place to eat dinner (this definitely was a
Three Musketeers themed trip):
interesting that there was no one anywhere around this structure (btw, if you hadn't guessed, haha... that's Lisa sitting on the steps):
being somewhat cocky in knowing how to take the Paris RER train now (also being a little tired), we decided to take the train back to our hotel:
Bid "Au Revoir" to Paris as you board your TGV high-speed train to Luxembourg, one of the last independent duchies that made up Western and Central Europe. Today the Grand Duchy is important because of its role in international politics and banking. You will have a guided tour of Luxembourg before transferring to your ship in Remich. Tonight, gather on board for a Gala Welcome Dinner. (B,D)
Well... we didnt actually get to take a "high-speed" train to Luxembourg... instead... we ended up on a "low-speed" bus... we didn't get a tour of Luxemborg either... but...
the bus did stop mid-way in a town called Reims, which is considered the effective capital of the province of Champagne (e.g. where real champagne is produced, not just sparkling wine).
A central plaza in Reims, Place Drouet d'Erlon, had some nice restaurants, cafes & water fountains:
A Pastry Shop (we tried one of the pink jam chocolate cookie things during lunch, lisa didn't like it...):
Some of the folks on our bus were able to visit the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims
(we chose to eat lunch so... only saw it from the bus). This cathedral is where all of the French kings used to get crowned:
oh well... didn't make it to the cathedral but, here's a shot of us next to the Church of St Jacques, which dates from the 13th to the 16th centuries:
Lisa at the cafe where we ate lunch (at the very end of Place Drouet d'Erlon):
ever had a french grilled cheese sandwich and a pink thing?
guess what else we saw in Reims (haha... i've heard we're pretty big in europe... kidding... i think we own europe...):
From Reims, most of the folks took a nap on the bus until we hit Remich, Luxemborg, where our ship was docked.
A shot of the Remich cafes:
Sorry, bad pic but the only one we got, Lisa boarding our ship, the MS AmaLyra:
Video of our room on the ship:
Mimosas & hors d'oeuvres at the welcome reception and... each female woman lady on the ship also recieved a rose (nice touch btw):
In the lounge, from the beginning to the end of the cruise, they always kept our cookie stash replenished:
In front of the dining area, they always displayed a themed table with a menu of what's being served (sorry, didn't think to take pics of the menues, just the tables). here's the first:
Food! (first night on the ship)
Wine! (we pretty much stuck w/ the reds):
and last but... definitely not the least New Friends!:
After breakfast, arrive in the charming village of Trier, Germany’s oldest city, for a guided tour which will introduce you to the city’s rich Roman past.
Continue to Bernkastel. Strategically located in the middle of the Mosel wine-producing region, Bernkastel boasts over 500 years of documented wine history. Take a guided walking tour through the old town center with its many medieval and Renaissance buildings. You will also enjoy a visit to the wine museum. (B,L,D)
Trier
Breakfast Table (before Trier Tour):
On the bus in Trier (oldest city in Germany), we passed by Karl Marx's house:
Also passed by some Trier Roman Baths that were buried (haha... tour guide's accent had us wondering "why would the romans bury a bus?"):
Our bus to Burnkastel took the mountainous route while the AmaLyra (our ship) had to go around (zig-zaggy) via the river:
Bernkastel Old Town Center, this place reminds me of Pinocchio's neighborhood (although we weren't in itali)...
haha... wonder if it means something different in german...
Bernkastel Mosel Wine Museum (they just left the bottles on the barrels for self-serve wine tasting, some vintages as old as 1939!):
here's a cool video of Bernkastel that pete put together and posted on facbook:
Bernkastel Moselle Vally Germany (haha... lynn & lisa looking for corks)
Waiting for our ship to meet up w/ us in Bernkastel:
Food!
haha... Cambell's cream of snail soup, mmm...mmm...good...
Today, decide between an excursion to Cochem or to Koblenz. In Cochem, you will take a guided tour of the spectacular hilltop Reichsburg Castle,
which offers fascinating views of the river valley. In the alternative, travel to Koblenz, an historic wine-growing town at the confluence of the
Mosel and Rhine rivers. There, you will visit the Koblenz Flower Show. This special event taking place through October features 120 acres of
magnificent floral displays, exhibitions and events. Exhibit grounds include the hilltop Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, which you will visit. Later,
enjoy scenic cruising along the most beautiful and famous part of the Rhine, seeing castle after castle and the legendary Lorelei Rock. Arrive in
Rüdesheim and take a mini train to visit Siegfried's Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum
after dinner. Tonight, explore the Drosselgasse, a narrow alley lined with wine taverns and restaurants. The ship moors overnight in Rudesheim. (B,L,D)
Cochem
Breakfast table (b4 our Cochem tour):
Pretty impressed with the bus drivers, navigating the teeny weeny crooked Cochem cobblestone streets, alleyways really, in addition to
competing w/ pedestrians and other vehicles...
Cochem candy makers appear to have a pretty bizarre sense of cuteness (i think these are supposed 2B cute?):
There's kind of a dumb story in Cochem where... someone's goat was accused of eating white grapes from a neighbor's vinyard and was put on trial.
The judge had the goat put into a wine-press and, if the juice that came out was white, the goat would be considered guilty:
A view of the Reichsburg Castle on the way up from Cochem:
The Reichsburg Castle tower a little bit closer
Check out the awesome color of the Ivy on the Castle wall:
Not sure what this is but... rub its belly & make a wish:
Video from the Reichsburg Castle:
and haha... here's the pic Lisa took at the end of that video:
There was a stretch on the cruise where the ship went down the Rhine as the Cruise director provided narration about the castles we passed
(~32 or some odd number of castles). We went up to the sun deck to view them. It was kinda cold up there:
A few snaps of the castles:
A video to give you a sense of what it was like on the sun deck. The castles in this video belonged to two brothers who fought over... haha...
something that i can't remember:
after about the 18th castle or so, i think we started to get board... started checking out the bikes they used for bike tours...
A train went by that had a gazillion new cars on it... for some reason, it looked a little bizarre to me so... i took a video of the tail end
(you had to be there):
Our night in Rudesheim started with dinner on the ship... here's a pic of the themed table:
and the friends we ate with (btw, that isn't a reflection in back of lisa, we were docked right next to the AmaDagio, and those folks were eating dinner also):
and... here's some of the stuff we ate:
and... the wine we drank:
then it was off to Siegfried's Mechanical Musical Museum. this is the train that took us there (we sat in the caboose but, sry, didn't take any pics):
haha... the tour guide at the museum was a chinese dude who, speaking in english, had an accent that was a cross between chinese & german... also, haha...
he kinda looked like Hero Nakimura...
the Museum had all kinds of musical machines, such as player pianos and all inclusive bands. here's a few shots of the other contraptions they had:
here's a video of some of the museum mechanisms:
and here a vid of the tour guide demoing a trippy mechanical bird thing (which sold in their store for about €1000):
our cruise director recommended a Drosselgasse tavern (Bei Hannelore) that specialized in a flaming brandy coffee drink (Rudesheimer) so that's where we
headed after the mechanical museum. we had a ball there... couldn't get a shot w/ everyone at the same time but here's a shot of some of us:
here's a video of the waitress making our Rudesheimer coffee drinks:
a lot of the women in our party got up to dance
our cruise director (Bartel) joined us... and... the rounds (of brandy) started:
a dude that reminded us of the Miracle on 34th street was at the tavern, making merry with all the patrons...
he also sang & yodeled w/ folks... some shots of him with the gang:
haha... here's a vid of Cinter Klaas singing to Pete:
afterwards, Bartel gave our group a mini private tour of the Drosselgasse alleyways...
including a visit to a hotel whose rooms were made out of barrels:
then Bartel led us back to the ship... here's an interesting sign we passed on our way (and i'm still an idiot :-):
when we got back to our ship, the AmaLyra, our group crossed over to the AmaDagio (sister ship containing more KZST folks)... and continued the partying:
kinda blurry but... here's a vid w/ Brent Ferris (KZST Personality DJ) dancing w/ the girls:
Today, decide between two excursions: take a guided walking tour of beautiful Mainz and see the famous Gutenberg Museum, home of the world's first
printed bible, then enjoy a lunchtime cruise to Frankfurt. In Frankfurt, you will have a walking tour of the city’s medieval section. In the alternative,
travel by motor coach for an excursion to Heidelberg, Germany's oldest university town. Visit the red-walled Castle, enjoy gorgeous views of the Neckar
Valley below, and see the Great Vat, a 49,000-gallon 18th-century wine cask. You will also enjoy free time in Heidelberg. Later this afternoon, return to
Frankfurt. (B,L,D)
Mainz
iPhoto on our mac messed up my camera's memory card somehow (well... it was clocking forever when i plugged the memory card in so... it wouldn't let me
eject it b4 yanking the memory card out) so... grrrr... raggafraggamagga... i lost all of the pics & videos i took in mainz... luckily, lisa took a few
(but, sry, we're not in any of 'em):
here's a pic of the base of a roman pillar that has some type of significance that I can't remember:
this isn't one of our pics but... this is what the full pillar looks like:
in the Gutenberg Museum, our tour guide gave us a demo of the printing press Gutenberg used to print out the first non-handwritten bibles:
i would've had a cool video with a closeup pan of this fountain but... f'n iPhoto ate it... so here's a pic i found on the net... grrrrr...
we visited St. Stephen's Church where the stained glass windows
also are of some significance, haha... that i can't remember either:
btw, check out this trippy picture of the AmaLyra & AmaDagio docked side-by-side... at a lot of ports, we had to walk thru one to get to the other...
on our way to frankfurt, we passed under a few bridges that were pretty close to the top of our ship... check out the dude bending over, torwards the
end of this vid (haha... i think they closed the sun deck the next day because of this...):
Frankfurt Römerberg Plaza Square:
Book Burning Memorial Plack:
Frankfurt Cathedral:
Commerz Bank Tower:
Frankfurt Themed Table
and the friends we ate with (commandeered the captains table)
and the food we ate:
and the wine we drank:
after dinner, these college kids played some killer classical for us:
Arrive in Miltenberg for a walking tour of this delightful old Franconian town with its narrow cobblestone streets and gabled, half-timbered houses.
During lunch, the ship will cruise to Freudenberg. A motor coach tour will take you to Wertheim, where you will have free time to explore the town on
your own or before boarding your ship for an overnight cruise to Würzburg. A guided bicycle tour of Wertheim is also available (capacity controlled). (B,L,D)
Miltenberg
here are some snaps strolling thru the streets of Miltenberg. In the distance, you can see the Miltenberg Castle (white bldg):
our bavarian guide said that this was Hansel & Gretel's house:
and that this was where the witch burnings took place:
here are some snaps of our walk up to the Miltenberg Castle:
part of the Miltenberg Castle was destroyed during WWII. The old part of the castle is in the foreground and the new part (white) is in the background:
and here's the view of Miltenberg from the Castle:
interesting miltenberg statue dude:
of course lisa wanted a picture of this miltenberg cat:
During your guided tour, visit the magnificent Residenz Palace and see the major sights. This afternoon take an optional tour along the Romantic Road to
medieval Rothenburg, and visit its World Famous ChristmasMuseum. Or relax on board this afternoon as you cruise to Kitzingen. After dinner on board
enjoy an evening walk and wine tasting in Kitzingen, Germany’s oldest wine cellar. (B,L,D)
Wurzburg
In Wurzburg we visted the Wurzburg Residence Palace, which was where
the Bishop Prince of Wurzburg resided (the king made the bishop into a duke so... that's where the term "Bishop Prince" came from). For some reason, this
palace impressed us more than the Palace of Versailles (mainly the room
designs & artwork). btw, part of the latest Three Musketeers Movie was filmed here...
Outside in the front of the palace:
couldn't take pictures in the inside so... i plagiarized some from the net... Here's the grand staircase:
each side of this ceiling mural depict one of the 4 large continents (Asia, America, Africa & Europe). What was cool about this was, at the very edges,
some of the things appeared to be 3 dimentional (e.g. arms, legs, etc.) but, when you went up to them, they were painted flat (like the dog in the staircase pic above):
In the palace gardens:
Video of the Statues under those cone shaped trees
There were these ball shaped pastries everywhere called Shneeballen. We tried one, which was sweet on the outside and kind of like a pie crust on the inside:
True Franconian wine is always stored in these types of bottles:
Kathe Wohlfahrt is a well known Christmas Store in germany, with the main store
being in Rothenburg. This store was huge (don't let the front of the store fool you), to the point it was easy to get lost in there. It also had a christmas
museum upstairs.
Video inside the Kathe Wohlfahrt store (didn't know we were not supposed to take any pics or videos):
of course, Lisa had to take pics of Rothenburg cats:
and Rothenburg puppies!
On the hour the clock in this video chimes and doors open to reveal two figures. One figure is the enemy that would have destroyed the
town, but made a bet with the mayor that, if he could drink a large tankard of beer in one gulp, he would leave the town alone:
Arrive this afternoon in enchanting Bamberg, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Disembark for a guided walking tour of this medieval
gem. Enjoy free time in Bamberg before you continue your cruise this evening to ancient Nuremberg, capital of Franconia. (B,L,D)
Bamberg
Themed Table for Breakfast:
For the first half of the day, we were celebrating 'Bavaria' on the cruise ship while it sailed down the river towards Bamberg. Pic of the waiters, beer & food:
Themed Table for Bavaria:
Bavarian Lunch Friends:
Bamberg Tour:
Bamberg Old Town Hall (they showed scenes of this a lot in the latest Three Musketeers
movie):
Bamberg Old Court:
Bamberg Cathedral:
Bamberg Alte Hofhaltung (Old Palace Yard):
Video to get a feel for the Alte Hofhaltung yard:
Check out the Alte Hofhaltung yard in this Three Musketeers Trailer:
One of the things we were told to check out in Bamberg was their 'smoked beer' (some were calling it 'bacon beer'):
Has anyone figrued out what this street sign means yet?
The captain held a cocktail party (being that this was the last night on the ship):
Friends we ate dinner with again (haha... the captain took his table back... we had to sit somewhere else):
After breakfast, wave goodbye to the crew as you disembark the ship. Enjoy a guided morning tour of the historic city of Nuremberg with its fabulous
Gothic churches and elegant impressive walls. You will have some free time to explore the town on your own before transferring to Prague. Arrive in
Prague late this afternoon. (B)
our last meal (breakfast) on the ship (pastry table):
kind of sad watching them get our luggage off the ship and into the buses
this is what it looked like during the 1935 Nazi Rallies:
and at night during those rallies, it transformed into 'Hitler's Cathederal of Light':
In the same area as the Zeppelin Field, Hitler wanted to build the Kongresshalle (Congress Hall) to mimic the Colusseum in Rome, but bigger and more
elaborate, and next to a lake that would make it appear even more inspiring. The problem was that the foundational pillars had to be drilled way deep
because of the mud from the lake and it chewed up all the funding they had so... the building was never completed:
Our tour led us to the Hauptmarkt Old Town Market Square:
interesting statue... have no clue what it says... dude looks a little ticked... probably cuz someone broke his horn off:
lisa said to take a picture of this cuz it's smiling:
in europe, lovers place padlocks on gates and things in public places (as a symbol of their love). some placed their "love" padlocks on the gate around the Schöner Brunnen:
This morning's sightseeing reveals why Prague is considered one of Europe's most attractive cities.
Visit the thousand-year-old Hradcany Castle courtyard and St. Vitus,
then walk over the Charles Bridge to the
Old Town Square. The evening is free to mix with the locals at
Wenceslas Square, shop for souvenirs or enjoy one of the charming cafés or restaurants. (B)
Prague
The front of our hotel in Prague:
and... our first night out:
and the restaurant we ate at (a Rick Steves' recommendation):
and the friends we ate with (couldn't find a captain's table to commandeer... :'-(
and the food we ate:
Our group signed up for the following prague tour for the next morning w/ the hotel concierge:
She told us that our group would be able to stay together once we got to the "meeting point" but... she lied... Lisa & I got kicked off of our group's bus
because they needed room for the tour guide (go figure...) and we ended up with another group (mostly german speaking)... Here's us waving goodbye :'-(
Anyway... 1st stop of the Tour was the Prague Castle. Here's some pics with the shifty-eyed castle gate guards:
One of the Prague Castle courtyards, adjacent to the St. Vitus Cathedral:
Inside the St. Vitus Catedral:
On their way to changing of the guards:
I like this picture of Lisa waiting for our tour to regroup (she looks HAPPY!):
also while we were waiting, we noticed these Zodiac placks on the gate, in front of the old front doors of the cathedral:
and btw... 2 folks from the group on the tour that everyone else was on got sick... so... Lynn asked their tour guide if we could join them
for the rest of the tour (we notified our guide of course)... here's a pic of some of us (stole a snap of it from Pete's cool Prague video below):
Next part of the tour was the boat tour:
Nice shot of the Charles bridge from the boat:
After the boat part of the tour, the guide took us for a hike back to the Old Town Square...
are we in Prague or... Venice?
Wookie Restaurant?
For some reason, I really dug the architecture of the buildings:
St. Nicholas' Church:
Chandelier inside of St. Nicholas church, a gift from Tsar Nicholas II, one of the most famous Russian tsars in history:
We finally hit Old Town Square:
haha... here's the pic Lisa took of us in that video:
In the square is Prague's famous Astronomical Clock:
for lunch we all had Sausages & Grog, then headed off towards Charles Bridge:
Prague is also known for their Marionettes... here's a store we passed on our way to the Charles bridge:
Prague Charles Bridge:
haha... picture taking wars...
of course... there had to be at least one of these in prague:
Our last dinner as a group was at a place that kinda sorta reminded us of an Applebee's or Chili's:
Another of Pete's nice videos, This one of Prague:
Tues, Nov 1, DEPART PRAGUE
Bid farewell to Prague and transfer to the airport for your homeward flight. :'-(
haha... we've already had our first reunion... because the Three Musketeers Movie filmed in sites we visited on our trip, we decided to check the movie out
together:
and... of course, had Pizza and Beer afterwards...
