Checking into the marathon at Tempelhofer Field – the old West Berlin Airport
It’s basically a regular brat, cut up into pieces, with a curry flavored ketchup-like sauce applied.
Berlin is known for a few dishes/street food items. Currywurst is one of the big ones. We decided to try it early on.
The day before the marathon, we tried to take it relatively easy. Our hotel was very close to Museum Island, so our first stop was a stroll around there.
There was a small local market going on while we were visiting Museum Island.
The Berlin Cathedral
The whole area around Museum Island and the Berlin Cathedral is very scenic.
Our next stop was the Berlin Wall – specifically the East Side Gallery, where portions of the wall still stand. Artists paint murals on portions of the wall.
The most famous section of the wall. The photo is an accurate representation of the hordes of people gathered around it.
We took a river cruise tour through the city. The guide pointed out the buildings still scarred by bullet holes from WWII.
This was my first international marathon, and second world major. It was exciting to line up in the morning. There were screens going (all in German of course), with an anticipation that Kipchoge would break the world record at this event (he didn’t).
The marathon went fairly well, and it was great to get a running tour of the city. The race finished through Brandenburg gate.
There was a Weihenstephaner restaurant around the corner from our hotel. It was nice to site and relax in the square with a Weissbeir.
Alexanderplatz, the largest square in Berlin.
We joined a walking tour around Berlin focused on street art. We visited different areas of the city outside of the main tourist attractions, and learned about life in East Berlin. This is where the tour started, city hall.
The Berlin TV Tower
One of our first stops was this alley, where art covered the walls. The Anne Frank center is at the end of the alley.
Our tour took us across the river to neighborhoods outside the typical tourist area. We visited an area where a “treehouse” was located in a no-man’s land while the wall was up. A man named Osman Kalin lived there and communicated with both the east and west sides. It was sobering to stand in the spot where countless people were shot trying to cross over to the western side.
After our tour was over, we crossed back over the Spree river and found a really cool spot where there were different shops and restaurants, with benches along the river.
The area we settled into was really cool. There was a path along the river with benches and stones throughout to sit and enjoy a drink.
Berlin really surprised both of us. We really enjoyed the city, the people, and the history. While we enjoyed our time in Munich, Berlin was extra special, and left us with a much more positive viewpoint on Germany.
After several days in Berlin, we were excited for our next stop, Prague. We had an early morning train ride with a scheduled walking tour of Prague castle shortly after our arrival.
The castle is actually the official residence of the president of the Czech Republic, so a large portion of it is off-limits. Our tour included the castle grounds, which are massive.
The castle walls are covered in a carved plaster pattern called Grafito
St. Vitus cathedral is the largest cathedral in Prague, and is located within the castle complex
The final stretch of our castle tour included a walk down Golden Lane, which was originally built in the 15th and 16th century
Golden Lane is lined with colorful houses. People must have been much shorter in the 16th century. Franz Kafka lived in one of these (very) tiny houses at one point.
At the end of our tour, there was a very nice viewpoint of Prague.
For dinner, we planned on visiting a brewery run by a monastery near the castle grounds. Our path from the castle to the monastery was pleasant, and also offered great views of the city below on the other side of the river.
Our meal at the Strahov Monastery Brewery did not disappoint. We discovered one of our favorite Chezch dishes here – Svíčková. It is a meat dish served with dumplings and a very flavorful vegetable cream sauce.
The area between the castle and the monastery was very green, with trails throughout. There was also a great view of the city from here.
After dinner, we made our way back across the bridge to old town. This is a view of the castle at night.
The next day we went on a walking tour of Old Town Prague. The area is very beautiful, but unfortunately overrun with tourists. This is the main square, Old Town Square. The tour was nice in that we learned about some of the history of Prague, and visited some areas we may not have known.
After the tour, we visited the Museum of Alchemy, which was a really cool experience. Lisa was very excited about this!
The tour of the museum begins on the main floor of a normal-looking 16th century building. A secret passage was discovered very recently behind this bookcase that leads down below the building into an original 16th century alchemy laboratory.
The main room was pretty unassuming (other than the artifacts the museum placed here). The artwork on the walls is original from the 16th century.
Once the bookcase is moved, a secret staircase leads downstairs into a cave-like structure. There are tunnels that actually run from here, under the river to the castle. The alchemists had a secret way to access the castle and provide royalty with their concoctions (often consisting of Opium).
The main laboratory area, underneath the room with the desk and bookshelf.
We booked a very uniquely Prague experience before coming. These beer spas are exactly that – hot tubs filled with ingredients used for making beer. There are taps and snacks provided (unlimited access to the taps for the duration that you are there).
We did learn from a local guide that the spas are definitely geared towards tourists, but we didn’t care. We really enjoyed our time here and the nice hot soak in the tubs.
Old town was overrun with tourists, so we ventured across the bridge in an attempt to escape that for a bit. This is Waldstein Garden, a nice and quiet park.
This is John Lennon wall, a memorial to Lennon created after he was killed. He never actually visited this area, but was memorialized by the Czechs living under communism in a protest for free speech.
Making our way back across the river at sunset, towards Old Town.
We knew that we wanted to visit the Strahov Monastery Library, and luckily snagged tickets during our last day in Prague.
The library is famous for being “the most beautiful library in the world.” It is attached to the same monastery we had visited a couple nights prior for dinner. It’s actually roped off, and you cannot enter the rooms without a guide, but it is still a great experience.
The Prague Astronomical clock – installed in 1410 and still in operation.
During our last day, we made it a point to get away from Old Town. We strolled down the river along a path towards a park south of Old Town. We passed the famous “Dancing House” as we entered into New Town.
It was a nice day to venture outside of Old Town
We made our way to the park (Vyšehrad), which was elevated and gave us a good view of the city.
We visited a really cool old cemetery at the top of the park and wondered around the many walking paths it had. There were multiple spots with great views.
Making our way back into Old Town, we stopped at this Absinthe bar for a pre-dinner drink.
They had a crazy assortment of absinthes to choose from, and the experience was something else. We tried some “original” absinthe with wormwood.
We ate at a more modern restaurant for dinner that had traditional Czech dishes on the menu. This is the goulash.
The meal was delicious, and the space was really cool. It was cave-like, with art and writing covering teh walls and ceilings. These potato dumplings had a tasty smoked pork filling.
Before leaving Prague, we had to take a river cruise. We had attempted to the night before, but missed the prime sunset time. We booked our cruise in advance this day, and were glad we did.
Going under the Charles Bridge
The sun was starting to set as we came across the other side of the Charles Bridge. Prague Castle can be seen in the background.
Our time in Prague was coming to an end. Yes, Prague was extremely touristy (at least Old Town). But, there is good reason why. It is every bit as beautiful and scenic as it is claimed to be.
