My Christmas Vacation

Well, Christmas is over and I want to take the time to share Sherrie and my amazing adventures in Europe. As you allready know, we spent a lot of time eating and drinking. We did do other things.



Just in case Sherrie takes the time to read this, I would like to remind her that "I" am the Crazy Eights Champion!!!!



BERLIN



We flew into Berlin bright and early on Sunday Dec 23rd, and we immediatley put our friendship to the test.....How do we get to our Hotel??? These little travel details are the things that can break up a friendship, especially when you have two single, independant women who are used to getting their own way and are confident when travelling alone. (Added to that I am a bit of a know it all, and somewhat competitive!!) Can they learn to compromise and work together????



Strategy wise, I am always looking at maps,with a map I can figure out where to go and how to get there.(This method can be time consuming and often involves going the wrong direction on the subway at least once.) Sherrie, on the other hand, is all about asking for help. (This explains all the tourist Information places in airports and train stations) Between the two of us we managed to get to our 4 Star Hotel with very little effort. (And our friendship intact) Our hotel was great, right along the canal, and it had a mini-bar, what more does a person need. Berlin was great, in a modern style. The architechture in this city is some of the best and most modern that I've ever seen.



Our plan for Berlin was to go from Christmas market to Christmas market sampling the local delicacies. Some markets had skating rinks, others sledding and others Ferris wheels (The grass is still green as it is only around 0 degrees). More importantly they all had a great selection of food and drink. My best purchase will be the red toque you see in all of my pictures. Of course you can't be in Berlin and not check out the Berlin Wall and other WW2/WW1 memorabilia. The Museum for the Berlin wall "Checkpoint Charlie" was one of my favorites from the whole trip.



PRAGUE



Arriving in Prague late at night, Sherrie and I found our "Botel" which to our surprise is not how the Czech spell "Hotel", instead it was a boat moored on the side of the river. We were sleeping on a boat!!! We were excited (and it was cheap) and it had all we could want (bar and restaurant) Everyone should travel to Prague, it is cheap to stay, eat and tour there. At least it will be untill they change to the Euro in 2010. At the bank machine the smallest amount you could take out was 1000 Krowns = $50 Cdn. It was neat to have a pocket full of $1000 and $2000 bills. Prague was a true historical town (Unlike Berlin which had been rebuilt post war with a modern flavour). There were narrow pedestrian streets and beautiful churches and castle. One of our favorite activities of the trip was the "Pub Tour" we took. A guide took a group of 12 people to three pubs and introduced you to the local beers and food. The company was great, and we even tried a Beer Float (just like a rootbeer float, but with BEER) it was allright.



We made a day trip out to TEREZIN, a local concentration camp. It was a very dark day as we took in the sights and information set up out in Terezin. I could only imagine how horrific it would be to visit Auschwitz, which wasn't a work camp, but a death camp.

VIENNA

Vienna was windy and cold, and I have to admit I would have enjoyed myself a bit more had I not been cold. (Sherrie was never cold!!!!, but my blood must be thin.) Its a pretty city, made to be seen while walking/cycling in the sunshine, I imagine it is beautiful in the summer. Despite the cold Sherrie and I rented bikes at one of the many kiosks. (At almost every subway stop you can rent a bike, the first hour is free and then it is 1 Euro per hour after)

The highlights here were eating the famous "Sacher Torte" direct from the Sacher Hotel, and our experience with the grumpiest tour guide EVER!!! We signed up to tour vienna by bus (cause it was cold out) and our tour guide had insulted and yelled at a senior citizen passenger within 30 seconds of getting on the bus, she then proceeded to text on her mobile whilel mumbling into the microphone. She was impossible to understand, and if you asked her for clarification she yelled back at you to pay attention. She kept reminding us, every 5 min, that if we got seperated from her that she would not stop and would leave us lost in Vienna. The one thing she did that I thought was funny, at the end of the tour she reminded us about tipping her. AS IF!!! She was worth a laugh! We also managed to attend a concert with examples of classical music (Mozart, Strauss, etc), the Viennese Waltz and Opera.

SALZBURG

This was my favorite stop on the trip. Its a pretty town set with the alps in the background. Like many of the older towns in Europe its character is derived from the buildings and narrow walking streets. We were in Salzburg in time for New Years Eve, the streets were full of vendors selling food and mulled wines. Kids and Adults were setting off fireworks everywhere you turned and there were all these parties going on in the streets. Some with DJ's, others with live bands. It was my best New Years EVER!! We had a blast sampling everything the local culture had to offer. To top off the experience, Sherrie and I skiied in the Alps during the day on January 1st 2008, and spent January 2nd on the "Sound of Music" tour, which was fabulous.

While we were touring the local castle, Sherrie and I stood back to let an older man take a photo of his wife. He was so happy with our politeness that he dragged us over to meet his wife. The problem with this was that he didn't speak any English, only German. His wife spoke about 30 words of English. When he realized that we had a communication problem he took off running, leaving us standing with his wife???? 2 minutes later he comes back with his nephew (who is gorgeous and 30 years old) in tow, to translate for us. We talked for 30 minutes through the cute nephew from Norway and even took time for pictures. Check him out on Facebook. Unfortunately I couldn't find a smooth way to exchange phone numbers or other details......

MUNICH





We stayed at a really fun Hostel in Munich called the WOMBAT. The staff were friendly and the bar was hopping. I believe that Sherrie and I tasted every girly drink on the menu (Only blended drinks because we were starting to get tired of BEER). We didn't have much time to spend in Munich but we did take time to go to the Art Museum (focused on 18 and 19th century) and I was great. I booked the head phones so that I could get a talking guide, and was really impressed. Usually the voice on the headsets has "Attidtude", if you know what I mean. Its as if they are looking down their noses at you (If only they had noses). Anyways this particular voice talked as if I were its equal. I quite enjoyed the whole museum experience.





VIENNA



We had about 2/3 of a day in Vienna, after counting in traveling time. We really should have stayed in Munich one more day and flown home from there. But you live and learn! We did get to see Tina Turners House as well as a few other scenic locations. Our Hostel wasn't all thaty clean, but the boys in the pub were friendly!