Hallo! Ahoj! Szia!

That's how I've been greeting people in the five cities I just visited on my Central Europe Contiki tour...Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. Now I'm in Israel and can stick with "Shalom!" for a bit ;)

Sorry it's been two weeks since my last post! It was nonstop on the tour, but now that I'm chillaxin in Jerusalem, I can take the time to write a proper post. A heads up to those with ADD - this will be a long one. Feel free to peruse as you'd like...

Berlin
Berlin started out with a bang. I must've been so eager to arrive at my hotel that I literally walked out of the terminal before collecting my luggage (the signs were in German and I was confused!). As soon as I left the secure area, I realized my mistake, but they wouldn't let me back in. I had to wait one hour and retrieve the bag at customs. Germany: 1 / Jackie: 0.

There were 51 people on my tour (ages 18-35). Such a fun group consisting of Aussies, Americans and a sprinkle of South Africa, Japan, North Korea, Ireland, Brazil, etc. We had roughly two days in Berlin and our first stop was Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Between 1936 - 1945, more than 200,000 people were imprisoned here. It was a heavy and emotional visit - this, however, was pretty amazing and I wanted to share it with you:

On April 3, 2003, during renovation work to turn the former armory into a visitor center, a message in a bottle was discovered by a construction worker after he had demolished a partition wall on the ground floor.

Here's what the above message says:

"I want to return home again. Since 9 March 1937 in K.Z.S. (Sachsenhausen CC). Today is 19 April 1944. When will I see my love in Frechen, Cologne, once more? But my spirit is unbroken. Things must get better soon. Anton Engermann, born 6 Oct 1902."

That's one of the first things displayed upon entering the camp's visitor center, so that set the tone for me. It was a bitterly cold day and walking through the camp, with the barracks still intact, was eerie and spine-chilling. I was trying to imagine how it would feel in that weather wearing just a thin layer of cotton and nothing else. I imagine some of you have visited a concentration camp before, so I won't go any further, as it's pretty impossible to describe. I'm just glad I went. One more thing I have to share - our tour guide (Danielle) told us this story as we pulled into the camp:

Her grandparents hid a Jewish family during the war and were found by the Nazis - they were then all sent to Auschwitz. Her grandmother was a nurse so she survived there for 18 months. When the liberation started, they went on a death march and her grandmother and four others hid in some haystacks. A few US soldiers found them and flew them out of Poland. Her grandmother ended up marrying the pilot. I didn't get the chance to discuss this further with Danielle, but I will.

We went to the top of the TV Tower (tallest building in Berlin)

 And drank beer. And more beer. I was definitely beered out after the first few cities..

We spent the rest of our time in Berlin discussing the history of World War II and the Berlin Wall. Here's the infamous East-Side Gallery painting depicting the kiss between Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker:

Other stops included Brandenburg Gate:

And the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which is definitely left up to interpretation..the architect, Peter Eisenman, stirred controversy when he unveiled his plans for Berlin's Holocaust memorial, comprised of 2,711 massive rectangular slabs. It's very abstract with no display of historical information.

Here's an interesting article if you're interested or have visited the memorial:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/movies/2012/07/the-inadequacy-of-berlins-memorial-to-the-murdered-jews-of-europe.html

This was the view of the memorial from 25 floors up:

And here's some of Berlin's finest...the sausage, not the men. No, wait...I mean...

All in all, Berlin was an interesting visit and I learned more in two days than I have in a long time. I didn't have enough time there (or in any of these five cities) to get a true feel for its culture and nightlife, but as least I got a taste.

On our way out of Germany we stopped in the most quaint city called Dresden. We had no idea that it's Germany's 4th largest city (2.4MM pop) and used to be called "the Florence of the North." We only had time for lunch and a quick visit to the Frauenkirche church, Dresden's signature landmark.

The church was wiped out during the WW II air-raids and the 42-foot high pile of rubble remained untouched for 40 years, becoming a site of the East German peace movement. Reconstruction commenced in 1994 and it reopened in 2005. The interior is exquisite:

The dome:

I can't wait to return to Dresden - this city is a must-see if you're near Berlin or Prague.

Prague
One of my most memorable moments occurred just upon arrival to this medieval city. I didn't find Berlin to be a very warm city. There really wasn't a site that made me stop in my tracks and take a breath. That moment came when we entered Prague's Old Town Square at night. We all stopped and took a beat. Just magical.

My picture doesn't do it justice in the least. Horse-drawn carriages and hot food/wine stalls with the Tyn Church brightly lit against the dark sky. I was immediately reminded of Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle, which later read that Walt Disney was possibly inspired by this church.

We visited Prague Castle and St. Vitus cathedral, which took six centuries to complete. The cathedral holds the royal mausoleum, where the tombs of former Kings and Queens are laid.

 Me with a castle guard. Because why not?

Loved these stairs

The John Lennon wall was a symbol of freedom and rebellion against the communist regime in the 1980s.

More foliage

 And the beautiful views from the Charles Bridge

We went on a pub crawl in Prague - three bars plus a five-story club. Had the best time. Oh and we drank more beer. Loved that city.

Vienna
Since we only had one and a half days in both Vienna and Budapest, it was impossible to squeeze everything in. We hit the highlights, but here's some of mine. Food-related, duh.

Sacher torte? Done.

Was it my fave? Nope. But glad I tried it. If you're in Vienna, you must visit Demel for their pastries. I was told to visit by my Viennese friend and it was a great experience - http://www.demel.at/en/frames/index_demel_backstube.htm

Schanpps anyone? We visited the Old Viennese Schnapps Museum for a brief tour and tasting. The same furniture and cash register from 1902 exist today

 Here's an old photo of the office, still in use today:

 Who knew schnapps was so strong? We found out the easy way, about 7-8 shots later ;)

On our second (and last) night we attended a classical music performance inside Schönbrunn Palace, which was a special treat. We sat in an ornate room called the Hall of Mirrors, where Mozart himself performed at age six for Empress Maria Theresa and her family. The Schönbrunn Palace orchestra performed the most famous works by Mozart and Strauss, and two opera singers accompanied them on several pieces. Photos were prohibited but I snuck some in:

It was beautiful evening and a highlight for sure. Then we went clubbing with the rest of Vienna. Couldn't have a more contrasting evening. Oh, and I forgot to include dessert from dinner that night. Apple Struedel. 'Nuff said.

Bratislava, Slovakia
En route to Budapest, we stopped here for lunch. Really charming town with cobblestone roads.

We were told that Bratislava's Christmas market beats out the other European cities. Just a tip if you're in search for the best.

Budapest
Are you still with me?! We made it! The last stop on this whirlwind tour. And the city I've been waiting to visit for a long time...34 years long. My mom's father, Charles (Grandpa Charlie) grew up here. He was born in Austria when it was still Austria-Hungary. The dual monarchy existed for 51 years until it was dissolved in 1918 at the end of WW I. My mom visited Hungary with her parents and was so excited that I'd finally get to see this beautiful city. My grandma Ruthie often made us Hungarian goulash and I was looking forward to tasting those flavors again. On our first night a few of us ate in the cutest local restaurant - a guy was playing slow songs on his electric guitar and the ambience was just right. And then this came to the table:

Absolute PERFECTION. I felt my grandparents with me as I took each bite. The egg noodles were just as I had remembered and the sauce was dead on. Amazing how one dish can evoke such memories and comfort.
Oh, and I felt like a baller breaking out my 20000 Hungarian Forint note ($90 USD, but whatever).

On our one full day in the city we covered a lot of ground. Our day started and ended with the Hungarian Parliament. This is the 3rd largest Parliament building after Buenos Aires and the UK. A side note: the local men on this tour haven't been worth a second look...until we arrived in Budapest. Best looking men I've seen in a long time. And on this day, they were all in uniform at the Parliament. Quite the distraction. But I digress.

This really was the most ornate interior we'd seen throughout this tour..

Imre Steindl was the architect (and died three weeks before it opened in 1904)  - about 1,000 people were involved with construction, during which 40MM bricks, half a million precious stones and 40kg (88 pounds) of gold were used to build the 268 meter (879 ft) high building. The interior includes over 12 miles of corridors, a 96-meter (315 ft) high central dome and 691 rooms. During the war, they hid the stained glass windows in the basement and maintained them.

The Holy Crown of Hungary is displayed in the Central Hall, the only area where photos are prohibited. Such a shame too, since two armed guards constantly guard the crown and change positions every 15 minutes. It was an awesome sight. And again, they were gorgeous. Ahhh!
Their cigar holders are numbered and each member of Parliament was assigned their own holder. Love that.

Here's the chamber interior:

I could go on and on about this building but need to move on. Just go see it!

We briefly visited Heroes' Square which includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The square is bookended by two museums: Museum of Fine Arts

and the Palace of Art

I'll have to visit them both next time. One foliage pic in this spot with my roommate on the trip, Delilah:

We then visited Castle Hill, which usually offers one of the best views of the Pest side from the Buda side, but the fog was intense and made it tough. Matthias Church was stunning (built in 1200s) and the last two Hungarian Habsburg Kings were crowned here.

I, of course, had to sample Hungary's famous cake called Dobosh torte. So simple and SO delicious.

Here's the view of Parliament in the fog

We made a quick stop at a large indoor market selling meat, produce, souvenirs and hot food.

I had an hour or two on my own and walked to the Dohány Street Synagogue and Tree of Life Holocaust Memorial. The synagogue was completed in 1859 using the designs of a well-known Viennese architect at the time.

 The spectacular Great Synagogue can hold about 3,000 people; it's Europe's largest synagogue and one of the largest in the world.

Behind the synagogue is the Tree of Life Holocaust Memorial, built on the site of mass graves of those killed by the Nazis. Hungary lost over half a million Jews to the Holocaust, and Tony Curtis, who was Hungarian, wanted to fund this memorial completely.

The tree resembles a weeping willow and the shape resembles an upside down menorah. Inscribed on its 4,000 metal leaves are the names of Hungarian Holocaust victims. I was moved the most by this memorial. Not many people were around so it was quiet.

Here's the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park & Garden, which is a mass grave for about 2,000 victims of the Budapest Ghetto. 

 I saw this tree a few minutes after I left the synagogue. Pretty much sums up how I felt.

On a happier note, you've made it to the end! Our last night in Budapest was spend on a dinner cruise on the Danube river, with incredible Hungarian food and views of the city at night. Here's how the day ended:

I am so so happy that I went on this tour and highly recommend both Contiki and these cities. I'm spending the next two weeks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, so I'll post next week with more from here. Thanks for hanging in for this one...I need a shot of Schnapps now!

xx jack