Days 25 - 27, Berlin to Prague

On our last day in Berlin we went to the German parliament (Bundestag) building.  After a major renovation last decade the building now houses a transparent dome which vistors can ascend.  The idea behind the dome is that when the parliament is in session its members can always look up and remember that they are there to serve the public.

The building with the dome on top

Berlin, from the dome

Unfortunately the long line to climb the dome took away a majority of the day.  We spent the rest of the day walking around Berlin and meeting people in the hostel.


Prague

After a six hours on a train we arrived in Prague.  We soon discovered that we needed to change money since the Czech Republic operates on the crown.  Luckily there was a Bankomat (ATM) in the station so I could withdraw thousands of crowns.

About $160 USD

Adrian and I made our way to the hostel and then set out for food.  Dinner only cost about $8 USD and that included a one liter beer. 

Yes, a full liter

The night consisted of a club crawl to check out the party atmosphere in Prague.

Surprisingly we slept in and barely made it to the walking tour at today.  The tour was run by the same company we have been using in every city and was once again extremely interesting.  Some pictures and facts are below. 

The Astronomical Clock

The clock was named the second-most disappointing tourist attraction in the world, just behind (or ahead) of the Mona Lisa.  The functions of the clock are kind of complicated so you will have to read its Wikipedia page if you are interested. 

Above is the statue located outside the theater where Mozart deubted Don Giovanni.  He had a special relationship with the city throughout his lifetime and the movie Amadeus was filmed inside the theater. 

Above is the Powder Tower where all of the gun powder in Prague used to be stored.  It now sits in the middle of shopping area lined with casinos.

Above is one of the most photographed builings in Prague because of its architecture.  It is also where Vin Diesel is fired upon by a sniper in the movie xXx. 

The statue dedicated to Franz Kafka, one of the most influential writers in Czech history.  The design of the statue is a reference to characters in one of his short stories.

On the right-hand side of the picture is the oldest practicing synagogue in Europe.  Most of the synagogues in Prague survived Nazi rule because Hitler purposely spared them.  Hitler wanted to make the Jewish section of Prague into a museum to showcase how awful he thought the Jews were. 

Prague's Castle

The view from the castle

The last stop of the day was at the Medieval Torture Museum.  This was largely worthless but that was to be expected. 

Doesn't look fun

Overall Prague has been awesome.  We unfortunately leave tomorrow but I'm expecting Austria to be fun as well.  Last fact of the day:  Prague residents consume 2 pints of beer per capita per day, the most in the world. 

Scott