I am writing from Prague in Czech Republic, home of the Staneks! We have had an awesome time since Amsterdam. We spent an entire week in Germany. Berlin was really interesting and it seemed like every street corner had some kind of historic importance, whether from WWII or the days of the Berlin Wall. We walked to the top of the Reichstag, the government building, and looked down through the big glass dome. The significance of the dome is so that the people can keep an eye on the government that has betrayed them in the past, and that the politicians can look up and see the people that they represent (or 300 American tourists!)
After Berlin we went to Frankfurt to visit my friend Sebastian who studied abroad at OU. He showed us around his university and took us out for an authentic German meal-weinershnitzel with green sauce, potatoes, and apple wine. The next day we had the opportunty to go to his village with him and meet his parents who were incredibly hospitable and kind, and fed us way too much!
After Frankfurt we traveled down to Munich, where Monks have been brewing beer for hundreds of years. We got to try some at several of the famous beer halls, including the legendary Hofbrau Haus. We also ate like seven different kinds of sausages-CurryWurst, Bratwurst, Bockwurst...and the list goes on. In fact, I could probably wait awhile before I eat sausage again!
We took a daytrip to Fussen in the Alps to see the famous Neuschwanstein fairy tale castle. It is actually the castle that Walt Disney modeled his Cinderella Castle after. It was an absoutely wonderful day, probably the best of the trip. Everything about the area is very picturesque. The small town at the foot of the Alps consists of little traditional cottages. There are horse drawn carriages trotting down the streets and the mountains tower above. We had a few hours to kill before our timed ticket visit to the castle so we walked down a trail to Swan Lake. The water is so clear that you can see to the bottom, and since it was such a nice day we decided to jump right in! The castle itself was very cool and really did look like it was from a fairy tale.
Last night we arrived in Prague. Here they use the koruna instead of the euro, which is basically like monopoly money. I had a $2000 bill of it because the exchange rate is so crazy. We treated ourselves to an authenic Czech meal of Goulash, dumplings and potato pancakes. It was delicious and a lot cheaper than anything we've had so far. Then we walked along the river toward the old town to see Prague Castle-the biggest medieval castle in central Europe-lit up at night. Today we took a tour of the city and we are taking Halli's recomended pub crawl from Bohemian Bagel tonight! In the morning, it's off to Vienna, Austria!!