Sunday, October 19, 2008

The MUCH anticipated Pictures!!

The MUCH Anticipated Pictures!!!!!
Here are some highlights from our adventure so far.



All we have...1 backpack each.


Our first night's sleep was in the food court at the airport. Thank you earplugs!!!

KRAKOW
A staue of a dragon that spits fire. There is a legend about a dragon that Krakow is now known for.

A wall used for executions at Auschwitz.
Barbed wire near a guard post.
The infamous rail tracks that led too many people to the horror that was Auschwitz.
Beds in a block. This one building would have housed over 700 people (with 3 or 4 people per bed).
Electrified barbed wire.

Schindler's former factory.
PRAGUE:
The Charles Bridge from a distance.
A tower on the Charles Bridge.

Prague Castle (really just a palace with a very large cathedral).

Prague as seen from the Castle.
The homes of the nobles, situated outside the castle/palace of the monarch.

You can guess how expensive things are when the bank dispenses bills worth 2000 Euros.
Prague's popular maironettes (these ones of Harry Potter).
The longest escalator I've ever seen.

Our visit to Prague's National Theatre.

A small vineyard on a mountain, outside a cemetery.
View from the mountain.
Prague's National Museum and St. Wencelas' Square.


A monument to remember a young man who burned himself alive on this spot to protest the oppression brought on from the Commuist regime.
VIENNA:
A statue of Mozart (he's Austrian).

The Belevedere. Former royal palace, now an art museum (it houses the original of Klimt's The Kiss).

The Austrian Parliament Building (as captured from a poster).
The inside of the Parliament buildings.
SALZBURG:
The fortress that overlooks all of Salzburg.
The view from the fortress.

Us outside Mozart's birthplace.
Mozart's home.
A garden leading to the Cardinal's palace.
View from the garden in the opposite direction.
The gazebo from The Sound of Music.

The lake used in The Sound of Music. The house was used for one side of the house in the movie.
A town outside of Salzburg.
MUNICH:
Towers on a cathedral that were used as markpoints for the bombers in WWII.
Enjoying a meal at a BeerHaus.
The festive cookies of Oktoberfest. They cost a fortune and taste like crap.

A night out on the town. Beers come in big and bigger. Here are our 1 L steins.
Partying it up to the sounds of an Oompa band.
NUREMBURG:
A view of the moat at the Imperial Palace.
The rally grounds where the Nazi party held many rallies. Hitler stood on the platform where Mat is standing in this photo.
BERLIN:

This is a monument for WWII. Burried under the statue is a soldier from WWII and a Holocaust victim.

Like Toronto (and its Moose), Berlin has their own statues.
The former Berlin Wall that separated East and West Berlin.
A real portion of the wall, now used for art work.

A Holocaust Memorial.
The Brandenburg Gate.

Berlin's TV Tower. Apparently the pride of their skyline.
The true Berlin. Grafitti is EVERYWHERE!!!

This 'Happy' man was going to be replaced, but protests from the public proved him so well loved that he remained...and is now a popular symbol used on buttons, T-shirts, notepads....basically anything.
A car for Charles Lacroix.
HAMBURG:
This only sight we saw in this port city (other than the infamous Reeperbahn) is this former Russian Submarine. If you think your house is small...
LONDON: This trip has only just begun, but here's what we've got thus far.
The Parliament Buildings.

The London Eye. A small fortune will get you a good view of the city (apparently).
The clock tower (apparently Big Ben is actually the bell inside the tower).
Tower Bridge... NOT London Bridge!!!!! London bridge is actually the really simple bridge that we're on to take this picture.
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
The Globe.

The Tower of London.
Us demonstrating to 'the King' how well we worked to protect the royal fortress when it was attacked.
Kensington Palace.
Kate Hudson from afar. She's in the white shirt, with the black jacket, standing behind the black man with really long dreads. She was picking her kid up from his soccer/football practice.
Canada Gate, adjacent to Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace.
Sabrina with a very large and scary member of the Queen's Guards. He's actually outside the home of Princes Charles, William and Harry.
Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson at Trafalgar Square.

The classic Telephone Booth with The Parliament Clock Tower in the background.

This picture is for Kathy. He's got weird hands.

At the British Museum.....I'm not really sure, but it seems like a fun place to stop.
Now that the pics are up, we should be able to be in better blogging contact thus forth.

Till then.
xoxo