The Weary Traveler

At times my job becomes impossibly hectic, with travels to what seems to be all corners of the globe. Barely two weeks ago I shared some thoughts about Costa Rica; a truly blogworthy event at the beginning of my trip to Europe; and now I’m in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada (I haven't spent this much time outside of the United States in a one-month period since I was stationed in Germany!), and each trip so far has had at least one event worthy of blog-note.

I will share, but first a few thoughts and images from my recent travels:

Berlin was the Nazi brain during World War II, and so was target #1 in the efforts to decapitate the German Wehrmacht. Thusly, there was no shortage of ordnance when it came to bringing the Allied war to Hitler’s doorstep toward the end of the war. The city was pretty much bombed flat, leaving the charm and beauty of centuries-old buildings to the memories of today's surviving elderly and the creased and faded photos they may possess, taken in the peaceful calm before the storm.

Because of its place in history, Berlin, a very old city by U.S. standards, is actually one of the newest world cities, architecturally. My hotel didn’t even exist ten years ago. Nothing around my hotel existed ten years ago because the particular area around the Brandenburg Gate was all part of the former East Germany, all in the no-man’s-land between two walls, two blocks apart, which formed the barrier between freedom and oppression.

This is the only Berlin photo I took worth showing (okay, there were others WITHOUT me in them), a self-portrait against the Brandenburg Gate, a relic of ancient Berlin. In the upper left of the photo is the future US Embassy, now under construction. Most notable in this photo is my lack of a chin.


Prague, on the other hand, despite its location and spending much of the 20th century in Soviet bondage, was remarkably untouched by the fingers of war. It was bombed once, a mistake by the Allied pilots who dropped their loads when they thought they were over their intended target, Dresden, Germany. She was seized and locked down by the Soviets in 1968 when she tried to assert a little independence, but was left to her own people to care for her. She retains much of her original charm: cobblestone streets; old, old buildings; lovely, friendly people; and evidence that in old cities, buildings were built where the people felt like building them, and they took many long years to build by people who were meticulous craftsmen using sturdy, ancient methods.


A tiny nook in one among hundreds of narrow, hidden streets in the old section of the city.


Absolutely every sidewalk around the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square is constructed in this way. Imagine the years and individual man-hours of labor this took to accomplish. And when?


I was told by a tour guide that this is one of the oldest open-air markets in Europe.


Do you suppose, maybe, they were young plumber's apprentices? Sorry, but when confronted with such a sight, one must capture it!


Just about every turn of a corner reveals a sight as charming.


The Charles Bridge (liberties are taken with the name, as English and Czech are two vastly different languages). The tower marks the entrance to a pedestrians-only span across the river Vltava. (No, it's not a typo.)


Beauty is found not only in the architecture.


This is Prague Castle, the political and architectural focal point of the city. It's not actually a castle, but rather a grouping of buildings: cathedral, palace, others. The royal family of the Czech Kingdom used to live here, but it now is host mainly to events of state...and an endless stream of tours.

Prague lived up to everything I've ever read or been told about it. It's truly a beautiful place to see and experience, and I highly recommend you find the time to visit before you die.




dassall