Elbe Berlin to Prague July Aug 2019

This was a Viking cruise that was supposed to go down the Elbe River.  However, the water level of the Elbe went so far down they could not let the ship navigate safely.  Viking did the next best thing.  We actually spent nights on the Elbe in two Viking ships that were anchored and saw the rest of the sights by way of bus.  Also included were hotel stays in Berlin and Prague, Czech Republic.  It actually worked out pretty darn well!  I would have preferred the cruise, but Viking did another pretty clever thing.  They offered us 50% off on our next cruise.  Talk about golden handcuffs!!!



Berlin.  A big city and capital of Germany.  Filled with history, of course.  Being the first of our group to arrive, we went on a boat tour down the Spree River.  

They served beer and German food onboard this three hour tour.  YUMMMMY!!!













Berlin has an old church that was heavily bombed in World War II.  It still remains as a reminder.  

Hanging in a portion of that church is a charcoal painting done by a German prisoner of war of the Soviets.  

KaDeWa is a huge department store in Berlin.  It has absolutely everything in six-plus floors.  After taking a walk around this monstrous place, we ran into three fellows from the Netherlands.  


Leaving Berlin, we travel through the Potsdam area.  Remember the movie "Bridge of Spies?"  Here's the bridge. 



And the famous Brandenburg Gate.... 









And, the now very touristy CheckPoint Charlie...  



The old border between East and West Berlin is marked on the ground by a line of bricks two bricks wide.  Here's a spot near CheckPoint Charlie.  













Our guide who lived in East Berlin said when they turned 18 they went to a government office and registered to get a Trabant car.  Then they were told they could come back in 15 years to pick it up.  They were awful cars, but it's what communism had for them.  Now the Trabant is a collectors item.  

Potsdam is a suburb of Berlin.  When you mention Potsdam, most think of the Potsdam Conference at the end of World War II.  Stalin was the host as Potsdam was in their zone of influence.  

Note the big red star in the image above.  That's Stalin saying hello.

Before we leave Berlin, we went to the former East Berlin to visit the old Stasi headquarters.  The communists spied on EVERYBODY, as records showed after the downfall of the communist state.  The head of this nonsense was Erich Mielke.  Mielke was very particular as to how breakfast would be served to him, shown in the image below.  Kinda creepy, actually.  

Wittenburg, Germany is perhaps best known as Martin Luther's home.  In fact, they changed the name of Wittenberg by adding "Lutherstadt" in front of it.  This is the new reformed bible from Luther.

After walking up and down on cobblestone streets, it was time to have a beer.  













After visiting Lutherstadt Wittenberg, we hit Torgau.  Torgau is where American and Soviet troops linked up in April of 1945.  The image to the left shows what the Soviets left to commemorate the event.  Across the street is another monument to also remember the event.

Back to our ship in Wittenburg, and then in the morning leave for (eventually) Dresden.  Goodbye Wittenburg!

The next destination is Meissen and the famous porcelain factory.  

And then on to our next ship docked on the Elbe River in Dresden.  

On board in Dresden, we were visited by two ladies who were experts at lace making.  




That night featured German food!  So here I am posing with the chef.  

In Dresden we visited the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Museum.  By the way, if you didn't know, Europe is filled with museums, churches, clock towers, and town squares along with up and down cobblestone streets.  















Another stop in German, this time to the Saxony Switzerland National Park.  It's not in Switzerland.  It's called that because a few visiting Swiss artists thought it reminded them of Switzerland.  

Then on to our last stop, Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.  The Charles Bridge was packed with tourists.  Another way to see it is from a boat ride along the Vltava River.  

We also visited the President's Palace.  Here are the friendly guards.  




















Gee, I have time.  One final visit to a brewery!  

Until My Next Adventure,

See You On Down the Road!

Jim Patterson

... And here's a slideshow from my trip!

Amsterdam to Basil and Lake Como

In about eleven days I covered Amsterdam and about everything else going south on the Rhine River before Basil, Switzerland.  Then a drive through Switzerland to get over the border with Italy to the Lake Como district. 

First off, Viking Cruises are OUTSTANDING.  The food, the service, the tours were all first class.  Not once did I miss not working out because I got a workout each day on the tours!

Before the start of the river cruise there was some time to see Amsterdam, even it was cloudy and rainy.  Coming from Phoenix, that kinda felt nice!

And, for Americans, I have to add the "head shop" photo. 

South of Amsterdam was a little town of Kinderdijk.  Windmills are an important part of water management in the Netherlands as so much of the land is under sea level. 

A cool, cloudy, and misty day awaited, giving photos of windmills a moody feel.

Cologne, Germany was a stop that promised at least one good German beer, and I was not disappointed.  Only brewed in the city is a brand called Kolsch beer.  I had confused it with Grolsch beer, which is made in the Netherlands. 

And of course, there are cathedrals to see. 

And, German street performers!


And the Cologne Cathedral lit up at night along the Rhine River.

South of Cologne on the Rhine River we go from  medieval Koblenz to Braubach to Rüdesheim.  The 11th-century Marksburg Castle and many other castles can be seen from the river.  Taking a tour of a castle, our guide warns us he holds the key to get in... and out!  The boys below form the welcoming committee, guaranteeing polite behavior!

Wandering into Speyer, I find it is a town of Biergartens!  And, with entertainment like Dieter Lochschmidt.  And the food and beer were terrific!

Germany’s oldest university town, Heidelberg is on the Neckar Valley east of the Rhine.

Strasbourg France, located on the Ill River, was an exciting stop for me because of the tour to Holtzwihr in the Alsace region of France that included the Colmar Pocket, where Audie Murphy won a Medal of Honor during World War II.  This shows the exact location of where 1LT Murphy held off Germans. 

The towns in the Alsace also protect and honor storks! 

Breisach Germany is located in one of the warmest parts of Germany, next to Alsace, (between the Rhine River and the Black Forest) which is famous for its wine-growing. I do not remember drinking a beer here, unless it was aboard the ship.

Basil Switzerland marked the end of the Rhine River cruise, then transfer to a bus that would take us from north to south in Switzerland, to just over the border with Italy to the Lake Como region. 

A stop along the way in Switzerland meant lunch at this Italian speaking restaurant.  Here are some of the friendly staff.  The fellow second from the left noticed my "Arizona" belt buckle and told me he was interested in quarter horses and the American West.  That got us off to a nice conversation, even though he didn't speak much English.

And did you know there are palm trees in Switzerland?  Here's proof!

Lake Como Italy ... think of it as an upside down "Y" with towns all along the coast.  You can get around by car, motorscooter, bicycle, or water taxi.  Coming from Arizona, I found the water taxis the most fun and very cheap.

Yes, of course there is a cathedral. 

A private boat got us close to a waterfall

hidden behind this rock bridge.  I'd never have found this if not for that boat captain. 


And in Bellagio, a town on Lake Como, I found a deserted staircase, soon to be filled with tourists. 

The food.  Well, it's Italy.  So it was EXCELLENT.  The pizza, the pasta.  You don't come to Italy to drink beer, by the way. 

Until My Next Adventure,

See You On Down the Road!

Jim Patterson

Photos from Flickr ... and, here are all the keeper photos!