Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Trip of a Lifetime... Germany & Czech Republic

Michael and I were able to take a trip of a lifetime a few weeks ago to Germany & the Czech Republic. As many of you know, Michael is absolutely obsessed with everything Germany. Since we both have roots in Germany, it was really a no-brainer as to where we would take a vacation this summer. We set out with Michael's best friend, Brent, as our trusty tour guide and headed to Europe at the beginning of June. We toured Germany & the Czech Republic for 10 days!!!

Boarding our flight from Newark, New Jersey to Frankfurt, Germany
We began our trip in Frankfurt and quickly found our way to our first stop, Dinkelsbuhl. It was such a picturesque Germany town. Everything was so clean and colorful. The food and beer were wonderful. We explored around the city walls, downtown, a church, and just took in all the sites of what you think is a typical German town.
Downtown Dinkelsbuhl 
At our Bed & Breakfast:  Goldenes Lamm
On our way to Munich, we stopped in a town, Harburg, to tour a castle. We could not go in because they were not doing tours at the time, but we were able to look around the place and the history is just mind blowing. We also stopped a Catholic Cathedral in Augsburg. Simply beautiful.

Castle in Harburg
Best Friends at Harburg Castle 
Catholic Cathedral in Augsburg 
Front of Cathedral
Munich, my favorite city in Germany that we visited, was so awesome! We stayed in a hostel right across from the Augustiner Brewery. The Brewery is older than the US! We enjoyed the food & drinks at the Augustiner two nights while we were in Munich.

Augustiner Brewery in Munich
The first day in Munich, we took a little drive to the Dachau Concentration Camp. It was the most surreal place I had ever been. You hate to say it was a 'highlight' but it was definitely one of the things I will never forget about our trip. To see the exact place where such atrocities were committed is just beyond words. If anyone has the opportunity, I highly suggest visiting a concentration camp simply to see where history happened and to keep history from repeating itself.

Entrance to Dachau Concentration Camp
Barracks in Dachau 
Crematorium in Dachau 
We took a bike tour around Munich with fellow Americans & English speakers one day. It was definitely a highlight of my trip in Munich especially with my background in history. It was a four hour tour, in the rain (so much fun!!!), and we capped off the tour by visiting one of the best biergartens in the city and had a beer before we headed back to our hostel. 

Michael during Bike Tour 
Our tour guide, PJ 
Biergarten at the end of bike tour
Earlier that day, we took a little roadtrip south, towards the German Alps, to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle. It was absolutely beautiful! We were not allowed to take pictures on the inside but I definitely took enough from the outside. The beauty of the castle made the 40 minute hike up the mountain well worth it.

Neuschwanstein Castle
Us on bridge above Neuschwanstein
On our last night in Munich, we went to the Hofbrau Haus. It was the largest biergarten attraction in Munich. The music was wonderful and the atmosphere was awesome. We enjoyed some beverages and some food with fellow tourists. On our way out, Michael & Brent went up the stairs to the next floor to see where Hitler & the Nazi Party would meet in and have rallies. Everything looked just like it did back then and hardly anything was touched.

Hofbrau Haus 

After Munich, we roadtripped to a smaller town, Passau, which is right on the Danube River. If you didn't know, Germany just had a flood of a lifetime. Water was everywhere in Southern Germany. We stayed in a hostel literally on the river and it was very swollen. We toured the city later in the evening and electricity still hadn't been restored to the places on the other side of the river. We met a German lady who was able to speak enough English to give us a mini tour. The destruction of the flood was devastating, but in true German fashion, she had full confidence that the Germans would recover and prosper once again. We talked to her about all of our German roots and she knew people with those same names -- Grelle (Brent), Kunkel (Michael), & Weiser (Me). 

The Danube River in Passau
The following day we set out for Prague and drove through Austria and finally got to Prague, Czech Republic later in the afternoon. Prague is just another world! There were tourists everywhere, but it had a little bit of everything to experience! We toured the square & the town. We hiked up some more steps to see out over the city and to head to the castle there. The intricate designs & architecture were simply amazing. 

The Square in Prague
Astronomical Clock on the square in Prague
Prague Castle 
In front of Prague Castle
Prague Square at night
Date Night in Prague
To wrap up our trip, we went back to Germany to Nuremberg & Mellrichstadt. Mellrichstadt is where part of my family is from. We checked out the address my Grannie gave us but it was not the actual homestead we were hoping it would be. It is ok though because we were just as happy to see where the family once was living.

Nuremberg, Germany
Mellrichstadt, Germany

We still cannot believe that we were able to take a trip of a lifetime to Germany. Even after all the traveling, the pictures, and experiences, it is still hard for us to put into words how amazing the trip truly was. We are so grateful for those that helped us and prayed for us while we were gone. I know the blog was long, but it is so hard to condense our trip into just a few words. Hope you enjoyed reading it and hope you enjoy the pictures!