Amsterdam, NL

We also went to Amsterdam. I wasn't sure how I would find Amsterdam, since its red light district reputation preceeds it, but I really saw none of that and found it to be a lovely city that I would not in the least mind visiting again, though I do not think I would want to live there. I also saw more bicycles than I have ever seen in my life. Most people ride bikes in this city, and in some places there are seas of them parked, though some look like they've been in one place for years. Walking around this city also felt like it was farther than all the other places we were, though I am not sure if it was. Maybe I was just tired.

The first photo is of the city's big park, and you can see to the left side of it that part of the grassy area was elevated; if there was a reason for it I do not know. I would love to have this park in a city nearby my home; I would be there all the time. It was very nice.

Second is a giant chessboard (note the human lower legs). I saw a couple other of these elsewhere in Europe, and they intrigue me. Looks like a fun way to play chess (though very public).

Third we found the Hard Rock Cafe in Amsterdam, though we weren't looking for it. It just seemed like a fun place to go.

Fourth, the Heineken Brewery is in Amsterdam. We were going to take a tour; unfortunately the building was closed for renovations, to be reopened at some undesignated later point this summer. That was a little disappointing.

Fifth is one of the canals in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is another one of those cities full of water.

Six and seven are the other part of the aforementioned park, six taken on my way into the city from our hotel, seven taken as I was headed back to the hotel, and it was raining lightly, which meant a great opportunity for a photo without people (which is hard in a public park).

The last photo is a police car, just because, and because it looks cool. Our law enforcement should have brightly striped cars.

Bremen, DE

We actually stopped in Hamburg before here, and had planned to stay there two nights, but it was just not what we had hoped, and to me seemed dirty and trashy in many ways. So we decided to go ahead and leave, and headed to Bremen for that second night, which also cut straight driving time to Amsterdam, plus Bremen was a much nicer city.

Bremen is a port city (and where my grandmother's grandmother sailed from). The first two photos are from near our hostel, of the inlet that leads to the larger port area.

The third photo was just funny: TexMex in Germany. We decided it probably would not be a good idea to try it, half the mexican food in Texas will make you sick...(and I don't eat meat anyway..)

Fourth is the statue of the Bremen town musicians. I kept seeing pictures of these animals and couldn't figure out what was up with them. It took a bit of time to make the connection and realize that story was this town, then it all made sense.

Fifth is a girl who started entertaining the street as we were finishing our evening meal. She was juggling fire sticks (as you can see), and was quite fun to watch; it was a good show.

The last three pictures are the town's cathedral, where I attended worship Sunday morning. The last two I took as I was sitting inside after the service. It was gorgeous, and I was actually fairly amazed that the cathedral wasn't Catholic; they usually are. The pastor was a woman, and yes she did preach from up in the pulpit deal you can see on the far left of the middle of these three photos. Communion was served after the regular service in a separate mini-service; I thought that was interesting.

Overall this was a very nice town, and I really liked it; a much better choice than a second night in Hamburg.

Berlin, DE

Berlin was one of my favorite cities on the whole trip. We took a New Europe Free Walking Tour of the city, which I highly recommend. Our tour guide was Australian, but excellent, really knew her stuff, and made it entertaining and thus easier to remember.

The first photo is just a motorcycle officer because I thought it was cool.

Second is the famous Brandenburg Gate, through which marched all sorts of armies over the years.

Third is the German Parliament house.

Fourth and fifth are shots of the Holocaust memorial. It is massive, but it focuses on the Jews murdered in Europe.

Sixth is early 1980's communist architecture: flats. They definitely had an eye for aesthetics.

Seven and eight are shots of what is left standing of the Berlin wall to serve as memorial, nine is what it looks like where the rest of the wall stood. All around the city there is still a line in pavement to mark where the wall stood, and every so often is a marker like this one to clarify what that line in the pavement means.

Ten is the reconstruction of Checkpoint Charlie.

Eleven is Humboldt University, where Einstein was a professor, and which sits opposite the courtyard of the famous book burning of 1933.

Twelve and thirteen are Ampelmann, the East Berlin traffic light man. When the country was reunited they tried to put the traffic light man from the West in place, but the East Berlin citizens had a fit, so they got to keep Ampelmann.

Fourteen is the cathedral, built in the very early 20th century, because, according to our tour guide, all the other major European cities had cathedrals, Berlin should have one too! But they made sure it looked old.

Fifteen is the dismantling of the East German palace. Our tour guide told us all to take a photo of it. It was built for the communists because they didn't want to use the old royal palace because they didn't like what it represented, and now Berlin is tearing this one down because they don't like what it represents, and they are rumored to be rebuilding the original palace, but there is some skepticism about whether that will actually happen. The issue of what things represent, and which ones, if any, should be preserved as reminders is common in Europe related to the wars.

Last is the Fernsehturm or tv tower. It was built in the late 1960's as a representation of all the good things Eastern Germany was to be. It was also decreed around this time that all the crosses in the city were to be taken down, because there was no need for that, the Reich was god, if you will. Ironically, though, when the sun hits this tower it makes a cross, and try as they might they couldn't get this sphere to stop reflecting a cross back for the whole city to see. Thus the people dubbed it 'the Pope's Revenge'.

Wittenberg, DE

Wittenberg is where Martin Luther spent most of his adult life, at the university as professor and such.

The first photo is the statue of Katharina von Bora, Luther's wife, which sits in the courtyard of the monastary that later became the Luther home in Wittenberg.

Second is the monastary that was given to Luther to live in after it was no longer a monastary.

Third is a deck of cards, handdrawn, that have no relation to anything Luther but I thought they were cool. They were in the Melanchthon house museum.

Fourth is the Melanchthon house, which, like the monastary/Luther house, was used for several things after the Reformation 'heroes' were no longer living, so they have little left from those times, although parts have been reconstructed to look that way, and they are both now museums of Lutheran things and also simply things from that time period (hence the aforementioned deck of cards).

Fifth is the place where Luther is said to have burned the Papal bull to excommunicate him. Legend says a tree was planted in that spot, however the tree in the photo is not the same tree, the original tree is no longer alive. So the true significance of the spot is left to the beholder.

Six and seven are exterior views of the church Luther preached in during this time, and eight is the interior of the same building.
Nine and ten are the city's statues of Luther and Melanchthon, respectively.

Eleven is just the repavement of a street, but I've never seen anyone paving a street with cobblestone before so I took a photo.

Twelve is the exterior of the castle church where the 95 Theses were nailed, which is what thirteen is a photo of. They said those are the same doors to which the Theses were nailed, but clearly they did something to them, overlaid them or something (with what I think was a list of the Theses, but as you can see there is a fence so you can't get too close).

Fourteen and fifteen are the actual locations of Melanchthon and Luther's burials, inside the castle church, Luther nearly under the place where one would preach from, Melanchthon on the opposite side of the center aisle.

The last two photos are the stained glass at the back of the castle church, and then a view of the inside of the castle church.

Eisleben, DE

Eisleben is the birth and death city of Martin Luther. However, because no one knew he would be of such historical significance when he was born, there really isn't a whole lot left from that. His death was duly noted, though.

The first photo is of the church at the place where Luther was baptised.

Second is a the city's statue of him.

Third is the house where he died.

Fourth is the death mask, with his right hand returned to the writing position upon onset of rigor mortis. (apologies again for the wrong orientation, I can't figure out why it does that, I have it right in the folder I upload from..)

Fifth is what his body was in for the funeral.

Six and seven are of the actual bed he died in, in the room he died in. It was a little creepy, in some ways, but cool in others, to think he was actually THERE. (and then so was I!)