More Praha

The Advantage Hostel. Nice place. Wicked salami sandwiches for breaky.

Kafka's grave.


The Golden Tiger, best beer hall in Prague. Former Czech president Vaclav Havel once brought Bill Clinton there for a delicious mug of local pilsner. It's true cause I saw the pic on the wall. Clinton looked like he was up to something. Sadly, Havel died while we were in Prague and I know he was loved cause there were mega candle light vigils for him all over town. Mega candle light vigils I tells ya.

The 'Fred & Ginger' building.

Greater Flamingos

Greater Flamingos

This beauties are always together. They live just down the beach from us.

Great Cormorants (Gull and Grey Heron in the background)

Grey Heron

Blue Rock Thrush

Christmas Carp in Prague

The favourite Christmas meal in Czech Republic is good ol' river carp. Come holiday time, the downtown core is dotted with fishmongers who will club a live carp for you, fillet it and put it in a plastic bag ready for your holiday feast. Me and B went to a fancy jazz restaurant in Old Town Square on Christmas eve and I tucked into a juicy carp fillet the size of a baby's arm. It was soft and boney, also like a baby's arm. B demonstrated her wisdom by ordering the schnitzel. Our waiter's name was Radek and we accompanied our meal with some nice Czech wine. Twas a fine Christmas.

Of all mongers, I think fishmongers are best.

Birdz

Tawny Pipit

Purple Sunbird

Common Kestrel

Southern Grey Shrike (eatin' a bee)

Nun on a Teeter-Tawter in Bratislava

Some people call a Teeter-Tawter a See-Saw. That's bullshit.

More Bratislava

Smoked Knee!

Bratislava

More Vienna

Five minutes to midnight on New Years Eve, partying like Habsburgs in front of Vienna city hall. At midnight they played Strauss's Blue Danube and we waltzed in the new year. Immediately following that was Falco's equally well crafted masterpiece 'Rock me Amadeus.'

New Year's Eve feast of street bratwurst, rye bread and a tall cold can of Ottakringer. Deee-lish.

B consulting the map for the exact location of the 'guy riding a horse' statue. Turn around Sugar! (Just kidding, B's cartographic skills are superb).

Walking around Vienna one day while trying to figure out creative ways to not spend money, we stumbled upon two small boxes of English books that someone had generously left outside their apartment building. I scooped up a copy of Paul Theroux's masterful The Mosquito Coast and B snagged Dashiell Hammet's The Continental Op. Here she is diving in to a fine Hammett mystery and enjoying a delicious pint of Budweiser or 'Budvar' (the REAL Budweiser from Czech, not the 'king of beers' from 'Merca).

Eurobirds

European Robin in Vienna

Eurasian Nuthatch in Krakow

Vienna

Vienna is one opulent city. But, we stumbled across this theatre that was showing The Third Man, the old Orson Welles flick. It takes place in post-war Vienna and there is a wicked chase scene down in the cavernous sewer system of old Vienna. There's a tour that takes you through scenes from the movie, including the sewer. Unfortunately we had to split after the movie was over.

Thus I was forced to experience the Vienna sewer system on my own by taking a midday crunch at the Vienna Opera Toilet located down in the subway station. Ein Strauss-dump. "Mit Musik."

While seeing the sights of Grand Old Vienna, nothing keeps you warmer than tiny bottles of Underberg. Yum.

Just chillin' at the Hostel Hüttledorf, a six-story affair overlooking an old church on the outskirts of Vienna. Pretty nice.

Sachertort, Apple strudel und Glühwein. Very nice.

More Berlin

It's Checkpoint Charlie himself. There are 'soldiers' at every touristy site dressed up in WWII gear ready to take a photo with you for only 2 Euro.

Outside the Berliner Dom. Probably the coolest statue I have seen. A fearless (and topless) fraulein getting ready to spear a lion that is attacking her horse.

Statue in Tiergarten park in central Berlin. Apparently there are wild boar that live in Tiergarten. Unfortunately, we did not see any of the delicious beasts.

I got my pic taken with these dudes at the Brandenburg gate. The guy on the left is supposed to be some kind of ghost soldier I think. The other guy told me (twice) that he loved the New Jersey Devils. Then he asked for 2 Euro, but I only had 50 cents.

Side: The awesome statue on top of the gate is called the Quadriga and it was once stolen by that crafty little prick, Napoleon. Later it was returned. Mant years later, 3 of the horses heads were blown off by allied bombing in WWII.

The Adlon hotel. You may remember it from such baby-danglings as the time the late Michael Jackson dangled his baby from the second floor balcony. I asked B if we could re-enact the baby dangling, me playing the part of MJ, and she the baby. She did not answer.

Berlin street art

Ich bin ein Berliner

B and me just returned from an eeeeeepppic three week trip to central Europe. We stayed at hostels (cause I'm thrifty) and, I believe, it provides for a richer all-round travel experience (aka - instant party-mammal commraderie). Our first was Heart of Gold Hostel in Berlin. It was in east Berlin, the cool part of Berlin. East-siiiiiiiiddde! It was decked out in a 'Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy' motif, complete with copies of the book covers tacked to the walls and badass depictions-from-the-story-murals (is there a word for that?).

Despite the broken heating system, the hostel was awesome and there was a cool vibe in the loungey chilled out pool table area. The muesli and salami sandwiches for breaky was rad. DON'T PANIC.

Just chillin'.