Friday, November 18, 2016

Nice 2016


The sunsets, although getting earlier and earlier, are still an addiction

On top of the world


We spent a very nice weekend with special friends from Aix-en-Provence.

A sunshiny girl on a sunshiny day


Best running route ever! Promenade des Anglais, Nice


This is the border between France and Monaco. Can you tell which side is which?



Friday, November 04, 2016

Berlin

Berlin - October 27-31
Berlin is incredibly vast. Sometimes quiet and empty; sometimes teeming with tourists. We liked it. But we only just touched upon it. We left it at the perfect time to leave us wanting to return. 

Wouldn't think we are in a sprawling city, would you? Wandering through Tiergarten.

At the Brandenburg Gates.

Rivi with a chocolate model of the Reichstag building. 
Unfortunately, the gourmet chocolate that we bought was in the bag that we left behind in the Metro station. 

What do you think this sign means anyway?

Nearing Alexanderplatz

In Alexanderplatz

Look at the letters above Ori's head

Holocaust memorial

In Prague the girls wanted to go to a wax museum. We read the reviews and asked them to hold out and we would visit one elsewhere (we were thinking Niagara Falls). Turned out elsewhere was in Berlin. So on my birthday, the girls and I went to Madame Tussaud's while Ori gave his conference talk. Although it wasn't on my list of attractions to see, it did turn out to be quite fun and rather educational. The girls had a blast.
Rivi helping to tear down the walls

Kyri debating with Angela Merkel. 

Rivi collaborating with Beethoven

"To be or not to be - that is the question"


Look closely

The blue church

Kyri and I love Ampelmann

Silhouettes in a fountain near our hotel

A portal perhaps?

Rivi's perfectly timed photo of Kyri on a bridge

This is Berlin

The East Side Gallery is a long stretch of decorated pieces of the wall. 
Below are some sections we liked.




Feeding the birds Kyri's leftover bratwurst bun

Inside the Neue Museum

Potsdamerplatz


Prague

Prague October 25-27 
Prague (or Praha in Czech) is overwhelming. It is so rich in history and monuments, sites and sounds. Fortunately, it's a small city so we were able to explore slowly and revisit our favorite places.  

Prague's astrological clock - and the only one that still works

View from the clock tower of city hall

Beneath the bridge - I really like the stonework

Detail on the Charles Bridge 
Several monuments are named after Charles IV as he was a huge patron of the arts and sciences

Layers

St. Vitus Cathedral inside the walls of Prague Castle

March of the penguins

SVEJK - the good soldier- is everywhere in Prague and often advertising Pilsner Urquel (a good beer)

A precarious pose

Again St. Vitus Cathedral

View from atop a tower of St. Vitus

Walking down the windy stairs of the tower

Prague National Theater at night - I like the tram cross-wires

Along the Vltava River with Charles Bridge in the background

Inside the Jubilee Synagogue