On To Prague

We took the train from Berlin to Prague on September 20th. Closing out the Chausseestrasse apartment, getting to the Hauptbahnhof, even finding our platform and train were smooth and easy. Then it turned out the Czech train service switched cars in such a way that the new car did not have the seats we had reserved. Long story short is that we did the almost 4 hour ride in "middle" seats. Middle seats on a European train at least are not the misery they are on American airplanes. From Prague's central station we merely walked 11 minutes to our new apartment on Dlouha street, in Stare Mesto, the Old Town, a few blocks from a) the river, b) the Municipal House, c) the Palladium shopping center and Paris street, d) Old Town Square, e) Wenceslas Square, and f) not much further to anything else of interest. We may take the tram up to St. Vitas cathedral and Hradcany Castle when we get around to them, but pretty much everything else will be on foot. We're here mostly to luxuriate in the abundant art nouveau and art deco architecture that is everywhere in Old Town, New Town, the Josefov, etc. After three days' more or less random wandering, our necks already are sore from gawking up. Anyhow, we're here for three weeks, quite happy with our situation, leisurely touring one of the great European cities. Our third visit to Prague over the years.

Pretty countryside, especially past Dresden; here looking up 
at some of the crags above the Elbe, a route we'd driven in previous
visits

Exiting the Prague central station; art nouveau, anyone?

So there we are, in Stare Mesto, center of the map

Our building, the facade anyway, Palac Dlouha,
fifth floor

Looking up (down?) Revolution street, just beyond the curve is the
Palladium, a huge shopping center; go straight and in another block
you're at the gorgeous Municipal House, much Mucha and music
(Smetana Hall) 

Looking up Dlouha street

Approaching our apartment

Another over-sized studio; $87/night; living area

Kitchen, dining area

Behind all the cabinet doors lurk the microwave, fridge, dishwasher,
and anything else one could want (except an oven)

Blogging station

Sleeping area, screened off by a wall at the bottom and a bookcase
on the side

Bath

Shower

We've arrived just in time! The beer and sausages are getting pretty
boring...

Berlin Out-Takes

Seemingly every neighborhood...memorials in front of buildings or 
houses from which people were taken and murdered...

Still going in Berlin

Interesting public sculpture near KaDeWe...Berliners

Chocolate kebab...we had to try it

Actually not as decadent as it sounds...the interior was mostly
fruit

Medusa oversees the flying trash bins outside the Deutsche Historische
Museum

You can tour Berlin via bicycle, Segway, on foot, or in little cars

City skyline veggie and cheese sculpture

"Why did we try to do all of Museum Island in one day?"

Specimens from Babylon's veterinary dental clinic

"And what is that, slave girl, in your left hand, under the table?"

Babylonian figurines, votives, sex toys

Suggested captions?

Outside our window, the polizei are writing a ticket to a bicyclist;
bicycles being the major traffic in central Berlin

In the bicycle lane, one of the more interesting electric vehicles

At the entrance to the Friedrichstrasse Aldi

Bicycle built for two, with serious design issue

To Alexanderplatz And Back Home

From the Galeries Lafayette we turned and walked on through the downtown, past the Ritter store, across Museum Island, to Alexanderplatz, the landmark home of the TV tower, shopping centers, markets, and more, but mostly shopping centers. It was a brilliant early fall Saturday afternoon, and the crowds were out everywhere. Many, many steps, but a fitting last day.

French cathedral (according to Google Lens)

Humboldt Forum, on Museum Island

Workers of the world, unite; but stay within the wall

Wild Matilde's Cafe

St. Nikolai Church, c. 1230

Among the many Little Bear monuments

The Allegory of Science or, the Dude reading the SoCal Bowling
League Rules on "over the line!"

Old City Hall

Rot Rathaus, current city hall

Let the shopping begin!

Also some rescue archaeology (to make way for more shopping
centers)

Street scene (courthouses)

Inside the vast Alexa shopping center, a whole hall devoted to
"young fashion"

Pretzel sandwiches

If there were trees growing out of the asphalt and concrete, you
could call it a bier garten; thousands of people, drinking, shopping
at the craft market, etc.

Another shopping center

Ever more German food; wish we'd stopped here for dinner,
but we had a fridge of food to finish back at the apartment

Passing through Hackescher Martkt and its beautiful station