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Copenhagen, finally!

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Nyhavn - harbor area After a nice rest in Tarm, we drove the 5 hours to visit friends on Zealand in Ølstykke for a great traditional lunch (including Smørrebrod, cheese, schnapps and herring) and a good catch up. Then drove on to Ishøj where I had booked a Danhostel for 2 nights proximal to the international airport in Kastrup. Marble Church We spent a whole day walking, and walking around Copenhagen remembering when we were there in 1977 and 2002 noticing some change and lots of familiar places such as the Christiansborg Palace, the strøget (walking streets), Marble church and eating pølser hot dogs. I even found several good coffee places. Christiansborg Slot (Palace) Christiansborg is where the Danish Parliament sits, the Supreme Court and Ministry of State. We bought a ticket to tour the Royal Reception rooms - very ornate and colorful. Throne Room Reception Hall On a walk back to the S train, we stopped in to the Marble Church and on to the R
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Ribe to Tarm, Denmark

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Ribe, Denmark We headed out on a nice sunny morning from Hamburg to Denmark. We wanted to stop in Ribe which is the oldest town in Denmark dating back to the 8th Century. It has a nice cathedral, old 16th century buildings and great pølser hot dogs! After a stop in Ribe, we headed out to Tarm, also on Jutland to visit friends and overnight there. We had lots of cold wind and rain on our next day in Tarm, but enjoyed some good meals and wine.
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Hamburg

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Hamburg Rathaus - city hall We ate a good breakfast in Berlin and headed out in the sunshine to Hamburg with still many delays due to autobahn construction delays! We found our way to the east side where our friend Uta lives and checked in to our hotel. We 3 took the U-Bahn to central Hamburg to see the Rathaus (city hall), a new opera house and enjoyed some good coffee on such a cold, windy afternoon. Our friend Uta and Gloria Then out for dinner at a local pub - a delicious goulash stew with mashed potatoes and beer. Off to bed fairly late!
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Berlin, Germany

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Although there was still an overwhelming amount of construction on German roads and autobahns, we navigated successfully to our hotel in the Ostbahnhof (east train station) in Berlin arriving late in the afternoon. Weather still nice and cool, maybe a bit chilly feeling like fall. Bundestag, German Parliament We had free passes from the hotel (Intercity) for the S-bahn and headed down to the centre (Alexanderplatz) to see the Bundestag - the German Parliament buildings, city hall, a museum and Cathedral. Berliner Dom cathedral Brandenburg Gate, Berlin A short walk took us to the famous Brandenburg gate (which was cordoned off in preparation for Oct 3 reunification celebrations!), and on to the Berlin wall and Checkpoint Charlie! History was now very real seeing these historic locations. Berlin Wall
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Leipzig and J.S. Bach

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One of my favorite composers is J. S. Bach and we decided to do a bit of a detour to see the Church where he was Music director and where he is also buried in the church. It was worth it for me. I have played his music on piano and organ since I was 9 years old. Thomaskirche We found the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) where there is a square, a statue and the tomb in the nave of the church. Weather was cooler and much appreciated. Statue of J.S.Bach J. S. Bach's tomb
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Terazin and Dresden, Germany

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Still had some amazing weather - most days in the 28 - 30 C range... appreciated the A/C in the car and rooms. On our way to Dresden we saw a sign for Terazin - the Nazi concentration camp from WWII. We made the detour and headed to the parking area about 15 m off the highway. This was also called "Theresienstadt" and we caught an English tour to learn of huge numbers of Jews, professionals, gypsies, etc who were held 60-90 prisoners in small, packed rooms often before being sent off to Auschwitz.  The lie "work makes you free" Jewish Cemetary This was the small fortress used to hold prisoners, a much large one nearby. Then on to Dresden and found our Hostel, checked in and walked the 15 minutes to the main square where there was a Potato and fall festival set up. Found some dinner in the mall (Galerie) and back to shower and sleep, however with no AC, it was hot. Next day we took the S-bahn to town, climbed the stairs to the Cathed
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Prague, Czech Republic

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After picking up our rental vehicle in Nuremburg, we drove the 3 - 4 hours to Prague. Thank goodness for GPS! We found our hotel (Kinsky Garden Hotel) and checked in. Prague Castle Cathedral Went for a walk to get our bearings and found the Hop on Hop off bus stop we needed to find the next day. (the city does not allow them to be marked!) This is a beautiful city and especially Prague Castle, the largest one in the world! Astronomical clock, Prague Square St. Vitus church, Prague castle Street performers at Prague Castle The famous Charles Bridge Statue of St. Wenceslas 
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