Prolog

When we sailed the Atlantic, onboard the beautiful Vision of the Seas, in April 2013, we met a charming couple and became good friends with Donna & Russ. While sailing, we decided that the next trip we shall together. About a month afterwards I found this trip with the Celebrity Reflection that crosses the Atlantic as well. Tova and I decided also to spend about 10 days in Germany after the end of the cruise. I called Donna and she was excited as much as we did.

In June 2013 I called Costco Travel. On the other line was Donna and we booked this trip. I then made my research and booked guides in different ports and of course Germany.

I contacted some travel agencies to book our tour guides in major attractions. I finally “landed” Adi Mahler from Barcelona, George (Jorge) from Berlin and Bridget from Munich.

Day 1 – April 25^th – April 26^th 2014

At 8:30 in the evening we were picked up by D&D Limo Services and headed to LAX, where we boarded our flight# 258 to Miami, Florida. The flight left at 11:30 PM and we landed in Miami at 7:45 AM the next day. We took a taxi from the airport to the cruise port and checked in our luggage with the cruise.

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It was a pleasant day in Miami and we decided to walk to Seaside Marina & Shopping Center. On our way we passed the basketball arena where James, Wade and Bosh were making history.

Once we arrived to the marina we sat at Starbucks for awhile and then toured the area.

We returned to the port at 11:00 and went through the check-in process. Our cabin# 1571 (Aqua Class suite) was ready for us. We found our cabin very elegant and comfortable. We decided to tour the ship and find where everything is.

The Celebrity Reflection is the newest vessel in the Celebrity family. It features the Persian Garden Spa with many amenities, many specialty restaurants, a beautiful upper deck with a spacious pool and an additional pool in a covered area plus sun lounges on the 15^th deck, a lawn club equipped with tents, a beautiful library, a modern casino and a shopping mall spread out on two different decks. The ship’s occupancy is 3046 passengers!

At around 1:00 we bumped into Donna and Russ whose cabin was right next to us (1573). We had lunch together and then went to the Blu Restaurant to find out where we will spend the next 16 days having dinner. We met Marjiana, the hostess and found out that the seating is not fixed but first come first served. However, if our group will be six or more we can then ask to show up at a certain time and a table would be reserved for us, so we can sit together.

After the lifeboat drill, we all went to the upper deck for the Bon Voyage Ceremony. We said goodbye to Miami and then went to the Blu for dinner. The food was delicious. One of the plates, called “Blue Cheese Souffle” was the most amazing dish I have ever had.

During dinner we met our new friends for the trip: Margie and Matt from South Carolina and Bonita from New York. We agreed that we should have dinner together for the remaining of the trip and let Marjiana know about it.

We all went to the elegant theater and were entertained by a wonderful violinist. We also met the cruise director Alexander and his two associates: Jamie and Oz.

Before calling it a night, we moved our watches one hour ahead.

Day 2 – April 27^th, 2014

A day at sea.

We woke up at 12:00(!)

After lunch we visited the very modern Internet Center and then visited the mall.

I went to the pool and the Persian Garden and had a wonderful time.

At 4:30 we joined our new friends at the Sky Lounge for some cocktails and then went down to the Blu for dinner. At our table we were: Donna, Russ, Margie, Bonita and us.

In the theater we watched a comedian named Steve Morris, who used to play for the Beach Boys. Alexander mentioned that the “Battle of the Sexes” had his first competition today and I decided to join them tomorrow.

Before going to sleep we added to our watches one more hour.

Day 3 – April 28^th, 2014

A day at sea.

I woke up at 8:00 and had breakfast at the Blu, followed by a visit to the Internet Center.

Tova woke up at 10:00 and I joined her for coffee at the buffet lounge. I then went to the pool and spa.

I joined the "Battle of the Sexes" and had lots of fun.

At 4:00 we once again met our friends at the cocktails lounge and met some new friends there: Jack & Dianne Zalewski, Marsha & John Dew- all from The Villages, Florida.

Today’s attire was Formal.

After dinner at the Blu we went to the theater to watch a variety show. Next to our cabin (between the elevators and the guest rooms, there is a desk, used in the daytime by the “Next Cruise Director”. We sat there to use the internet and a couple who went by spoke Hebrew. We right away started a conversation with Avi & Nurit from Florida.

We went to sleep around 2:00 AM

Day 4 – April 29^th, 2014

A day at sea.

The same routine: Breakfast at the Blu, Internet, pool & spa, lunch, Battle of the sexes, cocktails lounge, dinner and a show with Nick Page and his beautiful voice.

Once again we set our clocks one hour ahead, before going to sleep.

Day 5 – April 30^th, 2014

A day at sea.

We woke up and had breakfast at the Blu and after surfing the net I went to the theater to listen t a lecture about Barcelona, Spain – one of our destinations.

After the “Battle of the sexes” game we all met once again at the cocktails lounge. Our area became very popular as other guests asked to join us.

At dinner we sat by ourselves, as the rest had other plans for tonight.

We enjoyed three different shows tonight: “Creatures from Outer Space”, “Ballroom 4 Ever” and “One Minute & Win”.

We then returned to our cabin and watched “Jobs” on television, about the life of Steve Jobs from Apple with Ashton Kutcher.

Once again we moved the clocks one hour ahead.

We fell asleep at around 3:30 AM (!).

Day 6 –May 1^st, 2014

Another day at Sea.

We both woke up late and went to breakfast at around 10:00.

I went to the pool for some reading, while Tova went to the gym and then to the Persian Garden.

At 2:00 we met and went to see the matinee show with Nick Page and then I joined the Battle of The Sexes game show, followed by a class on the IPAD’s System.

At 4:00 we met our friends at the lounge and when we entered the Blu at 6:00 we asked our hostess to move us to another table. Our new waiter was Joselito and his assistants were Armando and Marco.

At the theater we enjoyed Vladimir and Nadia in the Dueling Pianos Show. It was fantastic!

We checked our emails and went to sleep at 1:00, not before moving our clocks one hour ahead.

Day 7 – May 2^nd, 2014

Day at Sea.

I woke up at around 7:30 and had breakfast at the Tuscan restaurant.

I joined another IPAD class: this time was about the iClouds.

After swimming in the pool and relaxing in the Persian garden I joined once again the Battle of The Sexes.

We met our friends at the lounge and then joined the Shabbat Services all dressed formal. There were about 50 people there and each one was asked to say few words about themselves. It was nice.

After the delicious dinner at the Blu we entered the theater to watch the variety show Momentum.

We went to sleep at midnight.

Day 8 – May 3^rd, 2014

Last day in the Atlantic Ocean!

After breakfast Tova went to have a massage at the spa as I was swimming and reading.

We took an afternoon nap and then went to watch the matinee show with the Vibes, the ship’s band.

Today was also the last day for the Battle of The Sexes Game Show. The women team won as they knew the complete answer to: “Name all the children in the Von Trapp Family”.

We had another class of IPOD: this time the subject was: Security

After a great time at the Sky Lounge and a fabulous dinner we entered the theater for another Variety Show and then went back to our cabin, getting ready for tomorrow’s first excursion of this trip.

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Day 9 – May 4^th, 2014

When we woke up at 7:30, the ship has just arrived to Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, Canary Islands.

We had breakfast at the Blu and disembarked at around 9:00 with Nurit & Avi, as Donna & Russ opted to stay aboard the ship today.

Outside a group of singers and dancers were welcoming us. They were great and made us feel welcomed.

We found a nice taxi driver/guide, by the name of Antonio Garcia, who spoke English.

Antonio gave us a brief description of the island: It is the largest island of the seventeen Canary Islands. It is also the most populated island of Spain. The name Islas Canarias is likely derived from the Latin name Canariae Insulae, meaning "Island of the Dogs". It is said that the original inhabitants of the island, Guanches, used to worship dogs and treated them generally as holy animals. Four of Spain's thirteen national parks are located in the Canary Islands, more than any other autonomous community.

Our first stop was at La Laguna, which was also Antonio’s home city. La Laguna is a city and municipality in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The city is the third-most populous city of the Canary Islands and the second-most populous city in Tenerife. La Laguna's historical center was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. We were given a couple of hours to explore and visited the following sites: The Fundacion Cristino de Vera – An art museum, Iglesias de Concepcion – A historical building, Santa Iglesias Cathedral – A religious site, and Casa Salazar – Where we toured the chapel of the Bishop. We walked the narrow streets and made a loop, returning to where the taxi parked.

We drove up the mountains towards Mount El Teide, entering the National Forest, and had many stops along the way to take photos of the marvelous views. The Teide National Park has a large historical value. This place had an important spiritual significance to aboriginal Guanches. In the park we saw important archaeological sites, which have been discovered. For the Guanches the Teide was a place of worship, thought to be the gate of hell. It was declared a national park in 1954, making it one of the oldest national parks in Spain. It is also the largest national park in Spain and an important part of the Canary Islands. The nineteen thousands hectares park was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO just 7 years ago. Midway up the mountain we saw the telescopes of the Observatorio del Teide.

This dramatic scenery of the park has been featured in films such as One Million Years B.C. (1966), Clash of the Titans (2010), and Wrath of the Titans (2012). The Raquel Welch poster of One Million Years B.C. was taken here

We entered the Visitor Center at El Portillo to learn how the plants and animals survive in the volcano environment. The center demonstrates how Mount Teide with its 3718 meters came about. We entered a small room where we viewed a short film that showed the importance of Teide National Park and the whole Canary Island archipelago.

After leaving the center we stopped at Plateau of Ucanca to see the unique rocks formation and then visited Roques de Garcia, which are pretty special, but what we really wanted to do here is to get a picture of the shillelagh shaped Roque Chinchado (looks like a man’s penis) with Mount Teide in the background.

We drove a short distance to look at the trams that take tourists up to the summit and then drove the La Tarta (The Cakes), which is one of the real curios in the park; it is a rock formation whose diverse layers resemble a slice of cake.

We started our descent and visited Minas de San Jose, a lava formation in blue-green sands spilling down from the mountainside (Looks like a setting for Star Trek).

We arrived to the old town of La Orotava, which lies at the foot of the mountain, in a valley. We visited La Casa De Los Balcones an architectural treasure from the 17^th century. Its name means the house of the balconies in Spanish in which the balconies and patios are in the front of the building. It was first built in 1632 and offers a great variety of typical Canarian products which include artwork, embroideries ceramics and more. The building has three stories, it features five balconies.

We also visited Iglesias de La Concepción (church), one of the best examples of Baroque era in the Canary Islands.

We arrived to Playa de las Teresitas and its black sand beach. We walked on the promenade for about 20 minutes and then Antonio took us back to our ship at around 4:00.

I went to the Sky Deck to wave goodbyes as we left and to take some more pictures of this fantastic place.

We met our friends at the lounge, compared notes of what we did today, and then were joined by Bonita, Nurit, and Avi for dinner.

Today’s show featured Andy Leach, a crazy magician, which made us all laugh with tears. In one of his routines he flushed some (real life) cards thar were redicolous.

Before turning in, we moved the clock one hour ahead.

Day 10 – May 5^th, 2014

At Sea!

After breakfast I walk around the top deck for about an hour and then joined Tova at the Persian Garden where we napped for about an hour.

We met our friends at the Sky Lounge and then went down to dinner at the Blu.

Tonight’s show featured Phillip Browne with his fantastic personality, strong stage presence, and a rare velvety smooth bass voice. We sat together with Nurit & Avi.

After the show we climbed to the 14^th deck where they viewed a water-show with mermaids and acrobatic dancers.

We returned to our cabin after midnight.

Day 11 – May 6^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:30 as the ship was docking at Malaga, Spain.

We had breakfast with Avi & Nurit at the Tussone Restaurant and at around 10:00 we disembarked with Donna, Russ, and Nurit & Avi.

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We found a vivid and picturesque town. The history of Malaga shaped by the city's location in the south of Spain on the western shore of the Mediterranean Sea, spans about 2,800 years, making Malaga one of the oldest cities in the world. The city was a site of many wars and different rulers and that’s because of its strategic location.

We crossed the main road and arrived at the Malaga Cathedral. It was built on a site of a mosque, which represented eight centuries of Muslim power. Though the construction of the cathedral continued until the 18th century, it is still unfinished as the main facade and south tower are incomplete.

We took the road up and ended at a promenade leading to the Alcazaba (Fortress) where we purchased the entrance tickets and started to explore this magnificence structure. It was built in 1040 to protect the royal family from outside invaders. Situated on the highest point of the hill, it's one of the best reserved Alcazaba (from the Arabic word al-qasbah which literally translates to the English word citadel), in Spain.

The Moorish Muslim rulers that erected the fortress used the remains (visible in its columns and pillars) of a Roman theatre lying adjacent to the Moorish construction.

We ended up back on the promenade and I entered a lobby of a hotel nearby. I asked the clerk where he will take his own family and guests to see a typical Spanish village. He did not hesitate and declared: “Frigiliana”.

We tried to get a van to accommodate all six of us but could not find one. Avi suggested that he and Nurit will get there via a public bus and we stopped a taxi and Russ, Donna, Tova and I hopped in and told the driver: “Frigiliana”!

We rode for about an hour and arrived to the town. Voted the prettiest village in Andalucía' by the Spanish tourism authority, Frigiliana is also important from an historical viewpoint. El Fuerte, the hill that climbs above the village, was the scene of the final bloody defeat of the Moors in their 1569 rebellion. The hill is topped by scanty remains of a ruined fort from which some of the Moors reputedly threw themselves rather than be killed or captured by the Spanish.

We asked the driver to wait for us and sat down for lunch in a restaurant called Virtudes, overlooking the city on the hill. We had a combination plate full with fruits of the sea. It was one of the best dishes I have eaten in my entire life!

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Donna & Russ opted to stay in the shade while Tova and I went up the hill to discover this lovely place.

We found a tangle shape of narrow cobbled streets lined by whitewashed houses, their wrought-iron balconies filled with planters of brilliant red geraniums. Small plazas provide shady seating while the village bars were full with visitors who came here to taste the locally produced wine. There were also several excellent shops selling pottery and ceramics, including decorative plates with their distinctive Arab design.

At one point we bumped into two residents who are originally from England. They decided to retire here and called it “The best place on earth!”

We toured for a couple of hours and then returned to the spot where Donna & Russ were resting. We found our driver and he took us back to Malaga.

I asked him to stop at Castillo de Gibralfaro. The magnificent castle sits on a high hill overlooking Malaga City and port, and dates back to the 10^th century. The Image of the castle is well known: We saw it in both Malaga city and the flag.

We returned to the ship and went to dinner with Donna & Russ then went to the theater to watch a juggler/comedian by the name of Pete Matthews and then went to the Grand Foyer to see the “Dancing with the Stars” competition where guests were dancing with members of the ship’s dance group.

We went to sleep at 12:30.

Day 12 – May 7^th, 2014

When we woke up, the ship already had arrived to Cartagena, Spain.

We had breakfast at the Blu and then got off the ship at 9:00 along Donna & Russ.

After a short walk we arrived at the Cavite Heroes Monument. Located not far from the port of Cartagena is the monument to the Spanish Heroes of Cavite and Santiago de Cuba. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, many Spanish soldiers died in the Battle of Cavite in the Philippines, fighting against American troops, and also in Cuba. This monument commemorates the Spanish marines who died in that war. The monument was created in 1923 and is made of stone, black marble and bronze. It reaches a height of 45 feet.

Across the monument we found Plaza Ayutamento and City Hall, built about 100 years ago.

Not far from the monument we found the Roman Theater. The theater was built between 5^th and 1^st BC, dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar, grandsons of Augustus, who had designated them as his successors. The theater had been used until the 3rd century AD when a market replaced it some 100 years later. The city was destroyed entirely by the Muslims, Byzantine and other vandals. In the 13^th century a Cathedral was built, using stones from the theater. 300 years later the Cathedral was destroyed by fire. In 1988 the first remains of the theatre were discovered during the construction of the Centro regional de artesanía. The archaeological excavations and the restorations were completed in 2003. In 2008 a museum was opened.

We spent the next couple of hours walking, looking and admiring the recovered structures and the statues.

We exited the theater and walked to the main street, now a promenade. We entered a church in the middle of the street and then arrived to Plaza San Francisco, one of the central plazas at the heart of Cartagena’s old quarter and frequently used for cultural events. While walking we looked up and found many interesting colonial homes with amazing balconies.

Minutes later we arrived to Casa De La Fortuna, which consists of fascinating remains of an aristocratic Roman villa dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries, complete with murals and mosaics, and part of an excavated road. The most impressive feature was the fresco painting on the dining room wall.

As Donna & Russ took their time looking, Tova and I decided to have a little lunch break. We entered a local bakery, across the street, and ordered café con leche’ and some delicious empanadas and cakes.

Few blocks away we found Muralla Punica (The Punic Wall). We watched a short video and learned that this is an archaeological site from the 3rd century BC that was used as the first defensive wall of Cartagena, built by the Carthaginians. We also found out that its importance is about of the few remains of Carthaginian civilization in Spain, and the walls bear witness to one of the most important events of ancient history in the Mediterranean Sea: the Second Punic War. One of the most amazing attractions there was the crypt where remains of bones and skeletons were laying around.

At this point Donna & Russ decided to head back to the ship as Tova & I decided to continue exploring.

We arrived at Moors Castle, also known as Concepcion Castle and used an elevator to get to the top of Monte de la Concepcion, located at Parque Torres and it is a medieval castle. The Moors constructed the castle in the 12th or 13th centuries. The views of the harbor from the top were magnificent.

We walked back to the ship and an hour later we met all of our friends at the lounge exchanging the experiences of the day. This reunion with our “Ship mates” became a highlight on its own. I loved sitting there and while sipping some cocktails, conversing with my new and old friends.

After dinner we went to the theater to enjoy the act of the ventriloquist Gareth Oliver, who appeared on Britain Got Talent in 2009. He was very funny and talented.

At the end of the show we went to the 3^rd deck where they held the final of “So you think you can dance”, where passengers teamed up with the dancers of the ship.

We went to bed at around midnight.

Day 13 – May 8^th, 2014

When we woke up at 7:30, the ship was already docked in Barcelona, Spain.

Donna & Russ joined us to breakfast at the Blu and at around 9:00 we disembarked the ship and met with Adi Mahler, who was waiting for us at the port.

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We all climbed a van that took us to the old city (Gothic District). After a short orientation, while sipping a delicious coffee in a small café, we started our day with a tour in the Jewish Quarter. Adi has been living in Barcelona for the last few years; He is a musician and graduated from the local university with a degree in History and is a specialist on “Jewish History in Spain”.

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After walking in the most amazing narrow alleys we arrived to the ancient synagogue, the Synagoga Mayor, believed to be one of the oldest in Europe, dating back as far as the third century AD. A 2 Euro donation is all they asked on entry and provided us with a guide. We were told that this place is also called Synagogue Shlomo Ben Aderet, and it is the last reminder of what was once a thriving community. We received an enlightening presentation by the guide, who painted the picture of life as it was and the varied history of the building since that time.

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We continued our day by taking the alleys in the quarter as Adi was pointing out few places where Jewish marks and symbol were discovered.

As we arrived to the narrow alleys of the quarter, Adi described to us where we were. He told us that El Call, Barcelona's Jewish Quarter, is an atmospheric area which offers a fascinating insight both into Barcelona's history and the story of Jews in Catalonia. El Call means "alleyway," and suitably, El Call itself is a small maze of narrow streets. Jewish presence in Barcelona dates back to the 9th Century, although it was two centuries later when El Call was created. Jews were hugely influential in the emergence of Barcelona as a trading port of international significance during the medieval period and enjoyed the King's protection until 1391, when the Jewish Quarter was attacked and Jewish privileges rescinded.

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After a short visit in a Judaica store, we arrived to Temple D’August. Tucked away inside a medieval building in the Gothic quarter of the city, the temple was declared as a cultural asset of national interest. It was built during the Imperial Period as a temple for the Emperor Augustus. During that time, this Roman temple was the city’s central structure located on Taber Hill. The original temple was destroyed at some point in history and archaeologists failed to recover the remains till the 19th century. It was then that initially 3 columns of the temple, followed by the fourth one were found and are visible today near the Place del Rei and the Center Excursionista de Catalunya. According to studies, the temple originally had 11 columns on every wing, one on each corner, 6 at the front and 6 on the posterior side. According to some historical references, the Temple d’August is believed to have been constructed under Tiberius. Unlike the majority of Roman buildings which were torn down and built on top of.

Our next stop was Plaza de Rei, known for its link to Christopher Columbus. It is widely believed that it was on the steps fanning out from the corner of the square that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella greeted Columbus when he arrived home from his first voyage to the New World. Adi pointed out the unique architecture of the Palau Reial Major that surrounds the plaza. The palace was home to the counts of Barcelona and kings of Aragon who reigned during the Middle Ages.

Another interesting point was when Adi pointed out to some of the stones that were parts of the walls. When I zoomed my camera to where he pointed, I saw Hebrew transcripts on the rocks. Adi explained to us that the Romans used stones, , among other stones, from the Jewish Cemetery to build this wall.

We passed through the charming Plaza De IU and then arrived to Plaza De LA Seu and to the famous The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulali also known as Barcelona Cathedral. This is the cathedral that seats the Archbishop of the city. The cathedral was constructed throughout the 13th to 15th centuries, with the principal work done in the 14th century.

We continued to follow Adi and at one point we entered a clothing store and there, in the back of the store, we found remains of another old synagogue and a Mikvah.

It was time for lunch and we all entered to one of Adi’s favorite Tapas Places. He also told us that when we look for good food in Spain, we must find restaurants with Catalonian names. Lunch was fresh and tasty!

We continued to Las Ramblas, which stretches for almost a mile. We found hundreds of tourists and locals alike, strolling around the busy boulevard. We entered the market, breathing-in the many smells and enjoying the varieties in the stalls: from the vegetables and the fruits to the flowers, from the meats and seafood to the cheeses, from the nuts and other candies to the bakeries. It was a festival to our eyes (and my camera).

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Out next visit was at Plaza Reial (Plaza Royal). The plaza, which lies next to La Rambla, constitutes a well-known touristic attraction, especially at night. On the plaza there are a large number of restaurants and some of the city's most famous nightclubs. It is also known for its many outdoor venues and is a popular meeting place during the summer and a popular place for festivals.

We passed by other plazas and amazing streets and after another visit to a café we ended up in the Parc de la Ciutadella.

After its establishment during the mid-19th century, it was for decades the only green area in the city, and therefore, the most popular. It is located at the northeastern edge of the old town. It houses a famous zoo, with 7,000 different species. We of course, did not have the time to make a visit to the zoo but spotted some parrots around us.

It was already 6:00 PM and we said goodbye to Adi and decided to meet early tomorrow.

Next to the park we visited The Citadel that was built in the 18^th century, to maintain control of the city and to prevent the Catalans from rebelling as they had in the previous century, King Philips V built it, and at that time was the largest fortress in Europe. The fortress was characterized by having five corners, which gave the citadel defensive power, and by a rather wide surrounding margin, serving as location for the army's cannons. It included enough buildings to house 8,000 people.

The next stop in the park was The Casada (Waterfall), located at the northern corner of the park opposite to a lake. It was first inaugurated in 1881 without sculptures or any meticulous details, and was thereby criticized by the press, after which a triumphal arch was thoroughly amended by the addition of a fountain and some minor attributes, which required six years of construction. Two enormous pincers of gigantic crabs serve as stairs to access a small podium located in the center of the monument. In front of it, a sculpture of Venus, standing on an open clam, was placed. The whole cascade is divided in two levels: from the podium on a path leads to the Feminine Sculpture and to the northeastern corner of the park, and the other upon following the route down the stairs.

While Donna & Russ rested in the shades, Tova and I crossed the street and walked towards the Arch of Triumph, which was built as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair.

We decided to end the day and watched a Flamenco Show, recommended by Adi. Earlier we stopped by and purchased the tickets. The name of the show was “Flamenco En Vivo”. The price included a beverage and we were seated in the 4^th row in the middle. It was unbelievable!

We returned to the ship at around 10:00.

Day 14 – May 9^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 and along with Donna & Russ we had breakfast at the Blu.

We met Adi at 8:30 and headed to Gaudi Park (Park Guel). We found a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of El Carmel in the Gracia District of the city. It was designed by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi and built in the years 1900 to 1914.

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Adi was right when he told us that we should be in the park early, as the park was empty of people, which gave us an enormous opportunity to visit the park without the crowd and without the hassle of waiting in line with the other tourist (which showed up later in their hundreds!)

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Adi gave us some details of the artist: He was born in 1826 and died at the age of 73 in a tragic accident. His death was tragic: he was strucked by a passing tram, while taking his daily walk, and laid on the street for few hours as passerby’s thought he a was a homeless man laying in the middle of the street, because of his lack of identity documents and shabby clothing. Gaudi was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion and considered every detail of his creations and integrated into his architecture such crafts as ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry. He also introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís which used waste ceramic pieces.

There were two options to get into the park: Free Entrance and Paid Entrance. We opted to pay so we can explore the entire park. The park included several unique structures, statues and walking paths and some very nice vantage points where we were able to look over Barcelona. There is one word that sum up the entire park in a single word: Mosaic, The mosaic work in the park is absolutely stunning. While walking and seeing Gaudi’s exhibits I tried to understand the man and his approach to architecture. It was difficult because his work covers so many aspects. I am sure he was a genius but as many genius artists are, he was hard to understand.

We spent a couple of hours, taking many pictures and trying to take in the many exhibits.

Our next stop was Plaza de la Sagrada Familia and the main attraction there: The Basilica.

When we arrived we found hundreds of people standing in line to get into one of the most famous churches in the world. We opted not to get in as Adi had told us that it will probably take about three hours (!) just to get in and another couple of hours to explore and to climb to the top.

We stood in front of the giant Basilica and Adi gave us a short description of what in front of us: Constructions started in 1882 and a year later Gaudi was asked to get involved, and Gaudi, of course, took over the project and transformed it with his architectural and engineering style. Gaudi devoted his last years to the project and at the time of his death in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete. Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudi’s death. Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We made a complete circle and then found a side street café where we sat and had coffee.

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Adi told us that since we like Gaudi’s work we should visit Casa Batillo. We used a couple of taxis to fit all of us and headed to our next attraction. We found another masterpiece by the famous artist. From the outside the facade of Casa Batillo looked like it has been made from skulls and bones. The "Skulls" are in fact balconies and the "bones" are supporting pillars. Gaudi used colors and shapes found in regular life as inspiration for his creativity in this building for example, the colors chosen for the facade are those found in natural coral. This building is a stunningly original work and was well worth the visit.

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We walked to our next destination: Plaza de la Catalunya, a large square in the central of the city that is generally considered to be both the city’s center and the place where the old city and the modern city meet. Some of the city's most important streets and avenues meet here. We found few large fountains and beautiful statues.

We rested under the shade of the trees and then walked to Las Ramblas and picked up a couple of taxi cabs that took us in front of the Columbus Monument, which was constructed in honor to Columbus first voyage to the Americas. The monument serves as a reminder that Christopher Columbus reported to Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand V in Barcelona after his first trip to the new continent.

The two taxi cabs waited while I was taking few pictures of the statue and then we headed towards Montjuïc - translated as "Jews Mountain", which refers to the Jewish cemetery and possible settlement there at one time. Home to Barcelona's World Exhibition in 1929 and then the 1992 Olympics, Montjuïc has been developed to include a number of attractions, including museums, theatres and clubs. An old castle still stands on the hill as well, dating back to days when political prisoners were executed en masse by the Spanish government.

It was time to say goodbye to Adi, who was fantastic during the two days in this magnificent city. (You may find Adi’s email at the bottom of the blog).

We used one of the taxi cabs and headed back to the ship.

Once again we all met in the lounge and exchanged experiences with our friends.

After dinner we enjoyed The Best of Broadway show at the elegant theater and then stayed late to laugh in the traditional Love and Marriage game.

When we finally went to our cabin it was close to 1:00 AM.

Day 15 – May 10^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:30 as the ship made its final approach to Villafranche, France.

After breakfast we took the tender to the shore and after a short walk in the picturesque water-front, we waited for the train. Our destination was Nice.

We did not have any agenda, just wanted to visit this famous city. We found out that the city itself is an attraction by itself.

Once we arrived, we walked on a wide boulevard and reached the Massena Square where we tagged along a tourist group and heard the following from their guide: The city is the 5^th in size in France. The city is called Nice la Belle, which means Nice the Beautiful. The guide explained that the square is known as a place to meet and for hosting many important public events. Often used for concerts thanks to its size and central location, it is also a favorite spot during festivals and traditional celebrations like the yearly carnival parade.

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There were 7 statues; representing 7 different characters and these seven characters represent seven continents and the communication between the different communities of today’s society. The statue in the middle was of Apollo and was the best to view.

The group continued but we stopped at the square admiring the spacious area, the trees and the Italian-Style palaces surrounding it.

We walked in the garden toward the Mediterranean Sea and stopped at an Information Center Office to get information of what we can see in one day in Nice. The clerk handed me a map and highlighted the main attractions. We sat at a McDonald's next door to plan our day.

We then strolled along Promenade des Anglais –We were actually walking along the French Riviera! We found many people strolling along: There were tourists relaxing in the royal blue chairs lining the shore. There were locals roller-blading, biking or jogging along it. Vendors sold crepes and drinks on it. What a sight!

We stopped at the Flower Market, known as Cours Saleya Flower Market. This popular open-air marketplace features besides beautiful and colorful flowers, food items, produce and live fowl directly from the neighboring farms.

We walked around and stopped in few stalls where we collected items for lunch: Meat, baguette, cheese, tomatoes and mayo. We stored the items inside my backpack and headed to a palace called The Chateau De Nice or Ascenseur Du Chateau. We took the elevator from the ground level and arrived to the Castle Hill and the beautiful park on top. Breathtaking views were all around the park: The old town rooftops and maze of streets, the narrow grey line of beach and the city’s terracing into the surrounding hills, the seaside, the marina, the French Riviera and in the far distance the Alps. Wow!

We found a bench where we prepared our lunch. We had our lunch while wondering the beautiful view of the Mediterranean's in front of us. After the break I took many photos of the view and we then used the elevator once again to get to the street level. We then continued our walk and passed the picturesque marina.

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We arrived to a square called Garibaldi, which is one of the oldest squares in the city, designed in the second half of the 18^th century. We stopped for coffee and then found our way to the Old City.

This historic part of Nice feels like a medieval village with narrow streets curving between old buildings with red-tile roofs, small restaurants and open-markets. The place is 90% car free and we walked in the streets looking at local galleries and little shops selling local spices, olive oil, clothing, jewelry, and more. The narrow streets had a good atmosphere, friendly people and outdoor restaurants competing for your business. At one spot we took a break to enjoy a delicious ice cream and excellent coffee.

It was time to head back to the ship. We left the Old City and found our way back to Massena Square and then took the large boulevard back to the train station where we found some of our fellow passengers, waiting for the next train to Villafranche.

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We boarded the ship at 5:00. Dinner was (as usual) at the Blu and we had it with Donna & Russ. The show tonight featured a vocalist and pianist (and also very sexy) English lady by the name of Claire Maiden. She performed country western-style songs and had a beautiful voice.

We went to sleep at around 11:00

Day 16 – May 11^th, 2014

We arrived to Livorno, Italy early this morning and when we woke up (at 6:30) we looked at the views from our balcony. It was magnificent. At 7:30, after breakfast, we disembarked.

A shuttle took us to the city’s center. We could have waited for the local bus to
take us to the train station but opted to walk the 2 miles and breathe in the city.

It was Sunday and the local farmer’s market was already opened for business in one of the streets. As we passed it, a light rain started but it was not bad and we continued to walk. We arrived at the train station about 45 minutes later and took the train to La Spezia where we changed trains and climbed on the one that would take us to our destination: Cinque Terre, located in the rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera.

The brochure mentioned that "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Over the centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible corporate development.

Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach some of them from the outside. The villages of the Cinque Terre were severely affected by torrential rains which caused floods and mudslides on October 25, 2011. Nine people were confirmed killed by the floods.

The train from La Spezia stopped first at Riomaggiore, situated in a small valley. The village, dating from the early thirteenth century, is known for its historic character and its wine. We walked to the center of the village and then walked over towards the beach. Mesmerizing views were in front of us. We took one of alleys and started to climb the narrow steps, passing by small homes, all built on the cliff. We then arrived back to the city’s center and after a short stop we headed back to the train station.

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We waited about 30 minutes and rode the train to our second stop-Manarola, which is the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre. Once again we couldn’t believe our eyes when the beauty of this little town carved into a rock was in front of us. It is probably the most picturesque place I have seen in my entire life. My camera worked non-stop as I could not control myself and clicked away from any new angle.

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At one point we climbed a path, which was pretty steep to arrive at the top of the hill. The views were unbelievable. We walked down the path and arrived at the other end of the village and to a church called San Lorenzo, which was built at the first half of the 14^th century.

Reluctantly we headed back to the station to catch the next train to La Spezia and connected to the next train to Livorno (via Pisa Station).

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We arrived back to the ship at 5:15 and after our last dinner on the ship we said our goodbyes to the excellent crew of The Blu and then went back to our cabin to pack our luggage.

Day 17 – May 12^th, 2014

We woke up at 6:30 and after breakfast met with Donna & Russ and disembarked the ship. Our driver was waiting for us as we exited the terminal at Civitavecchia, Rome. We drove for about an hour and arrived at De Vinchi Airport, outside of Rome. We took an Air Berlin flight and after about an hour we touched down in Berlin, Germany. First thing on the agenda was to get our car at Europecar. We got lucky and received a brand new Volkswagen van equipped with the latest technologies and of course a built in GPS.

An hour later we booked into the Marriott Hotel. Our room was a junior Suite, very spacious and very clean. We met Donna & Russ in the hotel’s restaurant where they were having dinner (we opted to eat in town) and at 6:30 George (Jorge) arrived. George would be our guide for the next three days in Berlin. He was not a professional guide but wanted to become one. He was recommended by Adi’s friend and we were his first clients. He prepared a great itinerary with highlights that partly was provided by me. We decided to meet tomorrow morning at 9:00 at the lobby.

George suggested that a great place for dinner will be at the Hofbrau Berlin next to Alexander Platz, a large public square and transport hub in the central of the city.

We exited the hotel as light rain welcomed us to a breezy evening. We walked for about 20 minutes and arrived at the plaza. Hundreds of people were walking at the center of the plaza and one of them gave us directions to the restaurant.

Five minutes later we were sitting in this huge place, with dozens wooden benches, which serves the same liter-size mugs of beer and big plates of German fare as the Munich original. A brass band and fast servers, dressed in traditional German clothing added further authenticity to this place. We enjoyed the music, the beer and the huge plates of Wiener schnitzel and noodle with cheese.

We walked back to the hotel as the rain increased and we got pretty wet. I hid my camera under my coat and prayed that nothing will happen to it as we got soaked!

Happy and anticipating tomorrow we fell asleep at around 11:00

Day 18 – May 13^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 and after breakfast at the hotel (which was included in our price, since we booked the room a year in advance) we waited for George, who showed up promptly at 9:00.

We used our van and drove outside of the city.

The first stop was at Flensburger Lowe, also called The Isted Lion and George informed us that this monument is a Danish war monument originally intended as a monument of the Danish victory in the Battle of Isted in1850 — at its time the largest battle in Scandinavian.

The next stop was on my “bucket list” for a long time: The House of Wannsee Conference. In 1942 a fateful meeting of high officials from the Nazi Ministries and the SS was held in the Minoux Villa by the Wannsee waterside. Under the direction of SS Chief Reinhard Heidrich, negotiations took place on the organized deportation and murder (the “Final Solution”) of European Jews in the occupied areas of Poland and Eastern Europe, whereby most of the Jews of German-occupied Europe would be deported to Poland and murdered. Conference attendees included representatives from several government ministries, including state secretaries from the Foreign Office, the justice, interior, and state ministries, and representatives from the SS. In the course of the meeting, Heidrich outlined how European Jews would be rounded up from west to east and sent to extermination camps in the General Government (the occupied part of Poland), where they would be killed.

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For the next couple of hours we walked and learned. There were many exhibits, lots of pictures and at one point I saw the Israeli Attorney General – Yehuda Weinstein, who was accompanied by his bodyguards and advisors. He was given a VIP tour.

We arrived to the city of Potsdam and to our next destination - Sanssouci Park, which is a large park surrounding the famous Sanssouci Palace. We parked our van and walked to the most beautiful palace. As we arrived to the palace George told us that this is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. He continued and said that it is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is notable for the numerous temples and follies in the park.

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The palace was designed and built between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick's need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. The palace's name emphasizes this; it is a French phrase (sans souci), which translates as "without concerns", meaning "no worries" or "carefree", symbolizing that the palace was a place for relaxation rather than a seat of power.

The garden did remind me of the one of Versailles with a beautiful water fountain and many gorgeous trees, flowers and arches. On the side of the palace I found Frederick‘s grave with flowers and some fruits on top…

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We entered the palace and for the next 2 hours walked around the many priceless exhibits, pictures, statues inside large rooms and hallways.

We exited the palace and walked in one of the many paths in the new park (Neuer Garten) and arrived to Schloss Cecilienhof, which is famous for being the last palace built by the Hohenzollern family that ruled Prussia and Germany until 1918. It is also famous for having been the location of the Potsdam Conference in 1945, in which the leaders of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States took important decisions affecting the shape of post World War II. The palace had manicured courtyards and unique roof tops. The palace’s famous residents were Prince Wilhelm and his wife, Duchess Cecilie (alas its name). We did not enter the palace but learned that there were 176 rooms (!) inside.

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We found our car and drove to Potsdam to have lunch. George recommended Altstadt Restaurant and the food was delicious.

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We drove back to the city of Berlin and stopped at the Victory Column, commemorating the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War, with its famous angel on top of it.

We parked our car across from the Holocaust Museum and walked around the many “slabs/graves”. The memorial is to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, consisting of almost 5 acres site covered with 2,711 concrete stone slabs, arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. According to the American architect of the project (Eisenman), the slabs were designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.

Inside the museum we found several rooms, each representing different era during the dark days of Europe. Some of the pictures in the museum were rare and were first shown to the public after the opening of the museum in 2001.

When we exited the museum dusk welcomed the skies of Berlin. We walked a short distance and arrived to Berlin Gate (Brandenburg Gate), rebuilt in the late 18th century as a neoclassical triumphal arch, and now one of the most well-known landmarks of Germany. This was another item on my bucket list since President Kennedy said the famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" in 1963. He was underlining the support of the United States for West Germany two years after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall to prevent mass emigration to the West. Approximately 20 years later, President Ronald Reagan had some words to the soviet’s leader in this spot: “Mr. Gorbachov! Tear down This Wall” he said, and is known as one of the most memorable speeches of him during his presidency.

We returned to the hotel at around 7:00, skipped dinner and went to our room for a much needed sleep.

Day 19 – May 14^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 and after a delicious breakfast at the hotel we met with George.

Our original plan was to take the car and park on the west side where most of the attractions for the day were, but opted to walk as the skies were blue and the temperature outside was comfortable.

We past a very famous News Building: Berliner Morgenpost, the second most read daily newspaper in the city and then continued to Oranien Strasse. The street passes through an area heavily bombed during the war and which was rebuilt with modern-style housing. We walked and our eyes were aiming up to the magnificent tall buildings in the street.

At Fridriech Strasse we turned right and found ourselves in what used to be the famous checkpoint between East and West Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War and became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of East and West. Soviet and American tanks briefly faced each other at the location during the Berlin Crisis of 1961.

We looked at the many exhibits and spent about an hour at the site.

A short distance away is the Gestapo Building. We walked through the exhibits; in something they call Topographie Des Terrors Documentation Center, located in Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse, on the site of the building, which during the Nazi regime (1933 to 1945) was the headquarter of the Gestapo and the SS. It was located alongside the wall that separated the east and west. George suggested not entering the building, as we still had many sites to visit today and had a 1:30 appointment for us to visit the Parliament. Tova & I decided to come and visit the building later on today.

Few steps away we found the Martin-Gropius-Bau Building, where a special exhibition was on display, featuring work by the famous Ai Weiwei, from China. Ai Weiwei is a mega star in the western international art scene. The exhibition covers 3,000 square meters and shows new works and pieces never before seen in Germany, including examples of conceptual art, performance art, music, photography and installations. The poetic works of Ai Weiwei are often political statements, but also reveal cultural and historical references.

We found out that In 2008 Ai Weiwei was invited by the Shanghai City Council to construct a very large studio. But when it was ready, the authorities had it demolished in one day (!), since the artist had dared to criticize the government.

The artist is China's most famous artist and is not allowed to leave his country. He is called by many “A Provocateur without a Passport”. According to the team that was sent on his behalf to Berlin, the artist used to email them instructions of how to continue the work. In return they sent him pictures of the progress. What's especially impressive is the precision with which Ai Weiwei explores the possibilities of the museum rooms with his works and how he has calculated their impact from more than one thousand kilometers away. The exhibit that impressed me the most was his huge bicycle installation flooded with light hangs at the entrance of the building. It's comprised of 150 bikes welded together into a mega metaphor.

We took a taxi and arrived to the Neue Synagogue ("New Synagogue"). The magnificent structure was built between 1859 and1866 as the main synagogue of the Berlin Jewish community, on Oranienburger Strasse. Because of its splendid eastern Moorish style and resemblance to the Alhambra in Spain, it is an important architectural monument of the second half of the 19th century. The front of the Synagogue is beautiful is richly ornamented with shaped bricks and clay accented by colored glazed bricks. We spent over an hour walking through the art exhibits and at one point we climbed to the top floor to be mesmerized by the beautiful view of Berlin.

We walked the streets and arrived to a narrow ally where inside we met an Israeli artist that is specialized in painting graffiti on walls. The staircase in the building at the end of the alley was covered completely by graffiti painting.

George made an appointment for us to visit the Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament. We were asked to provide the passport details for clearance ahead of our reservations. We took another taxi and arrived on time to visit one of the most fascinating buildings in the world. We entered the magnificent building and learned that it was constructed to house the Imperial Diet (German: Reichstag), of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Diet until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire, under circumstances still not entirely known, but the Communists were blamed by the Nazi Party (which helped them in the upcoming decisive elections). The building was damaged even more at the end of the war, when the Soviets entered Berlin. The picture of a Red Army Soldier raising the Soviet flag on the Reichstag is one of the most famous 20th century images and symbolized Germany's defeat. The term Reichstag has not been used by German parliaments since World War II. In today's usage, the German word Reichstag refers mainly to the building, while Bundestag refers to the institution.

The building has a large dome on top made out of glass and has a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from inside the dome, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight which would not only cause large solar gain, but dazzle those below. Construction work was finished in 1999 and the seat of parliament was transferred to the Bundestag in April of that year.

We climbed up towards the top of the dome and it was amazing. Along the way up we were able to see ourselves in the glass. When we reached the top we were able to view the city like never before.

We said good night to George and took a taxi back to the hotel. Tova and I

decided to continue touring the city. We walked towards the Gestapo Building, using the same streets we had used in the morning. We arrived to the building an hour later, after a stop at Einstein Café, sipping a delicious latte and enjoying the best apple strudel I have ever had.

The buildings that housed the Gestapo and SS headquarters were largely destroyed by Allied bombing during early 1945 and the ruins demolished after the war. Inside the building we found many pictures that were available to the public only in the last couple of years.

We spent about an hour looking and reading and then returned to the hotel, using the main boulevard, Axel Springer Strasse.

Day 20 – May 15^th, 2014

We woke at 7:00 up to cloudy skies. The weather man promised a high of 62 degrees Fahrenheit and no rain.

After breakfast at the hotel, we met with George and started our day.

We drove our car and parked it right next to Potsdamer Platz. George told us that this important public square and traffic intersection in the center of Berlin is named after the city of Potsdam, and marks the point where the old road from Potsdam passed through the city wall of Berlin (at the Potsdam Gate).

The structure was amazing in size and beauty and the colors of the buildings added a picturesque background. A railway station is situated underneath the building. I was impressed once again at how the Germans managed to pick up their lives so quickly and get back at doing what they are good at - and while they are at it, they know that the terror of the Cold War will never be forgotten - the scars of the War still remain in the form of the wall markings on the ground, running through the heart of the Plaza.

We crossed the street and arrive to the Sony Center. We learned that the site was originally a bustling city center in the early 20th century. Most of the buildings were destroyed or damaged during World War II. From 1961 on, most of the area became part of the No Man's Land of the Berlin Wall, resulting in the destruction of the remaining buildings. After the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9^th 1989, the square became the focus of attention again, as a large and an attractive location, which had suddenly become available in the center of a major European capital city like Berlin.

The center contains a mix of shops, restaurants, a conference center, hotel rooms, luxurious rented suites and condominiums, offices, art and film museums, cinemas, an IMAX theater, a small version of Legoland, and a "Sony Style" store.

We continued and made a brief stop at the Philharmonic Building and then arrived to the New National Gallery (Neue Nationalgalerie), at the Kulturforum. This is a museum for modern art, with its main focus on the early 20th century. It is part of the National Gallery of the Berlin State Museums. The museum building and its sculpture gardens were opened in 1968.

We returned to our car and asked George to take a coffee break and we drove our car to the original Einstein Café in the city, established in 1978. We ordered cappuccinos and strudels, which were delicious!

Our next destination was the highlight of the day: East Berlin and the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting in 1961, that completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which restricted a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "bed of nails" and other defenses. The Eastern Block claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked East Germany and the communist Eastern Block during the post-World War II period until, under world pressure, the communist party allowed to open its gates and hence the wall was tear down around the city, except some points were it remains today as evidence of what went on for 28 years.

We walked along the wall admiring the graffiti painted on them after 1989. Graffiti on the wall became popular for artists from all over the world and a place where tourists would go and admire the artwork. The West Berlin side of the wall had artwork completely covering the wall, while the East Berlin side was kept blank until 1989 when many artists came and painted on the east side of the wall, expressing political views or their artistic talents.

At the end of the wall we found ourselves under a railway and continued to walk until we arrived to George’s neighborhood. We walked the streets for almost an hour (which is one of the fun things to do when you want to smell and breathe in a city).

We drove our car to the Soviet War Memorial and the Military Cemetery at Treptower Park. It was built to commemorate 5,000 of the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who were killed by the Germans in the Battle of Berlin during April–May 1945. It opened four years after World War II on May 8, 1949. The Memorial served as the central war memorial of East Germany. Our focus was a monument that was a 40 feet tall statue of a Soviet soldier with a sword holding a German child, standing over a broken swastika. The statue commemorates the deeds of a Soviet sergeant, who during the final storm on the center of Berlin risked his life under heavy German machine-gun fire to rescue a three-year-old German girl whose mother had apparently disappeared.

We drove to the west side of the city and arrived to Alexander Platz to visit 360 Degrees Berlin – The Berlin TV Tower.

As this was the last stop of the day, we said our goodbyes to George who was a wonderful guide and then took the elevator to the top of the tower. (George’s details could be found at the bottom of this blog).

When we read the brochure, that was given to us when we purchased the tickets, we found out that the tower was constructed between 1965 and 1969 by the administration of the German Democratic Republic. It was intended as a symbol of Berlin, which it remains today, as it is easily visible throughout the central and some suburban districts of Berlin. With its height of 368 meters (over 1,000 feet!), it is the tallest structure in Germany!

When we got to the top of the tower, using a fast speed elevator we stopped breathing when the panoramic view was underneath us. This was the perfect stop to view the entire city from the top. We looked all around and were able to identify ALL of the stops we had made in the last 3 days. This was by all means the best stop to see and admire this beautiful city and fittingly our last stop in Berlin.

We ended our day at the same restaurant that Tova & I visited a couple of days ago: Hofbrau Berlin. Now that there were the four us, we tried new dishes and enjoyed every one of them!

When we returned to our hotel, the time was 10:00! We packed our luggage anticipating the drive tomorrow towards Munich.

Day 21 – May 16^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 and met Donna & Russ at the hotel’s restaurant.

After breakfast we loaded our luggage onto the car and started our trip.

We arrived to Leipzig a couple of hours later. The scenes on the way were so peaceful and beautiful and the temperature was a comfortable 79 degrees and sunny skies. On the way we stopped at a McDonald’s restaurant and were amazed by how the menu is so different here from the one in the States, with espresso variety, beer, schnitzels, variety of sausages and pork dishes.

We entered a gas station at the outskirts of the city and were guided by the attendant of what we can see in the next 4 hours. She also let me read and take pictures of a tour guidebook that was for sale and I learned the following about the city:

Leipzig has been a trade city since at least the time of the Holy Roman Empire. The city sits at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important medieval trade routes. Leipzig was once one of the major European centers of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing.

Leipzig is also a city of great history — Martin Luther, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, Angela Merkel, and many other German VIPs have spent time here. Leipzig became a major urban center within the German Democratic Republic (GDR - East Germany) after World War II, but its cultural and economic importance declined despite East Germany being the richest economy in the Soviet Block.

Leipzig later played a significant role in instigating the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, through events which took place in and around St. Nicholas Church.

Since the reunification of Germany, Leipzig has undergone significant change with the restoration of some historical buildings, the demolition of others, and the development of a modern transport infrastructure. Leipzig today is an economic center in Germany and has a prominent opera house and one of the most modern zoos in Europe. Leipzig is nicknamed as the "Boomtown of eastern Germany", "Hypezig" or "The new Berlin"

We found a parking spot right across a police station (to Tova’s relief) and started to explore as much as we could in our limited time.

First we visited the famous St. Nicholas Church, which has long been one of the most famous in the city, and, as I mentioned, rose to national fame in 1989 with the Monday Demonstrations when it became the center of peaceful revolt against communist rule. Inside the church we found an exhibit that described what went on some 25 years ago. Demonstrations began on September 4^th, 1989 after the weekly Friedensgebet (prayer for peace) in the church, and eventually filled the nearby downtown Karl Marx Square (today known as Augustusplatz). Safe in the knowledge that the Lutheran Church supported their resistance, many dissatisfied East German citizens gathered in the court of the church, and non-violent demonstrations began in order to demand rights such as the freedom to travel to foreign countries and to elect a democratic government. We looked at the famous organ and read that this instrument is one of the best examples of the 'romantic' style of organ-building in Europe, and it was renovated from mechanical (tracker) action to pneumatic action in the early 20th century.

We left the church and walked towards Augustusplatz, the city’s main square. There we found a corner café and had fantastic cappuccinos and (of course) apple strudel a la mode!

In the center of the square we visited a farmers’ market and then walked around the square, loving the architecture, the smells and the cleanness.

We returned to our car and drove to Volkerschlachtdenkma (try to pronounce that!) and to the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, which is a monument to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, and commemorates Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig, a crucial step towards the end of hostilities in the War of the Sixth Coalition, which was seen as a victory for the German people. Between October 16^th and 19^th 1813, (6 months before the exile of Napoleon to Elba in May 1814), the Battle of the Nations was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon aided by Polish and Italian troops as well as German-speakers from the Confederation of the Rhine. Napoleon's army was defeated and compelled to return to France while the Allies invaded France early the next year.

We found the major highway and continued our way towards Munich, the capital of Bavaria. Once again we marveled the scenery on the way, and at around 7:30 made it into the city, where we found our hotel, Marriott, located on Schwanthalerstrasse, just a few minutes’ walk from the heart of city and the main train station. The neighborhood was prominently Muslim with many Arab shops, beauty salons, and restaurants.

We checked-in and while Tova & I decided to dine at one of the mid-eastern restaurants, Donna & Russ opted to stay in the hotel and have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. We found a restaurant called Sinbad and consumed several dishes that were delicious and at reasonable prices.

We returned to the hotel and after checking our emails went to sleep at around 11:00 PM.

Day 22 – May 17^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 to a winter like weather: Cold & Rain!

We found a bakery just few steps from the hotel and had some croissants and coffee. At 9:00 our new guide, for the next 3 days showed up. Bridgett greeted us and informed us with details of what we are about to see.

We drove a short distance and arrived to Schloss Nymphenburg. Bridgett explained that this palace was the main summer residence of the former rulers of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach (a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria). We spent about an hour walking in the huge garden, admiring the structures and the scenery with white swans in the lake, in front of the palace. Light rain started to fall as we left the place to our next destination.

An hour later, we arrived to BMW Museum and started to wonder around many cars, mainly Beamers’ and some Rolls Royce and Bentley. The museum deals with the history of the automobile manufacturer BMW, who not long ago purchased Rolls Royce.

Our next destination was the nearby Olympic Park. While planning this trip I promised myself that while in Munich, I will visit the spot where terrorists targeted 11 Israeli Olympians in 1972, during the Olympic Games. Until today this event is called the Munich Massacre. On TV, at home, they showed a picture of a terrorist, wearing a mask, reading his demands to the negotiating team. This balcony sat deep in my memory and I just had to see it with my own eyes.

It is hard for me to describe what went on in my mind during this visit . I found myself thinking and remembering where I was at the time of the incident (Brooklyn, NY) and how angry I felt when the news broke down of what was going on. I looked at the balcony, and in my mind added the picture of the terrorist standing on the balcony, holding a machine gun and calmly making his demands. A monument scripted in both Hebrew and German was in front of the entrance to the building, describing the incident and acknowledging the names of the athletes that were murdered.

We drove to another monument. This was to commemorate Sophie & Hans Scholl, often referred as the Scholl Siblings. They were siblings, who were members of the White Rose, a student group in Munich that was active in the non-violent resistance movement in Nazi Germany, especially in distributing flyers against the war and the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. In post-war Germany, Hans and Sophie Scholl are recognized as symbols of the humanist German resistance movement against the totalitarian Nazi regime. A movie was released in 2005 with the title “The Final Days”, details the final days of the brothers and the entire underground organization. I saw the movie, about a year before our trip, and it was indeed a nice treat to be in front of the house where they lived. Later on, Bridgett drove to the school were the siblings attended and started their activities, by throwing fliers from the top floor of the school to the front courtyard. A monument with several copies of the fliers was set in front of the school. A white rose is laid on top some of the fliers…

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It was around 12:00 and Donna decided to return to the hotel as she was bothered by the cold weather. Bridgett dropped Tova & I at the Munich Residenz Palace, which was the residential and government seat of the Bavarian dukes, prince-electors and kings from 1508 to 1918. We then walked around and found our way to MarienPlatz, in the heart of Altstadt District, which is a popular gathering spot and packs a lot of personality into its relatively small frame. It's anchored by the Mariensaule (Mary's Column), built in 1638 to celebrate victory over Swedish forces during the Thirty Years War; it's topped by a golden statue of the Virgin Mary balancing on a crescent moon.

We were scheduled to meet Bridgett there at 1:30 “right next to the Fish Fountain”, so we had enough time to have lunch in the nearby market on Viktualienmarkt. I purchased a liverwurst sandwich from one of the many vendors in the market and we walked around the stalls trying to hide from the falling rain. The sandwich was one to remember. So delicious and juicy!

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By 1:30 we were back at the plaza and next to the fountain waiting for Bridgett, who showed up few minutes later. The fountain, Bridgett told us, called by the locals Fischbrunnen, was originally designed in the 19^th century, destroyed during World War II and then later rebuilt.

As we were standing, admiring the New Town Hall, a parade by Hare Krishna followers was approaching. Hundreds of locals followed the parade and a lady from a carriage was throwing sweets to the crowd.

We left the plaza and arrived to St. Peter Church, the oldest church in the district. Built in the 12^th century, this church is one of the most important landmarks of the city. Inside we found an exhibition about the “great fire” in 1327, which destroyed the building. The interior of this Gothic church is impressive, and we were stunned by the magnitude and beauty. It was very quiet and peaceful until a baby decided to test the acoustics which I cannot attest are amazing!

We continued our walking city tour and arrived to St. Jakob-Platz, where we found the new Jewish Museum, which opened in 2007 and is part of the ensemble of the St. Jakobs-Place with the new main synagogue and the center of the Jewish community.

We kept on walking and arrived to Asamkirche, on Sendlingerstrasse better known as the Asam Church, which was built in the 18^th century. The Baroque facade is integrated into the houses of the street and the interior was very fascinating.

We stopped at one of the city’s gates (Sendlinger Tor) and watched a demonstration by Turks, who demanded changes in their old country and then arrived to a monument for Hauptsynagoge (Main Synagogue) that was burnt to the grounds by the Nazis during Crystal Night pogroms in November 1938.

The event took place throughout Germany, annexed Austria, and in areas of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia recently occupied by German troops. The rioters destroyed 267 synagogues throughout Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. Many synagogues burned throughout the night, in full view of the public and of local firefighters, who had received orders to intervene only to prevent flames from spreading to nearby buildings. SA and Hitler Youth members across the country shattered the shop windows of an estimated 7,500 Jewish-owned commercial establishments, and looted their wares. Jewish cemeteries became a particular object of desecration in many regions.

We returned to MarienPlatz and Bridgett, who had a dinner date with her husband, said goodbye to us not before giving us some pointer of attractions to visit.

We walked in one of the main streets and arrived to the main city gate - Schwabinger Gate with an impressing square. I think that Hitler gave one of his famous speeches there. In the square we also found the Yellow Church, known as The Theatine Church of St. Cajetan, built in the 17^th century in Italian high-Baroque style.

As we headed back to MarienPlatz we saw a crowd gathering in a small park, listening to a trio playing Classic Music. We decided to take a small break and joined them to listen to some classics by Mozart. The name of the trio was “Trio Scherzo”. I enjoyed it a lot and purchased a CD.

The time was few minutes to five, and we rushed to MarienPlatz and just in time for the main event. At 17:00 (March to October), the square jammed up with tourists craning their necks to take in the animated Glockenspiel (carillon) in the New Town Hall. The carillon has 43 bells and 32 figures that perform two actual historic events: The top half tells the story of a knight's tournament held in 1568 to celebrate the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V, while the bottom half portrays the Schafflertanz - the Barrel Makers Dance. It was quite amazing!

The Hare Krishna parade made its final stop right next to the plaza and dancers were performing from a stage while the cult’s members were trying to recruit passerbys to their organization.

We took Bridgett’s advice and dined at Augustinerbrau. The locals were very friendly and loud, the staff was great and the beer and food arrived very quickly and was superb!

We entered Kaufman Department Store to buy some gifts and 10 minutes later we arrived at our hotel.

Day 23 – May 18^th, 2014

We woke up once again at 7:00 to a comfortable day with some clouds.

When we went to the bakery for breakfast we realized that today is Sunday and most of the shops on the street were closed. We walked around and arrived to the central train station where we found our favorite café: Starbucks. We sipped a delicious latte and bite on a melted cheese baguette.

We returned to the hotel just in time to greet Bridgett.

We drove for about an hour and arrived to Neues Schloss Schlessheim. The complex is actually comprises three palaces (Schloss Lustheim, Neus Schloss and Altes Schloss) in a grand baroque park in the village of Oberschleissheim. The palace was a summer residence of the Bavarian rulers of the House of Wittelsbach.

We spent a couple of hours walking through the palace and looking at the artwork. Some of the rooms in the palace were stunning; the same goes for the artwork. What was great is that there were no crowds and the rooms were all well documented in English. There was never a need to rush. There were also various art exhibits that were highlighted throughout the palace.

The grounds were beautiful and colorful. Bridgett told us that the grand park is one of the rare preserved baroque gardens in Germany.

We were lucky to arrive on a day when a group of dancers had a performance there. They were Augsburger Geschlechtertanz or The ensemble of the Augsburg gender Dance Association, which is made up of dancers from the Augsburg.

As I mentioned, there were hardly any visitors that day and we were sitting in the front rows and enjoying the dancers, who dressed up in many different Bavarian costumes. Later on we (the few people in the audience) were invited to take part in some of the dances. The show was spectacular!!

After the show we strolled in the Grand Park and then walked back to the car when Roman, one of the dancers, asked if I could be kind enough to email him the pictures I had taken. I of course agreed and later on my pictures were posted on the group’s website. (You may click on http://www.geschlechtertanz-augsburg.de/galerie/2014/tag-des-offenen-denkmals-neues-schloss-schleissheim/ to view the group’s web page and view my pictures there).

We arrived to the medieval town Dachau and after lunch we drove a short distance to arrive to one of the symbols of the Holocaust: The Dachau Concentration Camp, as it served as a prototype and model for the other Nazi concentration camps that followed.

We entered the main building, which is now a museum with hundreds (if not thousands) of pictures and documents. In one of the rooms we sat down to watch an introductory video of the camp where we gathered the following:

The camp was the first of the Nazi concentration camps opened in Germany, intended to hold political prisoners. It is located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory. Opened in 1933 by Heinrich Himmler, its purpose was mainly to include forced labor, and eventually, the imprisonment of Jews, ordinary German and Austrian criminals, and later on foreign nationals from countries that Germany occupied or invaded.

Prisoners lived in constant fear of brutal treatment and terror detention including standing cells, floggings, the so-called tree or pole hanging, and standing at attention for extremely long periods. There were 32,000 documented deaths at the camp, and thousands that are undocumented. In the postwar years it served to hold SS soldiers awaiting trial, after 1948, it held ethnic Germans who had been expelled from Eastern Europe and were awaiting resettlement, and also was used for a time as a United States military base during the occupation.

On April 29, 1945, Dachau was liberated by the United States 7th Army Infantry Unit. At the time of liberation, there were approximately 27,400 prisoners who remained alive in the main camp. In total, over 188,000 prisoners had passed through Dachau and its sub-camps. It has been estimated that nearly 50,000 of those prisoners met their death in Dachau.

Several death marches from the Dachau concentration camp occurred as the prisoners moved slowly through the Bavarian towns of Gruenwald and Wolfratshausen. Bridgett told us that on our way back to Munich we will stop at the original monument, which is in her neighborhood. At the end of the museum tour we saw a monument, which was a replica, to commemorate the Death March. We learned that because a massive Soviet 1944 summer offensive, SS chief Heinrich Himmler ordered that prisoners in all concentration camps to be evacuated toward the interior of the Reich.

We visited all the buildings including the Crematorium, served to dispose corpses from the concentration camp; mostly the ovens were in operation day and night. At the end of 1944 their capacity was no longer enough to cremate the scores of dead from the camp. Upon liberating the camp, American soldiers came across countless corpses piled up in the crematorium. The photographs of these scenes went around the world and showed the scale and mercilessness of Nazi persecution and extermination. Also located in the rear area of the crematorium we saw the execution site where POW’s (mainly Soviet prisoners) were shot.

We spent a couple of hours in the camp and then drove to Schloss Dachau, just a short distance away. Today, the same as over 60 years ago, people were enjoying themselves in the garden cafe, sipping a hot tasty drink and biting into sweet cakes and ice cream, not caring (or knowing) about anything else around them.

The palace is a former residence of the rulers of Bavaria at Dachau and was constructed almost a thousand years ago in 1100 AD. We did not have any time to visit the inside of the palace but instead had a wonderful stroll in the unique court garden and enjoyed the wonderful views.

We started our journey back to Munich, passing in Bridgett’s town and also stopped at the original Death March Monument.

We were back at the hotel at around 6:30, skipped dinner and went to sleep at around 9:00 PM.

Day 24 – May 19^th, 2014

Sunshine welcomed us when we woke up at 7:00. The weatherman promised sunny and high in the 80’s. Yeah!!

After breakfast we met with Bridgett at 8:30 and started our day driving through the Alps. The road was beautiful with the Alps, still with some snow, surrounding us. At some point we crossed the border to Austria and then returned back to Germany!

We arrived to the famous castle Neuschwanstein Castle, a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau . The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as homage to Richard Wagner: The castle was built in the composer’s honor and many rooms of the castle were inspired by his character. Ludwig was a great admirer of Wagner and was influenced by his work. The composer, by the way, took an advantage of Ludwig's admiration and used the king to cover his debts and some more.

Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing Bavarian public funds and defied all attempts by his ministers to restrain him. This was used against him to declare him insane, an accusation which has since been refuted. While building this palace, he lived in Hohenschwangau, a palace, built by his father King Maximilian II of Bavaria, located nearby (how convenient).

On our way, Bridgett, who is a huge fan of Ludwig, told us some of the history evolving this unique man: He was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King (for his love to swans) and the Fairy Tale King (after the fairy palaces that he had built). He succeeded to the throne aged only 18! Two years later Bavaria was under control by Prussia, and subsequently absorbed into the German Empire. Ludwig remained King of Bavaria, but largely ignored state affairs in favor of extravagant artistic and architectural projects. He commissioned the construction of two lavish palaces along with fantastic Neuschwanstein Castle. When I asked Bridgett if it was true that Ludwig was gay, she answered: “I am not going to say anything bad about my beloved king”.

Ludwig died, in a mysterious way, at the age of 41 and until today there are many versions of conspiracies, regarding his death by drowning. He was considered a great swimmer but drowned one evening, while being hospitalized in a mental institution, in a lake nearby the hospital. His doctor was found dead few yards away from Ludwig. Was it a murder? suicide? accident?

We used a shuttle bus that took us up the mountain and to the location of the palace. We then climbed a bit to be on a bridge overlooking the magnificent building. What we saw was nothing less than a masterpiece, both from an architecture point of view, but also from the vibe it gives.

We entered the building with hundreds of other tourists and were mesmerized by the beauty of the interior. In various stops we could see the amazing views of the Alps and the towns nearby, but the most stunning views were those of the Alpsee Lake.

We planned to meet Bridgett at 1:00 outside the building. Tova and I were there on time but Donna & Russ were not to be found. I earlier heard Donna saying that she might take the bus down as well, and we assumed that they already had taken the shuttle. We decided that Bridgett will stay there, while Tova & I will walk down to the village, a trip that took us about 20 minutes. We waited for them next to the shuttle station and then saw Bridgett coming all shaken and pale, and asked us if we saw them. We did not. We then decided that Bridgett will go back up while we will visit the Alpsee Lake and then will sit down to have a bite and beer. About 10 minutes later Bridgett showed up again: no sign for the Clarks. We didn’t know what to think. We returned to the shuttle station and on our way we heard someone yelling: “Avi! Tova!” We then saw Donna & Russ sitting in a carriage, led by 6 horses. When we reunited, we understood what happened: Donna & Russ went to an exhibition inside the castle and sat through it. When they stepped outside (at 1:20 or so) they did not see us and decided to start walking down. Then they saw the line for the carriage and decided to use their services. Anyhow, it was a Happy Ending!

We drove through the beautiful scenery and the weather was cooperating with us. We arrived to Linderhof Palace . This is the smallest of the three palaces built by Ludwig and the only one which he lived to see completed.

In front of the palace there was a wonderful pond with many statues and a huge fountain. The whole scene was spectacular in its beauty. We entered the palace and viewed the rooms. We could notice that compared to Neuschwanstein Castle, the rooms were more private and were decorated to someone who actually lives there. In fact, there were only four rooms that had a real function. The room that I liked the most was Hall of Mirrors. This room was used by the king as some kind of living-room. He enjoyed sitting in the niche, sometimes reading there the whole night (Ludwig used to sleep in the daytime and stay awake in the night), the mirrors created an unimaginable effect for him when they reflected the light of the candles a thousand times. The parallel placement of some mirrors evokes the illusion of a never ending avenue.

We exited the palace and started our exploration of the park without Donna & Russ, who decided to take a break. The gardens surrounding palace are considered to be one of the most beautiful creations of historical garden design.

We found some other small buildings and huts in the park. They were all influenced by Wagner’s compositions. We also visited the Moroccan House, which was actually bought in Morocco; the king bought it in 1878 and redecorated it in a more royal way. In this house, according to historians, the king used to have wild parties.

We then visited the Venus Grotto. The building, which is actually a man built cave, is wholly artificial and was built for the king as an illustration of the First Act of Wagner's "Tannhauser". It reminded me a lot of the blue grotto of Capri. Ludwig liked to be rowed over the lake in his golden swan-boat.

We returned to the car and drove to a town that Bridgett insisted that we should visit: Oberammergau. We found a picturesque village, romantic and so unique with its beautifully painted houses - almost every house had mural from fairy tales painted on the outside walls! The locals were nice, pleasant, relaxed and very content.

It was already 6:00 and also the end of our visit. We headed back to Munich and arrived to our hotel at around 7:00. We thanked Bridgett for all her hard work and said our goodbyes. (Bridgett’s details can be found at the bottom of this blog)

Tova & I decided to visit an Italian restaurant for dinner, recommended by the hotel receptionist, and we walked to its location, some 6 or 7 blocks away, following the directions given to us at the hotel. The food and the atmosphere of Café Osteria were great. The decor was perfect Italian, the staff helpful and English speaking (with Italian accent, of course...). Service was quick and the food superb. Tova swore that the minestrone soup was the best she ever tasted: “chock full of firm vegetables” she proclaimed. What a beautiful and delicious way to depart the magnificent city of Munich!

We packed our luggage and went to sleep early.

Day 25 – May 20^th, 2014

We had our last breakfast in Munich and started our journey.

We arrived to Rothenburg ODT at around noon and entered the city through one of its gate, found a parking spot on the street and started our visit in this medieval old town, located on the Romantic Road, the popular tourist route through historical towns in southern Germany.

It was lunch time and a café owner recommended trying the Greek restaurant across the street. I was so happy that we listened to him as the Gyro sandwich wrapped in a homemade pita was out of this world.

We walked up the street that lead to the Central Market and at one point we used a narrow street to arrive to handwerkerhaus. This house had a series of rooms set up so we could see how people lived back in the day (1200 AD). The chimney system was fascinating. There were three levels to the house and the stairs weren't all that even but worth the “risk” as the top floors were very informative as well.

We walked towards a beautiful narrow street with lots of tourists sitting in the bars, restaurants with chairs on the sidewalk, and shops. I thought to myself that besides being such a nice medieval town, it was amazing to see that the shops are not taken by cheap souvenir made in China. Instead they offer authentic German products that add to the uniqueness of the place. We arrived to the Market Square (Marktplatz), which is the center of urban life in the city. The square is framed on the west by the Town Hall (Rathaus), on the north by the Councillors' Tavern (Ratstrinkstube), on the east by shops and cafés, and on the south by St. George's Fountain, where we rested for awhile. This fountain is the largest fountain in town. Previously, it was an important drinking water reservoir and thus essential for the livelihood of the population. For over 400 years, the elaborate column has been decorated on the fountain crowned by the figure of St George which included dragons.

Not far from the Market Square, on top of a tower, an eagle was building its' nest.

Donna & Russ rested in the shade while Tova & I walked around City Hall and arrived to St. Jacob’s Church (St. Jakobskirche), the largest church in the city, which was impressive not only because of its towers, but also its interior.

We found Donna & Russ and started to walk back to our car. On the way we stopped at a meat shop and asked the attendant to make a sandwich for us with knackwurst, which was delicious. We then sat in a café’s garden, sipping latte and enjoying a delicious ice cream.

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We then visited one of the gates and walked up the stairs to enjoy a beautiful view of the town and the surrounding.

We returned to our car and continued our way. About 4 hours later we arrived to Frankfurt. We looked and found an Apple Store, as Donna’s IPhone stopped working. Tova & I stayed around the (illegally) parked car, while Donna & Russ went inside the store. About an hour later they returned all happy, as they were able to fix the phone for them.

We found our hotel and went out with Donna for dinner, not far from us, and enjoyed our last dinner in Germany.

Day 25 – May 20^th, 2014

We woke up at around 6:00 and drove to Frankfurt Airport, where we returned our car. We then flew to London where we got our connection flight to LAX.

David and his limousine were waiting to pick us up.

We arrived home at 10:00 PM.

Here is some useful information:

Adi Mahler – Barcelona Tour Guide………… ………. adi_mahler@yahoo.co.uk

Jorge Albarracin – Berlin Tour Guide………………… j.e.albarracin@gmail.com

Bridgett – Munich Tour Guide…………………………… guide_7753-88@toursbylocals.com

Atlantic Cruise & Germany (2014)

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Atlantic Cruise and Germany (2014)

Prolog

Day 1 – April 25^th – April 26^th 2014

Day 2 – April 27^th, 2014

Day 3 – April 28^th, 2014

Day 4 – April 29^th, 2014

Day 5 – April 30^th, 2014

Day 6 –May 1^st, 2014

Day 7 – May 2^nd, 2014

Day 8 – May 3^rd, 2014

Day 9 – May 4^th, 2014

Day 10 – May 5^th, 2014

Day 11 – May 6^th, 2014

Day 12 – May 7^th, 2014

Day 13 – May 8^th, 2014

Day 14 – May 9^th, 2014

Day 15 – May 10^th, 2014

Day 16 – May 11^th, 2014

Day 17 – May 12^th, 2014

Day 18 – May 13^th, 2014

Day 19 – May 14^th, 2014

Day 20 – May 15^th, 2014

Day 21 – May 16^th, 2014

Day 22 – May 17^th, 2014

Day 23 – May 18^th, 2014

Day 24 – May 19^th, 2014

Day 25 – May 20^th, 2014

Day 25 – May 20^th, 2014

More Journals

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Atlantic Cruise and Germany (2014)

Prolog

Day 1 – April 25th – April 26th 2014

Day 2 – April 27th, 2014

Day 3 – April 28th, 2014

Day 4 – April 29th, 2014

Day 5 – April 30th, 2014

Day 6 –May 1st, 2014

Day 7 – May 2nd, 2014

Day 8 – May 3rd, 2014

Day 9 – May 4th, 2014

Day 10 – May 5th, 2014

Day 11 – May 6th, 2014

Day 12 – May 7th, 2014

Day 13 – May 8th, 2014

Day 14 – May 9th, 2014

Day 15 – May 10th, 2014

Day 16 – May 11th, 2014

Day 17 – May 12th, 2014

Day 18 – May 13th, 2014

Day 19 – May 14th, 2014

Day 20 – May 15th, 2014

Day 21 – May 16th, 2014

Day 22 – May 17th, 2014

Day 23 – May 18th, 2014

Day 24 – May 19th, 2014

Day 25 – May 20th, 2014

Day 25 – May 20th, 2014

More Journals

Day 1 – April 25^th – April 26^th 2014

Day 2 – April 27^th, 2014

Day 3 – April 28^th, 2014

Day 4 – April 29^th, 2014

Day 5 – April 30^th, 2014

Day 6 –May 1^st, 2014

Day 7 – May 2^nd, 2014

Day 8 – May 3^rd, 2014

Day 9 – May 4^th, 2014

Day 10 – May 5^th, 2014

Day 11 – May 6^th, 2014

Day 12 – May 7^th, 2014

Day 13 – May 8^th, 2014

Day 14 – May 9^th, 2014

Day 15 – May 10^th, 2014

Day 16 – May 11^th, 2014

Day 17 – May 12^th, 2014

Day 18 – May 13^th, 2014

Day 19 – May 14^th, 2014

Day 20 – May 15^th, 2014

Day 21 – May 16^th, 2014

Day 22 – May 17^th, 2014

Day 23 – May 18^th, 2014

Day 24 – May 19^th, 2014

Day 25 – May 20^th, 2014

Day 25 – May 20^th, 2014