Freaky Fast!

I feel a little like Jimmy Johns as I write this post.  We've spent the past two weeks traveling across northern Europe and doing it just like "they" say you shouldn't--wide but not deep.  We really wanted to get a taste of some different places so we're moving quickly but trying to see as much as we can.  So not much time for blog posts!  

We now have a rental vehicle for most of the summer which gives us a lot of freedom in traveling.  From Vienna we headed north through the Czech Republic toward Prague.

One of our first fun stops was the "Country Saloon" where we had lunch and got some exercise.

We eventually made it to downtown Prague where we had a beautiful sunny day to explore the Prague Castle and Old City.

St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle.  OK, so am I the only one who has heard of St. Vitus Dance?  Had to google it to prove to my family that it was a real thing.

Saw these mixed berries for sale and couldn't wait to buy some.  We thought 49 Czech koruna was a pretty good price...until we caught the fine print--per 100 grams--close to $10 a pound!

We had heard about the John Lennon Peace Wall, a great photo op for the girls.  A long wall filled with random messages.

Too tired to rotate this, but we thought this was the most creative message on the wall

A view of the Lesser Quarter and the Castle from the Charles Bridge.

Wow, sometimes these moments happen and when they do, I grab my camera!

Our drink of choice while in Czech Republic.  Kind of a molasses flavored cola

Came across this beautiful field of flowers.  Anyone have a guess what kind they are?

From Prague, we continued north to Berlin.  This was a request of Trina's because she wanted to see the Berlin Wall.

Kind of ironic to see Checkpoint Charlie in front of a McDonald's.  The checkpoint is just here as a photo op but there was a huge display nearby which gave so much history of the wall and politics at that time--well worth it.

The Berlin Wall Memorial--an area with parts of the wall and also displays and monuments that show what the wall looked like and how people were affected.

And also a stop at East Side Gallery--a section of remaining wall with murals by various artists.

This is for you, Jamie.  I think of you every time I eat one of these chocolate filled croissants--so I think of you a lot!

You know we're in Germany now!

You know we're in Germany now!

Then it was further north to Denmark.  Our first stop was in a town called Nyborg.  We were desperate for a place to stay and just drove in, but then found out there was a big medieval festival happening the next day.

This is the woman who managed the hotel in Nyborg.  She deserves a spot in our blog for winning the "best ever" award.  She gave us a great deal for our family and was so helpful and kind.

This festival was quite the deal.  We saw it advertised all throughout Denmark.  People came dressed in costume (kind of like Tulip Time, I guess) and it all took place around the town's castle.  Here is the jousting.

There were vendors selling lots of medieval type things--wool, leather, etc.--and this one selling trinkets from China??

It was a really pretty town right on the harbor

Cute little downtown, typical of most places we've been in

And sometimes we act like 6 year olds.  This sign got a big giggle but even funnier was the "Kontrolfart" zone we entered later.  The girls and I were happy to enter that zone.

We also made a quick stop at the home of Lego.  We found out you could enter free in the evening to walk around the displays.

I know some of you have been to Legolands but I never have.  So amazing!  Loved this recreation of Amsterdam.

Trina has fun with Lego Friends so she enjoyed this display showing most of their kits...

...and browsing the entire aisle of Lego Friends!

  Next stop:  Copenhagen.  Our general plan (which seems to change by the day) is to continue into Sweden, ferry across to Finland, drive down through Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania into Poland and eventually end up in Hungary for Mike's month of work.