Lennon Wall

Located within Prague is a graffiti filled wall that has grown more and more famous over the past few decades. This wall is named and dedicated to the famous musician, John Lennon. The Lennon Wall is full of artwork inspired by either Beatles' songs or Lennon quotes and lyrics. The wall is constantly changing and people are now allowed to alter it in whatever way they wish. This was not always the case however. Back in the late 1980's what Prague was still under communist control, the authorities were irritated by this wall and the types of messages that were being written on it, so much so that there were clashes between students and police. The regime of the time did not like the ideas of love and peace to be on display for public viewing.

Prague

Prague is the capital and most populated city in the Czech Republic. The river that runs through the city is the Vltava River. About 1.25 million people live within the city. Due to the lengthy time that the city has existed, Prague has many historic buildings from many different time periods and many different architectural styles.

Here I am standing on the famous Charles Bridge that crosses the Vltava River

behind me in this photo is the Church of Our Lady before Tyn

this is one of the original city gates that dates back to as early as the 11th century

Auschwitz

The most notorious and infamous of all Nazi concentration/extermination camps is the one called Auschwitz. This was actually a complex of many different camps, with the largest amount of mass slaughter occurring at Auschwitz II-Birkenau. It was here that over 1 million Jew, disabled, Gypsy, Slavs, and homosexual people were systematically thrown into gas chambers and then cremated in either crematoriums or massive open air pits. It was a very poignant experience walking through the camp.

these are cell blocks and barbed wire fencing located at Auschwitz I

a reconstructed crematorium 

a photo on display in the museum showing the extreme starvation and malnourishment that the inmates where subject to during their time in concentration camps. almost no one was spared

a room full of all of the prosthetic limbs and crutches that were taken away from people before they were sent to the gas chambers or firing squad 

another room in the museum was full of all of the shoes of the killed, even those of infants

the infamous sign at the entrance of Auschwitz that in German says "Arbeit Macht Frei." The English translation is "Work Makes You Free"

a cattle car in which people were transported to Birkenau

this is what the prisoners were forced to use as a toliets

these are the deplorable conditions in which people were forced to sleep. multiple people were forced to each bed and many times there was no foundation to the building, so the people on the very bottom had to lay in the cold dirty mud

Czech Crown

The money used in the Czech Republic is the Czech Crown. One US Dollar is about 22 Czech Crowns.

Because it is part of the European Union, the country was originally supposed to adopt the Euro, but the plan was suspended in 2007.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is located on the outskirts of Poland's cultural capital, Krakow. The mine was in operation starting in the 13th century all the way until the year 1996. Nowadays it isn't economical to mine here, so the mine had now become a tourist attraction, and for very good reasons. The mine houses some impressive sculptures made from pure salt. The world's largest underground chapel also exists in the Wieliczka Salt Mine. The mine has multiple levels. I only was able to venture down 135 meters below the Earth's surface, however the deepest point in the mine is 327 meters, or about 1,073 feet. There are about 178 miles worth of tunnels inside this massive quarry of salt.

salt sculptures portraying the discovery of the mine

a sculpture of Casimir III the Great, a famous King of Poland in the 14th century

chandeliers made of salt crystals

a carving, made again entirely out of salt, of The Last Supper

Polish Zloty

The currency of Poland is the Polish Zloty. The current exchange rate is about 1 Dollar to 3.36 Zloty. Also, like we have Dollars and Cents, Poland has Zloty and Groszy. There are 100 Groszy in a Zloty.

Great Synagogue

Europe's largest synagogue is located in Budapest, Hungary. The building was originally completed during 1859. Unfortunately, it was damaged extensively during World War II. Thankfully, due to many private donations, the building was restored in the late 90's.

The synagogue itself was located in the Jewish Ghetto that existed after the Nazis took over the city. Many people went here for refuge during the troubled times. However, the synagogue could not protect the Jewish people from the cold and starvation of the 1944-1945 winter. Over 2,000 people died during this time. These people are now buried in the synagogue's courtyard as a way to honor and remember them.

the outside of the synagogue

the synagogue's alter

the floor of the synagogue

a close up of an outside wall

window's inside in the shape of the two tablets of the Ten Commandments

Hungarian Forint

Despite being in the European Union, Hungary stills uses its own type of currency called the Forint. However, some business will except Euros.  Right now, one US dollar is worth about 246 Hungarian Forint.

All of the banknotes have famous Hungarian leaders or politicians on them. They come in bills of 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 20,000.

Coins come in values of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200.

Viennese Cuisine

Two iconic foods in Vienna are wienerschnitzel and the pastry strudel.

Wienerschnitzel is similar to a tenderloin. It is breaded veal and also the national dish of Austria.

Strudel is a type of layered dessert that usually has some sort of sweet filling.

Both of these foods were very tasty and I would highly recommend trying them if you ever get the chance.

Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia. The city has a population of about half a million people. Slovakia has been an independent state since 1993. Prior to that it was part of Czechoslovakia and before that it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bratislava is extremely close to the Austrian border. I was in two world capitals today (Vienna and Bratislava) within an hour via train. On the way back I decided to take a slightly longer route. I took an hour and a half boat ride along the famous Danube River which connects these two cities.

A view of the Danube

Bratislava Castle by day

the "UFO Bridge" over the Danube

Bratislava Castle by night

City of Music

Vienna's nickname is the "City of Music." There are many theaters and opera houses in the city. One of the most famous opera houses is the Vienna State Opera. Here you can see world class productions of many famous operas. For example, when I was here I want and saw a performance of La Boheme. This is the opera that the musical Rent is loosely based on. They also sometimes do concerts here. There have been many famous musicians that were either born or lived in Vienna; Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Strauss are just of few who left a musical legacy in Vienna.

the inside of the Vienna State Opera

the outside of the opera house

looking down from the gallery

Serbian Dinar

The Serbian Dinar is the currency used in Serbia. The current exchange rate is about 1 US Dollar to 85 Serbian Dinar. The amount pictured below is worth about $3.75.

Pictured on the 200 Dinar banknote is Nadežda Petrović, a famous Serbian painter.

On the 100 Dinar banknote is Nikola Tesla, a man of Serbian descent who was an electrical pioneer.

On the 20 Dinar banknote is Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, a statesman, philosopher, and poet who is sometimes considered the father of modern Montenegro.  

Greek Food

While in Greece I had the pleasure of trying many different types of food that I had never tasted previously. I consumed a lot of french fries, Greek salad, olives, gyros, tzatziki, souvlaki, and moussaka. Greeks love french fries and they are served with many meals. They are typically cut thick and are not especially crispy. Greek salad has lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, onions, and olive oil. Olives exist in ample amount in Greece and are incorporated some way into every meal. Gyros is a type of sandwich on pita bread with slices of meat, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce. This type of sauce is extremely popular in Greece and is served with almost every meal. This sauce is made from Greek yogurt, garlic, cucumbers, salt, and olive oil. Souvlaki is Greece's version of a shish kebab. Moussaka is a type of casserole with ground meat, pasta, and eggplant.

Greek Salad

moussaka and french fries

gyro

Greek Orthodox Church

The Greek Orthodox Church is the most practiced religion in Greece. 98% of the Greek population are part of this church. As opposed to the Vatican in Rome, the patriarchs of the Greek church are located in Constantinople, which is modern Istanbul, Turkey. The outside of the Greek cathedrals are not always elaborate as some Catholic cathedrals, and the Greek Orthodox rarely have statues, however the mosaics and paintings inside Greek churches are still very impressive.