Lennon Wall

Located in Prague is a graffiti filled wall 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.  Back in the late 1980's what Prague was still under communist control, the authorities were irritated by the 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 in the city is the Vltava River. About 1.25 million people live within the city. Prague has many historic buildings with 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 from the 11th century

Auschwitz

The most notorious Nazi concentration camp is Auschwitz. This was actually a complex of many different camps. The most people were killed at Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Here over 1 million people were murdered.

cell blocks and barbed wire at the camp

a reconstructed crematorium 

a room full of all of the prosthetic limbs and crutches that were taken away from people

a room full of all of the shoes of those killed

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

a cattle car that people were jammed into on their way to the camp

these are where people were forced to sleep. multiple people had to share each bed

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 near Krakow, Poland. The mine was in operation from the 1300's-1996. The mine is now just a tourist attraction. Here there are sculptures made from pure salt. The world's largest underground chapel is also here. At one point I was 135 meters below the Earth's surface! There are about 178 miles worth of tunnels inside the mine

salt sculptures portraying the discovery of the mine

a sculpture of Casimir III the Great, a famous King of Poland 

chandeliers made of salt crystals

a salt carving 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.

Great Synagogue

Europe's largest synagogue is located in Budapest, Hungary. 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

Hungary uses currency called the Forint. Right now, one US dollar is worth about 246 Hungarian Forint.

All of the banknotes have famous Hungarian 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 famous foods in Vienna are wienerschnitzel and strudel. Wienerschnitzel is breaded meat. It is also the national dish of Austria.

Strudel is a type of layered dessert that a sweet filling. Both of these foods were very tasty and I would recommend trying them if you have 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.

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. 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.

On the 200 is Nadežda Petrović, a famous Serbian painter.

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

On the 20  is Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, a statesman, philosopher, and poet.

Greek Food

While in Greece I ate a lot of Greek salad, olives, gyros, tzatziki, souvlaki, and moussaka. Greek salad has lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, onions, and olive oil. Olives 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 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. The outside of the Greek cathedrals are not always elaborate as some Catholic cathedrals. The Greek Orthodox churches don't have statues, only paintings and mosaics.