Some favorite things about the cities I have visited so far....

Munich

I thought it to be so much larger than it actually was. We were able to walk everywhere we needed to go, although we had free metro (and you can drink beer on the metro, so sometimes its better just to take the train!)

I loved the bar crawl here, we visited several well known breweries such as Hacker-Pschorr, and my all time favorite Augustiner - Keller. Everything you have heard about beer tasting better in Germany (and Bavaria none the less) is true! There are so many less ingredients, (unlike Spotted Cow which has high fructose corn syrup - yuck!) Another great thing about an all natural beer, no hangovers!

All in all, Munich was a great place to visit. I really got a sense of where the Wisconsin heritage comes from. A lot of the countryside in Germany looks like Wisconsin, I could of sworn I was driving down 94, aside from the much older, cottage-type homes. We even visited a market that had crafts which looked exactly like something you would see in your grandmother’s house - Que guay!

Prague

You know that saying, " I left my heart in San Francisco".. yeah you do. Well, I think I left at least part of my heart in Prague - don't worry Andre you (and maybe Trio) have the other part back home. This city wasn't destroyed in World War II (unlike Munich) and so the buildings are original (many of Munich's buildings were reconstructed to look the original after the war). The center of the city is absolutely amazing. Pastel colored houses with detailed moldings and architecture surround the open plaza , which was ever flowing with people from all different directions. Street vendors sold everything from brats, potatoes and crepes to little trinkets to take along with you before making way to a new city.

The nightlife in Prague is amazing as well! We visited a few different clubs on a bar crawl and found interesting people to talk to or dance with nearly everywhere we went. Like all big cities, it had the major nightclub with about five different rooms (everything from current stuff to 80's, or techno - lo que quieres)

Berlin

I only visited Berlin for a full day, so I do not have a whole lot to comment about this city, unfortuately. However, I definitely got a sense for the creative, artsy vibe of which it is known for. We saw amazing break dancers within the first hour of being there; they had a huge crowd of people watching them as they performed skits to MJ, Star Wars and other well known songs.

The city itself has so much history, too much to take in for just one day. Walking around this city (on our free tour) I got a real sense that just 20 years ago it was two different cities, and that it has gone through a tough history. It was the least clean and kept of any of the cities I have been to so far (except Morocco).

Madrid

Madrid is an enormous city, and I feel like what I did see was not even close to what is there. Andre and I visited, mainly the downtown area, for about 2 full days. We went to the museum Reina Sofia, Rastro Market, San Miguel indoor market, San Ginés for the best churros in Madrid, and plenty of other restaurants for wine, tapas and typical Spanish food.

The time there flew by, and since it was the last stop, it was hard to be excited for Madrid without thinking about him leaving as well. However, I loved the Madrilènes accent, the food options were amazing, and the indoor San Miguel market was súper chulo.

London

After only a few days in London I realized I want to go back for more! I had the chance to see quite a bit of the city, St Paul’s, Westminster, Towers of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben and changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.

There is just so much history there, and like Germany it was history I knew more about and if I wasn´t too informed, I wanted to be. I especially really wished my brother and dad were with when I saw Lawrence of Arabia´s tomb at St. Paul’s. It´s alright though, I am taking it on as my personal goal to get the entire family to visit London and Liverpool, seize the moments before the opportunity passes.