Here is Museum Quarter in Vienna, where the Museum of Modern Art, Leopold Museum (a huge collection of modern Austrian paintings), and Museum of Architecture are located among others. There are also many other museums in Vienna to visit in addition to the ones found here.

You'll find many beautiful baroque churches in Vienna.

The cafés are classy as well. Tall arched ceilings supported by marble columns flanked by nice chandeliers. This is Central Café in Vienna, one of our favorites to stop in for a break from sightseeing to enjoy the fantastic coffee and wonderful desserts.

Let me tell you what really caught my attention though: the Austro-Hungarian royal family. Yes…meet the Habsburgs.

In a world that’s still entranced by royal families (just look at the excessive media coverage of 2011′s Royal Wedding), I’m not feeling ashamed. I always dreamt of being a princess as a little girl and deciding who was my favorite Disney princess was a fun discussion. As a result, it’s probably not surprising why I was so fascinated with real-life princess Sisi… or rather Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She is definitely one intriguing character.

Here is Empress Elisabeth of Austria. She's an introverted free-spirit who despised royal court protocol and strict etiquette.

I definitely recommend learning more about Empress Elisabeth and her husband Emperor Franz Joseph if you visit Vienna. Their story is fascinating, yet unfortunately tragic. Their tumultuous history involves unrequited love, struggles for independence, suicide, and assassinations. It’s much more complex than Romeo and Juliet.

In addition to learning about the Empress and Emperor themselves, I also got drawn into their intricate palace lives. All of the court protocol and pomp and circumstance would have driven me crazy as well.

Here is one of the Habsburg's palaces: Schloss Schönbrunn. There's a vibrant, colorful French garden (reminiscent of Versailles) stretching out between the palace and Sun Fountain. You'll also see horse-drawn carriages trotting around the palace grounds.

If you keep walking up the hill past the Sun Fountain, you'll encounter a large grass clearing that makes a great spot to sit, relax, and enjoy the view.

If you continue up the hill, you'll find the Gloriette overlooking the palace garden. The Gloriette formerly served as a dining hall, festival hall, as well as breakfast room for emperor Franz Joseph I. It is now used as a café and also has an observation deck that overlooks Vienna.

Jerry and I checked out the Habsburg crown jewels. Here's a nice golden crown. Fascinatingly, the Habsburgs also claim to possess original remnants of the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on.

Here's the gold room. There are many other rooms filled with display cases of porcelain, silver... you name it. There are so many options to choose from, it could be someone's full-time job just managing and deciding which servingware and dinnerware set to use each day. I'd hate to keep track of that inventory.

When walking through the palaces, you'll see a lot of Japanese (Imari ware) and Chinese porcelain vases decorating the royal apartments. Here, the royal family is using Japanese Imari ware along with a European crafted silver gilded display stand. I thought it was a beautiful way to showcase both Western and Asian design talent and skill.

Jerry and I wouldn’t mind visiting Vienna again. There is a lot more we could have seen and done. Traveling around such a sophisticated city can get dangerous though, especially if you’re on a budget. I’m not just talking about putting a dent in your wallet by buying souvenirs, but about seriously affecting your bank account when you get home. What do I mean by this? Everywhere you turn your head you’re looking at upscale decor, impressive art, and luxury cars passing you by on the street. While I’ve been in other cities that exude wealth, I feel like none have done so with nearly as much class as Vienna. I read that many tourists that visit Vienna are financially independent travelers. In this city in particular, I found myself really appreciating the finer things in life. It didn’t feel ostentatious being surrounded by pretty things. It was just the way of life there. And it felt eerily comfortable. There are a lot of artistic and cultural offerings for a person to desire in Vienna. If you’re not used to opulence but get immersed in it, then start coveting it… it’s dangerous. I needed to catch myself here. The more I traveled, the more my eyes opened, and the more I wanted. Yet Jerry and I were living out of a suitcase and we were FINE. We were happy. We ARE happy.

A simple life is nice. It’s simple. We don’t need more to be happy.

What do you need to be happy in life? Has travel changed your perception of happiness?  What do you think of Vienna?

Budapest is divided in two sections. In this photo, Buda side (has the castle, hills, and is more affluent in general) is on the left of the Danube River and Pest side (with Parliament) is on the right of the river. Margaret Island is that patch of greenery in the middle, behind the bridge.

What We Saw

Gellért Hill

Gellért Hill overlooks the Danube river in Budapest, Hungary. There's a citadel, cave church, and a liberation monument (their own Statue of Liberty) among other attractions on the hill. It's become an affluent residential area, with a number of embassies and ambassadorial residences lining the streets that lead up the hill.

Heroes’ Square

Heroes' Square is a major square in Budapest with the millenium monument pictured here. This memorial is dedicated "To the memory of the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of our people and our national independence."

Fisherman’s Bastion/Castle District

There are wonderful views of the city from the Fisherman's Bastion in the castle district.

Parliament

Parliament is right by the Danube River. Makes for a nice photo.

Chain Bridge/Royal Palace

The chain bridge and royal palace are so pretty lit up at night! The walk along the Danube river is nice in general. You can also take a lovely cruise down the Danube. Jerry and I were considering doing that for our fifth year anniversary.

What We Did

Zoo

I was told that Budapest has a great zoo… so as an avid animal lover, I had to visit!

There were tons of other animals at the zoo, but most of my time was spent watching this CUTE tiger cub play with his sibling and momma.

This was freaky. I've heard about the dead-skin-cell eating fish at salons that give people pedicures, but didn't expect the zoo to have them. Jerry dunks his hand in the tank and they flock like crazy towards it. I tried it too and it TICKLES so much. It doesn't hurt, but I don't think I could ever get a flesh-eating fish pedicure.

Bike Cart around Margaret Island

One day, we decided to rent a bike cart and spent the afternoon riding around Margaret Island. It's not the nicest recreational area we've been to, but still a nice getaway from the city.

At Margaret Island, there were ruins, gardens, and fountains to explore.

Caving

The Buda hills in Budapest have some awesome limestone caves. There are actually more than 100 caves in Budapest’s municipal area!

Our awesome AirBnB host Kitti took Jerry, me, and another guest to this show cave in Budapest. It was our first time inside a cave and I loved it. The air was so crisp, cool, and clean. Therapy sessions are actually held inside the cave to clear up clients' allergies because the air inside the cave is so clean. It's dust-free! Have bad allergies? Give salt cave therapy a try.

This mineral formation here is called the witch. Can you see why? It was fascinating looking at all the various formations up close and from different angles. They were built by thermal waters. Also, I loved breathing the air down there. I could breathe it for hours--and some people do... with cave therapy.

Thermal Bath & Spa

Besides having lots of caves, Budapest is also a city full of spas and healing waters. Or so we’re told. Got arthritis or aching joints? Take a dip in Budapest’s medicinal waters. They come from natural hot springs and wells that contain many helpful minerals like calcium, magnesium, hydro-carbonate, sodium and sulphate.

On our fifth anniversary, Jerry and I went to Szechenyi Bath and Spa. This is one of their main outdoor heated pools. Szechenyi also has twelve indoor thermal baths, varying between 28-38°C water temperature. Jerry and I had fun hopping from one temperature to the next. It was a very relaxing way to spend the day after some tiring sightseeing.

Eat & Drink

We definitely ate and drank a lot in Budapest. We tried Hungarian food specialties like lángos which is deep fried flat bread with a dash of sugar and salt (there are many variations in toppings from sour cream and grated cheese to ham and sausages). We also had a number of pálinka shots (Hungarian fruit brandy). Below are also a couple of our favorite things from Budapest.

This is goulash, one of Hungary's national dishes. It is generally a stew of meat and vegetables (especially potato), seasoned with paprika and other spices. Here, it's shown served with small egg noodles called csipetke... although we both actually prefer goulash in soup form without the pasta.

I'm not a huge lemonade fan, but I loved drinking lemonade in Budapest. Almost every cafe and restaurant we went to had fresh lemonade. I love how they use fresh lemons, limes, and oranges. So refreshing. I missed drinking this so much when we left Budapest.

Jerry and I loved our time in Budapest. We would love to go back to try more spas and explore more caves. We also had one of the most memorable evenings of our lives here. We had dinner at Comme Chez Soi to celebrate our fifth year anniversary. This family-owned restaurant definitely went above and beyond our expectations to make our anniversary extra special. Along with tasty freebies throughout the night, they even gave us a complimentary whole bottle of champagne to take back home with us. If you ever find yourself in Budapest, we definitely recommend you check this restaurant out. If you’ve never considered visiting this city, you should. We love Budapest!

Here are some of the major attractions:

Old Town Square

Dating back to the late 12th century, the Old Town Square started off as the central marketplace for Prague. Over time, many Romanesque, Baroque, and Gothic style buildings were erected around the market. Today, there are many cafés with al fresco dining surrounding the square where you can order a drink, people-watch, and admire the many architectural styles around you.

Here's a top view of Old Town Square. There are a lot of people walking about, browsing shops, and buying food and beer.

The Old Town Square vendors sell various knick knacks and souvenirs, from jewelry to fuzzy slippers.

Jerry and I stopped by the food vendors to buy ourselves some potato crisps and sausage shish kebab on a bun. I was actually disappointed with the crisps. I think the potato crisps sold on a stick by street vendors in Korea are so much tastier. On another note, if you need to use the restroom (WC), they've got bright signs pointing you in the right direction.

Prague's Astronomical Clock and Old Town Hall Tower. This is one of the main sights at the Old Town Square. Right next to the clock tower is the meeting point for a ton of different tour groups where guides holding colored umbrellas meet up with tourists. Check out some of Prague's free walking tours. They provide a lot of information and are free, but you're welcome to tip as you see fit at the end.

This medieval clock was first installed in 1410, making it (according to wikipedia) the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the only one still working. The top is an astronomical dial and the bottom is a calendar. Every hour the figures flanking the clock go into motion and statues of the Apostles are presented above. This attracts a VERY large crowd.

I'm not kidding about the crowd. They're all waiting for the clock to go into motion. It's a brief show that lasts around 30 seconds.

At the last chime of the clock, a Czech in traditional red and yellow dress comes out to play the trumpet. He plays on each side of the tower and then waves to the tourists down below. You'll notice there are a bunch of tourists up in the clock tower with the trumpeter. You can pay to get a nice view of the city from up there.

It gets really crowded up in the clock tower as well. It can take awhile to make your way around the tower to see the city from different sides.

When you do get your turn to view the city though, it's worth it. Beyond the city on the left is Petřín hill, which is mostly covered with parks and has an observation tower. On the far right is Prague Castle in the distance.

Charles Bridge

To make your way towards Prague Castle, you can take a walk across the Vltava River via the Charles Bridge. Charles Bridge used to be the only solid-land connection from Prague Castle to the Old Town areas until 1841.

The bridge is decorated by 30 mostly baroque-style statues and statuaries. They were originally erected around 1700 but are now replaced by replicas. The bridge is also protected by three bridge towers, one of which you can see in the photo at the end of the bridge.

During the day, you'll find Charles Bridge bustling with activity. Alongside crowds of tourists, there are art, jewelry, and other souvenir vendors, as well as musicians and caricature artists.

This is the Vltava River at twilight.

Castle District

According to Guinness World Records, Prague Castle is the largest castle complex in the world. There is a lot that goes on inside the complex.

This is part of the Royal Garden of the castle complex. It's a renaissance garden built in 1534 with a bronze Singing Fountain in the middle. If you put your ear to the bottom of the fountain, it sounds like it's singing. I guess you have to put your ear in the right spot though, since Jerry tried, but didn't hear it sing.

There is a falconry near Prague Castle with captive birds of prey on display near the Castle entrance. There were various hawks, owls, and falcons spread out on the lawn.

The main entrance to Prague Castle has a rococo-style gateway decorated with two battling statues, as well as two castle guards that change every hour.

This Roman Catholic St. Vitus Cathedral is inside the Prague Castle complex. It is the seat of the archbishop of Prague. It has wonderful Gothic architecture and contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman emperors.

The St. Vitus Cathedral has lovely stained glass windows.

There's also a beautiful (free!) view of Prague from the castle complex. Right behind Jerry is a small vineyard. There are many museums, shops, and restaurants to check out at the castle complex. I enjoyed the time we spent here more than Old Town Square.

Jewish Quarter

If you’re interested in Jewish history and culture, you’ll definitely want to visit Josefov, Prague’s Jewish Quarter and former Jewish ghetto. Prague’s Jewish museum houses the largest collection of Bohemian and Moravian Jewish material in the world. I thought that the Jewish museum was one large building at first, and was confused when we couldn’t find it. Instead, it actually consists of many buildings housed throughout the former Jewish ghetto.

Prague's Jewish museum consists of four synagogues, the Old Jewish Cemetery, and Ceremonial Hall. The Old-New Synagogue, which is another historical site in Josefov is NOT included in the museum ticket.

There is a lot of history in this area, but one piece of information that I found particularly interesting is how this Jewish museum has been preserved. Most of the Jewish quarter was demolished between 1893 and 1913 as part of an urban initiative to model the city on Paris. The Jewish museum was originally founded to preserve Jewish artifacts from synagogues that were demolished due to Prague’s urban renewal. After this urban renewal, only six synagogues, the old cemetery, and old Jewish town hall remained. With the Nazi occupation during World War II, one would think that the rest of these buildings in the ghetto would have been demolished. However, in 1942, the Nazi regime established the Central Jewish Museum to commemorate the heritage of an exterminated people. That’s right…they wanted to curate an “exotic museum of an extinct race”. During that time, Nazis shipped Jewish artifacts from all over Bohemia and Moravia to the museum.

In 1950, ownership of the museum was transferred to the State, which was under communist control at the time. The Jewish Museum finally began to flourish after the communist regime collapsed and the museum became a non-state organization.

I expected a lot of World War II and communist era history in Berlin, but I never heard about how much Prague and the Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia at the time) had been affected. In general, Prague is a fascinating city to explore. If the walking tours get too crowded during the summer, you can search for self-guided walking tours online to download and read at your own pace while touring Prague. Jerry and I did both. We downloaded a self-guided tour for Old Town, but went on a Prague Castle walking tour (which we got as a free bonus for visiting the Museum of Communism).

Have you visited Prague? What is your favorite part of the city? Would you ever wait again to watch the astronomical clock on the hour?

Getting an M3 in Germany is no easy task. Being a somewhat exotic car, most standard car rental agencies such as Avis and Hertz do not carry the M3. The specialized agencies that do charge at least $1000 USD/day. Given those prices, I had all but given up hope on being able to drive the M3. However, a visit to the BMW Welt in Munich changed all of that. They had the M3 for rent for “only” 40 euros/hour. Not only that, but you could rent it for an entire day and only pay for 4 hours. This is about 1/4 the price that a traditional car rental agency will charge you. Renting the car couldn’t be simpler. We made a reservation, and then showed up on the day of the rental with our passports. About 20 minutes later, I was behind the wheel of a jet black 2011 BMW M3.

Once we got the M3, we decided to take the A96 autobahn to highway B17. Highway B17 is also known as the “romantic road”, and is a gorgeous stretch of highway in southern Germany that leads up to the foot of the alps. One famous stop along the B17 is Neuschwanstein Castle, which served as the inspiration for the iconic Disney castle.

I drove carefully at first, being unaccustomed to the power of the M3 as well as the German highway system. After about 1/2 an hour though, I was ready to push the vehicle to its limits. For those who don’t know, the German autobahn is one of the best highway systems in the world. It is also one of the only places where there is no speed limit. We found this to be only partially true. Most of the areas around Munich actually had posted speed limits. However, once you got out of the metropolitan areas and into the countryside, then the speed limits disappeared. This is where the fun begins.

The German autobahns are typically quite narrow, with only two lanes per direction. Similar to the US, the right lane is for slower traffic, and the left lane is for passing and fast traffic. However, unlike the US, there is a huge speed difference between the two lanes. Since there is no speed limit, it isn’t uncommon for cars in the fast lane to travel at twice the speed. For the most part, Germans are much better drivers than their American counterparts. Everyone seems to know the rules of the road, and I never had a single experience of being stuck behind a slow car in the fast lane. If only the drivers on the I-5 from SF to LA were just as accommodating!

For the most part, I averaged about 160 kph (100 mph). This seemed to be the standard speed in the fast lane. When there were no cars around, I managed to punch it up to 275 kph (170 mph), but these were rare occurrences.

Once we exited the A96 and got on to the romantic road, the traffic was much slower and the road was much more windy. The views, however, were gorgeous. The B17 had some of the most romantic scenery I’ve ever seen. Rolling green hills, snow capped mountains, quaint villages surrounding emerald-green lakes. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, especially once we got to the base of Neuschwanstein Castle. Once we got there, we were stuck in a maze of traffic. In fact, we didn’t even have time to go up to the castle due to the traffic and parking situation around the castle. If you want to make the trek, I would strongly suggest taking the train instead of driving. Or if you do drive, park in a nearby town and take the bus. Even though the castle is in the middle of nowhere, it’s just as crowded as Disneyland.

Overall, I was very happy with the chance to drive my dream car at top speed on the best highway in the world. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience, and something else to scratch off the bucket list.

The inside of the BME Weir. It's essentially a glorified BMW showroom, but has some neat technology exhibits as well. The car rental is on the first floor.

Here I am anxiously awaiting the keys to the M3. The rental process couldn't be simpler. Renting an M3 from the BMW factory is less pain than renting a Chevy from Avis!

Examining the M3 in the underground garage before finally taking the wheel.

A view from the dashboard of the M3 as we drove along the romantic road (B17). Gorgeous day for a drive!

A view from the interior of the M3 as we zoomed past traffic at 275 kph.

A view of Hohenschwangau Castle along the Romantic Road

We had to park really far from the castle since traffic was just atrocious. But we were able to get this nice shot of the front of the M3 with Neuschwanstein Castle in the background. This is probably one of the most beautiful castles I've ever seen, and it's small wonder it was chosen as an inspiration for Walt Disney.

The view from our car as we drove along the Romantic Road. It's hard to imagine better driving scenery than this!

A small cafe we stopped at along the Romantic Road before making the trip back

What does a beer garden look like?

Well, turns out beer gardens are basically wooden benches placed amongst trees where people consume food and beer.

This is the second largest beer garden in Munich with 7000 seats. It's located inside the English Garden, which is one of the world's largest urban public parks (bigger than New York's Central Park).

Munich's second largest beer garden is right next to the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) inside Munich's English Garden.

There are several beer gardens in the English Garden that you can choose to spend your afternoon at. Jerry and I particularly enjoyed Seehaus beer garden.

Jerry and I are enjoying a beer here at the Seehaus beer garden. It's one of the bigger beer gardens in Munich seating 2500 people. Seehaus is situated on the banks of the Kleinhesseloher lake, where you can see people paddling on rental boats in the summer. It also has a small playground for children.

At Seehaus beer garden, there are also ducks and geese in the lake who will come by to greet you.

A man sitting next to us was feeding the ducks and geese. Look at how eager they were to be fed!

Traditional Munich beer gardens will allow you to bring and consume your own food on the premises. There is a self-service canteen where both food and drinks are sold and the beer is often tapped from wooden barrels. The general rule is that you can bring your own food to the self-service wooden benches but not your own beer.

This isn't a traditional beer garden, but we liked coming here in the evenings after a day of sightseeing. It was right down the street from where we were staying and has a nice ambience and relaxing atmosphere.

I actually don’t like beer. It’s a taste I never acquired…until we visited Germany. That’s when we discovered Radler. Now I crave it., especially on hot summer days.

Radler is a beer-based mixed drink. It usually consists of 50% beer and 50% German-style lemonade (which is carbonated). When I first ordered a lemonade in Germany, I didn't know they were carbonated and thought they got my order wrong and gave me a lemon-lime soda instead. In America, our lemonades don't have gas.

After leaving the beer capital of the world, I longed for Radler. If you’re not crazy about beer, you should give Radler a try. I liken it to people who say they don’t like coffee but like Starbucks Frappuccinos. The Radler just might be the Frappuccino of the beer world.

Besides beer gardens, we also visited some great beer halls like the Hofbrauhaus, which could possibly be the most famous brewery in the world. You can check out my post on Bavarian cuisine to see what type of traditional food you can eat at the Hofbrauhaus and other beer halls.

It is super crowded and busy inside the Hofbrauhaus. It's a huge beer hall and can be overwhelming at first if you're not prepared for it.

The Hofbrauhaus has many floors and we were lucky to find available seats on the top floor of the Great Hall. It seriously reminded me of walking into the Great Hall inside Hogwarts Castle, with long tables running down the length of the hall.

The Hofbrauhaus even provided us with entertainment. We were able to listen to a traditional band and watch folk dancing during our meal.

Some beer gardens and beer halls ONLY offer beer in 1L sized mugs. Yes, that's bigger than my head! And I drank it all too. It was that good.

I think it’s safe to say drinking beer is a national pastime in Germany. People down beer here like water. In fact, it’s often the cheapest drink on the menu. It became normal to drink beer with each meal. Unfortunately this had detrimental effects on my waistline despite all the walking we do everyday. I’m getting fatter and I blame it on the beer and hearty food. We’re spending the next month in Italy and I’m sure that’s not going to slim down my waistline either. Oh well. I’ll deal with those food temptations when the time comes.

When you’re in Germany though, drink beer. Find the beer gardens and beer halls. If you don’t like beer or are allergic to it, try Radler (less alcohol content) and see if you like it.

Have you been to the beer gardens and beer halls in Munich? Which are your favorites? Do you love Radler like we do?

In a nutshell, traditional Bavarian cuisine seems to consist of a chunk of meat (usually with gravy sauce), potato or bread dumplings, with sauerkraut or cabbage salad. Here are some visuals to give you a better idea of what I’m talking about:

Pork knuckle with potato dumpling and sauerkraut

Roast suckling pig with potato dumpling

Roasted pork breast with potato cakes and sauerkraut

Bavarian peasant feast: Roast pork, bratwurst, bread dumpling, and sauerkraut

Marinated Bavarian beef with bread dumpling

Roast chicken with potato salad

Sausages (wursts) with potato salad. They love potato salad!

Sorry, I forgot what this was exactly. It was an appetizer. Sausage salad with vinegar and oil? Not bad.

Overall, we found Bavarian food to be hearty and filling, but not something we’d like to eat on a regular basis. It seems like it’d be especially challenging for vegetarians to find good varied dishes, but then again we didn’t really explore vegetarian options. Personally, I didn’t care for the bread dumplings. The potato cakes weren’t bad, but I would much rather have rice. I really missed rice.

Now that you’ve seen what typical Bavarian food is like, here are a few traditional restaurants in Munich where you can try this food:

Weisses Brauhaus

This is a popular crowded restaurant. Walk in and sit at any vacant table. In fact, go ahead and sit at any vacant seats. One evening we shared a large table with two Japanese tourists AND two European tourists. We had a great time talking to each other. Word of caution though: the service here is efficient but not especially friendly.

Restaurant Zum Alten Markt

This is also a nice traditional Bavarian restaurant. In fact, it's the restaurant that Jerry took me to for my birthday.

Hofbräuhaus München

This is the famous Hofbräuhaus in München. After World War II, this brewery and great beer hall became Munich's number one tourist attraction.

At traditional restaurants, the waitresses will wear a dirndl, which is Bavarian traditional dress for women. Sorry for blurry photo.

Cafe Rischart

Rischart: One of our favorite cafes ever. It's a popular chain with great drinks, food, and pastries. A lot of locals also frequent this cafe, as evidenced by the people we talked to while there. Rischart's tiramisu is also REALLY GOOD.

This is our typical breakfast/brunch that we had at Rischart to start our day off right. They give you a ridiculous amount of bread. Seriously, look at that bread basket on the right.

Note: Restaurants in Germany often don’t take credit card so make sure you have plenty of cash with you. This was the case in Berlin, Munich, and Vienna in Austria (German-speaking country). We didn’t have problems using credit card in Barcelona, Prague, or Budapest though.

You also tip differently in Germany. In America, we’re used to paying the bill with the exact amount and leaving the tip on the table. This is not how it’s done in Germany. Waiters will come by with your bill and a black wallet of change. You’ll then tell the waiter how much change you want back or how much you want to pay total, factoring in the tip. This method of tipping takes getting used to if you’re accustomed to just leaving tip on the table before leaving.

Do you like Bavarian food? Have you tried these restaurants? What are your favorite dishes or places to eat at?

Our life together has been an amazing journey full of laughter, discovery, and surprises. The best part is that it’s far from over. Let’s take a look at how traveling has strengthened our marriage:

1. Trust

It’s important that we recognize and play to our strengths. I like researching each city’s attractions, so I’ll choose which sights to see. I’ll figure out our accommodations and plan out each day’s itinerary. Jerry is better at navigation, so once I’ve decided what to do, it’s Jerry’s responsibility to figure out how we’ll get there. That’s just one example of divide and conquer. While it’s nice to do things together and work as a couple, we don’t have to do everything together. By delegating responsibilities and trusting each other to fulfill them, we’re still working as a team towards a common goal and can accomplish even more. This works at home and works while we’re traveling too.

2. Patience

We trust each other to get things done, but hiccups occur. The museum I want to see ends up being closed for renovation, but we’ve already spent the time and money to get there. Or we’re late for a dinner reservation because we took the wrong bus line. It’s easy to get upset and blame each other in these circumstances–and we have…many times. Yet, I will never forget what happened on my birthday in Munich. Jerry made a dinner reservation for a nice restaurant and I wanted to arrive early to make sure we weren’t late. Jerry assured me that he knew where it was and that we had enough time. We arrived in the area but couldn’t find the restaurant. We walked all over and asked shopkeepers whether they knew where the restaurant was. No one could tell us the exact location. I was fuming. I knew we should have left earlier. I started yelling and complaining while Jerry calmly apologized and kept looking for the restaurant. When we finally found it, we sat down and I glared at him. He just smiled back at me. I felt terrible. Why didn’t he yell back at me? Couldn’t he have blamed me for not leaving earlier or looking up the location myself? Why was he being so patient?? He told me, “It’s your birthday and I want you to be happy.” It’s amazing how huge conflicts can be avoided if even one person remains calm. We just need to be mindful that special occasions aren’t the only times to use extra doses of patience.

3. Communication

We have no cell phones at the moment. We have no easy solution of calling each other up if we get separated. This means we really have to be clear of when and where we meet whenever we split up. We also have a Plan B and Plan C in case we can’t find each other. Fortunately we’ve never had to resort to those plans, but you never know when you’re in a foreign country and don’t speak the language. Our communication has also improved since we get to bypass questions like “What’d you do today?” and go straight into “What’d you think about ___?”. It requires a lot more creativity to keep a conversation going when you spend so much time together, but we have fun with it.

4. Companionship

We love being able to share so many vivid memories together, like driving 275 kph on the autobahn or getting lost inside a national park and finding our way back before it gets completely dark. It helps that we’re completely comfortable with each other. There’s nothing to hide or be embarrassed about. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We tease each other and laugh about it. We will definitely grow old laughing with and at each other. If laughter is the best medicine, then we’re the healthiest couple.

5. Our Future

I’ve heard that if your marriage survives the first five years, then the chances of staying married dramatically increases. I am happy to report that Jerry and I have hit the five year mark and we’re having as much fun together as ever. Some people discover that they can’t marry a person after travelling one week with him/her. Try traveling for months at a time without a break! It hasn’t been easy and we’ve had many fights. We’ve been tempted to book another room or cut our trip short because we couldn’t stand being with each other any longer. A nomadic lifestyle without steady family and friends around you for support can really take its toll. Yet, we’ve weathered the storms. I know this is only possible for us because of prayer and dependence on God. We’re no more patient or understanding than any other person. We’re not special. God has taught us a lot about each other, our relationship, and ourselves. Instead of letting our anger and frustration fester into something greater, we’ve been able to go to God and find peace instead.

So that is a (rather long) summary of how our travels have strengthened our marriage. This date however, is also the fifth month anniversary of our ShenVenture. So what have we learned from traveling?

1. Less is More

We’ve been traveling the world with one carry-on luggage each. We could travel like this indefinitely. In fact, there are even items that we don’t need and could get rid of. Having less stuff is quite liberating.

2. Stay Open-Minded and Meet New People

Be bold, ask questions, listen actively, and learn new things. We’ve hung out with seven different people in Budapest (three Hungarians and four other travelers) and have learned a lot from each one of them! We’ve had so many rewarding experiences in other countries as well.

3. A Smile Goes a Long Way

We might not speak the same language, but you’d be surprised at how much can be communicated with a simple smile and hand gestures. It’s not hard to travel through major cities if you speak English though. When all else fails, use Google translate. It’s helped us a few times during our ShenVenture.

We’ve learned much more than this, but I have a confession to make:

We’re cutting our ShenVenture short.

Originally it was going to be an entire year. Then we cut it down to nine months to return to America in time for Jerry’s best friend’s wedding. Now we’ve cut it down to seven and a half months. Why?

There are many reasons. Mainly, we miss our family and friends. We want to be back in time to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with our family. We miss our dog! Long-term travel is fun and exciting, but it’s not for us.

So what does this mean for ShenVenture?

We’re ending this particular trip earlier, but we definitely plan to travel again in the future. There is still South America, South East Asia, and much more to explore. I still plan to blog, but have had other things on my mind lately and know that I’m far behind on posts. I will probably change the nature of my posts in an effort to catch up with our location.

Thanks to everyone for your emails, comments, support and encouragement! Traveling the world has been fantastic, but we wouldn’t have made it this far without all your moral support. It has truly meant the world to us.

Anniversary dinner at Comme Chez Soi in Budapest. AWESOME restaurant with AMAZING service. Highly recommended!

Best wishes to you all from the Shens!

Currywurst

This is Germany’s most popular fast-food dish consisting of sliced-up pork sausage drenched in tomato sauce and curry powder. It is often served as take-out food at diners and food stands. This is the street food of Germany. I was not impressed.

I was expecting sausages covered in an aromatic curry sauce complex in flavor. Ok, maybe I got this confused with Indian curry. When I saw tomato sauce doused with curry powder instead, I was very disappointed. But… Berliners love it.

Currywurst is so popular in Berlin that there is actually a museum dedicated to this dish.

Döner Kebab (or Kebap)

Doner Kebab is actually a Turkish dish adapted to suit German tastes in Berlin. There is a large Turkish minority in Germany, which probably explains why doner kebab is one of Germany’s most popular fast food dishes. Doner meat is cooked on a vertical rotating spit and sliced off to order.

Along with the meat, doner kebabs usually consist of a salad of chopped lettuce, cabbage, onions, cucumber, and tomatoes, as well as a choice of sauces. The filling is served in a thick flatbread that is usually toasted or warmed. Delicious! Oh, and I've also discovered that I really like Beck's Green Lemon.

Another variant of the doner kebab. Doner Kebabs are also commonly served "mitt pommes" (with French fries). We've also learned that Germans love fries with both ketchup and mayonnaise.

Besides doner kebabs, there are also a lot of Turkish restaurants selling other food such as Turkish pizza (above), pide (type of bread), and more.

Where to Go

A good place to try these fast food dishes is on Mehringdamm street. There are two food stands that seem to always have a long line (a good sign).

I didn't try the currywurst here since I don't care for the dish in general, but since there always seems to be a line, I assume it's as good a place as any to try it.

There's usually an even longer line for Mustafa's Kebap than the currywurst stand. I personally didn't think it tasted better than other kebaps I've tried, but apparently many others feel differently!

The man at Mustafa

The photo below seems out of place but there’s a reason it’s included…

This is inside the Berlin Reichstag dome. It's situated on top of Berlin's Bundestag (German parliament) debating chamber. The mirrored cone in the middle is designed to be energy efficient, dispersing daylight throughout the dome and reducing carbon emissions of the building. When looking at it though, Jerry and I could only think of doner kebaps. It's what the rotating spit looks like at the end of the day. Coincidence? I don't know.

Jerry and I actually had some really good international food while in Berlin. We ate at some nice Thai, Indian, and Italian restaurants. We didn’t get to try good German food until we went to Munich though. We definitely enjoyed some good Bavarian cuisine and beer gardens there. More to come on that!

What do you like to eat in Berlin? Have you had currywurst or doner kebaps before? Doesn’t the dome’s mirrored cone look like doner meat on a rotating spit??

Second World War

Berlin was devastated after World War II. Yet, you wouldn’t know it by looking at the city. It has done a remarkable job of restoration. While museums have lost a lot of valuable artifacts, many treasures were put into safekeeping before and during the war. Valued items that could be transferred to safe places were preserved. As a result of World War II, new sites emerged. These sites would serve as reminders of what the city and her people endured during this terrifying time.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

That is the actual name of this memorial. No subtlety there. Seems like naming this as just another “Holocaust memorial” would be a euphemism. Instead, Berlin decides to just “say it like it is”.

The architecture is very interesting. The memorial consists of a 4.7 acres site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs, arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. I believe it's supposed to represent an ordered system evoking unsettling confusion at the same time. There is also a museum below this site displaying personal letters and stories of Holocaust victims and their families that gives visitors more insight into the pain that was suffered.

It's easy to get disoriented while walking through this memorial, especially with the sloped ground and towering walls. It's a claustrophobic space in an open area. There were little kids running around the memorial playing tag and I was apprehensive of them slamming right into us as we walked through. I'd hear their laughter in one corner only to have it disappear behind us as we cautiously approached each intersection.

Jewish Museum

Unlike Holocaust memorials, the Jewish Museum does not focus on the plight of the Jews during the Second World War. Instead, it details the history of German Jews in general. What was life like for German Jews before the war? How did their circumstances and treatment change throughout time? What does it mean to be both German and a Jew? You’ll find the answers to these questions here at this museum, along with what happened to German Jews during World War II and beyond.

The entrance to the Jewish Museum.

This modern building is also part of the Jewish Museum and actually contains the main exhibitions. It's strange since the two buildings are so architecturally different. If you are interested in learning more about Jewish culture and German Jewish identity, I would recommend checking out the Jewish Museum when you visit Berlin.

Topography of Terror

The Topography of Terror is an outdoor museum situated at the former headquarters of the Gestapo (secret state police) and the SS (paramilitary organization). Both the Gestapo and SS served as instruments of terror during the Nazi regime. The original buildings were largely destroyed by Allied bombings and the ruins were demolished after World War II.

One entrance to the Topography of Terror. The boundary between American and Soviet occupation zones ran through this area during the Cold War, so the Berlin Wall was built here. After the Cold War, this long segment of the wall was never demolished and you can still see and touch it.

The Topography of Terror museum details the history of repression under the Nazis. Behind the displays in the photo above (where the brick rooms are) was the cellar of the Gestapo headquarters, where many political prisoners were tortured and executed. The museum also has an indoor exhibition in a building behind this outdoor area.

Cold War

The Cold War arose from the ideological, political, and economic conflicts between Communist Soviet Union and the democratic United States. Many sources speculate that the Cold War began shortly after World War II ended, once the Soviet Union’s and United States’ temporary alliance against Nazi Germany was no longer necessary.

Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall, symbolic of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, physically separated West Berlin from East Germany and East Berlin. The wall was built in 1961 by East Germany’s German Democratic Republic primarily to prevent the mass emigration and defection of those in Germany’s communist Eastern Bloc.

You can see the largest segment of the remaining Berlin Wall at the Topography of Terror site, but in the above photo are some remnants of the wall at Potsdamer Platz. In between each section of wall are descriptions of various points of interest around Berlin.

You can see a cobblestone path on the ground throughout Berlin that signifies where the wall once stood.

Checkpoint Charlie

Even though the Berlin Wall physically separated East Berlin from West Berlin, there were still a few checkpoints where certain people could cross from one side to the other. Rules adjusted over time, but generally citizens from West Germany and Western countries could travel into East Germany, but not the other way around. Checkpoint Charlie (or Checkpoint C) is the name Allied forces gave to the best known crossing point through the Berlin Wall.

The soldier here at Checkpoint Charlie might look serious, but he was having fun taking photos with different tourists who approached him. And of course, any attraction worth seeing has to have a McDonald's nearby. (please note sarcasm here)

I found it odd that there was a huge portrait of an unnamed soldier posted high at Checkpoint Charlie. Turns out one side has a portrait of an American solider, while the other shows a Soviet soldier. I think it supposedly represents the tension and standoff between the two powers during that time. Behind the portrait, you can see the Checkpoint Charlie museum.

This is a replica of one of the famous signs at Checkpoint Charlie when re-entering the American sector. Many East Germans died trying to escape the Eastern Bloc and enter West Berlin. You can read and see photos about the heartbreaking accounts of those who failed to escape and the moving stories of those who succeeded at Checkpoint Charlie.

Potsdamer Platz

Potsdamer Platz has undergone a series of transformations as an important public square in the center of Berlin.  In the 1920s and 1930s it was a busy traffic center and bustling area of activity before it was destroyed by World War II. Post-World War II, the area became a desolate No Man’s Land with the Berlin Wall dividing the square during the Cold War.

Potsdamer Platz Metro Station.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Potsdamer Platz underwent major redevelopment. It was Europe’s largest building site with impressive architectural aspirations. The Sony Center is one of the new building complexes in Potsdamer Platz serving many purposes. It contains shops, restaurants, cinemas, museums, and more.

The Sony Center is a nice place to visit, especially at night when the dome-shaped ceiling changes color. There is also free wifi connection here at the center!

The Potsdamer Platz rebuilding project has sparked some controversy regarding how the district has been commercialized and re-planned.  Nevertheless, Potsdamer Platz reportedly receives some 70,000 visitors a day and even approaches 100,000 during the weekend. After a history of destitute destruction, it is once again a lively center. I see Potsdamer Platz as an example of a city determined to move forward from its grim past and build a better future.

What do you like about Berlin? Do you think Berlin has done a good job of “moving on”?

1. Architecture

Besides seeing some of Antoni Gaudi’s magnificent buildings in Barcelona (especially La Sagrada Familia), you’ll also want to walk around and check out the architecture in the Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic).

You can find the Barcelona Cathedral, also known as Cathedral La Seu or Santa Eulalia inside the Gothic Quarter. This gothic cathedral was constructed way before Gaudi's time and was undergoing renovation when we visited. Still, you'll be able to see a good example of gothic style during 14th century Barcelona.

If you visit the cathedral, make sure you also see the thirteen white geese that live in the cloister. Supposedly it's a mystery how they got there in the first place, but their ancestors have been living at this cathedral for centuries.

2. Plaças

Plaças are public squares in Barcelona filled with great atmosphere. They can comprise of statues and fountains or clubs and restaurants. They are places where people meet up, relax, read, eat, and socialize.

Plaça de Catalunya

Plaça d'Espanya

3. Parks

Barcelona can be a bit of a concrete jungle, but if you like greenery, it also has some nice parks. Park de la Ciudadela is the oldest and one of the largest parks in Barcelona. It is known for its large garden, walking areas, lake, and waterfall. Jerry and I walked through the park to get to another destination, but unfortunately didn’t stop to take pictures. I wish we had. Instead, we spent more time at the parks below.

For modernistic architecture, you can check out Park Güell which was designed by Gaudi. Not your typical park.

The largest park is actually in Montjuic (means "Mountain of the Jews") and encompasses many other attractions as well.

You can take a cable car to get to Montjuic, but if you want to save money, then I wouldn't recommend it. Sure, you'll get great views of the city, but the wait is long and it's a pricey ticket for a seven minute ride. If you're not pressed for time and don't mind a small hike, I suggest saving your money and walking up to Montjuic from Placa d'Espanya instead.

Besides walking around Montjuic's park, you can also check out the castle (above) and the many museums located at Montjuic.

The 1992 Olympic Stadium is also at Montjuic.

4. Beaches

Barcelona was voted by National Geographic as being the best beach city in the world. Barcelona has a few beaches, but Barceloneta is the one closest to the city centre. Its Mediterranean coastline was majorly revitalized for the 1992 Olympics and boasts some of the best features an urban beach can offer.

Barceloneta Beach stretches out for 1.1 km starting out from Olympic Port.

Not sure why Barceloneta Beach had speech bubbles all over the place. They were interesting and said different things. Too bad I couldn't read them.

There were many beach volleyball games going on.

There was also a play structure for kids at the beach.

Nice showers to rinse off under after taking a swim.

5. Fountains

You will find numerous decorative drinking fountains while walking around Barcelona. They serve many purposes. You can drink from them, rinse your hands, or give water to your dog. They’re almost as easy to find as vending machines in Japan.

One of the many drinking fountains in Barcelona. Legend says that if you drink out of the fountain at Las Ramblas, you're guaranteed to return to Barcelona.

Many tourists say that one of their favorite attractions is Montjuic's Magic Fountain show. I think I've been spoiled though by the light and water shows at Bellagio in Las Vegas and especially the extravagant ones in Disneyland, so I wasn't incredibly impressed. If you like fountain shows in general though, it's definitely worth checking out.

The Magic Fountain of Montjuic is especially beautiful at night, so watch it after the sun goes down if you can. You have a wonderful show of light, color, and water acrobatics with musical accompaniment against the backdrop of the Palau Nacional Museum.

Almost every travel guide will tell you that no visit to Barcelona would be complete without taking a walk down Las Ramblas. It’s a busy street filled with other tourists, market vendors, street artists, and restaurants.

Many street artists include caricature artists and human statues as well. In fact, Barcelona has the most elaborate human statues I've ever seen in a tourist city. They seriously take the motto "Go big or go home" to heart, and drag huge equipment and accessories with them to complete their perfect statue.

While walking down Las Ramblas and admiring these street artists, be aware of pickpockets. Las Ramblas gets very busy and is a popular location for pickpockets to strike. Watch your wallets and carry your purses and bags in front of you. Stay alert.

Beware of Pickpockets and Scams

While Barcelona is a lovely city, it’s unfortunately full of pickpockets and scam artists. Jerry and I were warned many times by friends and family before visiting. Even the locals and waitresses had warned us while we were there! Jerry and I believe that we escaped getting robbed twice during our visit. I’ll recount one of the instances here:

On our last morning in Barcelona, Jerry and I walked to Las Ramblas to take the metro to catch our flight. With our luggages in tow, we step into the elevator to go downstairs. A young gentleman rushes into the elevator just in time before the door closes. His eyes scan us before he asks “Where are you from?” with a huge smile. Right after we reply, he steps over next to Jerry and starts “dancing” with him. We don’t know what he’s doing. It looks like he’s trying to show Jerry some “futbol” moves that require their legs to get entangled with each other. Jerry, his personal space greatly violated, shoves the man off him and tells him to “get away”. These pickpockets are good. He lifts his hands up in the air, still smiling, with a look of “what’s wrong?” on his face. He seems nice and you might feel like a jerk for pushing him away…but no well-intentioned stranger needs to start touching you without permission. I’m guessing that’s why they would target a guy before a girl first. Jerry was shocked at first and it took him a few seconds before pushing him away–but those few seconds is all a good pickpocket needs to strip you of your wallet. As a girl, I would have reacted immediately and pushed him if he started touching me. While girls might be more cautious about male strangers getting too close in general, guys probably let their guard down more and end up being more confused rather than defensive.

So what happened next? The elevator door opens and the pickpocket walks out to meet up with (who we think is) an accomplice and they walk up the stairs towards the exit. When Jerry and I looked at the metro map, we realized that we actually took the wrong entrance and needed to go to another metro line. When we exited the station, we saw the same gentleman who had just tried to rob us a few minutes before. He was standing near the elevator with a few buddies, no doubt scoping out their next victims. He never intended to board the metro train. I would have liked to take a picture of them, but unfortunately we were in a rush to get to the airport.

I think we were spared because Jerry used a money belt. The pickpocket probably had enough time in those few seconds during the “futbol” distraction to rifle through his pockets for cash. Fortunately for us, we always keep our valuables in a money belt or in secret compartments while we’re in transit.

Many people don't like wearing money belts, but keep in mind that even zipped bags and purses aren't safe. In huge crowds, pickpockets can easily unzip purses and take valuables. Take a look at the huge crowd here getting ready to watch the Magic Fountain. Everyone gets bumped while walking by each other, and it's easy to not notice getting robbed.

Besides the “futbol” scam that we ran into, there are a number of other common ones that tourists encounter. Simplest way to avoid getting robbed is to not have your valuables easily accessible. Keep your valuables tucked away and enjoy seeing the city without an unwanted trip to the embassy. Don’t be an easy target and stay safe!

What do you like most about Barcelona? Have you ever been scammed or robbed while traveling? What happened? What precautions do you take to prevent theft?