Czechin' Germany

Ok so far our great European vacation has been just what we expected. FANTASTIC! Now we are in the Czech Republic and I am on a computer that has a foreign keyboard so I can't figure out how to change it to English so there may be a lot of grammar mistakes in this blog. Sorry! Ok so we flew into Germany last Thursday and we flew to a small airport about an hour outside of Frankfurt. We took RyanAir which is a totally cheap European airline and it cost 42€ for both of our tickets. That is amazing! From the airport we took a 90 minute bus ride into Frankfurt am Main which is the main train station. I fell in love with Germany in 90 minutes. The bus took us through the countryside and it was just gorgeous. I couldn't believe how green everything was and how lovely all the towns were. I was already sad that we weren't going to be spending more than three days in Germany. It just wasn't enough!
Originally we were going to go to a town in the Rhein Valley but we mis-counted how many days we were going to be traveling so we had to cut that trip out. Instead we decided to go to the Frankfurt temple and do a session there and see the area. I am really glad we decided to go there. The temple is located outside of Frankfurt in a lovely suburb and we were able to stay in a hostel the church runs on the temple grounds. I guess they figure that because you are married for eternity you can spend a couple of nights apart from each other because Tyler and I had to stay in separate dorms, one for men and one for women (I originally 'wrote one for boys and one for girls' but I figure that because I am now married, I just might have to face womanhood). A great part about Frankfurt was the Chinese food restaurant we found that was cheap and gave you a TON of food. Yeah for good eats! It was also really great for us to start out our trip attending the temple. It brought us so much peace and it was one of the most profound temple experiences I have had thus far. Very spiritual and very peaceful. The church is true!!!
From Frankfurt we took a train to Berlin and again I fell more in love with Germany. Berlin was such an amazing city. There was so much history and it was surreal to be walking those paths. We found an awesome free walking tour that took us through all the major parts of the city. The tour was a tips-only basis because the tour guides believe that everyone, no matter their budget, deserves to experience Europe. It was an amazing and exhausting 3.5 hours but totally worth it. It was an emotional trip for me as we learned more about the Holocaust and the horrors that hatred can bring to people. One of the most profound things I learned was that hatred of the Jewish people stems from the death of Christ and their part in it. However, Christ, as he lay dying on the cross asked the Father to forgive those who were crucifying him. Therefore, how can the Nazi's and others who kill in the name of Christianity even be understand true Christian principles. Christ, who taught us to turn the other cheek, could never be the force behind such hatred. Berlin is a must-see for anyone visiting Europe!
We left Berlin early Sunday morning and are now in the Czech Republic. Prague to be exact. We met a nice Japanese family on the train and I wowed them with my knowledge of Nipon and counting to ten in Japanese. Thanks Dad. Prague is such a great place to visit. It is everything one imagines Europe to be, from the cobblestone streets, to the cathedrals and churches, to the castles and other ancient buildings still standing. Another must-see!!! We have loved our experience here too. Europe has so much to offer. We have heard only good things about Prague and were excited to visit here. The only thing left out was the HILLS...HELLO?!?! Prague is on the side of a mountain practically, so our legs are worn out and we sleep like the dead! We are staying in an elementary school that is converted into a hostel during the summer so it has been a little interesting. But hey, you live and learn. Speaking of learning...Here is a tip for the day...never, Never, NEVER take a taxi from the Prague train station to the Olet Hostel unless you want to pay 400% more than the tram or metro costs, double what a plane ticket to Germany costs, or quadruple what our 2nd fabulous Chinese dinner cost. Trust us.
So in the morning we are heading to Salzburg, Austria...best known as the location where The Sound of Music was filmed. Watch out Julie Andrews, here comes me! We miss you all and can't wait to see you again!