Prague - Last full day, and one for chores and travel

(Cliff reporting) Thursday, April 27th would be another full day in Prague. Still spinning from all the fun we've already had here, we were all tingly about the prospects of experiencing any more of the same today. But we needed to take care of some business first, and set out in search of a nearby Internet cafe so we could pay bills online. First we went to the front desk to make sure everything was still okay for us to stay in our room one an extra night, and they verified that it was fine. They also told us about a nearby laundromat, and a nearby Internet cafe. We found the cafe, and were bummed to find out that they did not offer wireless access, nor the ability to hook up the notebook to their LAN, so instead we used one of the their terminals, and used the time to secure 3 nights accomodations in Berlin. We had a few capuccinos and pastries, and finally left around lunchtime. Finding an affordable room in Berlin was much more of a challenge than we expected. According to one pension-owner that I spoke with on the phone, everything she knew of was booked. We went back to our hotel, dropped off the computer, and then headed for the metro station so we could get over to the Mala Strana area of the city. We didn't have enough coins for two metro tickets, and since the ticket machines did not accept bills, and we couldn't find a ticket agent window anywhere, we risked the Czech Metro police, and boarded anyway. Luckily, no one asked anything, and we arrived unscathed. Above ground, it took us a short walk in the wrong direction for us to realize where we were and how to get to where we wanted to go. That's kinda how the majority of the afternoon went too. We alternated taking the lead in our explorations end we tended to go in the "wrong" direction as often as in the "right" one...or at least when I was the one leading. Not that it mattered at all, because it is the exploration and discovery of it all that is so gratifying and it almost always ends up with some sort of gratifying surprise. We walked up the steep path towards the palace and cathedrals, got inside, read the exhibits, admired the amazing architecture, sculptures, and paintings. It started raining and we kept walking, and exploring, loving it all. We found a few art galleries and found another artist whose work we really really liked, and despite the bargaining efforts of the gallery sales person, we decided to leave empty-handed. We continued south all the way down and across the Paleckeho Most (bridge) to the Nove Mesto area and tried to get inside the big church there, with the odd dual steeple, but it was all locked up, so we continued further south to Karlachovy sady church that was perched high upon the hill inside the walls of an old fortress and offered wonderful 360 degree views of the city. We wandered around the fortress walls, withnessing many couples enjoying romantic little nooks here and there, a group of young people practicing medieval battle routines in one spot, and a plethora of red clay tennis courts in a few other sections along the fortress walls. The day was growing long, and our legs and feet were beginning to lose resiliency so we decided to make our way towards the metro and head back to the hotel. It was around 7:30pm or so before we got back, and with a stop to the local market for some snack/dinner stuff, we finally made it to our room. The big event for the day was to be one final jazz show that night, but because we were so physically exhausted from all the walking and two late, music filled nights, we decided to stay in and relax instead.

Friday, the 28th was mostly one for chores and travel. We checked out, left our big packs at the hotel, and dragged our bags of laundry through the crowded metro to the laundramat that was recommended to us. After a bit of metro confusion, we eventually found the laundramat and dropped off all our dirty clothes that would be washed, dried, folded and ready for pick-up in about 3 hours. Next, was a visit to the post office, after learning that DHL was going to charge us $155 to mail a few things home. The post office is always a nerve racking place for me. The folks there generally do not speak English, and well, it's the post office...'nuff said. After some debate, guessing, second-guessing, more debate, and finally some much-needed help and finger-pointing, we got our packages (hopefully) on their way back home. With that done, we found "JoeCafe" nearby where we had coffees and breakfast/lunch. They offered free WiFi access, so I was able to get bills paid and a few emails sent. By 1, we picked up our laundry and metrod back to the hotel. Of course, given the warm tempuratures over the last week, I decided to wear shorts for the first time today. It would be cold and rainy today. No problem, I was just really happy to have two pairs of newly laundered jeans waiting for me in the bag of clean clothes I carried back to the hotel. Once there, we re-packed our bags with clean clothes and took the metro again, to the train station where we bought our tickets, and hung out in the hallway for the 3:34pm train to Berlin. We had a really nice conversation, exchanged Crowns for Euros (raped), ate gummy bears and people-watched. The train arrived, we boarded and dug in for the 5 1/2 hour trip with a few extra delays thrown in for one reason or another. We both kept busy, and Vee's Bolivian passport and U.S. green card kept the Czech and German immigration troopers occupied as well. They always seem to have a real keen interest in all her documents, and hardly give mine a glance. Once in Berlin, we went in search of a map, and found a plethora of them inside a nice bookstore. The checkout guy was real curious about us and asked where we were from and if we were in Berlin for the first time. He said that he had been to the U.S. before, and even to Philly on 3 occasions. As we finished paying and were about to leave, he looked at us in a comical, kinda secretive way, and with an odd gesture of his hand said something like: "Philadelphia is good. But, last time, well...you're President is an idiot. He is not very smart.". What a riot! We howled, and so did he, and we exchanged thank yous again for all his help in telling us all about Berlin, where we should go, what we should do and see, etc. Then, with our map, trying to figure out where we were, where our hotel was, and how to get there took us forever. Finally, we ventured out to the S-Bahn platforms and found the ticket purchasing process equally difficult. Totally at a loss, we found an information desk, and asked for help. They guy behind the desk was amazingly helpful, jovial, and just plain nice. Not only did he get us all straight, but did so with a totally unexpected warmth that made us feel very welcome. The S-Bahn and Metro rides were quite interesting for people-watching, and once off, we found our hotel without too much trouble. Berlin is a huge city, and feels like NYC in alot of ways. The blocks are long and deep. We checked in, after waiting for some lady at the front desk, a guest, rant about something she was unhappy about. The room is huge, and could sleep 8 people comfortably. We hadn't eaten anything really (a pretzel in the Berlin train station) since JoeCafe, so we set out for a bite, and ended having to choose between McD's or BK, then back to the hotel for bed.