Berlin - Jewish Holocaust monument

Been very busy in Berlin - it has so way changed since Chris was here last some 11 years ago...

Just wanted to share some shots of this monument - a large field of unadorned rectangles - the ground level of the monument is in waves... - very impressive.

We also went to the Jewish history museum - way interesting... tracking the history of the Jews in Germany from the third century AD...

Flensburg tripette....

Decided to use the extra day of Eurail to have a little trip into the countryside - we picked Flensburg, just south of the Danish border... Beautiful little maritime city - amazing musuem there - they had replicated / saved some traditional housing from the region inside the museum building.

Oh and more evidence of Kevin leading me astray!

Hamburg by night!

Well, Christmas Markets have finally been trawled through. Kevin now believes that he is german given the high level of kitsch... and Gluhwein :)

Some pics of the Christmas markets and of the little mugs that somebody stole.... there is now a christmas mug fetish in place...

OK now have fixed the pics :)

Hanseatic Hamburg

Arrived in Hamburg on a very miserable day.... but lo, the following day - brilliant! (and way chilly)

Quite an amazing town really - very beautiful with a northern European maritime outlook - our first time here and very surprised... not sure what we expected!

Thought I'd lead off with the statue of the big guy - Bismarck - he watches over the port...

Amsterdam

Well, now that there is a reasonable internet connection....

Amsterdam of course was full on... it doesn't slow down in winter - a ton of Spanish, Italians, and of course the ever present British toking away in the Brown Coffee Shops.

Went to the Rijks Museum, Ann Frank House - missed Van Gogh this time as the lines to get in were way too long. We had lots of wandering about, eating, drinking, and catching up with some people - very nice!

A couple of good weather days - the rest pretty wet :(

Anyhoo, some snappies above - we had to lower the resolution to get them on :)