Split

Finally the beach!! We made it to Split and went straight to the beach to dive into the beautiful clear blue water of the Adriatic Sea. It was perfect considering it was over 90 degrees and very humid. It was a different beach experience since the beaches were either rocky or cement slabs. We had our first taste of Croatian food and were underwhelmed. We soon learned to stick to Italian food.

Lizzy and the boat-filled harbor of Split

The palm-lined main promenade of Split at night

Plitvice!!!

We finally made it to Kristen's goal destination: Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia! It was everything we dreamed of and a little bit more. We stayed a few kilometers outside the park which ended up being quite a walk but the surrounding swimming holes made up for it. The day we spent at the park was great. We've never seen such beautiful clear water both the lakes and the waterfalls were spectacular and the unexpected caves added a dash of surprise. Without further ado, a picture is worth a thousand words.

The hills are alive!

We took Salzburg by storm and had a very productive day. We started with a walk through the garden's of the palace, strolled past Mozart's birthplace, and ate delicious Bavarian food on the main shopping street. We then climbed upwards to see the castle, which provided beautiful views of the countryside and Alps. We ended the day at the trick fountains, just outside of the city. And of course, we did a little Maria Von Trapp-inspired frolicking on a grassy hill. By the time we got on our overnight train to Zagreb, we were wiped-out!

The palace gardens, so many great tiny flower hedges

That Lizzy, always makin' friends

The view on the way up to the castle

View from the castle, you gotta love those panoramas

The hills are alive...

With the sound of Music

Hallo Munchen!

Munich turned out to be one of our favorite cities. We started out with a bit of a downer, the concentration camp of Dachau. It was really interesting, although it would have been better had we read the signs before stumbling into the gas chambers. Fortunately, the famous beer hall Hofbrahaus lifted our spirits. The next day we went on a walking tour and then to the Englischer Garten where we had some of our new favorite drink: Radler, a delicious combination of beer and lemonade. We like the garden so much that we returned the next day with our swimming suits to float down the river there. We enjoyed our nights in Munich sitting by the campfire at our hostel, The Tent. The hostel was a giant circus tent in the middle of a botanical garden. It was a fun place to stay, until the last night when thunderstorms made it a bit of a rocky sleep.

Surfers riding the wave on the river in Englischer Garten

Kristen with the lovely Englischer Garten

Cheers!

Radler, delicious!

Mini Bananas!

The wonderful Tent

Prague, Check!

We had less success with the roommates of our next hostel. Although Prague was a beautiful place, the heavy rain and a hostile hostel made it not our favorite city. Between downpours, we were able to rent bikes to see the city. The cobblestone streets made for a bumpy ride! We were able to see both the Prague castle and the fortress, both with spectacular views. While our handy guidebook lead us to some delicious Italian food, we found the Czech food to be a bit weary.

Just an idea of how epic our bike ride was

Best damn bridge in Prague

Lovely Kristen looking over lovely Prague

Rockin' the rain jacket per usual

Without a rain jacket, Kristen doesn't enjoy the rain as much as Lizzy

Aloha from Berlin!

We finally stayed in our first hostel: Hostel Aloha! We had one roommate, Fritzer from France. We were the three musketeers of the hostel. We had fun going on a historical walking tour and even more fun going on a pub crawl. Per recommendation we ate currywurst and doner kebab. They were...interesting. Berlin also brought the beginning of our beer drinking. German beer is a taste we have yet to acquire. In our extensive walking tour, we learned a lot about Berlin's history and were surprised by how much Germany still feels the effects of the last century's wars. The East Side Gallery and the Jewish Holocaust monuments were our two favorite sites there.

Our walking tour took us by the Jewish Holocaust Monument

Lizzy was very zen at the East Side Gallery

While Kristen got in touch with nature in the middle of the city

Panorama!

Can't get it in California, but Berlin loves their Dunkin'

We though Doner Kebab was in sandwich form, but this works too

PUB CRAWL!

Holland

Tante Miep welcomed us with open arms to beautiful Holland. We first went to Enkhuizen, an open-air museum consisting of old buildings shipped from all over Holland to recreated a 17^th century Dutch village. Afterward Tante Miep prepared our classiest meal of the trip so far: quail eggs, veal, and chocolate mousse. Day 2 in Holland we ventured into Amsterdam, where we took a boat tour along the canals, ate krokets, and visited Anne Frank's secret annex. The final day we took a car ride to see the old windmills. Dank je wel Tante Miep!

Garden Party with Tante Miep! One of the many delicious meals she made for us.

Who's that peeking over the flowers?

A lovely lady and a lovely canal

Anne and Anne:

The only photo we captured inside the Anne Frank museum before we were reprimanded.

You know what they say about Windmills!

Enkhuizen

Nice rain jacket, Lizzy.

I <3 Cheese

Lizzy learning the ways of her ancestors

This ones for you J Will