First we visited Gluckstadt, the German town from which Josh’s great-great-great grandfather (Joachim Engelbrecht) emigrated. Here are Josh and his Dad in Gluckstadt:
Just to the east of Gluckstadt lies the "Engelbrecht's Wilderness," which now contains houses, cabbage farms, and a mental hospital. It must have contained (or been owned by) Engelbrechts at one time.
We next travelled to Hamburg. Hamburg is the second largest port in Europe (after Rotterdam). Much of its architecture is new because it was damaged heavily in WWII. This is the view from a church steeple that survived the bombing (the rest of that church building was destroyed and not rebuilt, as a memorial to the war):
The most fun part of Hamburg was the open-air fish market, where merchants sell fresh fish, produce, and souvenirs early on Sunday morning. The market starts at 5 AM and was packing up when we arrived at 9:30. One feature of the fish market is a large beer hall, which seems to cater to people who never went to bed Saturday night.
We next travelled to Hamburg. Hamburg is the second largest port in Europe (after Rotterdam). Much of its architecture is new because it was damaged heavily in WWII. This is the view from a church steeple that survived the bombing (the rest of that church building was destroyed and not rebuilt, as a memorial to the war):The most fun part of Hamburg was the open-air fish market, where merchants sell fresh fish, produce, and souvenirs early on Sunday morning. The market starts at 5 AM and was packing up when we arrived at 9:30. One feature of the fish market is a large beer hall, which seems to cater to people who never went to bed Saturday night.After Hamburg, we spent a couple days in Berlin. Berlin had many displays and memorials about WWII, Hitler, and the Cold War. Only about a kilometer of the Berlin Wall remains. Here we are at the famous Brandenburg Gate:
The Reichstag is the capitol building of Germany. It has a large glass dome on top, and from the dome you have a good view of the entire city. Here are Dad and I in the dome on the Reichstag.
There was lots to see in Berlin, and we could get around easily using public transportation. We enjoyed the signs in the subway station, bidding us a good journey:
We spent a day in Potsdam, where Frederick the Great built his grand "Sansoucci Palace." Although this palace was nowhere near as lavish as the Palace of Versailles in France, it was still a nice pad. Here we are in front of the main palace building:
And a nice view of the tourist-clogged terraced garden next to the palace:
When we had seen enough of Germany, we headed to Poland. Our first stop was Boleslawiec, a small town that is home to several pottery manufacturers. The town is famous for its beautiful pottery, so we went shopping. Here I am with a pottery tree:
And then we headed to Oswiecim, the town where the Auschwitz concentration camps are located. There were actually three camps at Auschwitz, and two are open for visitors. Auschwitz I, the original camp, greets visitors with its famous gate that reads "Work brings freedom":
Auschwitz I contains several bunkers that were used to house prisoners (and that now contain displays about the camp and its victims), as well as a rudimentary gas chamber and crematorium. Auschwitz II is 3 km away and is much bigger, with more bunkers and four gas chamber/crematoria. 
The gas chambers and crematoria are in ruins; prisoners revolted and burned one down, and the other three were destroyed by Nazis attempting to cover their actions at the end of the war. This was the most horrible tourist attraction I've ever been to. I'm grateful that I was born in the time and place where I was.
The gas chambers and crematoria are in ruins; prisoners revolted and burned one down, and the other three were destroyed by Nazis attempting to cover their actions at the end of the war. This was the most horrible tourist attraction I've ever been to. I'm grateful that I was born in the time and place where I was.Next we went to Prague, in the Czech Republic, for a couple days. Prague is a beautiful, old city (it has not suffered from wars like most other European cities). It is called the "city of 100 spires" because there are so many church steeples and cupolas. Tyn Church is in the Old City Square:
And there is a lovely view from the top of the City Hall:
On the front of City Hall is a 500-year-old Astronomical Clock. On the hour, while a skeleton representing death rings a bell, the twelve apostles appear at two windows to gaze on the tourists below. Then a rooster crows.
On the front of City Hall is a 500-year-old Astronomical Clock. On the hour, while a skeleton representing death rings a bell, the twelve apostles appear at two windows to gaze on the tourists below. Then a rooster crows.After Prague, we drove home to Deurne via Germany's Rhine Valley.
The biggest disappointment of the trip was that we only saw one beehive (in Poland). Germany supposedly has lots of beehives, but they are hidden from tourists.
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