Our guide Gabi took us around for us to see firsthand the sites favored by Hitler for his parades and speeches. Hitler had a particular fondness for Nuremberg, where he constructed or planned several grand structures. Our first stop was the Hall of Honors, initially built to commemorate WWI soldiers, but repurposed by Hitler as a stage for his large gatherings. Despite its name, it is not an actual hall but an outdoor pavilion bordered by posts that once held flames for the d

We met our guide Robert, an expert on the Holocaust, who has a book set to be published by Fordham University later this year. As you can tell, the guides we hire from Context are all highly knowledgeable individuals who enriched our experience beyond merely touring the sites. Jewish Berlin has a rich history dating back to 1671, though few physical reminders remain. Remarkably, in the 1930s, Berlin, with over 4 million residents, had about 160,000 Jews, of which 55,000 were

Berlin is loaded with art from old masters to modern. Even the Berlin Wall is a work of art as after it was taken down, artists and just plain folk were given the opportunity to paint on a section of the wall and it became known as the East Side Gallery. The Old Master Museum is known as the Germaldeggalerie. We got our fill of old masters and what we loved about this museum, was that there were very few visitors, so it was a joy to hang with Botticelli's, Vermeer’s, Rembrand

Today, we spent 7 hours exploring Berlin with our guide Aaron, originally from Great Britain, who moved here after meeting his wife, calling himself a "love refugee." Aaron, educated as an archaeologist, has a clear passion for history. Strolling through Berlin with him was enjoyable, as he was a rather cheeky fellow, always entertaining and a walking encyclopedia on everything Berlin, both past and present. We began at the iconic Brandenburg Gate and concluded our day at the

We embarked on a Bauhaus and Architecture tour led by a woman named Nina, whom we hired through Context Tours. For this trip, we booked all our Berlin tours with Context and used ToursByLocals for the other cities. A notable difference is that with Context, we met our guides at the starting point of the tour, whereas with ToursByLocals, they picked us up at the hotel before proceeding. Both organizations provide knowledgeable and informative guides. Nina is a sculptor origin

Another day trip to consider is to the Meissen Factory to see how their porcelain is created and decorated. I now understand why they charge what they charge, because it is labor intensive, and all done by hand. Remarkably, we came away from the museum store with nothing but pictures and no tzotchkes. From there we went to Maritzburg, an old hunting palace built by none other than August II. It is known for its many mounted stag heads (no comment), a bed that was decorated by

If you desire to get out of town and see the country, this is a nice day trip. We took the train to an area they refer to as Not Switzerland Saxony where they have rock formations out of sandstone which reminded me of Sedona but surrounded by verdant forests instead of desert. When we got back into town, we visited their main concert hall, the Palace of Culture , which was built under the communists and was surprisingly beautiful in a mid-century modern way. The murals inside

If you haven't seen any WWII films, Dresden was completely destroyed by the Allies in 1945. Known as the jewel of Germany, it wasn't particularly significant from a military standpoint, but I believe it was targeted to pressure Germany into surrendering and to prevent leaving an undamaged Dresden for the Russians. Our guide, who grew up in the GDR (East Germany) under communism, wasn't overly critical of it but appreciates now having six parties to vote for now, compared to j

The artwork from the Old Masters Gallery was relocated to safety during the war and returned afterward. The collection is extensive, but their centerpiece is Raphael’s famous Sistine Madonna, known for the little angels at the bottom that we've all seen countless times on holiday cards. Below are just a few of the many paintings we viewed including works by Rafael, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Correggio, and Tizian. SISTINE MADONNA BY RAFAEL We also visited the Albertinum which houses

Another highlight is walking the grounds of the palace and enjoying the various gardens leading up to it. Lots of blooming chestnut trees and white lilacs along with a variety of perennials.  There has been no royalty in Czechia for hundreds of years, but the palace remains the center of their government. The dungeon had some very clever instruments of torture!!! Prague Castle was most likely founded in around 880 by Prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty (Přemyslovci). Acco