I’ve never been good at night time photography, but this will have to do. This is Prague’s Old Town Square, shortly after Christmas. Last year we spent Christmas week in Berlin, Prague, and Vienna. This year I’m back home in sunny Palm Desert, California. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Well, the cops in Venice, Italy have to get around somehow, don’t they? If you are interested in seeing more Venice workboats, check out this previous post I wrote.

The Hofburg Palace, located in Vienna, Austria, served as the winter residence of the Habsburg dynasty that ruled the Austro-Hungarian empire until 1918. The statue is Prince Eugene of Savoy, one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history.

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of this place. The Colosseum was completed in 80 AD and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. In its heyday, the Colosseum could seat up to 50,000 spectators, who would attend events ranging from gladiator contests to executions. Today, it is one of Rome’s largest tourist attractions and admission will set you back 15.50 euros (around $20). Amusingly, that is the same price we paid for our Venice flights out of Rome.

The underground structure (hypogeum) you see in the photo was where event participants (including animals) waited until they were brought onto the arena floor.

I was really surprised when my friend Csaba showed me this George Washington statue as we were touring Budapest. You don’t really expect to find many statues of ol’ G. Dub outside the U.S. The statue was erected in 1906 for several reasons: as a sign of unity between the U.S. and Hungary; to honor George Washington, the father of American democracy, who inspired many Hungarians who held democratic ideals; and to express gratitude to the U.S. for providing many Hungarians with the opportunity to immigrate to the U.S. and start their lives anew. More information on the statue, which is located in Budapest’s City Park, can be found here.

Behold the trdelník, the greatest pastry ever produced:

When we visited Prague in December 2009, I ate trdelník several times a day. Basically, you take dough, wrap it around a metal spit, and place it in a wood-fired oven. When it is finished baking you then roll it in sugar and walnuts and devour it while it is still warm. Perfect treat for a cold winter day, no?

I originally thought trdelník was a Czech creation, but it actually hails from Skalica, Slovakia. Nevertheless, if you are visiting Prague during the winter you can find trdelník stands throughout the city, including the Old Town Square Christmas Market and the Prague Castle.

Currently home to the German Bundestag, the Reichstag building has played a major role in Germany’s tumultuous 20th-century history. Construction of the building was completed in 1894 and it housed Germany’s parliament until 1933, when it caught fire. The fire was blamed on Communists, and Hitler used the fire as an excuse to suspend civil liberties in Germany and imprison thousands of Communists. The building was further damaged by Allied bombing raids during World War II and was one of the primary targets of Soviet artillery during the Battle of Berlin.

The Reichstag was rarely used during the Cold War, as the the West German parliament assembled in the the capital city of Bonn, away from West Berlin, in accordance with the Quadripartite Agreement on Berlin. Following German Reunification in 1990, it was decided that the capital of reunited Germany would be Berlin and the parliament would once again assemble in the Reichstag. Reconstruction of the building was completed in April 1999.

On a lighter note, the Reichstag also has a cafe/restaurant on its roof (Käfer Restaurant) which featured excellent panoramic views and a breakfast which I believe should be served everywhere: Weisswurstfrühstück. This particular breakfast consists of white sausage (veal and bacon), pretzels with various sauces, and wheat beer. Beer, sausage, and pretzels for breakfast? I’m going to start looking for flights to Berlin (OK, or Bavaria, where this breakfast hails from) just for that!

This is the Old Town Bridge Tower that sits at one end of the Charles Bridge in Prague. This Late Gothic Tower was built between 1370 and 1391 and served as a gateway to Prague’s city center as well as a watchtower. This photo was taken in July 2005, when my friend and I took advantage of the numerous bargain holidays that were on sale at the student travel agency. Cheap beer and dumplings – what could be better?

This is a copy of the famous sign that once stood at Checkpoint Charlie, a border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. The checkpoint remained in use until October 1990, when Germany was reunified. Checkpoint Charlie remains a major tourist destination, however, and a replica of the Allied checkpoint guardhouse was erected at the original site.

I visited Berlin for the first time in December 2009 and would highly recommend a trip there if you are interested in Cold War history. Despite the cold weather, I loved visiting during the winter. Flights to Berlin are relatively cheap at that time, and you can always warm up with some glühwein or jagertee.

This is Cafe Buza, a small bar built on the rocks outside Dubrovnik’s city walls. Since we visited Dubrovnik in the off-season, we had the entire place to ourselves. We stumbled upon it our first day in Dubrovnik, when we literally spotted a hole in the wall, with a “cold drinks” sign above it. We followed the sign and were greeted with this bar and an incredible view of the Adriatic.