It's Easter-time!

Here we are in Amsterdam having a lovely time :) The tulips are blooming, the sun is shining and the bikes are invading. But first...Prague and Berlin.

A moonlit night in Prague...
Well, we arrived in Prague hot and tired and hungry. It was windy and dusty, and, you guessed it, we were in a super weird part of town. Let's just say we were a little irritated with the Czech Republic. However, after eating and dropping off our luggage, we made our way into town to see the sights. With the start of Easter weekend the streets and squares were filled with booths selling painted eggs, interesting food and tons of cool paintings. My favorite part, though, were the trees decorated for Easter. They were bare-branched trees with gorgeous pink and white cherry blossom branches discretely tied to them. Then green, white, blue, orange and pink eggs and ribbons hung from the limbs. So festive and cheerful!

Eventually we made our way to the river, climbed to the palace grounds for a great view of the city and waited with hoards of people to see the stupidest clock tower ever chime 8 O'Clock. We love overrated monuments when everyone else is watching too :) We finished the night with dinner overlooking the river and a long metro/tram ride back to the hostel.

Prague is:
-dirty
-twinkling lights reflecting on the river
-funky, modern statues
-confusing streets
-churros and chocolate at the market
-a quick stay

Home sweet home in Berlin...
This past weekend in Berlin was just what we needed! Stephanie Johnson, a friend of Ryan's who is working as a missionary in Berlin, kept, fed and entertained us for 3 nights. Between homecooked meals with her best friends, walking and driving tours and a movie night we felt right at home. Steph welcomed us into her home as well as her heart. We had great talks for hours and laughed and laughed and laughed until it hurt.

One of the best parts of our time in Berlin was the Easter church service. We have really missed church since we've been in Europe the past 4 and 1/2 weeks. (We tried to go in Rome, but the Pope missed our visit!) Anyway, the service began with a Gospel choir from New York, who sang in English. It felt so good to sing along with a large group of Christians. Britt and I have sung along to the chapel cd on her ipod, but it's just not the same as being in corporate worship. The sermon was, of course, in German. Steph translated for us every few minutes, but we loved being there even when we didn't understand. It was a really sweet time and encouraging to see God working in a city like Berlin that has boldly professed Atheism for so many years.

Berlin is:
-laundry, sleeping in, rejuventation.
-learning so much about the Berlin wall and the Cold War from a western Berliner--so fascinating
-riding in a very cool Mercedes with the top open and music blaring (Steph's friend(s) works for them)
-a long dinner and good conversation
-"Lars und de Frauen"
-curry wurst and donor kebab
-Southern hospitality