Lauren and her husband Evan traveled to Berlin, Prague, and Amsterdam this month, a historical and culturally filled experience.  We started the trip in Berlin.  We enjoyed a fun bike tour with Fattire Tours to see the city’s highlights.  Our history student guide from the UK was terrific and it was easy to maneuver bikes through this rather quiet city.  Other Berlin experiences included wandering through the lovely Tiergarten Park which is laced with canals; visiting the Charlottenburg Palace with an audio tour and admiring the palace’s extensive gardens and meandering through the city’s various neighborhoods.  We stayed in the quiet Charlottenburg neighborhood near the Berlin Zoo at the Hotel am Steinplatz.  This Marriott hotel is located in a gorgeous art deco building.  The staff was super helpful and our quiet room was nicely accommodated with views of the inner courtyard.  The hotel offers a nice restaurant, a full-service spa, and a decent gym as well.  We used My Day Trip to travel by car with a private driver from Berlin to Prague stopping in Meissen and Dresden on the way.  Both cities are located in Saxony, have rich histories, castles, churches, and more, and both are situated along the Elbe River.  Meissen is best known for its porcelain factory and we had the opportunity to see how its made by visiting different crafters for each step of the process.  There is also an extensive museum of all of their handmade wares.  Quite impressive!  The city of Dresden is well known for its WWII destruction.  Much of the city has been restored including the impressive Frauenkirche Church.  We walked around the city and saw much of its impressive architecture including museums, churches, horse stables, tile art, and public squares.  There was a busy fall festival in the main square that offered ample opportunity to try this region’s most popular foods and treats.  Our extended stay in Prague (where Lauren’s daughter lives and works) was at the Mamaison Residence Downtown.  It is an apartment hotel in the New Town close to the national museum but within easy reach of the Old Town.  Our one-bedroom apartment in the new and modern section of the hotel had a spacious living area, balconies, and a fully stocked kitchen with a dishwasher and a washing machine.  Rates at the hotel include an ample buffet breakfast and there is a large game room, spa, and a small gym.  This was our second visit to Prague, but we still were able to find plenty of new experiences in this historic city.  We explored the National Museum, the Communist Museum, and the Straha Monastery.  We loved the amazing city views we got from climbing to the top of the Petrin Tower, experiencing a high-tech light show festival that took place around the city, seeing the opera Tosca at the gorgeous State Opera House, attending Yom Kipper services at the Jerusalem synagogue, and took a group tour of the city’s Jewish Quarter that we missed the first time due to holiday closures.  We ventured outside the city with a group tour to see the horrors of the Terezin Concentration/Labor/Ghetto Camp and took the train for the day to the town of Pilsen best known for its beer.  We toured the Pilsen Urquell beer factory and also took a tour of the extensive underground level of the city which was used for food, beer, security, and other storage needs.  Our last stop was in Amsterdam with Lauren’s daughter and friend in tow. Unfortunately, the city was packed with tourists during an autumn break school week in Europe.  We did our best to avoid the high tourist areas as much as possible venturing into the more residential areas for dining, shopping, and exploring.  Highlights of our Amsterdam experience included the Anne Frank House, a canal boat ride, the Rijksmuseum, Rembrandt’s House, Waterlooplein flea market and not getting hit by a bike!  We stayed at the boutique-style Ink Hotel, an MGallery hotel.  A former newspaper building uses the writing theme nicely throughout the hotel.  The rooms were very quiet and the staff are very friendly and helpful.  Overall a wonderful trip!