Never Leave Your Wingman book visits Prague - Blog Part 12

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself going to the Czech Republic. But then again, I'm a book - and I never imagined going anywhere other than home with people in a book bag, to be read and enjoyed and shared with those they love and care about. Usually, that sharing involves someone who is fighting cancer or has been affected in some way by cancer.

You see - if you haven't been following my blogs this fall, - I am a book about an inspiring, fun-loving, walking miracle. Dionne Warner is a seven-time cancer survivor in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, who dresses in costume and dances into her chemotherapy treatments with a smile on her face and joy in her heart. Alongside her is her wingman - her equally fun-loving husband Graham - who is also dressed in costume to support his beloved Dionne and help her bring hope and laughter to everyone she meets on the journey.

This is Dionne and Graham Warner during two of the 78 costumed 'themes' they'd had by the time I was written and published in summer 2012:

But enough about them for now. This is about me. And Prague, Czech Republic.

My author/publisher Deana Driver and her publisher/husband Al Driver travelled to Europe this summer and took me along for the journey of a lifetime. I've been blogging about our travels (see my first blog in the series), and we've visited eight countries to this point: Austria, Italy, France, Monaco, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany - not necessarily in that order. Well, Vatican City might be considered a country, too - so make that nine.

And here we are, in Prague, Czech Republic - a city resplendent with beautiful old buildings, incredible bridges over the Vltava River, and culture that just oozes from every corner.

The hotel we stayed in was built in 1895 - see the date in the floor tiles at the bottom of the stairs. The country of Canada - where I live - was founded in 1867, just a few short years before that. Wow. We could just feel the history that these walls must have seen. 

We smiled when we noticed the name of this place – Typical Czech Restaurant. 

I wonder what all the other restaurants in Prague are like if this one is typical.

We saw this bridal shop on our way downtown...

...so that reminded me of this little ditty:

"Something Old...

...Something New...

...Something Boar-owed (hee hee)...

...Something.... 

Pink...?" 

Sure, why not? I LOVE PINK!

Everybody loves pink!

Moving on.... 

In Prague, we saw a likeness of Hermes . I love his winged headgear. 

The downtown market had fruit and vegetables for sale, as well as a new treat we'd never seen before -  

... a long strip of pastry dough that was wrapped around a spindle and baked over coals, then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

This Czech-style doughnut was very yummy!

My author and Publisher Al also tasted wild boar sausage in the Prague marketplace.

“Tastes like pork, except more free-range,” quipped my author. (She thinks she’s funny.)

This man was working with his loom in the marketplace.

This woman was making glass jewelry.

The Rudolfinum in Prague was designed as an art gallery and housed the Czechoslovak Parliament in 1918-1938. It was showcasing the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra the day we were there. I loved the winged creatures on and around the building.

Now this is not a girly-girl statue.

It reminded me of one of my cancer survivor’s favourite new songs by Katy Perry – ‘Roar’. I am sure that if this statue could make noise, it would definitely ROAR! 

You go, girl!

Oh, and this man. Oh my. 

 He reminded me of the strong, handsome man I met in Barcelona. Ooh, I get shivers just thinking of him again. Sigh…

The 600-year-old Charles Bridge is the most famous of Prague's bridges. It has 16 arches and is adorned with 30 stone statues along its edges. 

Before we crossed the bridge, we met this young lady.

She was inviting passersby to go on a river cruise - on a boat called 'Regina'! 

How cool was that? I was pleased when she offered to hold me for this photo.

On our way up to the Prague Castle, we saw this couple getting their feet cleaned by fish in a tank in an Asian shop. 

It kind of creeped me out actually - but they said it tickled.

This woman was painstakingly hand-painting the lines on a huge door to one of the homes/businesses we saw on our way up to the castle.

The castle has several magnificent buildings on its grounds, including St. Vitus Cathedral. We were intrigued by many of them, but we had to giggle when we stopped for a sit-down break and saw this...

This young man’s private parts are definitely not private. In fact, every third person who passes by this statue in a courtyard at the Prague Castle stops to grab hold of his protruding part – to the point (ooh, sorry for the bad double entendre) that it has become quite the shiny bronze part compared to the rest of his tarnished body. We had to smile watching the various reactions of passersby – everything from shocked to disgusted to hilariously gripping the part and posing for photographs. People-watching is always fascinating.

The view from the Prague Castle is really something to behold. Although this guard did a good job of pretending he didn't care so much about anything around him, my publishers enjoyed the view. 

Holy Heels, Ladies! These Czechoslovakian woman walked downtown for at least 20 blocks in front of us on Prague's cobblestone streets and sidewalks – in these shoes! I was impressed.

We also saw what might be the oldest busker in Europe. He couldn't sing very well, but he sure could play.

 Don’t ask me what a life-sized shark is doing in the middle of downtown Prague. 'Freaking people out' would be my guess.

We saw this fellow, hanging from a harness and using a sander to polish the copper on these balconies. He yelled at passersby to stay out from underneath him as the corroded bits fell to the sidewalk below him.

Well, that's enough from Prague for now.

So from my author, her solid friend, and me - 

Thanks for taking in the scenery with us. I'll see you again soon.

Our Inspiring Cancer Survivor's book visits Berlin - Blog Part 11

Berlin. Capital city of Germany, more than 3.4 million people and tons of rich history. No wonder we were so busy and overwhelmed when we were there this summer.

Hi. It's the Never Leave Your Wingman book again, and I am reporting to you from this intriguing city that is such a contrast of styles and stories - incredibly modern mixed with remnants of Communism and old-war history. So in case you haven't been following my blogs up to this point - I am the true story of a seven-time cancer survivor in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, who dressed in costumes and danced into her chemotherapy treatments alongside her supportive husband - her wingman - when she was fighting Stage IV liver, lung and bone cancers in 2009 and 2010. Her name is Dionne Warner (her husband is Graham Warner), and she is very much alive and well. She still dances into her chemo treatments for her eighth cancer diagnosis - liver cancer again - but that's not what this blog is about today.

As I said, I'm a book and I was written by author/editor/book publisher Deana Driver, and she is the person who usually writes this blog. But this summer, she surprised me and took me in her backpack as she and her husband, whom I call Publisher Al - because that's his name, and he is Deana's husband and business partner in their company DriverWorks Ink ... Oh, wait. Where was I? Oh, yes. I was in Regina, Saskatchewan, when they scooped me up and took me with them to Europe on their once-in-a-lifetime adventure this summer. So I've been blogging about what I (and we) saw and did in Europe.

So here we are in Berlin.

Well, okay, that really wasn't our FIRST view of Berlin, but you gotta admit he's kinda cute. And the German guy beside him wearing Lederhose is also kinda handsome. Ha Ha Ha!

Okay, seriously now. The random parking was something we still weren't quite adjusted to, even after we'd spent several weeks in Europe.

But my author took an immediate liking to these little guys - the 'Walk' and 'Don't Walk' characters that appear on many of Berlin's traffic light stands.

Turns out the little guy is called Ampelmann. He came to life in East Germany and became very popular. His popularity increased even more when there was a move to replace him for more traditional pedestrian 'walk' symbols after the 1990 reunification of Germany. Public outcry ensured that his image is now in Western and Eastern Berlin and merchandise bearing his likeness is extremely popular.

My author thought she would see if she could be Ampelmann.

Um... No.

Berlin was heavily bombed during the Second World War and there are many modern buildings...

...mixed with some more traditional-looking styles. But what is most striking about Berlin is the vibrancy of its people, who are constantly building, rebuilding, and preserving the history of this most historical place.

This chalk artist was representing the scene in front of him - the rebuilding or constant building of his city.

In 1933, the Third Reich burned 20,000 books that came from Humboldt University's library. This made me sad. I had to sit down and think about that for a while.

I was also sad to see the many plaques in the sidewalk outside the university that honoured many professors who died during the war - many in concentration camps.

It lifted my spirits to see this angel...

...and this one.

The Reichstag is Germany's parliament building and features the most incredible glass dome.

Here's Publisher Al and my author on the roof, outside the dome.

This is what we saw inside the dome as we walked up the spiral walkway around the dome. The Reichstag uses solar energy and the dome has a large screen attached to its centre piece which moves with the sun. We enjoyed the audioguide as we walked up to view Berlin from the rooftop.

Berlin is a city of memorials. This is a 2005 art installation of 2,711 gravestone-like concrete pillars to honour and remember the Murdered Jews of Europe.

The pillars are of all shapes and sizes. A walk through these pathways, complete with hills and valleys, fills one with awe, sadness and gratitude.

With this beautiful historic church as a backdrop, these circular displays honour some of Berlin's builders, intellectuals, artists and teachers who died during the Second World War.

My author and I were particularly moved by the memorial on the top here. Else Ury was one of Germany's 'best-known and widely read' children's book authors. 'She was deported to Auschwitz and murdered immediately after her arrival.' 

Writing this blog led me and my author to find this wonderful tribute to Else Ury. It made us happy to read about this talented author's life and how she is being remembered.

The most common tourist attractions in Berlin are the Brandenburg Gate... 

...Checkpoint Charlie... 

 ...and the Berlin Wall. 

We saw several different sections of the Wall which stood from 1961 to 1989, separating West and East Germany. Above was a section at a memorial near Checkpoint Charlie.

Here's a piece  of the wall with murals and memorials on it.

Passersby could get their passport stamped here - for a fee - with the original East Berlin visa. We didn't bother. We looked at and read the concrete wall instead.

This section of the wall is still in its original position but is now protected from the 'woodpeckers' - people who came and chipped away sections of the wall for souvenirs and resale after 1989. 

And this was our favourite section of the Berlin Wall - the East Side Gallery. It is the biggest remaining stretch of the Wall, covering 1.3 kilometres. With more than 100 paintings by artists all over the world, this International Memorial For Freedom is known as the 'world's longest open air art gallery'.  

We'll let the art speak for itself...

I was delighted to see another artist working on his piece. Very cool.

So that's it for this part of our wonderful Europe trip. For now, we'll say goodnight - from beautiful, vibrant, complex Berlin.

I'll see you again soon.