On my last afternoon in Prague, I walked up Petrin Hill to look out over the red roofs and gold-topped spires of the city aglow in the light of waning sun. As I made my way to the top, I found the views I was searching for and so much more:

It’s amazing how easily you can find calm spaces in crowded summertime Prague. Aside from the Charles Bridge area, it was much quieter on the other side of River Vltava. Just a little way up Petrin Hill I found even more serenity.

Pears and view.

The path less traveled.

Down below, the crowded Charles Bridge.

Broken ornaments decorated the outside of the fantastical Reon Argondian Gallery.

Through some iron gates I came across this garden where a woman was painting the scene.

This garden was pure joy.

 As if the first garden wasn’t amazing enough, around the corner I found another garden full of vibrant roses.

More fantastic views of Prague.

A nice spot for music making.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

I took a step away from my typical travel ways when I went to Prague; I showed up with no ideas on what to see and never once glanced at a guidebook. The breakfast banter at my cozy hostel served as an excellent stand in.

In that little kitchen I learned about the city of Kutná Hora, about a two hour train ride away from Prague. Its main point of interest is what a group of French guys referred to as the “Church of Bones”. Intrigued, I followed up with them the morning after their excursion, and they confirmed that it had been worthwhile trip out of Prague. And in that way things fall into place when you travel solo, a fellow solo traveler from South Korea also planned on visiting Kutná Hora that day and invited me to go with her.

After an encounter with a hostile train station ticket agent and a few lost in translation moments, we got on a train to Kutná Hora. When we arrived, we were dropped off in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. I liked it. I have this attraction to being a little lost — it’s where adventure starts to kick in and I develop that true sense of discovery. For that, a trip outside of Prague was worth it.

We eventually found a bus stop and waited and waited in the rain until a local bus came. On this bus we encountered the kindest people who understood that we had no idea where we were going. Despite the language barrier, they made every effort to confirm that we were on the right bus, to not let us get off the bus too soon, and let us know when we arrived at our stop. It was a nice change from the tourist weary locals of Prague, and these pleasant little interactions also made a trip out of the city worth taking.

Then we finally found the “Church of Bones,” officially called the Sedlec Ossuary. It’s a site with a long and unique history. In the late 1200s, a monk from Sedlec traveled to the Israel and brought home dirt from the Holy Land which he sprinkled on the cemetery. As word spread, the Sedlec cemetery became an auspicious place for Central Europeans to be buried. In the 1300s and 1400s, the plague and the Hussite Wars greatly increased the number of burials here. Eventually, the skeletons were exhumed in the 1500s, supposedly by a half-blind monk. In 1870, the well-to-do Schwarzenberg family hired a woodcarver named František Rint to organize the massive amounts of bones. The artistic license he took with arranging the bones is what draws visitors to the tiny town.

Here and there in Prague, I’d gotten glimpses into the darker sensibilities of where I was, and the ossuary in Sedlec fully revealed a macabre aesthetic beneath the mass appeal of the pretty tourist sites. Inside, we entered a chapel that was part catacombs, part installation art:

The artist signed and dated his work in bones.

The Schwarzenburg family coat-of-arms.

There’s more to the Kutná Hora area than the ossuary. Nearby Sedlec, in the actual city of Kutna Hora is the incredible architecture of the Gothic St. Barbara’s Church.

Statues along a walkway at St. Barbara’s Church rival those of the Charles Bridge in Prague.

Overlooking the town of Kutna Hora.

Back at the Kutna Hora train station.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

Coming from the street art and graffiti covered Berlin, Prague had initially seemed wholesome in comparison. My first sighting of anything street art related was a clean up crew painting over a graffitied wall in the Old Town Square.

I get it — Prague’s scenery has so much character already embedded in it. Compared to some other European cities in the region, much more of its historical architecture survived the destruction of World War II. A really visible street art scene would be incongruous there.

What I did find in Prague was a thriving government sanctioned yet often eccentric public art scene. In parks, squares, and along the Vltava river, I spotted fantastic sculpture art that ranged from quirky to perplexing to bizarre:

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

When I arrived in Prague, I had a strange sensation that I later identified as “tourist shock”. My mouth hung open as I observed the magnitude of the crowd at Old Town Square for the first time and wondered how the Charles Bridge could withstand the tourist masses. I quickly realized that my perception of “touristy” had been heavily skewed by the kind of places I’ve visited over the last few years. The backpacker-oriented destinations I’ve been to in Asia and Latin America really have nothing on summertime Prague.

While I was surprised, I could also easily see why so many people had flocked to the beautiful and historic city of Prague in the summer sun. I decided to get caught up in the tourist masses for a couple days and enjoyed it. I took a free walking tour with a huge group of people and unabashedly explored the city with my camera hanging from my neck. In the end I found few traps, but ultimately a tourist trail that was worth taking:

The west end of the Charles Bridge.

Underneath the Charles Bridge in Malá Strana, a historic neighborhood on the west bank of the Vltava river.

I’m not sure why, but marionettes are popular in Prague. Tourist shops are full of them.

Old Town Square.

I saw these huge crowds in Old Town Square twice before I found out what they were looking at. I was amused at all these people with their cameras held up high, waiting so intently for something to happen…

… And I was more amused when I later found out that they were look at this, the Prague Astronomical Clock. People get excited about it because every hour, on the hour, it like, does stuff. Some of the features, like the skeleton in the upper right corner, are animated. The clock itself is cool looking and an impressive 600 years old. But apparently, the animation part of it is so underwhelming that it’s earned spots on lists of most overrated attractions in Europe. That doesn’t stop people from wanting to see it for themselves.

A Franz Kafka memorial in the Jewish Quarter.

The Basilica of St. James is full of artistic detail inside and out, but that’s not what its known for. A legend tells us that a man once tried to steal a Virgin Mary statue from the church. But before he could finish his theft, the statue gripped his arm tightly and wouldn’t let go. The only option was to cut off his arm, and what is supposed to be the thief’s severed limb still hangs in the church today.

The Old Jewish Cemetery.

There are so many tombstones because when this cemetery was built, and for quite some time thereafter, Jews were discriminated against and given very limited space in Prague. This led to graves being layered on top of other graves, as many as twelve deep.

One of Prague’s most famous buildings, often referred to as the “Dancing House”. I wanted to like this building, but seeing it in person, in the context of the rest of the city, I just couldn’t

It’s clear that Prague is a city that focuses on tourism. These cleanup crews with extra large vacuum cleaners were everywhere the tourists were.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

Understanding the popularity of Prague took only a matter of moments as I set out see the city on my first full day there. With all of its fanciful buildings and bridges, I felt like I’d entered a fairytale land — the kind of place you see in a movie, but you don’t think actually exists.

Whether I was in a touristy part of town or on an obscure side street, in all directions there were always wonderful aesthetic touches to capture in Prague — a great use of color, architectural details, flowers, and many gold-topped spires:

A statue of John of Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge.

Ornamental iron work on the side of a building.

Colorful buildings.

Park benches.

Blooming flowers surround the Jan Hus Memorial in Old Town Square.

The spires of Tyn Church in Old Town Square.

Detail on a building in the Jewish Quarter.

Detail on the Basilica of St. James.

Ornate buildings.

A sculpture at the Old Jewish Cemetery.

Old architecture reflected on a rare modern building.

A bit of Prague architecture embedded on the base of a lamp post.

The detail on this building was unreal.

An ornate lamp post on the Legii Bridge.

The spires of St. Nicolas Church.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

I spent much of my time in Friedrichshain exploring the neighborhood on foot, often ditching my map to make random turns on a whim. Though Friedrichshain eventually became one of my favorite neighborhoods in Berlin, at first glance, it had seemed somewhat stiff and colorless. The unexpected summer chill and intense sideways rain that left broken umbrellas strewn about the sidewalks didn’t exactly help either. But the weather turned and my sunny day walks eventually revealed a neighborhood that holds an abundance of charming surprises:

I loved the Berlin appreciation for flowers and the flower shops were everywhere in the summertime.

A wall covered in graffiti, mostly wheat pastes and stencils. There will definitely be more photos of this wall to come.

Friedrichshain has a charming liberal and outspoken vibe.

A garden shop.

Decorative faux taxidermy in a shop full of quirky items.

The weather in Berlin is not so great, but people really make the most of it when it is nice.

An indoor market spills on to the sidewalk.

A building’s reflection in a puddle left from the previous day’s storms.

A fallen tree.

A great building near Friedrichshain’s main park and not far from the Karl-Marx-Allee. It had all of the boxiness of the buildings of that street, but a touch of color, a bit more flair, and the standalone nature of it made it much more stunning.

A gorgeous cemetery.

Such a beautiful way to honor those who’ve passed on.

The East Side Gallery murals that were repainted were covered with anti-graffiti coating. On the backside of the wall, however, people have plenty of space to leave their mark on Berlin.

Biking is a big thing in Berlin.

A view of the Spree River from the Oberbaum Bridge.

The Oberbaum Bridge unites Friedrichshain (part of the former East Berlin) and Kreuzberg (part of the former West Berlin). After the Berlin Wall went up, the bridge was used as a crossing for West Berliners only.

A cloudy sunset over the Spree River. On the far right is one of the city’s most iconic symbols, the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) Berlin.

A nice long summer evening in Berlin.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

When I was in Oaxaca, I watched the film, The Lives of Others of others with a fellow hosteler. It’s set in Soviet East Berlin in 1984 and it revolves around the life of a writer who is being spied on by the Stasi (East German secret police) and the transformation of the agent who is spying on him.

It was immediately clear that the film’s cinematographer was aiming to recreate the dark atmosphere of the time. What I also noticed was that unlike other well known European cities that I’ve seen countless images of, I had very few images of Berlin in my mind prior to watching the film. The most prominent scenes that came to mind were outdated ones of 1989 on the night the wall fell.

A couple days into my time in Berlin, the weather eased up and I decided to take a recommended walk along Karl-Marx-Allee. It seemed that if there was iconic scenery in the city beyond places like the Brandenburg Gate and the Space Needle-esque TV tower, this could be it. It’s located in the neighborhoods of Friedrichshain and Mitte and it was built as “Stalinallee” after World War II to be a grand socialist boulevard; a wide street lined with luxurious apartments, shops, and restaurants.

So I took a stroll along the allee, and unfortunately, I failed to see the grandeur in it. Its buildings were way too pragmatic and humorless for my tastes. The streets were uneasily empty. The starkness combined with the oversized boxiness created an aura as somber and smothering as in The Lives of Others, even though it was the first time I was seeing the sun in Berlin. But this is how I found Berlin to be — sometimes gloomy regardless of the weather and always fascinating.

Like Mexico City, Berlin was built on unstable swampy ground. Because of this, you’ll sometimes see pipes running above ground that look like a wacky public art exhibit.

This was once a bookstore. If you have seen The Lives of Others, you may recognize this from the closing scene.

This street has had a few name changes in it’s lifetime. Originally, it was called Grosse Frankfurter Strasse. When the new design rose from the rubble of World War II, it was renamed Stalinallee from 1949-1961. After Stalinism fell out of favor with the Soviets, it was renamed Karl-Marx-Allee. Today, some feel that it should return to its original name.

They were trying to achieve a “wedding cake” architectural style on the boulevard, so many of the buildings are tiered like this.

The Schwebender Ring (Floating Ring) Fountain.

The residences on this boulevard were supposed to be luxury apartments for the people, but except for a few lucky members of the working class, they were mostly for the well-to-do.  In June of 1953, the construction workers who were building this street went on strike against increased work quotas without compensation. Their strike sparked an anti-government working class uprising throughout Berlin and other major cities of East Germany. The government used violence to end it and an unknown number of protesters died in clashes with the military on this street.

A small garden brought some life to the eastern end of the boulevard.

This will always be one of the new lingering images I have of Berlin — 90 degree angles and order embellished with graffiti.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

When I found out about the East Side Gallery in Berlin, I knew that if or when I traveled to the city, it would be one of the first places I’d visit. I thought it was a unique idea to take part of such a well known former tool of oppression and let it stand as a reminder of the past while changing its meaning by turning it into a huge public art exhibit.

I later learned that the East Side Gallery became the center of a controversy during a mishandled restoration in 2009 and like many popular tourist destinations around the world, some people question its authenticity. But I feel that it’s still a worthwhile site to visit in Berlin and a good starting point for exploring Berlin’s history, street art scene, and culture.

The gallery features 105 murals by artists from around the world. It is thought to be the largest and longest running open air gallery in the world. As expected, many of the murals have themes of peace, freedom, and politics:

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

One overcast afternoon in Mexico City, I took to the streets of Colonia Condesa armed with a small camera and backed up by posse of creative people who are as passionate about the D.F. as I am. We did what I love doing independently; we walked all over the neighborhood aimlessly, taking pictures of everything.

I was with the group I’d spent the day with at the art school while they worked on their mural. It was an awesome experience to walk around with people who enjoyed making regular stops to take pictures and we had six sets of eyes to pick up all the details of the neighborhood.

Condesa is one of Mexico City’s more famous colonias. It’s another one of the Barrios Mágicos and it’s known for being a trendy part of town. But like the rest of the D.F., you can always find a bit of grittiness and a few quirks in the mix:

A flower stall at busy intersection.

More flowers for sale.

ECOBICI, Mexico City’s bike sharing program.

Pretty tiles in cracked wall.

A restaurant waiting for its dinnertime crowd.

The “Love Ambulance”.

Creative wheat paste advertisements for a website that provides guides to the city. I identify with the woman in the upper left hand corner who has springs where her feet should be.

Separate bins for compost and regular waste in Parque Mexico. A friend from Mexico tells me that people don’t pay attention to this and throw their trash into any bin, but I like the effort and the potential it has.

The art deco street signs in Condesa are charming.

The Lindberg Theater in Parque Mexico being used for skating and recreation.

A building uniquely decorated with globe shaped light fixtures.

The Condesa branch of a Mexico City bookstore called El Pendulo. The Polanco branch is the most famous, but this one is also wonderful.

Of course once inside El Pendulo, I gravitated towards this.

Really great street art painted onto a piece of paper and attached to a post. Sorry if this scared you as you were scrolling down!

More street art. I like the way whoever did it took advantage of an already deep red wall to make something simple and vivid.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

On paper, the size and population of Mexico City can seem overwhelming. But aside from when I’m downtown or using the busy metro system, it often surprises me how the city doesn’t feel as populated or massive as it really is.

There are 16 boroughs in Mexico City, and within each borough are several neighborhoods. Some of the boroughs like Coyoacán and Xochimilco used to be separate towns that were swallowed up by the city over time.

While Mexico City as a whole seems to revolve around the historical center, more than other cities I’ve visited, the individual neighborhoods tend to have their own distinct character and vivacious centers. To me, this makes Mexico City feel more like a unified collection of towns rather than the big sprawling mass that it is.

In 2011, Mexico City decided to designate 21 of the most charming and historical neighborhoods as  “Barrios Magicos” (Magical Neighborhoods). Unsurprisingly, as a visitor to Mexico City, I’ve spent the bulk of my time in places that are on that list. Here are some everyday images from two of them, Roma and Coyoacán (and a few more from just outside):

An old bus turned in to public art parked outside a square in Roma.

Beautiful architecture in Roma.

A street in Coyoacán, not far from Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul.

The area around the central plazas of Coyoacán can be lively at night. It was a rainy night, but there were several vendors, plenty of people out, and live music under a tent in one of the plazas.

I love the joy in this photo. And the churros were delicious.

During the day I spent at CenArt, we picked up tortas for lunch in a charming neighborhood just outside Coyoacán. The flowers above and the following pictures were taken there.

Etched into a sidewalk. It made me a little wistful about my time in Cuba when I saw it.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.