So for those of you who I haven't talked to personally, I got back in the states on Friday night after about 14 hours of flights (18 if you count layover) and am still slightly jetlagged. I started work today though! It was awesome!
I'm really tired right now, but I eventually want to make one last post with some final thoughts on the trip.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Paris
So I'm a big fan of Paris and I wish we could stay here longer. The Eiffel Tower (and especially at night) is one of the most awesome things. I had come just expecting a tower, like what I've seen so many times in pictures and on tv, but it was of course a completely different experience in person.
Real quick a little back-track about getting to Paris. We took an overnight train from Barcelona. It was horrible! Never take a Spanish hotel train if you can avoid it. First, the stuff that they couldn't help: old drunk really smelly guy from Chico. Really annoying... really really obnoxiously smelly. Second: The things they could help: Not allowing one ticket to work for 2 people. One of the guys in my cabin had his 5 year old son with him.... these are smalllll cabins. Learn how to have functioning climate control in the cabin. The temperature would alternate from stifling hot to frigid cold, though the majority of the time it was unbearably hot, no circulation whatsoever. And let me explain to you how this worked. I'll call it the cycle of stink. First it would get ridiculously hot, causing old smelly man to sweat and stink even more. Since there was not circulation whatsoever, I couldn't really smell it as much. Next, the air would kick on. This was amazing in that it gave us some cool air, but horrible in that the air was thick with stench. Ahhhhh.... not good at all. I got so little sleep.
But was it worth it? I think so. Like I said before, Paris is awesome. Yesterday we checked out the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, and walked the Champs E'lysee (apologies on the spelling). After dark, we returned to the Eiffel Tower. So so so so freaking awesome. It was like the 4th of July or New Years and they didn't even need the fireworks. I can only imagine what it's like when they do have them (the fireworks).
Today we went to Olsay Museum and saw a lot of cool impressionist paintings, all the stuff that you've seen before in books and prints of on everyone's walls. It was really cool. After that, we went to the Louvre. We of course saw the Mona Lisa and Venus De Milo among other awesome pieces of art. I've found that I really like the sculptures as well. The Louvre was huge! It stinks that we only had one day to do all the museums, but I think we did a pretty good job on hitting the two biggies with the time we had. Tonight we went out to a nice dinner in Paris. My sister treated me as my graduation gift. It was quite good, but made more fun just because of the experience. I had foie (sp?) gras as a starter, lamb for dinner, and a merangue for dessert. We had a nice bottle of wine and it was all way too romantic for a brother and sister, but it's ok, we had fun having no idea what was going on when they would bring things to us. It was a great way to end (almost) a month of travel in Europe.
Tomorrow we are going to Versailles to check out the palace there. After that, we'll be taking the Chunnel train again back to London, staying a night there, then flying back home! I've been in so many countries in the last month that I often am walking down the street and have to remind myself where I am. It's awesome :P
Ciao!
Real quick a little back-track about getting to Paris. We took an overnight train from Barcelona. It was horrible! Never take a Spanish hotel train if you can avoid it. First, the stuff that they couldn't help: old drunk really smelly guy from Chico. Really annoying... really really obnoxiously smelly. Second: The things they could help: Not allowing one ticket to work for 2 people. One of the guys in my cabin had his 5 year old son with him.... these are smalllll cabins. Learn how to have functioning climate control in the cabin. The temperature would alternate from stifling hot to frigid cold, though the majority of the time it was unbearably hot, no circulation whatsoever. And let me explain to you how this worked. I'll call it the cycle of stink. First it would get ridiculously hot, causing old smelly man to sweat and stink even more. Since there was not circulation whatsoever, I couldn't really smell it as much. Next, the air would kick on. This was amazing in that it gave us some cool air, but horrible in that the air was thick with stench. Ahhhhh.... not good at all. I got so little sleep.
But was it worth it? I think so. Like I said before, Paris is awesome. Yesterday we checked out the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, and walked the Champs E'lysee (apologies on the spelling). After dark, we returned to the Eiffel Tower. So so so so freaking awesome. It was like the 4th of July or New Years and they didn't even need the fireworks. I can only imagine what it's like when they do have them (the fireworks).
Today we went to Olsay Museum and saw a lot of cool impressionist paintings, all the stuff that you've seen before in books and prints of on everyone's walls. It was really cool. After that, we went to the Louvre. We of course saw the Mona Lisa and Venus De Milo among other awesome pieces of art. I've found that I really like the sculptures as well. The Louvre was huge! It stinks that we only had one day to do all the museums, but I think we did a pretty good job on hitting the two biggies with the time we had. Tonight we went out to a nice dinner in Paris. My sister treated me as my graduation gift. It was quite good, but made more fun just because of the experience. I had foie (sp?) gras as a starter, lamb for dinner, and a merangue for dessert. We had a nice bottle of wine and it was all way too romantic for a brother and sister, but it's ok, we had fun having no idea what was going on when they would bring things to us. It was a great way to end (almost) a month of travel in Europe.
Tomorrow we are going to Versailles to check out the palace there. After that, we'll be taking the Chunnel train again back to London, staying a night there, then flying back home! I've been in so many countries in the last month that I often am walking down the street and have to remind myself where I am. It's awesome :P
Ciao!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
It's all about the tapas
They are delicious and basically the best idea ever. It's a Barcelona thing (perhaps all of Spain as well??) where "tapas" actually describes a kind of food. This kind of food is delicious small portions of bite size food or sometimes a little larger, kind of like snacks. The last two nights we had tapas for dinner. It's so cool because you get to try all kinds of different things and they're fairly inexpensive.
Yesterday was kind of a bust day at first. We had to go to the train station to buy our tickets for tomorrow's overnight train to Paris. Buying tickets has never been a problem anywhere else, but for some reason there was a 2.5 hour line to buy tickets here in Barcelona. They had a system where you take a number and wait for your number to be called. We got #415 when they were currently servicing #183. It sucked.
After this we were able to go check out the Picasso museum here. It wasn't any of his super famous stuff, rather it was mostly the stuff he created growing up. You got to see a bunch of his influences and how he developed as an artist and progressed towards cubism. Neat stuff. After that, it was these open-faced sandwich things (sourdough roll type bread). I really don't remember what they were called, but I think it's something different than tapas. It was cool because of the way it worked. They give you a plate and you choose from all different types that are out. At the end, you pay by the number of toothpicks on your plate. Really really good food. After dinner, we went to a few little cafes and ended up having even more tapas as a late night snack.
Today we went to the beach! Even though it's artificial and had nothing on any California beaches, it was still the Mediterranean. We read for a bit and then I swam for a while while Jen laid out. The water was for sure warmer than the Pacific. It was a little cold at first, but very easy to get used to and perfect thereafter. When I got out, my feet weren't even numb! :P
The plan for tonight is to go get some traditional Spanish or Catalan food that isn't tapas. We want to try some actual plates of food rather than small bits of random things (even if they are quite delicious). After that, we may just take it easy tonight. Tomorrow we don't leave until about 9pm on the overnight train to Paris. Not quite sure what we'll be doing, perhaps shopping around. This is one of the first places where even the souveniry stuff is pretty cool, due to a lot of them being based around sweet artists like Picasso, Dali, and Miro. I have to resist buying lots of things!
Adéu!
Yesterday was kind of a bust day at first. We had to go to the train station to buy our tickets for tomorrow's overnight train to Paris. Buying tickets has never been a problem anywhere else, but for some reason there was a 2.5 hour line to buy tickets here in Barcelona. They had a system where you take a number and wait for your number to be called. We got #415 when they were currently servicing #183. It sucked.
After this we were able to go check out the Picasso museum here. It wasn't any of his super famous stuff, rather it was mostly the stuff he created growing up. You got to see a bunch of his influences and how he developed as an artist and progressed towards cubism. Neat stuff. After that, it was these open-faced sandwich things (sourdough roll type bread). I really don't remember what they were called, but I think it's something different than tapas. It was cool because of the way it worked. They give you a plate and you choose from all different types that are out. At the end, you pay by the number of toothpicks on your plate. Really really good food. After dinner, we went to a few little cafes and ended up having even more tapas as a late night snack.
Today we went to the beach! Even though it's artificial and had nothing on any California beaches, it was still the Mediterranean. We read for a bit and then I swam for a while while Jen laid out. The water was for sure warmer than the Pacific. It was a little cold at first, but very easy to get used to and perfect thereafter. When I got out, my feet weren't even numb! :P
The plan for tonight is to go get some traditional Spanish or Catalan food that isn't tapas. We want to try some actual plates of food rather than small bits of random things (even if they are quite delicious). After that, we may just take it easy tonight. Tomorrow we don't leave until about 9pm on the overnight train to Paris. Not quite sure what we'll be doing, perhaps shopping around. This is one of the first places where even the souveniry stuff is pretty cool, due to a lot of them being based around sweet artists like Picasso, Dali, and Miro. I have to resist buying lots of things!
Adéu!
Friday, July 20, 2007
A Gaudi Day
We had a good first full day in Barcelona. After a later start, we decided to go check out La Sagrada Familia. It´s pretty much a cathedral that has been in some form of being built for quite some time... and it´s MASSIVE. It´s Gaudi designed so it´s crazy of course. We didn´t pay to go in, but the views of it from outside were good enough.
After this we just walked around a bit and decided to go check out an apartment building designed by Gaudi. Another interesting building to say the least. It´s really hard to describe these buildings, so you´ll just have to Google him.
Lastly we went to Gaudi´s park. There were amazing views of all of Barcelona because the park is situated high up on a hill. It was a little hazy out today, but everything was still really awesome. Even from far away, you could see how immense La Sagrada Familia is. Since the park was designed by Gaudi, it also had really really interesting features (and when I say park, think less of a grassy park and more of a place you´d go to hike that has paths and lots of trees and shrubs). So hard to describe in such a short time. Basically there were lots of cool arches, weird random art, curvy benches, interesting architectural decisions. It was a lot of fun to just hang out and walk around in.
Tonight we´re going to try and get some Tapas and perhaps go out to a club... it is Friday after all!
Adéu!
After this we just walked around a bit and decided to go check out an apartment building designed by Gaudi. Another interesting building to say the least. It´s really hard to describe these buildings, so you´ll just have to Google him.
Lastly we went to Gaudi´s park. There were amazing views of all of Barcelona because the park is situated high up on a hill. It was a little hazy out today, but everything was still really awesome. Even from far away, you could see how immense La Sagrada Familia is. Since the park was designed by Gaudi, it also had really really interesting features (and when I say park, think less of a grassy park and more of a place you´d go to hike that has paths and lots of trees and shrubs). So hard to describe in such a short time. Basically there were lots of cool arches, weird random art, curvy benches, interesting architectural decisions. It was a lot of fun to just hang out and walk around in.
Tonight we´re going to try and get some Tapas and perhaps go out to a club... it is Friday after all!
Adéu!
Barcelona
We've made it to Barcelona. We flew in yesterday from Rome. I'm glad we haven't really had to deal with airports much on this trip. They're always so far from the city and more stressful with checking bags and security checks. The only upside was that it was a really quick flight, a little under an hour and we were across the Mediterranean.
The hostel we're staying in is probably the most like what I was expecting all of our hostels to be. It's dormitory style with a bunch of bunks to each room. It's mostly all backpackers and has a very communal feel to it which is cool. If there was AC, it would be perfect, because it's hot and somewhat humid. It's not completely unbearable though.
We had a lot of fun our first night just walking around with people. We popped in to two bars and just hung out. Today we're probably going to wander around La Rambla.
But now I have to get off the computer since someone's waiting. This place has free internet though so I can get on the computer randomly.
Adéu!
The hostel we're staying in is probably the most like what I was expecting all of our hostels to be. It's dormitory style with a bunch of bunks to each room. It's mostly all backpackers and has a very communal feel to it which is cool. If there was AC, it would be perfect, because it's hot and somewhat humid. It's not completely unbearable though.
We had a lot of fun our first night just walking around with people. We popped in to two bars and just hung out. Today we're probably going to wander around La Rambla.
But now I have to get off the computer since someone's waiting. This place has free internet though so I can get on the computer randomly.
Adéu!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
When in Rome....
...Enjoy it!!
It's unfortunate that I haven't been able to post for a few days. Paying for internet by the hour sucks!!!
First, our last day in Florence. We checked out the Duomo and were impressed by how crazy big it was. We don't really build things like this anymore it seems. In general, Florence was really cool. I wish we had more time to check out all the museums there. We accidentally picked the worst two days to be there, Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, a lot of the church-type things are closed (museums also pick random sundays to close... such as one we wanted to see that was closed on the 3rd Sunday of each month!) and on Monday, most of the museums are closed. Oh well. I'll just have to go back some time.
Anyways, it's our last day in Rome. To sum it up: Rome was AMAZING. When it comes to sightseeing and cool ancient things, Rome has everyone beat hands down. Everywhere you go there is history. Yesterday we went to Vatican City and hung out with the Pope... errr... saw his museum and stuff. The museum included the Sistine Chapel... definitely a cool site. The paintings on the ceiling are a huge tourist attraction for a very good reason. They just don't make them like this anymore. The highlight of Vatican City however had to be St. Peter's Basilica. This is the biggest freaking Church/building I think I have ever been in. It's crazy huge. It was really cool to walk around in and really made you feel small. In general, the Catholic Church seems to be doing fine monetarily if one were to judge by the vastness and opulence of Vatican City.
Today we went to a bunch of Roman sites. We went to Palatine Hill, the Colliseum, the Forum, Capitol Hill, and the Pantheon, to name a few. I was awestruck almost the whole time. Every time I would look away and turn back, I was amazed. I took sooooo many pictures today. I was just so in awe. It's probably the grandeur of them mixed with how freaking old they are. Crazy. Even walking place to place, we'd see so many things.
So yes, Rome was amazing for its sites. We also snuck some good Italian food in there. Though one thing I'm realizing from being on the road so long is that I'm getting tired of people attempting to rip me off because I am a tourist. So many of the restaurants we look at have all these extra charges or crazy prices. For example, 0.5 Liters of water costing 4 Euro. I mean... come on! That's crazy! They also, for the most part treat you like crap. It's semi-understandable, but really... word of mouth about good places that don't treat you like crap could be good for business no? In Florence, we did find a great place however that broke this rule of treating you like crap. It was wonderful and I'd recommend it to anyone!
Our trip has 10 days left. I do admit that I'm starting to get tired of being on the road, travelling place to place, and most of all... twin beds! I just don't fit! :P But I'm also really enjoying each new place that we get to go to. They are all so different and all places I'm going to be happy to say that I have been. I have so much more that I feel I could write about everything, but I really am cramped for time, since I'm paying for it!
Tomorrow morning we fly to Barcelona. We'll be staying for 4 nights in a place right off La Rambla and then taking the night train to Paris.
Ciao!
It's unfortunate that I haven't been able to post for a few days. Paying for internet by the hour sucks!!!
First, our last day in Florence. We checked out the Duomo and were impressed by how crazy big it was. We don't really build things like this anymore it seems. In general, Florence was really cool. I wish we had more time to check out all the museums there. We accidentally picked the worst two days to be there, Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, a lot of the church-type things are closed (museums also pick random sundays to close... such as one we wanted to see that was closed on the 3rd Sunday of each month!) and on Monday, most of the museums are closed. Oh well. I'll just have to go back some time.
Anyways, it's our last day in Rome. To sum it up: Rome was AMAZING. When it comes to sightseeing and cool ancient things, Rome has everyone beat hands down. Everywhere you go there is history. Yesterday we went to Vatican City and hung out with the Pope... errr... saw his museum and stuff. The museum included the Sistine Chapel... definitely a cool site. The paintings on the ceiling are a huge tourist attraction for a very good reason. They just don't make them like this anymore. The highlight of Vatican City however had to be St. Peter's Basilica. This is the biggest freaking Church/building I think I have ever been in. It's crazy huge. It was really cool to walk around in and really made you feel small. In general, the Catholic Church seems to be doing fine monetarily if one were to judge by the vastness and opulence of Vatican City.
Today we went to a bunch of Roman sites. We went to Palatine Hill, the Colliseum, the Forum, Capitol Hill, and the Pantheon, to name a few. I was awestruck almost the whole time. Every time I would look away and turn back, I was amazed. I took sooooo many pictures today. I was just so in awe. It's probably the grandeur of them mixed with how freaking old they are. Crazy. Even walking place to place, we'd see so many things.
So yes, Rome was amazing for its sites. We also snuck some good Italian food in there. Though one thing I'm realizing from being on the road so long is that I'm getting tired of people attempting to rip me off because I am a tourist. So many of the restaurants we look at have all these extra charges or crazy prices. For example, 0.5 Liters of water costing 4 Euro. I mean... come on! That's crazy! They also, for the most part treat you like crap. It's semi-understandable, but really... word of mouth about good places that don't treat you like crap could be good for business no? In Florence, we did find a great place however that broke this rule of treating you like crap. It was wonderful and I'd recommend it to anyone!
Our trip has 10 days left. I do admit that I'm starting to get tired of being on the road, travelling place to place, and most of all... twin beds! I just don't fit! :P But I'm also really enjoying each new place that we get to go to. They are all so different and all places I'm going to be happy to say that I have been. I have so much more that I feel I could write about everything, but I really am cramped for time, since I'm paying for it!
Tomorrow morning we fly to Barcelona. We'll be staying for 4 nights in a place right off La Rambla and then taking the night train to Paris.
Ciao!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Florence
The second day in Venice was excellent and now we've made it to Florence. It's a bit warmer here, but it shouldn't be unbearable.
Venice was pretty amazing, but I'm kind of happy to be somewhere again that isn't 100% tourist, even if Florence is pretty touristy. The last day of Venice was full of shopping around and just wandering the canals. It was fun just to really wander, come around corners, and be amazed at just about every turn. Beautiful city.
Tomorrow we plan on checking out the Duomo. I'm not really sure what else we'll be able to do since we're only here on a Sunday and Monday (most things are closed on monday), but it's ok. This will give us a nice taste of Florence so I can maybe return some day. We'll be off to Rome pretty quickly in 2 days. From there it's Barcelona, Paris, and quickly back to London for the flight home.
I do have to say, for some reason I feel the most at home in Italy. It kind of reminds me of California in a way. It also could be all my memories growing up with the Italian family and such :)
Only 13 days left!
Ciao!
We're off to
Venice was pretty amazing, but I'm kind of happy to be somewhere again that isn't 100% tourist, even if Florence is pretty touristy. The last day of Venice was full of shopping around and just wandering the canals. It was fun just to really wander, come around corners, and be amazed at just about every turn. Beautiful city.
Tomorrow we plan on checking out the Duomo. I'm not really sure what else we'll be able to do since we're only here on a Sunday and Monday (most things are closed on monday), but it's ok. This will give us a nice taste of Florence so I can maybe return some day. We'll be off to Rome pretty quickly in 2 days. From there it's Barcelona, Paris, and quickly back to London for the flight home.
I do have to say, for some reason I feel the most at home in Italy. It kind of reminds me of California in a way. It also could be all my memories growing up with the Italian family and such :)
Only 13 days left!
Ciao!
We're off to
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Finally in Venice...
...after a 15 hour train ride! We left Prague at about 5pm and got in to Venice around 8am. Phew.... that was an experience. We had these fold down beds which I of course was too big to comfortably stretch out in. Also, the movement of the train kept waking me up. Anyways, none of that matters because we're in Venice! It's really amazing and to top it off... the weather is clear and perfect! No more rain!
Anyways, I can't really update too much since the computer here sucks and there are people waiting (though this is infinitely better than paying the outrageous 8euro/hour at the internet cafes here. So most updates will probably have to wait until Florence where the internet is hopefully cheaper.
Basically, we've just walked around and been in awe of how unique the city is. Our hostel is actually really nice again. It's another private room and we even have our own bathroom. We've really been lucking out. And to top it off, it's very very close to Rialto Bridge and St. Mark's Square (where we plan on sipping wine and/or coffee tonight). We've also already had our first Gelato! Yummmm.
Ciao!
Anyways, I can't really update too much since the computer here sucks and there are people waiting (though this is infinitely better than paying the outrageous 8euro/hour at the internet cafes here. So most updates will probably have to wait until Florence where the internet is hopefully cheaper.
Basically, we've just walked around and been in awe of how unique the city is. Our hostel is actually really nice again. It's another private room and we even have our own bathroom. We've really been lucking out. And to top it off, it's very very close to Rialto Bridge and St. Mark's Square (where we plan on sipping wine and/or coffee tonight). We've also already had our first Gelato! Yummmm.
Ciao!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Prague going going...
almost gone.
We'll be getting on a night traing to Venice at about 5pm today. It's a 15 hour trip, but we have couchettes so we should be able to get a fair amount of sleep in. We'll be getting in to Venice at about 8am.
The day before yesterday we went to Jewish-town and toured all of the synagogues there. It was really really interesting. The only bad part was getting literally yelled at by the old lady selling the tickets. We didn't have exact change and apparently she didn't have enough change so therefore we deserved to be berated. It was pretty upsetting. But after that, got to see and learn a lot about Jewish stuff. We also visited the old Jewish cemetary. It's basically tombstone upon tombstone all in a very small area and all very old. They needed more space so they just brought in more dirt, buried more people (in layers), and moved all the tombstones up. Pretty interesting.
That night, after dinner, we sat out in the old town square and had drinks and people watched. It was nice, even if the desserts we ordered were horrible tourist fare. The strawberry pie was made with jello and the chocolate cake could not have been baked by someone with any skill. It's ok though. We were paying just to be able to sit and be part of the action.
Yesterday we had an easy day. We actually decided to go check out a Czech mall. Basically, it was Westfield Shopping Center Prague... Most all American brands or brands trying to be American. I was actually trying to find any shirts or anything that had Czech writing on them, but there was NOTHING. It was kind of sad. We didn't end up really buying anything, but it was cool to be around everyday Prague-ers(?).
Last night we went to another club and had lots of fun dancing with people, most of whom really did not speak any english. Still fun.
And finally today.... we walked around to another shopping district, a really cool and modern street, very much in contrast to the old town where we've been staying. We went to H&M and I may have picked up an item or two of clothing :)
So yeah Prague has been great. It's a really beautiful city, probably the most picturesque that we've been to so far. A last note about Prague. The beer was quite good and was definitely cheaper than water. It's literally cheaper to get a 0.5 liter beer than it is to buy bottled water. We had lots of Pilsner Urquell which is the local beer of choice here in Prague it seems. It was not the best, but not the worst. We also had some Budweiser (not the American crap), which was also so so. I did however have some really excellent beer. I can't remember the name off the top of my head right now though, but I do have the bottle caps and some pictures too! Hopefully I can find it in BevMo :P
Ok that's a long enough post for now.
Ciao!
We'll be getting on a night traing to Venice at about 5pm today. It's a 15 hour trip, but we have couchettes so we should be able to get a fair amount of sleep in. We'll be getting in to Venice at about 8am.
The day before yesterday we went to Jewish-town and toured all of the synagogues there. It was really really interesting. The only bad part was getting literally yelled at by the old lady selling the tickets. We didn't have exact change and apparently she didn't have enough change so therefore we deserved to be berated. It was pretty upsetting. But after that, got to see and learn a lot about Jewish stuff. We also visited the old Jewish cemetary. It's basically tombstone upon tombstone all in a very small area and all very old. They needed more space so they just brought in more dirt, buried more people (in layers), and moved all the tombstones up. Pretty interesting.
That night, after dinner, we sat out in the old town square and had drinks and people watched. It was nice, even if the desserts we ordered were horrible tourist fare. The strawberry pie was made with jello and the chocolate cake could not have been baked by someone with any skill. It's ok though. We were paying just to be able to sit and be part of the action.
Yesterday we had an easy day. We actually decided to go check out a Czech mall. Basically, it was Westfield Shopping Center Prague... Most all American brands or brands trying to be American. I was actually trying to find any shirts or anything that had Czech writing on them, but there was NOTHING. It was kind of sad. We didn't end up really buying anything, but it was cool to be around everyday Prague-ers(?).
Last night we went to another club and had lots of fun dancing with people, most of whom really did not speak any english. Still fun.
And finally today.... we walked around to another shopping district, a really cool and modern street, very much in contrast to the old town where we've been staying. We went to H&M and I may have picked up an item or two of clothing :)
So yeah Prague has been great. It's a really beautiful city, probably the most picturesque that we've been to so far. A last note about Prague. The beer was quite good and was definitely cheaper than water. It's literally cheaper to get a 0.5 liter beer than it is to buy bottled water. We had lots of Pilsner Urquell which is the local beer of choice here in Prague it seems. It was not the best, but not the worst. We also had some Budweiser (not the American crap), which was also so so. I did however have some really excellent beer. I can't remember the name off the top of my head right now though, but I do have the bottle caps and some pictures too! Hopefully I can find it in BevMo :P
Ok that's a long enough post for now.
Ciao!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Prague!
So we've made it to Prague. After being spoiled by free internet at our last hostel, it's now back to paying for it in internet cafes, so I probably won't update every day.
The train ride from Berlin to Prague went smoothly. Prague is like another world. Our hostel is right in the middle of things. We are about 50m from the Charles Bridge. We also have a nice private room with 2 twin beds. The only bad thing about the hostel would be that it's on the 4th floor, with no elevator. But it's all good, we're liking it a lot.
Prague is a beautiful city. All this old stuff! :P
Yesterday we pretty much moved in to our hostel and walked around. We tried some of the local food as well. The one thing about Prague though is that it seems everyone is always trying to rip off the tourists, so that takes some of the fun out of it. They try to add little extra charges in everywhere and you have to be real careful to count change etc. I guess it'd be easier if we didn't have to be so paranoid about our money! :P
Last night we went to a bar with two German guys from our hostel. They were really nice guys and we all had a lot of fun drinking and dancing at the bar. We were dancing with a group of french girls and later these older british (I think) guys came in and were ridiculous. I have pictures.
Today we went and saw the castle and cathedral. We walked up to the observation tower, a good 287 steps. While this doesn't seem like a lot, it IS! It was a great view of the entire city however. Mom you'd love it! We also walked through a large park on the opposite side of the river from our hostel. There's this random and huge metronome thing on top of a hill with a great view. After that we went home for a nap. We went to dinner and now we're just hanging out again. Jen wants to take it easy tonight, but I may branch out on my own or with some hostel people to explore more of the city.
Ahoj!
The train ride from Berlin to Prague went smoothly. Prague is like another world. Our hostel is right in the middle of things. We are about 50m from the Charles Bridge. We also have a nice private room with 2 twin beds. The only bad thing about the hostel would be that it's on the 4th floor, with no elevator. But it's all good, we're liking it a lot.
Prague is a beautiful city. All this old stuff! :P
Yesterday we pretty much moved in to our hostel and walked around. We tried some of the local food as well. The one thing about Prague though is that it seems everyone is always trying to rip off the tourists, so that takes some of the fun out of it. They try to add little extra charges in everywhere and you have to be real careful to count change etc. I guess it'd be easier if we didn't have to be so paranoid about our money! :P
Last night we went to a bar with two German guys from our hostel. They were really nice guys and we all had a lot of fun drinking and dancing at the bar. We were dancing with a group of french girls and later these older british (I think) guys came in and were ridiculous. I have pictures.
Today we went and saw the castle and cathedral. We walked up to the observation tower, a good 287 steps. While this doesn't seem like a lot, it IS! It was a great view of the entire city however. Mom you'd love it! We also walked through a large park on the opposite side of the river from our hostel. There's this random and huge metronome thing on top of a hill with a great view. After that we went home for a nap. We went to dinner and now we're just hanging out again. Jen wants to take it easy tonight, but I may branch out on my own or with some hostel people to explore more of the city.
Ahoj!
Friday, July 6, 2007
The Berlin Dome and Memorial for Jewish Victims of Terror
Yesterday we decided to go back to the Jewish Memorial and check out the information center. It was really powerful and really well done. It did a good job of showing the extent of the Holocaust and how many families and individuals were affected by it. It really focused on how each person who was murdered had a life story, ie they were not just another number. I'm really glad we went and I'm glad that it exists. It's really important not to forget what happened.
After this, we went to the Berlin Dome which is an old Cathedral (Lutheran I think) located on musuem island. We were able to walk up to the top of the dome and had a great view of that part of the city. We kind of just walked around for the rest of the time there.
Last night, we met up with Jens and asked him all of our stupid American questions about why things are done the way they are and how to say certain things. He's a really nice guy and we are probably going to go out again tonight.
In a bit, we're going to hop on the train and wait in line for the Reichstag. Tomorrow we're off to Prague.... that is, if the train workers don't strike! http://www.btschüssloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=avT02opzvCZs&refer=germany
tschüss!
After this, we went to the Berlin Dome which is an old Cathedral (Lutheran I think) located on musuem island. We were able to walk up to the top of the dome and had a great view of that part of the city. We kind of just walked around for the rest of the time there.
Last night, we met up with Jens and asked him all of our stupid American questions about why things are done the way they are and how to say certain things. He's a really nice guy and we are probably going to go out again tonight.
In a bit, we're going to hop on the train and wait in line for the Reichstag. Tomorrow we're off to Prague.... that is, if the train workers don't strike! http://www.btschüssloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=avT02opzvCZs&refer=germany
tschüss!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Berlin Dinner and Club Experience
Dinner first. We went to this cafe/restaurant that was recommended by our good friend Rick Steves. He did not disappoint. I had this amazing dish which translated was called "Southern German Dough Specialty with meat and vegetables." Basically it a type of German meat filled ravioli, but it wasn't fully enclosed. It also had egg and onions cooked into it. I wish I could describe it better, but it was delicious. Jen got some lamb sausages which were also pretty tasty. And again, the beer was excellent.
The club was hilarious and awesome at the same time. Our hostel gave us a voucher to get in free at this huuuuge club. There were 4 dance floors and all kinds of bars. We went with these two cool Chicago guys who were on their post-highschool trip (seems to be a trend...), but anyway we had a great time. It was hilarious because on the dance floor we stayed on most of the night, one of the first songs that played was YMCA and from there a string of German dance songs, American pop, and the type of song that gets played at every wedding. Everyone was really in to it, clapping and jumping around. I loved it. Also of note was the equal-opportunity go-go dancers. They first had a guy go up on the bar thing and dance, followed by a scantily clad lady, and then followed by a guy and a girl dancing together. So yes, it was a lot of fun and we'll probably be hitting up some other club tonight.
Today we're probably going to just wander around a bit. We may queue up and try and walk the Reichstag dome. Also, a bunch of museums are free today during the last four hours they are open so we might try to check some of those out. Tonight we'll be meeting up with Jens, Danny's friend he met while studying in Ireland.
viel spaß
The club was hilarious and awesome at the same time. Our hostel gave us a voucher to get in free at this huuuuge club. There were 4 dance floors and all kinds of bars. We went with these two cool Chicago guys who were on their post-highschool trip (seems to be a trend...), but anyway we had a great time. It was hilarious because on the dance floor we stayed on most of the night, one of the first songs that played was YMCA and from there a string of German dance songs, American pop, and the type of song that gets played at every wedding. Everyone was really in to it, clapping and jumping around. I loved it. Also of note was the equal-opportunity go-go dancers. They first had a guy go up on the bar thing and dance, followed by a scantily clad lady, and then followed by a guy and a girl dancing together. So yes, it was a lot of fun and we'll probably be hitting up some other club tonight.
Today we're probably going to just wander around a bit. We may queue up and try and walk the Reichstag dome. Also, a bunch of museums are free today during the last four hours they are open so we might try to check some of those out. Tonight we'll be meeting up with Jens, Danny's friend he met while studying in Ireland.
viel spaß
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Berlin Day 1
Happy fourth of July! It's just a plain old day here in Berlin.
Last night was a good first night here. We basically just hung out and drank some beer. I must say, German beer is quite good so far. Had a great Heff. The only problem with Berlin so far is that it's still raining. Hopefully it will clear up in the next few days.
Today we went on an awesome free walking tour (the guide is paid with tips and she definitely earned them... amazing). We saw most all of the major sites including the Brandenburg gate, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie etc. Berlin also has some really amazing squares. The architecture is very impressive and on a massive scale. I got lots of great pictures. The walking tour went on for about 4 hours with a small break for lunch. It was a great intro to the city.
Tonight we are thinking about doing a pub crawl, if only to get an introduction to the night life here and meet other English speaking people. It's about 4pm here and we're planning on just relaxing for a while until dinner. Not quite sure where we're going to eat yet.
So some general things I've noticed so far in Europe. Beer is sold EVERYWHERE. Like.... really... everywhere that sells anything pretty much also sells beer. Also, people smoke, a lot, and indoors though the UK did just institute an indoor smoking ban on July 1. An interesting thing about the toilets in Amsterdam and Germany. They all have two buttons. A small and a large one. From what I've gathered, the quantity of water is determined by which button you press. Kind of smart if you ask me since you'd only really need a lot of water for a *ahem* large load.
Tschüss!
Last night was a good first night here. We basically just hung out and drank some beer. I must say, German beer is quite good so far. Had a great Heff. The only problem with Berlin so far is that it's still raining. Hopefully it will clear up in the next few days.
Today we went on an awesome free walking tour (the guide is paid with tips and she definitely earned them... amazing). We saw most all of the major sites including the Brandenburg gate, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie etc. Berlin also has some really amazing squares. The architecture is very impressive and on a massive scale. I got lots of great pictures. The walking tour went on for about 4 hours with a small break for lunch. It was a great intro to the city.
Tonight we are thinking about doing a pub crawl, if only to get an introduction to the night life here and meet other English speaking people. It's about 4pm here and we're planning on just relaxing for a while until dinner. Not quite sure where we're going to eat yet.
So some general things I've noticed so far in Europe. Beer is sold EVERYWHERE. Like.... really... everywhere that sells anything pretty much also sells beer. Also, people smoke, a lot, and indoors though the UK did just institute an indoor smoking ban on July 1. An interesting thing about the toilets in Amsterdam and Germany. They all have two buttons. A small and a large one. From what I've gathered, the quantity of water is determined by which button you press. Kind of smart if you ask me since you'd only really need a lot of water for a *ahem* large load.
Tschüss!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Berlin
After quite the long train ride, we've finally made it to Berlin. The original train we go on to this morning had to stop midway through due to a strike. Lovely! We then hopped on another train to get us to a place where we could connect to a Berlin train. Another unfortunate Eurail experience. This is way out of the norm for them apparently.
Anyways, we just checked in to the Hostel. It seems quite cool so far and I'm excited to be here in Berlin for 4 nights.
Tschüss!
Anyways, we just checked in to the Hostel. It seems quite cool so far and I'm excited to be here in Berlin for 4 nights.
Tschüss!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Last day in Amsterdam... already
Tomorrow morning we are off to Berlin at about 8am. It's about a 7-8 hour train ride.
Today we did lots of stuff. We rented bikes and used those to get around the city. We checked out the Van Gogh museum. It was pretty impressive. I really like his style. We also did a canal boat tour. It was good just to see how large the city is. And lastly, we of course went through a walk of the red light district.
So basic impressions of Amsterdam. Lots of bikes. Lots of Canals. Lots of wafts of weed. It seems like everything I've ever heard about it. Very laid back. Very liberal. Very Fun. I'd love to come back here some time for a longer trip.
I wish I could write more in depth, but these are public terminals and there are people waiting to use them.
More from Berlin tomorrow!
Today we did lots of stuff. We rented bikes and used those to get around the city. We checked out the Van Gogh museum. It was pretty impressive. I really like his style. We also did a canal boat tour. It was good just to see how large the city is. And lastly, we of course went through a walk of the red light district.
So basic impressions of Amsterdam. Lots of bikes. Lots of Canals. Lots of wafts of weed. It seems like everything I've ever heard about it. Very laid back. Very liberal. Very Fun. I'd love to come back here some time for a longer trip.
I wish I could write more in depth, but these are public terminals and there are people waiting to use them.
More from Berlin tomorrow!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Amsterdam now
Please Note... This keyboard layout is strange and I really dont have time to figure it out....
Byebye rainy London
We are now in Amsterdam! It was quite the interresting journez to get here. We took the Chunnel train this morning which got us to Belgium. The train we were supposed to take from there to Amsterdam however was having difficulties or something. Long story short, we ended up having to take a bus to the next train station to catch the correct train. The bus was packed wall to wall with a bus driver who was accelerator and brake happy.
But we are here. We just had a nice dinner at a corner cafe and are looking forward to having a good evening tonight.
Tomorrow weäre planning on renting some bikes, touring the van gogh museum, and possiblz a few other places as well. Thatäs all for now!
Leave me some comments.... Berlin is next... then Prague
Byebye rainy London
We are now in Amsterdam! It was quite the interresting journez to get here. We took the Chunnel train this morning which got us to Belgium. The train we were supposed to take from there to Amsterdam however was having difficulties or something. Long story short, we ended up having to take a bus to the next train station to catch the correct train. The bus was packed wall to wall with a bus driver who was accelerator and brake happy.
But we are here. We just had a nice dinner at a corner cafe and are looking forward to having a good evening tonight.
Tomorrow weäre planning on renting some bikes, touring the van gogh museum, and possiblz a few other places as well. Thatäs all for now!
Leave me some comments.... Berlin is next... then Prague
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Most walking...ever
These past two days have consisted of looooots of walking. Yesterday we saw lots of major touristy attractions here in London. We saw Big Ben and the houses of parliament. We even went in to parliament and watched the House of Commons for a few minutes. It wasn't the most exciting debate (they were talking about some sort county boundary issue I think) and most members weren't present, but it was was kind of cool in any place.
In general, all the government buildings are very old, large, and ornate. One can definitely see the history of London in all of its buildings. Quite impressive. We also checked out the national museum and saw the Rosetta stone.
In the evening we went and saw Avenue Q! It was hilarious! It was also a really nice break from walking around. After the show, we went to a pub and had some good beer. Then it was on to a club called The Verve. It's interesting that 99% of the music was American music. We stayed there for a while and then the fun actually began.... and by fun I mean walking around for 2 hours trying to figure out how the bus system works and where the bus we needed to take actually stopped. We finally made it home around 3am.
Today was a much lighter day. We got going pretty late around 11am. I had a traditional British entree called 'Bangers and Mash' which is sausage and mashed potatoes. Though its presentation left something to be desired, it was really quite delicious. I'd definitely eat it again.
It just so happened to be Pride day in London, so after lunch we went to watch the parade and such. It was pretty cool. I think that Europeans have a special fondness for whistles. Everyone along the route had one and they were all blowing them quite fervently.
It was on and off raining pretty much all day today and currently still is. Tomorrow morning at about 8:30am we are off to Brussels with a connection to Amsterdam from there. Though 3 days was definitely not enough for a full London experience, I'm glad we're moving on. I know I can come back to London at some point for a more focused and in depth tour and this was a great overview. I'm also kind of looking forward to leaving because it's so damn expensive!
That's all for now.
Cheers!
Oh... and they delivered my bag yesterday around 11pm. It was awesome to change clothes and shave and fun things like that!
In general, all the government buildings are very old, large, and ornate. One can definitely see the history of London in all of its buildings. Quite impressive. We also checked out the national museum and saw the Rosetta stone.
In the evening we went and saw Avenue Q! It was hilarious! It was also a really nice break from walking around. After the show, we went to a pub and had some good beer. Then it was on to a club called The Verve. It's interesting that 99% of the music was American music. We stayed there for a while and then the fun actually began.... and by fun I mean walking around for 2 hours trying to figure out how the bus system works and where the bus we needed to take actually stopped. We finally made it home around 3am.
Today was a much lighter day. We got going pretty late around 11am. I had a traditional British entree called 'Bangers and Mash' which is sausage and mashed potatoes. Though its presentation left something to be desired, it was really quite delicious. I'd definitely eat it again.
It just so happened to be Pride day in London, so after lunch we went to watch the parade and such. It was pretty cool. I think that Europeans have a special fondness for whistles. Everyone along the route had one and they were all blowing them quite fervently.
It was on and off raining pretty much all day today and currently still is. Tomorrow morning at about 8:30am we are off to Brussels with a connection to Amsterdam from there. Though 3 days was definitely not enough for a full London experience, I'm glad we're moving on. I know I can come back to London at some point for a more focused and in depth tour and this was a great overview. I'm also kind of looking forward to leaving because it's so damn expensive!
That's all for now.
Cheers!
Oh... and they delivered my bag yesterday around 11pm. It was awesome to change clothes and shave and fun things like that!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
London Hostel and First Day
So according to the BA website, they found my bag... so this is good news. It doesn't, however, say where the bag is. There's a chance that it's still in Houston. I'll be calling them tomorrow for more info.
But anyways, the first hostel is so far fairly nice. We are up a few flights of stairs and there are these ridiculously heavy fire doors that will slam very loudly if you don't gently close them. The beds are so-so, but we're so tired right now that anything will do.
The neighborhood the hostel is in is really cool. There's a small park across the street and lots of little local shops and eateries around. We saw a few sites today, but they are all hazy in my head due to the lack of sleep. We were able to go into St. Paul's Cathedral because they were holding a service. We also got oriented to using the tube in order to get around. It's hot, noisy, and crowded... but very effective. We also got to go to this really old bar, Old Chester Cheese's which was rebuilt in 1667 or something like that. Had a pint of excellent beer!
Tomorrow is our big sightseing day. We're going to try to hit all the major attractions, most just from the outside. I really want to check out the National Museum for sure. It's going to be a fun day. We should be fairly well-rested and hopefully will be able to sleep through the night. I think that's all for now.
Cheers!
But anyways, the first hostel is so far fairly nice. We are up a few flights of stairs and there are these ridiculously heavy fire doors that will slam very loudly if you don't gently close them. The beds are so-so, but we're so tired right now that anything will do.
The neighborhood the hostel is in is really cool. There's a small park across the street and lots of little local shops and eateries around. We saw a few sites today, but they are all hazy in my head due to the lack of sleep. We were able to go into St. Paul's Cathedral because they were holding a service. We also got oriented to using the tube in order to get around. It's hot, noisy, and crowded... but very effective. We also got to go to this really old bar, Old Chester Cheese's which was rebuilt in 1667 or something like that. Had a pint of excellent beer!
Tomorrow is our big sightseing day. We're going to try to hit all the major attractions, most just from the outside. I really want to check out the National Museum for sure. It's going to be a fun day. We should be fairly well-rested and hopefully will be able to sleep through the night. I think that's all for now.
Cheers!
Lost Baggage != fun
We've arrived safely in London and are doing fairly well. I can't say the same for my bag however, which is currently unnaccounted for. We are waiting in the airport right now to see if it will come on the next flight. If it doesn't, they will have to find it and ship it to the hostel where we are staying. What a pain in the ASS!
Oh well... so that's what we're dealing with at the moment. It's just made more difficult by the fact that Jen and I are both really tired and really wanted to get started on having fun rather than sitting in airports and such. I'm just hoping that they'll find it soon and this will be the only major hitch we run into on the trip. One can only hope.
That's all for now.
Cheers!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
First Post! To Europe sooooon!
It's 11pm Pacific Standard Time and I'll be staying up all night in order to catch my 6:00am flight to Houston to meet Jen (My cousin Joe is being nice enough to take me to Oakland Airport at 3:15am. Fun times!).
So yes, I am going to Europe with my sister. No, there will be no parallels to that oh so classic movie Eurotrip. We are, however, going to have a blast! Right now, I'm pretty much all packed and a nice mix of nervous and excited. I have a lot lot lot of airplane time ahead of me, but a whole month of Europe after.
The most important part of this trip is going to be trying to harness the nervous energy and put it to positive use. There are sooooo many unknowns, something which usually drives me crazy, but I've really just set myself on going with the flow and having a good time no matter what comes our way.
Hopefully I'll get to post to this blog whenever we find internet somewhere. Most posts will probably have to be quite terse, but I think it'll be a fun record of the journey.
Bye for now!
So yes, I am going to Europe with my sister. No, there will be no parallels to that oh so classic movie Eurotrip. We are, however, going to have a blast! Right now, I'm pretty much all packed and a nice mix of nervous and excited. I have a lot lot lot of airplane time ahead of me, but a whole month of Europe after.
The most important part of this trip is going to be trying to harness the nervous energy and put it to positive use. There are sooooo many unknowns, something which usually drives me crazy, but I've really just set myself on going with the flow and having a good time no matter what comes our way.
Hopefully I'll get to post to this blog whenever we find internet somewhere. Most posts will probably have to be quite terse, but I think it'll be a fun record of the journey.
Bye for now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)