Hello everyone!
As we bring our trip to a close ( our flight leaves in 3 hours), we have had a few more adventures!!
Amsterdam was great, and we arrive in Paris on June 11th around dinner time. We had some trouble finding our hostel, then headed to a great vegetarian restaurant for dinner, and went to the Eiffel Tower for the last time.
Yesterday, we went to Normandy after a bit of a mishap with our supposedly planned tour, but it all worked out in the end. Normandy was awesome to see, although there isn't much of a Canadian memorial, and we were surprised to find out that there hadn't been one at all until 2003. After some difficulty getting home ( a bus driver that never stopped at our stop!), we arrived back in Paris and went back to the same vegetarian restaurant, where Rob ordered a plate of "meat" that was surprisingly delicious.
We are just waiting for our shuttle to the airport... We would have taken the metro, except we found out yesterday that the metro is on strike! A lovely surprise for our last day.
Also, our hostel is digusting and dirty. They lock you out from 11am to 5pm, but obviously do zero cleaning.
See you all when we get home!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Bye Bye, Berlin - Allo Amsterdam!
So here we are in lovely Amsterdam, a beautiful city surrounded by canals, a kind of upgrade from Venice!
We arrived here yesterday after a 7 hour train ride from Berlin, which went by surprisingly fast. Our hostel is clean but sort of sketchy, and both the showers (with practically no water pressure) and the breakfast (stale bread with cheese... and the cheese had been sitting out so long that the edges of it had dried out and hardened). Nonetheless, our room is nice. We opted for a private room, since we are at the end of the trip and are getting sick of sharing a room with strangers.
We ventured out for a walk last night to check out the city. We ate dinner at a yummy Chinese restaurant called Wok to Walk (reminded me of the cooking show Wok with Yan), then strolled around a bit. We grabbed a beer at a local bar, then headed in for the night as the long train ride had us tired out!
This morning we woke up early in search of the Amex office, where we were hoping to cash our last traveler's cheques. Unfortuntely, our travel guide lied to us and we could not find the office, but we stumbled upon another exchange rate that took nearly no commission and gave us a good rate.
Then we strolled over to the Anne Frank Huis. I found this to be one of the more emotional Holocaust memorials. We walked through the jam and meat seasoning factory, above which the Frank family hid from the Nazis. We were also able to go behind the bookcase and through the secret door, up to the Annex, which is where Anne and her family lived. It was a little bigger than we were expecting, but by no means was it large or luxurious. It was really strange to walk through their living quarters and see the postcards that Anne had posted on her wall, or to touch the original kitchen counter where they had prepared the little food that their hosts snuck in for them. Perhaps the most striking part was reading the original information cards from the Nazi files. Each family member had their own card, listing personal information and the names of their family members. Displayed in the same frame were the locations and dates of that person's death. In the background, an interview with Anne Frank's best friend describing her last encounters with Anne played. The museum also displayed Anne's original diary, and an interview with her father, the only family member who survived the Holocaust. All in all, it was a great museum and memorial - in my opinion, one of the best we have seen.
Next, we went to the Van Gogh museum, which was AWESOME. We spent a ton of time looking at the evolution of his work from when he first decided to become an artist, all the way up until his suicide. Surprisingly, his art career lasted only 8 years, and over these 8 years his work really changed. It was a fascinating museum.
We just got back from the Rijksmuseum, which was a little underwhelming after seeing Van Gogh's work. It was cool to see some of Rembrandt's pieces, especially some of the more famous ones, but all in all, the Van Gogh museum topped it.
We are about to head over to the Heineken Brewery for a tour, and will spend the rest of the day exploring the city. Tomorrow, we head back to Paris to round out our adventure with a day trip to Normandy.
We arrived here yesterday after a 7 hour train ride from Berlin, which went by surprisingly fast. Our hostel is clean but sort of sketchy, and both the showers (with practically no water pressure) and the breakfast (stale bread with cheese... and the cheese had been sitting out so long that the edges of it had dried out and hardened). Nonetheless, our room is nice. We opted for a private room, since we are at the end of the trip and are getting sick of sharing a room with strangers.
We ventured out for a walk last night to check out the city. We ate dinner at a yummy Chinese restaurant called Wok to Walk (reminded me of the cooking show Wok with Yan), then strolled around a bit. We grabbed a beer at a local bar, then headed in for the night as the long train ride had us tired out!
This morning we woke up early in search of the Amex office, where we were hoping to cash our last traveler's cheques. Unfortuntely, our travel guide lied to us and we could not find the office, but we stumbled upon another exchange rate that took nearly no commission and gave us a good rate.
Then we strolled over to the Anne Frank Huis. I found this to be one of the more emotional Holocaust memorials. We walked through the jam and meat seasoning factory, above which the Frank family hid from the Nazis. We were also able to go behind the bookcase and through the secret door, up to the Annex, which is where Anne and her family lived. It was a little bigger than we were expecting, but by no means was it large or luxurious. It was really strange to walk through their living quarters and see the postcards that Anne had posted on her wall, or to touch the original kitchen counter where they had prepared the little food that their hosts snuck in for them. Perhaps the most striking part was reading the original information cards from the Nazi files. Each family member had their own card, listing personal information and the names of their family members. Displayed in the same frame were the locations and dates of that person's death. In the background, an interview with Anne Frank's best friend describing her last encounters with Anne played. The museum also displayed Anne's original diary, and an interview with her father, the only family member who survived the Holocaust. All in all, it was a great museum and memorial - in my opinion, one of the best we have seen.
Next, we went to the Van Gogh museum, which was AWESOME. We spent a ton of time looking at the evolution of his work from when he first decided to become an artist, all the way up until his suicide. Surprisingly, his art career lasted only 8 years, and over these 8 years his work really changed. It was a fascinating museum.
We just got back from the Rijksmuseum, which was a little underwhelming after seeing Van Gogh's work. It was cool to see some of Rembrandt's pieces, especially some of the more famous ones, but all in all, the Van Gogh museum topped it.
We are about to head over to the Heineken Brewery for a tour, and will spend the rest of the day exploring the city. Tomorrow, we head back to Paris to round out our adventure with a day trip to Normandy.
Monday, June 8, 2009
What´s good for the goose...
We just got back from the Berlin zoo. Kristen got charged and headbutted by an aggressively hungry goat, and I got bitten by a goose. Worst petting zoo ever!
On another note, we spent yesterday wrapping up our historical examination of Berlin. We visited the wall documentation centre at Bernauer Straße, which allowed us to look from a tower over a preserved section of the death strip. We also read about the initial construction of that sector of the wall, made from the front facades from the neghbourhood houses that had been plowed down and/or boarded up.
We spent the afternoon visiting the Holocaust Museum, directly underneath the controversial memorial site. The museum was extremely moving, as it featured individual accounts of the Holocaust as it was happening and those involved began to realize what fate was waiting for them at the end. Some were letters written from transition camps to family members, and others were even postcards thrown from the train on the way to camps like Auschwitz.
We decided last minute not to spend money on the Red Berlin tour today, as many of our tours have been pretty repetitive, which is how we ended up at the zoo! (ps we saw Knut the famous polar bear). Later today we are planning on renting some bikes and taking a ride to Tiergarten and elsewhere around town. We have pretty much done all there is to do in Berlin at this point, so Amsterdam will be a welcome change tomorrow!
On another note, we spent yesterday wrapping up our historical examination of Berlin. We visited the wall documentation centre at Bernauer Straße, which allowed us to look from a tower over a preserved section of the death strip. We also read about the initial construction of that sector of the wall, made from the front facades from the neghbourhood houses that had been plowed down and/or boarded up.
We spent the afternoon visiting the Holocaust Museum, directly underneath the controversial memorial site. The museum was extremely moving, as it featured individual accounts of the Holocaust as it was happening and those involved began to realize what fate was waiting for them at the end. Some were letters written from transition camps to family members, and others were even postcards thrown from the train on the way to camps like Auschwitz.
We decided last minute not to spend money on the Red Berlin tour today, as many of our tours have been pretty repetitive, which is how we ended up at the zoo! (ps we saw Knut the famous polar bear). Later today we are planning on renting some bikes and taking a ride to Tiergarten and elsewhere around town. We have pretty much done all there is to do in Berlin at this point, so Amsterdam will be a welcome change tomorrow!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Third Reich and the Opera
So where did we leave off.....
Yesterday afternoon, Rob and I took a 4 hour walking tour about Germany during the Third Reich, which was fascinating. We learned about Hitler as a child, and eventually were taken to the bunker where he took his own life (now just a gravel parking lot). We saw the monument that the Soviets made to their fallen soldiers, the Tiergarten (originally royal hunting grounds, then wiped out by WW2). We were also taken to the Jewish part of Berlin, the site of the only successful anti Nazi protest. The most interesting part about this protest is that is was led by women who used pots and pans as their weapons!
In the evening, we went to see Angels and Demons. We needed a bit of a break from walking around, plus we thought it would be a neat movie to see after having been to Rome, where the movie was filmed.
This morning, we slept in a bit then headed over to old East Berlin to meet up with Kimi, a friend of mine from Carleton who is in town for her own European adventure!! We spent some time checking out the East Side Gallery, which is the longest remaining stretch of the wall. It is now a sort of outdoor art gallery. The wall has been recently whitewashed, and the artists who had painted the wall originally were invited back to repaint it, so as we were walking we saw some artists painting the wall. The art is really interesting, and we got some really great photos that we will share with you when we get home.
Our last venture of the day was to see the opera, Un Ballo de Maschera, an Italian opera in German. Due to some unforeseen circumstances at dinner, we were a bit late. When we got to our seats and settled in, we quickly realized that we had no idea what was going on. I cannot really describe what was happening on stage, but somehow we got the idea that the play was set at a hotel and there was some sort of love triangle. Additionally, two people were hanged in the lobby of the hotel... We have no idea how or why it happened, and it seems like none of the actors on the stage did either... Needless to say, we had no idea what was going on.
We left after the 2nd act due to the language barriers, but all in all, I really enjoyed the music. I stopped trying to understand the words and just listened to the emotions in the songs. It still did not help me understand the plot, but at least I enjoyed the work of some talented musicians.
We have no tours planned for tomorrow, but we do plan to see the Holocaust Memorial and the Picasso museum.
Yesterday afternoon, Rob and I took a 4 hour walking tour about Germany during the Third Reich, which was fascinating. We learned about Hitler as a child, and eventually were taken to the bunker where he took his own life (now just a gravel parking lot). We saw the monument that the Soviets made to their fallen soldiers, the Tiergarten (originally royal hunting grounds, then wiped out by WW2). We were also taken to the Jewish part of Berlin, the site of the only successful anti Nazi protest. The most interesting part about this protest is that is was led by women who used pots and pans as their weapons!
In the evening, we went to see Angels and Demons. We needed a bit of a break from walking around, plus we thought it would be a neat movie to see after having been to Rome, where the movie was filmed.
This morning, we slept in a bit then headed over to old East Berlin to meet up with Kimi, a friend of mine from Carleton who is in town for her own European adventure!! We spent some time checking out the East Side Gallery, which is the longest remaining stretch of the wall. It is now a sort of outdoor art gallery. The wall has been recently whitewashed, and the artists who had painted the wall originally were invited back to repaint it, so as we were walking we saw some artists painting the wall. The art is really interesting, and we got some really great photos that we will share with you when we get home.
Our last venture of the day was to see the opera, Un Ballo de Maschera, an Italian opera in German. Due to some unforeseen circumstances at dinner, we were a bit late. When we got to our seats and settled in, we quickly realized that we had no idea what was going on. I cannot really describe what was happening on stage, but somehow we got the idea that the play was set at a hotel and there was some sort of love triangle. Additionally, two people were hanged in the lobby of the hotel... We have no idea how or why it happened, and it seems like none of the actors on the stage did either... Needless to say, we had no idea what was going on.
We left after the 2nd act due to the language barriers, but all in all, I really enjoyed the music. I stopped trying to understand the words and just listened to the emotions in the songs. It still did not help me understand the plot, but at least I enjoyed the work of some talented musicians.
We have no tours planned for tomorrow, but we do plan to see the Holocaust Memorial and the Picasso museum.
Friday, June 5, 2009
From Bavaria to Berlin
So this is now our second full day in Berlin, as we took the overnight train from Munich 2 nights ago. It was much more pleasant than our train to Nice, which had also been comfortable, but cramped. Our more expensive train to Berlin was a 2 person couchette (instead of 6) and actually had a really interesting design. It was set up so that 2 normal chairs faced each other, both window seat, behind a curtain. They had the usual writing tables, etc, but when you want to go to sleep, the chairs fold into each other to form one bed, and another folds down from above. Both actually leave you with abut a foot of headroom even sitting up fully in bed, as compared to the train to Nice, where sitting up was simply not an option. We were even offered tea or coffee in the morning, which although a welcome luxury, was certainly not necessary. As a quick aside, that is how all of the couchettes were, we didn´t pay for first class or anything.
Our hostel is modest but very clean and well run, which is fantastic. Although it is not one of the better known in Berlin, it enjoys many hostel awards from over the past 5 years, which is certainly encouraging. They have a games room, tv, xbox, tons of seating, free access to apple computers and internet, and cheap breakfast (1 Euro for 4 slices of toast, which we split between the two of us this morning). They have also been enormously helpful, in particular a German hippie who looks kind of like Mike Myers with dreadlocks. We have already met some people there, which seems to be the theme of Germany in general, where everyone has been extremely friendly and social. On to the fun stuff!!
So for the more interesting part (since i am sure you could care less how good our hostel toast is) we did another New Europe tour through Sandemans, which as you know from our previous posts is a free tour where the guides operate on tips. Generally it is customary to tip 5-10 Euros anyways, but they absolutely earn it, as everyone we have had so far has been a natrual story teller, weaving together the more commonly known pieces of history with other great little yarns (stories) they have dug up. Highlights from yesterday´s tour included the story of how the Berlin wall came down (which as it turns out, was pretty much by accident!)
We also bought tickets to the opera yesterday, as Berlin has an opera house "for the people" that is meant to be affordable. For the two of us, it was only 12 Euro to go see an opera by Verdi this coming Saturday, which we are definitely excited for! We will probably leave early, since it will be in Italian with german subtitles, but a great experience either way!
Today we are doing the New Berlin Third Reich tour, which will absolutely have some repetition after 2 tours in Munch and 1 already in Berlin (we are pretty much experts from the Franco-Prussian War onwards by now) but hopefully it will include a little bit more depth as well. Another quick aside, we are doing a Red Berlin tour Monday, which should be equally as great.
So from two temporary Berliners, Pröst!
Our hostel is modest but very clean and well run, which is fantastic. Although it is not one of the better known in Berlin, it enjoys many hostel awards from over the past 5 years, which is certainly encouraging. They have a games room, tv, xbox, tons of seating, free access to apple computers and internet, and cheap breakfast (1 Euro for 4 slices of toast, which we split between the two of us this morning). They have also been enormously helpful, in particular a German hippie who looks kind of like Mike Myers with dreadlocks. We have already met some people there, which seems to be the theme of Germany in general, where everyone has been extremely friendly and social. On to the fun stuff!!
So for the more interesting part (since i am sure you could care less how good our hostel toast is) we did another New Europe tour through Sandemans, which as you know from our previous posts is a free tour where the guides operate on tips. Generally it is customary to tip 5-10 Euros anyways, but they absolutely earn it, as everyone we have had so far has been a natrual story teller, weaving together the more commonly known pieces of history with other great little yarns (stories) they have dug up. Highlights from yesterday´s tour included the story of how the Berlin wall came down (which as it turns out, was pretty much by accident!)
We also bought tickets to the opera yesterday, as Berlin has an opera house "for the people" that is meant to be affordable. For the two of us, it was only 12 Euro to go see an opera by Verdi this coming Saturday, which we are definitely excited for! We will probably leave early, since it will be in Italian with german subtitles, but a great experience either way!
Today we are doing the New Berlin Third Reich tour, which will absolutely have some repetition after 2 tours in Munch and 1 already in Berlin (we are pretty much experts from the Franco-Prussian War onwards by now) but hopefully it will include a little bit more depth as well. Another quick aside, we are doing a Red Berlin tour Monday, which should be equally as great.
So from two temporary Berliners, Pröst!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Just a few quick notes...
We spent the day yesterday hanging out at the university in Munich... just laying on the grass like the locals. It was pretty awesome!!
In front of the university, there is a memorial to the White Rose group, which was a group of 7 university students and 1 professor. They handed out anti-Nazi posters at the university; however, since opposing the Nazi movement was illegal, the students would secretly scatter the papers in the hallway of the university, with the hopes that the students would see all the paper on the ground and pick it up to check it out. Eventually, a janitor caught one of the White Rose students doing this, and 6 of the 8 people were convicted of treason and publicly beheaded. The memorial honouring this group is amazing. When you walk past a fountain to the university entrance, you see what looks like paper all over the ground. In reality, it is pieces of marble printed with the original White Rose pamphlet information, set into the ground amongst the cobblestone. It is a really unique monument, and definitely one of my favourites. I will post the pics when I get back, or just go ahead and google it.
Then we spent the rest of afternoon laying on the grass at Olympic Park, which is a beautiful part of Munich. We saw some swans in the lake, who growled at me when I didn´t have any food to give them. Stupid swans.
We ate dinner at the world famous Hofbrau Haus. Rob had a baked potato and I had Bavarian roast beef. Sooooo delicious!!
We took the overnight train to Berlin, which was awesome and I slept the whole way. We are about to go on the New Berlin Free Walking Tour (same company that we did the Munich tours with). We will also be doing a tour about Communist Berlin and the Third Reich, which we are both very excited about.
On a side note, we were talking about people we have met along the way who we miss. Rob and I both agree that we miss ´Peanut Butter´the most. Peanut Butter is a little guy, maybe 15 years old, who went canyoning with us in Interlaken. Sort of an Indian version of Steve Urkel, good ol´PB almost managed to almost hurt himself and nearly take out the group and send us down river on numerous occasions. He was full of enthusiasm and awkwardness. PB, this is for you!!! hahahaha!
In front of the university, there is a memorial to the White Rose group, which was a group of 7 university students and 1 professor. They handed out anti-Nazi posters at the university; however, since opposing the Nazi movement was illegal, the students would secretly scatter the papers in the hallway of the university, with the hopes that the students would see all the paper on the ground and pick it up to check it out. Eventually, a janitor caught one of the White Rose students doing this, and 6 of the 8 people were convicted of treason and publicly beheaded. The memorial honouring this group is amazing. When you walk past a fountain to the university entrance, you see what looks like paper all over the ground. In reality, it is pieces of marble printed with the original White Rose pamphlet information, set into the ground amongst the cobblestone. It is a really unique monument, and definitely one of my favourites. I will post the pics when I get back, or just go ahead and google it.
Then we spent the rest of afternoon laying on the grass at Olympic Park, which is a beautiful part of Munich. We saw some swans in the lake, who growled at me when I didn´t have any food to give them. Stupid swans.
We ate dinner at the world famous Hofbrau Haus. Rob had a baked potato and I had Bavarian roast beef. Sooooo delicious!!
We took the overnight train to Berlin, which was awesome and I slept the whole way. We are about to go on the New Berlin Free Walking Tour (same company that we did the Munich tours with). We will also be doing a tour about Communist Berlin and the Third Reich, which we are both very excited about.
On a side note, we were talking about people we have met along the way who we miss. Rob and I both agree that we miss ´Peanut Butter´the most. Peanut Butter is a little guy, maybe 15 years old, who went canyoning with us in Interlaken. Sort of an Indian version of Steve Urkel, good ol´PB almost managed to almost hurt himself and nearly take out the group and send us down river on numerous occasions. He was full of enthusiasm and awkwardness. PB, this is for you!!! hahahaha!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The best and worst (wurst) of Munich
Yesterday was an eventful day for Rob and I!!
We started the day off by taking a guided tour of the Dachau Memorial, formerly a Nazi concentration camp. Our tour guide was the same dude as before, Matt, and again, he did an outstanding job showing us around.
The experience was definitely memorable. Dachau was the longest running Nazi concentration camp, operating for 12 years or the entire period of the Third Reich. In addition, it has 1 of only 4 remaining gas chambers in Germany.
We were able to walk through the barracks where prisoners lived... and suffice to say, it was amazing how many people they would cram into one room. You thought your college dorm room was small - you should take a look at these barracks! Towards the end of WW2, a room the size of a triple garage housed approximately 500 people, if not more. Even after being in the room, it is almost unbelievable that so many people could live in such cramped quarters.
We were also able to walk through the gas chamber, which was the most striking part of the memorial by far. Most of you already know that the Nazis would tell prisoners that they were going to have a shower, when in reality they were being sent to the gas chambers. While we were standing in the gas chamber, our guide told us to look up at the shower heads on the ceiling. The shower heads were not even operational - they were not attached to any pipes or plumbing, rather the shower head was simply mounted into a sort of upside-down bowl in the ceiling.
We were also able to see the original crematoriums used by the Nazis. The saddest part is that they original started with a small crematorium, where approximately 11 000 people were cremated. However, by the height of the war there were too many people to fit into this first crematorium, so a larger one was built.
Our guide was also amazing at pointing out the memorials that were left to honour those who died. The original barracks are no longer there, however cement foundations have been laid in the original places of the barracks, each with a number reflecting the original barrack´s number. This is so family members and friends can return to the exact location of the barrack where their loved ones were imprisoned.
All in all, Dachau was an amazing experience. Sad, scary, and very depressing, but something that I will remember doing for the rest of my life.
On a lighter note, we took a tour of some of Munich´s best beer halls last night. Our group was awesome, and we ended up meeting a girl who went to Laurier and was in Rob´s program, and also a girl who is studying at Carleton (Go Ravens!). The highlight of our night was meeting a guy who is the spitting image of a guy we all know (name not to be disclosed... hahaha). Rob and I will show you the photos later and you can be the judge. But let´s just say, the lookalike was a great sport and even humoured us by imitating the original. Hilarious.
I also ate my first German bratwurst, and it was delicious. Rob sampled a Dunkel beer (dark beer) from the world-reknowned HofBrau Haus, built in 1589. The best part about the tour is that we learned that German beer, by law, can only have 3 ingredients - hops, water, and wheat OR barley. This is why the beer is so amazing! Good times were had by all!
Today we will be visiting the Olympic Park and also the memorial for the anti-Nazi White Rose movement. Tonight we will catch an overnight train to Berlin where we will spend 5 days learning about even more history!
Doug - you will be thrilled to know that we have decided to head back to Normandy at the end of our trip for a tour of Juno Beach. Sadly, we will get there 6 days after the 65th anniversary, but it will still be amazing. Thanks for sending us the tour info!!
We started the day off by taking a guided tour of the Dachau Memorial, formerly a Nazi concentration camp. Our tour guide was the same dude as before, Matt, and again, he did an outstanding job showing us around.
The experience was definitely memorable. Dachau was the longest running Nazi concentration camp, operating for 12 years or the entire period of the Third Reich. In addition, it has 1 of only 4 remaining gas chambers in Germany.
We were able to walk through the barracks where prisoners lived... and suffice to say, it was amazing how many people they would cram into one room. You thought your college dorm room was small - you should take a look at these barracks! Towards the end of WW2, a room the size of a triple garage housed approximately 500 people, if not more. Even after being in the room, it is almost unbelievable that so many people could live in such cramped quarters.
We were also able to walk through the gas chamber, which was the most striking part of the memorial by far. Most of you already know that the Nazis would tell prisoners that they were going to have a shower, when in reality they were being sent to the gas chambers. While we were standing in the gas chamber, our guide told us to look up at the shower heads on the ceiling. The shower heads were not even operational - they were not attached to any pipes or plumbing, rather the shower head was simply mounted into a sort of upside-down bowl in the ceiling.
We were also able to see the original crematoriums used by the Nazis. The saddest part is that they original started with a small crematorium, where approximately 11 000 people were cremated. However, by the height of the war there were too many people to fit into this first crematorium, so a larger one was built.
Our guide was also amazing at pointing out the memorials that were left to honour those who died. The original barracks are no longer there, however cement foundations have been laid in the original places of the barracks, each with a number reflecting the original barrack´s number. This is so family members and friends can return to the exact location of the barrack where their loved ones were imprisoned.
All in all, Dachau was an amazing experience. Sad, scary, and very depressing, but something that I will remember doing for the rest of my life.
On a lighter note, we took a tour of some of Munich´s best beer halls last night. Our group was awesome, and we ended up meeting a girl who went to Laurier and was in Rob´s program, and also a girl who is studying at Carleton (Go Ravens!). The highlight of our night was meeting a guy who is the spitting image of a guy we all know (name not to be disclosed... hahaha). Rob and I will show you the photos later and you can be the judge. But let´s just say, the lookalike was a great sport and even humoured us by imitating the original. Hilarious.
I also ate my first German bratwurst, and it was delicious. Rob sampled a Dunkel beer (dark beer) from the world-reknowned HofBrau Haus, built in 1589. The best part about the tour is that we learned that German beer, by law, can only have 3 ingredients - hops, water, and wheat OR barley. This is why the beer is so amazing! Good times were had by all!
Today we will be visiting the Olympic Park and also the memorial for the anti-Nazi White Rose movement. Tonight we will catch an overnight train to Berlin where we will spend 5 days learning about even more history!
Doug - you will be thrilled to know that we have decided to head back to Normandy at the end of our trip for a tour of Juno Beach. Sadly, we will get there 6 days after the 65th anniversary, but it will still be amazing. Thanks for sending us the tour info!!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Mmmmm potatoes...
Well here is my last blog entry on my participation in the trip. As Kristen mentioned we parted ways in Luzern where I walked the streets for a couple hours snapping some final pics of Suisse. I caught my train to Basel and then on to Mulhouse. On the way to Mulhouse I was approached by 5 men on the train who started asking my why I was going to France and all the rest, about 3 minutes into the conversation they pulled out armbands to show they were undercover French Customs agents but for me it was a tense situation for a while, especially since I was the only one in the train car.
The rest of the trip was fine and I arrived back in Paris and made my way to Love and Peace Hostel. It was a little on the shady side but no lockers and only 1 key per room of 9 people! However the bar more than made up for it as Desparado was ON TAP and 4.25 euro for a pint!!!
I got up this morning at 5:45 to catch the RER to the airport. Got to the terminal in plenty of time and breezed through the flight. Of note, the in-flight meal consisted of mash potatoes (since we had been talking about them for a week it was awesome). Plane arrived in T.O. shortly after 1 and it felt great to see the family again and I cannot wait for the roast beef dinner tonight!
So that's all for me as I turn from blogger to follower. I had an absolutely amazing time over the past 3 weeks and as comforting as home is I wish I was in Germany right now! To Rob and Kristen thanks for a great time and have a stellar last two weeks... Keep the J-Train rolling!
The rest of the trip was fine and I arrived back in Paris and made my way to Love and Peace Hostel. It was a little on the shady side but no lockers and only 1 key per room of 9 people! However the bar more than made up for it as Desparado was ON TAP and 4.25 euro for a pint!!!
I got up this morning at 5:45 to catch the RER to the airport. Got to the terminal in plenty of time and breezed through the flight. Of note, the in-flight meal consisted of mash potatoes (since we had been talking about them for a week it was awesome). Plane arrived in T.O. shortly after 1 and it felt great to see the family again and I cannot wait for the roast beef dinner tonight!
So that's all for me as I turn from blogger to follower. I had an absolutely amazing time over the past 3 weeks and as comforting as home is I wish I was in Germany right now! To Rob and Kristen thanks for a great time and have a stellar last two weeks... Keep the J-Train rolling!
In Munchen
This morning, we woke up for our first day in Munich, which, as in most of our cities, was a new culture shock. Our hostel did not impress right away with iffy showers and strange bunk beds, but our minds were quickly changed when we saw what was included in our free breakfast: orange/apple juice, cereal, muesli, toast, buns, yogourt, eggs, meats, cheese, jam, honey, all included, all you can eat! Suffice to say, it was a very nice surprise since our next best free breakfast was cereal and a banana.
We started off our daily activities by partaking in the Sandemans New Munich free walking tour, which was incredible. The New Europe tours are definitely the way to go, as you get to gauge the quality of the tour before you pay (which is entirely voluntary). Our tour guide´s name was Matt, and he might as well have had a PhD in Munich´s history. We were regaled with stories about the early days of the Third Reich, Hitler´s rise to power, and taken to many of the lesser known sites of the most powerful and influential events during this period.
Highlights were:
The Glockenspiel, which was shown for comedic purposes, as it was completely lame (apparently voted second most overrated tourist site in Europe)
Some of the subtle monuments erected in memory of Kristalnacht
Memorial to the German resistance
The site where Hitler held the leaders of the police and army hostage, leading to a standoff and his trial/conviction for treason (the Beer Hall Putsch)
Hofbrau House
Munich is an incredible city, not just for the history but also for the culture that we have been able to absorb at reasonable prices. Our hostel serves German beer and food for fractions of what we were charged in France and Italy for worse quality, and with tours like the New Europe available, we can feel the significance of standing in the places of major world events (instead of having dates and names recited to us)
Tomorrow, we are taking another New Europe tour to Dachau concentration camp with the same tour guide, and then revisiting the site of the White Rose movement, as encouraged by our guide. Afterwards, we are planning to do a tour of the local beer halls, which are as popular among the tourists as the locals!
We started off our daily activities by partaking in the Sandemans New Munich free walking tour, which was incredible. The New Europe tours are definitely the way to go, as you get to gauge the quality of the tour before you pay (which is entirely voluntary). Our tour guide´s name was Matt, and he might as well have had a PhD in Munich´s history. We were regaled with stories about the early days of the Third Reich, Hitler´s rise to power, and taken to many of the lesser known sites of the most powerful and influential events during this period.
Highlights were:
The Glockenspiel, which was shown for comedic purposes, as it was completely lame (apparently voted second most overrated tourist site in Europe)
Some of the subtle monuments erected in memory of Kristalnacht
Memorial to the German resistance
The site where Hitler held the leaders of the police and army hostage, leading to a standoff and his trial/conviction for treason (the Beer Hall Putsch)
Hofbrau House
Munich is an incredible city, not just for the history but also for the culture that we have been able to absorb at reasonable prices. Our hostel serves German beer and food for fractions of what we were charged in France and Italy for worse quality, and with tours like the New Europe available, we can feel the significance of standing in the places of major world events (instead of having dates and names recited to us)
Tomorrow, we are taking another New Europe tour to Dachau concentration camp with the same tour guide, and then revisiting the site of the White Rose movement, as encouraged by our guide. Afterwards, we are planning to do a tour of the local beer halls, which are as popular among the tourists as the locals!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
One less stooge...
Yesterday, our last day in Interlaken, the boys decided to go for a hike up Harder Kulm. The signs recommend that it takes 2 hours and 20 minutes to get to the top, and Rob was determined to beat that time. Mike tagged along and I opted out (not such a fan of running up a hill for 2 hours).
While they were gone, I perused the chocolate shops where I may have made a few purchases ;)... I also read in the park where the paragliders land and made friends with a few Swiss senior citizens, who also enjoyed watching the paragliders faceplant as they landed.
Five hours later, the boys returned from their hike. Turns out they had missed their target point and hiked even higher than they meant to! It turned out well, as they met two nice Americans on the way up, who we later had dinner with.
That night in Interlaken was the Nissan Outdoor Games awards show. Throughout the week, 5 teams of adrenaline junkies had been filming and photographing their teammates doing extreme tricks in paragliding, rock climbing, kayaking, base jumping, and mountain biking. The team leaders then submitted still photos and short films to a jury, which awarded prizes to the best ones. The awards show was just a big street party, which started out with people base jumping from helicopters above the crowd. Then a horrible band played, but we won't focus on that.
The videos and photos were awesome, the highlights being a film of a hang glider swooping down to a lake and dragging his feet through the water before getting some serious air; another highlight was a rock climber using no ropes or bungees and basically hanging upside down.
All in all, it was a great finish to three very relaxing days. Interlaken was awesome, and we all agreed that it would be a great place for another vacation (but only if we all somehow became rich first!)
Today was a day of travel. We woke up early and caught the 2 hour train to Luzern, where, sadly, Rob and I said goodbye to our third stooge. Mike was on his way to Basel, Mulhaus, and then to Paris to spend the night before catching his plane home tomorrow. Rob and I had to take an earlier train to Basel, then Mannheim, then finally Munich - which is where I am writing from.
Plans for the next few days are to do a free tour of the city, then a guided tour of the Dachau concentration camp. On Wednesday, we have booked an overnight train to Berlin, where we will be spending 5 days.
While they were gone, I perused the chocolate shops where I may have made a few purchases ;)... I also read in the park where the paragliders land and made friends with a few Swiss senior citizens, who also enjoyed watching the paragliders faceplant as they landed.
Five hours later, the boys returned from their hike. Turns out they had missed their target point and hiked even higher than they meant to! It turned out well, as they met two nice Americans on the way up, who we later had dinner with.
That night in Interlaken was the Nissan Outdoor Games awards show. Throughout the week, 5 teams of adrenaline junkies had been filming and photographing their teammates doing extreme tricks in paragliding, rock climbing, kayaking, base jumping, and mountain biking. The team leaders then submitted still photos and short films to a jury, which awarded prizes to the best ones. The awards show was just a big street party, which started out with people base jumping from helicopters above the crowd. Then a horrible band played, but we won't focus on that.
The videos and photos were awesome, the highlights being a film of a hang glider swooping down to a lake and dragging his feet through the water before getting some serious air; another highlight was a rock climber using no ropes or bungees and basically hanging upside down.
All in all, it was a great finish to three very relaxing days. Interlaken was awesome, and we all agreed that it would be a great place for another vacation (but only if we all somehow became rich first!)
Today was a day of travel. We woke up early and caught the 2 hour train to Luzern, where, sadly, Rob and I said goodbye to our third stooge. Mike was on his way to Basel, Mulhaus, and then to Paris to spend the night before catching his plane home tomorrow. Rob and I had to take an earlier train to Basel, then Mannheim, then finally Munich - which is where I am writing from.
Plans for the next few days are to do a free tour of the city, then a guided tour of the Dachau concentration camp. On Wednesday, we have booked an overnight train to Berlin, where we will be spending 5 days.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Up the river, without a paddle...
So after a thrilling day of paragliding yesterday, we thought we would keep the adrenaline high going by trying our hands at canyoning. For those unaware, canyoning is basically hiking through and around rapids, stopping occasionally to jump off a waterfall or slide down a water chute. I am sure I don't need to tell you it was quite the thrill! Both of our guides were from New Zealand, where canyoning is also huge, so we knew we were in good hands. However, it was easy to become nervous when told "if you jump too far or too short, you will hit a rock". Nonetheless, we all came out unscathed, save for some future bruises yet to be seen on Mike's shins. Kristen would like me to make a note that she managed to not hurt herself on this excursion (for once).
Other highlights included walking behind (and partially under) a waterfall, as well as sliding about 35 feet down a water chute, in my case ending up upside-down and backwards by the end of it!
Not that it was any less eventful, but we spent the remainder of the day perusing the local shops for Swiss souveniers, which were hard to resist due to their high quality and reasonable prices (Kristen wants me to mention also their chocolate content).
ps since I know you are wondering, we bought the foto packages for both canyoning and paragliding. Let's just say the fotos were candid.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Up, Up, and Away!!
We arrived in Interlaken yesterday to much cooler temperatures (Thank goodness!!) and some awesome scenery.
Balmer's Herberge is where we are staying, and it is one of the coolest places we have stayed so far. There are 3 different buildings with a big sort of "backyard" type area in the centre of them. The hostel's restaurant is a big BBQ area in the "backyard", and it is a great place to hangout. Lots of tables and chairs, and a giant chess board. The restaurant serves awesome food - bye bye pizza and pasta, hello fish n'chips and burgers!) There are a ton of international people here, but it still feels much more like home than any other place we've been.
This morning, we woke up and had a nice breakfast, then booked some adventure activities! We booked hanggliding and canyoning, then went for a hike. We didn't have a ton of time for the hike, some of the trails were closed, and it was super steep, but we managed to make it more than halfway up the mountain before we had to head back down for lunch and our first adventure - hanggliding!! Upon arrival to the adventure booth, we were informed that it wasn't a great day for hanggliding, and were convinced to do paragliding instead. This turned out to be an awesome move!!
They drove us all the way up to the top of one of the mountains and hooked us into harnesses and helmets. We were jumping with one of the paragliding experts, so they latched us to them and to the chutes. We had to take a few steps and run down this hill, and then it was lift off!
The views were amazing, and they let us take our cameras with us, so we have some great photos and Mike took some video. We all also bought the photo packages, so the guys we were gliding with took photos with a camera that was at the end of the long stick. Comical, but cool.
Mike and I had our glider dudes do some tricks while we were on our way down, and no rollercoaster in the world could compare to that!!
The landing was super easy, just a few running steps and that's it. Mike had a minor glitch on his landing and ended up with the parachute landing on top of him and the guy he was gliding with. If you feel like you missed out on such a hilarious moment, don't worry - he caught it all on tape!
We are off to have some more awesome dinner tonight, and tomorrow afternoon is when we go canyoning. I don't think we are allowed to bring our cameras for that (plus they will definitely get wet), but I'm sure we will get the photo package for that as well.
We will post again tomorrow after that adventure!
Balmer's Herberge is where we are staying, and it is one of the coolest places we have stayed so far. There are 3 different buildings with a big sort of "backyard" type area in the centre of them. The hostel's restaurant is a big BBQ area in the "backyard", and it is a great place to hangout. Lots of tables and chairs, and a giant chess board. The restaurant serves awesome food - bye bye pizza and pasta, hello fish n'chips and burgers!) There are a ton of international people here, but it still feels much more like home than any other place we've been.
This morning, we woke up and had a nice breakfast, then booked some adventure activities! We booked hanggliding and canyoning, then went for a hike. We didn't have a ton of time for the hike, some of the trails were closed, and it was super steep, but we managed to make it more than halfway up the mountain before we had to head back down for lunch and our first adventure - hanggliding!! Upon arrival to the adventure booth, we were informed that it wasn't a great day for hanggliding, and were convinced to do paragliding instead. This turned out to be an awesome move!!
They drove us all the way up to the top of one of the mountains and hooked us into harnesses and helmets. We were jumping with one of the paragliding experts, so they latched us to them and to the chutes. We had to take a few steps and run down this hill, and then it was lift off!
The views were amazing, and they let us take our cameras with us, so we have some great photos and Mike took some video. We all also bought the photo packages, so the guys we were gliding with took photos with a camera that was at the end of the long stick. Comical, but cool.
Mike and I had our glider dudes do some tricks while we were on our way down, and no rollercoaster in the world could compare to that!!
The landing was super easy, just a few running steps and that's it. Mike had a minor glitch on his landing and ended up with the parachute landing on top of him and the guy he was gliding with. If you feel like you missed out on such a hilarious moment, don't worry - he caught it all on tape!
We are off to have some more awesome dinner tonight, and tomorrow afternoon is when we go canyoning. I don't think we are allowed to bring our cameras for that (plus they will definitely get wet), but I'm sure we will get the photo package for that as well.
We will post again tomorrow after that adventure!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The mountains can't come soon enough...
I am writing to you from sweat drenched Milan where the heat is starting to get the best of us! 10 days of continuous 30 degree heat with almost 100% sunshine has been both spectacular and draining. We cannot wait to get up in the mountains where even the need for a jacket would be a welcome change.
As for Milan, we feel as though we have flown back home and are walking the streets of Toronto. We had dinner last night at an Italian steakhouse on the main street leading from the train station, a street that if you didn't know any better you would think you were standing on Bay St. The food was some of the best we have had and at a reasonable price. A quiet night followed, including an episode of Italian Wheel of Fortune that is an 'R' rated version of that seen in North America.
Today we set out to see what little we thought there was to do in Milan aside from shopping at trendy stores and watching a soccer game. The morning took us to yet another Duomo, this one with a much more gothic feel that the rest. We were unable to get in as we forgot to check for a dress code and Kristen's shoulders were far to revealing! We were able to walk through the first ever shopping mall as a small consolation.
For lunch we went on a scavenger hunt for 'Big Pizza'. A mythical place that lived up to its name. We all had pizzas that were about 16" across. Rob taking it on step further ordering a pizza that was topped with every none meat ingredient, needless to say he didnt make it through it all. In the end the experience was worth the 30 minutes we spent walking up and down numerous streets trying to find it.
A former fort now acting as the city museum was our next stop. Compared to the other museums we have visited this was a colossal disappointment. A quick walk through led us to a series of old musical instruments, broken chunks of stone from buildings we had never heard of and some paintings that were nice but not on par with those of the last couple weeks. The one bright spot was the unfinished last work of Michaelangelo.
We booted it back to the hotel to get out of the mid-day heat to find that the room we had be switched into with a shower in the middle of it. No bathroom, just a shower and a sink in the middle of the room, although there glass is not completely transparent, its a safe bet the Kristen will be using the shared bathroom down the hall for showers.
We are off for our last night of pasta and on to Switzerland!
As for Milan, we feel as though we have flown back home and are walking the streets of Toronto. We had dinner last night at an Italian steakhouse on the main street leading from the train station, a street that if you didn't know any better you would think you were standing on Bay St. The food was some of the best we have had and at a reasonable price. A quiet night followed, including an episode of Italian Wheel of Fortune that is an 'R' rated version of that seen in North America.
Today we set out to see what little we thought there was to do in Milan aside from shopping at trendy stores and watching a soccer game. The morning took us to yet another Duomo, this one with a much more gothic feel that the rest. We were unable to get in as we forgot to check for a dress code and Kristen's shoulders were far to revealing! We were able to walk through the first ever shopping mall as a small consolation.
For lunch we went on a scavenger hunt for 'Big Pizza'. A mythical place that lived up to its name. We all had pizzas that were about 16" across. Rob taking it on step further ordering a pizza that was topped with every none meat ingredient, needless to say he didnt make it through it all. In the end the experience was worth the 30 minutes we spent walking up and down numerous streets trying to find it.
A former fort now acting as the city museum was our next stop. Compared to the other museums we have visited this was a colossal disappointment. A quick walk through led us to a series of old musical instruments, broken chunks of stone from buildings we had never heard of and some paintings that were nice but not on par with those of the last couple weeks. The one bright spot was the unfinished last work of Michaelangelo.
We booted it back to the hotel to get out of the mid-day heat to find that the room we had be switched into with a shower in the middle of it. No bathroom, just a shower and a sink in the middle of the room, although there glass is not completely transparent, its a safe bet the Kristen will be using the shared bathroom down the hall for showers.
We are off for our last night of pasta and on to Switzerland!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Venice!
So we caught a mid-day train out of Florence (by the way, something we will do more often, it's too hot around 1-2) to Venice. As cool as Venice is, with it's complete lack of cars, and then all the canals, gondeliers, etc, it is really expensive and hard to find your way around. Transit from the train station to the hostel and back was 13 Euros! It was also quite the ordeal finding our way to the hostel, as the reception was at a different hotel. Alas, after much wandering we arrived at San Lio Tourist House, which turned out to be one of the best places we have stayed so far. It was more hotel than hostel, with tv, mini fridge, and full amenities in the washroom. Small luxuries for sure, but great for backbackers!
We spent our day in Venice perusing the markets for trinkets, both for ourselves and to take back to our loved ones at home (you!). We also were able to get a good deal on a gondola ride, as we were the last fare of the day. Instead of the usual 80-100 Euros we were told to expect, it was onl 20 each, so well worth it, and definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
We didn't do too much else afterwards other than searching for somewhere affordable to eat, and then when the thunderstorms rolled in, headed back to the hostel and watched Transporter 2 in Italian. The takeaway? Fight scenes are the same in any language
Milan today and tomorrow, then on to Interlaken!
Ciao!
We spent our day in Venice perusing the markets for trinkets, both for ourselves and to take back to our loved ones at home (you!). We also were able to get a good deal on a gondola ride, as we were the last fare of the day. Instead of the usual 80-100 Euros we were told to expect, it was onl 20 each, so well worth it, and definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
We didn't do too much else afterwards other than searching for somewhere affordable to eat, and then when the thunderstorms rolled in, headed back to the hostel and watched Transporter 2 in Italian. The takeaway? Fight scenes are the same in any language
Milan today and tomorrow, then on to Interlaken!
Ciao!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Last we left off, we had just seen the Colosseo in Roma!
The 21st, we walked and saw the Pantheon, which was huge and impressive! Then we walked to the Piazza Navona, where Mike was approached by an Italian man looking to sell some friendship bracelets... He tied one on Mike's wrist, but Mike refused to pay him (hahahah!), so the guy let him keep the bracelet... although I'm not sure he still wanted Mike as a friend after that. Rob and I bought some artwork from an artist (one among many) who had stands set up in the piazza.
We walked back to the hotel and went back to the same restaurant we had eaten at the night before, then headed back to the Colosseo at night to catch some photos. We ran into some German women who were trying to open their wine with a broken corkscrew. I enjoyed watching Mike and Rob test their strength at this impossible task. Amusing to say the least!!
Then it was back to the hotel and to sleep, as the next morning we woke up early to see the Vatican. When we arrived at 8.15, the line was about 500 people long, but the museum hadn't opened yet. Once the museum opened, the line moved quite quickly and we were off to see the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. The Sistine Chapel was nice, but not exactly as impressive as it had been described. The Basilica, however, was totally impressive, and an obvious display of the Catholic Church's deep pockets.
Next, we went to the train station to catch our train to Florence. We boarded, and approximately 400 m outside the station in Rome, the train broke. We were stuck on the train with some poorly behaved children for about 2 hours. We finally arrived inFlorence at 6:30, and had a heck of a time finding the bus we were supposed to take. We hopped into a cab and got to our 2 star hotel (no hostels available!). The hotel is clean but nothing fancy... and the shower, sink, biday, and toilet are all in one big stall... so in theory, you could shower, brush your teeth, and use the toilet at the same time. Odd.
We spent the evening roaming around the city, which is by far the prettiest we have seen. It really has a Renaissance feel to it. Rob and I rode the carrousel in a Piazza (Mike was too cool for that!). Then we walked around viewing the crazy expensive shops, and caught an impromptu concert on the Ponte Vecchio.
This morning we climbed the huge tower beside the Duomo (400 and some odd stairs!) and the view was amazing.
We grabbed lunch from the Mercato Centrale, then came to this stupid internet cafe to try and plan the rest of our trip.
Next stops:
Venice
Milan
Interlaken
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Roma.. the beginning
As Rob mentioned yesterday there really was nothing to Pisa other than the Leaning Tower so we were happy to ride the rails for 3 hours and get to one of our most anticipated stops, Roma. When we got off the train we found ourselves in the Termini Station, so large it has its own mall and series of restaurants. The station in itself was more interesting than Pisa. After a 5 minute walk and navigating a sea of pubcrawl fliers, we arrived at The Yellow, our home for the next 3 days. The Yellow gives a feeling of home as the majority of the people staying here are American. After getting our room all set up we decided that we would infact take a pubcrawl.
The crawl we chose included an hour walking tour prior to the festivities. We walked the streets stopping at 3 popular spots, Piazza Bernini, the Spanish Steps and the Fontana di Trevi. Our guide Tad was great even though he was not quite authentic (he was from Idaho). After the educational portion of the evening was up we made our way through 3 local establishments and came to realize how small the world really is as we were "crawling" with 4 guys from North York and 1 from Thornhill. It was a great night all around, lots of singing, "dancing" and new friends.
This morning we slept in a little longer than anticipated (insert "I told you so" here). Once we were all ready to go, we started our Roman conquest at the Colosseo. We joined an english speaking tour which was great as we learned much more than we would have walking the building ourselves. We then moved to the Palatino and Roman Forum, both of which were included in our tour. We were able to stand where the emperors throne was and view the forum were athletic competition took place. An outstanding start, even though it was extremely hot throughout our tour.
Once that was over we hopped back on the metro to Yellow for a break, where I showered and Rob and Kristen slept. Once we had our feet under us again we took to the streets to revisit the sites from last night to see them in day light. The Fontana di Trevi was especially spectacular. Looking through small boutiques took up the next half hour before we enjoyed a true Roman dinner at 9pm. We were beside an old Danish couple who were Very well travelled and wanted to know everything about us and express their views on the world as they knew it. A unique perspective to be sure although very entertaining to hear, even if we only got a sentence or two in every 5 minutes!
Now its time to call it an evening and prepare for a full day of sights and sounds tomorrow. The Pantheon headlines the list we hope to get around to before Friday when we have the Vatican lined up!
Ciao Bella!|
The crawl we chose included an hour walking tour prior to the festivities. We walked the streets stopping at 3 popular spots, Piazza Bernini, the Spanish Steps and the Fontana di Trevi. Our guide Tad was great even though he was not quite authentic (he was from Idaho). After the educational portion of the evening was up we made our way through 3 local establishments and came to realize how small the world really is as we were "crawling" with 4 guys from North York and 1 from Thornhill. It was a great night all around, lots of singing, "dancing" and new friends.
This morning we slept in a little longer than anticipated (insert "I told you so" here). Once we were all ready to go, we started our Roman conquest at the Colosseo. We joined an english speaking tour which was great as we learned much more than we would have walking the building ourselves. We then moved to the Palatino and Roman Forum, both of which were included in our tour. We were able to stand where the emperors throne was and view the forum were athletic competition took place. An outstanding start, even though it was extremely hot throughout our tour.
Once that was over we hopped back on the metro to Yellow for a break, where I showered and Rob and Kristen slept. Once we had our feet under us again we took to the streets to revisit the sites from last night to see them in day light. The Fontana di Trevi was especially spectacular. Looking through small boutiques took up the next half hour before we enjoyed a true Roman dinner at 9pm. We were beside an old Danish couple who were Very well travelled and wanted to know everything about us and express their views on the world as they knew it. A unique perspective to be sure although very entertaining to hear, even if we only got a sentence or two in every 5 minutes!
Now its time to call it an evening and prepare for a full day of sights and sounds tomorrow. The Pantheon headlines the list we hope to get around to before Friday when we have the Vatican lined up!
Ciao Bella!|
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Last Day in Nice and our Excursion to Pisa
Nice
Similar to our last day in Paris, our last day in Nice was all about taking it easy and walking around. I started off the day by going for a run on the boardwalk, which was hot even at 9am, but beautiful. We were planning on hiking up to the park on a hill in the East end, but couldn't find any stores open to get groceries (everything is closed Sundays). After a little bit of wandering, we found ourselves in Old Nice, which as it turns out is quite the hidden gem. From what we could tell, it is where all the locals hang out, and was essentially a network of alleyways laden with hole-in-the-wall cafés just waiting to be discovered. There was also huge farmers' market where we picked up some garlic bread with mushrooms, spiced olives, cherries, and a bottle of wine for our picnic. As a side note, we also sampled by far the best sundried tomatos I have ever had, but at 25 Euros for a small box, that was just not happening.
The ruins hike was a cake walk compared to the Eiffel Tower, but had the added reward of waterfalls and trees on the way up, as well as a beautiful park when we reached the top. We had our picnic overlooking the Medetteranian, and was one of the cheapest and best meals we have had yet. It still feels weird that you are allowed to drink in public here, but is great for events like this.
After our hike, we headed back to the market and picked up a kilogram of cherries and another bottle of wine for later, and I bargained with a street vendor over a wooden statue that I now carry in my backpack. We finally did some laundry, which took forever and I will spare you the details.
We spent the afternoon tanning on the beach and then headed back to La Sasparas for dinner since it was so great the first night. Unfortunately they didn't tell us the kitchen was closed until we had already ordered a few things to start, so we headed out to find food. Since everything was closed, we ended up at Quick, which is basically like McDonalds, and had a similar gross after feeling. We grabbed a quick nap to recuperate, then headed back down to the beach for sunset and another bottle of French red (which incidentally is awesome even at 4 Euros). We toasted the end of our French adventure and looked forward to Italy...
Pisa
We arrived in Pisa after a 5 hour train ride via Genova, and immediately had trouble with our hostel. Apparently this place is just a huge apartment that has been converted to a hostel, and nobody is there to check you in or out. We arrived to find our names written on the wall outside with the instructions "call this number". Finally we got the owner to show up and she let us in. The front hall stunk like sulphur and the elevator was big enough for 2 people and a small dog, but since the room itself was nice, it was just funny. We immediately headed to the Tower to make the climb, which at 15 Euros was the most expensive thing we have done yet. It was a surreal climb, as you couldn't see the lean from the inside, but you could sure feel it. The stairs would all of a sudden seem extremely difficult to climb, and then start leaning, then seem flat again. Kristen did not enjoy the top of the tower at all, as the protective railing only reached about waist height. However, we spent about 10 minutes talking with a great older guy from Australia and his sister. They were on a great world journey in their restored 1944 war vehicle which was supposed to culminate in Normandy on the day of the 65th anniversary. It was fantastic to meet them and get to have a chat, and we wished we could have been there for the celebration (we are back at home/in Germany for the big day). Nonetheless, Kristen and I are going to try and make it there on the way home.
We had dinner at a restaurant right under the tower, and Mike was thrilled to finally have real Italian pizza! I did the same, and Kristen had pesto gnocci. It is a little bit harder to get by here because of the language difference, but we have managed so far. Right now we are just waiting for our train to Rome, as there is nothing to do in Pisa really aside from the tower. Sorry for the long entry, but we owed you a few days! Ciao
Similar to our last day in Paris, our last day in Nice was all about taking it easy and walking around. I started off the day by going for a run on the boardwalk, which was hot even at 9am, but beautiful. We were planning on hiking up to the park on a hill in the East end, but couldn't find any stores open to get groceries (everything is closed Sundays). After a little bit of wandering, we found ourselves in Old Nice, which as it turns out is quite the hidden gem. From what we could tell, it is where all the locals hang out, and was essentially a network of alleyways laden with hole-in-the-wall cafés just waiting to be discovered. There was also huge farmers' market where we picked up some garlic bread with mushrooms, spiced olives, cherries, and a bottle of wine for our picnic. As a side note, we also sampled by far the best sundried tomatos I have ever had, but at 25 Euros for a small box, that was just not happening.
The ruins hike was a cake walk compared to the Eiffel Tower, but had the added reward of waterfalls and trees on the way up, as well as a beautiful park when we reached the top. We had our picnic overlooking the Medetteranian, and was one of the cheapest and best meals we have had yet. It still feels weird that you are allowed to drink in public here, but is great for events like this.
After our hike, we headed back to the market and picked up a kilogram of cherries and another bottle of wine for later, and I bargained with a street vendor over a wooden statue that I now carry in my backpack. We finally did some laundry, which took forever and I will spare you the details.
We spent the afternoon tanning on the beach and then headed back to La Sasparas for dinner since it was so great the first night. Unfortunately they didn't tell us the kitchen was closed until we had already ordered a few things to start, so we headed out to find food. Since everything was closed, we ended up at Quick, which is basically like McDonalds, and had a similar gross after feeling. We grabbed a quick nap to recuperate, then headed back down to the beach for sunset and another bottle of French red (which incidentally is awesome even at 4 Euros). We toasted the end of our French adventure and looked forward to Italy...
Pisa
We arrived in Pisa after a 5 hour train ride via Genova, and immediately had trouble with our hostel. Apparently this place is just a huge apartment that has been converted to a hostel, and nobody is there to check you in or out. We arrived to find our names written on the wall outside with the instructions "call this number". Finally we got the owner to show up and she let us in. The front hall stunk like sulphur and the elevator was big enough for 2 people and a small dog, but since the room itself was nice, it was just funny. We immediately headed to the Tower to make the climb, which at 15 Euros was the most expensive thing we have done yet. It was a surreal climb, as you couldn't see the lean from the inside, but you could sure feel it. The stairs would all of a sudden seem extremely difficult to climb, and then start leaning, then seem flat again. Kristen did not enjoy the top of the tower at all, as the protective railing only reached about waist height. However, we spent about 10 minutes talking with a great older guy from Australia and his sister. They were on a great world journey in their restored 1944 war vehicle which was supposed to culminate in Normandy on the day of the 65th anniversary. It was fantastic to meet them and get to have a chat, and we wished we could have been there for the celebration (we are back at home/in Germany for the big day). Nonetheless, Kristen and I are going to try and make it there on the way home.
We had dinner at a restaurant right under the tower, and Mike was thrilled to finally have real Italian pizza! I did the same, and Kristen had pesto gnocci. It is a little bit harder to get by here because of the language difference, but we have managed so far. Right now we are just waiting for our train to Rome, as there is nothing to do in Pisa really aside from the tower. Sorry for the long entry, but we owed you a few days! Ciao
Saturday, May 16, 2009
From the big city to a little bed
It's finally my turn to give this blogging a try so bare with me if its not the greatest you have ever read.
We wrapped up our tour of Paris on a rather dull note. It poured rain most of the morning however we decided to go out and check out one more site, the cemetery of Pere Lachaise. Wow! Not the cemetery we were expecting at all, massive head plates and family tombs lined the seemingly endless rows and streets used the navigate the huge lot. We found the graves of both Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison which was the goal of the outing. With a few hours left until we boarded our train to Nice, we relaxed and rested our feet after 2 and a half days of furious walking.
The overnight train to Nice was an exciting thought for all of us as we had never taken a couchette car overnight before. Our excitement quickly faded once we saw we would be spending 10 hours in a "room" about 6'x6' and about 10 feet high with three other people. It really was a move from the big city to a little room especially for me who managed to be booked into the top bunk about 2 feet from the ceiling! This wouldn't have been so bad if my legs were fully extended. Rob also had it bad being on the middle bunk and having no place for his bag he too enjoyed the fetal position. The sleep however was very relaxing, and getting to Nice was a great relief.
We however did not outrun the rain as it was still coming down quite hard when we arrived. We found our new hostel, Chez Patrick, on a small side street and having B&B feel rather than the dorm we had left in Paris.
The next 6 hours were spent walking the winding streets of Nice trying to take in the beauty. The main strip (leading to the beach) lined with boutiques reminded me how much fun having a job prior to this trip would have been. At the bottom of the street a larger square takes you on the beach. The Stone beach itself was great to walk on and allowed Rob and Kristen to collect enough beached glass to make Ikea jealous. Dinner by the beach capped off our first day in Nice.
We woke at about 4am to our roommate (roughly45 yrs. old) snoring so loud our bunks were shaking. Finally that stopped and we were able to catch a couple more hours before heading off to Monaco for a day trip. We grabbed a train which took about 25 min to get there. Again, a gorgeous place. The Casino was the highlight as it looked like we were back in the Louvre with the interior decore, bronze statues and ceiling murals it put what we knew to be casinos to shame. Adding to the beauty was the 37 euros I won on the slots. In addition to the Casino we had lunch at a cafe by the marina, and walked the city including parts of the grand prix track. All this walking was in an effort to find the beach which we did 20 min before out train back, soo much for that! Our consolation was the car gazing we were able to do as we walked the streets, Ferraris, Bentleys, Rolls with a sprinkling of Lambos was quite the cite. You know you have it made with your city's taxi of choice is a C class Benz.
Well that about wraps of the last 2 and a half days. A big dinner awaits at Buffalo Grill, really French I know but after 6 days of baguettes, bring on the steak!
We wrapped up our tour of Paris on a rather dull note. It poured rain most of the morning however we decided to go out and check out one more site, the cemetery of Pere Lachaise. Wow! Not the cemetery we were expecting at all, massive head plates and family tombs lined the seemingly endless rows and streets used the navigate the huge lot. We found the graves of both Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison which was the goal of the outing. With a few hours left until we boarded our train to Nice, we relaxed and rested our feet after 2 and a half days of furious walking.
The overnight train to Nice was an exciting thought for all of us as we had never taken a couchette car overnight before. Our excitement quickly faded once we saw we would be spending 10 hours in a "room" about 6'x6' and about 10 feet high with three other people. It really was a move from the big city to a little room especially for me who managed to be booked into the top bunk about 2 feet from the ceiling! This wouldn't have been so bad if my legs were fully extended. Rob also had it bad being on the middle bunk and having no place for his bag he too enjoyed the fetal position. The sleep however was very relaxing, and getting to Nice was a great relief.
We however did not outrun the rain as it was still coming down quite hard when we arrived. We found our new hostel, Chez Patrick, on a small side street and having B&B feel rather than the dorm we had left in Paris.
The next 6 hours were spent walking the winding streets of Nice trying to take in the beauty. The main strip (leading to the beach) lined with boutiques reminded me how much fun having a job prior to this trip would have been. At the bottom of the street a larger square takes you on the beach. The Stone beach itself was great to walk on and allowed Rob and Kristen to collect enough beached glass to make Ikea jealous. Dinner by the beach capped off our first day in Nice.
We woke at about 4am to our roommate (roughly45 yrs. old) snoring so loud our bunks were shaking. Finally that stopped and we were able to catch a couple more hours before heading off to Monaco for a day trip. We grabbed a train which took about 25 min to get there. Again, a gorgeous place. The Casino was the highlight as it looked like we were back in the Louvre with the interior decore, bronze statues and ceiling murals it put what we knew to be casinos to shame. Adding to the beauty was the 37 euros I won on the slots. In addition to the Casino we had lunch at a cafe by the marina, and walked the city including parts of the grand prix track. All this walking was in an effort to find the beach which we did 20 min before out train back, soo much for that! Our consolation was the car gazing we were able to do as we walked the streets, Ferraris, Bentleys, Rolls with a sprinkling of Lambos was quite the cite. You know you have it made with your city's taxi of choice is a C class Benz.
Well that about wraps of the last 2 and a half days. A big dinner awaits at Buffalo Grill, really French I know but after 6 days of baguettes, bring on the steak!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, The Arc de Triomphe, and the Moulin Rouge
On Tuesday night, we went to the Eiffel Tower at sunset and took the stairs allllll the way up (Well, not all the way. But almost!). The view was beautiful, and Rob was freaking out from the height, but once he got used to it, he was fine. We spent some money in the gift shop and then went back down to street level and ate crepes while watching the light show at 11pm, which was pretty but could also induce a seizure!! The tower is way bigger than I thought it would be, and was definitely way more impressive than I could've ever imagined.
Yesterday morning, we woke up early and headed straight to the Louvre... that place is GINORMOUS! We saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and Hammurabi's Code, among other things. We didn't get to see it all, as that would take way more than a day - and our legs were still tired from climbing nearly 700 stairs to the top of the Eiffel Tower!
After the Louvre, we stopped at a little boulangerie for lunch, grabbed some ice cream, and went fora walk through the Jardin de Touillerie, down the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. We stopped at a public toilet in the Jardin de Touillerie, which was surprisingly clean. And the boys had to walk through turnstiles to get to the urinals (very odd!). Among other strange things we saw on our walk was a small child, laying on the gravel drinking from a puddle... while her parents looked on. Hilarious, but so strange as well!!
The Arc de Triomphe was huge! We didn't climb to the top (we'd had enough the day before at the Eiffel Tower!), but we got some great photos from ground level.
We then headed over to the Moulin Rouge, which pretty much looked exactly how I expected it to look. We had first considered going there at night, but decided against it, which turned out to be a wise decision. It's slightly seedy during the day, so I can only imagine what it's like at night.
We spent the rest of the evening in and around the hostel, relaxing and planning the next leg of our trip. We decided to scrap a day in Florence, and instead use that day to stop in Pisa and see the Leaning Tower and the Duomo. It looks fantastic, and we've found a great little hostel/bed and breakfast place that we're thinking of staying at!
We spent the evening singing karaoke with Klare (our Aussie roommate) and a tour group that was staying at the hostel.
This morning we checked out of Saint Christopher's Inn, and we're planning to relax all day in Paris before catching the night train to Nice. We've booked couchettes (sleeper cars), which I'm pretty excited about. I think it will be a cool experience.
Nice will be a relaxing break after running around Paris for 3 days!!
I hope everything is well at home!!
PS: A shout-out to Jim, who has commented on our blog every day!! Awesome :)
Yesterday morning, we woke up early and headed straight to the Louvre... that place is GINORMOUS! We saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and Hammurabi's Code, among other things. We didn't get to see it all, as that would take way more than a day - and our legs were still tired from climbing nearly 700 stairs to the top of the Eiffel Tower!
After the Louvre, we stopped at a little boulangerie for lunch, grabbed some ice cream, and went fora walk through the Jardin de Touillerie, down the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. We stopped at a public toilet in the Jardin de Touillerie, which was surprisingly clean. And the boys had to walk through turnstiles to get to the urinals (very odd!). Among other strange things we saw on our walk was a small child, laying on the gravel drinking from a puddle... while her parents looked on. Hilarious, but so strange as well!!
The Arc de Triomphe was huge! We didn't climb to the top (we'd had enough the day before at the Eiffel Tower!), but we got some great photos from ground level.
We then headed over to the Moulin Rouge, which pretty much looked exactly how I expected it to look. We had first considered going there at night, but decided against it, which turned out to be a wise decision. It's slightly seedy during the day, so I can only imagine what it's like at night.
We spent the rest of the evening in and around the hostel, relaxing and planning the next leg of our trip. We decided to scrap a day in Florence, and instead use that day to stop in Pisa and see the Leaning Tower and the Duomo. It looks fantastic, and we've found a great little hostel/bed and breakfast place that we're thinking of staying at!
We spent the evening singing karaoke with Klare (our Aussie roommate) and a tour group that was staying at the hostel.
This morning we checked out of Saint Christopher's Inn, and we're planning to relax all day in Paris before catching the night train to Nice. We've booked couchettes (sleeper cars), which I'm pretty excited about. I think it will be a cool experience.
Nice will be a relaxing break after running around Paris for 3 days!!
I hope everything is well at home!!
PS: A shout-out to Jim, who has commented on our blog every day!! Awesome :)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Paris Day 2- Catacombes, Notre Dame, etc
So I'm sure Kristen accidentally neglected to mention this, but little did we know until last night that we were travelling with a beer amateur (amateur de biere). Kristen had ordered a bottle of Kronenburg beer (because it was the cheapest on the menu at €3), and ended up with a 1% alcohol content. The back of the label explicityly said "pour le plaisir des amateurs de biere" which I am sure you can translate. Needless to say, she has earned the nickname BA for the rest of the trip.
Today, we had a number of highlight stops, most notably the catacombes and Notre Dame cathedral. The catacombes are underground tunnels where victims of the plague were buried about 230 years ago, and are lined with bones and skulls. It was rather morbid with the constant reminder of death, but also impressive, as there was a great amount of detail in the arrangement of bones and even some replica cities carved into the rock.
Notre Dame was, to be honest, more impressive from the outside than within. The inside was really similar to the cathedral we visited in Edinburgh, with vaulted celings, etc. We had the option of walking up the towers, but the line was just way too long.
Mike and I were both thrilled to finally find a site used in the film Eurotrip when we visited Gare duNord. For those who have seen the film, it is the scene where Michelle Trachtenburg meets the French guy who turns out to be a loser. We searched and searched but could not find the coke machine. C'est dommage.
Also visited Latin Quarter and Luxembourg park, which were great. Eiffel tower tonight for the light show, can't wait!
Today, we had a number of highlight stops, most notably the catacombes and Notre Dame cathedral. The catacombes are underground tunnels where victims of the plague were buried about 230 years ago, and are lined with bones and skulls. It was rather morbid with the constant reminder of death, but also impressive, as there was a great amount of detail in the arrangement of bones and even some replica cities carved into the rock.
Notre Dame was, to be honest, more impressive from the outside than within. The inside was really similar to the cathedral we visited in Edinburgh, with vaulted celings, etc. We had the option of walking up the towers, but the line was just way too long.
Mike and I were both thrilled to finally find a site used in the film Eurotrip when we visited Gare duNord. For those who have seen the film, it is the scene where Michelle Trachtenburg meets the French guy who turns out to be a loser. We searched and searched but could not find the coke machine. C'est dommage.
Also visited Latin Quarter and Luxembourg park, which were great. Eiffel tower tonight for the light show, can't wait!
Monday, May 11, 2009
We're here!
We made it! Even after I was the subject of an extensive search at Pearson's security, which involved a solid pat-down and the lady completely unpacking my meticulously packed carry-on bag! I guess that's what I get for appearing so suspicious.... ;)
The flight was alright - Air Canada had tons of great movies, and we all managed to get a couple hours of sleep in. Our plane landed at about 10.10am, and then we got our bags and headed towards the train. Of course, we managed to buy a whole booklet of the WRONG metro tickets the first go-round, but not to worry, as we can use them in the city as we tour around!
We checked into our hostel at about 2:00pm. We're sharing a room with an Aussie girl, a guy from Calgary, and some other dude who didn't introduce himself. The rooms are clean, and the showers are clean. Our hostel is in the 19ieme district, which is the northwest portion of the city. So, we're not really central and haven't had a chance to really see Paris...yet! That will come tomorrow! We spent the day having a 2-hour nap (well-needed, trust me!) and wandering around the area of our hostel. We found a nice little deli/bakery, where we got foot-long baguette sandwiches, a drink, and a pastry for only 5 Euros. We ate them in a little park near the canal, where Rob decided to feed a little bird... who then summoned his 80 little bird friends to come harass us while we ate.
The plan for the next few days is...
The Louvre
Champs-Elysees
Eiffel Tower
Catacombs
Latin Quarter
Normandy
And a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember right now! On Friday night, we'll be taking the overnight train to Nice, where we plan to relax and enjoy the coast for a few days!
More to come later, after we actually get a chance to see more of Paris!!
The flight was alright - Air Canada had tons of great movies, and we all managed to get a couple hours of sleep in. Our plane landed at about 10.10am, and then we got our bags and headed towards the train. Of course, we managed to buy a whole booklet of the WRONG metro tickets the first go-round, but not to worry, as we can use them in the city as we tour around!
We checked into our hostel at about 2:00pm. We're sharing a room with an Aussie girl, a guy from Calgary, and some other dude who didn't introduce himself. The rooms are clean, and the showers are clean. Our hostel is in the 19ieme district, which is the northwest portion of the city. So, we're not really central and haven't had a chance to really see Paris...yet! That will come tomorrow! We spent the day having a 2-hour nap (well-needed, trust me!) and wandering around the area of our hostel. We found a nice little deli/bakery, where we got foot-long baguette sandwiches, a drink, and a pastry for only 5 Euros. We ate them in a little park near the canal, where Rob decided to feed a little bird... who then summoned his 80 little bird friends to come harass us while we ate.
The plan for the next few days is...
The Louvre
Champs-Elysees
Eiffel Tower
Catacombs
Latin Quarter
Normandy
And a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember right now! On Friday night, we'll be taking the overnight train to Nice, where we plan to relax and enjoy the coast for a few days!
More to come later, after we actually get a chance to see more of Paris!!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Welcome to our blog!
So this is the blog that Mike, Kristen, and I will be posting on to keep people updated on our excursions and activities abroad. We are leaving on Sunday, and although I can't speak for the other two, it hasn't quite sunk in yet. Rest assured, however, that Sunday morning we will be giddy with excitement!
We have booked our hostel for Paris, and will be staying at St Christopher's in the NE part of the downtown region. It doesn't look like it will be too hard to get around with metro stations everywhere, and the hostel itself looks AMAZING. It is brand new and frankly cheaper than many of the other places in Paris, so it should be great. Among the benefits, we get a free breakfast everyday, and they offer a cheap dinner option at 7pm at the hostel, so we should be able to save a couple of Euros that way. However, the only rooms they had open for four days were 6 bed dorm style rooms, so it could be interesting, but I'm sure it will be ok as long as we are together!
Here are some pictures of the hostel from their website...
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