Day three of Prague found us taking a tour of the Prague Castle and surrounding areas, which wasn't nearly as interesting as the FREE tour of Prague we took the day before. Also, the tour included a constant threat of rain, which wasn't much fun either. We did have our tour guide from the day before, so the continuity in our Prague trip was funny. After the tour, we went for another typical Czech meal, which was goulash and a potato pancake. We also accompanied it with a lot of beer, which is also in typical Czech style (they are the number one consumer per capita of beer). We ended the night with rummy in the hostel (what else is new), and got ready for the trip to Berlin.
As has been the norm for our train rides, no major snafus. The only thing that was slightly off was the confusion between the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn train systems we had to use to get to the hostel, but we finally made it. We're staying at The Circus, which I guess could be described as a "boutique hostel..." it's really nice. We spent the evening going to museums (I am officially museum-ed out, by the way), seeing the Gate of Ishtar and the Pergamon, and seeing the Bust of Nefertiti. Fun stuff (right?) but I was ready to get out of there.
In the evening, Mr. Peter Koltak was in town, so he came over to the hostel and we all enjoyed happy hour together (CHEAP happy hour!). It was good times, but we ended up turning in pretty early.
In the morning, we went on ANOTHER FREE TOUR! This time, with a Scot named Inez. Inez was great, the tour was awesome, and we finally could put all of the WWII stuff we learned in Munich into context. They set up these tours like a story, and you hear about stuff as you're right there. They've really got it down to a system. We tipped Inez, and got Indian food. Then, it was laundry time! After laundry, we went on the pub crawl for our tour group. IT WAS THE BEST. We started out at a bar called Zapata, which I guess can only be described as a hippie peyote trip at the beach. It's an outdoor bar in East Berlin, and there is art and rope lights and graffiti everywhere. It was also an outdoor bar, but instead of grass or concrete, it's all sand. Really cool. We went to three bars after that, and then showed up at a dance club, which wasn't much fun... and also really far away from the hostel. Ashley and I managed to navigate just fine though, and we got back to the hostel in one piece.
On day three, we went back to the Brandenburg Gate, where the World Championships in Athletics were happening... and we ended up watching the World Championships of speed walking... I swear. it was so weird to see people all excited about speed walkers. We also went to the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall (which is much smaller than you'd think) and I got a Dolores burrito again. We had heard about a cheap bar where you pay a cover, and then drink whatever you want... but we were skeptical.
IT'S TRUE! Berlin has a bar where you pay 2 Euro, get a glass, and then sample all kinds of wine... and then pay what you think you drank. It's a pretty cool concept. We had our fair share of wine, and then went back to the hostel, thinking we would go down to the hostel bar to see what was up. As we walked by the cafe in front of the hostel. Someone yelled "Muck Fichigan!" (I was wearing that shirt yesterday). We ended up meeting a group of people, who I guess hate Michigan, and hanging out with them for the rest of the night, and we took them back to Zapata. Great night.
Today, Ashley and I haven't done much; we just got Mexican food and now we're thinking of seeing a movie. Our capacity for being hardcore tourists is kind of dwindling... I guess you can only do so much.
I love Berlin, though. I could see myself coming back here in the future. Everything is so clean, and interesting. It's weird to think that twenty years ago, you couldn't walk between West and East Berlin like we've been doing. Bizarre. I'm gonna run... in 27 hours, I'll be in Amsterdam!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Munich Part 2/Austria/Prague Part 1
So...Dachau. One of the spookiest places I've ever been to in my life. As we explored around, we all got audioguides to listen to while we walked around. At one point, I was standing on some grass, and the guide got to the point in the recording where it said, "and any prisoner that stood on the grass would immediately be shot." I got really spooked, and ran off the grass. It was really weird.
The thing that really had an effect on me was the crematorium, with the showers. I went in the exit accidentally, and saw the ovens first, then the showers, then the disrobing room. Because mass murders were never conducted at Dachau, I didn't expect for them to have a shower room, but they did... when I was in there, I immediately wanted to get out. Huge experience to be there, in such an unnatural, evil place.
When we got back to Munich, we decided to go back to the cheap sushi place, and then go to some beer halls. We ended up at the Hofbrauhaus again, but this time, on a SATURDAY NIGHT! You know what that means in Bavaria? Bavarian dancers and a band onstage! Quite different than flamenco, but still really fun. So we enjoyed pretzels and liters of beer in the Hofbrauhaus, right next to the stage where Hitler performed one of his first speeches. Ridiculous how my life is turning out.
The next morning, I decided to take a day trip to Austria... you know, just for the hell of it. I got the early train to Salzburg, and explored around for a while. Not much to do in Salzburg, just a lot of museums. So... when in Austria, I did as the Austrians do... I went to a modern art museum, a toy museum, and a marionette museum. I also went up to the fortress and took some aerial shots of the city, but the line for the fortress was hella long... so I decided to go back to Munich to be back for happy hour (and my friend Amy's arrival in Munich proper!).
That night, we did another independent bar crawl... this time, it was Amy, Mike (from Michigan), Ashley, and I. We started out at a pub called Ned Kelly's... an Australian bar. We had a plan... appetizer at Ned Kelly's, real food later. Turns out, our "appetizer" was enough food for the night. What did we have? We shared a kangaroo steak and potato wedges... oh yeah, I ate kangaroo meat. It's actually really tender, and it was spiced very well. Delicious, though. I also managed to eat 7 giant ketchup packets (we're guessing that it was about 14 regular packets) with the wedges. Typical.
So, Auf Wiedersehen, Munich, and however you say hello in Czech to Prague! The train ride was long and kind of hot, but we made it to the Czech Republic in one piece. When we got to our hostel, we were immediately in search of food... and we found it, about a kilometer up the street from our hostel. Ashley and I had some cheap Czech food... it's actually ALL cheap... steak and bacon and salmon for about 7 American dollars! Plus... dollar beers here in the Czech Republic! It's mug night... all the time. It's the best. When we got back to the hostel, it started raining, so... no big bar tour this time (plus we're kind of in an area of town that MAAAAYYY be a little creepy at night).
In the morning, we took one of our favorite things... a free tour! We learned a lot about Prague, and the history of the buildings, etc. We're going on a tour of the Prague Castle with the same company this afternoon (sadly, not free...). After the tour, we crossed the river, and went up to the castle, and had some absinthe ice cream on the way down. It was BRIGHT green, and you couldn't really taste the absinthe, but it was still a funny thing to eat. As we made our way down, it looked like rain. Sarah, our Prague travel companion (there's always at least one), didn't believe us, so she went to explore more, as we searched for a Metro station. Right before the station, we ran into a DOWNPOUR. So, we took shelter at a local pub, and had a few Czech beers. The rain let up, and we found a traditional Czech restaurant where we had goulash, potato pancakes, a chicken, beef, and bacon kebab, and we also tried bread dumplings (not so good). BUT! We tried the local cuisine, so that's great. We took it easy again tonight, played a few games of rummy, and went to bed.
This morning, all bright and ready to face Prague, we're getting our lives together and doing work schedules and writing blog entries. I realized that I'm back home in 20 days... that's so soon! But for now, still living it up in Europe!
The thing that really had an effect on me was the crematorium, with the showers. I went in the exit accidentally, and saw the ovens first, then the showers, then the disrobing room. Because mass murders were never conducted at Dachau, I didn't expect for them to have a shower room, but they did... when I was in there, I immediately wanted to get out. Huge experience to be there, in such an unnatural, evil place.
When we got back to Munich, we decided to go back to the cheap sushi place, and then go to some beer halls. We ended up at the Hofbrauhaus again, but this time, on a SATURDAY NIGHT! You know what that means in Bavaria? Bavarian dancers and a band onstage! Quite different than flamenco, but still really fun. So we enjoyed pretzels and liters of beer in the Hofbrauhaus, right next to the stage where Hitler performed one of his first speeches. Ridiculous how my life is turning out.
The next morning, I decided to take a day trip to Austria... you know, just for the hell of it. I got the early train to Salzburg, and explored around for a while. Not much to do in Salzburg, just a lot of museums. So... when in Austria, I did as the Austrians do... I went to a modern art museum, a toy museum, and a marionette museum. I also went up to the fortress and took some aerial shots of the city, but the line for the fortress was hella long... so I decided to go back to Munich to be back for happy hour (and my friend Amy's arrival in Munich proper!).
That night, we did another independent bar crawl... this time, it was Amy, Mike (from Michigan), Ashley, and I. We started out at a pub called Ned Kelly's... an Australian bar. We had a plan... appetizer at Ned Kelly's, real food later. Turns out, our "appetizer" was enough food for the night. What did we have? We shared a kangaroo steak and potato wedges... oh yeah, I ate kangaroo meat. It's actually really tender, and it was spiced very well. Delicious, though. I also managed to eat 7 giant ketchup packets (we're guessing that it was about 14 regular packets) with the wedges. Typical.
So, Auf Wiedersehen, Munich, and however you say hello in Czech to Prague! The train ride was long and kind of hot, but we made it to the Czech Republic in one piece. When we got to our hostel, we were immediately in search of food... and we found it, about a kilometer up the street from our hostel. Ashley and I had some cheap Czech food... it's actually ALL cheap... steak and bacon and salmon for about 7 American dollars! Plus... dollar beers here in the Czech Republic! It's mug night... all the time. It's the best. When we got back to the hostel, it started raining, so... no big bar tour this time (plus we're kind of in an area of town that MAAAAYYY be a little creepy at night).
In the morning, we took one of our favorite things... a free tour! We learned a lot about Prague, and the history of the buildings, etc. We're going on a tour of the Prague Castle with the same company this afternoon (sadly, not free...). After the tour, we crossed the river, and went up to the castle, and had some absinthe ice cream on the way down. It was BRIGHT green, and you couldn't really taste the absinthe, but it was still a funny thing to eat. As we made our way down, it looked like rain. Sarah, our Prague travel companion (there's always at least one), didn't believe us, so she went to explore more, as we searched for a Metro station. Right before the station, we ran into a DOWNPOUR. So, we took shelter at a local pub, and had a few Czech beers. The rain let up, and we found a traditional Czech restaurant where we had goulash, potato pancakes, a chicken, beef, and bacon kebab, and we also tried bread dumplings (not so good). BUT! We tried the local cuisine, so that's great. We took it easy again tonight, played a few games of rummy, and went to bed.
This morning, all bright and ready to face Prague, we're getting our lives together and doing work schedules and writing blog entries. I realized that I'm back home in 20 days... that's so soon! But for now, still living it up in Europe!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Venice Part 2/Interlaken/Munich Part 1
So, Venice ended with a nice Italian dinner (tourist menu, of course) along with some gelato. I even got to try clams and mussels, which I had never had before. Pretty cool. Venice was nice, just extremely touristy. That evening, on our way to dinner, we also decided to spring for a gondola ride. We had heard they were expensive... and they are. So we instead took a Traghetto... or a water taxi. THOSE only cost 50 Euro cent. So, we got to cross the Grand Canal in Venice at sunset for really really cheap. It was awesome. As much fun as Venice was, I was excited to go to Switzerland, where we finally ran into...
RAIN! RAIN!
Yes, as soon as we entered Switzerland on August 3, we ran into a rainstorm in the Alps. This was the first rain I had seen since June 17 in Madrid, so it was a BIG DEAL. We were excited on the train, but then our excitement faded when we realized that our hostel was 15 minutes away... and Ashley's umbrella was broken. So, we hiked in the rain to the hostel, got there, and immediately found the supermarket... we needed cheap wine.
We made some friends with our roommates, Lari from Finland, and Gregor from Slovenia, and we partied with them and all of the other hostelgoers all night. The entire night, we only heard one thing... CANYONING. GO CANYONING. SO MUCH FUN. IT CHANGED MY LIFE... et cetera. It seemed too expensive, so the next morning, Ashley, Lari, Gregor and I took a train and a mountain gondola (a lot of gondolas!) up the mountain to visit a small Swiss town. The views of the Alps were awesome... and a lot cheaper than the 150 Euro it cost to go to the highest peak in Interlaken. We got some cheese, some bread, and picnicked with an awesome view.
Switzerland kind of looks fake. Everyone is blonde, everywhere looks like a postcard, and you expect goats to come out from every corner. Even more, every store sells Swiss Army Knives, and there are Swiss flags EVERYWHERE. These people are proud. Not to mention, the temperature was about 70 degrees... perfect for two people who have been in the Mediterranean for two months.
That night, we went to a traditional Swiss restaurant and had fondue and rösti... which is basically glorified hash browns. Our service was terrible... so we got comped a liter and a half of Swiss beer. Pretty good night, if you ask me. We went back to the bar, and kept hearing...CANYONING. CANYONING. Which led us to...
Wednesday morning. I wake up, and ask Ashley if she wants to go canyoning. Of course, she says yes... so we both drop some cash down on a 5 hour tour through a Swiss Alps canyon. One thing I learned from canyoning... wetsuits... neither comfortable nor flattering. Also, we kind of had no clue what we were in for. Our guides drove us to a cliff, started getting out ropes, and told us that we were rappelling down the cliff...of course we were, right? We rappel down, and then are subjected to a series of cliff dives, natural water slides, and vertical climbs. At one point, they tell us a jump is optional... so of course, I have to do it. About 35 feet in the air, there's a small ledge... guess where I jumped from? When I hit the water, I'm pretty sure it knocked the wind out of me. Pretty scary. After that, we had some interesting jumps and slides, and then a zipline where halfway through, we let go, and fell into the water. It was an awesome experience, and beautiful, but it was one of the more dare-devily things I've done in my life.
Canyoning... takes a lot out of you. That night, I didn't go out, but I stayed in the hostel because my back KILLED. I took some sleeping pills, and went to bed (but not until after a good hour of debating a hospital visit in the Swiss Alps). The next morning, my CHEST hurt. And my arms. Basically, everywhere. Lots of aching. Good thing we had a 7 hour train trip ahead of us! I slept A LOT on the train... something I usually can't do. But, when we got to Munich, our hostel was about 3 minutes from the train station, and the walk wasn't bad.
We checked in, and went to the Glockenspiel for the 5:00 show. I guess old clock towers aren't as... technologically advanced as we're used to... the thing was so slow (but incredibly authentic... apart from the other 3,000 tourists watching the show). When we were done with the clock, we went and got cheap sushi (which was delicious!) and then returned to the hostel for happy hour. Of all people, we end up meeting a guy from Cincinnati, and he promises to take us to a beer hall.
We ended up at an indoor beer hall, and ordered some GIANT beers and pretzels with a cheese ball. I feel like German cuisine is the most similar to our regular Christmas Eve party spread... sausages, cheese balls, beer, JAEGERMEISTER... etc. Anwyway, we met another traveler there who was by herself... and she said she had been to a pretty cool beer hall that "is a little touristy, but still pretty cool." Turns out, the "kind of touristy" beer hall was the Hofbraühaus, and we had beer and pretzels there too. We're talking leiderhosen, German band, the whole deal. Jason, the Cincinnati guy, took us upstairs, where Hitler made one of his first speeches. Creepy. Then, we returned to the hostel, and geared up for a free tour of Munich in the morning.
We met our tour guide at 11 AM in the hostel lobby, and he took us EVERYWHERE you'd want to go in Munich. He's only working for tips, so he was pretty thorough. Munich was pretty hard hit by WWII, so only 4 buildings in the whole city are original. Everything else was extensively photodocumented by the Nazis in preparation for total destruction, and Munich was rebuilt in the traditional style, whereas Berlin took on a more modern look. Basically, Munich is fabricated to look old, but nothing is really over 60 years old. Nevertheless, its awesome. I'll explain more in my photo album when I get home about the stuff we saw there. Our tour ended in the second largest beer garden in the world... the English Garden. We met some students from Michigan that had been on our tour, and we hung out with them for the rest of the night (I know, Ohio State and Michigan kids hanging out together...peacefully. WEIRD). We went to a über-traditional Bavarian restaurant, where we had 1.5 L of beer, 1/2 of a duck, a pork knuckle, and more roast pork. I have never seen that much meat on a plate in my life... we couldn't eat it all...plus, I kind of have a cold from canyoning, so I wasn't very hungry.
Today, we went to Dachau, one of the first concentration camps. We all split up to explore on our own, and I got to see all of the site and the museum in about 3 hours. I'll write more about it in my next entry, I only have 30 seconds left!
RAIN! RAIN!
Yes, as soon as we entered Switzerland on August 3, we ran into a rainstorm in the Alps. This was the first rain I had seen since June 17 in Madrid, so it was a BIG DEAL. We were excited on the train, but then our excitement faded when we realized that our hostel was 15 minutes away... and Ashley's umbrella was broken. So, we hiked in the rain to the hostel, got there, and immediately found the supermarket... we needed cheap wine.
We made some friends with our roommates, Lari from Finland, and Gregor from Slovenia, and we partied with them and all of the other hostelgoers all night. The entire night, we only heard one thing... CANYONING. GO CANYONING. SO MUCH FUN. IT CHANGED MY LIFE... et cetera. It seemed too expensive, so the next morning, Ashley, Lari, Gregor and I took a train and a mountain gondola (a lot of gondolas!) up the mountain to visit a small Swiss town. The views of the Alps were awesome... and a lot cheaper than the 150 Euro it cost to go to the highest peak in Interlaken. We got some cheese, some bread, and picnicked with an awesome view.
Switzerland kind of looks fake. Everyone is blonde, everywhere looks like a postcard, and you expect goats to come out from every corner. Even more, every store sells Swiss Army Knives, and there are Swiss flags EVERYWHERE. These people are proud. Not to mention, the temperature was about 70 degrees... perfect for two people who have been in the Mediterranean for two months.
That night, we went to a traditional Swiss restaurant and had fondue and rösti... which is basically glorified hash browns. Our service was terrible... so we got comped a liter and a half of Swiss beer. Pretty good night, if you ask me. We went back to the bar, and kept hearing...CANYONING. CANYONING. Which led us to...
Wednesday morning. I wake up, and ask Ashley if she wants to go canyoning. Of course, she says yes... so we both drop some cash down on a 5 hour tour through a Swiss Alps canyon. One thing I learned from canyoning... wetsuits... neither comfortable nor flattering. Also, we kind of had no clue what we were in for. Our guides drove us to a cliff, started getting out ropes, and told us that we were rappelling down the cliff...of course we were, right? We rappel down, and then are subjected to a series of cliff dives, natural water slides, and vertical climbs. At one point, they tell us a jump is optional... so of course, I have to do it. About 35 feet in the air, there's a small ledge... guess where I jumped from? When I hit the water, I'm pretty sure it knocked the wind out of me. Pretty scary. After that, we had some interesting jumps and slides, and then a zipline where halfway through, we let go, and fell into the water. It was an awesome experience, and beautiful, but it was one of the more dare-devily things I've done in my life.
Canyoning... takes a lot out of you. That night, I didn't go out, but I stayed in the hostel because my back KILLED. I took some sleeping pills, and went to bed (but not until after a good hour of debating a hospital visit in the Swiss Alps). The next morning, my CHEST hurt. And my arms. Basically, everywhere. Lots of aching. Good thing we had a 7 hour train trip ahead of us! I slept A LOT on the train... something I usually can't do. But, when we got to Munich, our hostel was about 3 minutes from the train station, and the walk wasn't bad.
We checked in, and went to the Glockenspiel for the 5:00 show. I guess old clock towers aren't as... technologically advanced as we're used to... the thing was so slow (but incredibly authentic... apart from the other 3,000 tourists watching the show). When we were done with the clock, we went and got cheap sushi (which was delicious!) and then returned to the hostel for happy hour. Of all people, we end up meeting a guy from Cincinnati, and he promises to take us to a beer hall.
We ended up at an indoor beer hall, and ordered some GIANT beers and pretzels with a cheese ball. I feel like German cuisine is the most similar to our regular Christmas Eve party spread... sausages, cheese balls, beer, JAEGERMEISTER... etc. Anwyway, we met another traveler there who was by herself... and she said she had been to a pretty cool beer hall that "is a little touristy, but still pretty cool." Turns out, the "kind of touristy" beer hall was the Hofbraühaus, and we had beer and pretzels there too. We're talking leiderhosen, German band, the whole deal. Jason, the Cincinnati guy, took us upstairs, where Hitler made one of his first speeches. Creepy. Then, we returned to the hostel, and geared up for a free tour of Munich in the morning.
We met our tour guide at 11 AM in the hostel lobby, and he took us EVERYWHERE you'd want to go in Munich. He's only working for tips, so he was pretty thorough. Munich was pretty hard hit by WWII, so only 4 buildings in the whole city are original. Everything else was extensively photodocumented by the Nazis in preparation for total destruction, and Munich was rebuilt in the traditional style, whereas Berlin took on a more modern look. Basically, Munich is fabricated to look old, but nothing is really over 60 years old. Nevertheless, its awesome. I'll explain more in my photo album when I get home about the stuff we saw there. Our tour ended in the second largest beer garden in the world... the English Garden. We met some students from Michigan that had been on our tour, and we hung out with them for the rest of the night (I know, Ohio State and Michigan kids hanging out together...peacefully. WEIRD). We went to a über-traditional Bavarian restaurant, where we had 1.5 L of beer, 1/2 of a duck, a pork knuckle, and more roast pork. I have never seen that much meat on a plate in my life... we couldn't eat it all...plus, I kind of have a cold from canyoning, so I wasn't very hungry.
Today, we went to Dachau, one of the first concentration camps. We all split up to explore on our own, and I got to see all of the site and the museum in about 3 hours. I'll write more about it in my next entry, I only have 30 seconds left!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Madrid/Rome/Venice
Sorry I haven't been able to update much... it is ridiculously hard to try to get internet access here... I'm already regretting not bringing my MacBook.
My two days in Madrid while waiting for the trip to start were really fun! When Jennifer and Alex were there, we walked around for a while, went to the park to relax, and went to a bullfight. The bullfights aren't what I expected at all... when they stabbed the bull, it was really shocking. Pictures to come for those of you with sadistic tendencies.
The next day, I had a day to myself, so I returned to the Reina Sofia, where Picasso and Dali's works are, and checked out some of the more recent art. That took about two hours, and then I went to a nearby Thai restaurant for lunch. After a quick siesta, I went around the city in search of a theatre that had Harry Potter in English---easier said than done. When I finally found one, the movie was already 15 minutes in...luckily, I had already watched the first 15 minutes on my computer (illegally, of course). I went back to the hostel and went to bed early--after all, I had a really early flight!
Then, I wake up in my hostel at 7:25... an hour and a half after I planned to leave. I grabbed all of my stuff, checked out, and had to take a €30 taxi ride to the airport. I got there in plenty of time, and the lack of rushing around the Metro was worth the cost. The RyanAir flight wasn't as scary as I had heard it would be, and I arrived in Rome, no problem.
I got to my hostel, and of course, Ashley was at the bar with new friends already. Gustavo, a graduate student from Brazil, suggested we go to the Vatican to check it out. Ashley, Amy (another Ohio State student), Gustavo and I navigated the Metro system and got to the Vatican Museum with enough time to see everything (although we didn't think we'd be able to! The Sistine Chapel is what we really wanted to see-- it was a lot smaller than we thought it would be...but we didn't get out of there without taking some illegal pictures!
After the Vatican, we went to St. Peter's Basilica... probably the coolest church I've been to in Europe. When we walked in, the sun was shining through the dome windows and it was breathtaking. We went back to the hostel, and got ready for dinner and our hostel's pub crawl. At this point, I had already had 2 Italian meals--pizza by the slice (which was amazing and cheap), and gnocchi with meat sauce (which was pricier and tasted a little like Chef Boyardee). Our theory is... either some restaurants are really cheap and don't use good ingredients, or Chef Boyardee really IS good food. Who knows.
Our pub crawl included a night tour of the city, where we got to see the Spanish Steps (connecting the Spanish embassy to the French embassy) and the Trevi Fountain. After that, it was time for an HOUR of open bar. Bad idea. It included gin and tonics. Worse idea. Gustavo and I tried to "get our money's worth." WORST IDEA. And...dot dot dot.
The next morning, we went to the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forums. The Coliseum was HUGE (but not as big as Ohio Stadium!), and the Roman Forums were really dusty and HOT. Italy is about as hot as Spain, but it's more humid (and when there IS air conditioning, it isn't as cold). I'm really ready to go to Switzerland tomorrow.
After the Roman Forums, we went to explore the area of town called Travestere, which ended up feeling like a little Italian town. We had a great dinner, and explored around for a while and found a large church, which we checked out. I don't remember what it was called, but for being a random church, it was definitely impressive.On the way home, we also went to see the Mouth of Truth, which is in the movie Roman Holiday (I haven't seen it, but I bet DD has!). It was behind a gate, but I still got a few pictures. Legend says that if you are lying, or have something to hide, when you put your hand in the mouth, it will bite your hand off.
The next morning, we kind of had a day of random Roman fun. We went to the Campo d'Fiori, which had a large outdoor market. After sampling tons of liquor, jams, and balsamic vinagrette, we all bought something to take home... and then went to sample more stuff that we had no intention of buying. When you're backpacking, you have to improvise. We then went to see the Pantheon, which is an architectural marvel... the dome is as wide as it is tall. Pictures to follow, of course.
The next stop on our long walk home was the Trevi Fountain--in daylight. We all made sure to throw in a coin, which ensures a return visit back to the city. We then visited a crypt... which kind of looked like a Trading Spaces room decorated with bones of monks. We're talking about 1,000 bodies. The creepiest room was the last one, which included a tomb with the inscription "What you are, we once were, and what we are, you will be." Creepy! Only one picture to follow, which will be a scan of a postcard... because the cryptkeeper was super-strict.
After the crypt... we needed to recalibrate our American sensibilities, so a stop to an Italian McDonald's was in order... with fried Brie! I love Brie, so I found this side dish to be awesome. Our journey in Rome continued with a return to Travestere to have dinner with some other travelers we met in our hostel--Gustavo, a Brazilian, Rick, from the Netherlands (who also told us he could give a tour of Amsterdam), Chris, from London, and Daniel (from San Diego). We had a great meal with lots of wine, and ended up eating almost two cups of Parmesean Cheese (why does that look like it's spelled wrong?). We also ended up at a Roman Film Festival, which was pretty cool... we watched about 15 minutes of an Italian movie. On the walk home, we grabbed pictures of the Coliseum at night, and then we returned to the hostel.
In the morning, Simoné, Ashley and I caught a train to Naples to visit the Pompeii excavation. I hadn't realized that Pompeii is a legit CITY...so you have to walk around ancient streets looking for cool stuff in every house... kind of like a 79 AD scavenger hunt. It was REALLY hot, but Ashley was EATING THIS STUFF UP, so we stayed for a while. We got to see some cool mosaics, and the famous preserved bodies. We had planned to walk around Naples for a while, but Naples is probably the UGLIEST/DIRTIEST city I've ever seen... so we changed our train reservations for the earlier train, and got back to Rome. We then sat in the hostel bar and took it easy for the night.
We started out August with a little trip to Venice, where we are now. Yesterday, we checked out St. Mark's Basilica, and walked around the streets of Venice (aka crossing bridges every two streets). We then had dinner on the side of the Grand Canal, and watched ferries and gondolas drive by.
This morning, we checked out the Palace, where we got to see one of the largest rooms in Europe (again, I took illegal pictures), and a Venetian dungeon. Pretty cool. Again, we walked around for a while, and now I'm at the hostel! I'm getting carpal tunnel from the blog post I think, so I'm going to go.
One more night of thinking things here look exactly like The Venetian in Las Vegas, although it's the other way around... and then off to Switzerland, where hopefully it won't be as hot! CIAO!
My two days in Madrid while waiting for the trip to start were really fun! When Jennifer and Alex were there, we walked around for a while, went to the park to relax, and went to a bullfight. The bullfights aren't what I expected at all... when they stabbed the bull, it was really shocking. Pictures to come for those of you with sadistic tendencies.
The next day, I had a day to myself, so I returned to the Reina Sofia, where Picasso and Dali's works are, and checked out some of the more recent art. That took about two hours, and then I went to a nearby Thai restaurant for lunch. After a quick siesta, I went around the city in search of a theatre that had Harry Potter in English---easier said than done. When I finally found one, the movie was already 15 minutes in...luckily, I had already watched the first 15 minutes on my computer (illegally, of course). I went back to the hostel and went to bed early--after all, I had a really early flight!
Then, I wake up in my hostel at 7:25... an hour and a half after I planned to leave. I grabbed all of my stuff, checked out, and had to take a €30 taxi ride to the airport. I got there in plenty of time, and the lack of rushing around the Metro was worth the cost. The RyanAir flight wasn't as scary as I had heard it would be, and I arrived in Rome, no problem.
I got to my hostel, and of course, Ashley was at the bar with new friends already. Gustavo, a graduate student from Brazil, suggested we go to the Vatican to check it out. Ashley, Amy (another Ohio State student), Gustavo and I navigated the Metro system and got to the Vatican Museum with enough time to see everything (although we didn't think we'd be able to! The Sistine Chapel is what we really wanted to see-- it was a lot smaller than we thought it would be...but we didn't get out of there without taking some illegal pictures!
After the Vatican, we went to St. Peter's Basilica... probably the coolest church I've been to in Europe. When we walked in, the sun was shining through the dome windows and it was breathtaking. We went back to the hostel, and got ready for dinner and our hostel's pub crawl. At this point, I had already had 2 Italian meals--pizza by the slice (which was amazing and cheap), and gnocchi with meat sauce (which was pricier and tasted a little like Chef Boyardee). Our theory is... either some restaurants are really cheap and don't use good ingredients, or Chef Boyardee really IS good food. Who knows.
Our pub crawl included a night tour of the city, where we got to see the Spanish Steps (connecting the Spanish embassy to the French embassy) and the Trevi Fountain. After that, it was time for an HOUR of open bar. Bad idea. It included gin and tonics. Worse idea. Gustavo and I tried to "get our money's worth." WORST IDEA. And...dot dot dot.
The next morning, we went to the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forums. The Coliseum was HUGE (but not as big as Ohio Stadium!), and the Roman Forums were really dusty and HOT. Italy is about as hot as Spain, but it's more humid (and when there IS air conditioning, it isn't as cold). I'm really ready to go to Switzerland tomorrow.
After the Roman Forums, we went to explore the area of town called Travestere, which ended up feeling like a little Italian town. We had a great dinner, and explored around for a while and found a large church, which we checked out. I don't remember what it was called, but for being a random church, it was definitely impressive.On the way home, we also went to see the Mouth of Truth, which is in the movie Roman Holiday (I haven't seen it, but I bet DD has!). It was behind a gate, but I still got a few pictures. Legend says that if you are lying, or have something to hide, when you put your hand in the mouth, it will bite your hand off.
The next morning, we kind of had a day of random Roman fun. We went to the Campo d'Fiori, which had a large outdoor market. After sampling tons of liquor, jams, and balsamic vinagrette, we all bought something to take home... and then went to sample more stuff that we had no intention of buying. When you're backpacking, you have to improvise. We then went to see the Pantheon, which is an architectural marvel... the dome is as wide as it is tall. Pictures to follow, of course.
The next stop on our long walk home was the Trevi Fountain--in daylight. We all made sure to throw in a coin, which ensures a return visit back to the city. We then visited a crypt... which kind of looked like a Trading Spaces room decorated with bones of monks. We're talking about 1,000 bodies. The creepiest room was the last one, which included a tomb with the inscription "What you are, we once were, and what we are, you will be." Creepy! Only one picture to follow, which will be a scan of a postcard... because the cryptkeeper was super-strict.
After the crypt... we needed to recalibrate our American sensibilities, so a stop to an Italian McDonald's was in order... with fried Brie! I love Brie, so I found this side dish to be awesome. Our journey in Rome continued with a return to Travestere to have dinner with some other travelers we met in our hostel--Gustavo, a Brazilian, Rick, from the Netherlands (who also told us he could give a tour of Amsterdam), Chris, from London, and Daniel (from San Diego). We had a great meal with lots of wine, and ended up eating almost two cups of Parmesean Cheese (why does that look like it's spelled wrong?). We also ended up at a Roman Film Festival, which was pretty cool... we watched about 15 minutes of an Italian movie. On the walk home, we grabbed pictures of the Coliseum at night, and then we returned to the hostel.
In the morning, Simoné, Ashley and I caught a train to Naples to visit the Pompeii excavation. I hadn't realized that Pompeii is a legit CITY...so you have to walk around ancient streets looking for cool stuff in every house... kind of like a 79 AD scavenger hunt. It was REALLY hot, but Ashley was EATING THIS STUFF UP, so we stayed for a while. We got to see some cool mosaics, and the famous preserved bodies. We had planned to walk around Naples for a while, but Naples is probably the UGLIEST/DIRTIEST city I've ever seen... so we changed our train reservations for the earlier train, and got back to Rome. We then sat in the hostel bar and took it easy for the night.
We started out August with a little trip to Venice, where we are now. Yesterday, we checked out St. Mark's Basilica, and walked around the streets of Venice (aka crossing bridges every two streets). We then had dinner on the side of the Grand Canal, and watched ferries and gondolas drive by.
This morning, we checked out the Palace, where we got to see one of the largest rooms in Europe (again, I took illegal pictures), and a Venetian dungeon. Pretty cool. Again, we walked around for a while, and now I'm at the hostel! I'm getting carpal tunnel from the blog post I think, so I'm going to go.
One more night of thinking things here look exactly like The Venetian in Las Vegas, although it's the other way around... and then off to Switzerland, where hopefully it won't be as hot! CIAO!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
So many things...
I haven't updated in about two weeks... sorry! I was really busy with exams/post-exam activities... I really haven't had much time to post. I guess in two hours from now, I'll be starting the "trip of a lifetime..." and I never even thought it was starting this early, but I'm having two nights in Madrid before Rome happens.
Last weekend(?), I started out on Friday morning with a trip to Segovia with the school... always a pleasure to travel when you're getting reprimanded for speaking your native language. We visited a castle, which is one of the most stereotypical medieval castles I've ever seen. We climbed up to the top of the tower, and got a view of the Spanish countryside. Pretty cool. We also got to see Roman aqueducts, which are HUGE... I guess it took a lot of work to get water all the way to Spain!
On Saturday, one of my classes had a field trip to the art museums in Madrid. We got to see some famous art, including Picasso's "La Guernica" and Velazquez's "Las Meninas." No worries, I had never heard of them before my class, either. During the tour, Leah and I skipped the included lunch to go to TGI Friday's... amazing decision. American food is so good when you've only been having bland Spanish food for weeks. Still on the hunt for ranch dressing, though. After the tours (which lasted 6 (SIX!) hours, my friends and I checked into a hostel for a night in Madrid.
The following things happened, in rapid succession:
1. AMAZING Thai restaurant (going back tonight)
2. Flamenco show
3. Doner Kebap
4. Clubbing
5. Botellóning in the Plaza Santa Ana
EXPLANATIONS:
1. Chicken/Pad Thai in a peanut sauce. This weekend actually ended up being awesome, food-wise.
2. Flamenco is awesome. We had to do something touristy while we were here, and this was definitely it. Sangria and flamenco.
3. I don't think this even needs any explanation, it is our Middle Eastern obsession (basically a gyro, but 100 times better).
4. After searching for a place with a reasonable cover, we ended up at Deseo, which was a pretty good choice until they closed at 3. THREE?!
5. Botellóning (drinking in the streets) is illegal. Everyone does it anyway.
The next day, I walked around town by myself for a while, and ran into some people from our group, and we ended up at a small market where we bought loaves of bread for 1 Euro each, and had glasses of wine with the Spanish at noon on a Sunday. It was great and unexpected.
After that, we went to DOMINO'S (culinary delights). Again, it tasted exactly the same. I hope to go back in the next two days.
From here on out, I won't be able to post Facebook pictures, or post with much ease... I'm sending my laptop home with my friend Kayla. Hasta la vista, Iberian Peninsula, hello rest of EUROPE!
Last weekend(?), I started out on Friday morning with a trip to Segovia with the school... always a pleasure to travel when you're getting reprimanded for speaking your native language. We visited a castle, which is one of the most stereotypical medieval castles I've ever seen. We climbed up to the top of the tower, and got a view of the Spanish countryside. Pretty cool. We also got to see Roman aqueducts, which are HUGE... I guess it took a lot of work to get water all the way to Spain!
On Saturday, one of my classes had a field trip to the art museums in Madrid. We got to see some famous art, including Picasso's "La Guernica" and Velazquez's "Las Meninas." No worries, I had never heard of them before my class, either. During the tour, Leah and I skipped the included lunch to go to TGI Friday's... amazing decision. American food is so good when you've only been having bland Spanish food for weeks. Still on the hunt for ranch dressing, though. After the tours (which lasted 6 (SIX!) hours, my friends and I checked into a hostel for a night in Madrid.
The following things happened, in rapid succession:
1. AMAZING Thai restaurant (going back tonight)
2. Flamenco show
3. Doner Kebap
4. Clubbing
5. Botellóning in the Plaza Santa Ana
EXPLANATIONS:
1. Chicken/Pad Thai in a peanut sauce. This weekend actually ended up being awesome, food-wise.
2. Flamenco is awesome. We had to do something touristy while we were here, and this was definitely it. Sangria and flamenco.
3. I don't think this even needs any explanation, it is our Middle Eastern obsession (basically a gyro, but 100 times better).
4. After searching for a place with a reasonable cover, we ended up at Deseo, which was a pretty good choice until they closed at 3. THREE?!
5. Botellóning (drinking in the streets) is illegal. Everyone does it anyway.
The next day, I walked around town by myself for a while, and ran into some people from our group, and we ended up at a small market where we bought loaves of bread for 1 Euro each, and had glasses of wine with the Spanish at noon on a Sunday. It was great and unexpected.
After that, we went to DOMINO'S (culinary delights). Again, it tasted exactly the same. I hope to go back in the next two days.
From here on out, I won't be able to post Facebook pictures, or post with much ease... I'm sending my laptop home with my friend Kayla. Hasta la vista, Iberian Peninsula, hello rest of EUROPE!
Monday, July 13, 2009
How Many Camels Do You Want for Her?
This weekend, four of us skipped the Friday morning trip to El Escorial (which turned out to be boring anyway, we heard), and go to the southern-most point of Europe, and possibly take a ferry over to Morocco. We miraculously got up at 6 AM to catch our train to Madrid, and then had to take a 5.5 hour train to Algeciras, where we took a taxi to our hotel. The travel was long, but relatively uneventful. Something that is funny about the train rides--- we get to watch movies in Spanish (I guess "get" is in quotes). Usually they're action or children's movies, and this time, it was Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa.
When we got to Algeciras, we grabbed a cab, and rode the 9 km to our hotel, Meson de Sancho (www.mesondesancho.com). We were surprised at the quality of the place... and it was cheaper than a hostel! We got a quadruple room with 4 beds (we were convinced that we would have to share), a patio with a table and chairs, and an amazing bathroom (with a great shower!). We threw our stuff down, and departed for the beach.
Tarifa is nestled between mountains and the Strait of Gibraltar, and you can see Africa from the coast. The hills are dotted with windmills, and you can see the beach from miles away. The sand was a lot finer than it was in Barcelona, but the water was a lot dirtier with seaweed. We laid out for a while, but then realized that we hadn't really eaten all day, and went in search of food.
We found a small restaurant in the town, and all ate for about 10 Euro, including a bottle of wine. We stopped by a supermarket, and bought some stuff for the evening, and then returned to the hotel. We sat out on our patio, listened to music, and had tinto de verano, and then got ready for our trip to Africa in the morning.
We decided to take a private tour that included the ferry each way, lunch, and the tour for 80 Euro, while the ferry itself would have been 70 Euro anyway. We missed the first ferry (but it wasn't our fault... they told us the ferry was full a half hour before it left), so we had 2 hours to kill in Tarifa. We grabbed coffee and toast and then went back to the ferry. The ride was only supposed to be 35 minutes, but it ended up being about an hour and 15 minutes in extremely choppy water. Motion sickness set in, which really didn't mix well with a lot of rowdy Spanish and Moroccan children and a crowded boat.
We finally arrived in Morocco, and met our guide, a kind of quiet man named Ali ("like Ali Baba," he said). We first went on a van tour of Tangier, a city with no real landmarks, so we just saw roads and got a little background information about the country. For a while, Morocco wasn't a real country, but rather a "world country," so France, the United States, Spain, and other countries all have areas that they built restaurants, houses, and other buildings, effectively making a French Quarter, an American Quarter (called California), etc. We got out at the top of a hill, and we were told we could ride camels for a Euro. We each got a turn for about 45 seconds, and then we were ushered back into the van.
We went and walked around a Moroccan neighborhood, where they have a community oven for baking bread and community running water in the square for the residents of the neighborhood. I had been in Ecuador, where this stuff really wasn't common in the city, but we were in a large Moroccan city... interesting to see that kind of poverty.
Our guide took us to a Moroccan restaurant, where we had a Moroccan soup, kebab, cous cous, and a baklava-esque dessert. The best part was a sweet mint tea, sort of a hot, non-alcoholic mojito. During the lunch, they had a band playing music, which was really cool.
After lunch, we were told that we were going to go shopping, which really just ended up being a huge scam. We were taken to a Persian rug store, where they showed us how the rugs are made. After a flashy presentation, we were asked, "So, what are you buying?" I guess this was a real-world application of the open-ended questions we ask on the phones at work. We didn't want to buy anything, but Alex was swindled into buying a rug. Their price negotiation wasn't even over before the shop owner told an assistant that Alex was buying it and to pack it up. The whole thing happened so fast, we were all just looking at each other with bewildered looks before we even knew what was happening.
The owners kept trying to trade camels in exchange for Sarah, and even were trying to get some of our clothes off of us (the owner told me he would give me a "very good price" in exchange for my hat... and you all know that's a no deal). We wanted to get out of the store as soon as possible, but our guide was nowhere to be found. The shop had a lot of expensive Moroccan things, and all I wanted from the country was a flag and a shot glass. When we told our guide, he "kindly" took us to a small gift shop, where they tried to sell me a flag for 8 Euro, when I had bought a flag that is twice the size in Spain for 5 Euro. I really played hardball with the guy, and got the flag and a leather camel (with someone riding it) for 10 Euro. I know I still got ripped off, but the bargaining was really frustrating.
We went to a jewelry store after that, where the same thing happened again... everyone wanted Sarah to be their wife, in exchange for camels, of course. It was so bizarre. We all bought a little bit, but it was more uncomfortable than fun to be in that kind of situation. Our guide then led us through the streets, where people approached us every 5 seconds trying to sell camel toys, drums, or jewelry. Moroccans just don't take no for an answer.
Probably the weirdest place we visited was a "pharmacy," where a Moroccan named Sayid showed us Moroccan spices and aphrodisiacs during a presentation. Then, like in the rug store, he asked us what we were buying. Nobody really had any need for saffron or dyes, so we took pictures with him (he insisted on taking about 20) and then left.
We were escorted back to the ferry, which was a much smoother ride this time, grabbed some doner kebab to take back to the hotel, and passed the evening sitting outside and talking. I jumped in the pool at about 4 AM, and then went to bed. We got up at 7:30 to get to the train station, and then had another 5.5 hour train ride back to Madrid.
When we got to Madrid, I was convinced that I knew where a Domino's Pizza was, but I apparently was wrong. We ran around the streets for 2 hours until our train was to leave, but ended up pizza-less. We got back to the Fund, and heard stories about Pamplona and the Running of the Bulls, which I am ultimately glad I didn't participate in. I got to see another country, and another culture, and actually got some relaxing sleep in what practically was a resort, instead of sleeping in a park where people were seen getting robbed in their (most likely) drunken slumber.
This weekend, we have to visit Madrid for a class on Saturday, but then Sarah and I may meet up with our friends in Valencia for two nights. We do have a trip planned with the school to Segovia to see the Roman Aqueducts, so that will be cool (and free!).
When we got to Algeciras, we grabbed a cab, and rode the 9 km to our hotel, Meson de Sancho (www.mesondesancho.com). We were surprised at the quality of the place... and it was cheaper than a hostel! We got a quadruple room with 4 beds (we were convinced that we would have to share), a patio with a table and chairs, and an amazing bathroom (with a great shower!). We threw our stuff down, and departed for the beach.
Tarifa is nestled between mountains and the Strait of Gibraltar, and you can see Africa from the coast. The hills are dotted with windmills, and you can see the beach from miles away. The sand was a lot finer than it was in Barcelona, but the water was a lot dirtier with seaweed. We laid out for a while, but then realized that we hadn't really eaten all day, and went in search of food.
We found a small restaurant in the town, and all ate for about 10 Euro, including a bottle of wine. We stopped by a supermarket, and bought some stuff for the evening, and then returned to the hotel. We sat out on our patio, listened to music, and had tinto de verano, and then got ready for our trip to Africa in the morning.
We decided to take a private tour that included the ferry each way, lunch, and the tour for 80 Euro, while the ferry itself would have been 70 Euro anyway. We missed the first ferry (but it wasn't our fault... they told us the ferry was full a half hour before it left), so we had 2 hours to kill in Tarifa. We grabbed coffee and toast and then went back to the ferry. The ride was only supposed to be 35 minutes, but it ended up being about an hour and 15 minutes in extremely choppy water. Motion sickness set in, which really didn't mix well with a lot of rowdy Spanish and Moroccan children and a crowded boat.
We finally arrived in Morocco, and met our guide, a kind of quiet man named Ali ("like Ali Baba," he said). We first went on a van tour of Tangier, a city with no real landmarks, so we just saw roads and got a little background information about the country. For a while, Morocco wasn't a real country, but rather a "world country," so France, the United States, Spain, and other countries all have areas that they built restaurants, houses, and other buildings, effectively making a French Quarter, an American Quarter (called California), etc. We got out at the top of a hill, and we were told we could ride camels for a Euro. We each got a turn for about 45 seconds, and then we were ushered back into the van.
We went and walked around a Moroccan neighborhood, where they have a community oven for baking bread and community running water in the square for the residents of the neighborhood. I had been in Ecuador, where this stuff really wasn't common in the city, but we were in a large Moroccan city... interesting to see that kind of poverty.
Our guide took us to a Moroccan restaurant, where we had a Moroccan soup, kebab, cous cous, and a baklava-esque dessert. The best part was a sweet mint tea, sort of a hot, non-alcoholic mojito. During the lunch, they had a band playing music, which was really cool.
After lunch, we were told that we were going to go shopping, which really just ended up being a huge scam. We were taken to a Persian rug store, where they showed us how the rugs are made. After a flashy presentation, we were asked, "So, what are you buying?" I guess this was a real-world application of the open-ended questions we ask on the phones at work. We didn't want to buy anything, but Alex was swindled into buying a rug. Their price negotiation wasn't even over before the shop owner told an assistant that Alex was buying it and to pack it up. The whole thing happened so fast, we were all just looking at each other with bewildered looks before we even knew what was happening.
The owners kept trying to trade camels in exchange for Sarah, and even were trying to get some of our clothes off of us (the owner told me he would give me a "very good price" in exchange for my hat... and you all know that's a no deal). We wanted to get out of the store as soon as possible, but our guide was nowhere to be found. The shop had a lot of expensive Moroccan things, and all I wanted from the country was a flag and a shot glass. When we told our guide, he "kindly" took us to a small gift shop, where they tried to sell me a flag for 8 Euro, when I had bought a flag that is twice the size in Spain for 5 Euro. I really played hardball with the guy, and got the flag and a leather camel (with someone riding it) for 10 Euro. I know I still got ripped off, but the bargaining was really frustrating.
We went to a jewelry store after that, where the same thing happened again... everyone wanted Sarah to be their wife, in exchange for camels, of course. It was so bizarre. We all bought a little bit, but it was more uncomfortable than fun to be in that kind of situation. Our guide then led us through the streets, where people approached us every 5 seconds trying to sell camel toys, drums, or jewelry. Moroccans just don't take no for an answer.
Probably the weirdest place we visited was a "pharmacy," where a Moroccan named Sayid showed us Moroccan spices and aphrodisiacs during a presentation. Then, like in the rug store, he asked us what we were buying. Nobody really had any need for saffron or dyes, so we took pictures with him (he insisted on taking about 20) and then left.
We were escorted back to the ferry, which was a much smoother ride this time, grabbed some doner kebab to take back to the hotel, and passed the evening sitting outside and talking. I jumped in the pool at about 4 AM, and then went to bed. We got up at 7:30 to get to the train station, and then had another 5.5 hour train ride back to Madrid.
When we got to Madrid, I was convinced that I knew where a Domino's Pizza was, but I apparently was wrong. We ran around the streets for 2 hours until our train was to leave, but ended up pizza-less. We got back to the Fund, and heard stories about Pamplona and the Running of the Bulls, which I am ultimately glad I didn't participate in. I got to see another country, and another culture, and actually got some relaxing sleep in what practically was a resort, instead of sleeping in a park where people were seen getting robbed in their (most likely) drunken slumber.
This weekend, we have to visit Madrid for a class on Saturday, but then Sarah and I may meet up with our friends in Valencia for two nights. We do have a trip planned with the school to Segovia to see the Roman Aqueducts, so that will be cool (and free!).
Monday, July 6, 2009
Te quiero, Barcelona
This weekend was our independent trip to Barcelona. Not only did we plan it all (hostel, trains, etc.) ourselves, but we had to navigate a city where half the people don't even speak Spanish, but speak Catalan (the northeastern language of Spain) and have crazy lisps when they do speak Spanish. Overall, Barcelona was a lot friendlier than Madrid, and we ended up having a great time.
Because we have Eurail passes, my friend Sarah and I traveled by train, while our other five friends traveled by plane to Barcelona. We ended up sleeping through our alarms on Friday morning (even after a relatively quiet Thursday night), but eventually made it to the train station. After grabbing some Coca-Cola Light, sandwiches and Pringles at the train station, we were en route to Barcelona.
We arrived around 2 pm, and made our way to the hostel, which was all the way at the end of a Metro line in an area of town called Badalona. As it turned out, we were 8 blocks from the beach, and we could feel the breeze off the Mediterranean as soon as we got out of the Metro. When we got to our hostel, they told us that it was full, although we had reservations. Sarah and I ended up getting a room in a storage closet for the night (remember that scene in Best in Show?... it's kind of like that) and were told we would be moved to another (real) room on Saturday afternoon. It was a little obnoxious, but at least we had a place to sleep.
We met up with our friends, and decided to split up for the afternoon. Sarah, Lauren, Kayla and I wanted to go see some sights around Barcelona, while the others wanted to take a bike tour around the city. We navigated the subway system in search of Park Güell, a park mostly designed by Gaudi. We got to the park (after hiking a kilometer up a super-steep hill...think San Francisco) and we treated to awesome views of the beach, Sagrada Familia, and the city of Barcelona (which is HUGE). We walked around the park for a while, discovering awesome mosaic buildings (which were kind of Seuss-ian) and a cool breeze off the beach.
We had heard that a great place to go was Las Ramblas, kind of Barcelona's big tourist trap. We Metro-ed over there, and walked around, seeing street performers (people dressed up in crazy costumes... our favorite was Edward Scissorhands) and watching out for ladrones (thieves). We found a market, La Boqueria, and checked out how the Spanish do their grocery shopping. Most of the fruit stands at the market had fruit smoothies pre-made for 1 Euro, so we all grabbed one and tried out all of the flavors. I got strawberry-pineapple, while others got mango-peach, coconut-banana, and other odd combinations. They were a great snack for the afternoon.
On the way back to the hostel, we grabbed some cheap Spanish wine (as always) and got ready to go out for the night. We drank while everyone got ready, saw a restaurant out the window, and decided to go. I had read that some restaurants in Barcelona let you set a fixed price for everyone, and will bring you never-ending sangria, tapas, and bread. I negotiated with the manager (in Spanish!) and for 15 Euro, we ended up having potatoes with calamari, prawn, asparagus, bread, croquetes, salads, and sangria. It was great!
Because we were so close to the beach, we decided to find a beach bar and drink by the beach (it was about 1 AM). We went down and found a small shack, got drinks and watched the surf. I "fell asleep" for about fifteen minutes, and when I woke up, most of our group was in the water, so I decided to join them. I ended up kind of falling into the Mediterranean at first, but it was a great night.
The next morning, we split up again and Lauren, Kayla and I went in search of Sagrada Familia... a giant church that has been under construction since the 1860s. We went inside, and the place is HUGE... and it's not even half-finished. All of the walls are hand-carved with statues of Christ and the story of his life. It was really cool to be in such an awesome place. After Sagrada Familia, there was a Domino's across the street... so of course we had to get our first American pizza of the entire summer. It was amazing... and almost exactly like American Domino's (but better... absence really does make the heart grow fonder).
We made our way to the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) to find the Picasso Museum. We went in, and saw a lot of Picasso's art. Turns out, the Picasso we all know really isn't the bulk of his work: he painted a lot of boring stuff before his cubist period. We slowly made our way through the streets of Barcelona, and headed back to the hostel to go to the beach.
We got to the beach around 2 PM, with fafafel pitas in tow that we had picked up along the way. The water was really clear, and there weren't very many people out. We found a great spot on the beach, and went into the Mediterranean. This time, I ended up staying in the water for about 3 hours, and swam around. Lauren and I ended up being in the water the most, as we swam down the coast to check out a busier beach... we maybe swam 2 km in total.
After the beach, we were in search of a Mexican restaurant. We found one, and had a half-hour Metro ride to get there. It was okay, but the girls all had pretty gross margaritas... I just stuck to beer, and it was not only cheaper, but better tasting. We then made our way to a 150 year-old bar near Las Ramblas that sells absinthe... just to try it. The bar was in a sketchy part of town, but it was really awesome (and EXTREMELY HOT). We got our absinthe...that stuff is FOUL. We still downed it, though, in hopes of chilling with the green fairy. It didn't exactly work, and Sarah and I went back to our hostel, while the others had to catch a bus to the airport to fly home.
In the morning, we walked around the city for a while, and found a place to grab paella, another testament to the laziness of the Spaniards (oh, let's just put everything in a skillet and cook it). It was good, and being satisfied, we made our way back to the train station, and eventually, to Toledo.
This week I have a lot of papers to write for school, but after that, we are off the the southern coast of Spain, and on Saturday, I'll be in Morocco!
¡Hasta luego!
Will
Because we have Eurail passes, my friend Sarah and I traveled by train, while our other five friends traveled by plane to Barcelona. We ended up sleeping through our alarms on Friday morning (even after a relatively quiet Thursday night), but eventually made it to the train station. After grabbing some Coca-Cola Light, sandwiches and Pringles at the train station, we were en route to Barcelona.
We arrived around 2 pm, and made our way to the hostel, which was all the way at the end of a Metro line in an area of town called Badalona. As it turned out, we were 8 blocks from the beach, and we could feel the breeze off the Mediterranean as soon as we got out of the Metro. When we got to our hostel, they told us that it was full, although we had reservations. Sarah and I ended up getting a room in a storage closet for the night (remember that scene in Best in Show?... it's kind of like that) and were told we would be moved to another (real) room on Saturday afternoon. It was a little obnoxious, but at least we had a place to sleep.
We met up with our friends, and decided to split up for the afternoon. Sarah, Lauren, Kayla and I wanted to go see some sights around Barcelona, while the others wanted to take a bike tour around the city. We navigated the subway system in search of Park Güell, a park mostly designed by Gaudi. We got to the park (after hiking a kilometer up a super-steep hill...think San Francisco) and we treated to awesome views of the beach, Sagrada Familia, and the city of Barcelona (which is HUGE). We walked around the park for a while, discovering awesome mosaic buildings (which were kind of Seuss-ian) and a cool breeze off the beach.
We had heard that a great place to go was Las Ramblas, kind of Barcelona's big tourist trap. We Metro-ed over there, and walked around, seeing street performers (people dressed up in crazy costumes... our favorite was Edward Scissorhands) and watching out for ladrones (thieves). We found a market, La Boqueria, and checked out how the Spanish do their grocery shopping. Most of the fruit stands at the market had fruit smoothies pre-made for 1 Euro, so we all grabbed one and tried out all of the flavors. I got strawberry-pineapple, while others got mango-peach, coconut-banana, and other odd combinations. They were a great snack for the afternoon.
On the way back to the hostel, we grabbed some cheap Spanish wine (as always) and got ready to go out for the night. We drank while everyone got ready, saw a restaurant out the window, and decided to go. I had read that some restaurants in Barcelona let you set a fixed price for everyone, and will bring you never-ending sangria, tapas, and bread. I negotiated with the manager (in Spanish!) and for 15 Euro, we ended up having potatoes with calamari, prawn, asparagus, bread, croquetes, salads, and sangria. It was great!
Because we were so close to the beach, we decided to find a beach bar and drink by the beach (it was about 1 AM). We went down and found a small shack, got drinks and watched the surf. I "fell asleep" for about fifteen minutes, and when I woke up, most of our group was in the water, so I decided to join them. I ended up kind of falling into the Mediterranean at first, but it was a great night.
The next morning, we split up again and Lauren, Kayla and I went in search of Sagrada Familia... a giant church that has been under construction since the 1860s. We went inside, and the place is HUGE... and it's not even half-finished. All of the walls are hand-carved with statues of Christ and the story of his life. It was really cool to be in such an awesome place. After Sagrada Familia, there was a Domino's across the street... so of course we had to get our first American pizza of the entire summer. It was amazing... and almost exactly like American Domino's (but better... absence really does make the heart grow fonder).
We made our way to the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) to find the Picasso Museum. We went in, and saw a lot of Picasso's art. Turns out, the Picasso we all know really isn't the bulk of his work: he painted a lot of boring stuff before his cubist period. We slowly made our way through the streets of Barcelona, and headed back to the hostel to go to the beach.
We got to the beach around 2 PM, with fafafel pitas in tow that we had picked up along the way. The water was really clear, and there weren't very many people out. We found a great spot on the beach, and went into the Mediterranean. This time, I ended up staying in the water for about 3 hours, and swam around. Lauren and I ended up being in the water the most, as we swam down the coast to check out a busier beach... we maybe swam 2 km in total.
After the beach, we were in search of a Mexican restaurant. We found one, and had a half-hour Metro ride to get there. It was okay, but the girls all had pretty gross margaritas... I just stuck to beer, and it was not only cheaper, but better tasting. We then made our way to a 150 year-old bar near Las Ramblas that sells absinthe... just to try it. The bar was in a sketchy part of town, but it was really awesome (and EXTREMELY HOT). We got our absinthe...that stuff is FOUL. We still downed it, though, in hopes of chilling with the green fairy. It didn't exactly work, and Sarah and I went back to our hostel, while the others had to catch a bus to the airport to fly home.
In the morning, we walked around the city for a while, and found a place to grab paella, another testament to the laziness of the Spaniards (oh, let's just put everything in a skillet and cook it). It was good, and being satisfied, we made our way back to the train station, and eventually, to Toledo.
This week I have a lot of papers to write for school, but after that, we are off the the southern coast of Spain, and on Saturday, I'll be in Morocco!
¡Hasta luego!
Will
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