Yesterday we met up with a friend of my brother's, who showed us all over the Brixton area of South London- the local markets were amazing and full of incredible looking fresh fish and meats. It was great to see the local areas of London where tourists don't usually end up. We had dinner in the markets and then headed to a couple local bars and saw a bit of live music. It was a great evening, and really a great chance to get outside the normal tourists areas.
We're pretty exhausted at this point, so we're taking it really easy- today we saw Despicable Me in 3D (which came out when I was studying for the bar and completely oblivious to everything else in the US).
Tomorrow is our LAST DAY here- we fly back across the pond on Tuesday (leaving London at 12:00 PM- 5 AM KC time....arriving in KC at 11PM KC time...connecting to IAD and ATL....that is going to be brutal). We're planning on spending it catching high tea at Kensington Palace and then heading over to Brick Lane for shopping and Indian food. I can't believe it's over- and at the same time I feel like we've been traveling for much longer than 6 weeks. We're really looking forward to getting back to the states and sleeping in our own bed again after visiting our family and friends in KC (25 uncomfortable cheap hostel/hotel beds between times sleeping in our own...but who's counting).
For now, time to sleep in one of the last .... goodnight!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
London Bridge is not, in fact, falling down.
We've spent the last couple days sleeping late and relaxing- as well as fitting in the new Harry Potter movie on opening day! The 'cinema' was in the Camden Market area, and was actually in a refurbished old theater, complete with a stage and curtains. We had (assigned) seats in the balcony area, which were good, except that we wished the screen was a bit bigger (we were expecting an Imax size screen- the theater was certainly big enough- but instead it was more standard movie theater sized). In any case, it was really good and an excellent setup for the final movie- without any spoilers, Matt says it was the 'Empire Strikes Back' version of Harry Potter. I am not really quite sure what that means, but hey, maybe it tells you something.
We also went to Vinopolis, a 'wine museum,' right next to the still standing London Bridge (again, not falling down. American nursery rhymes have a lot to learn.). Actually a really fun time which was more learning through tasting than traditional museum experiences. We got tasting tickets for around 12 things, including wine, champagne, whisky, beer, absinthe, gin and rum. I think we spent around 3 hours there - with me writing detailed notes about each wine in the flavor journals they gave us, and Matt mostly standing around waiting for me to get done so we could get the next samples! Also, other people apparently don't particularly like whisky, so we got several extra taste tickets for free by the end.
We visited the British Museum as well, which was a really impressive collection of artifacts from a huge array of cultures all over the world. Probably most amazing to see was the Rosetta stone, which allowed scholars to finally translate the Egyptian hieroglyphics they had been studying. We also saw ax-heads from 400,000 years ago. That's not a typo. That's insane. 400,000 years old.
As my paid internet time is quickly running out, I will wrap this up by saying that we are continuing to have a really great time. We're headed to Brixton this evening to meet up with a friend of my brother's, and have only a couple days left here to enjoy, only 3 more nights of weird beds (though Sunday and Monday I think we are staying in a better hotel- tonight is the very last of the bunk bed hostels...hooray!!!).
Will try to take some more photos to post, but not that much interesting to take photos of when you are mostly just hanging out and relaxing!!! Till then, cheerio!
We also went to Vinopolis, a 'wine museum,' right next to the still standing London Bridge (again, not falling down. American nursery rhymes have a lot to learn.). Actually a really fun time which was more learning through tasting than traditional museum experiences. We got tasting tickets for around 12 things, including wine, champagne, whisky, beer, absinthe, gin and rum. I think we spent around 3 hours there - with me writing detailed notes about each wine in the flavor journals they gave us, and Matt mostly standing around waiting for me to get done so we could get the next samples! Also, other people apparently don't particularly like whisky, so we got several extra taste tickets for free by the end.
We visited the British Museum as well, which was a really impressive collection of artifacts from a huge array of cultures all over the world. Probably most amazing to see was the Rosetta stone, which allowed scholars to finally translate the Egyptian hieroglyphics they had been studying. We also saw ax-heads from 400,000 years ago. That's not a typo. That's insane. 400,000 years old.
As my paid internet time is quickly running out, I will wrap this up by saying that we are continuing to have a really great time. We're headed to Brixton this evening to meet up with a friend of my brother's, and have only a couple days left here to enjoy, only 3 more nights of weird beds (though Sunday and Monday I think we are staying in a better hotel- tonight is the very last of the bunk bed hostels...hooray!!!).
Will try to take some more photos to post, but not that much interesting to take photos of when you are mostly just hanging out and relaxing!!! Till then, cheerio!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
It's Raining in London and We Couldn't be Happier
yes....vacation. That's what this week in London is all about- relaxing and doing what we feel like, instead of trying to see tons of sights. Today we took that to heart and slept in much later than usual (past 11!!!). We then headed directly to buy tickets for Harry Potter, which comes out here on Friday, a few days earlier than in the US. While we paid through the nose for tickets (20 pounds each...around $30), it is in an IMAX theater and should be really great. We then shopped in Camden Market, headed to a couple hours in the London National Gallery where we saw works by everyone from Michaelangelo to Picasso, and rounded out the night with a trip to "Gordon's Wine Bar," which incredibly dates to the 1400's. Overall a super-relaxing day.
The talk of the town is the engagement of Kate and Will- and I must admit, I got a bit teary-eyed when reading the extensive coverage in the papers here (I spent about an hour today pouring over the coverage in the London Times at a coffee shop). Perhaps because parts of their story seem to parallel a couple dear to us (they've been dating 7 years (earning her the awful nickname "Waity Katie"), met as Freshmen in college, are exactly our age, and getting married next year....) I'm quite excited to get to attend at least one of these historic weddings ;)
It is a little silly to talk about Will marrying an "Average" girl Kate, when her parents are millionaires, but even so its a great story that really most of us girls, whether we admit it or not, dreamed of when we were small children...becomming a real life princess. (Disney gave us this idea, its not our fault!) Amazing. And in any case, great entertainment for the rest of us who will look forward to every wedding detail! And, considering the already breathless coverage of the engagement, it's hard to image that the excitement will decrease as more details come to light.
While we are hiding out from the cold rain in the hotel the rest of the evening (it is actually colder here then it was on top of the Alps...), hope you all are staying warm (and dry!) in the mid-November weather!
The talk of the town is the engagement of Kate and Will- and I must admit, I got a bit teary-eyed when reading the extensive coverage in the papers here (I spent about an hour today pouring over the coverage in the London Times at a coffee shop). Perhaps because parts of their story seem to parallel a couple dear to us (they've been dating 7 years (earning her the awful nickname "Waity Katie"), met as Freshmen in college, are exactly our age, and getting married next year....) I'm quite excited to get to attend at least one of these historic weddings ;)
It is a little silly to talk about Will marrying an "Average" girl Kate, when her parents are millionaires, but even so its a great story that really most of us girls, whether we admit it or not, dreamed of when we were small children...becomming a real life princess. (Disney gave us this idea, its not our fault!) Amazing. And in any case, great entertainment for the rest of us who will look forward to every wedding detail! And, considering the already breathless coverage of the engagement, it's hard to image that the excitement will decrease as more details come to light.
While we are hiding out from the cold rain in the hotel the rest of the evening (it is actually colder here then it was on top of the Alps...), hope you all are staying warm (and dry!) in the mid-November weather!
Monday, November 15, 2010
City of Lights
(Tonight's post is written by guest blogger, bon vivant, and man-about-town Matt)
Bon soir from Gay Paree. So here's what went down so far:
The Arc de Triomphe
Champs-Elysees
Eiffel Tower
Notre Dame
Latin Quarter (that's Classical Latin, not Taco Latin)
Lots of Rain
Exceptional Food and Wine
Katie and I are truly enjoying the Parisian "cafe culture," and its associated laid-back lifestyle. So much so that we spent an extra night here.
As the trip winds down, we find ourselves looking back to take stock: Did we see all we wanted to see and did we have enough fun? I believe we did. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't long ago that I had never left Missouri, and now here I am blogging from Paris. We have scaled the Alps and bathed in Hungarian hotsprings. We have drank French Wine and Czech beer, and everything in between. Katie tasted Irish whiskey and Matt ate a kidney on his lamb chop. We have tried new things,made new friends, and strengthened our marriage. More than anything, we have had FUN, and isnt that the point?
Some random thoughts for your brains to chew:
- We are flat-out tired of touring. Luckily, we did a whirlwind tour of London when we first got here, so this last week in London will be pretty chill.
- Four Roses Bourbon. I have never heard of it before, but in places that have more than one American Whiskey (ie, something other than Jack), this is the most common option, and it seems to be priced like a top-shelf product. Tastes pretty ok, as far as I'm concerned.
- We had always heard that DC was designed to "feel" like Paris with its avenues and shorter buildings, but we didnt really get a sense of that until we saw Paris from above on the Eiffel Tower. From that vantage point, you can really see the similarities between the two cities, such as the traffic circles and resulting funny shaped blocks and buildings.
- In Europe, we have seen many beggars who have (and emphasize) severe physical deformaties, such as backward knees and club feet. In the US, it seems the worst you see is an amputation here and there. Maybe because malformed babies get better care in America? Or is it hidden due to pride?
- Concept cars. There are a few dealerships along the Champs-Elysees that showcase futuristic concept cars that will likely never be for sale. Why spend the money making these cars, for that matter, the money to rent the prime real estate to house them?
- The Eiffel Tower is MUCH taller than the Washington Monument. Just in case you were wondering. (katie's note: Matt wasn't sure when first arriving....he has some trouble with "perspective.")
- What happened to Crepes in the US to make them all terrible? I blame the schools.
- Europeans eat peanut butter-flavored things, eg. crisps (chips), but we can't find a jar of the stuff at all.
- We run into other backpackers that claim to roll into cities with no idea where they are spending the night. In our experience, even waiting til two nights before means you will either pay through your teeth or have to stay WELL away from everything. Maybe there is a special "I'm a dumb person" pass?
We'll always have Paris....but now on to London...
Bon soir from Gay Paree. So here's what went down so far:
The Arc de Triomphe
Champs-Elysees
Eiffel Tower
Notre Dame
Latin Quarter (that's Classical Latin, not Taco Latin)
Lots of Rain
Exceptional Food and Wine
Katie and I are truly enjoying the Parisian "cafe culture," and its associated laid-back lifestyle. So much so that we spent an extra night here.
As the trip winds down, we find ourselves looking back to take stock: Did we see all we wanted to see and did we have enough fun? I believe we did. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't long ago that I had never left Missouri, and now here I am blogging from Paris. We have scaled the Alps and bathed in Hungarian hotsprings. We have drank French Wine and Czech beer, and everything in between. Katie tasted Irish whiskey and Matt ate a kidney on his lamb chop. We have tried new things,made new friends, and strengthened our marriage. More than anything, we have had FUN, and isnt that the point?
Some random thoughts for your brains to chew:
- We are flat-out tired of touring. Luckily, we did a whirlwind tour of London when we first got here, so this last week in London will be pretty chill.
- Four Roses Bourbon. I have never heard of it before, but in places that have more than one American Whiskey (ie, something other than Jack), this is the most common option, and it seems to be priced like a top-shelf product. Tastes pretty ok, as far as I'm concerned.
- We had always heard that DC was designed to "feel" like Paris with its avenues and shorter buildings, but we didnt really get a sense of that until we saw Paris from above on the Eiffel Tower. From that vantage point, you can really see the similarities between the two cities, such as the traffic circles and resulting funny shaped blocks and buildings.
- In Europe, we have seen many beggars who have (and emphasize) severe physical deformaties, such as backward knees and club feet. In the US, it seems the worst you see is an amputation here and there. Maybe because malformed babies get better care in America? Or is it hidden due to pride?
- Concept cars. There are a few dealerships along the Champs-Elysees that showcase futuristic concept cars that will likely never be for sale. Why spend the money making these cars, for that matter, the money to rent the prime real estate to house them?
- The Eiffel Tower is MUCH taller than the Washington Monument. Just in case you were wondering. (katie's note: Matt wasn't sure when first arriving....he has some trouble with "perspective.")
- What happened to Crepes in the US to make them all terrible? I blame the schools.
- Europeans eat peanut butter-flavored things, eg. crisps (chips), but we can't find a jar of the stuff at all.
- We run into other backpackers that claim to roll into cities with no idea where they are spending the night. In our experience, even waiting til two nights before means you will either pay through your teeth or have to stay WELL away from everything. Maybe there is a special "I'm a dumb person" pass?
We'll always have Paris....but now on to London...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
From a town of 100 to the City of Lights
From Interlocken we headed into the Alps to stay one night in Gimmelwald, a tiny town of 100 that doesn't even have a grocery store- though there is a cheese stand in a 200 year old hut. We arrived in Gimmelwald via a gondola to Murren, the "big town" where the grocery store (which closes at noon) and a resturant are located. We enjoyed a beautiful walk down to Gimmelwald (with all our luggage- for those of you wondering why we have backpacks instead of a rolling suitcase, this is why). About an inch of snow had fallen the night before, but the path was (mostly) clear, allowing for the perfect mix of fresh snow beauty and sure(ish) footing. As you can imagine, in a town of 100 during the offseason, there is not much of anything to do but sit back and enjoy the incredible beauty of the mountains around you. The alps are stunning in their cliff-like beauty- unlike the Rocky Mountains in the US, these peaks are truly jagged spears soaring up 13,000 feet into the clear blue sky.
It was actually a blessing to have everything closed in Gimmelwald (not that there is much to do there anyway during high season other than ski), because it forced/enabled everyone staying in the hostel, about 10 of us, to really get to know each other and hang out. We played a very fun card game that is a take-off of Uno, in which added rules include slapping your hand on the table or your head when certain cards are played and the ability to play totally out of turn where you have matching cards. It was one of those really excellent and unexpected nights, where everyone just gets along and has a great time together. While we had hoped to find this in other hostels along the way we really haven't so far, but are very happy to finally have had the experience.
In addition, we were lucky to have beautiful clear weather on the day we arrived, because the next day the clouds had moved back in, blocking the gorgeous views. Instead of heading up to the very top of Jungfrau (the highest peak in the area) when the views weren't there, we decided to head back to civilization- and 10 hours after leaving our town of 100, we rolled into Paris.
Concerned that we were headed to Paris with nowhere to stay on a Friday night, we sprinted to find an internet cafe near the train station in Bassel during our hour connection. Luckily we happened upon one within about 10 minutes of leaving the station, and were able to find a small hotel that had availablility (though indeed many of the places listed on hostels.com did not have rooms for the night- including where we were originally going to stay when we planned to arrive a few days later). While further contemplation of the hotel's location at first lead to concern as the metro stop it is close to is in fact the very end of one of the metro lines (Port de Orleans on the Left Bank), when we arrived at last we were quite excited to see that it is a bustling area with many resturants nearby, and without the inflated tourist prices of the area near the major sights.
After sleeping in (at last! a private, quiet room with a REAL bed and our own private bathroom! Haven't seen that in quite a while...) we spent the day touring the Louve and then dining with the Pariseans. We brunched on crepes filled with eggs while sipping our coffees. We unwound after the Louve tour with a Spanish Sangria and tapas. We dropped in on Harry's New York Bar, a former hangout of Hemmingway. And we ended back in our little neighborhood near the hotel with a fantastic 3 course truly french meal, starting with smooth and rich foie gras, then a seabass with mixed vegetables (Matt of course went for red meat and had a roasted lambchop served with a kidney...we think....it was yummy regardless), and finishing with chocolate profiteroles and vanilla ice cream (plus two excellent cappucinos to top it all off). A very memorable Parisean meal without the memorable tourist price tag!
Tomorrow hopefully the weather will clear up (maybe?), and we'll head to the Eiffel tower and the walk along the Champs-Elysees.
A few random thoughts on guided tour of the Louve to leave you with:
-Sometimes on a trip like this you encounter new information about something fairly common that you didn't realize before. For me today I found out (yes this will seem really stupid if you know this): Crystal is made out of stone, not glass. The beautiful pieces in the museums have been carved to hide their imperfections naturally occurring- therefore the plainest crystal in the museum is actually generally the most priceless, as it is made from the most perfect piece of rock. I have no idea why I thought that crystal was just made from regular glass that was then etched (perhaps because I assume most of it sold for home use is in fact made that way), but am glad to have been enlightened.
- I.M. Pei really is a fantastic architect- we saw his work in Berlin at a muesum there, and of course his most famous today - the glass pyramid at the Louve. It is hard to imagine what these galleries looked like before his additions, as they seem to bring the entire space together and create a sense of natural drama and lightness to the buildings.
- As we have traveled, we have now several times noticed the same sculpture in multiple locations. "Sphere within a Sphere" was in the Vatican and also at Trinity College in Dublin. Today we saw a few statutes that we saw also at the National Mueum in Rome. And we learned the difference between a "copy" and a "replica." A replica is by the original artist or their protige- a copy is by a random other artist who has nothing to do with the original. Most of the "Greek" statues around Europe are actually very old Roman copies of the older originals.
- We have not encountered any of the famed rude Paris attitude. Everyone actually seems very nice- perhaps the main problem is when Americans visit during the middle of the summer when everyone is just grumpy anyway? Or maybe it is because we preface every interaction with the few French words we learned from our guidebook- Parlez-vous English?, Merci, Si-vous-plait, Bonjour, Bon Soir. (Do you speak English, Thanks, Please, Hello, Goodbye/Goodnight).
Bon Soir!
It was actually a blessing to have everything closed in Gimmelwald (not that there is much to do there anyway during high season other than ski), because it forced/enabled everyone staying in the hostel, about 10 of us, to really get to know each other and hang out. We played a very fun card game that is a take-off of Uno, in which added rules include slapping your hand on the table or your head when certain cards are played and the ability to play totally out of turn where you have matching cards. It was one of those really excellent and unexpected nights, where everyone just gets along and has a great time together. While we had hoped to find this in other hostels along the way we really haven't so far, but are very happy to finally have had the experience.
In addition, we were lucky to have beautiful clear weather on the day we arrived, because the next day the clouds had moved back in, blocking the gorgeous views. Instead of heading up to the very top of Jungfrau (the highest peak in the area) when the views weren't there, we decided to head back to civilization- and 10 hours after leaving our town of 100, we rolled into Paris.
Concerned that we were headed to Paris with nowhere to stay on a Friday night, we sprinted to find an internet cafe near the train station in Bassel during our hour connection. Luckily we happened upon one within about 10 minutes of leaving the station, and were able to find a small hotel that had availablility (though indeed many of the places listed on hostels.com did not have rooms for the night- including where we were originally going to stay when we planned to arrive a few days later). While further contemplation of the hotel's location at first lead to concern as the metro stop it is close to is in fact the very end of one of the metro lines (Port de Orleans on the Left Bank), when we arrived at last we were quite excited to see that it is a bustling area with many resturants nearby, and without the inflated tourist prices of the area near the major sights.
After sleeping in (at last! a private, quiet room with a REAL bed and our own private bathroom! Haven't seen that in quite a while...) we spent the day touring the Louve and then dining with the Pariseans. We brunched on crepes filled with eggs while sipping our coffees. We unwound after the Louve tour with a Spanish Sangria and tapas. We dropped in on Harry's New York Bar, a former hangout of Hemmingway. And we ended back in our little neighborhood near the hotel with a fantastic 3 course truly french meal, starting with smooth and rich foie gras, then a seabass with mixed vegetables (Matt of course went for red meat and had a roasted lambchop served with a kidney...we think....it was yummy regardless), and finishing with chocolate profiteroles and vanilla ice cream (plus two excellent cappucinos to top it all off). A very memorable Parisean meal without the memorable tourist price tag!
Tomorrow hopefully the weather will clear up (maybe?), and we'll head to the Eiffel tower and the walk along the Champs-Elysees.
A few random thoughts on guided tour of the Louve to leave you with:
-Sometimes on a trip like this you encounter new information about something fairly common that you didn't realize before. For me today I found out (yes this will seem really stupid if you know this): Crystal is made out of stone, not glass. The beautiful pieces in the museums have been carved to hide their imperfections naturally occurring- therefore the plainest crystal in the museum is actually generally the most priceless, as it is made from the most perfect piece of rock. I have no idea why I thought that crystal was just made from regular glass that was then etched (perhaps because I assume most of it sold for home use is in fact made that way), but am glad to have been enlightened.
- I.M. Pei really is a fantastic architect- we saw his work in Berlin at a muesum there, and of course his most famous today - the glass pyramid at the Louve. It is hard to imagine what these galleries looked like before his additions, as they seem to bring the entire space together and create a sense of natural drama and lightness to the buildings.
- As we have traveled, we have now several times noticed the same sculpture in multiple locations. "Sphere within a Sphere" was in the Vatican and also at Trinity College in Dublin. Today we saw a few statutes that we saw also at the National Mueum in Rome. And we learned the difference between a "copy" and a "replica." A replica is by the original artist or their protige- a copy is by a random other artist who has nothing to do with the original. Most of the "Greek" statues around Europe are actually very old Roman copies of the older originals.
- We have not encountered any of the famed rude Paris attitude. Everyone actually seems very nice- perhaps the main problem is when Americans visit during the middle of the summer when everyone is just grumpy anyway? Or maybe it is because we preface every interaction with the few French words we learned from our guidebook- Parlez-vous English?, Merci, Si-vous-plait, Bonjour, Bon Soir. (Do you speak English, Thanks, Please, Hello, Goodbye/Goodnight).
Bon Soir!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
No such thing as a Late Lunch
<< I regret to inform you that Europe is Closed. Please come back when it is not between seasons. Thank you for your consideration. With affection, Switzerland.>> (They don't use apostrophes here.)
Today we hung around Interlocken- and learned that a late lunch does not exist here. If you don't eat by 1:00, hope you didn't want any lunch, because everything is closed except McDonalds and they are charging $11 for a BigMac. Not including fries or a drink.
So, we skipped lunch and headed to the ice rink, where I attempted to teach Matt to skate. He did very well for his first time, but more practice is needed for such advanced skills as turning and stopping (or even really going straight). We still had a very entertaining time- as I spent most of it giggling in stitches! (The 3-13 year olds playing hockey didn't help either- they were staring at us as if they had never seen an adult who didn't know how to skate...which they probably hadn't...)
Not much going on here- everything is closed because we are splitting the summer season and winter season. I recommend that no one come to Interlocken during this time period, because really all there is to do is the indoor ice rink. But a down day is okay (especially for those who need to do laundry). Tomorrow we head up the mountain to Gimmelwald, which should be beautiful and may result in better photos. On the other hand, probably no internet for a couple days, so prepare for radio silence :)
Things we are missing right now, 4 weeks in, with 2 to go:
- Sandwiches. Europe apparently doesn't believe in the American concept of a sub sandwich with lots of toppings. Good luck ordering one, they will be very confused (and really just won't make it).
- Eggs. Maybe you can find them hard-boiled, but never scrambled or over easy to Matt's great lament.
- Personal space/somewhere to live. Moving every 1-2 nights gets a bit exhausting after a while.... and closely related:
- A real bed. Haven't seen one in a long time, even when we book private rooms, often there are just 2 twin beds pushed together, or a mattress much too short for us, or just extremely hard.
- A kitchen stocked with staples. I am really missing cooking and "normal" home-cooked meals.
- And, most of all, our friends and family. I got several really nice emails and texts the last few days from you all, and that really makes me feel happy and loved even though I'm so far away- but makes me miss you even more. We're really looking forward to Thanksgiving!!! Give each other a big hug for me until I see you soon!
Today we hung around Interlocken- and learned that a late lunch does not exist here. If you don't eat by 1:00, hope you didn't want any lunch, because everything is closed except McDonalds and they are charging $11 for a BigMac. Not including fries or a drink.
So, we skipped lunch and headed to the ice rink, where I attempted to teach Matt to skate. He did very well for his first time, but more practice is needed for such advanced skills as turning and stopping (or even really going straight). We still had a very entertaining time- as I spent most of it giggling in stitches! (The 3-13 year olds playing hockey didn't help either- they were staring at us as if they had never seen an adult who didn't know how to skate...which they probably hadn't...)
Not much going on here- everything is closed because we are splitting the summer season and winter season. I recommend that no one come to Interlocken during this time period, because really all there is to do is the indoor ice rink. But a down day is okay (especially for those who need to do laundry). Tomorrow we head up the mountain to Gimmelwald, which should be beautiful and may result in better photos. On the other hand, probably no internet for a couple days, so prepare for radio silence :)
Things we are missing right now, 4 weeks in, with 2 to go:
- Sandwiches. Europe apparently doesn't believe in the American concept of a sub sandwich with lots of toppings. Good luck ordering one, they will be very confused (and really just won't make it).
- Eggs. Maybe you can find them hard-boiled, but never scrambled or over easy to Matt's great lament.
- Personal space/somewhere to live. Moving every 1-2 nights gets a bit exhausting after a while.... and closely related:
- A real bed. Haven't seen one in a long time, even when we book private rooms, often there are just 2 twin beds pushed together, or a mattress much too short for us, or just extremely hard.
- A kitchen stocked with staples. I am really missing cooking and "normal" home-cooked meals.
- And, most of all, our friends and family. I got several really nice emails and texts the last few days from you all, and that really makes me feel happy and loved even though I'm so far away- but makes me miss you even more. We're really looking forward to Thanksgiving!!! Give each other a big hug for me until I see you soon!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Old Man and the Sea - Cinque Terre
From Rome, we headed to the coast to see Cinque Terre ("five towns"). These small villages are connected by a series of hikes along the ocean and mountains. While I could write all about our hike, its better for you to just go look at the photos (a picture is worth 1,000 words after all). Especially since all we did was hike and eat seafood pasta (NOM NOM NOM....) Just a few comments to go along with the photos:
- My definition of "hike along a path" is more or less stroll along a nice sidewalky type of path, up and down hills, but expecting guardrails where it gets close to cliff edges. The first hike we went on was listed as one of the hardest, but it was where we were starting from, so we figured no big deal. It turns out that their definition of hike is more like "be a mountain goat for an hour and a half." There were many, many parts where a misplaced step was all that was between you and a 150 meter (300 feet?) plunge off the side of a cliff onto the rocks below. Scary. But beautiful (and hard to capture on camera...)
-Some people, when seeing a waterspout on the way to an ocean get-away might think, "gee, the water might be a bit chopped up." My brain did not process this. But yes, as you can see in the photos, it was incredible. We thought it was choppy the first day. The second day, we saw waves that were consistently 8-10 feet high, winds that were sustained 48 km/hr (I looked it up), and the waves when breaking spraying up to 100 feet in the air. All of this was really hard to capture in pictures, but compare the first day to the second day in our little harbour. Even the locals were impressed by the storm surge, which apparently happens 2-3 times every winter.
-We are now in Interlaken, Switzerland. We arrived at night (it took us 10 hours including a 4 hour train lay-over in Milan), so have not yet seen the Alps which are towering over us. Should have some good photos soon!!!
- My definition of "hike along a path" is more or less stroll along a nice sidewalky type of path, up and down hills, but expecting guardrails where it gets close to cliff edges. The first hike we went on was listed as one of the hardest, but it was where we were starting from, so we figured no big deal. It turns out that their definition of hike is more like "be a mountain goat for an hour and a half." There were many, many parts where a misplaced step was all that was between you and a 150 meter (300 feet?) plunge off the side of a cliff onto the rocks below. Scary. But beautiful (and hard to capture on camera...)
-Some people, when seeing a waterspout on the way to an ocean get-away might think, "gee, the water might be a bit chopped up." My brain did not process this. But yes, as you can see in the photos, it was incredible. We thought it was choppy the first day. The second day, we saw waves that were consistently 8-10 feet high, winds that were sustained 48 km/hr (I looked it up), and the waves when breaking spraying up to 100 feet in the air. All of this was really hard to capture in pictures, but compare the first day to the second day in our little harbour. Even the locals were impressed by the storm surge, which apparently happens 2-3 times every winter.
-We are now in Interlaken, Switzerland. We arrived at night (it took us 10 hours including a 4 hour train lay-over in Milan), so have not yet seen the Alps which are towering over us. Should have some good photos soon!!!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
...do as the Romans do
(apologies for formatting. cut and paste from Notepad into internet browser.... but at 3 euros for 30 minutes ($5) I am trying to do this quickly!)
Leaving Munich at 9:00 PM, we rode all night in a full 6 person cabin (3 bunks high), with the train continually shaking us awake. Finally, it was morning- the sun blasting into our train window, and with bleary eyes I looked out and saw Italy, with unbelievable views of rolling hills covered in grape vines. The colors were different than anything we had seen so far in the trip- everything was in "Italian Color" with a vague sun-bleaching effect. It was beautiful, warm, and sunny- giving Italy an immediate place in my heart before we even stepped off the train.
Arriving around 9:30 AM, we dropped our bags at the hostel and set out to see Rome. We headed directly to the Vatican, where we joined a tour group to see the Vatican Museums. Taken through the public rooms was a beautiful art tour, with detailed explanations of the most important pieces and rooms. Learning about the personalities of Michaelangelo and Raphael, the two most important artists of the Vatican, and their competitiveness in outdoing each other gave life to the art that would not have been there otherwise. Seeing the roof of the Sistine Chapel frescos evolve from the first learning of the Fresco technique by Michaelangelo to his mastery of it by the end allowed us to better understand the differences between the panels.
Also within the Sistine Chapel is the Last Judgement, a fresco taking up one entire wall, a depiction of some going to heaven and others to hell with angels guiding the way. One particularly bothersome bishop (who insisted that Michaelangelo cover up the nudity in the painting) is shown in the bottom, darkest corner of hell, with a snake wrapped around his body biting the private parts he insisted on Michaelangelo's covering. (The Pope apparently tired of the bickering ignored the Bishops complaints and let it stand).
The Raphael rooms beautiful as well, with extraordinary detail in his depictions of ancient life in interesting scenes, though much of this work was done by his staff instead of by himself (in contrast to Michaelangelo's largely independent work).
We then headed up the 320 steps to the top of St. Peter's Basilica (apparently when faced with a tower to climb we must climb it). The view of Rome was beautiful, though the way up was quite exhausting and included walking along ever increasingly slanted walls which seemed to be closing in on us).
Exhausted, we headed back to the hostel for a nap- though I will say I have rarely more wished for an elevator than when we needed to carry our luggage from the basement up to the 4th floor after walking for 6 hours on no sleep...
We were happy to grab a nice dinner at a resturant near the hostel recommended by Rick Steve's book (more about that in a moment- look for the misc. section at the end of the post). The Italian pasta (stuffed with pears and truffles) lived up to every expectation I could have had, as did the homemade gelato for dessert.
The next day we walked the Roman Forum following Rick Steve's guide. It was incredible to see how large ancient Rome was, and the incredible construction they did 2000 years ago. Walking the same path as Caesar Agustus did along the ruins gave us a real sense of the history of this great city. We visited the "original" Capitol Hill. Seeing the burial spot of Julius Caesar (where a small temple was built) was amazing, especially as it is just across the ancient square from the first Senate- an enormous building that is still standing mostly intact from its construction in AD 283. But compared to the columns remaning from the Temple of Saturn (497 BC), it seems new.
But the most poingnat moment of the self guided tour is the end, when looking at the Column of Phocas (AD 608), given to Rome to commemmorate the Pantheon's becomming a Christian Church. As the guide describes, it was the "symbolic last nail in ancient Rome's coffin." An amazing moment to consider the history of a once great city, still impressive even in Ruins.
We then toured the National Museum of Rome, which contained a great amount of original art still in excellent condition from 2000 years ago, as well as what must have been the art world's first copies- statues that ancient Romans had made based on much older and already famous Greek art.
After a much needed nap, we followed the nighttime Rome walk (Rick Steves again), in which we saw the beautiful Trevi fountain (and a couple getting engaged). The Trevi fountai was completed in 1762 (keep in mind the American Declaration of Independence was not until 1776), and is enormous- 24 water spouts from which Rome's aqueducts pour out a flood of water, lit up at night and surrounded by a couple hundred tourists. We even threw a coin over our shoulders- 1 each, to assure our return to Rome. We also walked by several other plazas, all teeming with people enjoying the beautiful night weather. We shared a "world famous" tartufo at Tre Scalini (death by chocolate ice cream truffle of sorts). We marveled at the sixth century BC Egyptian Obelisk, taken to Rome as a trophy by Augustus after defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. It makes one wonder how such a large column could have not only gotten to Rome by survived all these years. We had a fantastic dinner at another Rick Steves recommendation, and then headed back to recharge for the final day of Rome...
On the third day, we had two booked tours to enjoy- the Colleseum and the Scavi Necropolis under the Vatican.
First, to the Colleseum... a brand new tour with limited size (about 20 people) of areas that have never before been open to the public- and are now still only open to people who book tours far enough in advance to grab the limited spots. We were first taken to the area under the Colleseum, where we saw the staging area used to prepare the animals and stage sets for lifting via wenches through trap doors to the stage. You can imagine the chaos of hundreds of slaves working, pulling levers and tugging ropes, with yelled instructions being echoed through the underground area, among the caged lions and other exotic animals (who had not eaten in days to insure their hunger), as well as the dead bodies being dragged out, with blood and sand falling through cracks of the stage above...one imagines it was chaotic and exciting...and smelly!
We then entered the level of the stage, where the Gladiators fought. Walking out there, imaging the 70,000 people in audience waiting to see you fight for your life... it was an electric feeling. (And actually a good amount of the time the Gladiators were not actually killed- it was quite expensive to replace them and many made it the 5 years of their contract to be freed and very well paid for their service- reviered like American football players today.)
We then headed up to the top of the Colleseum, where we had a great view of Rome, as well as seeing it from the persepctive of a spectator. Clearly, there was no bad seat in the house. A random fact that I didn't know before the visit is that before the Colleseum was used for the Gladiator battles we know it as, they used it to stage great "naval battles" in which they flooded the area and brought in naval ships, which then reinacted the great naval victories over Roman enemys. Very hard to imagine today, but an impressive engineering feat at the least.
We then headed to the Vatican (and specifically St. Peter's Basillica) for our Necropolis tour. This was a tour I requested tickets for about two months ago, and was thrilled to be able to get as the tours only allow around 12 people each and are not an easy ticket to score...because it is incredible. Excavations underneath the Vatican to find St. Peter's original burial location were begun around 1930, and were done at night, in secret, by only 4 workers, over a 10 year period (if you are wondering why- think of the Euroean political climate at the time and who wanted all the art....) To describe what they found (and therefore what we saw), it makes the most sense to start at the beginning of the history of how church came to be located where it did. Originally, the area was used as a "Roman circus," which is where chariot races were held. Around year 26 AD, Peter (one of the apostles) was martyerd in the middle of the racetrack. His followers,very poor early Christians, removed his body to the area behind the racetrack where they buried it, covering it by 6 simple stones. Eventually other people (the rich pagans) began burying bodies there around year 150, and bulding large mauseleums to honor their dead. around year 200 a small additional grave marker was added to the site of Peter's grave, to ensure it was not lost among the large mauseleums. However, when Constantine became the first Christian emporer, he decided to build a church in the area, and surrounded Peter's burial site with large granite slabs so it would not be lost. He then bashed in the tops of the mauseleums and filled them with dirt, flattening the entire area, and then began to build. After this church eventually burned down, it was replaced, and then replaced again eventually around 1500 by St. Peter's Basilica. Therefore, when the excavations began under St. Peter's, they found these perfectly preserved mauseleums- the dirt having protected the frescoes on the walls and the beautiful sarcofagi from the 2000 years of history. Therefore, now when you go on this tour, you are walking along the original street level of Rome with the Mauselums on either side of you- imagining that instead of looking up and seeing the roof (which is really the bottom of St. Peter's basilica), you would see sky. Before the area was opened to tourists in the 1980s, the last people to walk the road were almost 2000 years ago. Absolutely incredible.
And, in case you are wondering- they think they did find Peter's original burial location, almost exactly where they were expecting it, as the alters continued to be built over the years of different churches at exactly the same spot. 6 simple stones marked an area in which many other bodies had been buried- but none appeared to be the right age or gender to be Peter. Then a few feet away they found a "cave" of sorts, with bones inside with a few strands of cloth of purple and gold- the sort that would only be used by someone of great importance. On the outside of the cave were markings translated to mean "Peter is here," along with many other prayers to Peter. The bones there did match the correct information they have about Peter (age, gender, and the fact that his feet were missing- consistent with being martyered by hanging upside down- they would have cut him down at the ankles). We saw this area and the markings on the wall, as well as a bit of bone visible through the darkness. Whether they are really the bones of Peter or not will never be known (even as stated by our tour guide), but it was an incredible end to the tour, a walk back in 2000 years of history.
Today, we are headed on the train to Cinque Terre, a much needed break from touring (our feet and knees are greatful).
Some random bits of things from the last few days outside the overall narrative:
-AS I AM WRITING THIS ON THE TRAIN TO CINQUE TERRE, I JUST SAW MY FIRST WATER SPOUT/TORNADO!!! Its off in the distance but it was clearly touching the ground as we could see the dirt/moisture coming up and blowing around in a clear funnel cloud to the ground. Didn't think I had to come from Kansas to Italy to see a tornado, but so be it.)
-The obelisk in the center of St. Peter's square is 4000 years old and Egyptian. Which means it was made 2000 years before Christianity existed. Which means that the center of the Catholic church seems like a strange place for it...though they have added a cross on the top.
-When St. Peter's was built, marble was in short supply. So they took it from the Colleseum. Apparently no one thought in the 1500s that anyone cared.
-Italian pasta...really, really good. Or maybe we just never go to nice enough American Italian resturants??
-Seriously, how did these 4000 year old obelisks get across the ocean over 2000 years ago in one piece????
-Drinking beer (or wine or whatever) by water is just more enjoyable than not by water, as we noted while enjoying a beer next to Trevi fountain. Here is our theory on why (someone should probably write their thesis on this): we know that taste and flavor is actually impacted by all 5 senses, as was demonstrated during the Bols tour in Amsterdaam. Therefore, when you drink by water, the refreshment is increased by seeing water, smelling water, and hearing water (at least if by a large fountain or the ocean). So instead of only 2 senses being engaged in the refreshment (smell and taste), all 5 are totally zoned in to the liquid refreshment.
-Hearing that what you are looking at is from a year in the "tens" (like this is from around year 26 AD) is really insane and hard to wrap your mind around.
-There are two guidebooks that have been absolutely invaluable on this trip. First, Rick Steve's- the information is at a level of detail you don't get elsewhere. Something like Let's Go or Lonely Planet just doesn't seem to have the same amount of information and are overly focused on places to stay and bars to go to. Maybe these are better in Latin America, but for European sights, the Rick Steves books are just unbeatable. The resturant recommendations have also not failed us yet- the dinner we had on a beautiful quiet square in Rome overlooking a fountain was excellent, which he stated was his favorite place for outdoor dining in Rome. So thanks to my brother for those. The other book that has been extremely helpful is the Europe by Train, given to us by our good friends Z&M in DC. This book has told us how to get places when it is not otherwise obvious, and seems to pick up where Rick Steves sometimes leaves off. With the combination of these books (and the internet for last minute details that can't be included in these books), all the information you could need is easy to find.
-The weather in Rome was perfect- 70 degrees and sunny. Happily trade crappy weather in Berlin for the amazing weather in Rome.
-Off-season is a great time to travel to Rome. We only waited in 1 line (though this is in part because I booked a tour of the Colleseum- where we skipped past around 500 people trying to buy tickets), and that 1 line was just 25 minutes to buy the ticket up to the cuppola at the top of St. Peters. This is in contrast to the rumored 2-3 hour lines in the summer. Plus it's much nicer to walk all day if it's not 90 degrees :)
-A tip that you can apply in the US- or wherever you might be on vacation- if you want to find real homemade ice cream, made from scratch, look at the bananna flavor. If it is yellow, it's from a mix. If it's a gray-ish light yellow, it's probably homemade. We used this trick and yes, it made a difference in the taste (with the homemade being much better).
Leaving Munich at 9:00 PM, we rode all night in a full 6 person cabin (3 bunks high), with the train continually shaking us awake. Finally, it was morning- the sun blasting into our train window, and with bleary eyes I looked out and saw Italy, with unbelievable views of rolling hills covered in grape vines. The colors were different than anything we had seen so far in the trip- everything was in "Italian Color" with a vague sun-bleaching effect. It was beautiful, warm, and sunny- giving Italy an immediate place in my heart before we even stepped off the train.
Arriving around 9:30 AM, we dropped our bags at the hostel and set out to see Rome. We headed directly to the Vatican, where we joined a tour group to see the Vatican Museums. Taken through the public rooms was a beautiful art tour, with detailed explanations of the most important pieces and rooms. Learning about the personalities of Michaelangelo and Raphael, the two most important artists of the Vatican, and their competitiveness in outdoing each other gave life to the art that would not have been there otherwise. Seeing the roof of the Sistine Chapel frescos evolve from the first learning of the Fresco technique by Michaelangelo to his mastery of it by the end allowed us to better understand the differences between the panels.
Also within the Sistine Chapel is the Last Judgement, a fresco taking up one entire wall, a depiction of some going to heaven and others to hell with angels guiding the way. One particularly bothersome bishop (who insisted that Michaelangelo cover up the nudity in the painting) is shown in the bottom, darkest corner of hell, with a snake wrapped around his body biting the private parts he insisted on Michaelangelo's covering. (The Pope apparently tired of the bickering ignored the Bishops complaints and let it stand).
The Raphael rooms beautiful as well, with extraordinary detail in his depictions of ancient life in interesting scenes, though much of this work was done by his staff instead of by himself (in contrast to Michaelangelo's largely independent work).
We then headed up the 320 steps to the top of St. Peter's Basilica (apparently when faced with a tower to climb we must climb it). The view of Rome was beautiful, though the way up was quite exhausting and included walking along ever increasingly slanted walls which seemed to be closing in on us).
Exhausted, we headed back to the hostel for a nap- though I will say I have rarely more wished for an elevator than when we needed to carry our luggage from the basement up to the 4th floor after walking for 6 hours on no sleep...
We were happy to grab a nice dinner at a resturant near the hostel recommended by Rick Steve's book (more about that in a moment- look for the misc. section at the end of the post). The Italian pasta (stuffed with pears and truffles) lived up to every expectation I could have had, as did the homemade gelato for dessert.
The next day we walked the Roman Forum following Rick Steve's guide. It was incredible to see how large ancient Rome was, and the incredible construction they did 2000 years ago. Walking the same path as Caesar Agustus did along the ruins gave us a real sense of the history of this great city. We visited the "original" Capitol Hill. Seeing the burial spot of Julius Caesar (where a small temple was built) was amazing, especially as it is just across the ancient square from the first Senate- an enormous building that is still standing mostly intact from its construction in AD 283. But compared to the columns remaning from the Temple of Saturn (497 BC), it seems new.
But the most poingnat moment of the self guided tour is the end, when looking at the Column of Phocas (AD 608), given to Rome to commemmorate the Pantheon's becomming a Christian Church. As the guide describes, it was the "symbolic last nail in ancient Rome's coffin." An amazing moment to consider the history of a once great city, still impressive even in Ruins.
We then toured the National Museum of Rome, which contained a great amount of original art still in excellent condition from 2000 years ago, as well as what must have been the art world's first copies- statues that ancient Romans had made based on much older and already famous Greek art.
After a much needed nap, we followed the nighttime Rome walk (Rick Steves again), in which we saw the beautiful Trevi fountain (and a couple getting engaged). The Trevi fountai was completed in 1762 (keep in mind the American Declaration of Independence was not until 1776), and is enormous- 24 water spouts from which Rome's aqueducts pour out a flood of water, lit up at night and surrounded by a couple hundred tourists. We even threw a coin over our shoulders- 1 each, to assure our return to Rome. We also walked by several other plazas, all teeming with people enjoying the beautiful night weather. We shared a "world famous" tartufo at Tre Scalini (death by chocolate ice cream truffle of sorts). We marveled at the sixth century BC Egyptian Obelisk, taken to Rome as a trophy by Augustus after defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. It makes one wonder how such a large column could have not only gotten to Rome by survived all these years. We had a fantastic dinner at another Rick Steves recommendation, and then headed back to recharge for the final day of Rome...
On the third day, we had two booked tours to enjoy- the Colleseum and the Scavi Necropolis under the Vatican.
First, to the Colleseum... a brand new tour with limited size (about 20 people) of areas that have never before been open to the public- and are now still only open to people who book tours far enough in advance to grab the limited spots. We were first taken to the area under the Colleseum, where we saw the staging area used to prepare the animals and stage sets for lifting via wenches through trap doors to the stage. You can imagine the chaos of hundreds of slaves working, pulling levers and tugging ropes, with yelled instructions being echoed through the underground area, among the caged lions and other exotic animals (who had not eaten in days to insure their hunger), as well as the dead bodies being dragged out, with blood and sand falling through cracks of the stage above...one imagines it was chaotic and exciting...and smelly!
We then entered the level of the stage, where the Gladiators fought. Walking out there, imaging the 70,000 people in audience waiting to see you fight for your life... it was an electric feeling. (And actually a good amount of the time the Gladiators were not actually killed- it was quite expensive to replace them and many made it the 5 years of their contract to be freed and very well paid for their service- reviered like American football players today.)
We then headed up to the top of the Colleseum, where we had a great view of Rome, as well as seeing it from the persepctive of a spectator. Clearly, there was no bad seat in the house. A random fact that I didn't know before the visit is that before the Colleseum was used for the Gladiator battles we know it as, they used it to stage great "naval battles" in which they flooded the area and brought in naval ships, which then reinacted the great naval victories over Roman enemys. Very hard to imagine today, but an impressive engineering feat at the least.
We then headed to the Vatican (and specifically St. Peter's Basillica) for our Necropolis tour. This was a tour I requested tickets for about two months ago, and was thrilled to be able to get as the tours only allow around 12 people each and are not an easy ticket to score...because it is incredible. Excavations underneath the Vatican to find St. Peter's original burial location were begun around 1930, and were done at night, in secret, by only 4 workers, over a 10 year period (if you are wondering why- think of the Euroean political climate at the time and who wanted all the art....) To describe what they found (and therefore what we saw), it makes the most sense to start at the beginning of the history of how church came to be located where it did. Originally, the area was used as a "Roman circus," which is where chariot races were held. Around year 26 AD, Peter (one of the apostles) was martyerd in the middle of the racetrack. His followers,very poor early Christians, removed his body to the area behind the racetrack where they buried it, covering it by 6 simple stones. Eventually other people (the rich pagans) began burying bodies there around year 150, and bulding large mauseleums to honor their dead. around year 200 a small additional grave marker was added to the site of Peter's grave, to ensure it was not lost among the large mauseleums. However, when Constantine became the first Christian emporer, he decided to build a church in the area, and surrounded Peter's burial site with large granite slabs so it would not be lost. He then bashed in the tops of the mauseleums and filled them with dirt, flattening the entire area, and then began to build. After this church eventually burned down, it was replaced, and then replaced again eventually around 1500 by St. Peter's Basilica. Therefore, when the excavations began under St. Peter's, they found these perfectly preserved mauseleums- the dirt having protected the frescoes on the walls and the beautiful sarcofagi from the 2000 years of history. Therefore, now when you go on this tour, you are walking along the original street level of Rome with the Mauselums on either side of you- imagining that instead of looking up and seeing the roof (which is really the bottom of St. Peter's basilica), you would see sky. Before the area was opened to tourists in the 1980s, the last people to walk the road were almost 2000 years ago. Absolutely incredible.
And, in case you are wondering- they think they did find Peter's original burial location, almost exactly where they were expecting it, as the alters continued to be built over the years of different churches at exactly the same spot. 6 simple stones marked an area in which many other bodies had been buried- but none appeared to be the right age or gender to be Peter. Then a few feet away they found a "cave" of sorts, with bones inside with a few strands of cloth of purple and gold- the sort that would only be used by someone of great importance. On the outside of the cave were markings translated to mean "Peter is here," along with many other prayers to Peter. The bones there did match the correct information they have about Peter (age, gender, and the fact that his feet were missing- consistent with being martyered by hanging upside down- they would have cut him down at the ankles). We saw this area and the markings on the wall, as well as a bit of bone visible through the darkness. Whether they are really the bones of Peter or not will never be known (even as stated by our tour guide), but it was an incredible end to the tour, a walk back in 2000 years of history.
Today, we are headed on the train to Cinque Terre, a much needed break from touring (our feet and knees are greatful).
Some random bits of things from the last few days outside the overall narrative:
-AS I AM WRITING THIS ON THE TRAIN TO CINQUE TERRE, I JUST SAW MY FIRST WATER SPOUT/TORNADO!!! Its off in the distance but it was clearly touching the ground as we could see the dirt/moisture coming up and blowing around in a clear funnel cloud to the ground. Didn't think I had to come from Kansas to Italy to see a tornado, but so be it.)
-The obelisk in the center of St. Peter's square is 4000 years old and Egyptian. Which means it was made 2000 years before Christianity existed. Which means that the center of the Catholic church seems like a strange place for it...though they have added a cross on the top.
-When St. Peter's was built, marble was in short supply. So they took it from the Colleseum. Apparently no one thought in the 1500s that anyone cared.
-Italian pasta...really, really good. Or maybe we just never go to nice enough American Italian resturants??
-Seriously, how did these 4000 year old obelisks get across the ocean over 2000 years ago in one piece????
-Drinking beer (or wine or whatever) by water is just more enjoyable than not by water, as we noted while enjoying a beer next to Trevi fountain. Here is our theory on why (someone should probably write their thesis on this): we know that taste and flavor is actually impacted by all 5 senses, as was demonstrated during the Bols tour in Amsterdaam. Therefore, when you drink by water, the refreshment is increased by seeing water, smelling water, and hearing water (at least if by a large fountain or the ocean). So instead of only 2 senses being engaged in the refreshment (smell and taste), all 5 are totally zoned in to the liquid refreshment.
-Hearing that what you are looking at is from a year in the "tens" (like this is from around year 26 AD) is really insane and hard to wrap your mind around.
-There are two guidebooks that have been absolutely invaluable on this trip. First, Rick Steve's- the information is at a level of detail you don't get elsewhere. Something like Let's Go or Lonely Planet just doesn't seem to have the same amount of information and are overly focused on places to stay and bars to go to. Maybe these are better in Latin America, but for European sights, the Rick Steves books are just unbeatable. The resturant recommendations have also not failed us yet- the dinner we had on a beautiful quiet square in Rome overlooking a fountain was excellent, which he stated was his favorite place for outdoor dining in Rome. So thanks to my brother for those. The other book that has been extremely helpful is the Europe by Train, given to us by our good friends Z&M in DC. This book has told us how to get places when it is not otherwise obvious, and seems to pick up where Rick Steves sometimes leaves off. With the combination of these books (and the internet for last minute details that can't be included in these books), all the information you could need is easy to find.
-The weather in Rome was perfect- 70 degrees and sunny. Happily trade crappy weather in Berlin for the amazing weather in Rome.
-Off-season is a great time to travel to Rome. We only waited in 1 line (though this is in part because I booked a tour of the Colleseum- where we skipped past around 500 people trying to buy tickets), and that 1 line was just 25 minutes to buy the ticket up to the cuppola at the top of St. Peters. This is in contrast to the rumored 2-3 hour lines in the summer. Plus it's much nicer to walk all day if it's not 90 degrees :)
-A tip that you can apply in the US- or wherever you might be on vacation- if you want to find real homemade ice cream, made from scratch, look at the bananna flavor. If it is yellow, it's from a mix. If it's a gray-ish light yellow, it's probably homemade. We used this trick and yes, it made a difference in the taste (with the homemade being much better).
Friday, November 5, 2010
When in Rome...
When in Rome...there is apparently not enough time to write a blog or upload photos. The past 72 hours have been crazy, leaving Munich on the night train, arriving in Rome to beautiful weather, and hitting the ground at a sprint. We've done the Vatican museums, including the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms, and climbing to the top of the 320 stairs up the cupola to view the city, then the Forum Walk (where we saw buildings from 2000 years ago...), the National Museum of Rome, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Four rivers fountain, and more. Tomorrow is the big hits day of the Colleseum tour and the Scavi tour. Sunday we head to Cinque Terres- I'll draft a real blog post of what we've been up to on the train on the way there and hopefully upload Sunday night. :)
Needless to say, its been Bellissimo!
Needless to say, its been Bellissimo!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Neuschwanstein Castle!
Today we went, by the skin of our teeth, to visit Neuschwanstein castle on the edge of the Alps. It was one of those days where you think you planned well, and end up barely making the connections all day, but ends up okay in the end. But drives home the point that no amount of planning makes up for the inability to speak or read the language.
We decided to not take the tour from the hostel so that we could go at our own pace, and headed off to the train station to catch the direct train. But, upon arriving at the train station, we learned that the direct train wasn't running due to construction. Therefore we jumped on the bus with about a minute to spare, ended up changing trains twice, and then caught the bus to the base of the mountain where tickets were sold. As we walked up to the booth, there were only 18 tickets remaining for the last English tour of the day (this was 2 hours before the tour was to start), and right before we stepped up to order, the sign flashed up that it was SOLD OUT (when 18 had been listed just before)!!! We rushed up and ordered, and it seemed to be no problem, so it ended up okay, but quite stressful! From this experience, had we known it would take an extra hour due to the rail construction, wish we had just done the structured tour, but it worked out in the end. We couldn't take photos of the inside of the castle, but as you can see the outside was beautiful- photos taken from Mary's Bridge (there is a photo of that too, high above a waterfall)!
Yesterday we toured Dauchau, which was very moving and worthwhile- but no photos there (even though other people were taking photos, to me this is not an appropriate place to take photos to share...) After that we needed some beers and headed to Hofbrau House, where we sat with some very nice travelers from Mexico- which gave me a great chance to practice my Spanish!!
Some random bits of oddness to share before I wrap up:
- Today we encountered many, many rude people. First there was the lady who shoved me in the back 3 times as I waited in line for the bathroom and then pushed by me racing in. Apparently it couldn't wait....though maybe "excuse me" is better than shoving someone repeatedly.... Then there was the train ticket checker who, when checking our tickets, I asked if the train was going all the way to Munich. He very angrily yelled the response with large angry hand gestures that no, it was not and we had to change trains. This would be understandable reaction except that all signs said we were going all the way to Munich.... Then there was the fact that on this very heavily touristed section of railway that was under construction had NO signs in English, NO announcements in English, and really no communication that could be understood unless you spoke German. This really didn't make sense to me since 75% of the people around us ALSO did not speak German...which brings me to point 2.
- People seem to think Matt and I know what is going on. Even the Germans ask me (in German) for directions. It takes quite a bit of convincing to explain I don't speak German and cannot help them if they don't speak English. This morning a German man came all the way to the back of the bus where we were sitting, bypassing many people who probably did speak German, and asked me directly (in German) something I can only assume related to directions. Later in the day on the train back, after I asked the conducter about the connection, no less than 5 different people came to talk to me about how to get back to Munich....really a strange experience.
-Our suite-mate last night slept from 4 PM to 9 AM. Impressive. (and maybe longer than that).
-People here really don't do "lines"- they like to run and push you out of the way even when you are clearly standing in line. And no one (but me) seems to notice/care. A very different culture...
-When trying to use our credit card for breakfast (to go) this morning, we were told the machine was broken. When we said we were out of cash and apologized and turned to leave (leaving behind the pastrys which we had not touched and they could easily put back), the response became, well, maybe its not broken. Let me check. Suddenly, as if by magic, the credit card machine comes out from under the counter and it works just fine....
Tomorrow is unplanned as of yet, but I am sure the scenery won't match up to today's trip to the edge of the alps :)
We decided to not take the tour from the hostel so that we could go at our own pace, and headed off to the train station to catch the direct train. But, upon arriving at the train station, we learned that the direct train wasn't running due to construction. Therefore we jumped on the bus with about a minute to spare, ended up changing trains twice, and then caught the bus to the base of the mountain where tickets were sold. As we walked up to the booth, there were only 18 tickets remaining for the last English tour of the day (this was 2 hours before the tour was to start), and right before we stepped up to order, the sign flashed up that it was SOLD OUT (when 18 had been listed just before)!!! We rushed up and ordered, and it seemed to be no problem, so it ended up okay, but quite stressful! From this experience, had we known it would take an extra hour due to the rail construction, wish we had just done the structured tour, but it worked out in the end. We couldn't take photos of the inside of the castle, but as you can see the outside was beautiful- photos taken from Mary's Bridge (there is a photo of that too, high above a waterfall)!
Yesterday we toured Dauchau, which was very moving and worthwhile- but no photos there (even though other people were taking photos, to me this is not an appropriate place to take photos to share...) After that we needed some beers and headed to Hofbrau House, where we sat with some very nice travelers from Mexico- which gave me a great chance to practice my Spanish!!
Some random bits of oddness to share before I wrap up:
- Today we encountered many, many rude people. First there was the lady who shoved me in the back 3 times as I waited in line for the bathroom and then pushed by me racing in. Apparently it couldn't wait....though maybe "excuse me" is better than shoving someone repeatedly.... Then there was the train ticket checker who, when checking our tickets, I asked if the train was going all the way to Munich. He very angrily yelled the response with large angry hand gestures that no, it was not and we had to change trains. This would be understandable reaction except that all signs said we were going all the way to Munich.... Then there was the fact that on this very heavily touristed section of railway that was under construction had NO signs in English, NO announcements in English, and really no communication that could be understood unless you spoke German. This really didn't make sense to me since 75% of the people around us ALSO did not speak German...which brings me to point 2.
- People seem to think Matt and I know what is going on. Even the Germans ask me (in German) for directions. It takes quite a bit of convincing to explain I don't speak German and cannot help them if they don't speak English. This morning a German man came all the way to the back of the bus where we were sitting, bypassing many people who probably did speak German, and asked me directly (in German) something I can only assume related to directions. Later in the day on the train back, after I asked the conducter about the connection, no less than 5 different people came to talk to me about how to get back to Munich....really a strange experience.
-Our suite-mate last night slept from 4 PM to 9 AM. Impressive. (and maybe longer than that).
-People here really don't do "lines"- they like to run and push you out of the way even when you are clearly standing in line. And no one (but me) seems to notice/care. A very different culture...
-When trying to use our credit card for breakfast (to go) this morning, we were told the machine was broken. When we said we were out of cash and apologized and turned to leave (leaving behind the pastrys which we had not touched and they could easily put back), the response became, well, maybe its not broken. Let me check. Suddenly, as if by magic, the credit card machine comes out from under the counter and it works just fine....
Tomorrow is unplanned as of yet, but I am sure the scenery won't match up to today's trip to the edge of the alps :)
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