Hola amigos! So as you can tell I am major behind. I briefly mentioned Venice and Florence and we are a few days into Barcelona, so I´m just going to do random highlights/moments in the past week:
--Venice was outragelously expensive. I know I say that about EVERY place we´ve been to, but we´re talking about 7 euros public transportation and 17 euros meals being the minimum you pay to sit down at a restaurant. My favorite was the tourist-erific gondala rides--they only set you 100 euros back for a quick sprint around the city!
--That being said, Venice is beautiful. There are literally no cars. NONE. Everything is by boat. It made the commute back to the hostel at night very romantic.
--I saw the coolest cathedral I´ve ever seen in my life in Venice. Not a spot was untouched. There were multiple marbes and mosaics that looked like they were made from gold. Tons of artwork, and that wasn´t just in Venic alone--all cathedrals in Italy have impressive art collections.
--Florence was the next stop. I liked it, there were some pretty awesome sights but my favorite was a short hike to a nearby hill that offered breathtaking views of the city. The cathedral in the area had monks chanting. It was pretty cool.
--We saw David in Florence. We waited in line for close to 2 hours, but admission was free so it was worth it. And I´ll probably only need to go once. Needless to say, he was very impressive.
--Arrived in Barcelona Tuesday morning via overnight train. Except for the awesome Australians we met along the way, the trip was miserable. The chairs were reclining and I was lucky to get some light sleep, but John I think slept for a total of 2 hours.
--Did a touristy hop-on hop-off bus at the recommendation of a couple we met a bit back. It was great. Barcelona is huge city with lots of hills and beaches at the opposite ends so it was worth getting to see it all in a few hours versus the days it would require to walk it.
--Went to the most bitchin´ farmers market I´ve ever been to. Ate an awesome vegetarian thing that I couldn´t even begin to tell you what was in it. Just lots of fresh veggies! We heard a woman screaming hysterically from around the corner and based on the amount of pickpocketing we´ve heard is prominent here I´m guessing it was something related to that. Regardless, tons of people ran to help her which was really assuring.
--Slept with the noisest snorer ever. I´m not kidding. By the morning I kind of hated her for keeping me up for 2 hours. We should have kept those stinking ear plugs from the train!
Got to go! Write soon!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Italia!
Ciao! We are 24 hours in Florence. So far, we have walked all over the city. We have seen more spectacular churches and random museums than I can even begin to name (partially due to the fact that all museums were free today...still have no idea why!). We saw David (the real and the two fake ones), have eaten a total of 10 servings of gelato each, TONS of pizza and pasta and really really good wine and bruschetta. Florence itself is definitely happening, but at the same time has a far more laid back vibe to it than most other cities we have visited. The highlight by far was walking to the top of a nearby hill and seeing the entire city...I know this was called something really obvious and important but the name escapes me.
Okay, super lame but we are sharing comps so I need to bounce! Peace!
Okay, super lame but we are sharing comps so I need to bounce! Peace!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Brussels and Italy
Alright...bear with me I can not quite figure out this Italian keyboard. John and I got into Venice yesterday afternoon. We are not exactly in the center of town but across the canal (which is like across the street in the normal world but because Venice has streets that are canals...you see the slight difference). Anyway this means we have not seen VENICE Venice yet but we headed to the city center this afternoon. You make ask why we did not go immediately upon arriving here, and that is because it cost 7 (YES SEVEN) euros for a stinkin one-way trip. And even I could swim it! (Maybe.) Anyway, we were worried being far away would be a pain, but actually we are in a really cool part of town. There are lots of locals who live here and we are in a rather residential part so it is really fun to sit back on a park bench, eating some delicious pizza, and doing a little people watching. Our hostel is literally right on the canal. And its huge, but the accommodations are extraordinarily affordable.
I cannot even begin to describe what we have seen of Venice though. The Italians are really lively people and just as fun to listen to as they are to watch. Italian is pretty difficult to try to impersonate, even with a guide book, but we have been really lucky in that people are patient (many even speak English). It is true that Venice is all water. People have little boats they drive around, and we have yet to see a car here.
But before we were in Venice, we were Brussels, Belgium. Land of fries, waffles, and mussels. We could not afford the mussels, but we did indulge in some fries and waffles. I do not understand how you can claim to be the best in fries--I mean how difficult is it to deep fry potatoes--and to be honest, the fries we had lived up to my assumption. But the waffles were a whole other story! Those things were goooooooood. A close contender to my beloved pain au chocolat and that is saying a lot! They are not even waffles like we are used to--they are similar to churro texture (like soft and chewy inside with a slight crunch outside) but they are dipped in a carmalized sugar sauce that hardens. So delicious. Brussels itself was interesting. The city had a few incredibly gorgeous sights...like the Grand Place along with their many many parks but the city as a whole was pretty mediocre. Lots of ugly industrial buildings right next door to centurys old cathedrals. It was worth visiting, but only for about 24 hours. It would have been boring if we stayed longer.
Anyway, I am running out of time on this thing! We took an overnight from Belgium to Italy which was an experience in itself. I just heard from my host mom in Angers and it sounds like we are all having lunch together on Lindsaaays bday but John is not sure if he will be able to stay. We shall see! I will update again!
I cannot even begin to describe what we have seen of Venice though. The Italians are really lively people and just as fun to listen to as they are to watch. Italian is pretty difficult to try to impersonate, even with a guide book, but we have been really lucky in that people are patient (many even speak English). It is true that Venice is all water. People have little boats they drive around, and we have yet to see a car here.
But before we were in Venice, we were Brussels, Belgium. Land of fries, waffles, and mussels. We could not afford the mussels, but we did indulge in some fries and waffles. I do not understand how you can claim to be the best in fries--I mean how difficult is it to deep fry potatoes--and to be honest, the fries we had lived up to my assumption. But the waffles were a whole other story! Those things were goooooooood. A close contender to my beloved pain au chocolat and that is saying a lot! They are not even waffles like we are used to--they are similar to churro texture (like soft and chewy inside with a slight crunch outside) but they are dipped in a carmalized sugar sauce that hardens. So delicious. Brussels itself was interesting. The city had a few incredibly gorgeous sights...like the Grand Place along with their many many parks but the city as a whole was pretty mediocre. Lots of ugly industrial buildings right next door to centurys old cathedrals. It was worth visiting, but only for about 24 hours. It would have been boring if we stayed longer.
Anyway, I am running out of time on this thing! We took an overnight from Belgium to Italy which was an experience in itself. I just heard from my host mom in Angers and it sounds like we are all having lunch together on Lindsaaays bday but John is not sure if he will be able to stay. We shall see! I will update again!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
First 48 hours
...were in Paris! Both John and I have been fortunate to have visited before but it's one of those cities that always offers something new. A lot of it was spent adjusting to the time difference-- lots of naps and some strange aches. While we were there we went to the Eiffel Tower and went to the top. Wednesday nights it is only 10 euros to get to the third story which we were convinced must be some special. Anyway, wasn't exactly my idea (HATE heights) but once we were up there I was glad we did it. It's hard to believe that Paris is so big!
We stayed in an incredible apartment in the 16th arrondisemont (I butchered that) thanks to my thoughtful parents. It came with a small kitchen so we did some cooking for as many meals as possible (except I did eat a lot of pain au chocolat). We did eat dinner up at Montemarte and walked around Sacre Couer and the artist colony at night which was beautiful. We also grabbed an outrageously overpriced cocktail on the Champs but it's the price you've got to pay for parking it on that real estate, right?
We stayed in an incredible apartment in the 16th arrondisemont (I butchered that) thanks to my thoughtful parents. It came with a small kitchen so we did some cooking for as many meals as possible (except I did eat a lot of pain au chocolat). We did eat dinner up at Montemarte and walked around Sacre Couer and the artist colony at night which was beautiful. We also grabbed an outrageously overpriced cocktail on the Champs but it's the price you've got to pay for parking it on that real estate, right?
Paris to Amsterdam
Hellllooo everyone! John and I are just in Amsterdam (got here about 24 hours ago...). It's amazing. Someone once told me it was the only "liveable" European city, and I have to completely agree. Despite all the people, and the madness (there are bikes and cars flying by everywhere) it's beautiful, fun, and offers up some epic people watching opportunities.
So far we've walked all around town. We went to the Red Light District and Erotic Museum this morning and took a "hop on, hop off" canal tour throughout the day. These canal tours are incredible. I never knew Amsterdam had so many canals winding through it, but it offers a really cool perspective of the city and is all-in-all a far more affordable alternative for transportation (vs. the metro which cost us 5.25 euro one way--yikes!). The buildings are also incredibly unique. The city supposedly used to charge lots based on width, so everything is built up and is ridiculously skinny. John and I witnessed a young couple unsuccessfully attempting to hoist up a huge basket of goods to a 4th story window yesterday afternoon. Can't say we were too jealous!
Other than that we've been eating. Not really enjoyable. There's a reason Dutch restaurants don't exist but at least our wallets are getting a break! Our future plans are to see the Anne Frank house, visit a 500+ beer house (guess whose idea that was), do a biking tour around the city, visit a local park for a free concert tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully swing by the Van Gough museum on our way out of town Monday. We are heading to either Bruges or Brussels for a night and then heading back to Paris for an overnight to Florence. See you in Italy!
PS Sorry Mom. My camera works but I don't have the hook ups to post pictures on this thing. You'll just have to wait til I get back!
So far we've walked all around town. We went to the Red Light District and Erotic Museum this morning and took a "hop on, hop off" canal tour throughout the day. These canal tours are incredible. I never knew Amsterdam had so many canals winding through it, but it offers a really cool perspective of the city and is all-in-all a far more affordable alternative for transportation (vs. the metro which cost us 5.25 euro one way--yikes!). The buildings are also incredibly unique. The city supposedly used to charge lots based on width, so everything is built up and is ridiculously skinny. John and I witnessed a young couple unsuccessfully attempting to hoist up a huge basket of goods to a 4th story window yesterday afternoon. Can't say we were too jealous!
Other than that we've been eating. Not really enjoyable. There's a reason Dutch restaurants don't exist but at least our wallets are getting a break! Our future plans are to see the Anne Frank house, visit a 500+ beer house (guess whose idea that was), do a biking tour around the city, visit a local park for a free concert tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully swing by the Van Gough museum on our way out of town Monday. We are heading to either Bruges or Brussels for a night and then heading back to Paris for an overnight to Florence. See you in Italy!
PS Sorry Mom. My camera works but I don't have the hook ups to post pictures on this thing. You'll just have to wait til I get back!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Bonjour!
Hello family and friends! I created this thing so you can follow our adventures in Europe. In one short week I'll be looking at this
...and eating a lot of these!
...and eating a lot of these!
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