After a day in Venice, we headed to Bologna b/c we'd been told it has a better nightlife than Venice (plus it's on the way to our next stop).
It ended up being a pretty big city, though it was definitely one of the dirtier cities we've been too. The town is best known for the area around the university so we headed off hoping to find some college kids to drink with. Next thing we know, we're stuck in the middle of a late night street scene, complete with live band and a MJ cloud. We picked a restaurant along the side to have dinner in and were treated to such sights as 8 police officers escorting a bum and his pitbull away from the area and a fight breaking out among a group of students.
The concert wasn't very good, so we headed to an Irish pub on the street we'd heard was a big party spot figuring that the group would head that way. Many beers (and hours) later, the place was still kind fo dead. Really strange. These studnets needed some UCSB schooling.
We had to get up and get to our next stop anyway so we headed for the hotel...by going the complete wrong direction. 3 hours, 20 hookers, and 5 blisters later, we figured out our way home. The highlight was finding a guy the didn't look like he'd shiv us and asking "Are we near the train station? stationa nd him going "Uhhh, it's that way, but it's FAAAARRRR." Always a good sign.
Anyway, we still made it and high-tailed it out the next morning. All in all, a pretty forgettable spot...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Venice
After a rough night, Venice is one hell of a place to wake up in. A sprawling labyrinth of canals passages, and town squares, this place is definitely one of a kind.
The first order of business however: A bottle of Italian wine. Nothing helps you wipe out a bad night like drinking a bottle at 10am. Vino FTW. And speaking of w(h)ine, Greg is in prime form. He was really grumpy after the nighttrain and his rants were fantastic. "Where's the effing consideration? I don't need to hear what your food tastes like. Turn off the light. I know the sun isn't always shining there." Good old pissed off Greg :-p.
Anyway, we headed for San Marco Square and it was absolutely impressive. The poles where they used to string up criminals have ropes ready for use (we decided not to tempt it - probably the way to go), the facade of the church of San Marco is an incredible sight, and the Campanile towers over the whole scene as a beacon. Throw in a few thousand birds, the open bay with gondola docks, and it's an incredible scene.
(Side note on the birds - there are seriously a thousand pigeons hanging out in that square and the big thing to do is to buy feed and get them to climb all over you so you can take pics. HUH?!?!?! Really? Every other city in the world and you'd shoo them away as fast as possible and mumble something about a flying rat. But not in Venice. Nope, put some bird seed on your head, the bird flies up, takes a crap on you while it eats and moves on. And you've got a "timeless moment" to remember. It's obviously beyond my comprehension.)
We climbed the Campanile and the views of the city were astounding. The whole city is cut by a snaking canal and the only visible way in or out not by boat is the bridge of railroad tracks and a 2 lane highway. The houses are so tight-packed that you can't even discern streets (btw, not a single car in the town. Each "street" is maybe 8-10' wide). Canals shoot in all different directions, and the outlying islands around Venice make an awesome backdrop. Once again, this place is beyond unique.
We next decided to head for the southern point of town where we could see into San Marco and check out a few more churches. The churches have boatfront parking too. That has to be a sight on Sunday.
We also had to call the lady who was in charge of our room in Cinque Terre, which was fine until she picked up and doesn't understand English. Fortunately days and numbers in Spanish are very similar to Italian so I was able to get her to understand that we were due to arrive the next day and what time we thought we'd be there. Still though, it must have been funny to everyone around to look at the American struggling to talk on the pay phone.
At one point I looked at Greg and half-jokingly said "Wow, this place looks just like Vegas." And you what, it does. Maybe the correct thing is to say Venetian looks like Venice, but still. Scale down some of the stuff, throw in a slot rack and some craps tables and it'll be just like home :-p.
We polished off the city with a slice of Pizza (fantastic), some more wine (this is becoming a running theme), and a Gelato (You're right Jess, it's awesome there). All in all, it was exactly what was needed to get past the crappy train ride over.
The first order of business however: A bottle of Italian wine. Nothing helps you wipe out a bad night like drinking a bottle at 10am. Vino FTW. And speaking of w(h)ine, Greg is in prime form. He was really grumpy after the nighttrain and his rants were fantastic. "Where's the effing consideration? I don't need to hear what your food tastes like. Turn off the light. I know the sun isn't always shining there." Good old pissed off Greg :-p.
Anyway, we headed for San Marco Square and it was absolutely impressive. The poles where they used to string up criminals have ropes ready for use (we decided not to tempt it - probably the way to go), the facade of the church of San Marco is an incredible sight, and the Campanile towers over the whole scene as a beacon. Throw in a few thousand birds, the open bay with gondola docks, and it's an incredible scene.
(Side note on the birds - there are seriously a thousand pigeons hanging out in that square and the big thing to do is to buy feed and get them to climb all over you so you can take pics. HUH?!?!?! Really? Every other city in the world and you'd shoo them away as fast as possible and mumble something about a flying rat. But not in Venice. Nope, put some bird seed on your head, the bird flies up, takes a crap on you while it eats and moves on. And you've got a "timeless moment" to remember. It's obviously beyond my comprehension.)
We climbed the Campanile and the views of the city were astounding. The whole city is cut by a snaking canal and the only visible way in or out not by boat is the bridge of railroad tracks and a 2 lane highway. The houses are so tight-packed that you can't even discern streets (btw, not a single car in the town. Each "street" is maybe 8-10' wide). Canals shoot in all different directions, and the outlying islands around Venice make an awesome backdrop. Once again, this place is beyond unique.
We next decided to head for the southern point of town where we could see into San Marco and check out a few more churches. The churches have boatfront parking too. That has to be a sight on Sunday.
We also had to call the lady who was in charge of our room in Cinque Terre, which was fine until she picked up and doesn't understand English. Fortunately days and numbers in Spanish are very similar to Italian so I was able to get her to understand that we were due to arrive the next day and what time we thought we'd be there. Still though, it must have been funny to everyone around to look at the American struggling to talk on the pay phone.
At one point I looked at Greg and half-jokingly said "Wow, this place looks just like Vegas." And you what, it does. Maybe the correct thing is to say Venetian looks like Venice, but still. Scale down some of the stuff, throw in a slot rack and some craps tables and it'll be just like home :-p.
We polished off the city with a slice of Pizza (fantastic), some more wine (this is becoming a running theme), and a Gelato (You're right Jess, it's awesome there). All in all, it was exactly what was needed to get past the crappy train ride over.
Back on the nighttrain!
We knew things were going to get hectic here (3 cities in 2 days), but yeeesh! First of all, once again we've managed to pick the Orient Express. We just spent 3 days in Vienna and saw maybe 10 asians and all of the sudden there's 200 of them on our platform. Where do they come from? Do they just bounce from station to station taking over every nighttrain out of the city? Someone needs to answer this.
Things started out ok, as we left the platform we actually had a 6-person sleeper to ourselves, so we thought there was a good chance we'd get a few more backpackers to hang out with. WRONG. After 2 stops, in walks 4 asian people, none under the age of 52. Oh boy. So we get a night of peeling and loudly chewing vegetables, dirty looks b/c we dared to ask if we could turn off the light, and crammed sleep b/c for some reason it was decided that no one over 5'10" would use the top bunk.
I guess that puts us 1-1 on nighttrains. And we're ready to crash and burn, We'll never learn...:-)
Things started out ok, as we left the platform we actually had a 6-person sleeper to ourselves, so we thought there was a good chance we'd get a few more backpackers to hang out with. WRONG. After 2 stops, in walks 4 asian people, none under the age of 52. Oh boy. So we get a night of peeling and loudly chewing vegetables, dirty looks b/c we dared to ask if we could turn off the light, and crammed sleep b/c for some reason it was decided that no one over 5'10" would use the top bunk.
I guess that puts us 1-1 on nighttrains. And we're ready to crash and burn, We'll never learn...:-)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
French keyboards suck
I have a tons of stuff to write about the night train to Venice (crappy w/ bitchy old asian people), Venice (gorgeous city), Bologna (and getting lost), Cinque Terre (is it better than Maui? Maybe...), Pisa (2 sentences), Florence (quick stop), the night train to Paris (no crappy asians!), and Paris itself, buuuuut...
FRENCH KEYBOARDS SUCK! Letters are all over the place and that above paragraph took 20 mins to write. If I find a normal spot I'll try to get updated.
Until then...
FRENCH KEYBOARDS SUCK! Letters are all over the place and that above paragraph took 20 mins to write. If I find a normal spot I'll try to get updated.
Until then...
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
A tribute to Grandma Bar
So I've mentioned in a few posts that something not good has happened on this trip, and that is that my last grandparent has passed away. We knew this was a possibility and I spent a good 3 hours with her before I left. She was so excited for me going on this trip and it's unfortunate she won't get to hear about my experiences.
I found out the 2nd night in Prague, which is why I was pretty chill the rest of the time. The day I found out had strange circumstance. I was visiting the bonechurch/ostuarry, and the largest building for miles around was the cathedral Santa Barbara. I had even lit a candle in the bonechurch as a general remembrance. Kinda of spooky to get the news later that night.
(Side note - the day my Mom's mom died was also kinda eerie. I was using Grandma June's UCLA tickets and Deshaun Foster ran for a record 350 yards and 4 TDs vs Washington. It was a fitting day.)
Going to the Prague Cathedral the day after I found out was helpful. I'm not overly
religious, but something felt right about being in the former capital of the Holy Roman Empire and thinking of my Catholic grandma.
Today (Wed, July 18th) she's being laid to rest in San Clemente and I was fortunate to stumble into St. Stephan's which had a number of side areas and a place where I could light a candle and reflect away from the tourists. I think I smiled more than anything. Every minor event in my life was always a big event in hers and the pride she took in her children and grandchildren will stay with us all forever.
Rest in Peace Grandma Bar. You will be missed and always loved.
(Ugh, it's getting all dusty in here.)
I found out the 2nd night in Prague, which is why I was pretty chill the rest of the time. The day I found out had strange circumstance. I was visiting the bonechurch/ostuarry, and the largest building for miles around was the cathedral Santa Barbara. I had even lit a candle in the bonechurch as a general remembrance. Kinda of spooky to get the news later that night.
(Side note - the day my Mom's mom died was also kinda eerie. I was using Grandma June's UCLA tickets and Deshaun Foster ran for a record 350 yards and 4 TDs vs Washington. It was a fitting day.)
Going to the Prague Cathedral the day after I found out was helpful. I'm not overly
religious, but something felt right about being in the former capital of the Holy Roman Empire and thinking of my Catholic grandma.
Today (Wed, July 18th) she's being laid to rest in San Clemente and I was fortunate to stumble into St. Stephan's which had a number of side areas and a place where I could light a candle and reflect away from the tourists. I think I smiled more than anything. Every minor event in my life was always a big event in hers and the pride she took in her children and grandchildren will stay with us all forever.
Rest in Peace Grandma Bar. You will be missed and always loved.
(Ugh, it's getting all dusty in here.)
Vienna day 3
Today was mostly just a chill out, get caught up on the blog, and catch a night train -day. It had an added event which I'll post in a minute.
We took the train down to St. Stephan's to take a catacomb tour and the cathedral itself was unreal. Not quite as big as the one in Prague, but equally as grand. Tall, sweeping pillars, large stain glass scenes and a organ that spanned the entire width on an upper level.
The catacomb tour was crazy too. It starts in the rooms where the coffins of the bishops are kept, then moves into the crypt of the Hafburgs (the royal family of Vienna) which has not only their coffins but also rows of copper bins that hold their organs from their embalming. It then goes through a large room of old sculptures and the original pendulum used to ring the bells - a 800kg (1700lb) wooden piece that the guide jokes anyone if free to take (hahahahahha, so funny...not really). From there we move down into the general population crypt where we learned about how int he 1700s the crypt was getting so full that the smell of the dead was actually seeping into the church, driving down attendance. To fix it, the church forced prisoners to clean all the "leftovers off the bones and throw them down into the second level. There was also story about more bones being cast down a deep shaft so the space could be used as a bomb shelter during WWII.
(Side note - this is why I'm getting cremated. Do you want your bones dug up 400yrs later and thrown wherever the hell someone decides? No thanks. Cast me into the ocean and I'll be good.)
For lunch we had bratwurst that fortunately did not ruin my view of Johnsonville Brats. Props to Johnsonville for not making crappy American version of the brat.
Tonight it's off to Venice and then on to Cinque Terre.
We took the train down to St. Stephan's to take a catacomb tour and the cathedral itself was unreal. Not quite as big as the one in Prague, but equally as grand. Tall, sweeping pillars, large stain glass scenes and a organ that spanned the entire width on an upper level.
The catacomb tour was crazy too. It starts in the rooms where the coffins of the bishops are kept, then moves into the crypt of the Hafburgs (the royal family of Vienna) which has not only their coffins but also rows of copper bins that hold their organs from their embalming. It then goes through a large room of old sculptures and the original pendulum used to ring the bells - a 800kg (1700lb) wooden piece that the guide jokes anyone if free to take (hahahahahha, so funny...not really). From there we move down into the general population crypt where we learned about how int he 1700s the crypt was getting so full that the smell of the dead was actually seeping into the church, driving down attendance. To fix it, the church forced prisoners to clean all the "leftovers off the bones and throw them down into the second level. There was also story about more bones being cast down a deep shaft so the space could be used as a bomb shelter during WWII.
(Side note - this is why I'm getting cremated. Do you want your bones dug up 400yrs later and thrown wherever the hell someone decides? No thanks. Cast me into the ocean and I'll be good.)
For lunch we had bratwurst that fortunately did not ruin my view of Johnsonville Brats. Props to Johnsonville for not making crappy American version of the brat.
Tonight it's off to Venice and then on to Cinque Terre.
Vienna day 2
Today we basically roamed from sight to sight in the 9th and 1st district. How much area is that? Vienna is divided into 23 districts. It's friggin huge. All the good stuff is in the 1st though so we focused there.
To get around we took public transit, a system which easily beats NYC in quality. If LA had this system, we could get past all the stuffy NY people for the best city in the US, but for now enjoy the traffic.
We spent the morning touring the Parliament and Imperial palace. then headed for the Danube so we could brag we'd seen it the 2nd longest river in Europe (1700 miles) from multiple sides (I know you're jealous). That afternoon we found a cafe with free Internet if you buy a drink and drowned ourselves in a bottle of pinot grigio. This is going to be an emerging trend as we hit Italy and France. Vienna has sort of been our beer-wine transitions spot.
That might we headed for the Bermuda Triangle, a 3 sided area of killer bars and got loaded on good food, wine and beer. Unfortunately the place kinda died around midnight (don't they know we're on vacation!) which wasn't all bad because we had to be out of our hostel at 9am.
To get around we took public transit, a system which easily beats NYC in quality. If LA had this system, we could get past all the stuffy NY people for the best city in the US, but for now enjoy the traffic.
We spent the morning touring the Parliament and Imperial palace. then headed for the Danube so we could brag we'd seen it the 2nd longest river in Europe (1700 miles) from multiple sides (I know you're jealous). That afternoon we found a cafe with free Internet if you buy a drink and drowned ourselves in a bottle of pinot grigio. This is going to be an emerging trend as we hit Italy and France. Vienna has sort of been our beer-wine transitions spot.
That might we headed for the Bermuda Triangle, a 3 sided area of killer bars and got loaded on good food, wine and beer. Unfortunately the place kinda died around midnight (don't they know we're on vacation!) which wasn't all bad because we had to be out of our hostel at 9am.
Vienna (half) day 1
We make it to Vienna around 2 and instantly we love it - dry heat! After 3 humid days in Prague, it was fantastic to be in some SoCal weather. Little did we know how much this place would end up feeling like home.
We headed to our hostel. It was a cool spot, a converted dorm for the Summer manned by college kids that told us all the spots to hit.
We took off towards the inner ring and found a plaza with some open cafes and sat down for dinner. This town is totally laid back. Have a beer, take 20 mins to order your food. Have another beer afterwards and just hang out. Don't worry about a big tip, our restaurant owners don't treat us like slaves. This lace is easily as laid back as LA, except every building has some kind of historic significance. After dinner we realize we're in an area call Judenplatz (Jewish Plaza). It had some cool sculptures and a monument to the 65,000 (yes, thousand) Austrian Jews that perished from 1938 to 1945. Cool and solemn at the same time.
We took a slightly different way back and ended up at an Irish pub where we tried 3 new kinds of Guinness beer we've never seen in the US and met a bunch of cool Aussie chicks that unfortunately had the token NYC buzzkill chick who had to go to some loser bar where she could play Connect 4 and everyone had to go because it was her last night. NYC wino-bag chick for the loss.
after the 11pm to midnight HH (we REALLY like this town) and some smiles from our smoking-hot Austrian waitress we called it a night.
Fucking bitchy NYC chick.
We headed to our hostel. It was a cool spot, a converted dorm for the Summer manned by college kids that told us all the spots to hit.
We took off towards the inner ring and found a plaza with some open cafes and sat down for dinner. This town is totally laid back. Have a beer, take 20 mins to order your food. Have another beer afterwards and just hang out. Don't worry about a big tip, our restaurant owners don't treat us like slaves. This lace is easily as laid back as LA, except every building has some kind of historic significance. After dinner we realize we're in an area call Judenplatz (Jewish Plaza). It had some cool sculptures and a monument to the 65,000 (yes, thousand) Austrian Jews that perished from 1938 to 1945. Cool and solemn at the same time.
We took a slightly different way back and ended up at an Irish pub where we tried 3 new kinds of Guinness beer we've never seen in the US and met a bunch of cool Aussie chicks that unfortunately had the token NYC buzzkill chick who had to go to some loser bar where she could play Connect 4 and everyone had to go because it was her last night. NYC wino-bag chick for the loss.
after the 11pm to midnight HH (we REALLY like this town) and some smiles from our smoking-hot Austrian waitress we called it a night.
Fucking bitchy NYC chick.
The mad dash
So we were hopping a 10:26 train to Vienna and we get to the station at 10 thinking we're good and early...only we don't see our train...oh crap. A info desk attendant that was very annoyed we had to ask (we don't have this cool train system in America lady!) told us we were at the wrong station and needed to hop the subway to the other one.
We finally figure out the right line at 10:10 and get ot the stop. Greg doesn't like our chances, I'm optimistic.
10:15 - we make it to the right station
10:17 - Crap! we went the wrong way out, amd dash back the other way.
10:21 - We're in the train terminal. Platform 3! GO!!!
10:23 - And we're there. Piece of cake. Knew we'd make it all along.
We had a ticket but not a reservation. It wasn't a big deal (9 euros extra each) and we ended up with a nice asian couple who taught at Clairmont Mackena (sp), a college in SoCal.
All in all, an eventful morning. On to Wien! (Vienna)
We finally figure out the right line at 10:10 and get ot the stop. Greg doesn't like our chances, I'm optimistic.
10:15 - we make it to the right station
10:17 - Crap! we went the wrong way out, amd dash back the other way.
10:21 - We're in the train terminal. Platform 3! GO!!!
10:23 - And we're there. Piece of cake. Knew we'd make it all along.
We had a ticket but not a reservation. It wasn't a big deal (9 euros extra each) and we ended up with a nice asian couple who taught at Clairmont Mackena (sp), a college in SoCal.
All in all, an eventful morning. On to Wien! (Vienna)
Prague day 3
Our final day we wanted to explore the St Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. We crossed the bridge in the morning and headed up the hill to the castle. A big long hill. Really high up. Look, an ice cream shop! Hmmmmm, ice cream. More uphill walking. And we're there!
The castle is amazing and huge. It houses the Prague Cathedral within its walls, plus all the current admin buildings, the Kafka house, and royal gardens. In the Prague Cathedral we were blown away by all the gold and silver statues, the giant stained glass windows and sculpture after sculpture. We decided to climb the 287 steps up winding staircase to of the North tower and were rewarded with incredible views of the castle, the bridges across the Danube and into Old Town Prague. Just incredible (and totally worth the dizzying, 2-way climb).
On the way back we stopped to admire the St. Charles Bridge. It's like a massive open market with people playing music, doing portraits and selling trinkets. the highlights are the 20 statues that line both sides of the bridge. Each is incredible, but the most prominent two are the ones of St. John's and a statue of Jesus with Hebrew letters. The St. John one is famous because supposedly a pious man had been thrown from the bridge at that spot during a Zionist period and if you rub the statue it means you will have good luck and will someday return to Prague (ok, twist my arm :-D). The second statue is supposedly a spot where a Jewish man was condemned for heresy and forced to put the words "Holy Holy Holy lord almighty" around the statue of Jesus as punishment.
That night we were set on having absinthe, and having seen good deals on it at the jazz bar the previous night we headed back to do some shots. We did the classic Fire Absinthe shot which is where they take a spoon full of sugar, dip it in the absinthe, pull it out and light it on fire to caramelize the sugar, then pour it back into the absinthe and shoot it. Holy crap what a shot. One of those and we were flying. We ended up staying at the jazz bar another night because the waitresses were cute and there were lots of travellers swapping stories (and because we probably would have gotten hopelessly lost outside :-p).
Awesome time in Prague. I always wondered how Little was able to stay there for 2 years and ow I wonder how he ever made it back. It has probably shot to the top of the cities so far.
The castle is amazing and huge. It houses the Prague Cathedral within its walls, plus all the current admin buildings, the Kafka house, and royal gardens. In the Prague Cathedral we were blown away by all the gold and silver statues, the giant stained glass windows and sculpture after sculpture. We decided to climb the 287 steps up winding staircase to of the North tower and were rewarded with incredible views of the castle, the bridges across the Danube and into Old Town Prague. Just incredible (and totally worth the dizzying, 2-way climb).
On the way back we stopped to admire the St. Charles Bridge. It's like a massive open market with people playing music, doing portraits and selling trinkets. the highlights are the 20 statues that line both sides of the bridge. Each is incredible, but the most prominent two are the ones of St. John's and a statue of Jesus with Hebrew letters. The St. John one is famous because supposedly a pious man had been thrown from the bridge at that spot during a Zionist period and if you rub the statue it means you will have good luck and will someday return to Prague (ok, twist my arm :-D). The second statue is supposedly a spot where a Jewish man was condemned for heresy and forced to put the words "Holy Holy Holy lord almighty" around the statue of Jesus as punishment.
That night we were set on having absinthe, and having seen good deals on it at the jazz bar the previous night we headed back to do some shots. We did the classic Fire Absinthe shot which is where they take a spoon full of sugar, dip it in the absinthe, pull it out and light it on fire to caramelize the sugar, then pour it back into the absinthe and shoot it. Holy crap what a shot. One of those and we were flying. We ended up staying at the jazz bar another night because the waitresses were cute and there were lots of travellers swapping stories (and because we probably would have gotten hopelessly lost outside :-p).
Awesome time in Prague. I always wondered how Little was able to stay there for 2 years and ow I wonder how he ever made it back. It has probably shot to the top of the cities so far.
Prague day 2
Day two we were on a mission to get to a small town about an outside of Prague called Kutna Hora. Kutna Hora houses a small osstuary where in the late 1700s a half blind monk built a Bonechurch. Apparently this church had been a favorite burial site of a wealthy Czech family and eventually more and more fo the lcoals wanted to be burried there. In the 1500s part of the land of the already overfiled cemetary was sieyed and the bones piled up around the outside of the church. In the 1700s a half-blind monk began takign the bones and building them intothe church. Today you can toru that church and it is awesome ina really creepy way. There's a chandellier that is made of at least one of every bone in the human body, a family crest made entirely of bone, and 4 large pyramids that you could see skulls lying all throughout. Pretty crazy.
That night was kind fo subdued (for reasons I'll get into in a moment), but we found a chill jazz bar with cute bartenders and it was all good.
That night was kind fo subdued (for reasons I'll get into in a moment), but we found a chill jazz bar with cute bartenders and it was all good.
Prague day 1
So as you can probably imagine, getting up at 6am to catch our train was a bit of a struggle...just a tad...yeah...
The ride was fairly uneventful. We slept a lot and at some point picked up these 3 guys that sat in front of us who seemed like they were headed to college next fall. One was going to SLo so every now and then one of us would start chanting "State school" and "Slooowwwwmoooos." Gotta love that central coast rivalry.
So we get to Prague and were instantly blown away. The centuries old architecture, cobbelstone streets, and gold-laden churches and towers were incredible. Our hostel ended up being a right in the middle of old town so we dumped our stuff and went exploring.
Our first beer in prague? The original Budweiser of course! It's funny because Prague and Anhieser-Bushc are still fueding over this and evry banner for Bud you see in Prague says "The original Pilsner." Go America. :-p
The first stop was old town square which is famous for it's churches and the old town tower. The tower is the big attraction. There is a celestial clock on one side and every hour the chimes are rung by the skeleton of death and the 12 apostles march by. It really cool to see. We then walked out to the Danube and found a small cafe where we sat own on the side of the water and drank czechk wine as we watched the sun drop over the Prague Castle. It was spectacular. That night was wandered around Old Town and found a bar called Harley's that had a DJ spinning all types of American rock songs. Add the gorgeous and fun eastern block chicks and we were in the middle of a pretty good party.
(Side note about the eastern block women: Gorgeous and fun! I imagine SoCal girls without the prissiness and insecurity. I may have to figure out how to bring one of these girls home by the end of the trip.)
The ride was fairly uneventful. We slept a lot and at some point picked up these 3 guys that sat in front of us who seemed like they were headed to college next fall. One was going to SLo so every now and then one of us would start chanting "State school" and "Slooowwwwmoooos." Gotta love that central coast rivalry.
So we get to Prague and were instantly blown away. The centuries old architecture, cobbelstone streets, and gold-laden churches and towers were incredible. Our hostel ended up being a right in the middle of old town so we dumped our stuff and went exploring.
Our first beer in prague? The original Budweiser of course! It's funny because Prague and Anhieser-Bushc are still fueding over this and evry banner for Bud you see in Prague says "The original Pilsner." Go America. :-p
The first stop was old town square which is famous for it's churches and the old town tower. The tower is the big attraction. There is a celestial clock on one side and every hour the chimes are rung by the skeleton of death and the 12 apostles march by. It really cool to see. We then walked out to the Danube and found a small cafe where we sat own on the side of the water and drank czechk wine as we watched the sun drop over the Prague Castle. It was spectacular. That night was wandered around Old Town and found a bar called Harley's that had a DJ spinning all types of American rock songs. Add the gorgeous and fun eastern block chicks and we were in the middle of a pretty good party.
(Side note about the eastern block women: Gorgeous and fun! I imagine SoCal girls without the prissiness and insecurity. I may have to figure out how to bring one of these girls home by the end of the trip.)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Munich day 2
Why is my vision so foggy and my head in pain. Oh yeah...oh well, nothing to do but power through
Today we took a trip out to Dachau, a former Jewish concentration camp. I won't get too down in this post, but craziness includes the "Work will set you free" melded into the iron gate (yeah right), the former firing range where it's pretty obvious that's not red clay on the ground, and the crematorium (enough said). Pretty heavy, but we felt it was important (I think I can put this one on my parents taking me to Gettysburg, the Smithsoniam, and other sites in the US for my natural draw to historical landmarks).
Upon getting back we headed to another beerhaus for the night with our new roommate Dennis from St. Petersburg. He was a good guy (an econ teach from a university) and we went to the Augustinekiller which is a nice beer haus that is mostly outdoor under a grove of trees. It was much more of a local crowd than at the Hof and Dennis helped get us in with the locals who may have just been curious to see Americans and Russians drinking together in Germany.
We stayed for a few extra after Dennis left and then headed back. On the way though we saw a beer we hadn't had on a sign outside a bar, so we cruised in to try it. The beer was ok, but the highlight came when Greg met Andy. Andy was a Swiss from Zurich who had an Irish accent because he spent 5 years there and his wife has one. At first he was just kinda shooting the shit with us - talking football (Ämer vs Euro) and about how he was at a conference and looking for hookers. Then he gets up like he's going to the restroom and before he completely goes he throws his arm around Greg and says out loud "But you know what there's nothing like anal. Am I right? HAHAHA" and then heads to the can. I'm still convinced he wanted Greg to join him. We bounced soon after that, but I'm probably going to be ripping on Greg for a few years for that one.
Off to Prague at 6AM tomorrow morning...
Today we took a trip out to Dachau, a former Jewish concentration camp. I won't get too down in this post, but craziness includes the "Work will set you free" melded into the iron gate (yeah right), the former firing range where it's pretty obvious that's not red clay on the ground, and the crematorium (enough said). Pretty heavy, but we felt it was important (I think I can put this one on my parents taking me to Gettysburg, the Smithsoniam, and other sites in the US for my natural draw to historical landmarks).
Upon getting back we headed to another beerhaus for the night with our new roommate Dennis from St. Petersburg. He was a good guy (an econ teach from a university) and we went to the Augustinekiller which is a nice beer haus that is mostly outdoor under a grove of trees. It was much more of a local crowd than at the Hof and Dennis helped get us in with the locals who may have just been curious to see Americans and Russians drinking together in Germany.
We stayed for a few extra after Dennis left and then headed back. On the way though we saw a beer we hadn't had on a sign outside a bar, so we cruised in to try it. The beer was ok, but the highlight came when Greg met Andy. Andy was a Swiss from Zurich who had an Irish accent because he spent 5 years there and his wife has one. At first he was just kinda shooting the shit with us - talking football (Ämer vs Euro) and about how he was at a conference and looking for hookers. Then he gets up like he's going to the restroom and before he completely goes he throws his arm around Greg and says out loud "But you know what there's nothing like anal. Am I right? HAHAHA" and then heads to the can. I'm still convinced he wanted Greg to join him. We bounced soon after that, but I'm probably going to be ripping on Greg for a few years for that one.
Off to Prague at 6AM tomorrow morning...
Munich day 1
I think Munich is a pretty sweet town. In spite of the fact it rained the first morning there, we hit a bunch of spots. First we ended up at the Marianplatz, which houses one of those clock towers with puppets that move every hour. Opposite that was St. Peter's, one of the tallest churches in town. We paid 1,50 to climb to the top (300+ stairs) and got an awesome panorama of the city.
Next we hit the Science Museum (yes, because we're engineers - shut up). It had some pretty amazing exhibits including a full-size cross-section of a U-boat (I now know what engine is going to be in my future boat), the first jet aircraft, and even an Enigma machine. Interestingly enough, the on Bismark ship they had was a cruisliner and we didn't see any German tanks. Hmmmm...
(Note - We've been cracking the "Nothing happened! Everyone was on vacation!!!" joke from Family Guy ever since :-p)
We then headed back to our hostel to check in. Thia was a major upgrade from AMS. In AMS we were in a 20 person room, here we had 3 beds and we were two of them. Waaay better. We ended up in the bar and met two Canadians, Mike and Ashley, who had yet to go to the Hofbrahaus, so we all joined up to go. They even had bought a subway pass good for up to 4 people (Mooching FTW!) We figured that 1L of beer is about 3.25 cans, so a baker's dozen later we were flying. I vaguely remember over the course of the night meeting some smoking hot spanish chicks and watching Greg hit on some girl who's brother had to inform him she was 15. Oh, and Mike got shit housed and swore the guy bringing us our beer was out to get him. Oh those silly Canadians. More to come...
Next we hit the Science Museum (yes, because we're engineers - shut up). It had some pretty amazing exhibits including a full-size cross-section of a U-boat (I now know what engine is going to be in my future boat), the first jet aircraft, and even an Enigma machine. Interestingly enough, the on Bismark ship they had was a cruisliner and we didn't see any German tanks. Hmmmm...
(Note - We've been cracking the "Nothing happened! Everyone was on vacation!!!" joke from Family Guy ever since :-p)
We then headed back to our hostel to check in. Thia was a major upgrade from AMS. In AMS we were in a 20 person room, here we had 3 beds and we were two of them. Waaay better. We ended up in the bar and met two Canadians, Mike and Ashley, who had yet to go to the Hofbrahaus, so we all joined up to go. They even had bought a subway pass good for up to 4 people (Mooching FTW!) We figured that 1L of beer is about 3.25 cans, so a baker's dozen later we were flying. I vaguely remember over the course of the night meeting some smoking hot spanish chicks and watching Greg hit on some girl who's brother had to inform him she was 15. Oh, and Mike got shit housed and swore the guy bringing us our beer was out to get him. Oh those silly Canadians. More to come...
I'm on the Nighttrain!
...or is it the Orient Express?
The train system in Europe rocks. You get on, have a beer with some other travellers, get gently rocked to sleep (thanks dad for all the nights camping out on Snakebit), and you wake up in the next city ready to rock.
We did have a running joke though because we saw maybe 10 asians in 4 days in AMS, and then all of the sudden there are 50 of them on our train to Munich. Too funny...
The train system in Europe rocks. You get on, have a beer with some other travellers, get gently rocked to sleep (thanks dad for all the nights camping out on Snakebit), and you wake up in the next city ready to rock.
We did have a running joke though because we saw maybe 10 asians in 4 days in AMS, and then all of the sudden there are 50 of them on our train to Munich. Too funny...
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Amsterdam - For the Win!
(...and the occasional loss)
What a town! Prostitutes, drugs, and sex shows that would make the donkey show in TJ look like an afternoon with your reverend - this city is crazy. I'm sure I'm going to leave out at least 20 things that happened, but as for the stuff I can remember:
Day 1- Lazy - didn't do much b/c we were exhausted and still kinda tripped out by our transportation here. We just spent the afternoon walking around the canals as we forced ourselves to stay up until dark so we could pass out and wake up all adjusted...except we are so far North (like, parallel w/ Canada) that the sun doesn't set until 10:30 and rises at 4:30. For dinner we found this spectacular cafe that had a good selection of drafts and amazing food (lamb meatballs and bruscetta param) and afterwards we called it a day.
Day 2 - Kicking it up - Since we had 3 beers our first day, we decided to make it a mission to have 3 new beers every day. We decided this meant heading towards the South to the Heineken Experience. We rented bikes and took a trip by the Van Gogh Museum to see how long the line was. It was very short so we decided to do it before the HE. Pretty incredible stuff. The collection is massive (3 floors) and there are numerous pieces from every phase of his career. I'm sure if I'd ever had an Art History class I could geek out on this for pages, but I'll just mention that the one I thought was the best was a painting of a wheat field with crows descending on it. It is though to be his last painting before killing himself. Craziness. Van Gogh Museum - For the Win!
From the VGM we were off to the Heineken Experience. Let me preface this by saying I'm not a huge fan of Heineken, but every said it tastes waaaaayyyyy better over here. They're mostly full of crap. The only difference I could tell was that it didn't have the nasty finish. Otherwise it was still the same boring beer. Heineken Experience - For the Loss.
After that we decided to bike over to an old opera house that has been converted into a museum dedicated to Jews who had been held there during the holocaust years. It was pretty amazing to see how they banded together during that time (more to come in the Anne Frank house).
Finally after enough touristy stuff...into the Red Light District! Even though it was 4pm the windows were packed with girls beckoning in anyone walking by, hosts outside of sex shows were trying to make deals. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. You just have to experience it. We threw back a few beers and decided to take our bikes back and get some dinner before coming back later that night. By the time we were headed back to the RLD that night we were ready to party...and this place doesn't disappoint. Every street you walk down looks like it was ripped right out of Vegas. Fluorescent red lights are everywhere, the bars are packed to the walls, the coffee shops look like a fog bank moved in. By this time we'd averaged out our 3 new beers per day to 10. Darks, lights, ambers, blonds - we got hammered. The only details I can remember are us running into a bachelorette party and the bride being all over Greg - who she kept yelling was Ross from Friends - high comedy.
Day 3 - Peaking -
So we went from no sleep on the plane, to waking up around 10am to waking up at 2pm this afternoon. Of course when you go to bed at 4am it doesn't sound too bad :-p.
For our tourist stops this day we went up into the tower of the tallest church in Amsterdam, the Westerkerk. It had a whole tour that went over the history of the tower and then finally got the to terrace at 142 feet to look out over the city. The view was incredible and you really get a feel for how tightly constructed the city is.
Next we went down to the Anne Frank house. The walking tour takes you through every room, passed the secret doors and into the cubby spaces the Frank family hid out in. There are videos of interviews with the various people that helped them through their hiding and there are numerous original papers throughout the house. It's all pretty surreal. Historical perspective - For the Win!
So after a little more culture...back to the RLD! This place never stops. Somehow we managed to find 6 new kinds of beer and not buy a 20 mins with a hooker (I think) or get sucked into a sex show (though we got close). After meeting some Aussies that were looking for a fight and some Americans that were stuffing themselves with some fungus, we called it at about 2am b/c we had to get out of our hostel by 10am.
Anyway, I'm sure more details will come to me as my head levels back out, but until then we're off to Munich. Can't find any new beers there... :-D
What a town! Prostitutes, drugs, and sex shows that would make the donkey show in TJ look like an afternoon with your reverend - this city is crazy. I'm sure I'm going to leave out at least 20 things that happened, but as for the stuff I can remember:
Day 1- Lazy - didn't do much b/c we were exhausted and still kinda tripped out by our transportation here. We just spent the afternoon walking around the canals as we forced ourselves to stay up until dark so we could pass out and wake up all adjusted...except we are so far North (like, parallel w/ Canada) that the sun doesn't set until 10:30 and rises at 4:30. For dinner we found this spectacular cafe that had a good selection of drafts and amazing food (lamb meatballs and bruscetta param) and afterwards we called it a day.
Day 2 - Kicking it up - Since we had 3 beers our first day, we decided to make it a mission to have 3 new beers every day. We decided this meant heading towards the South to the Heineken Experience. We rented bikes and took a trip by the Van Gogh Museum to see how long the line was. It was very short so we decided to do it before the HE. Pretty incredible stuff. The collection is massive (3 floors) and there are numerous pieces from every phase of his career. I'm sure if I'd ever had an Art History class I could geek out on this for pages, but I'll just mention that the one I thought was the best was a painting of a wheat field with crows descending on it. It is though to be his last painting before killing himself. Craziness. Van Gogh Museum - For the Win!
From the VGM we were off to the Heineken Experience. Let me preface this by saying I'm not a huge fan of Heineken, but every said it tastes waaaaayyyyy better over here. They're mostly full of crap. The only difference I could tell was that it didn't have the nasty finish. Otherwise it was still the same boring beer. Heineken Experience - For the Loss.
After that we decided to bike over to an old opera house that has been converted into a museum dedicated to Jews who had been held there during the holocaust years. It was pretty amazing to see how they banded together during that time (more to come in the Anne Frank house).
Finally after enough touristy stuff...into the Red Light District! Even though it was 4pm the windows were packed with girls beckoning in anyone walking by, hosts outside of sex shows were trying to make deals. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. You just have to experience it. We threw back a few beers and decided to take our bikes back and get some dinner before coming back later that night. By the time we were headed back to the RLD that night we were ready to party...and this place doesn't disappoint. Every street you walk down looks like it was ripped right out of Vegas. Fluorescent red lights are everywhere, the bars are packed to the walls, the coffee shops look like a fog bank moved in. By this time we'd averaged out our 3 new beers per day to 10. Darks, lights, ambers, blonds - we got hammered. The only details I can remember are us running into a bachelorette party and the bride being all over Greg - who she kept yelling was Ross from Friends - high comedy.
Day 3 - Peaking -
So we went from no sleep on the plane, to waking up around 10am to waking up at 2pm this afternoon. Of course when you go to bed at 4am it doesn't sound too bad :-p.
For our tourist stops this day we went up into the tower of the tallest church in Amsterdam, the Westerkerk. It had a whole tour that went over the history of the tower and then finally got the to terrace at 142 feet to look out over the city. The view was incredible and you really get a feel for how tightly constructed the city is.
Next we went down to the Anne Frank house. The walking tour takes you through every room, passed the secret doors and into the cubby spaces the Frank family hid out in. There are videos of interviews with the various people that helped them through their hiding and there are numerous original papers throughout the house. It's all pretty surreal. Historical perspective - For the Win!
So after a little more culture...back to the RLD! This place never stops. Somehow we managed to find 6 new kinds of beer and not buy a 20 mins with a hooker (I think) or get sucked into a sex show (though we got close). After meeting some Aussies that were looking for a fight and some Americans that were stuffing themselves with some fungus, we called it at about 2am b/c we had to get out of our hostel by 10am.
Anyway, I'm sure more details will come to me as my head levels back out, but until then we're off to Munich. Can't find any new beers there... :-D
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Crazy first day
3 stories just to make it to Amsterdam:
1) The first leg: LAX-DET
Greg gets stuck next to 6-4 300+lb of a man-beast who as soon as the plane starts to taxi out wraps his bandanna over his eyes to pass out. The guy seriously looked like he was trying to get focused for his Jedi training. Greg then has to spend the rest of trip half-lodged into this guy's sweaty armpit while the guy tries to make his best chainsaw impression. Mean while to avoid being crushed he leans out into the aisle where he gets slammed by the drink cart every 20 mins.
2) The overnight: DET-Brussels
After spending the first leg in the 3rd circle of hell Greg catches a break with an empty row to lay out in. I get one where the middle seat is empty next to a retired college professor who was pretty cool. We start talking about where we're headed and the row behind me overhears that Greg and I are starting in Amsterdam. The ladies in the row tell us their headed that way to - only driving not by train - and were wondering if we'd like to tag along to help navigate and such. We're down b/c that saves us one of the travel days on our railpass.
3) This bitch is crazy
So it turns out the two women are a 44 yr old teacher who's married but left her husband and kids behind so she could take her former student that she moved into her house to Europe. Hang on, it gets crazier. The older woman is basically having the first break from her family in 20 years so her neurons are firing at least 30x faster than normal...and at 150km/hr on the Brussels to Amsterdam highway. After regaling us with fantastic stories of having an uzi pulled on her while visiting her husband, her 70 yr old father who cultivates weed in the greenhouse in her backyard, the way she got her house in San Jose by suing the guy that pulled the uzi on her and using the winnings as a down payment, and how she has a deep belief in Judaism...and she's a practicing Catholic. Greg said it was hilarious to watch the younger girl just sit in the back seat squirming at every comment
So the moral of the story kids: always hitchhike with crazy people. The fun never ends!
1) The first leg: LAX-DET
Greg gets stuck next to 6-4 300+lb of a man-beast who as soon as the plane starts to taxi out wraps his bandanna over his eyes to pass out. The guy seriously looked like he was trying to get focused for his Jedi training. Greg then has to spend the rest of trip half-lodged into this guy's sweaty armpit while the guy tries to make his best chainsaw impression. Mean while to avoid being crushed he leans out into the aisle where he gets slammed by the drink cart every 20 mins.
2) The overnight: DET-Brussels
After spending the first leg in the 3rd circle of hell Greg catches a break with an empty row to lay out in. I get one where the middle seat is empty next to a retired college professor who was pretty cool. We start talking about where we're headed and the row behind me overhears that Greg and I are starting in Amsterdam. The ladies in the row tell us their headed that way to - only driving not by train - and were wondering if we'd like to tag along to help navigate and such. We're down b/c that saves us one of the travel days on our railpass.
3) This bitch is crazy
So it turns out the two women are a 44 yr old teacher who's married but left her husband and kids behind so she could take her former student that she moved into her house to Europe. Hang on, it gets crazier. The older woman is basically having the first break from her family in 20 years so her neurons are firing at least 30x faster than normal...and at 150km/hr on the Brussels to Amsterdam highway. After regaling us with fantastic stories of having an uzi pulled on her while visiting her husband, her 70 yr old father who cultivates weed in the greenhouse in her backyard, the way she got her house in San Jose by suing the guy that pulled the uzi on her and using the winnings as a down payment, and how she has a deep belief in Judaism...and she's a practicing Catholic. Greg said it was hilarious to watch the younger girl just sit in the back seat squirming at every comment
So the moral of the story kids: always hitchhike with crazy people. The fun never ends!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Final countdown...
So I'm going to give this blog thing a shot. I may quit after this first post, I may go the distance. I make no promises. Either way, I hope I can use this to keep everyone up to date on my trip without having to copy/paste the same story into 20 different emails. Those stories by the way, will be semi-filtered. I want to share all the absurd crap I do, but I may want to keep this blog as a personal record to read again some day, so I'll try to keep it all to vague references that will make for great stories later and hope I can drink away the gory details by next 4th of July. Let's just say expect a NC-17 rating.
I've got a lot of crap packed.
After 7 months of planning, 10,000 airline points, 125 emails, the time in here. In 7.5 hours we'll be gear-up on our way to Europe. It definitely has a much different feel than my last two international trips (maybe it's the whole NOT getting dumped on a plane with 3 days notice to work on cellphones in a 3rd world country). This one is pure excitement. We definitely set an ambitious itinerary (see below). We sort of go from fast-paced to low-key all along the way, so in the end I think we can pull it off (have the new livers on standby just to be sure). The Prague - Vienna - Venice stretch is currently not booked for the sake of being flexible.
Speaking of "we", my buddy Greg from UCSB has signed up to take on my 4th continent with me. You may remember him from such adventures as Shasta Slam 2006 or as the guy who moved out on me, bringing Jordt - along with the Superbowl song, moonshine, rockets, stolen keg shells, pasty white ass hanging off the balcony and a couch thrown off the second story - into our lives (anyone who says NOT to take that 5th year of college is a damn fool).
Anyway, the 'planned' itinerary:
Amsterdam (~7/10) - We may never leave, rendering the rest of the list pointless
Munich (~7/13) - Hofbrahuas!!!
Prague (~7/16) - Home of the original Budweiser
Vienna (~7/18) - Totally need to rock a Governator shirt
Venice (~7/19) - Hopefully I break my record of destruction within a year to cities below sea-level I've visited (Sorry New Orleans!)
Cinque Terre (~7/23) - Ocean view apt on the Italian Riviera? Yeah, that won't be awesome
Paris (~7/31) - Wedding the 28th, Tour de France ends on the 29th. I hope their medical care is socialized too...
Time to try to get some sleep...Catch ya in Amsterdam.
I've got a lot of crap packed.
After 7 months of planning, 10,000 airline points, 125 emails, the time in here. In 7.5 hours we'll be gear-up on our way to Europe. It definitely has a much different feel than my last two international trips (maybe it's the whole NOT getting dumped on a plane with 3 days notice to work on cellphones in a 3rd world country). This one is pure excitement. We definitely set an ambitious itinerary (see below). We sort of go from fast-paced to low-key all along the way, so in the end I think we can pull it off (have the new livers on standby just to be sure). The Prague - Vienna - Venice stretch is currently not booked for the sake of being flexible.
Speaking of "we", my buddy Greg from UCSB has signed up to take on my 4th continent with me. You may remember him from such adventures as Shasta Slam 2006 or as the guy who moved out on me, bringing Jordt - along with the Superbowl song, moonshine, rockets, stolen keg shells, pasty white ass hanging off the balcony and a couch thrown off the second story - into our lives (anyone who says NOT to take that 5th year of college is a damn fool).
Anyway, the 'planned' itinerary:
Amsterdam (~7/10) - We may never leave, rendering the rest of the list pointless
Munich (~7/13) - Hofbrahuas!!!
Prague (~7/16) - Home of the original Budweiser
Vienna (~7/18) - Totally need to rock a Governator shirt
Venice (~7/19) - Hopefully I break my record of destruction within a year to cities below sea-level I've visited (Sorry New Orleans!)
Cinque Terre (~7/23) - Ocean view apt on the Italian Riviera? Yeah, that won't be awesome
Paris (~7/31) - Wedding the 28th, Tour de France ends on the 29th. I hope their medical care is socialized too...
Time to try to get some sleep...Catch ya in Amsterdam.
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