We knew that we wanted to go back to Germany after Amsterdam, but we weren't sure where. Once again our guidebooks came through for us: Fussen. Fussen was, pretty much, the land of classic castles and mountains. Awesome! Quite possibly my favorite things. You know the Disney castle? I've been to the castle that inspired it: Neuchwenstein. Also the one that came before it, Hohenschwangau. Think I spelled them both correctly. Either way, they were cool. We took guided tours of each so it was educational too.
Our hostel in Fussen was really really nice. The three of us had a four person room to ourselves, we made an awesome new friend named Jean, and they had the best breakfasts of any hostel or hotel we've been!
The second day we split up. Alex and I were going to hike to the peak of Sauling, 2042 m. Jean, the great new friend, came with us. It was a beautiful day for a hike and the view was absolutely gorgeous. Just indescribily beautiful. To one side we had the smooth green landscape, dotted with small towns and lakes in shades I'd never before seen. To the other side was the vastness of the mountain range, stretching off in the distance into the east and to Austria in the south. It was amazing. However, we ended up on the wrong path and did not, in fact, go to Sauling. Whoops. Instead we ended up going way too west and ended up at Tegelberg, a little rest stop type place at the height of 1707 m. I couldn't bear to turn back without having climbed to the top of something, so we checked the map and found another peak nearby: Branderschrofen, an acceptable height of 1881. The hike was fine, exhausting but fine, until we reached the very end. We couldn't have been more than 50 or 100 feet from the peak when suddenly the path ended. All that remained was a short climb, then the narrow rocky side of the mountain countinuing on and up. It could have been called a ledge, had it been smooth and/or path like. That was the end for Alex, but Jean was willing to try going farther if I was willing. I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to make it, physically or otherwise, but I was too stubborn to turn back. And I did it! I didn't stop and I didn't fall to my death and I did make it to the top! It was exhilerating!!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Amsterdam, it's cool but it's not all that
Our Amsterdam hostel was really good and not so great at the same time. The main downside was found while I was off getting money: black mold. While it's not good for anyone it's particularly not good for Constantina. For some reason the hostel people didn't offer to move us, or to clean it, so Alex ended up taking a mask and some bleach spray stuff and killing it off. Seems like an unpleasant job to me but he enjoyed it. After that we walked around for a while, hungry and indecisive, until eventually settling on a tasty Italian place with very nice wait staff. Having food in us perked us up enough to walk around. They have lots of interesting shops there.
We'd enjoyed walking tours in other cities so we decided to try to find a free one there in Amsterdam. None of us knew much about the city, so it seemed like a good way to get an introduction and learn about some cool places. Sadly we never found it. We waited for a while in the rain, but eventually had to give up and make our own walking tour. Touring the Red Light District by day and then by night was a fun time. We had some tasty foods and saw some interesting shops. By night the whole area was lit up with neon lights and signs. Windows that had been mostly vacant by day were then occupied by prostitutes. We decided to check out a club in the area, which was an interesting time.
For our second full day Constantina and I split a cake and we headed off to the zoo. It wasn't quite what we'd expected, but it was still fun. I think that part of the problem was that we were all pretty tired, and kind of malnourished that day. The zoo was fun and kind of chill, which was nice, but we also kind of forgot to eat. Dinner that night was Indonesian food--yay! I'd really wanted to make sure I had some Indonesian while we were in the Netherlands, and it didn't disappoint.
That night we hung out with our hostelmates. Well, some of them. We made friends with three out of the four people in the room. The fourth we named Sleeping Guy, because it seemed that all he did was sleep. Come in at night, he's sleeping, the next afternoon-sleeping, later that evening-still sleeping. Strange. But anyway, our little group went out for tasty tasy gelato, then off to a cafe. It wasn't quite what I'd expected but I did really enjoy the experience. Very relaxing.
That was pretty much the end of our time in Amsterdam. Our last morning and afternoon was spent getting ready to go and then hanging out around the train station. It was a fun city, and I wouldn't not recommend it, it's just that there are so many other places which are just, well, more awesome.
We'd enjoyed walking tours in other cities so we decided to try to find a free one there in Amsterdam. None of us knew much about the city, so it seemed like a good way to get an introduction and learn about some cool places. Sadly we never found it. We waited for a while in the rain, but eventually had to give up and make our own walking tour. Touring the Red Light District by day and then by night was a fun time. We had some tasty foods and saw some interesting shops. By night the whole area was lit up with neon lights and signs. Windows that had been mostly vacant by day were then occupied by prostitutes. We decided to check out a club in the area, which was an interesting time.
For our second full day Constantina and I split a cake and we headed off to the zoo. It wasn't quite what we'd expected, but it was still fun. I think that part of the problem was that we were all pretty tired, and kind of malnourished that day. The zoo was fun and kind of chill, which was nice, but we also kind of forgot to eat. Dinner that night was Indonesian food--yay! I'd really wanted to make sure I had some Indonesian while we were in the Netherlands, and it didn't disappoint.
That night we hung out with our hostelmates. Well, some of them. We made friends with three out of the four people in the room. The fourth we named Sleeping Guy, because it seemed that all he did was sleep. Come in at night, he's sleeping, the next afternoon-sleeping, later that evening-still sleeping. Strange. But anyway, our little group went out for tasty tasy gelato, then off to a cafe. It wasn't quite what I'd expected but I did really enjoy the experience. Very relaxing.
That was pretty much the end of our time in Amsterdam. Our last morning and afternoon was spent getting ready to go and then hanging out around the train station. It was a fun city, and I wouldn't not recommend it, it's just that there are so many other places which are just, well, more awesome.
Stuttgart, land of cockroaches and disappointment
Stuttgart, as one might guess from the title, is not one of my favorite places. It was not even somewhere we'd intended to go, really. Unfortunately Alex lost his rail pass somewhere along the way, which meant we had to modify our plans to go through a city where he could buy a new one. Fortunately Stuttgart wasn't far from Freiburg and was on our way up to Amsterdam. Quite convenient. The plan was to stop in Stuttgart, Alex would get his pass, we'd eat dinner, chill, then hop a 1 am night train up to Amsterdam. Already had the reservation tickets and everything.
Stuttgart was a nice enough city. It had lots of pretty fountains and a nice walking area. I searched for a restaurant while Alex and Constantina stayed at the station with the bags. We ended up eating at an American-type place that was just across the street and down a little. It was good. We decided to go hang out in some park area until it was time to go back to the station. The first place we tried ended up having too many way too big cockroaches. But no problem, we just went down to the big square area I'd found earlier, which was pleasant and had benches and fountains. No problem.
Went back to the station to grab our train out. But it wasn't up on the marque. Still ok, figured it might be too early for it to be listed, but we might as well ask anyway. Turned out the train was actually for the next night, not that one. Rrgh. Very frustrating. The tickets were all in German, of course, so we couldn't read it. Wandered around for a while, indecisive, tired, eventually got to a hostel and to sleep around 3 am. The next morning we everything worked out fine, ended up taking a day train up instead. Just an irritating thing to have to deal with.
Stuttgart was a nice enough city. It had lots of pretty fountains and a nice walking area. I searched for a restaurant while Alex and Constantina stayed at the station with the bags. We ended up eating at an American-type place that was just across the street and down a little. It was good. We decided to go hang out in some park area until it was time to go back to the station. The first place we tried ended up having too many way too big cockroaches. But no problem, we just went down to the big square area I'd found earlier, which was pleasant and had benches and fountains. No problem.
Went back to the station to grab our train out. But it wasn't up on the marque. Still ok, figured it might be too early for it to be listed, but we might as well ask anyway. Turned out the train was actually for the next night, not that one. Rrgh. Very frustrating. The tickets were all in German, of course, so we couldn't read it. Wandered around for a while, indecisive, tired, eventually got to a hostel and to sleep around 3 am. The next morning we everything worked out fine, ended up taking a day train up instead. Just an irritating thing to have to deal with.
Friday, June 5, 2009
I'm so behind on blogging!
Still need to catch up on Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Fussen, Venice, and now Rome. Might get the chance tomorrow night, but probably not. Think I'm the only one who's behind and needing internets still.
Freiburg, a rest with friends
We were in Freiburg less than 48 hours, but it still managed to be relaxing. Getting in was confusing because we hadn't figured out how we were meeting up with Andrew, who had kindly offerred to host us. There was some stress and worry, but we found our way to the Black Forest Hostel with the help of no less than 5 friendly individuals, and thanks to the use of their computer found out that Tabitha had been waiting for us the whole time!
It was really awesome getting to hang out with Andrew and Tabitha and Balin and their friends. I couldn't believe just how long it had been since I had last seen Balin. That's the problem with studying abroad, I suppose. Andrew was an excellent host! He and the others had even gotten mattresses and sleeping bags and pillows for us! It was really really nice.
It was really awesome getting to hang out with Andrew and Tabitha and Balin and their friends. I couldn't believe just how long it had been since I had last seen Balin. That's the problem with studying abroad, I suppose. Andrew was an excellent host! He and the others had even gotten mattresses and sleeping bags and pillows for us! It was really really nice.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Paris, the city of sun and delicious food
At last, sunlight! It had been so long, but finally we escaped from the rain that had been following us through Europe. It only rained once during our time here in Paris, and it was while we were underground so we didn't mind. Except for in some areas where it seemed to be leaking.
We were really hungry and tired and indecisive when we first got in. Fortunately we found a little shop with really delicious sandwiches and pastries. After we were properly nourished we were able to make plans. We decided to start out big and headed off to the catacombs. Awesome! We went down about a million stairs and walked a ways through tunnels under Paris, eventually reaching the tunnels full of bones. It was pretty amazing and intense. The evening was spent back in Montemartre, where our hotel was. We had a delicious salad for dinner.
The second day we did the Louvre, because it needed to happen. It was quite easy to get there and there was hardly a line. There were, of course, tons of other people there, but it didn't feel too crowded for the most part just because it was so big and open. It was really cool to get to see such impressive and beautiful art. I was especially excited to come across the Raft of the Medusa, a painting I studied in an RC class. After standing and walking for so long we were a little tired, so we chilled out at the courtyard fountain. We wandered off from there and saw the Arc de Triumph, also cool. That night we went to another classic, the Eiffel Tower. I must say, it was quite impressive. It was both visually larger and physically smaller than I had expected, if that makes any sense. We heard that going up to the third (top) floor wasn't worth it due to crowd and expense, and that it was better to just go to the second floor and go to Sacre Cour for the full city view. The second floor was amazing! We went at night, and we could see Paris stretched out before us, expansive and bright.
The third day Alex and Constantina had a date planned so I went off on my own. I just kind of wandered about, ending up at the Notre Dame. I'm really really glad I went. It was just awe-inspiring. It was so huge and ornate and beautiful. I took a lot of pictures, and asked some other tourists to take pictures with me in them (for you, Mom). We had planned to meet up at the Gare de Lyon train station to get our train to Germany worked out. While walking there I saw a whole bunch of police vehicles go by and wondered why. Not long after that I got a call from Constantina's mom in Sweden, telling me that Alex and Constantina had been delayed due to some sort of threat on their subway line. It sounded like they were fine, and I was fine, so everything was fine. I just meandered my way over to the station and sat outside in the sun until they got there.
Working out train stuff was a lot easier than I'd thought it would be, other than one significant problem-Alex no longer has his Eurail Pass. Ack! Fortunately he didn't need it for the book, but unfortunately he was unable to find it. It was really stressful, and we had to go find the police station to file a report (which was difficult due to the police being unhelpful), but he'll get his money back at least. On our way back we stopped by Sacre Cour, which did give a wonderful view of the city! Worth all the stairs we had to climb to get up there.
Also, we met up with Molly McGuire for coffee! Alex and I also went with her and some of her friends to a party on a boat. It was entertaining, though getting back was kind of a pain. We ended up taking a cab because it was tons faster.
Today we're heading off to Freiburg. We're going to stay with Andrew Nicholson there, before heading off to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
I have now uploaded all of my Sweden, Denmark, England, and Ireland photos, as well as some of my French photos! Some of them are flipped wrong and most don't have comments, but I'll work through them bit by bit.
We were really hungry and tired and indecisive when we first got in. Fortunately we found a little shop with really delicious sandwiches and pastries. After we were properly nourished we were able to make plans. We decided to start out big and headed off to the catacombs. Awesome! We went down about a million stairs and walked a ways through tunnels under Paris, eventually reaching the tunnels full of bones. It was pretty amazing and intense. The evening was spent back in Montemartre, where our hotel was. We had a delicious salad for dinner.
The second day we did the Louvre, because it needed to happen. It was quite easy to get there and there was hardly a line. There were, of course, tons of other people there, but it didn't feel too crowded for the most part just because it was so big and open. It was really cool to get to see such impressive and beautiful art. I was especially excited to come across the Raft of the Medusa, a painting I studied in an RC class. After standing and walking for so long we were a little tired, so we chilled out at the courtyard fountain. We wandered off from there and saw the Arc de Triumph, also cool. That night we went to another classic, the Eiffel Tower. I must say, it was quite impressive. It was both visually larger and physically smaller than I had expected, if that makes any sense. We heard that going up to the third (top) floor wasn't worth it due to crowd and expense, and that it was better to just go to the second floor and go to Sacre Cour for the full city view. The second floor was amazing! We went at night, and we could see Paris stretched out before us, expansive and bright.
The third day Alex and Constantina had a date planned so I went off on my own. I just kind of wandered about, ending up at the Notre Dame. I'm really really glad I went. It was just awe-inspiring. It was so huge and ornate and beautiful. I took a lot of pictures, and asked some other tourists to take pictures with me in them (for you, Mom). We had planned to meet up at the Gare de Lyon train station to get our train to Germany worked out. While walking there I saw a whole bunch of police vehicles go by and wondered why. Not long after that I got a call from Constantina's mom in Sweden, telling me that Alex and Constantina had been delayed due to some sort of threat on their subway line. It sounded like they were fine, and I was fine, so everything was fine. I just meandered my way over to the station and sat outside in the sun until they got there.
Working out train stuff was a lot easier than I'd thought it would be, other than one significant problem-Alex no longer has his Eurail Pass. Ack! Fortunately he didn't need it for the book, but unfortunately he was unable to find it. It was really stressful, and we had to go find the police station to file a report (which was difficult due to the police being unhelpful), but he'll get his money back at least. On our way back we stopped by Sacre Cour, which did give a wonderful view of the city! Worth all the stairs we had to climb to get up there.
Also, we met up with Molly McGuire for coffee! Alex and I also went with her and some of her friends to a party on a boat. It was entertaining, though getting back was kind of a pain. We ended up taking a cab because it was tons faster.
Today we're heading off to Freiburg. We're going to stay with Andrew Nicholson there, before heading off to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
I have now uploaded all of my Sweden, Denmark, England, and Ireland photos, as well as some of my French photos! Some of them are flipped wrong and most don't have comments, but I'll work through them bit by bit.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The end of England, all of Ireland, and the introduction of France
We had an afternoon flight out of London, so we decided to take the underground partway to the airport so we could hangout there with less stress. We explored the train station by the King's Cross station some and had some really delicious pasties and tea. My pastie was chicken and vegetable. Unfortunately we ended up being rushed after all, but we made it on the plane and that's what matters. Could've done without the brisk run through the airport.
Dublin was awesome! I had thought that Irish was kind of a dead language, but it turns out it's used there much more than I thought. We saw it on all the signs everywhere. We got there in the evening on Saturday, so most things were closed. It was kind of weird how early everything closes on the weekend in Dublin. Our hostel there was pretty good. It had the most disappointing breakfast ever, but we also met two really cool people from Croatia who were staying in the same room as us.
The time we spent in Dublin felt like really productive travel. We got in a lot of museums, tours, and other experiences. We went to a museum about vikings, churches, parks, stores, walking tours, pubs, and the coast. Going to the coast was probably my favorite part of Dublin. We just took bus 31 east to its very last stop. From there we walked a little ways to where there were paths along the side of mountains at the edge of the sea. The view and scenery was absolutely spectacular. Just indescribably beautiful. The mountains were small and lush, with green grasses and kind of scrubby, thorny plants with yellow flowers. The descents were steep-cliffs in some places. The sea was beautiful and the sky seemed endless. Sadly I won't be able to post pictures of it until I'm back at the hotel room and can recharge my camera's batteries.
The only bad thing about Dublin was that the rain followed us there. Sometimes the rain there is so light it's like a heavy mist, and they call days with that kind of weather 'soft' days. Also, it was even colder there than it had been in Sweden, somehow. Plus we had to get up at 3:30 to catch our 6:30 flight, which was not particularly great. But at least we had plenty of time at the airport and weren't all rushed for once.
Paris has been great! We've eaten a seen a lot in our two days here. However, I'm going to detail all that next time I'm on the internet, either later today or tomorrow. This internet cafe is kind of slow and pricey, so I'd rather hold off until I can be uploading pictures at the same time.
At this point I've uploaded all of my Sweden and Denmark photos to my Picasa account, as well as some of my England photos. You can find them all here: http://picasaweb.google.com/mdekenzie. One of my travel companions, Constantina, is ahead of me in uploading and has all of hers here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irisi/.
Dublin was awesome! I had thought that Irish was kind of a dead language, but it turns out it's used there much more than I thought. We saw it on all the signs everywhere. We got there in the evening on Saturday, so most things were closed. It was kind of weird how early everything closes on the weekend in Dublin. Our hostel there was pretty good. It had the most disappointing breakfast ever, but we also met two really cool people from Croatia who were staying in the same room as us.
The time we spent in Dublin felt like really productive travel. We got in a lot of museums, tours, and other experiences. We went to a museum about vikings, churches, parks, stores, walking tours, pubs, and the coast. Going to the coast was probably my favorite part of Dublin. We just took bus 31 east to its very last stop. From there we walked a little ways to where there were paths along the side of mountains at the edge of the sea. The view and scenery was absolutely spectacular. Just indescribably beautiful. The mountains were small and lush, with green grasses and kind of scrubby, thorny plants with yellow flowers. The descents were steep-cliffs in some places. The sea was beautiful and the sky seemed endless. Sadly I won't be able to post pictures of it until I'm back at the hotel room and can recharge my camera's batteries.
The only bad thing about Dublin was that the rain followed us there. Sometimes the rain there is so light it's like a heavy mist, and they call days with that kind of weather 'soft' days. Also, it was even colder there than it had been in Sweden, somehow. Plus we had to get up at 3:30 to catch our 6:30 flight, which was not particularly great. But at least we had plenty of time at the airport and weren't all rushed for once.
Paris has been great! We've eaten a seen a lot in our two days here. However, I'm going to detail all that next time I'm on the internet, either later today or tomorrow. This internet cafe is kind of slow and pricey, so I'd rather hold off until I can be uploading pictures at the same time.
At this point I've uploaded all of my Sweden and Denmark photos to my Picasa account, as well as some of my England photos. You can find them all here: http://picasaweb.google.com/mdekenzie. One of my travel companions, Constantina, is ahead of me in uploading and has all of hers here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irisi/.
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