Tuesday, November 10, 2009
This is EVERYTHING that we have been lugging around in our backpacks...
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Traditional Danish Duck Dinner
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
More Photos...
I added the link to view photos I took while in Rome. Unfortuently, I couldn't upload all of them, or the other pictures I have taken, but I should be able to within the next few days!
see you all in 8 DAYS!!!!!
see you all in 8 DAYS!!!!!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Prague
The city of Prague marked our last sight-seeing city and we definitely ended with a bang! Prague is absolutely beautiful, just as everyone had told us.
On our first full day we went out on a search to find a dress and shoes suitable for an Opera. It was halloween and we couldn't have picked a better thing to do. The original plan was to find an outfit, go back to the hostel, get pretty, go out to a czech dinner and the go to the theatre, but apparently finding the perfect opera dress in Prague is really hard to do. Instead, we spent the better part of the day running up and down the main shopping street until we were out of time. We finally picked an outfit and since we didn't have enough time to get back to our hostel, we changed in a Starbucks bathroom and bought a hotdog as we hurried our way to the theatre. The opera that was showing in the National Prague Opera Theatre was called 'The Miracles of Mary'. The entire second act didn't really make sense to us, but the singing was lovely and the opera hall was absolutely spectacular! I am so happy that we decided to take advantage of the opportunity!
Our second day was set aside for sight-seeing. We first visited the castle and the cathedral, the walked the Charles Bridge, and wandered the streets of old town where we saw the astronomical clock. I love Prague because it isn't a huge city, and because of this, the city has a much more grand feel as you see all of the gothic buildings and narrow walkways.
On our way back to the hostel, we walked past a bunch of people in line for something. We figured that if that many people were in line for something in the freezing weather (0 degrees C) than whatever it is they are waiting for must be good, so we got in line too. When we got to the front of the line we realized we were waiting for a pastry that is wrapped around a cylinder and spun over an open fire until browned, and then drizzled with toffee and rolled in sugar and nuts. Oh it was sooooo gooood! And warm (we were freeeezing!)!
When we got back to the hostel, we decided we needed to try this dinner that Iva had told us about called Svickova. It is roast beef in gravy with dumplings, cranberry sauce, and whipping cream. It was delicious!
Today, we are making our way back to Germany, where we will be visiting Christoph and then tomorrow we will be going up to Copenhagen to visit Astrid! And THEN we get to go to our Europe home away from home and see Jorgen and Ruth in Odense! Hooray! We can barely wait!
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Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Our first sighting of Champagne vinards! It is beautiful out here and we are excited to be out of a big city for a little while!
Once again I am behind on blogging...
The last few weeks have gone by so fast! We have been traveled non-stop and have only spent a few days here and there. The last time I actually blogged was in Barcelona, so allow me to fill you in!
After leaving Barcelona (which remains in my top two with Bordeaux), we traveled to the south of France to a town called Nice. The highlight here was simply the color of the water; a pure blue cove that was simply stunning. We were only there for one full day so we hiked to the top of a cliff overlooking the cove and admired the views.
The next day, we jumped on a train to Florence. We had been looking forward to Italy the entire trip, and it was weird to finally be on our way. We arrived in florence in the evening and hit the first Italian pizzeria we could find. It is so true what they say: THE FOOD IN ITALY IS AMAZING! The next day was our one full day, and we awoke early to get a move on! We walked the street markets, learning very quickly how to barter and admiring all of the beautiful scarves and jewelry. The smell of leather was in the air! We had also decided to, instead of lunch, go on a gelato crawl. So, after three absolutely fabulous cones we were up to the challenge to climb up a mountain and view the city. It was, of course, beautiful. Megan was also very keen on seeing The David, so we did that too. Walking through the streets of florence was a treat for the eyes as well. The cathedrals were all so colorful and magical and the tiny alleyways were full of adorable buildings complete with swinging shutters and painted a wide variety of colors. In all, florence has also been added to our list of favorites.
Our next stop was Rome. I can definitely say that I am so happy that we did not visit Rome during high tourist season, because even with it being October, the amount of people was phenomenal. We had a complete two days in Rome, so the first day we went to Vatican City. A little known fact is that the Vatican City is its own country of sorts. It has 900 citizens and even its own money. We were only in the museums, which included the Sistine Chapel. Every hall, ceiling, door, everything in this long maze of museums was painted and adorned with some type of facade. It was impressive. The actual Sistine Chapel was very different than anything that I had imagined. And when we exited we were absolutely amazed by the amount of people that were visiting, I can't even begin to explain it-and its OCTOBER! After the Vatican City, we visited a few more land marks, like the Trevi Fountain and went to bed. The next morning we started our day out with the other big landmark in Rome: the Colosseum. It was extremely impressive, but again, TONS of tourists. On this day we also revisited the Colosseum later that night to see it all lit up.
The next day we were off again, and this time to Venice. I think that Venice is probably usually a really great place, but the day that we spent there was a day in which many of the streets were flooded including the main square, Piazzo San Marco. But, regardless of the excess water, Venice was fascinating. To walk out of the main train station and see a bustling canal instead of a busy street was mind boggling! I am pretty sure both Megan and I did double takes with that first sighting of the canal with its water buses and water taxis motoring about in front of us. As we crossed our first bridge into the very narrow walking streets (no cars in Venice) we were greeted by a quaint town full of cafes, restaurants, and Venetian mask shops. It is definitely a place like no other.
After Venice we made our way to Lugano, Switzerland to visit our island friend Kathryn, who is going to school there. She showed us around the beautiful lake Lugano and up and down the trendy streets. It was great to see a familiar face and talk to someone from back home!
We left Lugano on a night train to Paris, where we have just spend the past day and a half. We visited the Eiffel Tower (both during the day and at night), the Louve (where we saw Miss Mona Lisa), the Pantheon (where Joan of Arc is buried), the Notre Dame (no hunchbacks), and walked the streets and gardens of Paris.
Now we are currently on a train to Reims, France which is in the Champagne region of France. We will be visiting with one of Megan's friends from college and we will also be drinking real CHAMPAGNE!
I hope everyone is doing well back home! We only have 15 more days before we are home, and I can't wait to see everyone's smiling faces!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Train Day
I just wanted to let everyone know that we have safely arrived in Nice after 14 hours on a train (it was only supposed to take 10...)
AND Sevilla pictures are up! Tomorrow I will upload Barcelona; but for now we are going to bed!
GOODNIGHT/HAVE A GOOD DAY!
AND Sevilla pictures are up! Tomorrow I will upload Barcelona; but for now we are going to bed!
GOODNIGHT/HAVE A GOOD DAY!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
I ♥ Barcelona
This week has been a little on the difficult side for both Megan and I. For those of you who don't know, I received a dreaded phone call from my mom letting me know that my Grandma passed away two mornings ago. Megan and I both had a hard time decided whether to cut our trip short when we first heard that she wasn't doing well, but in the end we decided to stay. I know that is what my Grandma would have wanted us to do, and in the end I don't regret staying.
After deciding to stay we made our way from Sevilla to Barcelona on the good ol' train, and so far Barcelona has been AMAZING! We arrived late at night the first night, but the next morning we were up early to begin our adventure in the streets of Barcelona.
Our first stop was the famous street of La Rambla. La Rambla is the main street that runs down the middle of Barcelona and is lined with tons of fun and colorful shops. Since we happened to be in town on a holiday, we got the chance to see the middle of La Rambla lined with street venders. It was such a fun day, just strolling up and down the street admiring all of the wonderful artists, scarves, jewelery, and other odds and ends on display. We also visited the Columbus Monument and took the elevator to the top to capture a few pictures of the city and harbor (fun fact: did you know that the Columbus Monument and the Statue of Liberty were 'married' in 1992 to unite the two countries and their ajoining history?), then we walked up to the Plaça Catalunya (a plaza halfway up La Rambla) and admired the fountains and sculptures. Overall, it was a great first day.
Today, we decided that we really needed to get a lot done! We woke up especially early and first made our way to the Parc Güell. The history behind this whimsicle park is rooted in Antoni Gaudi, whose architecture is to be found throughout all of Barcelona (here is a website to find out/see more of Gaudi's work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD). After the park, we high tailed it over to La Rambla again to visit another one of Gaudi's creations, the Palau Güell, but we were restless and didn't want to wait in line so we took pictures of the outside and went to our next stop; the Mercat BoquerÃa. It was amazing! There were lines and lines of fresh produce boothes (think Saturday Market, but only food!) Once I am able to post pictures you will be amazed too (I took a TON). We grabbed some fresh fruit and walked around looking at all of the wonderful fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, candies, spices, etc. It was simply stunning. We then decided that we were in the mood to visit another Cathedral. I am pretty sure that every city we have visited, we have gone into at least one of their Cathedrals, and they never cease to amaze us. This one was done in a gothic façade and contained a colorful courtyard, complete with geese. After the Cathedral, we were off again! This time to another of Gaudi's creations-the Casa Batillo. Unfortuently, this Casa was a little on the expensive side to get into, so again, we just took pictures of the outside, then we found a street shop with books on Gaudi and looked through the pictures of the inside :-). At this point in our day, our feet were beginning to hurt and we decided it was time for a drink! We had read about a fairy tale themed cafe and decided to check it out. It was like walking into Lord of the Rings. We enjoyed a drink next to the trees with faces and took a picture next to a fairy sitting by one of the indoor ponds and then were on our way again, this time to the city park. The city park was also (for lack of a better adjective) AMAZING. It was complete with a Zoo and the fountain in the center was absolutely beautiful (and was another one of Gaudi's works). We left the park through the Arc de Triumf, and finally headed back to the hostel to make dinner (sautéd garlic, lemon, cheesy noodles-yum!)
So far our adventures in Spain have been exciting, and along with them we have also become quite fond of the Spanish way of life when it comes to the Siestas (a part of the day-usually between 3 and 5-when all the shops close and people go home to visit with their family and NAP) -in fact we insist on taking one everyday here in Spain (we are trying to emerse ourselves in the culture :-)
Tomorrow we will be leaving Barcelona (and Spain) and taking the train to Nice, France (another beach town-yay!) We have been so lucky with the weather so far, but we hear that by the time we make it back up to Paris and Prague, it will be FREEEZING! Oh well, we will enjoy the 80 degree weather while we can!
I hope that everyone back home is doing well. I also want to thank everyone for the support while I have been over here considering the recent circumstances. It has been really dificult to be so far away from home during the past week, but all of the emails and facebook messages have made the world feel a little smaller and in a way, they have made me feel closer to home. I love you all!
After deciding to stay we made our way from Sevilla to Barcelona on the good ol' train, and so far Barcelona has been AMAZING! We arrived late at night the first night, but the next morning we were up early to begin our adventure in the streets of Barcelona.
Our first stop was the famous street of La Rambla. La Rambla is the main street that runs down the middle of Barcelona and is lined with tons of fun and colorful shops. Since we happened to be in town on a holiday, we got the chance to see the middle of La Rambla lined with street venders. It was such a fun day, just strolling up and down the street admiring all of the wonderful artists, scarves, jewelery, and other odds and ends on display. We also visited the Columbus Monument and took the elevator to the top to capture a few pictures of the city and harbor (fun fact: did you know that the Columbus Monument and the Statue of Liberty were 'married' in 1992 to unite the two countries and their ajoining history?), then we walked up to the Plaça Catalunya (a plaza halfway up La Rambla) and admired the fountains and sculptures. Overall, it was a great first day.
Today, we decided that we really needed to get a lot done! We woke up especially early and first made our way to the Parc Güell. The history behind this whimsicle park is rooted in Antoni Gaudi, whose architecture is to be found throughout all of Barcelona (here is a website to find out/see more of Gaudi's work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD). After the park, we high tailed it over to La Rambla again to visit another one of Gaudi's creations, the Palau Güell, but we were restless and didn't want to wait in line so we took pictures of the outside and went to our next stop; the Mercat BoquerÃa. It was amazing! There were lines and lines of fresh produce boothes (think Saturday Market, but only food!) Once I am able to post pictures you will be amazed too (I took a TON). We grabbed some fresh fruit and walked around looking at all of the wonderful fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, candies, spices, etc. It was simply stunning. We then decided that we were in the mood to visit another Cathedral. I am pretty sure that every city we have visited, we have gone into at least one of their Cathedrals, and they never cease to amaze us. This one was done in a gothic façade and contained a colorful courtyard, complete with geese. After the Cathedral, we were off again! This time to another of Gaudi's creations-the Casa Batillo. Unfortuently, this Casa was a little on the expensive side to get into, so again, we just took pictures of the outside, then we found a street shop with books on Gaudi and looked through the pictures of the inside :-). At this point in our day, our feet were beginning to hurt and we decided it was time for a drink! We had read about a fairy tale themed cafe and decided to check it out. It was like walking into Lord of the Rings. We enjoyed a drink next to the trees with faces and took a picture next to a fairy sitting by one of the indoor ponds and then were on our way again, this time to the city park. The city park was also (for lack of a better adjective) AMAZING. It was complete with a Zoo and the fountain in the center was absolutely beautiful (and was another one of Gaudi's works). We left the park through the Arc de Triumf, and finally headed back to the hostel to make dinner (sautéd garlic, lemon, cheesy noodles-yum!)
So far our adventures in Spain have been exciting, and along with them we have also become quite fond of the Spanish way of life when it comes to the Siestas (a part of the day-usually between 3 and 5-when all the shops close and people go home to visit with their family and NAP) -in fact we insist on taking one everyday here in Spain (we are trying to emerse ourselves in the culture :-)
Tomorrow we will be leaving Barcelona (and Spain) and taking the train to Nice, France (another beach town-yay!) We have been so lucky with the weather so far, but we hear that by the time we make it back up to Paris and Prague, it will be FREEEZING! Oh well, we will enjoy the 80 degree weather while we can!
I hope that everyone back home is doing well. I also want to thank everyone for the support while I have been over here considering the recent circumstances. It has been really dificult to be so far away from home during the past week, but all of the emails and facebook messages have made the world feel a little smaller and in a way, they have made me feel closer to home. I love you all!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Back to the Backpack..
Today we left our home away from home at the Gold Coast Hostel in Lagos, Portugal, and made our way to Sevilla, Spain! We are staying in a funky hostel in the heart of the city, and although we arrived at night, Sevilla appears to be a beautiful city. The next 3 days will be filled with getting lost in the city and seeing all of the sights to see, before moving on to Barcelona. Originally we were planning on making our way from Lagos to Madrid, but after one person after another telling us to go to Sevilla instead, we jumped on a bus and here we are!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
3 euro daily breakfast...yum!
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Saturday, October 3, 2009
Can you find my foot...no you can't ... Because yes, I'm that tan...
Halfway Point!
Today is Megan and I's half way point for the trip! I feel like this trip, thus far, has gone by so fast and I just know that this next leg will go by even faster given our agenda. We will be sadly leaving (completely against our will...) Lagos on October 7th and making our way through Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), France (nice), Italy (Venice, Rome, and Florence), Switzerland (Lugano), back to France (Reims and Paris), Czech Republic (Prague), Germany (Flensburg), and last but certainly not least Denmark (Copenhagen and Odense).
So far this adventure has been the most amazing experience of my life. I feel like we have both grown so much and will continue to from here on out. I also love to see how every different country runs itself and what makes each tick. It has been so interesting for both of us to hear the differences and to compare and contrast with the many friends we have met along the way. I think that a part of me will definitely be sad to leave Europe, even though I do miss a lot of the things about home (especially the ketchup).
On a side note, please pray for my Grandma! She is having a hard time right now, and I just want her to get better!
Much love to everyone back home!
So far this adventure has been the most amazing experience of my life. I feel like we have both grown so much and will continue to from here on out. I also love to see how every different country runs itself and what makes each tick. It has been so interesting for both of us to hear the differences and to compare and contrast with the many friends we have met along the way. I think that a part of me will definitely be sad to leave Europe, even though I do miss a lot of the things about home (especially the ketchup).
On a side note, please pray for my Grandma! She is having a hard time right now, and I just want her to get better!
Much love to everyone back home!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Rain Day...
After a wonderful night out on the town last night, we all figured today would be a day filled with pina coladas and beach lounging... BUT instead we awoke to rain! So instead we are enjoying a lazy day inside with fun movies (at the moment Monsters Inc.) and the hostel owner is making his famous soup! I just love this place!
Anyways, the reason I am writing is because while being stuck inside, I have figured out how to post all of the photo albums I have uploaded so far on the blog page! If you look directly to the left of this post, you will see a list in the column labeled 'Photo Albums'. By clicking on any of the items in the list, you will be transported to the Snapfish site and the respective album!
I also uploaded a few new photos from Lagos today and many of them are of dogs (randomly enough)! Here, the dogs just roam free. There is even a dog named Stevie (in the picture of a guy holding a dog) that is literally the town dog-no body really owns him. Everyone feeds him and takes him in at different times. The yellow lab looking dog, will commonly find us on the beach and come over and lay with us for a while, and has even lead a girl staying here on a hike, and actually tried to do the same thing with us the first day we were here! And last but not least, the black poodle looking dog, came up and hung out with us on the beach yesterday and even brought me a rock that he wanted thrown for him. It is so funny to see dogs just livin' the life here in Lagos along with the rest of us!
I hope everyone back home is doing great!
Anyways, the reason I am writing is because while being stuck inside, I have figured out how to post all of the photo albums I have uploaded so far on the blog page! If you look directly to the left of this post, you will see a list in the column labeled 'Photo Albums'. By clicking on any of the items in the list, you will be transported to the Snapfish site and the respective album!
I also uploaded a few new photos from Lagos today and many of them are of dogs (randomly enough)! Here, the dogs just roam free. There is even a dog named Stevie (in the picture of a guy holding a dog) that is literally the town dog-no body really owns him. Everyone feeds him and takes him in at different times. The yellow lab looking dog, will commonly find us on the beach and come over and lay with us for a while, and has even lead a girl staying here on a hike, and actually tried to do the same thing with us the first day we were here! And last but not least, the black poodle looking dog, came up and hung out with us on the beach yesterday and even brought me a rock that he wanted thrown for him. It is so funny to see dogs just livin' the life here in Lagos along with the rest of us!
I hope everyone back home is doing great!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Lagos Photos!
Here is the link for the Lagos photo Album! more pictures will be loaded over the next two weeks to this same album...
http://www5.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=408455028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
also... all of the Bordeaux photos have been uploaded to the below link!
Have a great day :-)
http://www5.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=408455028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
also... all of the Bordeaux photos have been uploaded to the below link!
Have a great day :-)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Bordeaux Photos
and last but not least...Bordeaux, France album.
http://www5.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=403998028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
.....more pictures will be uploaded later....so keep checking this link!
http://www5.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=403998028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
.....more pictures will be uploaded later....so keep checking this link!
Amsterdam Photos
If you click on the following link, you will be taken to my Amsterdam album in snapfish!
http://www5.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=404114028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
http://www5.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=404114028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
Lagos, Portugal (our vacation from our vacation)
Yesterday we left Bordeaux, France and made the extremely long voyage to Lagos, Portugal (and when I say long, I mean that we left yesterday morning and got here today after a 27 hour train ride). BUT, I can honestly say that it was 100% worth it! The town is in a quaint beach town and is full of fun shops and flip flop wearing locals. Unfortuently, it is raining today off and on (still 70 degrees though), but tomorrow is supposed to be nice and sunny and we have heard that the beaches here are to die for! We checked into our AMAZING hostel today and were told about a fun ´cliff hike´ down the coast that takes you along a few gorgeous cove beaches and ends at a lighthouse. WE CAN´T WAIT! We also have already settled in with some of the other people staying here (all of which are Australian) and it seems like it will be a really fun group. When we arrived, we were instantly invited to join in on their lunch plans and they took us to a resturant that served ´English-style´ breakfasts for only 3 euros (about 4.50 dollars). THE FOOD IS SO CHEAP HERE (HOORAY!)
The best part is that we are going to be staying here (laying on the beaches) for a week (maybe longer if we feel like it)!
I hope everyone is doing well back home!
Loves!
The best part is that we are going to be staying here (laying on the beaches) for a week (maybe longer if we feel like it)!
I hope everyone is doing well back home!
Loves!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wine Tasting in Bordeaux
Yesterday we did a guided wine tour in Bordeaux's medoc region (margaux appellation) and visited two wineries.
The first was Chateau Lascombes, which was beautiful! It is actually owned by Americans and their way of harvesting the wine is very modern apparently (such as the use of dry ice during the cold maceration stage). But the really cool thing about this winery was the way they had blended the new technology with the traditional practices (like using egg whites to filter the wine-so cool!). They also had added on a wine cellar that held bottles of wine from their chateau dating to the 1800s. It was really cool to see how the new owners had improved the chateau , but at the same time, taken pleasure in preserving the heritage of the property.
The other winery we visited was a disgrace to wine heritage. It was called Chateau d'Arsac. The owner was obsessed with contemporary art work, which was strung about the property. Each piece of 'art' was bought each year and symbolized something having to do with wine harvest. The place looked like a over-priced white trash front yard. There was no reference to the history of the property or the traditions of wine that had taken place on it, and the wine tasted horrible. I am boycotting all of their wine for the rest of my life.
But, all in all it was a fabulous day ad Megan and I both enjoyed learning about wine.
Today we are taking the train (for 26 hours) to Lagos, Portugal to lay on the beach for a week. Then we will be off to Madrid for 2 days, then to Alacante, Spain for another few days of beach lounging (we can do this because we had about two weeks to kill according to our schedule).
Loves!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
The first was Chateau Lascombes, which was beautiful! It is actually owned by Americans and their way of harvesting the wine is very modern apparently (such as the use of dry ice during the cold maceration stage). But the really cool thing about this winery was the way they had blended the new technology with the traditional practices (like using egg whites to filter the wine-so cool!). They also had added on a wine cellar that held bottles of wine from their chateau dating to the 1800s. It was really cool to see how the new owners had improved the chateau , but at the same time, taken pleasure in preserving the heritage of the property.
The other winery we visited was a disgrace to wine heritage. It was called Chateau d'Arsac. The owner was obsessed with contemporary art work, which was strung about the property. Each piece of 'art' was bought each year and symbolized something having to do with wine harvest. The place looked like a over-priced white trash front yard. There was no reference to the history of the property or the traditions of wine that had taken place on it, and the wine tasted horrible. I am boycotting all of their wine for the rest of my life.
But, all in all it was a fabulous day ad Megan and I both enjoyed learning about wine.
Today we are taking the train (for 26 hours) to Lagos, Portugal to lay on the beach for a week. Then we will be off to Madrid for 2 days, then to Alacante, Spain for another few days of beach lounging (we can do this because we had about two weeks to kill according to our schedule).
Loves!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
More about my travels...
Amsterdam was awesome. Megan and I got up early on our second day and visited the Anne Frank House. It was amazing. To actually see where it all took place and watch the video interviews was heart-wrenching. It was especially moving to watch a video of her father (who was the only survivor out of the 8 people in hiding) talking about finding his daughter's diary and reading it. I felt like the presentation put together by the Anne Frank House Museum was much more heart felt than that of the concentration camp we visited previously in Germany, and I also felt more connected to the terrible events that were endured by people of the WW2 terror.
After the Anne Frank House, we walked over to the museum area where we had planned to see the Van Gogh Museum, but due to the very expensive tickets we decided to pass and instead visited the Rijksmuseum (the national museum). The Rijks was full of beautiful paintings and Megs and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we meandered our way through the magnificent building.
After the Rijks, we walked through Vondalpark. Vondalpark is a huge oasis in the center of the hussle and bustle of Amsterdam. It is a grassy, green park filled with a meandering lake, with bridges and swans, and children playing as people ride their bikes through the sandy pathways. It is such a peaceful place to have in the middle of such a large city.
The next day we left this channel ridden city for Paris, or so we thought...
After checking out of our wonderful Amsterdam hotel, we lugged our increasingly heavier backpacks to the train station to reserve our seats on a Paris bound train. Well, apparently France is not an easy country to get into. First the lady behind the ticket desk told us it would be €60 to book the ticket and then she informed us that the trains were all booked for the next two days.
For the next three hours we sat in the train station frantic to find somewhere to stay for the night. Finally, we found a hostel in Rotterdam, Netherlands and hopped on a train.
For the next two days we stayed in this port town, which similar to Stuttgart, had been completely bombed flat during WW2 and is now known for its modern and artistic feel. The biggest highlight to the town was the hostel we stayed in, which ended us being pretty cool (other than the fact that we were in a 6 bed dorm with three other smelly guys).
On Tuesday we finally made it into France. Hooray! Bordeaux, France.
Bordeaux is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. It is simply stunning! The buildings are so beautiful, the statues are so beautiful, the weather has been beautiful, it is just so BEAUTIFUL.
The first day we arrived we decided to start sight seeing right away. Our first stop was the St. Andre Cathedral. The size was incredible and the bell tower directly beside it allows visitors to climb to the top to view the city-which of course we did. I could have stayed up there for hours. You could see for miles and the day was so clear that I swear I could see home :-)
After St. Andres we walked to the waterfront to sit by the wonderful fountain/lake they have and then walked to the Jardin Public (a public park). It amazes me how all these big cities make the effort to have these big open areas for people to go and relax. I feel like back home we just don't have the same kind of places, and if we have ones similar we don't utilize it in the same ways that it appears that people here do. In fact, life in the shoes of a European appears to be more about enjoying your life and family, whereas I feel that we live our lives more based in work and the worry of what our status is in society. I suppose it is all part of how the American Dream has influenced all of us to work towards the age of retirement and then start worrying about enjoying life and family. I can't yet decide which way is necessarily better, considering that it is annoying to have all the stores close at 5 because the owner has to be home for dinner with the family, but I can say that there is something refreshing about knowing that the europeans have figured out that there is more to life than what we refer to as the American Dream.
Today we visited the museum of Aquataine, which featured a lot of archaeological finds and also sat out by the waterfront to catch some sun. We also decided a few days ago that we needed a little vacation from backpacking, so we are planning on spending six days in Lagos, Portugal (here is the link for where we are staying: http://www.goldcoasthostel.com) so we booked our train ticket for that today too :-)
Tomorrow, we will be going on a guided wine tour in the wine country of Bordeaux, and Megan and I are so excited! Then one more night here before making a 26 hour train ride to Lagos.
Hope all is well back home!
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Amsterdam
Today we left the nice town of Stuttgart, Germany and made our way to Amsterdam.
Over the past few days we have been staying with some of Megan's family friends in Stuttgart. They were nice enough to allow us to bunk there for two nights and on our second day there we took the train into town. The town of Stuttgart is known for having the head quarters for car companies like Porsche and Mercedes and is a newer town because most of it was bombed during the war. On the day that we decided to go into town, so did about 100 soccer fans getting ready for the game later that night. After soaping and jumping in the main fountains, they kindly posed for a photo op for us (which can be found in the photo album). It was a great stay altogether and we greatly appreciated Cordy, Rich, and Tatiana's warm welcome!
Today we finally arrived in Amsterdam, where we are REALLY roughing it in our lovely HOTEL (thank you Dad and Trina)! After settling into our room (and trying on our complimentary terry cloth robes and slippers) we aimlessly walked around the city. The buildings are so beautiful and all the shops are so fun to look at (especially the bakeries!). The flowers here are beautiful too and there are tulip stands everywhere! We tried the french fries today, which is a local delight, and also tried our first Stroopwafel. The stroopwafels have become a new favorite of ours and we have already enjoyed several of them throughout the day. We also, of course, took a gander down the streets of the red light district which was particularly humorous.
Tomorrow we are getting up early and plan on going to all the museums (I think there are 5 total that we have planned for).
Goodnight!
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Over the past few days we have been staying with some of Megan's family friends in Stuttgart. They were nice enough to allow us to bunk there for two nights and on our second day there we took the train into town. The town of Stuttgart is known for having the head quarters for car companies like Porsche and Mercedes and is a newer town because most of it was bombed during the war. On the day that we decided to go into town, so did about 100 soccer fans getting ready for the game later that night. After soaping and jumping in the main fountains, they kindly posed for a photo op for us (which can be found in the photo album). It was a great stay altogether and we greatly appreciated Cordy, Rich, and Tatiana's warm welcome!
Today we finally arrived in Amsterdam, where we are REALLY roughing it in our lovely HOTEL (thank you Dad and Trina)! After settling into our room (and trying on our complimentary terry cloth robes and slippers) we aimlessly walked around the city. The buildings are so beautiful and all the shops are so fun to look at (especially the bakeries!). The flowers here are beautiful too and there are tulip stands everywhere! We tried the french fries today, which is a local delight, and also tried our first Stroopwafel. The stroopwafels have become a new favorite of ours and we have already enjoyed several of them throughout the day. We also, of course, took a gander down the streets of the red light district which was particularly humorous.
Tomorrow we are getting up early and plan on going to all the museums (I think there are 5 total that we have planned for).
Goodnight!
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Germany Pictures!
This link will take you to the Germany album in snapfish. It contains pictures from:
Neumunster -the best ice cream place EVER
Hamburg -city center and parliament building
Berlin -gross hostel, jewish memorial, concentration camp, Berliner dome, Berlin in general
Stuttgart -a picture of the huge spider (1 of 2) that tried to attack us here too-just like the one in Denmark, and downtown where all of the soccer fans were pre-funking for the soccer game later tonight)
http://www5.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=376576028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Neumunster -the best ice cream place EVER
Hamburg -city center and parliament building
Berlin -gross hostel, jewish memorial, concentration camp, Berliner dome, Berlin in general
Stuttgart -a picture of the huge spider (1 of 2) that tried to attack us here too-just like the one in Denmark, and downtown where all of the soccer fans were pre-funking for the soccer game later tonight)
http://www5.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=376576028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Monday, September 14, 2009
Berlin Horror Story
So, scary story time...
Megan and I were just awoken by her phone wringing. When she answered it, the person on the other line was none other than the owner of the sketchy hostel that we just barely escaped from. He told Megan that he just showed up to the hostel today (its been two days since we left) and realized no one was there. After getting the very unfriendly note that we left him, he decided to call us and refund us our all of our money. He also told us that HE HAS NO IDEA WHO CHECKED US IN! So basically, we walked into a apartment, in the ghetto of Berlin, with some complete stranger.
We totally could have died.
I can't wait to get out of Berlin tomorrow, I hate this place.
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Berlin
After one night in our incredibly sketchy hostel, we moved across town to a cute bed and breakfast (thank you super hero Dave Kunkel). So now megan and I no longer need to fear that some rabid criminal serial killer is going to escape from the LOCAL high security prison and kill us in our sleep (and yes, this was a possible scenario if we had stayed in the last hostel).
Yesterday, Megan and I ventured to the Humbolt Museum of Nature to see dinosaurs and evolution at its best. It was amazing. Getting to see Archeoptreyx was another check off of my 'life to do list' and standing in a room full of dinosaur skeletons was surreal. It is crazy to think of something that large walking around-its not even possible to compare them to any other living creature today.
After the museum we wandered through the Streets of Berlin for a while longer than returned to our room for a good night sleep.
Today we left the B&B around 10 and headed for the main town center (Mitte). After seeing the Jewish Memorial, a piece of the Berlin wall, and the other beautiful buildings, we headed for the Cathedral. When we walked through the doors, we stood in awe looking at the enormous dome looming above us. The murals and stain glass windows were gorgeous and the details of the room were stunning.
We have now returned to the B&B and will be heading to bed soon, because we have an early morning tomorrow when we will tour a concentration camp and then jump on a train to Stuttgart, Germany to visit some of Megan's family friends. Then we will be going to Amsterdam! And then Paris!
Hope all is well back home!
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Yesterday, Megan and I ventured to the Humbolt Museum of Nature to see dinosaurs and evolution at its best. It was amazing. Getting to see Archeoptreyx was another check off of my 'life to do list' and standing in a room full of dinosaur skeletons was surreal. It is crazy to think of something that large walking around-its not even possible to compare them to any other living creature today.
After the museum we wandered through the Streets of Berlin for a while longer than returned to our room for a good night sleep.
Today we left the B&B around 10 and headed for the main town center (Mitte). After seeing the Jewish Memorial, a piece of the Berlin wall, and the other beautiful buildings, we headed for the Cathedral. When we walked through the doors, we stood in awe looking at the enormous dome looming above us. The murals and stain glass windows were gorgeous and the details of the room were stunning.
We have now returned to the B&B and will be heading to bed soon, because we have an early morning tomorrow when we will tour a concentration camp and then jump on a train to Stuttgart, Germany to visit some of Megan's family friends. Then we will be going to Amsterdam! And then Paris!
Hope all is well back home!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Hostels
Megan and I have just arrived at our first hostel and all I can say is...ew. There is one bath room for the entire place and it doesn't have a shower, it has a bath. The floor has puke stains on it and according to the guy who made our bed, we got lucky because we got the last clean bed sheet. And we are here for 5 NIGHTS.
Help...
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Sorry for my recent lack of blogging...
Here is a quick summary of what we have been up to over the past few days:
September:
1: we visit our first castle, Egeskov castle. Along with its beautiful gardens and exhibits (car, motorcycle, farm, and emergency service vehicle collections), we also toured the castle itself. It was magnificent! The same day we visited an adorable port town and did a driveby of another castle on our way home.
2: we drove to Jegindo. A small fishing village in Northern Jutland where my great grandmother grew up. We visited her house (which used to be the town bakery) and ended up meeting the woman who now lives there. Megan and I ended up buying some artwork there for our new home (now we just have to figure out how to get it there).
3: we visited another small fishing village and enjoyed some fresh smoked salmon and some frisch-frickadella (a sort of fish meatball). When we arrived back home we went on a long walk with Ruth. She brought us to a area where some iron age homes had been built to show kids how people of those times lived. It was really fun to see the thatched roofs and fences that they had built.
4: Ruth took the day off work and we all piled in the car and visited her home town, but first we went to the docks to meet the queen as she arrived in Odense for a visit. We then drove to Ruth's hometown. This particular town is known for its doors (which megan and I plan on making a collage of when we return-hint the numerous pics of doors). We wandered through the picturesque streets and stopped in for hot chocolates and pastries in one of the bakeries. On this day we also visited the lock at the coast and drove past the uncrowned prince's castle.
5: we left our wonderful hosts in Odense (thank you again so much for everything Jorgen and Ruth and Albert and Leva!) and took the train to Copenhagen to visit Andreas, Mai, and Jonna. When we arrived, Andreas informed us we would be going to the town square to watch the football game (Portugal vs Denmark). We bundled up, grabbed some beer and headed out. It was the most fun I have ever had at a sporting event! Megan and I yelled along with the rest of them! After the game we ended the night at a pub to celebrate.
6: Andrea, Mai, and Jonna gave us a tour of Copenhagen. The city was so beautiful and full of beautiful architecture. We also enjoyed a canal tour of Copenhagen, which allowed us to see the city in a different view. After lunch we ventured to a sectioned off part of the city called Christiania. This part of the city is an old army barrack that has been adopted by hippies (for lack of a better word). The people here have devoted their lives to living peacefully, but consider themselves completely separate from the rest of Europe and society itself. Police are basically forbid from entering and pot is openly dealt and smoked on the street. You are also not allowed to take pictures past a certain point, so you will not see any in my photo album. It is definitely an interesting place.
7: on this day megan and I were alone in what we called the 'fairy tale apartment' (Mai and Andreas' apartment) while Andreas and Mai were at work. When they returned home we went to Tivoli. Tivoli is the oldest amusement part in the world and is very majestic and colorful place. We luckily were there at night, so we got to enjoy the numerous light displays and shops.
8: On this day, Megan and I were completely alone because both Andreas and Mai were away on business. We decided to venture into the city on our own and walk around to the many cute shops. We later met up with Jonna and visited the little mermaid, the royal castle, and the huge church that sits right outside the castle.
9: we took the train to Boosted to visit one of Megan's friends, Christoph. He showed us an amazing pizza place and my new favorite ice cream shop.
10: we decided to take a day trip from Boosted to Hamburg. We wandered around the city seeing the various sites for a few hours before returning to Boosted. (we also revisited the best ice cream shop ever...twice)
11: Christoph showed us a bit of Boosted including the volunteer fire department he is part of. We then traveled to Kiel where we walked along the coast.
12: today we are traveling to Berlin for 5 days. There, we will be visiting the Humbolt Museum (which holds the original fossil of Archaeopteryx-the first intermediate that helped to prove Charles Darwin's theory of evolution), a concentration camp, and the rest that the city has offer.
So for now that should catch everyone up and I will try to stay more on top of all of the blogging. Also, as a side note, we will not be attending Octoberfest due to scheduling difficulties. Instead we will be going straight from Berlin to Amsterdam.
As far as pictures go, I would like to clear the confusion and note that all of the pictures taken so far are in the given link below in the 'Denmark pictures' post. From now on I will be posting all of my photos in albums for each country via snapfish and I will give you a new address each time I start a new album. These albums will continue to be added to, so continue to use the same links to view more pictures as they are posted for each country.
Love you and miss you all!
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Saturday, September 5, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Spiders
I would just like to let everyone know that megan and I almost just got attacked by a spider the size of Africa. Pictures will be posted later... Ew
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Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Denmark Pictures!!!
This link will allow you to look at all of the pictures that I take in Denmark. I will continue to upload new pictures to this link daily, so keep checking in on this same link.
http://www5.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=338546028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
http://www5.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=338546028/a=347040028_347040028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Monday, August 31, 2009
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Hans Christian Andersen
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Today's Events
Today we first went to the electronics store before doing anything else because I blew out my converter last night while trying to straighten my hair (and when I say blow out, I mean there was smoke and the entire converter melted...) after we had that all taken care of, Jorgen took us to downtown Odense, where we got to see Hans Christian Andersen's house (in case you don't know, he is the author of many favorite childhood stories ,such as the little mermaid, the ugly duckling, and thumbalina). We also visited the church which was built around 1400. In this church both the king and his brother were killed and their bodies are buried within the church. It was magnificent!
Today Jorgen also told me about how he loves lemon meringue pie and about how they do not sell it here, so of course I made him one for tomorrow's dessert. And speaking of sweets, I had the most amazing hot chocolate today! It was a cup of steamed milk with a chocolate (dark of course!) jabbed at the end of a stiring rod that you melted into the milk and a whole other cup full of whipped cream. Mmmmmm.
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Today Jorgen also told me about how he loves lemon meringue pie and about how they do not sell it here, so of course I made him one for tomorrow's dessert. And speaking of sweets, I had the most amazing hot chocolate today! It was a cup of steamed milk with a chocolate (dark of course!) jabbed at the end of a stiring rod that you melted into the milk and a whole other cup full of whipped cream. Mmmmmm.
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At the beach
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Next Stop, the Castle
Jorgen then took us to a castle in Nyborg, which translates to 'New Castle'. And of course he took us on the scenic route. Pictured below are the huge hay bales we saw that we lined up as far as you could see. Also pictured is the moat that surrounds the castle and village, the tunnel that you drive through after crossing the moat, the big doors that used to be closed to protect the village from intruders, the castle and lake, and pics of the village itself (which people still live in today). It was beautiful!
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Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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