Hi All,
I just boarded my plane for New York. First of all, let me say that Heathrow Airport puts JFK to shame. I was able to go from my plane to a shuttle bus to a different terminal, go through security, and get my new boarding pass in less than 45 minutes. The staff was amazingly helpful as well.
Well, I think it's time to look back at the last six weeks and my trip all over Europe. I started out in Dublin where I not only got to see a new city, but met about 15 family members that I don't remember meeting before. I also saw the towns that my Grandma and Pop-pop grew up in. Then, I headed to London and had dinner with my Dad's cousin and his wife, David and Joan. The following night, I saw a traditional London play, Blues Brothers. I then hooked up with my first tour, the AESU Graduation Tour, where I met people that I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life (we are already having a mini-reunion in July). Together, we took on London and saw a lot of things that I did not see my first time like the London Eye and the world's biggest department store, Harrods. From London we went to Paris via train where I had one of the most memorable lunches of my trip, in the upstairs of a cafe overlooking a piazza where an orchestra was playing. We then took the overnight train from Paris to Rome. In Rome, I returned to my second home. I met up with all the administrators from my study abroad program and had drinks with my old Italian roommate and Italian teacher. I also showed a few people around my favorite restaurants and hang outs in Rome. Half of our tour group left us in Rome, but the other half of us continued to Sorrento where we spent one night wandering the town and I tried buffalo meat for the first time. Then, we headed to Pompeii where I saw a part of the ancient city that I did not see last year. After Pompeii, we boarded a bus to head to the port where we caught a mini-cruise ship to Greece. We arrived in Patras, but went by bus and boat to the small island of Poros. After three days of pure relaxation and cruising (and sunburn), we headed to Athens where I climbed to the top of the cliff and saw the world famous Acropolis and Parthenon first hand. In Athens, I bid farewell to my new friends and prepared for a week in Italy on my own. I caught a flight to Reggio di Calabria where I met up with a few of my Italian teachers and classmates from Penn State who were participating in a study abroad program. I was able to walk down the main street with my Italian professor who grew up in Reggio and gained a better understanding for the "small town Italy" as he ran into friends from his childhood. Then, I went to Naples which I used as a springboard for the most beautiful part of my trip, the Isle of Capri. I took a boat tour around the island and was able to enter the world famous Blue Grotto. From there, I went to Florence where I met up with one more of my professors from Penn State. Then, I went to another new city for me, Milan, where I saw the famous Duomo and completed my renaissance art tour. In the span of four weeks, I saw the Mona Lisa, Sistine Chapel, Statue of David, and The Last Supper. Then, I flew to Berlin where I met up with my second tour, Contiki's Eastern Road, or as I call it, the "Communist" tour. We took a tour of the city that divided and then reunited the world. I also realized how crazy the tour was going to be as the Euro 2012 tournament was getting underway. Then, on our way to Prague we stopped in Dresden, the place that the Protestant religion was started. Prague was as beautiful as I remembered it and I was able to see the Jewish museum which had the names of all 67,000 Jews sent to the concentration and death camps from Prague. We then moved onto Vienna with a stop at Kutna Hora on the way to see the infamous bone church. Vienna reminded me of Disney World with its pristine parks and amazing food, specifically the Sacher Torte. Budapest reminded me a bit of Rome and we sailed down the river for a dinner cruise with the best goulash I've ever had. After Budapest, we made a pit stop in a small town of Slovakia where we saw the square where the townspeople prayed they would be saved from the Black Death. Then, we moved onto Krakow where I wandered the streets of the Old Town and visited Oscar Schindler's factory. On our way to Warsaw, we made a very somber stop at Auschwitz, something I will remember for the rest of my life. Then, we made one more stop at Czechestowa which is home to the famous pilgrimage site of the Black Madonna. Finally, my tour ended in Warsaw, home of the Euro 2012 tournament.
The total distance I traveled from New York to New York is a 14,856 miles!
It was an amazing trip. I saw things that many people do not see during the course of their whole life. It was definitely the opportunity of a lifetime.
Michael
Friday, June 22, 2012
Last Night in Europe & Flight #1
Hi All,
I'm currently flying from Warsaw to London. I can't believe that my trip is actually over. It was an amazing experience.
Last night, we had dinner in a traditional Polish restaurant where I tried a few things for the first time - none of which were my cup of tea. I'm happy I tried them, though, because now I know for the future. First, we had a mushroom and onion stew. I have tried mushrooms before and can tolerate them in moderation, but every bite was filled with mushrooms. Then, I had duck. I have NEVER had duck. It was okay, but I really don't like dark meat. Now I know what it tastes like and that, if I need to, I can eat it. Then, we had a dessert that tasted like butter cake. My sweet tooth got the best of me and I ate the whole thing.
After dinner, the group went out to a local beer garden, but I went back to the hotel since I had to wake up at 4:15 AM for my cab to the airport. Instead, I sat in the hotel restaurant and talked with a girl on my tour that decided to have an easy night as well. She's off to Russia next. I'd love to do that trip sometime soon!
This morning, I woke up and met my friends and we headed to the airport. We got to the airport by 5:20 AM and I was through security by 5:40 AM. I grabbed a coffee and donuts for breakfast and headed to my gate. My flight departed on time, so I'm happy.
The Warsaw airport itself, for me, seems to be a communist era airport. The colors were very plain and there was minimal extravagance. There was not a lot of space for stores. That was just my observation though.
I also forgot to write in my post last time that it is absolutely amazing and a testament to the Polish people that their language survived. They were occupied for a period of over 100 years in which they had to speak either Russian or German. Polish was not allowed. That was a very impressive fact that I learned yesterday.
Michael
I'm currently flying from Warsaw to London. I can't believe that my trip is actually over. It was an amazing experience.
Last night, we had dinner in a traditional Polish restaurant where I tried a few things for the first time - none of which were my cup of tea. I'm happy I tried them, though, because now I know for the future. First, we had a mushroom and onion stew. I have tried mushrooms before and can tolerate them in moderation, but every bite was filled with mushrooms. Then, I had duck. I have NEVER had duck. It was okay, but I really don't like dark meat. Now I know what it tastes like and that, if I need to, I can eat it. Then, we had a dessert that tasted like butter cake. My sweet tooth got the best of me and I ate the whole thing.
After dinner, the group went out to a local beer garden, but I went back to the hotel since I had to wake up at 4:15 AM for my cab to the airport. Instead, I sat in the hotel restaurant and talked with a girl on my tour that decided to have an easy night as well. She's off to Russia next. I'd love to do that trip sometime soon!
This morning, I woke up and met my friends and we headed to the airport. We got to the airport by 5:20 AM and I was through security by 5:40 AM. I grabbed a coffee and donuts for breakfast and headed to my gate. My flight departed on time, so I'm happy.
The Warsaw airport itself, for me, seems to be a communist era airport. The colors were very plain and there was minimal extravagance. There was not a lot of space for stores. That was just my observation though.
I also forgot to write in my post last time that it is absolutely amazing and a testament to the Polish people that their language survived. They were occupied for a period of over 100 years in which they had to speak either Russian or German. Polish was not allowed. That was a very impressive fact that I learned yesterday.
Michael
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Off to the Airport
Hi All,
I`m sitting in my hotel lobby in Warsaw waiting for my friends to get down and take a taxi with me to the airport. I will have more reflections and an update of my dinner last night, but I am officially on my way home.
Michael
I`m sitting in my hotel lobby in Warsaw waiting for my friends to get down and take a taxi with me to the airport. I will have more reflections and an update of my dinner last night, but I am officially on my way home.
Michael
Warsaw
Hi All,
Today was my łast full day in Europe. We started out with a tour of Warsaw at 9:00 AM. Our tour guide was very monotonous and did not provide a lot of stories to paralell what she was showing us. We did see the monument to Chopin, the fan zone for the Euro 2012 Soccer Tournament, and the old walled city of Warsaw. It was pretty short - only about two hours and a half.
I am honestly not a fan of Warsaw. For me, it is just like any other big city. I am not sure if it is because I did not have a great tour guide, but the city itself does not seem to have the same depth of history that I have come to expect from every other European city.
After our tour, we grabbed lunch at a restaurant near the old town square. It was not as good as I would have liked and the waiter was very rude. It was obvious that we were just another dollar sign to him. It was not what I had in mind for my lunch.
Then, we walked around the old town and grabbed a few souvenirs. I left the group and went to wander around somewhere else. Then, I ran into a few other friends and we sat down at a restaurant and waited for our bus to pick us up and bring us back to the hotel.
Tonight, we have one final dinner in Europe which is organized and paid for by Contiki. Then, I have a taxi to the airport at 5:00 AM for a 7:50 AM flight. I have a four hour layover in London, then I will be back in the states!
Michael
Today was my łast full day in Europe. We started out with a tour of Warsaw at 9:00 AM. Our tour guide was very monotonous and did not provide a lot of stories to paralell what she was showing us. We did see the monument to Chopin, the fan zone for the Euro 2012 Soccer Tournament, and the old walled city of Warsaw. It was pretty short - only about two hours and a half.
I am honestly not a fan of Warsaw. For me, it is just like any other big city. I am not sure if it is because I did not have a great tour guide, but the city itself does not seem to have the same depth of history that I have come to expect from every other European city.
After our tour, we grabbed lunch at a restaurant near the old town square. It was not as good as I would have liked and the waiter was very rude. It was obvious that we were just another dollar sign to him. It was not what I had in mind for my lunch.
Then, we walked around the old town and grabbed a few souvenirs. I left the group and went to wander around somewhere else. Then, I ran into a few other friends and we sat down at a restaurant and waited for our bus to pick us up and bring us back to the hotel.
Tonight, we have one final dinner in Europe which is organized and paid for by Contiki. Then, I have a taxi to the airport at 5:00 AM for a 7:50 AM flight. I have a four hour layover in London, then I will be back in the states!
Michael
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Black Madonna & Warsaw
Hi All,
We have arrived at the final stop of my grand European tour, Warsaw. After our stop at Auschwitz, the bus was very quiet. We listened to a few songs like ˝Imagine˝ by John Lennon and really just reflected.
We then arrived at Czestochowa, home of the Jasna Gora Monastery which is home to the famous Black Madonna painting. The painting is said to have healing powers and is a main pilgrimage site for many Catholics from around the world. There was a mass going on, so we were only able to walk up and see it, say a prayer, and leave, but the church was pretty cool. It had rosary beads all over the wall as well as crutches and wheelchairs for people that were miraculously healed. Before you ask, no, I was not healed. My shoulder did, however, feel better, so maybe there is some special power. It was a great experience, though.
Then, we boarded the bus for another three and a half hour drive to Warsaw. We arrived at around 7:30 PM and checked into our hotel. I am taking it easy tonight, so I ate dinner at the hotel as I did not want to make the 30 minute walk each way into the city center for dinner.
Tomorrow, we have a coach tour of the city with four hours free time. Then, we have our last dinner.
On a side note, the Euro 2012 is being held in Warsaw, so the place is crawling with tourists. It will be packed tomorrow, but it has been an absolutely amazing experience to be in Europe and especially Poland during the tournament. Every country is proudly showing their colors and rooting for their home team. It is very cool!
Michael
We have arrived at the final stop of my grand European tour, Warsaw. After our stop at Auschwitz, the bus was very quiet. We listened to a few songs like ˝Imagine˝ by John Lennon and really just reflected.
We then arrived at Czestochowa, home of the Jasna Gora Monastery which is home to the famous Black Madonna painting. The painting is said to have healing powers and is a main pilgrimage site for many Catholics from around the world. There was a mass going on, so we were only able to walk up and see it, say a prayer, and leave, but the church was pretty cool. It had rosary beads all over the wall as well as crutches and wheelchairs for people that were miraculously healed. Before you ask, no, I was not healed. My shoulder did, however, feel better, so maybe there is some special power. It was a great experience, though.
Then, we boarded the bus for another three and a half hour drive to Warsaw. We arrived at around 7:30 PM and checked into our hotel. I am taking it easy tonight, so I ate dinner at the hotel as I did not want to make the 30 minute walk each way into the city center for dinner.
Tomorrow, we have a coach tour of the city with four hours free time. Then, we have our last dinner.
On a side note, the Euro 2012 is being held in Warsaw, so the place is crawling with tourists. It will be packed tomorrow, but it has been an absolutely amazing experience to be in Europe and especially Poland during the tournament. Every country is proudly showing their colors and rooting for their home team. It is very cool!
Michael
Reflections on Auschwitz
Hi All,
We just left Auschwitz and all I can say is wow. I honestly don't think it has sunk in yet. I am going to find a lot of difficulty putting what I saw into words, but I will do my best.
We started out by walking through the old "registration" building where the inmates names were switched out for numbers. It was surreal thinking that 60 years ago, all this was actually happening.
Then, we walked through two old converted barracks which now house exhibitions. We saw maps of Auschwitz and pictures that were taken over the first few months that Auschwitz was open. We then walked upstairs which really started to show the magnitude of everything. First, they had the blueprints and a miniature model of the gas chambers. You saw photos of the cremations. Inmates cremated the bodies of fellow inmates. In the Jewish religion, there is a belief that you will one day be reunited with your body. This is not possible when your body is cremated.
Then, we walked into a room with 20 thousand kilos of human hair that was shaved off of the heads of the murdered women. It was hard to look at, but I forced myself to. It is important to understand the magnitude of the Holocaust. We found out that the hair was used to make things like carpet. It was sickening.
Then, we walked down to another barrack where we saw a window filled with charred eyeglasses. Another room had a window filled with old crutches, prosthetics, and wheelchairs. Another with suitcases. Another with children's shoes. Another with adult shoes. Some rooms were massive. Others small. Just writing about it is hard.
Then, we walked to one of the barracks where we saw the chronology of the sleeping conditions. They started with just hay on the floor, then got mattresses on the floor, then came toilets over the buckets they were using, then came sinks. The average life span was two months for a woman and eight months for a man.
We then saw the gallows for those that broke the rules of the camp. There were many different types of cells. Normal ones with a bed, interrogation ones, death cells, and standing cells for four people where you had to stand the whole time.
Then, we saw the death wall where they had hangings and death by shooting squad. There were flowers everywhere. It was quite moving.
Then we passed the hospital where experiments were performed and saw more hanging posts. When the first people escaped from the camp, the whole camp had to stand on their feet for 18 hours. Many people died from heat stroke. Then, they implemented a rule that for every escapee they would randomly choose 10 people to starve to death.
Then came my "favorite" part of the tour - the hanging post for the Auschwitz Gestapo. He was hung a few years after the war. It's a very bittersweet thing.
Then, we walked into the gas chambers. They still smelled weird and I was sick to my stomach as I walked through them. Right next to the gas chambers were the cremation ovens.
They said that the Nazis were always trying to find cheaper methods to kill people because "bullets are expensive." It made me sick to my stomach.
Then, we boarded our coach and went to Auschwitz II or Birkenau which is the more well known Auschwitz. It is the one that the trains arrived at and where many people were immediately sent to death. Most people did not resist, even though they knew what was happening, due to sheer exhaustion. Some had been traveling for nine days.
We walked up to the top of the main guard tower and saw the whole camp. It was disturbingly large. Then, we walked to the bathroom house to see the conditions. There was no privacy. It was just big latrines and concrete benches with holes in them. The bathrooms were the place where people talked freely, found out news about the war, and traded for things on the black market. People traded shoes for bread. Good shoes meant you worked faster which meant you may be able to survive. The officers stayed away from the bathrooms because they smelled and were filled with disease.
Then, we had time to walk around by ourselves. I walked down the railroad tracks and saw one of the cars that prisoners were transported in. 60 people plus luggage for nine days.
The whole experience was unbelievable. It makes you think. Why were the Nazis able to gain so much power? How did so many people think it was a "good" idea? Does the human race truly have enough free will to deviate from the group and stand up for what is wrong? How bad were the conditions in post-war Germany to allow something like that to happen? Can something like that happen again? How do we stop the genocides going on in Africa right now? I honestly don't know what to think anymore. It will take me a while for my faith in humanity to be restored.
Michael
We just left Auschwitz and all I can say is wow. I honestly don't think it has sunk in yet. I am going to find a lot of difficulty putting what I saw into words, but I will do my best.
We started out by walking through the old "registration" building where the inmates names were switched out for numbers. It was surreal thinking that 60 years ago, all this was actually happening.
Then, we walked through two old converted barracks which now house exhibitions. We saw maps of Auschwitz and pictures that were taken over the first few months that Auschwitz was open. We then walked upstairs which really started to show the magnitude of everything. First, they had the blueprints and a miniature model of the gas chambers. You saw photos of the cremations. Inmates cremated the bodies of fellow inmates. In the Jewish religion, there is a belief that you will one day be reunited with your body. This is not possible when your body is cremated.
Then, we walked into a room with 20 thousand kilos of human hair that was shaved off of the heads of the murdered women. It was hard to look at, but I forced myself to. It is important to understand the magnitude of the Holocaust. We found out that the hair was used to make things like carpet. It was sickening.
Then, we walked down to another barrack where we saw a window filled with charred eyeglasses. Another room had a window filled with old crutches, prosthetics, and wheelchairs. Another with suitcases. Another with children's shoes. Another with adult shoes. Some rooms were massive. Others small. Just writing about it is hard.
Then, we walked to one of the barracks where we saw the chronology of the sleeping conditions. They started with just hay on the floor, then got mattresses on the floor, then came toilets over the buckets they were using, then came sinks. The average life span was two months for a woman and eight months for a man.
We then saw the gallows for those that broke the rules of the camp. There were many different types of cells. Normal ones with a bed, interrogation ones, death cells, and standing cells for four people where you had to stand the whole time.
Then, we saw the death wall where they had hangings and death by shooting squad. There were flowers everywhere. It was quite moving.
Then we passed the hospital where experiments were performed and saw more hanging posts. When the first people escaped from the camp, the whole camp had to stand on their feet for 18 hours. Many people died from heat stroke. Then, they implemented a rule that for every escapee they would randomly choose 10 people to starve to death.
Then came my "favorite" part of the tour - the hanging post for the Auschwitz Gestapo. He was hung a few years after the war. It's a very bittersweet thing.
Then, we walked into the gas chambers. They still smelled weird and I was sick to my stomach as I walked through them. Right next to the gas chambers were the cremation ovens.
They said that the Nazis were always trying to find cheaper methods to kill people because "bullets are expensive." It made me sick to my stomach.
Then, we boarded our coach and went to Auschwitz II or Birkenau which is the more well known Auschwitz. It is the one that the trains arrived at and where many people were immediately sent to death. Most people did not resist, even though they knew what was happening, due to sheer exhaustion. Some had been traveling for nine days.
We walked up to the top of the main guard tower and saw the whole camp. It was disturbingly large. Then, we walked to the bathroom house to see the conditions. There was no privacy. It was just big latrines and concrete benches with holes in them. The bathrooms were the place where people talked freely, found out news about the war, and traded for things on the black market. People traded shoes for bread. Good shoes meant you worked faster which meant you may be able to survive. The officers stayed away from the bathrooms because they smelled and were filled with disease.
Then, we had time to walk around by ourselves. I walked down the railroad tracks and saw one of the cars that prisoners were transported in. 60 people plus luggage for nine days.
The whole experience was unbelievable. It makes you think. Why were the Nazis able to gain so much power? How did so many people think it was a "good" idea? Does the human race truly have enough free will to deviate from the group and stand up for what is wrong? How bad were the conditions in post-war Germany to allow something like that to happen? Can something like that happen again? How do we stop the genocides going on in Africa right now? I honestly don't know what to think anymore. It will take me a while for my faith in humanity to be restored.
Michael
On Our Way to Auschwitz
Hi All,
We left Krakow this morning at 7:30 AM to head to Warsaw with what should be a very somber stop at Auschwitz. I honestly have no idea what to expect. I think it will be a very emotional four hours for the whole group. It is one thing to learn about something, read about something, and watch a movie about something. It is completely different to visit something. I am about to visit a place that some of the worst crimes of human history took place.
Michael
We left Krakow this morning at 7:30 AM to head to Warsaw with what should be a very somber stop at Auschwitz. I honestly have no idea what to expect. I think it will be a very emotional four hours for the whole group. It is one thing to learn about something, read about something, and watch a movie about something. It is completely different to visit something. I am about to visit a place that some of the worst crimes of human history took place.
Michael
Monday, June 18, 2012
Krakow: Day 2
Hi All,
We had a tour mostly on board of our coach with a few stops at 9:00 AM.
We first returned to the same place we went last night, the Jewish district of Krakow to see it in the daylight. We learned that the Polish government, specifically that of Krakow, held propaganda campaigns to get the Jewish people to move into Poland in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries because they realized the Jews were hard workers which could help put the city and country on the map. Quickly, though, the Jews fell victim to the same type of hate they experienced all over Europe and eventually decided to move into an enclosed area of the city, the Jewish district. It was a prime piece of real estate as it was an island. When Hitler invaded Poland before World War II started, he forced all the Jews to move into the Jewish ghetto across the river in a much worse location. We also learned that the restaurant we ate at the night before was quite a famous restaurant and a few other stories about the old Jewish district. Now, there are only 150 Jewish people in all of Krakow. It is a pretty sad story.
After the Jewish district, we went to the Jewish ghetto where we learned about a Polish, non-Jewish pharmacist that owned a pharmacy in the Jewish ghetto before it became the Jewish ghetto. He elected to stay and operate his pharmacy and helped many small babies escape the ghetto by first chloroforming them, putting them in his small toolbox, and carrying them out of the ghetto. The children were then adopted by Polish families.
We then passed by Oscar Schindler´s factory and headed into town to see the Royal Castle. The Royal Castle was amazing. You would never know you were in Poland at all! It was almost like you were back in the middle ages walking around the grounds of a very wealthy estate. The actual castle was designed by an Italian architect modeled after many different castles of Northern Italy. I felt like I was back in Italy.
Then, we walked to the Old Town Square where we saw the beagle call. Legend says that a guard in a clocktower saw an incoming army approaching early in the morning and only had a trumpet to warn the public. His beagle call alerted the townspeople and they were able to fend off the attack. Now, every hour on the hour, a trumpet player plays the traditional beagle call.
After our tour ended, I grabbed lunch at a coffee shop with a few friends before heading back to Schindler´s factory. The factory has now been turned into a museum about the city of Krakow during German occupation. It tells the story not only of Oscar Schindler and his workers, but of the whole city. It was a pretty impressive museum and it was nice to see a somewhat happy story after being bombarded with depressing stories for the past two weeks during what I am calling my "Nazi and Communist Tour of Eastern Europe".
After the factory, we headed back into town to buy a few souvenirs and grab a refreshing smoothie. It was hot - about 95 degrees! Then, we met up with our group and headed to the famous Salt Mines of Krakow. We went 136 meters below the earth into the depths of the world famous salt mine. It was very impressive as they not only had salt everywhere, but they had pretty cool rooms, too. They had a bunch of life size displays showing how they mined the salt as well as a few huge rooms. There was a small chapel for miners to pray in and a full size church with amazing statues and engravings! I even saw an engraving of Da Vinci´s ˝The Last Supper˝! It was a very impressive tour. I was also happy because it was much cooler than it was above the earth. It was a great reprieve.
After the salt mines, we headed back into the Town Square to grab a bite to eat for dinner. A few of us decided to have perogis as they are a traditional Polish dish. I had never had perogis before, but they were pretty good. After dinner, we walked back to our hotel.
I really enjoyed Krakow. I did not know what exactly to expect, but I think that makes it exciting. Everything is a surprise. The city itself was not as dirty as I expected it to be and reminded me a bit of Rome. I am also in love with the exchange rate in Eastern Europe. Everything is so cheap!
Michael
We had a tour mostly on board of our coach with a few stops at 9:00 AM.
We first returned to the same place we went last night, the Jewish district of Krakow to see it in the daylight. We learned that the Polish government, specifically that of Krakow, held propaganda campaigns to get the Jewish people to move into Poland in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries because they realized the Jews were hard workers which could help put the city and country on the map. Quickly, though, the Jews fell victim to the same type of hate they experienced all over Europe and eventually decided to move into an enclosed area of the city, the Jewish district. It was a prime piece of real estate as it was an island. When Hitler invaded Poland before World War II started, he forced all the Jews to move into the Jewish ghetto across the river in a much worse location. We also learned that the restaurant we ate at the night before was quite a famous restaurant and a few other stories about the old Jewish district. Now, there are only 150 Jewish people in all of Krakow. It is a pretty sad story.
After the Jewish district, we went to the Jewish ghetto where we learned about a Polish, non-Jewish pharmacist that owned a pharmacy in the Jewish ghetto before it became the Jewish ghetto. He elected to stay and operate his pharmacy and helped many small babies escape the ghetto by first chloroforming them, putting them in his small toolbox, and carrying them out of the ghetto. The children were then adopted by Polish families.
We then passed by Oscar Schindler´s factory and headed into town to see the Royal Castle. The Royal Castle was amazing. You would never know you were in Poland at all! It was almost like you were back in the middle ages walking around the grounds of a very wealthy estate. The actual castle was designed by an Italian architect modeled after many different castles of Northern Italy. I felt like I was back in Italy.
Then, we walked to the Old Town Square where we saw the beagle call. Legend says that a guard in a clocktower saw an incoming army approaching early in the morning and only had a trumpet to warn the public. His beagle call alerted the townspeople and they were able to fend off the attack. Now, every hour on the hour, a trumpet player plays the traditional beagle call.
After our tour ended, I grabbed lunch at a coffee shop with a few friends before heading back to Schindler´s factory. The factory has now been turned into a museum about the city of Krakow during German occupation. It tells the story not only of Oscar Schindler and his workers, but of the whole city. It was a pretty impressive museum and it was nice to see a somewhat happy story after being bombarded with depressing stories for the past two weeks during what I am calling my "Nazi and Communist Tour of Eastern Europe".
After the factory, we headed back into town to buy a few souvenirs and grab a refreshing smoothie. It was hot - about 95 degrees! Then, we met up with our group and headed to the famous Salt Mines of Krakow. We went 136 meters below the earth into the depths of the world famous salt mine. It was very impressive as they not only had salt everywhere, but they had pretty cool rooms, too. They had a bunch of life size displays showing how they mined the salt as well as a few huge rooms. There was a small chapel for miners to pray in and a full size church with amazing statues and engravings! I even saw an engraving of Da Vinci´s ˝The Last Supper˝! It was a very impressive tour. I was also happy because it was much cooler than it was above the earth. It was a great reprieve.
After the salt mines, we headed back into the Town Square to grab a bite to eat for dinner. A few of us decided to have perogis as they are a traditional Polish dish. I had never had perogis before, but they were pretty good. After dinner, we walked back to our hotel.
I really enjoyed Krakow. I did not know what exactly to expect, but I think that makes it exciting. Everything is a surprise. The city itself was not as dirty as I expected it to be and reminded me a bit of Rome. I am also in love with the exchange rate in Eastern Europe. Everything is so cheap!
Michael
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Budapest to Krakow
Hi All,
We left Budapest early in the morning to head to Krakow. We stopped for lunch in a little town in Slovakia named Banska Bystrica. During the black plague, a miracle happened and most of the towns residents were saved because they prayed in the square next to the church frequently.
It was nice to be able to eat in a "small" town. The place we ate at did not have menus in English, so we ordered by looking at pictures and randomly pointing. I had potatoes and a cheese platter. It was so cheap - only €6!
Then, we got back on the bus and headed for Poland. After getting a bit lost at the border, we finally arrived in Krakow at about 7:00 PM.
After checking into our hotel, we went to the old Jewish district of Krakow for an included dinner. We had a soup, chicken entree, and a dessert called Passover cake. The chicken was amazing and the Passover cake was good once you got past the weird texture.
After dinner, I went back to the hotel and collapsed!
Michael
We left Budapest early in the morning to head to Krakow. We stopped for lunch in a little town in Slovakia named Banska Bystrica. During the black plague, a miracle happened and most of the towns residents were saved because they prayed in the square next to the church frequently.
It was nice to be able to eat in a "small" town. The place we ate at did not have menus in English, so we ordered by looking at pictures and randomly pointing. I had potatoes and a cheese platter. It was so cheap - only €6!
Then, we got back on the bus and headed for Poland. After getting a bit lost at the border, we finally arrived in Krakow at about 7:00 PM.
After checking into our hotel, we went to the old Jewish district of Krakow for an included dinner. We had a soup, chicken entree, and a dessert called Passover cake. The chicken was amazing and the Passover cake was good once you got past the weird texture.
After dinner, I went back to the hotel and collapsed!
Michael
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Budapest: Day 2
Hi All,
I was able to get a pretty healthy sleep the morning of my second day in Budapest. I woke up at 8:00 AM for a tour of the Parliament which I have heard is the one thing you must do in Budapest.
We took the tram from the hotel to the Parliament building and went through their security. After about 100 steps, we finally arrived in the main hall of the Parliament. The building was built out of all Hungarian goods (except for four columns which were a gift from Sweden) and was 100% built by Hungarians. It was a massive building with gorgeous stained glass windows. We were also able to see the crown jewels and the changing of the guards who guard the crown jewels.
Then, we saw one of the discussion chambers. The chamber was similar to one that I saw in the Italian parliament. After that, we left and our tour guide brought us to one of the famous squares in Budapest in front of the Saint Stephen's Church.
We went and grabbed breakfast at one of the restaurants near the square. Then most of us decided to go to the Museum of Terror, a museum about the Hungarian equivalent of the Stasi secret police during the Communist regime in Hungary and their methods of interrogation.
It was by far the best museum I have ever been to. Each of the rooms was so well done. At one point the room is a maze with information on the walls. You feel lost which parallels what the inmates probably felt. My favorite part was the elevator down to the gallows. You could not get down by stairs, only a very slow elevator with a television in the back of it. The television showed an interview with the custodian that had to clean the gallows. He described the different types of cells - normal, ones you couldn't sit down in, ones you couldn't stand up in, interrogation ones, etc. Then, he talked about the executions. It was very powerful. Then, you got off the elevator and saw everything he was talking about. Pretty scary.
After the museum, we met up with a few other people and went to grab a bite to eat for lunch. Then, I headed back to the hotel to rest for a few hours.
That night, we went to a place called Margaret Island for dinner. We ate at an outdoor place which had the soccer games on for the Euro 2012. Before I knew it, it was midnight so I headed back to my hotel.
I really enjoyed Budapest. It had a certain charm to it. It reminded me a bit of Rome. A very cheap Rome.
Michael
I was able to get a pretty healthy sleep the morning of my second day in Budapest. I woke up at 8:00 AM for a tour of the Parliament which I have heard is the one thing you must do in Budapest.
We took the tram from the hotel to the Parliament building and went through their security. After about 100 steps, we finally arrived in the main hall of the Parliament. The building was built out of all Hungarian goods (except for four columns which were a gift from Sweden) and was 100% built by Hungarians. It was a massive building with gorgeous stained glass windows. We were also able to see the crown jewels and the changing of the guards who guard the crown jewels.
Then, we saw one of the discussion chambers. The chamber was similar to one that I saw in the Italian parliament. After that, we left and our tour guide brought us to one of the famous squares in Budapest in front of the Saint Stephen's Church.
We went and grabbed breakfast at one of the restaurants near the square. Then most of us decided to go to the Museum of Terror, a museum about the Hungarian equivalent of the Stasi secret police during the Communist regime in Hungary and their methods of interrogation.
It was by far the best museum I have ever been to. Each of the rooms was so well done. At one point the room is a maze with information on the walls. You feel lost which parallels what the inmates probably felt. My favorite part was the elevator down to the gallows. You could not get down by stairs, only a very slow elevator with a television in the back of it. The television showed an interview with the custodian that had to clean the gallows. He described the different types of cells - normal, ones you couldn't sit down in, ones you couldn't stand up in, interrogation ones, etc. Then, he talked about the executions. It was very powerful. Then, you got off the elevator and saw everything he was talking about. Pretty scary.
After the museum, we met up with a few other people and went to grab a bite to eat for lunch. Then, I headed back to the hotel to rest for a few hours.
That night, we went to a place called Margaret Island for dinner. We ate at an outdoor place which had the soccer games on for the Euro 2012. Before I knew it, it was midnight so I headed back to my hotel.
I really enjoyed Budapest. It had a certain charm to it. It reminded me a bit of Rome. A very cheap Rome.
Michael
Friday, June 15, 2012
Budapest: Day 1
Hi All,
Budapest was amazing. We are currently driving through the somewhat sketchy countryside of Slovakia. It's really beautiful, though.
When we got into Budapest and checked into our hotel, I immediately sprinted to the laundry service wash to drop my clothes off. They washed them for me for 2700 forint (about €9). Then, I walked over to the famous bazaar which had everything you could want from a full food market to souvenir stands. It was huge!
After the market, I picked up my laundry and rested for an hour. Then, we boarded the coach for a three hour bus tour of Budapest. We saw all the sites from the famous statue to the fisherman's towers to the bath house. It was a pretty extensive tour.
After our tour, we boarded a boat for a nighttime dinner cruise on the Danube River. The food was phenomenal. My favorite was the traditional Hungarian goulash. They added a bit of paprika mixed with red pepper to give it an extra bite. The sites were beautiful at night. They were all lit up and it really was a sight to be seen.
After our river cruise, the bus dropped us off at a really weird bar. It had rabbit statues hung from the ceiling, weird pictures all over, and even an owl-woman-horse. I called it quits pretty early as I was exhausted.
Michael
Budapest was amazing. We are currently driving through the somewhat sketchy countryside of Slovakia. It's really beautiful, though.
When we got into Budapest and checked into our hotel, I immediately sprinted to the laundry service wash to drop my clothes off. They washed them for me for 2700 forint (about €9). Then, I walked over to the famous bazaar which had everything you could want from a full food market to souvenir stands. It was huge!
After the market, I picked up my laundry and rested for an hour. Then, we boarded the coach for a three hour bus tour of Budapest. We saw all the sites from the famous statue to the fisherman's towers to the bath house. It was a pretty extensive tour.
After our tour, we boarded a boat for a nighttime dinner cruise on the Danube River. The food was phenomenal. My favorite was the traditional Hungarian goulash. They added a bit of paprika mixed with red pepper to give it an extra bite. The sites were beautiful at night. They were all lit up and it really was a sight to be seen.
After our river cruise, the bus dropped us off at a really weird bar. It had rabbit statues hung from the ceiling, weird pictures all over, and even an owl-woman-horse. I called it quits pretty early as I was exhausted.
Michael
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Vienna: Day 2
Hello from Hungary!
We are about an hour or so away from Budapest, so I want to write about Vienna: Day 2 before we arrive.
Yesterday, we had a free day in Vienna. Since our hotel was so far away from the city center, our Contiki bus took us into the city at 8:30 AM. We arrived around 9:15 AM and walked into the middle of the "ring" area. We saw an amazing and beautiful palace and the place that the Spanish Horses perform. I have never heard of them, but they are apparently world famous.
We continued to walk and eventually we arrived in the main shopping area of the city. Our tour group had an entirely optional tour of Svowrski (I know I spelt that one wrong!) and we were able to look around. Since it is an Austrian company, this was their headquarters.
Then, the group split up. I met up with a few people and we went to have a coffee on top of a rooftop bar with amazing views of the whole city. The coffee was only €4 which is apparently cheap for Vienna. Austria is up there in terms of wealth with Great Britain and Germany, so the whole city is ridiculously expensive. The hotel wanted over €120 to do a load of laundry for me!
Back on topic now, after coffee I split up from the group and went to the Stephensdom, the main church of Vienna. It is a massive building and is absolutely beautiful inside. It was about the only place in Vienna that was completely overrun with tourists. I saw a flyer inside for a concert that the State College Area High School Choir will be performing in Vienna on June 18! Talk about a small world! For those of you who don't know, that is the high school next to Penn State!
Then, I walked back down to where the bus dropped us off so I could walk around part of the "ring" and take pictures. I saw a lot of beautiful buildings and parks. After that, I walked back to the main shopping area to buy my souvenirs. Then, I walked to the Hotel Sacher to have a cake that they invented. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate icing called a Sacher Torte. It was phenomenal. After my cake, I headed back to catch the bus to the hotel.
When I got back to the hotel, a few of us decided to use the pool, sauna, and steam room to relax a bit. Some of the people were surprised that the sauna and steam room were coed and that it was mandatory that you be naked. A few people cheated and wore towels. It was very relaxing, though.
After about an hour, I got changed and caught the bus back into town for our dinner and classical music concert at the palace we stopped at the night before, the Schönbrunn Palace. The dinner was pretty good and the concert was all right. I do not consider myself a classical music fan, but figured I would go for the experience. I saw about 95% of the performance, but had to take breaks every few songs because it was so hot in the concert hall. I lasted a bit longer than about half of the group, so I can't complain.
After the concert, I headed back to the hotel and went to bed.
Today, we have a bus tour of Budapest followed by a dinner cruise on the Danube River. It should be a lot of fun.
Michael
We are about an hour or so away from Budapest, so I want to write about Vienna: Day 2 before we arrive.
Yesterday, we had a free day in Vienna. Since our hotel was so far away from the city center, our Contiki bus took us into the city at 8:30 AM. We arrived around 9:15 AM and walked into the middle of the "ring" area. We saw an amazing and beautiful palace and the place that the Spanish Horses perform. I have never heard of them, but they are apparently world famous.
We continued to walk and eventually we arrived in the main shopping area of the city. Our tour group had an entirely optional tour of Svowrski (I know I spelt that one wrong!) and we were able to look around. Since it is an Austrian company, this was their headquarters.
Then, the group split up. I met up with a few people and we went to have a coffee on top of a rooftop bar with amazing views of the whole city. The coffee was only €4 which is apparently cheap for Vienna. Austria is up there in terms of wealth with Great Britain and Germany, so the whole city is ridiculously expensive. The hotel wanted over €120 to do a load of laundry for me!
Back on topic now, after coffee I split up from the group and went to the Stephensdom, the main church of Vienna. It is a massive building and is absolutely beautiful inside. It was about the only place in Vienna that was completely overrun with tourists. I saw a flyer inside for a concert that the State College Area High School Choir will be performing in Vienna on June 18! Talk about a small world! For those of you who don't know, that is the high school next to Penn State!
Then, I walked back down to where the bus dropped us off so I could walk around part of the "ring" and take pictures. I saw a lot of beautiful buildings and parks. After that, I walked back to the main shopping area to buy my souvenirs. Then, I walked to the Hotel Sacher to have a cake that they invented. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate icing called a Sacher Torte. It was phenomenal. After my cake, I headed back to catch the bus to the hotel.
When I got back to the hotel, a few of us decided to use the pool, sauna, and steam room to relax a bit. Some of the people were surprised that the sauna and steam room were coed and that it was mandatory that you be naked. A few people cheated and wore towels. It was very relaxing, though.
After about an hour, I got changed and caught the bus back into town for our dinner and classical music concert at the palace we stopped at the night before, the Schönbrunn Palace. The dinner was pretty good and the concert was all right. I do not consider myself a classical music fan, but figured I would go for the experience. I saw about 95% of the performance, but had to take breaks every few songs because it was so hot in the concert hall. I lasted a bit longer than about half of the group, so I can't complain.
After the concert, I headed back to the hotel and went to bed.
Today, we have a bus tour of Budapest followed by a dinner cruise on the Danube River. It should be a lot of fun.
Michael
Vienna: Day 1
Hi All,
We are on our way out of Austria to go to Budapest, Hungary. Our time in Austria was short, but packed with activities.
After arriving in Vienna we immediately took a coach tour of the city. All of the sites in Vienna are basically on the perimeter of something called "the ring" which is a four kilometer long road and sidewalk in the shape of a crude circle. We saw a few parks, the opera house, the Hapsburg Palace and a few other things.
We learned that Vienna was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire during its peak and that most people consider the Holy Roman Empire second in terms of power to the Roman Empire during each of their primes. The Hapsburg family brought the empire to prominence and had the first female ruler in European history. The reason they even needed a female ruler was because the Hapsburg's believed in keeping the bloodline very tight and only marrying relatives. This led to a lot of birth defects and one of the daughters was the only person mentally capable of ruling the empire. She was one of the best rulers and introduced things like a proper tax system and an education system for all.
Another interesting tidbit of information about Austria, in general, is that it declared itself eternally neutral after causing the first world war. This means that it cannot tear down statues of questionable figures. In Vienna, there is a statue dedicated to the man who created the forty hour workweek. He also happens to be the man that created the philosophy that Hitler followed – the world would be better without the Jews. I find it absolutely absurd that they will not tear down the statue. Neutrality is fine, but it sounds like the Austrians refuse to use their common sense when it comes to a simple issue like that.
Vienna is also where Hitler lived for a period of his life before rising to power. We saw the area of apartment buildings he lived in, ironically, next to a bunch of Jewish people. We also saw where he sold some of his artwork on the street. Finally, we saw the university that denied him acceptance to study art. We passed by the very stairs that he sat on and weeped after finding out that he was denied. As my tour guide said, it really makes you wonder - what if? What if he had been accepted? Would everything have been prevented? You really can't think like that, though. It's not healthy.
After our city tour, we stopped and saw the facade of the Schönbrunn Palace. Then, we headed over to a historic Schnapps Museum for a tour. The store attached to the museum itself has been used for a few movies as it still looks like it did over 100 years ago! They even have an American cash register from 1915 that has never been repaired and is still functional. The owner of the museum/factory gave us a tour. He was at least 80 years old, but was hilarious. We got to try a few free samples when the tour was over. My favorite one was cherry flavored.
After the Schnapps tour, we headed to our hotel and checked in. It was a business hotel about 30-40 minutes outside of the city center. The rooms were much more spacious than anything else I've stayed in in Europe. We had dinner at the hotel since there was nothing else around it. I had my second bowl of goulash for the day and one of the traditional Austrian desserts, Apple Strudel. It was amazing.
After dinner, I headed to bed.
Well, we just crossed into Hungary and are about to stop, so I'll write about my second day in Vienna after lunch.
Michael
We are on our way out of Austria to go to Budapest, Hungary. Our time in Austria was short, but packed with activities.
After arriving in Vienna we immediately took a coach tour of the city. All of the sites in Vienna are basically on the perimeter of something called "the ring" which is a four kilometer long road and sidewalk in the shape of a crude circle. We saw a few parks, the opera house, the Hapsburg Palace and a few other things.
We learned that Vienna was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire during its peak and that most people consider the Holy Roman Empire second in terms of power to the Roman Empire during each of their primes. The Hapsburg family brought the empire to prominence and had the first female ruler in European history. The reason they even needed a female ruler was because the Hapsburg's believed in keeping the bloodline very tight and only marrying relatives. This led to a lot of birth defects and one of the daughters was the only person mentally capable of ruling the empire. She was one of the best rulers and introduced things like a proper tax system and an education system for all.
Another interesting tidbit of information about Austria, in general, is that it declared itself eternally neutral after causing the first world war. This means that it cannot tear down statues of questionable figures. In Vienna, there is a statue dedicated to the man who created the forty hour workweek. He also happens to be the man that created the philosophy that Hitler followed – the world would be better without the Jews. I find it absolutely absurd that they will not tear down the statue. Neutrality is fine, but it sounds like the Austrians refuse to use their common sense when it comes to a simple issue like that.
Vienna is also where Hitler lived for a period of his life before rising to power. We saw the area of apartment buildings he lived in, ironically, next to a bunch of Jewish people. We also saw where he sold some of his artwork on the street. Finally, we saw the university that denied him acceptance to study art. We passed by the very stairs that he sat on and weeped after finding out that he was denied. As my tour guide said, it really makes you wonder - what if? What if he had been accepted? Would everything have been prevented? You really can't think like that, though. It's not healthy.
After our city tour, we stopped and saw the facade of the Schönbrunn Palace. Then, we headed over to a historic Schnapps Museum for a tour. The store attached to the museum itself has been used for a few movies as it still looks like it did over 100 years ago! They even have an American cash register from 1915 that has never been repaired and is still functional. The owner of the museum/factory gave us a tour. He was at least 80 years old, but was hilarious. We got to try a few free samples when the tour was over. My favorite one was cherry flavored.
After the Schnapps tour, we headed to our hotel and checked in. It was a business hotel about 30-40 minutes outside of the city center. The rooms were much more spacious than anything else I've stayed in in Europe. We had dinner at the hotel since there was nothing else around it. I had my second bowl of goulash for the day and one of the traditional Austrian desserts, Apple Strudel. It was amazing.
After dinner, I headed to bed.
Well, we just crossed into Hungary and are about to stop, so I'll write about my second day in Vienna after lunch.
Michael
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Driving to Austria
Hi All!
We just crossed into Austria and are about to arrive in Vienna.
Last night, we met up for an optional Czech dinner with traditional music from the Bohemian region. The food was pretty good and the entertainment was interesting. It was a great experience.
After dinner, a group of us wandered around Prague in an attempt to experience the full culture of Prague. We called it a night relatively early as we had to wake up at 6:00 AM tomorrow to leave for Vienna!
Today, we stopped in a place called Kutnà Hora with a church with decorations and even the alter made out of bones. It was just a bit creepy, but reminded me of the Capuchin Crypt in Rome.
Then, we drove another two hours and stopped at the weirdest rest stop I've ever stopped at. It had a restaurant themed after King Arthur's Round Table and a whole kids theme park. It was very random.
Michael
We just crossed into Austria and are about to arrive in Vienna.
Last night, we met up for an optional Czech dinner with traditional music from the Bohemian region. The food was pretty good and the entertainment was interesting. It was a great experience.
After dinner, a group of us wandered around Prague in an attempt to experience the full culture of Prague. We called it a night relatively early as we had to wake up at 6:00 AM tomorrow to leave for Vienna!
Today, we stopped in a place called Kutnà Hora with a church with decorations and even the alter made out of bones. It was just a bit creepy, but reminded me of the Capuchin Crypt in Rome.
Then, we drove another two hours and stopped at the weirdest rest stop I've ever stopped at. It had a restaurant themed after King Arthur's Round Table and a whole kids theme park. It was very random.
Michael
Sunday, June 10, 2012
A World Divided. A World United.
Guten Tag!
I'm now in Berlin, my favorite European city outside of Italy. The history here amazes me every time I look around.
I got into Berlin two nights ago and stayed at an ultra-modern, brand new hostel. It was very inviting and amazingly comfortable.
Yesterday morning, I met up with a few people from my Contiki tour group that arrived in Berlin the night before. We bought tickets to go up the TV Tower, but I was turned away because their insurance company won't insure them if they let anyone with a disability up to the top. It's the same problem I had at the Eiffel Tower only they were much more polite and apologetic about it.
I waited for the others to get back down & we headed out to lunch. I had a currywerst which is a sausage with curry sauce on top. It is a Berlin specialty and was phenomenal. Then, we headed to our hotel which is ahold 20 minute subway ride then a 20 minute walk to our hotel. Pretty far away. It's a block away from the Stasi headquarters during the Cold War.
After checking into our rooms, we had our orientation meeting. There are 50 people on this tour! That's a huge group. Then, we went out to a group dinner which was included in our four. The bus took us to West Berlin, the allied side, where we ate in a German restaurant in a mall. The food was pretty good, though. I had German meatballs.
After dinner, we took the subway to the Brandenburg Gate and tried to find a place to watch the Germany v. Ireland Eurocup game. No luck, though. We eventually gave up and walked back to Alexanderplatz (by the TV Tower) to find a bar to hang out in. Then, we caught a cab back to the hotel.
This morning was a relatively early morning - we woke up at 8:00 AM and had to leave our hotel by 8:45 AM to take the subway into the city for our walking tour. I grabbed a large Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee before our tour began.
The tour was essentially the same tour I took last time I was in Berlin. We walked from the TV Tower to an area with a lot of museums called Museum Island. Then, we walked down to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (a pretty controversial building) before heading to the university Albert Einstein taught in. We saw the place that there was a large book burning when the Nazis came to power and the monument that is there today to commemorate it. It was a room of empty bookshelves set beneath the ground with a window from above. Then, we saw the street that used to be the main thoroughfare of Berlin before heading into the subway to see a subway station that was designed by Hitler. Then we saw the Brandenburg Gate, one of Berlin's most famous sites, and walked to the memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It was a bit abstract - a bunch of concrete blocks of different sizes on a piece of uneven land. It is supposed to symbolize the insecurity the victims felt during the Holocaust when are walking through it. Then, we walked to the area that Hitler's bunker was and to the Air Force building of the German military during World War II. The building was turned into an office building for the Soviet government and was the site of a bloody riot against the Soviet regime. Then, we walked along the old Berlin Wall to Checkpoint Charlie where our tour finally ended. It was a long, but informational tour!
After the tour, a few of us grabbed lunch at an Italian restaurant before heading to a museum about German history. I only did the part of the museum from 1918 to today because I was exhausted! Then, a smaller group went to grab a cup of coffee and buy souvenirs before grabbing a cab back to the hotel.
Tonight, we have a Stasi themed bar tour which should be pretty fun, then tomorrow we are off to Prague.
Berlin is as amazing as I remember it. Just the thought that 25 years ago I would not be able to do what I just did today is astounding. We walked across the Iron Curtain. That's a pretty amazing experience.
Michael
I'm now in Berlin, my favorite European city outside of Italy. The history here amazes me every time I look around.
I got into Berlin two nights ago and stayed at an ultra-modern, brand new hostel. It was very inviting and amazingly comfortable.
Yesterday morning, I met up with a few people from my Contiki tour group that arrived in Berlin the night before. We bought tickets to go up the TV Tower, but I was turned away because their insurance company won't insure them if they let anyone with a disability up to the top. It's the same problem I had at the Eiffel Tower only they were much more polite and apologetic about it.
I waited for the others to get back down & we headed out to lunch. I had a currywerst which is a sausage with curry sauce on top. It is a Berlin specialty and was phenomenal. Then, we headed to our hotel which is ahold 20 minute subway ride then a 20 minute walk to our hotel. Pretty far away. It's a block away from the Stasi headquarters during the Cold War.
After checking into our rooms, we had our orientation meeting. There are 50 people on this tour! That's a huge group. Then, we went out to a group dinner which was included in our four. The bus took us to West Berlin, the allied side, where we ate in a German restaurant in a mall. The food was pretty good, though. I had German meatballs.
After dinner, we took the subway to the Brandenburg Gate and tried to find a place to watch the Germany v. Ireland Eurocup game. No luck, though. We eventually gave up and walked back to Alexanderplatz (by the TV Tower) to find a bar to hang out in. Then, we caught a cab back to the hotel.
This morning was a relatively early morning - we woke up at 8:00 AM and had to leave our hotel by 8:45 AM to take the subway into the city for our walking tour. I grabbed a large Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee before our tour began.
The tour was essentially the same tour I took last time I was in Berlin. We walked from the TV Tower to an area with a lot of museums called Museum Island. Then, we walked down to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (a pretty controversial building) before heading to the university Albert Einstein taught in. We saw the place that there was a large book burning when the Nazis came to power and the monument that is there today to commemorate it. It was a room of empty bookshelves set beneath the ground with a window from above. Then, we saw the street that used to be the main thoroughfare of Berlin before heading into the subway to see a subway station that was designed by Hitler. Then we saw the Brandenburg Gate, one of Berlin's most famous sites, and walked to the memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It was a bit abstract - a bunch of concrete blocks of different sizes on a piece of uneven land. It is supposed to symbolize the insecurity the victims felt during the Holocaust when are walking through it. Then, we walked to the area that Hitler's bunker was and to the Air Force building of the German military during World War II. The building was turned into an office building for the Soviet government and was the site of a bloody riot against the Soviet regime. Then, we walked along the old Berlin Wall to Checkpoint Charlie where our tour finally ended. It was a long, but informational tour!
After the tour, a few of us grabbed lunch at an Italian restaurant before heading to a museum about German history. I only did the part of the museum from 1918 to today because I was exhausted! Then, a smaller group went to grab a cup of coffee and buy souvenirs before grabbing a cab back to the hotel.
Tonight, we have a Stasi themed bar tour which should be pretty fun, then tomorrow we are off to Prague.
Berlin is as amazing as I remember it. Just the thought that 25 years ago I would not be able to do what I just did today is astounding. We walked across the Iron Curtain. That's a pretty amazing experience.
Michael
Friday, June 8, 2012
The Last Supper & Tour of Milan
Ciao Tutti,
I woke up this morning at 8:00 AM for a tour of Milan that started at 9:30 AM. When I woke up, I could not find my camera battery and charger that I plugged into the wall last night. I searched high and low with no luck. The only thing I can think of is that when the person in the bunk above me woke up and realized he was late for his flight, which he was, that he accidentally packed my camera battery. Honestly, if that is the only setback of my six week trip to Europe, I can deal with it. My mom happens to need a new camera, so I'll buy one here and give it to her when I get back.
When I got to my tour, we got on a bus in front of the Duomo for five minutes just to get off. Then, we walked up to the Duomo and our tour guide said that the building took over 500 years to build and is a mix of different periods of art. It was initially funded by a rich family, but after two generations, the people of Milan funded it by themselves. They also built it in their spare time. A pretty impressive accomplishment. The whole square around the Duomo was built after Italy was united under one government, so it has a newer type of style surrounding it as well.
The inside of the Duomo was just as I remembered it from a few days ago. I wasn't able to hear everything the tour guide said because we had little walkie talkies that we were supposed to hold up to our ear. Not the best thing fir someone uses crutches and needs both hands to walk.
Then, we walked through the Galleria and learned that it was built to celebrate the unification of Italy. Milan was the capital of Italy until Rome was finally conquered and annexed 10 years later. The middle of the Galleria had artwork representing the four areas of the world at the time - Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Asia. It was the Italian way of inviting the world to join them in their new country.
Then, we walked to the opera house and saw their museum. I found out that the Milan opera was actually considered to be the best in Italy, so I guess I watched the opera in even a more historical place than I thought. We learned about the famous opera singers and writers including Giuseppe Verdi, the person who wrote the opera I saw two nights ago, Luisa Miller. He wrote operas with the intention of having them performed in the Teatro alla Scala.
Then, we got back on the bus and took a forty minute bus tour of Milan. Milan is hosting the 2015 World Expo, so they are in the middle of building lots of skyscrapers and two new metro lines.
We also saw the famous castle in Milan and the monumental cemetery where there are over 20,000 statues and monuments, hence the name. Apparently it is a site to see! I'll have to see it next time I'm here.
Our tour guide said that 60% of Milan was destroyed during the wars which explains how it is so much more modern than other Italian cities.
Then, we went to the whole reason I signed up for the tour, The Last Supper. It was worth it. The building it was mostly destroyed in the war, but the painting luckily survived. It is actually painted directly onto the wall, hence why it can't me moved to a bigger museum. Even in the faded state it is in, the painting is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. I honestly can't put my finger on on exactly why, but I was absolutely absorbed by it. It was huge and life size. I felt like I was there!
Now, I can say that in this trip I have seen six of the most impressive pieces of renaissance art - the Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chapel, the Pietà, the Frescos of Rafael, the statue of David, and The Last Supper.
After the tour, I grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to my hostel. Now, I'm off to grab a tiramisu AND one final gelato as well as a new camera before I head off to the airport.
Michele
I woke up this morning at 8:00 AM for a tour of Milan that started at 9:30 AM. When I woke up, I could not find my camera battery and charger that I plugged into the wall last night. I searched high and low with no luck. The only thing I can think of is that when the person in the bunk above me woke up and realized he was late for his flight, which he was, that he accidentally packed my camera battery. Honestly, if that is the only setback of my six week trip to Europe, I can deal with it. My mom happens to need a new camera, so I'll buy one here and give it to her when I get back.
When I got to my tour, we got on a bus in front of the Duomo for five minutes just to get off. Then, we walked up to the Duomo and our tour guide said that the building took over 500 years to build and is a mix of different periods of art. It was initially funded by a rich family, but after two generations, the people of Milan funded it by themselves. They also built it in their spare time. A pretty impressive accomplishment. The whole square around the Duomo was built after Italy was united under one government, so it has a newer type of style surrounding it as well.
The inside of the Duomo was just as I remembered it from a few days ago. I wasn't able to hear everything the tour guide said because we had little walkie talkies that we were supposed to hold up to our ear. Not the best thing fir someone uses crutches and needs both hands to walk.
Then, we walked through the Galleria and learned that it was built to celebrate the unification of Italy. Milan was the capital of Italy until Rome was finally conquered and annexed 10 years later. The middle of the Galleria had artwork representing the four areas of the world at the time - Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Asia. It was the Italian way of inviting the world to join them in their new country.
Then, we walked to the opera house and saw their museum. I found out that the Milan opera was actually considered to be the best in Italy, so I guess I watched the opera in even a more historical place than I thought. We learned about the famous opera singers and writers including Giuseppe Verdi, the person who wrote the opera I saw two nights ago, Luisa Miller. He wrote operas with the intention of having them performed in the Teatro alla Scala.
Then, we got back on the bus and took a forty minute bus tour of Milan. Milan is hosting the 2015 World Expo, so they are in the middle of building lots of skyscrapers and two new metro lines.
We also saw the famous castle in Milan and the monumental cemetery where there are over 20,000 statues and monuments, hence the name. Apparently it is a site to see! I'll have to see it next time I'm here.
Our tour guide said that 60% of Milan was destroyed during the wars which explains how it is so much more modern than other Italian cities.
Then, we went to the whole reason I signed up for the tour, The Last Supper. It was worth it. The building it was mostly destroyed in the war, but the painting luckily survived. It is actually painted directly onto the wall, hence why it can't me moved to a bigger museum. Even in the faded state it is in, the painting is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. I honestly can't put my finger on on exactly why, but I was absolutely absorbed by it. It was huge and life size. I felt like I was there!
Now, I can say that in this trip I have seen six of the most impressive pieces of renaissance art - the Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chapel, the Pietà, the Frescos of Rafael, the statue of David, and The Last Supper.
After the tour, I grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to my hostel. Now, I'm off to grab a tiramisu AND one final gelato as well as a new camera before I head off to the airport.
Michele
Thursday, June 7, 2012
A Cloudy Lake Como
Ciao Tutti,
I'm on my way back from Lake Como. Unfortunately, the weather hindered my enjoyment of the beautiful city and lake. I definitely need to come back, though.
It was very cloudy and foggy, so you could not see the tops of the mountain and the other towns on the lake were very hard to make out. There are supposedly a lot of beautiful towns that you can get to by boat from Como, but I decided not to try. I've heard that Bellagio is the most beautiful as it has amazing panoramic views of the lake. From the postcards I saw, it will definitely be worth a trip back here next time I am in Milan.
When I arrived in Como, I wanted to take a boat tour of the lake, but since the weather was iffy I just went to one of their piazzas and took in the scenery. Then, I meandered around the town for about an hour before trying to get into their beautiful duomo, but it was closed until 3:00 PM. I found a pretty cheap place for lunch in the small piazza in front of the duomo, so I ate while I waited. I had a pretty good dish of pasta in a pesto sauce and a water for only €7.50. I expected everything to be pricey because I was in Lake Como.
I finished my lunch with about 15 minutes to kill, so I walked around the perimeter of the duomo. It is a very intricate building. When I finally got inside, the building did not disappoint. It had the same structure as St. Peters, but smaller. The artwork was phenomenal and it had stained glass windows that looked like they were paintings!
After the duomo, I bought a postcard to send home and a pin for my collection. Just as I started to write the postcard it started to rain, so I packed up and headed for the train.
I think I'm going to take it easy tonight and not go anywhere. My hostel hosts a pretty impressive apertivo, so I think I will eat there. I also really need to watch Eurotrip. No trip to Europe is complete without watching that.
Tomorrow, I have my grand tour of Milan, then I am off to Berlin, my favorite city in Europe outside of Italy.
Michele
I'm on my way back from Lake Como. Unfortunately, the weather hindered my enjoyment of the beautiful city and lake. I definitely need to come back, though.
It was very cloudy and foggy, so you could not see the tops of the mountain and the other towns on the lake were very hard to make out. There are supposedly a lot of beautiful towns that you can get to by boat from Como, but I decided not to try. I've heard that Bellagio is the most beautiful as it has amazing panoramic views of the lake. From the postcards I saw, it will definitely be worth a trip back here next time I am in Milan.
When I arrived in Como, I wanted to take a boat tour of the lake, but since the weather was iffy I just went to one of their piazzas and took in the scenery. Then, I meandered around the town for about an hour before trying to get into their beautiful duomo, but it was closed until 3:00 PM. I found a pretty cheap place for lunch in the small piazza in front of the duomo, so I ate while I waited. I had a pretty good dish of pasta in a pesto sauce and a water for only €7.50. I expected everything to be pricey because I was in Lake Como.
I finished my lunch with about 15 minutes to kill, so I walked around the perimeter of the duomo. It is a very intricate building. When I finally got inside, the building did not disappoint. It had the same structure as St. Peters, but smaller. The artwork was phenomenal and it had stained glass windows that looked like they were paintings!
After the duomo, I bought a postcard to send home and a pin for my collection. Just as I started to write the postcard it started to rain, so I packed up and headed for the train.
I think I'm going to take it easy tonight and not go anywhere. My hostel hosts a pretty impressive apertivo, so I think I will eat there. I also really need to watch Eurotrip. No trip to Europe is complete without watching that.
Tomorrow, I have my grand tour of Milan, then I am off to Berlin, my favorite city in Europe outside of Italy.
Michele
A Night at the Opera
Ciao Tutti,
Before the opera yesterday, I went to grab a bite to eat at a restaurant near the theater that was highly recommended on TripAdvisor. The food was great, but very expensive. For a dish of gnocchi and a water, I paid €23. I just did not want to cut it close and make sure I had plenty of time to get to the theater.
The theater itself was absolutely breathtaking. It was like an opera house from the movies. There was a large section for floor seating and about seven or eight balconies, one on top of the other, around the perimeter of the floor seats. Each seat had a mini-subtitle screen in front of it with the option of following along in Italian or English. The seats were small and there was less legroom than we have on airplanes!
The opera itself was called Luisa Miller and it had many parallels to Romeo and Juliet. First, let me say that I somehow lucked out and got tickets for opening night.
Now, I'll try to summarize the story. Luisa is in love with a man named Carlo and intends to marry him. A man named Wurf, however, asked Luisa's father for his permission to marry her a year ago. Luisa's father said no because marriage should not be arranged, but by choice. Wurf is angered by the news and tells Luisa's father that Carlo is not who he says he is. Carlo is actually named Federico, the son of the Count, the despised ruler of the land. When Luisa finds out and confronts Federico (Carlo) about this, he says that his love for her is true and he disguised his identity just so he could be with her.
When Federico returns home, his father, the Count, tells him that he has arranged a marriage between Federico and the Duchess of Germany. Federico tries to tell the Duchess that he is in love with another women, but she refuses to listen. The Count then goes to Luisa's house to try to break up the marriage, but Luisa's father threatens to kill him and Luisa and her father are arrested. Federico threatens to tell everyone how his father really gained control of the land which compels the Count to grant Luisa, only Luisa, her freedom.
Luisa's father is then put on death row for trying to kill the Count. Wurm comes to Luisa's house and tells her that the only way to save her father's life is to write a letter saying she never loved Frederico, but she had discovered his wealth much earlier and was a status seeker. She also had to say she loved Wurm. After much internal debate, she decided to write it and save her father's life.
Wurm took the letter and sent it to Federico and brought Luisa to confess her "lies" to the Duchess of Germany, the woman that was supposed to marry Federico. Federico is shocked by the letter and, after some motivation from the Count, decides to marry the Duchess immediately.
Luisa then intend to kill herself and writes a letter to Federico asking him to do the same so they can be happy together in heaven. Luisa's father returns home and discovers the letter and convinced her to stay alive and tear up the letter. They agree to run away at dawn so she does not have to marry Wurm.
Federico then visits and poisons Luisa's drink. He asks her if she really meant what she wrote in the letter, that she was a status seeker, and fearing any retaliation against her father, says the letter was true. He then beckons her to drink (she does not know it is poisoned) and drinks it. Federico tells her it is poisoned and she tells him the truth. He wants to join her in heaven, so he drinks it, too. As she is dying, her father walks in and is distraught by the news. Then, Wurm and the Count come and, Federico, with all the strength left in his body, kills them both. Then, he dies as well.
If that's not a happy story, I don't know what is. The actual talent was phenomenal and the set was pretty cool. The whole stage was on an incline, just like the old Shakespearean plays. The Italians applaud much more than we do in the States. I actually heard a lot of people yelling "Bravi!" and some applause lasted for at least a minute! Also, the singers came out at the end of the first act as a group and took three bows. Then, at the end of the opera, they came out three different times as a group and took three bows. Then, they each came out and took an individual bow. For me, it was a bit excessive.
After the opera, I went to one of the only things still open at midnight, McDonald's. I am now embarrassed to report that I have had something from McDonald's in every country I have traveled to so far his trip. I did, however, find a first, the €1 menu! I had a hamburger and fries for just €2. Not bad at all.
Then, I headed back to my hostel and crashed. Now, I'm on a train on my way to Lake Como. Maybe I'll meet someone famous.
Michele
Before the opera yesterday, I went to grab a bite to eat at a restaurant near the theater that was highly recommended on TripAdvisor. The food was great, but very expensive. For a dish of gnocchi and a water, I paid €23. I just did not want to cut it close and make sure I had plenty of time to get to the theater.
The theater itself was absolutely breathtaking. It was like an opera house from the movies. There was a large section for floor seating and about seven or eight balconies, one on top of the other, around the perimeter of the floor seats. Each seat had a mini-subtitle screen in front of it with the option of following along in Italian or English. The seats were small and there was less legroom than we have on airplanes!
The opera itself was called Luisa Miller and it had many parallels to Romeo and Juliet. First, let me say that I somehow lucked out and got tickets for opening night.
Now, I'll try to summarize the story. Luisa is in love with a man named Carlo and intends to marry him. A man named Wurf, however, asked Luisa's father for his permission to marry her a year ago. Luisa's father said no because marriage should not be arranged, but by choice. Wurf is angered by the news and tells Luisa's father that Carlo is not who he says he is. Carlo is actually named Federico, the son of the Count, the despised ruler of the land. When Luisa finds out and confronts Federico (Carlo) about this, he says that his love for her is true and he disguised his identity just so he could be with her.
When Federico returns home, his father, the Count, tells him that he has arranged a marriage between Federico and the Duchess of Germany. Federico tries to tell the Duchess that he is in love with another women, but she refuses to listen. The Count then goes to Luisa's house to try to break up the marriage, but Luisa's father threatens to kill him and Luisa and her father are arrested. Federico threatens to tell everyone how his father really gained control of the land which compels the Count to grant Luisa, only Luisa, her freedom.
Luisa's father is then put on death row for trying to kill the Count. Wurm comes to Luisa's house and tells her that the only way to save her father's life is to write a letter saying she never loved Frederico, but she had discovered his wealth much earlier and was a status seeker. She also had to say she loved Wurm. After much internal debate, she decided to write it and save her father's life.
Wurm took the letter and sent it to Federico and brought Luisa to confess her "lies" to the Duchess of Germany, the woman that was supposed to marry Federico. Federico is shocked by the letter and, after some motivation from the Count, decides to marry the Duchess immediately.
Luisa then intend to kill herself and writes a letter to Federico asking him to do the same so they can be happy together in heaven. Luisa's father returns home and discovers the letter and convinced her to stay alive and tear up the letter. They agree to run away at dawn so she does not have to marry Wurm.
Federico then visits and poisons Luisa's drink. He asks her if she really meant what she wrote in the letter, that she was a status seeker, and fearing any retaliation against her father, says the letter was true. He then beckons her to drink (she does not know it is poisoned) and drinks it. Federico tells her it is poisoned and she tells him the truth. He wants to join her in heaven, so he drinks it, too. As she is dying, her father walks in and is distraught by the news. Then, Wurm and the Count come and, Federico, with all the strength left in his body, kills them both. Then, he dies as well.
If that's not a happy story, I don't know what is. The actual talent was phenomenal and the set was pretty cool. The whole stage was on an incline, just like the old Shakespearean plays. The Italians applaud much more than we do in the States. I actually heard a lot of people yelling "Bravi!" and some applause lasted for at least a minute! Also, the singers came out at the end of the first act as a group and took three bows. Then, at the end of the opera, they came out three different times as a group and took three bows. Then, they each came out and took an individual bow. For me, it was a bit excessive.
After the opera, I went to one of the only things still open at midnight, McDonald's. I am now embarrassed to report that I have had something from McDonald's in every country I have traveled to so far his trip. I did, however, find a first, the €1 menu! I had a hamburger and fries for just €2. Not bad at all.
Then, I headed back to my hostel and crashed. Now, I'm on a train on my way to Lake Como. Maybe I'll meet someone famous.
Michele
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Rome + New York = Milan
Ciao Tutti,
Last night, I met a few people from around the world - Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, Italy, and one from the US that now lives in Hong Kong. It was a lot of fun to talk with them and learn about different parts of the world.
This morning, I ran into the person I met last night from Italy. We decided to go out and see a few of the sites. It was a lot of fun as he lived in Milan two years ago. He spoke to me in English, I spoke to him in Italian. If was a lot of fun.
We went to the Duomo and walked around. It was only a 10 minute walk from our hostel! The church itself looks majestic from the outside and I'd the third largest church in the world! It owns the square it is situated on, even though it is next to the most famous galleria in the world, the Victorrio Emmanuale II Galleria. The church is all white on the outside and is adorned with thousands of statues. The inside of the church was even bigger than I expected. It was dark inside and the interior colors were very dark as well. It relied only on the stained glass windows as lighting during the day. I also walked downstairs and saw the "treasure" which was a bunch of different types of papal outfits, chalices, and crucifixes. It also had a grave. It was somewhat eerie.
After the Duomo, we tried to go see the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, but the reservations were sold out. Apparently you have to make a reservation at least two weeks in advance as they only let 25 people in at a time to see it for a period of fifteen minutes.
Then, we headed back to the area of the Duomo and parted ways. I went to walk through the famous galleria. It was absolutely breathtaking - it is the model for many galleries throughout the world including ones I've been to in Rome and Naples. The detail in the upper levels was absolutely amazing.
Then, I walked back to the Piazza del Duomo to try and figure out how I could get in to see the Last Supper before I leave Milan on Friday. I searched on my iPad for about an hour before finally finding a tour of Milan that also visits the Last Supper. It made my day. Now, I will be able to see a lot more of Milan than I would have been able to see on my own, but I will also be able to gain a better understanding for the history of each of the places we visit.
After booking my tour, I went to the ticket office for one of the most famous opera hoses in the world, Teatro alla Scala, to see if I could get a ticket for tonight's show. I was able to get a deeply discounted ticket for an opera called Luisa Miller!
Then, I decided to take the elevator to the roof of the Duomo to look around. I've heard it is beautiful and it did not disappoint. It has over 1,000 statues on top and amazing views of the city. Even though I took the elevator, I still had a few flights of stairs to get all the way to the top after walking along the balconies of the Duomo. When did I ever let a few flights of stairs stop me, though. The stairs were worth the effort as the top was amazing. The only thing that stunk was the fact that there was a lot of scaffolding and half of the roof was closed off due to construction. It was still very cool as I was able to see the skyline of Milan, including a few skyscrapers. Milan really is a mix of Rome and New York!
After getting back down to the ground, I headed back to my hostel to get ready for the opera tonight.
I'll let you know how the opera is in my next post!
Michele
Last night, I met a few people from around the world - Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, Italy, and one from the US that now lives in Hong Kong. It was a lot of fun to talk with them and learn about different parts of the world.
This morning, I ran into the person I met last night from Italy. We decided to go out and see a few of the sites. It was a lot of fun as he lived in Milan two years ago. He spoke to me in English, I spoke to him in Italian. If was a lot of fun.
We went to the Duomo and walked around. It was only a 10 minute walk from our hostel! The church itself looks majestic from the outside and I'd the third largest church in the world! It owns the square it is situated on, even though it is next to the most famous galleria in the world, the Victorrio Emmanuale II Galleria. The church is all white on the outside and is adorned with thousands of statues. The inside of the church was even bigger than I expected. It was dark inside and the interior colors were very dark as well. It relied only on the stained glass windows as lighting during the day. I also walked downstairs and saw the "treasure" which was a bunch of different types of papal outfits, chalices, and crucifixes. It also had a grave. It was somewhat eerie.
After the Duomo, we tried to go see the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, but the reservations were sold out. Apparently you have to make a reservation at least two weeks in advance as they only let 25 people in at a time to see it for a period of fifteen minutes.
Then, we headed back to the area of the Duomo and parted ways. I went to walk through the famous galleria. It was absolutely breathtaking - it is the model for many galleries throughout the world including ones I've been to in Rome and Naples. The detail in the upper levels was absolutely amazing.
Then, I walked back to the Piazza del Duomo to try and figure out how I could get in to see the Last Supper before I leave Milan on Friday. I searched on my iPad for about an hour before finally finding a tour of Milan that also visits the Last Supper. It made my day. Now, I will be able to see a lot more of Milan than I would have been able to see on my own, but I will also be able to gain a better understanding for the history of each of the places we visit.
After booking my tour, I went to the ticket office for one of the most famous opera hoses in the world, Teatro alla Scala, to see if I could get a ticket for tonight's show. I was able to get a deeply discounted ticket for an opera called Luisa Miller!
Then, I decided to take the elevator to the roof of the Duomo to look around. I've heard it is beautiful and it did not disappoint. It has over 1,000 statues on top and amazing views of the city. Even though I took the elevator, I still had a few flights of stairs to get all the way to the top after walking along the balconies of the Duomo. When did I ever let a few flights of stairs stop me, though. The stairs were worth the effort as the top was amazing. The only thing that stunk was the fact that there was a lot of scaffolding and half of the roof was closed off due to construction. It was still very cool as I was able to see the skyline of Milan, including a few skyscrapers. Milan really is a mix of Rome and New York!
After getting back down to the ground, I headed back to my hostel to get ready for the opera tonight.
I'll let you know how the opera is in my next post!
Michele
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Milan: I'm Lovin' It
Ciao Tutti,
I can honestly say that I am pleasantly surprised with Milan. After only being here for three hours, I think it is one of my favorite cities. It is an Italian version of New York or London. I could definitely live here. It is essentially everything I liked about Rome in a newer, more modern city.
The trains run on time, there's an extensive subway system, and it seems a bit cleaner than the rest of Italy. I also look a bit more like the people from Milan than the people from a bit further down south. All in all, I think I would fit in here pretty well!
My hostel is amazing, too. It's a 10 minute walk from the Duomo, a 15 minute subway ride from the train station, has apertivo at night, and the staff is amazing!
Tomorrow, I will try and take on Milan. I want to do everything so I can to day trips on Thursday and Friday.
Michele
I can honestly say that I am pleasantly surprised with Milan. After only being here for three hours, I think it is one of my favorite cities. It is an Italian version of New York or London. I could definitely live here. It is essentially everything I liked about Rome in a newer, more modern city.
The trains run on time, there's an extensive subway system, and it seems a bit cleaner than the rest of Italy. I also look a bit more like the people from Milan than the people from a bit further down south. All in all, I think I would fit in here pretty well!
My hostel is amazing, too. It's a 10 minute walk from the Duomo, a 15 minute subway ride from the train station, has apertivo at night, and the staff is amazing!
Tomorrow, I will try and take on Milan. I want to do everything so I can to day trips on Thursday and Friday.
Michele
Food, food, and more food!
Ciao Tutti,
I am currently sitting on a train pulling out of the station in Florence watching the topmost portion of the Duomo fade away as we pick up speed. Last night, I went to dinner at a restaurant that was recommended to me by many of my friends from Rome, Trattoria Zàzà. It did not disappoint. For €15, I had one of the better glasses of Chianti Classico wine I've had as well as a dish of penne pasta in a sauce composed of four different cheeses. It was way better than Olive Garden's version.
After dinner, I headed back to my hostel and spoke with a few people in my room. We had two Australians, two other Americans, and two Canadians. We spoke about everything and anything. It is one of the things I enjoy most about traveling and staying at hostels. There is a sort of instant connection you share with your dorm mates. It's a cool experience. I feel like I've learned so much about other parts of the world and other cultures just by staying in hostels.
I also learned that a tour company that I was considering taking is pretty good. It is called BusAbout and it essentially runs buses on loops that stop in every major city every two days. It is a lot of time on a bus, but the people I spoke with said they are very pleased with the company. You get to stay in each city for as long as you like and you can just reserve a spot on the bus whenever you are ready. It's pretty cool.
We all crashed pretty early last night as half of our room was checking out this morning. Today, we had to check out of our hostel by 10:00 AM, so I signed up for a 9:45 AM tour of Florence's main food market, the central market of San Lorenzo.
Our tour guide worked for a company that provides tours for backpackers and flashpackers (backpackers who use technology - that's me!). The tour company is called Tuscany on a Budget. Anyway, our tour guide was originally from Montreal, but his parents moved to Florence when he was 9. He said he has tried to leave on numerous occasions, but has never been able to stay away for a extended period of time.
The market was about 5 minutes away from our hostel and reminded me a lot of Arthur Avenue (I wonder why). It has been operating since Renaissance times although it has undergone a few significant modernization projects.
We walked in and were immediately in front of the fish market, which was pretty small. Florence is not known for its fish because it does not have a harbor. It gets all its fish and salt from the Arno River which runs through Pisa which leads me to another interesting point. Florence does not put salt in its bread because when Pisa and Florence were at war, Pisa would cut off access to the Arno River. Thus, Florentines had no salt to put in their bread, so they didn't. Now, they say their bread is so good that it doesn't need salt, but it is really because they did not have access to salt centuries ago.
Our tour guide showed us how to pick out a good fish that is fresh by looking at its eyes, feeling its skin, and looking at the color of it. He said that we should never buy a fish with no head because the butcher is trying to hide something.
Then, we walked to the fruit market, something that Florence is also not known for. One of the vendors gave us a free sample of cherries which were the best cherries I've ever had in my life. I would have bought some if I was staying I'm Florence another day. Then, the vendor gave me a bag of free fruit. I didn't want to pay for it, but my tour guide said he was trying to build up good will so the tour guide would take people by his stand more often. Since he had good products today, he wanted to show off. I could not take the fruit on the train with me since my bag is so full, so I gave it to my tour guide.
Then, we walked down to the meat stands. We saw everything - feet, stomach, intestines, testicles, kidneys, liver, brains, cow head, rooster, rabbit, pigeons, wild rabbit, and a lot more. Our tour guide also pointed out something I want to eat - florentine steak. It is a steak that is served in portions of at least a kilo and grilled on both sides for less than 10 seconds each. It is what Florence is known for. Since I am traveling by myself, I wasn't able to order one because they need to be shared between three or four people.
Our tour guide told us about the official seals on the meat and the agencies that oversee them. He said that if Italy treated everything the way it treated its food that the actual country would be very strict! Each piece of meat has a seal with a tag on it. Before buying it, you can call a phone number which will tell you if the meat is an authentic piece of meat and is exactly what they are advertising. You can find out how many kids a cow had as well as any other information you could want to know. Every restaurant in Florence validates each piece of meat that it buys. Pretty impressive.
Then, we walked down to the bread shop and tried two different types of biscotti. One with lemons, one without. They are so hard that you are supposed to dip them in the "holy wine" before you eat them. The holy wine is the wine you drink in church.
Then, we walked and looked at all the different types of prosciutto. There are so many types. Prosciutto di Parma is the most famous one, but each region has its own type.
After that, we walked to my favorite part, the cheese stand. We talked about all the different types of cheese and the differences between them. We also talked about how different regions grow different types of olives.
Then came the lesson on wine. We learned about the different types of wine throughout the Chianti region. First, we learned about the history of the Chianti region. The region is divided up into seven different mini-regions. The best mini-region is Chianti Classico because it has the best soil. Florence and Siena had a bloody war over this piece of land. (In Italy, they used to fight over everything. Our tour guide said that a war was started because a seven year old farted at the dinner table!) Anyway, the war led to nothing and both sides agreed on an alternate way to split up the region. One morning at the rooster's crow, two horseback riders, one from each city, would take off in the same direction. Wherever they met, the border between Florence and Siena would be drawn. Both sides tried to make the rooster crow early. In Siena, they overfed the white rooster and their plan backfired because it went into a food coma and did not wake up until the afternoon. In Florence, they starved the black rooster and it woke up very early. Lets just say that the riders met 12 km outside of Siena.
Our tour guide showed us the labels on the top part by the cork of each bottle of Chianti Classico. They have a black rooster on them - the rooster of Florence, as well as an individual ID number from which you can find out everything about the wine including who picked the grapes! If you have a bad bottle, you can call a phone number and have it replaced free of charge! The Chianti Classico wine is comprised of 90% of grapes that were grown in the Chianti Classico mini-region.
After the wine, we headed to the best part of the tour, the sampling. We tried sundried tomatoes, dried out pieces of garlic, olives with extra virgin olive oil, bread with extra virgin olive oil, bruschetta, three pieces of cheese topped with fig jam, peach jam, and truffle and honey jam, cheese with ten year old balsamic vinegar, and wine made of 100% grapes from Chianti. It was all amazing. I wish I had room in my bag to take it all home with me!
Our tour guide taught us how to properly taste wine, too. You take two deep sniffs with your nose practically touching the wine, then you drink it and swirl it around in your mouth for four or five seconds. It tasted even better!
After our tour, I headed back to my hostel to grab my bag and went to the train station. I am noticing a much different type of clientele on this train. They are all businessmen. Milan will definatley be a much different city than what I am used to from the rest of Italy. It will be interesting to see if I like it or not! Only time will tell...
Michele
I am currently sitting on a train pulling out of the station in Florence watching the topmost portion of the Duomo fade away as we pick up speed. Last night, I went to dinner at a restaurant that was recommended to me by many of my friends from Rome, Trattoria Zàzà. It did not disappoint. For €15, I had one of the better glasses of Chianti Classico wine I've had as well as a dish of penne pasta in a sauce composed of four different cheeses. It was way better than Olive Garden's version.
After dinner, I headed back to my hostel and spoke with a few people in my room. We had two Australians, two other Americans, and two Canadians. We spoke about everything and anything. It is one of the things I enjoy most about traveling and staying at hostels. There is a sort of instant connection you share with your dorm mates. It's a cool experience. I feel like I've learned so much about other parts of the world and other cultures just by staying in hostels.
I also learned that a tour company that I was considering taking is pretty good. It is called BusAbout and it essentially runs buses on loops that stop in every major city every two days. It is a lot of time on a bus, but the people I spoke with said they are very pleased with the company. You get to stay in each city for as long as you like and you can just reserve a spot on the bus whenever you are ready. It's pretty cool.
We all crashed pretty early last night as half of our room was checking out this morning. Today, we had to check out of our hostel by 10:00 AM, so I signed up for a 9:45 AM tour of Florence's main food market, the central market of San Lorenzo.
Our tour guide worked for a company that provides tours for backpackers and flashpackers (backpackers who use technology - that's me!). The tour company is called Tuscany on a Budget. Anyway, our tour guide was originally from Montreal, but his parents moved to Florence when he was 9. He said he has tried to leave on numerous occasions, but has never been able to stay away for a extended period of time.
The market was about 5 minutes away from our hostel and reminded me a lot of Arthur Avenue (I wonder why). It has been operating since Renaissance times although it has undergone a few significant modernization projects.
We walked in and were immediately in front of the fish market, which was pretty small. Florence is not known for its fish because it does not have a harbor. It gets all its fish and salt from the Arno River which runs through Pisa which leads me to another interesting point. Florence does not put salt in its bread because when Pisa and Florence were at war, Pisa would cut off access to the Arno River. Thus, Florentines had no salt to put in their bread, so they didn't. Now, they say their bread is so good that it doesn't need salt, but it is really because they did not have access to salt centuries ago.
Our tour guide showed us how to pick out a good fish that is fresh by looking at its eyes, feeling its skin, and looking at the color of it. He said that we should never buy a fish with no head because the butcher is trying to hide something.
Then, we walked to the fruit market, something that Florence is also not known for. One of the vendors gave us a free sample of cherries which were the best cherries I've ever had in my life. I would have bought some if I was staying I'm Florence another day. Then, the vendor gave me a bag of free fruit. I didn't want to pay for it, but my tour guide said he was trying to build up good will so the tour guide would take people by his stand more often. Since he had good products today, he wanted to show off. I could not take the fruit on the train with me since my bag is so full, so I gave it to my tour guide.
Then, we walked down to the meat stands. We saw everything - feet, stomach, intestines, testicles, kidneys, liver, brains, cow head, rooster, rabbit, pigeons, wild rabbit, and a lot more. Our tour guide also pointed out something I want to eat - florentine steak. It is a steak that is served in portions of at least a kilo and grilled on both sides for less than 10 seconds each. It is what Florence is known for. Since I am traveling by myself, I wasn't able to order one because they need to be shared between three or four people.
Our tour guide told us about the official seals on the meat and the agencies that oversee them. He said that if Italy treated everything the way it treated its food that the actual country would be very strict! Each piece of meat has a seal with a tag on it. Before buying it, you can call a phone number which will tell you if the meat is an authentic piece of meat and is exactly what they are advertising. You can find out how many kids a cow had as well as any other information you could want to know. Every restaurant in Florence validates each piece of meat that it buys. Pretty impressive.
Then, we walked down to the bread shop and tried two different types of biscotti. One with lemons, one without. They are so hard that you are supposed to dip them in the "holy wine" before you eat them. The holy wine is the wine you drink in church.
Then, we walked and looked at all the different types of prosciutto. There are so many types. Prosciutto di Parma is the most famous one, but each region has its own type.
After that, we walked to my favorite part, the cheese stand. We talked about all the different types of cheese and the differences between them. We also talked about how different regions grow different types of olives.
Then came the lesson on wine. We learned about the different types of wine throughout the Chianti region. First, we learned about the history of the Chianti region. The region is divided up into seven different mini-regions. The best mini-region is Chianti Classico because it has the best soil. Florence and Siena had a bloody war over this piece of land. (In Italy, they used to fight over everything. Our tour guide said that a war was started because a seven year old farted at the dinner table!) Anyway, the war led to nothing and both sides agreed on an alternate way to split up the region. One morning at the rooster's crow, two horseback riders, one from each city, would take off in the same direction. Wherever they met, the border between Florence and Siena would be drawn. Both sides tried to make the rooster crow early. In Siena, they overfed the white rooster and their plan backfired because it went into a food coma and did not wake up until the afternoon. In Florence, they starved the black rooster and it woke up very early. Lets just say that the riders met 12 km outside of Siena.
Our tour guide showed us the labels on the top part by the cork of each bottle of Chianti Classico. They have a black rooster on them - the rooster of Florence, as well as an individual ID number from which you can find out everything about the wine including who picked the grapes! If you have a bad bottle, you can call a phone number and have it replaced free of charge! The Chianti Classico wine is comprised of 90% of grapes that were grown in the Chianti Classico mini-region.
After the wine, we headed to the best part of the tour, the sampling. We tried sundried tomatoes, dried out pieces of garlic, olives with extra virgin olive oil, bread with extra virgin olive oil, bruschetta, three pieces of cheese topped with fig jam, peach jam, and truffle and honey jam, cheese with ten year old balsamic vinegar, and wine made of 100% grapes from Chianti. It was all amazing. I wish I had room in my bag to take it all home with me!
Our tour guide taught us how to properly taste wine, too. You take two deep sniffs with your nose practically touching the wine, then you drink it and swirl it around in your mouth for four or five seconds. It tasted even better!
After our tour, I headed back to my hostel to grab my bag and went to the train station. I am noticing a much different type of clientele on this train. They are all businessmen. Milan will definatley be a much different city than what I am used to from the rest of Italy. It will be interesting to see if I like it or not! Only time will tell...
Michele
Monday, June 4, 2012
The City of Dante
Ciao Tutti,
The past two days in Florence have been very busy. Yesterday, I arrived to my hostel at noon and checked into my room. Then, I went straight to the Galleria dell'Accademia to see the Statue of David. It was as impressive as I remember. I did not like that the museum was holding a modern art exhibit right next to a lot of the pieces of art. It honestly did not fit. There was a room with all plaster molds which are all white, but in the middle of the room there was a color statue of a man looking at the water at his reflection. It made no sense. They also had a replica of David with blonde hair and red lips. It was very strange and did not fit the museum at all.
After the Accademia, I headed for the Duomo. It was as big as I remember, but the inside seemed a bit nicer - it was less gaudy than I remember. Then, I saw the golden doors of the Baptistry and grabbed a piece of pizza in the piazza which overlooked the Duomo. Then, I got gelato at my favorite place in Florence, Grom, and went to the Piazza Della Reppublica. They were having an olive oil and wine tasting festival in the piazza (I was there for it last year, too), so I tasted a few different things. My favorite was olive oil with crushed up basil. It was phenomenal.
Then, I headed down to the leather market and tried to find a new wallet but had no luck. I rubbed the nose of the famous statue of a pig which guarantees my return to Florence as well! Italy won't be able to get rid of me.
Then, I walked to the Ponte Vecchio just to see the massive crowds of tourists, before turning up the river to take a few pictures of it. After, I walked past the Uffizzi Gallery and sat in Piazza della Signorina for a few minutes. Then, I walked to a place for dinner that has been suggested to me by a lot of my friends - Il Gatto e La Volpe. I ordered a plate of gnocchi pesto. It was really good.
After dinner, I stumbled upon the church that Dante first saw Beatrice in. My inner geek came out. I was fascinated! It was an old, dimly lit church, but had the graves of Beatrice and one of her other relatives there.
Then, I went to the train station to cancel my ticket to Verona. Given the recent earthquake activity, I decided to forgo Verona and go straight to Milan. Then, I headed back to the hostel and had a good chat with the people in my room before heading to bed around midnight.
This morning, I slept in until 11:00 AM - a much needed rest. I've been waking up between 3:30 AM and 7:45 AM since Thursday. I headed straight to lunch with one of my professors from Penn State who is teaching here for a month and met her husband. Other than going to the wrong place to meet them, the lunch was great and it was nice to see a familiar face and talk a bit with someone I know.
Then, I walked up to try to go to the Boboli Gardens, but like every other museum in Florence, they were closed today because it is a Monday. I honestly do not understand why every museum is closed every Monday. They should stagger their off days.
I then headed up to Dante's old house which was converted into a museum and the inner geek in me came out again. For those of you that don't know, I took a class on Dante this past semester. It was really cool to be able to think that he wrote his early poetry in the very house I was standing in today. It also had a very cool exhibit on the history of the old political parties Florence - one of which was the reason Dante was exiled from Florence. They also had a mini-movie with depictions of scenes from his Divine Comedy.
After I left Dante's house, I went back to Grom to grab another gelato - need to maintain my gelato a day diet! Then, I walked a few blocks to take a picture of the intersection of Via del Inferno and Via del Purgatorio. Then, I walked back to my hostel stopping by a souvenir market on the the way.
Tomorrow morning, I will take a wine and food tour of Florence. Then, I'm off to the train station! I've enjoyed my time in Florence, but am ready to head to Milan tomorrow afternoon.
Michele
The past two days in Florence have been very busy. Yesterday, I arrived to my hostel at noon and checked into my room. Then, I went straight to the Galleria dell'Accademia to see the Statue of David. It was as impressive as I remember. I did not like that the museum was holding a modern art exhibit right next to a lot of the pieces of art. It honestly did not fit. There was a room with all plaster molds which are all white, but in the middle of the room there was a color statue of a man looking at the water at his reflection. It made no sense. They also had a replica of David with blonde hair and red lips. It was very strange and did not fit the museum at all.
After the Accademia, I headed for the Duomo. It was as big as I remember, but the inside seemed a bit nicer - it was less gaudy than I remember. Then, I saw the golden doors of the Baptistry and grabbed a piece of pizza in the piazza which overlooked the Duomo. Then, I got gelato at my favorite place in Florence, Grom, and went to the Piazza Della Reppublica. They were having an olive oil and wine tasting festival in the piazza (I was there for it last year, too), so I tasted a few different things. My favorite was olive oil with crushed up basil. It was phenomenal.
Then, I headed down to the leather market and tried to find a new wallet but had no luck. I rubbed the nose of the famous statue of a pig which guarantees my return to Florence as well! Italy won't be able to get rid of me.
Then, I walked to the Ponte Vecchio just to see the massive crowds of tourists, before turning up the river to take a few pictures of it. After, I walked past the Uffizzi Gallery and sat in Piazza della Signorina for a few minutes. Then, I walked to a place for dinner that has been suggested to me by a lot of my friends - Il Gatto e La Volpe. I ordered a plate of gnocchi pesto. It was really good.
After dinner, I stumbled upon the church that Dante first saw Beatrice in. My inner geek came out. I was fascinated! It was an old, dimly lit church, but had the graves of Beatrice and one of her other relatives there.
Then, I went to the train station to cancel my ticket to Verona. Given the recent earthquake activity, I decided to forgo Verona and go straight to Milan. Then, I headed back to the hostel and had a good chat with the people in my room before heading to bed around midnight.
This morning, I slept in until 11:00 AM - a much needed rest. I've been waking up between 3:30 AM and 7:45 AM since Thursday. I headed straight to lunch with one of my professors from Penn State who is teaching here for a month and met her husband. Other than going to the wrong place to meet them, the lunch was great and it was nice to see a familiar face and talk a bit with someone I know.
Then, I walked up to try to go to the Boboli Gardens, but like every other museum in Florence, they were closed today because it is a Monday. I honestly do not understand why every museum is closed every Monday. They should stagger their off days.
I then headed up to Dante's old house which was converted into a museum and the inner geek in me came out again. For those of you that don't know, I took a class on Dante this past semester. It was really cool to be able to think that he wrote his early poetry in the very house I was standing in today. It also had a very cool exhibit on the history of the old political parties Florence - one of which was the reason Dante was exiled from Florence. They also had a mini-movie with depictions of scenes from his Divine Comedy.
After I left Dante's house, I went back to Grom to grab another gelato - need to maintain my gelato a day diet! Then, I walked a few blocks to take a picture of the intersection of Via del Inferno and Via del Purgatorio. Then, I walked back to my hostel stopping by a souvenir market on the the way.
Tomorrow morning, I will take a wine and food tour of Florence. Then, I'm off to the train station! I've enjoyed my time in Florence, but am ready to head to Milan tomorrow afternoon.
Michele
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Halfway through Italy
Ciao Tutti,
I'm currently on a train from Naples to Florence. Last night was pretty uneventful. After I got back to Naples from Capri I dropped my iPad off at my hostel and went to a traditional Neopolitan pizzeria. When I asked the hostel staff where I should go, they told me "Da Michele". Finally, a pizzeria named after me!
It was about a 20 minute walk through the heart of Naples to get there. I walked along their Corso (every town in Italy has a main shopping road called the Corso). Everything was pretty much closed because it was 7:00 PM on a Saturday.
The pizzeria was packed. They made sure every seat was filled even if it meant putting you at a table with a family of seven (in my case). The pizza was pretty good - I think I've had a few better ones in my travels thus throughout Italy. The ingredients in Naples just taste fresher. The pizza was so big that we all cut in in quarters and still had to fold each piece in half twice. It only cost €4, too!
After dinner, I returned to the hostel and spoke with a few people in my room until about midnight. There were three guys from Canada, one guy and two girls from Australia, and someone from Korea. I love the social aspect of hostels. At about midnight, I decided to hit the sack since I had to wake up at 6:15 AM this morning.
Now, I'm off to Florence for two days, then Milan for three and a half. I'll do the touristy stuff in Florence today and goof off for a day tomorrow. I'm meeting one of my teachers from Penn State for lunch tomorrow, then I want to do a few things that I was never able to do in Florence because I was always pressed for time.
I'm currently on a train from Naples to Florence. Last night was pretty uneventful. After I got back to Naples from Capri I dropped my iPad off at my hostel and went to a traditional Neopolitan pizzeria. When I asked the hostel staff where I should go, they told me "Da Michele". Finally, a pizzeria named after me!
It was about a 20 minute walk through the heart of Naples to get there. I walked along their Corso (every town in Italy has a main shopping road called the Corso). Everything was pretty much closed because it was 7:00 PM on a Saturday.
The pizzeria was packed. They made sure every seat was filled even if it meant putting you at a table with a family of seven (in my case). The pizza was pretty good - I think I've had a few better ones in my travels thus throughout Italy. The ingredients in Naples just taste fresher. The pizza was so big that we all cut in in quarters and still had to fold each piece in half twice. It only cost €4, too!
After dinner, I returned to the hostel and spoke with a few people in my room until about midnight. There were three guys from Canada, one guy and two girls from Australia, and someone from Korea. I love the social aspect of hostels. At about midnight, I decided to hit the sack since I had to wake up at 6:15 AM this morning.
Now, I'm off to Florence for two days, then Milan for three and a half. I'll do the touristy stuff in Florence today and goof off for a day tomorrow. I'm meeting one of my teachers from Penn State for lunch tomorrow, then I want to do a few things that I was never able to do in Florence because I was always pressed for time.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
The Island of Dreams
Ciao Tutti,
I'm on my way back from the beautiful island of Capri, also known as the Island of Dreams. My five hours here was absolutely amazing.
When I got off the boat, I immediately was blown away by the beauty of the island. The port sits between two mountains, one of which has Capri Town situated on top of it. The boats in the harbor combined with the colorful stores and restaurants behind them served as a warm welcome to Capri.
After I arrived, I headed straight for a shack on the dock which advertised boat tours around the island for €16 including a stop at the world famous Blue Grotto. I paid and after I got on the boat, an employee walked down and gave me my money back because they have a policy that disabled people ride free. It was a nice surprise. We went around the whole island and stopped at different grottos along the way. We saw the Red Coral Grotto which featured red, glowing coral under sea level. We also stopped by the White Grotto which was all limestone. We saw the famous rocks in front of Capri as well as other sights to behold. I can honestly say that you could take a picture of anywhere along the coast of Capri and put it on a postcard. Our last stop was the Blue Grotto. I could not wait for this. Last time I was in Rome, we tried to go to a less famous one off the coast of Sorrento, but the currents were too strong and I could not get off the boat. This time, they take the boat to your boat. The cave entrance was only one meter wide and we had to duck, but it was so worth it. The water was so blue. It is hard to put into words. Apparently, it is because the sun reflects off the bottom of the ocean in a certain manner in that particular grotto. Again, they would not let me pay a cent for the entrance to get into the grotto and the boat driver would not accept a tip. So far, the boat tour of the island was one of the main highlights of my trip.
After we arrived back to the main port, I decided to take the tram up to the top of the mountain to visit Capri Town. The town itself was a bit too high end to buy anything, but I walked around and enjoyed the character of the town. Then, I sat down and bought a gelato to take in some of the amazing views that the town had to offer. I even met a few American girls studying in Florence! After gelato, I went back down the tram, bought my souvenirs, and got back on the boat.
Capri was amazing. The people were wonderful which was surprising for such a tourist destination. I now know why people talk so highly of Capri.
After I get back, I'm going to grab a bite to eat at a traditional Neapolitan pizzeria and head back to my hostel to sleep. I have an early train to Florence tomorrow!
Ciao,
Michele
I'm on my way back from the beautiful island of Capri, also known as the Island of Dreams. My five hours here was absolutely amazing.
When I got off the boat, I immediately was blown away by the beauty of the island. The port sits between two mountains, one of which has Capri Town situated on top of it. The boats in the harbor combined with the colorful stores and restaurants behind them served as a warm welcome to Capri.
After I arrived, I headed straight for a shack on the dock which advertised boat tours around the island for €16 including a stop at the world famous Blue Grotto. I paid and after I got on the boat, an employee walked down and gave me my money back because they have a policy that disabled people ride free. It was a nice surprise. We went around the whole island and stopped at different grottos along the way. We saw the Red Coral Grotto which featured red, glowing coral under sea level. We also stopped by the White Grotto which was all limestone. We saw the famous rocks in front of Capri as well as other sights to behold. I can honestly say that you could take a picture of anywhere along the coast of Capri and put it on a postcard. Our last stop was the Blue Grotto. I could not wait for this. Last time I was in Rome, we tried to go to a less famous one off the coast of Sorrento, but the currents were too strong and I could not get off the boat. This time, they take the boat to your boat. The cave entrance was only one meter wide and we had to duck, but it was so worth it. The water was so blue. It is hard to put into words. Apparently, it is because the sun reflects off the bottom of the ocean in a certain manner in that particular grotto. Again, they would not let me pay a cent for the entrance to get into the grotto and the boat driver would not accept a tip. So far, the boat tour of the island was one of the main highlights of my trip.
After we arrived back to the main port, I decided to take the tram up to the top of the mountain to visit Capri Town. The town itself was a bit too high end to buy anything, but I walked around and enjoyed the character of the town. Then, I sat down and bought a gelato to take in some of the amazing views that the town had to offer. I even met a few American girls studying in Florence! After gelato, I went back down the tram, bought my souvenirs, and got back on the boat.
Capri was amazing. The people were wonderful which was surprising for such a tourist destination. I now know why people talk so highly of Capri.
After I get back, I'm going to grab a bite to eat at a traditional Neapolitan pizzeria and head back to my hostel to sleep. I have an early train to Florence tomorrow!
Ciao,
Michele
Sono a Napoli
Ciao Tutti,
I arrived in Napoli at 10:30 AM and headed to my hostel immediately. The directions on the hostel's website said that I should take the tram #1 towards the "Stazione Meridionale". Unfortunately, the trams going both ways said "Stazione Meridionale". After about 10 minutes of indecisiveness with a few other Italians heading in the same direction, we finally found someone that knew where we wanted to go - simply by the water. I honestly have no idea why it was that hard to find someone that could help us. I suppose there are too many tourists in Napoli by the train station.
My hostel is right off the road that runs parallel to the water on the seventh floor of an apartment building. Yes, there is an elevator. The security was pretty good - you have to ring a bell to get into the building as well as to get into the actual hostel. After dropping my stuff off, I headed straight for the port for a boat to Capri.
I am currently on the boat and it is flying. They call the boat a hydrofoil. Let me just say that it is a good thing that I do not get seasick. The boat is bouncing up and down every few seconds. For me, it's relaxing. For the people next to me, not so much.
So far, Naples was exactly as I remembered it. Dirty. Very dirty. Garbage is everywhere. It would be okay if the city had a bit more charm, but I have yet to find it. The people in Naples seem to be the coldest people I've met in all of Italy. No one wants to help, at least it seems to be that way. In Reggio di Calabria as well as all the cities in the north, everyone seems like they want to help, they want to have a conversation, and most of them seem to actually be genuine.
I did have quite an experience on the tram to my hostel from the train station. The people came on board to check if everyone had a ticket. I did, don't worry, but other people did not. There was one old lady screaming at the man as if he had just murdered her son. She was relentless. The whole tram heard her. Then, the guy a few seats behind me assaulted the ticket taker's occupation. He asked him what kind of a job is this and asked him if he is happy with what he does. The man went on to ask if the ticket taker enjoyed hurting people. It was quite the scene. All in all, they caught about seven or eight people. Thank God that I paid the whopping €1.20 for my ticket.
While I have time to write, I figured that I would also write about the things I've noticed in terms of the Neapolitan clothing and hair. It's hard not to notice it. I've seen some pretty short shorts on some of the teenage guys. As if they weren't short enough, a few of them rolled the short shorts up! Then, they had pretty weird hair - kind of like a Mohawk, but it extends over their face. Quite interesting. Then there is the women. They wear some of the most inappropriate shirts with sayings on them in English. Some, that I can actually write down, were "Follow me back to my house", "No boyfriend, no problem", and "You're hot, why not?". I saw all of those within five minutes of each other today. It seems like Naples has a completely different culture. I know that America is a bit conservative when it comes to things like that, but I was surprised to see such strange things .
I'll update on the boat ride back with details about my adventure on Capri!
Ciao,
Michele
I arrived in Napoli at 10:30 AM and headed to my hostel immediately. The directions on the hostel's website said that I should take the tram #1 towards the "Stazione Meridionale". Unfortunately, the trams going both ways said "Stazione Meridionale". After about 10 minutes of indecisiveness with a few other Italians heading in the same direction, we finally found someone that knew where we wanted to go - simply by the water. I honestly have no idea why it was that hard to find someone that could help us. I suppose there are too many tourists in Napoli by the train station.
My hostel is right off the road that runs parallel to the water on the seventh floor of an apartment building. Yes, there is an elevator. The security was pretty good - you have to ring a bell to get into the building as well as to get into the actual hostel. After dropping my stuff off, I headed straight for the port for a boat to Capri.
I am currently on the boat and it is flying. They call the boat a hydrofoil. Let me just say that it is a good thing that I do not get seasick. The boat is bouncing up and down every few seconds. For me, it's relaxing. For the people next to me, not so much.
So far, Naples was exactly as I remembered it. Dirty. Very dirty. Garbage is everywhere. It would be okay if the city had a bit more charm, but I have yet to find it. The people in Naples seem to be the coldest people I've met in all of Italy. No one wants to help, at least it seems to be that way. In Reggio di Calabria as well as all the cities in the north, everyone seems like they want to help, they want to have a conversation, and most of them seem to actually be genuine.
I did have quite an experience on the tram to my hostel from the train station. The people came on board to check if everyone had a ticket. I did, don't worry, but other people did not. There was one old lady screaming at the man as if he had just murdered her son. She was relentless. The whole tram heard her. Then, the guy a few seats behind me assaulted the ticket taker's occupation. He asked him what kind of a job is this and asked him if he is happy with what he does. The man went on to ask if the ticket taker enjoyed hurting people. It was quite the scene. All in all, they caught about seven or eight people. Thank God that I paid the whopping €1.20 for my ticket.
While I have time to write, I figured that I would also write about the things I've noticed in terms of the Neapolitan clothing and hair. It's hard not to notice it. I've seen some pretty short shorts on some of the teenage guys. As if they weren't short enough, a few of them rolled the short shorts up! Then, they had pretty weird hair - kind of like a Mohawk, but it extends over their face. Quite interesting. Then there is the women. They wear some of the most inappropriate shirts with sayings on them in English. Some, that I can actually write down, were "Follow me back to my house", "No boyfriend, no problem", and "You're hot, why not?". I saw all of those within five minutes of each other today. It seems like Naples has a completely different culture. I know that America is a bit conservative when it comes to things like that, but I was surprised to see such strange things .
I'll update on the boat ride back with details about my adventure on Capri!
Ciao,
Michele
Friday, June 1, 2012
Everyone knows Everyone
Ciao Tutti!
I am on a train that is traveling along the coast of Italy on my way to Naples and Capri. As I look out the window, I can see the mountains of Sicily across the water.
I arrived in Reggio di Calabria two days ago at about 11:00 AM and took a taxi straight to the Bed and Breakfast that one of the Penn State professors arranged for me. There, I met the owner, also named Michele, who showed me to my own room. After dropping my bags off, I walked to the school that the Penn State study abroad program is held at. The walk was a bit dirty, but I was actually expecting it to be a bit dirtier. This is the first time I've been to a city south of the Amalfi Coast and had no idea of what I should actually expect.
After about a 30 minute walk, I arrived at their school - the actual function is an engineering school, but Penn State rents a few classrooms every summer. As soon as I walked up the staircase, I was greeted by a few friendly faces that I saw just under a month ago! We started talking and more students I knew began to emerge from class. Then one of my Italian professors who grew up in Reggio di Calabria, Vincenzo Gatto, emerged. The students ran to catch the bus back to their apartments and I stayed in the school to have lunch with Vincenzo and the professor that helped me arrange my accommodations, Fiona. It was great to see them both!
After lunch, I walked with Fiona to a pastry bar in town called Cordon Blue. She treated me to a caffè and a few pastries including the best cannoli I've had in my life. After a while, two of my friends from Penn State joined us. One of them, Giulia, is studying with the program while another, Nikki, was visiting like me.
When we finished, Fiona went home and I stayed with Nikki and Giulia. First, we found my Italian bank. Then, we just walked down their main street, Corso di Giuseppe Garibaldi. After an hour, Nikki had to go meet her Italian family and head back to Sicily and Giulia went to head back to her apartment, so I decided to walk along the water. It was a beautiful site. You could see Sicily and the water was so blue. Sicily was so close that I felt like I could swim to it.
After a short walk along the beach, I grabbed my gelato (I'm trying the patented gelato a day diet). Then, I headed back to my bed and breakfast to relax. About an hour later, I headed out to dinner to a pizza place called Pepy's. It was pretty good. Then, I went back and crashed for the night. I was running on three hours sleep!
Yesterday, I woke up and went to school with a few of my friends. They had their Italian conversation class with Vincenzo's cousin, Eleonora. We spoke about dialects, specifically the Calabrian and Sicilian dialects, the ongoing debate about nuclear power, and the culture of Reggio di Calabria. It was a lot of fun.
Then, we were all invited to a free lunch about a 20 minute drive up the side of a mountain with a group of Italian students from the university. Their student government sponsored a lunch for the American students. It was a blast. We were able to socialize with Italian students and eat what seemed like a 10 course meal! The restaurant was on a beautiful piece of land with beautiful views in every direction! Then, an Italian musician played an accordion-like instrument outside while we took in the view. He played traditional Calabrian songs. It was a great experience.
After lunch, I headed back to the bed and breakfast with Vincenzo who knows the owner. I had to switch to a different bed and breakfast down the road, so we met back up after an hour to go get gelato. We went to Gelateria Cesare and met one other Penn State student, Mario, as well as Fiona and her husband who flew in from the UK the night before. Then, Vincenzo, Mario, and myself walked along the Corso di Giuseppe Garibaldi where everyone walks up and down every night to socialize. Vincenzo said that you meet everyone there - your friends, your barber, and even your shrink, if you need one! Vincenzo met two friends from his childhood. It was quite the experience.
Then, we sat down at Cordon Blue for an hour and chatted a bit more before retiring for the night. This morning, I took a taxi to the train station (Vincenzo even knew my taxi driver) at 6:00 AM.
Reggio di Calabria, for me, is a true Italian city. It is unique. There are not a lot of tourists. It has not lost its charm. People walk down the streets to socialize. Old men meet in squares to talk. Young lovers sit down by the ocean. Everyone knows everyone. It's a small town in a small city. I like it.
Michele
I am on a train that is traveling along the coast of Italy on my way to Naples and Capri. As I look out the window, I can see the mountains of Sicily across the water.
I arrived in Reggio di Calabria two days ago at about 11:00 AM and took a taxi straight to the Bed and Breakfast that one of the Penn State professors arranged for me. There, I met the owner, also named Michele, who showed me to my own room. After dropping my bags off, I walked to the school that the Penn State study abroad program is held at. The walk was a bit dirty, but I was actually expecting it to be a bit dirtier. This is the first time I've been to a city south of the Amalfi Coast and had no idea of what I should actually expect.
After about a 30 minute walk, I arrived at their school - the actual function is an engineering school, but Penn State rents a few classrooms every summer. As soon as I walked up the staircase, I was greeted by a few friendly faces that I saw just under a month ago! We started talking and more students I knew began to emerge from class. Then one of my Italian professors who grew up in Reggio di Calabria, Vincenzo Gatto, emerged. The students ran to catch the bus back to their apartments and I stayed in the school to have lunch with Vincenzo and the professor that helped me arrange my accommodations, Fiona. It was great to see them both!
After lunch, I walked with Fiona to a pastry bar in town called Cordon Blue. She treated me to a caffè and a few pastries including the best cannoli I've had in my life. After a while, two of my friends from Penn State joined us. One of them, Giulia, is studying with the program while another, Nikki, was visiting like me.
When we finished, Fiona went home and I stayed with Nikki and Giulia. First, we found my Italian bank. Then, we just walked down their main street, Corso di Giuseppe Garibaldi. After an hour, Nikki had to go meet her Italian family and head back to Sicily and Giulia went to head back to her apartment, so I decided to walk along the water. It was a beautiful site. You could see Sicily and the water was so blue. Sicily was so close that I felt like I could swim to it.
After a short walk along the beach, I grabbed my gelato (I'm trying the patented gelato a day diet). Then, I headed back to my bed and breakfast to relax. About an hour later, I headed out to dinner to a pizza place called Pepy's. It was pretty good. Then, I went back and crashed for the night. I was running on three hours sleep!
Yesterday, I woke up and went to school with a few of my friends. They had their Italian conversation class with Vincenzo's cousin, Eleonora. We spoke about dialects, specifically the Calabrian and Sicilian dialects, the ongoing debate about nuclear power, and the culture of Reggio di Calabria. It was a lot of fun.
Then, we were all invited to a free lunch about a 20 minute drive up the side of a mountain with a group of Italian students from the university. Their student government sponsored a lunch for the American students. It was a blast. We were able to socialize with Italian students and eat what seemed like a 10 course meal! The restaurant was on a beautiful piece of land with beautiful views in every direction! Then, an Italian musician played an accordion-like instrument outside while we took in the view. He played traditional Calabrian songs. It was a great experience.
After lunch, I headed back to the bed and breakfast with Vincenzo who knows the owner. I had to switch to a different bed and breakfast down the road, so we met back up after an hour to go get gelato. We went to Gelateria Cesare and met one other Penn State student, Mario, as well as Fiona and her husband who flew in from the UK the night before. Then, Vincenzo, Mario, and myself walked along the Corso di Giuseppe Garibaldi where everyone walks up and down every night to socialize. Vincenzo said that you meet everyone there - your friends, your barber, and even your shrink, if you need one! Vincenzo met two friends from his childhood. It was quite the experience.
Then, we sat down at Cordon Blue for an hour and chatted a bit more before retiring for the night. This morning, I took a taxi to the train station (Vincenzo even knew my taxi driver) at 6:00 AM.
Reggio di Calabria, for me, is a true Italian city. It is unique. There are not a lot of tourists. It has not lost its charm. People walk down the streets to socialize. Old men meet in squares to talk. Young lovers sit down by the ocean. Everyone knows everyone. It's a small town in a small city. I like it.
Michele
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
At the Airport
Hi All,
Last night we had dinner at the same place we had lunch two days ago. I ordered Chicken Souvlaki which was amazing, then we headed back to our hotel for our farewell party on the rooftop terrace. It was a lot of fun and had a great view of the Acropolis. We didn't get to bed until midnight!
This morning, I woke up at 3:15 AM for a 3:30 AM taxi to the airport with a few people. I'm still waiting at the airport check in as my flight is still two and a half hours away.
I have a short layover in Rome before catching my flight to Reggio di Calabria where I will meet up with a few people I know from Penn State. Two of my teachers are hosting a study abroad program there and I know one girl that graduated with me who is visiting as well. It will be a lot of fun!
I can't wait to get back to Italy where there is nowhere near the language barrier I had in Greece! Greece didn't even have the same alphabet!
Michele
Last night we had dinner at the same place we had lunch two days ago. I ordered Chicken Souvlaki which was amazing, then we headed back to our hotel for our farewell party on the rooftop terrace. It was a lot of fun and had a great view of the Acropolis. We didn't get to bed until midnight!
This morning, I woke up at 3:15 AM for a 3:30 AM taxi to the airport with a few people. I'm still waiting at the airport check in as my flight is still two and a half hours away.
I have a short layover in Rome before catching my flight to Reggio di Calabria where I will meet up with a few people I know from Penn State. Two of my teachers are hosting a study abroad program there and I know one girl that graduated with me who is visiting as well. It will be a lot of fun!
I can't wait to get back to Italy where there is nowhere near the language barrier I had in Greece! Greece didn't even have the same alphabet!
Michele
Where's the Rocky Music?
Hi All,
Today, we woke up and had a three hour walking tour of Athens - basically a tour guide to lead us up to the Acropolis, the place that saw the foundation of Western Civilization.
We started out walking to the same area we walked to yesterday - the bazaar where we all went shopping. Our tour guide pointed out a mosque and the first library in history. Then, we walked up a few hills and passed an area called the Agora which is where the people used to shop 2500 years ago! We continued walking up steps and ramps until we were told that we were halfway there. The whole time we were walking, I was waiting for the Rocky theme song to start playing in the background.
Then, we walked about a kilometer up a hill where we bought our tickets for the Acropolis. We then entered the gates and walked up the final ascent which was a mix of slippery marble ramps and stairs. It was quite a workout, but I think I must be in pretty good shape because I wasn't huffing and puffing!
All the walking was worth it when we climbed the final flight of stairs and saw the Parthenon standing right in front of us. A huge, imposing structure. The climb up makes you appreciate all the hard work that must have gone into building it! The Parthenon was supposedly made a bit crooked because nothing is ever perfect. To build something perfect back then was like slapping the Gods in the face!
Overall, the Acropolis was pretty small. I thought it was going to be a huge piece of land on a mountain, but it was very easy to walk around the perimeter in less than 20 minutes!
After a few photos, I decided to take the easy way down and take the elevator since I saw everything that I needed to see on the way up!
We met at the bottom and went out to lunch. I had a very good dish - Maksala (I definitely butchered the spelling)! It was basically Greek lasagna - potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and ground meat. It was very salty, but all the food I've had in Greece so far was too salty for my liking.
After, we went back to the bazaar we went to yesterday to finish up souvineer shopping. Then, we went back to the hotel for a bit. I left after a half hour to go mail a postcard and go to the supermarket with a few friends. That was our adventure for the day!
I think I am in Athens at a very unique time. It is in the process of modernizing itself. I would love to come back here in 20 years and see how different it is. I think that this is what every major, modern city had to go through at one point or another.
Another comment I have is that the Greek people are so nice. They are probably the nicest people I've met in Europe outside of Amsterdam and Italy (I'm biased on the latter, I know). The Greeks are so appreciative of our tourism. I think they are happy that some people are not discouraged by the media reports.
Tonight, we have our final dinner followed by a farewell party on our hotel's rooftop terrace which has a view of the Acropolis all lit up at night.
Then, I'm off to Italy for a week of backpacking fun!
Michele
Today, we woke up and had a three hour walking tour of Athens - basically a tour guide to lead us up to the Acropolis, the place that saw the foundation of Western Civilization.
We started out walking to the same area we walked to yesterday - the bazaar where we all went shopping. Our tour guide pointed out a mosque and the first library in history. Then, we walked up a few hills and passed an area called the Agora which is where the people used to shop 2500 years ago! We continued walking up steps and ramps until we were told that we were halfway there. The whole time we were walking, I was waiting for the Rocky theme song to start playing in the background.
Then, we walked about a kilometer up a hill where we bought our tickets for the Acropolis. We then entered the gates and walked up the final ascent which was a mix of slippery marble ramps and stairs. It was quite a workout, but I think I must be in pretty good shape because I wasn't huffing and puffing!
All the walking was worth it when we climbed the final flight of stairs and saw the Parthenon standing right in front of us. A huge, imposing structure. The climb up makes you appreciate all the hard work that must have gone into building it! The Parthenon was supposedly made a bit crooked because nothing is ever perfect. To build something perfect back then was like slapping the Gods in the face!
Overall, the Acropolis was pretty small. I thought it was going to be a huge piece of land on a mountain, but it was very easy to walk around the perimeter in less than 20 minutes!
After a few photos, I decided to take the easy way down and take the elevator since I saw everything that I needed to see on the way up!
We met at the bottom and went out to lunch. I had a very good dish - Maksala (I definitely butchered the spelling)! It was basically Greek lasagna - potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and ground meat. It was very salty, but all the food I've had in Greece so far was too salty for my liking.
After, we went back to the bazaar we went to yesterday to finish up souvineer shopping. Then, we went back to the hotel for a bit. I left after a half hour to go mail a postcard and go to the supermarket with a few friends. That was our adventure for the day!
I think I am in Athens at a very unique time. It is in the process of modernizing itself. I would love to come back here in 20 years and see how different it is. I think that this is what every major, modern city had to go through at one point or another.
Another comment I have is that the Greek people are so nice. They are probably the nicest people I've met in Europe outside of Amsterdam and Italy (I'm biased on the latter, I know). The Greeks are so appreciative of our tourism. I think they are happy that some people are not discouraged by the media reports.
Tonight, we have our final dinner followed by a farewell party on our hotel's rooftop terrace which has a view of the Acropolis all lit up at night.
Then, I'm off to Italy for a week of backpacking fun!
Michele
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Athens: Night One
Hi All,
I am sitting in my hotel situated off of a side street about five minutes away from Athens main shopping area for tourists. Our hotel is gorgeous and very modern. We were told that if we make a right out of our hotel, we will have no problems. I don't want to know what happens if we turn left!
After arriving at our hotel, we ventured to have lunch in the main shopping area. The food was the best I've had in Greece that was actually Greek food - I'm not a fan of lamb, so I had a cheese salad and shared a plate of fried cheese with someone. The fried cheese tasted like mozzarella sticks minus the breading. The cheese salad was a bit weird - it was like a plate of ricotta cheese that was spicy. We finally realized that it was better if you paired it with pita bread. Once we did that our palates were satisfied. Lunch was really cheap, too. €6 including a can of Coke!
After lunch, we walked around the shopping area. We all bought one pr two souvineers before heading back to the hotel. I liked the shopping area. It was like the bazaars that we learned about in school. You had to bargain with the store owners and get the best deal. Everyone here seems very nice & appreciative of the tourists, though.
Then, we walked back to the hotel to rest up before dinner. Our dinner was pretty good. It was a gyro. I'm starting to think that's all the Greeks eat - I think I've eaten it four times since I've been here. Gyros with French fries. Who knew the Greeks were so into French fries? Our dessert was really good! It was cinnamon battered apples and some type of flan-like cheese.
After dinner, we all went out to a local bar. It was pretty dead, but apparently they get a bit more lively after 11:00 PM. I was too tired to wait up, though, so I headed back to the hotel.
Tomorrow, we have our grand walking tour of Athens - the foundation of Western civilization. The history buff in me is just a little bit excited!
Thanks for reading!
Michael
I am sitting in my hotel situated off of a side street about five minutes away from Athens main shopping area for tourists. Our hotel is gorgeous and very modern. We were told that if we make a right out of our hotel, we will have no problems. I don't want to know what happens if we turn left!
After arriving at our hotel, we ventured to have lunch in the main shopping area. The food was the best I've had in Greece that was actually Greek food - I'm not a fan of lamb, so I had a cheese salad and shared a plate of fried cheese with someone. The fried cheese tasted like mozzarella sticks minus the breading. The cheese salad was a bit weird - it was like a plate of ricotta cheese that was spicy. We finally realized that it was better if you paired it with pita bread. Once we did that our palates were satisfied. Lunch was really cheap, too. €6 including a can of Coke!
After lunch, we walked around the shopping area. We all bought one pr two souvineers before heading back to the hotel. I liked the shopping area. It was like the bazaars that we learned about in school. You had to bargain with the store owners and get the best deal. Everyone here seems very nice & appreciative of the tourists, though.
Then, we walked back to the hotel to rest up before dinner. Our dinner was pretty good. It was a gyro. I'm starting to think that's all the Greeks eat - I think I've eaten it four times since I've been here. Gyros with French fries. Who knew the Greeks were so into French fries? Our dessert was really good! It was cinnamon battered apples and some type of flan-like cheese.
After dinner, we all went out to a local bar. It was pretty dead, but apparently they get a bit more lively after 11:00 PM. I was too tired to wait up, though, so I headed back to the hotel.
Tomorrow, we have our grand walking tour of Athens - the foundation of Western civilization. The history buff in me is just a little bit excited!
Thanks for reading!
Michael
First Impressions
Hi All,
We just arrived in Athens. It seems to be a very unique city. There is lots of graffiti, but the areas we are driving through seem to be good areas. The housing is a bit weird as well - it seems like every apartment building has a store or bank underneath it. It's similar to NYC, but the apartments have balconies with a lot of flowers and ivy growing over the side. It is almost as if the city itself is in the middle of a huge modernization project. I'm looking forward to exploring it further.
We will arrive at our hotel in a bit, check in, and venture out into the urban jungle. I'll keep you posted.
Mike
We just arrived in Athens. It seems to be a very unique city. There is lots of graffiti, but the areas we are driving through seem to be good areas. The housing is a bit weird as well - it seems like every apartment building has a store or bank underneath it. It's similar to NYC, but the apartments have balconies with a lot of flowers and ivy growing over the side. It is almost as if the city itself is in the middle of a huge modernization project. I'm looking forward to exploring it further.
We will arrive at our hotel in a bit, check in, and venture out into the urban jungle. I'll keep you posted.
Mike
Next Stop: Athens
Hi All,
We all had an early night last night and are currently waiting in our hotel lobby for our ferry boat to Galatas where we will catch a bigger ferry to Athens. Once we get to Athens, we have a dinner with our group. Tomorrow is our last day together and we are going to take a tour of all of Athens.
Over the past three days, I have learned why Greece is struggling so much when compared to the rest of the countries in the European Union. Their culture is so much different than the rest of the countries I have traveled to in the Euro zone. There is something to be said for their lifestyle, though. It's much more relaxed.
Next stop, Athens!
Michael
We all had an early night last night and are currently waiting in our hotel lobby for our ferry boat to Galatas where we will catch a bigger ferry to Athens. Once we get to Athens, we have a dinner with our group. Tomorrow is our last day together and we are going to take a tour of all of Athens.
Over the past three days, I have learned why Greece is struggling so much when compared to the rest of the countries in the European Union. Their culture is so much different than the rest of the countries I have traveled to in the Euro zone. There is something to be said for their lifestyle, though. It's much more relaxed.
Next stop, Athens!
Michael
Monday, May 28, 2012
Relaxing on Poros
Hello Everyone,
I have spent the last two and a half days in relaxation mode. When we finally got off our bus, we had to take a 10 minute boat ride to the island of Poros, a small, touristy island that our hotel is on. We arrived at our hotel and it was very chic. It is right on the water and has its own beach as well as a pool with a bar behind the hotel. The hotel itself is about two miles from downtown Poros, but that is fine as there is not a lot to do in the downtown.
After checking in and relaxing a bit, we had dinner at our hotel. They served us Greek salad as our appetizer. I was surprised to find out that Greek salad has no lettuce in it. Then, we had chicken gyros which were pretty good and a dish of vanilla gelato for dessert. After dinner, we went to the back of the hotel and hung out by the pool.
Yesterday, I slept in late and gave my laundry to the front desk to be cleaned. Then, I decided to walk into town to see it and look around. It was a beautiful walk - I am happy our hotel is far away from the town. It is much quieter. The town was very touristy, but I bought a postcard to send home as well as a pin for my pin collection before heading back to the hotel. After I got back, I took advantage of the free wifi and planned out half of my Italian trip next week. Then, we had dinner (Greek hamburger) and a toga party out by the pool. It was a lot of fun and a few of us jumped into the pool with our togas on. It was amazing!
This afternoon, we took a boat around the island of Poros and stopped at a beach. The island is beautiful and I really enjoyed the boat ride. After the boat, I went back to the hotel, had lunch, sat by the pool with a few people and planned the rest of my Italian trip.
Tomorrow we leave for Athens!
Thanks for reading.
Mike
I have spent the last two and a half days in relaxation mode. When we finally got off our bus, we had to take a 10 minute boat ride to the island of Poros, a small, touristy island that our hotel is on. We arrived at our hotel and it was very chic. It is right on the water and has its own beach as well as a pool with a bar behind the hotel. The hotel itself is about two miles from downtown Poros, but that is fine as there is not a lot to do in the downtown.
After checking in and relaxing a bit, we had dinner at our hotel. They served us Greek salad as our appetizer. I was surprised to find out that Greek salad has no lettuce in it. Then, we had chicken gyros which were pretty good and a dish of vanilla gelato for dessert. After dinner, we went to the back of the hotel and hung out by the pool.
Yesterday, I slept in late and gave my laundry to the front desk to be cleaned. Then, I decided to walk into town to see it and look around. It was a beautiful walk - I am happy our hotel is far away from the town. It is much quieter. The town was very touristy, but I bought a postcard to send home as well as a pin for my pin collection before heading back to the hotel. After I got back, I took advantage of the free wifi and planned out half of my Italian trip next week. Then, we had dinner (Greek hamburger) and a toga party out by the pool. It was a lot of fun and a few of us jumped into the pool with our togas on. It was amazing!
This afternoon, we took a boat around the island of Poros and stopped at a beach. The island is beautiful and I really enjoyed the boat ride. After the boat, I went back to the hotel, had lunch, sat by the pool with a few people and planned the rest of my Italian trip.
Tomorrow we leave for Athens!
Thanks for reading.
Mike
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Off to Greece
Hello from Greece!
We're on a very small, loud, uncomfortable bus for our five hour bus ride from where the ferry dropped us off in Patras to the other side of the island where we will board another boat to Poros.
The ferry was great. It was more like a cruise ship with staterooms, a restaurant, and even a mini-casino. Our fifteen hours flew by and I even won €2 in the casino playing roulette.
When we got off the boat, our bus driver initially said it would be a four hour drive, but he changed his mind and told us it would be five. We stopped at a very sketchy and dirty cafe for food, but I could only eat a bite of my gyro before it was attacked by flies and I lost my appetite. Then, we all got back in the bus and immediately stopped for gas. I guess the driver couldn't do it during our one hour food stop.
So far, I am unimpressed with Greece. We are still far from the touristy areas, but it is obvious why they are struggling with the Euro right now. I am already noticing a difference in the Greek work ethic and that of Western Europe. The poverty here is similar to that of parts of Mexico as well.
I'm holding out full judgement until after we arrive in Poros, so I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Mike
We're on a very small, loud, uncomfortable bus for our five hour bus ride from where the ferry dropped us off in Patras to the other side of the island where we will board another boat to Poros.
The ferry was great. It was more like a cruise ship with staterooms, a restaurant, and even a mini-casino. Our fifteen hours flew by and I even won €2 in the casino playing roulette.
When we got off the boat, our bus driver initially said it would be a four hour drive, but he changed his mind and told us it would be five. We stopped at a very sketchy and dirty cafe for food, but I could only eat a bite of my gyro before it was attacked by flies and I lost my appetite. Then, we all got back in the bus and immediately stopped for gas. I guess the driver couldn't do it during our one hour food stop.
So far, I am unimpressed with Greece. We are still far from the touristy areas, but it is obvious why they are struggling with the Euro right now. I am already noticing a difference in the Greek work ethic and that of Western Europe. The poverty here is similar to that of parts of Mexico as well.
I'm holding out full judgement until after we arrive in Poros, so I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Mike
Friday, May 25, 2012
Sorrento & Pompeii
Ciao Tutti!
As I write this, I am driving through the rolling hills of Italy, each more breathtaking than the last, and listening to Andrea Bocelli. This country is the most beautiful country in the world - I wish I could spend my whole life walking the countryside without a care in the world.
Yesterday, we woke up very early and made the four hour voyage by bus from Rome to Sorrento. We all slept quite a bit as we we running on less than four hours sleep. Our hotel in Sorrento was not downtown, but a good 30 minute walk up the side of a cliff on a road with no sidewalks. (Thank God for taxis!). We took the bus from our hotel down to the city of Sorrento and had one of the best meals I have ever had in Italy. The restaurant was called Il Buffalino and they specialized in buffalo products. I shared an antipasto platter with one of my friends which came with the best buffalo mozzarella I've ever had and a few different types of buffalo meats which were okay - they tasted like beef jerky or sausage. Then, I had a very good bowl of gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella.
After lunch, we walked around a bit. There is not a lot to do in Sorrento. You can eat or shop. It was a bit too chilly for the beach, so we didn't even try to go. We walked for about two or so hours, then the group started to walk up the mountain back to our hotel. I went into town to buy a few more things since I couldn't find anything I wanted. After finding them, I took a taxi to my hotel and wound up beating the group back.
We relaxed for a bit in our rooms and headed out to dinner at a restaurant next to our hotel with a view of the Bay of Sorrento. It was beautiful. I collapsed in my bed after dinner, though!
This morning, we left our hotel at 8:30 AM to go to Pompeii. It was very cool and we saw a whole different part that I did not see when I toured Pompeii last year. It was a lot of fun and very informational! I can't believe that they are still excavating it! After our tour, we had lunch and boarded the bus that I am on right now.
In about three more hours, we will arrive in Bari where we will board a ferry boat for Greece. It is a 15.5 hour ride, but we have cabins with beds in them, so it should be a lot of fun!
Ciao,
Michele
As I write this, I am driving through the rolling hills of Italy, each more breathtaking than the last, and listening to Andrea Bocelli. This country is the most beautiful country in the world - I wish I could spend my whole life walking the countryside without a care in the world.
Yesterday, we woke up very early and made the four hour voyage by bus from Rome to Sorrento. We all slept quite a bit as we we running on less than four hours sleep. Our hotel in Sorrento was not downtown, but a good 30 minute walk up the side of a cliff on a road with no sidewalks. (Thank God for taxis!). We took the bus from our hotel down to the city of Sorrento and had one of the best meals I have ever had in Italy. The restaurant was called Il Buffalino and they specialized in buffalo products. I shared an antipasto platter with one of my friends which came with the best buffalo mozzarella I've ever had and a few different types of buffalo meats which were okay - they tasted like beef jerky or sausage. Then, I had a very good bowl of gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella.
After lunch, we walked around a bit. There is not a lot to do in Sorrento. You can eat or shop. It was a bit too chilly for the beach, so we didn't even try to go. We walked for about two or so hours, then the group started to walk up the mountain back to our hotel. I went into town to buy a few more things since I couldn't find anything I wanted. After finding them, I took a taxi to my hotel and wound up beating the group back.
We relaxed for a bit in our rooms and headed out to dinner at a restaurant next to our hotel with a view of the Bay of Sorrento. It was beautiful. I collapsed in my bed after dinner, though!
This morning, we left our hotel at 8:30 AM to go to Pompeii. It was very cool and we saw a whole different part that I did not see when I toured Pompeii last year. It was a lot of fun and very informational! I can't believe that they are still excavating it! After our tour, we had lunch and boarded the bus that I am on right now.
In about three more hours, we will arrive in Bari where we will board a ferry boat for Greece. It is a 15.5 hour ride, but we have cabins with beds in them, so it should be a lot of fun!
Ciao,
Michele
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Romesickness Averted: Rome Sweet Home
Ciao Tutti,
Today was my last day in Roma - a very sad day, I know. I slept in to catch up on sleep as I felt like I may be coming down with something. It worked because now I feel fine!
I left my hotel at 11:15 AM and took the bus to the Vatican Museum as you cannot go to Rome without seeing the Sistine Chapel! I saw the gorgeous view of the Dome, a few of my favorite statues, the murals of Raphael, and the ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel. It is by far my favorite museum in the world!
Then, I grabbed gelato at my second favorite gelateria, Old Bridge, and walked across the bridge that connects the Castel Sant'Angelo with the rest of Rome. After swinging by IES, my school, to say bye, I walked to a restaurant called Cul de Sac which has amazing hand made pesto sauce.
Then, I walked through Piazza Navona one last time and grabbed a cafe espresso at my favorite place, Cafe Sant'Eustaccio. Then, I headed towards the Trevi Fountain to throw my coin over my shoulder to guarantee my return to Rome. After that, I went to the Spanish Steps.
Then, I went back to my hotel to meet the group for our farewell dinner as half of the group ended their tour in Rome. At our dinner, there was a pretty good ambiance and they hired an Italian musician to serenade us. Then, we headed to the Spanish Steps to the a proper group photo.
After the Spanish Steps, I took a group of friends to Trastevere so they could experience the true Italian nightlife. We even ran into my roommate, Silvio, and his friends including some of the people I met the night before!
We got back to the hotel pretty late and said bye to all of our friends that were leaving early. I can't believe the tour is almost over!
Ciao,
Michele
Today was my last day in Roma - a very sad day, I know. I slept in to catch up on sleep as I felt like I may be coming down with something. It worked because now I feel fine!
I left my hotel at 11:15 AM and took the bus to the Vatican Museum as you cannot go to Rome without seeing the Sistine Chapel! I saw the gorgeous view of the Dome, a few of my favorite statues, the murals of Raphael, and the ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel. It is by far my favorite museum in the world!
Then, I grabbed gelato at my second favorite gelateria, Old Bridge, and walked across the bridge that connects the Castel Sant'Angelo with the rest of Rome. After swinging by IES, my school, to say bye, I walked to a restaurant called Cul de Sac which has amazing hand made pesto sauce.
Then, I walked through Piazza Navona one last time and grabbed a cafe espresso at my favorite place, Cafe Sant'Eustaccio. Then, I headed towards the Trevi Fountain to throw my coin over my shoulder to guarantee my return to Rome. After that, I went to the Spanish Steps.
Then, I went back to my hotel to meet the group for our farewell dinner as half of the group ended their tour in Rome. At our dinner, there was a pretty good ambiance and they hired an Italian musician to serenade us. Then, we headed to the Spanish Steps to the a proper group photo.
After the Spanish Steps, I took a group of friends to Trastevere so they could experience the true Italian nightlife. We even ran into my roommate, Silvio, and his friends including some of the people I met the night before!
We got back to the hotel pretty late and said bye to all of our friends that were leaving early. I can't believe the tour is almost over!
Ciao,
Michele
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Home Away from Home
Ciao Tutti!
Hello from my favorite city in the whole world and my home away from home! I feel like I never left Rome. I guess that should have been expected since not a lot has changed here for over 2000 years.
When we arrived in Rome, our hotel was not ready. That was not a problem for me, though. I dropped my bag off, grabbed my bus ticket, and headed back to my old stomping grounds. After speaking with and giving directions to an old Italian lady on the bus, I got off and rang the doorbell of my study abroad school. I spent about a half hour there, speaking mostly Italian, with all the staff. It was really nice and enjoyable!
Then, I walked by my old apartment building and spoke with the woman who managed the building for a few minutes. Apparently, IES still rents my apartment for students! Then, I went and grabbed a panino from my favorite deli. The butcher remembered me and we had a small chat as well.
I walked down to Piazza Navona to eat my sandwich and people watch. It was as beautiful as I remember. After, I walked to the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. Then, I walked into the phone store to get my Italian sim card and my Italian roommate, Silvio's, friend, Maia, was behind the counter. Small world!
After, I went to drop my laundry off at a place close to my hotel and relaxed for an hour or two. Then, we grabbed dinner with the group at an Italian restaurant which was not very good (by Italian standards) and went off to Campo di Fiore for a few hours out on the town.
This morning, we woke up at 7:00 AM for a tour of the Colosseum, Forum, and the Vatican. It rained on and off for our five hour walking tour, but it was still enjoyable and our tour guide was well informed. I learned a thing or two as well!
After our tour, I took a group of 17 people to my favorite restaurant, Monte Carlo. The wait staff remembered me and made us feel right at home. The food was definitely amazing. Then, I took a smaller group of my friends to get gelato at my favorite gelateria, Teatro del Gelato. Then, we walked to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. After we arrived at Via del Corso, we parted ways and I headed back to the hotel.
After a nap, I met up with my Italian roommate, Silvio, my Italian teacher, Anna, and three people I've never met before. We went to San Lorenzo, a district where a lot of young Italians socialize. It was great to see everyone!
I am loving my time in Rome and am surprised by how easily I fell back in love with the city. The people are wonderful, the character of the city is unique, and I love the language. I honestly feel like there is no language barrier anymore (even though there still is a big one) and would love the opportunity to live here for an extended period of time. This city will always have a special place in my heart. For me, Rome will always be home.
Ciao,
Michele
Hello from my favorite city in the whole world and my home away from home! I feel like I never left Rome. I guess that should have been expected since not a lot has changed here for over 2000 years.
When we arrived in Rome, our hotel was not ready. That was not a problem for me, though. I dropped my bag off, grabbed my bus ticket, and headed back to my old stomping grounds. After speaking with and giving directions to an old Italian lady on the bus, I got off and rang the doorbell of my study abroad school. I spent about a half hour there, speaking mostly Italian, with all the staff. It was really nice and enjoyable!
Then, I walked by my old apartment building and spoke with the woman who managed the building for a few minutes. Apparently, IES still rents my apartment for students! Then, I went and grabbed a panino from my favorite deli. The butcher remembered me and we had a small chat as well.
I walked down to Piazza Navona to eat my sandwich and people watch. It was as beautiful as I remember. After, I walked to the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. Then, I walked into the phone store to get my Italian sim card and my Italian roommate, Silvio's, friend, Maia, was behind the counter. Small world!
After, I went to drop my laundry off at a place close to my hotel and relaxed for an hour or two. Then, we grabbed dinner with the group at an Italian restaurant which was not very good (by Italian standards) and went off to Campo di Fiore for a few hours out on the town.
This morning, we woke up at 7:00 AM for a tour of the Colosseum, Forum, and the Vatican. It rained on and off for our five hour walking tour, but it was still enjoyable and our tour guide was well informed. I learned a thing or two as well!
After our tour, I took a group of 17 people to my favorite restaurant, Monte Carlo. The wait staff remembered me and made us feel right at home. The food was definitely amazing. Then, I took a smaller group of my friends to get gelato at my favorite gelateria, Teatro del Gelato. Then, we walked to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. After we arrived at Via del Corso, we parted ways and I headed back to the hotel.
After a nap, I met up with my Italian roommate, Silvio, my Italian teacher, Anna, and three people I've never met before. We went to San Lorenzo, a district where a lot of young Italians socialize. It was great to see everyone!
I am loving my time in Rome and am surprised by how easily I fell back in love with the city. The people are wonderful, the character of the city is unique, and I love the language. I honestly feel like there is no language barrier anymore (even though there still is a big one) and would love the opportunity to live here for an extended period of time. This city will always have a special place in my heart. For me, Rome will always be home.
Ciao,
Michele
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Versailles Gardens
Bonjour!
Today, I went to the Gardens of the Palace of Versailles. It took about an hour and forty minutes to get there from our hotel, but it went fast. I met two women from Canada, one of which now lives in Switzerland, so we spoke for about a half hour.
When we arrived at Versailles, I split up from my group because they went to the Palace, but I wanted to go to the gardens. It was very cloudy, but was still very impressive. I took a tram around the gardens because they were so big - 660 hectacres! It had a huge canal and lots of fountains as well. They were definitely excessive!
After the gardens, I headed back to my hotel to try and do laundry & grab a bite to eat, but everything was closed because it is a Sunday!
Tonight, we leave for an overnight train to Rome. I can't wait to return to my second home!
Michael
Today, I went to the Gardens of the Palace of Versailles. It took about an hour and forty minutes to get there from our hotel, but it went fast. I met two women from Canada, one of which now lives in Switzerland, so we spoke for about a half hour.
When we arrived at Versailles, I split up from my group because they went to the Palace, but I wanted to go to the gardens. It was very cloudy, but was still very impressive. I took a tram around the gardens because they were so big - 660 hectacres! It had a huge canal and lots of fountains as well. They were definitely excessive!
After the gardens, I headed back to my hotel to try and do laundry & grab a bite to eat, but everything was closed because it is a Sunday!
Tonight, we leave for an overnight train to Rome. I can't wait to return to my second home!
Michael
Day in Paris
Bonjour!
Yesterday, I slept in until 11:30 AM and met up with a few friends at 12:45 PM at the Louvre. Since I spent a half of a day there last year, I only wanted to see the Mona Lisa. It seemed a bit bigger this time!
After the Mona Lisa, we found a typical French cafe for lunch. It was perfect. We climbed a spiral staircase and had a whole room to ourselves. There was an open window which overlooked the street and a small piazza. There was a small orchestra playing the whole time we were eating. It was very memorable. Our waiter was very funny and helpful as well. I ordered a ham & cheese panini which was wonderful.
After lunch, we hopped on a subway to the church named Sainte-Chapel. It was beautiful. The whole second floor was hand made stained glass telling different stories from the bible. It was well worth the trip up and down two flights of spiral staircases!
Then, we went to Notre Dame to try to get in, but the line was too long. We did see a bread festival in the piazza in front of Notre Dame, though. They were making all different types of bread and even bread sculptures!
We headed back to our hotel after Notre Dame because it started reining. After resting a bit, I went and grabbed a burger from McDonalds (trust me, that's the only edible option by our hotel) and a piece of flan.
Then, I went back and changed into a dress shirt and tie for Moulin Rouge! The show was amazing. It started at 11:00 PM and each person got a half of bottle of champaign with admission. I could only have two glasses! The theater was very unique and had a lot of character. I really enjoyed the costumes and the set - they were very French. The music was very good as well and there were also very entertaining side acts in lieu of an intermission. It was a very enjoyable night!
So far, I am enjoying Paris much more the second time around. The people are nicer and the city seems to have a lot more character. Our tour guide told us that we should say bonjour before saying anything else to anyone and we will be treated better. It is working!
Today, we are going to the Gardens of Versailles. Then, I'm going to head back and do malaundry while they walk around the palace. I've already done the palace and found it a bit overrated!
Thanks for reading!
Michael
Yesterday, I slept in until 11:30 AM and met up with a few friends at 12:45 PM at the Louvre. Since I spent a half of a day there last year, I only wanted to see the Mona Lisa. It seemed a bit bigger this time!
After the Mona Lisa, we found a typical French cafe for lunch. It was perfect. We climbed a spiral staircase and had a whole room to ourselves. There was an open window which overlooked the street and a small piazza. There was a small orchestra playing the whole time we were eating. It was very memorable. Our waiter was very funny and helpful as well. I ordered a ham & cheese panini which was wonderful.
After lunch, we hopped on a subway to the church named Sainte-Chapel. It was beautiful. The whole second floor was hand made stained glass telling different stories from the bible. It was well worth the trip up and down two flights of spiral staircases!
Then, we went to Notre Dame to try to get in, but the line was too long. We did see a bread festival in the piazza in front of Notre Dame, though. They were making all different types of bread and even bread sculptures!
We headed back to our hotel after Notre Dame because it started reining. After resting a bit, I went and grabbed a burger from McDonalds (trust me, that's the only edible option by our hotel) and a piece of flan.
Then, I went back and changed into a dress shirt and tie for Moulin Rouge! The show was amazing. It started at 11:00 PM and each person got a half of bottle of champaign with admission. I could only have two glasses! The theater was very unique and had a lot of character. I really enjoyed the costumes and the set - they were very French. The music was very good as well and there were also very entertaining side acts in lieu of an intermission. It was a very enjoyable night!
So far, I am enjoying Paris much more the second time around. The people are nicer and the city seems to have a lot more character. Our tour guide told us that we should say bonjour before saying anything else to anyone and we will be treated better. It is working!
Today, we are going to the Gardens of Versailles. Then, I'm going to head back and do malaundry while they walk around the palace. I've already done the palace and found it a bit overrated!
Thanks for reading!
Michael
Friday, May 18, 2012
Paris with the Group
Bonjour!
We arrived in Paris at 1:00 PM and hopped right on a bus for a coach tour. We drove all around Paris and stopped for lunch at the Eiffel Tower. I must admit that I like Paris much more than I did last time.
Our tour took us all over and finished up around 4:30 PM. We checked into our hotel and took a half hour nap before heading out to a dinner at a French bistro. The food was okay and the creme brûlée was definitely not made right. It tasted like scrambled eggs!
Then, we took a river cruise on the Seine River for about an hour. It was beautiful as the sun was setting during our cruise.
After our cruise, we went to a club called "Oz" which was an Australian themed bar. It was pretty cool!
Tomorrow, we have the whole day free, so we're going to go to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre (and maybe Notre Dame)! Tomorrow night, I am going to see Moulin Rouge with a few people from our group.
I'll keep you updated!
Michael
We arrived in Paris at 1:00 PM and hopped right on a bus for a coach tour. We drove all around Paris and stopped for lunch at the Eiffel Tower. I must admit that I like Paris much more than I did last time.
Our tour took us all over and finished up around 4:30 PM. We checked into our hotel and took a half hour nap before heading out to a dinner at a French bistro. The food was okay and the creme brûlée was definitely not made right. It tasted like scrambled eggs!
Then, we took a river cruise on the Seine River for about an hour. It was beautiful as the sun was setting during our cruise.
After our cruise, we went to a club called "Oz" which was an Australian themed bar. It was pretty cool!
Tomorrow, we have the whole day free, so we're going to go to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre (and maybe Notre Dame)! Tomorrow night, I am going to see Moulin Rouge with a few people from our group.
I'll keep you updated!
Michael
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