Czech it out: the Prague Zoo and the Lennon Wall

Well, I've been doing some reading on Prague and it turns out they have the 7th best zoo in Europe. Conveniently, NYU had planned a trip to the zoo and we all got student rates. So it was 4.50 USD for me to get in. I didn't know what to expect from a European zoo. Would there be different animals? Would the signs be in Czech? Well, what happened next, I never would have expected.

First we walked into the monkey house, where the monkeys literally could have swung on to my head. I mean everything was open and barely gated off. Not that I minded seeing the gorillas up close and personal, but I was a little concerned, considering my huge fear of land animals. Then we came upon a door that read: "Beware of the Twilight Zone". We proceeded into a dark room with lots of possums running around, behind glass thankfully. Just when I thought I was safe though, bats starting flying through the room. Yes, real live bats. They were flying, un-caged around the zoo room. I screamed, more like shrieked, and ran through the hall to escape them. First though, I had to pass through the area they were flying in and out of. My heart beat increases to about a zillion beats per minute, but I escaped before one got stuck in my scarf.

Later we perused the strange bird section, see below.


Finally, we arrived at the main event. We turned the corner from the random birds and saw the horses. They were three horses, two of which were making babies. Yes, there were horses in the zoo, in the open, "going at it". It was all I could do not to laugh, cry, cover my eyes, stare all at the same time. I mean there were children there and who wants to have that talk with their four year old in the middle of the Prague zoo! I was shocked. Emma had mentioned that the Czech animals were rowdy, and now we had proof, besides the bats. Needless to say, I was horrified.

We continued through the normal parts of the zoo.... The lions, the elephants, the mountain goats. By that time though it had rained And my cute banana republic sweater was damp so I wanted to get back on to public transportation. We wandered around until we found the exit and boarded the bus back to the metro. I got off at Mustek and headed outdoors, back into the raw cold. It wasn't long before I found a stand that sold fried cheese. Yes, breaded cheese that they toss in a frylator and serve for two bucks on the street in a hamburger bun. Now, I don't know why McDonalds has not capitalize on this meal. It is freakishly delicious. It also probably has abut 1000 calories, but after my first one I was ready for another one.

I wandered up the main drag in old town through a little festival that was celebrating Czech National Day. There were old school knights and lady maidens dancing around. They also had food stands set up selling pork basically off the pig thigh and these delicious little cinnamon sugar rolls. I walked up the street, which is where the main protests occurred during 1989. I wandered through the streets of Prague, attempting to find the river. Instead I found some beautiful buildings including opera houses, theaters and churches. Yes, every building is beautifully designed and decorated here. Luckily it wasn't bombed like Berlin or other cities in Eastern Europe, so the old buildings have been preserved. I encountered the river and realized I was a good walk from the bridge, but who minds a walk down the river?

I walked over the St. Charles again, this time looking for the Lennon Wall. Let me explain the Lennon Wall. It is a graffitied wall in New Town with lots of lyrics from The Beatles and quotes about love and happiness. This was basically in protest to the violence from the secret police and all those issues in the 1980s. Now, it has been painted over so many times, so graffiti disappears and reappears very quickly. I loved it. There was something about being around it that made me have butterflies inside and be very, very happy.



Really... How could you not smile?

To walk back I had to cross Lovers' Lock Bridge. Also great! This is a trend that has been going on all over the world and has been banned in several cities. Lovers lock bike locks on the rails of the bridge and throw the keys into the water. It's like promising their love together. I mean how romantic is this? They had them in Florence too on the road by the Ponte Rialto, but I didn't know the story behind it.



Anyways, I returned late to the dorms and cooked up some pasta and hit the hay. I needed to prepare for a long Wednesday!

Praha, the threshold

Apparently, back in medieval times, a Princess named Prague, Praha. In Czech, Praha means threshold. She named it this because Prague lies between the two halves of Europe. Technically, the Czechs believe they are part of central Europe, but it sure feels like Eastern Europe with the language and the people and the reminders of communism. Anyways, I thought this was in interesting story since I am at the threshold of my trip. I am 28 days in, with 30 to go. I have seen four countries and I will see five more. I have only 7 or 9 cities left depending on how things go. One month down, one to go. Don't worry parents, I will need the structure of a semester of school when I return. I pick classes Halloween night!

My first day in Prague I bight groceries for 89 kC. I should mention the exchange rate is about 1 USD = 20 kC, which stand a for the Czech Koruna (pronounced like dubloon). You can get a decent amount for your money here. I bought a loaf of bread, a jar of jam, six eggs, a half gallon of orange juice for only 4.50. It's a little bit different from Switzerland. Let me tell you, it was quite nice to have a fried egg on toast for breakfast, something a little normal.

Later I set off with Emma, her boyfriend Mario and his friend Nick. First we did a quick walk through Old Town to see the famous astronomical clock, which was sweet but doesn't actually tell time. We decided to go to the metronome because they had never seen it. It is located on the other side of the river that cuts through Prague. So we crossed a bridge from Old Town to New Town, how clever. Then we proceeded up the 150 steps or so, because what is an attraction in Europe without a ridiculous amount of steps. The metronome, which is giant, was built there in 1991. Yes, the same year they knocked down the giant statue of Stalin that used to be there. You can literally see the whole city from there, no wonder there was a looming statue of their communist leader. It's a big skate park and regular park up there with tags everywhere. All very beautiful and such. We caught a tram back over the bridge and I got off by myself at the St. Charles Bridge.


Clock!


view from the Metronome

The St. Charles is filled with vendors and gives a great view overlooking the river between the two parts of Prague. I crossed over in an attempt to find goulash and the castle. I was successful with the goulash, which is basically a beef stew in a bread bowl, but it was exactly what I needed. It is cold and rainy in Prague so I needed to be warmed up! Anyways, these guys oriabboy thought I was crazy and starved because I ate all the soup and almost the entire bread bowl. I swear I could have eaten another one it was so good and only 100 kC.

Then I wandered up the street to find the castle but I had no luck so I headed for the trams. Somehow I made it back to Emmas apartment and stayed in for the night because I planned an early wake up for Tuesday.

More to post tomorrow...

Schnitzel and ribs

My weekend in Wien!

On Friday night, we headed out around ten door downtown Vienna. I was told jeans, a tank top and a sweater would be sufficient for where we were going. About 45 minutes later we were in an Irish bar, and with the exception of all the German flying around and the euros, we could have very well been in Boston. Drinks in Europe are absurdly cheap, like 2.40 for a mixed drink or beer and about one euro less for a shot. Within one minute of being in there, we were stepping over one table to get to a free one and my leg went off an invisible step. This left me with a scraped ankle and a huge bruise on my knee before the night even started. Good one, American.

We hung out there and played foosball, which I am apparently terrible at. Then we changed locations and went to a place called Alt Wien. This was a better lit, slightly classier establishment. We all had a round of beers and played a card game that one of their friends bought, which was pretty funny. It involved snatching this little wooden thing depending on what cards were on the table.

I'll just add that it was already 1 am by the time we got served our beers. Our group had grown from four to about twelve and I was ready for bed. However, can't stay in one place for too long in Vienna so we headed to their regular place. Julie was getting a glass of wine so I asked her to order me the same. Something was lost in translation because JT's girlfriend Laura also ordered me a beer and I ended up with all this sitting in front of me. Needless to say, I basically passed the drinks around until we left at 3:30!! My head was on the table I was so tired! I was so not meant for this part of the European lifestyle.

The next day I arose at 1 pm. I haven't slept that late since I got here, not even close! I showered and Julie, Laura and I headed to Fiegl's for some traditional Viennese food. Apparently, I had to have schnitzel. We each ordered veal schnitzel and aside of potato salad and greens, all for a good price of 18€. Schnitzel is basically huge breaded veal cutlets, and with a little lemon juice and some ketchup, it is delicious.

Later we went home to make volcanoes. Well, Laura and Julie made them while I watched Grey's Anatomy. They are made of cake batter which you chill and then bake. Basically they are like chocolate tortes with a center that's not completely cooked. Is there anything you can find wrong with that combination? I had one before dinner, which was served around 9 pm. We had ribs, mashed potatoes, caprese salad, broccoli, bread and some fruit. Everyone was impressed at my rib eating ability, and I have the Falkenhams to thank for that. After dinner we watched Surrogates, a Bruce Willis film of their tv. The English tv is run by the armed forces, so all the commercials are military based which is a little weird.

This morning I woke up early to see the Picasso exhibit at the Albertina. I convinced the ticket lady to let me in for student price even though I forgot my student ID at home. The Picasso exhibit was huge and amazing. Mom was right about me getting a different kind of education while in Europe. I learned a lot about Viennese history and modern facts while staying here. Also, I learned a lot about Picasso's contributions at this exhibit. I was a little bummed because there were only three exhibits there. The staterooms of the Hapsburg were pretty cool and very well preserved. I really wanted to sit in the fancy chairs, but I had already angered the ticket lady so I thought best it stay standing.

I returned to the Hilliards and did a quick turn around to the train station. Only five hours to Praha!

XO

Socks, among other modifications

So apparently, sometime between Milan Monday morning, Interlacken at the beginning of the week, Vienna for the weekend and Prague by Sunday, it became Fall. Honestly, I was too busy switching countries to really notice. Then I was outside today, breeding my little butt off. Anyways, I have decided that one month in, it is time to buy socks, and maybe a jacket. I might even consider another scarf, since this one will be in every picture!

Of course, there are other modifications. I did some deep thinking while I was on my own and on trains for zillions of hours. I decided I bit off a little more than I can chew. Apparently, it is hard to switch countries and languages and currencies for so long. I have met backpackers, all who are surprised to hear I am sticking around for more than a month. At any rate, I have decided to cut the trip short. I realized I will be leaving Spain until the end, when I will be tired and ready to return to my own bed. It needs a trip of its own. So America, prepare for my return of October 28th. It will be exactly 58 days of travel, not quite the intended 85, but surely good enough for me. I see a summer trip to Spain in my future....

Sieveringerstrabe... Oy

Just a little lesson here...
Wien is Vienna is German, had to learn that one the hard and embarrassing way.

I arrived in WIEN, last night around 10:40 at the main train station. I grabbed a cab to 48 Sieveringerstrabe which is where the Hilliard family lives. Lisa, the mom, let me in and I met JT and Julie. This morning I met Alex, who is my age. I would say the best part of this place is the bed. A real pillow and a real mattress felt amazing after traveling for so long. I didn't even set an alarm!

This morning I left for the main part of the city. in Vienna there is the ring which Is the road that surrounds all the historical sites and outside of the ring is the belt. A belt is bigger than a ring, as I was explained to by a man on the train to Austria. I saw St. Stephen's church and walked around inside. I walked up about 450 steps to the top of the South Tower to view Vienna from above. I could see all the churches and the Hapburgs Palace. After that I walked through the main square which is closed off to pedestrians and has several cafes and upscale stores. I wandered into St. michael's church and listened to the organ okayed for awhile. This is church that had it's parts built over several centuries so there are very different styles to admire throughout it.

Later I walked through the Hapsburg Palace grounds which I definitely have to go back to. All the buildings are gorgeous and they are statues and fountains dotting the entire place. I walked past parliament which puts the Capitol Buoding to shame and the University fo Vienna which outs any building at American to shame. I finally settled down for a late lunch at Cafe Stein, simply because it sounded German enough to me. I had a salad with grilled chicken and a coffee. It is nice to get some different food groups into the diet as usual. I went to another cafe next door which sold pastries and got something Austrian which tasted like chocolate mousse. I caught the closest metro and made my way back to the house.

Now I am watching Friends with Julie and eating Fudge Stripe cookies. God bless America.

XO

When you're day begins with six Saudi Arabians and ends in a Hooters... You know you are truly living the European dream

Interlacken day 3

This had to have been one of the strangest and best days of the trip thus far. It started out like any other...

I woke up Wednesday morning, got dressed up a little earner than usual, and headed down for my cereal. I was being picked up at 10:30 by Twin Paragliders, the company I was going to be paragliding with. At exactly 10:30, Peach arrived in the van to get me and bring me done the street to base camp.

They fit you out in hiking boots, for reasons I will explain later. Then you wait there for everyone else to show up. I heard one of the pilots talking to another guy like me, who was a first timer. We got to talking and turns out he is from Qatar. Then everyone starts yelling "yellah! Yellah!". Apparently the guys who were late were six friends from Saudi Arabia.

So here I am in the middle of Switzerland talking about the Middle East and shukrans and Mercis are flying all over the van on the ride up the mountain. One guy introduces all the pilots while you scale this winding road up a cliff's edge. Peach picked me, and then everyone else picked.

When you reach the top, about 880 meters high or about a half mile, you do a quick hike to the launching area. The idea behind paragliding is you and your pilot are strapped into a parachute looking thing. He controls it and you sit in front and glide slowly down. A normal flight last 10-12 minutes and if you are lucky and catch hot pockets of air you can stay up there for about a half hour.

So now I am strapped in waiting to take off. All the Arabs are running off the mountain with their pilots and catching the wind and taking off. Then on of them bails, right before me! I was nervous, but you have to pay regardless of whether you fly or not. So Peach said start running and I did. Eventually you feel your feet still running, but you are off the ground and it's amazing. The views are unbelievable and at times you swoop down among the trees or the mountain sides.

Now as most of you know, I am not very big, which helps a lot for paragliding. The lighter you are, the slower you sink to the ground. Also, Peach happen to catch some really good wind. However, when you catch these pockets of rising air, you use them to lift you up by doing 360 turns upward. Now, I never get car sick or anything, but I thought I was going to lose my frosted flakes for a little bit there. We were up so much longer than everyone else, which was awesome. But on descent we cam in faster because I was getting mad dizzy.

They take photos of you up in the air, and I got a student discount so I bought them. I also found out the answer as to why everything is so expensive in Switzerland. The salaries are ridiculously high. He says the reason a big Mac is 12 franks is because the guy making it makes about 24 franks and hour, which is about three times the US.
*
That afternoon after recovering from airsickness, I headed to a local cable car. The gondolas that take you up the larger mountains are about 60-80 franks so I stuck with the cable car for 5 franks that takes you up to a restaurant at about the same altitude as paragliding. And good thing I did!

So while enjoying the views and reading my book, I overhear two guys talking about American money to these two girls. They walked past me to get something from the cafe and on their way back I asked where they were from. Turns out they both work in Boston. I almost died. Arabs and Massachusetts people all in one day - it was too much.

The girls were from Germany and it turns out they had just met today and asked me to join them. So here we are on top of a mountain, laughing about americans and such. We headed back down about two hours later and the girls headed back to Zurich. I was hungry as I still prefer to eat around 6 pm so Saban, Aaron and I stopped at a pizza restaurant. By that time, we were old friends, enjoying the local beer together and making plans to do something in Interlaken later that night. After an ice cream I gave them my email and bid farewell.

This is where things start to take a really interesting turn. I showered and changed and just put on leggings a long take top and a long sleeve shirt with a sweater. I put my flats on because the smell of my sketchers literally makes people stand five feet away from me at all times. Then I headed over to meet up with them and we were walking back to their hostel and the casino in town was all lit up.

So we go to check it out and it's a small place so its only 5 franks to get in and minimums start at 2 franks. I had never been in a casino before but this sounded pretty reasonable. We decided to head back to the hostel and hang out and potentially return. We split a bottle of malibu and played ping pong, no joke, for like an hour and a half. We were making up these stupid rules and I was half crying I was laughing so hard.

Then we headed for the casino, probably around 11:30. So I had a ten frank bill and a twenty in my wallet. I paid with the ten and got a five frank coin back. I cashed that in for one chip. Saban tried his luck on the roulette table and lost after about a half hour. Roulette didn't really appeal to me, as there is no skill involved. So The boys and I went to blackjack. I put my five piece chip down and lost it right away. Aaron spotted me five to try again and then my luck turned. The next two hands I got twenty points on each deal. Then people started betting that I would win and I kept winning. They were cleaning up house off me because they had a lot more chips so one guy gave me a five piece chip.

Well, I started getting really excited about this and the Asian guy next to me was teaching me the strategies. And everyone who knows me, knows I am ridiculously loud. So head honcho owner man in the suit told us to settle down and that there are other people in the casino. Personally I think they were all enjoying it, and there weren't that many people there. But he was scary and had a German accent so we cooled off a bit.
Finally, we had to stop playing and I was up 50 franks and could totally see why people get addicted to this stuff. That's why dad is always telling us not to gamble. I will say the whole time we played, I never bet more than the minimum, I took it easy. Which is a shame because I got blackjack like four times.

Now, not the main road, it was dead, except for The Hooters. Apparently, that was the next logical choice. So we went into Hooters, first time for Saban and I. We got curly fries and beers and were still laughing about the casino. They walked me back to the hostel afterwards and the guy was closing up the restaurant it's attached to. He gave us free sandwiches!

Today, I put my 50 franks toward my 480 frank Eurail pass that will get me through the next month. Oh what a night!

All the little blonde children

What a couple of days!

This Tuesday I set out early to the ferry stop at Interlaken West. I bought my discount ticket and boarded at the early hour of 9 am. Now I didn't think about the fact that I would be on boat shadowed by the alps at 9 am and it would be cold. So I was shivering in my new H&M sweater and waiting fir the sun to peak out. Then things started to get interesting. A group of five 60+ Swiss women sat down at the table with me. There were the Swiss equivalent of the daisys, the senior women my mom drives around Hingham. Now, I have no idea what they were saying but I had to keep myself from laugh out loud. Apprently, older Swiss women agree by saying Yah-Yoh. I will do impersonations when I return to the states. The gossip and the yah-yohswere flying around like crazy. I just watched the scenery and listened to the ladies for the two 1/2 hr boat ride down Lake Thun.


Lake Thun

For a period of the trip, an entire class of blonde little Swiss children boarded the boat. They seemed to be on a field trip and I finally got to see a million little blonde children. They were adorable and made me miss the kiddies! Finally we arrived in Thun, pronounced Tune. there is not a whole lot going on here but I walked through one of the castles that dots the lake. It was beautifully preserved and had several fountains inside.


View from the Castle... I learned how to use my camera timer!

I wondered through several book stores in card shops because for some reason they really amuse me when everything is written in German. Later I grabbed a hamburger at a kepab place, which is what they call kebabs in Europe. Considering the only meat I have had was sliced salami and turkey, it tasted amazing. I ate the whole thing which is rare since usually can't finish a burger. Then I got a delicious apple sugary thing from the pastry place next store, because I refuse to eat a meal that is not accompanied with sugar anymore. Afterwards I finished my pastry while reading lakeside. No complaints there! Then my afternoon ferry arrived and boarded back to Interlacken.

I spent the evening buying salad ingredients since my diet has been void of vegetables as well. Oh and I got cake, for 50% off.

All in all, a solid day!
XO

ToTo, we aren't in Italy anymore...

So I have been in the lovely country of Switzerland since we crossed the border at about 10 a.m. I managed to make all my transfers correctly and find the hostel, which was actually a five minute walk from the train station. I couldn't check in yet, so I wandered around to find something for lunch. While the dollar is equal with the frank, everything in Switzerland is super pricey. I managed to find a sandwich place and get a panini and a muffin for ten franks, which wasn't too bad. Plus they were delicious. Next I investigated what I will be doing for the next two days and made myself a little itinerary. I sat down in my bed once I was ket into my room and just chilled. I realized that with the exception of that one afternoon in Bari, Alyssia and I have been going nonstop for three weeks and I need to relax.

Later I walked around the town for a little bit and down the river and saw some barns. Interlacken is a bit touristy, which lots of Swiss army knife shops and hotels. However, it is also a place for people lookingn for an adrenaline rush. There are ads for canyoning, paragliding, white water rafting, hand gliding etc. everywhere. I signed up to go paragliding on Wednesday morning. So tomorrow I will be taking a ferry down the river to see the countryside and a bunch of castles and old villages. Did I mention that it's the ferry's 175th reunion so tickets are only 17 roundtrip compared to the usual 59? Sweet.

Now, I expected to see little blond children running around everywhere here. Instead, I have never seen so many women in burkas. It's really quite odd. I didn't expect a large Muslim population in Interlaken. Also strange is that everyone staying at my hostel is Asian. The kitchen literally smells like a bad Chinese food restaurant because they all went ot the Hong Kong supermarket down the street. Not that I have anything against asians, but no one will talk to me! Will see if I get different roommates tomorrow...

Also I had Swiss beer tonight and it was delicious. The venison and cabbage and greens dish I had with it thiugh was niching to write home about. I bought some frosted flakes for the morning!

Up next in the trip:
Sept 23-26 Vienna, Austria (Freinds of the MacDonalds)
Sept 26-28 Prague, Czech Republic (Emma)
Sept 29-Oct 1 Berlin, Germany (Genna)

XO

Milan, the city of shoes

I'm writing this entry from the Cialsipino which is the trenitalia train that runs from Italy into Switzerland like ten times or so each each. Luckily my ticket costs only 73 dollars as online it said 103. However, I do have to make two transfer so we'll see how that goes.

I cannot believe our trip to Italy has come to a close. This Wednesday I will have been backpacking for three weeks and have completed 1/4 of my trip across Europe. It seems almost surreal when I think about how much I have seen and yet still there is more!

A quick recap of the last two days in Milan...

On Saturday, we ventured down to the Duomo and climbed up 220 steps to the top. It was three extra euros to take "the lift" and that was my gelato money. Plus, this was a breeze after the Duomo in Firenze. We got to the top and you are literally in the arches of the top of the church. You are surrounded by the statues and towers and it's pretty cool. The view is ok, because Milan is truly a city and has some really ugly parts, unlike previous places we have been in.





We walked around some more on Via Dante, which is lined with restaurants and shops until it started to downpour. So we cut our losses and stopped at a pizzeria for lunch. It was one of the best pizzas we have had so far, and trust me, there have been many. I remember I waited on three Asian girls this summer who were take pictures of each of the dishes I served them. I thought it was really funny and very weird, but now here I am in Italy, snapping pictures of the pizzas.

After lunch we walked through a castle and by Milan's central park. Then we managed to get a free map in order to head over to Via Montenapoleone. This is a street famous in Milan for all high end stores: Valentino, Versace, Gucci, Cartier... The list goes on and on. Of course the window displays are beautiful, but the people on the street, wearing items from these stores and carrying the bags are far more impressive. I was just happy I opted for my new, fake leather, Italian made flats in stead of my sketchers. The guy next to me on this train is carrying a Longchamp laptop bag if that's any indication of how men and women are here.

From Abroad Fall 2010

Fountain in fro of the castle

Later I spent an hour looking for a laundromat and Alyssia and I ate dinner. This time, Alyssia drank all the sparkling wine, and was am using to say the least. Also, this night I only woke up once to the tiny Asian roommate snoring like a truck driver.

On Sunday, I was out of money for shopping so we bought train tickets to Lake Como. north of Milan there is a huge lake district. Honestly, I would have never thought to go there but my high school English teacher recommended it. The train ride is an hour and brings you tot he most southern point of Lake Como, which is one of three main lakes on the north.

Per usual, we grabbed pizza for lunch followed by gelato. We sat by the lakeside eating gelato and the temperature was a perfect 76ish. Who could ask for more? We took the funicularo up. 760 meters up the side of one of the mountains that surrounds the lake. The panoramic view is amazing and a camera cannot even begin to capture it. Afterwards, we walked along the lake. Unfortunately, you can only rent boats and take wakeboarding rides in the northern parts of the lakes. I would not have minded that at all!



That night, I finally found a laundromat, which was an interesting experience to say the least. 7.50€ for a wash and dry for all the clothes I currently possess. The smell of clean clothes is literally amazing. Oh I also bought a hair dryer and a straightener. The are the smallest things I have ever seen, but so completely worth the 25€ I paid since I was tired of looking like a wild woman with my crazy hair everyday.

Alyssia and I went our separate ways this morning. I will miss her, but i think it will be good for us to talk to other people for a little while! Surprisingly, seeing her go off to school didn't change my feelings about my trip. I thought I would long for the structure but so far I love what I am doing and I am so glad I made the decision to travel! Don't worry dad, I will go back to college in January.

Oh also I ordered a brioche crema and a acqua naturale at a cafe this morning. The whole exchange was conducted in Italian. It's pretty amazing what three weeks in a country will do for you! I was also mistaken for an Italian on the train, although this has happened to Alyssia and I quite a few times.

I'll write again from the Swiss Alps in Interlacken. I think a currency change and a language change will be interesting...

XO

Milan e McDonalds

Yesterday Alyssia and I arrived in Milano, Italy. We got settled in Hotel Emmy (I would like to point out we are 6 for 6 on hostels and have been very lucky with very thing we selected, especially since we never paid more than 24 dollars a night) and changed to look good for the Milanese. We took the metro to the center of town which drops you off in the Piazza de Duomo. As usual, there is a HUGE CHURCH in the Piazza. We walked around, grabbed a gelato and sat on the main statue in the piazza. I had bananas, mixed berries and mango! Soooooo delicious.

We walked down Via Torino to do some shopping, I have been wearing the same clothes for way too long. Also, it is beginning to get colder, so I need some long sleeve shirts and a sweater. We found an H&M of course and there were some great finds. You have to buy up a size in everything because it's European but not too bad.

That evening, we dined at a marvelous restaurant: McDonalds.
Now, Mickey Ds is a lot different in foreign countries. The menu is limited and the restaurants are really nice inside. At the McCafe you buy cake, which I obviously did. It had multiple layers and was served on plate for only 2.40€.



We returned late to the hostel and got settled for the evening, awaiting a longer day!

*

Today, we woke up early and got breakfast in bed! Now, let me explain. The hotel we are staying at has no common room or kitchen for breakfast. So you tell the cute old Muslim lady if you would like coffee or tea and she brings you a tray with your choice, some juice, a chocolate filled croissant and another unknown pastry. It was great! The coffee made me feel like I could run a marathon... Way too much caffeine!

Then we departed for the main square again. We climbed the 220 steps of the duomo to look over Milan. It was not as pretty as Florence, but when you are on top you are in the arches of the church and surrounded by statues and figurines. The inside was pretty amazing too. It was gigantic and the columns were as wide as redwood trees, not like I have seen any of these but from what I can imagine. Luckily Alyssia and I were well covered that day and we were allowed in!

Next we walked down Via Dante to another square. It started to pour so we traveled through some other shops before stopping to get a pizza. I think it was one of the best we have had so far. I literally could have eaten it twice over. Later we walked through an old castle and the outskirts of Milan's version of Central Park. Later we walked down the famous Via Montenapoleone. It has every high end couture store imaginable... Valentino, Gucci, Versace etc. What is even more impressive is the people you see walking down the street with bags from these various stores and beautiful shoes. Alyssia and I were not wearing our sketchers but we certainly were not on that level!

Now we have returned to the hotel for dinner and to avoid the pouring rain. I think a bottle of wine is in order!

XO

P.S. I have learned how to post pictures from the iPad so expect a lot!

On the Grand Canal!

Venice, the city of love and gondolas

Until wednesday, my best view of Venice had been the opening chase scene in the Italian Job. Now since I have seen the city, I can't imagine how they ever filmed that movie! There are literally gondolas everywhere!

Venice is a place that I wish I could bring everyone to, especially the Craigville crew. Everything is done by boat. There are taxi boats, police car boats, postal boats and huge ferries to bring people around the grand canal and find their respective hotels.

We arrived at Venice Mestre, the train station in modern, not filled with water section of Venice, around 11am on Wednesday. Luckily, our hotel (yes, we are staying in style now) was located about a seven minute walk from the station. We have accumulated a lot more stuff in the past two weeks! We checked in, changed and departed for historical Venice.

To get there, you have to take a train or a bus over the bridge for 1€. It takes about ten minutes and when you step out of the Venezia Santa Lucia station, you are on the grand canal. It was sunny and blue skies the minute we got there and just beautiful. I think we took a combined 200 pictures on the first day. We wandered through the narrow streets and alleyways, and around several bridges to the Ponte Rialto. This is the famous bridge of Venice and is crowded with shops on either side and tons of tourists. There is murano glass everywhere! There were gorgeous mirrors, necklaces, frames, light fixtures... You literally want to buy everything. However, backpacking limits the purchasing of breakables, so I only purchased one gift... For Tree!

Next we walked through more winding parts of Venice. Thankfully there are tourist proof signs everywhere pointing you to the important sights. We reached the Piazza San Marco, which is huge. It's the famous piazza with all the pigeons. One guy was lying on the ground covered in bits of bread and pigeons. He has a piece of pretzel sticking out of his mouth for pigeons to nibble on. It was disgusting. Personally, the pigeons here freak me out. They fly at eye level and you always feel like you are going to get knocked out by one. Those coupled with the stray dogs are going to cut ten years off my life.

As usual, we purchased a gelato and enjoyed it sitting in the Piazza, on the outskirts, far away from the pigeons. The basillica of St. Mark's is in the Piazza and it's beautiful. It is enormous much like the other ones and it still very white with smaller more detailed figurines on the outside. Surrounding the Piazza are several upscale restaurants, each one has a small orchestra playing. Seriously, a violinist, a cellist, a pianist etc. So lovely music floats through the area.

Next we walked along the Bay of St. mark's. There are two other islands off the coast of Venice and we could see one from there. We sat along the wall's edge and I put my legs in the water, which was surprisingly cleaner than I thought. However, I did manage to soak my skirt which was bummer. We walked along the bay for awhile and decided to return to the hotel. Somehow, we took a wrong turn and ended up in Piazza St. Campo. We looked for this place on the map for fifteen minutes, until we realized it was on the very edge and we were about to drop off Venice into the water. We had literally walk the entire city of Venice, and now we had to get back. I don't know how people there do it. It's so confusing! Luckily, there are no cars or Vespas so we had no chance of getting hit as we wandered aimlessly back to the train station.

That night, after a hearty meal of salami, chicken, bread, olives, tomato and mozzarella, our roommates arrived. They happened to be from Uruguay and we were speaking spanish. Well, they were slurring Spanish and I was trying to conjugate verbs. I think I need to practice before I hit Spain in October! Needless to say, Alyssia was quite amused.

Firenze (fear-N-zay)

Hello follewers and family members...

Alyssia and I have been busy gallavanting (yes, there is no other word to describe what we have been doing) through Florence, Italy. Obviously, we have Americanized this word, which made me sad. So here, Florence is Firenze which I prefer. Anyways, we are staying in the hostel 7 Santi which is actually a converted convent attached to a church. This makes for an interesting stay, since we hear the church bells often. However, this place has better showers than my house, so I have no complaints.

An overview of what we have been doing...

Day 0
We arrived in Florence at night and after a little bit of trouble found our hostel, which also has a restaurant. Our dear waiter friend brought us out a table since all the other ones were taken my a large party. We have bow tie pasta and tiramisu and it was delicious. After one of the best hot showers, we "hit the hay" to prepare for our next day.

Day 1
Now while I love our hostel, it is certainly not in the center of Firenze for USD17 per night. It's about an hour walk to the duomo, maybe more because Alyssia and I feel the need to stop into everything market on the planet. On this day it happened to be an open market with lots of cheap clothing and some second hand stuff. Finally though, with our trusty map we made it to the Duomo. The sheer size of this church and basilicca is so overwhelming you cannot fit it in your camera lens. You cannot even take in the whole scene while you are standing in front of it. It's beautifully decorated on the outside and many of the churches in the area have the green and white striping exterior. Next, we reopened the map to find the infamous leather markets. The smell and sheer amount of leather was amazing. We wandered through and endning up buying scarves and a gift for my Daddio. You literally could spend days and dollars there!

Next we headed over to the Piazza del Signoria. This is the piazza right outside the Uffizi museum. It is filled with statues that have been found all over Italy. We just sat there and took in the views around the piazza and rested our feet. This is also right by the main river that cuts around the outside of Florence. We got a great view of the Ponte Vecchio, which is a famous bridge that has little apartments attached to the outside. Of course, I can't post pictures yet! But they will come soon.

That night, we sat down for dinner and had spaghetti bella napoli and a ricotta and mozzarella calzone. It was all so delicious as is everything here. However, one of the best drinks so far were the mojitos we got at a nearby bar. Fresh mint and freshly squeezed limes... So delicious! A bunch of men were in there watching a soccer game and yelling, so it felt like true Italy.

Day 2
We decided to take one of our day trips on Sunday and boarded the SITA bus to Siena around noon. Siena is like a mini, much less modern Florence. We learned that it has 17 original families, each with their own crest and flag. Celebrations and festivals are frequent and on that day they were celebrating juliet's birthday. Yes, Juliet from Romeo & Juliet. Men in brightly colored tights were waving flags and drumming and it was a great scene. The piazza there is really impressive and slopes down into the center. Apparently there is huge horse race called the Palio held there every year, which I imagine would be interesting to watch. The duomo there is quite beautiful as well and I took a peak inside to see how gaudy it was, maybe the most thus far. While we did not see many Siena people, I think they must be very skinny as the whole town is hills!

On the bus ride back to Firenze, we met a lovely couple from New York who we talked to most of the bus ride back. We warned them that we had really only talked to each other in the past week and a half, and that's why we were so chatty!

That night on the way back from the train station, we stopped at a little trattoria for dinner. I had spaghetti with vongole, or clams and it was delicious. It blew away the dishes I had had on Cape Cod! We also saw a boy from AU at the place which was very strange. Alyssia told me this would happen sooner or later.

Day 3
Back on my last day at 586, I waited on two couples from Ohio. We got to talking about their trip to Cape Cod and my impendingg adventure to Europe came up. Well don't you know that one of the couples and their son were headed to Rome and Florence for two weeks during september. So I gave them my email address assuming they would probably forget about it. The I got an email from them asking to meet up for lunch! I figured family from them Midwest can't be too bad! So we met them for lunch and I had raviolis. They were super nice and treated up to lunch and gelato. We ended up spending the rest fo the afternoon together and went to the markets again and inside the Duomo. Nick (the dad) and Nicholas and I climbed up 436 steps to the top of the tower to get a full view of the whole city. It was a great view even though it was cloudy out. A lot of the Europeans were huffing and puffing, too many chocolate treats for breakfast I would assume. Also, 60% of our countries would not have fit in these winding staircases (mom, you would not have liked it!)

That night after wandering through the rain to find our hostel, we realized we were next to a supermarket. So we got a baguette, some olives, mozzarella cheese, salami and a bottle of wine, all for 12 euros. We ate our little feast and then started on the wine. We had some good laughs with the other person sharing our room, a boy from Las Vegas. I drank about 3/4 of the bottles, to say I had the giggles is an understatement.

Day 4
Today we headed off to Greve, which is a little country town that is also accessible by the SITA bus. The view from the bus were pretty breathtaking as you wind up and down the mountainside. The town is super small and we stopped in the center for a gelato. Then we basically hiked up this mountain to get better views. We could see the whole countryside and some vineyards which as pretty cool. I sang the sound of music as our theme song / background music.

Later that day we waited 1 hr and 10 minutes to get into the Uffizi which was less than impressive. Yes of course there was some great art and a decent amount of stuff I recognized, but overall I though there would be more in the place for ten euros and sort of wished we went to see the David instead. Still a good show though and I recommend reserving the tickets in advance.

So that was Florence! I already want to come back!
Besides my twenty five bug bites and my breakout on my forehead, I would say the trip is going quite well!

Off to Venice!
XO

"Roughing it"

Well, I have been painting a beautiful picture of this lovely country that Alyssia and I have been traveling through. However, I felt that I needed an entry to describe what backpacking through Europe is really like.

The contents of my backpack:
3 t-shirts
2 tank tops
2 pairs of shorts
2 pairs of jeans
3 dresses
1 jumper (!!)
2 sweaters
1 long sleeve shirt
2 prs of leggings

Oh and of course I have bras and underwear and one bathing suit. I brought some make up and my toiletries and vaseline and tea tree oil. There's band aids and an iPad and my camera and a couple of chargers.

But that's it folks. Yes, me Camille David traveling for three months with no jewelry and one handbag (well, not now that I bought a leather one in sorrento). We stay in hostels, which I don't mind because we meet new friends and learn about people and places that in ever met or seen before. However, in italy there are no screens and currently ihave 13 bug bites on my left arm and 6 on my face.

No to mention I wash my underwear in the sink, along with my other clothes. In our last hostel I hung my shorts to dry and they blew off on to the rooftop below. So much for my shorts.

So were not exactly roughing it... But there is a level of grimy that I haven't really reached before. I definitely appreciate washer and dryers.

XO

PDA: Public Display of "Americaness"

If you have ever ridden an Amtrak from Boston to New York, you just hop on a sit down. If you want some quiet, you get on the quiet car. If you want to risk sitting next to a family of five on their first trip to the big apple, you sit down anywhere else.

Now, Alyssia and I board the train to Bari at the Caserta station after a long day of crappy weather and sitting in the dirty Naples train station. We are a little ferklempt, to use a term fo my mother's. We get on the train and find two seats together and plop down. Then the Italian hands and words begin flying from the people who seats we have taken. Oh we have reservations! There is assigned seating on this train! You can see the Italians rolling their eyes.

Finally we waddled through three carts to reach our appropriate seats begin to watch One Tree Hill for the next four hours. Everything seems safe, normal, and excitement of a new city is creeping upon us. Then we get to Bari, at 9pm, not too late for Italy. That's when our luck begins to turn, in a bad way. We tried getting directions to bus number four and eventually a bus driver grabbed us and put us on his bus. He pointed where to get off and we waited for the next bus. Did I mention it was raining?

We climb aboard the bus, where negative 10 people speak English and try to look for our stop on the dark. Finally we had to get off and wandered across a trashy Piazza to a pizzeria. They said we had long passed our destination and tried to call us a cab. Heads up travelers, cabs in Bari don't like to work late and will not come get you. So the señorita from the pizza place loads us into her teeny car and drives us there. Now, we might think this move was questionable, but walking down the streets with my camera and iPad in the dark and the rain didn't seem like a good option.

Finally we get to the hostel, or so we thought. The hostel is actually down a winding, poorly lit road behind a sports complex. A guy there who we asked directions from also offered to drive us. No thanks pal, I do not make friends with Italian men. Thank god we got there and the beds and showers were good. We had one roommate who looked like an African queen, I named her lawfunda.

My advice, do not go to Bari. While the castles are cool and the port is lovely to look at, there is nothing to do when it rains. Our beach plans were shattered and I shed a small tear inside. However, the gelato by the main theatre is amazing!!

I will post about Florence tomorrow! (Firenze and I are in love by the way, and I have been here only 22 hours!)

Roma i Napoli, with a few fun tales in between

I guess I haven't talked about what I have actually been doing for the last week. So here's a day by day update, just so my parents know I am doing something worthwhile during my semester off.

Day 0-1
We schlepped through the streets, narrowly avoiding getting hit by any cars and made it to the pizzeria. This is where you check in, get free breakfast and 10% off the rest of your meals. After a good hot shower and a pizza, we were ready for bed. The next day, we walked about give or six miles around Rome to see the colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We discovered that Rome has these little drinking fountains everywhere. You can drink the water and splash it over yourself which is good because the temps have been in the eighties.

Day 2 meant the Vatican which was really interesting. I got to see a lot of nuns and guards but no Pope, not even a bishop or a cardinal or whatever. We went in st. Peter's Basicalla which was pretty overwhelming. There were dead popes and statues and everything in this huge church. I would not mind dying if I knew I was going to be buried and remembered in this way. Next we went on to the Sistine Chapel. While it did cost 15 euro, it was totally worth it. I couldn't believe that was it, you see it so many times copied over and reproduced that you almost can't believe it's the real thing. I recognized many of the panels and just marveled at how hard it must have been to accomplish such a task. You cannot see fine details from the floor if you are looking at the ceiling, that's how high it is.

After a lunch of mozzarella and tomato pizza, we did a little more window shopping before grabbing the metro back to the city. Oh and I had a gelato! Mango, missed berries and lemon and it was amazing, I want it all day, every day. Of course Alyssia and I went to the hostel restaurant and got some pasta and salad and a tarfulo or something like that.

On day three, we ventured to the south and walked along the river to see some ancient bridges, more statues and finally ended up in Campo de Fiori. This is filled with Italians and tourists alike enjoying food and shopping and just hanging out in the square with two beautiful fountains. We went to the Pantheon which was covered in metal to support it. It was still really cool inside though with it's huge dome and Latin ingrained everywhere. I managed to spend 4€ on lunch for a piece of pizza and a cup of cantaloupe, both which were delicious. I eat pizza all this time here, it's so great.

Day 4
We traveled to Naples on a Tren Italia train and arrived in the dirty city. No offense to anyone who is Napoleon (Napoites?), but the place isn't exactly clean and the garbage workers' strikes certainly did not help matters. Fortunately, our hostel is in Portico neighborhood. Unfortunately, these people do not believe in food, only pastries. Normally I would be ok with this, however after l
Inge days of sightseeing, I need my carbs. I spent a couple hours walking around the neighborhood and seeing the port.

Day 5
Today we ventured to Pompeii. By venture, I mean a loooooooooong metro ride. Pompeii was just as I remembered, it is preserved in ash you know. We saw the dead people which were very cool and creepier than I remember. I got in a slight tussle while trying to get a water refund because the guy sold us sparkling. Needless to say, I got a 50% discount on our water. After a tomato and mozzarella panini, we headed off to Sorrento. We took in the breathtaking sights and the breathtaking leather. Yes, they both take your breath away. We managed to bargain down about 20 bucks which was sweet. (You raised me right, Mommabear). After the our chase of a few more gifts, we headed home to Fabric a hostel where we are know watching Meet the Parents!

*

There are a couple of differences I noticed between the states and Italy. For one, they do not really believe in screens or air conditioning. Luckily the temperatures have not been bad at night when we are trying to fall asleep. However, during the day, there is no real difference between outside under the sun and inside a shop, which can be tough. Next, the Italians are a hard sell. Alyssia and I were in a clothing shop trying on clothes. They come and fix how it looks on you and add accessories, it feels like personal shoppers on J Crew, not like I have ever had one of these. After they fix you up with the belts and the scarves you want to buy everything. I bought a tight blue knit dress with a collar that makes it cir neck or off the shoulder. I also bought pants which seem to be the trend in Europe. They are higher waisted and scrunched at the bottom.

Lastly, just because a sign says something, does not mean it's true. Alyssia and I spent twenty minutes in the train station this morning looking for the information booth and ended up walking in circles. Street signs are not bright green or blue, but rather plaques engraved on the walls of buildings. People are generally friendly and helpful, but you have to wonder how many times they get asked... Spanish steps??

You need a brolly and wellies!

Well, you may notice that these are not Italian words. However, Alyssia learned she will be needing these items (an umbrella and rain boots) while staying in london. Lou and Samy informed us of this fact. They are two British girls who just finished up two weeks of backpacking through Italy. They informed me that Lou has a 16 kilo backpack on her back and a smaller backpack in front and a hand bag. And my mom thought I was packing too much. They were basically horrified that my backpack weighed 9 kilos,about 25 pounds. Anyways, we met them and two Mormon boys from Oregon who attend BYU Idaho. Yes, I found this quite strange. They are our two roomates along with some German people who don't speak any English.

Our hostel is pretty cool because it used to a be a Fabric Factory. The showers are awesome and I almost feel like I am at home... Except for the italian spoken everywhere and the random 30 other travelers. The hostel is located in Portico, which is a neighborhood to the east of Naples. It's on the train line to Pompeii and Sorrento so we will head there tomorrow.

Naples, unlike Rome is very dirty. However, we managed to eat today, including pizza, chicken kabob sandwich and gelato for under 10 euro. You can't say no to that. Personally, I would rather spend all my money on the leather, the smell of which is intoxicating. Ive heard it's best to wait till Florence, which I plan on doing.

Thus far, I am pleased with the hostel experience and finally meeting some friends. Tonight after dinner and gelato we watched The Departed. I explained to everyone that they would not get shot up or drugged if they hose to visit Boston, MA. Also the movie cut off right after Matt Damon kills off everybody so I retold the ending scene where Mahky Mahk gets revenge in his hospital booties.

OH! I almost forgot! I swam in the Mediterranean today. It wasn't quite craigville beach, but it was pretty warm and salty!

XO

Its like Rome itself is telling me to eat.

Alas, we have arrived!

Alyssia and I checked into Hostel Vascanzaroma yesterday, had quick showers and then grabbed pizzas at the restaurant the hostel people own. Today we roamed around the city for five hours and for about 5 miles. We saw the Coloseo, the Trevi Fountains and walked up the Spanish steps. I also bought a converter to charge my dead camera battery. (Unprepared, ok a little... but it was only nine euros!).

We will be heading off to dinner at the same restaurant again and I may just finish another pizza again.

Just a little fun fact before I get kicked off the internet...

Jet Airways India is a lovely airline. Free checked bags, free dinner, free breakfast, free movies, and free alcohol? Ill take that any day. I watch Sex and the City 2 while having a screwdriver and fell asleep for two blissful hours, even though the baby and few rows back was screaming its little head off.

More to come and pictures!!

XO

Excuse me, where is the nearest dunkin donuts?

I write this entry aboard the Jet Airways India airbus, to be uploaded to the Internet later. All this who questioned my new favorite airline shield be ashamed! First of all, they seem to be in partnership with American Airlines, however that is not definite. Also, they serve decent food, I am enjoying a muffin and some lopes right now. They have cute Indian flight staff and there is stuff written in English and something that looks like Sanskrit, my first ignorant american comment on this three month journey.

Did I mention I was going for three months, that being the reason for el passaporte in the first place. Well that realization came rushing in at about 6:10 p.m. When I saw American soil for the last time for awhile. Now I understand why Leigh Harlow was in such a tailspin for the past week. She had that feeling, except times three.

Not that I am incredibly sad to leave the melting pot. But my brother is going off to college and my mom is renting our house, so alas the America I return to will be very different. A better one, I hope! I'm hoping by then we will have solve the whole financial thing, ended the war, and created peace in the middle east. Yes, country, I expect to be very busy these next three months, and I believe you should follow suit. I'm sure the fellow americans, even the tea-par tiers would agree.

Meanwhile, I land in Brussels in 1 hr and will have had a solid 2 broken hours of sleep. Yes, we should all feel bad for Alyssia who has the fun job of dealing with me. I never quite grew out of the toddler phase in that I am cranky when I don't sleep or eat. She has decided to combat this by parking ourselves in a waffle house. Oh yes, a Belgium waffle house.

b jealous.
XO