So last I left off, Andy and I were departing from Berlin to go to Amsterdam. I was super excited to go to Amsterdam because I had always heard how pretty it is and how much fun a person can have there. I'd also heard that the hostel we were staying in, The Flying Pig, was amazing. I don't know what all of my friends that have been to Amsterdam were on when they told me this, but I honestly did not enjoy the city. This may have been because 1) it was 40 degrees and raining the whole time we were there 2) our hostel was super ghetto, loud, and reeked of pot (I know, should have realized this would be true in Amsterdam) 3) it is super expensive. When we arrived, it was 6 in the morning and Andy and I passed out in our room until about 10 minutes before we were supposed to go on our tour. We rushed down to breakfast, where everything was already eaten, and started the miserably cold walk to Dam square to meet our guide. Since our group was so large, we were split between 2 guides, and Andy and I were unfortunate enough to be with all the Jersey Shore reject guidos and a pissy Swede tour guide. Amsterdam's history was as strange as the city. We started in the red light district, where we saw a church that was surrounded by hookers in windows, a coffee shop, and a kindergarten. Our guide explained that this is normal in Amsterdam because everything here is considered okay as long as it brings in money. This may be another reason why I was so turned off by the city. We saw a few cool things on the tour, like this street where homeless people can live and not be kicked out, a one room wide house, and the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company. After the tour, a large group of our new friends decided to explore the "coffee shops," which was a cluster because no one could figure out where they wanted to go, etc. We finally ended up going to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum, which was really cool, since Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists, but was not worth the 14 euro entrance fee. Andy and I ended up going home and just chilling at the hostel so we could stay warm.
Day 2 I overslept and Andy and I just decided to go off and do things on our own, which was much better than trying to organize a giant group of people. We wandered around the canals and went into some really cool stores, like a store full of items such as a "Food Face" plate and cooking drumsticks, as well as the coolest vintage store ever. We ended up eating lunch at some overpriced Argentinian restaurant because Dutch food sucks, then waited in the freezing cold rain to go to the Anne Frank House. I really enjoyed touring the rooms where the Frank family hid, as well as the final exhibit where you can vote on current freedom of speech and civil rights issues. We decided to call it quits after the museum and again just spent the night chilling at our hostel. After Amsterdam, I was truly ready to head on to Paris!
Perugia
martedì 9 novembre 2010
lunedì 8 novembre 2010
The Grand Tour Part II: Berlin
Sorry the description of the 10 day journey is taking longer than 10 days, but life is back in full swing here in Florence.
So after being in beautiful Prague, we woke up and drove for 6 or 7 hours to Berlin. Honestly, Berlin was the city I was least excited about on this trip because I really had no interest in Germany, since I find the language so harsh. I would like to say Berlin may have been my favorite city on the trip, and I know it was Andy's. Berlin is awesome! It is humungous, with of course a very efficient public transportation system (this is Germany). Our hostel, Plus Berlin, was great. Andy and I lucked out and were given a private room with it's own bathroom, which was fabulous. We arrived in Berlin late in the afternoon, so not enough time to go out on the town yet, but Andy and I got ready for the Berlin nightlife by eating a kebab (we went looking for curry wurst, but could not find a stand. We joined the group for a pub crawl around Berlin, mainly because we only had one night in the city and we kept hearing how bizarre Berlin bars and clubs are. I will say Berlin has some of the best nightlife I have ever encountered. We started the night at this bar that I felt was a mix of Fuse and He's Not Here in Chapel Hill. I would call it the equivalent of a hipster bar, with random band posters on the wall, a sculpture that lit on fire every 15 minutes, and a backyard with a fire pit and an abandoned VW van. This place was pretty cool, except for the drug dealers that kept encouraging us to go buy some cocaine. After this bar, we went to a super-crowded wine bar, then to a really posh bar with padded leather couches and fancy chandeliers. Along the way a group of Ausies joined us, and they were way more out of control than any of the Americans. Case in point, on the way to bar four, an underground dance bar, an Ausie fell down the steps with a beer bottle in his hand, sliced his hand open, bled all over the bar, went and found Andy because he took a liking to him and kept asking him for a band-aid. We ditched most of the Ausies at bar 4 when we continued on to bar 5, a legit disco right across the street from our hostel. I really enjoyed ending the night to a German techno dance party. I never really got why everyone called Berlin's nightlife bizarre, but it is definitely varied and fun!
Day 2 we were taken on the best walking tour of our trip. Andy and I had this awesome guide named George from Missouri who was animated and really passionate about German history. We saw such fascinating places as the Reichstag, the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the holocaust memorial, the location of Hitler's bunker, and of course, the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled baby Blanket out the window. After the tour, me, Andy, and our roommates from Prague went to this museum called the Pergamon which has the gates of Ishtar from the Babylonian gardens and this ancient altar from Turkey. It wans't as cool as we thought it was going to be, but I can now say I've seen one of the ancient wonders of the world. Afterwards we roamed around some cool side streets before heading back to our hostel, where we had to load all of our belongings for the next leg of our trip: Amsterdam.
So after being in beautiful Prague, we woke up and drove for 6 or 7 hours to Berlin. Honestly, Berlin was the city I was least excited about on this trip because I really had no interest in Germany, since I find the language so harsh. I would like to say Berlin may have been my favorite city on the trip, and I know it was Andy's. Berlin is awesome! It is humungous, with of course a very efficient public transportation system (this is Germany). Our hostel, Plus Berlin, was great. Andy and I lucked out and were given a private room with it's own bathroom, which was fabulous. We arrived in Berlin late in the afternoon, so not enough time to go out on the town yet, but Andy and I got ready for the Berlin nightlife by eating a kebab (we went looking for curry wurst, but could not find a stand. We joined the group for a pub crawl around Berlin, mainly because we only had one night in the city and we kept hearing how bizarre Berlin bars and clubs are. I will say Berlin has some of the best nightlife I have ever encountered. We started the night at this bar that I felt was a mix of Fuse and He's Not Here in Chapel Hill. I would call it the equivalent of a hipster bar, with random band posters on the wall, a sculpture that lit on fire every 15 minutes, and a backyard with a fire pit and an abandoned VW van. This place was pretty cool, except for the drug dealers that kept encouraging us to go buy some cocaine. After this bar, we went to a super-crowded wine bar, then to a really posh bar with padded leather couches and fancy chandeliers. Along the way a group of Ausies joined us, and they were way more out of control than any of the Americans. Case in point, on the way to bar four, an underground dance bar, an Ausie fell down the steps with a beer bottle in his hand, sliced his hand open, bled all over the bar, went and found Andy because he took a liking to him and kept asking him for a band-aid. We ditched most of the Ausies at bar 4 when we continued on to bar 5, a legit disco right across the street from our hostel. I really enjoyed ending the night to a German techno dance party. I never really got why everyone called Berlin's nightlife bizarre, but it is definitely varied and fun!
Day 2 we were taken on the best walking tour of our trip. Andy and I had this awesome guide named George from Missouri who was animated and really passionate about German history. We saw such fascinating places as the Reichstag, the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the holocaust memorial, the location of Hitler's bunker, and of course, the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled baby Blanket out the window. After the tour, me, Andy, and our roommates from Prague went to this museum called the Pergamon which has the gates of Ishtar from the Babylonian gardens and this ancient altar from Turkey. It wans't as cool as we thought it was going to be, but I can now say I've seen one of the ancient wonders of the world. Afterwards we roamed around some cool side streets before heading back to our hostel, where we had to load all of our belongings for the next leg of our trip: Amsterdam.
mercoledì 3 novembre 2010
The Grand Tour (a blog in 4 parts)
Ciao a tutti, I haven't written in so long! My life has been a bit hectic pretty much the entire month of October. Andy arrived, I had to give my students a mid-term, I was booked up every day for tutoring, and trying to think of better ways to explain English to 40 year old bankers.
After a very busy few weeks did I have a relaxing fall break? No! Instead Andy and I went on a ten day bus tour around Europe, hitting Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris. Why did I sign us up for this trip? Well, I figured I have only one real break during the semester and instead of flying somewhere new every weekend I would try to hit as many cities that were on my list of places to go as I could in one swoop. So imagine a 10 day trip with 90 other people, mainly American students aged 19-22, and over 50 hours on a bus. Though I had a ton of fun and met some great new friends, I don't think I will ever travel by bus again!
So our first stop on our European extravaganza was Prague. Everyone, I mean everyone, should go to Prague! It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Such a contrast to the ugly war-ridden history of the Czech Republic. Also, the country is way cheaper than the rest of Europe because they haven't switched over to the euro yet. 1 euro is worth 25 czech crowns right now, so our money went a long way!
We arrived in Prague on a Friday morning after a 12 hour bus ride and pulled up to the best hostel I have ever stayed in called The Mosaic House. Each room had it's own bathroom with heated floors and a legit shower, the beds were super comfortable, they had the best breakfast spread, and they had a bar with a big screen TV that constantly played ESPN America (for my football loving boyfriend). Our first activity was a three hour walking tour of the city with our lovely Welsh guide Sarah. We saw all the great sites of Prague, the Astronomical clock, the old town, the new town, where Tom Cruise is staying while filming Mission Impossible 4, etc. After learning everything there is to know about Prague's history (most of which had to do with kicking other people out of the city), Andy and I met up with my friend Salva. I hadn't seen Salva in a year since he had left UNC and I was so excited to be reunited with one of my favorite Spaniards. Salva did a great job of showing us places in Prague that we didn't see on our tour and we got to enjoy a few delicious Pilsners and pretzels. I think reuniting with Salva was my favorite part of Prague. After parting ways, Andy and I joined our group for a Pub Crawl through Prague. Normally I do not enjoy pub crawls because I feel they are just another way to look like an ignorant American tourist, but we wanted to hang out with the group and not be creepy loners, so we joined in. This was by far the sketchiest night of the trip. Our first locale was a basement in an abandoned church where we had an open bar of beer in plastic bottles and some moonshine sangria, mixed in with free shots of absinthe. The basement was decorated like a hippie den with tapestries and hookahs scattered about, as well as a giant statue of Stalin's head. We then moved to the actual church, which is now a disco, where I met a frenchman who spoke Italian and chatted with him for like an hour, then tried to dance salsa with Andy, but he wanted to create his own steps instead of actually salsa dancing. At this point Andy and two of our roommates, Andrew and Kevin, went on a search for munchie food and found a sausage stand that sold the biggest hotdogs you have ever seen for the equivalent of 2 euro. We then headed hom instead of continuing to the next two discos.
The next day we woke up bright and early and climbed a giant hill that had the best views of Prague. We then trekked over to Prague castle, which is the biggest castle in Europe, and explored the area, including the giant cathedral inside the castle. Afterwards we went for an authentic czech meal, where Andy and I tried goulash, then Andy and I broke away from the group and went on a mini-date at a café in a cubist building where we ate some awesome deserts and drank our favorite coffee beverage: caffè macchiato. After buying Andy a pair of tennis shoes since his one pair of shoes he brough now have holes in the soles, we spent an evening at the hostel bar watching the Auburn Tigers crush LSU!!!
Prague was an amazing city, and in my next post I'll let y'all know all about the city with the coolest vibe: Berlin!
After a very busy few weeks did I have a relaxing fall break? No! Instead Andy and I went on a ten day bus tour around Europe, hitting Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris. Why did I sign us up for this trip? Well, I figured I have only one real break during the semester and instead of flying somewhere new every weekend I would try to hit as many cities that were on my list of places to go as I could in one swoop. So imagine a 10 day trip with 90 other people, mainly American students aged 19-22, and over 50 hours on a bus. Though I had a ton of fun and met some great new friends, I don't think I will ever travel by bus again!
So our first stop on our European extravaganza was Prague. Everyone, I mean everyone, should go to Prague! It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Such a contrast to the ugly war-ridden history of the Czech Republic. Also, the country is way cheaper than the rest of Europe because they haven't switched over to the euro yet. 1 euro is worth 25 czech crowns right now, so our money went a long way!
We arrived in Prague on a Friday morning after a 12 hour bus ride and pulled up to the best hostel I have ever stayed in called The Mosaic House. Each room had it's own bathroom with heated floors and a legit shower, the beds were super comfortable, they had the best breakfast spread, and they had a bar with a big screen TV that constantly played ESPN America (for my football loving boyfriend). Our first activity was a three hour walking tour of the city with our lovely Welsh guide Sarah. We saw all the great sites of Prague, the Astronomical clock, the old town, the new town, where Tom Cruise is staying while filming Mission Impossible 4, etc. After learning everything there is to know about Prague's history (most of which had to do with kicking other people out of the city), Andy and I met up with my friend Salva. I hadn't seen Salva in a year since he had left UNC and I was so excited to be reunited with one of my favorite Spaniards. Salva did a great job of showing us places in Prague that we didn't see on our tour and we got to enjoy a few delicious Pilsners and pretzels. I think reuniting with Salva was my favorite part of Prague. After parting ways, Andy and I joined our group for a Pub Crawl through Prague. Normally I do not enjoy pub crawls because I feel they are just another way to look like an ignorant American tourist, but we wanted to hang out with the group and not be creepy loners, so we joined in. This was by far the sketchiest night of the trip. Our first locale was a basement in an abandoned church where we had an open bar of beer in plastic bottles and some moonshine sangria, mixed in with free shots of absinthe. The basement was decorated like a hippie den with tapestries and hookahs scattered about, as well as a giant statue of Stalin's head. We then moved to the actual church, which is now a disco, where I met a frenchman who spoke Italian and chatted with him for like an hour, then tried to dance salsa with Andy, but he wanted to create his own steps instead of actually salsa dancing. At this point Andy and two of our roommates, Andrew and Kevin, went on a search for munchie food and found a sausage stand that sold the biggest hotdogs you have ever seen for the equivalent of 2 euro. We then headed hom instead of continuing to the next two discos.
The next day we woke up bright and early and climbed a giant hill that had the best views of Prague. We then trekked over to Prague castle, which is the biggest castle in Europe, and explored the area, including the giant cathedral inside the castle. Afterwards we went for an authentic czech meal, where Andy and I tried goulash, then Andy and I broke away from the group and went on a mini-date at a café in a cubist building where we ate some awesome deserts and drank our favorite coffee beverage: caffè macchiato. After buying Andy a pair of tennis shoes since his one pair of shoes he brough now have holes in the soles, we spent an evening at the hostel bar watching the Auburn Tigers crush LSU!!!
Prague was an amazing city, and in my next post I'll let y'all know all about the city with the coolest vibe: Berlin!
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