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4
Jul
2009
Parisian Heat (Darn you Global Warming)
The trip is now over and I must wrap up Paris and the last two days in this strange heat we have been experiencing. We traveled half way around the world, or maybe just a third, to escape the heat of Arizona only to find that the heat had followed us and brought its friend humidity. For those who aren’t familiar with Arizona, it gets up to 120 F (48 C), but we experience no humidity so when we native Arizonans are in humid climates we are ill-equipped. Regardless, we ventured on into the city of Paris and made the best of an uncomfortable situation, made worse for many on the tour by fatigue from traveling and illness.
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Our first full day, and the only that was part of the tour, was quite jam packed and required a lot of running around, though we did get to see most of the major sites. We started off in the morning with a bus tour of Paris where we drove by most of the major site. We were able to catch a good view of the Arc de Triomphe from the bus as we drove around the round about several times, on purpose of course. We learned from our bus driver, Rob, that this was the most dangerous spot in Paris to be driving, which is saying something considering Parisian drivers are animals. In fact, if an accident occurs in this circle, no insurance company will cover the claim. It is the only place that I have heard of in the world where your insurance becomes temporarily void due to geographic location. After picking up the guide, we continued the tour passing the various government buildings, Notre Dame, the old opera house, and so on. We finally arrived at the point that all tourists are drawn to like moths to the flame in Paris; the Eiffel Tower.
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The Eiffel tower, completed in 1889 under the director of engineer Gustave Eiffel, is the heart of Paris. Though citizens of Paris originally protested its construction and presence, Parisians have since come to accept and adore it as the symbol, not only of Paris, but of France. The 1,063 foot tower is constructed of three floors. A note to those headed to the Tower, or anywhere in Europe, check the signs for the age of “children” as it is up to the age of 24 in many places, Eiffel included. The first two floors are not terribly high and it is only a matter of about 650 steps to go from ground level, past the first floor which is reserved for a restaurant and its patrons, onto the second floor. The view from here is exquisite and you can see most of Paris from this vantage. This is, however, not where my journey ended as I had to venture on to the third floor which is a much larger leap and about 1100 steps to climb to. I, of course, did not climb any part of this beastly tower, but took the lift as the majority of people do. I would, at some point in life, like to revisit the Eiffel Tower with a bit more time and attempt to make it all the way up. I envision the weather being much more agreeable and me equipped with shoes that aren’t Converse and perhaps my Camelpak. As you climb a small staircase after exiting the lift and step outside, the breeze of Paris hits you. Being up 896 feet above the city changes the temperature, the atmosphere, and your existence. You can no longer just see all of Paris, you can now see what seems like all of France. Even though there is a fair crowd on this top level, there is something peaceful of being so far removed from the rest of the society for a bit like that.
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After having some time at the Eiffel Tower, we went through a perfume “museum” which was, quite frankly, wasted time. It was warm and miserable and most of the tour did not really care about the history of the manufacturing processes of perfumes. I made my way in and out of there as fast as possible and enjoyed the city street instead. It was really after this that we had some time to ourselves and were able to explore a piece of Paris… We had finally arrived at the Louvre.
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The Louvre has a rich history having once been a palace and an integral background to that French Revolution, which would soon be celebrated on July 14, Bastille Day. The Musée du Louvre is a fantastic place, filled with so much life and activity with the stale air of antiquity. After coming through the security checkpoint and main underground entrance of the Louvre, you begin to understand just how vast it really is. It is made up of three wings and houses the greatest collection of art throughout history. With so little time, we started straight towards the jewel of the Louvre and, perhaps, the most famous painting in the world. As you start on your journey towards this piece you begin to realize that this is not what the Louvre is about. After walking past the first main hall filled with art more incredible than you can imagine and walk around the art class trying to imitate a Michelangelo in their sketchbooks, you arrive at a grand staircase leading in all directions. At the top is the Winged Victory, or The Nike of Samothrace, so close that you can actually reach out and touch it. You can actually feel each mark of the chisel and the energy that comes from something that is 2,199 years old. After passing her, you weave through some smaller galleries where you cannot look any direction without seeing something stunning as even the ceilings are painted.
We finally arrived at a seemingly endless hall with paintings, statues, and busts as far as the eye could see. The path was obvious as you could see where the crowd was herding naturally drawn by the magnetism of one room. I decided to ignore the draw and press on to the end of the hall and soak in the atmosphere and aura given off by these works of art that were, in many cases, older than the USA. One of the most interesting things was that they put modern pictures against many of the old scenes in much of the museum. I finally circled back through the great hall, no longer able to fight the pull of her stare and made my way into her room. And, while there are other paintings present, this is her room. As you enter this ominous room you glance around and see various paintings on the walls and have a passing glance at each of them as they force your eyes to the blank wall in which you can see nothing through the crowd. As you approach and work through the crowd, the top of the glass starts to appear and the background peeks its way through. When you finally reach the front, there she is hiding behind a 20 foot gap of velvet rope and a sheet of bullet proof glass; Mona Lisa. Everyone always says it is smaller than they imagined because she has been built up so much that she could never be quite as large as your mind has made her, but she is perfect. All the questions of whether she was smiling, or if she was pregnant, or if she was da Vinci’s lover seem to melt away as her eyes follow you and stare into you the way only a woman could stare until you are overwhelmed and must leave her to the solitary existence she has been forced into.
What really intrigued me in the Louvre was the protection around her versus the lack thereof around everything else. As I made my way back through a side hall to the main staircase in search of an even older beauty, I realized that I could touch most anything in the museum, though I didn’t out of respect and fear of being thrown in a Parisian jail if I was caught (mostly the first one). As I went down the grand staircase to the lower level in search of the woman with no arms, I passed through the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans and could reach out and feel a fair majority of the sculptures and busts. Even as I approached her, I realized that the only thing separating me from the more than 2,100 year old lady was a velvet rope and 4 feet of distance. She is, of course, Venus de Milo and was sculpted sometime between 130 and 100 BCE and is thought to depict Aphrodite, Goddess of Love. Even as I passed her and went down stairs to visit the Ancient Egyptians, I could have leaned over a solid railing to be able to touch the Grand Sphinx in all its glory. I do appreciate the ability to be able to enjoy these without a bunch of glass reflecting the light and ruining the view, but I am intrigued as to what the Mona Lisa has that these others do not. Is she a more deserving woman or just more frail? Was she not built as tough as Venus de Milo, who stands tall and strong even after having lost both arms? I am sure there is a reason I clearly don’t comprehend, but I am curious. Wikipedia, here I come!
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It is not this curiosity that makes the Louvre such a magnificent place. It is the ability to explore every culture, ancient and modern, while on one massive compound. From the beginnings of religion to representations of the torture videos of the US Army in Iraq and everything in between, visitors get to relive history in a way that is not possible in any other place in the world.
This concluded the main part of the tour, though we were not done with the city of Paris. The rest of the evening was optional and many opted out from partaking in this optional as it included Paradis Latin Cabaret Show. From the Louvre, we said our goodbyes to those who were not joining us and took a cruise on the Seine. We were able to see all the sites we had seen now from the bus, and some that we had gotten off and enjoyed, one last time from the main vein of Paris. It was a pleasant enough ride, though it was rather warm and the breeze had not picked up the way most of us expected had expected while on the river. After this, we all went on to Paradis Latin. Our tour guide said that all visitors to Paris should see at least one, if not all, of three shows while visiting the city (in no particular order): 1. Paradis Latin; 2. Moulin Rouge; 3. Nouvelle Eve. We were booked to see the first of those, though I would have been more intrigued to see Moulin Rouge after the fame and international notoriety it has received over the years. It was an enjoyable variety show and I understood why some families opted out as there was a fair amount of topless women throughout the show. I will say, however, that the majority of it was tastefully done and you almost don’t notice the nudity. There was only one section that seemed a bit more ‘strip club’ rather than cabaret show. They, of course, did not allow pictures inside, though we snuck one just of our table before the show started since we all dressed up so nicely.
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After that, our tour manager, Mac, took us on the last bit of our time with SOTC; a night time tour of illuminated Paris. I knew Paris is the city of lights but I could never have imagined how stunning it actually is. We revisited the major sites of Paris one last time to see them all magnificently lit up. From the Notre Dame and its simple lighting to the Louvre and the brilliant glow from the pyramid and even the major bridges along the river Seine, I was in awe of the view. Our final stop before returning to the hotel was the Eiffel Tower, lit up like a beacon in the heart of the city. I had already seen it from a great distance while atop our hotel the night before, but up close it was something entirely different. We arrived just moments before midnight and got out of the bus to get a closer look and snap a few photos. Just as we all stepped off of the bus, the night began to sparkle. On the hour every hour after the main tower lights are turned on, the Eiffel Tower glitters against the night sky and looks positively brilliant. We arrived just in time to enjoy the show of this huge structure which was the perfect end to our long day.
2
Jul
2009
Lost in the City
It took all day to drive from Switzerland to Paris, 10 hours not including lunch and pit stops, and everyone was exhausted by the end of the journey. The bug going around the bus has been spreading even further and all of the tour group is happy to find their rooms and their beds; everyone but me of course. In true me fashion, I had to explore tonight because going to sleep at 10 PM when there is still a bit of light out seemed a traveler’s sin to me since I hadn’t gotten sick. Our hotel isn’t in Paris proper but in an area called Le Defense which is the business area of Paris so there really isn’t much to see around our hotel. By this time of night everything seems to either be closing or closed in the area and the streets are rather deserted. I left the hotel and went right a few times on some curvy roads and a couple back alleys until I realized I had no idea where I was or how I got there. Now, most people tend to panic a bit when this happens to them, but I’m more adventurous than most, which is a nice way of saying I’m a little crazy, so I took this as a chance to try my skills at adapting to a new and unfamiliar area. I realized that I mostly took right turns so I thought I should try a few more of those and see what happened. That didn’t exactly work as I ended up in a dead end with the only recourse being to join the freeway, not a viable option as you might imagine.
Then, by some twist of fate and dumb luck that I always seem to have when trying to find places, I noticed a staircase that seemed to lead up to a courtyard of some sort. It ended up that this was where I wanted to head as just past the courtyard was a sign pointing towards our hotel, Hotel Mercure, and my path home, or rather to my temporary home substitute. As I arrived at the hotel, I realized that it was still only 11:30 and not quite late enough for me to drift to sleep so I decided to explore the hotel amenities.
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As I took the elevator up, I noticed that there was a fitness center on the top floor and decided to see what this hotel offered as its “fitness center” as compared to the other pitiful excuses of broken treadmills and rusting elliptical machines that we had seen in most of the hotels we had stayed in to this point. After wandering around and finally stumbling upon the gym I found it to be exactly the same as any others that we had been to before this. That wasn’t what made this area of the hotel noteworthy, however. As I walked around this top floor of the hotel, I found a door that led to a patio area and a beautiful view of the surrounding area. As I came out and looked left I saw the Eifel Tower, lit up and beaming, in the distance nestled between the view of two nearby buildings and standing tall over the illuminated city of lights. I spent almost an hour out on the roof enjoying the cool night air and a nice conversation with an Australian tourist who had also explored and found this roof patio.
1
Jul
2009
SNOW? In the Summer? Awesome!
Switzerland was our longest stay in one place and was really quite relaxing. After all of the running around that we had to do throughout the trip, it was nice to be in a cooler climate where we could enjoy our surroundings a bit more. The first stop in Switzerland, was not quite as pleasant as the rest of the stay.
The drive from Italy was a rather long one and took the better part of a day to accomplish. It was filled with Bollywood movies I couldn’t understand, both due to a language barrier and the general hokie nature of them, dozing off, and enjoying the book that I had taken along with me. We stopped for lunch after having crossed the border at an amusement part of sorts called Swiss Miniature. Like Maduradam in Holland, the purpose of this little tourist spot was to take all the major sites of Switzerland and miniaturize them to make them accessible to see in one afternoon. I still can’t really understand the draw to these places and, to make matters worse, it was incredibly warm out that day so we were all a bit miserable and trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation. Once we were done there, it was back on the bus for a few more hours until we arrived in Engelberg at Hotel Terrace. Immediately upon arrival there was a sense of relief that overcame all the passengers of the bus.
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The city of Engelberg is nestled away in this beautiful valley of Switzerland that is completely green. As your eyes scan the surrounding mountains you begin to see the snow capped mountains and feel the crisp, cool are fill your lungs and feel at peace. The hotel itself was nice, especially after the horrendous experience in both Rome and Pisa, and our room was surprisingly spacious. Hotel Terrace is above much of the city as it sits on the slope of on of the mountains that encapsulates this little town. The rest of the evening was ours to relax with a surprising dinner that offered soup and salad, a much needed infusion of Americana into our diet, among the typical Indian food.
The following day was an optional excursion for those able and willing. I believe the only people who did not join us chose to do so because of illness, some sort of stomach bug that went around the bus and hit about 75% of the people throughout the trip. The excursion was to the top of Jungfrau, one of the taller mountains in the Swiss Alps at 13,642 ft and boasts the highest railway station in all of Europe, Jungfraujoch. To get to the station, you must take two separate cog-wheel trains and the journey is about 45 minutes. The view from the highest observation deck is breathtaking and makes you wish you had a snowboard with you to ride down what looked like miles of untouched snow. At one side of the deck, you can see both the snow covered higher altitude areas and some of the lower areas that are lush green with scattered wild flowers and livestock. This is a view that can make anyone a nature lover, however temporary that infatuation may be. The other attraction inside is the Ice Palace. Housing hundreds of different ice sculptures, this structure is constructed entirely of ice. It is interesting, though, as you don’t really seem to slip as you would on most icy surfaces as it is coated with something that makes sliding possible, but only if you are trying to slide. One piece of advice to all those travelling to this area, do not where Converse as your feet will freeze in those thin-soled, canvas shoes. The real pleasure of the day was that we were able to walk around the different areas of the mountain at our own pace and really enjoy the things we were looking to do while there rather than having to rush into and out-of the bus all the time. That evening there was a “disco night” in the lowest level of the hotel which was amusing to attend, especially when a group of Columbian students arrived. This large group of girls was on a school trip of some sort and what made this really amusing was pushing two of the younger tour members, Yash and Abu, in to dance with these young ladies who were all about their age; a night I’m sure we’ll all be laughing about for a while.
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The final day in Switzerland was spent mostly atop Titlis, a 10,623 ft mountain in the Urner Alps of Switzerland, with a few hours in the late afternoon spent shopping in the city of Lucerne. Titlis was an experience I don’t think I will ever forget. Most of the day was amazing. We had snow ball fights in which I was reminded again that I’m not the brightest bulb in the box after feeling like my hands and feet were going to fall off because I was wearing my Converse and no gloves. It was totally worth the risk of mild frost bite, mind you, as we all had a blast pelting each other and inevitably stuffing snow directly down certain people’s clothing. After fun with fighting in the snow, we went across the “Ice Flyer”, a fancy name for ski lift, over to where the activities were. What were these activities you ask? Well, they were sledding and snow tubing, both of which were amazingly fun. We enjoyed going down the hills in the snow tubes as the man in charge would spin you as fast as possible so that you were dizzy and disoriented by the time you got to the bottom because, like most things in life, it’s only fun if you feel like you can’t walk for a minute or so afterwards. Going down the sledding hill was pretty phenomenal as well, especially when we realized that some of the sleds were created to connect. We created a snake of sleds of 8 people and went down the hill. Our mistake, however, was having a small 13-year old kid in the front who just didn’t have the size to steer this beast as it barreled down the mountain. He eventually tipped over and got run over. He was fine after a few minutes and just had a nasty bruise on his thigh the next day so no big deal.
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It wasn’t all this fun that made our time on Titlis completely unforgettable though. As we were coming up the moving sidewalk contraption from the bottom of the hill for the very last time, we suddenly hit a bit of a rode block and people started to fall backwards on to me because there was a crowd gathered at the exit of the conveyer belt blocking people from properly exiting. This gathering was caused by an elderly man from one of the other tour groups collapsing just off the belt. By the time we came up and finally realized what was happening, two people, one being a Canadian woman from our group, had already began administering CPR to the man. After doing this for quite a while, and all of us standing to the side seeing the horrified expression on his wife’s face, a portable defibrillator was used to try to bring the man back. By this point, some of the younger kids in the group had begun to get a bit uneasy so I took them back to the other side of the “Ice Flyer” to get warm, dry, and find some food. We found out later from the Canadian woman that the elderly man, a retired doctor and asthmatic, did not make it.
The rest of the day seemed somewhat unimportant as it was spent wandering the town of Lucerne, which is a gorgeous little city with a lot of amazing scenery and shopping, and finding little trinkets and chocolates and a new watch for me. Thus ended our time in Switzerland and an experience that has left a lasting impression on me, as I’m sure it did most members of our group.
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Pictures:
Engelberg
Jungfraujoch
Mt. Titlis & Lucerne
28
Jun
2009
The Leaning Tower of Holy Roma
After leaving Florence for the day, we stayed the night in Rome. After a nice dinner, however repetitive the food may have been, at the household of an ex-pat Indian restauranteur who owns several restaurants throughout Italy, we had a listless nights sleep at Hotel Aris Garden where most people were kept up all night by the festivities of two weddings occurring at the hotel. In the morning, however, all was forgiven as we left the hotel en route to a city within a country within a city; Vatican City.
Vatican City, home of Catholicism and that amazingly ornate pope hat I shall one day own, is one of the most amazing places to just sit and people watch as there is such a wide array of people that visit it from large tour groups, such as ourselves, to holy men and women from around the world in their own culture’s versions of holy garb. St Peter’s Square is a surprisingly open place, especially when compared to most areas of Europe, with a vast seating area facing the cathedral. The jumbotrons on either side of the square are a bit out of place, though understandable, I suppose, given the number of people it attracts during special occasions. Before entering the cathedral itself you must go through a couple security checkpoints one of which is to be sure that you are clothed appropriately. This entails shorts or skirts below the knee, and yes the shorts rule applies to men as well, and modest tops that are fairly covering. Once you are inside the church you are crammed through the entrance as people push and shove until you arrive within the cathedral walls and look down the seemingly infinite rows of pews ending at the giant alter. We were in for a treat as we arrived just before Saturday morning mass which meant that we were able to enjoy the singing of the choir while wandering the large building and appreciating the architecture, artwork and incredible detail that had gone into creating the unique experience that is St. Peter’s Basilica among the hundreds of other cathedrals across Europe. The air just smells holier as the sounds of the choir echo off the statues of popes past.
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After enjoying some much needed peace walking around the basilica, it was time for the group to have the quick bus tour of Rome stopping for a couple quick photo opportunities. We did get to enjoy seeing the Coliseum from a great vantage point for a short period. Sadly, going inside was not feasible given the amount of time we had in the city versus how long it takes just to get into the structure let alone appreciate everything that it represents to the Ancient Roman culture. After the Coliseum we headed to a stop at Trevi Fountain which is perhaps the most famous fountain in all of Rome. The detail that went into creating the fountain is astounding and one could spend hours trying to observe it intricacies. We, of course, only had about 20 minutes to enjoy it. There is an interesting myth surrounding the fountain. It is said that if you throw one coin into the fountain, you will return to Rome. Upon your return, if you throw a second coin, you will fall in love. If you throw a third coin after falling in love, you will get a divorce from your new love. The coin has to be thrown by your right hand over your left shoulder with your back to the fountain.
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The final stop in this long day of travel was Pisa, home of some sort of tower thing I think ;). We arrived at the infamous Leaning Tower of Pisa right as Appollo began the descent of his chariot giving way to Diana bringing forth the moon. Sorry, I had to throw some Roman mythology in there. It made for a gorgeous site as we walked around the soft grounds surrounding the Leaning Tower and the accompanying church. I must admit, to my own shame, that I knew nothing of the Tower and did not realize that it was actually the bell tower for the church as is customary for all churches in the area to have as a separate structure. I was especially intrigued to learn that the bell tower began to lean as the construction of the third level was completed yet they continued to build it. It took several decades to build the tower, not because of the difficulty of building something intent on falling, but because of a myriad of other reasons including wars and disease. After a fair amount of time to explore the grounds, though not quite enough to be able to go up in the tower because of the restrictions to the number allowed atop it, we went to the final hotel in Italy and probably the worse of all hotels throughout the entire trip. Almost everyone on the tour had issues with something in the bathroom, from a flooding shower to a non-functioning toilet to our room in which the toilet ran non-stop all night. Combined with a lack of proper air conditioning and a slight mosquito problem, it was the most restless night of the entire trip. Those traveling to the area should be advised to avoid Hotel Granduca, a lodging establishment reminiscent of an overpriced Motel 6.
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Pictures:
Vatican City
Rome, Italy
Pisa, Italy
27
Jun
2009
Firenze and David
We started off today by leaving Venice and heading to Florence, or Firenze as the Italians call it. Florence is the home of some of the world’s greatest statues including the statue of David. While we didn’t get to see the actual David due to time restraints, we did see the two official copies of it which were made by Michelangelo’s students under his supervision, most likely. Florence is a magical city filled with vibrant life and street hustlers which, to me anyways, are what make a city exciting. The second you step off the bus they come at you in packs with umbrellas, ponchos, and little knick knacks to take along with you.
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In Florence, we had a lovely local guide who was there to help us explore the city, rain or shine… well, mostly rain. If you are planning a trip to Florence, be sure to pack an umbrella and carry it with you no matter how sunny it is because the weather can change in an instant. Don’t let that scare you from the city, however, for it is something that should not be missed. Walking around this city, you feel like you are witnessing history as it once was and defining what it shall become. The biggest highlight of the tour was probably the large cathedral, as is always the case in Europe it seems, along with the surrounding buildings. The cathedral has an ominous echo of the idle chatter of all the visitors, everyone at their lowest indoor voices so soft they are almost a whisper. As the sounds collide into each other and bounce of every surface of the church, they resonate in the air creating a frenzy of activity and grow into the steady hum of the church. Just outside the church is the tallest structure to be seen in the area; the bell tower. The bell tower had its own intriguing history in its construction that can be seen as your eyes are drawn upwards. The original architect died after only completing the first third of the tower. Two others continued his work after his death and the tower seems to look weaker as you look upward as the two successors of the project just didn’t have the skills.
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As we continued through the tour we were brought to the river that flows through the city and a gorgeous view tarnished only slightly by the rain starting and scaring most people under cover and umbrellas. I decided to enjoy the views of the city and get soaked… when in Rome, right? Though I suppose Rome isn’t until the next day. After meandering through a courtyard surrounded by statues of Italy’s most influential figures, from Michelangelo, Donatello, Rafael, and Leonardo to Machiavelli and Galileo which led us to the end of our tour in an open air museum of sorts. The tour guide called it a museum, though it was more of a large patio with 10 or 12 gorgeous statues scattered around.
26
Jun
2009
Italia - Venezia
The first stop in Italy was Venice. The original area of Venice, though a bit overcrowded with tourists such as ourselves, is an amazing city to wander around. We started outside the main area of Venice and took a quick ride in the Grand Canal to arrive about a 10 minute walk from San Marcos square. As soon as you step off the boat and walk up the pier, you start to feel the lively pulse of this vibrant city. There are street vendors everywhere selling everything from souvenirs to caricatures to counterfeit watches and purses. As you approach San Marcos Square, passing by the justice building and the old city jail, you see the flocks of people and, more amusingly, the flocks of pigeons who are more than happy to land on you if you even pretend to offer them a bite to eat.
A definite must, and perhaps the only way to really see the city for the first time, is definitely a gondola ride. While the ride can be a bit pricey, 100 Euros a ride for up to 6 people, it is well worth it to sit and enjoy the sea breeze for an hour while taking in the entire city. While the smells in some areas of the city canals aren’t exactly the most pleasant in the world, the gondola offers riders a chance to see all the city offers and really observe the people of Venice going about their daily lives. After you have had a chance to relax by sea, it is time to relax by land.
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Once your gondola is pulled back to bay, it’s time to return to San Marcos Square and enjoy all the sweets Venice has to offer. Find one of the many pastry shops and just point at anything that looks good and enjoy. Once you have had your fill of pastries, it is time to not just satisfy your sweet tooth but truly indulge it by getting a few scoops of gelato. The flavors are endless and each is as delicious as the next, though I would suggest at least trying tiramisu and zupa inglesia once. Be careful of the later as it has just a hint of alcohol, though just enough to give it that slight tingle when it rolls around your mouth and slides down your throat. After that, there is really nothing you must do to understand the draw to Venice, though I could lose myself for weeks without a second thought given the chance.
25
Jun
2009
Innsbruck, Austria
The next stop after Germany is Innsbruck, Austria. This has probably been the quickest stop on our entire tour, or at least the one where we experienced the least of what the country has to offer. I suppose I have to understand that there is only so much that can be accomplished in fourteen days when we are stopping in this many cities and countries on our crash course of Europe. Innsbruck is a beautiful little town that is nice and quiet in the evenings with great areas to walk around and enjoy. We had a quick walking tour of the historic square starting at the main Arc and making our way through the square. The arc was pretty interesting as one side is meant to be cheerful while the other is mournful due to the events surrounding its creation which included the death of many soldiers leading to the eventual change in leadership and the beginning of a new king, or at least that’s how I remember it in my head.
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The square itself had many interesting buildings in it, one of which was said to resemble a wedding cake. I kind of saw how one could make that argument based on the style in which it was painted, but it seemed a bit of a stretch. An interesting thing about all of the buildings is that no two buildings are painted the same. Each has its own unique style and completely different color scheme which makes it very eclectic. At the head of the square is the palace with the golden roof, called as such for an obvious reason; the golden roof over the main balcony. After enjoying a stroll around the square, we went on to dinner and then back to the hotel to rest up for the drive to Italia.
24
Jun
2009
Zee Germans are Coming
Germany started as any country has through our excursion; with an incredibly long bus ride. Our first stop was the city of Cologne, or Koln as they spell it in Germany. The main attraction of the city is the Cologne Cathedral, a Gothic structure filled with incredibly ornate homage to the tales of the bible and gorgeous stained glass windows. Like most Gothic buildings, the Cathedral seems in inviting from a distance. As you approach the open doors and appreciate the intricate carvings depicting the religious history of the area. The ominous interior of the Cathedral is awe inspiring and humbling as you saunter around soaking in the atmosphere.
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After our brief visit to Cologne, we moved on to the Rhine River area. While we only did a section of the river, it was a breathtaking view where both Dad and I were able to sit on the deck of the boat and enjoy a nice cold beer. The Rhine River is the primary river running through Germany and has hundreds of castles along its banks, or pretty close to them. The lush green hills and steep cliffs provide adequate protection for any castle. Most of the castles are in surprisingly good shape, though I don’t think much effort has really been exerted to maintain or restore them. My thoughts are that with that many castles around, it’s probably a numbers game if one has some damage here or there. They are also all so remote that I doubt that they would have really taken much damage throughout the troublesome periods of Germany’s history. We stopped in one of the towns off of the Rhine River to enjoy the local atmosphere and get some good luck by rubbing a baboon statue at the foot of a bridge.
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After that it was on to the hotel while seeing a few sites here and there on the way. Most of the bus rides have been spent in the European countryside which is nice to see, though a bit redundant at times. This was my third time in Germany and the first time I have not spent at least some time exploring some of the modern history either by visiting the site of a concentration camp or by taking a walking tour of eastern and western Berlin focused on the Third Reich. I suppose I am all Nazi’d out, however, it would have been nice to get some more of the history instead of just site observing. Next stop, Austria.
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23
Jun
2009
Nederlands XXX
We were lucky in Holland because our bus driver is from the area and gave us the inside scoop and took us through an area that the tour isn’t really scheduled to go through. The added bonus of Rob, the driver, being amazingly sarcastic was just a delight. He took us through the city of Hague which was a nice city with a lot of history, like every city in Europe, and far too many city hall buildings for such a small city. There was a bit of excitement there as we drove through one of the alleys of Hague and a garbage man backed his truck into our bus and cracked one of the side mirrors. No major damage, but exciting nonetheless.
After a bus tour of Hague, we continued on to a tourist attraction called Maduradam. A somewhat intriguing site, Maduradam is a world made miniature. They took most of the major sites of the Netherlands and made scaled models at a 1:25 ratio. It was ammusing and there were a few interactive parts that kept us entertained, though the site overall could easily be skipped, especially if you don’t have any young children with you.
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Two things I would suggest to people who are interested in the local traditions and activities in the Dutch farmlands are visiting a cheese factory and a wooden shoe, clog, factory. The cheese process isn’t exactly the most interesting thing in the world, however, the ambiance of the farm combined with the delicious taste of the variety of samples creates such an experience that no one should miss. The wooden shoe factory is really interesting because you get to experience the making of a clog by hand which is a unique process and something that only about 80 people in Holland still do. The making of a small shoe with some rough edges only took the craftsman less than 15 minutes which is pretty fantastic. The key to the shoes is to start with a specific type of wood that goes near the water and retains the water to keep it soft so it does not break or crack while molding the shoe. They then let it dry for more than 2 weeks by air so that it becomes hard and durable.
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The final destination in the area was a canal cruise of Amsterdam. For those who would like to experience Amsterdam do not do a canal cruise. You do see a fair amount of the city but learn almost nothing about the city and really only see the things that are “family safe” which, let’s be honest, is not what Amsterdam is supposed to be about. We left Amsterdam with no noteworthy incident which is blasphemous in my opinion.
22
Jun
2009
Hallo
I have been wanting to post pictures and details for the last few days, but have been unable to due to a lack of internet connectivity and my phone going crazy. We are now in Germany, which just so happens to be the home of tmobile and I am finally getting some signal on my phone so I just wanted to put up a preliminary post while I have a chance to email onto the blog.
So far we have been through London, Brussels, Eindhoven, Amsterdam, and Cologne and are on the way to Happenhoff where we will be staying the night. We arrived in London and had some time to be able to explore the city a bit on our own before meeting with the tour group which was nice because we saw some important things we wouldn’t have otherwise experienced. We took the underground over to waterloo station and got to enjoy the London Eye and some Dali replica sculptures out on the River Thames with a great view of Big Ben and parliament where we stopped for lunch. After, we enjoyed a walk up the river ending up at Globe Theatre, home of the Leonardo DiCaprio classic ”Romeo and Juliet” and some guy named Shakespeare. Ok, I’m sorry, that terrible joke hurt me too. It was disappointing that they had a sold out play occurring as we arrived as I could only see it from outside, but it was still closer than I would have been able to get had we not ventured out. There are pictures of everything and I will be posting them later when I can get them onto my phone.
For now, however, I leave you at that and these terrible camera phone shots of the inside of the bus. I assure you that more will be posted this evening when I’m back near my laptop and can transfer pictures and such, my cell service permitting, of course.