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
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.
20
Jun
2009
God Save the Queen
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.
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After our independent London adventure of London, we met our group, a hodgepodge of 46 Indians of varying ages from 5 to 85, 1 Indian tour guide, and a Dutch driver named Rob. We did a primarily bus tour of Central London with the standard highlights. It seemed a bit wrong to be doing a bus tour without being in a double Decker in London, but se la vie.
We were able to get down from the bus for a few key sites including Big Ben, the Queen’s Palace, and the church where some of the country’s biggest ceremonies have taken place including Princess Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles. The church was impressive but the surroundings were even more exquisite. Buckingham Palace has a gorgeous park in front of it which we, sadly, didn’t get to explore that almost makes the palace look a bit more ordinary than it ought to. An interesting thing we learned from the tour guide we had that day was that the palace isn’t always guarded by the traditional guard with their fantastically ridiculous, bear-skin hats and blank, soulless stares. N fact, due to a shortage in troops because of troop deployment to various tense regions including Iraq, the soldiers present in front of the palace were Portuguese soldiers sent to guard the queen. From what, no one really knows, but they’re there looking as sterile as the English guards, though not as flamboyantly British looking.
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After touring for a few hours and having a quick chance to do a touch of souvenir shopping, we went to dinner at the restaurant Tulsi. A typical Indian restaurant in the heart of London’s little India region, a redundant term if you ask me, that offered a South Indian buffet served lukewarm with a Guinness. The treat for that restaurant was that mom’s cousin was actually an owning partner so she was able to visit with him after not having seen each other in almost 30 years.
So concluded London and our British adventure with no fish and chips or English breakfast. Trying to grab authentic food of the region is going to be an issue on this trip as the tour provides Indian food at every stop.
17
Jun
2009
Trip Planner
The trip is coming closer and closer and we are getting ready. My bag is beginning to get nice and full and the laundry seems never ending, but what else is new? We found out a few days ago that we can only take one large bag per person on the tour which is strange to me, but no big deal. Also, for those of you planning on travelling any time soon, Delta has informed us that as of July 1st, they will only be allowing 1 check-in bag per passenger unless you are willing to pay the extra fee. In any case, I’m almost ready sans a few things I still need to wash and pack. I have my camera and extra batteries all set so I am poised to take the usual thousand pictures I will later sort through and share. I mapped out the entire course that we will be taking on Google Maps Trip Planner for everyone to take a look at.
View SOTC Europe Tour (June ‘09) in a larger map
On another note, the house that I was in contract for is not going to happen. We had a roof inspector come out and take a look and he said the entire thing would need to be replaced and it would cost arpund 12 grand. I’m not exactly liquid enough to be able to afford that kind of expense right off the bat. When we get back from this vacation, I am going to get back to the drawing board and take hopefully find something even better.
11
Jun
2009
Blog Abandonment
All too often we start projects that we eventually abandon. This is human nature. Sometimes this is because we bite off more than we can chew. In other situations it is a matter of timing and interest. One thing that I see a lot of, and I know I’m not the first one to notice or mention this, is that many people start something online that never really gets finished. There are countless numbers of half done websites and flash animations with the best of intentions out there for you to find. But what of things that have no end? What of blogs?
This is my third attempt at reviving my blog upkeep and what I have found is that it is often hard to find the things to write about. Or we think of something that would be interesting, at least to ourselves, to explore and by the time we actually have a moment to write it out, the thought has escaped us, the moment has passed, and the idea dies. Well, the thought has come back, the experiences are forthcoming, and the drive to re-ignite this blog has finally come back. Right now I am in the midst of preparing for a few large events in my life. The first is the original reason for reviving my blog yet again and the original reason I started one a year ago, though it has become much more sophisticated from a technology standpoint since; I am going to Europe. This time I will be going on a Grand European Tour with my family during which time we will be traveling through a number of different countries in a true beginner’s whirlwind tour of Europe. I had hoped since the last time that I was done with these mad dash to the finish line, amazing race style trips, but, alas, it is my parents first time and this seemed the best way for them to see as much as possible. Also, this tour makes it easier for them to travel as they are both vegetarian and this Indian owned and operated tour company (SOTC Tours) offers us vegetarian meals included in the price of the tour.
The second reason I have to want to reestablish this blog is that I am finally making that giant leap into adulthood; debt. As of today, I am in escrow on a house of my very own. This will be a huge change in my life and I have a feeling that, as I learn to repair and maintain things around my house, I will have new and interesting stories about things like how dad was helping me and trying to fix a light fixture and was electrocuted and shot across the room. Sadly, this isn’t an entirely untrue story as he did that to himself when he was a kid. I’m pretty sure he learned his lesson and is a bit more careful nowadays.
- The new house.
So I invite anyone who is actually reading this to stay tuned as I will be posting all about my travels, for which we leave next Friday, July 19, complete with pictures and interesting tales of my parents reactions when we travel through Amsterdam. Bon voyage!