After pulling an all nighter last night on the flight I arrived to LAX around 7pm california time. We had some issues with the landing gear which was a bit scary...we where actually about to land and they pulled back up and we had to circle around for 10 min while they tried to fix it. Then when we made our second attempt to land there was all of the fire trucks and paramedics next to our runway... I guess our front wheels where not able to turn right and left....we landed alright after a few pumps and such.
I was able to get to sleep around 10:30 and now Im at work today...currently I feel okay but I have a feeling that this afternoon might be a bit rough. I guess we will see.
This trip was a trip of a lifetime and something I will remember forever. Sad its over but i did take about 1,000 pictures that I have to go through and clean up a bit. Well, I have tons of work to do now so I should get back to the grind...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Berlin then back to the states... :(
Once we got back to berlin shane and I decided that we had to do it...against everything in our body saying it was a bad idea for multiple reasons we went to Burger King and got this grilled cheese steakhouse burger that we had seen heavily advertised throughout germany. I guess its only in german BK’s and it had a breaded slice of cheese that was thicker than the burger smothered in grilled onions and barbeque sauce. We split one as neither of us wanted to have a heart attack. haha it actually wasnt that bad i guess.
After the elegant dinner we had shane took me to this really cool bar where they have old school video games set up to play. We played super nintendo and sega genesis and had some beers. This place was cool and could never be in the us as people would steal the games and systems or just break them. Like I have said before much of what I have seen is people are more mellow over here and kicked back.
Well, today I am off to check out the east side gallery and the bombed out church after getting we head to get some veggie kebabs for lunch. Shane will need his computer for much of tonight because he has a paper to do so this will be the last post before I take off tomorrow. Tonight we are going to keep it mellow and head to a christmas market maybe go on a ride or two and then I will go to bed early and shane will prob work til about 4 am. I have to get up around 7 and leave by 8 tomorrow to make sure I get to the airport on time and dont miss my flight.
I have had a great trip and the 3 weeks went by way to fast but I am sooo glad that I was able to see so much and do so many fun things. One more night then Im back to the grind on the 3rd which I am not looking forward to..haha
Prague
I am now back in berlin with shane and Prague was awesome. It is such a cool city and has sooo much to do like many other big cities along with some good czech history. We got into prague from Dresden Friday night and due to the fact that it was already dark we where not able to do much sight seeing but we did get there just in time for dinner. Using the little guide book that shane brought with him we where able to find a czech restaurant after about 20 min of walking around trying to track it down. Once we got there the food was great. I had this beef dish smothered in a cream gravy topped in a slice of lemon and cranberries... mmmmm not to mention a few dark pilsner beers.
After dinner we dropped Pam off at the hotel and Shane Mike and I went out to find a bar. We walked around a bit and then ran into a group of guys from the UK who where in prague for one of their birthdays. We where all looking for a decent bar to head to so ultimately we dropped into one. I say dropped as almost all the bars are under ground about one level. This particular bar was alright...very loud and smokey but still fun and it had some good scenery :). So after hanging out with these brits I think that I may have had a bit more trouble understanding one of them than I did with the germans in berlin...haha It was crazy how thick his accent was. After this bar we dropped mike back at the hotel and shane and I went out to another bar to grab another beer or two. They really do have some great beers in the czech republic.
Saturday was a busy day with tons of walking. Our hotel had free breakfast every day which was super nice and since we had to be down there by 9:30 to get any food it forced shane and I out of bed haha. Well, after breakfast we made our way out into the city to see some sights. We walked over to a charles bridge which is a super cool bridge and is older than the USA. Its actually built before columbus “discovered” america...haha. From this bridge we could see Prague castle which was huge and on top of a giant hill. We end up there later... After walking around a bit more and checking out some of the awesome architecture we came across the hotel that Michael Jackson dangled blanket out the window...well, I have to check youtube for confirmation but we are pretty sure. We also got the the see the center of prague in the new town square...i forget the name but its the main square there and it has some famous history. This is the square where jan palach burned himself in protest of the soviets soviet communism in January 1969.
After walking around and seeing the main parts of the city and kinda just getting a feel for prague we went to get some czech mex food. I guess its their attempt to make mexican food which I insanely miss... It was good but definitely not mexican as they used kidney beans and cucumbers in the burritos and stewed tomatoes with paprika for salsa. Odd. After lunch we went on a proper walking tour with a guide. Jana was cool and full of energy. She took us all over about half the city and we ended up at the castle that was up on a hill overlooking Prague. The gothic style cathedral that was up there was really cool looking too. Unfortunately we where unable to go inside as we got up there in the late afternoon and it had closed to the public about 30-45 min before.
After the walking tour we made our way back down from the castle and to our hotel for a bit of R and R/ quick nap before dinner. For dinner this night shane found a small brewery that...well, surprise! had really good food. I had some Pork platter that had ham, pork neck and sausage with sauerkraut and dumplings on the side. Again, sooooo good. Mike Shane and I all got a liter of this black beer and it was huge and taste so good we got a second round :)...well, half liters the second time cause we where so full from all the food. The People eating next to us literally had an entire roasted goose on a huge plate set between them and they just went to town on it. After dinner we made our way back to the hotel to drop Pam off again and we went out for some beers.
We took Mike to the bar that Shane and I went to the night before for a few beers and then shane and I went out after that. We made our way to a club that my cousin Erick told me about that was this odd bar that had a lounge, dance club and topless dancers... it was kinda a weird club as you turn a corner or walk down a few steps and you are in an entire different club. The dance club section was total euro trash club style...lazers a glass ceiling where you could see the floor above you and there where creepy guys groping girls...shane and I hung out in the lounge most of the time drinking some beers. All in all I am glad we made it to this club because it was a lot of fun and totally different than any club I have been to before. haha.
As shane and I did not get to bed until around 4 or 4:30 and woke up at 9 to get breakfast we kinda made sunday a mellow day :) We walked around prague a bit more and tried to go to the jewish museum but the line was very long and it was kinda expensive so we just kept walking around. We made our way back up to the square where Jan Pallach did his demonstration and at the top was the National museum which was full of fossils, stuffed animals from lions to monkeys to snakes and buffalo. Also it had a lot of other cool things and the building itself was pretty rad.
After the museum we wanted to still see some stuff but didnt want to walk anymore so we decided to go on a boat tour down the river. This was cool and mellow and we got to sit down so that was nice. We got the see the Castle from a different perspective and a few other areas that we did not get to see. After the boat tour we made our way to another brewery and Mike and I literally split an entire duck. Well, we are not sure it was the same duck but we each got 1/2 a duck and with sauerkraut and dumplings... It was sooo effin good and sooo much food that my stomach felt like it was about to pop.. and we had a few beers and it only cost about 17 dollars. Kinda crazy! We kept sunday night mellow and where in bed by around 11:30 or 12 cause Shane and I where pretty darn tired after the night before and all the walking we did on sunday.
Monday we decided to go on a walking tour again with the same tour guide as the previous free walking tour. This time we stayed on the other side of the river and went through the old town, new town and jewish quarter. This tour was nice because we went to parts of prague that we had not seen before and got a bit more of the history of prague. After the walking tour Shane and I had to get over to the train station to catch our train back to berlin.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
dresden
Dresden was a lot of fun. We got there in the late afternoon on thanksgiving and had some time to walk around the city a bit. Dresden was a really pretty city even thought it was fire bombed during the war. Most of the xmas markets where open and we spent a decent amount of time walking around them and eating good food and drinking gluhwein (hot red wine with spices), Met (hot honey wine) and Grog (hot water mixed with rum and sugar). All of these drinks where nice as it was a bit cold out and a hot drink was good. I will say that getting use to warm wine took a bit :)
After some xmas markets we walked around a bit and saw some of the cool buildings, churches and the river which splits up the city. For dinner for our night in dresden we found this place that had really german food. A lot of bars and places to eat are actually underground as you have to walk down a bit before you get to them. Its a cool use of space and above a lot of them are either office or flats where people live. The food and beer at this german restaurant was sooooo good. For dinner I had a rolled beef dish that was stuffed with all kinds of things and covered with gravey. On the side I had apple flavored cabbage and dumplings. It was all super rich and super good. I have discovered black beer which is very dark and very smooth and it is sooo good. Now on to what mike and shane had. They both had pork knuckles which was a giant piece of pork with a huge bone running down the middle. The skin of the pork was all crispy and soo good as shane let me try a bit of it. The meal was sooo good and german food in general is really good. Not sure its the best for you but who cares right?
We where all pretty beat and turned in early in dresden due to the fact that we had some more exploring to do the following day before catching our train to prague at 5. The next day we went into a couple churches, the opera house, and this area that is filled with museums and such in a really old, almost castle or palace building. It was huge and really pretty. In there we went into the armory which had some of the first german guns along with swords that where very cool. Mike shane and I where into it but I think Pam got a bit bored and took a rest on one of the benches.
After wondering around and checking out a bit more of the city we ended up at another xmas market. They are cool and have tons of little shops with all kinds of different xmas things that all seem to be hand made and painted. A bit more drinking and we had a few monk brewed beers that we bought from a nun which was kinda funny but the black beer they made was actually pretty good.
Ultimately we made out train to prague and got a little cabin with just the 4 of us. Pam and I actually went to the dining car and hung out/talked so we would not bug shane and mike who wanted to read/nap for a bit on the way to prague. We made it to prague alright and its a very beautiful city but I will get into that later.
I know Im probably cutting some things out from our time in dresden but I am not going to lie, Im a bit tired as we walked around prague today for about 6 hours...i will get into the details tomorrow or something. But for now we are off to dinner.
After some xmas markets we walked around a bit and saw some of the cool buildings, churches and the river which splits up the city. For dinner for our night in dresden we found this place that had really german food. A lot of bars and places to eat are actually underground as you have to walk down a bit before you get to them. Its a cool use of space and above a lot of them are either office or flats where people live. The food and beer at this german restaurant was sooooo good. For dinner I had a rolled beef dish that was stuffed with all kinds of things and covered with gravey. On the side I had apple flavored cabbage and dumplings. It was all super rich and super good. I have discovered black beer which is very dark and very smooth and it is sooo good. Now on to what mike and shane had. They both had pork knuckles which was a giant piece of pork with a huge bone running down the middle. The skin of the pork was all crispy and soo good as shane let me try a bit of it. The meal was sooo good and german food in general is really good. Not sure its the best for you but who cares right?
We where all pretty beat and turned in early in dresden due to the fact that we had some more exploring to do the following day before catching our train to prague at 5. The next day we went into a couple churches, the opera house, and this area that is filled with museums and such in a really old, almost castle or palace building. It was huge and really pretty. In there we went into the armory which had some of the first german guns along with swords that where very cool. Mike shane and I where into it but I think Pam got a bit bored and took a rest on one of the benches.
After wondering around and checking out a bit more of the city we ended up at another xmas market. They are cool and have tons of little shops with all kinds of different xmas things that all seem to be hand made and painted. A bit more drinking and we had a few monk brewed beers that we bought from a nun which was kinda funny but the black beer they made was actually pretty good.
Ultimately we made out train to prague and got a little cabin with just the 4 of us. Pam and I actually went to the dining car and hung out/talked so we would not bug shane and mike who wanted to read/nap for a bit on the way to prague. We made it to prague alright and its a very beautiful city but I will get into that later.
I know Im probably cutting some things out from our time in dresden but I am not going to lie, Im a bit tired as we walked around prague today for about 6 hours...i will get into the details tomorrow or something. But for now we are off to dinner.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
happy turkey day
Oh yeah I almost forgot...
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Hope everyone has a great turkey day!
-Scott
p.s. if i dont get a chance to get on a computer in the next couple days HAPPY B-DAY JONNA!!!!
frankfurt to berlin to dreseden
okay so this one will be short as I dont have much time. After JR got back from walking the girls to school we had some breakfast and hung out a bit at his place. We walked a little bit through his town to check out some of the sights before catching the bus to head into town... For lunch JR took me to an authentic german restaurant where I had very good schnitzel with the infamous green sauce that is popular in Frankfurt. Also, I had some of their award winning apple wine which was very different but good. It was almost like a cidery wine with a hint of apple... After lunch, which was soooo good :), we made our way to the Frankfurt main station so I could catch my train back to berlin where I was going to met up with the boyles. We had about an hour to spare so JR and I hung out at a bar in the station and talked for a bit longer before having to take off. Again, it was very cool to see JR, meet his family and hang out for a few days.
On my trip from frankfurt to Berlin I met a man who was working in berlin for the couple years but was from northern Germany. He was super nice and actually very helpful. When I got into Berlin main station he helped me find my way to the correct Sbahn and actually sold me his extra ticket for 2 euros so I would not have to wait in line and end up missing my train. All in all everyone has been sooooo nice.
As soon as I got to berlin I met up with the Boyles and we ended up going to dinner at a place where we got...well, first off eally good beer!!! and second, a half of a deep fried chicken which was probably really bad for me but sooooo frickin good! I guess shane was saying its a very popular place in berlin and it was actually busy and we had a bit of a wait but it was well worth it! After dinner shane, his friend and I went to a cafe and got a beer and just hung out a bit.
Well, that brings me up to today... today Mike, Pam, Shane and I are off to dresden germany for a night then on our way to prague tomorrow night for a few nights. My trip is winding down but I still have a lot of adventure ahead and am still having a great time!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
frankfurt
Yesterday I had a lot of fun. I took the bus then the Uline into town from JRs house as he was a bit under the weather he stayed home to rest but gave me some directions on where to go to check out the city. One of the main things I wanted to check out and JR said it was something I had to see was the oldest church in Frankfurt.
After making my way into town and following JR's directions I made it to the church after about 30 minutes. Oh, on a side note this is the first day of rain I have had the whole trip which is crazy because I was expecting to get dumped on the whole trip... okay back to it. So once I got inside the church there was a lady who worked at the church who decided to walk me through a bit of the history and stages the church was built / rebuilt after the wars. There was one section of the church that was not burned when the rest of the church was. This is one of the only original alters in the whole church. I guess during WWII they took most of them out and stored them in bunkers but since this part was built into the walls they decided to build walls of brick around it to keep it safe...crazy things to think about. Also, this is the church where the king of Germany was crowned...well, at least where the ceremony was held.
After the church I went for a walk in the rain along the river that runs through Frankfurt and along many really cool buildings and a couple other churches...Once it really started coming down I decided that it was time to start to head back to JR's place as it took about 30 min or so to get there by public transport. I knew his girls where getting home from school soon and I really wanted to meet them before before they went to bed.
When I got back JR and I hung out for a bit then Verena, Sabrina and Sophia got home. At first they where a bit shy but then after playing peek a boo from behind a corner for a moment they seemed to warm up and we played a bit. They are soooo cute and funny. They had me read them a few story books but at first they handed me a book in german and I had to let them know that I was from California and did not know how to speak german. hahaha. They where kind enough to get me a book to read to them in english which was nice as I would have not done so hot trying to read to them in german.
JR, Sabrina, Sophia and I had dinner together but Verena had to go to her Sax lessons. At dinner the girls actually both fell asleep at the table after eating which was very cute and funny. I guess yesterday they had school then sports so they are usually pretty tired on those days. Jr put the girls to bed and read them a bedtime story and then we hung out for a few minutes before Verena got home...we had plans to go to a jazz club in town.
Verena and I went out becuase JR was still feeling a bit under the weather with a cold and needed to rest a bit. We made our way into downtown Frankfurt and through a shopping area that was all closed...very different vibe than when I was there earlier in the day. Eventually we made it to a club that was down some stairs and was actually underground. It almost looked like we where in a cave. We took a seat at the bar and grabbed a couple of beers and waited for the band to go one. There was a drummer, guitar, sax, trumpet and electric organ...all in all they where very good but the trumpet player got a bit out of control at times with this crazy high pitched solos....anywho, the place was very cool and I had a lot of fun getting to know Verena.
When we got home we where both pretty tired and JR and the girls where all sleeping so we made our way to bed. I decided to set my alarm to make sure I was up in time to see the girls and Verena one last time before they took off for school/work. When I got up the girls where already up and running around and playing so I got up and joined them. We sang a few songs like old mcdonald and such from one of their books. These girls looove their books which is cool. After a little while it was time for Verena to go to work and JR to walk to girls to school. Well, I guess that brings me up to date thus far.
Today JR and I are going to head into town again and he said I have to try green sauce and apple wine before I leave Frankfurt so we are going to grab some lunch and then around 3 or 4 I take off to head back to berlin to meet up with the Boyles who got in last night.
I had a great time reconnecting with JR and meeting his family. I really look forward to seeing them all again either on a second trip to europe!! :) or when they come out to the states to visit.
After making my way into town and following JR's directions I made it to the church after about 30 minutes. Oh, on a side note this is the first day of rain I have had the whole trip which is crazy because I was expecting to get dumped on the whole trip... okay back to it. So once I got inside the church there was a lady who worked at the church who decided to walk me through a bit of the history and stages the church was built / rebuilt after the wars. There was one section of the church that was not burned when the rest of the church was. This is one of the only original alters in the whole church. I guess during WWII they took most of them out and stored them in bunkers but since this part was built into the walls they decided to build walls of brick around it to keep it safe...crazy things to think about. Also, this is the church where the king of Germany was crowned...well, at least where the ceremony was held.
After the church I went for a walk in the rain along the river that runs through Frankfurt and along many really cool buildings and a couple other churches...Once it really started coming down I decided that it was time to start to head back to JR's place as it took about 30 min or so to get there by public transport. I knew his girls where getting home from school soon and I really wanted to meet them before before they went to bed.
When I got back JR and I hung out for a bit then Verena, Sabrina and Sophia got home. At first they where a bit shy but then after playing peek a boo from behind a corner for a moment they seemed to warm up and we played a bit. They are soooo cute and funny. They had me read them a few story books but at first they handed me a book in german and I had to let them know that I was from California and did not know how to speak german. hahaha. They where kind enough to get me a book to read to them in english which was nice as I would have not done so hot trying to read to them in german.
JR, Sabrina, Sophia and I had dinner together but Verena had to go to her Sax lessons. At dinner the girls actually both fell asleep at the table after eating which was very cute and funny. I guess yesterday they had school then sports so they are usually pretty tired on those days. Jr put the girls to bed and read them a bedtime story and then we hung out for a few minutes before Verena got home...we had plans to go to a jazz club in town.
Verena and I went out becuase JR was still feeling a bit under the weather with a cold and needed to rest a bit. We made our way into downtown Frankfurt and through a shopping area that was all closed...very different vibe than when I was there earlier in the day. Eventually we made it to a club that was down some stairs and was actually underground. It almost looked like we where in a cave. We took a seat at the bar and grabbed a couple of beers and waited for the band to go one. There was a drummer, guitar, sax, trumpet and electric organ...all in all they where very good but the trumpet player got a bit out of control at times with this crazy high pitched solos....anywho, the place was very cool and I had a lot of fun getting to know Verena.
When we got home we where both pretty tired and JR and the girls where all sleeping so we made our way to bed. I decided to set my alarm to make sure I was up in time to see the girls and Verena one last time before they took off for school/work. When I got up the girls where already up and running around and playing so I got up and joined them. We sang a few songs like old mcdonald and such from one of their books. These girls looove their books which is cool. After a little while it was time for Verena to go to work and JR to walk to girls to school. Well, I guess that brings me up to date thus far.
Today JR and I are going to head into town again and he said I have to try green sauce and apple wine before I leave Frankfurt so we are going to grab some lunch and then around 3 or 4 I take off to head back to berlin to meet up with the Boyles who got in last night.
I had a great time reconnecting with JR and meeting his family. I really look forward to seeing them all again either on a second trip to europe!! :) or when they come out to the states to visit.
Switzerland to Frankfurt main
My second day in switzerland was very cool. Man oh man did I love being in the countryside there as it is sooooo crazy beautiful!! Fabienne was a great tour guide and went everywhere with me. The second day (sunday the 22 i think) we took a trip to Einsiedeln ...i think thats the name to go see a monastery. First off, the drive there was again amazing and the green hills where so cool to me. We just dont have countryside like that in southern california hahha. Anywho, once we got to the monastery we first went to this fountain that was outside on the street. Before we left Fabienne read that you are suppose to drink from the fountain for good health and luck. So, naturally we each gave it a shot...I still have my cough though so maybe I didnt drink enough :)
Once we got inside the church I was floored. The detail and gold trim on everything was just nuts. I was a tad bit bummed as they did not allow people to take pictures inside the church but it was soo cool I snuck a few pictures from my coat pocket but they turned out a tad bit blurry or with my finger in the frame....oh well, I got at least one or 2 that show how cool the inside of the church was.
After we walked around the grounds of the monastery and hung out with a few horses that where kept out back and such. After the monastery we decided to make our way over to rapperswil....this is where true hip hop lives...I mean shoot, "rappersville" is where the true players peak right?... okay, maybe not but they did have a little castle which was cool and it was right on the lake. The castle was small but still cool and I enjoyed walking around and checking out the lake and the old homes in the town.
Later that night Fabienne had to go to work from 7-11 so, as wattwil doesnt have much going on in terms of a "night life" I just hung out and watched a movie at her flat. Fabienne was a great host...I mean she took the time to drive my butt around the countryside that Im sure to her is beautiful but she sees it every day. A big thanks to her for putting me up for a few nights.
On monday I hopped on the train in wattwil and made my way back to zurich where I was to catch a high speed train to Frankfurt to visit my cousin JR. JR came to meet me at the station in Frankfurt which was very nice as I would have most likely got lost trying to find his place as it is just outside the main city.
After meeting up we decided to go grab a few beers at an Irish pub in frankfurt just outside the train station. This was a total blast as I have not seen JR in prob 15 years if not more. We talked a bit about family and more about music and my trip and the differences between the U.S. and Europe. I had a great time just haning out and being able to reconnect with family while over on this side of the pond is awesome. Thanks to facebook for this one :)
After grabbing a few beers we hopped on a the metro and a short bust ride to make our way over to his place. His kids had just gone to bed and so I have yet to meet them but hope to meet them tonight. I did meet his wife who was very nice but didnt get to spend too much time with her as she had a neighborhood meeting to attend. JR and I ordered some food and just hung out talking for the night. Good times and good convo. Well, today I am going to head into Frankfurt for a little bit and check out the city. Tomorrow I leave for berlin where I will meet up with the Boyles then we are goign to make our way over to prague for a few nights.
So far my trip has been just sooo awesome!! I love it and have not been anywhere that I did not like. I am bummed I am over half way done with my trip but excited I still have a lot more to do!!
Once we got inside the church I was floored. The detail and gold trim on everything was just nuts. I was a tad bit bummed as they did not allow people to take pictures inside the church but it was soo cool I snuck a few pictures from my coat pocket but they turned out a tad bit blurry or with my finger in the frame....oh well, I got at least one or 2 that show how cool the inside of the church was.
After we walked around the grounds of the monastery and hung out with a few horses that where kept out back and such. After the monastery we decided to make our way over to rapperswil....this is where true hip hop lives...I mean shoot, "rappersville" is where the true players peak right?... okay, maybe not but they did have a little castle which was cool and it was right on the lake. The castle was small but still cool and I enjoyed walking around and checking out the lake and the old homes in the town.
Later that night Fabienne had to go to work from 7-11 so, as wattwil doesnt have much going on in terms of a "night life" I just hung out and watched a movie at her flat. Fabienne was a great host...I mean she took the time to drive my butt around the countryside that Im sure to her is beautiful but she sees it every day. A big thanks to her for putting me up for a few nights.
On monday I hopped on the train in wattwil and made my way back to zurich where I was to catch a high speed train to Frankfurt to visit my cousin JR. JR came to meet me at the station in Frankfurt which was very nice as I would have most likely got lost trying to find his place as it is just outside the main city.
After meeting up we decided to go grab a few beers at an Irish pub in frankfurt just outside the train station. This was a total blast as I have not seen JR in prob 15 years if not more. We talked a bit about family and more about music and my trip and the differences between the U.S. and Europe. I had a great time just haning out and being able to reconnect with family while over on this side of the pond is awesome. Thanks to facebook for this one :)
After grabbing a few beers we hopped on a the metro and a short bust ride to make our way over to his place. His kids had just gone to bed and so I have yet to meet them but hope to meet them tonight. I did meet his wife who was very nice but didnt get to spend too much time with her as she had a neighborhood meeting to attend. JR and I ordered some food and just hung out talking for the night. Good times and good convo. Well, today I am going to head into Frankfurt for a little bit and check out the city. Tomorrow I leave for berlin where I will meet up with the Boyles then we are goign to make our way over to prague for a few nights.
So far my trip has been just sooo awesome!! I love it and have not been anywhere that I did not like. I am bummed I am over half way done with my trip but excited I still have a lot more to do!!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
switzerland
I left paris on friday and was on my way to Zurich switzerland. After being in 3 big cities I was excited to see some of the european countryside. The train ride was cool. I had a window seat and no one was next to me for most of the trip and I had one person across from me but they did not speak english so I used this time to take a little nap cause we where out kinda late my last night in Paris. Our train had some technical problems and we got stuck in the middle of nowhere for like 20 minutes but all in all the train ride from paris to zurich was nice...I got to see some of the french countryside which was nice and then a bit of switzerland.
Later on in the trip I had two guys sit across from me that where from budapest and where in basel CH for a business trip and where on their way home. We talked a bit and they where supprised that I knew that budapest was in Hungry....they thought many americans would not know...They where very interested in my euro trip and wanted to know what I thought about europe...best and worst parts...where I had been and where I was going. Very nice guys. It was fun to pass the time and hear about their thoughts of america. Everywhere I go they said they had parties throughout the cities once Bush was out of office and we got Obama into office. They siad most of europe was very excited even though we all agree he got the nobel prize too early.
Anywho, once I got to zurich I had to catch a train to Wil where Colin`s (the drummer of Northern Labour Party) sister in law, Fabienne, would pick me up in her car and we would go to Wattwil. Wattwil is a little village in switzerland which is very pretty and kinda at the base of the hills of the alps. The first night we grabbed a kebab for dinner at ate it at her flat and then took a walk around Wattwil which did not take very long as it is a small village. We climbed up a small hill and got a view of all of the village at night.
Wow, now im caught up to today...well, this morning anyways...hahaha.
This morning we woke up and had some coffee and fresh swiss bread with home made jam and a little bit of swiss cheese...not the swiss cheese we have but rather very good cheese from switzerland. hahha. After breakfast we hopped in the car and started our hour long drive through the countryside of switzerland...man oh man is it beautiful here. There are many little villages that are spread throughout the hills. Some of the villages are very small and homes are spread out on the hills... it would be sooo cool to live in one of them for an extended period of time and farm and do the county life where no big city stuff matter.
After driving through the insane beautiful switzerland countryside we made our way up to Hoher Kasten which is a mountain. This particular mountain has a cable car that takes u from Bruelisau (yet another small town at the base of the mt.) up to the top. From the top of Hoher Kasten we could see austria, liechitenstein, germany and well, we where in switzerland. well, this is a bitt different from anywhere in the states...i could se 4 countries at one time..haha nuty.
Also, from the top I could see the small village of Gams. Gams is the villege where my friend Desi`s mom grew up. I heard her talk about it lots of times and to see it was very cool. It is in a valley between the some of the alps and right on a river. Very beautiful...I did not get to go down to it but could see how beautiful it was just by seeing where it was nestled in the hills.
After taking a few photos we decided to go on a small hike from the top of the mountain and over to where we could see more of the countryside from the other side... We did not realize but we climbed down a good amount and then where only slightly bummed when we remembered we had to go back up...haha! Its okay becuase after the hike back up we grabbed lunch at the top where there is a small cafe and ate it ouside overlooking the valley where gams was.
After lunch we took the cable cart back down to the village. We hopped back in the car and made a trip to appenzel which is either a large village or a small city in switzerland... Either way we walked around a few shops and saw some traditional swiss painted homes that where very old. Some of them where very cool looking...very simple but classic. We where both a bit tired after hiking so we decided to get a coffee at a local cafe in appenzell...European coffee is sooo good.
After appenzell we went for a drive home a bit of a different way and Fabienne took me by the village where she works which is a cool village...very small and very pretty. After we made our way back to Wattwil. Pretty much everything closes at 5pm so we went back to her flat and she made cheese fondue that we dipped some bread from a local bakery that was very good and some veggies...with it we had some white swiss wine..mmmmmm such a great dinner. After we each had part of a swiss chocholate bar that was filled with almond creme...again, sooooo goood mmmmmmmmm...
Not a whole lot goes on in Wattwil at night so we just hung out and watched some tv and I was able to wash some clothes which was nice because now I will have clean socks and underwear..hahha...I was on my last set hahaha. Fabienne Gave me a beer from her home town in germany...the beer is called Detmolder and is pretty good. I guess its the only brewery in Germany that is run by women. Actually the picture on the label is drawing of a good looking german woman holding the beer while all the meen stare at the beer...hahha.
Tomorrow we are going to maybe check out a small castle and a monastey but for now im off to bed...
Later on in the trip I had two guys sit across from me that where from budapest and where in basel CH for a business trip and where on their way home. We talked a bit and they where supprised that I knew that budapest was in Hungry....they thought many americans would not know...They where very interested in my euro trip and wanted to know what I thought about europe...best and worst parts...where I had been and where I was going. Very nice guys. It was fun to pass the time and hear about their thoughts of america. Everywhere I go they said they had parties throughout the cities once Bush was out of office and we got Obama into office. They siad most of europe was very excited even though we all agree he got the nobel prize too early.
Anywho, once I got to zurich I had to catch a train to Wil where Colin`s (the drummer of Northern Labour Party) sister in law, Fabienne, would pick me up in her car and we would go to Wattwil. Wattwil is a little village in switzerland which is very pretty and kinda at the base of the hills of the alps. The first night we grabbed a kebab for dinner at ate it at her flat and then took a walk around Wattwil which did not take very long as it is a small village. We climbed up a small hill and got a view of all of the village at night.
Wow, now im caught up to today...well, this morning anyways...hahaha.
This morning we woke up and had some coffee and fresh swiss bread with home made jam and a little bit of swiss cheese...not the swiss cheese we have but rather very good cheese from switzerland. hahha. After breakfast we hopped in the car and started our hour long drive through the countryside of switzerland...man oh man is it beautiful here. There are many little villages that are spread throughout the hills. Some of the villages are very small and homes are spread out on the hills... it would be sooo cool to live in one of them for an extended period of time and farm and do the county life where no big city stuff matter.
After driving through the insane beautiful switzerland countryside we made our way up to Hoher Kasten which is a mountain. This particular mountain has a cable car that takes u from Bruelisau (yet another small town at the base of the mt.) up to the top. From the top of Hoher Kasten we could see austria, liechitenstein, germany and well, we where in switzerland. well, this is a bitt different from anywhere in the states...i could se 4 countries at one time..haha nuty.
Also, from the top I could see the small village of Gams. Gams is the villege where my friend Desi`s mom grew up. I heard her talk about it lots of times and to see it was very cool. It is in a valley between the some of the alps and right on a river. Very beautiful...I did not get to go down to it but could see how beautiful it was just by seeing where it was nestled in the hills.
After taking a few photos we decided to go on a small hike from the top of the mountain and over to where we could see more of the countryside from the other side... We did not realize but we climbed down a good amount and then where only slightly bummed when we remembered we had to go back up...haha! Its okay becuase after the hike back up we grabbed lunch at the top where there is a small cafe and ate it ouside overlooking the valley where gams was.
After lunch we took the cable cart back down to the village. We hopped back in the car and made a trip to appenzel which is either a large village or a small city in switzerland... Either way we walked around a few shops and saw some traditional swiss painted homes that where very old. Some of them where very cool looking...very simple but classic. We where both a bit tired after hiking so we decided to get a coffee at a local cafe in appenzell...European coffee is sooo good.
After appenzell we went for a drive home a bit of a different way and Fabienne took me by the village where she works which is a cool village...very small and very pretty. After we made our way back to Wattwil. Pretty much everything closes at 5pm so we went back to her flat and she made cheese fondue that we dipped some bread from a local bakery that was very good and some veggies...with it we had some white swiss wine..mmmmmm such a great dinner. After we each had part of a swiss chocholate bar that was filled with almond creme...again, sooooo goood mmmmmmmmm...
Not a whole lot goes on in Wattwil at night so we just hung out and watched some tv and I was able to wash some clothes which was nice because now I will have clean socks and underwear..hahha...I was on my last set hahaha. Fabienne Gave me a beer from her home town in germany...the beer is called Detmolder and is pretty good. I guess its the only brewery in Germany that is run by women. Actually the picture on the label is drawing of a good looking german woman holding the beer while all the meen stare at the beer...hahha.
Tomorrow we are going to maybe check out a small castle and a monastey but for now im off to bed...
paris cont...
okay so back to it...
first off i know i prob have a lot of spelling errors but if i change z and y its becuase i am on a german keyboard and they are switched...
anywho, after checking out notre dame I began my walk down the river to the eiffel tower which is a decent hike..haha. I did not realize that on the waz I would pass right by musee d orsay. So it was on my list of things I wanted to check out so i Popped in. Musee d orsay is in an old train station and has french art, impressionist art/ post impressionist art. It had a few monet`s and van gogh`s...super cool. Just the building itself was very cool and it was fun to see a museum in a different building such as a train station.
After the musee d orsay I continued walking down the left bank of the seine river towards the eiffel tower. After walking about 30-40 min I finally made it to the eiffel tower and I was greeted bz about 400-500 irish men dressed in green with their faces painted and stacks of 12 packs who where having a large party under the tower...hahahah....that night was the french vs. ireland world cup qualifying match being held in paris....they where all screaming cheers and where all very very drunk!!! They where all kicking soccer balls up in the air and I actually saw it a few times hit other irish men in the head where they just laughed...a few times I actually saw empty beer bottles being thrown which was quite scary...
After watching them pre party (almost like a tailgait) for a bit I got in line to take my trip up the eiffel tower. It was kinda a bummer that the very very top was closed but still went up to the second floor and got a view of paris which was very cool!!
After the eiffel tower I had to start my walk back to alexandra`s flat as it was 5:30 and I was meeting her there at 6. So after snapping a few last pictures I made my way back towards her place...after walking for about 30 min I got a tad lost so I called shane who gave me the final directions to make it back by using gmaps..haha I was actually only about a quarter mile away but all the street corners in her area look alike.
Fir dinner on my second night in paris Alexandra made me a salmon dinner with a salad and boiled potatos....very good. After we went to a local pub in the rugby district to watch the france vs. Ireland game...here we met up with her dutch friend jan who was a very cool guy. Actually all of us thought it would be very funny if france did not win and if it was not for a handball right in front of the goal by france they would have lost. Oh well! After the futobl match we went to another bar that she really liked and we had a few more drinks and listened to french music. Some was very good and very 80`s.
The next morning I got up and took a short trip to the palace at versailles. I only had to walk about 10 min from the trainstation to find the palace which was nice as my legs where a tad bit tired from the long walk the day before..hahaha.... I was kinda bummed because I did not have a power adapter the night before for my camera and my battery was getting very low...I only had my camera for the first bit at the palace so I busted out my flip and took a few videos :) The place is seriously nuts! The bedrooms have bedposts that go up 20 feet to the ceiling and drapped in all kinds of fancy material and gold everything!! Then I looked out a window and the garden and the grand cannal where just nuts...they palace grounds are absolutly huge...
After checking out the main palace I decided to take a walk through the gardens and over to marie antoinette`s estate which if you think about it...its a 30 min walk which kinda shows how large the palace grounds really are!! There where a few really cool fountains and statues around the grounds along with tons of paths and trees all surrounding the grand canals... Versailles is so big I spent most of the day there before I had to make my way back to the train to make it back to Alexandra`s flat in paris bz 6:00pm as should would be getting off work and I had her keys..hahaha....only the nice thing to do :)
Anywho, this night in France is a big night I guess....it was the beaujolais nouveau day...or the new wine. On the third thursday of November every year I guess the first wine of 2009, with gamay grapes from the beaujolais region of france, that can be had. Its a very oung wine but still was okay...but I guess all of the places all over paris have it and people go out do dinner to celebrate the beaujolais nouveau and get a glass or two of it. Alexandra and I made our way from her flat up to montmarte which is up a hill on the opposite side of the river. One thing different about dinner time in paris is they tend to eat very late...we did not leave for dinner until around 8:30 and did not start eating until about 9:15...
We stoppped at a little cafe on the corner and sat outside which was very nice! First off our dinner started with a "cold meat plate" which was full of salami, ham, pattee and some other meat that I wasnt sure of what it was with some baguette slices on the side...mmmmmmm. For the main dish I had duck with potatos ....I have never really had duck but it was sooooo good! The food in Paris is soooo good over all. The down side is Paris is also very expensive...We had a starter dish, 2 main dishes and a few glasses of wine and the meal cost over 100 dollars...Now that doesnt seem too much but this was just a small cafe on the corner. Oh well, it was worth it and very good. I paid for dinner to thank Alexandra for her hospitality and all of her help.
After dinner a french friend of hers met up with us and we all went up higher into montmartre to see the view of all of Paris at night... it was a cool view as we could see all of the places that I had been the previous day but to see them in and how far apart they really are made me realize whz my legs where a bit sore....hahhaah. After a few min and pictures up at the top of montmartre we made our way to a pub..actualy we made our way to 3-4 pubs where was fun.
In the first pub I met a few guy that ranged from my age to about 50 who all worked for the same company and who where in Paris from holland for a business trip. They actually had a really cool job. They work for a company that makes the equipment for the Police to safely break into buildings witout too much destruction and harm. They said they get to see all of these cool toys and how they work which is fun. One of the guys actually was asked to come to Long beach CA to help teach the police some things and helped with the arrest of a few Gang members from the bloods and crips and after arresting them the long beach cops gave him one of their bandana`s as a gift...hahaha..he said it is haning in his office. Sooooo funny.
On our way to the one of the pubs we passed by moulin rouge...we did not go in but I have a photo in front as I am sure many others do. We actually ended up staying out until about 3 or 4 am which did not seem that late as we finished eating dinner around 11. The next morning Alexandra went and got some croissants from a bakery downstairs from her flat as she decided to go into work late on friday....it was nice we had tea and croissants for breakfast then she went to work and I packed up to head to switzerland...
All in all I really enjoyed Paris and I will have to come back becuase there is sooo much more to see in Paris...I could have spent a week there easily. But everyone I met was very nice and everything I saw was amazing. Meeting Alexandra was very cool too as it gave me an insider view of Paris and I had someone to ask questions to about the metro and other things like that.
So I only had a short walk and short metro ride to Gare de est train station where I was taking a high speed train to zurich!!
first off i know i prob have a lot of spelling errors but if i change z and y its becuase i am on a german keyboard and they are switched...
anywho, after checking out notre dame I began my walk down the river to the eiffel tower which is a decent hike..haha. I did not realize that on the waz I would pass right by musee d orsay. So it was on my list of things I wanted to check out so i Popped in. Musee d orsay is in an old train station and has french art, impressionist art/ post impressionist art. It had a few monet`s and van gogh`s...super cool. Just the building itself was very cool and it was fun to see a museum in a different building such as a train station.
After the musee d orsay I continued walking down the left bank of the seine river towards the eiffel tower. After walking about 30-40 min I finally made it to the eiffel tower and I was greeted bz about 400-500 irish men dressed in green with their faces painted and stacks of 12 packs who where having a large party under the tower...hahahah....that night was the french vs. ireland world cup qualifying match being held in paris....they where all screaming cheers and where all very very drunk!!! They where all kicking soccer balls up in the air and I actually saw it a few times hit other irish men in the head where they just laughed...a few times I actually saw empty beer bottles being thrown which was quite scary...
After watching them pre party (almost like a tailgait) for a bit I got in line to take my trip up the eiffel tower. It was kinda a bummer that the very very top was closed but still went up to the second floor and got a view of paris which was very cool!!
After the eiffel tower I had to start my walk back to alexandra`s flat as it was 5:30 and I was meeting her there at 6. So after snapping a few last pictures I made my way back towards her place...after walking for about 30 min I got a tad lost so I called shane who gave me the final directions to make it back by using gmaps..haha I was actually only about a quarter mile away but all the street corners in her area look alike.
Fir dinner on my second night in paris Alexandra made me a salmon dinner with a salad and boiled potatos....very good. After we went to a local pub in the rugby district to watch the france vs. Ireland game...here we met up with her dutch friend jan who was a very cool guy. Actually all of us thought it would be very funny if france did not win and if it was not for a handball right in front of the goal by france they would have lost. Oh well! After the futobl match we went to another bar that she really liked and we had a few more drinks and listened to french music. Some was very good and very 80`s.
The next morning I got up and took a short trip to the palace at versailles. I only had to walk about 10 min from the trainstation to find the palace which was nice as my legs where a tad bit tired from the long walk the day before..hahaha.... I was kinda bummed because I did not have a power adapter the night before for my camera and my battery was getting very low...I only had my camera for the first bit at the palace so I busted out my flip and took a few videos :) The place is seriously nuts! The bedrooms have bedposts that go up 20 feet to the ceiling and drapped in all kinds of fancy material and gold everything!! Then I looked out a window and the garden and the grand cannal where just nuts...they palace grounds are absolutly huge...
After checking out the main palace I decided to take a walk through the gardens and over to marie antoinette`s estate which if you think about it...its a 30 min walk which kinda shows how large the palace grounds really are!! There where a few really cool fountains and statues around the grounds along with tons of paths and trees all surrounding the grand canals... Versailles is so big I spent most of the day there before I had to make my way back to the train to make it back to Alexandra`s flat in paris bz 6:00pm as should would be getting off work and I had her keys..hahaha....only the nice thing to do :)
Anywho, this night in France is a big night I guess....it was the beaujolais nouveau day...or the new wine. On the third thursday of November every year I guess the first wine of 2009, with gamay grapes from the beaujolais region of france, that can be had. Its a very oung wine but still was okay...but I guess all of the places all over paris have it and people go out do dinner to celebrate the beaujolais nouveau and get a glass or two of it. Alexandra and I made our way from her flat up to montmarte which is up a hill on the opposite side of the river. One thing different about dinner time in paris is they tend to eat very late...we did not leave for dinner until around 8:30 and did not start eating until about 9:15...
We stoppped at a little cafe on the corner and sat outside which was very nice! First off our dinner started with a "cold meat plate" which was full of salami, ham, pattee and some other meat that I wasnt sure of what it was with some baguette slices on the side...mmmmmmm. For the main dish I had duck with potatos ....I have never really had duck but it was sooooo good! The food in Paris is soooo good over all. The down side is Paris is also very expensive...We had a starter dish, 2 main dishes and a few glasses of wine and the meal cost over 100 dollars...Now that doesnt seem too much but this was just a small cafe on the corner. Oh well, it was worth it and very good. I paid for dinner to thank Alexandra for her hospitality and all of her help.
After dinner a french friend of hers met up with us and we all went up higher into montmartre to see the view of all of Paris at night... it was a cool view as we could see all of the places that I had been the previous day but to see them in and how far apart they really are made me realize whz my legs where a bit sore....hahhaah. After a few min and pictures up at the top of montmartre we made our way to a pub..actualy we made our way to 3-4 pubs where was fun.
In the first pub I met a few guy that ranged from my age to about 50 who all worked for the same company and who where in Paris from holland for a business trip. They actually had a really cool job. They work for a company that makes the equipment for the Police to safely break into buildings witout too much destruction and harm. They said they get to see all of these cool toys and how they work which is fun. One of the guys actually was asked to come to Long beach CA to help teach the police some things and helped with the arrest of a few Gang members from the bloods and crips and after arresting them the long beach cops gave him one of their bandana`s as a gift...hahaha..he said it is haning in his office. Sooooo funny.
On our way to the one of the pubs we passed by moulin rouge...we did not go in but I have a photo in front as I am sure many others do. We actually ended up staying out until about 3 or 4 am which did not seem that late as we finished eating dinner around 11. The next morning Alexandra went and got some croissants from a bakery downstairs from her flat as she decided to go into work late on friday....it was nice we had tea and croissants for breakfast then she went to work and I packed up to head to switzerland...
All in all I really enjoyed Paris and I will have to come back becuase there is sooo much more to see in Paris...I could have spent a week there easily. But everyone I met was very nice and everything I saw was amazing. Meeting Alexandra was very cool too as it gave me an insider view of Paris and I had someone to ask questions to about the metro and other things like that.
So I only had a short walk and short metro ride to Gare de est train station where I was taking a high speed train to zurich!!
Friday, November 20, 2009
amsterdam to paris
okay so it has been a few days since I was able to write a blog since I did not really have computer access and didnt have time to pop into an internet cafe....well, here is my update from amsterdam to paris and I am in wattwil switzerland...well, i will get to that part in a bit.
I did make it to anne Frank`s house in amsterdam and i am very glad I went. Although it is a very depressing it is eye opening...the struggle that people went through during the war is just unreal...its hard to even think about. The rooms that where stuck in for months on end without being able to go outside or make noise during the day is flat out rough...anywho I will try to stay awaz from the depressing stuff...haha...
Shane and I both had trains around the same time departing from the main station in amsterdam. My train actually was scheduled to depart about an hour before shanes but got cancelled...after freaking out for about 2.2 seconds I realized that they where going to add us to another train to get us there but we would have to change trains in brussels belium...Shane and said good bye and he took off for berlin and I was off to paris... The train ride was okay but the train the put us on was not as nice nor was it the highspeed train that we thought we where going to be on but oh well...I didnt care becuase I fell asleep anyways.
When we got to brussels I remembered they said that it would be very easy to find the connecting train to paris but this was not true at all...the station was very busy and the lines where not short at the information windows....we only had 10 min to find our train...i noticed there was a girl on my frist train that was looking the connection aswell and she spoke french!!! So i talked to her for a moment and asked if she would mind if i would follow her to make sure I would not miss the connection...in the end we found it just in time and ended up sitting near each other and then went to the bar to grab a beer on the ride to paris. We where talking for a while and she asked where I was staying in paris and when i told her i had a hostle in a certain area of town she gave me a look of terror and then asked if I would rather stay at her place cause she had a pull out couch bed in her living room that was free...
I took this offer up right away cause it was free and I would have someone to hang out with at night and such. Alexandra is actually from London and had been working in paris for 9 months. She actually was super cool and very nice to offer to put me up and everything. Totally was not expecting that one.
Alexandra actually lives fairly close to the eiffel tower so she suggested that we hire some bikes (they are free for the first hour or so...totally cool) and bike to the tower to see the light show that happens at night on the hour. after going down a few streets that all looked the same we got the the long park of grass fields that lead up to the eiffel tower and right as we stopped the biked the light show started. It was beautiful...just sooooo cool. I loved it. okay i think you get the idea. After the show then we biked back to her street, dropped off the bikes and had a quick beer then it was bedtime as she had work in the morning and I had a very long day.
Okay so my first full day in paris was a very long but awesome day. I must have walked miles and miles. I left around 10:30 in the morning and was walking or on my feet until about 6pm. I hopped on a bus right outside her flat which took me directly to my first stop of the day...the Louvre. I was expecting a decent line but I basically walked right in. It was awesome! man oh man can that place be overwhelming... it is huge. I decided to get an audio guide to help me find my way around and give me a bit of history about the museum and such. I did not realize that the mona lisa was so small. But it was cool going during a time of year that is not all that busy becuase i was able to walk right up to her and take a few pictures and admire leonardo`s work. all in all i spent a few hours in the lourve and grabbed a ham and cheese baguette and a coke to eat outside by the pyramid before taking off for my trek to kick it with the hunchback of notre dame...
So the walk from the louvre to notre dame was very nice...it was along the river down paris through the heart of paris. On my waz I met a couple from austrailia that was also looking for it so we joined forces to boost to odds of us finding it quickly. They where very nice and very interested in my trip and where I was off to next and such...very cool couple. When we got to notre dame we stayed outside to admire the architecture and the details of the building. It is crazy to think that this one church is older than the united states..hahaha....nutz that we have such a young country and we just dont have buildings like this in the states. When I went inside the church it was even more beautiful...from the stained glass windows to the beautiful painting and statues it was just amazing...The one thing I did not get to do was go up in the tower. They only let 20 people in at a time and there was a really long line so I decided to save the view of paris for looking from the tower!
...to be continued....
Okay, so here is the deal.. I still have lots to write about Paris but its after midnight here in switzerland and we are tired over here so I am going to go get ready for bed and finish up tomorrow...gnight for now
I did make it to anne Frank`s house in amsterdam and i am very glad I went. Although it is a very depressing it is eye opening...the struggle that people went through during the war is just unreal...its hard to even think about. The rooms that where stuck in for months on end without being able to go outside or make noise during the day is flat out rough...anywho I will try to stay awaz from the depressing stuff...haha...
Shane and I both had trains around the same time departing from the main station in amsterdam. My train actually was scheduled to depart about an hour before shanes but got cancelled...after freaking out for about 2.2 seconds I realized that they where going to add us to another train to get us there but we would have to change trains in brussels belium...Shane and said good bye and he took off for berlin and I was off to paris... The train ride was okay but the train the put us on was not as nice nor was it the highspeed train that we thought we where going to be on but oh well...I didnt care becuase I fell asleep anyways.
When we got to brussels I remembered they said that it would be very easy to find the connecting train to paris but this was not true at all...the station was very busy and the lines where not short at the information windows....we only had 10 min to find our train...i noticed there was a girl on my frist train that was looking the connection aswell and she spoke french!!! So i talked to her for a moment and asked if she would mind if i would follow her to make sure I would not miss the connection...in the end we found it just in time and ended up sitting near each other and then went to the bar to grab a beer on the ride to paris. We where talking for a while and she asked where I was staying in paris and when i told her i had a hostle in a certain area of town she gave me a look of terror and then asked if I would rather stay at her place cause she had a pull out couch bed in her living room that was free...
I took this offer up right away cause it was free and I would have someone to hang out with at night and such. Alexandra is actually from London and had been working in paris for 9 months. She actually was super cool and very nice to offer to put me up and everything. Totally was not expecting that one.
Alexandra actually lives fairly close to the eiffel tower so she suggested that we hire some bikes (they are free for the first hour or so...totally cool) and bike to the tower to see the light show that happens at night on the hour. after going down a few streets that all looked the same we got the the long park of grass fields that lead up to the eiffel tower and right as we stopped the biked the light show started. It was beautiful...just sooooo cool. I loved it. okay i think you get the idea. After the show then we biked back to her street, dropped off the bikes and had a quick beer then it was bedtime as she had work in the morning and I had a very long day.
Okay so my first full day in paris was a very long but awesome day. I must have walked miles and miles. I left around 10:30 in the morning and was walking or on my feet until about 6pm. I hopped on a bus right outside her flat which took me directly to my first stop of the day...the Louvre. I was expecting a decent line but I basically walked right in. It was awesome! man oh man can that place be overwhelming... it is huge. I decided to get an audio guide to help me find my way around and give me a bit of history about the museum and such. I did not realize that the mona lisa was so small. But it was cool going during a time of year that is not all that busy becuase i was able to walk right up to her and take a few pictures and admire leonardo`s work. all in all i spent a few hours in the lourve and grabbed a ham and cheese baguette and a coke to eat outside by the pyramid before taking off for my trek to kick it with the hunchback of notre dame...
So the walk from the louvre to notre dame was very nice...it was along the river down paris through the heart of paris. On my waz I met a couple from austrailia that was also looking for it so we joined forces to boost to odds of us finding it quickly. They where very nice and very interested in my trip and where I was off to next and such...very cool couple. When we got to notre dame we stayed outside to admire the architecture and the details of the building. It is crazy to think that this one church is older than the united states..hahaha....nutz that we have such a young country and we just dont have buildings like this in the states. When I went inside the church it was even more beautiful...from the stained glass windows to the beautiful painting and statues it was just amazing...The one thing I did not get to do was go up in the tower. They only let 20 people in at a time and there was a really long line so I decided to save the view of paris for looking from the tower!
...to be continued....
Okay, so here is the deal.. I still have lots to write about Paris but its after midnight here in switzerland and we are tired over here so I am going to go get ready for bed and finish up tomorrow...gnight for now
Monday, November 16, 2009
amsterdam
So last night shane and I made it to amsterdam after a 6-7 hour train ride. First lets talk abou this train ride. I guess shane I where lucky enough to sit in the same car as all the crazy people. We had a group of about 7 ladies in their 40-50s who where all wasted and singing and chanting...yes all types of weird chants. Once they turned on a radio then another lady on the train told them they needed to turn it off and quiet down...yeah that did nothing. they where semi entertaining for about 5 min or so...then after they got off a group of 3 people in their 20's got on who where for sure super high and they sat right next to us in an almost empty train and where very loud and would fart then laugh really hard for about 5 min...needless to say we had an interesting ride over.
Once we got to Amsterdam we went straight to our hostle....Our hostle is very close to the station and the downtown area. Amsterdam is actually a very beautiful city. From the cannals almost every other street to the cobblestone streets and cool looking buildings it is very cool. Also, the streets are very clean and everyone seems to be very laid back...i guess when everyone is stoned thats how it works...haha.
So, after checking into our hostle we met a guy named John who is an austrailian that had been working in london and we invited him out to grab a bite and walk around. After getting a quick bite to eat we decided to wander around the city. This place is seriouly like a different planet. It seems like all of the social norms that I have grown up with in the united states have been flipped upside down...well rather thrown out and replaced with totaly craziness...
First off almost every was walking down the street smoking a joint. Kinda blows your mind when you see somone smoking a joint right next to a police officer..haha. There are "coffee shops" on amost every corner that are basically just pot shops. They have menus of all the different kinds of pot you can get and how high it will get you... from space cakes to cookies and muffins to joints or loose weed that you can roll yourself or put in a pipe...totally weird. We stopped by the coffee shop that was in oceans 12 and checked it out...very small but cool and everyone was kicked back.
Next we took a walk into the red light district...um... this area is just weird. You walk down an narrow street that is just packed with people fighting to get a look at the girls in the windows...I was told before hand that the girls where very pretty and very forward but I guess I wasnt ready for it. Some of the girls are seriusly some of the most beautiful looking women I have ever seen but then it hits you...this is just nasty. I watched the girl open the curtain and a man walk out the door and then instantly had another guy walk in...Just nuts! Its just hard to wrap my head around that concept. haha... There are seriously hundreds of girls on the street behind a thin piece of glass with a bed in a little room...when the curtain is closed someone is in there...when its open the girls dance, wink and motion for you to come in...its just a totally weird concept but it seems like many people take part and they must make lots of money....to each their own...Oh, and to my grandpa who told me to "stay away from those whores" you do not have to worry there is no way I would touch them with a 10 foot pole.
Other totally odd things that they have here are live sex show...i guess you can pay like 25 euro and in a theatre setting watch 2 people put on a show then ultimately have sex in front of everyone...Like I said before this place is seriously like being on another planet! Its strange, the city is sooo beautiful but so dirty at the same time..
Well, shane and I got up this morning and went to get some breakfast at a small little cafe around the corner from our hostle and shane went off the an archive here in amsterdam to do some research...I Respect shane's dedication to his studies and education...He seriously loves what he does and it is inspiring. Right now I'm at the hostle using their computer and I have 3 min left before my time runs out...im now off to Ann Frank's house...Hope everyone is doing well...
p.s. I'm still a bit under the weather but feeling better...I can actually go outside now :)
Once we got to Amsterdam we went straight to our hostle....Our hostle is very close to the station and the downtown area. Amsterdam is actually a very beautiful city. From the cannals almost every other street to the cobblestone streets and cool looking buildings it is very cool. Also, the streets are very clean and everyone seems to be very laid back...i guess when everyone is stoned thats how it works...haha.
So, after checking into our hostle we met a guy named John who is an austrailian that had been working in london and we invited him out to grab a bite and walk around. After getting a quick bite to eat we decided to wander around the city. This place is seriouly like a different planet. It seems like all of the social norms that I have grown up with in the united states have been flipped upside down...well rather thrown out and replaced with totaly craziness...
First off almost every was walking down the street smoking a joint. Kinda blows your mind when you see somone smoking a joint right next to a police officer..haha. There are "coffee shops" on amost every corner that are basically just pot shops. They have menus of all the different kinds of pot you can get and how high it will get you... from space cakes to cookies and muffins to joints or loose weed that you can roll yourself or put in a pipe...totally weird. We stopped by the coffee shop that was in oceans 12 and checked it out...very small but cool and everyone was kicked back.
Next we took a walk into the red light district...um... this area is just weird. You walk down an narrow street that is just packed with people fighting to get a look at the girls in the windows...I was told before hand that the girls where very pretty and very forward but I guess I wasnt ready for it. Some of the girls are seriusly some of the most beautiful looking women I have ever seen but then it hits you...this is just nasty. I watched the girl open the curtain and a man walk out the door and then instantly had another guy walk in...Just nuts! Its just hard to wrap my head around that concept. haha... There are seriously hundreds of girls on the street behind a thin piece of glass with a bed in a little room...when the curtain is closed someone is in there...when its open the girls dance, wink and motion for you to come in...its just a totally weird concept but it seems like many people take part and they must make lots of money....to each their own...Oh, and to my grandpa who told me to "stay away from those whores" you do not have to worry there is no way I would touch them with a 10 foot pole.
Other totally odd things that they have here are live sex show...i guess you can pay like 25 euro and in a theatre setting watch 2 people put on a show then ultimately have sex in front of everyone...Like I said before this place is seriously like being on another planet! Its strange, the city is sooo beautiful but so dirty at the same time..
Well, shane and I got up this morning and went to get some breakfast at a small little cafe around the corner from our hostle and shane went off the an archive here in amsterdam to do some research...I Respect shane's dedication to his studies and education...He seriously loves what he does and it is inspiring. Right now I'm at the hostle using their computer and I have 3 min left before my time runs out...im now off to Ann Frank's house...Hope everyone is doing well...
p.s. I'm still a bit under the weather but feeling better...I can actually go outside now :)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
nefertiti and bed rest
Thursday was a good day.. Shane had to go to an archive to do some work and I ventured out around berlin for the day. I walked around a bit and checked out more of berlin and ended up at a new museum that is pretty much all ancient egypt. I spent a few hours here checking out all kinds of different artifacts. Some of the things where truly amazing... One of the coolest things they had there was a total surprise to me. I walked into a room that had nothing in it but one glass case surrounded by about 40 people. It was the famous bust of nefertiti. I had seen this in pictures before but to see it first hand was awesome! Some of their gold rings and head pieces where very detailed and beautiful. All in all I had a great time at this museum and I would say you should check it out if you make it to berlin.
After the museum I was feeling a bit run down so I came back to shanes apartment to take a nap...turns out this was the beginning to the end!! Once shane got home we cooked up some more german food for dinner. This time we had schnitzel and knoedel...sooo good. After dinner we took a walk to the Reichstag which is the parliament building for germany. They have this giant glass dome on the roof with a path that you walk around the and see all of berlin's skyline. As you walk it we each had a headset that was triggered by certain points explaining what you where looking at and some history of berlin. It was very cool.
After this the plan was to go out to a club but I was feeling very sick and had a fever so I ended up calling it a night. Well, since then I have not been out side for 2 days and am still feeling horrible...I must have got sick on the flight over or something and it totally sucks!! Again, for the third night in a row, we are just going to stay in and watch a movie so I can try to recover before amsterdam and before I head out on my own. Well, think healthy thoughts and lets hope i feel better tomorrow for our 6 hour train ride to amsterdam!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Yesterday shane and I did a ton of walking...we walked all around the city center of berlin and checked out a few cool spots. We went to where the Nazi's burned all the books in WWII and to hitlers bunker which is now a memorial to all of the Jews who where killed in WWII. They actually built the memorial on top of where Hitler's bunker.
For lunch yesterday we met up with Beth 2.0 and had currywurst and fries...sooooo good! After lunch we walked around a bit more and saw a few other cool parks and such and some really cool churches and architecture around berlin. Later that night shane took me to a berlin performance by the group Gob Squad which is a berlin/london group. Theatre here is very different and it was a very good performance! After the Performance we went to try to get into Horrors show which was 19 euro or about 30 bucks so we passed on that and decided to go grab some beers ...the first bar we went to was a cool spot but it was filled with smoke!! the other bar we went to a stammkneipe or dive bar and played kicker with some old drunk german guys which was actually a lot of fun...
now on to today...Shane and I got up and went to a graffiti museum in kreuzberg and walked around a bit more...lots and lots of walking...note to self, "start running again" We went to some cool parks through the area and got lunch at a really good pizza place. Shane said that this pizza place which was a total hole in the wall was reviewed in the NY Times as a suggested place to eat when in Berlin. Super good.
After a while Shane had to head back home to do some work and ventured off on my own and went to Checkpoint Charlie. It was a cool but very haphazard and casual museum. Lots of really cool stores about the berlin wall and lots of history. The one thing I did not see was any pictures of the HOFF...I am pretty sure he still thinks he is the reason why the wall fell! Anywho, i managed not to get lost and made it back to shane's place right around sundown which is about 4:30-5ish.
Shane was still working so i decided to take a quick nap as we had another late night ahead of us. For dinner tonight shane cooked up some maultaschen which is like a german ravioli stuffed with well, i dont really know but it was really rich and good. I figured I would try to stick to german food while im here with one exception: We have seen signs for this horrible looking burger from burger king where there is a piece of grilled cheese that is thicker than the burger and covered in grilled onions. Shane wants to eat it but I am not sure I can do it...we will see what happens.
Tonight I played an few acoustic songs at L.U.X. in Kreuzberg. The night was a very eclectic mix of artists and some where amazing! There was a choir singing with a guy on guitar and another on a steel drum which was odd but cool... Another group had a girl on tambourine a guy on guitar and singing and another dancing...WOW is all I have on that one...the most amazing was this girl from Philadelphia who played some songs on a harp and sang along it was really soooo good! She did have two songs about throwing up thought.
So on to my set. It went well and there where maybe 80 people or so at the bar. The totally random part was I met one of beth's friends who came to check out the night and she told me he is an amazing piano player and could jam along if I wanted so I asked and luke played with me on stage without knowing the chords structure or songs at all. He was really good and added some body to the songs... they where no analogue synths but still good!
So now its 2:30 am and I am off to bed. Tomorrow Shane is off to the archives and I am off to check out 2 more museums and maybe the aquarium if its not too long of a day. I think later in the day shane and I are going to try to go up in this Huge glass dome which should have a great view of Berlin. I am having tons of fun and I still have just under 3 weeks left to go and 3-4 more countries!!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
so I made it to berlin after about 16 hours of traveling and being awake for about 30 hours straight. I did not want to sleep on the flight over to avoid jet lag since I left the states around 9pm and arrived in berlin around 8:30pm. First off flying international on a non-US airline is very different than lets say...southwest, jetblue or united... The service was great! i.e. Hot towells to wash up before dinner, free beers and a personal movie screen where I watched 3 movies and 2 discovery channel documentaries.
Lets just say that me and sitting for 11 hours straight doesnt really fly so, after about 5 hours of flying I had to get up and move around to avoid going crazy. Fortunately Lufthansa had a lower deck where the restrooms where located that had enough space to stand and streatch out my legs for a while...Most of the flight was sleeping at this point but as I said earlier my goal was to stay awake and while hanging out I met a German fellow named Urich (no idea how to spell it). He was coming back form some film convention stuff in santa monica and we started talking about his trip to the states and all of the experiences he has had there. We talked a bit about global politics and how he said most of the world threw parties on the day that bush left office and "McSame as bush" and the Devil herself where not elected!
My flight from LAX was straight to Munich where I had a layover for about 2 hours...Again I was trying to avoid sleep and lucky me and again with the european hospitality they had free coffee machines and newspapers, although they where in german.
On my flight to Berlin from munich I met an guy by the name of Ross (I think) and we talked about about music and dark bands and Krautrock and I gave him a Northern Labour Party CD and told him that I will be playing an acoustic set on wednesday night at L.U.X. in Berlin. After the flight while waiting for shane to decipher my location at the airport and come find me some girl that I was actually sitting in the same row as me on the first flight approached me and said..."okay so what is your deal I have seen you since california" now i know what everyone is thinking but she was waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up so get your mind off that track as it is still early in my trip. But turns out she works for MTV Germany and was in LA to interview some bands and she had a "sneaking suspicion" I was in a band....again with the global northern labour party shameless plugs I gave her a CD and told her about our music video on youtube and my acoustic set for weds night.
Shane and I finally found each other and hopped on a bus and train to get to his apt in berlin. After a beer and some haribo gunny bears and a kebab (only 2.90 euros and really good) we took off to the site of the party to celebrate 20 years since the berlin wall fell. Unfortunately, we got there after all the party was done but still saw the a bit of the city and will head back over during the day to check out some of the sites.
Well, I guess staying awake worked as I slept for 10 hours and now feel like I wont have jetlag.... Now im off to take a quick shower and go exploring with Shane...he says we have a long but good day ahead of us..
Scott
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Lax to Berlin tomorrow...
So I decided to start packing for my trip to Europe today...yep, and I leave tomorrow! I am crazy excited to go and look forward to checking out other countries and the way people do things across the pond. Here is my tentative plan.
Fly into Berlin where I will spend a few days with non other than Shane Boyle.
Shane and I are going to take the train to Amsterdam…I have been told by my grandpa on numerous occasions to “Stay away from those whores in Amsterdam! You don’t need to be messing around with that cause you will bring home a souvenir that you don’t want” Haha I love that guy!
From Amsterdam I will head south and shane will head back to Berlin. My plan is to maybe spend a night in Belgium if it seems like I will have time then head down to paris.
After checking out all the typical touristy stuff in Paris I am off to Wattwil Switzerland where I will be staying with the drummer in my band’s sister in law! She totally rocks for putting me up. Super excited to see the countryside in Switzerland!
Next, Im off to Frankfurt Germany to visit my cousin Gary who I have not seen in Years!! This will be totally cool. With the rise of social networking sites we recently reconnected and im excited to see some family abroad!
The last stop on jam packed trip throughout Europe is to meet up with the Pam, Mike and Shane Boyle in Prague! This should be an adventure! Mike, Shane and I + Beer = a nervous Pam…well, we will see what goes down here…should be some good stories.
From Prague its back to Berlin and then I catch my flight home…
I will try to update as much as I can and hope you guys enjoy….
Fly into Berlin where I will spend a few days with non other than Shane Boyle.
Shane and I are going to take the train to Amsterdam…I have been told by my grandpa on numerous occasions to “Stay away from those whores in Amsterdam! You don’t need to be messing around with that cause you will bring home a souvenir that you don’t want” Haha I love that guy!
From Amsterdam I will head south and shane will head back to Berlin. My plan is to maybe spend a night in Belgium if it seems like I will have time then head down to paris.
After checking out all the typical touristy stuff in Paris I am off to Wattwil Switzerland where I will be staying with the drummer in my band’s sister in law! She totally rocks for putting me up. Super excited to see the countryside in Switzerland!
Next, Im off to Frankfurt Germany to visit my cousin Gary who I have not seen in Years!! This will be totally cool. With the rise of social networking sites we recently reconnected and im excited to see some family abroad!
The last stop on jam packed trip throughout Europe is to meet up with the Pam, Mike and Shane Boyle in Prague! This should be an adventure! Mike, Shane and I + Beer = a nervous Pam…well, we will see what goes down here…should be some good stories.
From Prague its back to Berlin and then I catch my flight home…
I will try to update as much as I can and hope you guys enjoy….
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