A quick post

We were going to make a post about Barcelona after our last day there, but since we had an early flight today (with at least 12 hours spent in the air, not including time in the airports) we will try to make a post for Barcelona soon.  We also hope to put up a post-trip video soon afterwards, so keep an eye out for those.  We are officially back in the states and dead tired, but we wanted to make sure that while you wait for our final posts that you had something to watch.

Enjoy.

Hola!

A lot has happened since our last post.  The day we arrived in Rome we only had reservations for one night in a hotel.  We had decided to make a quick visit to the Colosseum and then see if we could find another hotel for our remaining nights in a better location.  However, this proved to be much more difficult than we anticipated.  Most hotels wanted to charge 150 Euros a night… and the exception was a really grungy one with a shower directly in the bedroom, in the corner.  After having walked maybe 4 miles solely looking for a hotel, we ended up staying in our first hotel after all.

Our meals in Rome, as in Venice, consisted of mainly pasta or pizza.  Any time we ordered a salad they would present us with bottles of olive oil and vinegar, and we would have to mix our own dressing.  Unfortunately Melissa did not manage to master this art, and after one ruined salad was reluctant to order any more.  Overall, the food in Italy was good, but aside from maybe the gnocchi (which was amazing) all of it could just as easily have been found in the US.

The sightseeing in Rome was pretty spectacular.  We got to see the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and Trevi fountain (as well as much smaller fountain with a similar name, which we found the first time we attempted to find the real one), and the Vatican (from the outside).  One thing we had not counted on was that we had arrived in Rome in the middle of “culture week,” which meant that admission to all the sights we visited were free.  It also meant we got to catch a parade that wound around the ancient parts of the city.  We also visited the Spanish Steps, which was crawling with street vendors.  One memorable one, upon seeing Jordan, tried to lure him in by shouting “Big boss!  Buon giorno!"Jordan has taken to repeating this phrase at least 5 times a day.  Afterwards, we took our books to the Villa Borghese and found a shady spot to relax and enjoy the nice weather.

On the 18^th we left Rome for Nice, along the Mediterranean Sea in the French Riviera.  The train ride to Nice might have been the prettiest yet, showing off France’s coastline.  Nice came at a perfect time in our trip, because we were ready for a city where we could do a little less sightseeing and a little more relaxing.  We had a lunch at one of the restaurants located directly on the shore, which was covered in large stones rather than sand.  Of course, we had to make a day trip to the tiny country of Monaco, which involved a 20 minute ride to the Monte Carlo train station, and a three-and-a-half hour ride back.  This was the first time we had any train problems.  Unfortunately our train broke down, leaving us stranded until another train could pull us back to the nearest station.  We got back to Nice in time for a late dinner.

Unfortunately, our train problems did not end in Nice.  We started off our trip to Barcelona today with no problems.  However, after we arrived in Merseille, we found out that there had been a pre-planned train strike in France, lasting for 24 hours during our longest travel day.  This might not have been altogether a bad thing because we were able to take buses until we reached to Spanish border.  We met a few people in the process and got to see some really picturesque views of coastal villages as we traversed the winding roads of Southern France.  Thankfully the trains in Spain are running as scheduled, and we are going to reach Barcelona earlier than we would have originally would have.

We are currently looking forwards to cruising the la Rambla in Barcelona, sampling tapas, and visiting the Picasso museum.  As much as we hate the fact that we are nearing the end of our European “holiday” (as everyone else here has referred to it) we have to admit that we are looking forward to coming home to our own beds.

~Jordan and Melissa

Castles and Canals

As this trip has progressed we have to admit that it has become more difficult to find the energy to make a post at the end of each day. We’re starting to wonder if the all the travel is catching up with us. However, we’re still enjoying every minute and making the most of each day. 

In Fussen we visited two castles: Neushwanstein and Hohenschwangau. We went to Neushwanstein first, taking a horse and carriage into the Bavarian Alps where the castle is perched. The castle itself was pretty amazing, but we were disappointed in our tour. We had to schedule and pay for a tour in English, but our tour guide didn’t speak it very well at all. To make things even worse, the tour was overbooked. Sometimes the whole group would not fit into the room where our guide was doing his best to explain the castles intricacies. Despite all this, seeing the castle was still amazing. After our tour we hiked a little further up the mountains for a different view of the castle. The view from a bridge that went over a waterfall was breathtaking to say the least. 

As beautiful as the Neushwanstein castle is, if we were looking for a castle to live in, we just might prefer the Hohenschwangau. This castle may have been smaller, but it also had gardens and landscaping, and felt more welcoming in general. The tours for this castle consisted of smaller groups, and although there might not have been as many intricate carvings as in the Neuschwanstein castle it was just as lavish.

The people in Fussen were also really friendly. When we first arrived and were having trouble finding our hotel, one man not only called the hotel for directions for us, but then also led us a few blocks until we could find it ourselves.

We left Fussen on a series of train rides, eventually leading us to an overnight train that left from Munich. Neither of us really knew what to expect for this part of the journey, but it ended up being an easier experience than we expected. That may be partially due to the fact that we had our couchette compartment, normally intended to sleep six people in single bunks, to ourselves. Although it took each of us a little while to fall asleep, we both managed to arrive in Venice fairly well rested.

Venice seems to be the place to be if you like window shopping. Every other window here is full of either glittery hand painted masks or colorful Venetian glass. There are also plenty of pizza and gelato shops, both of which we have taken full advantage of. Of course, there are also gondoliers scattered across the island offering to sell you tours along the many canals of Venice. On our first day here we passed by one gondolier who, when we passed by on his original offer , chased us down moments later offering to give us a medium-length tour for the price of a small. The gondola ride took us under the Bridge of Sighs (which is unfortunately all but covered up at the moment) and by the homes of Marco Polo and Casanova. 

After our first night in Venice we were able to find a hotel that was willing to give us our last two nights in Venice for 70 Euros a night, which would have been amazing on its own considering how close it is to the Saint Mark’s Square. The deal is even sweeter when you take into account that it has its own full bathroom and even a little kitchen. The room is really more of a studio apartment. This opened up a lot of options for us, allowing us to visit local stores and butchers for groceries of our own and cook two dinners at our own place (allowing us to save a whole lot of money). The “apartment” also has a minimal view of one of the canals, which is more than we expected. The one problem is that the bathroom smells like dirty canal water, so we’ve had to stick with bottled water.

Among the things we have seen are the Doge’s Palace (which led us through the interior of the Bridge of Sighs), Saint Mark’s Square and the Saint Mark’s Basilica. We also took a trip to the island of Murano, which is where a good portion of the Venetian glass is made. We got to watch a few short demonstrations on how the employees there work the glass. However, the shops contained the same kinds of assortments of glass as we could find in the main island… although strangely for twice the price.

The Saint Mark’s Square seems to be the center of the tourist action, surrounded by many of the sights that are most popular in Venice. We have not yet reached peak tourist season, and yet during the day the square is absolutely packed and difficult to navigate. Strolling around the island proved to be difficult at first, seeming to be as confusing as a maze, but eventually we figured it out. Once that happened, we were able to stroll around and find little squares and piazzas that were not as busy with tourists.

Tomorrow, we head for Rome. We will try to update this blog again soon. Ciao!

~Melissa and Jordan

From the Netherlands Countryside to Medieval Times in Rothenburg

Guten tag!

We would have made a post earlier, but after the last couple of days we were exhausted.  On the 6^th we spent the whole afternoon riding our rented bikes around the countryside north of Amsterdam.  The ride was beautiful, taking up past an old windmill, through a few small Dutch villages, and past some great views of a Dutch harbor.  We even found a “pannenkoekenhuis” where we stopped for lunch.  Some of their pancakes—made thin, almost like a crepe—had toppings we wouldn’t see in the US.  Jordan’s had beef, cheese, corn, and onion on it.  Although Melissa’s wasn’t as unusual (apples, whipped cream, and cinnamon ice cream) it was just as delicious.  The ride itself was about 25km long, so by the end we were feeling sore.  In the second half of our ride, when we were along the water and raised up on a levee, we rode against strong wind nearly the whole time.  This was the toughest part of the whole ride, although the view was worth it.  At the end of the trip, we were racing time to get our bikes to the rental before they closed, and luckily we arrived no more than a minute before they closed the door to customers.

The following day, the 7^th, was mainly a travel day.  We were on trains until around 6, so there is not much to report other than that we got kicked out of our seats twice before we learned how to tell which seats are reserved for a leg of the trip.  Not all trains have these reservations.

Our room in Rothenburg had a balcony with an amazing view of the fortress walls as well as some of the towers that line it.  Yesterday we spent our morning strolling along the top of these walls, and walked along about half of the perimeter of the walled city.  Later we had a walking historical tour with a local guide.  Although he spoke English pretty well, he tended to use noises, gestures, and exaggerated facial expressions to close the rest of the language barrier.  Being inside the medieval city walls was nice, but with the sound of tour busses and cell phones ringing, it was hard to imagine this place in its heyday.  Even though we could somewhat see how people lived in this time period, it still seemed so far gone.   Melissa also had to try the local treat, which in Rothenburg is a wadded ball of fried dough, usually covered in either sugar or chocolate.

We also, in our time at Rothenburg, had our best meal yet.  The restaurants here tend to serve just about every meal with either potatoes or sauerkraut.  One restaurant literally had potatoes with every food item on the menu.  We’ve added German potato soup to a list of recipes we need to find when we get back home.  Jordan enjoyed the legendary Bevarian beer, but could not order the large beer, as it was 3 liters.  Legend holds that the town was saved in medieval times when its mayor impressed an opposing army’s general by chugging a 3.25 liter beer.  In this town that is famous for coo-coo clocks, the town center has a clock tower where, on the stroke of every hour, a figure of that mayor pops out and raises his mug.

Right now, as we write, we are on a train headed for Fussen, home of the Neuswanstein castle as well as one other.  

~Jordan and Melissa

(We didn't calculate steps for the day of our bike ride)

Miles walked (Rothenburg): 9.96

Steps taken: 21095

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Goede dag!  Jordan and I are hanging out at the hostel with a couple drinks.  It's been a cold day here, but things are supposed to pick up soon.

Jordan and I rented a couple of bikes yesterday.  We rode them to Vondelpark,which is a little bit southwest of central Amsterdam.  For myself, not being used to riding bikes too often, it took a little while to get used to riding a bike around the streets here.  Amsterdam is designed to be really bike-friendly, and most of the roads have bike lanes.  Actually, sometimes there are little roads and traffic lights that are only designated for cyclists.  Even so, sometimes it gets a little crowded when a bunch of cyclists and a car try to pass you at the same time.  I underestimated how many people would be riding bikes here.  There were surprisingly few people walking the paths in Vondelpark.

One thing that I in particular love about Amsterdam is that it is very open to animals.  Sometimes people go into shops with their dog, but you're even more likely to find a cat once you go inside.  There is a brown tabby that wanders around our hostel, we found an orange an white tabby chilling out in a restaurant and choosing laps to sit in, and today at a pastry shop we found a friendly calico who was making her rounds to visit all the patrons.  This is my kind of city!

Tonight, in lieu of a real dinner, Jordan and I helped ourselves to a snack that we've seen all over the place: a big batch of fries served in a paper cone with one of a variety of sauces on top.  The most popular condiment here seems to be mayonnaise, just as that Dijon mustard was in Paris, and that is what most people have their fries with.

Also, on the topic of food, we've (of course) had to try the Belgian waffles every pastry shop seems to have, usually coated with chocolate and sprinkles and/or sprinkles and/or nuts.  Very yummy!  Sometimes we try the pastries here two or three times a day!

Today, Jordan and I visited the Amsterdam History Museum and the Anne Frank House, which had a museum-like component, but also walked us through the actual rooms in which the eight Jews stayed when they went into hiding.  I've decided I need to reread her Diary soon when I get back to the US, now that I can picture it a little better.

Tonight is our last night at The Flying Pig Downtown.  Although we were originally going to stay here another night, and we do like being able to grab a drink downstairs at our residence, we found a hotel room at a good price that has a great view of one of the canals here... with its own shower and toilet!  We've not had a bathroom of any sort in any of our rooms yet, so those are some perks we are looking forward to!

~Melissa

Steps taken (yesterday)-24109

Steps taken (today)- 16078

Miles walked- 6.096

Montmartre and Greetings from Amsterdam!

Normally we'd probably start off this post with a greeting in the native language, but we really don't know any Dutch... or how to pronounce any of it!  Good thing pretty much everyone here speaks English really well.

After our last post we took the Metro to our hotel in Montmartre.  It was located right by a bunch of markets (some with crabs so fresh they were still moving) and cafes, so one of our first stops was to buy a crepe.  We got one with bananas and Nutella, which seems to be a very popular choice in France.  It was really good, and we hope to learn how to make some ourselves.  We wanted to visit the Sacre Coeur, a church at the top of the hill, and after walking all over we eventually realized it was just up the hill from where we were staying.  The area around it was like a fair, with street performers, artists painting Parisian landscapes and caricatures, and lots of ice cream shops and creperies.  We toured the Sacre Coeur, and then spent time outside on the steps surrounding it, where there was a panoramic view of much of Paris.  We returned to this spot again at sunset to watch the city light up as it grew darker.  We also spent some time making some local friends.

Getting to Amsterdam was a confusing series of events.  We couldn't get a direct ticket, and the ticket we got did not mention that the train we boarded would eventually stop and we would have to make a transfer.  Eventually we figured it out, and we arrived at Centraal station in Amsterdam around 2pm.  We checked into our hostel, the Flying Pig Downtown, where there is a full bar in the lobby (which is open for business everyday at 10:30 a.m.).  There are travelers drinking there at all hours of the day, and there is always someone trying to catch up on sleep during the day so they can go out at night.  In a way, it just feels like we're staying in the dorms at I.U. again, except everything is co-ed. We have met people here from Great Britain, Canada, South Africa, and Thailand, as well as the states.  A group of people we met invited us to join them going to a live sex show, however we passed on that invitation in favor of a self-guided tour in the red light district.

Today we're headed to the train station to make reservations for the remainder of our trip.  Hopefully we can avoid any more complications with transportation.  Then we're looking forward to renting some bikes and checking out a variety of museums.  The list of possibilities includes: The Van Gogh Museum, The Heineken Museum, The Amsterdam History Museum and the The Anne Frank House.  We're also really looking checking into taking a boat ride on the canals, they are absolutely beautiful!

~Jordan and Melissa

Miles walked (Montmartre)- 5.52

Steps taken- 11688

Miles walked (Amsterdam)- 7.8

Steps taken- 20547

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Versaille and Pschitt!

It is our last night at the Hotel Jean Bart and we are looking forward to one more morning waking up to fresh croissants with jam and hot drinks, cafe americain for Jordan, chocolat for Melissa.  After tonight we will be traveling to Montmartre, on the right bank of the Seine.

We started out our day today going to the Musee d'Orsay to give ourselves a lesson in art history, particularly the impressionism movement.  We were lucky enough to see works by Degas, Monet, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Renoir, and Cezanne.  Unfortunately photography was prohibited, which is a shame, because the building in itself was a work of art.  The Orsay used to be a train station, renovated to turn it into the must-see museum it is today.  The museum was filled with school groups and toruists who sat aside and sketched images of the scultpures scattered around the museum.

We found lunch right next door, where we came to the conclusion that Parisians must all love the exact same mustard, kind of like a spicy Dijon.  It does an amazing job of clearing out your sinuses.  Want a sandwhich?  They serve it with this stuff.  Or else they keep it in a jar on every table.  On that note, every salad that we have had here has had the same mayoniase dressing.  In Paris, they serve this drink called "limonade" but unlike our lemonade it looks like water, is fizzy, and the brand name is called "Pschitt!"  Onomotopoeia?  Or something else?

On our way into Paris we had been lucky enough to sit next to a couple that had spent some time in Paris before.  They happened to mention that Versaille was worth seeing, and thankfully so because otherwise we might have missed out!  We hopped on the Metro after the museum and headed out west of central Paris.  The palace, home of Louis XIV, is in a word extravagant.  We toured the palace interior until it closed, and somehow almost got locked inside in the process.  Thankfully, we found someone to let us back out!  Next, we toured the grounds, consisting of acre upon acre of beautiful landscaping.  We didn't even scratch the surface of the gardens, because our feet simply couldn't take it.

On our way back to the metro, Melissa bought her first souvenir, and Jordan spotted a Mexican restaraunt.... voila!  Dinner was served!

~Melissa and Jordan

Steps taken- 20053
Miles walked- 7.6