Helllllllo world! I write this on Tuesday, our last day in Germany, and really, our last day in Europe. The past two weeks have been crazy, exhausting, exciting...overall, just unbelievable. But I'm not reflecting on our trip just yet. That can happen when we get home. Let me just fill you in on our journeys over the past few days.
For nearly two years, I've wanted to go to the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, the "Disney Castle," as Johannes' friends call it. Timing never worked out when I was abroad, but Johannes arranged for us to go yesterday, along with some of his friends from school. Lets start from the beginning...
Driving in his friend Tessilo's little red Ford (the 'college student car,' we've been told), speeding down the Autobahn, you'd hardly know you were in Germany. Once we left the city, we drove through nothing but lush, green farmland that made me feel like I was in Ireland more than the outskirts of Munich. On the way out. we stopped in a little Bavarian village for coffee (in my case, hot chocolate), in a restaurant overlooking the lake. From there, we drove through the backroads, down a dirt road that couldn't fit more than one car at any point. For more people, it would have been terrifying; for me, nothing could be scarier than the ride from Berlin to Munich with Martin at the wheel.
The castle was astounding. There are just no words for how ornate and elaborate every single room was. Well, at least the finished rooms - all four of them. The castle itself is set high up on a mountain, so we had to hike up a windy hill just to get there. After the castle, Johannes said we were going to hike even further up the mountain. We literally climbed up, grabbing onto tree roots and rocks to hoist ourselves us. Utter insanity.
On the way home, we, well...we stopped in Austria. Apparently it's not too far from the castle, do we drove through on the way back to Munich. The Alps are gorgeous. Simply put, there is nothing in the world more serene and peaceful than what we saw yesterday. The snow-capped mountains jutted out from above the water, occasionally vanishing into the chilly mist like a modern-day Brigadoon. The lake was a blue-green that no Crayola color could ever do justice. At one point, we got out and skipped rocks from the shore.
Finally, we made it back to Munich. We headed straight for the beer hall to watch the Euro 2008 football match between Germany and Austria. I don't think there is a point to me describing it. There was lots of beer, lots of cheering, lots of singing, lots of German flags waving around. You'd think the Germans had won a war (for once) or something. It was really cool though, to be part of something that brought out so much national pride in people. Germany won the match, 1-0, and it should come as no surprise to you that I missed the only goal scored because I was waiting in line to pee. Not surprised, right? That's what I figured...
After the match, we sang and jumped around and danced in the beer hall, then headed to the streets to celebrate. Armed with local beer and loads of layers to ward off the cold and rain, we made our way to a main street in town, where we were told Germans rioted after the team won the World Cup two years ago. There must have been thousands of people out there last night - it was utter insanity, much better than when Maryland won the womens's NCAA a few years ago...
Around 1 a.m., riot police stormed the streets and made everyone get on the sidewalks. Following that, huuuuuge street sweeping machines trolled up and down the streets, getting rid of all the broken glass bottles and debris (and trust me, there was a ton of it). We ended up going back to Johannes' friends flat nearby for awhile, then came back here.
We woke up this morning and immediately hit the streets, since Tor had yet to actually see Munich. We visited gardens and some cool stuff left over from the Nazi regime. We also came across guys surfing in the stream in the English Gardens. Architects created an artificial wave area where surfers could bring their boards and ride the waves, right in the middle of the city! How crazy is that!?
After the gardens, we walked into town and Johannes continued to be the best tour guide ever. We climbed up to the top of a church in the middle of town and got some astounding views of the city. Then we said goodbye to Johannes for a few hours and wandered around on our own. We came back to the main square, Marienplatz, to watch the glochenspiel. The gloch is perhaps one of the best things in the world - not as great as World Press Photo or mac and cheese, but probably on par with poop shelves (Quote from Tori, who is occasionally peeking over my shoulder: "There really are poop shelves here!"). The gloch is a long and complicated thing to explain, but take me word for it, its AWESOME.
Post-gloch, we hit up the Hofbrau house in search of some good beer and German food. Tor ordered the Hofbrau House Sausage Plattern. Damn, that girl loves her wursts. I opted for something more pig-friendly-turkey and spatzle. When we left, we began a long-winded search for a couple bottles of beer to enjoy on the Oktoberfest grounds (since Germany has no open-container laws. Or if they do, we've chosen to ignore them up until this point.). We finally made our find and headed over to Lady Bavaria, Munich's answer to the Statue of Liberty. WE popped open our bottles and enjoyed the brisk air and the company of Lady Bavaria.
And that's all, folks. We're about to go to bed, because we are waking up early tomorrow morning in order to get to the airport in time for our 11:55 a.m. flight. We have a brief flight to London, followed by a three-hour layover in Heathrow before we continue on the final, and longest, leg of our journey. You all know how I hate flying, so I'm hoping there is some sort of free wine involved at some point over the next 24 hours...
I did want to say a few things though. Thanks to everyone for reading, commenting and offering suggestions! You have all contributed something to our trip, and for that we are very grateful. Secondly, I'm getting a pedicure Thursday because my feet are disgusting. If you are in the Kingston area and want to join, just let me know. Thirdly, we didn't blog yesterday so we were unable to wish a very special lass a happy 22nd birthday. SO HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY AMY CLEGG!!!!!!!
We'll be posting a reflection from the States in a few days, so keep checking back! Auf Weidersen!
Love and extreme world travel,
Melissa
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Day 11: Because of the sheep's chill
When it comes to once in a life time experiences, Melissa and I definitely have you beat. Thanks to our Munich host, Johannes, we traveled to Eichstatt today for the 1100th birthday celebration.
We arrived in Munich last night around 11pm, after a full day in Berlin and a LONG car ride down the Audobon (yes, people drive really fast on it and it was something both of us can cross off on our 'list of things to do before we die')
Not having even seen Munich in the daylight yet, we woke up and got breakfast downstairs at a cafe that had free breakfast (croissants, pretzels, brie, nutella, granolla, and meats) and hopped on a train outside of the city. First stop outside of the city was Dachau, so um, Melissa was on a train to Dachau. After about an hour or so, we arrived at Johannes' hometown and one of the most beautiful and surreal places I've ever seen. The town had so much character and charm, as well as a Medieval party flooding the streets. We saw a parade that encompassed 1100 years of history in about 30 minutes, ate authentic German food, saw crazy Baroque style architecture, I ate Bratwurst, and drank liter large beers. All in all, what I call a great party. After the parade, we walked around and explored the town. We both walked around in awe of what we were seeing. Technically this was our 6th place we've visited during our trip, it is definitely the oldest as well as the most original.
Our full day at Eichstatt's birthday left us tired and wet. The weather in Munich is about as bad as it's been all trip. Turns out this is called sheep's chill because now is the time all the sheep's wool is shaved off, causing them to be quite cold before the temperature really heats up. Oh well, we're so used to being freezing and rained on after the past few weeks that it has really stopped bothering us. I bought a pair of crazy hot German jeans and I've been sporting a scarf ALL TRIP, so I'm not as cold anymore:
Once we got back to Munich, we took a stroll down the block to where Oktoberfest is held every year. Turns out, Johannes lives less than a 5 minute walk to the location of the biggest beer festival in the world! Right now it's empty, but we got to see Lady Bavaria and a few beer gardens along the way.
Tomorrow we head off to the Disney castle and Tuesday we're off to explore Munich itself. Wednesday we take our longest journey, 14 hours, back home before joining the real world again.
Radler's and spezzi,
Tori
ps- We want to give a SHOUT OUT to our dads! Happy Fathers day y'all.
We arrived in Munich last night around 11pm, after a full day in Berlin and a LONG car ride down the Audobon (yes, people drive really fast on it and it was something both of us can cross off on our 'list of things to do before we die')
Not having even seen Munich in the daylight yet, we woke up and got breakfast downstairs at a cafe that had free breakfast (croissants, pretzels, brie, nutella, granolla, and meats) and hopped on a train outside of the city. First stop outside of the city was Dachau, so um, Melissa was on a train to Dachau. After about an hour or so, we arrived at Johannes' hometown and one of the most beautiful and surreal places I've ever seen. The town had so much character and charm, as well as a Medieval party flooding the streets. We saw a parade that encompassed 1100 years of history in about 30 minutes, ate authentic German food, saw crazy Baroque style architecture, I ate Bratwurst, and drank liter large beers. All in all, what I call a great party. After the parade, we walked around and explored the town. We both walked around in awe of what we were seeing. Technically this was our 6th place we've visited during our trip, it is definitely the oldest as well as the most original.
Our full day at Eichstatt's birthday left us tired and wet. The weather in Munich is about as bad as it's been all trip. Turns out this is called sheep's chill because now is the time all the sheep's wool is shaved off, causing them to be quite cold before the temperature really heats up. Oh well, we're so used to being freezing and rained on after the past few weeks that it has really stopped bothering us. I bought a pair of crazy hot German jeans and I've been sporting a scarf ALL TRIP, so I'm not as cold anymore:
Once we got back to Munich, we took a stroll down the block to where Oktoberfest is held every year. Turns out, Johannes lives less than a 5 minute walk to the location of the biggest beer festival in the world! Right now it's empty, but we got to see Lady Bavaria and a few beer gardens along the way.
Tomorrow we head off to the Disney castle and Tuesday we're off to explore Munich itself. Wednesday we take our longest journey, 14 hours, back home before joining the real world again.
Radler's and spezzi,
Tori
ps- We want to give a SHOUT OUT to our dads! Happy Fathers day y'all.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Day 11: Poop Shelves!
The title of this post may sound weird to you, but I assure you it is not. One of the greatest things in life, though not as good as mac and cheese, World Press Photo and Greek, poop shelves essentially define Soviet-era plumbing. I haven't seen once since my Kolej Komenskeho days, when I lived in a prison in Praha. Basically, there is a shelf in the toilet. You can probably guess what goes on it.
Anyway, I was delighted to see that our hostel here in East Berlin (to quote the Aussie from Amsterdam making fun of me for calling it that: "East Berlin? You know the Cold War is over, right?") is fully equipped with them. Tor is still asleep, but I'm sure she is going to read this and ask me what the hell I was thinking when I wrote it.
So let's see. It appears to be bright and sunny here in Berlin, hopefully it will stay that way for the rest of the day. We're going on a free tour (from the same company who gave us a tour in Amsterdam) in a few hours, then probably wandering around the city afterward. Yesterday we walked past Checkpoint Charlie; after our tour today, I can tell you what Checkpoint Charlie is.
We're leaving for Munich this evening, where my friend Johannes will be meeting us at the train station and (because he is probably the nicest guy ever) letting us crash at his flat until Wednesday. We're going to his hometown, Eichstaett, on Sunday, because it is celebrating its 1100th birthday.
Next time you all read this: we will be in Munich!!!
Love and poop shelves,
Melissa
ps. Tim Russert dying broke my heart
pps. LOOK AT ALL THE COOL STUFF I CAN DO ON GERMAN KEYBOARDS Äöߧµ€. Also, the keyboards switch the Y and the Z. AWKWARDDDDD
Anyway, I was delighted to see that our hostel here in East Berlin (to quote the Aussie from Amsterdam making fun of me for calling it that: "East Berlin? You know the Cold War is over, right?") is fully equipped with them. Tor is still asleep, but I'm sure she is going to read this and ask me what the hell I was thinking when I wrote it.
So let's see. It appears to be bright and sunny here in Berlin, hopefully it will stay that way for the rest of the day. We're going on a free tour (from the same company who gave us a tour in Amsterdam) in a few hours, then probably wandering around the city afterward. Yesterday we walked past Checkpoint Charlie; after our tour today, I can tell you what Checkpoint Charlie is.
We're leaving for Munich this evening, where my friend Johannes will be meeting us at the train station and (because he is probably the nicest guy ever) letting us crash at his flat until Wednesday. We're going to his hometown, Eichstaett, on Sunday, because it is celebrating its 1100th birthday.
Next time you all read this: we will be in Munich!!!
Love and poop shelves,
Melissa
ps. Tim Russert dying broke my heart
pps. LOOK AT ALL THE COOL STUFF I CAN DO ON GERMAN KEYBOARDS Äöߧµ€. Also, the keyboards switch the Y and the Z. AWKWARDDDDD
Day 9? No more all-night bus rides
So leaving Amsterdam was probably the hardest departure yet, and not only because it was a midnight bus with some questionable drivers, but because we were leaving all the amazing times we had there. After one last run around the stores, we went to the Albert Heijn (a cute grocery store all over Amsterdam) and ran into one of my friends from Buffalo completely randomly! After chatting him and his travel buds up, we were off to meet up with Donny and Asaf for a canal cruise. After that we decided to just chill out at their hostel bar, play some pool and watch a game of soccer. When it came to say goodbye we had some tender hugs and then Melissa and I went to find the bus station. In between border police, Melissa's dream about an old high school boy she still carries a torch for having an older brother, and mine about an engagement party on the bus which turns into a wedding to another person (how sitcomical!), I got to thinking about all the perfect moments I had while in Amsterdam.Basking in the sun, simply enjoying the bright rays, our first day in the city. Watching boats float by the canals, looking at the funny tilted and leaning houses with my best friend. Walking around in circles trying to understand a city without a map and feeling the breeze go by but not giving me a chill. That is my ultimate Amsterdam moment.Not to be overshadowed, is when Donny, Asaf, Aussie Andrew, Melissa and I walked around the red light district at night soliciting TV's, but finally settling ourselves down at Dam Square (the main circle in the city that houses their national monument) and looking at the people going by and soaking in the company and the great times.I loved Amsterdam so much that I know I'll be back. Can't you see me on a houseboat in the canal, working a job and giving tours? I've never fell in love with a place so fast and so hard, that not going isn't even an option. I need more perfect moments in my life, and Amsterdam sure knows how to deliver. So now we're off to explore Berlin. We've heard great things and Asaf and I are in a competition for best city in Europe. We'll see who wins.
Hearts and wooden shoes,Tori
ps- further proof why I belong in Amsterdam is that their patron saint is SAINT NICK AKA SANTA CLAUS!! They have two Christmas's!!! I belong there!!!
Hearts and wooden shoes,Tori
ps- further proof why I belong in Amsterdam is that their patron saint is SAINT NICK AKA SANTA CLAUS!! They have two Christmas's!!! I belong there!!!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Day 8: Still avoiding Bananen Bar...thank God
Helllllllllo from rainy Amsterdam.
Today is our first day of less-than-stellar weather in this awesome, incredible, mind-blowing city. Tor agrees with me that Amsterdam has been the best city we've been to so far.
I wish I could remember everything we've done over the past two days, but its been so nuts that I'm definitely going to forget things.
We took a free three-hour tour of the city two days ago and saw EVERYTHING - Red Light District, Jewish neighborhood, the smallest house in Amsterdam, the oldest one, the Homomonument (it is exactly what it sounds like, nothing "lost in translation," in Tori's words). Then after the tour, we went to the Anne Frank house. It wasn't what I was expecting; but then again, I'm not entirely sure what I WAS expecting. The diary itself wasn't on display because they were in the process of adjusting the lights so nothing would be damaged. Additionally, the outside was covered in scaffolding. But the feeling I got there was similar to the one I got when I visited Auschwitz last year. I don't know about the Anne Frank house. You should all go. I'm sure I'll be back.
Speaking of coming back, TOR AND I WANT TO LIVE HERE. This is the most livable city we've been do, helped in part by the fact that everyone has been so damn nice to us.
OH, we met up with Tori's friends Donny and Asaf, who are here for the week. They're awesome, and I'm bummed I didn't come back home early to meet them sooner, when they were in Woodstock.
The first night we all hung out, we walked around the Red Light District. We tried soliciting a prostitute. Well, we tried soliciting a television set in a prostitute's room. We just wanted to watch tv for a few in one of the rooms, but the hos weren't having any of it. We offered to pay and everything!
Yesterday, the four of us met up for lunch and then went to the World Press Photo exhibition. World Press Photo is pretty much the best thing in the world. I personally place it above mac and cheese and Greek, just so you get an idea of how serious my love for it is. I saw it for the first time in Prague, and haven't seen it since. Its basically a collection of the best photographs taken during the previous year-mostly war photos and sad, depressing shots. BUT ITS AWESOME.
OH, I almost forgot, before Tor reminded me. Last night we all went to see a live sex show in the Red Light District. I, personally, was most stunned by the woman who smoked a cigar out of a place I didn't think it possible. But, as I've learned in Amsterdam, nothing is impossible. Even that.
Tonight, we're catching a night bus to Berlin, where we'll spend a couple days before booking it to our last stop, Munich. So until then, bye (I would say it in Dutch, but this language is so damn confusing)!
Love and Euro soccer (even though the Czechs lost yesteday),
Melissa
Today is our first day of less-than-stellar weather in this awesome, incredible, mind-blowing city. Tor agrees with me that Amsterdam has been the best city we've been to so far.
I wish I could remember everything we've done over the past two days, but its been so nuts that I'm definitely going to forget things.
We took a free three-hour tour of the city two days ago and saw EVERYTHING - Red Light District, Jewish neighborhood, the smallest house in Amsterdam, the oldest one, the Homomonument (it is exactly what it sounds like, nothing "lost in translation," in Tori's words). Then after the tour, we went to the Anne Frank house. It wasn't what I was expecting; but then again, I'm not entirely sure what I WAS expecting. The diary itself wasn't on display because they were in the process of adjusting the lights so nothing would be damaged. Additionally, the outside was covered in scaffolding. But the feeling I got there was similar to the one I got when I visited Auschwitz last year. I don't know about the Anne Frank house. You should all go. I'm sure I'll be back.
Speaking of coming back, TOR AND I WANT TO LIVE HERE. This is the most livable city we've been do, helped in part by the fact that everyone has been so damn nice to us.
OH, we met up with Tori's friends Donny and Asaf, who are here for the week. They're awesome, and I'm bummed I didn't come back home early to meet them sooner, when they were in Woodstock.
The first night we all hung out, we walked around the Red Light District. We tried soliciting a prostitute. Well, we tried soliciting a television set in a prostitute's room. We just wanted to watch tv for a few in one of the rooms, but the hos weren't having any of it. We offered to pay and everything!
Yesterday, the four of us met up for lunch and then went to the World Press Photo exhibition. World Press Photo is pretty much the best thing in the world. I personally place it above mac and cheese and Greek, just so you get an idea of how serious my love for it is. I saw it for the first time in Prague, and haven't seen it since. Its basically a collection of the best photographs taken during the previous year-mostly war photos and sad, depressing shots. BUT ITS AWESOME.
OH, I almost forgot, before Tor reminded me. Last night we all went to see a live sex show in the Red Light District. I, personally, was most stunned by the woman who smoked a cigar out of a place I didn't think it possible. But, as I've learned in Amsterdam, nothing is impossible. Even that.
Tonight, we're catching a night bus to Berlin, where we'll spend a couple days before booking it to our last stop, Munich. So until then, bye (I would say it in Dutch, but this language is so damn confusing)!
Love and Euro soccer (even though the Czechs lost yesteday),
Melissa
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Day 6: We figured out how many days and DAM it's awesome
Ah, so here we are sound and safe, completely settled into our hotel and falling in love with Amsterdam. After leaving Brussels yesterday we took a train into Amsterdam Centraal. Finally we were having the weather we had hoped for all trip, sunny and warm, so we both agreed to take the day to just soak in where we are and how beautiful it is.
Our hotel, The Orange Tulip is right next to the famous Red Light District and Dam Square, a perfect location for sightseeing and shopping. We spent all day yesterday wandering around the different neighborhoods and finding small cafe's to take in the sights. Our first cafe was right next to the first Canal, near the largest bridge in Amsterdam and a monument to Multatuli (apparently some really boring Capitalist writer that all Dutch kids have to read but is utterly BORING to anyone who isn't from The Netherlands). After being ignored by the server for an hour, apparently the Dutch aren't attentive servers and can't multitask, we explored the red light district, tried the local cuisine of Dutch Bitter Balls (DELICIOUS!) and then sat around Dam Square.
Today we woke up, got our free breakfast from two down on their luck soccer fans, lamented the fact that there's still no hair straightener, and then hopped on down to go on a FREE walking tour of the city. Starting in the red light district, we saw some coffee shops, Amsterdam's smallest house (literally not even 6 feet across), some historic sites, the first gay monument (the homomonument), ate at a place that had whole wheat bread and Pepsi MAX (both things i haven't had since i got here) and then ended the tour with the Anne Frank House.
We are both sporting sun tans after 3 hours in the sun and also have a much better understanding of the city.
Amsterdam is by far the most beautiful city we've been to, and already becoming my favorite. Melissa and I are taking in the sites and NOT getting on each others nerves as some had warned.
Hopefully today we'll track down two of my friends, and Wednesday we're going to meet up with another old friend of mine before we take a midnight bus to Berlin.
As for now, there's still 6 hours of sunlight (yes, the sun goes down around 11pm this time of year) and we plan on enjoying every second of it.
Bubblegum and blueberries,
Tori
Our hotel, The Orange Tulip is right next to the famous Red Light District and Dam Square, a perfect location for sightseeing and shopping. We spent all day yesterday wandering around the different neighborhoods and finding small cafe's to take in the sights. Our first cafe was right next to the first Canal, near the largest bridge in Amsterdam and a monument to Multatuli (apparently some really boring Capitalist writer that all Dutch kids have to read but is utterly BORING to anyone who isn't from The Netherlands). After being ignored by the server for an hour, apparently the Dutch aren't attentive servers and can't multitask, we explored the red light district, tried the local cuisine of Dutch Bitter Balls (DELICIOUS!) and then sat around Dam Square.
Today we woke up, got our free breakfast from two down on their luck soccer fans, lamented the fact that there's still no hair straightener, and then hopped on down to go on a FREE walking tour of the city. Starting in the red light district, we saw some coffee shops, Amsterdam's smallest house (literally not even 6 feet across), some historic sites, the first gay monument (the homomonument), ate at a place that had whole wheat bread and Pepsi MAX (both things i haven't had since i got here) and then ended the tour with the Anne Frank House.
We are both sporting sun tans after 3 hours in the sun and also have a much better understanding of the city.
Amsterdam is by far the most beautiful city we've been to, and already becoming my favorite. Melissa and I are taking in the sites and NOT getting on each others nerves as some had warned.
Hopefully today we'll track down two of my friends, and Wednesday we're going to meet up with another old friend of mine before we take a midnight bus to Berlin.
As for now, there's still 6 hours of sunlight (yes, the sun goes down around 11pm this time of year) and we plan on enjoying every second of it.
Bubblegum and blueberries,
Tori
Monday, June 9, 2008
Day We Don't Know What Number
Greetings from Brussels, Belgium! We just got in yesterday afternoon, and already we are heading out. But its been a really good 3/4 of a day. We didn't have any problem getting from the hotel in Paris to the hostel here. Once we threw our stuff down in our 10-person room (more on that later), we took a walk around town. Highlights: getting fries, with sides of mayo (less gross than it sounds) and curry ketchup (especially good when mixed together); eating a belgian waffle smothered in chocolate sauce, bananas and strawberries; drinking delicious Belgian beer. So basically, we're fat.
We were so stuffed from the waffle that we skipped dinner and went straight for the beer. We downed a few, and were then joined by a young guy who had been making eyes at me all night (I swear I'm not being conceited, he really was!). His name was Hamsa, and he had grown up in Brussels, although he was born in Morocco. We talked to him for three hours or so, about movies (In addition to being huge in real life, Jean Claude Van Damme is a huge deal in the film industry here), languages and his family in L.A. Oh, maybe I should mention that he spoke NO English. At all. Our entire conversation was through hand gestures, high school French and miming. We were able to communicate that Tor loved Hillary Clinton, beer and Diet Pepsi, and once we did that, Hamsa kept making fun of her for being very American. We tried to explain to him the concept of a hostel, but he thought we were talking about an orgy. Cultural miscommunication, much?
At one point, he started telling a story. I was pretty convinced he was making fun of Jew (the only words I understood were Jew, Morocco and laugh). Turns out he was telling us about an Israeli comedian.
At the end of the night, he walked us back to our hostel (which was only a few blocks away) and then headed home. Oh but don't worry, I got his e-mail address. Freetranslation.com, here I come! Then we stayed outside for awhile and talked to other people staying at the hostel-a few Scots, some Aussies and a Canadian. One of the Scots had spent a few months partying in Thailand, then met a Belgian girl and moved here with her. He woke up yesterday morning, dumped her and wound up in the hostel.
We went to bed at a decent time and woke up early this morning to try and get waffles again, but alas, every place was closed because it was 8 a.m. So we settled for Subway. Mange fraiche!
We're leaving for Amsterdam in an hour, and will be there and hopefully settled in our hotel by mid-afternoon.
Thanks for reading, and we'll update you once we get to the Netherlands!
Love and Moroccan Muslims,
Melissa
We were so stuffed from the waffle that we skipped dinner and went straight for the beer. We downed a few, and were then joined by a young guy who had been making eyes at me all night (I swear I'm not being conceited, he really was!). His name was Hamsa, and he had grown up in Brussels, although he was born in Morocco. We talked to him for three hours or so, about movies (In addition to being huge in real life, Jean Claude Van Damme is a huge deal in the film industry here), languages and his family in L.A. Oh, maybe I should mention that he spoke NO English. At all. Our entire conversation was through hand gestures, high school French and miming. We were able to communicate that Tor loved Hillary Clinton, beer and Diet Pepsi, and once we did that, Hamsa kept making fun of her for being very American. We tried to explain to him the concept of a hostel, but he thought we were talking about an orgy. Cultural miscommunication, much?
At one point, he started telling a story. I was pretty convinced he was making fun of Jew (the only words I understood were Jew, Morocco and laugh). Turns out he was telling us about an Israeli comedian.
At the end of the night, he walked us back to our hostel (which was only a few blocks away) and then headed home. Oh but don't worry, I got his e-mail address. Freetranslation.com, here I come! Then we stayed outside for awhile and talked to other people staying at the hostel-a few Scots, some Aussies and a Canadian. One of the Scots had spent a few months partying in Thailand, then met a Belgian girl and moved here with her. He woke up yesterday morning, dumped her and wound up in the hostel.
We went to bed at a decent time and woke up early this morning to try and get waffles again, but alas, every place was closed because it was 8 a.m. So we settled for Subway. Mange fraiche!
We're leaving for Amsterdam in an hour, and will be there and hopefully settled in our hotel by mid-afternoon.
Thanks for reading, and we'll update you once we get to the Netherlands!
Love and Moroccan Muslims,
Melissa
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Day 3- les belle filles
Bonne soir mes amies! Today was our final full day in the city of lights, so Melissa and I made sure to live it up.
We decided to go north to the Puce Marchet, an outdoor/indoor flea market we had heard good things about. First we went to an American-Asian restaurant and Melissa got a "bambino" or hamburger with fries, and I got a weird hot dog/sausage thing. It was a really strange meal, but makes for a great story. Then onward to the market, but inside we found out that not all Parisians are as kind as those we've come in contact with. After being shooed out of a store for not speaking French and Melissa being pushed and called a "motherfucker" by someone who wanted us to buy Lebanese CD's, we hightailed it out of there to find Le Sacre Couer.
Le Sacre Couer is a beautiful white church on top of a hill in Montmartre, which is the red light district of Paris. As we were going to go walk up all the steps we were stopped by a guy who forced us to have bracelets made, told us we were "beautiful" and told me that my bracelet with give me good look with men. He then charged me 10 euro for something that I didn't even want! Melissa's is cool though, it's all rasta colors. Anyways , after being swindled outside of a church and insulted inside a shoe store, we walked up to the basilica a little down on our luck.
The view from Le Sacre Couer is amazing (you can see the whole city!) and the inside of the church is breathtaking as well. We sat around up there and listened to some street performers, but then dragged our tired tushes down the hill in search of the Moulin Rouge. The best part about the Moulin Rouge is that it's right across from a restaurant called "The Buffalo Grille" and you bet I took a picture.
To end our day we went back to the Eiffel Tower and got ice cream (it's so good!), but it started to rain so we decided to go back tomorrow morning and go to the top.
Back in the hotel now, Melissa is taking a nap and I'm just plain distraught over Hillary's concession speech. I cried again during it, and it doesn't help that the French are so pro-Obama that I got worse service than Melissa our first day here after saying who we supported. Don't they all know that Sarkozy is a conservative?
We've been having a blast, and even made a French friend! Last night after coming back from a cute outdoor cafe in Oberkamf we came back to the hotel bar and computer lounge. We really hit it off with the guy who worked the front desk who was also the bartender. 4 free wines later, and we have plans to go out tonight and see the town!
Alright, Tomorrow we head to Brussels for a night and I can't wait! Belgian beer, Belgian fries, Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate!!!
But as for now, I'm going to go enjoy my last dinner of baquette and brie!
<3 et pomme frites
Tor
ps- the French movie industry is amusingly different then ours! like, for one, they have a new Jean Claude VanDamn movie coming out and the American movie "forgetting sarah marshall" is titled "rien sara, je ne va" over here!
We decided to go north to the Puce Marchet, an outdoor/indoor flea market we had heard good things about. First we went to an American-Asian restaurant and Melissa got a "bambino" or hamburger with fries, and I got a weird hot dog/sausage thing. It was a really strange meal, but makes for a great story. Then onward to the market, but inside we found out that not all Parisians are as kind as those we've come in contact with. After being shooed out of a store for not speaking French and Melissa being pushed and called a "motherfucker" by someone who wanted us to buy Lebanese CD's, we hightailed it out of there to find Le Sacre Couer.
Le Sacre Couer is a beautiful white church on top of a hill in Montmartre, which is the red light district of Paris. As we were going to go walk up all the steps we were stopped by a guy who forced us to have bracelets made, told us we were "beautiful" and told me that my bracelet with give me good look with men. He then charged me 10 euro for something that I didn't even want! Melissa's is cool though, it's all rasta colors. Anyways , after being swindled outside of a church and insulted inside a shoe store, we walked up to the basilica a little down on our luck.
The view from Le Sacre Couer is amazing (you can see the whole city!) and the inside of the church is breathtaking as well. We sat around up there and listened to some street performers, but then dragged our tired tushes down the hill in search of the Moulin Rouge. The best part about the Moulin Rouge is that it's right across from a restaurant called "The Buffalo Grille" and you bet I took a picture.
To end our day we went back to the Eiffel Tower and got ice cream (it's so good!), but it started to rain so we decided to go back tomorrow morning and go to the top.
Back in the hotel now, Melissa is taking a nap and I'm just plain distraught over Hillary's concession speech. I cried again during it, and it doesn't help that the French are so pro-Obama that I got worse service than Melissa our first day here after saying who we supported. Don't they all know that Sarkozy is a conservative?
We've been having a blast, and even made a French friend! Last night after coming back from a cute outdoor cafe in Oberkamf we came back to the hotel bar and computer lounge. We really hit it off with the guy who worked the front desk who was also the bartender. 4 free wines later, and we have plans to go out tonight and see the town!
Alright, Tomorrow we head to Brussels for a night and I can't wait! Belgian beer, Belgian fries, Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate!!!
But as for now, I'm going to go enjoy my last dinner of baquette and brie!
<3 et pomme frites
Tor
ps- the French movie industry is amusingly different then ours! like, for one, they have a new Jean Claude VanDamn movie coming out and the American movie "forgetting sarah marshall" is titled "rien sara, je ne va" over here!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Day 2: I can't think of anything funny because its 2 a.m. and je fatigue...
Hello, all-Melissa here!
So I promised Tor I wouldn't edit her entry for grammar/style/spelling/etc...and for the most part, I was fine. Now hopefully none of you will correct what I write.
This morning we woke up around 8 a.m. and had breakfast at the hotel (which is adorable-we are in the 20th arrondisement, which seems really far away, but is only a 20-minute Metro ride from the center of the city. So after breakfast we hit up the museums, because the weather was chilly, overcast and occasionally drizzling. First we went to Notre Dame, which is cool, despite having no hunchbacks (at least none I saw...). We then went to the Musee d'Orsay, which had some of the most amazing paintings I've ever seen. The one thing that bothered me, though, was that there were so many people taking pictures of paintings. How redundant? You can Google image any of those paintings, yet people were wasting the precious time they had to see them in person behind their lenses. Plus they were blocking my view and I had to walk around them a lot.
Next we went to the Musee de l'Orangerie. Or tried to. We decided we were hungry instead, and food took precedence. We attempted to go to Cafe Angelina, as recommended by my soon-to-be-Korea roommate Erin, but the prices were too steep for us, and we opted for lunch elsewhere, as it turns out, on a street called Rue de St. Honore? I think that was the name at least. Tor got a goose liver sandwich (I'm grossed out, too, don't worry) and I got a cream of vegetable soup, bringing back memories of my trip to Ireland a few years ago.
After lunch we went to the Catacombs, which are, to say the least, extremely haunting. We got lost a few times trying to find them (I suppose that's what happens when your destination is several hundred feet underground), but managed to get to the entrance just a minute before they stopped admitting people. There's an ossuary down there, full of bones and skulls and haunting phrases about death written in Latin. Creeeeeeepy. On our way up, we were told that six million people's bones were there. SIX MILLION. Absurd. Then, as we left, we had to go through a security check, to make sure we hadn't stolen any skulls or bones. Next to the security guy sat several bones and a skull. My guess is that people stole them and were caught. Ughhhhh...the idea of touching one of those gives me the creeps.
So after the ossuary and catacombs, we stopped for overpriced banana ice cream (recommended by Tori's friend Daniele). Then the Louvre! Turns out its free for people under age 26 on Friday evenings, which is good, because we sure got what we paid for. We found the Venus de Milo pretty easily, and I wasted no time in telling Tor that an actress from Salute Your Shorts was named Venus de Milo. After that, we began a long, arduous search for the Mona Lisa. When we finally found that whore, we were wholly disappointed. She was tiny and hidden behind glass and we could hardly see her. Such a disappointment. Then we tried finding Hammurabi's Code, which was on display, but of course, not where the museum map indicated. So we left, hungry and dejected, back to our neighborhood in the 20th arrondisement.
We stopped by a local grocery store and picked up brie and wine, then hit up the boulangerie for a baguette, all of which we enjoyed while watching Flavor of Love Girls' Charm School. Classy, no? After "dinner" we went to a nearby neighborhood and just sat outside enjoying some beverages. Very nice, very laid back.
Tomorrow, we're going to a well-known open-air market, then seeing the Sacre Coeur and a few other things. Sunday we leave for Brussels!
Now, I'd love to stay and type more, but Tori is flirting with the guy who works at the front desk, and I must join in. Miss you all!!
So I promised Tor I wouldn't edit her entry for grammar/style/spelling/etc...and for the most part, I was fine. Now hopefully none of you will correct what I write.
This morning we woke up around 8 a.m. and had breakfast at the hotel (which is adorable-we are in the 20th arrondisement, which seems really far away, but is only a 20-minute Metro ride from the center of the city. So after breakfast we hit up the museums, because the weather was chilly, overcast and occasionally drizzling. First we went to Notre Dame, which is cool, despite having no hunchbacks (at least none I saw...). We then went to the Musee d'Orsay, which had some of the most amazing paintings I've ever seen. The one thing that bothered me, though, was that there were so many people taking pictures of paintings. How redundant? You can Google image any of those paintings, yet people were wasting the precious time they had to see them in person behind their lenses. Plus they were blocking my view and I had to walk around them a lot.
Next we went to the Musee de l'Orangerie. Or tried to. We decided we were hungry instead, and food took precedence. We attempted to go to Cafe Angelina, as recommended by my soon-to-be-Korea roommate Erin, but the prices were too steep for us, and we opted for lunch elsewhere, as it turns out, on a street called Rue de St. Honore? I think that was the name at least. Tor got a goose liver sandwich (I'm grossed out, too, don't worry) and I got a cream of vegetable soup, bringing back memories of my trip to Ireland a few years ago.
After lunch we went to the Catacombs, which are, to say the least, extremely haunting. We got lost a few times trying to find them (I suppose that's what happens when your destination is several hundred feet underground), but managed to get to the entrance just a minute before they stopped admitting people. There's an ossuary down there, full of bones and skulls and haunting phrases about death written in Latin. Creeeeeeepy. On our way up, we were told that six million people's bones were there. SIX MILLION. Absurd. Then, as we left, we had to go through a security check, to make sure we hadn't stolen any skulls or bones. Next to the security guy sat several bones and a skull. My guess is that people stole them and were caught. Ughhhhh...the idea of touching one of those gives me the creeps.
So after the ossuary and catacombs, we stopped for overpriced banana ice cream (recommended by Tori's friend Daniele). Then the Louvre! Turns out its free for people under age 26 on Friday evenings, which is good, because we sure got what we paid for. We found the Venus de Milo pretty easily, and I wasted no time in telling Tor that an actress from Salute Your Shorts was named Venus de Milo. After that, we began a long, arduous search for the Mona Lisa. When we finally found that whore, we were wholly disappointed. She was tiny and hidden behind glass and we could hardly see her. Such a disappointment. Then we tried finding Hammurabi's Code, which was on display, but of course, not where the museum map indicated. So we left, hungry and dejected, back to our neighborhood in the 20th arrondisement.
We stopped by a local grocery store and picked up brie and wine, then hit up the boulangerie for a baguette, all of which we enjoyed while watching Flavor of Love Girls' Charm School. Classy, no? After "dinner" we went to a nearby neighborhood and just sat outside enjoying some beverages. Very nice, very laid back.
Tomorrow, we're going to a well-known open-air market, then seeing the Sacre Coeur and a few other things. Sunday we leave for Brussels!
Now, I'd love to stay and type more, but Tori is flirting with the guy who works at the front desk, and I must join in. Miss you all!!
Day 1-Je ne parle pas Francais (but it don't matter!!!)
BONJOUR!
melissa and i are happy to report we are settled in at our hotel in paris and pooped from our long travels. or, more accurately, melissa's long travel because i passed out face down on her lap for the plane ride. what a friend, she took one for the team and barely slept a wink! what a trooper though, she stayed up the entire day.
\even after the first day, it's hard to believe we're really here. paris reminds us a lot of new york city, but cleaner, filled with old world charm, and fashionable people. Not until we got to the Eiffel tower did it feel like we were truly in france.
Though it's only been one day, i definitely think i've learned a few things about the european culture
1. "comedy has no language barrier." while eating our dinner of foie, brie, apples, warm baquette, and riesling we ran through the tv channels to find something in english. instead of watching cnn international, we watched a germanys funniest home video's. though we didn't understand a word, we definitely enjoyed the programming. (Melissa sidenote: After some videos, they would put up a graphic that said, "UPPS!" Oops? Maybe? I have no idea...)
2. Parisian babies are adorable and inquisitive looking. Really, too cute for words and their faces look like their searching for inner truth.
3. the french aren't that mean. so far, every single person we've struggled to communicate with has been overly friendly and helpful, definitely dispelling any rumors about the moody french.
4. foie gras is HELLA cheap here. 1.51 euro for an entire thing of foie creme. dear god, don't make me go back!
5. people make real fools of themselves trying to have the perfect picture in front of the eiffel tower. melissa took a nap today in the park near the tower, and while she did i watched a woman spend 30 minutes jumping up and down over and over again hoping to get the photo of her dreams. we left before she did it.
6. the french love obama!
Today we wandered around Paris, bumping into the arc de triomphe, napoleon's tomb, the grand palais, the petit palais, and the eiffel tower. All of it has been amazing, and I can hardly wait for tomorrow's adventures!
Unfortunately I am without a phone over here. I blame silly distractions at the airport, like Hillary Clinton dropping out of the race (Melissa sidenote: Tori was literally crying at the airport bar. I'm not joking.), but the point is I'll be a lot harder to reach than expected. So keep updated on the blog and leave plenty of comments!
hearts and crepes,
Tori
melissa and i are happy to report we are settled in at our hotel in paris and pooped from our long travels. or, more accurately, melissa's long travel because i passed out face down on her lap for the plane ride. what a friend, she took one for the team and barely slept a wink! what a trooper though, she stayed up the entire day.
\even after the first day, it's hard to believe we're really here. paris reminds us a lot of new york city, but cleaner, filled with old world charm, and fashionable people. Not until we got to the Eiffel tower did it feel like we were truly in france.
Though it's only been one day, i definitely think i've learned a few things about the european culture
1. "comedy has no language barrier." while eating our dinner of foie, brie, apples, warm baquette, and riesling we ran through the tv channels to find something in english. instead of watching cnn international, we watched a germanys funniest home video's. though we didn't understand a word, we definitely enjoyed the programming. (Melissa sidenote: After some videos, they would put up a graphic that said, "UPPS!" Oops? Maybe? I have no idea...)
2. Parisian babies are adorable and inquisitive looking. Really, too cute for words and their faces look like their searching for inner truth.
3. the french aren't that mean. so far, every single person we've struggled to communicate with has been overly friendly and helpful, definitely dispelling any rumors about the moody french.
4. foie gras is HELLA cheap here. 1.51 euro for an entire thing of foie creme. dear god, don't make me go back!
5. people make real fools of themselves trying to have the perfect picture in front of the eiffel tower. melissa took a nap today in the park near the tower, and while she did i watched a woman spend 30 minutes jumping up and down over and over again hoping to get the photo of her dreams. we left before she did it.
6. the french love obama!
Today we wandered around Paris, bumping into the arc de triomphe, napoleon's tomb, the grand palais, the petit palais, and the eiffel tower. All of it has been amazing, and I can hardly wait for tomorrow's adventures!
Unfortunately I am without a phone over here. I blame silly distractions at the airport, like Hillary Clinton dropping out of the race (Melissa sidenote: Tori was literally crying at the airport bar. I'm not joking.), but the point is I'll be a lot harder to reach than expected. So keep updated on the blog and leave plenty of comments!
hearts and crepes,
Tori
Monday, June 2, 2008
Location: Woodstock, New York, USA
Here we are, two days before we peace outta the States. We're both crammed onto a chair in Tori's house putting the finishing touches of love on our itinerary (what a hard fuckin word to spell, by the way). Here it is, if you can follow it, God bless ya.
JUNE 4
JFK Airport- AA flight at 5:25 p.m.
JUNE 5
Land: Charles de Gaulle 7:30 a.m.
Red Light District
Sacre Coeur
Eiffel Tower
JUNE 6
Cemetary
Catacombs
Notre Dameskies
Napoleon's Tomb
Louvre-6 p.m. (discounted rate-€6.5)
JUNE 7
Musée de l’Orangerie (price-€5.5)
Cafe Angelina-hot chocolate
Flea Market!!! http://www.parispuces.com/FR/
JUNE 8
BRUSSELS-early afternoon arrival
http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/2GO4QualityHostel-Brussels-14418
JUNE 9
train at 3 p.m. to Netherlands
AMSTERDAM
Van Gogh museum
JUNE 10
Dappermarkt at Dapperstraat. (Train: Muiderpoort Station; tram: 3, 7, 9, 14; bus: 15 and 22.)
Anne Frank house
boat ride!
JUNE 11
Blijburg (tram 26 from the Central Station, final stop)
JUNE 12
BERLIN
JUNE 13
World Press Photo Exhibit
JUNE 14
JUNE 15
Eichsteatt
JUNE 16
Neuschwanstein Castle
MUNICH
JUNE 17
Tour of Munich
JUNE 18
America?
We're staying in discount hotels in Paris and Amsterdam, hostels in Brussels and Berlin, and Melissa's friend Johannes' flat in Munich. To stay posted on our adventures and see our photos, keep reading the blog! The next time we post, we'll be in gay old Paris!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)