We flew from Charles DeGalle into London Luton airport and took a train into town. Our hostel right next to russel square wasn't all that great but it worked. The first night we got stuck in an "under construction" room but the rest of the nights we had decent sleeping rooms. We found this restaurant that we really liked called Giraffe, and ate there 2 of the nights we were in London. After dinner we went to see the London Eye and walked along the river over to where Parliament and Westminster Abbey are. It was so fun to see these things that we had heard about, but to see them in person was so much more fun. Everything was lit up and reflected off the water, which was cool and we determined that even after being there just a couple of hours we already loved this city.
The day after we got there I got really excited, because unbeknownst to Emily or any of our friends, Michael was planning to fly out to London and surprise emily. So I had us get all dressed up in our cute dresses and we planned to have afternoon tea in the park. It was the perfect plan. We left the hotel and went to see the London Tower, the Tower Bridge, and Buckingham Palace. We sat in Green Park for a while and enjoyed everyone louging in the grass on lunch breaks from work. We then went to Harods which was such a cool store, with everything you could ever want. Big designer clothes, interesting furniture, and yummy pastries kept us entertained for a long time as we explored the 5 levels of the giant store. We got some pastries for our tea time, then went over to starbucks and got our favorite kinds of tea. I was supposed to have Emily in the park at the Joy of life fountain at 5:30 where Michael would meet us so we headed over to the park. I asked if we could find the fountain because "i really wanted to see it." We asked and asked people but no one knew where it was, we also found a map and couldn't find it on the map. I was getting really worried that we wouldn't find it! We finally found where it was and had to walk all the way across the park to get there. Emily was so sweet to fulfill my desire to sit by the fountain, even though it seemed a little silly. So we set up our stuff when we got there and enjoyed a wonderful tea party in the park. When 5:30 came around I kept glancing around hoping to see Michael at any minute but he never showed up. By 6 and 6:15 it was hard to justify staying in that spot because our food was all gone and we were getting cold. I was worried his plane may have been delayed or thought he might have gotten lost on his way to the park. So we went back to the hostel to get jackets and chill for a while. I checked at the front desk and they said he hadn't checked in yet so i sent him an email asking where he was. About a 1/2 an hour later he emailed me back and said "Oh no! i thought you knew i was coming tomorrow!!" Oh, I felt so stupid! I got the days mixed up. It was a good thing i didn't say anything to Emily about the mishap, and spoil the surprise. The rest of the night we found some fun places to look at down the street and got some pizza for dinner. Tomorrow would be the day Michael comes.
Since we had gotten all dressed up yesterday, we just wore normal clothes to sightsee around today. We went to see Shakespear's Globe theater, and St. Paul's Cathedral, then took the tube over to Piccadilly Circus which was a crazy part of town! Then we relaxed in Kensington Gardens for a while because it was such a beautiful sunny day. We searched for a while to find the Peter Pan statue, and finally did, then after that I suggested we go sit by the london eye and "watch it go round." The Jubilee Gardens next to the london eye was the new meeting place michael suggested because I had blown the first one. So we arrived and walked a round a little bit then settled down in the middle of the grass. I was looking around hoping so much to see Michael. After a couple of minutes he appeared behind us and surprised Emily as she was taking pictures of the clouds rolling by. He talked for a little while and pulled out a ring and proposed. It was so sweet, and Emily was entirely shocked. She couldn't believe he was there, in london, half way across the world. I was relieved that everything went so well. Having Michael there with us the rest of the time was so much fun. We went to dinner at Giraffe to celebrate that night, and Emily called her family to tell them the big news. It was a fun day.
Our last couple of days in London we saw the rest of the sights, got to watch the London marathon, and got a tour of the city from Michael's cousin. After the tour we went over to his cousin's friend's house and had desert and champagne to celebrate their engagement. Our last day got a little overcast and rainy but that didn't stop us from having fun. We went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards, but they weren't having the ceremony that day, so we headed toward Harods because Emily wanted to take Michael to see it. I let them have the rest of the day to themsleves and went to cafe Nero, a little coffee shop, to catch up on some journalling. After that I shopped at H&M for a while, then stopped in at the National Gallery. I didn't even pay attention to most of the rooms, i just found the 3 impressionist rooms and settled there, enjoying the artwork. There were some really fun paintings by Monet and Pissarro that I admired for a long while. After the Gallery I met Emily and Michael back at the hostel and we got ready for dinner and WICKED. Dinner at this little italian place was good, and Wicked was soooo fun. It was the perfect ending to our trip.
Flying home, the three of us left around the same time, Michael going straight back to LAX and Emily and I flying to Chicago. When we got to Chicago we had a couple of hours before the two of us split and she went to San Antonio and I went to Orange County. It was a great time to process and journal and really reflect on our trip. Being at the airport, it felt like we had just gotten to Europe, but then looking back on all we had done, i realized how much we really got to experience. Travelling is tiring and we were excited to return home to our eager families and friends. Seeing so much of Europe was exciting, but sharing stories and pictures with everyone made us anxious to return as well. This was the most wonderful trip and I am so thankful we got to do it together. We were amazingly blessed with good weather, good health, safe travel and so much more.
If you made it this far, I'm so glad, because I had a great time writing these blogs. I hope you were able to experience Europe with me, and I can't wait to share more with everyone. Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Ahhh Paris
I know it has been sooooo long since i've written, but i thought it would be best to finish out the trip! After Brussels Em and I made our way to Paris! When we got to the train station we needed to make a reservation for the 11:09 train into Gare de Nord. The ticket man told us it was going to be 26 euro each!! We were like....oooooh no no no. After some searching around he found us a train leaving an hour later that would take us into Charles DeGalle Airport for 5 euro each. That sounded much better. We found our way from the airport into town and got to the right stop where we had directions to where we were staying--with our friends Stephanie and Adrien. Their apartment was so comfy and they were so hospitable. They welcomed us in (we were 3hours later than i had predicted) and we chatted and settled in. That night the two of them had a birthday party to attend so Emily and I took full advantage of having a nice kitchen and made a mexican fiesta! We had so much fun cooking up our white rice, kidney beans, corn, and tortilla chips, which made a pretty good mexican meal for what we could find at the grocery store. We also took long hot showers which were such a luxory after all of the hostel showers.
Our first day of sight seeing we went to the Eiffel Tower first, and got crepes while we took in the awesome sight, then we found our way to the Museum d'Orsay. It was a wonderful gallery with stuff by Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Degas and others. Alot of impressionist work, which we really enjoyed. After that we walked around the Tulleries, caught a glimpse of the Louvre, and walked for a little while up the Champs-Elysees. Stephanie and Adrien took us to a creperie for dinner which was so fun! We had dinner crepes and dessert crepes...a great experience.
Our second day we found the flea market, the Moulin Rouge, the Notre Dame, and the Arc de Triumph. The architecture of the Notre Dame was so cool, especially when viewed from the side and back. So many flying buttresses and a cute little garden behind. The traffic at the Arc de Triumph was CRAZY. No lanes, just circling traffic from all different spokes. At one point the traffic was stopped so a marching band could march across the street to the center--we never really figured out why the band was there. That night we were entertained in the French fashion. Stephanie prepared a meal served in this order: appetizers and wine, more appetizers, main course, salad, cheese plate, dessert plate. We had a great red wine Cote de Rhone, salami, pickles, foie gras, duck, potatos, salad, goat cheese, mountain cheese, and a chocolate cream dessert. It was so fun to experience the culture of France.
Day 3 like everyday started slowly because our room had black out blinds that kept us sleeping through the morning. But we finally got up and took the metro out to Versailles. The palace is outrageously ornate and HUGE. But the grounds are even bigger. it seems like they go on for miles and miles. We got to see Marie Antoinette's estate as well and explored the gardens. We had a beautiful day (as we have had the whole trip it seems) and took the metro back. The ride back was the most crowded train we have ever been on. People smashed wall to wall with strollers, children, and all sorts of people. It was not a fun hour and 20 min ride home! We made dinner together again--pasta with chicken and veggies and a pink sauce while we listened to Adrien and some friends play guitar. They had us join in to sing the English songs which was fun to be a part of.
Last day in Paris, and we visited the Opera House. It was the most gorgeous place. Candles everywhere, gold accents, ballrooms, and a beautiful theater. It was so much fun to explore. I felt like the Phantom of the Opera would appear any moment! We also found a starbucks nearby that was decorated almost like the Opera house. it was so cool. We went back to the apartment to rest for a while and watched the Hunchback of Notre Dame. it's so much more fun to watch when you're actually in Paris! Stephanie made us dinner AGAIN and this time it was quiche--so good. We played European Ticket to Ride after dinner then went to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour after dark. It really was beautiful to see, and of course we got nutella crepes again while we watched it. Au Revoir Paris!
Our first day of sight seeing we went to the Eiffel Tower first, and got crepes while we took in the awesome sight, then we found our way to the Museum d'Orsay. It was a wonderful gallery with stuff by Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Degas and others. Alot of impressionist work, which we really enjoyed. After that we walked around the Tulleries, caught a glimpse of the Louvre, and walked for a little while up the Champs-Elysees. Stephanie and Adrien took us to a creperie for dinner which was so fun! We had dinner crepes and dessert crepes...a great experience.
Our second day we found the flea market, the Moulin Rouge, the Notre Dame, and the Arc de Triumph. The architecture of the Notre Dame was so cool, especially when viewed from the side and back. So many flying buttresses and a cute little garden behind. The traffic at the Arc de Triumph was CRAZY. No lanes, just circling traffic from all different spokes. At one point the traffic was stopped so a marching band could march across the street to the center--we never really figured out why the band was there. That night we were entertained in the French fashion. Stephanie prepared a meal served in this order: appetizers and wine, more appetizers, main course, salad, cheese plate, dessert plate. We had a great red wine Cote de Rhone, salami, pickles, foie gras, duck, potatos, salad, goat cheese, mountain cheese, and a chocolate cream dessert. It was so fun to experience the culture of France.
Day 3 like everyday started slowly because our room had black out blinds that kept us sleeping through the morning. But we finally got up and took the metro out to Versailles. The palace is outrageously ornate and HUGE. But the grounds are even bigger. it seems like they go on for miles and miles. We got to see Marie Antoinette's estate as well and explored the gardens. We had a beautiful day (as we have had the whole trip it seems) and took the metro back. The ride back was the most crowded train we have ever been on. People smashed wall to wall with strollers, children, and all sorts of people. It was not a fun hour and 20 min ride home! We made dinner together again--pasta with chicken and veggies and a pink sauce while we listened to Adrien and some friends play guitar. They had us join in to sing the English songs which was fun to be a part of.
Last day in Paris, and we visited the Opera House. It was the most gorgeous place. Candles everywhere, gold accents, ballrooms, and a beautiful theater. It was so much fun to explore. I felt like the Phantom of the Opera would appear any moment! We also found a starbucks nearby that was decorated almost like the Opera house. it was so cool. We went back to the apartment to rest for a while and watched the Hunchback of Notre Dame. it's so much more fun to watch when you're actually in Paris! Stephanie made us dinner AGAIN and this time it was quiche--so good. We played European Ticket to Ride after dinner then went to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour after dark. It really was beautiful to see, and of course we got nutella crepes again while we watched it. Au Revoir Paris!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
B & B in B
Brugge and Brusselles in Belgium. After Amsterdam we made our way into Belgium to have real belgium waffles, fries and chocolate, and we certainly did. Our first night in Brugge we wandered into the market square and found a street vendor selling hot french fries which he then smothered in ketchup. they were very good, and accompanied our "Q" burger very well. The city was a little bit of a sleepy town so we spent the evening taking showers and relaxing. (the showers, by the way, looked like they had been stolen from a prison: simple square stalls with pull CHAINS that released water out of the large shower head above. and you just got whatever temperature water it wanted to give you because there were no controls.) Interesting.
The Brugge buildings are beautifully built--very colorful and with fun shaped rooftops. Cobblestone streets next to the little flowing rivers and chocolate shop after chocolate shop of delicate sweets. We saw the church of Holy Blood that supposedly has christ's blood as a relic, then saw the other church with Michaelangelo's Madonna and Child. The sculpture was beautiful and set in such an unassuming church. We weaved through the streets for a little while out to the grassy paths that follow along the surrounding river. Not too far down we came up to two windmills up on the little grassy knolls and got to climb up inside one. It was so fun to see windmills in Holland--the whole town is so picturesque. We shopped in the city for a while then stopped into a grocery store and got stuff to make an awesome salad back at the hostel: rocket lettuce, parmasean cheese, sundried tomatoes, croutons, pinenuts, mixed nuts, tomatoes, cucumber and chicken nuggets. it was a wonderful meal.
It started to sprinkle throughout the day so we made a night of emailing, planning our stay in london, and playing scrabble on the top bunk bed. the game was so cool...we used every letter in turn, filled up the board, and tied with a score of 201 each. And we enjoyed it with a healthy dose of gummy candy too. Brugge, although a little gloomy and rainy, was a sweet little town that we enjoyed spending time in. (oh and we had the best belgian waffles with haagen daze icecream and caramel sauce!)
Brussells was a short one night stop before Paris. We took the short train ride in the morning and were able to see parts of the city before checking into the hotel. Still raining, we meandered through the city buildings in our raincoats searching for a good cafe to snuggle up in. Well, we ended up eating at Subway (not a snuggley cafe) but then got a brownie and some coffee at a place called the coffee company. It was a cute little cafe with modern furniture and terrible music. We both had to turn our ipods on to drown out the jr. high talent show sounding singers.
Rainy days are always great days for a movie so we went to the cinema and saw Monsters vs. Aliens. we went into the 16:00 showing and realized that everything was French and wasn't going to stop being French anytime soon. So we left and were told to come back to the 18:00 showing that would be in English. Much better. It was fun to see a movie together and be able to understand it all too! The city wasn't anything terribly special, but it was cool to see anyway. Later that night we went and got dinner at a cafe by the botanical gardens and didn't realize that it was so late until our waiter brought our check over and said they were closing. it was already 11 and we felt like it was 8:30. It stays light until around 9pm so the days seem sooo long. The gardens were really pretty to walk through, and it was nice to see some green amist the towering skyscrapers. I was disappointed we didn't get to eat brussell sprouts in Brussells, but oh well!
The Brugge buildings are beautifully built--very colorful and with fun shaped rooftops. Cobblestone streets next to the little flowing rivers and chocolate shop after chocolate shop of delicate sweets. We saw the church of Holy Blood that supposedly has christ's blood as a relic, then saw the other church with Michaelangelo's Madonna and Child. The sculpture was beautiful and set in such an unassuming church. We weaved through the streets for a little while out to the grassy paths that follow along the surrounding river. Not too far down we came up to two windmills up on the little grassy knolls and got to climb up inside one. It was so fun to see windmills in Holland--the whole town is so picturesque. We shopped in the city for a while then stopped into a grocery store and got stuff to make an awesome salad back at the hostel: rocket lettuce, parmasean cheese, sundried tomatoes, croutons, pinenuts, mixed nuts, tomatoes, cucumber and chicken nuggets. it was a wonderful meal.
It started to sprinkle throughout the day so we made a night of emailing, planning our stay in london, and playing scrabble on the top bunk bed. the game was so cool...we used every letter in turn, filled up the board, and tied with a score of 201 each. And we enjoyed it with a healthy dose of gummy candy too. Brugge, although a little gloomy and rainy, was a sweet little town that we enjoyed spending time in. (oh and we had the best belgian waffles with haagen daze icecream and caramel sauce!)
Brussells was a short one night stop before Paris. We took the short train ride in the morning and were able to see parts of the city before checking into the hotel. Still raining, we meandered through the city buildings in our raincoats searching for a good cafe to snuggle up in. Well, we ended up eating at Subway (not a snuggley cafe) but then got a brownie and some coffee at a place called the coffee company. It was a cute little cafe with modern furniture and terrible music. We both had to turn our ipods on to drown out the jr. high talent show sounding singers.
Rainy days are always great days for a movie so we went to the cinema and saw Monsters vs. Aliens. we went into the 16:00 showing and realized that everything was French and wasn't going to stop being French anytime soon. So we left and were told to come back to the 18:00 showing that would be in English. Much better. It was fun to see a movie together and be able to understand it all too! The city wasn't anything terribly special, but it was cool to see anyway. Later that night we went and got dinner at a cafe by the botanical gardens and didn't realize that it was so late until our waiter brought our check over and said they were closing. it was already 11 and we felt like it was 8:30. It stays light until around 9pm so the days seem sooo long. The gardens were really pretty to walk through, and it was nice to see some green amist the towering skyscrapers. I was disappointed we didn't get to eat brussell sprouts in Brussells, but oh well!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Don't get coffee in Amsterdam
Amsterdam was one of the prettiest places we have visited. The canals that run through the city have a very Venetian quality, but hold a whole different character as well. The houses are so cute lined in a row along the canals, and they're all different colors and designs.
Funny story: our first night in Amsterdam we wandered around the city for a while to familiarize ourself with it. We came across a waffle store and both decided that we HAD to get a waffle! how could we not get a belgium waffle in belgium! it wasn't until about 5 minutes into our delicious dessert that we realized we were actually not in belgium...we were in the Netherlands! we felt very very silly. (i still dont get the whole, Netherlands, Holland, Dutch distinctions!)
Our hostel was a basic bed and bathroom--nothing fancy but it worked just fine. We took a tour of the city our first day there as to get some background and history on the city. our guide was great--British and very entertaining. He took us through the red light district (briefly), and told us about Holland's history of tolerance and "plausible deniability"policy. They hold that if something is 1) discreet, 2) not hurting anyone, and 3) makes money, than it's acceptable. An example of this is the number of "coffee shops" around the city that dont really sell coffee at all--just marajuana. But it's discreet, not "hurting" anyone, andmakes alot of money. Also on the tour we got to see the Jewish quarter, Anne Franks house, the palace, and a bunch in between.
Amsterdam is a bicycle city. Everyone rides bikes, and they're everywhere. So emily and i rented bikes for a day and navigated our way through the insane bike lanes around town and rally had a stressful time. We then took a ferry over to the other side of the river and rode into the coutnryside of holland. It was so cool. We came across a little field of sheep just chillin in the grass so we stopped and took pictures and talked with them. the babies were so cute! Then we rode through fields of green grass and tall wheat to a little town called durgerdam where we sat and had a drink on a dock overlooking the water. It was so quaint and peaceful...like an oldfashioned painting. I was so happy to get to experience both the city and the countryside of Holland.
Our next morning we rode out east of the city in search of a park but never found it. We got a little lost, ended up riding through a different park, and spent some time admiring the flowergarden in town. So many colors and kinds of flowers...especially tulips. We had planned to go to the Van Gogh museum by our hostel but it had a very pricy entrance fee so we just admired the adversement pictures on the outside. Instead of art-viewing we decided to get sandwiches at a little place called bagels and beans and it was a perfect end to our time in Amsterdam.
Funny story: our first night in Amsterdam we wandered around the city for a while to familiarize ourself with it. We came across a waffle store and both decided that we HAD to get a waffle! how could we not get a belgium waffle in belgium! it wasn't until about 5 minutes into our delicious dessert that we realized we were actually not in belgium...we were in the Netherlands! we felt very very silly. (i still dont get the whole, Netherlands, Holland, Dutch distinctions!)
Our hostel was a basic bed and bathroom--nothing fancy but it worked just fine. We took a tour of the city our first day there as to get some background and history on the city. our guide was great--British and very entertaining. He took us through the red light district (briefly), and told us about Holland's history of tolerance and "plausible deniability"policy. They hold that if something is 1) discreet, 2) not hurting anyone, and 3) makes money, than it's acceptable. An example of this is the number of "coffee shops" around the city that dont really sell coffee at all--just marajuana. But it's discreet, not "hurting" anyone, andmakes alot of money. Also on the tour we got to see the Jewish quarter, Anne Franks house, the palace, and a bunch in between.
Amsterdam is a bicycle city. Everyone rides bikes, and they're everywhere. So emily and i rented bikes for a day and navigated our way through the insane bike lanes around town and rally had a stressful time. We then took a ferry over to the other side of the river and rode into the coutnryside of holland. It was so cool. We came across a little field of sheep just chillin in the grass so we stopped and took pictures and talked with them. the babies were so cute! Then we rode through fields of green grass and tall wheat to a little town called durgerdam where we sat and had a drink on a dock overlooking the water. It was so quaint and peaceful...like an oldfashioned painting. I was so happy to get to experience both the city and the countryside of Holland.
Our next morning we rode out east of the city in search of a park but never found it. We got a little lost, ended up riding through a different park, and spent some time admiring the flowergarden in town. So many colors and kinds of flowers...especially tulips. We had planned to go to the Van Gogh museum by our hostel but it had a very pricy entrance fee so we just admired the adversement pictures on the outside. Instead of art-viewing we decided to get sandwiches at a little place called bagels and beans and it was a perfect end to our time in Amsterdam.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
God speaks German
Our time in Berlin was SOOO good. We had the privilege of staying with a friend Stephanie, in Berlin who welcomed us into her home with open arms. After 4 weeks of traveling, we didn't realize how much it would mean to us to have a place to call home. It was a wonderful place to celebrate Easter and to experience what life is like living there.
Stephanie met us at the train station and escorted us back to her flat where we were able to get cleaned up and comfy and settled in. That night she cooked dinner for us (a 3 course dinner) and invited two of her friends over to join us. We had a cheese platter for an appetizer, then this grilled veggie/yogurt/pinenut thing too, and then all sat and ate salad and pasta with veggies. It was so fun just to relax and talk with her and her friends David and Steph, and enjoy each other's company. Even though it was getting late, we took the tram over to another one of Stephanies friends' houses so Emily and I could do some laundry. While the laundry was in we took a stroll to get a drink at a place that Stephanie goes to all the time. She's friends with the bartender, Andres, who was so funny. He's tall and skinny with long straggley hair and a cramer from seinfeld-type demeanor. We chatted with him and with each other then were invited to join this group of British people who were celebrating some guys birthday. The birthday boy talked with Emily and I for a while and gave us a lecture on Italian History. (He was very offended when he found out we had traveled through italy and NOT visited his mother's home town!) he had already had about a bottle of champagne, and we didn't feel the need to argue. So we had an interesting conversation, then went back to pick up our laundry and get a good night's sleep.
Sunday morning was Easter and we woke up to the smell of pancakes and tomato torte. Stephanie was so sweet--she made us breakfast and gave us chocolate kinder eggs because that's what all the kids get for Easter in Germany. It was so thoughtful and made us feel special. So we ate breakfast and got all dressed up in our Easter dresses for church. The church had a guest gospel choir come sing for the holiday, and they were from New York so we got to sing in English. It was so much fun! The church's worship band also did some german worship songs that we knew so we sang along in English while they all sang in German. It was weird to hear "Lord, I lift your name on high," "In christ alone,"and "How Great is our God" in German. It was cool to praise together even in different languages. The pastor gave his sermon, and Stephanie gave us little translated blurbs every couple of minutes so we could follow along. Then we took communion and the pastor blessed us. It was so great to be in church and surrounded by believers--we've been missing it while we've been gone.
After church we went to brunch at Andres' place, and we talked with some more of Stephanie's friends there. (she has a lot of friends). :) David said he would give us a tour of the city, so we got to see Berlin by Mercedes. He drove us around pointing out important things, giving the history behind each one. It was so fun and we enjoyed their company too. The art graffiti on the remains of the Berlin wall are so interesting so we took some pictures and walked around the area for a little bit. For dinner we had what I call German Chipotle--and it was sooo good. David had us all over to his house to watch the kite runner, which we had rented, then we went back to stephanie's to spend our last night there. Before we left the next afternoon on the train, Stephanie made sure we tried Kababs and curryworst so would have had real german food. they were interesting, but fun to try.
Our time in Berlin was so fun because of the chance to feel at home and cared for. We got to see what life was like living in the city, and had a wonderful tour guide to show us all around. Thanks Steph!
Stephanie met us at the train station and escorted us back to her flat where we were able to get cleaned up and comfy and settled in. That night she cooked dinner for us (a 3 course dinner) and invited two of her friends over to join us. We had a cheese platter for an appetizer, then this grilled veggie/yogurt/pinenut thing too, and then all sat and ate salad and pasta with veggies. It was so fun just to relax and talk with her and her friends David and Steph, and enjoy each other's company. Even though it was getting late, we took the tram over to another one of Stephanies friends' houses so Emily and I could do some laundry. While the laundry was in we took a stroll to get a drink at a place that Stephanie goes to all the time. She's friends with the bartender, Andres, who was so funny. He's tall and skinny with long straggley hair and a cramer from seinfeld-type demeanor. We chatted with him and with each other then were invited to join this group of British people who were celebrating some guys birthday. The birthday boy talked with Emily and I for a while and gave us a lecture on Italian History. (He was very offended when he found out we had traveled through italy and NOT visited his mother's home town!) he had already had about a bottle of champagne, and we didn't feel the need to argue. So we had an interesting conversation, then went back to pick up our laundry and get a good night's sleep.
Sunday morning was Easter and we woke up to the smell of pancakes and tomato torte. Stephanie was so sweet--she made us breakfast and gave us chocolate kinder eggs because that's what all the kids get for Easter in Germany. It was so thoughtful and made us feel special. So we ate breakfast and got all dressed up in our Easter dresses for church. The church had a guest gospel choir come sing for the holiday, and they were from New York so we got to sing in English. It was so much fun! The church's worship band also did some german worship songs that we knew so we sang along in English while they all sang in German. It was weird to hear "Lord, I lift your name on high," "In christ alone,"and "How Great is our God" in German. It was cool to praise together even in different languages. The pastor gave his sermon, and Stephanie gave us little translated blurbs every couple of minutes so we could follow along. Then we took communion and the pastor blessed us. It was so great to be in church and surrounded by believers--we've been missing it while we've been gone.
After church we went to brunch at Andres' place, and we talked with some more of Stephanie's friends there. (she has a lot of friends). :) David said he would give us a tour of the city, so we got to see Berlin by Mercedes. He drove us around pointing out important things, giving the history behind each one. It was so fun and we enjoyed their company too. The art graffiti on the remains of the Berlin wall are so interesting so we took some pictures and walked around the area for a little bit. For dinner we had what I call German Chipotle--and it was sooo good. David had us all over to his house to watch the kite runner, which we had rented, then we went back to stephanie's to spend our last night there. Before we left the next afternoon on the train, Stephanie made sure we tried Kababs and curryworst so would have had real german food. they were interesting, but fun to try.
Our time in Berlin was so fun because of the chance to feel at home and cared for. We got to see what life was like living in the city, and had a wonderful tour guide to show us all around. Thanks Steph!
A day in Prague...
Literally...we only spent one day there. That's all the time we had before we had to be in Berlin, but it ended up being sufficient. When we arrived in Prague we checked into our hostel, dropped our bags and took the tram into town. Both of us were a little annoyed by the time we had reached the city, because getting there was for some reason a difficult task. We were tired and hungry and decided to eat something and hoped it would put us in a better mood. We got pizza and gelato then wandered around looking for points of interest. After not finding any because of our terrible map and lack of directions, we finally decided just to make for the river and hope it would be cool. Once we got to the river, our attitudes were much improved, because who could be frustrated with such a beautiful view!? We walked along the water and across the bridge to old town where we walked up a million steps to get to the palace. The climb was definitely worth it, however, because the view from the top was amazing! we saw the changing of the guard at the palace, and peeked around the little town, then made our way to the famous astronomical clock. Definitely overrated. Crowds gathered all around blocking the streets to see the amazing clock chime 8pm. If i hadn't been paying attention, i probably wouldn't have even noticed when the "show" happened. We had fun anyway though, because there was another easter festival going on, and we tried these churro things dipped in melted chocolate that were so good!! After that, we walked back to the river to see it at night with all the lights refected in the water and ate dinner at a restaurant right on the water. It was a great evening and we loved the beautiful river view.
Polish Sausage
Hello!! We are alive and well for any of you who have been worried...i know i haven't posted in a long while. My appologies--and a new post!
After Vienna, we headed to Krakow, Poland where we stayed 3 nights in Mama's hostel. The hostel was wonderful and had everything we wanted. even surprises like polish cake thursday and spiced wine wednesday. we had breakfast, and nice beds, and even got to watch movies on the dvd player! The morning we had in vienna trying to catch our train, then missing it and having to wait 4 hours for the next one was a bummer, so coming home to a nice hostel was just what we needed.
(side note: i also got news that night of my acceptance into Western State University of Law--and they're offering me an awesome academic scholarship and an invitation into the "dean's circle." it was very exciting!)
Our first day in Krakow, we took a bike tour around the city and learned much of the history of the area. We saw the main square, the church, the jewish quarter, the jewish ghetto, the park that used to be a mote around the city, the river, the castle, and schindler's factory. For lunch we had mexican food! good mexican food at a place in the middle of the square. it was so fun to have tortilla soup and fajitas while people watching in poland. the city is a fun place to walk around because of the pretty architecture and entertainment. Horse and buggies clomp by, accordion players serenade, and the church trumpeter plays every hour on the hour.
Our second day we took a train out to Auschwitz, located about 1hr 40min away. it was a very interesting trip. we've learned so much about WWII and Auschwitz in particular as an extermination camp, but to be there was something very different. The setting was strange: green grass, brick school-looking buildings and a very organized layout. If I had not known the nature of the camp, i would have guessed it was simply a quaint village. It was a shocking contrast to Dacau, the concentration camp we visited when we were in Munich. The bunkers at Auschwitz had living quarters very similar to Dacau, but some of the exhibitions of the museum were quiet jarring. A whole room filled with hair, human hair, uncovered in the Nazi collections of things to be sold, was on display. Mountains and mountains of shoes, half burned clothing, glasses, hairbrushes, and other personal items of the victims. We saw the execution sites, gallows, gas chambers and other parts of the camp. A sign across the entrance reading "work brings freedom"- the appaling deception used to keep victims calm. It's important to learn the realities of such atrocities like Auschwitz, and i'm glad we were able to go.
When we got back to Krakow, there was an easter festival going on in the square, so we got a traditional polish dinner from the booths: big brautworst sausage, potatoes, dumplings and "vegetables." The food was so heavy, and after about half we were done! we walked around windowshopping for a while and decided to try what looked like a polish waffle desert with jam on top. So having 4 zlottys left (polish currency) we got one to share between the two of us. So Emily takes a bite and chews a couple of times, then makes the worst face possible. "Oh, oh, gross, gross!" I was like, come on, it can't be that bad. so i took a bite. it was terrible. utterly terrible. What we thought was a waffley thing was instead a salted cheese mass that tasted like it had been fried in dirty sock juice and slathered with cranberry sauce. it was Naasty! worst thing we've tried yet! we threw the rest away and had to get the taste out of our mouthes with some candied almonds.
Back in the hostel we had 2 new additions to our room (which we had previously had to ourselves). Two Australian boys, Anthony and Roghan. We spent the rest of the night hanging out with them, chatting about our cultures, and enjoying the hostel. They were really fun to hang out with and made our last night really fun. In the morning we had to get up before 6 to catch our train so we tried to get as much sleep as we could.
After Vienna, we headed to Krakow, Poland where we stayed 3 nights in Mama's hostel. The hostel was wonderful and had everything we wanted. even surprises like polish cake thursday and spiced wine wednesday. we had breakfast, and nice beds, and even got to watch movies on the dvd player! The morning we had in vienna trying to catch our train, then missing it and having to wait 4 hours for the next one was a bummer, so coming home to a nice hostel was just what we needed.
(side note: i also got news that night of my acceptance into Western State University of Law--and they're offering me an awesome academic scholarship and an invitation into the "dean's circle." it was very exciting!)
Our first day in Krakow, we took a bike tour around the city and learned much of the history of the area. We saw the main square, the church, the jewish quarter, the jewish ghetto, the park that used to be a mote around the city, the river, the castle, and schindler's factory. For lunch we had mexican food! good mexican food at a place in the middle of the square. it was so fun to have tortilla soup and fajitas while people watching in poland. the city is a fun place to walk around because of the pretty architecture and entertainment. Horse and buggies clomp by, accordion players serenade, and the church trumpeter plays every hour on the hour.
Our second day we took a train out to Auschwitz, located about 1hr 40min away. it was a very interesting trip. we've learned so much about WWII and Auschwitz in particular as an extermination camp, but to be there was something very different. The setting was strange: green grass, brick school-looking buildings and a very organized layout. If I had not known the nature of the camp, i would have guessed it was simply a quaint village. It was a shocking contrast to Dacau, the concentration camp we visited when we were in Munich. The bunkers at Auschwitz had living quarters very similar to Dacau, but some of the exhibitions of the museum were quiet jarring. A whole room filled with hair, human hair, uncovered in the Nazi collections of things to be sold, was on display. Mountains and mountains of shoes, half burned clothing, glasses, hairbrushes, and other personal items of the victims. We saw the execution sites, gallows, gas chambers and other parts of the camp. A sign across the entrance reading "work brings freedom"- the appaling deception used to keep victims calm. It's important to learn the realities of such atrocities like Auschwitz, and i'm glad we were able to go.
When we got back to Krakow, there was an easter festival going on in the square, so we got a traditional polish dinner from the booths: big brautworst sausage, potatoes, dumplings and "vegetables." The food was so heavy, and after about half we were done! we walked around windowshopping for a while and decided to try what looked like a polish waffle desert with jam on top. So having 4 zlottys left (polish currency) we got one to share between the two of us. So Emily takes a bite and chews a couple of times, then makes the worst face possible. "Oh, oh, gross, gross!" I was like, come on, it can't be that bad. so i took a bite. it was terrible. utterly terrible. What we thought was a waffley thing was instead a salted cheese mass that tasted like it had been fried in dirty sock juice and slathered with cranberry sauce. it was Naasty! worst thing we've tried yet! we threw the rest away and had to get the taste out of our mouthes with some candied almonds.
Back in the hostel we had 2 new additions to our room (which we had previously had to ourselves). Two Australian boys, Anthony and Roghan. We spent the rest of the night hanging out with them, chatting about our cultures, and enjoying the hostel. They were really fun to hang out with and made our last night really fun. In the morning we had to get up before 6 to catch our train so we tried to get as much sleep as we could.
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