Second day in Barcelona! Andrea and I took a quick nap last night after getting all settled into our room, then headed down stairs to find internet and let Mommy know her little ones are together and safe. We left her a message and we have yet to talk to her. We did get a hold of Nany, so I hope she was able to relay the message. Internet is not free here, but we have a few 20 minutes free, se we have to use it sparingly.
We signed up for the Disco Tech that the hostel gets us into for free and without waiting in line. Andrea and I were shocked to see that they were not going to leave the hostel until 1:45am!!!! I had heard that everyone eats dinner around 11:00 at night and doesn’t go out till one in the morning and they party through the morning. Some clubs don’t even close till 6 or 7am. Some clubs never close. It is crazy. After I took a shower later in the night, I went back down stairs to have a couple brews at the hostel bar and take a peek at the sign up list. There were 120 other people from our hostel on the list!! Andrea and I played a few rounds of drinking games, waiting for 1:45 to come around. It came faster than I expected. It was one helluvan experience walking the streets of Barcelona 120 deep. We all corralled into taxis and made our way to the club. There was no line and most of us walked right in. One guy from our group wasn’t too lucky though. He was too drunk and had to wait outside. This place was huge and there were loads of people already cutting up the rug tough. Everyone was dancing! It was loads of fun. Andrea and I got home at 4 in the morning. We crashed hard and had to get up at 10:30 in order to check out by 11. We were both exhausted. From 11-12 we waited down stairs and I ran over to get me a “Dirty Burger” from “Mackers.” Lol We checked in at 12 and went back to sleep for another two hours. I have showered and am now about to post this blog which will get me completely caught up on my blogs. Andrea and I plan on walking the strip of Barcelona and going out again tonight. It should be loads of fun! Tomorrow I really want to go to the beach before going to FC Barcelona match. I am so stoked for this! I have been looking forward to seeing a Premier soccer match this whole trip. It should be a blast. I will try and write to you all tomorrow and let you know how it went. Till then, adios amigos!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Rome
Oh, when in Rome. Every time I think of Rome, I think of GGPP and her saying, “Every road leads to Rome.” I got the pleasure of finding out where this saying comes from. I saw the Coliseum, the Vatican, Tribute fountain, Spanish steps and a lot of the ancient ruins. I saw some other squares that I can’t remember the names of and this little island on the river that had a bridge spanning across it and connecting to either side. I walked around for half a day when I was stuck in Rome and had time to kill after getting my final plans set for Barcelona to see Andrea. For those of you who do not know, I will now give you a rundown of the disaster of a time I had trying to meet up with Andrea.
So……My plans were to fly out to Paris and meet Andrea on the 7th. We would stay there 2 nights and take an overnight train on the 9th to Barcelona. Welllllllll…on the night of the 6th, I received an email, notifying me that my flight to Paris had been canceled because of a French air traffic controllers strike. The strike was planned to last 2000 on the 6th-0800 on the 8th. I was screwed. I woke up early on the 7th and tried to figure everything out. I got my flight refunded because I couldn’t figure out how to change it to a following day without them charging my card. From there I went to a hostel down the street to book a bed, just in case I couldn’t get out on the 7th. When I was looking for flights on the 8th, one particular site gave me a three day window of flights. On the 7th, there was an available flights. I immediately booked the flight. It wasn’t too expensive, and I was anxious to be with Andrea in Paris. She booked a shady hotel in a shady part of town, because it was cheap and she knew I would be with her. I thought there is no way that this flight could be cancelled to Paris on the day of the strike, if it is showing it available on the day of the strike. I booked the flight thinking that the strike did not affect all flights. I went back to the Hostel where I booked a bed a few hours earlier and tried to get my money back. They couldn’t do it and told me that it is just going to stay as it (Thank goodness for this). I went back to my original Hostel and printed my boarding pass and made my way to the Airport. I took the one hour shuttle bus and arrived with plenty of time to board my plane. When I walked through the door, I looked up at the monitor to see that my flight was cancelled. I was so pissed!! How could it be possible that I booked a cancelled flight? Why would they allow me to book the flight if it was cancelled. This infuriated me! There is no way they cancelled it in between the time I booed my flight and when I arrived at the airport. It was only a four hour window. I started o think about it more though and thought maybe this was the case, because a French girl in front of me said that she checked the flight in the afternoon and it was listed as on time. Either way, I was completely frustrated. I had just waited a whole day in Rome sitting on a computer trying to book an open flight just for it to be cancelled once again. Some might be wondering why I booked the flight in the first place if I knew of the strike and if I knew all of the flights were cancelled. Well, some flights did make it into Paris. Not all the flights were cancelled, but most. After I saw that my flight was cancelled, I waited another hour in the ticket office line to work out alternate plans or get refunded. Luckily I was there early enough and was in the front of a very long line. I did get the pleasure of watching a few fights. One of them was in English, which was awesome. Everyone was speaking with each other all around me. I am sure asking, “So what did they say? Are there any more flights available for tomorrow?” The lady behind the desk informed me that I can’t change my destination, I can’t fly out till the 9th and that I have to go online to get refunded my money. After our short chat, I headed back into Rome and check into the Hostel I booked earlier and who didn’t give me my money back. What a blessing. I spent the next two hours down stairs on the internet worried about Andrea. I tried to make it back as quickly as possible, hoping I could catch her on the internet before she left for the airport. I didn’t have such luck. Come to find out, she spent two hours getting to the airport and waited for me. After a while, she went to a McDonalds to use their free internet. She was a mess and in tears. She was alone and frightened. I talked her through how to find her way back the safest way. Apparently she had been chased by some creepy guy earlier and now it was dark and she had to go back to the hotel in the ghetto. I told her to get a taxi. I didn’t care how much it would cost her. But she didn’t have any money. I told her to get a taxi anyways and have him swing by an ATM. I left her with that and wished her my best. She didn’t follow my plan at all and took the Metro. Lol. She made it home safe though. The rest of the night we tried figuring out our plans for the upcoming days. We had many options. Do we meet in Nice, France the next day by train, then train to Barcelona? Do I get a flight? Do we both fly to Barcelona the next day? We were unable to come to a set plan that night and it was getting very late. I told her to get up early and meet me on skype to talk about it some more. We both got up around 7 before meeting on skype at 8:30. We finally decided that we would meet in Barcelona the next day, a day earlier than planned. I would stay one more night in Rome and fly out the next day and Andrea would take the overnight train to Barcelona. I booked the only bed available in Rome at some shady Hostel. It was ok though, because it was right down the street from where I was and across the street from the train station.
The next day everything worked out brilliantly. I made it to Barcelona and to my Hostel to find Andrea sitting in the common room waiting for me. When she saw me walk through the door, she ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug ever. I was so relieved to finally be with her. She cried some tears of joy and relief while I laughed as I held on tight. What a journey. But now we were set for the next 4 nights in Barcelona. Time to get the party started!!!!! Ahhhhh haaaaaaa!!
Hope all is well back home,
Kurt
So……My plans were to fly out to Paris and meet Andrea on the 7th. We would stay there 2 nights and take an overnight train on the 9th to Barcelona. Welllllllll…on the night of the 6th, I received an email, notifying me that my flight to Paris had been canceled because of a French air traffic controllers strike. The strike was planned to last 2000 on the 6th-0800 on the 8th. I was screwed. I woke up early on the 7th and tried to figure everything out. I got my flight refunded because I couldn’t figure out how to change it to a following day without them charging my card. From there I went to a hostel down the street to book a bed, just in case I couldn’t get out on the 7th. When I was looking for flights on the 8th, one particular site gave me a three day window of flights. On the 7th, there was an available flights. I immediately booked the flight. It wasn’t too expensive, and I was anxious to be with Andrea in Paris. She booked a shady hotel in a shady part of town, because it was cheap and she knew I would be with her. I thought there is no way that this flight could be cancelled to Paris on the day of the strike, if it is showing it available on the day of the strike. I booked the flight thinking that the strike did not affect all flights. I went back to the Hostel where I booked a bed a few hours earlier and tried to get my money back. They couldn’t do it and told me that it is just going to stay as it (Thank goodness for this). I went back to my original Hostel and printed my boarding pass and made my way to the Airport. I took the one hour shuttle bus and arrived with plenty of time to board my plane. When I walked through the door, I looked up at the monitor to see that my flight was cancelled. I was so pissed!! How could it be possible that I booked a cancelled flight? Why would they allow me to book the flight if it was cancelled. This infuriated me! There is no way they cancelled it in between the time I booed my flight and when I arrived at the airport. It was only a four hour window. I started o think about it more though and thought maybe this was the case, because a French girl in front of me said that she checked the flight in the afternoon and it was listed as on time. Either way, I was completely frustrated. I had just waited a whole day in Rome sitting on a computer trying to book an open flight just for it to be cancelled once again. Some might be wondering why I booked the flight in the first place if I knew of the strike and if I knew all of the flights were cancelled. Well, some flights did make it into Paris. Not all the flights were cancelled, but most. After I saw that my flight was cancelled, I waited another hour in the ticket office line to work out alternate plans or get refunded. Luckily I was there early enough and was in the front of a very long line. I did get the pleasure of watching a few fights. One of them was in English, which was awesome. Everyone was speaking with each other all around me. I am sure asking, “So what did they say? Are there any more flights available for tomorrow?” The lady behind the desk informed me that I can’t change my destination, I can’t fly out till the 9th and that I have to go online to get refunded my money. After our short chat, I headed back into Rome and check into the Hostel I booked earlier and who didn’t give me my money back. What a blessing. I spent the next two hours down stairs on the internet worried about Andrea. I tried to make it back as quickly as possible, hoping I could catch her on the internet before she left for the airport. I didn’t have such luck. Come to find out, she spent two hours getting to the airport and waited for me. After a while, she went to a McDonalds to use their free internet. She was a mess and in tears. She was alone and frightened. I talked her through how to find her way back the safest way. Apparently she had been chased by some creepy guy earlier and now it was dark and she had to go back to the hotel in the ghetto. I told her to get a taxi. I didn’t care how much it would cost her. But she didn’t have any money. I told her to get a taxi anyways and have him swing by an ATM. I left her with that and wished her my best. She didn’t follow my plan at all and took the Metro. Lol. She made it home safe though. The rest of the night we tried figuring out our plans for the upcoming days. We had many options. Do we meet in Nice, France the next day by train, then train to Barcelona? Do I get a flight? Do we both fly to Barcelona the next day? We were unable to come to a set plan that night and it was getting very late. I told her to get up early and meet me on skype to talk about it some more. We both got up around 7 before meeting on skype at 8:30. We finally decided that we would meet in Barcelona the next day, a day earlier than planned. I would stay one more night in Rome and fly out the next day and Andrea would take the overnight train to Barcelona. I booked the only bed available in Rome at some shady Hostel. It was ok though, because it was right down the street from where I was and across the street from the train station.
The next day everything worked out brilliantly. I made it to Barcelona and to my Hostel to find Andrea sitting in the common room waiting for me. When she saw me walk through the door, she ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug ever. I was so relieved to finally be with her. She cried some tears of joy and relief while I laughed as I held on tight. What a journey. But now we were set for the next 4 nights in Barcelona. Time to get the party started!!!!! Ahhhhh haaaaaaa!!
Hope all is well back home,
Kurt
Florence
Florence
Florence was great! I have to admit that I didn’t see a lot of the city, but did see the essentials. I met two Ozzie Blokes and spent a lot of time socializing and drinking. We had many conversations of language and what words we use for certain things. There are surprisingly a lot of terms I had no idea the meaning of.
I saw the Duomo and the David statue. The 3 of us walked to the lookout point of Florence, which is a fantastic view of the entire city. It is the view that you would see on most post cards. We walked to the market most nights and made dinner. Spaghetti one night and pizza another. The first day I was there, I did some walking around the city and sat to watch the best street performer. He had wires in all of his clothes and bent back away from him to make it look like they were blowing in the wind. He would then pose as a statue for a while to look like he was a picture, frozen, but walking in the wind. It was great. He would move around a lot as well. Making balloon animals for kids and busting out wigs from his brief case to throw on anyone who posed for a picture with him. He performed for close to an hour and I enjoyed every bit of it. The best part is that I was kind of on the outskirts of the crowed and watched the whole thing for free. That is basically the gist of my Florence trip. There are a lot of English speaking students in Florence. Florence is a great city.
I had such a great time with Tom and Tim. Tim and Tom. However you wish to call them, that I stayed an extra night so we could all go to Rome at the same time the following day. So we did.
Kurt
Florence was great! I have to admit that I didn’t see a lot of the city, but did see the essentials. I met two Ozzie Blokes and spent a lot of time socializing and drinking. We had many conversations of language and what words we use for certain things. There are surprisingly a lot of terms I had no idea the meaning of.
I saw the Duomo and the David statue. The 3 of us walked to the lookout point of Florence, which is a fantastic view of the entire city. It is the view that you would see on most post cards. We walked to the market most nights and made dinner. Spaghetti one night and pizza another. The first day I was there, I did some walking around the city and sat to watch the best street performer. He had wires in all of his clothes and bent back away from him to make it look like they were blowing in the wind. He would then pose as a statue for a while to look like he was a picture, frozen, but walking in the wind. It was great. He would move around a lot as well. Making balloon animals for kids and busting out wigs from his brief case to throw on anyone who posed for a picture with him. He performed for close to an hour and I enjoyed every bit of it. The best part is that I was kind of on the outskirts of the crowed and watched the whole thing for free. That is basically the gist of my Florence trip. There are a lot of English speaking students in Florence. Florence is a great city.
I had such a great time with Tom and Tim. Tim and Tom. However you wish to call them, that I stayed an extra night so we could all go to Rome at the same time the following day. So we did.
Kurt
Bari
Hey everyone. So it has been very long since I have wrote a blog. I wrote one on the 27th about the 26th, so I will take you from there.
BARI-
I love Bari!! Not because there are tons of Amazing things to see, although there are some, but because there are tons of amazing people! I can now call Betta, Elana, Enrico and Germani my best friends! They are great people who are very interested in the United States. When I arrived in Bari, the four of them were there quickly to pick me up, even though I got in to the station an hour later than I had told them. I missed ma connecting train back in Switzerland that caused me to miss my overnighter and a bed to sleep in. Instead, I had to sit upright, touching knees with 5 other dirty Italians, for nine and a half hours! I was so thankful that Elana picked up her phone when I dialed her from a strangers phone. Very thankful the stranger let me use his phone, because I had no internet and had no idea where to find any. I gave them all huge hugs when they jumped out to greet me. It was so nice to see them all again. I threw my pack in the back and we were off to Enrico’s Hotel for breakfast and to check me in….FOR FREE! Breakfast was awesome and we all had some good laughs. The man serving us was new and had no idea he was serving the owners son and his friends. Once he found out, I could tell, because he shook his hand for a long time while jabbering in Italian. Elana translated for me…..The best English speaker of the group. Enrico, you are very good as well, along with the rest of the group when they actually tried to speak English to me. After breakfast, they all escorted me to my cool and elegant room that was steps from the pool. I literally took 3 steps from my door and was in the pool. -I made the mistake of jumping in the pool one day without a head cap and got yelled at for it. I learned my lesson and now realized why every single person wore the silly things with their speedo bottoms. Lol. I had no head cap, so it was strictly pool side from there on out.- After a rest and finally getting some sleep after the grueling train ride, the crew piced me up for a pool party.
We all headed over to Elana’s parents’ vacation villa for a swim. She had told me that there were some of her friends coming over to meet me, because they are very interested in “The American Boy.” About 10 minutes later, there were about 10 Italian girls all laughing and trying their best at their English. We swam for a while and had a great time playing chicken and other pool games. After we all showered off pool side, we jumped right into a drinking game. All day they had been asking me about what opther drinking games there are and what they needed to play beer pong. I introduced them to a game called Wingman, a common game we played at college. Some loved it and others hated it. Italians don’t ever play games while drinking. Italians are not very big on drinking in the first place, so this is all very new to them. They were introduced to beer pong in Dublin when Enrico and I dominated, and ever since have wanted to play again.
The next 3 days were fantastic, filled with more drinking games, clubs on the beach and visiting some of the sites in Bari. One of my favorites was the Trullis and this spot we visited where the houses were built on cliffs and everyone had sheets flying from their balconies to dry. It is common to cliff jump and go swimming down below the cliffs in the ocean, but the waters were way too rough for all three days I was there. The views were fantastic though. What surprised me the most about these 4, “Porn Star Stache, Ron,” Giovanni and Davide is how generous they were. Elana did not let me pay for a single thing, until the last day I begged her if I could pay for our Italian desert (Grinitas), which she finally accepted to.
Some highlights were me teaching everyone big boots and them teaching me a game called “Don’t show your teeth, don’t move a leaf.” It is a game played were everyone is in two single file lines, parallel and facing each other at 2 feet apart and their hands held high next to their ears. These people can not show their teeth and can not allow player B see them move. Player B is volunteered by the group to go first. He has to say the name of the game and then proceed through the gauntlet of people trying to catch them showing their teeth or moving. Here is the catch. When player B has the back of their head to the players in line, it is freegame to give him a good whack on the back of the head. It is hilarious to watch and difficult to now show your teeth. It takes a certain technique by player B of moving both slowly and quickly and moving his head around constantly to catch someone slapping his head or spotting a set of pearly whites. A little hard to explain, but the game is simple and hilarious!!
I also introduced them to “The Fruit Basket” It is along the lines of Mooning someone, but better. If you don’t know what it is, ask any 19 to 25 year old and they will be sure to tell you the answer. Or you can just ask me when I get home and I will show you. Lol.
On the day I had to leave, it felt unreal. I couldn’t believe I was leaving these amazing people. I really wanted to stay forever, but we all know , that just isn’t possible. The last day there was one of the most memorable nights in my entire life! We all went to this pizzeria place to have a dish that is special to Bari. (Sorry Guys, I have no idea what that hot bread filled with cheese was called. I do remember the specific directions on how to eat the thing, given to me by Giovanni to: stand feet wide apart, bent at a 45 degree angle at the hips, elbows pointing out to each side and chin stuck out straight ahead while enjoying this mess of a treat.) I also had a classic pizza and took a group picture with the chef, before Giovanni and I rolled to a shots-bar for a couple drinks with everyone and a few last games of “Don’t show your teeth, Don’t Move a Leaf.” It was getting close to the departure time of my train, 11:50pm, and I needed to head out! I figured Elana and maybe the other three would take me, but everyone made the journey to the train station with me! I felt like a celebrity with my entourage of at least 15. We all chanted and yelled on our way through the train station before my train arrived. As it was arriving I exchanged many hugs (with a kiss on each cheek. A greet to a good friend in Italy) with some of the greatest people I have ever met. It was a very emotional experience for me and the others. Enrico couldn’t wait his turn (I was saving him for last) and he stepped through a couple people to give me a huge long hug. It was a good little bro moment shared by, at this point, very good friends. The train rolled in behind me and I had to get on without giving everyone a hug, but I said my thanks a million times and jumped on. I found my bed in the 2 bed cabin and saw everyone outside my window. The train was still stopped and I pulled down the window to exchange some last minute words and a last minute Fruit Basket! Lol. As the train pulled away, I had my head out the window and everyone started to follow the train. It was so awesome, words can’t describe. They started off walking next to the train, then to a run. The quick sprinted as fast as they could and as long as they could, until the train and I were moving away too fast to keep up. Everyone was yelling their last words to me and when I was far down the platform from them, I yelled as loud as I could, “Gratzie Famiglia!” The train picked up some serious speed and I situated myself in the cabin, not believing what had just happened. It felt like a scene straight out of a movie. I remembered the advice Giovanni told me…..”If there is no lock, wrap your belt around the handle and sleep with anything valuable.” The door had a lock on it and my computer was in my pack tucked under my bed. Everything else valuable was on me in my money pouch. I was set and laid down for bed. It was hot in the cabin and few drinks didn’t help any. I sat awae for a while thinking about what had just happened and the past 3 days. I thought about if I will ever see these guys again and remembered Giovanni’s promise to me that he will find me in Seattle some day and knock on my door asking for me. I eventually got some sleep and was on my way to Florence.
I hope to see and host anyone of my Bari friends anytime they like. Thanks for everything guys. I will miss you all!
Sincerely,
Kurt
BARI-
I love Bari!! Not because there are tons of Amazing things to see, although there are some, but because there are tons of amazing people! I can now call Betta, Elana, Enrico and Germani my best friends! They are great people who are very interested in the United States. When I arrived in Bari, the four of them were there quickly to pick me up, even though I got in to the station an hour later than I had told them. I missed ma connecting train back in Switzerland that caused me to miss my overnighter and a bed to sleep in. Instead, I had to sit upright, touching knees with 5 other dirty Italians, for nine and a half hours! I was so thankful that Elana picked up her phone when I dialed her from a strangers phone. Very thankful the stranger let me use his phone, because I had no internet and had no idea where to find any. I gave them all huge hugs when they jumped out to greet me. It was so nice to see them all again. I threw my pack in the back and we were off to Enrico’s Hotel for breakfast and to check me in….FOR FREE! Breakfast was awesome and we all had some good laughs. The man serving us was new and had no idea he was serving the owners son and his friends. Once he found out, I could tell, because he shook his hand for a long time while jabbering in Italian. Elana translated for me…..The best English speaker of the group. Enrico, you are very good as well, along with the rest of the group when they actually tried to speak English to me. After breakfast, they all escorted me to my cool and elegant room that was steps from the pool. I literally took 3 steps from my door and was in the pool. -I made the mistake of jumping in the pool one day without a head cap and got yelled at for it. I learned my lesson and now realized why every single person wore the silly things with their speedo bottoms. Lol. I had no head cap, so it was strictly pool side from there on out.- After a rest and finally getting some sleep after the grueling train ride, the crew piced me up for a pool party.
We all headed over to Elana’s parents’ vacation villa for a swim. She had told me that there were some of her friends coming over to meet me, because they are very interested in “The American Boy.” About 10 minutes later, there were about 10 Italian girls all laughing and trying their best at their English. We swam for a while and had a great time playing chicken and other pool games. After we all showered off pool side, we jumped right into a drinking game. All day they had been asking me about what opther drinking games there are and what they needed to play beer pong. I introduced them to a game called Wingman, a common game we played at college. Some loved it and others hated it. Italians don’t ever play games while drinking. Italians are not very big on drinking in the first place, so this is all very new to them. They were introduced to beer pong in Dublin when Enrico and I dominated, and ever since have wanted to play again.
The next 3 days were fantastic, filled with more drinking games, clubs on the beach and visiting some of the sites in Bari. One of my favorites was the Trullis and this spot we visited where the houses were built on cliffs and everyone had sheets flying from their balconies to dry. It is common to cliff jump and go swimming down below the cliffs in the ocean, but the waters were way too rough for all three days I was there. The views were fantastic though. What surprised me the most about these 4, “Porn Star Stache, Ron,” Giovanni and Davide is how generous they were. Elana did not let me pay for a single thing, until the last day I begged her if I could pay for our Italian desert (Grinitas), which she finally accepted to.
Some highlights were me teaching everyone big boots and them teaching me a game called “Don’t show your teeth, don’t move a leaf.” It is a game played were everyone is in two single file lines, parallel and facing each other at 2 feet apart and their hands held high next to their ears. These people can not show their teeth and can not allow player B see them move. Player B is volunteered by the group to go first. He has to say the name of the game and then proceed through the gauntlet of people trying to catch them showing their teeth or moving. Here is the catch. When player B has the back of their head to the players in line, it is freegame to give him a good whack on the back of the head. It is hilarious to watch and difficult to now show your teeth. It takes a certain technique by player B of moving both slowly and quickly and moving his head around constantly to catch someone slapping his head or spotting a set of pearly whites. A little hard to explain, but the game is simple and hilarious!!
I also introduced them to “The Fruit Basket” It is along the lines of Mooning someone, but better. If you don’t know what it is, ask any 19 to 25 year old and they will be sure to tell you the answer. Or you can just ask me when I get home and I will show you. Lol.
On the day I had to leave, it felt unreal. I couldn’t believe I was leaving these amazing people. I really wanted to stay forever, but we all know , that just isn’t possible. The last day there was one of the most memorable nights in my entire life! We all went to this pizzeria place to have a dish that is special to Bari. (Sorry Guys, I have no idea what that hot bread filled with cheese was called. I do remember the specific directions on how to eat the thing, given to me by Giovanni to: stand feet wide apart, bent at a 45 degree angle at the hips, elbows pointing out to each side and chin stuck out straight ahead while enjoying this mess of a treat.) I also had a classic pizza and took a group picture with the chef, before Giovanni and I rolled to a shots-bar for a couple drinks with everyone and a few last games of “Don’t show your teeth, Don’t Move a Leaf.” It was getting close to the departure time of my train, 11:50pm, and I needed to head out! I figured Elana and maybe the other three would take me, but everyone made the journey to the train station with me! I felt like a celebrity with my entourage of at least 15. We all chanted and yelled on our way through the train station before my train arrived. As it was arriving I exchanged many hugs (with a kiss on each cheek. A greet to a good friend in Italy) with some of the greatest people I have ever met. It was a very emotional experience for me and the others. Enrico couldn’t wait his turn (I was saving him for last) and he stepped through a couple people to give me a huge long hug. It was a good little bro moment shared by, at this point, very good friends. The train rolled in behind me and I had to get on without giving everyone a hug, but I said my thanks a million times and jumped on. I found my bed in the 2 bed cabin and saw everyone outside my window. The train was still stopped and I pulled down the window to exchange some last minute words and a last minute Fruit Basket! Lol. As the train pulled away, I had my head out the window and everyone started to follow the train. It was so awesome, words can’t describe. They started off walking next to the train, then to a run. The quick sprinted as fast as they could and as long as they could, until the train and I were moving away too fast to keep up. Everyone was yelling their last words to me and when I was far down the platform from them, I yelled as loud as I could, “Gratzie Famiglia!” The train picked up some serious speed and I situated myself in the cabin, not believing what had just happened. It felt like a scene straight out of a movie. I remembered the advice Giovanni told me…..”If there is no lock, wrap your belt around the handle and sleep with anything valuable.” The door had a lock on it and my computer was in my pack tucked under my bed. Everything else valuable was on me in my money pouch. I was set and laid down for bed. It was hot in the cabin and few drinks didn’t help any. I sat awae for a while thinking about what had just happened and the past 3 days. I thought about if I will ever see these guys again and remembered Giovanni’s promise to me that he will find me in Seattle some day and knock on my door asking for me. I eventually got some sleep and was on my way to Florence.
I hope to see and host anyone of my Bari friends anytime they like. Thanks for everything guys. I will miss you all!
Sincerely,
Kurt
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
August 25th, 2010
August 25th, 2010
I was up early this morning at 6am to start my day. I told Ellie I would video skype her since it was only 9pm her time. I was tired and in my pajamas, but what a great invention. We talked for about an hour before I got dressed and headed for the train station. On my way, I grabbed some Swiss chocolate knowing I would be taking a break at Grandpa’s Statue. It only seemed right to enjoy some Swiss chocolate at his statue, because when he was staying with us, he always had some chocolate chilled in the fridge and ready to break a piece off for us. Besides the significance to Grandpa Karl, chocolate is a good source of energy to keep me going.
When I got to the train station, a train was leaving for Kusnacht 3 minutes later. I jumped on the first 2nd class car and started to get excited. I am not exactly sure why I was so determined and extremely excited to see the statue. Maybe because it is one of the best memories I have of when we traveled Switzerland in 99 as an entire family, or maybe that the last time I was standing next to it, Grandpa was still alive. In 99, I also couldn’t really comprehend or appreciate the fact that we had traveled vary far to see the town Grandpa was raised in and had left for a new life in the United States. Of course everything is going to have more meaning now that I am older. It definitely has more meaning this time, because I am doing it for me and not because the family was dragging me along. Grandpa has now passed and I see it as something I HAVE to do. There is no question. I could not travel to Switzerland and not pay my respects to the man who has given me the opportunity to celebrate many great years of being a Swiss. Also the man who I have had spent many special moments with and who was always over joyed to see his grandchildren. I am glad to say I have some Swiss in me, even if it is only one quarter, and he is the one to thank.
When I arrived in Kusnacht, I had no idea where I was supposed to go. I saw the ticket office and headed inside to ask in my best Swiss German, “hello, speak Englsh?” (Gruitzi, sprekin English) lol. She replied, “Yes, of course.” Haha. So I was off to a good start. I asked, “Do you know where Seebodenalp is? She explained to me where it was and which bus and stop I needed to take. This was great. It even got better when a different woman who was in the ticket office walked on to the bus for a second to tell everyone I was American and which stop I needed to get off at. This was quite embarrassing. When I got to my stop, an elderly woman came up to me and tapped me on my shoulder to let me know I needed to get off. Thank goodness, because I thought I still had one more stop. I guess getting embarrassed for 2 seconds wasn’t so bad after all. Better than being lost for, who knows how long.
The Seebodenalp cable car was right across the street from the bus stop. This cable car would take me to the restaurant Bobby told me about, and where the statue sits near. But I wanted to hike to the statue. I let the people there know this and they gave me a map. The lady inside even walked me to where she could point and explain where the trail started. -Geeze they are helpful here. Even when I speak, uhhh….NO Swiss German. Lol- Bobby taught me a couple words, like Wonderwag, pronounced, Vonder Veg. This was a key to know since random spots would have a sticker that said wonderwag. This means trail. I hit the first pole that had a little yellow sticker with a man hiking on it. I followed the sidewalk to the next sign that had an arrow pointing through someone’s yard and had Seeboldenalp on it. I made my way up through the dew grass and next to cows. The sun was still low and I was the only one on the trail. It was the perfect feeling. There was a cool breeze with the sun shining and serenity. It was perfect for the type of journey I was on. I found myself turning around every so many hundred yards to take in the great view. There were a couple times where I literally had to open a gate to someone’s cow pasture to follow the trail and again through one at the other side. The first one I came up to was just a rope slung across from one post to another. I lifted the looped end off of one post and walked through, placing it back again. As I did so, I saw the other rope across the pasture. I kept my eye on the gate and made my way through the pasture. After I passed through the gate and turned around to place the rope back on the post, I was facing the way I had just come. To my surprise, about 10 meters to what would have been my left as I walked through, was a bull with 2 very large horns taking a break from his meal to stare at me. I would have freaked if I would have saw him as I passed him. I didn’t even think to take a picture, but just turned and walked away letting out a deep breath. I stopped a few times on my way up to take videos and pictures of the view and get on film how excited I felt and capture the amazing views I was witnessing. I video blogged some of my feelings since there was no one with me, and so I could remember what exactly was going through my head. I had a lot of thoughts.
I thought a lot about how my Great Grandfather, Karl would be proud to know little Kurtie was making long journey and small hike to see his town and statue. All grown up I thought a lot of when I was little and when we were at the statue last. I was wondering if more memories would come back after revisiting the site. I thought a lot about Dad and the hikes we have done. The little sayings he blurts. Wondering how far behind he would be. Lol. I remembered the time I finally beat him up a trail and what an awesome feeling that was. I thought a lot about hiking in general and understand why so many people enjoy it. Why so many old men hike and hike. It felt good to be alone and have the cow bells in the background of my thoughts. The smells and sounds made it a very good experience. The silence and the faint sound of an alp horn in the distance. Thought a lot about Grandpa Karl and what he would think of me making the trip. How I would love to bring him back something, even if it was a story or two of me in his home town and how everyone was very friendly, just like he was. Did a lot of thinking how much farther of this thigh burning I had left. Lol. Wondering if I was ever going to make it up there. Lol.
The trail became well marked once I got into the trees and I put my head down and marched. I stripped my outer layer and felt the burn. It was great. I made it to a paved road where there was a cable hanging above. I thought at this point, I have to be close. I walked on the road for a little bit, looking for the trail to continue up into the trees. There was none. I kept walking and saw t restaurant and cable car booth. YES!! I am very close. I busted out the video camera and documented me looking and finding the statue. I said hello to a man who was carrying a shovel doing yard work and kept looking. Looking to the left of the restaurant. Nothing. I walked in front and aver to the right side like Bobby told me. I saw some trees that looked very familiar. I moved closer and past the line of trees to see the back side of them, and there it lay! I found it!
A rush of emotion filled my body and I felt Goosebumps all over my body. For me it was an accomplishment. It was not the longest or hardest hike, but the one with the most significance. It meant a lot for me to see his statue. To hike it and take in every aspect of the Swiss culture and atmosphere.
I quickly moved towards the statue and immediately found Ulrich, Karl on the base. A huge smilecame over me and I steped back to see the statue in the foreground of a very beautiful view of green hills spotted with houses up high and densely arranged in the town, an open lake to my right continuing far into the distance and a lake to my left with sailboats and it bordering beautiful mountain peaks beyond Luzern. It was a breathtaking view.
I sat down on the bench next to the statue and busted out my chocolate and water. The raspberry filling was delicious. I took my time to reflect and have a moment at the same time sipping on my water and enjoying the chocolate. I thought about Grandpa as a kid and what it was like when he was here. What I would be doing if I grew up here. How I would love to live here. It was a great feeling. It was an emotional time at the same time having a smile on my face looking out at the view. I had A man who was sitting on the bench down a ways take a photo of me next to the cross. I was eager to tell him my story of why I was there and what the statue meant to me. He was intrigued and asked me a few questions and went on his way. A few moments later as I was packing up my stuff, he came back to ask me some more questions. He asked me exactly who it was that put the statue there. I told him my great grandfather and I think his brother donated it after he had moved to the states. I am not sure exactly how true that is, but I saw two Ulrich names and Puyallup Washington under them. Gave it my best guess. He was very impressed that I had come from the Stated to Visit Kusnacht. When I was talking with him, I saw the higher peak of the Rigi behind him. I saw a huge antenna and asked if there was any way to get up there. He said,” Of course there is. Do you want to hike up there?“ I replied, Well I wasn’t planning on it, but I have hiked this far and have no idea when I am going to be here again.” HE told me it would take me 2 hours max….I was convinced. I made my way to the trail head and saw that there was 2 ways up. I approached a man who was putting on some boots and asked him which the best way was. There was the 4 hour route and the 2 ½ hour route. I chose the 2 ½ hour. He told me that there is a hotel and trains at the top. I told him I had no idea. I think he got a little affended andsaid something along the lines of “We are modern, ya know?!” I laughed and told him I new that, but didn’t see any cable car or train on the mountain. The peak was far to far away to tell if there was a hotel on it. He told me there are two trains that run up the other side of the mountain and the hotel is out of site from our vantage point. With that, I thanked him and headed up.
It started off the same as the first leg through pastures and what not, then quickly led to switchbacks. As I approached the switchbacks, I slowly passed three Swiss Gents. One of them had very god English and told me, “You sound English!” I told him I was American, but I will take English any day. He said “Oh, hell. Same thing.” I laughed as he continued to interrogate me of why I was in Kusnacht on the Rigi. I shared my story and he quickly responded “Ahhh, A home sick Swiss!” I laughed again and he said he is doing the same thing, but for 3 weeks in Switzerland. He now lives somewhere on the east coast, I can’t remember.
I made my way to the top while taking more photos and saying hello to everyone who passed in the opposite direction and those I passed. I was very surprised to see the age, size and shape of the people on the trail. It really made me think of myself as a puss for experiencing the aches and pains I was. Lol. I made it to the top though, and the views were stunning. I took lots and sat down in the grass to enjoy a song of three men on their alp horns. It was a great sound. I don’t think I have ever heard multiple alm horns harmonizing before. It was great. I then treated myself to a lunch off fries and a bratwurst outside and gazing at the amazing view of the alps. After walking around for a bit, it was time to make my way back. On my way back I saw a sign that had the profile of the alp’s skyline. I saw that one of the peaks was the Matterhorn. I had no idea it was visible from where I was and thought it was pretty cool. I trucked it down and on my way got passed by two old timers. This got to me a little but and from there on, I ran all the way down. It was a lot of fun and took me no time to get to the cable car by Grandpa’s statue.
I walked inside the booth, and there was no one manning the booth. I saw a schedule of running times that was in all German, but I was able to figure out that one list of times was for week days and the other for weekends. The time table listed that the next time the car would leave was in 5 minutes. The cable car was open for anyone to go into. I was the only one there and took a couple steps inside. The thing moved a bit and I was completely unsure if I was supposed to be inside it or not. I really didn’t want to walk the rest of the way down. I spooked myself out and left the car. As I did I saw a sign that said doors close automatically. I thought to myself outside, “If I am in the car resting and the doors close, it wasn’t my fault” lol. I sat back down inside and waited a bit to see if the car was even operating, since there was no one at the booth. Exactly 5 minutes later, the doors shut and closed me inside. Haha. I was like, NO WAY! I hope I didn’t have to pay or anything. I enjoyed the ride down and couldn’t believe what just happened. When I got to the bottom I was greeted by an old fart who spoke no English. I told him hello in German and acted like I knew what I was doing as I walked off. He quickly stopped me to see my ticked. Of course I had none. He called me over to the ticket booth and asked me for 13 Eurose. I only had my Debit card. Silly me. He told me to take a bus to the bank and come back. The direction of the bank was conveniently in the direction of the train station where I needed to catch my train back home. I jumped on the bus and contemplated just heading home and saving myself the 133 eurose. I think anyone would. But, I of course did not do that. I didn’t want to be “That American.” I know Grandpa would not be proud of that, plus the fact that it would fill my conscience. I took the man his money and headed home. I was very tired and made the walk back to my hostel.
I ended up eating dinner and having an early night to bed. Of course today was gorgeous! Tomorrow is is supposed to cool down a bit. Thanks Grandpa for my amazing day. You are very missed by us all.
Kurt
I was up early this morning at 6am to start my day. I told Ellie I would video skype her since it was only 9pm her time. I was tired and in my pajamas, but what a great invention. We talked for about an hour before I got dressed and headed for the train station. On my way, I grabbed some Swiss chocolate knowing I would be taking a break at Grandpa’s Statue. It only seemed right to enjoy some Swiss chocolate at his statue, because when he was staying with us, he always had some chocolate chilled in the fridge and ready to break a piece off for us. Besides the significance to Grandpa Karl, chocolate is a good source of energy to keep me going.
When I got to the train station, a train was leaving for Kusnacht 3 minutes later. I jumped on the first 2nd class car and started to get excited. I am not exactly sure why I was so determined and extremely excited to see the statue. Maybe because it is one of the best memories I have of when we traveled Switzerland in 99 as an entire family, or maybe that the last time I was standing next to it, Grandpa was still alive. In 99, I also couldn’t really comprehend or appreciate the fact that we had traveled vary far to see the town Grandpa was raised in and had left for a new life in the United States. Of course everything is going to have more meaning now that I am older. It definitely has more meaning this time, because I am doing it for me and not because the family was dragging me along. Grandpa has now passed and I see it as something I HAVE to do. There is no question. I could not travel to Switzerland and not pay my respects to the man who has given me the opportunity to celebrate many great years of being a Swiss. Also the man who I have had spent many special moments with and who was always over joyed to see his grandchildren. I am glad to say I have some Swiss in me, even if it is only one quarter, and he is the one to thank.
When I arrived in Kusnacht, I had no idea where I was supposed to go. I saw the ticket office and headed inside to ask in my best Swiss German, “hello, speak Englsh?” (Gruitzi, sprekin English) lol. She replied, “Yes, of course.” Haha. So I was off to a good start. I asked, “Do you know where Seebodenalp is? She explained to me where it was and which bus and stop I needed to take. This was great. It even got better when a different woman who was in the ticket office walked on to the bus for a second to tell everyone I was American and which stop I needed to get off at. This was quite embarrassing. When I got to my stop, an elderly woman came up to me and tapped me on my shoulder to let me know I needed to get off. Thank goodness, because I thought I still had one more stop. I guess getting embarrassed for 2 seconds wasn’t so bad after all. Better than being lost for, who knows how long.
The Seebodenalp cable car was right across the street from the bus stop. This cable car would take me to the restaurant Bobby told me about, and where the statue sits near. But I wanted to hike to the statue. I let the people there know this and they gave me a map. The lady inside even walked me to where she could point and explain where the trail started. -Geeze they are helpful here. Even when I speak, uhhh….NO Swiss German. Lol- Bobby taught me a couple words, like Wonderwag, pronounced, Vonder Veg. This was a key to know since random spots would have a sticker that said wonderwag. This means trail. I hit the first pole that had a little yellow sticker with a man hiking on it. I followed the sidewalk to the next sign that had an arrow pointing through someone’s yard and had Seeboldenalp on it. I made my way up through the dew grass and next to cows. The sun was still low and I was the only one on the trail. It was the perfect feeling. There was a cool breeze with the sun shining and serenity. It was perfect for the type of journey I was on. I found myself turning around every so many hundred yards to take in the great view. There were a couple times where I literally had to open a gate to someone’s cow pasture to follow the trail and again through one at the other side. The first one I came up to was just a rope slung across from one post to another. I lifted the looped end off of one post and walked through, placing it back again. As I did so, I saw the other rope across the pasture. I kept my eye on the gate and made my way through the pasture. After I passed through the gate and turned around to place the rope back on the post, I was facing the way I had just come. To my surprise, about 10 meters to what would have been my left as I walked through, was a bull with 2 very large horns taking a break from his meal to stare at me. I would have freaked if I would have saw him as I passed him. I didn’t even think to take a picture, but just turned and walked away letting out a deep breath. I stopped a few times on my way up to take videos and pictures of the view and get on film how excited I felt and capture the amazing views I was witnessing. I video blogged some of my feelings since there was no one with me, and so I could remember what exactly was going through my head. I had a lot of thoughts.
I thought a lot about how my Great Grandfather, Karl would be proud to know little Kurtie was making long journey and small hike to see his town and statue. All grown up I thought a lot of when I was little and when we were at the statue last. I was wondering if more memories would come back after revisiting the site. I thought a lot about Dad and the hikes we have done. The little sayings he blurts. Wondering how far behind he would be. Lol. I remembered the time I finally beat him up a trail and what an awesome feeling that was. I thought a lot about hiking in general and understand why so many people enjoy it. Why so many old men hike and hike. It felt good to be alone and have the cow bells in the background of my thoughts. The smells and sounds made it a very good experience. The silence and the faint sound of an alp horn in the distance. Thought a lot about Grandpa Karl and what he would think of me making the trip. How I would love to bring him back something, even if it was a story or two of me in his home town and how everyone was very friendly, just like he was. Did a lot of thinking how much farther of this thigh burning I had left. Lol. Wondering if I was ever going to make it up there. Lol.
The trail became well marked once I got into the trees and I put my head down and marched. I stripped my outer layer and felt the burn. It was great. I made it to a paved road where there was a cable hanging above. I thought at this point, I have to be close. I walked on the road for a little bit, looking for the trail to continue up into the trees. There was none. I kept walking and saw t restaurant and cable car booth. YES!! I am very close. I busted out the video camera and documented me looking and finding the statue. I said hello to a man who was carrying a shovel doing yard work and kept looking. Looking to the left of the restaurant. Nothing. I walked in front and aver to the right side like Bobby told me. I saw some trees that looked very familiar. I moved closer and past the line of trees to see the back side of them, and there it lay! I found it!
A rush of emotion filled my body and I felt Goosebumps all over my body. For me it was an accomplishment. It was not the longest or hardest hike, but the one with the most significance. It meant a lot for me to see his statue. To hike it and take in every aspect of the Swiss culture and atmosphere.
I quickly moved towards the statue and immediately found Ulrich, Karl on the base. A huge smilecame over me and I steped back to see the statue in the foreground of a very beautiful view of green hills spotted with houses up high and densely arranged in the town, an open lake to my right continuing far into the distance and a lake to my left with sailboats and it bordering beautiful mountain peaks beyond Luzern. It was a breathtaking view.
I sat down on the bench next to the statue and busted out my chocolate and water. The raspberry filling was delicious. I took my time to reflect and have a moment at the same time sipping on my water and enjoying the chocolate. I thought about Grandpa as a kid and what it was like when he was here. What I would be doing if I grew up here. How I would love to live here. It was a great feeling. It was an emotional time at the same time having a smile on my face looking out at the view. I had A man who was sitting on the bench down a ways take a photo of me next to the cross. I was eager to tell him my story of why I was there and what the statue meant to me. He was intrigued and asked me a few questions and went on his way. A few moments later as I was packing up my stuff, he came back to ask me some more questions. He asked me exactly who it was that put the statue there. I told him my great grandfather and I think his brother donated it after he had moved to the states. I am not sure exactly how true that is, but I saw two Ulrich names and Puyallup Washington under them. Gave it my best guess. He was very impressed that I had come from the Stated to Visit Kusnacht. When I was talking with him, I saw the higher peak of the Rigi behind him. I saw a huge antenna and asked if there was any way to get up there. He said,” Of course there is. Do you want to hike up there?“ I replied, Well I wasn’t planning on it, but I have hiked this far and have no idea when I am going to be here again.” HE told me it would take me 2 hours max….I was convinced. I made my way to the trail head and saw that there was 2 ways up. I approached a man who was putting on some boots and asked him which the best way was. There was the 4 hour route and the 2 ½ hour route. I chose the 2 ½ hour. He told me that there is a hotel and trains at the top. I told him I had no idea. I think he got a little affended andsaid something along the lines of “We are modern, ya know?!” I laughed and told him I new that, but didn’t see any cable car or train on the mountain. The peak was far to far away to tell if there was a hotel on it. He told me there are two trains that run up the other side of the mountain and the hotel is out of site from our vantage point. With that, I thanked him and headed up.
It started off the same as the first leg through pastures and what not, then quickly led to switchbacks. As I approached the switchbacks, I slowly passed three Swiss Gents. One of them had very god English and told me, “You sound English!” I told him I was American, but I will take English any day. He said “Oh, hell. Same thing.” I laughed as he continued to interrogate me of why I was in Kusnacht on the Rigi. I shared my story and he quickly responded “Ahhh, A home sick Swiss!” I laughed again and he said he is doing the same thing, but for 3 weeks in Switzerland. He now lives somewhere on the east coast, I can’t remember.
I made my way to the top while taking more photos and saying hello to everyone who passed in the opposite direction and those I passed. I was very surprised to see the age, size and shape of the people on the trail. It really made me think of myself as a puss for experiencing the aches and pains I was. Lol. I made it to the top though, and the views were stunning. I took lots and sat down in the grass to enjoy a song of three men on their alp horns. It was a great sound. I don’t think I have ever heard multiple alm horns harmonizing before. It was great. I then treated myself to a lunch off fries and a bratwurst outside and gazing at the amazing view of the alps. After walking around for a bit, it was time to make my way back. On my way back I saw a sign that had the profile of the alp’s skyline. I saw that one of the peaks was the Matterhorn. I had no idea it was visible from where I was and thought it was pretty cool. I trucked it down and on my way got passed by two old timers. This got to me a little but and from there on, I ran all the way down. It was a lot of fun and took me no time to get to the cable car by Grandpa’s statue.
I walked inside the booth, and there was no one manning the booth. I saw a schedule of running times that was in all German, but I was able to figure out that one list of times was for week days and the other for weekends. The time table listed that the next time the car would leave was in 5 minutes. The cable car was open for anyone to go into. I was the only one there and took a couple steps inside. The thing moved a bit and I was completely unsure if I was supposed to be inside it or not. I really didn’t want to walk the rest of the way down. I spooked myself out and left the car. As I did I saw a sign that said doors close automatically. I thought to myself outside, “If I am in the car resting and the doors close, it wasn’t my fault” lol. I sat back down inside and waited a bit to see if the car was even operating, since there was no one at the booth. Exactly 5 minutes later, the doors shut and closed me inside. Haha. I was like, NO WAY! I hope I didn’t have to pay or anything. I enjoyed the ride down and couldn’t believe what just happened. When I got to the bottom I was greeted by an old fart who spoke no English. I told him hello in German and acted like I knew what I was doing as I walked off. He quickly stopped me to see my ticked. Of course I had none. He called me over to the ticket booth and asked me for 13 Eurose. I only had my Debit card. Silly me. He told me to take a bus to the bank and come back. The direction of the bank was conveniently in the direction of the train station where I needed to catch my train back home. I jumped on the bus and contemplated just heading home and saving myself the 133 eurose. I think anyone would. But, I of course did not do that. I didn’t want to be “That American.” I know Grandpa would not be proud of that, plus the fact that it would fill my conscience. I took the man his money and headed home. I was very tired and made the walk back to my hostel.
I ended up eating dinner and having an early night to bed. Of course today was gorgeous! Tomorrow is is supposed to cool down a bit. Thanks Grandpa for my amazing day. You are very missed by us all.
Kurt
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Today Today
Hello Everyone.
Sorry so much for not keeping up. I am in rome now and saw the Colliseaum, the Ancient Ruins, the Vatican, St. Petersburg Cathedral (insanely huge), and the Sistenth Chapple. Good ol Mike is Brilliant!
After Switzerland I went to Bari Italy to meet some friends I met in Dublin. Stayed there for free at one of their parents Hotel. It was amazing. From there I went to Florence. Now here in Rome and flying out tonight to meet up with Andrea. Very excited. It has been a rough day of flights being canceled. Booking Hostels when I didn't need to and spending a lot of Money! It is a bummer.
Stay tuned though. I am going to finish my blog of my trip to Grandpa's statue on the plane tonight and post it when I get internet. It was a fantastic Hike.
Sorry again. Talk to you in Paris!
Love you all and miss home,
Kurt
Sorry so much for not keeping up. I am in rome now and saw the Colliseaum, the Ancient Ruins, the Vatican, St. Petersburg Cathedral (insanely huge), and the Sistenth Chapple. Good ol Mike is Brilliant!
After Switzerland I went to Bari Italy to meet some friends I met in Dublin. Stayed there for free at one of their parents Hotel. It was amazing. From there I went to Florence. Now here in Rome and flying out tonight to meet up with Andrea. Very excited. It has been a rough day of flights being canceled. Booking Hostels when I didn't need to and spending a lot of Money! It is a bummer.
Stay tuned though. I am going to finish my blog of my trip to Grandpa's statue on the plane tonight and post it when I get internet. It was a fantastic Hike.
Sorry again. Talk to you in Paris!
Love you all and miss home,
Kurt
August 23rd, 2010
August 24th, 2010
Today I slept in a little till 10am and got ready for the day. I had a hard time eating the last serving of my left over spaghetti for breakfast, but I knew I would need it, if I wanted to avoid the high prices for food. My plan was to head up to Pilatus, via the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. I had a couple different options. I could either take a ferry boat or train to the cogwheel and then the cable car back down, or in the reverse order. I enjoyed a nice ride on the ferry as my first set of transportation to get me to the cogwheel. There were a couple different spurts of rain when we were on the boat, but the awesome views made up for it. We made multiple stops on either side of the lake, which gave us multiple points of view on the mountains. Along the way I started talking to this couple from Dubai, because I saw the husband was staying inside during the rain, but looked like he wanted to be outside to get some good shots. I told him he better stay inside to protect his camera. I told him that I used to have a SLR and sometimes wish I would have brought one on the trip. He then asked me some questions about the brightness of his photos and what not, so I did the best I could do to answer them. I probably just confused him, but his photos were looking a little better, and none the less….I had someone talk to. He had me take some photos of him and his wife and he snapped some of me. I told him it sometimes sucks being the camera man, because you’re never in any of the photos. We took a bunch of photos and talked about school and jobs before we finally arrived at the cogwheel. It was pretty darn steep going up this thing. I was facing backwards and the slow chugging of the train put me to sleep. I know there are a lot of great views, and shame on me, but I dozed off a couple times anyways.
When we arrived at the top, it was very cloudy and we couldn’t see much of the surrounding sites. Maybe a peak or two closer in the distance. We decided we would hike up further along this short trail to get to the highest point of Pilatus. On our way up, the clouds began to magically disappear and we could see everything! We could see far off in the distance at further peaks and down to see most of Central Switzerland. The views were breathtaking. We snapped some pictures of each other and eventually made our way down to have a little treat at the ice cream stand. The couple had an ice cream bar, while I had a piece of some kind of apple pie. It was great and held me over till dinner. I learned a lesson today, though. You can’t feed crazy Swiss Crows. I tossed a little guy the crumbs off my plate as I held the remaining piece in my hand. As I did so, some old Swiss lady told me, “You shouldn’t do that. They will attack you for your food.” About 20 seconds later there were 50 or more of these yellow beaked crows flying very close to my head. I was starting to freak out, but luckily I received some of the best advice ever from an old Swiss…..”You better run for cover.” Lol. I quickly took her advice and B-lined it for the covered portion of the little ice cream stand. I was safe, thank goodness , and the crows slowly moved on to soaring around the mountain. After this whole fiasco, the couple and I headed over to the cable car and head down the mountain. I told them that I was going to stop half way down and ride the summer version of a one man bobsleigh. You sit on a plastic platform that has wheels and a little lever poking up through the middle of your legs that controls the break. The run is a winding aluminum half circle that is set into and flush with the ground. It looks just like a bobsleigh run, with raised corners to ride up on, but aluminum and in the ground. The couple didn’t want to do it, but I remember how much fun it was when I did it in 99’ with the fam. I enjoyed it so much the first time, I did it again. The best part is, the man working the tickets, who was the same man that ran the run, couldn’t run my card the second time to pay for my second run. With a line of people waiting to hit the run, he said to forget about it and have a nice day. You can never beat free. Lol. I took the smaller cable car down the rest of the way, and then hoofed it back into town. I swung by the grocery store to snag some pork chops at 8 bucks and small bag of chips for 3. It was cheap and already seasoned. I fried that up back at the hostel and had a couple pieces left over for breakfast or lunch. It will be my breakfast, since I plan on being on Mt. Rigi tomorrow for lunch. Tomorrow is supposed to bring some very warm weather. I made some phone calls to uncle Bob and aunt Karen to figure out where grandpa’s statue is on the Rigi. Uncle Bob gave me some pretty good directions, but still very vague. The plan was to ask where Seeboden Alp was when I got into Kusnacht. Then there should be a restaurant at the top and the statue is just to the right of it. I was up for the adventure and hit the sack so I could get an early start. I hope the weather is nice back home. Do some cliff jumping for me Andrea and Morgan. Iwish I could be watch you guys throw some steezy ished off turtle rock!
Best Regards,
Kurt
Today I slept in a little till 10am and got ready for the day. I had a hard time eating the last serving of my left over spaghetti for breakfast, but I knew I would need it, if I wanted to avoid the high prices for food. My plan was to head up to Pilatus, via the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. I had a couple different options. I could either take a ferry boat or train to the cogwheel and then the cable car back down, or in the reverse order. I enjoyed a nice ride on the ferry as my first set of transportation to get me to the cogwheel. There were a couple different spurts of rain when we were on the boat, but the awesome views made up for it. We made multiple stops on either side of the lake, which gave us multiple points of view on the mountains. Along the way I started talking to this couple from Dubai, because I saw the husband was staying inside during the rain, but looked like he wanted to be outside to get some good shots. I told him he better stay inside to protect his camera. I told him that I used to have a SLR and sometimes wish I would have brought one on the trip. He then asked me some questions about the brightness of his photos and what not, so I did the best I could do to answer them. I probably just confused him, but his photos were looking a little better, and none the less….I had someone talk to. He had me take some photos of him and his wife and he snapped some of me. I told him it sometimes sucks being the camera man, because you’re never in any of the photos. We took a bunch of photos and talked about school and jobs before we finally arrived at the cogwheel. It was pretty darn steep going up this thing. I was facing backwards and the slow chugging of the train put me to sleep. I know there are a lot of great views, and shame on me, but I dozed off a couple times anyways.
When we arrived at the top, it was very cloudy and we couldn’t see much of the surrounding sites. Maybe a peak or two closer in the distance. We decided we would hike up further along this short trail to get to the highest point of Pilatus. On our way up, the clouds began to magically disappear and we could see everything! We could see far off in the distance at further peaks and down to see most of Central Switzerland. The views were breathtaking. We snapped some pictures of each other and eventually made our way down to have a little treat at the ice cream stand. The couple had an ice cream bar, while I had a piece of some kind of apple pie. It was great and held me over till dinner. I learned a lesson today, though. You can’t feed crazy Swiss Crows. I tossed a little guy the crumbs off my plate as I held the remaining piece in my hand. As I did so, some old Swiss lady told me, “You shouldn’t do that. They will attack you for your food.” About 20 seconds later there were 50 or more of these yellow beaked crows flying very close to my head. I was starting to freak out, but luckily I received some of the best advice ever from an old Swiss…..”You better run for cover.” Lol. I quickly took her advice and B-lined it for the covered portion of the little ice cream stand. I was safe, thank goodness , and the crows slowly moved on to soaring around the mountain. After this whole fiasco, the couple and I headed over to the cable car and head down the mountain. I told them that I was going to stop half way down and ride the summer version of a one man bobsleigh. You sit on a plastic platform that has wheels and a little lever poking up through the middle of your legs that controls the break. The run is a winding aluminum half circle that is set into and flush with the ground. It looks just like a bobsleigh run, with raised corners to ride up on, but aluminum and in the ground. The couple didn’t want to do it, but I remember how much fun it was when I did it in 99’ with the fam. I enjoyed it so much the first time, I did it again. The best part is, the man working the tickets, who was the same man that ran the run, couldn’t run my card the second time to pay for my second run. With a line of people waiting to hit the run, he said to forget about it and have a nice day. You can never beat free. Lol. I took the smaller cable car down the rest of the way, and then hoofed it back into town. I swung by the grocery store to snag some pork chops at 8 bucks and small bag of chips for 3. It was cheap and already seasoned. I fried that up back at the hostel and had a couple pieces left over for breakfast or lunch. It will be my breakfast, since I plan on being on Mt. Rigi tomorrow for lunch. Tomorrow is supposed to bring some very warm weather. I made some phone calls to uncle Bob and aunt Karen to figure out where grandpa’s statue is on the Rigi. Uncle Bob gave me some pretty good directions, but still very vague. The plan was to ask where Seeboden Alp was when I got into Kusnacht. Then there should be a restaurant at the top and the statue is just to the right of it. I was up for the adventure and hit the sack so I could get an early start. I hope the weather is nice back home. Do some cliff jumping for me Andrea and Morgan. Iwish I could be watch you guys throw some steezy ished off turtle rock!
Best Regards,
Kurt
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
August 23rd, 2010
Today was a day to relax and take for myself. I really needed it. Being on the road non stop and always feeling like there is something you need to see can get tiring. I know I have seen most of what there is to see here in Luzern back in 99' and I have already taken a quick refresher of the town. I still have another 4 days to see the major stuff. And for that, today wasn't exciting to read about, unfortunately. But it was exciting for me to do some shopping and get some gifts for the fam and Ellie. I hope you all like everything. I also got myself a sweet Swiss army knife. It is more of a souvenir, then for use, but sweet non the less. You would have to see it to appreciate it. Did some more walking around town and deeper through the streets and through old town. I heard some music as I was walking through the town and turned the corver to find the Swiss Army Band playing for a massive group of people. The music was awesome and the drum line was even more entertaining. It was a good, free, one hour show. I headed back to the hostel to have my spaghetti dinner once again, load more photos and post pictures to facebook. I hope you all enjoy them, even if it is a fraction of what I was able to experience.
Not a long blogg, but just a quick update. Talk to you tomorrow.
Kurt
Not a long blogg, but just a quick update. Talk to you tomorrow.
Kurt
August 22nd, 2010
I was woken up after my long night of partying at the festival, by the mats being picked up all around me.Apparently check out was 9am. Since it was Sunday and the last day of wrestling and the festival, no one would be staying in the gym another night. So they were kicking everyone out. The two girls (the reason I never say their name is because they are crazy Swiss names and can't pronounce, let alone spell their names) were still there and were slowly getting up aswell. I still don't have a hostel booked anywhere. The girls knew this and offered me a ride back to Luzern, where they both live. One of them knew of a good Hostel close in town that we could check out. How could I refuse this free ride with no worries on a train to catch or search for a hostel. We made the hike through the thousands of cars and I threw my stuff in.....I woke up in Luzern. It was great. lol. They called on the hostel and took me there to check in. I booked 3 nights, thanked the girls for everything and they were on their way. I had a full backpack of laundry to do and finally gave in to paying the reception 10 Franks for a wash and a dry (the Frank to Dollar is pretty much exactly the same). I napped in between cycles until it was time to check in at 4pm. After check in, I took a stroll down the road to see the town. My camera was dead though. It was great to see the beautiful Swiss town though.
I headed back to the Hostel after a bit and met the guy who was staying in my room. He had just been hiking up at Pilatus. He told me it was gorgeous. We then discussed how outrageous prices are here in Switzerland. We were both getting hungry for dinner, so we decided to take a walk into town to the grocery and make some dinner. He just grabbed some beer, while I bought spaghetti supplies. It came to 22 Franks. The noodles were 3 franks alone. The 1 lbs. of meat was 8 franks!! Crazy expensive. I cooked the whole batch that night and had left overs for 3 more meals. I had to put the left overs in 3 separate bowls, because they have nothing bigger here. It fed me for the next day and the following morning after that though. Nothing much more to say about this day, except IT IS GREAT TO BE A SWISS!!
Love,
Kurt
I headed back to the Hostel after a bit and met the guy who was staying in my room. He had just been hiking up at Pilatus. He told me it was gorgeous. We then discussed how outrageous prices are here in Switzerland. We were both getting hungry for dinner, so we decided to take a walk into town to the grocery and make some dinner. He just grabbed some beer, while I bought spaghetti supplies. It came to 22 Franks. The noodles were 3 franks alone. The 1 lbs. of meat was 8 franks!! Crazy expensive. I cooked the whole batch that night and had left overs for 3 more meals. I had to put the left overs in 3 separate bowls, because they have nothing bigger here. It fed me for the next day and the following morning after that though. Nothing much more to say about this day, except IT IS GREAT TO BE A SWISS!!
Love,
Kurt
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
August 21st, 2010
Like I mentioned in my last post, I didn't sleep too well. Probably because I was constantly worrying about missing my stop, even though the train wasn't going anywhere after the Zurich stop. When I arrived in Zurich, I knew I had to get to Frauenfeld. I also knew that mom had gotten Willi's phone number to his mothers house and that Nathan and I have been talking via Skype. But, since I was so rushed to make my train and no Internet on the trains, I could neither facebook Nathan, or skype mom. I was heading to Frauenfelt knowing nothing. I took the next train from Zurich to Frauenfeld. It was a short 45 minutes and I met some cool dudes that were in boy scouts and who swore it is not like it is in the States. I didn't believe them. lol. After they got off, I noticed a girl next to me wearing a shit that had Swiss wrestlers on it and said Frauenfeld 2010. I figured she must be getting off at the same stop as me. I need to get to the Schwingfest, the eidgenössisches! She said to follow her off the train, because there are shuttles that take people from the train station to the festival. I walked with her to the festival and told her how I have no where to sleep and that my plan was to just catch a train back to Zurich. But at the same time I would have to Lug my backpack everywhere. As we got closer to the entrance of the festival, I noticed tents everywhere! I asked if that's where she was staying, because she had a pack with a sleeping bag. She said she may, or she may not depending on what friends she meets there. I told her I had to tent, sleeping pad, or sleeping bag. She gave me option number two, which was that they were letting people sleep on the gym floor of a school.And the best part is, they supplied pads. She pointed me in the right direction to talk to someone about it. When I asked if there were sheets or a pillow with this pad, the best English he could come up with was that, "It is like a bed, but not a bed." haha. I mean, my fault for not knowing Swiss German while in Switzerland, but it was just funny. It cost 35Franks for a piece of real estate on the floor. With that as one of my options, I headed back to the train station to find Internet. The lovely lady at he information's desk was a sweetheart. when i told her I was American and here to watch some of my friends from back home wrestle, she knew exactly who they were. telling me that one of them was on TV. This was Nathan. I was pretty excited that people in the Town of Frauenfeld knew the American wrestlers. She then showed me where I could find Internet and also where to score free beer in the festival, although I never found the place. I B-lined it for the Internet cafe to get Willi's number and try to catch him before they left home. I had little hope though, since it was 12 noon. Of course Nathan wasn't going to reply to my FB messages that day, because he was wrestling. I decided I needed to just go back to the festival and get a spot on the gym floor. So I did.
Unfortunately, check in wasn't untill 3. it was half past 12. He showed me on the map where this gym was and told me they might be letting people in early. I was desperate to dump my pack somewhere, anywhere remotely safe. I was tired of carrying it through the 90 degree weather. I walked over the river and around the bend like he said, but I saw no Gym.Or anything that was marked as something that was part of the festival. There were a lot of big buildings in this industrial like area, but nothing marked that I could see. I approached 2 Swiss Army fellas and figured they must know where it is, because I knew I was in the general area. Maybe a block away (I was. I was less than a block away). But he didn't know and looked on his military map and was trying to line the roads and river up with my map then pointed in a direction to give me his best guess. With no other option, I headed that way. I walked and walked. Comparing names on the map and the ticket I got for the gym with the signs on the road. Everything was in frickin Swiss German. Again, my fault, not theirs. But it got really frustrating, really fast. Nothing came close where I was now to a school gym. I stopped an elderly gentleman who was walking and asked if he spoke English.He said a little. He really meant a little. I pointed to the map, he gave me his Swiss German jibber jabber. I said ya ya. I was thinking, no no. Jibber jabber. Ya ya. Jibber jabber. LOST. He finally pointed and I told him thank you in German the best I could and waited for someone else to wal by. But I was in farm ville on the back streets and the outskirts of the festival. There was a car or two, but no walkers. I found some shade to wait. I waited. I sat. I waited. I leaned on my pack. I waited. I laid on my pack. I waited......Lights out. I was so tired, I had fallen asleep on the sidewalk against an old building in the shade. It felt so good. I felt so lost. I needed a little bit of sleep to escape the frustration.
I got up about an hour later and feeling a lot more energetic. I felt good. I was ready to give it another go. I walked across the street and back toward where I came from. I saw some sings on a post about 20 meters down that looked like they were part of the festival. i wondered down the driveway and figured out it was a parking lot for the festival. i walked a little further in and saw across the way, a building that looked like a gym. I thought to myself, no way did I pass that on my way in. My eyes must have been glued to the map. I headed for the building. Past a barn and around a tractor. I got excited when i saw someone closing the back doors to the gym looking building. He must be working there. I got around to the other side, and sure enough, that was it! I was so relieved. The guys there spoke really good English and were really helpful. I told them I had no sleeping bag and asked for a blanket. they had non, but they told me they would fine something. One guy came back with sheet and the other with a pillow. This was working out great!! I was set! I threw my pack down and tried out the pad. It was thick and very comfy. this was around 3:30. With knowing no one, having no ticket inside the wrestling stadium and after making a round through the festival, I went back to my pad to take a nap.
I was woken up at 5:00 by two girls loudly talking in Swiss German. I looked up and they blabbed something at me. I said, sorry, I don't speak German...English? They said ohhhhh.....what are you doing here. I told them them about how I Swiss wrestle back home and my friends are there and what not. I asked them, "What are you 2 doing here?" they said to drink beer. I said, really? you don't have a ticket to watch the wrestling? they said no. I thought perfect, and said, Me either. This couldn't be working out any better. They asked if I wanted to join them. I said of course, I don't know anyone and don't have a ticket either. I showered quick, dried off with my shirt (I forgot my towel at the last Hostel) and we were off. There were so many people drinking beer at this place under dozens of huge tents, I felt like I was at Octoberfest. It was a lot of fun. Drank some beer, had some Jager.
I even watched a little bit of the wrestling highlights on the big screen. We went to this bar that served this hard coffee stuff. It was delectable. it was getting later and later. I watched people and rode a mechanical bull. That was a lot of fun. I was getting so angry with these people who rode it with both hands on the horn. Don't these hicks know you are supposed to put one hand in the air. I gave it my best shot with one hand and think I did pretty well. I got thrown off pretty bad so everyone could laugh. But that is the whole point of it anyways. I know I was laughing at everyone who got in that thing. Even the two girls who went double. The crowd went crazy for that. lol. Everyone whipping out their phones and cameras to snap a picture. We went to a club and danced all night before going to bed. I had such a great time. Met a lot of other random people on the way who I could barely tal to. Met some older folk that I needed to get translated for me. The older generation really gets excited when I tell them I am part Swiss (a guy told me today, the 25th, on my hike that I was a homesick Swiss. I told him exactly. He is visiting Switzerland, where he was born, for 3 weeks. He has been living in South Africa for the past 25 years). I had a great nights sleep on my pad, sheets, and pillow. It really was like a bed........... But not. The guy couldn't have been more right with his choice of English words.
It was scorching today during the festival. Another reason why I didn't need more than a sheet.
Hope all is well and you all have god weather back home as fall comes creeping in.
Love you all,
Kurt
Unfortunately, check in wasn't untill 3. it was half past 12. He showed me on the map where this gym was and told me they might be letting people in early. I was desperate to dump my pack somewhere, anywhere remotely safe. I was tired of carrying it through the 90 degree weather. I walked over the river and around the bend like he said, but I saw no Gym.Or anything that was marked as something that was part of the festival. There were a lot of big buildings in this industrial like area, but nothing marked that I could see. I approached 2 Swiss Army fellas and figured they must know where it is, because I knew I was in the general area. Maybe a block away (I was. I was less than a block away). But he didn't know and looked on his military map and was trying to line the roads and river up with my map then pointed in a direction to give me his best guess. With no other option, I headed that way. I walked and walked. Comparing names on the map and the ticket I got for the gym with the signs on the road. Everything was in frickin Swiss German. Again, my fault, not theirs. But it got really frustrating, really fast. Nothing came close where I was now to a school gym. I stopped an elderly gentleman who was walking and asked if he spoke English.He said a little. He really meant a little. I pointed to the map, he gave me his Swiss German jibber jabber. I said ya ya. I was thinking, no no. Jibber jabber. Ya ya. Jibber jabber. LOST. He finally pointed and I told him thank you in German the best I could and waited for someone else to wal by. But I was in farm ville on the back streets and the outskirts of the festival. There was a car or two, but no walkers. I found some shade to wait. I waited. I sat. I waited. I leaned on my pack. I waited. I laid on my pack. I waited......Lights out. I was so tired, I had fallen asleep on the sidewalk against an old building in the shade. It felt so good. I felt so lost. I needed a little bit of sleep to escape the frustration.
I got up about an hour later and feeling a lot more energetic. I felt good. I was ready to give it another go. I walked across the street and back toward where I came from. I saw some sings on a post about 20 meters down that looked like they were part of the festival. i wondered down the driveway and figured out it was a parking lot for the festival. i walked a little further in and saw across the way, a building that looked like a gym. I thought to myself, no way did I pass that on my way in. My eyes must have been glued to the map. I headed for the building. Past a barn and around a tractor. I got excited when i saw someone closing the back doors to the gym looking building. He must be working there. I got around to the other side, and sure enough, that was it! I was so relieved. The guys there spoke really good English and were really helpful. I told them I had no sleeping bag and asked for a blanket. they had non, but they told me they would fine something. One guy came back with sheet and the other with a pillow. This was working out great!! I was set! I threw my pack down and tried out the pad. It was thick and very comfy. this was around 3:30. With knowing no one, having no ticket inside the wrestling stadium and after making a round through the festival, I went back to my pad to take a nap.
I was woken up at 5:00 by two girls loudly talking in Swiss German. I looked up and they blabbed something at me. I said, sorry, I don't speak German...English? They said ohhhhh.....what are you doing here. I told them them about how I Swiss wrestle back home and my friends are there and what not. I asked them, "What are you 2 doing here?" they said to drink beer. I said, really? you don't have a ticket to watch the wrestling? they said no. I thought perfect, and said, Me either. This couldn't be working out any better. They asked if I wanted to join them. I said of course, I don't know anyone and don't have a ticket either. I showered quick, dried off with my shirt (I forgot my towel at the last Hostel) and we were off. There were so many people drinking beer at this place under dozens of huge tents, I felt like I was at Octoberfest. It was a lot of fun. Drank some beer, had some Jager.
I even watched a little bit of the wrestling highlights on the big screen. We went to this bar that served this hard coffee stuff. It was delectable. it was getting later and later. I watched people and rode a mechanical bull. That was a lot of fun. I was getting so angry with these people who rode it with both hands on the horn. Don't these hicks know you are supposed to put one hand in the air. I gave it my best shot with one hand and think I did pretty well. I got thrown off pretty bad so everyone could laugh. But that is the whole point of it anyways. I know I was laughing at everyone who got in that thing. Even the two girls who went double. The crowd went crazy for that. lol. Everyone whipping out their phones and cameras to snap a picture. We went to a club and danced all night before going to bed. I had such a great time. Met a lot of other random people on the way who I could barely tal to. Met some older folk that I needed to get translated for me. The older generation really gets excited when I tell them I am part Swiss (a guy told me today, the 25th, on my hike that I was a homesick Swiss. I told him exactly. He is visiting Switzerland, where he was born, for 3 weeks. He has been living in South Africa for the past 25 years). I had a great nights sleep on my pad, sheets, and pillow. It really was like a bed........... But not. The guy couldn't have been more right with his choice of English words.
It was scorching today during the festival. Another reason why I didn't need more than a sheet.
Hope all is well and you all have god weather back home as fall comes creeping in.
Love you all,
Kurt
Monday, August 23, 2010
August 20th, 2010
When we got home around 7 in the morning, Meichy was telling Laura and Marcel that his friend game him 4 tickets to Berlin's Friday soccer match, which gives him an extra ticket. I spoke up and told him that if he needs someone to take it, I would! He offered it to me and we got to thinking about how I could make this work. I go to the game, then take the overnight to Zurich, then take the train into Frauenfeld for the huge Schwingfest! we checked the times and got it planned out. What I failed to book was a hostel back in Zurich where I could sleep sat night after the festivities. I wast worried though. I don't know how I had the energy at 7 in the morning, but I even squeezed in a video skype sesh with Ellie. With our plans set for tomorrow and a pad on the floor as my bed, it was lights out. We all slept till 3 in the afternoon. Before long, it was off to the soccer game. On our way, we stopped to check the details on my overnighter. It was a direct ride, which I was stoked about. I got my bed reserved and my ticket. We were good to go, and cintinued to the game. I was so so stoked to see a European soccer match!! Everyone was decked out in their Berlin Hertha gear. When we got to Olympic stadium, it was everything I expected and more. Chants and songs. Crazy fans. And an entertaining game with lots of goals, which gave everyone a chance to go nutty ballistic! Lol it was so much fun. I had a blast and was really starting to get sad about leaving Berlin and the great company I was in. But of course it had to come to an end, but not after a bit of excitement/adventure. So, of course on the way to the game Meichy was leading us everywhere. On the way back, he was still leading us everywhere but a different way. There were loads of people trying to cram into 2 different trains. It looked like we would be able to all fit in the next train. The next train arrived and Meichy kept telling me that I really had to push hard. We were all trying to get in one door and then we jumped over to the door next to is where there looked like there was some space. Keeping up mu aggressive attitude, I saw some space and took it. The 3 others hesitated and in that second, the doors closed behind me. I turned around and saw the only German speaking and the only person who knew where I was supposed to go, on the otherside of the glass. Meichy came running to the door and tried to pry it open. He made a small crack. With my help on the other side we made a bigger tiny crack in the rubber of where the doors come together. Usually a train leave pretty quickly after their doors shut. We got lucky though. The train delayed and we used that time to quickly communicate where I needed to go. He put his mouth to the crack and my ear presses against the other side when he told me to "get of at the @@&$8:$ station." I said what?!!! He told me this over about three times when I desperately asked him to spell it, spell it, spell it. I only caught the first 3 letters as the train pulled away and Marcel held his cell phone to the window and moved it infront of my face on the other side. I could not make out the small text.and with that, I was on my own. I only caught WAR. I was hoping very badly there was only one stop that started with WAR. luckily, there was. I was repeating to myself WAR WAR. When we arrived at my stop I recognized the station and knew I was in the right place. I was to wait for the rest of the group there. After three trains emptying their passengers, me having an overnight train to catch in one hour and no sign of the others. I started for Meichy's apartment. I knew the street the station put me on was the same street Meichy lives on. I knew what direction as well, so I hopped on the trolley in that direction. I was so nervous. What if they are waiting for me, looking for me. What if no one is home at the apartment to let me in to grab my pack, what if I miss my train to Zurich. After 3 stops and one to go, the greatest feeling in the world came to me. Mothers all over the world must experience this same feeling when finding their lost child. At that stop, Laura Marcel and Meichy all walk onto the trolly!! I was so relieved!! I gave out a hey!! OMG!!! Meichy threw his hands to his head as I threw mine in the air with my shoulders to my ears, then slapping my hands hard to my knees. We all then burst into laughter not believing what had happened and how it all worked out. It was a crazy experience. But we couldn't laugh for too long. I still had a train to catch. When I was frantically packing my bag, I regret to inform you, I dropped Jibb's head on the floor. It shattered into 5 little ceramic pieces with a bang. I was so sad. "Little sailor......I am so sorry," I said. I had to move on though. I set up Jibb's remains on Meichy's shelf in the kitchen so he could remember the great times we had. Now there is only 30 min left till my train departs. After quickly storing some directions to the dome and my hugs goodbye, I ran down the stairs. Ran to the trolly. Ran to the train station then ran to the correct platform of my train to Zurich.
I found my car, cabin and bed with no problem. Some others had a little more trouble. I noticed a bunch of ruckus from the cabin next door and peaked my head I. 5, 19year old guys traveling back home to Zurick. Swiss dudes. I was stoked. I told them how hungry I was and a couple of them gave me their left over burger and fries. I was satisfied. One of the guys and I started talking about how we wanted to hit the bar. We did just that. I made my bed and we hit the bar, on a moving train, headed for Switzerland. I was so pumped. We stayed up til about one thirty talking about all the things men talk about. It was a blast, but I had to get some sleep eventually. Zurich was the last stop and from there I am going to Frauenfeld to watch real Swiss wrestling at the worlds largest schwingfest. Keep in mind I have no idea where I am staying. Tonight I will not sleep well, but some sleep in a bed is better than non. Next is Frauenfeld and yet another adventure. I hope you are all doing well. I miss everyone and my own bed. Weather was hot today. Talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
Kurt
I found my car, cabin and bed with no problem. Some others had a little more trouble. I noticed a bunch of ruckus from the cabin next door and peaked my head I. 5, 19year old guys traveling back home to Zurick. Swiss dudes. I was stoked. I told them how hungry I was and a couple of them gave me their left over burger and fries. I was satisfied. One of the guys and I started talking about how we wanted to hit the bar. We did just that. I made my bed and we hit the bar, on a moving train, headed for Switzerland. I was so pumped. We stayed up til about one thirty talking about all the things men talk about. It was a blast, but I had to get some sleep eventually. Zurich was the last stop and from there I am going to Frauenfeld to watch real Swiss wrestling at the worlds largest schwingfest. Keep in mind I have no idea where I am staying. Tonight I will not sleep well, but some sleep in a bed is better than non. Next is Frauenfeld and yet another adventure. I hope you are all doing well. I miss everyone and my own bed. Weather was hot today. Talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
Kurt
Sunday, August 22, 2010
So I am now in Luzern. I know I have not wrote to you all in a while so I am going to hit on a few things briefly but also have some good stories and easily tell you about the funnest experience of possibly my life. So I will take you back to berlin now.
The pub crawl was awesome. Like always. Unfortunately I did not make it to the last pub because I hot sepperated from the group. The next day I was up by 9am and met my tour group to see the concentration camp. The only think I can say is that you will never believe it till you see it. I think everyone needs to see one at least once. This particular camp was not a death camp, although thousands were killed. A death camp is a place where execution was it's only purpose. This was after a while of concentration camps existing. The holocaust became worse and worse over time. There were 60k people at this huge camp at one point. The property is huge, but there are not a lot of bunks. There was also a prison for soviet soldiers at this camp where torture was used in attemp to gain intelligence from these people. People because there were not only soldiers here another man was someone who tried to assassinate Hitler. They thought he was a British spy, therefor they did not have him killed. There was one particular piece of torturing that was terrible. There were 3 poles in the open area outside the barracks. This pole had a piece of metal poking up at a slight angle from being exactly perpendicular to the pole. Mens hands would be tied behind their backs and hooked on this piece of metal while standing on a stool, then the stool would be kicked out and he would fall, dislocating both shoulders immediately. I also saw the ovens where all the prisoners were burnt after being executed or dying. After the concentration camp tour was over and I got home, it was dinner time. I got to talking with 3 other girls that were in the room. We all went out for dinner and then to the grocery store to get beer. It was so funny to me that none of the beer came in cases, just singles. We had a little basket full of Becks. It was a funny sight. My friend Laura, who I met in high school during her exchange, is visiting her cousin Meichy in Berlin with her bf Marcel. I met up with her and we were planning on going out for my last night in Berlin,but we ended up talking about German history till 4 in the morning. Miechy told me that i absolutely HAD to stay another night so we can go to a disco tech. He offered me to stay at his place. best descison of my life. After thanking him in advance, I got a cheap cab back home and was up and showered ready to check out by10. I then plugged in all my devices and fell asleep on the couch till about 1 in the afternoon. Lol. I made my way over to meichy's around 2 or 3, still without eating anything all day. After resting for a bit in the apartment I walked across the street to get some lunch. The lady there spoke no English, but luckily she could translate bratwurst. I ordered two with fries. It ended up being a currywurst, nut I ate all of it anyways because I was so hungry. I just scraped off the curry ketchup. I even bought some ice cream when I was done, which was amazing. The language barrier is starting to get to me more and more. I was spoiled in Ireland and england. After my filling lunch I headed back up to the apartment to see what the game plan for the day was. We headed out to walk around east Berlin. Meichy showed us his stomping grounds and his favorite party street. As we were walking we came across this small little beer shop. Marcel asked if I wanted a beer, and of course I did. They popped the cap and proceeded to walk down the street drinking their beer. I had to ask if it was legal, because there was no way I was getting in any trouble over seas. They both gave me a confused look followed with a chuckle and asked me if I was serious. I said, of course I am serious. We cannot do this in the states. I was so surprised and excited. I wanted to drink a beer everywhere it is illegal in the states. So that is what we did on our way back from visiting the Berlin wall and buying me a patch. We went into the grocery store to buy a cheap 4 pack each. The first thing when I got out if the store was crack my beer. I am very excited and pumped. I just could not believe what I was doing. We had to catch a tram back to the apartment but before we got on, I asked if I could drink my beer on it. They all laughed and said yes. Marcel even told me that I could go to the grocery store, buy a beer, crack it open and drink it while doing the rest of my shopping. As long as I pay fir it in the end, it is totally legal. With that said, I suggested we do it with a very excited voice. They again just laughed, but when we got back to the apartment, we did just that. It was awesome. Laura has pictures off it all, so when she sends them to me, you will see them on facebook. We all had spaghetti and beer. Then when 12 rolled around, we headed off to the club. I am nit sure who had the idea to grab the flat volleyball that was sitting outside the door, but we kicked it all the way there. There were a few times we almost lost it on balconies or over fences, but it survived the journey. Meichy asked the door man if he could watch it for us, and sure enough, after 5 hours of partying and the sun coming up, it was waiting for us when we left. It was soo great. I kitterally parties till the sun came up. As we were kicking the ball back home in complete day light, some English men joined us. We were passing, then guarding, then keeping away and it started to get a little competitive. We agreed we needed to play a game, but this is in the industrial district with nothing but concrete buildings and steel. That does not get in the way of a good old 3 on 3, German vs England bout. We found a huge patch of a concrete slab that was the foundation and floor of some warehouse. I was a guest player for the Germans and after throwing our shirts, coats and backpacks on the groud as goal posts, the game was on. Meichy and Marcel did work And scored goals up front, while I held it down in the backfield. It felt like was in a dream. It was so awesome, so much fun, I was pinching myself. With the game set to the first to 3 and us up 2-1, the pressuere was on. Just one more and we can celebrate in our jeans next to the graffitied walls. I unfortunately let one past me to tie up the score at 2-2. I was so nervous. I did not want to let my friends down and I wanted to be on the winning team as an American. Meichy had a misses shot on goal, but not to worry, for Marcel has his opportunity and slammed one in for the win. I went crazy. I was so excited that We beat a team of English kids who live by this game. I was so blown away. One of the greatest moments of my life. Who plays a pick up game of soccer, on concrete, at 5 in the morning, after partying all night, in a warehouse, IN BERLIN!!!! so awesome.
There is much more I need to tell you, but I also need a break from typing. I will post this for now so you all have something to read. Need to run some errands. Enjoy
Kurt
The pub crawl was awesome. Like always. Unfortunately I did not make it to the last pub because I hot sepperated from the group. The next day I was up by 9am and met my tour group to see the concentration camp. The only think I can say is that you will never believe it till you see it. I think everyone needs to see one at least once. This particular camp was not a death camp, although thousands were killed. A death camp is a place where execution was it's only purpose. This was after a while of concentration camps existing. The holocaust became worse and worse over time. There were 60k people at this huge camp at one point. The property is huge, but there are not a lot of bunks. There was also a prison for soviet soldiers at this camp where torture was used in attemp to gain intelligence from these people. People because there were not only soldiers here another man was someone who tried to assassinate Hitler. They thought he was a British spy, therefor they did not have him killed. There was one particular piece of torturing that was terrible. There were 3 poles in the open area outside the barracks. This pole had a piece of metal poking up at a slight angle from being exactly perpendicular to the pole. Mens hands would be tied behind their backs and hooked on this piece of metal while standing on a stool, then the stool would be kicked out and he would fall, dislocating both shoulders immediately. I also saw the ovens where all the prisoners were burnt after being executed or dying. After the concentration camp tour was over and I got home, it was dinner time. I got to talking with 3 other girls that were in the room. We all went out for dinner and then to the grocery store to get beer. It was so funny to me that none of the beer came in cases, just singles. We had a little basket full of Becks. It was a funny sight. My friend Laura, who I met in high school during her exchange, is visiting her cousin Meichy in Berlin with her bf Marcel. I met up with her and we were planning on going out for my last night in Berlin,but we ended up talking about German history till 4 in the morning. Miechy told me that i absolutely HAD to stay another night so we can go to a disco tech. He offered me to stay at his place. best descison of my life. After thanking him in advance, I got a cheap cab back home and was up and showered ready to check out by10. I then plugged in all my devices and fell asleep on the couch till about 1 in the afternoon. Lol. I made my way over to meichy's around 2 or 3, still without eating anything all day. After resting for a bit in the apartment I walked across the street to get some lunch. The lady there spoke no English, but luckily she could translate bratwurst. I ordered two with fries. It ended up being a currywurst, nut I ate all of it anyways because I was so hungry. I just scraped off the curry ketchup. I even bought some ice cream when I was done, which was amazing. The language barrier is starting to get to me more and more. I was spoiled in Ireland and england. After my filling lunch I headed back up to the apartment to see what the game plan for the day was. We headed out to walk around east Berlin. Meichy showed us his stomping grounds and his favorite party street. As we were walking we came across this small little beer shop. Marcel asked if I wanted a beer, and of course I did. They popped the cap and proceeded to walk down the street drinking their beer. I had to ask if it was legal, because there was no way I was getting in any trouble over seas. They both gave me a confused look followed with a chuckle and asked me if I was serious. I said, of course I am serious. We cannot do this in the states. I was so surprised and excited. I wanted to drink a beer everywhere it is illegal in the states. So that is what we did on our way back from visiting the Berlin wall and buying me a patch. We went into the grocery store to buy a cheap 4 pack each. The first thing when I got out if the store was crack my beer. I am very excited and pumped. I just could not believe what I was doing. We had to catch a tram back to the apartment but before we got on, I asked if I could drink my beer on it. They all laughed and said yes. Marcel even told me that I could go to the grocery store, buy a beer, crack it open and drink it while doing the rest of my shopping. As long as I pay fir it in the end, it is totally legal. With that said, I suggested we do it with a very excited voice. They again just laughed, but when we got back to the apartment, we did just that. It was awesome. Laura has pictures off it all, so when she sends them to me, you will see them on facebook. We all had spaghetti and beer. Then when 12 rolled around, we headed off to the club. I am nit sure who had the idea to grab the flat volleyball that was sitting outside the door, but we kicked it all the way there. There were a few times we almost lost it on balconies or over fences, but it survived the journey. Meichy asked the door man if he could watch it for us, and sure enough, after 5 hours of partying and the sun coming up, it was waiting for us when we left. It was soo great. I kitterally parties till the sun came up. As we were kicking the ball back home in complete day light, some English men joined us. We were passing, then guarding, then keeping away and it started to get a little competitive. We agreed we needed to play a game, but this is in the industrial district with nothing but concrete buildings and steel. That does not get in the way of a good old 3 on 3, German vs England bout. We found a huge patch of a concrete slab that was the foundation and floor of some warehouse. I was a guest player for the Germans and after throwing our shirts, coats and backpacks on the groud as goal posts, the game was on. Meichy and Marcel did work And scored goals up front, while I held it down in the backfield. It felt like was in a dream. It was so awesome, so much fun, I was pinching myself. With the game set to the first to 3 and us up 2-1, the pressuere was on. Just one more and we can celebrate in our jeans next to the graffitied walls. I unfortunately let one past me to tie up the score at 2-2. I was so nervous. I did not want to let my friends down and I wanted to be on the winning team as an American. Meichy had a misses shot on goal, but not to worry, for Marcel has his opportunity and slammed one in for the win. I went crazy. I was so excited that We beat a team of English kids who live by this game. I was so blown away. One of the greatest moments of my life. Who plays a pick up game of soccer, on concrete, at 5 in the morning, after partying all night, in a warehouse, IN BERLIN!!!! so awesome.
There is much more I need to tell you, but I also need a break from typing. I will post this for now so you all have something to read. Need to run some errands. Enjoy
Kurt
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
August 17th, 2010
August 17th, 2010
So this morning I got up around quarter to ten. Showered and got ready to hit the walking tour. On the way I popped into this little cafe that served fresh sliced ground pork that came off a huge block on a rotisserie. It was shoved in this grilled flat bread along with veggies and bigMack like sauce. Needless to say, it was bomb and kept me going till 5 o'clock while walking around all day. The motherload cost only €3!!
The walking tour was so much fun. Our tour guide was full of energy and knew what he was talking about. It was a lot easier for me to comprehend and understand German history because it is all so recent. I love the german history. I was eating it up. We walked through the lost Jews of Berlin memorial, which was honestly somewhat of an emotional experience. From there we saw multiple other significant structures from the parking lot to where Hitler's bunker stood and what is left of the underground portion, which is a lot, has been filled in. To the berlin wall. The underground portion of he bunker was so strong that after they bombed the bunker twice, all they got was the roof to collapse. Now, like I said, it is a gravel parking lot with a path running down the middle. It is the most common path fir dig walkers, because everyone knows what dogs do on their walks. Seeing the wall and hearing some of the stories how people got in to western Berlin and over the wall was breathtaking. One particular story is hilarious. Two men hand made a cow suit and literally mooed their way into western Berlin. Lol awesome. After our guide finished with the story of how the wall came down, a bunch of us headed to a restaurant to get a good, cheap German meal. On the way I met a guy from the group who just graduated UW, played lacrosse with a good friend of mine and knows Mindi. His name is escaping me now, but I will meet him on the pub crawl tonight. And on that note, I need to change and head out to our meeting spot. Fwi, I just came back to my room, loaded photos and took a nap. I will write you all tomorrow after I visit a concentration camp up north. Today was mild with some sun breaks. Hope all is well.
Sincerely,
Kurt
So this morning I got up around quarter to ten. Showered and got ready to hit the walking tour. On the way I popped into this little cafe that served fresh sliced ground pork that came off a huge block on a rotisserie. It was shoved in this grilled flat bread along with veggies and bigMack like sauce. Needless to say, it was bomb and kept me going till 5 o'clock while walking around all day. The motherload cost only €3!!
The walking tour was so much fun. Our tour guide was full of energy and knew what he was talking about. It was a lot easier for me to comprehend and understand German history because it is all so recent. I love the german history. I was eating it up. We walked through the lost Jews of Berlin memorial, which was honestly somewhat of an emotional experience. From there we saw multiple other significant structures from the parking lot to where Hitler's bunker stood and what is left of the underground portion, which is a lot, has been filled in. To the berlin wall. The underground portion of he bunker was so strong that after they bombed the bunker twice, all they got was the roof to collapse. Now, like I said, it is a gravel parking lot with a path running down the middle. It is the most common path fir dig walkers, because everyone knows what dogs do on their walks. Seeing the wall and hearing some of the stories how people got in to western Berlin and over the wall was breathtaking. One particular story is hilarious. Two men hand made a cow suit and literally mooed their way into western Berlin. Lol awesome. After our guide finished with the story of how the wall came down, a bunch of us headed to a restaurant to get a good, cheap German meal. On the way I met a guy from the group who just graduated UW, played lacrosse with a good friend of mine and knows Mindi. His name is escaping me now, but I will meet him on the pub crawl tonight. And on that note, I need to change and head out to our meeting spot. Fwi, I just came back to my room, loaded photos and took a nap. I will write you all tomorrow after I visit a concentration camp up north. Today was mild with some sun breaks. Hope all is well.
Sincerely,
Kurt
August 16th, 2010
August 16th, 2010
Well I have been riding trains for 7 hours now. Emily and I got up early at six to shower and pack our stuff. We had a nice breakfast then got all our rain gear on to head outside and catch the underground to Midi station. Emily is heading to Bruges for the night before meeting her mom in Paris tomorrow. Her train leaves every half hour and is a one hour train ride. I got my rail pass validated and got itinerary for Berlin. I have 3 lay overs, non being longer than an hour. I was on the train fir 9 hours total, well including waiting at the train stations. When I got off the train, it was super easy to find. The hostel is vey vey nice. Probably the nicest I will see while on my trip. Huge lockers in the rooms along with a separated shower and toilet, also in the room. As soon as I got all my stuff unpacked, I headed down to the bar and met a guy who was over in Ireland for a bachelor party last weekend and the wedding is not till this upcoming weekend. So he headed off for the week by himself. He is a nice guy and we shot the shit for a while before sitting down to watch the Manchester united vs. Newcastle game. After the game, I headed up to the room to grabb my computer and jumped on to video chat with Ellie for the first time. It was so nice to be able to see her while we chatted. I went into the hall to avoid keeping my roommates up when a couple French dudes who were passing by on their way out invited me along. We caught the train to one of their hostel's for a bit and then hoofed it out to this underground bar that was super small, but very unique and was playing some hard hitting, base throbbing electro music. Everone was smoking down there and after a while, I just couldn't take it anymore and caught a cab home. It was raining all the way to and from the club. It was called edelweiss, by the way. Thought that was cool. Tomorrow is the walking tour, then pub crawl. Should be a good day. I love the whole feel of Berlin already. Talk to you all tomorrow!!!
Kurt
Well I have been riding trains for 7 hours now. Emily and I got up early at six to shower and pack our stuff. We had a nice breakfast then got all our rain gear on to head outside and catch the underground to Midi station. Emily is heading to Bruges for the night before meeting her mom in Paris tomorrow. Her train leaves every half hour and is a one hour train ride. I got my rail pass validated and got itinerary for Berlin. I have 3 lay overs, non being longer than an hour. I was on the train fir 9 hours total, well including waiting at the train stations. When I got off the train, it was super easy to find. The hostel is vey vey nice. Probably the nicest I will see while on my trip. Huge lockers in the rooms along with a separated shower and toilet, also in the room. As soon as I got all my stuff unpacked, I headed down to the bar and met a guy who was over in Ireland for a bachelor party last weekend and the wedding is not till this upcoming weekend. So he headed off for the week by himself. He is a nice guy and we shot the shit for a while before sitting down to watch the Manchester united vs. Newcastle game. After the game, I headed up to the room to grabb my computer and jumped on to video chat with Ellie for the first time. It was so nice to be able to see her while we chatted. I went into the hall to avoid keeping my roommates up when a couple French dudes who were passing by on their way out invited me along. We caught the train to one of their hostel's for a bit and then hoofed it out to this underground bar that was super small, but very unique and was playing some hard hitting, base throbbing electro music. Everone was smoking down there and after a while, I just couldn't take it anymore and caught a cab home. It was raining all the way to and from the club. It was called edelweiss, by the way. Thought that was cool. Tomorrow is the walking tour, then pub crawl. Should be a good day. I love the whole feel of Berlin already. Talk to you all tomorrow!!!
Kurt
August 13, 14, 15th 2010
August 13, 14, 15th
First off, I would like to apologize greatly to you strict followers of my blogg (Nany and Nany. Lol). The past three days in Brussels has been a lot of fun but has a little twist thrown in at the end. We will get you there soon enough, but allow me to pick back up in Bath.
13th
Emily and I woke up to have our first real hot breakfast in Europe. She had French toast while I enjoyed a loaded omelet. We ate in the restaurant in the hostel. It cost us about €3 each. It was a great deal. After breakfast Emily was on a journey to find herself a new straightener since she blew her last one up. I still don't know how she managed to do that. When we finally found Boots and got Emily her straightener and a package of every adapter you need for around the world, we headed for the train station and en route to Brussels. We had to go back to London and catch the chunnel train to Brussels from there. That train hauled some serious ass! We were flying! I slept the entire time we were under water and a lot of the remaining trip. We arrived in Brussels just as the sun was setting and darkness quickly following. The only information we wrote down, besides the name, was the address and the bus number from the underground station. We were so lost. Only a select few signs were in English. My French has never been better, but it just wasn't cutting it. I know about 3 words and 1 phrase from the Mulan Rouge and that wasn't going to get me anywhere in this situation. Lol. After walking in circles with no map, no idea how to pronounce anything and being in what I would consider a bad part of town, we hailed ourselves a taxi. Luckily the hotel was close and didn't cost us much. We checked in and headed up to our room in the smallest elevator I have ever seen. It had a 3 person maximum and I would have to agree. The best part is, when we arrived at our floor the elevator doors opened, but there was a big blue wall that had the number 5 on it. I soon figured out that it was a swinging door we had to open. It was the most bizarre thing. Emily and I were laughing the entire time and even more when we saw our room. The description of our room said one room and two separate twin beds. It sounded perfect. It worked out just fine, but I just thought it was funny how they said two "separate" beds, because they were pushed right up next to each other and looked more like one king size bed. Lol. It was nice to have our bathroom, that's for sure. The downfall of being in a hotel room versus a hostel is there isn't anyone at the front desk who speaks good English and our age who we can ask about what to do. At the hostels, there are posters and hand made bulletins that have upcoming events and highlight what to see in that given area. We did our own research that night and I sewed on my two patches from England and Ireland, before heading to bed. Weather is cold, but not raining.
14th
Emily and I were both very shocked when we realized it was past noon when we got up. I even told her when I woke up and saw she was up, "your up early." little did I know it was half twelve. While still in disbelief, I had myself a shower that stayed running. The ones in our last hostel had a timed push button. It felt great to step out and not have to walk across the building to my clothes. We both got dresses quickly and headed out after a quick stop at the front desk for a map. We saw some sweet looking buildings and statues, most of which were built during the gothic era of architecture. We past many chocolate shops with one in particular taking my the pocket change of euros. We continued on in search of breakfast, well at this point it was lunch. What better than some good ol' Belgian waffles! They were soo good. I had mine with strawberries and ice-cream. We continued on sight seeing but still had no idea what all these great statues meant, so we hopped on the first "hop on hop off" tour bus we saw. We stayed on that for a good three hours or so and drove past this huge structure called Automium. As we got closer, I noticed there was someone on top. I thought, maybe they were doing maintenance until I saw someone slide off of it. They were zip lining from the top!!! A 250m descent!! Emily and i both said that we would do it, if the price was right. We continued on the tour and saved it for the next day Emily and I were both hungry after the tour and we spent the next couple of hours finding a place and sitting down to eat. We both ordered a pizza at a kittle hole in the wall down a skinny street full of other little other restaurants. Apperently here, one person eats an entire pizza to themselves. I had seem a couple people around me finishing up their last bites of their pizzas, so I was determined to eat all of mine. When I got my pizza, I didn't think it could be done. The pizza was delicious, and I finished it. Lol. It wasn't as bad as I thought. When we were through it took our server a long time to get us our check. I have noticed this a couple times now. We were going to try and make it to this park Emily read about called, Mini Europe that has a firework show every night. Tonight was their last night, so I was in a hurry to get there. When I asked Emily if she recalled the time of the fire works she said 7:30 and it was a quarter to seven at the time. We decided we were not going to make it, so walked around some more down town and came across a huge flower display called, Carpet of Flowers. It was laid out in the town square, which was surrounded by amazing buildings. Some covered in gold and all very Gothic looking. It was a great sight. Emily and I decided we should head back and get a good nights sleep so we don't sleep in again and are able to get up and see mini Europe and the Atomium. On our way back I stepped into a little shop and got me a Belgium national flag patch to add to the collection I have on my pack. I was downstairs making phone calls, and as soon as I got off the phone with Ellie, 4 English speking gentleman who looked my age looked like they were going out. I asked them and they responded with a yes and an invitation to join them. Knowing it was Saturday and I had only had one beer from this city that is known for their great beer selection, I told them of course. I went up stairs to change and invite Emily out. She wanted to stay in, so it was just us guys out on the town with no idea what was a good spot. We went into one bar that looked good, right in the town square, but they were super expensive. I read about a dance club disco that is supposed to be the biggest in Brussels. We asked these two girls sitting by us if they knew where Fuse was. They didn't speak English and we were not going to waist our money on this over priced brew, so we left. As we were walking down the street, one of the guys spotted a group of girls and approached them to ask the same question. One gal spoke very good English, Mathilda is her name. She threw her head back and told us ohhh, well that is 30 min away by car. So we asked where the good bars were around here and after a moment of French jibber jabber between her friends, she told us to follow them. All us guys looked at each other with an expression as to say, Score!! The first place we went into served over 2,000 different kinds of beer from all over the world. The two I had were very good. We all then. Went to a hooka bar where I of all people had to smooth talk the bouncer to let the girls in because they were 17 and you have to be 18. Only 16 to drink though. When we were done there, the guys ditched me and the girls. When we got outside, they were gone. It was supposed to be a girls night for the girls and the plan was for us guys to go somewhere else. Now that I couldn't do that, I waited through a longer conversation of French jibber jabber and Mathilda finally said it was ok if I went with them. We went to a dance club where they played some good electronic and where the girls had a lot of friends. I pretty much sat with a few of the girls while the rest danced. I tried my luck at their version of dancing and I was just getting laughed at the majority of the time, so I kept it to the table. When all the girls left, I walked with them to get a cab and thanked them very much for being so friendly and letting me tag along. I then spent the next hour hoofing it home in the rain, because I am too cheap for a cab. I made it home, no problem, and hit the sack hard. I was regretting getting up in the morning.
15th
It was hard to get this morning but I did it. Emily and I went down stairs to get directions to mini Europe and while she was talking to the receptionist, I heard some silverware being clanked around and wondered if there was still some breakfast left even though it was after 10. There was, and the lady working was so sweet. She noticed I cleaned up the rest of the meat and cheese so she asked if I would like some more. I told her no thanks because I am leaving soon. Not even a minute later, she brought out a plate of ham and cheese and some coffee. I thanked her dearly, threw my meet and cheese on a croissant and hit the road. We took the underground to mini Europe and the Atomium, which was right next door. It was time to look into zip lining prices!! Only €25 each!! So we did it and it was awesome. It was kind of scary at the top, with the wind blowing hard, and by far the highest thing I have ever gone off of. I got some pictures of Emily and a short video of me, but you can't see much. After the ride, we went through the exhibit portion of Atomium. It didn't take us long and I was getting tired. Since we were as closest we were going to get to the only Starbucks in Brussels, Emily told me she would pay for the cab there so she could get their souvenir Brussels mug. €50 later, we were at the airport. Emily got her mug and we grabbed a coffee. I was so shocked at how much the cab ride cost. I couldn't believe it. When she was getting more money out I asked a teller how to get home via transit. €5 each and two train rides later, we were home. Lol. I felt so bad. I was dragging and pretty tired. Tonight is our last night in Brussels, before heading to Berlin for the next 3 days. I told Emily I wanted to get up early to catch the train, since it is about 9 hours of train riding to Berlin. It was only 8:30 but I laid down anyways to rest. With no plans tonight, I figured I would just try and sleep through the night and get some good rest. Around 10 Emily asked if she could use my iPod and skype to call her mother, and I said of course. I fell back asleep until Emily came back in the room. She asked if I was awake, because we. Needed to talk. I thought, now I am but asked her what was up. She told me her mom is flying into Paris in two days and that she won't be continuing on to Berlin with me. I found this shocking. I had no idea there was any possibility of her mom coming over. I asked her if there was something she needed to tell me or If there was any other reason why this came about and she said no. I can only assume the trip was not going as she expected and maybe was getting home sick, because it is a totally different experience traveling without family. I understand and just have to move on. I just hope I didn't offend her in anyway while we were together. I wished it could have worked out. With me wide awake now, I went downstairs to make some phone calls and sent off some post cards. Around midnight I finished up and headed back to bed. The plan is to get up at 6 am tomorrow. It has rained the majority of the day and is poring right now. Tomorrow I make my long journey to Berlin.
Hope all is well and I know the sun is shining back home. Enjoy it!!
Sincerely,
Kurt
First off, I would like to apologize greatly to you strict followers of my blogg (Nany and Nany. Lol). The past three days in Brussels has been a lot of fun but has a little twist thrown in at the end. We will get you there soon enough, but allow me to pick back up in Bath.
13th
Emily and I woke up to have our first real hot breakfast in Europe. She had French toast while I enjoyed a loaded omelet. We ate in the restaurant in the hostel. It cost us about €3 each. It was a great deal. After breakfast Emily was on a journey to find herself a new straightener since she blew her last one up. I still don't know how she managed to do that. When we finally found Boots and got Emily her straightener and a package of every adapter you need for around the world, we headed for the train station and en route to Brussels. We had to go back to London and catch the chunnel train to Brussels from there. That train hauled some serious ass! We were flying! I slept the entire time we were under water and a lot of the remaining trip. We arrived in Brussels just as the sun was setting and darkness quickly following. The only information we wrote down, besides the name, was the address and the bus number from the underground station. We were so lost. Only a select few signs were in English. My French has never been better, but it just wasn't cutting it. I know about 3 words and 1 phrase from the Mulan Rouge and that wasn't going to get me anywhere in this situation. Lol. After walking in circles with no map, no idea how to pronounce anything and being in what I would consider a bad part of town, we hailed ourselves a taxi. Luckily the hotel was close and didn't cost us much. We checked in and headed up to our room in the smallest elevator I have ever seen. It had a 3 person maximum and I would have to agree. The best part is, when we arrived at our floor the elevator doors opened, but there was a big blue wall that had the number 5 on it. I soon figured out that it was a swinging door we had to open. It was the most bizarre thing. Emily and I were laughing the entire time and even more when we saw our room. The description of our room said one room and two separate twin beds. It sounded perfect. It worked out just fine, but I just thought it was funny how they said two "separate" beds, because they were pushed right up next to each other and looked more like one king size bed. Lol. It was nice to have our bathroom, that's for sure. The downfall of being in a hotel room versus a hostel is there isn't anyone at the front desk who speaks good English and our age who we can ask about what to do. At the hostels, there are posters and hand made bulletins that have upcoming events and highlight what to see in that given area. We did our own research that night and I sewed on my two patches from England and Ireland, before heading to bed. Weather is cold, but not raining.
14th
Emily and I were both very shocked when we realized it was past noon when we got up. I even told her when I woke up and saw she was up, "your up early." little did I know it was half twelve. While still in disbelief, I had myself a shower that stayed running. The ones in our last hostel had a timed push button. It felt great to step out and not have to walk across the building to my clothes. We both got dresses quickly and headed out after a quick stop at the front desk for a map. We saw some sweet looking buildings and statues, most of which were built during the gothic era of architecture. We past many chocolate shops with one in particular taking my the pocket change of euros. We continued on in search of breakfast, well at this point it was lunch. What better than some good ol' Belgian waffles! They were soo good. I had mine with strawberries and ice-cream. We continued on sight seeing but still had no idea what all these great statues meant, so we hopped on the first "hop on hop off" tour bus we saw. We stayed on that for a good three hours or so and drove past this huge structure called Automium. As we got closer, I noticed there was someone on top. I thought, maybe they were doing maintenance until I saw someone slide off of it. They were zip lining from the top!!! A 250m descent!! Emily and i both said that we would do it, if the price was right. We continued on the tour and saved it for the next day Emily and I were both hungry after the tour and we spent the next couple of hours finding a place and sitting down to eat. We both ordered a pizza at a kittle hole in the wall down a skinny street full of other little other restaurants. Apperently here, one person eats an entire pizza to themselves. I had seem a couple people around me finishing up their last bites of their pizzas, so I was determined to eat all of mine. When I got my pizza, I didn't think it could be done. The pizza was delicious, and I finished it. Lol. It wasn't as bad as I thought. When we were through it took our server a long time to get us our check. I have noticed this a couple times now. We were going to try and make it to this park Emily read about called, Mini Europe that has a firework show every night. Tonight was their last night, so I was in a hurry to get there. When I asked Emily if she recalled the time of the fire works she said 7:30 and it was a quarter to seven at the time. We decided we were not going to make it, so walked around some more down town and came across a huge flower display called, Carpet of Flowers. It was laid out in the town square, which was surrounded by amazing buildings. Some covered in gold and all very Gothic looking. It was a great sight. Emily and I decided we should head back and get a good nights sleep so we don't sleep in again and are able to get up and see mini Europe and the Atomium. On our way back I stepped into a little shop and got me a Belgium national flag patch to add to the collection I have on my pack. I was downstairs making phone calls, and as soon as I got off the phone with Ellie, 4 English speking gentleman who looked my age looked like they were going out. I asked them and they responded with a yes and an invitation to join them. Knowing it was Saturday and I had only had one beer from this city that is known for their great beer selection, I told them of course. I went up stairs to change and invite Emily out. She wanted to stay in, so it was just us guys out on the town with no idea what was a good spot. We went into one bar that looked good, right in the town square, but they were super expensive. I read about a dance club disco that is supposed to be the biggest in Brussels. We asked these two girls sitting by us if they knew where Fuse was. They didn't speak English and we were not going to waist our money on this over priced brew, so we left. As we were walking down the street, one of the guys spotted a group of girls and approached them to ask the same question. One gal spoke very good English, Mathilda is her name. She threw her head back and told us ohhh, well that is 30 min away by car. So we asked where the good bars were around here and after a moment of French jibber jabber between her friends, she told us to follow them. All us guys looked at each other with an expression as to say, Score!! The first place we went into served over 2,000 different kinds of beer from all over the world. The two I had were very good. We all then. Went to a hooka bar where I of all people had to smooth talk the bouncer to let the girls in because they were 17 and you have to be 18. Only 16 to drink though. When we were done there, the guys ditched me and the girls. When we got outside, they were gone. It was supposed to be a girls night for the girls and the plan was for us guys to go somewhere else. Now that I couldn't do that, I waited through a longer conversation of French jibber jabber and Mathilda finally said it was ok if I went with them. We went to a dance club where they played some good electronic and where the girls had a lot of friends. I pretty much sat with a few of the girls while the rest danced. I tried my luck at their version of dancing and I was just getting laughed at the majority of the time, so I kept it to the table. When all the girls left, I walked with them to get a cab and thanked them very much for being so friendly and letting me tag along. I then spent the next hour hoofing it home in the rain, because I am too cheap for a cab. I made it home, no problem, and hit the sack hard. I was regretting getting up in the morning.
15th
It was hard to get this morning but I did it. Emily and I went down stairs to get directions to mini Europe and while she was talking to the receptionist, I heard some silverware being clanked around and wondered if there was still some breakfast left even though it was after 10. There was, and the lady working was so sweet. She noticed I cleaned up the rest of the meat and cheese so she asked if I would like some more. I told her no thanks because I am leaving soon. Not even a minute later, she brought out a plate of ham and cheese and some coffee. I thanked her dearly, threw my meet and cheese on a croissant and hit the road. We took the underground to mini Europe and the Atomium, which was right next door. It was time to look into zip lining prices!! Only €25 each!! So we did it and it was awesome. It was kind of scary at the top, with the wind blowing hard, and by far the highest thing I have ever gone off of. I got some pictures of Emily and a short video of me, but you can't see much. After the ride, we went through the exhibit portion of Atomium. It didn't take us long and I was getting tired. Since we were as closest we were going to get to the only Starbucks in Brussels, Emily told me she would pay for the cab there so she could get their souvenir Brussels mug. €50 later, we were at the airport. Emily got her mug and we grabbed a coffee. I was so shocked at how much the cab ride cost. I couldn't believe it. When she was getting more money out I asked a teller how to get home via transit. €5 each and two train rides later, we were home. Lol. I felt so bad. I was dragging and pretty tired. Tonight is our last night in Brussels, before heading to Berlin for the next 3 days. I told Emily I wanted to get up early to catch the train, since it is about 9 hours of train riding to Berlin. It was only 8:30 but I laid down anyways to rest. With no plans tonight, I figured I would just try and sleep through the night and get some good rest. Around 10 Emily asked if she could use my iPod and skype to call her mother, and I said of course. I fell back asleep until Emily came back in the room. She asked if I was awake, because we. Needed to talk. I thought, now I am but asked her what was up. She told me her mom is flying into Paris in two days and that she won't be continuing on to Berlin with me. I found this shocking. I had no idea there was any possibility of her mom coming over. I asked her if there was something she needed to tell me or If there was any other reason why this came about and she said no. I can only assume the trip was not going as she expected and maybe was getting home sick, because it is a totally different experience traveling without family. I understand and just have to move on. I just hope I didn't offend her in anyway while we were together. I wished it could have worked out. With me wide awake now, I went downstairs to make some phone calls and sent off some post cards. Around midnight I finished up and headed back to bed. The plan is to get up at 6 am tomorrow. It has rained the majority of the day and is poring right now. Tomorrow I make my long journey to Berlin.
Hope all is well and I know the sun is shining back home. Enjoy it!!
Sincerely,
Kurt
Friday, August 13, 2010
August 12th, 2010
August 12, 2010
Today has been a substantially good day. Everything worked out for it being thrown together last minute. We got up with time for me to send some things home that were taking up too much room in my pack. I got rid of some shirts and a rugby ball I bought at Trinity College. From there we made our way to the train station to book our tickets for bath. With our tickets booked, there was some time to spare. Guess where we spent it? Let me give you a hint. There is a Starbucks in the train station. Lol. Our train left a little late, but we arrived with plenty of time to check into our hostel. It was a little misleading, because the bar tender and receptionist were the same person.lol Once we made the journey up the smallest and steepest stairs ever, we headed to the ancient Roman Baths. The experience was amazing and purely unfathomable for me. I have the hardest time putting history into a time line and to where I can understand just how long ago emperors and slaves used these baths. It is getting easier with learning more European history and putting a date with events. I was able to enjoy these baths so much, because it is the only thing I remember from my world history classes. Lol. I just remember learning about how all the naked Romans would take baths together. Lol. Of course it had a greater purpose than that, which I now know. Even though some pools were used mainly for pleasure, the main reason why the rich and the poor would travel long distances to visit the baths were to seek healing and worship the goddess, which the Romans believed provided the hot springs. Another reasons was to request vengeance through the hands of this goddess, on the people who have hurt them or stolen from them (I can't remember her name or what exactly she was the goddess of). They would write their requests on thin sheets of lead and throw them into the bath. For example, someone may have a suspicion that someone had stolen some of their money. It was believed the more specific you were with naming the parson, the more likely it was for the request to be answered. Some would even have the messages written fir them, because they could not write in Latin themselves. There would be wounded warriors to children to princesses sharing these baths. It was simply breathtaking to witness the same pools that were used by high priests and roman princesses hundreds of years ago. There is still water flowing into the pools today. I was surprised how hot it was. Like a hot tub. All around, it was a great museum and great experience. I am glad things turned out the way they did and we had to come over here. It is only about 20 min east of Whales.
After the baths and getting lost trying to find our way back, Emily and I went out for tapas and a drink. It was soo good to enjoy some Mexican food. I feel like all I have been eating over here si far is sandwiches. Knowing we still hadn't made reservations for where to sleep tomorrow night, we headed straight back to the hostel bar to use the Internet. A few hours later, we decided we are going to take the train back to London, the Chunnel train from there into Brussels. We also completed booking for three days in Brussels and three more after that in Berlin. It felt good to have the next week planned out and the only thing to worry about is transportation from Brussels to Berlin, but that will be easy enough to do when we arrive at the train station in Brussels. I will get all the information I need for a train to Berlin three days later.
With all that figured out, we were both able to relax. Emily headed up to shower and ended up going to bed, while I stayed in the pub and enjoyed a couple drinks with two of our room mates. They are both from Sydney. It is now one a.m. and i am off to bed. Talk to you all in Belgium!! We will see how it goes not speaking English for the first time in Europe. Wish us luck!
All the best,
Kurt
P.s. Enjoy the hot hot weather that is coming your way. Oh and it was sweatshirt weather still.
Today has been a substantially good day. Everything worked out for it being thrown together last minute. We got up with time for me to send some things home that were taking up too much room in my pack. I got rid of some shirts and a rugby ball I bought at Trinity College. From there we made our way to the train station to book our tickets for bath. With our tickets booked, there was some time to spare. Guess where we spent it? Let me give you a hint. There is a Starbucks in the train station. Lol. Our train left a little late, but we arrived with plenty of time to check into our hostel. It was a little misleading, because the bar tender and receptionist were the same person.lol Once we made the journey up the smallest and steepest stairs ever, we headed to the ancient Roman Baths. The experience was amazing and purely unfathomable for me. I have the hardest time putting history into a time line and to where I can understand just how long ago emperors and slaves used these baths. It is getting easier with learning more European history and putting a date with events. I was able to enjoy these baths so much, because it is the only thing I remember from my world history classes. Lol. I just remember learning about how all the naked Romans would take baths together. Lol. Of course it had a greater purpose than that, which I now know. Even though some pools were used mainly for pleasure, the main reason why the rich and the poor would travel long distances to visit the baths were to seek healing and worship the goddess, which the Romans believed provided the hot springs. Another reasons was to request vengeance through the hands of this goddess, on the people who have hurt them or stolen from them (I can't remember her name or what exactly she was the goddess of). They would write their requests on thin sheets of lead and throw them into the bath. For example, someone may have a suspicion that someone had stolen some of their money. It was believed the more specific you were with naming the parson, the more likely it was for the request to be answered. Some would even have the messages written fir them, because they could not write in Latin themselves. There would be wounded warriors to children to princesses sharing these baths. It was simply breathtaking to witness the same pools that were used by high priests and roman princesses hundreds of years ago. There is still water flowing into the pools today. I was surprised how hot it was. Like a hot tub. All around, it was a great museum and great experience. I am glad things turned out the way they did and we had to come over here. It is only about 20 min east of Whales.
After the baths and getting lost trying to find our way back, Emily and I went out for tapas and a drink. It was soo good to enjoy some Mexican food. I feel like all I have been eating over here si far is sandwiches. Knowing we still hadn't made reservations for where to sleep tomorrow night, we headed straight back to the hostel bar to use the Internet. A few hours later, we decided we are going to take the train back to London, the Chunnel train from there into Brussels. We also completed booking for three days in Brussels and three more after that in Berlin. It felt good to have the next week planned out and the only thing to worry about is transportation from Brussels to Berlin, but that will be easy enough to do when we arrive at the train station in Brussels. I will get all the information I need for a train to Berlin three days later.
With all that figured out, we were both able to relax. Emily headed up to shower and ended up going to bed, while I stayed in the pub and enjoyed a couple drinks with two of our room mates. They are both from Sydney. It is now one a.m. and i am off to bed. Talk to you all in Belgium!! We will see how it goes not speaking English for the first time in Europe. Wish us luck!
All the best,
Kurt
P.s. Enjoy the hot hot weather that is coming your way. Oh and it was sweatshirt weather still.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
August 10th & 11th
So I have to make up for the past two days.
The 10th was a great day. Emily and I got up early to eat our free breakfast and set out on our free walking tour. We got down stairs with, what we thought, plenty of time to get her, oh so precious, Starbucks coffee. The tour started 45 min earlier than what we thought and by the time we got down stairs, the group was about to leave. We saw many different things and had a great tour guide who told many great stories of t history on England and the city of London. Even some not so good stories of Grim the Reaper. I wish I could tell you of all the places we saw, but frankly, I don't remember the names. A few were: a quick glimpse of Buckingham palace, Big Ben and Westminster Abby, The House of Parliament, and the other royal house where the Queens son lives......Can't remember the name. We got up close to the guards, but since 2002, no one is allowed next to them. I was thoroughly disappointed when I heard this news and saw my dreams of posing nearly naked next to and English guard fade away. We saw the 2 guards change with 2 fresh guards,which was very cool to see. We made our way around London and saw the building where Rugby Union was first established. We started at quarter past 10 and didn't have a break till 2 in the afternoon. We were very hungry. The cereal and toast just didn't stick with us. The tour guide suggested a place where we can go to eat with a discount and where he will be having lunch. Almost everyone popped in for lunch and a cold Brew. Emily and I bought our tickets to the pub crawl while we were there as well. It was raining cats and dogs when we left for the Hostel. We both had a nap and were off again. The first place was in a very nice shopping part of town. Emily and I were able to see 2 very cool bars and 2 clubs. I drank Emily's share of drinks, while she kept the good ol English Brew to a minimum. We didn't get to bed till late and we booked one more night here in London. We are having a very hard time finding a hostel in Amsterdam to accommodate 2 people for 6 days. We are not quite sure what we are going to do yet. We were up fairly early for check out. At least earlier than "I" would have liked.
August 11th
I ran over to get some water, juice, and loaf of bread to kick start and replenish the system for the morning. After we checked out and locked up our bags till we could check in again at 2. In the meantime, we walked to the Starbucks down the street to get the princess her Starbucks. lol. We both had a little bite to eat with our drinks and spent the next few hours figuring out where we are going to sleep the next couple of days. It really isn't that serious, but I was starting to get very worried. Amsterdam is busy, and what we hear is full of high hippies. I decided I could probably spare a day or two of the 6 to go somewhere else. We decided we are going to go up to Bath for the day and one night. The hostel we are staying at here in London has a branch up there.
After we got our sleeping arrangements established, we headed out to see the Eye of London, Buckingham palace and St. John's Cathedral. All of out stops were breathtaking in their own respects. The great view from the eye, pondering what exactly is in the palace and what one person needs all that room for, and the outrageously huge cathedral. Since we got a late start on our outing today, we had dinner at an American/Italian restaurant, which was much needed. We were both very hungry and craving something cold to drink. OH yeah, So I have noticed all the runners around here wear backpacks. I pointed this out to Emily and she started pointing out non backpack runners. She couldn't get past one. EVERYONE wears a backpack. We were wondering if it was for weight or if they are running to and from work. When we were walking from Buckingham Palace to catch the underground to St. John's I decided I am going to ask this lad who was running toward us why he wears his backpack while he runs. I politely put my hand out as he was approaching and said, "Excuse me sir, I have a question for you."
At this point he was right next to me. He said without breaking stride "yeah?"
When he kept on running away from me, I hesitated and didn't know what to say or do.
Luckily he read the look on my face quickly and told me to come along.
I jumped on my horse, to now catch up with him, and asked was able to ask my question as we ran together. He told me he runs to and from work. I just said, "ok, that's what I thought. Cheers" then about faced to make my way back up to Emily.
I got a couple souvenirs, but they are a surprise. lol.
The weather was much nicer today, but got chilly quick when the sun went down.
After the tube ride home, Emily and I started a load of laundry and have been charging our electronics in the meantime. Our clothes are probably well done by now and Emily went up to check on them quite some time ago, while I stayed down here to upload my photos, finally fill out my post cards from Ireland, and catch up on my Blogger! Wish us luck on finding a place to sleep!
Best Regards,
Kurt Haisch
The 10th was a great day. Emily and I got up early to eat our free breakfast and set out on our free walking tour. We got down stairs with, what we thought, plenty of time to get her, oh so precious, Starbucks coffee. The tour started 45 min earlier than what we thought and by the time we got down stairs, the group was about to leave. We saw many different things and had a great tour guide who told many great stories of t history on England and the city of London. Even some not so good stories of Grim the Reaper. I wish I could tell you of all the places we saw, but frankly, I don't remember the names. A few were: a quick glimpse of Buckingham palace, Big Ben and Westminster Abby, The House of Parliament, and the other royal house where the Queens son lives......Can't remember the name. We got up close to the guards, but since 2002, no one is allowed next to them. I was thoroughly disappointed when I heard this news and saw my dreams of posing nearly naked next to and English guard fade away. We saw the 2 guards change with 2 fresh guards,which was very cool to see. We made our way around London and saw the building where Rugby Union was first established. We started at quarter past 10 and didn't have a break till 2 in the afternoon. We were very hungry. The cereal and toast just didn't stick with us. The tour guide suggested a place where we can go to eat with a discount and where he will be having lunch. Almost everyone popped in for lunch and a cold Brew. Emily and I bought our tickets to the pub crawl while we were there as well. It was raining cats and dogs when we left for the Hostel. We both had a nap and were off again. The first place was in a very nice shopping part of town. Emily and I were able to see 2 very cool bars and 2 clubs. I drank Emily's share of drinks, while she kept the good ol English Brew to a minimum. We didn't get to bed till late and we booked one more night here in London. We are having a very hard time finding a hostel in Amsterdam to accommodate 2 people for 6 days. We are not quite sure what we are going to do yet. We were up fairly early for check out. At least earlier than "I" would have liked.
August 11th
I ran over to get some water, juice, and loaf of bread to kick start and replenish the system for the morning. After we checked out and locked up our bags till we could check in again at 2. In the meantime, we walked to the Starbucks down the street to get the princess her Starbucks. lol. We both had a little bite to eat with our drinks and spent the next few hours figuring out where we are going to sleep the next couple of days. It really isn't that serious, but I was starting to get very worried. Amsterdam is busy, and what we hear is full of high hippies. I decided I could probably spare a day or two of the 6 to go somewhere else. We decided we are going to go up to Bath for the day and one night. The hostel we are staying at here in London has a branch up there.
After we got our sleeping arrangements established, we headed out to see the Eye of London, Buckingham palace and St. John's Cathedral. All of out stops were breathtaking in their own respects. The great view from the eye, pondering what exactly is in the palace and what one person needs all that room for, and the outrageously huge cathedral. Since we got a late start on our outing today, we had dinner at an American/Italian restaurant, which was much needed. We were both very hungry and craving something cold to drink. OH yeah, So I have noticed all the runners around here wear backpacks. I pointed this out to Emily and she started pointing out non backpack runners. She couldn't get past one. EVERYONE wears a backpack. We were wondering if it was for weight or if they are running to and from work. When we were walking from Buckingham Palace to catch the underground to St. John's I decided I am going to ask this lad who was running toward us why he wears his backpack while he runs. I politely put my hand out as he was approaching and said, "Excuse me sir, I have a question for you."
At this point he was right next to me. He said without breaking stride "yeah?"
When he kept on running away from me, I hesitated and didn't know what to say or do.
Luckily he read the look on my face quickly and told me to come along.
I jumped on my horse, to now catch up with him, and asked was able to ask my question as we ran together. He told me he runs to and from work. I just said, "ok, that's what I thought. Cheers" then about faced to make my way back up to Emily.
I got a couple souvenirs, but they are a surprise. lol.
The weather was much nicer today, but got chilly quick when the sun went down.
After the tube ride home, Emily and I started a load of laundry and have been charging our electronics in the meantime. Our clothes are probably well done by now and Emily went up to check on them quite some time ago, while I stayed down here to upload my photos, finally fill out my post cards from Ireland, and catch up on my Blogger! Wish us luck on finding a place to sleep!
Best Regards,
Kurt Haisch
Monday, August 9, 2010
August 9, 2010
Last night I stayed up till about 3am loading pictures and talking to Ellie. I wasn't too concerned because I wanted to be able to sleep the 5 hours on the bus. Adam woke me up a quarter after 6 to head to the bus station. Him and I were both getting worried when I got out of the shower with little time left to get me to the bus station on time. I had to pack all my stuff yet. A few quick burnt liters of diesel later I was at the bus station with plenty of time to spare. Adam made sure I was at the right gate before we said our goodbyes. I tried to think of what I had to look forward to, instead of the great people I had met and was leaving behind. Nothing could hold back the tears, though. Lol. Jk. I am sure Adam thinks I am a proper cry baby anyways like his brother and his shoulder injury. Ha ha. Jk Dan. Anyways, after I pulled myself together, I had to wait at the gate till half seven for the bus. It was supposed to depart at ten after, but the driver claims he was stuck in accident traffic. I got myself a window seat and 4 hours later I woke up as we were pulling into London. Still had another hour of stops and working our way down town though. When I got off at Victoria station, the sun was shining and fairly warm, 70's maybe. I only knew the address of the hostel. So the first thing I needed to do was get a map. I went to the first booth I saw. It was some travelers agent and he wanted 3 quid for a bloody map. He warned me that if I wanted to get a free one I would have to go across town to get one. Well, without a map there was no way I was going to make it across town and I could tell this guy did not want to spend the time to write me out directions. In disbelief that I couldn't find a free map, I took another look around the station and found someone sitting behind the ticketing booth. I asked him for a map and as he quickly spun around to grab me a map, he asked me where I was going and extended me the map. I told him London bridge. He pointed me in the right direction of where to catch the underground, and I was on my way. On my way out I passed the first booth. As I passed I made eye contact and simply raised my new "free" map in the air and gave it a sarcastic shake. What a wanka! I followed the second mans directions and was blown away by how many people were in this massive station/food court combination. I felt like I was in NYC. I had a difficult time finding an info booth, so I followed my map to buckingham palace. I didn't see any guards where i was, but I did see a pole with a bunch of arrows on it, one of them reading, tourist information. I followed that back to where I started. Lol. I had made a complete circle. But at least I ran into a man that worked for the transit that was very helpful and let me know exactly what ticket to buy and which train to catch. After talking with him, it all made sense and was quite easy getting to London bridge. I made my way down the street my hostel is addressed to when a red sign in a window caught my eye. It was a Seattle's best coffee advertisement. I snapped a quick picture, took two steps and was at the front door of my hostel. I checked in and found my room. I quickly made friends with a Brazilian, named Ciro, who is staying in the same room. We agreed to head out and find a place to eat together, but I let him know I had to be back at 8 to meet Emily back at the hostel. We walked along the river and snapped some pictures in front of Tower Bridge, which I was really looking forward to seeing. We walked across the bridge and I saw a fish and chips stand. The fish was literally a half of a full size fish. A huge fillet and chips. I do have to say it was very good and tops the Ivers dish. There was just so much meat and the perfect amount of batter. We then walked along the river on the other side, crossed the London bridge, saw Globe theater and headed home. We went to the bar in the hostel where they were serving 2 quid pints. That is a good deal here in England, especially London. I was relaxing in bed talking to Karl when Emily walked through the door. She looked exhausted, and respectively so, for she had been traveling for the past 24 hours. She dropped her bags and we went downstairs to get the starving girl some dinner. After Emily's dinner, I was pretty beat and it was getting late. We decided to call it early so we can get up early enough in the morning to catch free breakfast and a solid days worth of site seeing. Now after writing this blog it is 12:30, but still fairly early. Probably my earliest night yet. Talk to you after a day in London. My main goal for tomorrow is to find a London flag speedo. My plan is to wear in under my shorts and when I see a guard to strip down to the bathing suite and snap a picture. Lol. You will enjoy this one Ellie, since I know how much you like speedos.
Till then,
Kurt
Till then,
Kurt
August 8th, 2010
Today has been very uneventful. We woke up around 9 and went over to Emma and Matt's to get some things and hang out. After about 10 minutes on the couch, I was counting sheep. I didn't end up waking up till noon. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on getting my transportation down to London figured out and how and where I am going to meet Emily. I called the hostel to confirmed our reservations and look up directions from the bus station to the hostel. I leave tomorrow at 7:10 for London and arrive 12:30. Check in is not till 2 and Emily doesn't get in till 8. I figure I will just have a walk around town and have some lunch before Emily arrives. Adam has been raving about England's fish and chips. We will see how it compares to our NW, fresh catch, Ivers fish and chips. By the way I have just remembered that I have not been telling you all about the weather here. Both days I have been here it has been cold. Jumper(jacket) weather for sure. It has even rained a little bit.
Around 6pm, Adam and I went to his dads house for Sunday tea, which is Sunday dinner. His dad lives in this huge 300 year old castle looking house. I put pictures on Facebook. Supposedly, there are still hidden underground tunnels in the yard from when the monks lived there, for sneaking people in and out of the property. They still haven't been found. After a tour, many pictures and meeting up with Dan and his girlfriend, we stepped out the backyard door into the middle of this small little village center. It was the coolest thing! All these little restaurants with hotels above them now, which I assume only sleep a dozen or two. There two small streets that fingered up and continued up the hill. It was so spectacular. I literally felt like I had gone back hundreds of years. I found myself stopping, looking around and thinking of what was going here hundreds of years ago. A bunch of people walking around coming to trade goods and food? Knights and their swords. I don't know, but it sure is cool to wonder. After trying to eat at two different places and getting refused, we jumped in the restaurant that was directly behind their dad's house. I had some pesto pasta, which was excellent, and everyone else either had beef or lamb. Even though their dad did not come to dinner, he treated all of us and I made sure to tell him twice how much I appreciated it. It was getting late after dinner and I have an early bus ride in the morning, so we loaded up for the 40 min ride through the beautiful country of farm land, back to his mothers house.
I am up in Dan's room now typing away and loading pictures. I will try and make some phone calls before heading to bed. Next time you hear from me, I will be in London!!!!!!! So stoked!!
All the best,
Kurt
Around 6pm, Adam and I went to his dads house for Sunday tea, which is Sunday dinner. His dad lives in this huge 300 year old castle looking house. I put pictures on Facebook. Supposedly, there are still hidden underground tunnels in the yard from when the monks lived there, for sneaking people in and out of the property. They still haven't been found. After a tour, many pictures and meeting up with Dan and his girlfriend, we stepped out the backyard door into the middle of this small little village center. It was the coolest thing! All these little restaurants with hotels above them now, which I assume only sleep a dozen or two. There two small streets that fingered up and continued up the hill. It was so spectacular. I literally felt like I had gone back hundreds of years. I found myself stopping, looking around and thinking of what was going here hundreds of years ago. A bunch of people walking around coming to trade goods and food? Knights and their swords. I don't know, but it sure is cool to wonder. After trying to eat at two different places and getting refused, we jumped in the restaurant that was directly behind their dad's house. I had some pesto pasta, which was excellent, and everyone else either had beef or lamb. Even though their dad did not come to dinner, he treated all of us and I made sure to tell him twice how much I appreciated it. It was getting late after dinner and I have an early bus ride in the morning, so we loaded up for the 40 min ride through the beautiful country of farm land, back to his mothers house.
I am up in Dan's room now typing away and loading pictures. I will try and make some phone calls before heading to bed. Next time you hear from me, I will be in London!!!!!!! So stoked!!
All the best,
Kurt
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