Kevin's Europe Trip 2008

Back In London

2008-08-16T15:21:00.001-05:00

Last night we sat at a bar and I used all of my remaining Euros on beer. Now that's efficiency. I had to take three Tylenol pm in order to sleep because two of the people in the room decided to be obnoxiously loud until all hours of the night. Then some other guy was talking to himself. Strange.

This morning we had to get up super early to pack, shower, eat breakfast, and get to the train station by 9. It was a pretty quick train ride compared to what we are used to on this trip. We were in London within a few hours. We were too early to check into the hostel, so we stored our luggage and headed for Westminster Abbey.

The direct tube stop to Westminster Abbey was conviently closed, so we had to walk a few miles. We finally got there and they wanted £12 to get in. Seeing as I only had £15 which I needed for dinner, I didn't go in. Making the trip over there was so worth the hastle. Sorry, but I am so over sightseeing.

After that ordeal we checked into the hostel. This hostel is the biggest POS of them all (same one we stayed in the first time in London). Every other hostel we have stayed in has been so much nicer. Oh well. Only one night. After checking in I took a nap. For dinner we went to a pub (where we are now). I had fish and chips again. Now were are just hanging out, drinking pints, dicussing the trip, etc.

Tomorrow we have to check out of the hostel by 10am, then it is off to the airport. I'm super excited to come home!!

btw, a HUGE shoutout goes to Laurie for offering to pick us up from the airport. That is so awesome of you. I know how out of your way that is, so it is much appreciated. You are the best!

I plan to write a final blog entry when I get home to recap everything, so check back for that. I'm so glad I took the day after we get back off from work. Best idea ever.

See you soon,
Kevin

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The Eiffel Tower And Louvre

2008-08-15T13:19:00.002-05:00

We got a close look at the Eiffel Tower, but didn't go to the top because the line was super long. I could see the top from the ground anyway ;-) After that we walked to the Louvre which was faaar. We ate lunch, and saw cool stuff on the way though. We actually brought lunch with us from a place by the hostel that sells huge sandwiches for like €3.

The Louvre is simply insane. Way too big and way too much to look at. Besides the obvious stuff like the Mona Lisa and Venus di Milo, we saw a bunch of ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Greek artifacts and art. We also saw a lot of 16th - 18th century French and Italian paintings by artists I have never heard of. Awesome place, but somewhat overwhelming.

After that Mark went to look for souvenirs, but I was too tired so went back to the hostel for a nap. The restaurant right next to the hostel gives a 10% discount to guests so we ate there. It was crap. Oh well, I'm down to €20 and that is getting used at the bar tonight.

Not much else to report. Back to London tomorrow morning. It is only a few hour train ride so we will have time to do some stuff. We plan on going to Westminster Abbey since it was closed to tourists when we tried in the beginning of the trip.

Au revoir,
Kevin

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Paris Day Two

2008-08-15T04:11:00.002-05:00

Woke up and got free breakfast at the hostel. It was decent. Then took a shower and headed down to St. Michael's fountain where our free walking tour group was meeting. We had a few hours to kill so we walked around, looked at souvenirs and ate lunch. It is now official. We have eaten at McDonalds in every county we have visited. Oops. After lunch we met up with the tour group.

I think every tour guide I have had on this trip has been from America. This guy was from Texas. Strange. He was good though. We walked all the major sights including Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, etc. Guided tour are great because you learn about the history of things. I recommend them unless you're a history pro. Guided tours are a must for someone like me who is directionally challenged, and knows very little about history. The four hours flew by. After that we headed back to the hostel to eat and change. We met up with my friend Gaelle from Loyola and some of her friends at a bar in the Bastille area. It was a cool place, and pints were only €3.80. Unheard of, especially since cokes with dinner the night before were €4.80 each. No free refills in Europe. Which I guess is a good thing because it's hard enough to find a WC (water closet, bathroom).

After drinks Gaelle and her friends were getting sushi. We figured what the hell, we can have a second dinner. We went to one of those places where the sushi comes around on a conveyor belt, and you pay by the plate. It was cool. After that they were all going to see the Dark Night, which we have both seen so we said our goodbyes and headed back to the hostel. Wasn't interested in seeing the joker dubbed in French.

It was late, so we were going to sleep but people kept coming into the room, turning on lights, and making noise so we went to the hostel bar. Chilled out there for a while with some beer, and then went back to the room. Everyone was finally quiet and in bed so we went to sleep.

This morning we got our free breakfast, showered, and are now heading to the Eiffel Tower for a closer look. After that we are going inside the Louvre which is massive. The tour guide yesterday said that if you spend one minute at each exhibit it will take two months or something like that to see it all. We will have to pick and choose what we look at. Good thing I only know of the Mona Lisa. Not sure yet what we are doing after the Louvre.

Sorry if my blogs have been losing excitement but I am TIRED. I feel like I have been gone for a lot longer than two weeks. That's probably due to the fact that I have seen and done more in the last two weeks than the last two years at home. We head back to London early tomorrow morning and fly home Sunday. I am determined to get through the rest of the time in Paris with the €35 in cash I have, and London with the £15 I have left over from when we were there at the beginning of the trip. I think if I go to an ATM one more time my debit card will disintegrate.

Au revoir,
Kevin

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Bonjour!

2008-08-14T02:29:00.002-05:00

Enchante?

The train ride to Paris sucked. It was super hot in the car, and there were no sheets on the tweed beds. Hot and itchy does not make for an enjoyable 14 hour ride. Getting off the train in Paris was a pleasure because it was a nice and cool 61 degrees. We couldn't find the hostle right away. We walked down the wrong side of the street at first but found it eventually.

The hostel itself, St. Christopher's Inn, is very nice. The building is less than a year old so everything is brand new. It is the nicest hostel we have stayed in, but a close second was Wombat's in Munich. We arrived around noon but couldn't check I'm until 2, so we got lunch. Nothing fancy, just some kabob from a local hole in the wall. We ate slow and planned out what we would do the next three days in Paris.

After checking into the hostel, we took showers, and unpacked. Yes, the luggage lockers here are big enough to actually remove things from a backpack an keep them locked up. A definite luxury. After getting all that situated we left for a walking tour of the Montmartre district.

It is a really cool part of Paris. We saw where Vincent Van Gogh lived, and where Picasso used to trade paintings for food because he was so poor. The Moulin Rouge is also located here, as well as many spots where the movie "Amelie" was filmed. I've never seen it, but maybe some of you have. We also saw the artists district where we actually went back to eat. We found a place that had a three course meal for €12. Too bad Coke Light was €4.80 for a small. Sneaky French. A traditional French meal consists of an entrée (appetizer), plat (main course), and desert. What we got was little more than salad, a piece of meat with French fries, and flan. Everything was pretty good though.

We ended up sitting at a table next to two girls who were on the tour with us. They are from California, one of whom is a DJ in San Fransisco. She is a local celebrity there apparently. After dinner we all walked around for a bit and got chocolat crepes. Yum! We made our way back to the Metro (Paris CTA) and went our seperate ways. But not before they got a picture of Mark in his plad shorts. They loved those.

It was pretty late at this point so we got back to the hostel and went to bed. It is the morning now, and we are getting breakfast in a few. Then we are going on a free tour of Paris to see all the main sights. Later tonight we are meeting up with Gaelle (friend from Loyola who lives in Paris) for drinks. Tomorrow will be another big day as we are going to the Eiffel Tower and Louvre.

I'll keep you posted.

Au revoir,
Kevin

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Arrivederci, Roma!

2008-08-12T12:27:00.002-05:00

Today we checked out of the hostel, stored our luggage, got our free breakfast (minus the cappuccino this time, ick), and went to the Pantheon. It was awesome. The tall roof has a big hole it it. Rain falls through to the marble floor and drains through twenty some odd holes. I got a picture with my fingers in one of the holes. Woot. FYI, the Pantheon is free.

After that we went and got a better look at the tomb of the unknown soldier. It is called something else, but I can't remember what. It is a huger monument with a staircase, all made of marble. It also has a free museum (notice a trend yet?). For lunch we had McDonalds. Yes, that means if we have McDonalds in Paris, we have had it in every country we visited. Exciting.

We then got souvenirs and chilled out by some ruins. For dinner I got one last taste of Italy with some ravioli. Chased that with a final gelato cone. It was good of course. After dinner we grabbed our luggage from the hostel and went to catch the train to Paris. We are on our way now. This is the worst train so far. Old, dingy, and hot. We weren't lucky enough to score the bottom bunks in the sardine can this time, or even the second best top bunks. We get the middle bunks! Yay! Should be a great 14 hour ride.

I'm extra excited for Paris because we are meeting up with a friend who studied abroad at Loyola. Yes, they go that way too. I'm looking forward to an insiders guide on things to do.

That's all for now. Going to finish Kite Runner then find the dining car before bed.

Talk to you from Paris!
Kevin

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Vatican City

2008-08-11T17:16:00.002-05:00

First, I would like to start by saying backpacking through Europe is NOT a vacation. A vacation is sitting around on a beach drinking fruity drinks all day. This trip is more hard work than my job at home. Granted, many things are as I basically sit on my ass all day, but this trip is legitimate manual labor. My back and feet hurt, I am sunburned, tired, and dirty. If you were to subtract all of the travel, searching, planning, walking, and broken English out of this trip, I'm convinced all of the sights in Europe can be seen in 24 hours or less. It would still cost an arm an a leg though. Despite all that, it has been a GREAT experience so far and I have no regrets (except whatever I ate in Germany that did you know what to me. Probably was the sauerkraut Maggie).

Anyway, today we got up and had to wait forever to shower. Eight people all waiting for one shower doesn't work. We finally made it out of the hostel and picked up breakfast. Our hostel gave us vouchers for a free croissant and cappuccino at a little cafe up the street. The croissant was good, but I hate coffee so the cappuccino sucked. I drank it to be polite. After breakfast we got on the bus and headed for Vatican City.

What a place. We walked through St. Peter's church and it was incredible. We waited over an hour in line (not as bad as I expected) to see the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. As you walk through the museum there are signs that keep saying "this way to the Sistine Chapel." Yeah, it takes over an hour to finally get there. Of course on the way you see a ton of other exhibits. When you finally arrive at the famous Sistine Chapel, it sadly is just another painted ceiling among the miles (seemingly) of painted ceilings you just walked through.

Ok, I'm being harsh. It was amazing to see the famous image of Adam reaching his finger towards God's finger, but that's the only part I recognized. Ok, I admit it I don't know shi* about art. The bottom line us that it was an amazing site to see, and a can't miss in Rome. BTW, there is a dress code so all you dudes and \m's (sorry, inside joke) need to leave the tank tops and short shorts at the hostel. They will turn you away.

After the Vatican we went back to the Colosseum to actually go inside this time. It was cool. I personally think you get an awesome view from the outside, and am not sure if the line and €11 is worth an inside look. But that is probably just me now that I'm nearing the end of my trip and am almost bankrupt.

After that we went back to the hostel to do laundry and relax before dinner. Should be good on laundry for the rest of the trip. For dinner we went to a small place right by the hostel. The lady who ran it was so nice. The food was cheap and really good. For €10 we each got bread, veggies, a huge plate of pasta, a drink, and desert. We left a big tip and the lady goes "no no, it'sa too mucha." I insisted, and she asked if we liked wine. I was like sure why not thinking she would give us each a glass. No. She comes out with a bottle and gives it to us. "My gift to you," she said. What a sweetheart.

We came back to the hostel and finished the entire bottle of welcome wine the hostel guy gave us, and half of the free bottle from dinner. We just hung out here while drinking the wine. The hostel has free wifi so I had a good long chat with Laurie. Now Mark is passed out and snoring while I finish my blog.

Tomorrow we have to check out the hostel, then visit the Pantheon and drink a "street Peroni" (per Laurie's suggestion). We leave for Paris at 6:00pm tomorrow via a 14 hour train ride. Last long train ride of the trip!

Ciao,
Kevin

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Rome

2008-08-10T16:26:00.010-05:00

The train ride in from Munich was long, but relaxing. I almost finished The Kite Runner before going to sleep (Ivy, I might owe you a new copy after this trip. It is holding up for now but definitely taking a beating). We got into the Rome station a little after 9:00am. Finding the hostel would have been straight forward if its sign was more than basically a post it note on the window. No joke.

The guy running the place is awesome though. He gave us a map and basically helped us plan our three day stay. He also gave us a stack of coupons for local bars and restaurants along with a welcome bottle of wine. We arrived too early to check in so we took a walk to find breakfast. They really don't eat breakfast food in Rome, so I had pizza with a side of chicken nuggets and an orange Fanta. Random but good. After that we took a walk to the Spanish steps which were a great sight. There is an awesome view of the entire city from the top. This city is so old. It's completely different than anything we have seen so far. Obviously Rome is older than many European cities, but it helps that it wasn't all blown the shi* during WWII and then re-built(cough*Munich*cough). By then it was time to check into the hostel. Not a moment too soon because I was DIRTY. I am always dirtiest they day I arrive in a new city because I just spent the last day and half in the same clothes. Needless to say, I am not getting used to it.

I am definitely pleased with the room. It is very clean. We have four beds in our room, but have to share one bathroom and shower with another four bed room. Hopefully that won't be an issue. I have taken two showers today without a problem. I'm still dirty.

After showering and whatnot, we headed out to get on an open-roof bus tour. Got gelatto on the way. SO good. We found a similar deal to London which was one price for 24 hours. We're able to get on and off the bus at any stop, which are pretty much all the major sights. We took the bus around the entire route to get a good overview of the city. We got off near the Colosseum and walked to it. On the way we saw a bunch of ruins which are really cool, among other sights that I couldn't name in a million years. We walked around the Colosseum but didn't go in yet.

Oh, it is HOT here. 90s. No humidity though, but I am still constantly sweating. Sweat lines can clearly be seen from my backback straps when I take it off. It's pretty sexy. We haven't really attepted to figure out the local bus system, so we have been walking everywhere (besides the little time we were on the bus tour). I think today we have walked more than the combined time in any other city.

After the Colosseum we walked back to the hostel because Mark's camera battery died. Took a short nap while that charged. Woke up and showered again. While trying to figure out where to get dinner we corked the bottle of welcome wine and drank straight from it. It was pretty good for a free bottle of wine. Yeah, because I know about wine. We found a cool place to eat around the hostel. Got antipasto, and a three course dinner with salad, lasagna, and baked chicken. Also had two coke lights and a half liter of red wine. Everything was really good. After tasting the wine I realized the stuff we had at the hostel was crap. haha.

We stopped back at some more ruins and the Colosseum for a night view. Eveything in Rome looks awesome at night. After that we walked down to this riverfront deal with a ton of restaurants and bars lining both sides. It was cool be we didn't stay that long. It was getting late and it has been a long first day in Rome. Now we are back at the hostel blogging before bed. Tomorrow is a big day including Vatican City, and actually going inside the Colosseum.

Ok, time for bed. I will post again after we check out the Vatican and Colosseum tomorrow. We might check out the Pantheon as well if there is time, other wise we will do that day three.

Ciao,
Kevin

p.s. A shoutout to Maggie and KG for all the blog comments. Thank you!

Dachau

2008-08-10T01:10:00.002-05:00

Got up early this morning to shower and eat breakfast. We ate at the hostel, which wasn't free but halfway decent. After breakfast we had to pack up and check out of the hostel. We were able to store our luggage for free which was cool. Then we headed to the train station to depart for a tour of the Dachau concentration camp. Dachau is actually the town the camp is in, which was about 45 minutes of travel between the train and short bus ride.

Dachau was the first concentration camp built under Hitler. It was constructed in 1933, and designed to hold 6,000 prisoners. At the peak of its twelve year operation, Dachau held 76,000 prisoners. Overcrowd much? When most people (including me) think of concentration camps, they think of gas chambers, torture, and death. It wasn't until the final three years of operation when concentration camps like Dachau became places of mass death, rampant disease, and chaos. Initially, the intention of concentration camps was to portray an image of order, cleanliness, and discipline. Ok, enough with the history lesson. I remembered a lot from the tour..

It was an incredible place. I felt the blood rush from my face when walking through the gas chamber and incinerator room. The gas chamber itself had fake shower heads in the ceiling to fool entrants into thinking they were simply about to be disinfected rather than gassed to death. I asked how they chose who was gassed. The tour guide said usually the sick or too injured to work were gassed. In Auschwitz (concentration camp in Poland) however, anyone under 16 or over 45 was gassed immediately. I don't even know what to say about that.

All of the original barracks had been destroyed, but memorial foundations were put in their place. I really can't say enough to illustrate the experience. I would definitely recommend visiting Dachau if you are ever in Munich.

After the tour, we came back to walk around Munich some more. We just ate at the Augustiner Brewery, which brews the most famous beer in Bavaria. The train for Rome leaves in a few hours. We are going to have some more beer here before walking back to the hostel to pick up our luggage. Then it's off to the train station to catch our train to Rome. I'm really excited from all the hype I have heard from someone who went a few months ago (I have high expectations Laurie!).

The train ride is twelve hours so I should get lots of sleep. Looking forward to that.

Talk to you from Roma!

One final Auf Widersehen! (fyi, I spelled that from memory this time. yesssss!)

Kevin

p.s. My shins are killing me from the hike up the mountain yesterday to see the Neuschwanstein Castle!!

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Day Trip To Fussen

2008-08-08T12:15:00.002-05:00

We woke up late and missed the hostel breakfast so we got pastry instead. Fine by me. One thing I forgot to mention before is how nice the Munich hostel is. It is called Wombats, and is the nicest we have stayed in so far. Very clean, and a private bathroom in the room. There are six beds in our room but there is plenty if room to move around. Random note: my towel was STINKY when I went to shower this morning. Moldy for sure. I washed it in the bathroom sink. Who knows why I didn't wash it in Amsterdam when I did laundry.

So we decided to go see the Neuschwanstein castle which required a two hour train ride to Fussen. Once we got to Fussen we had to take a bus to a smaller village where the castle was. This village was awesome. It was at the foot of mountains (Alps?) The castle itself was built right into the side of a mountain. It was a pretty long walk uphill to get to the castle, but not too bad. Gave me the chance to burn off the two pastries I had for breakfast. Oh, and the snickers bar I got right before getting tickets for the castle.

The castle was really cool looking, and the tour of the inside was interesting. Honestly, I was a little underwhelmed with the history behind the castle though. It was built for a Bavarian king who died when it was only a third complete. The castle was never even used to house royalty. From what I gather, it was never used for much other than a tourist attraction. Whatever. It was worth the trip out here.

We are waiting for the train back to Munich now. Tonight will be more German food and huge beers at another beer hall. Not sure which one yet. Hofbrauhaus was awesome, but we want to try somewhere new.

The plan for tomorrow as of now is to visit the Dachau concentration camp. It will be another day trip, but a shorter one. After that we are going to walk around Munich some more. We leave for Rome tomorrow night.

I'll write again after the Dachau experience. From what I hear it is unforgettable.

Auf Widersehen,
Kevin

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I Love Munich

2008-08-07T17:05:00.002-05:00

First things first. I don't know if it is European food in general, or if it is all of the beer and Bavarian sausage I had today, but my stomach is NOT happy. I'll spare you the details.

Ok, now for the non-disgusting stuff. Munich is awesome. Definitely my fav so far. We went on the bike tour and it was great despite the fact I was still in the stuff I wore most of the day prior and slept in that night. The American tour guide turned out to be an awesome guy with a lot if knowledge about Munich.

We saw a lot of the major sites including a nudist park and the English garden. Sorry, but I can't remember the names of most of the sites. German is a funky language. We also went to the second largest beer garden in the world that 9,000 people. We had a beer chugging contest and my team lost. I hold Mark solely responsible. I also at some German sausage and chips. So good.

Ugh, there are just so many great things about this city. I definitely can't do justice in a blog. Sorry for that. Side note: it was HOT today. I felt sweat dripping all over me. That on top of no shower in over a day. GROSS. My poor tour mates. It was ok though. If they looked at me funny I planned on just pointing at Mark.

After the bike tour we had to go back to the hostel to finally check in and shower. We were about to head to Hofbrauhaus (huge, world famous beer hall) when a guy who worked at the hostel asked me to help him bring DJ equipment up from the basement? I'm Ron Burgundy? I complied. He was cool and promised me a free drink at the hostel bar later during the Cuba party. Random. Anyway, we ended up going to the beer hall with two girls who we met on the bike tour. It turned out they are staying at our same hostel.

Apparently they have been traveling since June around Europe, and didn't plan on going to Munich. There was some issue with of the girls' Colombian passport so they ended up here for a night. They are cool. So we went to Hofbrauhaus to drink huuuge beers and eat. I ate more sausage, but with sauerkraut this time. So good, but my poor stomach! After that we headed back to the hostel bar to join the fun of the Cuba Party.

The hostel guy kept his word on the free drink for helping him with the DJ equipment. They had jagermeister on tap!! Mark suggested we do a jagerbomb but I said they probably don't have red bull. Mark points behind the bar and behold, basically a pallet of red bull (no joke, there was a stack of like 500 cans). Niiiiice. It was fun, but didn't stay to long because I'm super tired. I must have drank a gallon of beer today. When in Rome... er, when in Munich. Rome is Sunday!

So now I'm blogging before bed. My mom emailed me today saying she is addicted to my blogs, but I don't update enough. So sorry to all of you who feel that way! I happen to think my blogs are quite timely AND informative. So there.

Tomorrow will be a long day I'm sure. We plan to take a bus ride to Neuschwanstein Castle and the Dachau concentration camp memorial site. If it is nice out, I also want to get back to the English Garden for more beer garden fun.

Talk to you again soon.

Auf widersehen,
Kevin

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Guten Tag

2008-08-07T02:46:00.002-05:00

Made it to Munich. The train ride wasn't too bad. We shared a six bed coach with two Asian girls who didn't speak English, and some random guy who was traveling alone. Talk about close quarters. It was basically two sets of three beds stacked on each other with little room in between. Luckily we had the bottom two bunks. I planned on going to bed right away but I started reading The Kite Runner and couldn't stop. I got about eighty pages in and decided it was time to sleep. The stupid light kept going off anyway. It seemed like they were cutting power at every stop.

It was kind of hard to sleep because there was this constant and incredibly loud screeching noise. The train arrived in Munich on time at about 7:15am. We found the hostel easily, but found out check in isn't until 2:00pm. Wonderful. I am very dirty, and pretty much in pajamas because I am wearing the clothes I did laundry in yesterday. I wanted to shower!!! The hostel let us store our luggage, gave us a map, and pretty much said get out until 2pm. So we found a place for breakfast and started studying the map. I wanted Weisswurst (traditional Bavarian breakfast) but ended up with a strussel pastry thing. I'll find Weisswurst tomorrow morning.

We ran into this American who runs a free bike tour. An American running a tour of Munich? You get what you pay for... It goes from 11-3:30 which works out because we can check into the hostel after. The tour meets in the Marienpiatz (main square) by the glockenspiel (big huge cuckoo clock, maybe the biggest in the world?). The clock goes of next pretty soon. It's supposed to be pretty crazy.

So for now we are chilling out here until the bike tour, then checking into the hostel. Tonight we are getting traditional Bavarian food for dinner and the going to Hofbrauhaus. It is supposed to be the most famous beer hall in the world. Can't wait!

Auf Widersehen! (I've been saying that the whole trip and now I'm finally in the right country!)

Kevin

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Leaving Amsterdam Tonight

2008-08-06T05:55:00.003-05:00

Didn't do much last night. Walked around the red light district a little more then went to bed.

Got up early this morning, showered, packed up, and checked out of the hostel. We were able to leave our luggage there in a storage room while we got breakfast and shopped for souvenirs. After that we got our luggage from the hostel, and dropped off our dirty clothes at a laundromat. While that is washing we are chilling out in an internet cafe for a bit. I am worn out from the last few days in this crazy city.

Pretty soon will be time for lunch, and then back to the laundromat to pick up our clothes. Our train for Munich doesn't leave until 8:32pm tonight so I don't know what we are going to do until then. I'm tired and don't really want to spend any more money here. I still have three cities to go! It's over a ten hour train ride to Munich so hopefully I can get a lot of rest. We opted for beds on the train so that should be a big help.

Talk to you next time,
Kevin

Amsterdam Cont.

2008-08-05T15:00:00.003-05:00

I have eaten waaaaay too much Dutch bakery. Sorry, that was random.

Last night we went to the red light district. I don't even know what to say about it in a blog with such a wide audience that includes my mother and my boss, so I am opting to discuss it with you individually on a case by case basis. Sorry! To ease the curiosity, I did window look (there are so many it is impossible not to. Not that I was trying not to), but did not buy.

This morning we had free breakfast at the hostel which was little more than cereal. We set out for the day without much of a plan. We originally wanted to tour the Heineken plant, but it isn't open for tours due to renovations. Lame. We eventually ended up at the Van Gogh museum after a nice ride on the Tram (Amsterdam's public transit street car thing) . It was incredible. They had over two hundred original Van Gogh paintings. Other works included Monet and Manet. I personally think Monet is better... Yeah, because I know art.

Honestly, in some of the paintings I felt like the artist put more there than the picture itself. Hard to explain. My favorite was Van Gogh's White Orchard. Google it. There was an awesome video that showed xray images of a famous Van Gogh painting. These xrays uncovered three separate images underneath the painting itself. Apparently these other images were painted over due to the high cost of canvass. How cool is that? Imagine how many original works by famous artists there are that they themselves have painted over. If only they had known their art would one day be worth millions...

After the Van Gogh museum we wondered around the museum square. There was a cool park with awesome surrounding buildings. Took a lot of pictures. We are so cool. We got back on the tram and headed back toward the hostel. We stopped at a Dutch bakery where I got this waffle thing that was sooo good. I also got a donut. I might be getting fat.

Then was time for a nap. Could not sleep though so I got on the Internet for a while in the hostel. I then realized my blog entry from yesterday got cut off halfway through (as you might have read about in my previous entry). I promptly fixed that so none of you thought I got murdered mid-blog. Got dinner after that at McDonalds. Whatever. Food is expensive here. And yeah, they charged for ketchup too.

Then it was back to the hostel bar for a few beers. Now we are sitting at another pub outside with Amstels. Not sure what else we will do tonight. It has been an action packed last few days. Tomorrow we leave for Munich. The train doesn't leave until 8:00pm, so we might look for souvenirs, do laundry, and wonder around more before then.

That's all I got for now. Talk to you again soon!

Kevin

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Amsterdam

2008-08-04T15:10:00.008-05:00

I have to say that I am really liking Amsterdam. It feels even more foreign than London. When we got to the Amsterdam train station we waited in a super long line to validate our rail passes. The funny thing is that they would have expired if we didn't validate them by 8/6, which happens to be the day we leave for Munich. Apparently you must validate rail passes within six months of their purchase. It is a complete coincidence that we bought them 6 months to the day prior to when we would first use them. Even I am not that organized. Ok, maybe I am. Just not on purpose this time.

We validated them when arriving in Amsterdam instead of when we leave for Munich on 8/6 to get it out of the way. The passes are good for only 15 days after validation, but we will be home by then. Side note: we haven't had to validate our rail passes until now because they aren't valid in the UK. Am I getting too detailed? Too bad. You know me...

We found our way to the hostel pretty easily. Amsterdam streets are crazy. Narrow, and lined with never ending pubs, shops, restaurants, Dutch bakeries, etc. Ohhhhh I forgot to mention "coffee shops" every twenty feet. You can smell the "coffee" in the street. There are also plenty of "smartshops" which sell "magic mushrooms." They must be realllllly nutritious or something... Maybe I'll try some. How different from American mushrooms can they be??

The hostel itself is far better than the one in London. Much nicer, cleaner, and friendlier. It also has free breakfast and Internet. We are staying in a fourteen bunk room. We will see how that goes. After checking in and dropping our stuff in the room we headed out to explore.

Amsterdam is an incredible city. The narrow streets have even narrower alleys that have just as many bars and coffee shops. We wondered around for a while and eventually found the house where Anne Frank and her family hid during WWII. Google Anne Frank if you don't know who she is. Also, please let me know so that I can ridicule you. Even I know who she is and I got through college without one history course. The line was super long so we decided to get lunch before waiting in it.

We found this place that claimed to have the best sandwiches in Amsterdam. I had one with roast beef, pork, rolled veal? lettuce, and pepper sauce. It was really good. To drink I had a Coke Light. Yeah, their version of Diet Coke is Coke Light. The taste is pretty similar, but I'm convinced it isn't as carbonated.

After eating we made our way back to the line for Anne Frank's house. We waited over two hours, but it was well worth it. Seeing the house and the secret annex where Anne Frank and her family hid was a memorable experience. Being half Jewish, I think I appreciated it 50% more than people who are 0% Jewish. Walking through the house, reading the diary entries, and watching video clips telling the story ALMOST got me misty eyed. I know you can't tell how serious I am right now and I apologize. It sincerely was a great experience that I will never forget.

After we left Anne Frank's house, we walked back to the hostel to take a quick nap before dinner. We got up and started walking around the streets again to find a place to eat. We found this Argentinean restaurant that was advertising all you can eat spareribs. That's what we got and definitely had all we can eat. It was very tasty, but they charged extra for everything! No free refills on Coke Light which I can understand (kind of), but to charge for ketchup? I mean come on, you're serving chips, at least give me some ketchup. And the way they ask if you want it like it's included. In reality they are making a sales pitch. More to drink? Ketchup? Sneaky sneaky. Ok, done ranting.

After dinner we came back to the hostel to change into jeans since it is getting colder. We also wanted to drop off our day backpacks (omg that sounds SO lame out loud) before going out tonight. At least I'm not wearing the money belt yet. Good call Ivy.

We had a few beers at the hostel bar and then headed out to find a cool place to drink outside and write a blog. We found a place with outside seating and got some Amstels, which I am drinking right now as I write this blog. The owner is awesome. He saw me with my iPhone and was like "are you writing your friends back home saying 'ahhhh I'm in Amsterdam!!'" I was like, yeah pretty much. haha. It was at this point the iPhone application I was using to write my blog crashed and erased half of the entry. (it is actually 6:00pm the next day right now and I'm recreating the half of the blog that got erased. SO much has happened since then, but I'll create another entry later to discuss. Until then, please bear with me as I try to finish this blog in the present tense even though it happened yesterday)

After we leave this bar we are heading to the Red Light District. Duh. I'm sure this will be a very interesting night...

Goedemorgen!

2008-08-04T02:30:00.002-05:00

Caught the train from Liverpool St. In London to Harwich Int'l port where we got on the ferry to the Hook of Holland. Oh, random note. The train station charged £0.30 to use the bathroom. Psh. Ok, so the ferry was NOT what I expected. it was more like a Carnival cruise ship. It was huuuuge and very nice. I love the Dutch already. It had nine decks with two restaurants, two bars, a casino, duty free shop, etc.

I was even more Surprised by our "berth" aka cabin. All I expected was two beds. Not only did we get that, but a private bathroom with a shower as well! This was a big deal. I wasn't anticipating a shower until Amsterdam, so I was more than thrilled. The ferry was set to depart about an hour after we boarded for a seven hour ride to Holland. We basically threw our stuff down and went to the bar for a Heineken. Luckily they accepted pounds as we didn't get Euros yet.

The crowd at the bar was more "Grumpy Old Men" than "American Pie" so we finished our beer and went to bed. We had to get up at 6am in order to have enough time to shower, pack, and pay €10 for breakfast. Rip! It was halfway decent though. I felt the boat moving while I was trying to shower. Weird.

So the boat arrived, we got off, and found a train. Apparently there is no direct train to Amsterdam so we had to board a train to Rotterdam to connect. We arrived at Rotterdam station in less than an hour, and somehow made our way to the Amsterdam Central platform. Like IDIOTS, we got on the first train that pulled up. I forgot this isn't the Morse redline stop. Oops. But yeah, we asked and found out the train was going nowhere near Amsterdam. Luckily we got off before it left. The next train that pulled up was actually going to Amsterdam, and we're on it now. Should be there within an hour.

London was easy compared to Holland because English was the main language. Now everyone is speaking freaky deeky Dutch. It's a pretty country though. I hope we can find our hostel more easily than out London experience. We are staying at the "flying pig.". This should be interesting...

That's all for now. I'll post again when there is more to report.

Tot ziens,
Kevin

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More From London

2008-08-03T11:11:00.002-05:00

I know I said the next time I posted would be from Amsterdam, but I lied. Deal with it. :-)

The walking tour was cool. We got to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham palace which was neat. Took lots of pictures. To save some pounds we ate lunch at McDonalds, but even that was over $10. They had some interesting things on the menu that they don't have back home. I got an oriental BBQ cheeseburger. It was, um, interesting...

After lunch we got on the bus tour and rode to Westminster Abbey. We planned to get off and take a tour but it isn't open to the public on Sundays. Crap. So instead we stayed on the bus and went to the Tower of London which was cool. We're going to hit Westminster Abbey when we come back through London after Paris.

Even though we checked out of the hostel this morning we were able to store our luggage there for a small, large fee of course. We picked up our bags and took the Tube to Liverpool St, which is where we are now. On a side note, London's Tube system puts the CTA to SHAME in every way. It's timely, clean, basically everything the CTA isn't. Certainly isn't cheap though. We are taking a train from here to Harwich, where we will catch a ferry to Holland. Then another train to Amsterdam.

The train doesn't leave for a few hours so we are sitting in the Woodin's Shades Pub drinking warm pints. Yeah, for some reason they serve beer warm in London. The beer is really tasty though, so it isn't that bad. Quite good actually. A Miller Lite this warm would be a different story. We will probably sit here and drink until it is time to board the train. I'm sure we'll eat dinner here too. They have a Sunday roast special that looks good, but I'm still hung up on getting sausage and mash. Like it matters. At this point I'm convinced either choice will be bland. Maybe I'll go to the KFC up the street for some flavor...

On another note, I am DIRTY. Me = sweaty and gross. I'm sure I smell wonderful. Surprisingly I don't care that much, but I'm definitely showering first thing in Amsterdam.

Ok, that's all for now. Back to my warm pint and contemplating what inevitably bland dish to get for dinner. I won't say the next post will be from Amsterdam again because I think I said that three posts ago. The next post will be when I post again. boo-ya.

Miss you all (well, some of you ;-)
Kevin

p.s. I would like to give a special shout out to Valeri for an e-mail of must see sights in London, Laurie for an e-mail of her ever awesome updates, and Ivy for texting to make sure I landed safely. Where are you MOM?? ;-)

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Baked Beans for Breakfast?

2008-08-03T02:58:00.001-05:00

Not a whole lot to report since my last post, but today will be a busy one so I wanted to get an update in while I had time.

I wanted "sausage and mash" for dinner last night, so we strolled around looking for a place. I asked the guy at the hostel front desk for some recommendations but he had "no idea." Sorry, but that's insane. You might not live here, but you at least work in London, yet can't recommend a place to eat? Wow.

We found a decent looking pub right by our hostel (where were you yesterday!) so we stopped in. One thing I realized is that pubs here are TINY compared to Chicago. Although that is probably true when comparing most European things to the American equivalent. Anyway, their gas was out at this pub so we just had a pint of local beer and moved on.

We decided to get on the tube and go back to Covent Garden which was even more busy at night than during the day. Street performers everywhere. Apparently the cool thing to do in London is sit along the sidewalks with your friends. There were people everywhere. We ended up stopping in the Scotch Steakhouse for dinner. Decent prices but the food was BLAND. Now that I think about it, all of the food has been bland so far.

After dinner I saw this donut shop and they looked good so I got a few. Bland. Dunkin Donuts is way better. After that we went back to the hostel to hang out and get ready for bed since we were both super tired.

We were lucky enough to be greeted by four Swiss dudes playing cards in our room when we got back. I was thinking, cool other travelers to talk to. No. They didn't seem interested in talking. As a matter of fact, most people we have come across here keep to themselves. I was hoping for a more friendly atmosphere in London.

Slept ok. People were coming and going until like 3:30am so that made it hard to sleep, but I feel pretty rested today. Got up super early to avoid shower lines. Ohhh the showers... GROSS. Smelly and tiny. I won't go into details, but it wasn't pretty. SO glad I remembered to bring shower shoes. After getting dressed we got breakfast in the hostel. It consisted of an egg, sausage, bacon, mushrooms?, a tomato?, and baked beans? Oh, and it was bland.

That brings us to now with me writing this blog. It is about 8:45am here. We have to be checked out by 10, and the walking tour to Buckingham Palace starts at 10:30. After that we are catching our bus tour to check out Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. Our train to the Holland ferry leaves at 8pm tonight. To get to Amsterdam we take the train, a ferry, and another train. Should be interesting. We have a private "berth" on the ferry so hopefully we get a lot of sleep. I have a feeling we will need it for Amsterdam.

Sorry for rambling. I know I turned a minor update into a mini novel, but I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to post again.

Talk to you from Amsterdam,

Kevin

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Made it to London

2008-08-02T13:02:00.007-05:00

The flight wasn't too aweful. I did end up eating some chicken curry, yum. It was basically impossible to get confortable enough to sleep for an extended period of time and I am paying for it today.

Today we arrived at the airport, got our bags, and took the Tube to central London (picadilly circus stop). Yes, I am over simplifying. We stood around like stupid American tourists for about 30 minutes before we could find the hostel. It took me a while to even realize where street signs were posted. The hostel...um...leaves much to be desired. We are sharing a room with 4 other people who's stuff was all over the room. It will do the job though. After we got situated, we went out to find some lunch at a pub. This was NOT an easy task.

The first place we stumbled into wasn't even an English pub, it was Dutch. wtf. We'll be in Amsterdam in a few days so we left to find something else. We couldn't. We ended up in china town and then some area that was like a million jewlery stores. We looked in the guiedbook for a pub, but the only one that sounds good required a Tube ride. We took the challenge, but yeah, couldn't find the place. We headed back toward our hostel's neighborhood and decided to get off at a random stop on the way back, Covent Garden. It was a good choice because there were pubs all over the place. We went into the White Lion, got a pint of local brew and some fish and chips. Yum.

After that we hopped on a bus tour that took us all over the place. The tickets are good for 24 hours so tomorrow we are going to stop at Westminster Abby and the Tower of London. We are doing a walking tour in the morning that includes watching the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. I'm actually really excited about it.

I'm blown away by this city. So much history and culture. One downside is that there are people EVERYWHERE. Oh, and people aren't kidding when they say London is expensive. A one day Tube pass is £7 ($14) One beer and fish and chips was about £10 ($20), and the bus tour was £22 ($44)!!! And we haven't had dinner yet. We are going to find something English for dinner. Hopefully it won't be too hard with all of the Indian and Asian restaurants around here, not kidding... We are probably heading to bed somewhat early since we're both wiped. We also have to be checked out by 10am, and the walking tour starts at 10:30. We're leaving for Amsterdam tomorrow night after another big day in London.

I'll try and post again before I head to Amsterdam, but if not I'll talk to you from The Netherlands!!!

Kevin

At The Airport

2008-08-01T19:40:00.003-05:00

All checked in, waiting to depart on Air India. Don't ask... Bottom line is it was the cheapest flight. But yeah, the plane just arrived and it is freaking ginormous. I'm slightly afraid. Hopefully a combination of ear plugs and Tylenol pm will keep me sleeping soundly. I have dibs on the window seat. There won't be much to see on a night flight, but it's more to prevent Mark from climbing over me every single one of the 1,000,000 times he is bound to use the bathroom during this flight.

Not much else to report at this point other than I had a #3 large from the airport McDonalds before the flight. Maybe that will help me resist the temptations of Air India's curry surprise.

Talk to you from the other side,
Kevin

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The Route

2008-07-30T21:03:00.001-05:00

Departing for London on Aug 1
London: Aug 2 - 3
Amsterdam: Aug 4 - 6
Munich: Aug 7 - 9
Rome: Aug 10 - 12
Paris: Aug 13 - 16
Back to London: Aug 16 - 17
Retuning to Chicago on Aug 17