Update Three: Venice, Florence, Rome

After leaving Salzburg, Kelly and I experienced quite a few drastic changes as we headed into Italy. First, it is incredibly hot here, which is a nice change from the chilly, overcast, constant-threat-of-rain weather we had before. We realized we were in trouble, though, the second we stepped off the train in Venice and started sweating. We took a bus where the driver went a million miles an hour around the turns, and arrived at the campground we had booked outside the city. Our room was one half of a small tin cabin-- quite the contrast from our 3-star hotel, but for 15 Euro per night each, the place was pretty nice. There had a bar, a restaurant, a pizzeria, and convenience store, but it was very buggy and basically for partiers. Very conveniently, there was a boat that left right from the camp over to Venice, so we did that on all three days. The first afternoon we rested a bit after our long train ride, and took an evening boat into Venice. We strolled around a bit to get our bearings, and stopped for dinner in a small restaurant. We were seated next to an Australian couple, who made small talk with us for a minute, but then we ended up talking throughout dinner. We found out that Ray and Helena had a 25-year old daughter who just got married and is living in Dubai for a few years. They gave us a million travel tips, advised us on our careers (that was interesting!), and bought us each an Italian drink (a Limoncello and a Monte Negro). When we went to pay our bill, they stole it off our table and paid it for us! We were a bit stunned and didn't quite know how to thank them, but I think all of us were happy to just have some normal conversation in English. People our own age have been annoying us quite a bit over the trip.


Case in point: when we returned to the camp, we met the two Australian guys who were staying in the other half of our cabin. They were very friendly, but also turned out to be very loud and generally inconsiderate. We didn't sleep much at all, because it was always either them banging around, or a family having dinner until midnight, or another family having a boisterous early breakfast... but aside from the housing, Venice was amazing. It is completely jammed with tourists, but it is just too beautiful. The first full day, we started at Basilica San Marco, which is absolutely breathtaking. There are mosaics over the entire ceiling and walls, surrounded by millions of tiny gold tiles that glimmer in the light. I can't even really describe it, it was overwhelming. We went up to the gallery to see the ceilings up close, and they had nice exhibits on the construction and artwork of the church. Then we had delicious pizza for lunch, and hopped on a boat to the other islands. First was Murano, famous for its glass. We got to see a glass blowing demonstration, where the guy made a horse in lightning speed, and a bunch of round ornaments while smoking a cigarette. Then we saw Burano, which is famous for lace-making, but also has brightly colored houses with everyone's laundry blowing in the wind. We gawked in all the shop windows before heading back to camp for dinner and a drink.


Our third day in Venice was more leisurely, though we did go to the top of the bell tower by the Basilica (after waiting in line in the beating-hot sun), and we went to the Accademia Museum, filled with works from many famous Venetian artists. Otherwise we just shopped for souvenirs, stared at all the beautiful masks for Carnavale and theatre, and then did some laundry back at the camp. The next morning we took the train to Florence, and met Giuseppe, our very friendly Brazilian hotel-manager-guy. We then realized that on Sunday and Monday, our only two days here, almost everything is closed. So we made sure to get to the Accademia here, where Michelangelo's "David" lives. The sculpture really was impressive, and huge! After we went to the San Marco Museum, which had rooms where monks used to live and lots of paintings of the crucifixion. Monday we saw the Duomo, which has a multi-colored marbled exterior that was very pretty, and walked around. We went through the Piazza della Republica and della Signoria, and the 13th century bridge, the "Ponte Vecchio". The bridge itself is unimpressive, except for its age, but it has a bunch of jewelry shops that hang off of it over the river. The heat had really gotten to us, though, so we decided to rest for the afternoon and get ready for Rome!


Once we got settled that first day, we walked through many of Rome's picturesque "piazzas". We basically made the biggest walking loop ever, starting from our hostel to the nearby Piazza della Republica, then through Piazza della Barberini to Pazza di Spagna with its famous "Spanish Steps", and further north to Piazza del Popolo. Most of the plazas have beautiful white buildings with elaborate sculptures, and there is always a fountain. We finally stopped to rest by some ancient mausoleum, where it felt less scandalous to soak our feet in the fountain. We then resumed our walk all the way down Via del Corso, where we slowly walked past its upscale shops (to get a brief blast of their air-conditioning!), past the impressive Piazza Venezia, and back to the hostel. I can't even begin to describe how exhausted we were by the time we were done that night. And the next day we were doing all the Roman ruins!


We started bright and early at the Colosseum, which is as impressive as you would imagine. On the ground level, you can walk part-way around to see up-close the "backstage" of the stadium. You can see the ruins of all these walls which were underneath the stage, where they would keep the wild animals before bringing them up to the stage in elevators. Then upstairs, you can walk all the way around, with exhibits on the construction and use of the Colosseum, as well as ancient Roman customs. Next we headed to Palatine Hill across the street, which houses many other ancient ruins, such as the House of Augustus and the Roman Forum. (I kept waiting for something funny to happen en route so I could make a stupid comment later, but no such luck). It was just amazing to actually see these things we'd learned so much about. Ancient history was always at the beginning of the year, so while we always ran out of time to study WWII, I actually know my stuff on Rome. After all the walking in the sun, though, we needed another fountain. We headed back to Piazza Venezia and found many people with the same idea. After cooling off, we had lunch at an Irish pub, before going back to hostel where I fell asleep for TWO HOURS. When I finally came to, we ventured back out to the Pantheon and the Fountain of Trevi which, like most of Rome, are incredibly stunning.


The next day, we went to Vatican City! We started at the Vatican Museums, where we immediately followed signs to the Sistine Chapel. An hour later, we finally got to it, after snaking on forever through elaborate corridors filled with various collections. The modern religious art was actually really interesting, seeing as how I never thought the Church would allow some of the styles. So we're finally standing in the Sistine Chapel, with Michelangelo's gorgeous work on the ceiling. And I'm too distracted thinking about how mis-educated I am to have always thought it was a dome! It was just a flat ceiling! (I can't tell you how many times on this trip I have seriously questioned the quality of my history education. Although no real surprise there...) We then went to buy stamps (we've been collecting one from each country!) and the staff there were the rudest we've encountered anywhere! I couldn't believe it. But anyways, we made our way back through more corridors, including the surprising collection of Egyptian artifacts, before getting in line for St. Peter's. The dress-code is incredibly strict! You always have to cover knees, shoulders, and upper arms, but at some churches they have thin fabric available if you need to cover up. Here they just turned people away-- one lady had newspaper very sloppily tucked into her clothing, and was outraged when they wouldn't let her in. The basilica itself was again very beautifully decorated (though I found San Marco in Venice the most beautiful thus far), and is apparently where everyone rubs St. Peter's foot, so that it now looks deformed. Afterwards I got my first bruschetta in Italy, and then we walked to the busy Piazza Navona, and back to the fountain from the first day to cool off again. Rome is hot and exhausting! Our hostel there actually had air conditioning, though, which was a godsend. So we stayed in and cooked that evening and took care of ourselves by reading, filing nails, writing up emails, watching House, etc. And now we are off to the Italian and French Riviera, starting in the villages of Cinque Terre. Will write more soon!

Update Two: Freiburg, Luzern, Munich, Salzburg

Kelly and I are now already in the fourth city since I last updated, so prepare yourselves for a long update! A recurring theme of the trip is getting frustrated over finding the internet. We either can't find a place with wifi, or my computer will refuse to connect to it. We end up in some sketchy internet café where we have to pay, and so we try to make it quick. It's tough because when you finally find everything you need, you are on to the next city and have to figure it out all over again! This also means we have been booking our accommodation very last minute, which is a bit stressful (and probably more expensive).

In Freiburg last Monday, we actually just showed up that afternoon without any reservations, but ended up at a very inexpensive, very hippy youth hostel. We got a private room that was quite large, and we stayed in and cooked spaghetti that first night. We did walk around the neighborhood, and got some ice cream down the street. The next morning we got up early and went to the open-air market they have in Munsterplatz, the main square with its impressive church in the center. We bought some things for a picnic lunch and hopped a train to Titisee, a small lakeside town about a half-hour away. We wandered through the tiny center and then onto a wooded trail until we found a decent park bench. While we were eating our lunch, we heard rain which was apparently pouring down around us, but we were thankfully under a big tree. We managed to time it right to get back the train station without getting too wet. After we were back in Freiburg, we explored the city and had a cheap Italian dinner with far too much garlic. We ended the night at a small café with a delicious slice of Black Forest cake-- it has chocolate and cherries and some kind of alcohol in the mix. Because there are so many regional dishes I can't eat (meat!), I have been trying all the desserts. It works out quite well. [As a side note, I did have duck in Paris, which Kelly then reported everyone she knows.]

At 10 am Wednesday we were on the train again to Luzern, Switzerland. When we were getting off, the Swiss people who had been next to us asked where we were from. They said that from our accents, they knew we were either east coast, or from New Zealand. (I think I said "card" pretty terribly. My accent has been getting inexplicably stronger.) The hostel was pretty amazing-- we had a private room with a balcony, although it was very damp and drizzly the whole time. But the whole downstairs was very clean and cute. We had to run some some errands, and Brady called from Arizona to say hello and see where in the world we were. We ate dinner at a little pub-restaurant where a woman was very adamant about cleaning every shutter outside. My meal was basically a piece of thick bread with cheese melted over it in the oven, and then an over-easy egg on top. Very delicious and fairly cheap, but then we killed our budget on a movie that cost 16 francs! That's like $15.89 USD. It was an Irish film, "Once", that was really good, with amazing music that won an Oscar or something, but it was rather depressing. It made me want to drink heavily (I restrained myself though). The next day we had an easy morning before walking around the amazingly charming old downtown area. We looked in some of the cute shops, and then walked along the remains of the old city wall, and climbed one of the towers. We went to the bank quite a few times, trying to get rid of all our Swiss francs. We cooked dinner at the hostel (and drank Californian White Zinfandel that seemed so sweet after all the French wine I've sampled) and went to bed.

Friday we left at 7:20 am on a 5-hour train to Munich. After check-in at our very budget hotel, we had lunch at an organic market down the street, and did our laundry nearby. Dinner was at a place "Literaturhaus" which was described in our guidebook as inexpensive gourmet. Apparently, that means French food! Kelly got quiche Lorraine, and I had a goat cheese tartinette with a flaky crust and salad on top, but the atmosphere was just really nice. We then strolled around Marienplatz, one of the main squares with a huge church (what else) and called it a night. Saturday morning we went to the Munchener Stadtmuseum, which had exhibits on Munich's history with lots of visuals. We fought our way down Kaufingerstrasse, which was filled with people in traditional costumes, to meet Sabine (Brady's German girlfriend from Nancy). She filled us in that it was Munich's 850^th anniversary and the first weekend of celebrations. She took us around a few of the main areas and gardens, and to get lunch at a salad bar where Kelly and I both had Lowenbrau beer! We met her mother and grandparents for dessert at a café on the top floor of the oldest department store in Munich. Her family was very sweet, though communication was difficult, and I had a very good German cheesecake, with the promise that Bine would try the New York style when she comes to visit in August. We parted ways there, and Kelly and I went on an unsuccessful mission to find free internet downtown, but the hotel woman's son actually lent us his laptop for an hour so we could book our hotel for Salzburg. We then fell asleep watching Jon Stewart on CNN.

Sunday morning we went on a guided tour to Dachau, the site of a former concentration camp. We had an Irish tour guide named Patrick who was very good, but he almost made the whole group of 45 people miss the bus back. We learned a lot about the psychological torture of life there, such as giving the prisoners pockets and shelves, to highlight the fact that they had no possessions to fill them with, and pitting different groups of prisoners against each other. I can't say it was "fun" but it was really interesting and moving. When we got back to Munich, we called home from an internet café, making my mother think something bad happened, so apparently I need to call more often! We had dinner at a typical German restaurant Bine had recommended, where the waiter was really awesome. He kept smiling at us as if we were doing something really funny, but he was very friendly anyway. We went to bed and woke up early to head out to Olympia Park, where we went up a tower for a nice, misty view. But it is also right near the BMW factory and museum, so we wandered around their floor, gawking at the cars and exhibits. We then checked out and ate lunch at the train station, and grabbed our train to Salzburg.

That first evening we tried to walk around the main squares, but that's when we remembered that the European cup for soccer is being held in Switzerland and Austria. We've been seeing lots of fans who are very loud and dressed like maniacs, and that night it was impossible to get through the crowds. It does make it very exciting, though sometimes the car horns are still going at 1 am. We walked on the other side of the river instead, and crossed back to eat dinner at a traditional looking place. Though I ended up with "green pasta" in a Gorgonzola sauce, Kelly had "cheese dumplings" which were some unidentifiable little bits smothered in cheese. It was raining again, so we took the bus straight back to the hotel.

Tuesday was rough because we decided to get a pass that made practically everything free, but we only had 24 hours to do it. We started by taking the funicular to the fortress on top of a huge hill, and explored the site for a few hours-- they had a few tiny museums and shops, a short guided tour, and an incredible view. Then it was the grounds and catacombs at St. Peter's at the foot of the hill, and lunch. Next we made our way across town to the Museum of Natural History, where it was so warm I felt like I might nod off. We then took a 40 minute boat cruise down the river, where I again almost fell asleep staring at the water, until the driver decided to spin the boat in circles five times to be funny or something. We had planned to cram more in but we were too tired, even though it was only 4:30 pm. So we got coffee and hot chocolate instead, bought our next train tickets, and I actually found some cheap sneakers. We ate at the same salad-bar chain we went to with Bine, but we got meals. Kelly had steak that was too bloody, and I got some delicious veggie fajitas. So we've done absolutely nothing involving Mozart or the Sound of Music, which Salzburg is famous for, but they're everywhere you go anyway.

Which finally brings me to today! We decided to stay an extra day in Salzburg to rest and catch up on things. Our hotel here is incredibly nice, since there were no cheap options by the time we booked, but it is definitely worth it to pay extra every once in a while. It's a 3-star hotel, the mattress and pillows are actually comfortable, we have a TV and bathroom all to ourselves, and there is wifi and a sauna downstairs. So we definitely picked a good place to have our relaxation day. We leave at 7 am tomorrow for a very long train to Venice. I need to dig out my Italian book and start studyingI'm really looking forward to this portion of the trip, and I hope we'll be on to some better weather. But I have to go pack up and hit the sauna before bed, so I'll leave you all here. Ciao!

Backpacking Europe, Update One: Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam

My blog is now coming to you from the road! I am only one week into my trip with Kelly, but already have a bit to write. Friday May 30^th was a rough day moving out of my apartment. Brady had left very early in the morning, and Kelly and I worked our butts off cleaning and throwing out everything he left hanging around, but we finally got out of there around 12:30. I had to turn in my keys to the landlady, so we spent the last night in Nancy in the Ibis Hotel across from the train station. We dropped off our bags and headed to the school for my final concert with the chorus, which was difficult to get through. The students are so enthusiastic and sweet; I will really miss seeing them every week. We sang "Flower of Scotland" again since it was one of our favorites from the last concert, and they had changed the lyrics of a verse to say goodbye to me. Afterwards, Jonathan and Aurelie had arranged a little aperitif in the teachers' lounge where they made me open a bottle of champagne for the first time (and I didn't kill anyone with the cork!). Most of the English teachers were also there so I said my final goodbyes, and I couldn't help welling up a bit, though I mostly kept it together. Kelly and I had a great last night in Nancy with an assistant friend Katie-- we ate delicious crepes and went to the Mezcalito, a "techno bar" next door that Pamela and I always liked. Then it was off to bed before our 7 am train to Paris!

We spent three and a half days in Paris, which was once again overrun with other tourists who slowed us down a bit. It also didn't help that our first budget hotel was awful (small room, small bed, shared bathroom, no breakfast, etc). When we found out you had to pay for the showers, though, that was it. We quickly changed our hotel for the next two nights, but lost a bit of time arranging everything. Still, we got to see all the important sights-- Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, the Eiffel Tower, and even Versailles. We squeezed in some museums (the Conciergerie, Rodin, Carnavale, Picasso) and saw some areas I'd never visited before. We explored Montparnasse where we went up to the 56^th floor of the tower, Place des Vosges (I was missing Lorraine!), and Place de la Republique. I even bought a new pair of women's walking sandals, so the man-sandals I bought in Quebec back in '04 have finally been retired. But after four separate trips to Paris, I still never made it to the Musee d'Orsay or the Centre Pompidou, so now I will have a good excuse to return.

We left Paris on Tuesday afternoon for Bruges, Belgium, which has to be one of the most charming cities I've seen so far. All the houses have jagged, pointy roofs, and there are little canals winding between the cobblestone streets. We sampled waffles and "French" fries which are Belgian specialties, and went to a chocolate museum. Then there was the hospital museum, and though it was mostly about the church the hospital had been in, it was interesting nonetheless. Otherwise, we just strolled around the squares and markets, and ate very well. And after a bit of laundry Thursday morning, we were on the way to Amsterdam.

That first afternoon we just wandered around the neighborhood of our hotel. We ended up with two Frenchmen as our roommates! (I can't escape!) We had breakfast with them the next day before Kelly and I went to the Anne Frank House. Afterwards we had delicious pancakes for lunch, and went to some grill for dinner that had menus shaped like bulls' heads, and corn on the cob that tasted horrible! Since we hadn't gotten much accomplished yet, Saturday turned out to be quite busy. We started off by renting bikes for a ride out to the countryside, where we saw a windmill, and lots of farms and animals. Then we did some errands which took an unnecessarily long time, but after we went on a pleasant boat cruise through the canals. We got stuck in a sudden downpour that night, but we waited it out and had a relaxing last night downtown.

I am writing this last bit on a German train from Cologne to Freiburg. We stopped over in Cologne for a night since it was cheaper than travelling long distance on Sunday, or paying for an extra night in Amsterdam. We were pretty exhausted so we didn't do too much, but we did get to walk around a bit to see the Rhine and "The Dom" cathedral. So this week is Germany and Switzerland-- and on to places I've never seen before. I got to scope out some of this week's cities already, but even so we had some difficulties with languages, maps, and menus. I will post another blog next week to let you know how it all goes...