So Friday night after watching the opening ceremony, we decided to take a bike ride through downtown.....at 1 am. We first started out across the bridge you saw in pictures from the last post. It was so quiet and peaceful. After the bridge, we headed to downtown where the food festival and all the bars were. It was pretty entertaining! Granted, it was a Friday night, but one thing I've quickly learned about Norwegians is that they drink to party. I'm pretty sure 1 out of 3 people had to be held up by a friend because they couldn't stand on their own. I was just surprised to see so many people, guys and girls, that were wasted so early in the night. It is summer time in Stavanger though!! So after getting some laughs in, we rode by the lake and then back to the apartment to call it a night.
Saturday we got up and headed out to probably the most known tourist attraction in the area, Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock). I wish I had pictures easily accessible for you to see, but do a quick google and be impressed! To get to this massive cliff we took a ferry to a nearby city. Once we got to the entrance, we started our 2.5 mile hike to the top which is 1982 feet high. Talk about some crazy intense areas....for my fairbanksians, angel rocks is like a stepping stone to this hike or like doing a 5k instead of the whole marathon. Anyways, while it did take about an hour and a half to two hours each way, the views from the top were more than worth it. Absolutely gorgeous!! Imagine literally sitting on a cliff with your feet dangling over knowing you are that high up, whew, I was so nervous! We got some great pictures though so you will be able to see the true story when I can get them up.
After the hike, we headed home to shower and change for a night out. We met up with one of Mike's Norwegian friends that works with him and ate at a nice steak restaurant downtown. The food was really good even if my steak was an ox. Yep, I had ox. Not really sure what else to say about that except it tasted just like steak to me, but had a little more fat on it. After dinner, we ventured over to some of the bars on the main drag and I had one of the norway special drinks. Not actually sure about the name or spelling, but it sounds like they call it sour feet, haha. It has lime juice, jäger, coke, and possibly vodka. We aren't sure :) While I am NOT a fan jäger, this drink actually didn't taste too bad and so I was able to enjoy it! After a few drinks,we headed back home to call it a night.
Today marked a rainy day again so we remained somewhat low key. It is also my last day here so plenty of packing and getting ready to do after being here for 4 nights. Earlier this afternoon, we drive east to get some more views in but of another area. We headed back into town for a late lunch at a make your own sandwich place that was really good. After eating, we picked up tickets for a movie later, and headed out to see the statue of the three swords. The statue is in memory of a battle and when Norway became ruled by one king rather than three. It started raining right as we got there so we grabbed some quick pics and were on our way. Back in town, we headed to the theater to see The Dark Knight. Movie theaters are obviously different than America, but here you pick your seats when you get your tickets so you actually have an assigned seat, kinda crazy. The other thing i thought was funny was that while the language here is Norwegian, the entertainment at the theaters is in English. So we got to see the movie in English and they just have Norwegian subtitles at the bottom,how crazy!
The movie was really good and afterwards we headed back to the house for me to do some laundry, start packing, watch some Olympics, and enjoy Thai takeout. A great end to an amazingly beautiful and fun weekend. I had such a get host! Off tomorrow for my flight to Copenhagen and to see what kind of adventure we can find there!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Well hello Norway!
I'm a few days behind here on my posting, but not tons to catch up on. On the last full day in Paris, Jordan and I hit up the Louvre and spent about 3 to 3 1/2 hours wandering the halls of paintings, sculptures, statues, and all kinds of other things on display including mummys and tombs. We, of course, saw the Mona Lisa. It was nearly impossible to get a picture because there was mass funneling of people to take pics and if you got up front, it was iffy as to if you would make it back out alive! By the end of the walking around, our feet were dead so we grabbed a bite for lunch at a nearby bistro to take on the sun and a good meal.
After lunch, we headed to the modern art museum which was definitely an experience. I could easily say there was more modern art in Versailles than there and the art was...weird. I mean, I know art is art, but seriously. One room had two tvs with a video of people blowing air into an empty water bottle then sucking it in, over and over again as fast as possible. Every time I hear a plastic bottle crinkle, I think of that video now. Another room had just piles of clothes on shelves. Yes, that was it...and not in an crazy exhibit statue even, just piles. All of the artwork was from decades ago, nothing new, but the worst was the last room with a video. Now I'm not a big cat person, but there was a home video of this girl about 8 trying to get this cat to sit as she was wrapping it in a blanket. The girl was speaking French so I had no idea what she said, but then she just starts hitting this cat. Like spanking it, over and over (sorry Kasey). Even I felt bad for this cat and I certainly don't see how a home video of a kid beating a cat is worthy enough to be called art. Anyways, after that museum we made our way over to the Pantheon for a quick photo, walked through the yard of the house of Luxemburg, and then headed back to the room for some downtime and packing before dinner.
For dinner, we headed to a little restaurant on a corner nearby. It was happy hour and they were sure giving when it came to how much alcohol they used in the drinks. I got a whiskey sour that I'm pretty sure was more like a whiskey on the rocks. But we enjoyed our drinks, a great meal, and I finally got my chocolate mousse!! I had been eyeing the mousse on the menu at just about every place we ate at and that was my one thing I had to have before we left. It was yummy, yummy too! After dinner we headed back to the room and finished up packing. I managed to take a shower completely in the dark after some pesky 12 year olds thought it would be funny to turn my shower light and the hallway light off. Ahhhh, hostel life. But I got my revenge when it came to their shower time, so no worries there :)
Thursday we got up to check out and headed to the airport via train to make our flights. After sitting there all day, I boarded the plane for my layover in Oslo and spent another hour on the runway for us to wait on approval from air traffic control. Apparently they were short handed which meant all planes were being delayed leaving. Anddd because there was a delay in leaving, I was late landing in Oslo which, as is my luck, meant I missed my connection. Luckily, Scandinavian Airlines is on the ball and they had already rebooked me to a later flight.
Finally got in to Stavanger about 8:30 and Mike picked me up at the airport. We headed to his place to drop my bags and for me to grab some dinner. Talk about an amazing, amazing view! His apartment has a view of downtown and the river from these huge windows out front and each bedroom in the back also has a view of the river with a bridge connecting to town. The floors are heated. Gas fireplace. Hardwood floors. The bathroom is bigger than the rooms I've been staying in. Such a nice change of pace for me and beautiful, beautiful home!
So after dropping off bags, we headed downtown (which is just walking distance) to check out the food festival and see what was going on. There were lines of bars and restaurants and then in the streets were more temporary stands. We walked through checking out the scenes and people and then had a few local beers while catching up. Such a pretty downtown and you can tell that without the tents,the downtown would be even more picturesque. After our drinks, we ran to a friend of Mike's place to say hello before returning to the apartment and heading to sleep. Perfect relaxing end to a day full of airplanes, airports, and layovers.
Mike didn't have to work today so with rain in the forecast, we decided to head out of town and take in some scenery and to show me what Norway looks like. We headed to Brusand to check out what is called Hitler's teeth. Basically, what it is is cement blocks buried alongside the water from WWII to prevent forces from making landfall. While it sounds historically interesting, the actual sight was kinda a letdown looking just like some cement blocks on the side of the road. We still stopped to check it out and made our way to the beach, but we were both slightly disappointed. With nothing else really on the agenda, we decided to make the hour and a half drive to Flekkefjord. That drive, on the other hand, was worth it. I can't even describe how beautiful it was...and constantly. Everywhere you looked, there was water and large stone hill or mountainsides. It was also so agriculture seeing sheep and cows and pastures anytime there was flat or even mildly flat land. Talk about a drive where you just have your mouth open in awe and finger constantly on the button snapping pictures. Can't wait to get those pics up for viewing. Once we got to the town, we parked and walked to the city center to grab some food. It happened to be there 175th anniversary of the city so there was some live music playing along the water as we ate. Very cool atmosphere! After we ate, we headed back to town and now we are watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics with commentary in Norwegian and salmon and broccoli in the oven. Not a bad life I live....not a bad life!!! This girl is one blessed person.
After lunch, we headed to the modern art museum which was definitely an experience. I could easily say there was more modern art in Versailles than there and the art was...weird. I mean, I know art is art, but seriously. One room had two tvs with a video of people blowing air into an empty water bottle then sucking it in, over and over again as fast as possible. Every time I hear a plastic bottle crinkle, I think of that video now. Another room had just piles of clothes on shelves. Yes, that was it...and not in an crazy exhibit statue even, just piles. All of the artwork was from decades ago, nothing new, but the worst was the last room with a video. Now I'm not a big cat person, but there was a home video of this girl about 8 trying to get this cat to sit as she was wrapping it in a blanket. The girl was speaking French so I had no idea what she said, but then she just starts hitting this cat. Like spanking it, over and over (sorry Kasey). Even I felt bad for this cat and I certainly don't see how a home video of a kid beating a cat is worthy enough to be called art. Anyways, after that museum we made our way over to the Pantheon for a quick photo, walked through the yard of the house of Luxemburg, and then headed back to the room for some downtime and packing before dinner.
For dinner, we headed to a little restaurant on a corner nearby. It was happy hour and they were sure giving when it came to how much alcohol they used in the drinks. I got a whiskey sour that I'm pretty sure was more like a whiskey on the rocks. But we enjoyed our drinks, a great meal, and I finally got my chocolate mousse!! I had been eyeing the mousse on the menu at just about every place we ate at and that was my one thing I had to have before we left. It was yummy, yummy too! After dinner we headed back to the room and finished up packing. I managed to take a shower completely in the dark after some pesky 12 year olds thought it would be funny to turn my shower light and the hallway light off. Ahhhh, hostel life. But I got my revenge when it came to their shower time, so no worries there :)
Thursday we got up to check out and headed to the airport via train to make our flights. After sitting there all day, I boarded the plane for my layover in Oslo and spent another hour on the runway for us to wait on approval from air traffic control. Apparently they were short handed which meant all planes were being delayed leaving. Anddd because there was a delay in leaving, I was late landing in Oslo which, as is my luck, meant I missed my connection. Luckily, Scandinavian Airlines is on the ball and they had already rebooked me to a later flight.
Finally got in to Stavanger about 8:30 and Mike picked me up at the airport. We headed to his place to drop my bags and for me to grab some dinner. Talk about an amazing, amazing view! His apartment has a view of downtown and the river from these huge windows out front and each bedroom in the back also has a view of the river with a bridge connecting to town. The floors are heated. Gas fireplace. Hardwood floors. The bathroom is bigger than the rooms I've been staying in. Such a nice change of pace for me and beautiful, beautiful home!
So after dropping off bags, we headed downtown (which is just walking distance) to check out the food festival and see what was going on. There were lines of bars and restaurants and then in the streets were more temporary stands. We walked through checking out the scenes and people and then had a few local beers while catching up. Such a pretty downtown and you can tell that without the tents,the downtown would be even more picturesque. After our drinks, we ran to a friend of Mike's place to say hello before returning to the apartment and heading to sleep. Perfect relaxing end to a day full of airplanes, airports, and layovers.
Mike didn't have to work today so with rain in the forecast, we decided to head out of town and take in some scenery and to show me what Norway looks like. We headed to Brusand to check out what is called Hitler's teeth. Basically, what it is is cement blocks buried alongside the water from WWII to prevent forces from making landfall. While it sounds historically interesting, the actual sight was kinda a letdown looking just like some cement blocks on the side of the road. We still stopped to check it out and made our way to the beach, but we were both slightly disappointed. With nothing else really on the agenda, we decided to make the hour and a half drive to Flekkefjord. That drive, on the other hand, was worth it. I can't even describe how beautiful it was...and constantly. Everywhere you looked, there was water and large stone hill or mountainsides. It was also so agriculture seeing sheep and cows and pastures anytime there was flat or even mildly flat land. Talk about a drive where you just have your mouth open in awe and finger constantly on the button snapping pictures. Can't wait to get those pics up for viewing. Once we got to the town, we parked and walked to the city center to grab some food. It happened to be there 175th anniversary of the city so there was some live music playing along the water as we ate. Very cool atmosphere! After we ate, we headed back to town and now we are watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics with commentary in Norwegian and salmon and broccoli in the oven. Not a bad life I live....not a bad life!!! This girl is one blessed person.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
From Paris with love
Whew, the last two days have been a whirlwind!! We got into Paris via train on Monday at 2:45....we finally got into a hostel room at 6. Talk about some craziness. First, since we got in a day early, it was a gamble as to if our hostel for the other two nights would have a vacancy. Without an easy way to contact them, we just decided to head that way. To get there from the train station, we had to catch a metro train into town and then transfer to the subway and then walk about a half mile alllllll with our backpacks. Now, keep in mind from the last post that we had already hiked up a massive hill to get to our train in Bern and carried the packs for 30 mins in Basel for our layover, so by this point I was tired and cranky. Once we got to the hostel, about 5, of course they had no room at the inn. So, on we went to a place they recommended which was clear across town, but had availability. It is also only for people age 18 to 35 which was interesting, but after seeing a 50 year old German dude's junk the night before, I was okay with it. Anywho, an hour later we made it to the hostel and it is within blocks of the Louvre so great location in town! Because of this, it being cheaper, and us having our own room instead of sharing dorm style with 7 others, we decided to skip the original hostel altogether and just stay here. Good plan at the time and still a good plan, but this hostel is something else. More about that later.
So after throwing off our bags, we wanted to get in as much as possible...starting with food. We found a spot right down the alley and it was one of the worst meals I've had, but Jordan was happy :). I got a burger that was wayyyy under cooked and had their special wine of the season which I'm pretty sure they pour pepper directly into. Never had a wine I could care less for so much as that one. Anywho, after dinner, we made our way to take a look at the Louvre grounds at night and then headed towards the Eiffel tower. Now remember all the walking and carrying bags I referenced earlier, well this walk was about an hour or so to get there. As we walked up to the courtyard surrounding the tower, tons and tons of people were laying on blankets or sitting down, most with bottles of wine or champagne. It was so interesting and fun to see and made me a little less cranky. By time we got there it was about 9 pm so we were fortunate enough to see the sunset behind the Eiffel, and then it light up at 9:30, and then them do the sparking set that they do every hour at 10. We got tons of pictures in and then walked back towards the hostel along the Seine River getting more and more pics. Seeing the colors of the tower, the sunset, and then having a big bright crescent moon on a beautiful and clear night....absolutely amazing and breathtaking. So fortunate!! We finally got back after the hour walk back to our room and immediately crashed.
This morning, Tuesday, we got up and grabbed a pastry and croissant for breakfast at this place down the alley....delicious!! Mine had chocolate chunks and it was everything I needed to get my morning started right. Since the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, we hit up Notre Dame and then headed to the Palaces of Versailles. Versailles is out of town a bit so it took us a metro and train to get there, but once we got there, it was well worth it! Untillll we saw the 2 hour line outside in the smoldering heat that you had to wait in to get inside. But we are in Paris and we have to see Versailles so we bought our tickets and waited the hour and a half it actually took to get in. So intriguing to have a glimpse back at how life used to be and especially those of royalty and money. Beautiful rooms, colors, paintings, garden, and hunting grounds any southern or Alaskan boy would kill for. After we had seen all there was to see, we set off for the Arc de Triomphe to get some pictures. You can pay to go to the top, but we had plans to do the Eiffel tower climb later so we decided to pass. We found a restaurant nearby and got off our feet for a bit for dinner before heading over to the Eiffel tower. You can choose to take the elevator all the way up or you can climb to the second floor and then take the elevator. Weighing our options and seeing the line for the elevator up was about an hour or so, we decided to take the 693 (or close....i may have miscounted a few) steps up....and then back down. I have definitely gotten my workouts in while I'm here. The views from the second floor walkout and then the very top after we took the lift were so remarkable. It was good timing too because the sun was beginning to set and you could see the shadow of the tower on the lawn and buildings below. So cool!! After all of that, we had a full day and headed back to the room. Tomorrow we have the louvre, the modern art museum, the pantheon, and a nice dinner planned since it is our last day in the city and the last full day before Jordan heads off to work and me to Norway.
Hope you enjoy the pictures....I know they don't do it justice
So after throwing off our bags, we wanted to get in as much as possible...starting with food. We found a spot right down the alley and it was one of the worst meals I've had, but Jordan was happy :). I got a burger that was wayyyy under cooked and had their special wine of the season which I'm pretty sure they pour pepper directly into. Never had a wine I could care less for so much as that one. Anywho, after dinner, we made our way to take a look at the Louvre grounds at night and then headed towards the Eiffel tower. Now remember all the walking and carrying bags I referenced earlier, well this walk was about an hour or so to get there. As we walked up to the courtyard surrounding the tower, tons and tons of people were laying on blankets or sitting down, most with bottles of wine or champagne. It was so interesting and fun to see and made me a little less cranky. By time we got there it was about 9 pm so we were fortunate enough to see the sunset behind the Eiffel, and then it light up at 9:30, and then them do the sparking set that they do every hour at 10. We got tons of pictures in and then walked back towards the hostel along the Seine River getting more and more pics. Seeing the colors of the tower, the sunset, and then having a big bright crescent moon on a beautiful and clear night....absolutely amazing and breathtaking. So fortunate!! We finally got back after the hour walk back to our room and immediately crashed.
This morning, Tuesday, we got up and grabbed a pastry and croissant for breakfast at this place down the alley....delicious!! Mine had chocolate chunks and it was everything I needed to get my morning started right. Since the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, we hit up Notre Dame and then headed to the Palaces of Versailles. Versailles is out of town a bit so it took us a metro and train to get there, but once we got there, it was well worth it! Untillll we saw the 2 hour line outside in the smoldering heat that you had to wait in to get inside. But we are in Paris and we have to see Versailles so we bought our tickets and waited the hour and a half it actually took to get in. So intriguing to have a glimpse back at how life used to be and especially those of royalty and money. Beautiful rooms, colors, paintings, garden, and hunting grounds any southern or Alaskan boy would kill for. After we had seen all there was to see, we set off for the Arc de Triomphe to get some pictures. You can pay to go to the top, but we had plans to do the Eiffel tower climb later so we decided to pass. We found a restaurant nearby and got off our feet for a bit for dinner before heading over to the Eiffel tower. You can choose to take the elevator all the way up or you can climb to the second floor and then take the elevator. Weighing our options and seeing the line for the elevator up was about an hour or so, we decided to take the 693 (or close....i may have miscounted a few) steps up....and then back down. I have definitely gotten my workouts in while I'm here. The views from the second floor walkout and then the very top after we took the lift were so remarkable. It was good timing too because the sun was beginning to set and you could see the shadow of the tower on the lawn and buildings below. So cool!! After all of that, we had a full day and headed back to the room. Tomorrow we have the louvre, the modern art museum, the pantheon, and a nice dinner planned since it is our last day in the city and the last full day before Jordan heads off to work and me to Norway.
Hope you enjoy the pictures....I know they don't do it justice
Monday, July 23, 2012
Did you know Bern means bear?!?
Sunday morning we all got up to take a drive around Zurich before splitting up and heading our different ways. We set out for the botanical gardens at the university and though it took a bit to figure out exactly where they were, once we got inside, it was well worth it. We spent the next couple of hours wandering through the flowers and gardens, the enclosed exhibits of poisonous plants, the tunnel of flowers with snails all along the stands holding them up. Beautiful green grass and fountains, large dome greenhouses. It was perfect for getting some great photographs and relaxing before heading to the next town. We decided to grab lunch while we were there so I picked up something that resembled and tasted like beef tips and mashed potatoes. After lunch, we took a drive along the river where you could see sailboats, scuba divers getting suited up, and people lining the grass along the water. I am just constantly amazed at how beautiful these places continue to be. We made our way into a town with a large castle, but because we had to get back, we just had to drive by.
Upon getting back into town, Jordan and I said our goodbyes to Tom and Liz and jumped on our train bound for Bern. Within about 50 minutes we were there and made the hike down to find the hostel with fingers crossed they had availability. We were able to get a room and with it only being 4 o'clock, we set out to explore the country's capitol. Bern is actually a really nice place to visit. It has beautiful buildings, all with flowers on the windowsills. It has cobblestone streets and all of the little restaurants and bistros have outside seating so you can take in the city's beauty while people watching. We managed to see all of the city's major sights as the map we had showed a walking tour which was perfect for us! The last sight on the tour is the bear cage where they actually have bears available for viewing. See, Bern means bear for those who didn't know (like me) and so they have this exhibit for tourists to see the representation. After our walk, we sat outside at one of the restaurants and shared a bottle of rose' and 2 pasta dishes. So nice being able to just sit and relax on a summer night with the breeze blowing off the river! After dinner, we made our way along the river back to the hostel to get settled for the night.
This morning we got up early to catch our train to Basel which is the connecting city to Paris. We had about an hour and a half to spare so we made a quick walking trip through the city to see what it had to offer.....not much. It seems that Basel is more of a city, city with square more modernized buildings rather than the older more picturesque buildings. We headed back to the train station to catch our 12:34 train to Paris which is where I leave you now; currently sitting on the second deck of the train headed towards France. This is the last city that Jordan and I will be seeing together as he has to get back to work and I'm headed to Norway. We will be sure to make the most of it, especially with our extra day we now have and I will update you all soon!
Upon getting back into town, Jordan and I said our goodbyes to Tom and Liz and jumped on our train bound for Bern. Within about 50 minutes we were there and made the hike down to find the hostel with fingers crossed they had availability. We were able to get a room and with it only being 4 o'clock, we set out to explore the country's capitol. Bern is actually a really nice place to visit. It has beautiful buildings, all with flowers on the windowsills. It has cobblestone streets and all of the little restaurants and bistros have outside seating so you can take in the city's beauty while people watching. We managed to see all of the city's major sights as the map we had showed a walking tour which was perfect for us! The last sight on the tour is the bear cage where they actually have bears available for viewing. See, Bern means bear for those who didn't know (like me) and so they have this exhibit for tourists to see the representation. After our walk, we sat outside at one of the restaurants and shared a bottle of rose' and 2 pasta dishes. So nice being able to just sit and relax on a summer night with the breeze blowing off the river! After dinner, we made our way along the river back to the hostel to get settled for the night.
This morning we got up early to catch our train to Basel which is the connecting city to Paris. We had about an hour and a half to spare so we made a quick walking trip through the city to see what it had to offer.....not much. It seems that Basel is more of a city, city with square more modernized buildings rather than the older more picturesque buildings. We headed back to the train station to catch our 12:34 train to Paris which is where I leave you now; currently sitting on the second deck of the train headed towards France. This is the last city that Jordan and I will be seeing together as he has to get back to work and I'm headed to Norway. We will be sure to make the most of it, especially with our extra day we now have and I will update you all soon!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
A day with Zurich
Saturday we got up and set out to explore the city. In only a few short hours we were fortunate to tour the Grossmunster and Fraumunster chapels and even climb the 187 stairs of the Fraumunster to the viewing point over the city. What an amazing view being able to see out the four directions and look down, not only at the city below, but out to the countryside and lake. After the climb, we were ready for some lunch and trying to find something reasonably priced in this city is quite a task. We made our way to the lake where some take away carts were and found doner kabobs. I wasn't quite ready still for the German cuisine so I settled for a grilled ham and cheese. I must say that was one fine sandwich though!! All of the cheese here in Switzerland is so rich and full of flavor, amazing. After lunch we decided to set out to find some chocolate. It had started to rain on us, but we sought rescue in Peclard and enjoyed a box of truffles, slice of chocolate mousse, and a glass of wine in a room with a Victorian style with comfy high back chairs and little tables.
After our afternoon snack, we walked the cobblestone alleys more heading to the train station to get our tickets for tomorrow and checking out the other side of the lake. We arrived at the station that had about 50 train lines running through and bought our ticket to what we thought was Freiburg, Germany. The problem, which we did not realize until later, is that our tickets were actually purchased for Fribourg, Switzerland (more on that soon). With tickets in hand and thunderstorms rolling in, we decided to head back to the hostel for a bit to wait out the storm. We caught our trolley and got off a stop early. As we walked, we came across a pizza restaurant and decided to stop in for a slice to hold us over until dinner later. Again, the menu was all German, but we did manage to order a bottle of wine and pizza to split among the four of us. Again, perfect way to wait out the storm.
Once we got to the hostel, we decided to look and verify our train tickets were correct and, low and behold, they weren't. I immediately go in to panic mode thinking where are we gonna stay, we don't know anything about this place, how do we fix it. Jordan and his calm, cool, and collective self assures me we will live and it will be an adventure. We have to go through Bern, Switzerland (the capital) and after some negotiations we settle to jump off in Bern since it is a larger city than Fribourg and actually has some sights to see and to just stay one night and head to Paris a day earlier. Some mental brainwashing on my end and I decide I can do this. I mean, we are in Europe and why the hell not?! After all, we didn't really have anything planned in Germany specifically anyways, I know as much about Bern as I do Freiburg, and we will still make it to Paris...a day earlier even!
Now that that was settled, we all head out to dinner. It is raining again and without umbrellas, one of the closest restaurants was chosen. We get seated and see the horrifically high prices so Liz and I decide to share an entree. The boys went with a chicken curry dish, but us girls chose the macaroni and cheese with bacon and vegetables....weird, but surprisingly über good! Of course, what meal would be complete without a bottle of wine so we went with a muscat (not to be confused with moscato) and were set! Dinner was loads of laughs and after, we strolled towards the parking garage stumbling upon a big party complete with beer tents and disco balls at an art museum. Once we found out it was free entry, in we went! Not gonna say it was the liveliest party I've ever been to, but we were in Zurich, at a museum, at a free party, and there was beer so all was good in our world! We stayed for a bit, took in a game of never have I, and then headed to the parking garage for our next adventure of the night. You see, when you are in a parking garage and none of the machines will read your ticket, there's no attendant, you don't speak the language, and the machine won't issue you a new ticket, you really don't have any options. Sooooo the boys did what any boys would do....one held the mechanical arm up as we escaped backwards through the entry. Yep, that happened!! (I don't condone such behavior of course :) ) Talk about laughing so hard you're crying, just try to escape a parking garage under those conditions, unforgettable and a new one to add and check off the bucket list.
That pretty much did it for our Saturday night. Sunday makes for a drive around Zurich, saying goodbye to my new friends, a train ride, and seeing what Bern even has to offer. Until then....
After our afternoon snack, we walked the cobblestone alleys more heading to the train station to get our tickets for tomorrow and checking out the other side of the lake. We arrived at the station that had about 50 train lines running through and bought our ticket to what we thought was Freiburg, Germany. The problem, which we did not realize until later, is that our tickets were actually purchased for Fribourg, Switzerland (more on that soon). With tickets in hand and thunderstorms rolling in, we decided to head back to the hostel for a bit to wait out the storm. We caught our trolley and got off a stop early. As we walked, we came across a pizza restaurant and decided to stop in for a slice to hold us over until dinner later. Again, the menu was all German, but we did manage to order a bottle of wine and pizza to split among the four of us. Again, perfect way to wait out the storm.
Once we got to the hostel, we decided to look and verify our train tickets were correct and, low and behold, they weren't. I immediately go in to panic mode thinking where are we gonna stay, we don't know anything about this place, how do we fix it. Jordan and his calm, cool, and collective self assures me we will live and it will be an adventure. We have to go through Bern, Switzerland (the capital) and after some negotiations we settle to jump off in Bern since it is a larger city than Fribourg and actually has some sights to see and to just stay one night and head to Paris a day earlier. Some mental brainwashing on my end and I decide I can do this. I mean, we are in Europe and why the hell not?! After all, we didn't really have anything planned in Germany specifically anyways, I know as much about Bern as I do Freiburg, and we will still make it to Paris...a day earlier even!
Now that that was settled, we all head out to dinner. It is raining again and without umbrellas, one of the closest restaurants was chosen. We get seated and see the horrifically high prices so Liz and I decide to share an entree. The boys went with a chicken curry dish, but us girls chose the macaroni and cheese with bacon and vegetables....weird, but surprisingly über good! Of course, what meal would be complete without a bottle of wine so we went with a muscat (not to be confused with moscato) and were set! Dinner was loads of laughs and after, we strolled towards the parking garage stumbling upon a big party complete with beer tents and disco balls at an art museum. Once we found out it was free entry, in we went! Not gonna say it was the liveliest party I've ever been to, but we were in Zurich, at a museum, at a free party, and there was beer so all was good in our world! We stayed for a bit, took in a game of never have I, and then headed to the parking garage for our next adventure of the night. You see, when you are in a parking garage and none of the machines will read your ticket, there's no attendant, you don't speak the language, and the machine won't issue you a new ticket, you really don't have any options. Sooooo the boys did what any boys would do....one held the mechanical arm up as we escaped backwards through the entry. Yep, that happened!! (I don't condone such behavior of course :) ) Talk about laughing so hard you're crying, just try to escape a parking garage under those conditions, unforgettable and a new one to add and check off the bucket list.
That pretty much did it for our Saturday night. Sunday makes for a drive around Zurich, saying goodbye to my new friends, a train ride, and seeing what Bern even has to offer. Until then....
Friday, July 20, 2012
Off to Switzerland we go
Tom and Liz got in last night about 8 and we headed out to find the coveted Arca restaurant. After wandering around in the general area where it should have been for about 5 mins or so, Tom discovers from a local bar owner that our restaurant of choice had, in fact, closed 2 years ago. On to plan B! The same local recommended a couple of places and we made our way to Al Profeta for dinner and drinks. Tom and Liz, having been in Italy for a little while now, took the reins on orders and with a few liters of presecco and rosetto on order, we were set. Both drinks are somewhat of a mixture of wine and almost taste like a champagne and sparkling red wine. Definitely good choices and were enjoyed by us all! Dinner of pizza, calzones, lasagna, spaghetti, good drinks, an amazing atmosphere in a back alley terrace, laughs, and new friends...perfect last night in Venice! After dinner we began the long walk home which was sure to end up even longer as Venice is so crooked and twisty turvy and nearly impossible not to get lost in. Along the way, we did manage to find a serving of gelato for us each and at that point, who can complain?!
We checked out this morning with the first city down and Zurich in our sights. Tom and Liz have a pretty badass Fiat which was our limousine for the 5 hour drive. Passing Verona, Milan, vineyards, and some mountainside in both Italy and Switzerland made for a memorable drive....those things among others, of course. After cutting in to Jordan's massive formation of cheese and before we reached the border, we stopped in to the city of Como bordering Lake Como (seen in Casino Royale and Ocean's 12). Absolutely goooorgeous scenery! Picture a massive lake that spans miles and yet you can see only a small part of it surrounded by mountains and hillside with villas and magnificent resorts built all along the side. We went and sat by the lake for awhile to take in the view before driving up into the mountainside to look down into the valley and for more pictures. Now, this may seem an easy feat, but you would be mistaken. The roads are not marked, two way traffic, sharp turns, blind corners, pedestrians jumping out, bicyclists around every bend, tunnels that dead end, and cars parked all along the side of the road....slightly scary and almost roller coaster like. Pretty sure my eyes were closed for most of it, but what I did see were views that will be etched in memory for a lifetime (see below for poor pictures that don't do it justice, but all I've got for now).
After getting back on the road, we made it through the border crossing and were greeted by Switzerland with a gigantic rainstorm complete with lightening and thunder. It may not sound like a good thing, but again,it made for some beautiful pictures. Driving through with hillside in any direction, natural waterfalls, vineyards, rock walls, huge clouds enveloping the mountains....maybe you have to be a lover of rain and nature to appreciate, but our car definitely took it all in!!
About an hour out of Zurich we decided to stop and eat....partly for the food aspect, but mainly because it was a BEA-utiful view of the mountains with another large lake below and clouds drifting over head. As we entered the restaurant and were greeted with live Music from several instruments including the accordion, we knew it would be an interesting dinner. And that it was. This was due primarily to the fact that the entire menu was in German...and there was no translation to this menu. We did the best we could with drawing some key words out, but I decided to stick with spaghetti. Yes, I know my safe zone and do not hate on me for not branching out. There's always tomorrow! Anyways, dinner did turn out well for all involved and no one was left with a plate of who knows what or who knows where. After dinner, we rolled on out and finally made it to our home for the next two nights, the Zurich hostel.
Surprisingly enough, the hostel seems to be very nice and new! Liz and I are in a room with 2 other females and the guys are in a 6 man room with who knows who(probably high school girls they aren't telling us about). Beds have linens, showers and bathrooms are clean, lockers and wifi available....oh, and beer on tap :) This may or may not currently be what we are enjoying!
Well, another night down and another city to enjoy tomorrow. We did discover the very, very unfortunate news that the Lindt chocolate factory is closed weekends, but I have faith in our sleuth skills and being able to find some kind of chocolate to get into. So until next time: cheers to new friends, new experiences, new places, and a trip of a lifetime!!!
*PS I really do hate the quality of these iPad pics, but trying to give you something to work with!
We checked out this morning with the first city down and Zurich in our sights. Tom and Liz have a pretty badass Fiat which was our limousine for the 5 hour drive. Passing Verona, Milan, vineyards, and some mountainside in both Italy and Switzerland made for a memorable drive....those things among others, of course. After cutting in to Jordan's massive formation of cheese and before we reached the border, we stopped in to the city of Como bordering Lake Como (seen in Casino Royale and Ocean's 12). Absolutely goooorgeous scenery! Picture a massive lake that spans miles and yet you can see only a small part of it surrounded by mountains and hillside with villas and magnificent resorts built all along the side. We went and sat by the lake for awhile to take in the view before driving up into the mountainside to look down into the valley and for more pictures. Now, this may seem an easy feat, but you would be mistaken. The roads are not marked, two way traffic, sharp turns, blind corners, pedestrians jumping out, bicyclists around every bend, tunnels that dead end, and cars parked all along the side of the road....slightly scary and almost roller coaster like. Pretty sure my eyes were closed for most of it, but what I did see were views that will be etched in memory for a lifetime (see below for poor pictures that don't do it justice, but all I've got for now).
After getting back on the road, we made it through the border crossing and were greeted by Switzerland with a gigantic rainstorm complete with lightening and thunder. It may not sound like a good thing, but again,it made for some beautiful pictures. Driving through with hillside in any direction, natural waterfalls, vineyards, rock walls, huge clouds enveloping the mountains....maybe you have to be a lover of rain and nature to appreciate, but our car definitely took it all in!!
About an hour out of Zurich we decided to stop and eat....partly for the food aspect, but mainly because it was a BEA-utiful view of the mountains with another large lake below and clouds drifting over head. As we entered the restaurant and were greeted with live Music from several instruments including the accordion, we knew it would be an interesting dinner. And that it was. This was due primarily to the fact that the entire menu was in German...and there was no translation to this menu. We did the best we could with drawing some key words out, but I decided to stick with spaghetti. Yes, I know my safe zone and do not hate on me for not branching out. There's always tomorrow! Anyways, dinner did turn out well for all involved and no one was left with a plate of who knows what or who knows where. After dinner, we rolled on out and finally made it to our home for the next two nights, the Zurich hostel.
Surprisingly enough, the hostel seems to be very nice and new! Liz and I are in a room with 2 other females and the guys are in a 6 man room with who knows who(probably high school girls they aren't telling us about). Beds have linens, showers and bathrooms are clean, lockers and wifi available....oh, and beer on tap :) This may or may not currently be what we are enjoying!
Well, another night down and another city to enjoy tomorrow. We did discover the very, very unfortunate news that the Lindt chocolate factory is closed weekends, but I have faith in our sleuth skills and being able to find some kind of chocolate to get into. So until next time: cheers to new friends, new experiences, new places, and a trip of a lifetime!!!
*PS I really do hate the quality of these iPad pics, but trying to give you something to work with!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Strolling through Venice
Another day and a half down in the "city of water". Jordan finally got here yesterday and upon his arrival we set out to see the city! We had to start out with some gelato of course, but after indulging, we definitely walked it off. Our goal was to make it to Cannaregio which apparently is great for strolling and getting lost in little areas, but no big tourists crowds. Well, we definitely got lost, but that was not the reason for us never making it to our intended destination. About an hour and a half or so into our walk, we decided to stop at this little cafe and grab a glass of wine. The super friendly waitress smiles big and as she sets two glasses down and then presents us with two bottles of wine, we knew we were in for it. Lucky for us, we had plenty of catching up to do so conversation was not an issue....nor was finishing off a bottle of wine each :)
After we had our wine fix (at only 10 euro each too), we took off to find food and our way home. After about an hour of walking we decided it best to grab something quick to eat as we had no real idea were we were (we didn't get a map) or how long it would take to get back. A slice of pizza later and we were rejuvenated to keep pushing forward. Along our walk we saw some absolutely gorgeous scenery, beautiful buildings and alleyways. There are also several little eateries where you can grab tables outside and some even have people to serenade you. At one of these places we passed, the restaurant had a violinist. Jordan plays the violin. A short conversation with the violinist and next song up, Jordan is now serenading the guests while I'm trying to document this with every camera we have! I'm sure that's one for his record book! A short while later and we finally made it to our room and off to sleep.
This morning made for another day full of walking, but we did decide to grab a map to help us out this time! We started out by touring the Basilica de San Marco in the piazza before the line got too long. Beautiful architecture and an amazing view over the piazza if you want to do some people watching (which i love to do). Now for walking...Venice is broken out into 6 main "districts" or major neighborhoods and we hit up 4 of them. Got in about 4 hours of walking along the way. We did stop for lunch at this little outside place so I could finally get some pasta! Been wanting some since I got here, but pizza always seems to win over. After our belly was full, we made our way to a few smaller museums and back to the room for showers, Zurich prep, and waiting on our two visitors to arrive! Last night in the city before the four of us drive to Zurich tomorrow and we have a nice dinner, dancing, and a souvenir or two to buy before then!!
Until next time, here are a few pictures I managed to get on the iPad so I could upload to share! More and better pics will hopefully follow...
After we had our wine fix (at only 10 euro each too), we took off to find food and our way home. After about an hour of walking we decided it best to grab something quick to eat as we had no real idea were we were (we didn't get a map) or how long it would take to get back. A slice of pizza later and we were rejuvenated to keep pushing forward. Along our walk we saw some absolutely gorgeous scenery, beautiful buildings and alleyways. There are also several little eateries where you can grab tables outside and some even have people to serenade you. At one of these places we passed, the restaurant had a violinist. Jordan plays the violin. A short conversation with the violinist and next song up, Jordan is now serenading the guests while I'm trying to document this with every camera we have! I'm sure that's one for his record book! A short while later and we finally made it to our room and off to sleep.
This morning made for another day full of walking, but we did decide to grab a map to help us out this time! We started out by touring the Basilica de San Marco in the piazza before the line got too long. Beautiful architecture and an amazing view over the piazza if you want to do some people watching (which i love to do). Now for walking...Venice is broken out into 6 main "districts" or major neighborhoods and we hit up 4 of them. Got in about 4 hours of walking along the way. We did stop for lunch at this little outside place so I could finally get some pasta! Been wanting some since I got here, but pizza always seems to win over. After our belly was full, we made our way to a few smaller museums and back to the room for showers, Zurich prep, and waiting on our two visitors to arrive! Last night in the city before the four of us drive to Zurich tomorrow and we have a nice dinner, dancing, and a souvenir or two to buy before then!!
Until next time, here are a few pictures I managed to get on the iPad so I could upload to share! More and better pics will hopefully follow...
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
A southern girl in Italy!!
Okay, so I know some of you have been waiting anxiously for this post and some of you are just wasting time at work, but either way, I hope reading it brings you a smile to your face because I've been all smiles since I left. So let's get started!
The journey began on Monday when I headed to the airport to see that my flight to Dallas had been cancelled. If you have ever had the pleasure to travel with me or listen to my travel adventures, you know this is the norm for me. Never fails something goes wrong or someone doesn't have a seat on the plane (Sarah) or there is no luggage upon arrival or we have to haul multiple 50 pound bags through the metro stations and so on and so on. Anyways, the lady at the counter could sense my concern and so she managed to get me on another airline, going through different cities, but still getting to London to catch my flight to Venice. Now this is where I should mention my flight into London was through Heathrow. My flight out of London was from Gatwick, but we'll get there soon enough. Flight through Houston was good and the flight to London was also smooth....only one small freak out. And no, it wasn't me that freaked out. It was the lady in 27D right about the time we were over the canadian border when her mom had a seizure. Yes, I would have freaked out too, but this lady went full out.....running down the aisles, screaming "oh god, oh god". Let's just say when the male steward tackled her, I was somewhat grateful. Now this was all after the 9 year old female in front of me told her mom she had a feeling the plane was going down and she knew it wasn't nice to say, but she just did. Yep, these are my travel adventures!! So long story short, the lady was fine, we made it to London (and so did my luggage), and a super expensive hour long bus ride later from Heathrow to Gatwick I was ready to check back in for the last leg of my journey! I might also add here that (unless you live under a rock) you know the Olympics are in London this year which made for some interesting sights along the bus ride. Amazing to know you are thousands of miles from home and in a city where in a few short weeks so many hopes and dreams of thousands of athletes and spectators alike will be made as the world watches from their tvs. I've been to London twice so I decided to skip it this trip with all the crowds and security issues, but as I flew in and could see the London Eye, Big Ben, the London Bridge, the fields where the athletes would be, and Olympic rings painted all over the place, I felt like a little speck in this amazing world which we so often take for granted or that some of us really never get to see. I'm truly blessed to be able to be here on this trip and to be able to share it with y'all!!
So back to it. The last flight was full of beautiful scenery also. Flying over the Alps, seeing all the cities and land of Italy below, gorgeous! When I got to Venice I got my first feel of holy hell they speak another language when I had to try to figure out how to get to San Marcos square and where my hotel was. See, I was a slacker and ran out of time so didn't exactly do that research beforehand. I know, bad girl. BUT I made it!! I caught a water bus which was super lengthy but a beautiful ride! Finally made it to the square and wandered around aimlessly down the alleys until I finally bought a water from a man in return for directions to the hotel. The hotel is in a terrific location (thank you Leah for the recommendation) and is literally steps from the piazza with live quartets playing while you eat. I've got tons of pics and will try to post some soon if I can figure it all out from what I'm working with.
After getting checked in, I ventured upstairs to check out the room. It is very cute and quaint complete with the windows that open out and shutters that follow suite. Small little shower, but desk and a lounging chair and several lamps to light up the space. Oh, and air conditioning!! It was about 80 degrees when I got in at 5 pm and air conditioning is something to be grateful for around here. So after dropping off my 37 pound bag (yep, you read that right. This girl got everything for a month trip in one backpack. ) I hit up the piazza and strolled down some alleys. Got a calzone and glass of wine for dinner followed by some gelato for dessert. Now this is where I should tell you I'm in heaven. Again, if you know me, you already know that two of my favorite things are wine and ice cream and if you really know me you know pizza is my pissed at the world or men or work or life comfort food. And I have it ALL here in one place, available whenever and wherever I want!! I may not leave :) So after strolling around, I decided I should head to bed and actually get some rest for tomorrow is when Jordan gets here and the official shenanigans will begin. So with all of that being said and until I write again (hoping for tomorrow), ciao!
Random things:
Pics taken - 32 (hey, it was a travel day)
Couples seen hardcore making out (ewwww)- 4
Times I responded thank you when some one said hello in italian because I had no idea what they said - at least 5
**And please ignore any grammatical errors. You know I hate them, but typing on a weird keyboard with a small screen only works so well :)
The journey began on Monday when I headed to the airport to see that my flight to Dallas had been cancelled. If you have ever had the pleasure to travel with me or listen to my travel adventures, you know this is the norm for me. Never fails something goes wrong or someone doesn't have a seat on the plane (Sarah) or there is no luggage upon arrival or we have to haul multiple 50 pound bags through the metro stations and so on and so on. Anyways, the lady at the counter could sense my concern and so she managed to get me on another airline, going through different cities, but still getting to London to catch my flight to Venice. Now this is where I should mention my flight into London was through Heathrow. My flight out of London was from Gatwick, but we'll get there soon enough. Flight through Houston was good and the flight to London was also smooth....only one small freak out. And no, it wasn't me that freaked out. It was the lady in 27D right about the time we were over the canadian border when her mom had a seizure. Yes, I would have freaked out too, but this lady went full out.....running down the aisles, screaming "oh god, oh god". Let's just say when the male steward tackled her, I was somewhat grateful. Now this was all after the 9 year old female in front of me told her mom she had a feeling the plane was going down and she knew it wasn't nice to say, but she just did. Yep, these are my travel adventures!! So long story short, the lady was fine, we made it to London (and so did my luggage), and a super expensive hour long bus ride later from Heathrow to Gatwick I was ready to check back in for the last leg of my journey! I might also add here that (unless you live under a rock) you know the Olympics are in London this year which made for some interesting sights along the bus ride. Amazing to know you are thousands of miles from home and in a city where in a few short weeks so many hopes and dreams of thousands of athletes and spectators alike will be made as the world watches from their tvs. I've been to London twice so I decided to skip it this trip with all the crowds and security issues, but as I flew in and could see the London Eye, Big Ben, the London Bridge, the fields where the athletes would be, and Olympic rings painted all over the place, I felt like a little speck in this amazing world which we so often take for granted or that some of us really never get to see. I'm truly blessed to be able to be here on this trip and to be able to share it with y'all!!
So back to it. The last flight was full of beautiful scenery also. Flying over the Alps, seeing all the cities and land of Italy below, gorgeous! When I got to Venice I got my first feel of holy hell they speak another language when I had to try to figure out how to get to San Marcos square and where my hotel was. See, I was a slacker and ran out of time so didn't exactly do that research beforehand. I know, bad girl. BUT I made it!! I caught a water bus which was super lengthy but a beautiful ride! Finally made it to the square and wandered around aimlessly down the alleys until I finally bought a water from a man in return for directions to the hotel. The hotel is in a terrific location (thank you Leah for the recommendation) and is literally steps from the piazza with live quartets playing while you eat. I've got tons of pics and will try to post some soon if I can figure it all out from what I'm working with.
After getting checked in, I ventured upstairs to check out the room. It is very cute and quaint complete with the windows that open out and shutters that follow suite. Small little shower, but desk and a lounging chair and several lamps to light up the space. Oh, and air conditioning!! It was about 80 degrees when I got in at 5 pm and air conditioning is something to be grateful for around here. So after dropping off my 37 pound bag (yep, you read that right. This girl got everything for a month trip in one backpack. ) I hit up the piazza and strolled down some alleys. Got a calzone and glass of wine for dinner followed by some gelato for dessert. Now this is where I should tell you I'm in heaven. Again, if you know me, you already know that two of my favorite things are wine and ice cream and if you really know me you know pizza is my pissed at the world or men or work or life comfort food. And I have it ALL here in one place, available whenever and wherever I want!! I may not leave :) So after strolling around, I decided I should head to bed and actually get some rest for tomorrow is when Jordan gets here and the official shenanigans will begin. So with all of that being said and until I write again (hoping for tomorrow), ciao!
Random things:
Pics taken - 32 (hey, it was a travel day)
Couples seen hardcore making out (ewwww)- 4
Times I responded thank you when some one said hello in italian because I had no idea what they said - at least 5
**And please ignore any grammatical errors. You know I hate them, but typing on a weird keyboard with a small screen only works so well :)
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