Moving on Up

Moving north into Austria the people have become much more pleasant.   We really enjoyed our time in Vienna, and I think this is in large part due to the welcoming nature of Austrians. 

Our train didn’t arrive in Vienna until 11pm, which in most cities would be kind of sketchy, luckily we found the tram, and made it to our hostel without any problems. 

Wombat’s Hostel was one of the best we’ve stayed in.  There was a large dining area, a comfortable common area with WiFi access, a full bar in the basement, and the rooms were big and clean.  The friendly staff also surprised us; I haven’t seen such great customer service since leaving America.

On our first day in Vienna, we took full advantage of our super hostel situation, and lazed around most of the morning.  After a month of non-stop traveling, we were both pretty exhausted, so it was nice to have a few hours to recuperate.

We did manage to drag ourselves outside later in the day.  Our hostel was on the main shopping road, so there was a lot to see.  They had a few American stores such as Foot Locker and H&M, and a lot of stores that were similar to American stores (they even had a chain similar to Walgreens.)

After wandering around the shops we continued walking towards the city center.  Along the way, we found the river that runs through the city. The Viennese have taken full advantage of the water by placing small sand beaches and bars along the river.  There was also a lot of graffiti on the river walls, which must be legal because we saw a group of kids painting a wall in broad daylight.

Next we stopped at a housing project that was highlighted on our map.  It was a very interesting series of buildings (it reminded me of Gaudi’s work in Barcelona) with very few straight lines and an interesting color scheme.  Although people still live in the building, the site has become a big tourist attraction, with a large group of souvenir shops across the street.  If only the projects in America could be like the ones in Austria.

The next place we visited was an amusement park.  It was easy to find because the Ferris wheel was visible from quite a distance.  I was surprised by the size of the park, it was much larger than I expected.  Despite the size, it was no Six Flags.  The attractions were a mix of small roller coasters and carnival-like theme houses.  The most interesting ride we saw was a carrousel made of real ponies.  (The ponies didn’t look very happy.)  The park was kind of creepy, like something you’d see in a horror movie. We didn’t ride any rides, but we did have an enjoyable dinner of kebab sandwiches.

The next day we visited the gardens surrounding the Hapsburg summer palace.  The gardens were huge; it would have been easy to spend the whole day there.  In addition to the beautiful flowers, there was a zoo, a labyrinth, and a huge Japanese garden.  Unfortunately, due to the high prices of these attractions, we weren’t able to see more than the view from the gates.

After the gardens we decided to rest our weary feet at Starbucks.  It was exciting to have access to Starbucks again; Italy is void of the popular American coffee house.  We hung out at Starbucks for quite a while because we were both in the middle of some pretty intense books, I was rereading the Da Vinici Code (not as good as the first time around) and Josh was reading The Kite Runner.

Later that night we decided to have a typical Austrian meal.  We went to a restaurant that our hostel recommended, and both ordered Wienerschintzel. Wienerschintzel is basically a boneless fried chicken breast, so of course I thought it was really good.  The lady at the restaurant was very nice (just like everyone in Vienna), and was really concerned with the quality of her service.  She didn’t think we got our food fast enough (although it was the fastest I’ve been served in Europe), so she brought us some hazelnut liquor as an apology.  All in all it was a great dinner, and I’ll be happy to eat Wienschintzel again someday.

On our third day in Vienna we visited the Sigmund Freud museum.  Freud is a famous psychologist from Vienna.  The museum was located in his former apartment/office.  The waiting room was set up with the original furniture, which was really cool to see.  Did you know that Freud was an avid collector of Egyptian art?  The rest of the museum contained a collection of pictures, publications, and writings that pertained to Freud’s life.  I was amused to find out that Freud experimented, on his patients and himself, with cocaine.

Next, after a quick bratwurst at a roadside stand, we headed to the Spanish riding school.  The Spanish riding school has been around since the time of King Ferdinand, and still has the same regal atmosphere that it did many years ago.  We had a guided tour through the stables, the Winter riding arena, and the Summer riding arena.  The horses are thoroughbreds – the same family lines have existed for hundreds of years.  All of the performing horses are white stallions.  The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and I learned not only about the riding school, but also a great deal about horses in general.

We liked the Spanish riding school so much, that the next day before catching our train to Prague, we returned to watch the training session.  The training session takes place in the Winter Riding Arena, the same location as the performances.  It was a really nice atmosphere with classical music playing in the background.  It was a fun to see the horses in action. 

After leaving the riding school we visited the Volksgarten, or People’s Park.  Although it wasn’t planned, we saw another show in the park.  There was a large group of people standing around a fountain, so we went to go see what was happening.  It turns out that a dog had jumped in the fountain, and couldn’t find a way out.  He was swimming, and seemed to be quite tired.  A few people offered to jump in after him, but luckily some man pulled the dog out, before anyone else got stuck in the fountain.  After the dog was back on his leash, his owner said, in broken English, “We go home now.”  It was a really funny site to see.  I’m glad the dog is okay.

By this time we had completed almost everything on our Vienna Must Do list, except for one thing, we hadn’t eaten Apple Strudel.  We didn’t think this would be a hard thing to find, considering Austria is known for this dessert.  We found it much harder than we imagined, but after an awkward café experience, we found some at a corner bakery.  It was just as good as expected, and I’m glad that we were able to find it.

Not only were the people nice in Vienna, but the food was good too.  I’ll definitely have  to revisit Vienna someday.

I'm on a boat

Venice is unlike any city I’ve ever seen.  The entire city, as you probably know, is built on water.  As a result, the public transportation is a system of boats.  Josh and I stayed on the island of Lido, not the main island, and were therefore able to enjoy many boat rides.

On the island of Lido we stayed in a very nice bed and breakfast.  It was small, only three rooms, in an apartment building.  The owner was very nice, and made us a big breakfast each morning.

The island itself was just as nice as the bed and breakfast.  It’s apparently known for its beaches, and it reminded me of St. Joseph, Michigan.  There were lots of families and lots of ice cream stands.

We spent a very short time in Venice, only one day, but we hit the main points.  After a long search, and walking in a big circle, we finally found St. Mark’s Basilica.  Unfortunately we got there at 3:50 and it closed at 4, so we weren’t able to see the inside, but the outside was very interesting.  It was different than the other churches we’ve seen; it looked like it had a lot of Eastern influence.

We also visited the island of Murano, the glass capital of the world.  We watched a free demonstration on glass making, and then looked in some shops.  It’s amazing what they can make. Unfortunately, it was so enticing, that my bag is officially bursting at its seams.  Hopefully the souvenirs make it home.

As a celebration for making it halfway through our trip, we visited the Venice Hard Rock café.  I had chicken strips and French fries!  It was so good.

All in all I really liked Venice, it was relaxing after being in Florence and Rome.  I’ll definitely have to go back someday (if only for a gondola ride.)

Rome: So this is where the tourists are!

It terms of lines, crowds, and waiting times, Rome was the worst.  The city was completely overrun with tourists. In fact, I think there were more tourists than Romans.  However, despite this setback, we were able to see everything we planned for.

The first day we visited Trevi Fountain.  Legend has it that if you throw a coin in over your shoulder, you’re guaranteed to return to Rome. So of course we fought our way to the front of the crowd, and threw in a coin.  I really enjoyed the fountain, it was massive, and I liked the way it drowned out the sounds of the city. 

Next we headed to the Pantheon, the ancient Pagan temple.  It’s amazing that it was built so long ago, and that it’s in such good condition.  This is also the place where the artist Raphael is buried, so we visited his tomb as well. 

Afterwards we visited a couple of piazzas that our guidebook suggested. The first was filled with artists selling their paintings.  Here I ate some gelato while admiring the images of many famous Roman sites.   The next piazza was a farmers market where everything from apples to wine to fresh meat was sold.  Unfortunately it was totally overpriced and I wasn’t able to buy a watermelon. 

After leaving the market we walked along the Tibur river towards the Spanish steps.  Surprisingly, the river was really gross, but the walk was nice.  After climbing the steps we headed to our hostel for the night.

The next day we visited the colosseum.  However, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.  We didn’t have any cash because we couldn’t find an ATM.  We decided to walk around in search of money.

Along the way we decided to stop for lunch.  We ordered some pizza at what seemed to be a nice enough restaurant.  Unfortunately, the wait staff was very rude (they screwed up our order and took about 20 minutes to bring us our check) and the pizza ended up making both of us sick.  To make matters worse we still hadn’t found an ATM.

We decided to go back to the colosseum. I thought that with an entrance fee of 12 euros they would surely accept cards.  I was wrong. 

We were directed to an ATM that was supposedly located just across the street.  It was not an ATM but a Money Exchange. The money exchange not only offered a bad exchange rate but also an additional 10 euro fee.  We decided that it was a total rip off, so we continued to look for an ATM.  After walking a couple of blocks we finally found one!  Unfortunately when we turned around to leave, with our newly acquired cash, we were followed by a beggar.  We took asylum in a store, only to find him waiting for us upon our departure.  We went into the next store, and waited for about 5 minutes, finally he turned around and walked the other way.

We headed back to the Colosseum one more time. After waiting in line, we were finally inside. We looked around and afterwards headed to the Roman Forum.  The ruins were cool, but I was totally exhausted from our ATM search, and it was super hot outside, so we didn’t spend too much time exploring.

We headed back to our hostel pretty early, and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Our hostel in Rome was pretty unconventional.  It was half campsite half hostel.  We had our own little cabin, which was pretty nice, besides the lack of air conditioning.  The campsite had its own restaurant, grocery store, and pool.  Overall it was pretty good, except for the long commute to the city (and the slow internet.)

The next day we went on the tour that Nana and Papa gave me for Christmas.  I thought it was a tour of the Vatican, so I was surprised when they told us we would be visiting a series of churches.  We visited St. Mary Major, St. John the Evangelist (and the Holy steps, the steps Jesus supposedly climbed to his death), St. Paul, and finally St. Peter’s Basilica.  I’m glad we were able to see these churches; they were all on my list for the next day’s itinerary.  My favorite was St. John the Evangelist, it’s a nice mixture of gothic and renaissance design.  St. Paul was also cool because it has a beautiful courtyard outside the entrance, and the inside has a portrait of every pope from St. Peter to the current Pope Benedict.

On our forth and final day in Rome we returned to Vatican city, and visited the Vatican Museum.  Luckily the line didn’t take more than 20 minutes, but the wait was pretty awful.  Lots of people were trying to shove their way to the front, which is incredibly annoying.  Oh well, we made it in eventually. 

The inside of the museum was very crowded, and we were kind of herded through like cattle.  We ended in the Sistine Chapel, where people were packed in like sardines.  Hopefully I can go back someday, maybe in the winter, and it will be less crowded.

Rome was a fun city, and I hope I can go back someday, with better conditions. 

We’re on our way to Venice.  I’m hoping it will be cooler and less crowded, but I’m not counting on it.

Florence: Kind of a Rip Off

Although Florence’s smell of leather and mounds of gelato give a good first impression, the entrance fees to the tourist attractions make you think twice.  Churches cost anywhere from 2.50 – 10 euros and the museums and palaces are upwards of 8.  Making the situation worst, the student discount is only offered to citizens of the EU. Despite the high costs, we were still able to see lots of Florence.

Our first night we found an apertivo (the Italian version of Old Country Buffet) and had a very satisfying dinner.  There were three different kinds of pasta, potato salad, fried zucchini (my favorite), tomato and mozzarella salad, and many other delicious things.  After stuffing ourselves, we decided to walk-off our meal by exploring the city. We discovered the Duomo, with its lovely pink and green marble façade, Ghiberti’s baptistery doors, and Ryan, our Canadian friend we met in Sevilla!

It was quite bizarre, we were walking down the street, spotted Ryan, and had lunch with him the next day.  It was really funny seeing him again, we didn’t even know he was going to Florence. 

After talking with Ryan we went in search of gelato (even though we were still full from dinner) but couldn’t find any; it was about 10pm so I think a lot of gelaterias we already closed.  We settled for ice cream at McDonald’s, and then went to bed.

On a side note, we were quite scared to go to bed the first night.  Arriving at our hostel was quite sketchy. The workers, Mario and Antonio, started talking to us really fast and said they were moving us to a different location.  They loaded our stuff in a car, and drove us across town to an apartment next to the Accademia gallery.  It was a good location, the room was huge, we had a full kitchen; it was too good to be true.  It seemed weird to us that they didn’t make us pay extra (in fact they gave us a discount because we didn’t have the internet), we didn’t have to pay them upfront (as you do in most hostels), and they didn’t take our passport information.  It was also weird because the apartment was pretty bare, there weren’t pictures on the walls and the shelves were empty.  We kind of thought they were in the mob, and were going to take us in the middle of the night. Luckily it all turned out all right, we weren’t kidnapped.

Anyway, on our first day in Florence we decided to check out the inside of the Duomo.  First we headed for the dome, designed by Bruneschelli, because there was no wait.  Well, after paying a total of 16 euros, we found out why there wasn’t a line.  After climbing up 463 stairs, there’s a balcony about 2 feet wide (literally, I’m not exaggerating), with a clear Plexiglas side.  It provides a good view of the paintings on the dome, but also a good view of the cathedral hundreds of feet below.  After climbing to the first terrace, you must continue to the next level, in order to exit.  I was petrified (and so was Josh.)  It was not a good experience.

Back on sturdy ground we entered the cathedral, which was very pretty.  The trip to the top of the dome was a definite rip-off, because you can see it from below. If I wanted to see it up close, I would have brought binoculars.

After the cathedral, we had lunch with Ryan, the Canadian, at a hole-in-the-wall panini shop.  The sandwiches were delicious, and for only 2.50 each they were quite a steal.  We ate some gelato for dessert, I had orange cream, and then went shopping at the flea market.  I bought a cashmere scarf for only 5 euros, and later a leather wallet for 10. 

Next we went to the Accademia gallery (which costs a whopping 14 euros a person), and saw Michelangelo’s David.  It was stunning.  The sculpture is humongous, and very accurate.  It was definitely worth visiting. 

On a side note, the museum workers in Italy, have been very rude.  They don’t like to give directions, they snap at you for entering the wrong side of a gallery, they’re totally unpleasant.  Oh well.

The next day we visited Basilica San Lorenzo, designed by Brunelleschi.  Inside we found a really cool mural of the constellations.  The church was very Renaissance with lots of columns and arches; it had a very simple design.

Afterwards we were planning to visit the Medici chapels, but the entrance fee was 9 euros, so we decided to skip it. 

After pizza for lunch, we went on a Tuscan wine tour.  It was really cool!  We visited a castle, once owned by the Medici family, where wine is now produced.  It’s a family owned company, and the family lives in the castle. The wine is made beneath their living space.  We visited the cellars and saw the wine barrels.  The family also makes olive oil, so we learned a little about that too.  Following the castle tour, we got to taste three different kinds of wine, two Chiantis and a white wine. They were all fabulous.  Not only was the wine good, but Tuscany was beautiful too.  I’m really glad we were able to see the Italian country-side.

Our final day in Florence we did a lot of walking.  Due to rain and odd opening times we walked back and forth through the city.  We planned to visit the Biboli gardens behind the Medici palace, but when we arrived we found the entrance fee was 10 euros a person.  It wasn’t worth the cost, so we took shelter from the rain in Branacci Chapel, they were finishing mass when we snuck in the back.  Nobody seemed to notice us, and we were able to see the church without paying.  It was a good deal.

After we had another pizza and gelato lunch, we visited the Uffizi gallery.  We saw a lot of really cool paintings, my favorite was the Allegory of Spring, by Botechelli.  We also saw art by Giotto, Raphael, DaVinchi, and Titan.  I liked the museum because it was small enough to visit every room.

Next we went to Santa Maria Novella Church, where we saw Mossachio’s painting, The Trinity.  All the artwork wore us out, so after buying a few more things at the leather market, we walked home and went to bed.

Now we’re on the train to Rome!

A Short Stop in Milan

From Barcelona we took at 14 hour train ride to Milan, Italy.  We didn’t have a sleeper car this time, only reclining seats.  It wasn’t as nice as our ride to Madrid, but it got us where we wanted to go.

When we arrived, we checked into our hotel, and went in search of Gelato.  What we found was delicious.

Later we met up with my friend Lauren, who is studying in Milan.  We were lucky to have her show us around the city.  We walked past Castello Sforzesco, an old castle. She also showed us the Galleria, a famous shopping area.  If you stand in the middle and twirl around, it brings you luck.  Next, we visited the Duomo, one of the world’s largest cathedrals.  It’s really pretty, and lucky for us it wasn’t under construction (it’s the first cathedral we’ve seen without any scaffolding.) 

Lauren also took us to a great dinner.  In Italy it’s common for bars to host apertivo happy hours; you buy a drink and it comes with an all-you-can-eat buffet.  The food included everything from pizza and pasta to cooked peppers and corn.  All of it was delicious.  We’re going to be on the look out for more apertivo spots during the rest of our time in Italy. 

After dinner Lauren took us to for more Gelato.  This time we went to Frozen, which Brette recommended to me.  It was also really good.  My goal is to have gelato every day while we are in Italy.

We’re now headed to Florence.  I’m looking forward to the fabulous artwork and architecture.

Are We Still in Spain?

Besides our unfortunate hostel stay, the rest of Barcelona was as great as I remembered.  Barcelona is very different from the rest of Spain; the architecture is more similar to the buildings in France, the language is Catalonian instead of Spanish, and the people aren’t quite as friendly.  Maybe I like it so much because it reminds me of Paris.

On our first day, after a quick trip to Las Ramblas, where we enjoyed the street performers, we visited a Museum of the city’s history.  Did you know that there is an ancient Roman village sitting below the city streets?  We learned about ancient clothes washing (they used urine as a cleaning agent), Roman church building, and the production of wine. It was really cool to see the roman ruins, and the museum had a good audio guide, which made it easy to decipher what we were looking at.

After the museum, we ate some dried papaya that we bought earlier at the Mercat de la Boqueria along Las Ramblas.  The market was very colorful and had everything from fruit to fresh fish (I mean it was still kicking!)  It was quite the experience.

That night for dinner we had a picnic on the beach.  Our hostel, even though it was far from the city, was only a few blocks from the sea.  It was a good ending to our first day in Barcelona.

The next morning we headed for the Picasso museum.  This is my favorite art museum of any I’ve been to.  On the walls they have short excerpts about Picasso’s life, which put the art into context.  The collection focuses on Picasso’s early work, so it’s interesting to see his slow progression to cubism.  If you’re ever in Barcelona, this is a must see.

After the museum we went in search for lunch.  We were hoping to find some cheap paella, but we didn’t have any luck.  Instead we found ourselves walking along a nude beach!  It was quite the shock.  I had never seen so many naked people in my whole life.  After finding our way out, we rode the tram to La Sagrada Famila, the famous cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi.  It’s amazing how huge it is, and how much detail is crammed into the architecture.  I noticed things, like a Christmas tree in the middle of the façade, that I didn’t notice the last time.  We didn’t visit the inside of the church, because it was a whopping 9 euros a person, we decided we’ll have to go back when it’s finished in 2020.

At this point we were starving and decided to try out the Spanish McDonald’s.  We ate our entire meal off of the euro menu and spent only 7 euros, it was quite the deal!

On Monday we did a lot of walking.  We started at the Arc de Triomph, which isn’t as big as the one in Paris, but it’s still fun to see.  Afterwards we headed to Las Ramblas where we finally found some decently priced paella.  It was delicious!  It’s basically Spanish rice topped with seafood.  It was definitely worth finding.

We walked off our lunch by climbing Montjuïc, the site of the 1992 Olympics.  We visited the stadium and also found some amazing views of the city.  It was quite the climb, and it definitely wore us out.

On the way back down, we stopped at Poble Espanyol, what I thought was going to be a mock Spanish village, kind of like the one in Plymouth Massachusetts.  After paying a 6.50 entrance fee, I found it to be way less than I expected.  It was basically a mall built inside of some old buildings.  It was a rip off.  After all of that walking we headed back to the hostel ready for bed.

The next day, before heading to the train station, we visited Parc Guell.  It was designed by Gaudi to be an ideal living community.  Unfortunately the project failed but today it makes a great park.  There is tiling everywhere and odd tunnels and pathways.  It’s a fun place to have a picnic.

Barcelona is great place, and I hope to have the chance to go back again someday.

Barcelona Dream Hostel? More like Badelona Nightmare Hostel

We arrived in Barcelona Friday night excited to explore the city.  Unfortunately, our hostel was not in the city.  We took an hour tram ride from the city center to Badelona, where we found our hostel.  At this point we were still optimistic, at least the public transportation was easily accessible. 

We climbed the stairs, with our massive bags, only to find a less than friendly staff.  Instead of focusing on our check-in, they were distracted by other kids, asking them questions about the Nintendo Wii (which we found out later didn’t work anyway.)  After five minutes of confusion, they finally found our reservation. 

As we handed them our card to pay, they informed us of a 7% fee for using a Visa.  We decided that was ridiculous, and left to find an ATM (keep in mind it was 11pm at this point.)  We found an ATM, paid the desk, and headed to our room (if it can even be referred to as such.)

Our room was about the size of a typical walk-in closet.  It wasn’t possible to open the door unless the other person was sitting on the bed.  We also found out later that our curtain didn’t close (and we were on the ground floor) and the window didn’t shut securely. 

After unloading in our tiny room we decided to do some laundry.  After washing our clothes we loaded them in the dryer.  An hour later we returned to find our clothes still soaking wet.  When we went to ask the staff member for help, he told us that we weren’t supposed to be doing laundry so late.  Ironically, the same guy had sold us soap only an hour before.  He came to look at the dryer and refused to give us a refund because the dryer was hot.  He didn’t seem to care that our clothes were still wet.  We ended up having clothes hanging in our room to dry for the rest of the stay (as if our room wasn’t small enough already.)

Another interesting thing happened to us while our clothes were washing.  Josh and I were sitting on a couch, using Skype, when three German boys, in their underwear, came and sat next to us.  They proceeded to pull out an ash try and smoke some cigarettes (apparently it was okay to smoke inside.) Needless to say we stood up and walked away.  (We saw the same boys prancing around in their underwear the next day.)

The next morning we woke up and took showers.  Unfortunately for Josh there was mold growing in the men’s bathroom.  Gross.

Another problem with our hostel was the presence of tiny children and their parents.  There was some kind of European kids dance competition going on next door, and apparently the whole group was staying in our hostel; we kind of felt like we were staying in a pre-school.  Not only were they noisy and annoying, they made it impossible to use the kitchen.  They filled up the refrigerator and made messes on the counter.

Despite all the problems we made it through, and are hoping that will be the worst of the trip.

 

*Also weird, we couldn’t find any bad reviews on the internet.