Candice's European Journey

Rhine River, Germany

2007-10-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of my trip I stayed in Berlin and went through Dassau so this time I decided to explore the beautiful western parts of Germany. I booked my accommodation in Köln and for two days I took cruises along the Rhine River to view the beautiful scenery of vine yards, forests, the river and numerous castles and churches. The first day I went from Koblenz to Köln and the second from Koblenz to Mainz. A lot of people thought I was crazy for doing the two cruises in two days on top of the train rides from Köln to Koblenz and Mainz to Köln but I figured it was the best way to see a large part Germany and the beautiful Rhine river in such a short amount of time.

I loved it as it was very relaxing and it was a great way to explore the sites in the rain. Whenever there was a break in the rain I went out on the deck to enjoy the fresh air. The food and drinks on the cruise were great and fairly inexpensive as well. It was a great way to relax and see a lot before the end of my trip as I have become somewhat exhausted from traveling for 2 months. I only wish I would have had a couple of more days so I could have explored the small towns and castles along the Rhine a little more but I want to head to Freiburg to hike through a little part of the Black Forest and spend my last day in Munich to check out the city and October Fest before heading back to the states.

Krakow, Poland

2007-10-01T05:57:00.000-07:00

Krakow is known as the "next Prague" with many medieval style churches and buildings. It was a beautiful city and I had a great time with a group of travelers I met at my hostel in Wroslaw. Since we were traveling to Krakow on the same day they invited me along with their group so I bought a train ticket for the same time and a booked myself a bed at the same hostel they were staying at.

This was a lot of fun as they were a very diverse group of 8 friends coming from Spain, Scotland and Poland. They defiantly knew how to have a good time. It was also very nice having someone in the group from Poland as he was our tour guide and translator. Everyone was so much fun, it was very exciting hanging out with them, especially because I have traveled by myself for most the trip. We explored the city and some great pubs and restaurants together and pretty much had the hostel to ourselves as there was only a couple of other travelers booked there as well.

We took a day trip to Auschwitz which is the largest concentration camp from the Nazis during WWII. It was very intense and emotional for me especially having German heritage but I am so glad I went. I learned a lot about the devastation and impact the Nazis had on the Jews as well as other countries and cultures throughout Europe. I left very upset not only about what I saw but also very mad about the deficient education system of America. When we are taught about the war we are told it from an American perspective about the United States role against Germany and the devastation against the Jews in a general sense but it mainly focuses only on Pearl Harbor. I felt so ignorant not knowing the wide spread devastation the war had on all the countries in Europe, about what exactly happened to the prisoners at the camps, quotes from Hitler and other political figures or the protests against the Nazis.

When I was taught about the war it only emphasized the Nazis being against the Jewish race but they were also against the Polish, Hungarians, Czechs, Romanians and so on. It was an eye opener for me and I learned more than I could have imagined. I was very sick to my stomach seeing the camp where millions died a brutal death from gas chambers, disease, starvation, hard labor, torture, gun fire and overall inhumane treatment. It becomes very overwhelming and real seeing everything in front of you rather than reading about it and looking at pictures from a book. Not only did I see the prisons, unsanitary living conditions, crematories and gas chambers but I also saw displays of millions of shoes piled in mountains, thousands of glasses, brushes, combs and suite cases which belonged to the prisoners. There were also piles of hair that were cut from the women which were used to create textile and sold. I also saw pictures of many of the prisoners who were so full of anger, sadness and some even had a glimmer of hope in there eyes. As I looked at the faces of men, women and children each one had a story, family and friends. Each had a life which they were deprived of and I felt so empty and sad.

What got me the most was seeing the pictures of the women and children who had brutal medical experiments conducted on them and to hear about how the doctors performed sterilization treatments on the women.

I just cannot imagine how anyone could have the mentality to inflict the kind of harm that these prisoners went through. How any one could think their race was superior to all and any one not of their race should be brutally annihilated. I just do not understand it.

I wish I was traveling for another couple of weeks so I could stay in Poland longer and I am very sad my trip is coming to an end so fast. I would have loved to explore the capital and some of the other cities in Poland but with less than a week left I took a night train to Germany to explore the west part of the country before catching my plane home from Frankfurt.

Wroslaw, Poland

2007-10-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

Poland is such a beautiful country and I had a great time in Wroslaw. It was recommended to me by one of my dear friends who studied abroad for a semester there to visit the rapidly growing and diverse city. I was very excited to meet his Polish fiance as he fell in love while studying abroad. She was so amazing and I learned a lot about her as well as Polish culture and history in a day as she took me around the city. We also relaxed in local pubs and restaurants which happened to be my friend's favorite places to go while he was there.

Unfortunately, I only had 2 full days so I was not able to visit all the sites I would have liked but I spent a good amount of time walking around, exploring the city and visiting the beautiful gardens near the university. It was very relaxing with a huge pond with fountains and water falls going throughout the middle with trees, plants and flowers everywhere. It is so beautiful this time of year as autumn is here and the trees are beginning to change to fiery red, orange and yellow colors. Part of me wishes I stayed another day so I could explore other gardens and parks and hang out with my friends fiance some more but with only a little over a week left of traveling I left to my next destination.

Prague, Czech Republic (Praha)

2007-09-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

The beautiful medieval Prague comes close to being my favorite city in Europe, although I really do not have favorites because I like all the cities I have been to for different reasons as they are all diverse. Everything was amazing I explored old town, the Jewish quarter, the little quarter and of course Charles bridge and the area of the Prague Castle.

The history is very interesting with quirky little facts about each building; however, I only discovered a few stories as it would be impossible to hear the entire history of Prague in 4 days. I had a very great time walking round especially because it is not so easy to get lost in this city relative to previous cities on my trip. I heard about a vegetarian restaurant called "Clear Head" (English translation) which was amazing!!! For the first time in Europe I felt like I was eating in a restaurant back home with salads that actually contain vegetables in them (and not only iceberg lettuce) vegetarian entrees, and great freshly squeezed juices. I ate there every night I was in Prague and for the first time I felt like I was receiving nutrition from the food I ate. Oh, the glass of vanilla soy milk was amazing as I actually forgot what soy milk taste like (it had only been 6-7 weeks).

Throughout my stay I took 2 day trips to nearby towns to check out other castles. The first trip was to Kunta Hora to see the church with human bones from around 40, 000 people on display. I know it sounds morbid but this church did such a beautiful job displaying the bones, creating designs hanging from the ceiling, including a chandelier. There was a detailed display of the crest of Prague made from the human bones as well as rooms with pyramids of bones stacked to the ceiling. Sculls were displayed on pillars which surrounded the crypt where the most important and rich corpses lay. Like I said it seems morbid but when you are there you cant help but think how beautiful it is.

The other day trip was to Karlstein were a beautiful "fairy tale" castle is among a forest and along a small river. It was so beautiful and relaxing to enjoy the views from the castle walls and walk around the forest for awhile. I wish I would have been able to plan my day better so I could have stayed there longer but a couple events lead to me having a later start to my day than planned.

I joined a couple of people I met from the hostel to a nearby club called Mecca and danced until 3:30 in the morning. It had a great ambiance with really good techno music in one room and pop music with a techno twist in another. It was really fun as this was the first dance club I went to Europe. This resulted in me waking up a little later than planed.

The other event which delayed me was being sold a ticket to the wrong destination. I went to the ticket office the morning before with my Euro rail timetable with the train departing from Praha and going to Krakow, Poland by night train circled. I also stated (in English) I needed a train from Praha to Krakow, Poland for the next day but apparently I was sold a ticket to Frankfurt, Germany instead. I don't get it! I could not have spelled it out for her any more than I did. I told her verbally were I needed to go and also showed her on paper with the time and destination circled. I did not notice the ticket was wrong until the next morning so the ticket office would only reimburse me 50% of my ticket. I was so frustrated because they were so unhelpful even though it was the mistake of the agent who sold me the ticket and when I asked for a manger they kept telling me to go upstairs but the manager (who is supposed to be available 24/7) conveniently wasn't. I dealt with the situation for an hour but when the manager was not to be found I gave in taking the 50% refund so I could reserve my train to Poland and catch the next train to Karstein. It was such a mess and what I believe to be a scam to screw travelers over and receive more money. If that is not the case then there are agents working for the train station who do not have half a brain cause I could not have spelled it out any clearer where I needed to go than I did.

Well, my stay in Prague was amazing and I could have stayed longer to stroll around the parks and gardens some more but I am now off to Poland as I am getting close to the end of my Euro trip.

Pecs, Hungary

2007-09-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, Earthdance (the international festival for peace) was not what I was expecting as the event was very different than back home in Laytonville. I was under the impression the event was from Fri to Sun with camping and since I did not have camping gear I decided to arrive on Saturday so I would only have to worry about my sleeping situation for one night.

I arrived around noon and the event was still being set up as it was not going to start until 6 in the evening and was going to end 5-6 in the morning on Sunday. This made me grateful I did not show up on Friday evening. I could tell by the set up the event was going to be small and it was weird cause I felt as if I was in a mini theme park as there was little kids rides everywhere. The site was very beautiful though as it was in the Forest up in the hills of Pecs so I decided to try to wait it out and stay for the event until it got very cold and started raining. All I had was a small sweater so I figured it was probably not a good idea for me to risk staying for the event.

The zoo was nearby so I walked around looking at small selection of animals there until the next bus came to go back to the train station. I changed my reservation and left on the next train to Budapest so i could catch the night train to Prague. I figured I would rather spend an extra day in Prague than be wet and cold for an event that I did not know what to expect. I did enjoy the beautiful scenic train ride though as Hungary consists mainly of rural plains and hills. I also enjoyed the beautiful Forest of Pecs even if I only spent a couple of hours there.

Budapest, Hungary

2007-09-16T01:52:00.001-07:00

Hungary was such a beautiful and relaxing country. Outside the main cities the landscape is full of rolling hills and grassy plains. I think the train rides trough this country have been my favorite as far as seeing the beautiful nature of Europe.

The city of Budapest was amazing and very relaxing. I treated myself to a hotel in the country side of Buda, on the outskirts of the city in order to get away from the urban and hostel environment. It was great as I needed to rejuvenate for my remaining travels. I have become pretty exhausted from all the site seeing and city life especially since I have always lived on the outskirts of the city, having little experience figuring out city transportation and the environment in general.

For my birthday I enjoyed the healing mineral waters of the natural thermal baths as well as the sauna and a deep tissue massage. This was followed by a stroll through the park as I was waiting for my bus tour of the city to start. The tour was great as it took us to all the main sites including a brief historical overview of Budapest and had 3 stops 2 of which were in the castle district and had panoramic views of the city and river. The castles were so beautiful! I met a couple on the tour and throughout our conversations I had mentioned it was my birthday so after the tour they invited me out to dinner with them as a birthday treat. It was really nice to have some company for my birthday as we talked over dinner for hours and they sang happy birthday to me. I then bought a bottle of Hungarian wine and relaxed at the hotel for the rest of the evening.

The next day I explored the beautiful paths of the castle district some more, catching the sunset but unfortunately most my day was wasted exploring the city center looking for a post office and standing in lines to mail some souvenirs home. I could not believe how expensive the mail system is in Hungary. Everything else is relatively cheap, except the postal services.

On my last day I went to another thermal bath to enjoy the relaxation of the mineral spas, saunas and another massage. I also enjoyed walking through 2 caves which were over a million years old but have been in formation for an estimation of 40 million years as the sea use to cover the country. On the sea floors many shells and water life became fossilized. As tectonic plates formed and the sea levels dropped through millions of years caves began to form through the the underground thermal springs. It was so amazing walking through learning about how the caves and minerals were formed and seeing calcite and gypsum in formation. There was also a cave climbing tour which would have taken me through the passage ways inaccessible by the walking tours but unfortunately I did not have boots so I could not go on it. Oh well, it will give me something to look forward to on my return to Budapest.

Overall, this city was amazing and I spent most my time relaxing in the parks and at the hotel as it was so remote and peaceful with a goldfish pond and a mini waterfall in the back yard . It gave me time to reflect on my trip and life in general as well as catching up on some writing in my journal.

Venice, Italy

2007-09-16T01:43:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I only spent a day in Venice as I scheduled a night train to Budapest so I could arrive there in time for my birthday. This little island of Italy was so beautiful but very expensive so it was probably good I did not pay for accomodation. Since I was limited on time I did not do much site seeing as far as going into museums, churches and so on but I strolled through a mini park to relax and enjoy the scenery as well as a few of the many bridges with beautiful views of the canals and city. I ate some great pizza for lunch followed by some souviner shoppping. I also bought a boat pass for the day so I could enjoy the views of the city by boat, managing to catch the beautiful sun set. I will definately have to explore this city again in the future.

Rome, Italy (Roma)

2007-09-16T01:09:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed my stay in Rome as it is a very beautiful city. I was so amazed walking around the ancient ruins of the coliseum, monuments and churches. The Pantheon is very beautiful but it was not what I was expecting as the temple built for all the gods is now devoted to Christianity. There was not one picture in the building representing ancient Roman beliefs; however, it is still very beautiful as a Christian church.

The coliseum was amazing! It was as if I was feeling the energy of the millions of Romans who met there as I toured the ruins of the ancient structure. I also walked around another nearby area of ruins, some other plazas with monuments and threw a coin into the Trevy Fountain to ensure my return to Rome (it is believed that if you toss a coin over your right shoulder with your back facing the fountain you will return to Rome).

I met so many cool people from the hostel and was surprised as this was the first time I had been around so many Americans. The hostel was very small with only 20 travelers. We had many great times as we went out to dinner and went site seeing together. We even planned a day trip to the ancient ruins of Pompei, the city which was discovered and unburied from being preserved as it was covered in Ash nearly a 1000 years ago when Mount Vesuvius erupted in the first century. We happened to catch "La Notte Biance˝ which occurs one night a year and is translated as white night. On this night the whole city is a party as stays open all night long. It was packed with so many people that it took forever to get anywhere and we all felt like a massive crowd herding through the streets. It was good times as music was planning everywhere and the museums were even free and open until midnight. There was an area with beautiful lights all over the ground that changed colors and a moving concert on a portable stage which was going down one of the main streets and had a gigantic, mechanic praying mantus on it which was controlled by a woman sitting in the mouth. There was also staff and poi dancers spinning equipment that set off sparklers. That was very wild and I have to shop around for some to expand my fire dancing equipment.

Unfortunately I missed the Vatican as it closed early on Saturday and I arrived 20 minutes to late. I think I will try to plan a day trip back to Rome at the end of my trip so I can see Vatican City and St. Peters. I would also like to return to Napels so I can explore that town a little, return to Pompei to hike Mount Vesuvius and explore the Amalfi Coast. I just did not have enough time in Italy but I did not want to stay too much longer since I wanted to spend my birthday relaxing in Budapest before heading to Pecs for Earthdance. Italy is fairly close to Germany though which is the country my flight departs from to return to the US so I think if I plan correctly, I may be able to return to Italy for another couple of days.

Florence, Italy

2007-09-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Italy is a beautiful country, especially throughout the Tuscany area. I had a very good time in Florence and mostly due to the great people I met at the hostel I was staying at. It was so comfortable and the staff were so great I felt like I was at home rather than a hostel. I have especially been enjoying the cappuccinos throughout Italy and it is so great waking up with a solid Italian breakfast waiting for you and amazing cappuccinos. I do not think I will ever be able to order a cappuccino in America again. There is no comparison.

Florence is very beautiful with gardens on the outskirts of the center and churches every
where. I climbed the dome of the Duomo which consisted of over 460 steps to overlook the city of Florence. It was very beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air. I also went to the Museo de Academia which contains Michelangelo's David Statue and beautiful art from many artists.

On my last day in Florence I decided to take a day tour through the country side of Tuscany which was a 40 minute drive from the center of Florence. This tour was the highlight of my Euro trip as I learned how to ride a horse and went horseback ridding for two hours through rolling hills, fields, vine yards, sunflower fields and the woods. It was so amazing as I have always wanted to go horseback ridding. The horse I rode was so beautiful and her name was Nadir. After the ridding we took a break for some freshly picked grapes and drinks (I had cappuccino of course) before visiting a medieval castle from the 13th century for lunch and wine tasting.

Before heading to the castle we stopped at a vine yard to walk around and enjoy the view of the castle from a distance for pictures, taste some of the finest grapes in the world and enjoy the fragrance from the herbs naturally growing such as lavender, rosemary, sage and bay leaf.

The lunch was so great and I can honestly say it was the best Italian food I have ever had. We started off with bread and extra virgin olive oil from the olive trees in Tuscany followed by salad, a sampler plate of 3 different pastas and dessert. All throughout the meal we were brought 4 different Tuscany wines to taste, one of them which was claimed to be the best wine in the world. I know I have not had much experience in wine tasting but it was amazing and lives up it its reputation.

We were giving some time to walk around, enjoy the view of the country side and take pictures before heading back to Florence where I caught my train to Rome.

Barcelona, Spain

2007-09-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

I decided I should stop off in Madrid again on my way up to Barcelona to visit the beautiful Parque del Retiro and Real Jardin Botanico (park and botanical gardens) for half a day. This gave me the opportunity to replace some of the pictures that I unfortunately lost when my camera was lost/stolen. I also found an international book store where I could find traveling books in English. Unfortunately, I was not able to replace the Lonely Planet guide I brought with me called Europe on a Shoestring; however, I did find another traveling book through a different publisher which will work just as well. It is not as detailed but much smaller and contains colored pictures which is always beneficial.

From Madrid, I took the night train to Barcelona where I stayed at a great hostile and meet some really cool people from Australia and London. We had great times as one of the guys we were hanging out with was from Barcelona so he knew the cool spots to take us.

Ramblas Street (the main street in Barcelona) was so much fun and full of entertainment as people dressed up in costumes and musicians played instruments for money. The street is full of shops, cafes, tourists and people trying to sell you souvenirs and cervesas (beer). It did get a little crazy at night as you can not walk down this street or sit and eat without being harassed by those selling stuff or belligerently drunk homeless people. None the less this is a great street, especially during the day.

The beach was very nice and relaxing as I treated myself to a 20 minute massage and laid out in the sun. Unfortunately, I got a bad sunburn on my legs but I was able to find some aloe vera which helped clear it up within a couple of days and alleviated the pain. There were also jelly fish warnings so we could not really go swimming. I even saw one as I briefly went in to get myself wet and to feel the Mediterranean water but I got out right away to avoid being stung.

I went to the Picasso museum which was very interesting as I know a lot more about Picasso's life and was able to see his progress as an artist though his first sketches in his youth to the well known pieces and everything in between. I was slightly disappointed that The Old Man Playing Guitar was not on display since it is my favorite painting from him but there was so much to see that my disappointed went away.

The Gothic Quarter was very interesting with a beautiful Cathedral as was the Sagrada Familia which is Neo-Gothic in style and is still under construction (from 1852 until approximately 2026) using Gauti's very detailed and amazing architectural design. This church uses nature for symbolism and once completed it will include 12 towers one for each apostle, topped with Venetian mosaics, a tower for the sacred heart (Jesus), and four towers representing the Evangelists. Within the towers there are amazing statues and carvings representing the facades of the Nativity, Glory, and the Passion of Christ. Absolutely beautiful! I can not wait to return to Barcelona in 20 years to see it completed.

I have had a great time over all in Spain but now I am off to Italy for a week...

Granada, Spain

2007-09-04T15:38:00.001-07:00

I found Granada to be such a beautiful city, especially the Alhambra which contains the Moorish Palaces, old military fortress and very beautiful gardens. It was so amazing to see archaeological remains of the palace architecture as well as the nearly 1,000 year old palace overlooking all of Granada. It is so hard to believe a structure made of bricks, rocks, sand and possibly clay still standing strong after so many years. The view was gorgeous and the gardens were so beautiful full of flowers, trees and fountains. The Palace itself was so miraculous with detailed Moorish carvings along the interior walls, ceilings and courtyards.

It was very interesting to hear about the Muslim and Christian history of the Alhambra (through an audio guided tour). When I have some more time I will update this blog to include some of the interesting historical facts I learned.

The night life in Granada was fun as I went on a Tapas Tour with some of my hostel mates. I really love the idea of Tapas and think the United States should adopt the concept which is very popular in Spain. Tapas is when you receive a small plate of free food with the order of any beverage in a pub/bar. The best part is the drinks where anywhere from 1-2 Euros. So you could have free dinner buy purchasing a few drinks. On our tour we hit up 3 Tapas bars and I met some great people from Australia, England and Brazil, drinking some tasty Sangria and Spanish Wine.

During my last night in Granada the hostel cooked up an all you can eat buffet full of great vegetarian options for only 5 Euros. This was amazing because as a vegetarian I have had a difficult time finding a decent meal in Europe, especially for a price within my budget. I literally felt like I was eating a home cooked meal which consisted of Cesar salad, vegan minestrone soup, pasta with marinara sauce, pasta with a white cream sauce and a rice dish with oysters (although I avoided the oyster dish). I ate so much food that I could barley move afterwards but it felt great to eat a full course meal. Everything tasted amazing! Many thanks to the best hostile in Granada, The Oasis!!!

Sevilla, Spain

2007-08-28T01:41:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I found this city to be the worst experience of my Euro trip so far. I know losing my camera, traveling books, translation guides, and personal journals contributed mostly to the bad experience (even though I tried to have a good time). I felt so lost without my traveling books, especially because I do not speak Spanish very well and was relying on my translation guides to communicate.

It was also so dreadfully hot that it was so hard to enjoy the site seeing. According to the temperature stated along the street thermometers is was anywhere between 36-40 degrees Celsius which is over 100 degree Fahrenheit. That is way too hot for me even when growing up in the desert of Southern California. My Humboldt skin is just not used to that kind of heat anymore.

I went to a few parks and gardens, sitting under the shade but it was too hot for me to really enjoy the relaxation. All I wanted to do was be in an air conditioned place so I spent most my time shopping for a new camera and trying to find traveling books in English (with no luck). As a result, I stayed in the hostel borrowing traveling books from other travelers, writing as much information down and hope to have better luck in the future cities I go to.

It was pretty expensive to replace my camera especially with the exchange rate but it was worth it to replace the exact model I lost and have high quality photos to remember my trip with. I defiantly learned my lesson the hard way.

Well, I am off to Granada and hope to enjoy this southern (and hot) city of Spain before heading off to Italy.

Madrid, Spain

2007-08-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

I had a very relaxing and good time in Madrid. My hostel was pretty fun with a bar downstairs and great Sangria! Unfortunately,I only made one of the museums I was planning to go to but it was the best one in Madrid, El Museo Del Padro. I walk around for hours listening to the audio commentary in English. The paintings and sculptures were amazing. After the museum I went to The Real Jardin Botanico (botanical gardens) and walked around for hours. It was so beautiful!!!

Before I left Madrid, while I was waiting to catch my train to Sevilla, Spain, I relaxed in El Parque del Retiro (Retiro Park) which was one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen (besides Redwood park back home). I walked around the maze of vegetation for hours, got some sun by the boat lake and walked through the Rosaleda (rose garden).

I was very happy that I was able to sit under the shade of the trees and walk around with my bare feet in the grass and was even able to practice my flag poi adding to the many forms of entertainment throughout the park. I found someone playing the violin near an area under the trees in the grass where I could spin to the music and sound of the water from one of the many fountains nearby. That was the first time I have been able to practice since I have been in Europe and it felt really great. It was also fun to watch the excitement from the little Spanish children walking by and others who were impressed as well.

My train was a quick ride but unfortunately this beautiful day ended on a sour note as I lost one of my bags when I got off the bus to go to my next hostel in Sevilla which contained my traveling books and unfortunately my camera :(

I have been really upset about it ever since I arrived and when I could not find it I started crying. Two police officers were driving by and saw how upset I was so they stopped to see what was wrong. Unfortunately they did not speak very much English and my Español es no bueno (no good) so they took me to the police station where I could speak to an international police officer over the phone and file a police report. They were so nice (probably the nicest police officers I have met) and it was an interesting experience being in the back seat of those little tiny European police cars. (Too bad I couldn´t get a picture of it)

I really hope I left my bag on the bus and will be able to find it tomorrow morning when the bus station opens but unfortunately I am pretty sure I left it when I sat down to look at the map to find my hostel. It defiantly could have been worse since I could have lost the other bag I was carrying which contained my passport, Eurorail pass and money. I am trying to look on the bright side but I am still upset because I had some great photos of Madrid on there and now I will not be able to take any more pictures throughout the rest of my trip. :(

San Sebastian, Spain

2007-08-23T09:47:00.001-07:00

This stop has been so relaxing and wet as the last three days have been full of pouring rain at the beautiful beach city of San Sebastian, Spain. Due to the stormy weather, these days have been full of laziness at the hostel as my hostel mates and I have been laying around, relaxing and watching movies all day. There was one day where the weather permitted site seeing so we spent the day hiking up to the "Jesus Statue" and relaxing on the beach.

I absolutely loved being at the beach and spent most the day there and hours in the night as well. The beach here reminds me of back home in Arcata but it was a little warmer of course. The ocean breeze and the sound of the waves crashing was meditative and balancing. I definitely needed the relaxation and solitude after being on the go in the main cities of Europe for the previous 2 weeks.

The hostel I am staying at is amazing and very fun. It was fairly small with only about 20 beds and had a community kitchen so I was able to go shopping and cook my own meals which was very nice. The owner of the hostel is Irish which resulted in a very fun and laid back environment. We all had great times.

Now I am leaving this beautiful place to the sunny city of Madrid but I defiantly will return to this city in the future when the weather lives up to its reputation.

Paris, France

2007-08-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

I was not planning to go to Paris on this trip but I was talked into it and now I am really glad I spent 2 days there. France is such a beautiful city! I did not have time to go into any museums or attractions but I took a tour and saw very beautiful monuments, bridges, parks, architecture and so on. After the tour, I hung out with my tour guide and a few others from the tour for some really good ice cream. Later on, our tour met up again for a “Pub Crawl” with the same tour guide. A pub crawl is a tour of the main local bars and clubs popular in the area. I thought it would be fun to experience the night life in Paris with a large group of travelers. It was amusing watching everyone get really wasted. We even played a drinking game. I took it really easy though and talked with some other travelers I met from my hostile.

One of the other travelers I met had some of the same interests as me as far as holistic and organic life styles so we discussed the corruption of our health care system and lifestyles as well as the roles politics and society play. It was very interesting!

Since I was not able to find a hostile to stay another night. My tour guide offered myself and another traveler from Australia to stay at his place. It was really nice because we were able to get to know about the Paris life and culture more as well as having some great homemade food. I have not been so full the entire time I have been traveling. Every thing was delicious!

I chose to sleep and relax the following day as it was pouring in Paris and will be catching the night train to San Sebastian, Spain.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2007-08-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam was a blast! I had a very good time but I did not care for my hostile very much or the heavy tourism there. It was so crowded and almost impossible to go to any museums because of the long lines. Other than that, Holland was great!

I was able to see the main attractions I wanted to go to such as the Anne Frank house, the Van Gogh Museum and the Hemp Museum. I got really excited in the Hemp museum because they had a video playing in the background discussing the culture of Hemp and it referenced Humboldt County and the town I live in, Arcata. It was so cool to see video footage of my home town because I was starting to get home sick by this point. I saw the beautiful beaches I love to go to, the foot bridge I’ve walked on countless times, and many other places. It was really cool!

The coffee shops in Amsterdam were great and were everywhere! I could not believe how many there were in such a little city. I do not remember the exact number but there are around 330 coffee shops there.

I took a tour through the city on my first day, seeing most the site attractions and received a great history and culture lesson of the Dutch in Holland. On the second day I took another tour of the Red Light District and received another history and culture lesson of prostitution in Holland. It was very fascinating. We also walked through the district and witnessed the prostitutes in the windows and even saw some guys either coming out or going into the rooms.

Amsterdam was very interesting and once again, I would have loved to stay there longer but I was sick of the Dutch ripping the tourists off. Everything was so expensive. If fact, I got really pissed a couple of times because of the prices I had to pay. Can you believe it cost 1 Euro to go to the bathroom in the train station? Who in their right mind would pay to go to the bathroom? Europe is all about taking advantage of tourist, especially Holland. I just do not agree with those practices.

None the less, I had a really great time and met some really cool people. Over all I spent 3 days in Holland and now my next stop will be Paris.

Dassau, Germany

2007-08-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

I really wish I could have been able to stay longer in Berlin; however; I needed to move on with my trip. My next stop was Dassau, a small town in Germany where my great
grandfather was born. I absolutely fell in love with this town and if hostels (or other affordable places to sleep) were available, I would have stayed the night there. There were beautiful parks with flowers and trees everywhere. I rented a bike for a few hours and rode it through the cobble stone streets and through the parks and I could smell the aroma from the flowers as if it was still spring.

The locals in Dassau were so friendly and very helpful even though most did not speak English. This was great because it forced me to use my German phrase book more often and I was able to experience a little more of the German culture versus a large German city such as Frankfort and Berlin where most spoke English.

I tried to go to the archive office to see if there was any information about my great grandfather but unfortunately it was not the right office. I would have needed to go to
a different office outside the town and needed more time to find any information. Since I was unable to find a place to stay I was out of luck.

With the remaining time I had, I decided to go to their Natural and Prehistoric Museum and saw some really cool displays of preserved historic wildlife. They even had rooms with beautiful crystals and gems where I saw some of the most beautiful stones and fossils I’ve ever seen. I could not resist buying some for souvenirs and gifts.

Someday I plan to return to this beautiful little town my great grandfather was born and spend at least a week there. Hopefully, I’ll know a little more German so I can actually talk more to the locals who live there.

My next visit will be….Amsterdam!!!

Berlin, Germany

2007-08-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

I am having such a great time in Europe. My baggage arrived yesterday and I finally was able to leave Frankfort and took a train to Berlin. I am having such a blast meeting diverse people from all over the world and was able do some sight seeing as well. So far I have seen remnants of the Berlin Wall in East Berlin while learning about the history of the wall from a documentary center. I also walked through "Checkpoint Charlie" and saw the display of historical events leading to the missile crisis and cold war. Germany definitely has an intense history!

I think I want to stay in Berlin for one more day because there is a few more things I would like to see. I will most likely take a tour tomorrow and see more of Berlin before heading to Dassau where my great grandfather was born. I hope to be able to connect deeper with my roots and find more information about my family.

Arriving in Germany

2007-08-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

After a long flight I arrived in Germany today, however unfortunately my flight did not go as smooth as I would have liked but I am making the best of it. I had a wonderful time driving to Portland for my departure and Alissa, Della and I stayed in a beautiful hotel with a pond for a view, an indoor pool and spa, a great location and vibrant decor.

Alissa and Della took me to the Airport Thursday morning and the flight was great until reaching the East Coast where we encountered a thunderstorm over Philadelphia. The plane hoovered over the storm for a half an hour before making a detour to North Carolina to refuel the plane. Then the plane took off to hoover over the storm again to wait until it could land. By the time we were able to safely land there were so many planes backed up, we had to wait 45 minutes before a terminal was available. At this point I was 4 hours late from when I was suppose to arrive and fortunately my connecting flight to Frankfort was delayed as well. So I made my next flight but unfortunately my checked back pack with just about everything in it never made the connection.

I was devastated this morning when I arrived and my bag was not here. No clothes to change into and no way to clean up or even brush my teeth. All I had was my passport, money, traveling books, a map and fortunately my sleeping bag. At least I have those essentials. I ended up wasting the whole day in a huge airport where I do not understand the language trying to figure out what to do and where to go. I was not planning to stay in Frankfort and was planning to hop on a train to Dassau where my great grandfather was born and then to Berlin. Instead I am hanging out in Frankfort hoping my baggage will arrive tomorrow on the next flight.

I finally was able to find a hostel and some great food (vegetarian pizza). Ironically, the hostel I am staying at is right across the street from a pond as well. I took my pizza to go and sat near the pond in the grass against a tree to eat. That was the most relaxing and beautiful part of my day, breathing in the cool fresh air while watching the locals feed the geese, ducks and pigeons as joggers and bicyclist rode by.

As dawn approached, I started hanging out with my "youth hostel roommate" and we started to met Europeans from Germany and others from Morocco, drank a bottle a some pretty good Spanish wine and went to a club until our curfew at our youth hostel.

Well, this was a very interesting first experience in Europe and I hope to continue my trip tomorrow. Until my next post....keep me safe in your thoughts!