So just wanted to report that the three of us have made it home finally. We are all safe and sound and very glad to be home!!
-Hilary
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Home in Site!
So as many of you probably know we are a week out from heading home. It has been a while since we have posted but a lot has happened, but I will try to catch you all up on all the news.
After having a really good time in Nice, we woke up to leave around 11am for another long day of travelling, and didn't get into Barcelona until 10:30pm. After checking-in we headed out to our first tapas style dinner where Brittany and I tried our first patatas bravas and sangria. Very good and we would suggest them to anyone who goes to the city. After crashing that night we rose to get some breakfast and head out to look around town, shopping and seeing what we could find. the Picasso museum and the Chocolate Museum. The Picasso museum was great and totally worth the wait in line and money spent. The Chocolate Museum Brittany and I didn't even end up paying to go into but we bought a glass of liquid chocolate and about died. It was quite good but we decided that we couldn't have any more dessert for the rest of the trip. After venturing up La Rambla again we headed back to pick up Jamie for dinner, she had been tired and not feeling well so she had headed back to take a nap. Our second dinner was less memoriable but was followed up by another early weekend. Our second full day we headed to the Picasso and the Chocolate Museums. The Picasso museum was great and totally worth the wait in line and money spent. The Chocolate Museum Brittany and I didn't even end up paying to go into but we bought a glass of liquid chocolate and about died. It was quite good but we decided that we couldn't have any more dessert for the rest of the trip. After venturing up La Rambla again we headed back to pick up Jamie for dinner, she had been tired and not feeling well so she had headed back to take a nap. The third full day we headed to the beach and it ended up being a great idea because the weather was rainy and cold the rest of the days. That night we all ate in, Jamie ate a rice bowl and Britt and I split nachos, fajitas and a double bottle of sangria which ended up being our dinner two nights in a row. That night we stayed in but met some great people and learned a few new games to teach friends when we get home. Our fourth day we saw Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, and that night we headed out with a roommate in search for the Traveller Bar, suggested to us by a few friends. After a long search and no luck we ended up at a place called the Paca Vaca. Our last day in Barcelona Brittany and I fought the rain to go take a look at the Olympic park and the Barcelona Pavillion. Somehow we ended up finding the bar from the night before and watched a soccer game between Manchester United and Manchester City while a huge storm passed through. The next day we awoke early to leave for our long, last train trip to Paris.
After spending a 9.5 hour trip in Perpengion we left on our overnight train to Paris.
More to come later but we enjoyed Spain but are all ready to get home.
-Hilary
After having a really good time in Nice, we woke up to leave around 11am for another long day of travelling, and didn't get into Barcelona until 10:30pm. After checking-in we headed out to our first tapas style dinner where Brittany and I tried our first patatas bravas and sangria. Very good and we would suggest them to anyone who goes to the city. After crashing that night we rose to get some breakfast and head out to look around town, shopping and seeing what we could find. the Picasso museum and the Chocolate Museum. The Picasso museum was great and totally worth the wait in line and money spent. The Chocolate Museum Brittany and I didn't even end up paying to go into but we bought a glass of liquid chocolate and about died. It was quite good but we decided that we couldn't have any more dessert for the rest of the trip. After venturing up La Rambla again we headed back to pick up Jamie for dinner, she had been tired and not feeling well so she had headed back to take a nap. Our second dinner was less memoriable but was followed up by another early weekend. Our second full day we headed to the Picasso and the Chocolate Museums. The Picasso museum was great and totally worth the wait in line and money spent. The Chocolate Museum Brittany and I didn't even end up paying to go into but we bought a glass of liquid chocolate and about died. It was quite good but we decided that we couldn't have any more dessert for the rest of the trip. After venturing up La Rambla again we headed back to pick up Jamie for dinner, she had been tired and not feeling well so she had headed back to take a nap. The third full day we headed to the beach and it ended up being a great idea because the weather was rainy and cold the rest of the days. That night we all ate in, Jamie ate a rice bowl and Britt and I split nachos, fajitas and a double bottle of sangria which ended up being our dinner two nights in a row. That night we stayed in but met some great people and learned a few new games to teach friends when we get home. Our fourth day we saw Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, and that night we headed out with a roommate in search for the Traveller Bar, suggested to us by a few friends. After a long search and no luck we ended up at a place called the Paca Vaca. Our last day in Barcelona Brittany and I fought the rain to go take a look at the Olympic park and the Barcelona Pavillion. Somehow we ended up finding the bar from the night before and watched a soccer game between Manchester United and Manchester City while a huge storm passed through. The next day we awoke early to leave for our long, last train trip to Paris.
After spending a 9.5 hour trip in Perpengion we left on our overnight train to Paris.
More to come later but we enjoyed Spain but are all ready to get home.
-Hilary
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Nice, France
So to all of you who knew our planned schedule for the last two and a half weeks throw it out of the window. You are probably also wondering why I am labeling this blog Nice, but it is true we are here. After a week of figuring things out we finally have our trains worked out all to get in and out of Barcelona. Let me start at the beginning of this story however.
So our last morning in Rome we awoke to get breakfast to head to the train station early in order to reserve our last few train tickets for the trip. After waiting in a relatively short international bookings line we get to the front and find out that we can't take the overnight train from Milan to Barcelona like we had planned. Not only can we not take it on the night that we planned but it was completely booked until the 17th of August and it is the only city in Italy that has connection to Barcelona. From this information we decided that we needed to consider our options and searched out the TI office, which we found only dealt with the city of Rome, but directed us to the train travel agency. After talking to the man behind the counter we had our options but none of them would be nice. We realized there was nothing we could do until we got to La Spezia and could talk to another train person. The train ride was one of anxiousness for all of us, when it should have been one of relaxation and excitement because we were heading to the beautiful area of Cinque Terre.
To make a long story shorter, we ended up deciding to lose a day in Barcelona and to stay in Nice for a night. Unfortunately our bad luck didn't end there. After dealing with getting into Barcelona we realized that night after the beach that we hadn't taken care of getting out of the city. So the next day we headed back to La Spezia, our third time at the train station in three days, to book our trip to Geneva. It was then that we learned we couldn't get a train out of Barcelona to Geneva at all. Everyday that would have worked was completely booked and since we were only spending three nights there we found an internet cafe again to once again way our options. After looking at flights, buses and everything we could think of we had to be realistic and just cut out that leg of the trip. It was very upseting but we knew it was the only way. Back at the train station we booked the first leg of our trip out of Barcelona but were told that because we were in Italy that we couldn't book from the France border on. (Don't ask me because we still can't figure that part out.) We had a schedule in hand and decided that we did as much as we could and enjoyed the rest of our time in Cinque Terre.
Once arriving in Nice we went to setup the rest of our trip our of Barcelona but were told that the train we wanted was booked solid. At that point we could get in to Blois one day late then we would turn around to leave the next day. We have decided against that as well.
So where we stand now. We leave Nice today to spend the whole day on trains to get to Barcelone where we will be for the next 6 nights then we will leave Barcelone, travel to some French border town, have a 9.5 hour layover and take a night train to Paris where we will spend 7 nights. We will have two trips left on our Eurail passes and plan to take two day trips from Paris before the passes expire, the plan is to go to Blois and Versialle (sorry spelling).
Through all this we have realized how much we miss home and how lucky we have been up until now. We have all the hostels taken care and have places to stay though we will lose a little money getting rid of our other hostels.
We miss everyone and will see you all in a few weeks!
-Hilary
So our last morning in Rome we awoke to get breakfast to head to the train station early in order to reserve our last few train tickets for the trip. After waiting in a relatively short international bookings line we get to the front and find out that we can't take the overnight train from Milan to Barcelona like we had planned. Not only can we not take it on the night that we planned but it was completely booked until the 17th of August and it is the only city in Italy that has connection to Barcelona. From this information we decided that we needed to consider our options and searched out the TI office, which we found only dealt with the city of Rome, but directed us to the train travel agency. After talking to the man behind the counter we had our options but none of them would be nice. We realized there was nothing we could do until we got to La Spezia and could talk to another train person. The train ride was one of anxiousness for all of us, when it should have been one of relaxation and excitement because we were heading to the beautiful area of Cinque Terre.
To make a long story shorter, we ended up deciding to lose a day in Barcelona and to stay in Nice for a night. Unfortunately our bad luck didn't end there. After dealing with getting into Barcelona we realized that night after the beach that we hadn't taken care of getting out of the city. So the next day we headed back to La Spezia, our third time at the train station in three days, to book our trip to Geneva. It was then that we learned we couldn't get a train out of Barcelona to Geneva at all. Everyday that would have worked was completely booked and since we were only spending three nights there we found an internet cafe again to once again way our options. After looking at flights, buses and everything we could think of we had to be realistic and just cut out that leg of the trip. It was very upseting but we knew it was the only way. Back at the train station we booked the first leg of our trip out of Barcelona but were told that because we were in Italy that we couldn't book from the France border on. (Don't ask me because we still can't figure that part out.) We had a schedule in hand and decided that we did as much as we could and enjoyed the rest of our time in Cinque Terre.
Once arriving in Nice we went to setup the rest of our trip our of Barcelona but were told that the train we wanted was booked solid. At that point we could get in to Blois one day late then we would turn around to leave the next day. We have decided against that as well.
So where we stand now. We leave Nice today to spend the whole day on trains to get to Barcelone where we will be for the next 6 nights then we will leave Barcelone, travel to some French border town, have a 9.5 hour layover and take a night train to Paris where we will spend 7 nights. We will have two trips left on our Eurail passes and plan to take two day trips from Paris before the passes expire, the plan is to go to Blois and Versialle (sorry spelling).
Through all this we have realized how much we miss home and how lucky we have been up until now. We have all the hostels taken care and have places to stay though we will lose a little money getting rid of our other hostels.
We miss everyone and will see you all in a few weeks!
-Hilary
Monday, August 6, 2007
Tuscany Pics (Florence, Siena, Pisa)
We missed a few at the end of Pisa but we will get them up in the next few days.
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=60061186394428363/l=296648164/g=98457132/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=60061186394428363/l=296648164/g=98457132/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
ROMA!!
So this is going to be very quick just to check-in for all of you who watch for our next posts. We are here in Roma and have seen so much but have so much left to see. The first night we went out and celebrated Jamie's birthday and imagine that the first guy that we met that night was Guido, what an Italian name. The first full day we saw all the major sites, Palantine Hill, the Colosseum, Trojan's Market and the Roman Forum. The second day, yesterday, we saw the Pantheon, which I have to say we my favorite site, the Plazza de Popolo, the Spanish Steps and Borghese Gallery. (We were lucky that we got tickets to see the Borghese Gallery because you usually have to book them weeks in advance.) The interiors of the Gallery were beautiful. The Pantheon took us all by suprise and we walked in and just stood with our mouths open for a solid two minutes. Today we have a smaller list including St. Peter-in-Chains and Capital Hill. Tomorrow we will spend all of our day in the Vatican. Once we get to Cinque Terre we will be able to post more in depth details about our time here!
-Hilary
-Hilary
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Italy at last!!!
Well, we finally made it to Italy, the location we've all been looking forward to since the start.
We started off in Venice which was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect and it even seemed cooler after the heat wave in Vienna and Prague. We spent some time in Venice checking out the Murano island in the lagoon where the glass blowing factories are and we checked out the Rialto and San Marco. We also learned that there are wine shops with wine "on tap" which will fill up your empty water bottle for like 1 euro. Not too bad. Plus we got to stay in an actual hotel with a balcony. Granted the balcony opened up on a not quite to picturesque alleyway, but compared to building inspectors and strange hostel owners who never seem to sleep, it was like paradise.
Next up was Florence, where we leave today. Florence was just crazy. We would turn around and see something that we'd seen slides of in class and sort of do a double take every time. We actually stood in front of the palazzo Medici for a bit before realizing it. We also limbed the duomo which was an exhausting 465 steps, but totally worth the climb. We managed to get into the Ufizzi Gallery without a reservation and saw some incredible art up close, the Birth of Venus was my favorite.
Other than that, we've just been falling in love with Italy. The gelato has been incredible and the cities and countryside are gorgeous.
Next up, Siena!!!
-Jamie
We started off in Venice which was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect and it even seemed cooler after the heat wave in Vienna and Prague. We spent some time in Venice checking out the Murano island in the lagoon where the glass blowing factories are and we checked out the Rialto and San Marco. We also learned that there are wine shops with wine "on tap" which will fill up your empty water bottle for like 1 euro. Not too bad. Plus we got to stay in an actual hotel with a balcony. Granted the balcony opened up on a not quite to picturesque alleyway, but compared to building inspectors and strange hostel owners who never seem to sleep, it was like paradise.
Next up was Florence, where we leave today. Florence was just crazy. We would turn around and see something that we'd seen slides of in class and sort of do a double take every time. We actually stood in front of the palazzo Medici for a bit before realizing it. We also limbed the duomo which was an exhausting 465 steps, but totally worth the climb. We managed to get into the Ufizzi Gallery without a reservation and saw some incredible art up close, the Birth of Venus was my favorite.
Other than that, we've just been falling in love with Italy. The gelato has been incredible and the cities and countryside are gorgeous.
Next up, Siena!!!
-Jamie
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Ok, managed to get up Prague pics but am having a hard time loading more on Snapfish... more when we can!
heres Prague...
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=204281185623344491/l=289101686/g=98457132/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
heres Prague...
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=204281185623344491/l=289101686/g=98457132/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Vienna Summary
Ok, so we're paying a lot for internet right now so this is going to be a brief summary (please forgive sp errors etc!).
Vienna started out sort of rough when we showed up at the hostel only to discover that it was under construction and a mess! The recpetionist tried her best to sweet talk us with free drinks and internet, but in the end the room was just not good. Plus, she had to buy us breakfast our first morning there in order to get us out of the hostel so building inspectors could come through! Awkward!
Other than the hostel, we got to see some great sights, including the royal palace, Karlskirka, Schönbourn Palace (sp?) and the museum quarter. Plus we took an great day trip to Budapest, the highlight being our fabulous dinner there which we all loved. Vienna has been beautiful, although not the cheapest, and we are all super excited for Italy- the true highlight of this European adventure for us all.
Ok, thats enough for now, sorry this is so short. More pics when we can!
-Brittany
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Update on Heat!
So as Brittany wrote yesterday it was very hot here. Today we found out that it was actually the hottest day ever in Prague's history and the 43 degrees C calculates to 109 degrees F. It was crazy hot and there was no breeze. (Seems as if we can't beat the bad/unwanted weather.)
The heat was much better today though only getting into the upper 80's and it suppose to rain tomorrow to cool things off.
Hope everyone is well at home!
-Hilary
The heat was much better today though only getting into the upper 80's and it suppose to rain tomorrow to cool things off.
Hope everyone is well at home!
-Hilary
Monday, July 16, 2007
little update...
So I'm posting again because we actually have free internet here which means I can take advantage of updating our blog more. The past few days have been relaxing and quite fun.. not too many real plans or specific sightseeing adventures, but just good old 'hanging out' that we are all thoroughly enjoying. We have been shopping around, sun tanning and meeting people at our hostel which has been great.
If there is one small downfall of the past few days, it would be the heat. We went from cold, rainy misery to hot, HOT, HOOTTT!! Today Jamie actually saw a tempurature reading of 43 degrees celsius, yikes! But we cant complain too much because its better than rain and also preparins us for Italy.
Anyway, not much other news. We are doing more sightseeing tomorrow and have a few more days here until we leave for Vienna on Thursday. We LOVE Prague!
If there is one small downfall of the past few days, it would be the heat. We went from cold, rainy misery to hot, HOT, HOOTTT!! Today Jamie actually saw a tempurature reading of 43 degrees celsius, yikes! But we cant complain too much because its better than rain and also preparins us for Italy.
Anyway, not much other news. We are doing more sightseeing tomorrow and have a few more days here until we leave for Vienna on Thursday. We LOVE Prague!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Night Out!
So last night was the second night that we went out here in Prague. (Its great how cheap it is because it means that we get to experience the nightlife a lot more easily and still keep on our budget.) The first night (Thursday) we tried a place that is suppose to be authentic Czech, Club Cross, recommened to us by one of Brittany's friends from home. The aesthic was awesome with an underground/sewer feel and regga/techno music. Everything inside was custom made with piping to really fit in with the them. (Didn't get many pictures but it has a website with some.)
Last night we went to an 80's/90's bar again recommened by Brittany's friend and we had a great time. Most of you know that Jamie and I love the 80's especially the music so we were all super pumped about getting to dance to them here in Prague. When we first arrived it was a little dead and no one was really dancing much but within the hour the dance floor was full and included us. We got our groove on to Michael Jackson, Abba, and many more most of which we knew some that we didn't. We met some nice guys who talked hockey with Jamie for a bit, which in combination with hearing Billy Jean made her night. The best part about both nights was the fact that we could dance however we wanted and it didn't matter because there was always someone worse.
-Hilary
Last night we went to an 80's/90's bar again recommened by Brittany's friend and we had a great time. Most of you know that Jamie and I love the 80's especially the music so we were all super pumped about getting to dance to them here in Prague. When we first arrived it was a little dead and no one was really dancing much but within the hour the dance floor was full and included us. We got our groove on to Michael Jackson, Abba, and many more most of which we knew some that we didn't. We met some nice guys who talked hockey with Jamie for a bit, which in combination with hearing Billy Jean made her night. The best part about both nights was the fact that we could dance however we wanted and it didn't matter because there was always someone worse.
-Hilary
Friday, July 13, 2007
Prague...
So we are in a new city again- Prague! We arrived yesterday after spending a long morning in the train station, but a beautiful ride from Berlin to here. The scenery was amazing! We found our hostel, which is kind of ecelctic but cool, Hostel ELF :) The best part about it? Free internet, free breakfast and free linens, luxuries that seem minor but are a big deal to us. We have 7 days total here, so we are taking our time seeing everything and just relaxing. The weather forecast is nice for once, and warm, so we are pumped!
Last night we had a great dinner at a place near the hostel called Sklep, and we all got some yummy dishes with potato pancakes and more tardtional Czech flavors. Then we went to a really unique club off a recomendation from my friend Kristy and just had a fun night out dancing the night away! Today we wandered around "old town" just taking in the sights, popping into suveniour shops and seeing the Charles Bridge and main square. Tomorrow the plan is to go to Prague Castle and maybe catch some rays (since all we've seen for awhile has been rain!). Oh, and my favorite part about Prague? ITS CHEAP! Very exciting afetr Stockholm, Copenhagen and London.
Thats about it for now, stay tuned for updates and more pics!
-Brittany
Last night we had a great dinner at a place near the hostel called Sklep, and we all got some yummy dishes with potato pancakes and more tardtional Czech flavors. Then we went to a really unique club off a recomendation from my friend Kristy and just had a fun night out dancing the night away! Today we wandered around "old town" just taking in the sights, popping into suveniour shops and seeing the Charles Bridge and main square. Tomorrow the plan is to go to Prague Castle and maybe catch some rays (since all we've seen for awhile has been rain!). Oh, and my favorite part about Prague? ITS CHEAP! Very exciting afetr Stockholm, Copenhagen and London.
Thats about it for now, stay tuned for updates and more pics!
-Brittany
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Berlin...
We saw Harry Potter today!!! In the Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz!!!
Anyway... We went on a free tour our first full day in Berlin. It was a really awesome tour, our guide really knew her history. We saw Hitler's bunker... an ugly parking lot now. And found out the story behind the fall of the Berlin wall. It's crazy how many signs of the war are still here. Besides the bombed building left for tourism purposes there are bullet holes and pockmarks in lots of the buildings and most things are brand new since 1990 or so.
We went and shopped yesterday along Berlin's major shopping street the Friedrichstrasser. We also visited the KaDaWe department store, supposedly the largest on the continent. We also waited in line for about an hour in the rain (the weather has been typically rainy this trip) to see the Reichstag which was completely worth the wait. The dome itself was amazing and the view of the city was stunning, the sun even managed to come out long enough for us to have a clear view of the panorama.
Today was dedicated to Harry Potter and Potsdamer Platz. I got to see all my nerdy architecture including the Diamler-Chrystler headquarters and a particularly cool building by Richard Rogers, and we killed time before the movie on some huge see-saws.
We saw the movie and that in and of itself was an experience. They added an intermission here.
Then we trucked in the rain to the Jewish Museum by Liebeskind. It was a really great exhibit and super informative.
Tomorrow... we go to Prague!
-Jamie
Anyway... We went on a free tour our first full day in Berlin. It was a really awesome tour, our guide really knew her history. We saw Hitler's bunker... an ugly parking lot now. And found out the story behind the fall of the Berlin wall. It's crazy how many signs of the war are still here. Besides the bombed building left for tourism purposes there are bullet holes and pockmarks in lots of the buildings and most things are brand new since 1990 or so.
We went and shopped yesterday along Berlin's major shopping street the Friedrichstrasser. We also visited the KaDaWe department store, supposedly the largest on the continent. We also waited in line for about an hour in the rain (the weather has been typically rainy this trip) to see the Reichstag which was completely worth the wait. The dome itself was amazing and the view of the city was stunning, the sun even managed to come out long enough for us to have a clear view of the panorama.
Today was dedicated to Harry Potter and Potsdamer Platz. I got to see all my nerdy architecture including the Diamler-Chrystler headquarters and a particularly cool building by Richard Rogers, and we killed time before the movie on some huge see-saws.
We saw the movie and that in and of itself was an experience. They added an intermission here.
Then we trucked in the rain to the Jewish Museum by Liebeskind. It was a really great exhibit and super informative.
Tomorrow... we go to Prague!
-Jamie
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Finally in Stockholm...Checked-In
So we made it on our first overnight train. I am glad we only have one of those left. After spending our day yesterday in Malmo we waited until 10:30 to board our overnight train. As we climbed into our train car we see that half of it is already filled with 11-14 year old girls. We found out later that they were an Iranian Karate team. Of couse with our luck we looked at our seats and they were suppose to be right in the middle of the bunch. Since we were early we headed out of the car to find someone to help us find seats that weren't reserved that we could use instead. Although we ended up in the same car we were on the other side of the slumber party and all three of us got two seats instead of one to attempt to sleep in.
The train left on time around 11:08 and we were mostly asleep after the first two stops. Around 3am we wake up to find the train stopped at a station, which it stayed at for about an hour. By the time we left the station the sun was starting to rise and we still have four hours left on this overnight train.
We arrived in Stockholm this morning around 7am to find almost nothing open, and that the tourist office that was once located in the train station had closed. We got directions to the nearest one and headed there to find out the best mode of transportation. Of course, the tourist office was closed when we got there and didn't open until 9am. After sitting in one of the few coffee shops open for about two hours we headed back to the tourist office only to be treated fairly rudely and not really have our questions answered. After looking at some information we pulled a second number from the counter and waited to talk to a different agent.
We decided to go for the 72 hour Stockholm Card, giving us three days of unlimited travel by bus and metro and free entrance into 75 museums and attractions. We decided to wait to purchase this card until we were getting ready to head to the hostel since Central Station sold them and we had to pick up our packs from the locker we had stowed them in for the day.
We spent the rest of the morning looking through shops and around the city. At 1:30pm we headed to Central Station to buy our cards and head to the hostel, only to our disapproval we found out that Central Station didn't actually have the cards and that we would have to walk back to the tourist information station for a third time that day even though they were the ones that told us we could get the card at Central Station in the first place.
After treking back and forth we finally got it all squared away and found our hostel.
We are all checked-in and ready for a busy next three days!
-Hilary
The train left on time around 11:08 and we were mostly asleep after the first two stops. Around 3am we wake up to find the train stopped at a station, which it stayed at for about an hour. By the time we left the station the sun was starting to rise and we still have four hours left on this overnight train.
We arrived in Stockholm this morning around 7am to find almost nothing open, and that the tourist office that was once located in the train station had closed. We got directions to the nearest one and headed there to find out the best mode of transportation. Of course, the tourist office was closed when we got there and didn't open until 9am. After sitting in one of the few coffee shops open for about two hours we headed back to the tourist office only to be treated fairly rudely and not really have our questions answered. After looking at some information we pulled a second number from the counter and waited to talk to a different agent.
We decided to go for the 72 hour Stockholm Card, giving us three days of unlimited travel by bus and metro and free entrance into 75 museums and attractions. We decided to wait to purchase this card until we were getting ready to head to the hostel since Central Station sold them and we had to pick up our packs from the locker we had stowed them in for the day.
We spent the rest of the morning looking through shops and around the city. At 1:30pm we headed to Central Station to buy our cards and head to the hostel, only to our disapproval we found out that Central Station didn't actually have the cards and that we would have to walk back to the tourist information station for a third time that day even though they were the ones that told us we could get the card at Central Station in the first place.
After treking back and forth we finally got it all squared away and found our hostel.
We are all checked-in and ready for a busy next three days!
-Hilary
Monday, July 2, 2007
Copenhagen
Well, another city over with. We have just left Copenhagen this morning and are in Malmo, Sweden on our way to Stockholm. Copenhagen was beautiful besides being slighty expensive again. We had another run in with some of our odd luck, and it turned out to be the weekend of the European Union Triathalon, right there in the city. And the course just happened to run on the street our hostel was on, so we got to watch some exciting races with athletes from all over Europe- very cool! Besides that, it was also graduation weekend for local high schoolers and we learned of a tradtion they do there which is that the fraduates must wear sailors hats for 14 days after they graduate, and groups of them ride around in big party trucks, drinking and dancing and waving to the crowds. It was sort of weird, but a neat thing to get to see.
Besides the special events going on, we got a chance to do lots of great sightseeing, including the National Museum, Black Diamond Library, 3 palaces and Marmorkirken (sp?)- a church at which Jamie and I took a dome tour and got to actually climb right over the dome, through the structure and onto the roof, viewing the whole city and harbor. What an amazing experience! We also got to see the oldest house in Copenhagen (c.1663) and strolled down Nyhavn (the touristy area with the multi colored houses). Jamie also got to meet up with an old friend from high school who was in the city, and I ran into someone from DAAP which was a strange feeling being as we are across the Atlantic Ocean! But all in all, Copenhagen seems to be the favorite up to this point, but we are all excited for the cities to come. Hope everyone at home is great. More from Stockholm! -Britt
Besides the special events going on, we got a chance to do lots of great sightseeing, including the National Museum, Black Diamond Library, 3 palaces and Marmorkirken (sp?)- a church at which Jamie and I took a dome tour and got to actually climb right over the dome, through the structure and onto the roof, viewing the whole city and harbor. What an amazing experience! We also got to see the oldest house in Copenhagen (c.1663) and strolled down Nyhavn (the touristy area with the multi colored houses). Jamie also got to meet up with an old friend from high school who was in the city, and I ran into someone from DAAP which was a strange feeling being as we are across the Atlantic Ocean! But all in all, Copenhagen seems to be the favorite up to this point, but we are all excited for the cities to come. Hope everyone at home is great. More from Stockholm! -Britt
Thursday, June 28, 2007
new city..
so we're in copenhagen-yah! unfortunatly i just paid an arm and a leg to be on the internet and can't really write anything much except we are excited to be here, had a nice, relaxing stay in hamburg and were sad to leave it, but we have lots to look forward to. more when we get on next. miss everyone!
-Britt
-Britt
Monday, June 25, 2007
Hamburg, rest and relaxation.
So, we've reached Hamburg and I was a little nervous about it because none of us really knew what all was here to see and do, but it's all turned out really well. There's a wine festival on Wednesday which we're planning on going to and tomorrow we have plans to get lunch up by the university and then spend all day in the park reading by the river. Today we just wandered and shopped. It's been a nice reprieve from the fast pace which we had been on in London and Amsterdam.
Hamburg is a beautiful city, and people here are really nice and really understanding of the whole language barrier. I had someone teach me how to say, "thank you" and "I can't speak German" in German. The other graet thing about Hamburg is how inexpensive everything is! We all bought groceries for like 5 euros and have enough to eat for five meals. wine is less than a euro a bottle!
At any rate, we're looking forward to a few more days relaxation before we head to Copenhagen on Thursday morning!
-Jamie
Hamburg is a beautiful city, and people here are really nice and really understanding of the whole language barrier. I had someone teach me how to say, "thank you" and "I can't speak German" in German. The other graet thing about Hamburg is how inexpensive everything is! We all bought groceries for like 5 euros and have enough to eat for five meals. wine is less than a euro a bottle!
At any rate, we're looking forward to a few more days relaxation before we head to Copenhagen on Thursday morning!
-Jamie
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Oops, wrong illegal picture.
Oops, here's the actual St. Paul's illegal photo. That other one was a different church, cursed thumbnails.
-Jamie
Amsterdam: A Short Tour
So we have been without internet now for four days which is why our blog has been lacking. We are now in Hamburg but though we would catch you all up on Amsterdam. (Forgive me if there are some mispellings however, we are using German keyboards and the keys are located in different locations.)
After awaking at 4:30am to catch our flight we arrived in Amsterdam a time zone ahead making 1pm feel like noon and leaving our stomachs grumbling. Finding our hostel was short and dissappointing when we realized we were in a camp ground about 40mins outside of the city. After checking in and leaving our bags behind we go in search for the city, food and a new hostel. At central station we get directions to a few hostels, food, and a metro pass for the few days we were there. After stopping by the hostel menentioned we realized we were going to be staying at the camp grounds for the remainder of our trip because they wouldn't give us a refund if we cancelled the next two days. Finally, along the tourist strip we found a place with pizza and ate. After eating we wandered the streets then headed back to the campground with a little food from the supermarket. That night we bought beer and wine from the campground and played some cards, it almost felt like we were back in Cincinnati.
Our second day we went to Heiniken brewery, the Ann Frank House, Vondel Park, the Royal Palace, and hung out by the canals. We found a great little place for dinner and then once again headed back to the campground. Oh I almost forgot to mention that we had no heat so we ended up wearing just about everything we packed in order to sleep.
The last day we split up and saw and did things on our own. More about those later!
After awaking at 4:30am to catch our flight we arrived in Amsterdam a time zone ahead making 1pm feel like noon and leaving our stomachs grumbling. Finding our hostel was short and dissappointing when we realized we were in a camp ground about 40mins outside of the city. After checking in and leaving our bags behind we go in search for the city, food and a new hostel. At central station we get directions to a few hostels, food, and a metro pass for the few days we were there. After stopping by the hostel menentioned we realized we were going to be staying at the camp grounds for the remainder of our trip because they wouldn't give us a refund if we cancelled the next two days. Finally, along the tourist strip we found a place with pizza and ate. After eating we wandered the streets then headed back to the campground with a little food from the supermarket. That night we bought beer and wine from the campground and played some cards, it almost felt like we were back in Cincinnati.
Our second day we went to Heiniken brewery, the Ann Frank House, Vondel Park, the Royal Palace, and hung out by the canals. We found a great little place for dinner and then once again headed back to the campground. Oh I almost forgot to mention that we had no heat so we ended up wearing just about everything we packed in order to sleep.
The last day we split up and saw and did things on our own. More about those later!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
London Excursions Part 1
So are second and third days in London slowed down significantely from the day before. Over the last two days we visited Covent Garden, which to our suprise wasn't really a garden but rather a large shopping/open market. We decided that Sunday was a great day for us to visit. We then spent the rest of the wandering through Harrod's and believe me I mean the rest of the day, we couldn't believe how big it really was. After finding Regent Park we found several more closed restaurants we found a chain Italian place. Decent food, high prices.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
First Full Day: London, UK
Well, since I'm the only one that hasn't posted yet, I'll jot down a brief summary of our whirlwind first day yesterday...
So it started after a not-so-great night's sleep, trying to get showered in the world's most hard to manuever showers and then out on the tube with our new 'oyster' cards (weird name for their train cards, we haven't figured out where it comes from yet!?). First stop- Buckingham Palace where it just HAPPENED to be the queen's birthday and we got to see her parade and canon salute and fly over. Quite good timing. Then we wandered off to Westminster Abbey, Sir John Soane's Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben and Parliment buoldings, the London Eye and Millenium Bridge. It was a packed day of double-decker buses, singing handmen with trucks that spew bubbles and of course the famous red telephone booths. And as is typical, it rained. Perfect first day.
Still having some trouble finding good places to eat however. Dinner was at an English pub this time, but we stuggled to find somewhere that was open when we found ourselves in the business district. Ah well, today we have planned a relaxing day of shopping, hanging out in the park and seeing Covet Garden. Should be a nice breather. Hope everyone at home is great, we miss you all!
-Brittany
So it started after a not-so-great night's sleep, trying to get showered in the world's most hard to manuever showers and then out on the tube with our new 'oyster' cards (weird name for their train cards, we haven't figured out where it comes from yet!?). First stop- Buckingham Palace where it just HAPPENED to be the queen's birthday and we got to see her parade and canon salute and fly over. Quite good timing. Then we wandered off to Westminster Abbey, Sir John Soane's Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben and Parliment buoldings, the London Eye and Millenium Bridge. It was a packed day of double-decker buses, singing handmen with trucks that spew bubbles and of course the famous red telephone booths. And as is typical, it rained. Perfect first day.
Still having some trouble finding good places to eat however. Dinner was at an English pub this time, but we stuggled to find somewhere that was open when we found ourselves in the business district. Ah well, today we have planned a relaxing day of shopping, hanging out in the park and seeing Covet Garden. Should be a nice breather. Hope everyone at home is great, we miss you all!
-Brittany
Saturday, June 16, 2007
We should have known Air India was a bad idea.
Well, we made it to London, which considering all that happened is quite an accomplishment in and of itself. The three of us met up in JFK Thursday and we're all thinking, okay, so we get on the plane, go to Europe, all will be well. Getting on the plane turned out to be a six hour ordeal during which time we and the international terminal at JFK really got to know each other. Way back in March when we booked tickets we booked Air India, thinking, no worries. Well, ALL of their computer system went down. Like from Delhi to San Fransisco. So we found ourselves at the back of the longest check in line I've ever seen in my life. And we sat, and sat, and sat... Four hours later or so, they start checking people in manually. The best part was that no official announcement was made, so it was mass chaos. Even when we were still in line, they were coming over the PA system with announcements like, "Air India flight blah blah blah, final boarding to London Heathrow." while we're sitting there like, umm, not unless they want to leave with an empty plane. Anyway, eventually, we make our way to the gate at a sprint because we were at the back of the line and they told us we needed to run to make the plane, which turned out to be an idle threat seeing as we then sat on the plane for an hour at the gate until we finally took off. Sigh. We weren't even able to sit together because the computer system going down erased our seat assignments. Britt and I got to sit together but poor Hilary was elsewhere. We actually were sall sitting together, but then some lady came up clutching some bored looking dude like "I HAVE to sit next to him, i hate flying, I'll panic, etc. etc." but their seats weren't even where we were sitting. Well, Hilary ended up moving because this woman was not giving up and she looked like she was having a panic attack. And as soon as she sat down she fell asleep and didn't wake up until we got to London... obviously SO panicked, right?
Anyway, we made it to London, managed to navigate the underground and find our hostel (which is a pretty cool place, an old children's hospital) and find ourselves... an Australian restaurant? We wanted to find some more traditional British food for our first soiree into international dining, but hey, the food was good. Last night was interesting though. We all crashed super early and in the middle of the night there was this uproar because some people had been using like, multiple beds and some girl checked in and there was no bed for her. Mind you this was all happening literally right next to my head being on the top bunk of the offending person. Sigh.
But we're here now, and about to head off to do all the touristy things, like Buckinham Palace etc. We're hoping the rest of London goes a lot better! Can't wait!
-Jamie
Anyway, we made it to London, managed to navigate the underground and find our hostel (which is a pretty cool place, an old children's hospital) and find ourselves... an Australian restaurant? We wanted to find some more traditional British food for our first soiree into international dining, but hey, the food was good. Last night was interesting though. We all crashed super early and in the middle of the night there was this uproar because some people had been using like, multiple beds and some girl checked in and there was no bed for her. Mind you this was all happening literally right next to my head being on the top bunk of the offending person. Sigh.
But we're here now, and about to head off to do all the touristy things, like Buckinham Palace etc. We're hoping the rest of London goes a lot better! Can't wait!
-Jamie
Saturday, June 2, 2007
CAN'T WAIT
So it is finally sinking in that we are leaving in less than two weeks. With final projects due and exams almost done, what we have been dreaming about is finally happening. I know that being gone so long and so far is going to be hard but I will be with two of my greatest friends in the world. I love you both and can't wait to get this party started!!!
-Hilary
-Hilary
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