Final Countdown

So today is mine and Peters last day in Europe which is kinda sad but I think we are both a little ready to go home. In our trip we have seen London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Munich, Venice, Florence, Zurich, and now Frankfurt. So needless to say we have seen quite a few cities in only four weeks. We have seen much and learned loads from the different cities we have seen. The good thing about this trip was we got to experience how other people live and view the world and hopefully we can take a few good lessons back home with us about how other people live and think.

There are also a couple other things we have taken away with us. I learned that if there is one city I would want to live in Europe it would be Amsterdam by the Rijksmuseum. Another thing is that the beer in Munich is the best in the world and the most stunning city visually was Venice. I know Peter and I cant wait to get back home and share all our stories with our family.

Speaking of family, while Peter and I were over here we got gifts for everybody and every gift is something unique from the city we got when we visited. If Jen Gracheck reads this I hope she likes Grasshoppers because she may get a scarf with their logo on it (more on that later). I also hope that Steve Gracheck knows where Fireneze is otherwise his gift will make no sense.

So thats all for now and this is probably the final post of this blog. So we cant wait to see all of you on the flipside.

Zürich

So we arrived in zürich last night after about 8 hours of train rides and are currently staying with a buddy of mine who i met through the kehoe lab. We will be here for 3 days and then onto frankfurt for the night and then back to America. Im not as wordy as chris but i figured it was important to update this blog so people(mom) would know where we are at and what we are doing. Chris is currently showing the swiss how to make mexican food in the kitchen and just hanging out. Florence and Venice were really cool and we went to the 4th largest cathedral in the world in florence which was a block away from our hostel. Im not sure if chris already posted this but we went to a dive resturaunt in Florence called Nuvoli and in our infinate wisdom ordered stomach lining and intestines for dinner. We were lucky to see florence and venice because they were amazing to see. The church in florence was actualy white, pink, and green on the outside and in venice the most efficient way to get around town is to catch the bus boat. So needless to say we didnt eat that and did eat a lot of pizza in italy. Also as we are finding out switzerland is living up to expectations and is extremely expensive. Its 10 dollars for a chicken nugget meal from mcdonalds so ill let you guys figure out how much everything else.

Venezia

So Peter and I got to see the world famous Venice live and in person. We arrived out of the trainstation and we have to take a boat/bus to our budget hotel. There is litterally no other way to get around Venice other than boats its no cliche. We get to our hotel and we are on the island of Lido which is the furthest south island. We got to ride the bus when the sun was setting and that was special. The color of the setting sun on the Venetian islands can hardly be described because it is so good.

So Venice itself is really as gorgeous as you think and Peter and I got to see all the sights and such. Theres really not much to say else about it other than the beauty and the fact that its sickly expensive. And if you were wondering which do I like better the Vegas Venetian or the real deal well its no contest.

Now we are in Florence and as is the patter we got lost leaving the tram station. We had to ask around and fortunately found Americans where ever we went who helped us out immensly. Id say we did a marathon with our packs on today we were so lost.

But little known fact about Florence, Michelangelos David is here and its a block from us. Very cool, so tomorrow we are going to see that and a few other of the major sites. Florence really is a destination to be seen because it is so rich in art and history.

München

So we have been in Munich (München in German) for the past couple days and we have learned a couple different things. One thing is the people in Munich are very serious about their bier. Out of the last 3 cities we have gone to none take it more seriously than here, that list of cities includes Berlin and Prague.

Another thing we have learned is that they also like their McDonalds...a lot. Around the corner from us is one of the highest grossing McDs in the world. But aside from that the German food down here is really good and so are the local kebab places. The kebab places is something not so common in the US but they are a good cheap meal over here. Its kinda like getting a sub over here.

Munich as a city is not the most visually stunning city we have seen but it may be one of the most fun. As I have said earlier they enjoy their bier and the bier halls are amazing. The largest and most famous is the Höfbraühus.

So now we are off to Venice for 2 nights, Florence for 3, then Zurich for a few then we head back. So we are on the backstretch of our journey.

on another note GO BUFFS!

Zie greatest bier in zie world!

So what to say, over the past 3 days we have seen some awesome things and done some crazy stuff. But the thing we've learned the most so far is that München really does have the best beer in the world. Last night we went to Hofbrauhaus and had some beers with some friends. That place is really fun and they really playout the German sterotypes in style and good humor. They wore leiterhosen and had a band playing polka or something, and its in a great big beer hall, so all in all really fun. We went there with two guys from England and we decided to invent a new club, the four liter club. I think most people can imagine what the four liter club is so we definantly had a good time.

The night before we went to Augustine brew house and got a litre of weissbier. Drinking a liter of weisbeer is like trying to drink a liter of Guiness, it was pretty difficult but very tasty.

So theres the fun part of Munich so far. It has good beer and it also has amazing looking women. This city has more good looking women than any other city we've been to so far.

Now for the not so fun side. We went to see Dachau today. For those that dont know Dachau was the first concentration camp. When we were there we saw the crematorium, the barracks, and even the gas chamber. Out of everything we saw there the gas chamber had the most effect on me. The roof is maybe 7ft tall, the room is pretty small, and there were drains in the floor. Going in there is a physically exhausting and is accompanied by a sickening feeling event. It was hard to imagine thousands of people suffocating to death in that room and the terror they felt. It was tough to see but it was also important to visit.

So, yea

Are we in a gay bar?

So we are at the halfway point of our trip and there are a few things that seem to happen everday.
1. Without a doubt, Peter will "lose" something everyday and get stressed out trying to find it. The things he misplace tend to be passport, but more than any its his camera.
2. I will always find something American to eat in every city and everyday.
3. Peter will not want to eat some American chain and we will walk around for an hour while Chris sees pizza places and Mc D's and complains about being hungry.
4. We will get lost and not have a map. But we always find our way back so its not so bad.

So there are the things that happen usually. Now we are in Prague and its an interesting city that took an adjustment period for us to get use to. Our first day was kinda rough. When we were taking the train from Berlin to Prague we crossed the border and the attendant comes through our cab and we promptly find out that our Eurail Global pass doesn't work in the Czech, so we need to pay him for a new ticket. At this point I'm kinda stressed but thankfully we have the cash to cover it otherwise we'd be stuck in some small town in the Czech for 2 hours while we get new tickets. Not good. Once we get here we're relaxed but over the course of the evening and night some pickepockets eye us up, only one actually tries to nick Peter, but thankfully he has the money belt on and he gets nothing. Another one I saw start to follow us so I turn around stop Peter and he does a 180 and goes the other way. So at this point we are not having a great day. Then we go to a club the person at the front desk of the hostel reccomends but unbeknowst to him that night was a gay night at the club and they only have that night twice a month so our luck was really rocky that day. So Peter and I get in there and have a few drinks and wonder where all the women were. We start wondering if its a gay club and we promptly leave. Turns out we were right, but yea.

Our second day was cool, we got to see Prague castle and the works. The city is gorgeous and the clubs don't close till about 5am, so pretty sick city all in all.

What looks like a gypsie, smells like a gypsie and talks like an American?

... a gypsie. So today Peter and I were tooling around Brandenberg Gate when we go across it and this women comes up to me and asks if I know english. She sounds like an American so I turn around to notice her and she hands me a card. Oh dang! The card has some paragraph written in English and I know I messed up. I drop the card and walk away fast, checking my pockets making sure I have everything. Thankfully nothing was taken, but it sure was a scare.

Thats the thing we are running into Berlin, gypsies. Its our first time encountering them and their annoying, thieving ways. So that was a quick reality check, but now we've adjusted and I've wised up.

Also, we leave for Prague tomorrow for 3 nights, then off to Munich for 4 nights and then Venice and Florence etc.

So for now, just remember, watch out for those dam gypsies when in Berlin!

Curveball

So, stuff happens in things change.
Due to a crappy website no person should ever use (www.raileurope.com) Peter and I had to change where we travelled. We decided a little trip to Berlin and Prague were in order. So thats where it is now. Barcelona, unfortnuately, will need to wait for later. But on the plus side we save a lot of travel time going this route.

Amsterdam Part 2

Last night, as you read in my earlier post, we toured the Red Light district and saw all that that has to offer. What we did today was explored the other side of Amsterdam. We went out to the Rijksmusuem, the Van Gogh Museum and we tried to find the Heineken Experience, but as always Peter and I got lost. We eventually found it, but unfortunately it was closed, so that was kinda lame but no big deal.

The Rijksmuseum was cool as it had a lot of Rembrandt''s paintings. Those were cool because I guess he specialized in portraits and such. Van Gogh was cool because he was less restrictive in his painting etc. If you want to know about the paintings just check out the internet.

The thing we found most cool was just walking around the city. It is all very cool. People ride around on bikes all over the place and the canals kind of trace the roads, they follow each other. So while we were lost we probably had our most fun just walking around and taking in the awesome scenery. Another thing is everyone rides the bikes from old women to kids. Its pretty cool but you have to make sure you don't walk in the bike lines. Those people are very serious about those and you may get hit.

Needless to say Peter and I love Amsterdam more for the area outside of the Red Light district. Well we got one more day here then off to Barce.

Amsterdam Oh My

Hey so its been a while since my last update and a few things have happened.

Dublin was a cool city and we hit up Christchurch which was apparently built in the 900's and that was cool. After that we went to the Guiness factory tour and I got a sweet rugby shirt. The thing Peter and I quickly found out about Ireland is that it is usually cold and usually rainy so needless to say that rugby shirt I got was a true Godsend. Another thing about Ireland which was cool was that people really do just start singining in the pubs and in the alleways after they've had themselves a right pint after work. Ireland was very cool.

Then we made our way to Amsterdam where once again we forgot to get the directions to our hostel before we left for airport. So we arrive in Schipol and we are wondering what they hell are we going to do now? We can't really just go to some random train spot and hope that someone will help us. After a tense half hour I find us an internet cafe and things are all good again, after a few gaskets had been blown between me and Peter in frustration.

So we finally get to Amsterdam and oh my is it different. Our hostel is like 2 blocks from the red light district. In the district it is true the hookers are litterally at the window trying to look as attractive as possible and no lies some of them are quite pretty. Also the notorious coffee shops are as advertised. You just walk in and chill out.... or so I hear....

The city itself is built in a giant U shape so getting around isn't so bad. Its all interlaced by canals and is very pretty and a nice change of pace. Today we are going to a few museums to see some Monet and some other cool paintings and having a nice relaxing day. Thats the thing we learn as we travel more and more. Traveling needs to be more for yourself than cramming in every site in a hectic itinerary where your experience is lessened by the stress placed on yourself.

Well thats all for now.

Dublin

Last night was our final stay in London and we went out in style. We went up to Camden with a friend of ours and hit up a bar. Apparently Camden is very punkish so a lot of the people were dressed in leather vests, chains, and giant mowhawks. It was definatly a sight to be seen as the people were defiantly not something I've ever really seen. Last night turned out to be our most fun night in the UK, I'm glad we could go out on a good note like that.

Now we are in Dublin and we flew out this morning and landed. The reputation for Irish weather has held as its very rainy here and there are not great expectations for that to change. But our hostel is up the hill from the Temple Bar district so Peter and I are in a great location. We have big plans to go out to a bar tonight and grab a Guiness and hang out with other cool people. Tomorrow we are going to the Guiness Factory and the Jameson Factory. Needless to say Peter better watch out while he there because we all know he loves his whiskey.

Now its time to go hang out and grab a pint and enjoy Dublin. The atmosphere here is very more relaxed than London, Peter and I are enjoying this change of pace. Dubliners seem to be in less of a rush than Londoners. The difference between the two cities is pretty huge and both are awesome.

1,2,3,4,5 The Rocky Road to Dublin

So London is great and this is our last day here. During our time here we've figured a few things out about the English.
1. Mayo is on everything, regardless. At McDonalds we counted 3 seperate items that didn't have it.
2. London men dress very well, its true, European men are very metro
3. The weather is very blustery and kinda cold all the time

So we've seen quite a few sites including Trafalgar and Buckingham Palace and its been very cool. We're glad we started our trip here because at first all of it was a little overwhelming. But now we are in the swing of things and are having a great time. So we will be in Dublin tomorrow and Amsterdam in a few days where no doubt things will get very interesting.

Buckingham Palace doesn't exist! or at least we can't find it.

Peter and I visited St. Paul's Cathedral. Apparently its the 2nd biggest domed cathedral only behind St. Peter's in Rome. That was fun and educational. After we were done seeing that Peter decided he wanted to go see Buckingham Palace, so you know, why not?

Well Peter and I are bad judges of distance, because we could see the London Eye and some parts of Parilment where we were and we decided we could walk there. So we walked a good long hearty walk, and we get there and see Big Ben and the other features in Westminster.

But there is no Buckingham Palace. So we need to find it. We figure its somewhere along the Thames so we keep walking, and walking, and walking until we get to a poimt where if its further than this we don't care anymore. That is to say we were a far ways out there, I think we were on the eastern edge of Chelsea. So semi-defeated we begin the long journey back and hope to find a subway, because even though they are expensive we were still a ways out. We hop on the tube and head back.

On the way back we stop in a little bodega and get some gatorade and other crap and Peter is getting ready to pay for it. He has his credit card there so when he reaches for it and takes it out some man accuses him of shoplifting and begins patting him down and pointing at him! It was really funny and I guess the man was the store owners elderly father. We have a laugh and pat Peter's belly to explain he has a money belt. Things were ok after that.

One little caveat. Peter and I didn't have a map of the area. Peter figured he knew where it was, well he didn't.
One other thing, dam near everything in England has mayo on it, gross.

In two days, we've learned the same lesson twice. Always bring a map!

London Bridge is Falling Down

Well sports fans its that time of the year were after a long flight and a few trains we get to London Bridge. Once we get there things get interesting. It seems I (Chris) booked the hostel and forget to get proper directions. Me and Peter after a long red-eye flight end up wandering around London looking for a hostel wearing our packs that easily way around 40lbs each. And we're dehydrated. And hungry.

Eventually we come to our wits and ask a nice receptionist at a random hotel for directions and she kindly gives them to us along with a map. I plan on marrying that women who gave the directions to us. She totally did not have to do that and she made my day by being so nice.

So now after all the flying and all the wandering around and being lost and stuff we are at St. Christophers Village hanging out exhausted and happy to have found this place.

Oh and as for London its pretty cool.

So Day One continues.....