Another post from 2 years ago saved in the draft list
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It is that time again. Time to write another post. It seems that I cannot bring myself to write regularly. I blame work.
Anyways, back on October 11th, 2013 I left the East Coast for the sunny West Coast for a softball tournament. Let me tell you now: that flight is not particularly fun. Especially when it is split up with a layover. Although, the layover was in my homeland, Minnesota. It was nice to be home, albeit for only 2 hours.
Upon my arrival to San Diego the plane emptied into the newly renovated terminal. That terminal was HUGE! Very nicely designed too. I was walking down the terminal trying to get to Gate 7 where my friends were arriving. Little did I know that Gate 44, where I arrived, was on the other side of the world from Gate 7. It reminded me of trying to catch a connection in Detroit. Now that airport is huge. I see now why cars were invented...
After getting my weekly exercise walking to meet my friends we grabbed a cab and headed to our hotel, The Lafayette. The hotel was built in a grand colonial style in 1946 by former car dealer and developer Larry Imig. He hoped to create a legacy vacation resort and hideaway for the celebrity elite. I have to say, he did a very good job. That hotel was incredible. The central courtyard that boasts a 9 foot deep pool is a great gathering space for all hotel guests. Guests can also enjoy the meeting and event spaces and a delicious restaurant complete with bar (a necessity). Non-service pets are not allowed in the hotel, but there is a pet hotel right next door. You can also get a preferred rate if you mention you are a Lafayette guest! How wonderful is that?! Quite wonderful. Now I just need to find a husband with a dog!
The softball tournament, the Autumn Classic, was great. The team that asked me to play with them was awesome. And all the competition was amazing. It was a great couple of days playing. So much softball though! Ugh, exhausted. Random side note: Be careful with IcyHot on your legs. I had a terribly painful reaction to it - woke up in the middle of the night to what felt like my legs on fire! I swear by BioFreeze now. So much better!
The nightlife in San Diego was fun as well. One of the nights we went out to Urban Mo's for some drinks and dancing. Our friend, Jim, was a happy camper as they were playing mostly Madonna all night. She is a diva. Jim I mean, not Madonna. Well...Madonna is too.
One of the other nights we drove out to one of the burbs on the coast and ate an amazing Italian restaurant. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name. And it is driving me nuts. In any case, it was incredible. Take my word for it! You will just have to go out, try every Italian restaurant in the San Diego area, pick the best one - that is the one I am talking about.
It was wonderful to have my first experience in California be in a city like San Diego. It definitely has made me want to go back. My aunt has a place in Palm Springs that I would love to visit. My parents went out there last winter...did not invite me though. Stingey bums!
steinkraus.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
fleas and honey.
I found this post in my list of drafts from back in 2012. I think the first paragraph pretty much sums up my feelings still.
So, I have been feeling very guilty that I have not written anything on the blog since the Europe trip. And honestly, there has been a lot of traveling since then. So now, I start again.
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So, I have been feeling very guilty that I have not written anything on the blog since the Europe trip. And honestly, there has been a lot of traveling since then. So now, I start again.
__________
This past weekend, Bryon and I headed out to Ocean Grove in search of a flea market that a friend told us about. He said that it was one of the biggest in the area and there were a lot of great finds, if you got up earlier enough. We decided to head there around 8:00 to get there a little after 9:00 when it opened. Can't say that I've gotten up that early on a weekend in a really long time.
We arrive in Ocean Grove and spend the next 15 minutes trying to find a parking spot. The streets are literally packed, with cars on both sides. And every intersection endangers your life because of the unspoken battle between flea market enthusiasts trying to find the best parking spot. Ultimately we find a spot, right out in the open (of course) and head to the market.
A sea of tables with knick-knacks, souvenirs, mementos and oddities await your eager eyes. This place is packed, not only with everything imaginable, but everyone imaginable as well. And if you are a connoisseur of people-watching (like me) this place is heaven.
We walk the aisles, choosing which vendors to venture towards. There is a lot of stuff my grandmothers would love. Bryon finds a croquet set, but it is not in the best condition. On we go. We hear a large lady from down the row calling out to passers-by, tempting them in with her sultry voice and day-only sales. She is pretty good, she has a crowd around her.
We mosey our way through the rest of the market with rain turning on and off every now and then and decide to head out. We look a little bit around Asbury Park and notice some friends have checked in at one of the local bars. We head over there and join them for a drink and some pizza. Afterwards we all head down to the old Convention Center for one last drink at the bar that overlooks the ocean.
Sunday.
Bryon, me and two of our friends decided to head out to Bartram's Gardens for their Honey Festival. I have never been there, so I was eager to see a local garden. It is a great place. Wonderful gardens and plantings that make your lazy day enjoyable and relaxing.
Ran into a couple colleagues whilst touring the gardens. Did not realize it was such a destination! Then again, when you are in the profession of Landscape Architecture and it is a beautiful day out, the results are pretty self explanatory.
The Honey Festival was great as well. Tried different flavors from different sources. It is quite fascinating for such a difference to come from one species of flower to the next. Enjoyed some delicious ice cream as well.
And what a way to end the day - head back home, lie around on the couch with the windows thrown open and watch movies and drink beer. Great weekend.
steinkraus.
We arrive in Ocean Grove and spend the next 15 minutes trying to find a parking spot. The streets are literally packed, with cars on both sides. And every intersection endangers your life because of the unspoken battle between flea market enthusiasts trying to find the best parking spot. Ultimately we find a spot, right out in the open (of course) and head to the market.
A sea of tables with knick-knacks, souvenirs, mementos and oddities await your eager eyes. This place is packed, not only with everything imaginable, but everyone imaginable as well. And if you are a connoisseur of people-watching (like me) this place is heaven.
found these paperclip beauties for my friend Abby
We walk the aisles, choosing which vendors to venture towards. There is a lot of stuff my grandmothers would love. Bryon finds a croquet set, but it is not in the best condition. On we go. We hear a large lady from down the row calling out to passers-by, tempting them in with her sultry voice and day-only sales. She is pretty good, she has a crowd around her.
We mosey our way through the rest of the market with rain turning on and off every now and then and decide to head out. We look a little bit around Asbury Park and notice some friends have checked in at one of the local bars. We head over there and join them for a drink and some pizza. Afterwards we all head down to the old Convention Center for one last drink at the bar that overlooks the ocean.
Sunday.
Bryon, me and two of our friends decided to head out to Bartram's Gardens for their Honey Festival. I have never been there, so I was eager to see a local garden. It is a great place. Wonderful gardens and plantings that make your lazy day enjoyable and relaxing.
Ran into a couple colleagues whilst touring the gardens. Did not realize it was such a destination! Then again, when you are in the profession of Landscape Architecture and it is a beautiful day out, the results are pretty self explanatory.
The Honey Festival was great as well. Tried different flavors from different sources. It is quite fascinating for such a difference to come from one species of flower to the next. Enjoyed some delicious ice cream as well.
And what a way to end the day - head back home, lie around on the couch with the windows thrown open and watch movies and drink beer. Great weekend.
steinkraus.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
after more than a year hiatus, I am back.
However, the first post back in going to be about a place close to home - Philadelphia - and some great friends.
So, this past Friday a bunch of us decided to head to Pod for dinner, one of the many Stephen Starr restaurants in Philly. Our friend Patrick was newly hired on there and we decided to go harass him. In short, it is definitely a Starr restaurant that should be tried at least once. The interior was perfectly designed (polished concrete floors, white walls and awesome accent lighting), the cocktails were delicious, the food was amazing, and the staff was attentive. At one point, a glass of water was spilled and almost immediately 3 employees were there with napkins to clean it up. Although, one of our friends did get a soggy bottom as a result. The chairs were not designed very well for drainage. 'Oh well, can we get another cocktail, please?'
photo courtesy of Great Philadelphia Restaurants.
We all got something different. There was the assortment of appetizers: spicy chicken wings, sizzling garlic mushrooms and steamed pork buns. Random site note: be careful with the sizzling garlic mushrooms, I burned my tongue instantly. They are sizzling, but oh so good!! There was a plethora of sushi rolls: we had Rockin Spicy Tuna (yum!) and Eel Avocado. Others got the Frosty Kobe Fried Rice, which was delicious. And I just realized they have Spicy Beef Ramen Soup too, next time I'm getting that! Everything was well seasoned and delectable.
Towards the end of dinner we found out that Patrick had organized a dessert tasting for us, which was a pleasant surprise. I believe we had a couple servings of the Ice Sculpture Sorbets and one other dessert, I am not sure which. In any case, they were delicious and I wanted seconds.
All in all, it was a great night with great friends. I will definitely be back again soon, mainly to try the sushi bar and watch Spirited Away on the flat screen tv.
steinkraus.
steinkraus.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
the recap.
The Money Exchange:
Try to get your money exchanged away from the airport and touristy areas. You will find that many of these places may advertise 0% commission, but will destroy you with the service charge. Look around at a number of places that you find and specifically ask them how much $50, $100, whatever amount will become once exchanged.
London:
Get out of the city if you can and/or have time. Figure out the tube and take it to a suburb or a smaller town or a specific destination, such as Hampton Court or Wimbledon. The city is awesome, do not get me wrong, but getting outside the touristy areas is an incredible experience as well.
Amsterdam:
This is another city center to get away from, especially the Red Light District, as much as it may tickle your fancy. After traveling around and personally talking with people from the Netherlands, we found it is not ‘real’ Amsterdam. Of course it is a tourist destination, if you think about it. Get out of the city center. Find those little markets. Get away to the museums and experience actual people. Not horned up tourists and creepers.
Berlin:
This is a great place in which to explore the city center. It has grown enormously since the fall of the Berlin Wall and there is so much to do and see. And make sure you research your hostel/hotel well before you book it. Berlin is gigantic! Be sure you are near the center of the city and not a 20-minute tram ride outside. Traveling into the city can be a drag in the morning, especially when it is raining. And explore Tiergarten, the main park, for a couple hours. It is gigantic and amazing! Also, try a döner, at a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ restaurant. They are amazing.
Prague:
It is hard to say anything negative about Prague, make it a destination. The city is just amazing. Enjoy it. Try the traditional food. Goulasch and Dumplings with Czech beer. It can do you no wrong.
Vienna:
See the canal running through the city. It is awesome. I said before, they allow graffiti artists to do their thing down there. Also, find a biergarten by the canal and enjoy a couple hours with a cold one. And find one that has sand. Awesome. Also, we recommend setting aside some time to see at least one of their many, many museums.
Rome:
The biggest thing I would recommend about Rome is to bring lots of sunscreen and a water bottle. Sunscreen – for obvious reasons. Such as the Pope banishing all clouds from his beautiful skies. And a water bottle because there are fountains everywhere that you can fill them up in. Stay hydrated. I cannot stress this enough. Or if you are a serious tourist, go to Rome in the wintertime. You will have to deal with the cold, yes, but there will be no tourists!Second biggest thing to stress is to filter the most important sites when you go. I understand that you ‘want to see as much as you can in the short amount of time,’ but seriously edit things down. Only the most important. There are millions of things to see in Rome, choose the sites that will not make your day stressful.
Also, watch the menu prices, I explained before what we found out 'when in rome...' Do not fall for their sneaky ways.
Florence:
Another city in which you should try to get away from the city center is Florence. Unfortunately, you may have to learn more basic Italian to do so, but the areas without the large groups of tourists staring at and taking pictures of everything are awesome. And, of course, keep that sunscreen and water bottle with you.
Geneva:
Go to Geneva. Make it a destination. It is fantastic. Better yet, go to Switzerland on a trip specifically. And if you are into it, get out into the wilderness. There are so many little places you can get lost at in the mountains and spare yourself from the hustle and bustle of city life. Get locked up in a mountain lodge and go skiing and snowshoeing!
Paris:
What can I say about Paris...go there! Do the most important tourist things you want to do and then leave the rest of the time to explore the city. Like Prague, it has enormous character and there is something to find everywhere. I will also say do NOT get swindled like the three of us did. Those friendship bracelet-makers are tricky. Watch the con-artists on the bridge near the Eiffel Tower try to swindle money out of people with their 'three cup and ball' game. It is amazing how sly they are with a simple movement and how people do not see their tricks when they are hurrying to get money out because they believe they have won. Very fun to watch.
Overall:
Learn the language of the countries you visit! I cannot stress this enough. Yes you can get by with speaking English in most places, but the reaction you get when you say hello to someone and ask if they speak English in their native language is so much more welcoming than if you blurt out 'do you speak English' like a tourist. Especially in France; we were expecting people to be very short with American tourists even with speaking French. Although, asking them if the spoke English in French made a world of difference and we had no problems.
There are many places to go in which to get away from the tourist areas. Try to do it as much as possible if you feel comfortable. Experiencing the actual place is so much better than seeing all the ‘sites.’ Though, they are good to see as well.Do not rush your stay. And do not over schedule your days. Like I said above, take some time to experience the city and its character. Sit at a café and enjoy yourself. Soak up the sun on the grass in a park. Find some townies and talk with them. Find out what they do for fun.
One thing the three of us wish we had done and I dare you to try: get lost in the city one day and see what you find. I dare you.
And that is all that I have to say about our trip to Europe. It definitely went by far too quickly, most likely because we packed our days full of things to do. However, it was awesome. I would never trade that experience for anything.
I hope that everyone who has followed us around has learned something from our experience. And if anyone is thinking about planning a Euro Trip of their own, I hope this blog has helped you create your itinerary.
steinkraus.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
no hostel reservation.
We arrived in Paris around 8:00 pm and found our hostel was right next to the train station. When we checked in we found out our reservation had been 'cancelled.' There was a new guy working at reception and he was able to put us in a four-man room which already had two people bunking there. So, I got to sleep on a mattress on the floor. In the morning we woke up early to sort the mess out. We talked with the lady at reception about the situation, she looked through her books, we were not recorded anywhere. She told us we would have to wait for her to transfer all the previous reservation into rooms before she got to us. Which I do not really understand considering we had a reservation booked with a down payment. When she had finished she told us 'this is very odd, but we have no more openings, we usually have a couple.' Payton and I both told her that this could not be possible as we had a confirmed reservation. She looked through her books again. Nope, nothing. I showed her our confirmation email and suddenly she was all helpful. We were able to book three more nights, again, and she had to rearrange some girls. She only booked us for two more nights initially, but we got everything sorted out. Only took two hours. Then we headed off to Versailles.
We took the train out to Versailles and got split up from each other. I went to look to make sure we were heading in the right direction and when I came back I saw that the train we needed had arrived. I jumped on and yelled at Payton and Keith...only Payton got on. So, we waited for Keith at the next station and were reunited. At Versailles we waited in line to get tickets and found out that we did not need to wait to get tickets to the garden. Those tickets could be purchased in the gardens. Awesome. Wasted some time. Got our tickets and headed in.
We walked around the Orangery, all of the Bosquets, the formal gardens, and the fountains. Which were on! They were having a fountain spectacular that day - I recommend going when they are doing this. It is so much better seeing them on. Then we headed towards the Grand Trianon where Payton and I left Keith to head out to the end of the Grand Canal. Random side note: from the Chateau it takes a hour to walk all the way out there. It was tiring. Walked back to get Keith and found him under a tree. Headed towards Le Petit Trianon, but decided not to go in since we were very tired and sunburned. Got on the train again and headed back to Paris.
We got off the train at the Eiffel Tower and assaulted her with photos. We decided to wait in line to see if we could get tickets for tomorrow and ended up going up right then. Walked the stairs up to the second level and walked around there a bit reading the history. Then headed up to the top. We got up there and took some more pictures and, since it was so close to sundown, decided to wait for the sun to set. It was a pretty cool view. Keith got some gross, expensive champagne. Then headed down before the crowd and stopped at the restaurant to get food and beer. Delicious, and reasonably priced. Realized it was pretty close to the turn of the hour and ran down to catch the hourly glitter show. Got some more photos and headed back to the hostel.
Walked to Notre Dame in the morning and saw the HUGE line to go in and agreed that if we would be waiting in a line, we would rather wait for the Louvre. Waited in line. Watched the maintenance people pressure wash the algae in one of the fountains. Got sprayed by the pressure washer. Very refreshing. Finally got in and bought tickets. Went to see the two temporary expos of Lorrain and Rembrandt then headed to find the Mona Lisa. You would have thought she was a live nude the way people crowded around and attacked her with their flashing lights. Saw some other paintings. Headed to the inverted pyramid. Did not see Mary Magdeline. Then we left and headed up the Avenue des Champs Elysees toward the Arch de Triomphe. Photos photos photos. Then got some dinner at a fancy restaurant; true to style, not very good. It tasted like my salmon came from a can. Bleh! Then we headed, to Keith's joy, to watch Kung Foo Panda 2. Keith wanted to see it the entire trip, but it seemed like it was never out in any of the cities or there was not a English showing cinema. Excellent movie. I recommend see it. And the 3D was actually pretty good in Paris. After the movie was over we headed back to the hostel to crash.
Slept in. Felt incredible.
When we got up we headed to Montmartre to see the Basilique and the 'supposed' market. Did not find much of a market there, Katie. But before that we stopped at the site of Le Bastille along the way. There is just a monument there now, and the Opera House! Which is pretty cool. When we got to Montmartre we got swindled out of €10 for a lame friendship bracelet. They are pretty cool, but certainly not worth €10! I was thinking it would be about €2. But 'hakuna matata,' as Payton's swindler kept on saying. After getting swindled we headed up the hill and went inside the Basilique. Walked around little bit and went in a bunch of shops. Skipped on down to Montmartre Cemetery and ran around there for a bit. Then headed back towards the touristy area and bought some souvenirs. Then we decided to head back to the Champs Elysees and saw another movie. X-Men. It was okay, what would be expected from the fifth movie in the series. But what really got me was the fact that they changed their own story-line. Pretty lame. After the movie was over we headed back towards the hostel and saw the French version of The Highline. It was pretty cool. Saw a pizza place and order some pizza for dinner. It was gross. So, we headed back to the hostel and slept.
The next morning we slept in again and got packed up. Checked out of the hostel and headed to grab some breakfast/lunch and chilled in a park for a bit. We had our dessert in the morning again, because most places around the hostel did not have appetizing looking desserts. Keith had rhubarb pie, Payton had a apricot pastry, and I had chocolate chip short bread. All bought from a small shop, all delicious. Sat around and people watched for a bit then headed to the train station. Played some cards to pass the time. Then said our goodbyes to Keith before heading up to catch our train back to London. Keith was heading to Madrid and elsewhere to visit some of his old roommates.
Payton and I got back to London and headed to King's Cross Station to see if we could go to Hogwarts. Apparently we are true muggles as we could not find platform 9 3/4 anywhere. Lame! Checked in at the hostel and headed out to grab some food. Grabbed some last minute souvenirs on the way. Had delicious food again and headed back to sleep because it was going to be an early morning for us.
Arrived at the airport in the morning and had to check in via Virgin Atlantic's very unusual check in system, which did not work. Were told by a very rude lady that our bags would have to be checked because they were obviously over the allowed weight and would not fit into the luggage baskets. The baskets they had set out for people to see if their luggage would fit was so small I am sure my backpack would not fit into it. In any case, checked our bags and headed to the gate to get on the plane. Found out that we had somehow gotten Premium Economy seats and were pampered the whole way home. It was awesome. Watched a lot of movies. And arrived safely back in Chicago.
That is all of the trip. Although, I am still going to post a recap of where we went and what we learned. So stay tuned if you want. Otherwise, thanks for following us around Europe.
steinkraus.
We took the train out to Versailles and got split up from each other. I went to look to make sure we were heading in the right direction and when I came back I saw that the train we needed had arrived. I jumped on and yelled at Payton and Keith...only Payton got on. So, we waited for Keith at the next station and were reunited. At Versailles we waited in line to get tickets and found out that we did not need to wait to get tickets to the garden. Those tickets could be purchased in the gardens. Awesome. Wasted some time. Got our tickets and headed in.
We walked around the Orangery, all of the Bosquets, the formal gardens, and the fountains. Which were on! They were having a fountain spectacular that day - I recommend going when they are doing this. It is so much better seeing them on. Then we headed towards the Grand Trianon where Payton and I left Keith to head out to the end of the Grand Canal. Random side note: from the Chateau it takes a hour to walk all the way out there. It was tiring. Walked back to get Keith and found him under a tree. Headed towards Le Petit Trianon, but decided not to go in since we were very tired and sunburned. Got on the train again and headed back to Paris.
We got off the train at the Eiffel Tower and assaulted her with photos. We decided to wait in line to see if we could get tickets for tomorrow and ended up going up right then. Walked the stairs up to the second level and walked around there a bit reading the history. Then headed up to the top. We got up there and took some more pictures and, since it was so close to sundown, decided to wait for the sun to set. It was a pretty cool view. Keith got some gross, expensive champagne. Then headed down before the crowd and stopped at the restaurant to get food and beer. Delicious, and reasonably priced. Realized it was pretty close to the turn of the hour and ran down to catch the hourly glitter show. Got some more photos and headed back to the hostel.
Walked to Notre Dame in the morning and saw the HUGE line to go in and agreed that if we would be waiting in a line, we would rather wait for the Louvre. Waited in line. Watched the maintenance people pressure wash the algae in one of the fountains. Got sprayed by the pressure washer. Very refreshing. Finally got in and bought tickets. Went to see the two temporary expos of Lorrain and Rembrandt then headed to find the Mona Lisa. You would have thought she was a live nude the way people crowded around and attacked her with their flashing lights. Saw some other paintings. Headed to the inverted pyramid. Did not see Mary Magdeline. Then we left and headed up the Avenue des Champs Elysees toward the Arch de Triomphe. Photos photos photos. Then got some dinner at a fancy restaurant; true to style, not very good. It tasted like my salmon came from a can. Bleh! Then we headed, to Keith's joy, to watch Kung Foo Panda 2. Keith wanted to see it the entire trip, but it seemed like it was never out in any of the cities or there was not a English showing cinema. Excellent movie. I recommend see it. And the 3D was actually pretty good in Paris. After the movie was over we headed back to the hostel to crash.
Slept in. Felt incredible.
When we got up we headed to Montmartre to see the Basilique and the 'supposed' market. Did not find much of a market there, Katie. But before that we stopped at the site of Le Bastille along the way. There is just a monument there now, and the Opera House! Which is pretty cool. When we got to Montmartre we got swindled out of €10 for a lame friendship bracelet. They are pretty cool, but certainly not worth €10! I was thinking it would be about €2. But 'hakuna matata,' as Payton's swindler kept on saying. After getting swindled we headed up the hill and went inside the Basilique. Walked around little bit and went in a bunch of shops. Skipped on down to Montmartre Cemetery and ran around there for a bit. Then headed back towards the touristy area and bought some souvenirs. Then we decided to head back to the Champs Elysees and saw another movie. X-Men. It was okay, what would be expected from the fifth movie in the series. But what really got me was the fact that they changed their own story-line. Pretty lame. After the movie was over we headed back towards the hostel and saw the French version of The Highline. It was pretty cool. Saw a pizza place and order some pizza for dinner. It was gross. So, we headed back to the hostel and slept.
The next morning we slept in again and got packed up. Checked out of the hostel and headed to grab some breakfast/lunch and chilled in a park for a bit. We had our dessert in the morning again, because most places around the hostel did not have appetizing looking desserts. Keith had rhubarb pie, Payton had a apricot pastry, and I had chocolate chip short bread. All bought from a small shop, all delicious. Sat around and people watched for a bit then headed to the train station. Played some cards to pass the time. Then said our goodbyes to Keith before heading up to catch our train back to London. Keith was heading to Madrid and elsewhere to visit some of his old roommates.
Payton and I got back to London and headed to King's Cross Station to see if we could go to Hogwarts. Apparently we are true muggles as we could not find platform 9 3/4 anywhere. Lame! Checked in at the hostel and headed out to grab some food. Grabbed some last minute souvenirs on the way. Had delicious food again and headed back to sleep because it was going to be an early morning for us.
Arrived at the airport in the morning and had to check in via Virgin Atlantic's very unusual check in system, which did not work. Were told by a very rude lady that our bags would have to be checked because they were obviously over the allowed weight and would not fit into the luggage baskets. The baskets they had set out for people to see if their luggage would fit was so small I am sure my backpack would not fit into it. In any case, checked our bags and headed to the gate to get on the plane. Found out that we had somehow gotten Premium Economy seats and were pampered the whole way home. It was awesome. Watched a lot of movies. And arrived safely back in Chicago.
That is all of the trip. Although, I am still going to post a recap of where we went and what we learned. So stay tuned if you want. Otherwise, thanks for following us around Europe.
steinkraus.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
breathing some fresh mountain air.
When we arrived in Geneva we made sure we had a reservation for the train to Paris the following morning. Good thing we checked because it turned out that all three trains were full. But the lady that was helping us found another train for us to take. It would arrive a little later, but at least we would make it on schedule. Incredibly nice lady. Just immensely helpful! After that we headed to the hostel to get checked in. Got the low down, found our beds, dropped our stuff off, and headed out to explore Geneva.
We decided to ask reception where we should go for a traditional Swiss meal. They gave us two options, but we were only able to find one. It was a little pricey and no one was there, so we found somewhere else to eat. It was not very good. Payton and I had burgers, which were more like sloppy-joes, and Keith had this meat platter thing, but he said the steak seemed a little off. Meh. Got out of there quick and headed towards the lake.
We got to the waterfront and saw the trademark water jet. It was pretty cool. It shot pretty high. We started to head over towards it to get some photos, but right when we got to a good place it shut off. Ha ha! Sneaky Swiss. So, we sat around hoping it would come on again and enjoyed the harbor. Random side note: I do not think I have ever seen a true mountain lake that is fed by snow and seeing Lake Geneva for the first time stunned me. The water is actually CLEAR! You could see straight to the bottom of the lake from the breakwaters. It was awesome. After we waited for a while for the fountain and it did not come back, we headed towards the city center.
We could see a cool looking church from where we were sitting and headed towards it. Saw some cool sites along the way and got some good pictures. Walked the back streets of Geneva towards the waterfront again and explored a mall which was all closed down. Then walked back along the waterfront and saw the fountain was on again. Yay! You would have thought it was a 98% off sale at Macy's if you saw how fast we ran to get a picture of it. But we got our pictures. Continued along the harbor and found an art exhibit with editorial cartoons from around the world. Some of them were meh, but some were really powerful. All about the famine, wars, natural disasters, genocide, assassinations from around the world.
Once it got too dark to take any more photos and the mosquitos were draining us dry, we headed back to the hostel. Along the way we tried to find a place to have dessert, but Geneva is EXPENSIVE, so we decided not. Found a vending machine in the hostel and bought a mars bar (Keith), ragusa - a type of chocolate bar (Payton), and a snickers (me). Classy, we know. Then we headed up to our room to get ready for bed.
I forgot to mention before that when we first got in our room it smelled like wet dog and moldy feet. Our roomies had washed their clothes [in the sink] and left them to dry in the window. We were not sure why everything smelt so bad, but a little while after we got up to our room, we found out. Our roomies came back and we talked with them for a while. We found out that they were from a town outside Vienna and have been hiking, yes hiking, their way across Europe to Santiago, Spain. That is about a 3,000 kilometer trip. On foot. And they had been sleeping outside on nice nights. Not in campsites, but in fields and vineyards. Pretty intense. Geneva was about 1,200 kilometers into their journey and they had already been traveling for 40 days. They estimated the trip would take 4 months. That is sweet. Payton, Keith, and I decided that that will be our trip next year. After chatting with them we all got ready for bed and slept.
In the morning we got up bright and early, packed up, and headed down for breakfast. Corn flakes and bread. Yum yum. After breakfast we hopped on over to the train station. Caught our train to Paris and settled in.
After the first leg of the journey we got off and ran to our next train because our train got in late. I grabbed the door as the conductor blew his whistle and then he yelled at me to stop. Awesome. So, we missed our first train change and got to wait an extra two hours to catch the next one. Found a place to eat and played some cards to pass the time. Got on our next train and went to our next destination. At the next change we had another two hour layover, so we had plenty of time to catch the next train. Sat at a café and devoured the free wifi. Made our next change and headed towards Paris.
Paris will be the next and last installment of the traveling portion of this trip. Although Payton, Keith, and I are going to write a recap of what we learned while on the whole trip. Hopefully people will read it and have use for some of our insight if they ever travel through Europe. So, stay tuned, we are not done talking to you yet.
steinkraus.
We decided to ask reception where we should go for a traditional Swiss meal. They gave us two options, but we were only able to find one. It was a little pricey and no one was there, so we found somewhere else to eat. It was not very good. Payton and I had burgers, which were more like sloppy-joes, and Keith had this meat platter thing, but he said the steak seemed a little off. Meh. Got out of there quick and headed towards the lake.
We got to the waterfront and saw the trademark water jet. It was pretty cool. It shot pretty high. We started to head over towards it to get some photos, but right when we got to a good place it shut off. Ha ha! Sneaky Swiss. So, we sat around hoping it would come on again and enjoyed the harbor. Random side note: I do not think I have ever seen a true mountain lake that is fed by snow and seeing Lake Geneva for the first time stunned me. The water is actually CLEAR! You could see straight to the bottom of the lake from the breakwaters. It was awesome. After we waited for a while for the fountain and it did not come back, we headed towards the city center.
We could see a cool looking church from where we were sitting and headed towards it. Saw some cool sites along the way and got some good pictures. Walked the back streets of Geneva towards the waterfront again and explored a mall which was all closed down. Then walked back along the waterfront and saw the fountain was on again. Yay! You would have thought it was a 98% off sale at Macy's if you saw how fast we ran to get a picture of it. But we got our pictures. Continued along the harbor and found an art exhibit with editorial cartoons from around the world. Some of them were meh, but some were really powerful. All about the famine, wars, natural disasters, genocide, assassinations from around the world.
Once it got too dark to take any more photos and the mosquitos were draining us dry, we headed back to the hostel. Along the way we tried to find a place to have dessert, but Geneva is EXPENSIVE, so we decided not. Found a vending machine in the hostel and bought a mars bar (Keith), ragusa - a type of chocolate bar (Payton), and a snickers (me). Classy, we know. Then we headed up to our room to get ready for bed.
I forgot to mention before that when we first got in our room it smelled like wet dog and moldy feet. Our roomies had washed their clothes [in the sink] and left them to dry in the window. We were not sure why everything smelt so bad, but a little while after we got up to our room, we found out. Our roomies came back and we talked with them for a while. We found out that they were from a town outside Vienna and have been hiking, yes hiking, their way across Europe to Santiago, Spain. That is about a 3,000 kilometer trip. On foot. And they had been sleeping outside on nice nights. Not in campsites, but in fields and vineyards. Pretty intense. Geneva was about 1,200 kilometers into their journey and they had already been traveling for 40 days. They estimated the trip would take 4 months. That is sweet. Payton, Keith, and I decided that that will be our trip next year. After chatting with them we all got ready for bed and slept.
In the morning we got up bright and early, packed up, and headed down for breakfast. Corn flakes and bread. Yum yum. After breakfast we hopped on over to the train station. Caught our train to Paris and settled in.
After the first leg of the journey we got off and ran to our next train because our train got in late. I grabbed the door as the conductor blew his whistle and then he yelled at me to stop. Awesome. So, we missed our first train change and got to wait an extra two hours to catch the next one. Found a place to eat and played some cards to pass the time. Got on our next train and went to our next destination. At the next change we had another two hour layover, so we had plenty of time to catch the next train. Sat at a café and devoured the free wifi. Made our next change and headed towards Paris.
Paris will be the next and last installment of the traveling portion of this trip. Although Payton, Keith, and I are going to write a recap of what we learned while on the whole trip. Hopefully people will read it and have use for some of our insight if they ever travel through Europe. So, stay tuned, we are not done talking to you yet.
steinkraus.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
with no clouds in the sky...
We arrived in Florence in the evening and checked in. Went out to find some food, but nothing was open since it was so late. So, we got some ice cream for dinner instead. Yum! Keith commented that he has eaten more ice cream in the past couple weeks than he has in the past year. Payton and I both agreed.
The next morning we got up and walked around the city. Saw a crazy looking church, took some photos. Saw another church, took some more photos. Walked through some plazas where every inch of shaded space was occupied by bodies - it was a hot day. Caught a glimpse of Il Duomo, but could not head there yet, we had to make reservations for our trip to Geneva. Ah-ha, make them early. We have learned! When we got to the train station we found that there was no overnight train to Geneva, good job Eurail website. Instead we had to book our train a day later and stay an extra night in Florence. Once the trains were squared away we talked with the hostel to make reservations for an additaional night.
After that we found a place to get some food. My slice of pizza was 1/4 of the whole pizza. Delicious. Then walked over to Il Duomo and snapped some more pictures. Decided to tour it later and walked over to Palazzo Vecchio and saw the copy of David. The real one is in the Galleria dell'Accademia, but we did not go see it. Then we walked down to Ponte Vecchio, the Old Bridge, and assaulted it with photos. It is the semi-covered bridge that was used by the Medici family and housed many of the time best goldsmiths. Walked over it to see what the shops had to offer - jewelry galore! Walked down the river for a bit and skipped our way back to the hostel for dinner. They had a buffet style breakfast and dinner every day, which was actually really good. You could tell that it was a real person cooking for people, not a machine in a restaurant cooking for customers. After dinner we met a couple of other travelers from New York and England and played cards. Got eaten by mosquitos, then called it a night.
We awoke early the following morning and went to Giardini di Boboli, the Boboli Gardens, Siciliano would be proud. But they were not as well maintained as we were hopeing, Siciliano would not be proud. Walked the entire garden. Sweated our bums off. Then took a nap in the shade by the Neptune Fountain. When we woke up we headed to see the remainder of the garden and saw the first statue of a fat person we have ever seen. It was pretty funny.
Piazza Michelangelo was our next destination, which was on top of one of the adjacent hills. It was a trek. And it was hot. But, there was an ice cream place at the top! We saw another copy of David, this one was bronze, and enjoyed the view over Florence. After the walk back down, which was much easier, we found a place to have a snack. Not very good. The pizza was watery...? and the latte was burnt. Bleh! Then we headed back to our hostel to get some good eats. Amazing, as per usual. And after dinner we pretty much crashed.
On the morning of our extra day in Florence we headed to Il Duomo to climp up the cupola. Paid €8 to climb 463 steps. It was a little pricey for the view (which was very similar to the one at Piazza Michelangelo), however, we got up to the top right at 12:00 and every church bell in the city started ringing. That was pretty sweet. It is also pretty cool to look out over all of Florence and see terra-cotta roofs everywhere. After heading down we caught a peek at the interior of the church, kinda plain, then headed to Palazzo Vecchio for the artwork. Towards the end of the museum we stopped in a small room to watch a little info movie and almost fell asleep. Got scolded by one of the clerks and headed out. Searched for a place to eat and found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Which I believe has had consistently the best food on the trip. Random side note: try not to eat at fancy restaurants or readily visible places in Italy. Chances are the employees are stuck up and will try to screw you over, like we were, or the food is awful. The smaller places that you need to search for are SO much better.
After our delicious meal, where we stayed past closing and the owner actually let us, we headed back to the hostel. But not before getting dessert. Keith had a soft cheesecake with fruit sauce and Payton and I both had chocolate cake. It was delectable, a little dry, but scrumdidilyumptious. When we got back to the hostel we napped for a bit. Got up and met the other people in our room; found out they were from England, Washington, and Maryland. The chick from England asked if anyone needed to do launry and we got four of us together. €9 to wash and dry is a little pricey. After laundry I stole Payton's beard trimmer and got rid of my scratchy beard - was not going to clean-shave again. Then hit the hay, because it was an early start to catch our train to Geneva.
Got up in the morning, packed up, and headed to the train station. Waited around for our platform to be called; Keith got two croissants for breakfast, one with chocolate and one with marmalade. Tastey. I had a banana. It did the trick. Then boarded the train and headed to Geneva.
We were not in Geneva for long, just one night, so that post is coming soon. Then it will be Paris after!
steinkraus.
The next morning we got up and walked around the city. Saw a crazy looking church, took some photos. Saw another church, took some more photos. Walked through some plazas where every inch of shaded space was occupied by bodies - it was a hot day. Caught a glimpse of Il Duomo, but could not head there yet, we had to make reservations for our trip to Geneva. Ah-ha, make them early. We have learned! When we got to the train station we found that there was no overnight train to Geneva, good job Eurail website. Instead we had to book our train a day later and stay an extra night in Florence. Once the trains were squared away we talked with the hostel to make reservations for an additaional night.
After that we found a place to get some food. My slice of pizza was 1/4 of the whole pizza. Delicious. Then walked over to Il Duomo and snapped some more pictures. Decided to tour it later and walked over to Palazzo Vecchio and saw the copy of David. The real one is in the Galleria dell'Accademia, but we did not go see it. Then we walked down to Ponte Vecchio, the Old Bridge, and assaulted it with photos. It is the semi-covered bridge that was used by the Medici family and housed many of the time best goldsmiths. Walked over it to see what the shops had to offer - jewelry galore! Walked down the river for a bit and skipped our way back to the hostel for dinner. They had a buffet style breakfast and dinner every day, which was actually really good. You could tell that it was a real person cooking for people, not a machine in a restaurant cooking for customers. After dinner we met a couple of other travelers from New York and England and played cards. Got eaten by mosquitos, then called it a night.
We awoke early the following morning and went to Giardini di Boboli, the Boboli Gardens, Siciliano would be proud. But they were not as well maintained as we were hopeing, Siciliano would not be proud. Walked the entire garden. Sweated our bums off. Then took a nap in the shade by the Neptune Fountain. When we woke up we headed to see the remainder of the garden and saw the first statue of a fat person we have ever seen. It was pretty funny.
Piazza Michelangelo was our next destination, which was on top of one of the adjacent hills. It was a trek. And it was hot. But, there was an ice cream place at the top! We saw another copy of David, this one was bronze, and enjoyed the view over Florence. After the walk back down, which was much easier, we found a place to have a snack. Not very good. The pizza was watery...? and the latte was burnt. Bleh! Then we headed back to our hostel to get some good eats. Amazing, as per usual. And after dinner we pretty much crashed.
On the morning of our extra day in Florence we headed to Il Duomo to climp up the cupola. Paid €8 to climb 463 steps. It was a little pricey for the view (which was very similar to the one at Piazza Michelangelo), however, we got up to the top right at 12:00 and every church bell in the city started ringing. That was pretty sweet. It is also pretty cool to look out over all of Florence and see terra-cotta roofs everywhere. After heading down we caught a peek at the interior of the church, kinda plain, then headed to Palazzo Vecchio for the artwork. Towards the end of the museum we stopped in a small room to watch a little info movie and almost fell asleep. Got scolded by one of the clerks and headed out. Searched for a place to eat and found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Which I believe has had consistently the best food on the trip. Random side note: try not to eat at fancy restaurants or readily visible places in Italy. Chances are the employees are stuck up and will try to screw you over, like we were, or the food is awful. The smaller places that you need to search for are SO much better.
After our delicious meal, where we stayed past closing and the owner actually let us, we headed back to the hostel. But not before getting dessert. Keith had a soft cheesecake with fruit sauce and Payton and I both had chocolate cake. It was delectable, a little dry, but scrumdidilyumptious. When we got back to the hostel we napped for a bit. Got up and met the other people in our room; found out they were from England, Washington, and Maryland. The chick from England asked if anyone needed to do launry and we got four of us together. €9 to wash and dry is a little pricey. After laundry I stole Payton's beard trimmer and got rid of my scratchy beard - was not going to clean-shave again. Then hit the hay, because it was an early start to catch our train to Geneva.
Got up in the morning, packed up, and headed to the train station. Waited around for our platform to be called; Keith got two croissants for breakfast, one with chocolate and one with marmalade. Tastey. I had a banana. It did the trick. Then boarded the train and headed to Geneva.
We were not in Geneva for long, just one night, so that post is coming soon. Then it will be Paris after!
steinkraus.
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