Hey Everybody,
Thanks so much for all of the birthday wishes.
Going into Florence I knew very little. I knew that the Renaissance had started there, and that it was in Tuscany.
First things first. My hostel was sick. I dont like to advertise hostels, simply because they typically overcharge you for the services that are available. This was not true about this hostel.
Plus Florence had a pool, a sauna, and a turkish bath. I hadnt ever been in a turkish bath, but it was somewhat like a steam room. You can only see about a foot ahead at any given point. Three of the four nights I was there, I used and abused the pool area. There were also two bars and a disco. One of the bars was a terrace bar that had an unbelivable view of the city.
For the first 3 nights of my stay I was with a group of Indian cousins ranging from 12 to 30. Great people from all over the world.
A few hours after I got there, I ran into Parker from California. Parker and I had originally met in Barcelona, then ran into each other in Munich, and I immediately saw him when we got to Florence. There is almost a hostel tour that some people are on, so you always run into similar people.
We decided that there had to be a bigger reason for the third meeting, so opted to spend our time in Florence seeing the sights.
The first night we walked around a bunch. We briefly saw all of the major sights. This included Accademia, the dome, the tower, the church, the doors of paradise, and the Uffizi.
That night, we decided that we had to celebrate the coincidence of running into each other three times in three different countries. Long story short, the next morning I wasnt a happy camper.
Sober Zac had signed up for a bike tour at 10 AM. Drunk Zac forgot this fact, and barely made it to the bike tour. I constantly checked the time, praying that it was over. I remember thinking that at least an hour had past, and it was 15 minutes. On the plus side, Parker did find an unbelivable way to get drunk quickly. If you want to know, just ask and I will gladly tell.
At one point during the bike tour, I needed water. I NEEDED water. I was dieing a slow and painful death. I also had no money on me. As we were biking, we passed an ATM, and I figured I would catch up with the group once I got the money. Big mistake. I ended up losing everybody, but remembered where the wine tasting was going to be. After a good half hour of waiting, they came back, and we started the tasting.
Though the wine tasted great, I was still too hungover to really appreciate it. From what I remember, Tuscan wine was unbelivable. There are 20 states in Italy, and each makes their own type of wine.
That night Parker and I went to a park to watch the locals. We ended up meeting another guy from California who was studying abroad in Florence. He told us some crazy stories about his experiences in Florence, and about his somewhat weird roomate. His flight left from Florence about 5 hours after he left us... Hopefully he made it.
The next morning, Parker and I decided to go to Pisa. Not only is this the last name of my favorite Middle School teacher ever, there is also a tower that famously leans. It is a really cool sight, but for some reason I always assumed it was pushed back along the Tuscan countryside. It was actually in the city center of Pisa, right next to a church. I later read that it was a German outpost during the war, and that the Allies had almost destroyed it. Crazy!
After spending about an hour at the grounds, we needed to get back. My father has a friend whose brother is an architect in Florence. He invited me to this old jail called the Murato, where he runs an event every monday night where an aspiring young artist speaks to the community. Free wine and aperitifs (appetizers) are served. Unfortunately, I thought it was much closer to my hostel then it actually was. It took me about 40 minutes to get there, and I was hustling. Either way, I made it, and it was a cool experience. Marco (the brother) introduced me to the head of the Syracuse abroad program in Florence. She apparently worked more with architecture students, but I told her that a friend was going to be studying in the fall... Small world.
That night, I decided to take my time and walk around the city. As you get farther from the tourist areas, there are small paths and alleyways that crisscross the city at various points. I ended up at a restaurant and started a conversation with the couple who was next to me. They were Welsh, and we discussed how different cultures are. By the end of the dinner, they refused to let me pay. It was one of the nicest things that has happened on this trip. Apparently, as their sons travelled throughout the US, a couple had paid for dinner one night. Perfect Karma.
As I was walking home, I stumbled upon some type of parade. Everyone was dressed in very traditional clothing, and there were flags of the state of Florence everywhere. There were drummers and horn players throughout, and there was a group of locals who followed in suits. To this day, I have no idea what it was, but it was pretty cool. It was a great night.
The next morning, Parker and I decided to climb to the top of the tower in the town square. There are two choices. One can climb to the top of the dome, or one can climb to the top of the tower. The line for the dome was at least an hour, while the climb to the top of the tower was about 15 seconds. The views on top were spectacular, but it unfortunately started raining.
When this happened, we originally thought that we should go on line to see the statue David at the Accademia, but after waiting on line for half an hour and not moving, we decided that it would be smarter to go the next morning before the train to Rome. Instead, we found a video game arcade, and spent the afternoon there. That night, we hung out at the terrace bar, and met a bunch of Americans from all over. As the sun slowly sank, we realized our time in Florence was limited.
The next morning we got up early to go see David and the rest of the museum. Unfortunately, the rest of the museum is kind of boring. There is a hall of statues that is interesting, but the rest of the museum are mosiacs that are very similar in color and size.
We hopped on the train, and both of us made it to Rome. Woo!
That being said, I have noticed a few things. All of a sudden I am much more tired then usual. I am waking up later then I have been at the beginning of the trip. I believe I have hit some type of wall, and do miss some small comforts. That being said, Rome is a beautiful city, but one needs to walk a bunch. Therer really isnt any public transportation, because every time they try to build an underground they find a new ruin. I guess thats what happens when the city is thousands of years old.
See you all soon.
Zac
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Venice
Hey Everybody,
Due to the great time I had in Florence, I wasnt able to type up my experiences in Venice.
I am currently in my final destination of Rome! Woo!
Here you go:
Venice is how one would imagine it to be. I read various reports that stated that it was made up of anywhere from 150-200 mini islands. Apparently, the city was started by refugees of various parts of Italy who decided to build pillars on the islands in order to make a city on the water.
The city has countless bridges and paths, and my main goal was to get lost. The further away you get from the tourist areas, the prettier the city becomes. The ends of residential blocks end at waterways, where if you time it right, you can watch a young couple in the bounds of love slowly drifting down the canals in a gondola while someone is singing italian love songs... life changing.
So what a single guy do in the (arguably) most romantic city in the world? He cant really go to bars, because they are nearly impossible to find, and the city is a major labyrinth. He cant take a gondola, because A. that would be the saddest thing a single guy could do, and (more importantly) the cheapest package was around 80 euro. Instead, he sits in his hostel and plays cards with two girls from the Netherlands (true story).
Instead, with tears in my eyes I watched all the honeymooners laughing and holding hands.
The city was beautiful. The first full day I was there I went to the Accademia. The Accademia holds most of the famous paintings from Venetian artists pre 19th century. It consisted of 24 rooms that each had some type of theme (most portraying some aspect of Christianity). I believe that this is the best known museum in Venice. Some of my favorite paintings were "Portrait of a Young Man with a Book" by Lotto, and "The Feast in the House of Levy" by Veronese.
"The Feast in the House of Levy" had a really interesting story. Its huge. Its big enough that the artist was charged with heresy from the church because of the size of the painting (219 inches by 500 inches) crazy. It depicts a great feast.
I did do the San Marco square, but to be honest, I lasted about 5 minutes. It was the Times Square of Venice. Way to overpacked and not THAT much to see.
The next full day I got lost, and the one thing I kept noticing was that many of the steps that led from the canals to the streets were under water. This means that the city is sinking. Venice is trying to battle it, but unless they make drastic changes, I wouldnt be surprised if the city sank in the next 200 years or so.
Thats all for now,
I will post Florence soon.
Unfortunately, I will be home in 6 days... BOOO
Love you all,
Zac
Due to the great time I had in Florence, I wasnt able to type up my experiences in Venice.
I am currently in my final destination of Rome! Woo!
Here you go:
Venice is how one would imagine it to be. I read various reports that stated that it was made up of anywhere from 150-200 mini islands. Apparently, the city was started by refugees of various parts of Italy who decided to build pillars on the islands in order to make a city on the water.
The city has countless bridges and paths, and my main goal was to get lost. The further away you get from the tourist areas, the prettier the city becomes. The ends of residential blocks end at waterways, where if you time it right, you can watch a young couple in the bounds of love slowly drifting down the canals in a gondola while someone is singing italian love songs... life changing.
So what a single guy do in the (arguably) most romantic city in the world? He cant really go to bars, because they are nearly impossible to find, and the city is a major labyrinth. He cant take a gondola, because A. that would be the saddest thing a single guy could do, and (more importantly) the cheapest package was around 80 euro. Instead, he sits in his hostel and plays cards with two girls from the Netherlands (true story).
Instead, with tears in my eyes I watched all the honeymooners laughing and holding hands.
The city was beautiful. The first full day I was there I went to the Accademia. The Accademia holds most of the famous paintings from Venetian artists pre 19th century. It consisted of 24 rooms that each had some type of theme (most portraying some aspect of Christianity). I believe that this is the best known museum in Venice. Some of my favorite paintings were "Portrait of a Young Man with a Book" by Lotto, and "The Feast in the House of Levy" by Veronese.
"The Feast in the House of Levy" had a really interesting story. Its huge. Its big enough that the artist was charged with heresy from the church because of the size of the painting (219 inches by 500 inches) crazy. It depicts a great feast.
I did do the San Marco square, but to be honest, I lasted about 5 minutes. It was the Times Square of Venice. Way to overpacked and not THAT much to see.
The next full day I got lost, and the one thing I kept noticing was that many of the steps that led from the canals to the streets were under water. This means that the city is sinking. Venice is trying to battle it, but unless they make drastic changes, I wouldnt be surprised if the city sank in the next 200 years or so.
Thats all for now,
I will post Florence soon.
Unfortunately, I will be home in 6 days... BOOO
Love you all,
Zac
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Vienna
Hey Everybody,
Sorry that I have not been able to post during the last few days. I was in Venice, and it cost about 5 euro for half an hour of internet. Though i do love blogging and checking the internet, there was no way I was paying that much for it.
Vienna.
Vienna is not only a gorgeous city on the eastern coast of Austria, but its also the capital. As I walked through the streets I wondered if there were any Arnold Schwarzenegger statues, specifically for the time that he saved mankind. Maybe, I thought, there would be a big statue of him in full Conan attire. Alas, throughout my three days I was thouroughly disappointed for I did not find any such statues.
My cousin was in town for the International AIDS convention. One of the main reasons I was going to Austria was to see her. The first night that I was there,I met up with her and her coworkers. After walking the streets for an hour or so, we ended up eating at Illiys (the coffee chain).
After parting ways, I headed to the bar at the hostel, where I met an Australian and a British guy. The British guy told me that one of his close friends had married into Indian royalty and that he had attended the wedding.
Apparently, the festivities lasted about 2 weeks, one week there were parades and parties all the time, and the other week they traveled into the Himalayes, where he would sleep at villages that had no more then 100 or 200 people. Custom dictates that the chief (or elder) must let travellers stay at his place for free, and the way he makes the money back is that he sells beer to the travellers at a low price.
Of every beer in the world, guess what he sold...
Youll never get it.
Seriously, you wont get it
Corona! He was selling Corona! Apparently if one wants to drink the fine cerveza of Mexico, one needs to go to the Himalayan mountains.
The next day, I walked around "the ring" that surronded the old city. I would not recommend to do this. Besides a few mueseums that are pretty, the area isnt that nice. The point of the ring is to enter the middle. The old city is in the middle of the ring. There is a huge church that is hundreds of years old, but across the street is the McDonalds.
On a totally unrelated note, Mcdonalds is everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
After walking around town for a little longer, I decided to leave to go see Schonbrunn Palace.
I decided that I was sick of paying to see castles and palaces, so I tried to sneak in.
I was successful. I figured that if I walked in with a large enough group that werent wearing the same t shirt I could get in for free. Boo YA!
The best way to describe Scdhonbrunn Palace is that it is the Austrian Versailles. Its a nice palace, but the gardens are the main selling point. After climbing to the top of the castle, I had an unbelivable view of Vienna.
Golden Rule in Europe: If its climbable, climb it!
The next day, I went to the AIDS Conference. Unfortunately, it was expensive to go into the actual meetings, but there was a free part called the global village. This was an area for organizations from around the world to promote their local cause.
There were people walking around giving away free hugs. I cashed in on that one pretty quickly.
I learned that the AIDS epidemic is starting to decrease internationally. It seems that the area that is still greatly affected is Sub Saharan Africa. This is due to lack of infastructure as well as lack of available drugs to help ail people with the disease.
On a totally different note, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Desmond Tutu spoke at the conference. Also, President Obama made a video that was shown on the big screen at the conference.
For my last day, I had to do maintenece stuff. This meant laundry, hygiene checks, buying soap and all that fun stuff. I ended up meeting a bunch of people from all over in the common room of the hostel, and we all went to dinner together.
I had seen a sign for an International Film Festival that was being held in Vienna. We had heard that there was international food stalls around the festival. I ended up eating interesting chicken teryaki... it was pretty good!
The next day I left and went to Venice..
I dont think I have enough time to write about Venice now, but I will tomorrow!
See you all soon,
Zac
Sorry that I have not been able to post during the last few days. I was in Venice, and it cost about 5 euro for half an hour of internet. Though i do love blogging and checking the internet, there was no way I was paying that much for it.
Vienna.
Vienna is not only a gorgeous city on the eastern coast of Austria, but its also the capital. As I walked through the streets I wondered if there were any Arnold Schwarzenegger statues, specifically for the time that he saved mankind. Maybe, I thought, there would be a big statue of him in full Conan attire. Alas, throughout my three days I was thouroughly disappointed for I did not find any such statues.
My cousin was in town for the International AIDS convention. One of the main reasons I was going to Austria was to see her. The first night that I was there,I met up with her and her coworkers. After walking the streets for an hour or so, we ended up eating at Illiys (the coffee chain).
After parting ways, I headed to the bar at the hostel, where I met an Australian and a British guy. The British guy told me that one of his close friends had married into Indian royalty and that he had attended the wedding.
Apparently, the festivities lasted about 2 weeks, one week there were parades and parties all the time, and the other week they traveled into the Himalayes, where he would sleep at villages that had no more then 100 or 200 people. Custom dictates that the chief (or elder) must let travellers stay at his place for free, and the way he makes the money back is that he sells beer to the travellers at a low price.
Of every beer in the world, guess what he sold...
Youll never get it.
Seriously, you wont get it
Corona! He was selling Corona! Apparently if one wants to drink the fine cerveza of Mexico, one needs to go to the Himalayan mountains.
The next day, I walked around "the ring" that surronded the old city. I would not recommend to do this. Besides a few mueseums that are pretty, the area isnt that nice. The point of the ring is to enter the middle. The old city is in the middle of the ring. There is a huge church that is hundreds of years old, but across the street is the McDonalds.
On a totally unrelated note, Mcdonalds is everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
After walking around town for a little longer, I decided to leave to go see Schonbrunn Palace.
I decided that I was sick of paying to see castles and palaces, so I tried to sneak in.
I was successful. I figured that if I walked in with a large enough group that werent wearing the same t shirt I could get in for free. Boo YA!
The best way to describe Scdhonbrunn Palace is that it is the Austrian Versailles. Its a nice palace, but the gardens are the main selling point. After climbing to the top of the castle, I had an unbelivable view of Vienna.
Golden Rule in Europe: If its climbable, climb it!
The next day, I went to the AIDS Conference. Unfortunately, it was expensive to go into the actual meetings, but there was a free part called the global village. This was an area for organizations from around the world to promote their local cause.
There were people walking around giving away free hugs. I cashed in on that one pretty quickly.
I learned that the AIDS epidemic is starting to decrease internationally. It seems that the area that is still greatly affected is Sub Saharan Africa. This is due to lack of infastructure as well as lack of available drugs to help ail people with the disease.
On a totally different note, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Desmond Tutu spoke at the conference. Also, President Obama made a video that was shown on the big screen at the conference.
For my last day, I had to do maintenece stuff. This meant laundry, hygiene checks, buying soap and all that fun stuff. I ended up meeting a bunch of people from all over in the common room of the hostel, and we all went to dinner together.
I had seen a sign for an International Film Festival that was being held in Vienna. We had heard that there was international food stalls around the festival. I ended up eating interesting chicken teryaki... it was pretty good!
The next day I left and went to Venice..
I dont think I have enough time to write about Venice now, but I will tomorrow!
See you all soon,
Zac
Monday, July 19, 2010
Munich Part 2
Hey Everybody,
I just arrived in Vienna about half an hour ago. My cousin is in town for a conference, so we will be hanging out later tonight!
Munich.
Munich was awesome.
The day after the BMW Museum and Olympic park, I met up with a pair of Australian brothers who I had met in Nice. One is a professional poker player, and the other one is just finishing university.
These were two of the funniest people I have ever met.
Originally, I had woken up somewhat early in order to go on a Third Reich tour. After they emailed me, I decided to meet them at their hostel, which was down the street from me.
After waiting an unbearable hour in anticipation, I saw their friendly Australian faces walk through the door.
Unbeknownst to us, it was Gay Pride weekend in Munich.
I havent heard so much Gloria Gaynor in my life. We managed to find the parade, where there were men dressed as every 70s pop icon one can think of, as well as more Lady Gagas then I could have imagined in the same place.
The atmosphere was fun, (granted a tad uncomfortable), but we soon left the parade to do bigger and better things.
We ended up exploring the city a bunch, went to H&M, and generally had a good time together.
That night I joined them again. The older brother had met a local while she was working as an aupair in Australia. We joined her, and she took us far away from the touristy section, and we ended up at a small cafe with university students.
We all enjoyed a few drinks as well as a few laughs, and a good time was had by all.
The next day, I had made tentative plans with my friend Marisa from school.
We had met in an anthro class last semester at Syracuse.
Her boyfriend is German, and lives in Munich. She invited me over to meet his family.
What an amazing experience.
The family is originally from Poland, but moved to Munich in the mid to late 70s. Both parents are doctors and they live in one of the prettiest parts of Munich that I had been to.
I was treated like a king!
I could never say no to anything.
Zac, do you want some coffee?
No... Its fine! I am not that thirsty
Are you sure?
Yes, yes, its totally fine.
Are you sure?
FINE, I will have a cappucino....
This happened with everything.
We ended up spending the day with Maxs (Marisas bf) family. We went to a modern art museum called Pinakothek that had a special exhibit with the artist Neo Rauch.
http://www.pinakothek.de/pinakothek-der-moderne/html/kalender/kalender_index_en.php?haupt=ausstellungen&sub=moderne&action=
If you havent seen a painting by him, do it. Your mind will be blown.
I cant describe what I saw, but I enjoyed his work thouroughly.
After the museum we stopped for lunch and ice cream, the whole while discussing topics ranging from cars to lifestyles to American influence to music to cultural differences, etc etc.
The family also has an apartment in Rome, and I will be in Rome while Marisa and Max will be there. They offered me a place to stay for my final nights in Europe, and I appreciate it to the fullest extent.
I offered if they ever came to the New York, they would have a place to stay in Millburn.
That night, I met up with Marisa and Max, and we ended up hanging out at a hookah bar until about 1. Max had gone to Syracuse, and had graduated a year before Marisa and I, so we generally knew some of the same people and places at the university.
Afterwords, I ended up running into some friends of mine from the hostel, we talked and laughed about how much fun we had had the other night in the clubbing district of Munich.
Overall, I loved Munich, and really want to head back there.
Some other notes:
I only have a little over 2 weeks left. Dammit.
I love German food. It can get you sick if you eat it every day though.
I hope to see some Arnold Schwarznegger statues all over Vienna. If anything, at least a terminator plaque.
Vienna is spelt Wien in German. Wiener schnitzel is basically schnitzel from Wien (or Vienna).
My parents half-jokingly asked if I was planning on staying in Europe after the trip was over. I half-jokingly said yes. Maybe a little more then half jokingly.... I am joking. :)
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Springsteen, Phish, Radiohead, The Beatles, and Dylan have been my saviours during long train rides when there isnt anyone who speaks English around me.
Again, I want to thank Maxs family for all the hospitality they gave me.
See you soon!
Zac
I just arrived in Vienna about half an hour ago. My cousin is in town for a conference, so we will be hanging out later tonight!
Munich.
Munich was awesome.
The day after the BMW Museum and Olympic park, I met up with a pair of Australian brothers who I had met in Nice. One is a professional poker player, and the other one is just finishing university.
These were two of the funniest people I have ever met.
Originally, I had woken up somewhat early in order to go on a Third Reich tour. After they emailed me, I decided to meet them at their hostel, which was down the street from me.
After waiting an unbearable hour in anticipation, I saw their friendly Australian faces walk through the door.
Unbeknownst to us, it was Gay Pride weekend in Munich.
I havent heard so much Gloria Gaynor in my life. We managed to find the parade, where there were men dressed as every 70s pop icon one can think of, as well as more Lady Gagas then I could have imagined in the same place.
The atmosphere was fun, (granted a tad uncomfortable), but we soon left the parade to do bigger and better things.
We ended up exploring the city a bunch, went to H&M, and generally had a good time together.
That night I joined them again. The older brother had met a local while she was working as an aupair in Australia. We joined her, and she took us far away from the touristy section, and we ended up at a small cafe with university students.
We all enjoyed a few drinks as well as a few laughs, and a good time was had by all.
The next day, I had made tentative plans with my friend Marisa from school.
We had met in an anthro class last semester at Syracuse.
Her boyfriend is German, and lives in Munich. She invited me over to meet his family.
What an amazing experience.
The family is originally from Poland, but moved to Munich in the mid to late 70s. Both parents are doctors and they live in one of the prettiest parts of Munich that I had been to.
I was treated like a king!
I could never say no to anything.
Zac, do you want some coffee?
No... Its fine! I am not that thirsty
Are you sure?
Yes, yes, its totally fine.
Are you sure?
FINE, I will have a cappucino....
This happened with everything.
We ended up spending the day with Maxs (Marisas bf) family. We went to a modern art museum called Pinakothek that had a special exhibit with the artist Neo Rauch.
http://www.pinakothek.de/pinakothek-der-moderne/html/kalender/kalender_index_en.php?haupt=ausstellungen&sub=moderne&action=
If you havent seen a painting by him, do it. Your mind will be blown.
I cant describe what I saw, but I enjoyed his work thouroughly.
After the museum we stopped for lunch and ice cream, the whole while discussing topics ranging from cars to lifestyles to American influence to music to cultural differences, etc etc.
The family also has an apartment in Rome, and I will be in Rome while Marisa and Max will be there. They offered me a place to stay for my final nights in Europe, and I appreciate it to the fullest extent.
I offered if they ever came to the New York, they would have a place to stay in Millburn.
That night, I met up with Marisa and Max, and we ended up hanging out at a hookah bar until about 1. Max had gone to Syracuse, and had graduated a year before Marisa and I, so we generally knew some of the same people and places at the university.
Afterwords, I ended up running into some friends of mine from the hostel, we talked and laughed about how much fun we had had the other night in the clubbing district of Munich.
Overall, I loved Munich, and really want to head back there.
Some other notes:
I only have a little over 2 weeks left. Dammit.
I love German food. It can get you sick if you eat it every day though.
I hope to see some Arnold Schwarznegger statues all over Vienna. If anything, at least a terminator plaque.
Vienna is spelt Wien in German. Wiener schnitzel is basically schnitzel from Wien (or Vienna).
My parents half-jokingly asked if I was planning on staying in Europe after the trip was over. I half-jokingly said yes. Maybe a little more then half jokingly.... I am joking. :)
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Springsteen, Phish, Radiohead, The Beatles, and Dylan have been my saviours during long train rides when there isnt anyone who speaks English around me.
Again, I want to thank Maxs family for all the hospitality they gave me.
See you soon!
Zac
Friday, July 16, 2010
Munich part 1
Hey Everybody,
I love Munich. I love everything about Munich. I had heard it was a great city, but I had no idea. Not even in the slightest.
On one hand, every international person told me that Berlin was better. They questioned why I would even think about going to Munich. Berlin is the capital they say, Why bother with a city that isnt the capital?
On the other hand, every American I talked to before and during the trip has said that Munich was better. They say the culture and the history is unmatched. Though I havent been to Berlin, I cannot possibly believe that it is better then this.
Originally I was staying for 3 nights. I was supposed to go to Salzburg tomorrow. The one thing that Salzburg is famous for is "The Sound of Music". To put it simply, "The Sound of Music" isnt aimed at 21 year old males who are travelling Europe. Yes, I imagine its beautiful. Yes, I imagine that alot of people love the movie. Finally, yes... I imagine the residents of Salzburg hate the fact that the one thing most people associate with their city is a movie. Especially one that involves singing, mostly singing. Sorry Salzburg.
So, what have I done?
Munich is awesome for many reasons. The first night I went to a bier hall in order to get my German on. Munich is known for its bier halls and bier gardens. A bier hall basically is a place where the beer is brewed, and there are long picnic tables. One can order a mar beer, which is a liter of the sweet nectar.
Simply because it was my first meal, I felt that I needed to go big. I ordered pork schnitzel. I had never had schnitzel before, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
They put me at a big table with these two 17 year olds from the Netherlands. I had told them I had gone to Amsterdam, and we all had a big laugh.
The next morning I did a free walking tour throughout Munich. This was in order to get a lay of the land. Most major cities offer this tour, and you simply tip the guide at the end of the tour.
I have to assume that the historical knowledge of most Americans of Germany ends and begins with World War II. Though I knew that Germany had had lots of history, I didnt know that Munich was almost 850 years old. The third reich lasted only 12 years.
I believe one of the reasons that I love Munich so much is the fact that instead of hiding the dark 12 years of Hitler, they embrace it fully. In other words, they have built hundreds of memorials to everyone who was affected by Hitlers terrible reign.
On the other end of the spectrum. Most Americans arent taught about the Japanese internment camps in California. The American curriculum seems to want to hide the fact that we held people aganist their will because of their race.
Munich was where the Nationalist Socialist (Nazi) party formed. The Germans knew it was going to be attacked, so they tried their best to take blueprints of the whole city in order to rebuild once the war was over. The city had been rebuilt in the 60s and 70s to its former glory.
On the free tour, I met this American girl named Lauren. We ended up in the Bier Garden in the English Garden. According to our tour guide it was the largest municipal park in the World.
The park has a huge river that runs down the middle of it. Some people surf it, others use it as some type of lazy river.
After getting our fill of Weiner and other pork products, we seperated.
That night I met a Jewish Australian couple who were planning on going to Dakau. Dakau is the "model" concentration camp. Apparently, all other concentration camps were based off of the model of this one.
It shakes you at your core. Every American has read about the concentration camps. Every Jew knows about the concentration camps. It is very different reading about it and actually seeing it. Its hard to fathom what one human could do to another.
That night I kept it easy, I was pretty spent from the day.
This morning I woke up and went to the BMW museum. Pretty cool, but if you go, dont get a tour... what a waste of money. I also went to Olympic park.
See you all in a matter of weeks!
Zac
I love Munich. I love everything about Munich. I had heard it was a great city, but I had no idea. Not even in the slightest.
On one hand, every international person told me that Berlin was better. They questioned why I would even think about going to Munich. Berlin is the capital they say, Why bother with a city that isnt the capital?
On the other hand, every American I talked to before and during the trip has said that Munich was better. They say the culture and the history is unmatched. Though I havent been to Berlin, I cannot possibly believe that it is better then this.
Originally I was staying for 3 nights. I was supposed to go to Salzburg tomorrow. The one thing that Salzburg is famous for is "The Sound of Music". To put it simply, "The Sound of Music" isnt aimed at 21 year old males who are travelling Europe. Yes, I imagine its beautiful. Yes, I imagine that alot of people love the movie. Finally, yes... I imagine the residents of Salzburg hate the fact that the one thing most people associate with their city is a movie. Especially one that involves singing, mostly singing. Sorry Salzburg.
So, what have I done?
Munich is awesome for many reasons. The first night I went to a bier hall in order to get my German on. Munich is known for its bier halls and bier gardens. A bier hall basically is a place where the beer is brewed, and there are long picnic tables. One can order a mar beer, which is a liter of the sweet nectar.
Simply because it was my first meal, I felt that I needed to go big. I ordered pork schnitzel. I had never had schnitzel before, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
They put me at a big table with these two 17 year olds from the Netherlands. I had told them I had gone to Amsterdam, and we all had a big laugh.
The next morning I did a free walking tour throughout Munich. This was in order to get a lay of the land. Most major cities offer this tour, and you simply tip the guide at the end of the tour.
I have to assume that the historical knowledge of most Americans of Germany ends and begins with World War II. Though I knew that Germany had had lots of history, I didnt know that Munich was almost 850 years old. The third reich lasted only 12 years.
I believe one of the reasons that I love Munich so much is the fact that instead of hiding the dark 12 years of Hitler, they embrace it fully. In other words, they have built hundreds of memorials to everyone who was affected by Hitlers terrible reign.
On the other end of the spectrum. Most Americans arent taught about the Japanese internment camps in California. The American curriculum seems to want to hide the fact that we held people aganist their will because of their race.
Munich was where the Nationalist Socialist (Nazi) party formed. The Germans knew it was going to be attacked, so they tried their best to take blueprints of the whole city in order to rebuild once the war was over. The city had been rebuilt in the 60s and 70s to its former glory.
On the free tour, I met this American girl named Lauren. We ended up in the Bier Garden in the English Garden. According to our tour guide it was the largest municipal park in the World.
The park has a huge river that runs down the middle of it. Some people surf it, others use it as some type of lazy river.
After getting our fill of Weiner and other pork products, we seperated.
That night I met a Jewish Australian couple who were planning on going to Dakau. Dakau is the "model" concentration camp. Apparently, all other concentration camps were based off of the model of this one.
It shakes you at your core. Every American has read about the concentration camps. Every Jew knows about the concentration camps. It is very different reading about it and actually seeing it. Its hard to fathom what one human could do to another.
That night I kept it easy, I was pretty spent from the day.
This morning I woke up and went to the BMW museum. Pretty cool, but if you go, dont get a tour... what a waste of money. I also went to Olympic park.
See you all in a matter of weeks!
Zac
Thursday, July 15, 2010
World Cup
Hey Everybody,
Throughout my trip I have made it imperative to watch the World Cup in as many places as I could.
I have heard the WC in 6 languages with a few dialects
I have heard it in:
English
(UK and USA)
Spanish
(Mexico and Spain)
Dutch
German
French
Swiss
My favorite by far was UK English.
I watched a match between Portgual and Spain. They had already won their group, so the game didnt really matter. The match was boring, but the announcers kept yelling about how the game was fixed and a farce. You would never hear an American announcer accuse a match of being fixed in any way. Hilarious.
The best part of the game was at the end, when there was 5 minutes of injury time alloted. At this point the announcers started asking if FIFA was purposely torturing us. Beautiful.
The games have been a whirlwind. It is unbelivable to be in Europe during the WC every bar, restaurant, grocery store, internet cafe, etc. had it on. If there was some type of monitor to watch the game on, it was being shown.
For the final match I was in Switzerland. Peter, the guy from California had heard of this Dutch bar in town. By the end of the match there were at least 400 Dutch fans in our vicinity. They have some type of chant to the song Auld Lang Syne.
Unfortunately, they lost... but it was still a good game.
I also read that viewership for the WC in the US was higher then it had ever been before.... who knows? maybe in 4 years we will win the thing.
In other news, Munich is unbelivable. I actually extended my stay two nights and am skipping Saltzberg.
Thats it for now,
Zac
Throughout my trip I have made it imperative to watch the World Cup in as many places as I could.
I have heard the WC in 6 languages with a few dialects
I have heard it in:
English
(UK and USA)
Spanish
(Mexico and Spain)
Dutch
German
French
Swiss
My favorite by far was UK English.
I watched a match between Portgual and Spain. They had already won their group, so the game didnt really matter. The match was boring, but the announcers kept yelling about how the game was fixed and a farce. You would never hear an American announcer accuse a match of being fixed in any way. Hilarious.
The best part of the game was at the end, when there was 5 minutes of injury time alloted. At this point the announcers started asking if FIFA was purposely torturing us. Beautiful.
The games have been a whirlwind. It is unbelivable to be in Europe during the WC every bar, restaurant, grocery store, internet cafe, etc. had it on. If there was some type of monitor to watch the game on, it was being shown.
For the final match I was in Switzerland. Peter, the guy from California had heard of this Dutch bar in town. By the end of the match there were at least 400 Dutch fans in our vicinity. They have some type of chant to the song Auld Lang Syne.
Unfortunately, they lost... but it was still a good game.
I also read that viewership for the WC in the US was higher then it had ever been before.... who knows? maybe in 4 years we will win the thing.
In other news, Munich is unbelivable. I actually extended my stay two nights and am skipping Saltzberg.
Thats it for now,
Zac
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Luzerne or Lucerne
Hey Everybody,
I have spent the last three nights in a mid-size city in the heart of Switzerland. I was supposed to stay four nights, but Italy had a transit strike the day I was supposed to leave from Nice, so instead of 10 hours of trains to get to Luzerne, I had to spend 15 hours and 7 trains going through France to Geneva, and by the time I got to Zurich it was around 1am, and all trains had stopped.
The good news was that I had my own shower, and a whole room to myself. One doesnt understand the luxury of having your own room after spending 3 and a half weeks in rooms that have upwards of 16 people in them. I also got to watch late night Swiss television. Swiss people speak German and French, so every channel was a new delight. One channel was some type of American Idol, but they were singing the worst English I had ever heard. Also, channels 60 through 80 were showing the same exact movie. From what I understood, it was some type of Swiss Bonnie and Clyde type movie. Ridiculous.
The next day I got to my final destination, Luzerne. Luzerne is famous for a few things. There is a huge stone carving of a dying lion, a really old bridge that burned down, and a really sweet lake. After i dropped my bags at the hostel I went directly to the lion because it was in my area. It is huge, and was set back aganist a stone wall of sorts. Pretty cool.
As I was walking to the lake, I noticed all of these signs for the 10th of July. That was the day I first arrived in Luzerne. After quickly realizing that they werent celebrating the coming of Zac Gorman, I asked a security guard outside the building what the posters were for. Through gestures and broken English I found out that it was the 10 year anniversary of the KKL, in other words an arts and cultural center that is in Luzerne. This celebration meant that there were free shows all night. What a treat! Free Swiss bands... my favorite.
I decided that I would hit the center up later. I wanted to take a tour of the lake. The deal was that you could get off somewhere and then wait an hour for the next boat to take you to the next stop. I got off the boat, and decided that I wanted to hike back to Luzerne. I ended up finding an old castle, and asked a man and his little girl what the castle was. I thought that these people might have lived nearby, and were tending to their farm. They explained that someone important had lived there, and now its used as a wedding reception venue. As I continued on my hike through fields and farms, I decided to try to find the next stop so I could hop back on the boat. Due to a miscommunication, I wasnt allowed to continue on the tour, but I did see the man and his little girl. They were tourists, not farmers... Oh well.
Later that night I went to the free festival. I can honestly say that I have a new favorite accordian based band. I also had the luxury of watching a Swiss Accapella group singing "Wonderwall" (If you dont know it, youve heard it... I can promise you that). After "Wonderwall", they broke out into the semi-mega 80s hit "Walk Like an Egyptian"... Life was complete. After this show I had to leave, because there is a point of ridiculousness that one can handle before they cant control their laughter. I was there.
Once I got back to the hostel, I met a Peter from California. We decided to do Mt. Pilatus the next day.
Mt. Pilatus is one of the bigger mountains in the region. There is a world famous cog train there that is (at points) on a 48* gradiant. We decided to take the gondola up to the second station of three. We then did an hour hike down to the first station and rode the gondola to the top. At the top we explored 3 of the 4 major peaks, and then we took the cog train down. It was then a 20 minute train ride back to Luzerne. If you look at my facebook, I posted a few of the pictures from the top of the mountain. I also was able to get service from the top of the mountain. Verizon is awesome.
That night was the World Cup final. My next blog post will be about all the aspects of being in Europe during the World Cup.
Yesterday was my last full day in Luzerne. I saw the bridge, I walked around a bunch, I ended up in a bookstore and read a full book. In other words, the city is pretty boring when you cant spend lots of money. On a side note, apparently the minimum wage in Switzerland is 20 Francs an hour. Thats about 18 or 18.50 US an hour. The dollar menu at Mcdonalds is 2.50 Francs here... haha.
I ended up at a casino, and won 100 francs (blackjack is awesome). They had this bet where if it was a perfect pair, meaning that two of the same number came out, you could win up to 25 times your bet. I ended up with a perfect pair, and I got 6 times my original bet... WOO HOO... I can now buy a happy meal.
Some other notes;
I have been able to tell who is American by seeing how much they play with their cellphones. Even in Europe, Americans are addicted to their gadgets and cell phones.
Switzerland is beautiful and a great country. I just have an issue with the fact that it is unbelivably expensive. But, once I have my billions I will laugh at how I used to think that the country was expensive.
Today, I am heading to Munich.
Cheers,
Zac
I have spent the last three nights in a mid-size city in the heart of Switzerland. I was supposed to stay four nights, but Italy had a transit strike the day I was supposed to leave from Nice, so instead of 10 hours of trains to get to Luzerne, I had to spend 15 hours and 7 trains going through France to Geneva, and by the time I got to Zurich it was around 1am, and all trains had stopped.
The good news was that I had my own shower, and a whole room to myself. One doesnt understand the luxury of having your own room after spending 3 and a half weeks in rooms that have upwards of 16 people in them. I also got to watch late night Swiss television. Swiss people speak German and French, so every channel was a new delight. One channel was some type of American Idol, but they were singing the worst English I had ever heard. Also, channels 60 through 80 were showing the same exact movie. From what I understood, it was some type of Swiss Bonnie and Clyde type movie. Ridiculous.
The next day I got to my final destination, Luzerne. Luzerne is famous for a few things. There is a huge stone carving of a dying lion, a really old bridge that burned down, and a really sweet lake. After i dropped my bags at the hostel I went directly to the lion because it was in my area. It is huge, and was set back aganist a stone wall of sorts. Pretty cool.
As I was walking to the lake, I noticed all of these signs for the 10th of July. That was the day I first arrived in Luzerne. After quickly realizing that they werent celebrating the coming of Zac Gorman, I asked a security guard outside the building what the posters were for. Through gestures and broken English I found out that it was the 10 year anniversary of the KKL, in other words an arts and cultural center that is in Luzerne. This celebration meant that there were free shows all night. What a treat! Free Swiss bands... my favorite.
I decided that I would hit the center up later. I wanted to take a tour of the lake. The deal was that you could get off somewhere and then wait an hour for the next boat to take you to the next stop. I got off the boat, and decided that I wanted to hike back to Luzerne. I ended up finding an old castle, and asked a man and his little girl what the castle was. I thought that these people might have lived nearby, and were tending to their farm. They explained that someone important had lived there, and now its used as a wedding reception venue. As I continued on my hike through fields and farms, I decided to try to find the next stop so I could hop back on the boat. Due to a miscommunication, I wasnt allowed to continue on the tour, but I did see the man and his little girl. They were tourists, not farmers... Oh well.
Later that night I went to the free festival. I can honestly say that I have a new favorite accordian based band. I also had the luxury of watching a Swiss Accapella group singing "Wonderwall" (If you dont know it, youve heard it... I can promise you that). After "Wonderwall", they broke out into the semi-mega 80s hit "Walk Like an Egyptian"... Life was complete. After this show I had to leave, because there is a point of ridiculousness that one can handle before they cant control their laughter. I was there.
Once I got back to the hostel, I met a Peter from California. We decided to do Mt. Pilatus the next day.
Mt. Pilatus is one of the bigger mountains in the region. There is a world famous cog train there that is (at points) on a 48* gradiant. We decided to take the gondola up to the second station of three. We then did an hour hike down to the first station and rode the gondola to the top. At the top we explored 3 of the 4 major peaks, and then we took the cog train down. It was then a 20 minute train ride back to Luzerne. If you look at my facebook, I posted a few of the pictures from the top of the mountain. I also was able to get service from the top of the mountain. Verizon is awesome.
That night was the World Cup final. My next blog post will be about all the aspects of being in Europe during the World Cup.
Yesterday was my last full day in Luzerne. I saw the bridge, I walked around a bunch, I ended up in a bookstore and read a full book. In other words, the city is pretty boring when you cant spend lots of money. On a side note, apparently the minimum wage in Switzerland is 20 Francs an hour. Thats about 18 or 18.50 US an hour. The dollar menu at Mcdonalds is 2.50 Francs here... haha.
I ended up at a casino, and won 100 francs (blackjack is awesome). They had this bet where if it was a perfect pair, meaning that two of the same number came out, you could win up to 25 times your bet. I ended up with a perfect pair, and I got 6 times my original bet... WOO HOO... I can now buy a happy meal.
Some other notes;
I have been able to tell who is American by seeing how much they play with their cellphones. Even in Europe, Americans are addicted to their gadgets and cell phones.
Switzerland is beautiful and a great country. I just have an issue with the fact that it is unbelivably expensive. But, once I have my billions I will laugh at how I used to think that the country was expensive.
Today, I am heading to Munich.
Cheers,
Zac
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Nice Part 2
Hey Everybody,
Though it's cliché and silly, Nice is nice... I have been waiting to say that for a long time.
Nice is a city on the French Riviera that has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Imagine a playground for rich people. The only industry that I have seen is tourism. Throughout my 4 days here, I have not noticed any buildings for Fortune 500 companies. It seems that the only real shops are small boutiques that charge you a pretty penny for anything. Most are retail, but some are small cafes.
There is an old part of the city that has random paths that go to small shops that all lead back to the main church of the city. Shockingly, Nice (like everywhere else) has a huge church in the middle of it.
By this point, I have seen Jesus in a variety of positions, as well as a variety of ages. Baby Jesus, Old Jesus, Dead Jesus, Jesus healing someone, Someone healing Jesus. I like to think of Homer from the Simpsons when talking about Jesus.
"I dont even believe in Jebus!!"
Nice doesnt have houses, one can think of it more as a chateau or castles that overlook the beach.
I am staying in a hostel right now that used to be a Monastery. Unfortunately, it is unbelievably hot and there is no AC. On top of that, my room doesnt have windows, so we leave the door open for some type of ventilation. But, my mantra is that I cant complain, I am in Europe. I have also been reading about the heatwave on the east coast... does not sound fun. Plus, the bar has 1 euro beers... beat that.
For the first two days I went to the beach. The beach is famous for two reasons. A. its topless (and generally speaking, people seem to care more about their bodies then they did in Barcelona) and B. The beach is totally made out of rocks. The only sand I saw was brought in to make a volleyball court. This made tanning kind of hard, because you had to constantly switch your position, and move rocks away from your towel.
The water was very salty and very green. As of now I have touched 3 oceans. Atlantic (Jersey shore baby!), Pacific (I ran to the beach when I was like 7 or 8 in the middle of the winter when my family visited California... it was freezing) and now the Mediterranean. I have also now been stung by jelly fish in two oceans.
Today, I went to Monaco.
This was my James Bond day.
My name is Gorman, Zachary Gorman... Unfortunately I couldnt find a place where I could order a martini... "Shaken, not stirred"... cheesy, I know
I did bring a change of clothes purposely because I had been told that there is some type of dress code at the Monte Carlo Casino.
The casino cost 10 Euro to go in, and it was well worth it. It wasnt as big as one would think. There was one room that was absolutely breath taking. Gold all around the place. Tres Cool.
There was a roulette table that had a minimum 1000 euro bet. With a maximum of 30000... WOW
I was expecting some type of poker room, but for some odd reason they dont have one... I imagine if I were to prove my net worth (probably somewhere around $4 at this point in life) and it were to be great enough, they would put me in a poker room.
I ended up at a different casino, and lost 50 bucks playing a slot machine. And yes, I know that the probability of losing your money is pretty high on a slot machine, it was just that the poker room didnt open till 5, and I didnt want to wait.
Monaco has it all, An F1 track that are basic roads throughout the city... There are literally curve marks on some of the roads.... Yachts bigger then my house, and unbelievable views.
On a side note, I saw a yacht that had a helicopter pad with a helicopter on it. I swear. Ridiculous.
Tomorrow, I head to Luzern in Switzerland for a few nights. Apparently very beautiful, but I have another 9 hours of trains... Not fun
Some other notes:
I was planning on switching my plans if Germany had won last night so that I would be there for the world cup final... Of course, the one time a Jew wants Germany to do something positive they end up screwing it up... oh well.
There is a cat at my hostel who both looks and acts like my old cat growing up.... Woot
Thats it for now.
Three weeks in officially, three and a half left to the real world... NOOOO
Good luck to everyone,
Zac
Though it's cliché and silly, Nice is nice... I have been waiting to say that for a long time.
Nice is a city on the French Riviera that has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Imagine a playground for rich people. The only industry that I have seen is tourism. Throughout my 4 days here, I have not noticed any buildings for Fortune 500 companies. It seems that the only real shops are small boutiques that charge you a pretty penny for anything. Most are retail, but some are small cafes.
There is an old part of the city that has random paths that go to small shops that all lead back to the main church of the city. Shockingly, Nice (like everywhere else) has a huge church in the middle of it.
By this point, I have seen Jesus in a variety of positions, as well as a variety of ages. Baby Jesus, Old Jesus, Dead Jesus, Jesus healing someone, Someone healing Jesus. I like to think of Homer from the Simpsons when talking about Jesus.
"I dont even believe in Jebus!!"
Nice doesnt have houses, one can think of it more as a chateau or castles that overlook the beach.
I am staying in a hostel right now that used to be a Monastery. Unfortunately, it is unbelievably hot and there is no AC. On top of that, my room doesnt have windows, so we leave the door open for some type of ventilation. But, my mantra is that I cant complain, I am in Europe. I have also been reading about the heatwave on the east coast... does not sound fun. Plus, the bar has 1 euro beers... beat that.
For the first two days I went to the beach. The beach is famous for two reasons. A. its topless (and generally speaking, people seem to care more about their bodies then they did in Barcelona) and B. The beach is totally made out of rocks. The only sand I saw was brought in to make a volleyball court. This made tanning kind of hard, because you had to constantly switch your position, and move rocks away from your towel.
The water was very salty and very green. As of now I have touched 3 oceans. Atlantic (Jersey shore baby!), Pacific (I ran to the beach when I was like 7 or 8 in the middle of the winter when my family visited California... it was freezing) and now the Mediterranean. I have also now been stung by jelly fish in two oceans.
Today, I went to Monaco.
This was my James Bond day.
My name is Gorman, Zachary Gorman... Unfortunately I couldnt find a place where I could order a martini... "Shaken, not stirred"... cheesy, I know
I did bring a change of clothes purposely because I had been told that there is some type of dress code at the Monte Carlo Casino.
The casino cost 10 Euro to go in, and it was well worth it. It wasnt as big as one would think. There was one room that was absolutely breath taking. Gold all around the place. Tres Cool.
There was a roulette table that had a minimum 1000 euro bet. With a maximum of 30000... WOW
I was expecting some type of poker room, but for some odd reason they dont have one... I imagine if I were to prove my net worth (probably somewhere around $4 at this point in life) and it were to be great enough, they would put me in a poker room.
I ended up at a different casino, and lost 50 bucks playing a slot machine. And yes, I know that the probability of losing your money is pretty high on a slot machine, it was just that the poker room didnt open till 5, and I didnt want to wait.
Monaco has it all, An F1 track that are basic roads throughout the city... There are literally curve marks on some of the roads.... Yachts bigger then my house, and unbelievable views.
On a side note, I saw a yacht that had a helicopter pad with a helicopter on it. I swear. Ridiculous.
Tomorrow, I head to Luzern in Switzerland for a few nights. Apparently very beautiful, but I have another 9 hours of trains... Not fun
Some other notes:
I was planning on switching my plans if Germany had won last night so that I would be there for the world cup final... Of course, the one time a Jew wants Germany to do something positive they end up screwing it up... oh well.
There is a cat at my hostel who both looks and acts like my old cat growing up.... Woot
Thats it for now.
Three weeks in officially, three and a half left to the real world... NOOOO
Good luck to everyone,
Zac
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Nice (part one)
Hey Everybody,
After a 12 hour train ride from Barcelona, I arrived in Nice.
Today, I went to the beach with a group of kids from all over the world.
Though this is exciting... this post is mostly about general things I have noticed about Europe throughout my trip.
So far, I have met people from:
In no order whatsoever
USA
Britain
Ireland
Turkey
Italy
New Zealand
Finland
Denmark
South Korea
Hong Kong (China)
Canada
Belgium
France
Columbia
Greece
Everyone who I have met at the hostel has been between the ages of 20 and 30... The majority have been in their early or mid 20s. Most are either taking a year off from school, or had just graduated from University. Very few actually have jobs, and those that do are only taking off a couple of weeks.
The majority of people I have met are from Canada and Australia... Go Figure
There seems to be a general attitude of helping others. What I mean by this is that someone will say... "Hey Zac, have you been to ..." everyone is glad to share information about the best places to go in each city. This could be anything from tourist attractions to bars to clubs.
Throughout my trip I have never felt unsafe while at a hostel. Though security is somewhat lax, the majority of people have so little that no one wants to take anything from anyone.
I have been offered drugs only once while travelling, but it was not directed at me, more at a group of people who I was with.
One of the best things is finding out where people are going. For example, while eating breakfast in Strousberg, I met some guys from Denmark and ended up taking 3 or 4 hours of trains with them.
If you ever go to Europe, bring US dollar bills. In my wallet I had a few before I left, and I have been able to trade with people for their currency. I now have South Korean money, Swiss francs, Euros, Denmark Crowns and Swedish francs.
People come from all different backgrounds. Some are doctors, business people, activists, charity workers just to name a few.
Every hostel I have been to offers a free breakfast. This saves money and is great.
Some charge for towels and sheets, others dont. Some have laundry, some dont.
I also found out that if you are an Australian or Canadian citizen, you technically are under Her Majesty, so its very easy to get a work visa. I have also found out that its nearly impossible to get one if you are an American citizen because of how hard it is to get an American work visa.
I found out that I know alot more spanish then I thought, and can follow most conversations. Also, due to my complexion people think I am everything from South American to Italian. This has led to many languages being spoken to me.
I am in my 6th city, and will be hitting at least 7 more.
I hope all is well, and its as hot in Europe as it is in the states.
Good luck to all, especially those who are looking for work!
Zac
After a 12 hour train ride from Barcelona, I arrived in Nice.
Today, I went to the beach with a group of kids from all over the world.
Though this is exciting... this post is mostly about general things I have noticed about Europe throughout my trip.
So far, I have met people from:
In no order whatsoever
USA
- Virginia
- Texas
- NJ
- NY
- California
- Pennsylvania
- Oregon
- Vermont
- Louisiana
- Melbourne
- Perth
- Brisbane
- Sydney
Britain
Ireland
Turkey
Italy
New Zealand
Finland
Denmark
South Korea
Hong Kong (China)
Canada
Belgium
France
Columbia
Greece
Everyone who I have met at the hostel has been between the ages of 20 and 30... The majority have been in their early or mid 20s. Most are either taking a year off from school, or had just graduated from University. Very few actually have jobs, and those that do are only taking off a couple of weeks.
The majority of people I have met are from Canada and Australia... Go Figure
There seems to be a general attitude of helping others. What I mean by this is that someone will say... "Hey Zac, have you been to ..." everyone is glad to share information about the best places to go in each city. This could be anything from tourist attractions to bars to clubs.
Throughout my trip I have never felt unsafe while at a hostel. Though security is somewhat lax, the majority of people have so little that no one wants to take anything from anyone.
I have been offered drugs only once while travelling, but it was not directed at me, more at a group of people who I was with.
One of the best things is finding out where people are going. For example, while eating breakfast in Strousberg, I met some guys from Denmark and ended up taking 3 or 4 hours of trains with them.
If you ever go to Europe, bring US dollar bills. In my wallet I had a few before I left, and I have been able to trade with people for their currency. I now have South Korean money, Swiss francs, Euros, Denmark Crowns and Swedish francs.
People come from all different backgrounds. Some are doctors, business people, activists, charity workers just to name a few.
Every hostel I have been to offers a free breakfast. This saves money and is great.
Some charge for towels and sheets, others dont. Some have laundry, some dont.
I also found out that if you are an Australian or Canadian citizen, you technically are under Her Majesty, so its very easy to get a work visa. I have also found out that its nearly impossible to get one if you are an American citizen because of how hard it is to get an American work visa.
I found out that I know alot more spanish then I thought, and can follow most conversations. Also, due to my complexion people think I am everything from South American to Italian. This has led to many languages being spoken to me.
I am in my 6th city, and will be hitting at least 7 more.
I hope all is well, and its as hot in Europe as it is in the states.
Good luck to all, especially those who are looking for work!
Zac
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Barcelona (Part deux)
Hey Everybody,
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!
For whatever reason, I have been outside the US at least twice before on the nations birthday... So, please... cook a burger, drink a beer and rock out to some Bruuuucce for me.
Barcelona.
This city is unbelivable.
So, what have I done since my buddy from Australians birthday?
Unfortunately, due to miscommunication, I missed the bandwagon to the club. But, every night, my new hostel takes all of the residents to a club. Ironically, once we got to the club, my Australian friends were there. So, in essence I didnt miss a thing.
The following morning, I decided that I needed to see all of the Gaudi architecture. The city is filled with a house, statues and a huge cathedral (still in progress) that he built.
On my way to the church, I overheard some people who looked around my age talking about hostels. I joined the conversation, and it turned out all three had gone to U of Delaware, and were going to see all of the Gaudi architecture as well.
I joined them.
The cathedral is unbelivable. It may be my favorite or second favorite thing Ive seen in Europe during my stay. The pillars are beautiful, but the attention to detail is something that is hard to miss. On the sides of this mammoth church there are angels blowing horns and other saints doing other saintly things.
From there, the group seperated. One of the girls from the group wanted to see more Gaudi architecture, while the other two wanted to go to the beach. I opted to go see more Gaudi, so I went with her.
I was able to convince her that there was a bull ring around the corner from where we were and Espanathat we needed to see it. Unfortunately, there wasnt any type of fight going on, but for 6 Euro I was able to walk inside the empty stadium. Obviously, the US doesnt have any bull fighting rings, so this was a major first for me.
If you want to try and imagine what it looks like, think about the movie Gladiator. All the seats are outside a ring of sand that has a couple of lines drawn in it. It was cool to imagine all the blood that had been spilt here over the centuries.
From there, we went to the house that Gaudi built. If you have a day in Barcelona, I would recommend going here. Though it was the priciest museum that ive been in, it was well worth it. I could have saved a little bit of money with my student ID, but they saw it didnt have a year on it... the bastards charged me full price.
The story with the Gaudi house was that this rich textile entrepreneur had given him total access to build a house for his family. The best way to describe the house is that its a living creature from the ocean. There are a million different shades of blue throughout the house, and its specifically built so that at different times of the day, there are different colors that jump from corner to corner of the house.
He had built the house in a way that let natural light spin and take control... Tres cool.
From here, the girl and I seperated... and I decided that it would be fun to go to the Gaudi park. After getting off the stop, I had no idea where I was, but I saw some obvious tourists, and figured that they knew where they were going. I realized they had stopped, but continued walking. Once I got to them they asked if I knew where I was going because they were lost... Dammit!
A lovely family from Virginia and me walked some of the hilliest streets ever. After making wrong turn after wrong turn, we found the escalators that lead you to the park. Yes, they actually built escalators because the walk to the top is so formidable.
I dont honestly know if I saw any Gaudi sculptures. I say this because the park was huge, and was a giant labyrinth. I actually ran into some of the Canadians I had met the day before. I eventually made my way down after a few hours of exploring.
The following day, I ended up meeting another Australian who was in my room. We decided to walk La Rambla, and ended up at the beach and spent a few hours there.
Last night, I went to the largest club in Barcelona. Its called Razzamatazz. It was ridiculous.
Some notes:
It blows my mind that there are so many tourists in high heels. I dont understand it. Many of the roads are cobblestones, and its obviously not safe.
Beaches in Barcelona are topless. Before you start imagining a utopia of girls in their early to mid 20s sun bathing topless, realize that ANYONE can be topless. I had the pleasure of looking at 80 plus year old breasts.... Made my day.
I saw the Frank Gehry fish. Its basically a big sculpture that is supposed to be a fish. I dont think it looks anything like a fish, but then again, Im not Frank Gehry.
My father recommended a tapas bar to me called Inopia. A tapas bar is a restaurant that specializes in small cheap appetizers. For those that know my dad, he is ridiculous with his cooking. This was the best meal I had in Barcelona.
The streets were crazy last night. Spain won a huge semi final... ESPANA!!
The club was crazy. Basically a large group of us (about 40 or so) ended up going. The capacity was about 5000.
Some dude punched a bouncer, and he was basically taken care of. By the end of it, he was in a dumpster.
Dont mess in Barca.
Today is my last full day in Barcelona. I didnt get back from the club until about 6AM. Ridiculous
I am keeping it very relaxed. My train leaves for Nice at 8:45 tomorrow morning.
Until then,
Happy 4th!
Zac
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!
For whatever reason, I have been outside the US at least twice before on the nations birthday... So, please... cook a burger, drink a beer and rock out to some Bruuuucce for me.
Barcelona.
This city is unbelivable.
So, what have I done since my buddy from Australians birthday?
Unfortunately, due to miscommunication, I missed the bandwagon to the club. But, every night, my new hostel takes all of the residents to a club. Ironically, once we got to the club, my Australian friends were there. So, in essence I didnt miss a thing.
The following morning, I decided that I needed to see all of the Gaudi architecture. The city is filled with a house, statues and a huge cathedral (still in progress) that he built.
On my way to the church, I overheard some people who looked around my age talking about hostels. I joined the conversation, and it turned out all three had gone to U of Delaware, and were going to see all of the Gaudi architecture as well.
I joined them.
The cathedral is unbelivable. It may be my favorite or second favorite thing Ive seen in Europe during my stay. The pillars are beautiful, but the attention to detail is something that is hard to miss. On the sides of this mammoth church there are angels blowing horns and other saints doing other saintly things.
From there, the group seperated. One of the girls from the group wanted to see more Gaudi architecture, while the other two wanted to go to the beach. I opted to go see more Gaudi, so I went with her.
I was able to convince her that there was a bull ring around the corner from where we were and Espanathat we needed to see it. Unfortunately, there wasnt any type of fight going on, but for 6 Euro I was able to walk inside the empty stadium. Obviously, the US doesnt have any bull fighting rings, so this was a major first for me.
If you want to try and imagine what it looks like, think about the movie Gladiator. All the seats are outside a ring of sand that has a couple of lines drawn in it. It was cool to imagine all the blood that had been spilt here over the centuries.
From there, we went to the house that Gaudi built. If you have a day in Barcelona, I would recommend going here. Though it was the priciest museum that ive been in, it was well worth it. I could have saved a little bit of money with my student ID, but they saw it didnt have a year on it... the bastards charged me full price.
The story with the Gaudi house was that this rich textile entrepreneur had given him total access to build a house for his family. The best way to describe the house is that its a living creature from the ocean. There are a million different shades of blue throughout the house, and its specifically built so that at different times of the day, there are different colors that jump from corner to corner of the house.
He had built the house in a way that let natural light spin and take control... Tres cool.
From here, the girl and I seperated... and I decided that it would be fun to go to the Gaudi park. After getting off the stop, I had no idea where I was, but I saw some obvious tourists, and figured that they knew where they were going. I realized they had stopped, but continued walking. Once I got to them they asked if I knew where I was going because they were lost... Dammit!
A lovely family from Virginia and me walked some of the hilliest streets ever. After making wrong turn after wrong turn, we found the escalators that lead you to the park. Yes, they actually built escalators because the walk to the top is so formidable.
I dont honestly know if I saw any Gaudi sculptures. I say this because the park was huge, and was a giant labyrinth. I actually ran into some of the Canadians I had met the day before. I eventually made my way down after a few hours of exploring.
The following day, I ended up meeting another Australian who was in my room. We decided to walk La Rambla, and ended up at the beach and spent a few hours there.
Last night, I went to the largest club in Barcelona. Its called Razzamatazz. It was ridiculous.
Some notes:
It blows my mind that there are so many tourists in high heels. I dont understand it. Many of the roads are cobblestones, and its obviously not safe.
Beaches in Barcelona are topless. Before you start imagining a utopia of girls in their early to mid 20s sun bathing topless, realize that ANYONE can be topless. I had the pleasure of looking at 80 plus year old breasts.... Made my day.
I saw the Frank Gehry fish. Its basically a big sculpture that is supposed to be a fish. I dont think it looks anything like a fish, but then again, Im not Frank Gehry.
My father recommended a tapas bar to me called Inopia. A tapas bar is a restaurant that specializes in small cheap appetizers. For those that know my dad, he is ridiculous with his cooking. This was the best meal I had in Barcelona.
The streets were crazy last night. Spain won a huge semi final... ESPANA!!
The club was crazy. Basically a large group of us (about 40 or so) ended up going. The capacity was about 5000.
Some dude punched a bouncer, and he was basically taken care of. By the end of it, he was in a dumpster.
Dont mess in Barca.
Today is my last full day in Barcelona. I didnt get back from the club until about 6AM. Ridiculous
I am keeping it very relaxed. My train leaves for Nice at 8:45 tomorrow morning.
Until then,
Happy 4th!
Zac
Friday, July 2, 2010
Barcelona (Part one)
Hey Everybody,
Right now I am sitting in my second hostel in Barcelona. My former roomate had stayed at this hostel when she traveled to Barcelona, and basically threatened me if i had stayed anywhere else.
The first hostel I stayed at was called Mar Barcelona... though it was not that close to the ocean.
The hostel was fun, but they really didnt promote any clubbing or bar crawls... and it was in a pretty bad area... so if you dont know where you are going you could end up being robbed.
The area was so bad, there were hookers down the street. No joke.
The hostel Im at now (Hello BCN) seems to be nicer, and also has a bar... granted, its about a 5 minute walk from my old hostel.
So, what have I done?
Yesterday, when I woke up, I wanted to see the olympic park. I had seen the olympic park in Montreal when I was younger, and assumed that it would be as awesome...
When I spoke to the person at the front desk of my old hostel, he told me that there was some type of gondola that took you to the park.
After getting lost, and then finally realizing that you have to take a metro to the starting point, I got onto the gondola.
This was both good and bad. The bad news was that it didnt take me anywhere near the olympic park. Im also somewhat terrified of heights, hence I dont like dangling on a inch thick wire a thousand feet up in the air, especially because I had no idea where the gondola was taking me.
The last stop ended up being this old castle that had both defended and attacked Barcelona at different times in its history. It had been both a prison as well as a home. The pamphlet for the place read: "Theres a Castle in Barcelona?
The castle is named Montjuic castle... It had breathtaking views of the whole city, as well as one of the main ports in Barcelona. I had never actually watched a port in the middle of the day, and was transfixed on how these huge boats docked and all of the cargo would be taken off. I also ended up seeing a cruise ship dump lots of waste into the water... I know this, because you could see huge swaths of brown and discolored water.
After I rode the gondola down, I decided to go to the Picasso museum. For a long period of his life, Picasso lived in Barcelona. The museum was basically donated by his former private secretary. Most of the artwork was from his earlier years. Some of the artwork dated back to when he was a child.
By no means am I a Picasso expert. Though, I thought I would see his most famous paintings. He did most of his cubism stuff when he was older, so there were only a few paintings I recgonized.
After this, I ended up going back to the hostel and hanging out for a bit... assuming that I would go out to the clubs later. That ended up not happening, but, I still have three nights in order to explore that aspect of Barcelona.
I believe that I will try to see as much Gaudi architecture as I can... It seems that he ran this city when he was alive... so much so, that 90 years after his death, they are still working on his masterpiece Sagrada Familia.. It should be pretty cool.
Some other notes;
During my final dinner in Geneva, I overheard these two women with American accents, I introduced myself to them and we started talking about travel etc.
They were with one older man, who they said knew everything about everything.... In my mind, this is a challenge.
It turned out the guy was in the US military for 30 years, and knows 12 different languages. He told me that he was the top translator for President Clinton when he was in office. He highly recommended that I learn a new language, because it can always open new doors... Another interesting thing was that he was one of the first people to debrief the Iranian hostages after the crisis in the early 80s... pretty cool stuff.
My first night in Barcelona I met these two guys from Louisiana... while we were getting dinner... Jimmy Carter walked by with about 30 security guards... pretty cool stuff. I looked it up, and he was speaking at the American Society of Barcelona... who knew?!?
I met 3 guys from Perth, and one of their birthdays is tonight, so it should be a fun night!
Good luck to everyone,
Zac
Right now I am sitting in my second hostel in Barcelona. My former roomate had stayed at this hostel when she traveled to Barcelona, and basically threatened me if i had stayed anywhere else.
The first hostel I stayed at was called Mar Barcelona... though it was not that close to the ocean.
The hostel was fun, but they really didnt promote any clubbing or bar crawls... and it was in a pretty bad area... so if you dont know where you are going you could end up being robbed.
The area was so bad, there were hookers down the street. No joke.
The hostel Im at now (Hello BCN) seems to be nicer, and also has a bar... granted, its about a 5 minute walk from my old hostel.
So, what have I done?
Yesterday, when I woke up, I wanted to see the olympic park. I had seen the olympic park in Montreal when I was younger, and assumed that it would be as awesome...
When I spoke to the person at the front desk of my old hostel, he told me that there was some type of gondola that took you to the park.
After getting lost, and then finally realizing that you have to take a metro to the starting point, I got onto the gondola.
This was both good and bad. The bad news was that it didnt take me anywhere near the olympic park. Im also somewhat terrified of heights, hence I dont like dangling on a inch thick wire a thousand feet up in the air, especially because I had no idea where the gondola was taking me.
The last stop ended up being this old castle that had both defended and attacked Barcelona at different times in its history. It had been both a prison as well as a home. The pamphlet for the place read: "Theres a Castle in Barcelona?
The castle is named Montjuic castle... It had breathtaking views of the whole city, as well as one of the main ports in Barcelona. I had never actually watched a port in the middle of the day, and was transfixed on how these huge boats docked and all of the cargo would be taken off. I also ended up seeing a cruise ship dump lots of waste into the water... I know this, because you could see huge swaths of brown and discolored water.
After I rode the gondola down, I decided to go to the Picasso museum. For a long period of his life, Picasso lived in Barcelona. The museum was basically donated by his former private secretary. Most of the artwork was from his earlier years. Some of the artwork dated back to when he was a child.
By no means am I a Picasso expert. Though, I thought I would see his most famous paintings. He did most of his cubism stuff when he was older, so there were only a few paintings I recgonized.
After this, I ended up going back to the hostel and hanging out for a bit... assuming that I would go out to the clubs later. That ended up not happening, but, I still have three nights in order to explore that aspect of Barcelona.
I believe that I will try to see as much Gaudi architecture as I can... It seems that he ran this city when he was alive... so much so, that 90 years after his death, they are still working on his masterpiece Sagrada Familia.. It should be pretty cool.
Some other notes;
During my final dinner in Geneva, I overheard these two women with American accents, I introduced myself to them and we started talking about travel etc.
They were with one older man, who they said knew everything about everything.... In my mind, this is a challenge.
It turned out the guy was in the US military for 30 years, and knows 12 different languages. He told me that he was the top translator for President Clinton when he was in office. He highly recommended that I learn a new language, because it can always open new doors... Another interesting thing was that he was one of the first people to debrief the Iranian hostages after the crisis in the early 80s... pretty cool stuff.
My first night in Barcelona I met these two guys from Louisiana... while we were getting dinner... Jimmy Carter walked by with about 30 security guards... pretty cool stuff. I looked it up, and he was speaking at the American Society of Barcelona... who knew?!?
I met 3 guys from Perth, and one of their birthdays is tonight, so it should be a fun night!
Good luck to everyone,
Zac
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