So, the second leg of my three part journey - Norway - is now complete and was an absolute thrill for me. Seeing everyone again and exploring the beautiful city of Bergen was never better. Now, after a 26 hour travel day, I am in Lynchburg, Virginia, where I am staying with some old friends - Joey, J. Forland and Mr. Listor. Today was spent resting and preparing myself for the final part of my journey, my wanderings through the Appalachian Mountains.
My parents sent a box to Virginia for me filled with many good things that will help me one my journey - rice, oatmeal, hiking poles, coffee, vitamins and tons of snicker bars. It was a tough thing to fit it all into my backpack, and for the first few days of hiking I think my pack will be much heavier than anticipated. But, I am pretty sure that will just motivate me to eat more food to lighten the load...
I am excited to hike. It will be quite the transition from busy Europe to the solitary wilderness, but it is a transition I am prepared for, probably more mentaly than physically. I believe I will lose some pounds, although I was hoping to, at this time, have more pounds on me to lose. Probably I will just become a thin stick of a person with a rather hairy face. I have a lot of reading and questions on my mind that I am hungry to ponder, and 8 or more hours hiking a day should give me plenty of opportunities for thoughtful ponderings.
So yes, my Europe trip was great and I have a small desire to go home to show off some video footage and be in my own bed again, but that desire will have to wait for another 45 days. I wont have internet access for the most part, but I will perhaps stop at a few libraries to check my email once in awhile and will have limited cell phone use, so hopefully I can keep you updated once a week or so. We are starting tomorrow at 6 o'clock, since David will be driving us a bit north to drop us off at the trail. I better get to bed...I still have to make sure I have all of my sweet gear ready...
Oh, and I made a back-up stove out of two soda cans 'welded' together. Its pretty neat...
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Jeg Norsk.
Norway has been purely delightful. I have been enjoying the friends and the mountain views while the brown cheese and chocolate satisfy my appetite. I've been kayaking around the islands of Sotra and hiking all over its mountains. I've both heard and played wonderful music, read in Bergen University Library, drank coffee with biscuits three times a day and been swimming in the 35 degree sea water. I've ran into friends I haven't seen or expected to see and am anxiously waiting for many others to come home for Easter break. Its been snowing and its been raining, but today is a promising sunny Sunday and some mountain hiking or Norwegian churchgoing could be in the mix. Unless we decided to play chess all day instead. For supper we are going to go get some kebab, probably the cheapest but greatest student food in all of Bergen. I have one week and two days before I close my European book and open another, but until then I haven't much to worry about except wallowing in the happiness of Norwegian life. I've also realized most of my other blog entries were rather long, but today I haven't got much else to say except that Bergen, well...it couldn't be better...
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Last Shall Be First?
Well friends, today is the one month mark of my trip - two months yet to come and I couldnt be more thrilled. I am in Bergen now, perhaps one of my favorite places - due to all my friendships and the extreme beauty of the place. I will be here for two weeks, visiting with old friends and making new ones, exploring the city and strengthening my legs with hikes to the seven surrounding mountians.
After Copenhagen, we left for Gøteborg, Sweden, a short 4 hour train ride. There we were picked up by Emma, another exchange student from the Erickson home. We spent the day walking around Gøteborg for a few hours and met a friend of Emma's for an extremely funny cake and coffee snack. We laughed for an hour straight, at stories from one anothers past, but mostly for no reason at all. Later we ate dinner at Emma's and later hung out with her and her boyfriend. It was a nice night to relax and enjoy another country. The next morning however, I left for Oslo. Our 21 day pass had only two days remaining, so I decided to leave to go to Oslo while Tim stayed behind for another day in Sweden.
I took the morning train and got to Oslo around 4:30 pm and was met by Ingrid Skogestad, an old friend from Hillcrest. We hung out with some friends for the night watching the Brann game, which was pretty fun. We had some pizza and plenty of Norwegian chocolate, of course, on my first night In Norway.
This morning I woke up at 7 to take the 8 o'clock train to Bergen, since it was the last day my rail pass was valid. But, during breakfast I lost track of time while drinking coffee and chatting and had to run to catch a tram that would take me to the train station. When I got to the tram stop, there was a tram there that had the number 18 on it, which was the right number to get to the train station. However, in a moment of hasty absentmindedness, I didn't realize the tram was going the opposite way - away from the train station. After 5 minutes I discovered I was going the wrong way and by the time I changed and made it too the train station, I was 10 minutes to late and missed the 8 o'clock train. So, I had to wait until 10.30, not a bad thing...but a frustration I will probably later laugh about. Anyway, I guess it is appropriate that my LAST train ride is the FIRST one I miss.
But, all worked out in the end. I arrived in Bergen three hours later than expected, but luckily Anders Vage was smart enough to figure out I would come on the next train and came to meet me. Now Anders and I are cooking dinner in Fredrik Brunstad and his friends apartment, which is actually an old monastary that also houses three other priests.
I am totally pumped up for the next two weeks to catch up with all my friends. Bergen rules...
And if you are reading this and are in Bergen...please...come see me.
After Copenhagen, we left for Gøteborg, Sweden, a short 4 hour train ride. There we were picked up by Emma, another exchange student from the Erickson home. We spent the day walking around Gøteborg for a few hours and met a friend of Emma's for an extremely funny cake and coffee snack. We laughed for an hour straight, at stories from one anothers past, but mostly for no reason at all. Later we ate dinner at Emma's and later hung out with her and her boyfriend. It was a nice night to relax and enjoy another country. The next morning however, I left for Oslo. Our 21 day pass had only two days remaining, so I decided to leave to go to Oslo while Tim stayed behind for another day in Sweden.
I took the morning train and got to Oslo around 4:30 pm and was met by Ingrid Skogestad, an old friend from Hillcrest. We hung out with some friends for the night watching the Brann game, which was pretty fun. We had some pizza and plenty of Norwegian chocolate, of course, on my first night In Norway.
This morning I woke up at 7 to take the 8 o'clock train to Bergen, since it was the last day my rail pass was valid. But, during breakfast I lost track of time while drinking coffee and chatting and had to run to catch a tram that would take me to the train station. When I got to the tram stop, there was a tram there that had the number 18 on it, which was the right number to get to the train station. However, in a moment of hasty absentmindedness, I didn't realize the tram was going the opposite way - away from the train station. After 5 minutes I discovered I was going the wrong way and by the time I changed and made it too the train station, I was 10 minutes to late and missed the 8 o'clock train. So, I had to wait until 10.30, not a bad thing...but a frustration I will probably later laugh about. Anyway, I guess it is appropriate that my LAST train ride is the FIRST one I miss.
But, all worked out in the end. I arrived in Bergen three hours later than expected, but luckily Anders Vage was smart enough to figure out I would come on the next train and came to meet me. Now Anders and I are cooking dinner in Fredrik Brunstad and his friends apartment, which is actually an old monastary that also houses three other priests.
I am totally pumped up for the next two weeks to catch up with all my friends. Bergen rules...
And if you are reading this and are in Bergen...please...come see me.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Kilograms.
OKey Dokey.
Well Switzerland was awesome.We were there for three nights at Delphine's house, which was nice. We took a much needed break from being tourists and instead just hung out. We were given reign of the basement, which was actually a furnished apartment with a couch, tv, beds and bathroom. We were able to sleep as long as we wanted in the morning, giving us always a good 8 (or 9 or 10) hours rest. In the mornings we hung out at the house (snacking on delicious breads, cheeses and yogurts) until Delphine would be done with school.
One day we went and walked around the old part of Fribourg, which was great. We had coffee in a cafe overlooking the old city, tasted fresh bread and later some Swiss chocolate at the chocolate factory, and experienced a Nespresso.
Nespresso is a brand of espresso that is very popular and classy here in Europe, so much so that it has its own store, dedicated to the selling of espresso machines and coffees. In your mind, picture a fancy jewelry store with expensive furnishings and salespeople dressed in suits. Now replace the jewelry with coffee cups and packages, and you will found yourself in a Nespresso store. Kind of funny in my opinion, but hey, good espresso is hard to come by.
We went to a hockey game the other night - the Fribourg club team was playing in the semi-finals of Switzerland playoffs. It was really fun and everyone was pumped up - especially after underdog Fribourg (who supposedly is always bad at hockey) won the match 5-3 and advanced to the Finals. I am now a proud Fribourgian hockey supporter...
Anyway, we left Fribourg yesterday to spend a day in Basil, a town claiming to be the culture capital of Switzerland. We spent the day walking around and enjoying some breads and fruits from the bakery. Basil is a very old town and we spent 7 hours in the sunshine sitting, reading and playing chess. At 6 pm we boarded a train that would take us all the way through Germany to Copenhagen the next morning at 10 am - a 16 hour train ride. I slept well enough, but thought it ridiculous our compartment had 6 people in it while the rest of the train sat vacant. I have bought a book, A World Without End, by Ken Follet and have already read close to 300 pages in the past two days while on trains. We had hoped to stop in Germany to see a few sights, but decided we would run out of time on our 21-day train pass, so we opted for Copenhagen instead. Now we are here staying with Tim´s "aunt" where we just enjoyed a marvelous dinner and a day spent at the aquarium and the Little Mermaid statue - which actually is quite little...
And now, I´m sorry to keep on rambling, but writing in this blog has started to grow on me - despite the fact that I have also written close to 100 pages in my much-appreciated travel journal.
My Dad noted that I look as if I lost weight on the trip so far. I can honestly say that I havent weighed in recently, but I think it would be a miracle I am lighter considering the amounts of food I have been eating...
Whenever we stay with a family (which we have every night except for about 9 days), Tim and I are treated like royalty seated at the head of the Banquet table. During "off peak" (non-meal) hours we are left to "feel at home" and help ourselves to the vast array of delicious foreign chocolates, varieties of sweet cheeses, fresh breads and enticing pastries, yogurts, ripe apples, oranges, bananas, pears, prunes, orange juices, apple juices, mixed juices, aged wines, and rich milks. During the peak hours of lunch and supper, our plates reap the bounty of our host´s harvests - and our plates are never filled only once. Every time we clean our plate, more food is insisted on and, in some cases, gently "forced." It has been a feast. Not a one day thing, but a feast lasting for days on end, as in the times of the kings of old. One night we will devour roast duck and pork, fresh rolls, salads and dressings, corn, brown-sugared potatoes, red and white wines; all followed by a desert of Danish pastries and chocolates, gummies and candies, coffee, tea, or (in Tims case...) more wine. On another day, slow-cooked chicken covered in a sweet glaze, sweet peas, potatoes, gravy, breads and wine; followed by desert of Swiss cookies and chocolate candies, finally topped with roasted pears covered in melted fudge. In Italy, mouth watering meals twice a day were common - pastas of every kind, with every sauce and spice imaginable to an American palatte; airy fresh breads, hard cheeses, soft cheeses, chunks of delicious parmesan cheese, cuts of ham, salads and wines, followed by ice cream and, our favorite, torte pie.
I could easily keep ranting and raving about other foods - crepes, fishes, and chocolate, chocolate (so much chocolate) - but I think I made my point. I love foreign food. Both eating it and writing about it, and I hope I made your jealous mouths water. But I fear I may be enjoying our reign as palatte-kings a little too much and my only hope is that, once in Virginia, we don´t die from the sheer disappointment of having to feed ourselves...
So anyway, have I lost weight? No. Rather, I fear I may be becoming a chowhoundy glutton...
STENDER SHOUT-OUT: Friends, I fear I will not see any Celtic warriors. I am saving that trip for another day. But I have seen the Swiss Guard at the Vatican and some Roman soldiers. Or, you could check out Pilskog´s profile picture...although, I don´t think either of us want B to look like Lucky the Leprachaun when he grows up...
Well Switzerland was awesome.We were there for three nights at Delphine's house, which was nice. We took a much needed break from being tourists and instead just hung out. We were given reign of the basement, which was actually a furnished apartment with a couch, tv, beds and bathroom. We were able to sleep as long as we wanted in the morning, giving us always a good 8 (or 9 or 10) hours rest. In the mornings we hung out at the house (snacking on delicious breads, cheeses and yogurts) until Delphine would be done with school.
One day we went and walked around the old part of Fribourg, which was great. We had coffee in a cafe overlooking the old city, tasted fresh bread and later some Swiss chocolate at the chocolate factory, and experienced a Nespresso.
Nespresso is a brand of espresso that is very popular and classy here in Europe, so much so that it has its own store, dedicated to the selling of espresso machines and coffees. In your mind, picture a fancy jewelry store with expensive furnishings and salespeople dressed in suits. Now replace the jewelry with coffee cups and packages, and you will found yourself in a Nespresso store. Kind of funny in my opinion, but hey, good espresso is hard to come by.
We went to a hockey game the other night - the Fribourg club team was playing in the semi-finals of Switzerland playoffs. It was really fun and everyone was pumped up - especially after underdog Fribourg (who supposedly is always bad at hockey) won the match 5-3 and advanced to the Finals. I am now a proud Fribourgian hockey supporter...
Anyway, we left Fribourg yesterday to spend a day in Basil, a town claiming to be the culture capital of Switzerland. We spent the day walking around and enjoying some breads and fruits from the bakery. Basil is a very old town and we spent 7 hours in the sunshine sitting, reading and playing chess. At 6 pm we boarded a train that would take us all the way through Germany to Copenhagen the next morning at 10 am - a 16 hour train ride. I slept well enough, but thought it ridiculous our compartment had 6 people in it while the rest of the train sat vacant. I have bought a book, A World Without End, by Ken Follet and have already read close to 300 pages in the past two days while on trains. We had hoped to stop in Germany to see a few sights, but decided we would run out of time on our 21-day train pass, so we opted for Copenhagen instead. Now we are here staying with Tim´s "aunt" where we just enjoyed a marvelous dinner and a day spent at the aquarium and the Little Mermaid statue - which actually is quite little...
And now, I´m sorry to keep on rambling, but writing in this blog has started to grow on me - despite the fact that I have also written close to 100 pages in my much-appreciated travel journal.
My Dad noted that I look as if I lost weight on the trip so far. I can honestly say that I havent weighed in recently, but I think it would be a miracle I am lighter considering the amounts of food I have been eating...
Whenever we stay with a family (which we have every night except for about 9 days), Tim and I are treated like royalty seated at the head of the Banquet table. During "off peak" (non-meal) hours we are left to "feel at home" and help ourselves to the vast array of delicious foreign chocolates, varieties of sweet cheeses, fresh breads and enticing pastries, yogurts, ripe apples, oranges, bananas, pears, prunes, orange juices, apple juices, mixed juices, aged wines, and rich milks. During the peak hours of lunch and supper, our plates reap the bounty of our host´s harvests - and our plates are never filled only once. Every time we clean our plate, more food is insisted on and, in some cases, gently "forced." It has been a feast. Not a one day thing, but a feast lasting for days on end, as in the times of the kings of old. One night we will devour roast duck and pork, fresh rolls, salads and dressings, corn, brown-sugared potatoes, red and white wines; all followed by a desert of Danish pastries and chocolates, gummies and candies, coffee, tea, or (in Tims case...) more wine. On another day, slow-cooked chicken covered in a sweet glaze, sweet peas, potatoes, gravy, breads and wine; followed by desert of Swiss cookies and chocolate candies, finally topped with roasted pears covered in melted fudge. In Italy, mouth watering meals twice a day were common - pastas of every kind, with every sauce and spice imaginable to an American palatte; airy fresh breads, hard cheeses, soft cheeses, chunks of delicious parmesan cheese, cuts of ham, salads and wines, followed by ice cream and, our favorite, torte pie.
I could easily keep ranting and raving about other foods - crepes, fishes, and chocolate, chocolate (so much chocolate) - but I think I made my point. I love foreign food. Both eating it and writing about it, and I hope I made your jealous mouths water. But I fear I may be enjoying our reign as palatte-kings a little too much and my only hope is that, once in Virginia, we don´t die from the sheer disappointment of having to feed ourselves...
So anyway, have I lost weight? No. Rather, I fear I may be becoming a chowhoundy glutton...
STENDER SHOUT-OUT: Friends, I fear I will not see any Celtic warriors. I am saving that trip for another day. But I have seen the Swiss Guard at the Vatican and some Roman soldiers. Or, you could check out Pilskog´s profile picture...although, I don´t think either of us want B to look like Lucky the Leprachaun when he grows up...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Pictures.
Here are some delightful pictures to appeal to your visual senses. Click to view larger photo...
Leaning cliche.
Italian Riviera.
Sweet skills.
Old Lady.
First, I thought a map would be a good idea...especially for those to lazy to actually find where places like Bayuex and Nice actually are. And I love drawing maps.
In Swizterland.
Leaning cliche.
Italian Riviera.
Italian Alps.
Sweet skills.Oh Tim.
Alps.
Old Lady.
Paris.
Big Ben.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sweet Jazz.
So I've decided that many of the good things in this world reside in Italy. For example, Michaelangelo's David, which, when seen in person, knocks everything else out of the park. The Leaning Tower too, in the medevil town of Pisa, is an exciting sight for a wandering tourist like me. And the food - oh boy the food...if I were to live in Italy there would be a good chance I would weigh twice what I do now. Florence is a great city, filled with reminders of a time long past and marked with the signature of thousands of famous Renaissance artists.
So, yes. Italy is a fabulous place.
After we left Rome last Thursday, we went to Pisa to spend some time taking in the sights. It was gorgeous out - probably close to 70, so we laid in the extraordinarily green (to my Minnesota eyes) grass to catch some rays and eat lunch. We walked around and explored, but since we are on a 21-day train limit we left for Florence after only 2 hours.
Our train was an hour late to Florence, which was a real bummer since it cut down the time we had before museums closed (one thing I dislike about Italy is their train system). Anyway, we would only have time to go to one museum that day so we decided to hit uup the Acadamie, which was really cool. It was a small museum but had many famous paintings and all the pictures were labeled and described in English, which really enhanced the experience.
We stayed in a neat hostel that night, one that was filled with travelers like ourselves. We ended up meeting a guy from Seattle and hanging out with him for most of the night. We also got a free supper and breakfast included with our rent payment, which was very welcome.
The next morning (Friday) we got up and walked around for awhile. We had planned to leave for Trento at 11, but Tim wanted to see a few more museums so he changed his ticket to leave later. I decided that I was museumed out, so I opted to keep my ticket and spend my time walking around, reading and writing. It was a quick train ride back to Trento, and since I had 2 hours before Tim arrived I enjoyed a sit in the park where I fell asleep and got perhaps a little too much sun. I also chanced to meet an old Italian man (he was 82, he kept tellling me) who lived in Trento. He said he used to work at the "hottest bar in Venice. In San Pedros square. Hottest Bar. Martini Martini, gin, whiskey sour. Hottest bar in Venice. I was 20. Now Im 82. 82. 82..." (and so on and so on) I believe he had Alzheimers or didnt know what he was saying in English, so it was a very interesting conversation.
Federica picked us up again and we went back to her place, where her parents had another wonderful meal ready for us. Later we went out with Fede and a few of her friends to get some ice cream and we actually ended up going to a Cherl Porter jazz/soul concert, which was really funny. She sang in English and I suspect nobody in the audience really knew what she was singing about. It was a great concert though and the piano player was phenomenal.
Saturday afternoon we headed out for Fribourg, Switzerland, where I am at the moment. We are staying with Delphine and her family, who are friends of Tim. Last night we had a very Swiss meal - cheese fondu. It was much different than I ever would have expected as it consisted of dipping bread and potatoes in melted cheese. As many of you do know, I am not much of a cheese fan, but surprisingly on this trip I have had plenty of cheese...and I have enjoyed it as well. Strange.
I believe I forgot to write about two strange incidents that happened to me in Rome. When we were in line to go into the Coliseum, I looked back and 3 people behind us was our friend Joel, who we had met 6 days earlier in Nice. He was alone so we invited him to join us for the day. It was very random we were at the Coliseum at the exact same time...
But even more ridiculous was who I met at the Pantheon later that day. We were on our way out when I noticed a big dude wearing a Bethel Football t-shirt. Who was it? James Foster, who graduated a year ahead of me from Hillcrest. It was probably the most insane random meet I have ever experienced, especially since I hadnt seen him for 2 years. But really, what are the chances you meet someone you know from high school at the Pantheon in Rome? Wow. Turns out he is studying in Europe and was on a trip during his break throughout Italy. We both had a good laugh indeed. Small World...
Anyway, we have exactly one week left on our rail pass and then 2 weeks left in Norway. I am getting really excited to see all my old Norsk friends and am pumped up for some NOrwegian mountain. Tomorrow we spend another day in Fribourg and might even get a chance to go to a hockey game...haha.
Also, if anyone reading has extra questions about anything in particular, dont hesitate to ask. It is hard to go into great detail without writing for hours and hours...so hit me up - calvinbrue@gmail.com
And Ive been thinking...on this trip I have had only two regrets,
1) That my elementary and high school years didnt stress the importance of learning another language.
2) That I didnt bring a scooter...
So, yes. Italy is a fabulous place.
After we left Rome last Thursday, we went to Pisa to spend some time taking in the sights. It was gorgeous out - probably close to 70, so we laid in the extraordinarily green (to my Minnesota eyes) grass to catch some rays and eat lunch. We walked around and explored, but since we are on a 21-day train limit we left for Florence after only 2 hours.
Our train was an hour late to Florence, which was a real bummer since it cut down the time we had before museums closed (one thing I dislike about Italy is their train system). Anyway, we would only have time to go to one museum that day so we decided to hit uup the Acadamie, which was really cool. It was a small museum but had many famous paintings and all the pictures were labeled and described in English, which really enhanced the experience.
We stayed in a neat hostel that night, one that was filled with travelers like ourselves. We ended up meeting a guy from Seattle and hanging out with him for most of the night. We also got a free supper and breakfast included with our rent payment, which was very welcome.
The next morning (Friday) we got up and walked around for awhile. We had planned to leave for Trento at 11, but Tim wanted to see a few more museums so he changed his ticket to leave later. I decided that I was museumed out, so I opted to keep my ticket and spend my time walking around, reading and writing. It was a quick train ride back to Trento, and since I had 2 hours before Tim arrived I enjoyed a sit in the park where I fell asleep and got perhaps a little too much sun. I also chanced to meet an old Italian man (he was 82, he kept tellling me) who lived in Trento. He said he used to work at the "hottest bar in Venice. In San Pedros square. Hottest Bar. Martini Martini, gin, whiskey sour. Hottest bar in Venice. I was 20. Now Im 82. 82. 82..." (and so on and so on) I believe he had Alzheimers or didnt know what he was saying in English, so it was a very interesting conversation.
Federica picked us up again and we went back to her place, where her parents had another wonderful meal ready for us. Later we went out with Fede and a few of her friends to get some ice cream and we actually ended up going to a Cherl Porter jazz/soul concert, which was really funny. She sang in English and I suspect nobody in the audience really knew what she was singing about. It was a great concert though and the piano player was phenomenal.
Saturday afternoon we headed out for Fribourg, Switzerland, where I am at the moment. We are staying with Delphine and her family, who are friends of Tim. Last night we had a very Swiss meal - cheese fondu. It was much different than I ever would have expected as it consisted of dipping bread and potatoes in melted cheese. As many of you do know, I am not much of a cheese fan, but surprisingly on this trip I have had plenty of cheese...and I have enjoyed it as well. Strange.
I believe I forgot to write about two strange incidents that happened to me in Rome. When we were in line to go into the Coliseum, I looked back and 3 people behind us was our friend Joel, who we had met 6 days earlier in Nice. He was alone so we invited him to join us for the day. It was very random we were at the Coliseum at the exact same time...
But even more ridiculous was who I met at the Pantheon later that day. We were on our way out when I noticed a big dude wearing a Bethel Football t-shirt. Who was it? James Foster, who graduated a year ahead of me from Hillcrest. It was probably the most insane random meet I have ever experienced, especially since I hadnt seen him for 2 years. But really, what are the chances you meet someone you know from high school at the Pantheon in Rome? Wow. Turns out he is studying in Europe and was on a trip during his break throughout Italy. We both had a good laugh indeed. Small World...
Anyway, we have exactly one week left on our rail pass and then 2 weeks left in Norway. I am getting really excited to see all my old Norsk friends and am pumped up for some NOrwegian mountain. Tomorrow we spend another day in Fribourg and might even get a chance to go to a hockey game...haha.
Also, if anyone reading has extra questions about anything in particular, dont hesitate to ask. It is hard to go into great detail without writing for hours and hours...so hit me up - calvinbrue@gmail.com
And Ive been thinking...on this trip I have had only two regrets,
1) That my elementary and high school years didnt stress the importance of learning another language.
2) That I didnt bring a scooter...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Downlow.
Today went by in a blur. We spent our morning sleeping in, which was both delightful and refreshing. Then it was on to Vatican City, a 45 minute walk through downtown Rome.
The Vatican is an interesting place. Considered a city-state, it lies in the heart of Rome and is encompassed by massive walls. When we got there we really had no idea what was going on. Hundreds of people were standing around taking pictures of St. Peters Basilica, a huge church that is the focal point of the Vatican. Our lucky streak picked up again, as the Pope made an appearance 25 minutes after we got there. But I guess considering I have (and still dont) no idea who the Pope is or where he is from, perhaps it isn't a very big deal? Anyway, he had a pretty tricked out golf cart that he drove around in.
We went to the Vatican museums, which is home to many famous artistic works including the Sistine Chapel. When looked at in a picture, the Sistine Chapel looks pretty impressive; when seen in first person, it is almost unbelievable. Its detail and the amount of time that must have gone into it is ridiculous. The rest of the museum was also fun, but the Sistine Chapel was definitely the best thing I've seen in awhile...
After we hitched a train to a small Mediterranean town north of Rome to catch some rays and enjoy the beach. The sunset was brilliant and the salty air very pleasant. After a few hours we headed back to our hostel.
Anyway, I have yet to give a true rundown of how things are played out here in Europe with the trains and how we travel everywhere. For the most part, we have a very rough itinerary that is constantly changing, a nice aspect of train travel. We can decide the night before if we want to go somewhere, or even the day of if the destination is close enough. If you remember, we planned on taking a ferry from Barcelona to Rome, but because of date issues with hosts, things we'd heard from travelers and locals, we decided to skip that part and reroute to Northern Italy.
Trains are very easy to catch here in Europe. Every city has a train station that is continually sending trains all over the place. Unlike the US, it is rare that someone will drive to the next town, let alone drive for even an hour. Trains are much more efficient, cheaper and the system Europe has is very well done. Because we have a Eurail Pass, we can ride any train we want for free. The only hitch is if the train requires a reservation (a night train or a "speed" train), we have to pay an extra fee of 3-15 Euros. So far we've made it with only several fees, riding the smaller trains that go through more country.
Once we decide where to go, we check a computer or ticket officer to see when the next train leaves. On trains we mostly read, chat or nap (it is easy to sleep on trains when you are tired). Most trains have groups of 4 chairs facing each other, some in compartments, but mostly they are exactly like any tour bus. Usually they have room, but during peak hours can be cramped. I usually enjoy train rides, especially when going through the countryside, which is often very beautiful.
Once we get to the town we are going, we find a map and locate a tourist office to find hostels (if needed). Tourist offices have been extremely helpful (since we didn't book any hotels before we left) and always find us good deals and nice places. We've been lost, but have not yet been lost for good...
So anyway, hope that gives you a better idea of how and when we end up where we do. Tomorrow we take an early train to Florence to spend the day and night doing what may well be our last "touristy" type stuff. Then back up to Trento to pick up our bags (we left our large packs there and took only small packs to Rome - much easier) and on to our Northern journey - Switzerlan, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. We have about 26 days left in Europe, so it should be quite the ride!
The Vatican is an interesting place. Considered a city-state, it lies in the heart of Rome and is encompassed by massive walls. When we got there we really had no idea what was going on. Hundreds of people were standing around taking pictures of St. Peters Basilica, a huge church that is the focal point of the Vatican. Our lucky streak picked up again, as the Pope made an appearance 25 minutes after we got there. But I guess considering I have (and still dont) no idea who the Pope is or where he is from, perhaps it isn't a very big deal? Anyway, he had a pretty tricked out golf cart that he drove around in.
We went to the Vatican museums, which is home to many famous artistic works including the Sistine Chapel. When looked at in a picture, the Sistine Chapel looks pretty impressive; when seen in first person, it is almost unbelievable. Its detail and the amount of time that must have gone into it is ridiculous. The rest of the museum was also fun, but the Sistine Chapel was definitely the best thing I've seen in awhile...
After we hitched a train to a small Mediterranean town north of Rome to catch some rays and enjoy the beach. The sunset was brilliant and the salty air very pleasant. After a few hours we headed back to our hostel.
Anyway, I have yet to give a true rundown of how things are played out here in Europe with the trains and how we travel everywhere. For the most part, we have a very rough itinerary that is constantly changing, a nice aspect of train travel. We can decide the night before if we want to go somewhere, or even the day of if the destination is close enough. If you remember, we planned on taking a ferry from Barcelona to Rome, but because of date issues with hosts, things we'd heard from travelers and locals, we decided to skip that part and reroute to Northern Italy.
Trains are very easy to catch here in Europe. Every city has a train station that is continually sending trains all over the place. Unlike the US, it is rare that someone will drive to the next town, let alone drive for even an hour. Trains are much more efficient, cheaper and the system Europe has is very well done. Because we have a Eurail Pass, we can ride any train we want for free. The only hitch is if the train requires a reservation (a night train or a "speed" train), we have to pay an extra fee of 3-15 Euros. So far we've made it with only several fees, riding the smaller trains that go through more country.
Once we decide where to go, we check a computer or ticket officer to see when the next train leaves. On trains we mostly read, chat or nap (it is easy to sleep on trains when you are tired). Most trains have groups of 4 chairs facing each other, some in compartments, but mostly they are exactly like any tour bus. Usually they have room, but during peak hours can be cramped. I usually enjoy train rides, especially when going through the countryside, which is often very beautiful.
Once we get to the town we are going, we find a map and locate a tourist office to find hostels (if needed). Tourist offices have been extremely helpful (since we didn't book any hotels before we left) and always find us good deals and nice places. We've been lost, but have not yet been lost for good...
So anyway, hope that gives you a better idea of how and when we end up where we do. Tomorrow we take an early train to Florence to spend the day and night doing what may well be our last "touristy" type stuff. Then back up to Trento to pick up our bags (we left our large packs there and took only small packs to Rome - much easier) and on to our Northern journey - Switzerlan, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. We have about 26 days left in Europe, so it should be quite the ride!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
