Rome, Italy

It's hard to believe that my time in Europe is almost over. When we got to Rome we checked into our hostel and even though it was a bit late we got straight to business, taking the Metro to the Roman Colosseum. When you exit the station the Colosseum is right in front of you, smack dab in your face, standing taller than anything else in the area. It was a "wow" moment and a great start to our stay in Rome.

The city of Rome is simply ridiculous. You're walking along ordinary city streets and then on your left is some 2,000 year old ruin. You pass by some restaurants and oh by the way Caesar died right over there. You really feel that there are thousands of years of history in the ground beneath your feet. Archeological digs are scattered throughout the city as well, where they continue to discover new things.

Our first official "attraction" was to tour the remains of the Roman Forum, a large plaza that underwent too many architectural and role changes throughout history to describe in this blog. It's a large and beautiful area, with signs explaining what the ruins are and the plant life trying to get in between the cracks. The area also connects to the Palatino or Palace, which is another enormous area that really drives home the grandeur of Ancient Rome. We spent almost 3 hours wandering all the ruins and still didn't see everything, so I would definitely encourage future visitors to dedicate plenty of time for this area.

The next day was our first full day in Rome, and we started it off by touring the Colosseum. It looks just as cool on the inside as the outside, and there is even a museum built into the walls. The whole experience was pretty mind-blowing for me, and also struck me with a strong desire to watch the movie Gladiator. There really isn't much more to be said about this marvel of Ancient Rome, you kind of just have to see it for yourself.

Although we had originally planned our visit differently, we learned that due to some Catholic holiday (something to do with St. Peter?) the Vatican would be closed that Saturday, so we had to go today. Thus we got back on the metro and went to Vatican City, which is technically the 8th and final country of our Eurotrip. Our first stop was the Vatican Museums, where we learned that unfortunately due to the holiday, the Sistine Chapel was not available for viewing! Although disappointed, we entered the museum anyway and viewed its still impressive art collection. Everything was cool of course, but I must say that Rafael stole the show. There are two rooms in the Vatican that were entirely painted by him, including his famous "School of Athens" painted on one of the walls. Additionally, 3 marvelous paintings of his borrowed from inside St. Peter's basilica were on display.

There was much more to the museum of course but it's difficult to do it justice in a blog post (as with all the museums I've described). After finishing I went to the aforementioned St. Peter's Basilica in St. Peter's Square. The line to enter the church wrapped around the entire square, but moved fast so only took 25 minutes (Compared to the Galleria dell'Academia in Florence, I learned that lines can be deceiving). The church inside was filled with tons of chairs for the upcoming holiday, and several sections were closed off as well so unfortunately I wasn't able to climb the dome or see Michelangelo's "Pieta". I did, however, witness the mass that was going on at the time, in which I am pretty sure the Pope was participating. He was very far away so it was hard to tell for sure, but there was an old man in a white robe and hundreds of people trying to take pictures of him. Regardless, the basilica was still great to see on the inside and I was glad that it wasn't closed entirely.

After this I headed home, but tried to stop by several attractions along the way. I didn't actually tour or enter any (it was pretty late) but I was able to see Castel Sant'Angelo, Ponte Sant'Angelo bridge, and Piazza del Popolo. They were all pretty cool, but if you're visiting Rome I wouldn't bother with the last one.

The following day was the very last day of our trip. We began in Piazza Venezia where we saw the beautiful Vittoriano building. By climbing its stairs we were also able to get a pretty descent view of the surrounding city, and have our morning coffee along with it. From there we checked out the Campidoglio which wasn't that exciting, and made our way down to see Bocca Della Verita. I had never heard of it but pretty much it's a large circular statue of a bearded man's face with his mouth open. You're supposed to put your hand in and make a wish or something (I'm not really sure) and if you are a liar supposedly the statue will bite off your hand. At any rate, Rodrigo really wanted to see it and it made for a great photo opportunity so I'm glad we got to check it out.

From there we went to the Pantheon, where we encountered further disappointments due to whatever this Roman holiday was. It was closed and we weren't able to enter, which was very disappointing for me as it had been one of my top sights to see. We moved on to Piazza Navona which was very sunny and beautiful. The fountain was gorgeous and I enjoyed walking through the square and looking at all the art for sale, most of which was really very nice.

At this point we had pretty much run out of major sights to see due to the holiday. We decided to go on a pretty lengthy adventure to the south side of town, where we got a glimpse of some gritty local life rather than just touristy areas. We searched for and eventually found the Fontana del Giancolo, which was actually surprisingly beautiful. Additionally it lies on the top of a hill giving a view of the city from above, and made for a nice place to relax or a while.

After this we pretty much just killed some time at a bar, then caught a bus back to the hostel to begin packing for our flight to Israel. We bought the necessary train tickets, had a great Italian dinner, and went to bed early since we would be waking up at 4:30am to catch our flight to Tel Aviv.

Overall, my visit to Rome was honestly a bit disappointing because the Pantheon and the Sistine Chapel were two of the top attractions I wanted to see, along with the Colosseum. But I suppose it just means I'll have to find an excuse to come back one day.

And thus ends my European journey. It has been 33 days, 10 cities, and 7 countries (11 and 8, respectively, if you count Vatican City). Now I am off to Israel for what will probably be 16 days but may end up being extended for over a month; I am not sure yet. I won't be blogging anymore because in Israel I will be less of a tourist and more just visiting fiends and family. If you've been reading my blog throughout this whole trip, thank you very much for sticking with me! I hope you enjoyed the tales of my travels.

See you in California!

Florence, Italy

Thanks to the quick Italian train rides (something we're very unused to), the day was still young when we arrived in Florence. After dropping our bags off at the AirBNB, we headed to the center and began exploring. After seeing the gorgeous frescoes inside the church of Santa Maria Novella, Rodrigo and I headed separate ways.

I began by wandering the street market by the Basilica di San Lorenzo, where vendors try very hard to sell you "Italian" leather, "Murano" glass, and "designer" handbags. Then I went to check out the famous Galleria dell'Academia, which houses Michelangelo's David, but was discouraged by the long line winding around the block. Independently, Rodrigo had reacted similarly, so we later decided to come back the next morning to try to avoid the line.

I continued towards the city's Synagogue, which immediately stood out to me for being a large impressive structure rather than hidden inside the walls of some apartment building. Unsurprisingly, the interior decor was a refreshing change from all the churches I'd been visiting, with the artistic material of choice being wood rather than marble, stained glass, or gold. It was very beautiful in its own right, but unfortunately pictures were strictly forbidden. I also walked through the small Jewish Museum in the same building, housing ancient religious artifacts of the Jews of Florence and the rest of Italy.

From there I wandered towards the famous Duomo, which I knew I would be visiting again the next day but simply couldn't wait to see. It is one of the top attractions I had been looking forward to this whole trip, and as it towers above the city, visible on any side from every street, it was hard to resist. Indeed, the magnificent structure did not disappoint. The first thing you notice standing next to it is its sheer enormity, amplified by the small flat-roofed apartments that make up the rest of the city around it. The next thing that stands out is how colorful it is. Even the most beautiful basilicas and cathedrals we've seen so far, such as Notre Dame and the Sagrada Familia, have been grey monochrome on the exterior. The Duomo however is built of vibrant white, green, and red marble, enabling beautiful patterns and color contrasts on the walls of the building itself. The adjacent Campanile tower, which is almost the same height as the dome itself, shares the same colorful marble design. I climbed up 414 steps to get to the top of this tower, from which I was treated to a breathtaking view of the surrounding city as well as a cool view of the Duomo from the top.

Notably, on my way to the Duomo I ran across the best gelato I have had in Italy (writing this on the last day of my trip). For those who know me and my love of ice cream, this is a big deal. I have been eating about 3 gelatos a day since I got to Italy, but this one, named Rivareno, takes the cake. If you're in Florence, go out of your way to come here.

The next day, we planned to wake up very early to return to the Galleria dell'Academia and dodge the long line, and we would have been successful, but our BNB host surprised us with an opulent breakfast of champions that we simply couldn't turn down. It so happened that those 20 minutes made the difference between potentially waiting 1 hour in line and - I kid you not - 2 and a half hours in line. The line's length was misleading because it didn't look bad but moved very slowly. I considered leaving several times, but used the time instead to write the Venice blog that I posted previously. For future travelers, I would recommend booking a reservation online 48 hours in advance, or signing up for a tour group that gets to skip the line.

Once we were finally inside, I was in a grumpy mood along the lines of "David BETTER be amazing." He was. The first thing that immediately stands out about the sculpture is his enormous size (no, not that, get your mind out of the gutter). David is 17 feet tall and stands on a pedestal that adds 5 more feet to his height. The site is almost intimidating to behold, especially from afar. The second thing that stands out, once you get closer, is how smooth and detailed the sculpture really is. With such an enormous piece you might expect to see some imperfections up close, but the minute detailing of Michelangelo's chisel is surpassed by none other. There's a reason they call it "the perfect sculpture."

After seeing the rest of the beautiful art collection in the relatively small Galleria dell'Academia, I grabbed some lunch and headed back to the Duomo because I still hadn't seen the inside. Whereas the previous day I had climbed the campanile, this time I climbed the dome which is even taller. The city view from the top was pretty much the same, but what made the experience worthwhile were the amazing frescoes decorating the inside of the dome, which you get to walk right next to on your way up. You also see a birds-eye view of the inside of the whole church, which of course is just as nice on the inside as on the outside.

From there I continued my fast-paced tourism, because we only had one and a half days in Florence. I visited Palazzo Vecchio, a bustling square filled with tons of beautiful sculptures, including a copy of David which once you see it you will realize what makes the real David so special. Nonetheless tons of tourists crowd around it taking pictures, probably thinking that it's the real one. I then visited the Basilica of Santa Croce, which in addition to the usual basilica beauty of stained glass windows and painted frescoes, houses the tombs of some people you may have heard of: Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Galileo (irony???) just to name a few. It also includes large paintings by two of the ninja turtles, Rafael and Donatello.

After that I reunited with Rodrigo in line for the Galleria degli Uffizi, a large art gallery that used to belong to the Medici family. Much of the art is displayed in the same way that it would have back then, e.g. long corridors lined with busts and statues on the sides, frescoes on the ceiling, and portraits on the walls right below the ceiling. The gallery itself is almost a piece of art. Additionally, the gallery contains many beautiful frescoes and altarpieces removed from florentine churches, as well as a sizable Rafael collection, a few woks of Da Vinci, and one Michelangelo painting (of which there aren't many). The highlight however was the large Botticelli gallery, including his famous piece "The Birth of Venus" which has always been one of my favorites, and is surprisingly different in real life. The small highlights of gold leaf blowing in the wind and in Venus's hair are lost in the many reprints you can find, making the real thing worth a visit.

Continuing onwards we crossed the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge, the one with the shops hanging off of it looking like they're gonna fall into the river. From there, although tired, we undertook the walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo, to conclude our stay in Florence with a magnificent view of the city at sunset. Unlike the previous views, here you can clearly see the Duomo towering above everything else, making a great photo opportunity.

We concluded our stay in Florence with a great dinner and some well-deserved sleeping in the next morning. We hopped aboard the 1.5-hour train to Rome (damn Italian trains are fast!) for the very last stop on what has so far been an amazing eurotrip.

Venice, Italy

Venice is simply unreal. It's just like in the movies, with house doors sitting literally on the waterfront and the steps half covered by seawater, seaweed, and the occasional crab. There are no cars in Venice - where there would normally be roads in any other city, instead there are canals ranging from 2-6 meters deep where boats and gondolas float along at the strict speed limit of 7km/h (faster speeds create waves that damage the buildings, which are hundreds of years old). In this way, Venice is actually comprised of many small islands; over a hundred in fact. And they are all connected by over 400 bridges. The city has taxis, busses, police, and firemen just like any other city - but they are all in boats instead of automobiles. There are only about 54,000 Venetian residents, but the city accommodates 24,000,000 tourists per year. If you do the math you will see that this means that on any average day, there are more tourists than residents, especially during the summer.

Our hotel was not in the actual city of Venice for budgetary reasons (we learned that Venice floor space costs 7000-14000 EU per square meter, so I guess the high prices are justified). Instead we stayed in Mestre, the closest city that lies on the mainland. To actually get to the islands of Venice every morning, we had to take a bus or train along the only bridge that connects them to the mainland. Apparently this bridge was only built 80 years ago, before which Venetians considered themselves a separate nationality than Italians. To this day, the "Venetian" spirit and culture retains several differences from the rest of Italy.

Our tour through Venice was not as organized as our previous stops. The city is so small and the streets are so winding and confusing that we opted to just wander, hoping we'd eventually run across the major sites, and maybe see some less-touristy locales along the way. This system actually worked really well. The area is breathtaking no matter where you go so we enjoyed our stroll through the streets and along the canals. And we did eventually come to Piazza San Marco, the main tourist attraction of the area (well, I would say the entire city is an "attraction").

The Piazza was certainly beautiful, and bustling with tourists. The marble Basilica represented a nice change from the dull grey exteriors I've come to expect from churches, and the inside was even more colorful. We also took the elevator up to the top of the square's Campanile, which Berkeley's tower of the same name is based on. From there we saw a truly amazing view of the Venice rooftops, with the canals running through them and the ocean all around. We also took a 1-hour tour through the Grand Canal, which is Venice's equivalent of Main Street, if you will. From there we got to see all the great architecture from the waterside point of view, and learned all the fun facts I shared with you above. A common phrase during the tour was "This x00 year old building used to be [historical significance]. Today it is a hotel."

Later we continued to simply wander the streets and admire all the Murano glass in the shops (as well as the Chinese knock-offs). Throughout the day we had some great Italian food, many espressos and macchiatos (which are hard to find in the states prepared correctly), and of course a lot of gelato. Before going home we took advantage of the decreasing number of tourists and went on an obligatory gondola ride. The timing couldn't have been better, with the canals relatively empty and the weather cooling down. We asked the gondolier many questions, and were very surprised at what we learned about the life of a professional gondolier. Here's the short version: it's not easy.

The next day we essentially did more of the same, but one could never get sick of Venice. I visited the old Jewish ghetto which is the oldest in the word - in fact, the word "ghetto" was coined here based on the Italian word for "foundry," which is what the area used to be. Ironically, the area was NOT a ghetto during WWII, and I learned that Venetian Jews have been relatively well-treated throughout history compared to the rest of Europe. I took a tour of the old synagogues in the area, which are of course indiscernible from the exterior but beautiful inside.

Later during lunch I decided to be adventurous and try a traditional Venetian dish, which was spaghetti with Cuttlefish Ink Sauce. Turns out that "ink sauce" has only one ingredient - ink. Therefore I received a stomach-churning plate of black spaghetti that mostly just tasted like the ocean, and I probably would have even described it as delicious had I been blind. But I wasn't able to finish it, and ordered a plate of Italian cheese varieties to cleanse my pallet.

We ended our day early because it began to drizzle and the forecast had predicted thunderstorms, and we didn't want to be stuck on the islands when that happened. Although the thunder never came, it ended up being nice to get some rest. That night we were able to find a tiny little family-owned restaurant in Mestre where I had my first authentic Italian pizza (truly delicious) and finished my meal with some Tiramisu that the waitress said her mother made. At the end of the meal we were even treated to some Limoncello on the house. It was a satisfying way to end our stay in Venice, and I went to bed content.

The next morning we hopped on the 2-hour train to Florence. No more long overnight trains for us!

Thanks for reading!

Prague, Czech Republic

The train to Prague was a nightmare. Hot, humid, and no A/C. Everyone on the train was sweating, and by the time the stewardesses brought water around we were already 20 minutes from our destination. I finished Slaughterhouse Five just as we passed through Dresden, which was a little spooky.

  

We arrived in Prague to similar weather. We took a metro and a bus to our AirBNB, which was a little further away than we expected. However, it was nice to have an entire apartment to ourselves, and to finally do our laundry. After showering, we went out to dinner for some Czech food and had an early night in, preparing for our exploring the next day.

  

Before I continue, here are some miscellaneous things that I learned about Prague, the Czech Republic, and Czech culture:

 

• The Czech Republic is one of few EU countries that has not moved to the Euro. On a map of global currencies, it is a big grey chunk in the middle of the "Eurozone." In fact, they don't even want the Euro, fearing it will make everything more expensive like it did in Slovakia, their neighbor. The currency is the Czech "Koruna," or Crown in English. The trade rate is approximately 18:1 dollars, meaning a Starbucks bill could hilariously cost you 100 Crown. It also made me feel super rich, rollin' in the 1000 bills like a bo$.
• As I mentioned above, the Czech fear the Euro will make their country more expensive. This is a legitimate concern, because Prague is DIRT CHEAP. Beer is cheaper than water, with a 500ml draft mug setting you back no more than $1.50 at a bar. A nice 2-course dinner might only cost $10 plus tip. And even the tourist attractions typically cost only $4-5, a nice change from the 15 EU fees in Paris.
• Speaking of food, I didn't know anything about Czech food coming in but it quickly became one of my absolute favorite European cuisines. Potatoes are big, but what is usually a bland ingredient in America becomes delicious here when cooked with butter, parsley, cream, bacon, and/or any other ingredients. The schnitzels are a bit different from the German style, and although I accidentally received pork instead of chicken I must say it was delicious. Beef goulash is another classic Czech dish, usually served with potato or bread dumplings, which are pretty much just round condensed pieces of bread or potatoes (not stuffed like the kind of "dumpling" I'm used to). Another food we quickly grew fond of is Fried Cheese, which is pretty much just an enormous gourmet mozerella stick that tastes amazing and is served with potatoes or fries.
• Beer is a big part of Czech culture as well. Different varieties exist, but the Pilsner is the way to go. Like in Germany, ordering a beer does not yield a "what size?" from the waiter / bartender; you're getting the big one. Also like in Germany, there is an art to pouring the beer; in fact I heard talk of a national beer-pouring competition. They fill it to the desired amount and then use a separate foam nozzle to cover the top, resulting in a very foamy mug which I suppose they enjoy. There are dozens of different local beers to choose from, including "Budweiser Budvar," whose name Anheuser-Busch stole following their success. Many legal disputes followed supposedly, but all I can tell you is that it tastes much better than its American counterpart.
• Czech people are very nice and always willing to help a confused traveler. They speak fantastic English, surpassed so far only by the Dutch. The Czech language is very strange and seems to share elements with Polish, Russian, and of course Slovak. Crime rates in Prague are very low and as it turns out it's one of the safest European cities you can visit. Also, the Czech Republic is only a 20-year old country which is difficult for a 23-year old like me to fathom, because I'm young enough to feel like it's always been there. And the people dislike their president (the first ever elected) because apparently he's a drunk. 

 

Moving on to my actual trip: on our first full day we got up "early" and signed up for an Electric Bike (awesome!) tour around the main parts of the city. This way we were able to get our bearings and decide where we wanted to return to. The tour was fun and informative and brought us up to the hill where the "Prague Castle" (it's not really a Castle) is for an amazing view of the whole city. We also rode through the city's beautiful parks, visited the John Lennon wall (pretty much just a bunch of hippie graffiti), and some of the city's very odd statues, e.g. two men peeing on an outline of the Czech Republic, with their penises moving around to spell words in the water (you used to be able to text requests to a phone line).

  

After the tour we crossed the famous Charles Bridge and saw all the statues lining its sides. We then returned to the "Prague Castle", which is really just a lot of regal-looking buildings very close together including a cathedral with tall spires, giving the complex an outward appearance of being a castle. The cathedral was beautiful both inside and out, as all cathedrals are, but of course we've gotten used to this. The house of the president is in the complex as well, and according to a certain raised flag he was currently home. The guards outside resemble the British ones outside of Buckingham Palace, and we even stumbled across some sort of formal military ceremony in the courtyard. We also paid for entry to the castle gardens on the hill in front of the castle, which were gorgeous and provided more amazing views of the city, which we soon leaned were easy to come across.

  

On the second day we were blessed with fantastic weather, whereas the first day was 90 degrees and dreadfully humid. We spent our time in the central part of the city known as Prague 1 or "old town". We started out in Wenceslaus square and walked along the boulevard to Old Town square, amazed by the unique architecture as we went. Most of the buildings tend to have the same sort of pattern on top, like a rectangular spire that I've seen nowhere else and makes the Prague skyline instantly recognizable. We stopped along the way to visit St. Henry's tower, one of the tallest in the "City of 120 Towers." Inside we saw an amazing view of the rooftops, and a very cool museum chronicling all 120 towers in the city - I guess it's not an exaggeration!

 

Old Town Square was spectacular once we reached it. The buildings are cool in and of themselves, but when put together around an old-fashioned square you just feel transported in history and you never wanna leave. There are even horse-drawn carriages on the streets, adding to the effect. The most famous of the square's buildings is the Old Town Hall which displays on its wall the famous Prague Astronomical Clock, which I believe is the only working clock of its kind in the world. I stared at the clock for 10 minutes trying to figure it out but I just couldn't decipher the different hands and dials, except for finally finding the one that marked the hour. Disappointingly, there's no museum in the area that explains the workings of the clock, so I'll have to google it later. Every hour though, the bell tower rings and the puppets above the clock come out and spin around in a very Disneyland-esque display, culminating in a large cuckoo coming out of the top. It's interesting to watch, but more interesting is observing the hundreds of tourists who gather underneath it trying to take videos of this ultimately disappointing mechanical display.

 

After this we continued to simply wander the beautiful streets of the city, looking up at the fantastic architecture. Along the way we drank many delicious cheap Pilsners, and also stopped at an Absintherie to have a taste of the legendary "green fairy." I learned much about the different types of Absinthe (some of which cost a fortune) and the French vs Spanish styles of preparation, and ultimately Rodrigo and I both ordered a glass of the high-quality kind and enjoyed watching the bartender prepare it Spanish-style, which involves soaking a sugar cube and lighting it on fire inside the glass. In the end, it was still very bitter but definitely provided a strong kick. I also tried some Absinthe ice cream, which was... interesting.

 

As the sun was setting we walked around the Jewish quarter and saw some of the old synagogues, as well as the famous cemetery where the headstones are clumped like sardines in a can. Later we crossed the bridge and hiked up the hill to reach a beer garden with an incredible view of the city, where we spent the rest of our night.

 

The next day we returned to the Jewish quarter to try to tour the insides of the synagogues, but alas they were all closed because it was Saturday. Disappointed, we headed back to the Old Town Hall where we got an interesting tour of the historical insides, including the underground cellar which used to be street-level before the entire city was raised 6m to avoid flooding (which, as they learned in 2002, didn't quite end up being enough).

 

As we walked some more around Old Town trying to spend all our remaining Korunas, our visit to Prague came to a close. It was a lovely city which I enjoyed very much, and as one of the last additions to our itinerary I'm really glad that we made time for it. Travelers to Europe, especially those on a budget, should definitely make the trip out here.

 

Next we hopped on the train to Munich, which connected us to our overnight train to Venice. And thus begins the very last leg of our trip - Italy. See you next time!

Berlin, Germany

Although we're spending 2 nights in Berlin, we are leaving early and arrived late, so we are really only spending one full day here, making it the shortest visit of our trip. The train to Berlin from Amsterdam was plagued with problems; due to the recent flooding (supposedly) and various other problems that the train operator didn't bother announcing in English, we had to leave the route and wait in the middle of nowhere for another train to come "help us" (I guess the battery was dead?) Then we had to layover in Hanover for 45 minutes before changing trains on what was originally going to be a one-way trip. In total, we were in transit for over 8 hours. Luckily, I had my kindle and finished the majority of Slaughterhouse Five (a surprisingly appropriate read considering our destination).

Once we got to Berlin it was too late to see any sights, but we settled into our hostel and greatly enjoyed the downstairs bar, which seems to be popular among hostel-goers and locals alike. Rodrigo met some Brazilians, I met some Israelis (and some Swedes), and we all had a great time. Eventually, Rodrigo and his new Brazilian buddies went out to experience the legendary Berlin club scene, but I was onset by a sudden stroke of exhaustion and decided to be lame and not go. I did have a great sleep though.

The next day we got up early and tried to cram as many sights as we could into one day (out only day) in the city. Both of us had packed schedules that didn't necessarily line up, so we split up right from the get-go. Here is what I was able to see (sorry for no Wikipedia links, I'm writing on my phone):

The Fernsehturm TV Tower - this tall spire has become a landmark of the Berlin skyline. Although I did not go up, the tower is impressive enough seen from the base, where there are nice gardens and fountains.

Museum Island - as the name suggests, this is a small Island in the middle of the city where 4 of Berlin's greatest museums are situated right on top of each other. The only one I entered was the Pergamon Museum, where I was able to see its namesake exhibit, the ancient Pergamon altar (or what's left of it anyway). The museum had other similarly impressive exhibits as well, such as an enormous Roman market gate and large remains of Nebuchadnezzar's temple. It seems to be the museum of large, impressive restorations of ancient structures.

Berliner Dom - also known as the Berlin Cathedral, its largest feature is the large dome at the top. I was swayed by the cheap Student entry fee, but honestly the inside was relatively unimpressive compared to other cathedrals we've seen on this trip. The view from the top of the dome is disappointing as well, especially after all the stairs you have to climb. But for those who haven't been ruined for life by the Sagrada Familia, I would still recommend a visit.

Brandenburg Gate - unfortunately my approach to the famous Brandenburg Gate that welcomes citizens into the city of Berlin was hindered by large construction crews and numerous TV reporters preparing for US president Obama's arrival to Berlin that same night. He would speak in front of the gate the following morning. However I was still able to find a way around and walk through the gate, which honestly was a bit smaller than I expected. But still an impressive landmark.

The Reichstag - as the seat of the German parliament, this awesome building has an open hole in its roof to symbolize the openness of German government. A large glass cone on the inside catches any weather that may sneak in through the open roof. I really wanted to take a tour but was disappointed to find that reservations are required. Maybe next time!

Victory Column - this tall spire was original built to celebrate Prussia's 19th-century victories over France (I think) but was moved to its current location by the Nazis (whom are referred to as "The National Socialists") to fit their city planning. Today it represents German national pride and progressiveness, and is the location of many yearly festivals and events. The column appears very majestic in the center of a large square surrounded by greenery, and the golden angel on top is remarkably eye-catching. I climbed the surprisingly tall tower to obtain a surprisingly awesome view of Berlin (much better than the Dom). Definitely worth a visit.

Holocaust Memorial - this is actually a very interesting and unique memorial, comprising of an entire city block filled with nothing but ~2,700 suspiciously tomb-shaped concrete blocks laid out in a perfect grid. The blocks are of varying heights, and the ground itself gets deeper as you walk further in, so that near the center some blocks are twice your height while on the outside they reach your knees. Unfortunately the memorial is not a good spot for reflection, with tourists and locals alike siting and standing on the blocks, posing for "artsy" pictures, and loudly running up and down the aisles. If you get lost deep enough in the memorial you will achieve a few minutes of silence, but they will inevitably be broken by a group of teenagers laughing as they run by.

Other memorials - there are many memorials and monuments in the city respecting those who suffered at the hands of the "National Socialists." The homosexual memorial is almost an offshoot of the holocaust one; a tall concrete block with a hole where you can peer in to see an endlessly looping video of homosexual couples kissing. The gypsy memorial is a large reflection pool with German text around its perimeter which I couldn't read. And the Soviet memorial is a marble gate flanked by two tanks, which seemed a bit out of place but to each his own.

Part of my tour of course was just walking through the city streets and gardens, which I deliberately chose over taking the Metro. Along the way I ate some great Schnitzels, drank some great beer, and even wandered into a flagship VW dealer and saw a Bugatti Veyron on display. And the gardens were absolutely beautiful and a pleasure to walk through as well.

I got back around the same time as Rodrigo, and both of us were so pooped we could barely feel our legs. We immediately decided there was no chance we would go out that night. I showered and passed out pretty early, ready for the train to Prague the next morning.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Holland)

On the day we traveled from Paris to Amsterdam I could say at last that I felt truly healthy. We had a 45 minute layover in Brussels, which was all the time we are spending in Belgium on this entire trip. I tried desperately to get a Belgian Waffle at the train station, but failed (seriously Brussels station, get your sh*t together).

We arrived in Amsterdam with no further complications and took the ferry (!) across the canal to our host's apartment. The ferry is free and runs 24 hours, so although it seemed like a hassle at first it ended up being one of the best public transit experiences I've had on this trip so far.

The city of Amsterdam is defined by its water channels. One would be hard-pressed to find a cafe, shop, or apartment that ISN'T on the waterside. The channels run all through the city in all directions, and where they meet at the center is the Centraal train station. All the buildings are thin and narrow and completely squished together in stereotypical Amsterdam fashion. Overall, the city is amazing and I fell in love almost instantly.

Additionally, the Dutch people are very nice, even to tourists, and speak absolutely excellent English. Both of these things were welcome changes from our experience in France. Besides the tourists, there are many immigrants as well, resulting in probably the most languages I've heard in one area so far on this trip.

The night of our arrival we took a nap and then headed out to the Red Light District to witness the famous Amsterdam debauchery. It was Friday night, so the action was at its peak. Indeed, the Red Light District lives up to its name. The streets were packed until 5am with tourists and locals alike ogling at the windows, drinking at the bars, and smoking in the "coffee shops" (which close at 1am by law). We frequented several bars, and I also got a first-hand experience of the infamous Dutch public urinals (they take the word "public" to a whole new level).

The next day we visited the Van Gogh museum. Despite being quite far we decided to walk the distance and experience different areas of the city during the day. It was a lovely day and we stopped along the way to get that waffle I'd been craving since Brussels.
The museum itself was astounding. It had just reopened after a 9-month refurbishment and the exhibit, "Van Gogh at work," chronologically tells the story of the artist's life and evolution through his paintings and drawings. More than any other art I've seen so far, Van Gogh's work is much different in real life than in prints, and his museum necessitates a visit if you're in Amsterdam.

After Van Gogh I visited the Anne Frank House, which had also been converted into a museum. The museum is very bare and relatively small, compared to other Holocaust museums. The rooms of the house are left unfurnished at Otto Frank's request, and the desired effect is for guests to feel the emptiness left behind by the Nazis. Indeed, the museum draws your focus very well to the artifacts that are actually present (including the diary itself of course), and the experience is a very moving one.

For our 2nd and final day in Holland, Rodrigo and I decided to part ways to see different attractions that fit our separate interests. I myself chose to leave Amsterdam completely and took a bus to the town of Zaandam; a 45-minute trip. There I visited a place called Zaanse Schans, a popular tourist attraction where guests can walk along the waterside of the gorgeous Zaan river and visit any of 13 perfectly preserved traditional Dutch windmills, most of which are fully operational (like the Death Star). Luckily It was a pretty windy day so 3 of the mills were operating and I was able to go inside and see how they worked, which was fascinating. I visited a Spice Mill, Paint Mill, and Peanut Oil Mill, which were all slightly different. The mill owners are not just putting on a show for tourists; they make real products that you can actually buy when you're there, e.g. Peanut oil, or Mustard made at the spice mill.

Zaanse Schans also includes other traditional Dutch attractions for tourists to see, such as a Wooden Shoe Workshop where you can learn about the history of clogs and watch a man make a pair right before your eyes, as he carefully explains the process. You can also buy yourself a pair of course. I also visited a cheese farm, learned about how they make it, and got to sample a variety of Dutch cheeses. The goats, sheep, and cows of the farm were wandering around the whole area, restricted only by the thin water channels amid the tall grass. It was such an unrealistically beautiful location, as if from a dream.

I came back home and enjoyed some much needed FaceTime with my family at home (especially my Dad, happy Father's Day!). Rodrigo came back home too and we decided not to go out again, because we had to catch a morning train to Berlin the following day (which I am now writing this on). After spending 6 luxurious days in Paris we are now on the fastest and most action-packed part of our trip, trying to squeeze Amsterdam, Berlin, and Prague into about 6 days. I may not have time to blog along the way, but will try my best.

Thanks for reading!

Paris, France

I continued to recover from my sickness in Paris, so the days weren't quite as action-packed as one would hope. That said, we were there for 6 whole days and 6 whole nights, so there's still a lot to tell. To avoid writing a novel, I'll try to just stick to the main sites and highlights.

Paris is a city that needs no introduction. Romance, Eiffel, Crepes, etc. I will say that even after being abroad for a week and a half, hearing all that French was still very jarring. Maybe it's just because I'm kind of used to hearing Spanish in California, but the French language just sounded so different and unintelligible to us. And the pronunciations are horrendous. Every time we took the Metro, we played a game called "guess how to pronounce the names of the stops." Most of the time, we lost.

On our first day, we visited Sacré Cœur (after 6 days I was still saying it wrong). We arrived just in time for mass and walked in with the ceremony and the hundreds of other tourists. It was beautiful inside, but to be honest at this point we were already starting to get used to basilicas and cathedrals. The really cool part was climbing up to the center tower. There are two hundred and something steps I think, and the basilica is up on a hill so it yields probably the best view of Paris short of the Eiffel Tower. There's also a nice grassy park on the hill in front of the basilica, which is a very nice place to sit, relax, and eat a crepe with nutella and banana.

On the second day, we visited Notre Dame (note that it is pronounced something like "not-ra dahm". Ask a French citizen where "noder dayme" is and they will give you a big eye-roll). As I said earlier we were beginning to tire of cathedrals, but I gotta say this one really lived up to its name. There are tons of other beautiful cathedrals in Paris, and I would advise travelers to visit them first because they all seemed boring in comparison to Notre Dame. If you're willing to wait in the long line you can take a tour of the top to see the gargoyles, but me and my sick stomach just sat at the bottom for a while and ate yet another crepe while waiting for Rodrigo. From there we also found time to walk around the serene Jardin du Luxembourg, and see the adjacent Luxembourg Palace. We also didn't miss an opportunity to eat some exquisite French macarons (no to be confused with bland Jewish macaroons).

That night we went to a show at the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret, only a few blocks from where we were staying. I suppose it is my fault for not really doing my research on what cabaret is like (it was Rodrigo's idea originally), but I really didn't expect so much nudity. But it was a fantastic show featuring some truly talented dancers and acrobats, and a one-of-a-kind experience. My tip is to splurge 10eu for the ticket that comes with Champagne, because once you're there it costs 80eu.

We spent pretty much the entirety of the 3rd day in the Louvre Museum. People always say you need a whole day to see it, but they're wrong; you need a whole week. The most important thing: GET AN AUDIOGUIDE. Seriously. You can splurge the extra 5 euros. And the same applies to every museum we've been to; having an audioguide enriches the experience dramatically and can make you care very much about art pieces that you had never previously heard of. Additionally, the audioguide systems in European museums are technologically advanced and not like the crappy ones I'm used to. At the Louvre, it was a modified Nintendo 3DS system, which included an interactive map of the museum that tracked you with GPS so that it knew what room you were in at all times (other museums provided modified ipod touches or Samsung galaxies).

Anyway, the Louvre was amazing. Of course I saw all the must-see masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo but the museum has an unbelievable amount of content to offer. You have to just experience it for yourself.

On the fourth day (this is starting to sound like Genesis), we woke up early and headed to the Eiffel Tower. We hoped that by getting there right when it opened (9:30am) we would be able to skip the line. Well, we still had to wait 30 minutes but I guess that's not too bad. The view from the top was grand of course, but as any architect or engineer will tell you, the coolest part about the Eiffel Tower is the elevator. After a successful morning, we ate lunch and then packed our things and moved out of our AirBNB host's apartment to my uncle Eliav's and aunt Vered's apartment closer to the center of the city. We stayed with them for the rest of our time in Paris. That night we checked out the Opera building and that whole section of town, but we didn't stay out late.

On day 5 we took advantage of our recently acquired proximity to the famous Champs-Élysées (~ shaw-zelizeh) boulevard, and spent the day walking down its length. We started at the Arc de Triomphe, which we also climbed to the top of (~300 steps). Then we headed down the boulevard, stopping at the various automaker galleries along the way. For some reason they choose this area to display all their newest and coolest concept cars and sometimes classic cars from their history, and truth be told it is really cool to see. Further down the street is the Luxor Obelisk and the Grand Palais, as well as its sibling the Petit Palais which we were actually able to enter. At the very end of the boulevard stands the Louvre with its glorious Pyramid, marking the end of our trek.

On the 6th and final day of our stay in Paris it rained very heavily. As such, at my uncle's suggestion, I chose to stay indoors and visit the Musee de l'Orangerie. Boy was that a great choice. This relatively tiny (in Paris terms) museum has none of the lines of the Louvre or the d'Orsay, but what its collection lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. The highlight of course is Monet's Water Lilies, taking up the entire ground floor of the museum, in two oval rooms specially constructed to display them. It's breathtaking.

That night we checked out some bars in the Latin Quarter of the city, which is very touristy but fun. Later, Eliav came out to meet us and we went to another bar in a quieter part of town. And that was the end of our Paris adventures.

Next up is Amsterdam!

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

First of all, I updated the previous two posts to include some pictures, so go check those out! But this one won't have any :-(

Secondly, I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. You see, on our last day in Madrid I fell sick with a severe case of stomach flu and wasn't able to see any of the attractions that I wanted to see that day. The disease persisted during our trip to Barcelona, and became so bad that I actually went to the hospital and spent an entire day there. Now it is the night of June 10, our 3rd night in Paris (of 6), and although I'm well enough to walk around and see attractions I am still experiencing symptoms over a week after the onset of the disease. So now, I will tell you about my experience in Barcelona, but due to my health (or lack thereof) at the time there is very little to tell, so this will be a short post.

First of all, Barcelona is an unbelievably beautiful city. It has medieval and Renaissance remnants as well as modernist structures by the famous Antoni Gaudi and his contemporaries. There is much to see in the city, but since I was bedridden our first two days there I simply didn't get to. Instead, I can tell you a lot about the Hospital Del Mar and what it's like. But I won't. I will simply say that I spent 14 hours there hooked up to an IV, determined that I don't have any major life-threatening illness (e.g. appendicitis), and received an enormous bill that my American insurance company better cover, or else.

On the final 2 days of our stay I felt good enough to hop onto on of those tour-busses that drives around the city with headphone narration. I got to see many sights from afar, but the only ones I really got to experience are the following:

1) The Sagrada Familia

If you visit one place in Barcelona, it has to be this. It is simply astounding. The final masterpiece of the great Antoni Gaudi, it has been under construction for 131 years and is expected to be finished in 25 more. Although the construction cranes get in the way it is still a breathtaking sight to behold, and you MUST stand in line and pay the entry fee to see the inside. It is unlike any other cathedral or basilica in the world, and if you take a guided tour you can learn about Gaudi's architectural marvel. I spent 2 hours there and easily could have spent more.

2) The Barcelona Cathedral

This much more ancient Cathedral boasts beautiful gothic architecture and stained glass windows. I was told that many of the other sites I missed were very similar to this, so I guess I got a taste.

3) The Palau de la Musica Catalana

You can read about this one yourself, but know that it is every bit as nice as the pictures and worth a visit. But now I have to sign off because it's getting late.

Hopefully I will feel 100% healthier soon and update you about Paris in 3 days!

-Yuval

Madrid, Spain

We arrived in Madrid at 8am on Saturday morning, 7am Lisbon time (we had lost an hour on the way; we are now 9 hours ahead of LA). After taking the time to decipher yet another foreign Metro system, we arrived at our hostel and dropped off our bags. Completely by chance, we ran into our friend Michael LeGore who we met last summer in Seattle! We also met some other people staying at the hostel, and soon left to begin exploring the city.

Madrid is beautiful. It is far more Westernized than Lisbon, with McDonald´s, Starbucks, and other chain establishments around every corner. But these lie between magnificent buildings reflecting every style of architecture imaginable - I´m no expert, but terms such as Neo-Classical and Neo-Gothic were thrown around. There are also many groomed and well-kept gardens, and gorgeous statues around every corner (mostly of men on horses, as usual).

The first location we visited is called Puerta del Sol (Door of the Sun), a central plaza of the city that would soon become a very familiar focal point for our travels. We also visited Plaza Mayor where we were surprised to see hundreds of people doing some sort of organized yoga. We then entered the busy street market, where we had our first taste of Spanish cuisine with some Paella, a rice dish mixed with thick sauce and other toppings, e.g. vegetables, seafood, chorizo, or any of several other options.

Our first major sight was Almudena Cathedral, which is even more amazing on the inside than on the outside. We paid for entrance to the indoor museum where unfortunately photos were forbidden, but it included the most beautiful mosaics I have ever seen.

We then walked across the way to visit the Royal Palace, where again we paid for entrance and photos were forbidden. The palace is absolutely enormous, with 100s of rooms each serving a very specific historical purpose - "This is where the king got dressed", "This is where the china is kept", "This is where the royal family watched films" etc. We were also able to visit the Armory and some of the Gardens, before finding a small restaurant to eat lunch and, of course, drink Sangria.

We returned to the hostel for much-needed showers, naps, and internets, before going out to experience the legendary Madrid nightlife. Indeed, the bars and clubs don´t close until 6am and the streets are continuosly packed with both residents and tourists until that time. We went on a hostel-organized pub-crawl with about 40 other college students and had a great time. At about 4am I decided to part ways and head back to the hostel, and found that my rudimentary K-6th Spanish was surprisingly helpful for getting me back home. It took 20 minutes and I got lost twice, but the streets were so packed with people that help was always nearby.

After such a long night we got off to a late start today (Sunday, June 2) before eating lunch and having the necessary foreign experience of ordering food and receiving something that completely dodged our expectations (Carne Asada in Spain is NOT the same as in Mexico, by the way). We then walked towards the beautiful Plaza de Cibeles where we saw the Bank of Spain, Cibeles Palace, and Cibeles Fountain, all of which are astounding. We also walked down the Paseo del Prado and saw the Fountain of Neptune, before heading back to the hostel. We plan to return to this area tomorrow.

 

We changed our clothes and headed back to the Metro which we took to Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, were we would see A REAL-LIFE SPANISH BULLFIGHT!!! We had purchased tickets the previous day, and were very lucky to coincidentally be in Madrid on a Sunday, the only day they host Bullfighting.  We were even more lucky to see a special show in which the toreros fight on horseback instead of on foot.

The show consisted of 6 different toreros fighting (and eventually killing) 6 different bulls. The fights are not as I imagined they would be - they are incredibly one-sided in favor of the torero, such that it does not seem he is ever in any real danger. The show is more a man tormenting a bull to death than it is a "fight" per-say. As such, the very first display was quite difficult for me to watch, but after that I grew accustomed and was able to enjoy the performance. The bullfighters were indeed very skilled, and their horsemanship was the best I´ve ever seen (but I´m no expert). The procedure was repetitive, but each torero had a slightly different style. Additionally, the experience of the roaring and cheering crowd was one I am glad not to have missed.

The most exciting part of the show was when the 3rd bull was able to ram the horse on the side, and knock the torero off of it. It then proceeded to attack him on the ground with its horns repeatedly, while his entire crew rushed out to distract it and drive it away. As far as I´m concerned, this means that the bull should have "won" the "fight". But of course, thanks to the help of his crew the torero escaped relatively unhurt, got back on his horse, and proceeded to conduct business as usual.

All in all, the bullfight was an incredibly special experience that I´m glad I got the chance to see, but it is definitely not for the faint-hearted and poses some tough questions concerning animal rights and Spanish tradition (which I hear is a growing topic of controversy). I will not comment on the matter, but I will say that if you can handle seeing lots of blood and are in Madrid on a Sunday, I recommend that you go to one.

Tomorrow we plan to wake up early and visit the east side of the city that we only got a glimpse of today. We intend to return to Paseo del Prado and visit Museo del Prado, a European Art museum documenting the 12th - 19th centuries. We also plan on seeing Puerta de Alcala and Buen Retiro Park, with its many attractions including the Crystal Palace and Monument to Alfonso XII. I´m not sure if I´ll have time to blog more before we leave for Barcelona on Tuesday morning, but I´m sure all those places will be just as incredible as they appear to be.

Thank you for reading. Next time, I will probably be in Barcelona!

-Yuval

P.S. I´m sorry that there are still no pictures from Madrid or Lisbon. The internet in the hostel is simply too slow to upload them.

 

Lisbon, Portugal

We arrived in Lisboa as bright-eyed and excited young tourists. After getting lost and wandering the humid streets of the city for over an hour trying to find our AirBNB host’s apartment, we finally made it and immediately passed out from the jet lag (8 hours ahead of LA).

 

Luckily we only had a short nap and woke up in time to go out and begin touring the city. Thanks to his Brazilian origin, Rodrigo speaks fluent Portuguese, and less than 10 minutes into our first outing he had already befriended a Bakery clerk who then proceeded to give us an enormous bag of free homemade bread, as well as some coconut pão de Deus, or “God’s Bread” (delicious).

 

We then took the city Metro (a simple and efficient system: LA take note) to Bairro Alto, or “high town” where we had heard there would be good nightlife. Our first stop was a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant for dinner, where we got our first taste of Portuguese cuisine. We ordered bacalhau, a classic Portuguese dish of fried or grilled Cod. It is very salty but very delicious.

We continued to wander the streets and saw several interesting statues of various historical individuals, something which we would soon learn is a very common sight in Lisbon. Eventually we discovered the center of the action, a narrow cobblestone street lined with dozens of bars. It wasn’t too crowded since it was Wednesday night, but we met some locals and tried some Ginjinha, a Portuguese cherry liqueur that is very sweet, very expensive, and very delicious.

 

We headed back around 12:30am only to find that the Metro employees had gone on strike beginning at midnight! We took a cab home and called it a night.

 

The next day (May 30) the Metro was still on strike, so we took the 735 bus line to Alfama, a curvy and confusing town that was preserved during the 1755 earthquake while the rest of Lisbon was generally destroyed. As such it contains some of the only medieval remnants of the city including several beautiful churches, many statues, and Castelo de São Jorge:

 

 

 

On the way back we stopped for a taste of some Portuguese wines and cheeses, both of which were incredible and much different from what you might find in California. It was here that we met an American diplomat and his wife, who invited us to join them for another glass of wine and told us many interesting stories about the different countries they had lived in (they had been in Lisbon for 2 years). They also gave us many great tips for the rest of our journey.

 

On the next day we visited the town of Baixa, which is just west of Alfama. We started the day off with a delicious lunch and a taste of the Portuguese beers Super Bock and Sagres. I also had a Solero popsicle, for those who know how much I love those. We then wandered the beautiful cobblestone streets of the town, where we saw many more statues of men on horses, more churches, and the historical Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa Lift):

 

 

We finished the day off with some more beer on the waterfront at the Museo de Cerveja (Musem of Beer), before heading back home to pack up and head to the train station. We left at 9pm for the overnight train ride to Madrid, Spain.

 

SOME THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT PORTUGAL:

• Portuguese is more similar to Italian than to Spanish
• If two people sound like they’re fighting or arguing, they’re probably not. That’s just how people talk.
• As with many non-USA countries, people are willing to stop everything they’re doing to help you if you are lost. One taxi driver stopped for 5 minutes to give us directions WHILE HE HAD A FARE (she pitched in with some tips too)
• People love Brandy and Scotch. They drink it at all times of day and every coffee shop has a large selection displayed on the wall.
• Apparently the wine is more “full-bodied” than California wine. *shrug*
• If you don’t eat the bread / butter / olives given to you at a restaurant as an appetizer, you won’t pay for it! But otherwise you will.
• “Thank you” in Portuguese is “Obrigado”, and people say it a LOT.

Tune in next time when we visit Madrid!

-Yuval

Introduction / Airplane

We are 3 days into our trip to Europe, so I apologize for taking so much time to get this blog up. We have been very busy, so unfortunately daily posts will probably not be happening. But I will try to post as much as possible moving forward.

A little bit of background for those who may not know: The travelers are Yuval Gnessin (yours truly) and Rodrigo Santos. We have just graduated from UC Berkeley and USC, respectively, and are taking a ~40 day Eurotrip during our time off before we both start work in mid-late July. Yuval will mostly be updating this blog because Rodrigo has his own blog here.

Here is our itinerary:

The itinerary is flexible so there may be some changes along the way. Additionally, I (Yuval) will be staying in Israel an additional 11 days after Rodrigo leaves, meaning I’ll be there until the 16^th.

Our trip began on May 28 with a 12-hour flight to Paris CDG from LAX, during which we were pleasantly surprised to be served free Wine and Champagne. The flight was otherwise uneventful, and we safely arrived in Paris from which we (barely) made a connecting flight to Lisbon, Portugal for our first stop of the trip. And thus the adventure begins…

-Yuval