C'est la vie en Paris!

Paris in 5 hours? No problem with Kate and Sarah! We had a little train layover in Paris so we locked up our luggage and went on a quest to view the Eiffel Tower. We weaved our way around streets, saw the Notre Dame, walked on the Pont Neuf (which wasn't really all it was hyped up to be), and glimpsed the outside of the Louvre and those awesome triangle sculptures. We finally got to the Eiffel Tower and it really was majestic. The line to go up was wayyyy too long so we just walked underneath and then to a patch of grass in front to ogle at it.

I really think the only reason I would return is to see the inside of the Louvre. Paris to me feels about as impersonal as NYC. Also I guess it's because I don't know the language either and it's touristy.

Evaluations
Since I was here only 5 hours, I don't have much to report. It was all so rushed that I didn't have time to sample the good food or coffee. And we all know the French language is fun to listen to. Anyway, I'm in Madrid today and Bordeaux, France is tomorrow so maybe I'll have more to report. Adios!

The City of "Coffee Shops": Amsterdam

What I neglected to mention after my previous post was that I was to the point of fainting. Kate and I biked about 20km to the city of Amsterdam and 20km back to Haarlem in the same day. I don't think I drank enough during the day and so I almost suffered dehydration. The ride was gorgeous though, so I can't regret it. We rode by the train tracks past fields of cows, sheep, squacking swans, and wind turbines. I think a lot of tourists only see the crazy parts of Amsterdam and miss the beauty around which is Holland.

It was my first couchsurfing experience and I loved it. Half of traveling, besides the obvious sight seeing, is experiencing the different cultures and people. Couchsurfing allows you to stay with people on their couch for free- no strings attached. Automatically, you get people who are very open and inviting. Our hosts, Janneke and Wouter, were no different. They were very welcoming to us and even cooked us dinners and took us around Haarlem and to the sand dunes at night. We were able to ask them lots of questions about life in Holland and they were able to ask us questions about the U.S. I definitely want to couchsurf again and will seriously consider opening my own couch to travelers. I had such a great experience!

The actual heart of Amsterdam was not what I would have pictured. The cobble stone streets and winding canals were unassuming, until I turned to face a window and a woman wearing a bikini struck a pose on her stool. Classy. While some streets were old and quaint, others were full of coffee shops (aka the home of space cakes and other druggie desserts) and other um, dirty things.

Kate and I were probably the lamest tourists to ever pass through. Sorry to all you pot addicts, but I wanted to actually remember my trip!! We only stayed the day and enjoyed the van Gogh Museum, various old buildings and parks, and the Anne Frank House. The Anne Frank House was amazing. I'll admit, I totally entered with the wrong attitude- I thought the building was so cute- but by the end I was nearly crying. This girl was only 13 years old and already learned to appreciate the concept of freedom. Here I am, 23 and going on this amazing trip throughout Europe on my own dime because I can afford it. If that isn't freedom, I don't know what is (and I'm 10 years older). Sometimes we just need a little kick in the behind to remind us that we've got it good. I need the Anne Frank House.

Evaluations
food: mashed potatoes, greens, cheese, and bacon (yes I had it!) was good ***
coffee: extra-dark and delicious- they gave me these awesome coffee candies too *****
beer: the Heineken brewery was closed! *

bikes: a LOT... we got to ride on the back of J&W's!
language hilarity: very similar to English **
would I return? hopefully!

Some Thoughts about Bremerhafen and Germany

I am in Holland right now, well Amsterdam to be exact, but I never got a chance to reflect on Germany yet. We stayed with Kate's cousin in Bremerhafen for four days with his puppies, Snoopy and Lucy- any reference to the Peanuts characters is NOT coincidental. It was a very relaxing visit as we spent time just hanging out at his house and taking small trips to the harbor (what hafen stands for) and the zoo.

We went to the German Emigration Museum where we assumed the identity of an emigrant- I was a 17 year-old named Martha Hurer- and followed his/her journey to America. You know it's a good museum when you can sit on a toilet in a mock ship and learn all about the sanitation conditions on a TV.

I also discovered a new sport- mudflatting! The 5 of us (dogs included) took a two hour walk on the water where we artfully dodged angry crabs, sharp clam shells, and some other interesting objects. We made it as far as a deep river and decided not to forge the pond for fear that Timothy would contract malaria and die (kidding of course- just a lame allusion to Oregon Trail).

It was also an exciting time in Germany since the Euro 2008 game was being played our last night there and Germany beat Turkey. We walked outside and heard what sounded like the happiest traffic jam ever. It was a good thing that Germany beat Turkey since there are a lot of Turkish emigrants in Germany and apparently there would be quite an uproar if they won.

Evaluations
most interesting food: potato pancakes with applesauce - ordered from a kid's menu hehe ***
coffee: not too strong but good ****
beer: a mix of wheat beer and banana juice is exquisite! *****
bike to person ratio: 1:12 uh-oh
language hilarity: ausfahrt = exit *****
would I return? honestly... I have no need to and no language or family ties so probably not. Fun though!

Prologue

To introduce, this is my graduation trip to myself: a backpacking trip across various cities in Western Europe with my good friend Kate. This blog is written to give others an overview of what I am experiencing and also to remind myself in the future of what an awesome trip I had (fingers crossed).

NOTE: not every detail will be given, because then when I come back and you ask "how was your trip?" I won't have anything else to tell you besides what I wrote here. And I WANT to be able to tell you my epic tales. Hopefully this blog will leave you hungering for more. Consider this the appetizer...

Copenhagen: An Overview

I arrived in Copenhagen on the 19th and had 12 hours to kill by myself. It pretty much was the longest day of my life since I hadn't slept since the previous morning and I was nodding off in the airport like a homeless person. I think I would have paid 100 kroner for a bed. I eventually managed to drag myself out into the city where I attempted to navigate while not get run over by the millions of bikes that were on the streets. Did you know there are more bikes in Copenhagen than actual Danes? And there's hardly any car traffic. It's amazing. Boston really needs to "jump on the bandwagon" or "off the station wagons and on the bikes," I should say...

Copenhagen is very expensive, and therefore, Kate and I only went to the free museums (art and history museums) and had falafel about three different times. Now I love falafel, don't get me wrong, but I'm just freaking sick of it now.

Our second day we also went to Tivoli, an amusement park right smack in the middle of the city. We enjoyed a beer in a reusable plastic cup (which we got reimbursed for) before riding the largest swing ride I've ever seen in my life. It was well over 150 ft in the air but I'm bad at estimating these things. Since I have a slight fear of heights, I was really surprised that once I got on the ride I was totally cool and it was great to see Copenhagen and its windmills in the distance from a bird's point of view. Or maybe an orbiting satellite's point of view...

Danish people are very sophisticated, stylish, fit, and chill. They were really friendly too, and spoke English which was helpful. I was very calm there, but also felt very under-dressed! Not to mention I was wearing my sweatshirt since it was freeezing.

Evaluations (to be done at each city)
Pizza: more like pizza-bread... delicious **** (out of 5 stars)
Coffee: not too strong, little bitter ***
Beer: nut brown ale at Brewery ($7 OUCH) ***
Bike to person ratio: 12:1
Language hilarity: **** (Danish is a language I could invent as a 5 year-old trying to sound German. They add 'g's to about everything... mandag = monday, fredag = friday, etc.)
Would I return? YES, but wearing black tights and Converse shoes since apparently they're hip there.