Thursday, September 13, 2001
Aug 23 2000 Gütten Täg from Rothenburg!Europeans have funny keyboards, they take a bit of getting used to!
Well, I am in Rothenburg, Germany right now and the journey has been eventful. Chantelle and I arrived in Frankfurt yesterday morning after spending 12 hours flying around. We took a subway from the airport and arrived at the Hauptbahnhof (The main train station) and this place is enormous! There are about 10 trains, 5 buses, and 10 subways all running at the same time. The McDonalds there has FishMacs and McBeer, and there was also a Pizza Hut so things sort of looked the same.
We decided to take a walk in the Red light district just outside of the Hauptbanhof, and had a little picnic at the Goethe Park, just near his house. We then caught a train to Rothenburg, a city on the Romantic Road on the way to Munich. Rothenburg is a quaint Medireview town that was built primary in the 1400s. Chantelle and I found this pretty cheap bed and breakfast, and the breakfast was the best and biggest I have ever seen.
Rothenburg has an awesome garden that is pretty romantic, and a cool tower that overlooks this unique town. The Sausage, Saurkraut, and beer here is amazing, and the prices are reasonable, comparable to US prices. This morning Chantelle and I checked out a Medireview Crime and Punishment museum, it had all sorts of cool torture devices in the original building used for torture in the 14 and 1500s.
We are going to Munich this afternoon and will probably spend a couple of days there after hearing there are a lot of things to do there.
Auf Wiedersehen!
posted by Mark Kadlec 10:00 AM
Aug 25 2000 MunichWow, I have barely had a chance to breath with all the going-ons!
We arrived in Munich a couple of days ago, and decided to stay at "The Tent" Hostel, a tent with around 20 bunks in it. We partied around a campfire with 100 of our new friends, many of which were too drunk to stand. Chantelle and I went to bed and got about 2 hours of sleep (the party ended around 5am).
The next day we rented bikes and toured the city. We checked out some palace and the Olympic Stadium, they were kind of boring to see. In the afternoon we took a tour of Dachau, the concentration camp from WWII, it was really amazing to see. Most of it is untouched or restored, along with a museum - definitely worth a visit.
That night we found a hostel inside an old castle, it was really wild, we slept in what I think was the old dungeon, quite an experience. I thought I would get more sleep, but one of my 12 dungeon mates snored all night. It was a cheap hostel though, about $12US a night with breakfast included. Chantelle and I also packed some bread, meat, and cheese for lunch so we scored a wicked deal.
Today we checked out the Deuch Museum, the largest Science museum I have ever seen (bigger than the Ontario Science Center). We then hopped over to the Englisht Biere Garten where we thought we would see nude sunbathers, but were misinformed. The park was bigger than Central Park though... We also checked out St.Peter's Church, and for a couple of DeutchMarks, we could climb to the top of the tower and get an awesome view of the city.
Now we are on our way to the Augustiner Biere Garten, for some Bratwurst and beer, and tonight we are staying in the Metro so we can check out Munich's nightlife.
Tomorrow, Chantelle is going to Füssen to check out the Neuschwantein Castle, where as I am opting to check out more of Munich (I can not get enough!). We are meeting up tomorrow night, and have reservations for couchettes on a night train to Prague. So the next time I write I will be in the Czech Republic!
posted by Mark Kadlec 10:05 AM
Aug 26 2000 Munich NightlifeI am still in Munich, Chantelle is in Füssen right now, I have to write about the Munich nightlife before my hangover clears.
The first mistake was to go to the Augustiner Biere Garten for dinner since the smallest beer they had was a small keg with a handle. With no exageration, one glass was the size of 3 American beers with double the alcohol content. Even with 4 bratwurst, saurkraut, and a big pretzl, I was lightheaded leaving the table.
Upon recommendation, Chantelle and I decided to check out Kunstpark Ost, a block of clubs in downtown Munich. We followed a group of clubbers off of the subway and I thought I had entered an amusement park. There were about 20 clubs and 20 restaurants all crammed together and brightly lit, and it was already past 11pm! We checked out one laid back club, and the owner recognized my accent and asked if we were Canadian. Evidently, he lived 8 years in Toronto, so we chatted a while and he recommended The Keller, a nightclub catering to the alternative music crowd. We checked out The Keller, and it was a neo-punk palace playing alternative favourites. We chatted with the bartender Eddie, who told us he lived in Dallas, TX for 6 months. Chantelle and I hit the dancefloor and I had to suppress laughter as the whole dancefloor sang in tune to "In Bloom" by Nirvana, with a thick German accent. "Und he likes achl over pretty songs, und he likes to sink along..." They also masacred some of the alternative greats like Smashing Pumpkins, Blink 182, etc... and also played a couple of German songs for posterity. The subway system runs until 2:30am, which is cool for people going out at night.
Right now I am going to try and get lost in Munich and hopefully end up at the Englisht Garten for some more Bratwurst.
posted by Mark Kadlec 10:45 AM
Aug 28 2000 PragueWell, we had to leave Munich, I really liked it there, and since it was about 8 hours by train, we decided to book a couchette(sleeper car) and do it by night.
Chantelle and I were in the same car, along with a British lad who was pretty cool, and another young couple who were completely paranoid about night trains. I got a pretty good sleep, and was woken up when we arrived in Prague.
After being harassed at the train station by people trying to get us to stay at their hostels, we set out to Stary Mesto (Old town) by foot. I called my Aunt who met us at Karl's bridge and was nice enough to put Chantelle and I up in an apartment right downtown. She rents it to students, but they don't begin until next week, so it worked out awesome.
Before heading out for the night, Chantelle and I went for a nice dinner away from the tourist area. We ordered 2 soups, basket of bread, a salad, and 2 steak dinners along with wine, beer, and 2 bottled waters - total cost $13 with tip.
Chantelle and I checked out Karlova Latka, a club literally beside Karl's bridge. It was one of the best clubs I have ever been to, 4 levels set up in an alternative setting. All Chantelle and I could do was talk about the crowd though. It ranged from 14 year old girls grinding with 30 year old guys (and drinking of course), to 50 year old women dressed in spandex. There were all types at this place...
Today we plan to do more of Prague before heading out on some day trips. We also want to check out a music concert (Mozart) at the local Musik hall, although I hear tickets to this gig are hard to come by. Prague is much dirtier than Munich, the people not nearly as nice, but it is MUCH cheaper. A totally different experience than Germany, so far it has been awesome though.
posted by Mark Kadlec 10:48 AM
Aug 29 2000 Prague - Part IIDobry Den!
Yesterday, Chantelle and I started the day by checking out St. Vitus's cathedral. The church is about 500 years old and I actually found it pretty interesting. After haggling with a scalper, we scored some front row tickets to a Prague symphony concert that night. (Not exactly Pearl Jam) The concert was held in this old church which added to the performance. The conductor made two "encores" (remenicent of Pearl Jam), but there was no body surfing. I was quite impressed with the performance, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone travelling through Europe.
Today, we hopped on a bus to Kutna Hora, a town recommended in the guidebooks. There is a monastary that has morbid sculptures using human bones. It is famous for its chandalier made using every bone in the human body. They say 40 000 skeletons were used to "decorate" the monastary. After this, we took a train to Karlstein Castle, a castle built in the 14th century by King Karl IV. It had a lot of history, but the tour was pretty lame.
We got back and enjoyed another four course dinner for 2, including drinks - for $8.50.
Tomorrow we are off to Karlovy Vary, a spa town 4 hours from Prague. We both hope to get cheap massages and mud baths. If anything, it should be a fun experience.
posted by Mark Kadlec 10:53 AM
Sep 01 2000 Karlovy VarySince I am in Prague I thought it would be cool to get together with my cousins so that is exactly what I did Wednesday night. I found out one of my cousins is getting married soon, and the other has been dating a guy for 3 years. Amazing what can happen if you only talk to your cousins every 5 years.
Chantelle and I took a train to Karlovy Vary, a spa town 3 hours away from Prague. It is a quaint town of around 1000 people, and it is known for its spas. We booked a full body massage each - and while we waited for our appointments, we swam in an outdoor thermal hot spring pool. It was luke warm and full of old wrinkly people, safe your money ($0.90) and skip the pool if you are here. Chantelle went first into the massage parlour, and I went next. I got a pretty good massage by a 50 year old man (definitely not what my imagination was dreaming up), and met Chantelle afterwards. She was white as a ghost and I asked what was wrong. She said the guy asked her to strip naked before performing the massage and when she kept asking if she could keep her bra and panties on, he kept indicating that she should take them off. She ended up getting the whole massage in the nude and was quite embarrassed. I have to laugh because I know the masseuse did not speak a lick of English and when he asked me to get completely naked (in Czech of course), I replied in Czech "Can I leave my boxers on?", to which he replied "Sure, why not!". It helps to speak the language sometimes...
We stayed the night in a bed and breakfast and watched "Who is Herr Boss?" (Who's the Boss?) with German voiceovers, Tony sounded like Dolph Lundren on steroids - it was pretty hilarious. "Anglela, who is vas Gutten madde!" yells Tony Danza. They even dubbed "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" into German - I won't even touch that one. Today we took a train back to Prague, and tonight are hitting the biggest club in Prague, the Roxy. Aparrently, this club has 4 huge levels with different types of music on each floor.
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:39 AM
Sep 04 2000 ViennaThe journey from Prague to Vienna was memorable, it all started on the last night in Prague.
Chantelle and I joined my cousin and his girlfriend at a club called The Roxy, but the club was pure techno and pretty lame. The highlight was Chantelle and I taking puffs of a joint inside the club, all of which is legal in designated Czech Republic nightclubs.
The next day we got up early to catch a train to Czesky Krumlov, a small medievil village near the Austrian border. The town was really cool and we managed to find a bed and breakfast for $9.00 each for our own room - with breakfast included. I highly recommend this place for the frugal traveller, you could spend a week here with good food for $150.
The next morning we boarded a train to Vienna, and stopped in Czesky Budovice because the track was under repair. We had to board a bus, then catch a train to take us to Linz, Austria, where the track was broken again so we had to board a bus to take us to another train to finally get us to Vienna. We met many interesting characters along the way - my favourite was a guy that kept asking Chantelle questions about how many Schillings things cost in the USA. "How much does Coca Cola cost? How much does bread cost? How much does heating cost? ..." This went on for half an hour.
Vienna is perhaps the most beautiful city I have ever seen. We managed to get a private room in a hostel (I think the students are back in school now) and checked out the city via tram yesterday. By far the most romantic city I have witnessed, there are parks and sculptures everywhere you turn.
This morning we checked out the Kunsthistorisch Museum, the 4th biggest in the world. It happened to have an exhibit on Charles V, emporer of Vienna (and consequently the Roman empire at the time), it was very cool. We also checked out the "Inner Circle", with numerous churches, also very neat to see. Tonight we will check out the Opera House and the outdoor carnival, I want to ride the 100 year old Ferris Wheel.
Tomorrow we will check out a Castle and the Vienna nightlife. We have decided to spend a couple of days here before heading off to Salzburg, this place just has too much to see.
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:42 AM
Sep 07 2000 Salzburg, AustriaVienna was a great city, Chantelle and I could barely fit in all the things we wanted to see in 3 days.
On Monday night we checked out Prater Park, it is an old Carnival that runs every night in downtown Vienna. We rode a 100 year old Ferris wheel and some pretty cool rides, from the Ferris wheel you can see all of Vienna, definitely worth a visit. We then strolled down the Danube river, lots of cafes and old palaces, it was very romantic. The next morning we had reservations to take a tour of the Schönbrunn Palace, a spectacular palace with 1400 rooms and a huge garden. Once again, worth the 100 shillings ($8) cover charge.
After that, we decided to split up since I wanted to get lost (literally) in downtown Vienna, and Chantelle wanted to shop in the Centrum. We met up that night for a delicious Spanish dinner and after dinner desserts at a restaurant that looked more like a Chalet.
The next morning we checked out some churches and the Hapsburg jewels. Among the jewels was a nail from the cross that Jesus was nailed to, the largest emerald on earth, and the Holy Crown. There were some priests also taking a look, and they stopped to pray in front of some of the items - very strange to see. I don't know if it was worth the 100 shilling cover, but I'm glad I saw it. That afternoon we boarded a train to Salzburg where I am now. We hooked up with a cheap Pension for the night, our room was right in front of a church bell that went until midnight and also chimed at the crack of dawn.
The town is very cozy, it is the town the Sound of Music was filmed in and Mozart was born - I really like the desserts here. It is a little touristy, with prices to match, but the mountains and rivers are beautiful.
Tonight we will board a 15 hour night train to Venice, and we couldn't reserve couchettes since they were booked solid. We are going to bring a bottle of wine and hopefully pass the time and fall asleep in our seats. I can't wait to wake up in Venice, but not before I consume a few more Bavarian desserts.
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:44 AM
Sep 09 2000 Venice, ItalyThursday night Chantelle and I took a night train to Venice. We arrived in the morning and found out that this weekend is a big Film Festival here. Luckily, we secured a hotel over the phone for the two days we planned to stay, then set out to find our hotel.
Venice is the most spectacular city I have ever seen. The whole city is underwater, so to walk around, you have to scurry through narrow alleys and bridges that are thousands of years old. Their transit systems is a series of sea taxis. A funny thing happened when we first started exploring. The guide book we are using throughout Europe is written by Rick Steves. His picture is on the back of the book and Chantelle grabbed me in one of the alleys and proclaimed, "Mark, that's Rick Steves!". Sure enough, we went over and talked to Rick, he said he was doing more "research" for upcoming books, I wish I had his job.
We checked out St. Mark's Cathedral and the main Campo (square) and got lost downtown. It is impossible not to get lost here, the buildings are all at least 3 stories high, the alleys are about 5 feet wide, and there are at least 100 islands.
That night Chantelle and I took a Gondola ride, it was very romantic, despite it being the last form of legal extortion. ($50 USD for 1/2 hour) After the ride we decided to get dinner at a Trattatoria. You order dinner as appetizer, first course, second course, and dessert. This is also one of the finest meals you will ever eat for around $30 USD. Today we checked out the Rialto Market, a huge outdoor market that sells everything from fish to fine luggage. It is larger than Seattle's Market.
One point I have to make, if you visit, you must have some Italian Gelato, no mortal man can resist this delicious dessert.
Tonight, Chantelle and I are going to take a water taxi to Lido, a small beach island east of Venice. This is where the international film festival takes place, I am hoping to catch Elle MacPherson in a bikini or Steven Speilberg in a Speedo.
Tomorrow afternoon I plan to catch a train to Florence. Ciao!
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:46 AM
Sep 12 2000 Florence, ItalyThe weather is HOT in Italy. For 3 days now it has been sunny and 30°C (90F), and the Italians don't believe in air conditioning.
It was tough to leave Venice, it is a beautiful city. On our last day, Chantelle and I hopped on one of the water transit boats and headed for Lido, the location for the film festival. In our search for the festival, we stumbled upon a beach and to our horror, all the men were decked out in Speedos and thongs. The girls weren't wearing any tops, I guess the Italians believe in equality of the sexes.
Speaking broken Italian, we finally figured out where the film festival was, and after a brief walk, arrived at the star studded gala. Instead of Spielberg and Barrymore's, it starred Giovanni's and Donnatello's. I swear, Chantelle and I were mobbed by security and fans, all protecting some nicely dressed Italians - I didn't recognize any of them though. We caught a cool sunset over Venice afterwards, and headed back to a popular Venitian "Club".
If there is any difference between a Venitian Nightclub and an Irish Pub I can't see it. It was fun to mingle with English speaking backpackers though, sipping Italian beer and wine.
The next day we jumped on a train to Florence. This city completely reminds me of a European version of San Francisco, except everyone rides around on Scooters. We checked out the Duomo, the third largest Cathedral in the world. It is definitely worth seeing, you get to climb 500 steps into the dome itself, and onto the top of the dome for a spectacular view of the city. We shopped around and I bought a leather jacket for $50 USD (the price of leather is very cheap here) and had a delicious dinner. The Tuscan specialties in this region are Brushetta and Ribollita (Bread, bean, Olive oil, and garlic stew), very delicious!
I am impressed with Florence, but with all the shopping and the astounding amount of tourists driving the prices up, I am breaking my daily budget here.
Tomorrow we are checking out the Uffuzi Museum and then heading off to Rome.
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:48 AM
Sep 14 2000 Rome, ItalyI've made it to Rome, the warmest city on this trip so far.
On our last night in Florence, Chantelle and I decided to have an all out dinner. We had a three course, 2 hour dinner, and then decided to hit the club scene. We ended up at a club called The Red Garter, and after the wine we had at dinner, we were already tipsy. We danced to 80's tunes with hundreds of North Americans, it was fun.
On our last day in Florence, we checked out the Iffuzi, one of the largest art museums in Italy. Save your time and money if you are visiting Florence, I found the Iffuzi to be touristy and pretty lame. We then hopped on one of the speed trains for Rome.
Coming out of The Termini, the main train station in Rome, one is overwhellmed. Hundreds of busses, thousands of people, and pizza everywhere. We had luckily already made hotel reservations back in Florence, so we went straight to our hotel and crashed for the night.
Today we checked out the Collesium, very cool, beware, you can easily use up a roll of film there. It is enormous and you can almost hear the 50 000 Romans chanting as a poor prisoner gets mauled by a lion. (The lions were not always so lucky, 5000 animals were supposedly killed in the Collesium as well)
We then checked out the Pantheon, an architectural wonder since the half dome ceiling is entirely poured concrete. It was okay to see, I am glad it was free though. Chantelle and I then took a bus to The Catacombs, a 22 km maze of crypts, all underground. This was totally cool, definitely worth the $4 entry fee. We also met a guy and girl from Hamilton, Ontario, a small city where I went to school, what a small world.
Now I am pondering another pizza, the Italians sell it every 10 meters, and eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is also very cheap.
Tomorrow, we are going to hit the Vatican, and I want to rent a motor scooter on Saturday and check out this city in style.
BTW, my Italian sucks, but I am sort of getting used to it. Soon I will have to forget it all and try to recall my little knowledge of high school French. Bummer!
Oh well, arevaderci!
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:50 AM
Sep 16, 2000 Rome - Part IIRome has been amazing, too bad we leave tonight.
Yesterday, Chantelle and I checked out the Vatican, a small city in itself. St. Peter's Cathedral was pretty cool to see, but I've seen so many wicked Churches, it didn't really knock my socks off. The coolest thing we did was climb up the Cathedral's Dome for a view of Rome. The passageways get so narrow, the walls tilt and you think you are drunk. We then checked out The Sistine Chapel, the one where Michaelangelo painted the entire ceiling. It was very impressive, I am glad I finally got to see how it looked.
That night we had an amazing 3 course dinner (we were actually getting tired of pizza 3 meals a day), and then decided to check out a club called The Rock Castle. On the way to the club we crossed the Tibor River, and it is an incredible sight in the moonlight since the river lights up and the statues on the bridge cast eerie shadows. We were even fortunate enought to hear a faint symphony playing classical ballads from a nearby concert.
We made it to the club, and it ended up being the best club we have been to in Europe. They played Pearl Jam, Rage against the Machine, and Greenday. The whole club was made like a castle with caverns and torch lighting - wild stuff. Italian guys crack me up though, they actually hit on girl INSIDE the girls bathroom.
Today we rented motor scooters and decided to check out Rome in style. I literally looked like the guy from Dumb and Dumber with my oversized helmet and the little scooter they gave me. In the first hour I nearly got taken out by a bus, and Chantelle got pulled over by a cop for going the wrong way on a one way street. Later we both got warned by the police for driving in a taxi lane, the scooters were hilarious. It is the greatest thing we did in Rome, the view of the Collesium as we cruised around it on our scooters is unforgettable. Later in the day, Chantelle flew up on a curb and popped a wheelie since she pulled the gas instead of the brake, no casualties to speak of though.
Tonight, we have a couchette booked at 11:30 so we have about 4 hours to kill, then it is off to Nice, France! I think I will have another slice of Italy's delicious pizza before I go...
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:53 AM
Sep 22, 2000 Nice, FranceWe left Rome on a night train to Nice, and we had an older Italian couple in our sleeper. The husband was a narcoleptic and a snorer, and the wife talked all night. Needless to say, we arrived in Nice pretty tired.
Nice is spectacular, we managed to secure a fleebag hotel and walked to the Vieux Nice district and then to the beach. We saw a bunch of topless women (none that were under 40), and of course all the guys had slings. The ocean was incredibly blue and warm, I could swim all day there. When you are swimming in the ocean and look back on the beach, you can see all of Nice at the base of the mountains, and mountains all around you. An amazing experience.
We stayed an extra day in Nice, walked around and rented beach chairs (the beach is composed of little rocks and pebbles), and swam all day.
Off to Switzerland!
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:54 AM
Sep 22, 2000 Gimmelwald, SwitzerlandChantelle and I took a chance on another night train, this time to Interlaken, Switzerland. It was really good this time, we awoke in Geneva in the morning, and viewed spectacular mountains on the way to Interlaken.
After we hiked around Interlaken for the day, we took train to Laugenbrünner, then a bus to Steichlberg. We were wondering how to get to Interlaken, when a local chuckled and said, "Only one way for you to get to Gimmelwald, you must take the tram!". After arriving in Gimmelwald, the town is literally 15 farmhouses. We boarded at Ester's Bed and breakfast, a quaint little house overlooking the alps. I asked if Chantelle and I could buy some fresh milk to drink and she replied, "Well, our cow produced 5 litres today, the calf took 3, we took 1, so I can sell you 1 litre." - that's fresh, right out of the bucket!
We did a little day hike and I saw a great view of the famous Eiger, one day I would love to attempt to climb it, it looked so good. The next day we took a long day hike and saw spectacular mountains and waterfalls, one mountain was so high we counted 7 waterfalls on the same stream! We were right at the base of the Jüngerfrau mountain, it is higher than the Eiger.
That night we checked into Walter's Bed and Breakfast, quite an experience. We met a lot of travelers over Walter's home made dinner, this "hotel" is simply an oversized Chalet, an experience in itself. We rose early this morning, and took a couple of trams to the top of the Schillthorn mountain, and had breakfast in the world's highest revolving restaurant. It was the film set of the James Bond movie, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", and the scenery was amazing.
I am in Mürren right now, tonight I board a night train bound for Barcelona, it is hard to believe I will be on a beach swimming soon.
The Alps are a blast, I could spend a month here if I could.
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:55 AM
Sep 25, 2000 Barcelona, SpainChantelle and I separated in Interlaken (I am going to tour Spain and meet up with her next week), and I boarded a night train to Barcelona.
The night train was brutal, but luckily I met this cool guy from Switzerland and we laughed at the 5am layover. I don´t know what it is about the Swiss, but I think they are way too trusting. I know the guy for 1 hour and he asks me to hold his camera and equipment while he walks around the station looking for a washroom.
I got to Barcelona to find all the hotels booked solid due to the National Day celebration. I finally found a place and paid 3 times what I wanted, but it was all worth it since I heard the celebration is something not to be missed.
Barcelona is the wierdest place I have ever been to, it is ridiculous. I bought a map, and it didn´t quite match the street names. I talked to a local and he said that all the people in Barcelona are fluent in two languages, pure Spanish, and an old romantic Spanish language. Even all the menus are posted both ways - wierd! Then I go to buy lunch at around 1pm and the entire city is shut down, they are on siesta! Typical work hours are 8:30am-11:00am, then 3:00pm-8:00pm. Dinner is held around 10:00pm, most restaurants don´t even open till 9:00pm. Do yourself a favour and try the Tortilla Boccadillas (Potato omelette bagette), they are awesome!
I hit the town after dinner and saw an entire street under fire with thousands of people in a street mosh pit. About 20 guys with hankerchiefs on their faces charged towards me and I thought that this was the end for me. Luckily, they were only running from the huge Dragon coming down the street and had their faces covered due to the firecracker smoke. I got swept up in a sea of people and narrowly avoided the dragon. I partied with the locals for a while and got too tired from my night train experience, (it was around 2am at this point), and headed home.
posted by Mark Kadlec 11:59 AM
Sep 25, 2000 Tossa Del Mar, SpainI left Barcelona in the early morning and headed to Girona, a town I was told is really cool.
The town is worth seeing, unfortunately I got there on Sunday, and EVERYTHING was closed. That night the town came alive and I had a cool Spanish dinner while watching the Olympics with 500 new "friends", none who spoke English.
Today has been unbelievable, I got up early and hopped on a train to Figures, Salvador Dali´s hometown. I checked out the Dali Museum, and it was the best museum I have ever been to. It is the wierdest place, he built it himself, and is something you should definitely see in your lifetime. I then took a couple of buses to Tossa Del Mar (where I am right now) and checked into Pepi´s Hostal for the night. I went to the beach and swam in the ocean, and have never swam in anything like this. There are huge cliffs and rocks that go straight into the clear blue ocean, and you are swimming in 40 foot deep water with fishes below you!
I want to go snorkelling tomorrow since it is so cheap, I think I might spend an extra day here. After that, it is off to Madrid! BTW, as I am typing, I am sitting at a little cafe on the edge of a little cliff that is right on the water , it is totally surreal!
posted by Mark Kadlec 12:00 PM
Sep 28, 2000 Madrid!Back in Tossa Del Mar, I was leaving my hostel and ran into a fellow Canadian. Her name was Terry and she turned out to be pretty cool, and I convinced her to join me for some snorkeling the next day.
The day ended up sunny and beautiful, I could not believe how many fish we saw! There were many schools of fluorescent fish, Angel fish, some big fish I don´t know the name of, and I even saw a big Jellyfish. We were snorkeling near this island with huge underwater cliffs and caverns - very cool!
I really wanted to stay another day, but wanted to have enough time in Madrid so I left for my night train. In Girona, I realized I had left my passport at my Hostal (they actually forgot to give it back to me), so in the middle of the night, I had to go back to Tossa Del Mar. It all worked out, I spent another day there, and caught the next night train to Madrid.
I arrived in Madrid this morning, this is the largest city I have ever seen, even larger than NY. It took me a half hour just to figure out the subway system! My hostel is right in Puerta Del Sol, this place is going to be one huge party tonight.
This morning I checked out the Museo Del Prado, the Prado was a bit of a disappointment, I much preferred the Dali Museum. Tomorrow I am going to check out the Museo Thyssen, I hear it is stacked with many of the greats, Picasso and Dali, with some impressionist paintings.
The food in Spain has been the biggest disappointment, the cuisine is very lame, I am even considering the Tapas at McDonalds over some of the local slop. Looking forward to the festivities tonight, and tomorrow night I catch a night train to San Sebastien and meet back up with Chantelle.
Adios amigos!
posted by Mark Kadlec 12:02 PM
Sep 29, 2000 Madrid - part IIMadrid is making a case for itself as one of my favourite cities. It makes Barcelona look like a waste of time.
Last night I was going to "make like the locals" and eat dinner at 10pm and hit the town afterwards. I think the rumour that Spainiards eat late is a myth here in Madrid, most shops were closed at 10pm, and I was lucky to scarf down some stale Bocadillos. I hit the town around 11pm, only to find it completely closed down. I asked some locals and they laughed at me saying the clubs open around midnight here in the "party capital of the world". I waited until midnight, and ventured to a club I heard was amazing. Sure enough, the club opened at midnight, but there was a line about a mile long, literally, and it looked like I would get in around 2am. Since I was tired from a day of roaming I gave up, next time I need to get in line around 11pm if I have any hope of getting in.
Today was a great day, I checked out the Museo Thyssen, and it was awesome. It had every great artist, and made the Prado look like a joke. To anyone travelling to Madrid, skip the Prado and do the Thyssen. I then went to the Palacio Real, and I must say this is definitely worth the $8 cover. I was stunned at the scenery and the decoration (The palace took 10 years to build and a 100 years to decorate).
If I am in Spain again, I would skip Barcelona all together, and hit Madrid for a couple of days. This town rocks.
Before my night train to San Sebastien, I am off to see "Tres Más Amigos" in English with Spanish subtitles. It is the movie with Ben Stiller and Ed Norton playing priests, I don´t think the original name of the movie was My Three Friends though.
posted by Mark Kadlec 12:03 PM
Oct 02, 2000 Paris, FranceI ended leaving Madrid on a night train and everything was going good until midnight. Then a guy got on the train and climbed up into the bunk across from me and stunk up the whole cabin with his stinky feet! The whole cabin smelt like Limburger cheese all night.
I awoke from my coma that morning in San Sebastien and met Chantelle. We got this pretty good place right in the heart of the city, where all the action is. San Sebastien has the highest concentration of bars in the whole world, and it seems to be true as there is a bar every 20 meters. Unfortunately it rained the whole time we were there, but we did manage to hit the bar scene that night with the locals. Unfortunately, we had to check out early since we had to catch a 7am train to Paris. That morning I could not believe my eyes. At 6am, walking to the train station we witnessed the entire town still partying! Spain definitely has a late crowd.
We took a speed train to Paris, I think we were travelling around 200 km/h, and Chantelle and I got a ticket from the train police for not having reservations. The ticket was worth it though, we arrived a couple of hours early, despite having to sit between the train cars. (I'm surprised they didn't stick us in the toilet, or a prison car)
Paris is an amazing city, I cannot say enough about this place. We took a walk yesterday night, and walked around the city, past the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, the Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-Elysees Avenue. It was pretty spectacular at night. We ended up at this gay restaurant, The Loupe Blanc (The white wolf), and it was all male couples. Unabashed, Chantelle and I sat down and had the meal of our lives, the French Cuisine lives up to high standards here in Paris!
This morning Chantelle and I spent a couple of hours in the Louvre museum, and it was okay. I got to see the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace for the first time, but you could spend an entire day just wandering around.
posted by Mark Kadlec 12:05 PM
Oct 05, 2000 Paris - Part IIParis is the greatest city, no doubt. I could spend another week here, but unfortunately, I am off to Amsterdam tomorrow.
A couple of days ago, I hit the Museé Dorsay, a very good museum I would highly recommend. Later, Chantelle and I rode the Ferris wheel in the center of town, got a great view of Paris at night. The next day, we hit the Rodin museum, it was very worth it. There is a huge sculpture of a guy sitting on the toilet, it is a famous sculpture called "The Thinker". Notré Dame is cool too.
The food here is spectacular, the French chefs know how to dish it out. By far the best food on the trip, I am spending more on food than on accomodations. (I kid you not)
Today, Chantelle and I walked up Champs Elyseé to the Arc de Triomph for a great view of Paris. We then had a picnic at the base of the Eiffel Tower. To burn off the wine and beer, we took the stairs up the Eiffel Tower for a great view.
Tomorrow, I hope to hit Sacré Coeur, then off to Amsterdam!
posted by Mark Kadlec 12:05 PM
Oct 08, 2000 Amsterdam, NetherlandsChantelle and I took the night train from Paris and arrived in Amsterdam yesterday. ALL the hotels were booked, but we found one after an hour or so of calling around. We toured around and saw the Anne Frank house which was incredibly done, you actually walk behind her bookcase and see where they lived for two years. Amsterdam is a picturesque and beautiful city, but a little scummy.
I am sitting in the famous Bulldog cafe, with dope smell permeating everywhere. There are a lot of these cafes around, dope being legal here, I haven't tried any yet, but will probably take a couple of puffs tonight.
Today we saw the Van Gogh museum which was really good and worth the money, and tomorrow we hope to do a bike tour. If you are ever in Amsterdam, you MUST try the Panakoeken, a delicious thick pancake, famous here.
Everyone speaks english here, since it is now the official language in the Netherlands. It is good since the Dutch language is extremely difficult!
posted by Mark Kadlec 12:09 PM
Oct 12, 2000 Berlin, GermanyGuten Täg! Amsterdam was an awesome experience.
Everyone rides bikes there, in fact, I was almost nailed twice at full speed. The city has even installed separate little lights at bike level, strictly for bike traffic.
Chantelle and I checked out one of the local coffee shops (dope cafes) and smoked up before heading out on the town. I discovered that Amsterdam is just a network of coffee shops with no clubs open before midnight.
Chantelle and I spent an hour or so laughing at anything that moved, got the munchies at around midnight, and crashed for the evening. So much for hitting the town in Amsterdam. It is really beautiful at night, the city is full of rivers and bridges (it is below sea level), and dim lamps luminate the cobblestone streets.
The next day we hit the Red light district and actually saw the prostitutes sitting in the windows wearing lace undergarments. If one of them caught your eye, you simply walk in, pay, and have sex with her in the back room. None of the women I saw was under 200 pounds.
We took a night train to Berlin and got some relatively cheap accomodations at the youth hostel. We toured the city and were forced to eat at an Italian restaurant (amazingly, Berlin´s restaurants are 90% Italian, for reasons I don´t quite understand).
The next day, we checked out Brandenburg Gate, the only remaining gate separating East and West Berlin, it is a worthwile thing to see here. We then walked to Checkpoint Charlie, and saw a remaining piece of the wall. Checkpoint Charlie is where the Allies and Soviets transfered diplomats at the height of the cold war. It is also the site of the many daring escapes from the east side of the wall to the west.
Chantelle and I took a tour of "The Wall Museum", and it documented and had pictures of many of the daring escapes. There were hot air balloons, compartments in cars,
tunnel pictures, and pictures of people crawling through sewage pipes. Definitely a startling exhibit and worth every penny.
We went out for a night on the town yesterday, and ended up sipping drinks with Yachtsmen in a swank and ritzy Jazz club. Not my idea of "a kegger", so we then ventured to a club called "Delicious Donut Research". This club was really cool, but the tantric music didn´t really appeal to me with only 10 other people in the club. I think if you are not into hard core Techno music or the frat boy Jazz scene, you are out of luck.
Today is a beautiful day, so Chantelle and I decided to cruise around town. Berlin is a pretty depressing city, everyone has a Kurt Cobain look in their eyes, the suicide rate must be astronomical. The city stinks of sewage, and still looks like it hasn´t rebuilt since WWII, even though every second building has scaffolding enveloping it.
Tomorrow, Chantelle and I are boarding a night train to Koln and hope to cruise down the Rhine River.
posted by Mark Kadlec 12:20 PM
Oct 16, 2000 The Rhine River, GermanyUnfortunately, the trip is almost over, and I am in Frankfurt right now.
Chantelle and I were in Berlin for a couple of days, and right before leaving, we walked by the erotic museum. This museum is nothing like the Sex Museum in Amsterdam, that one is worth mentioning.
Chantelle and I walked through that, laughing the whole way through. Each room had porn pictures from various decades, it showed 2 people having sex from the 50s (black and white picture), 70s (cheesy moustache), etc... They showed the first porn ever released, and the history of porn dating back to the Romans.
After leaving Berlin, we decided to ride the Rhine river to Frankfurt for a couple of days. When we arrived in Köln (pronounced Cologne), we were told the only boat going down the river had engine trouble and was cancelled. Not to be deterred, we took the train down the Rhine to a town called Cochen, which was holding a wine festival.
We partied with all the old folks that night, singing along to classics like "Lollipop, lollipop".
Having enough of this, we checked out a dark cafe that was spinning tunes like Pearl Jam and Rob Zombie, only to discover 20 or so people our age there, what a relief!
The next day, we tried the boat again, this time we were told the particular time we wanted to leave was cancelled for the off season, so we decided to stay another night and try it again the next day.
That night, we stayed in a town called Bacharac, and actually stayed in an authentic castle for the night, it was wild!
The next day we took a tour of a nearby Keep, and Chantelle and I lurked through pitch black caverns underneath the Keep with only the aid of my flashlight to light the way, it was a claustrophobic´s nightmare, but my favourite castle on the whole trip.
The next night we stayed in St. Goar, hoping to catch the next boat down the river, this time seeing it go by our dock. We asked the lady working the tour boats and she replied, "that´s funny, it should haved stopped...". So much for our Rhine adventure, we packed up and left the river without even getting our feet wet. I really liked the 3 days I spent at the Rhine, it is a relaxing, medival part of Germany I would recommend everyone to check out if travelling Europe.
The trip is over tonight, but I get to visit my folks in Toronto tonight.
Tomorrow, I visit Chantelle´s family in Salt Lake City, and then it looks like I am going to be busy moving my stuff from Berkeley to Austin in the next couple of weeks.
Aus wiedersehen from Europe!
posted by Mark Kadlec 12:26 PM
