Massive Picture Update

Long time no post. Yes, we are back in the states now. We survived London, barely. The second bombing day occurred on the day we left, luckily we were already at the airport.

Flight back was long, or at least seemed that way. We did have two movies though, and yes one of them was Hitch, great movie by the way.

Arrived into Atlanta around 8:00 pm and were picked up by the padres. And just like that our trip was officially over.

Closing thoughts.... hmmm.. Definitley the trip of a lifetime. Going back over all the photos right now, really reminds me of all the crazy, wonderful experiences we had. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I plan to put all pictures online soon. I will let you know what that happens.

I start work in the ATL on Monday, 3 days away. 3 days of freedom left before the real world hits.

Next travel plans: probably next summer, I'm thinking South Africa or Tibet...

Back in the U.K.

Back where it all begin. After our long travel day, about 6 and half hours, we got back into London around 8:45. Took the tube over to St. Christopher's hostel, checked in, then headed out to the London Eye.

Alright, this was definitely a trip highlight. We are over 100 meters above London, beatiful sunset over the Thames, Big Ben and Parliament are all a glow. I will remember this sight for a long time. We are able to see pretty much all of London, from Big Ben in our west to St. Paul in our north and the Thames flowing in between. Also, the moon was rising at this time, so we had a beautiful harvest moon to our east.





We are staying once again at the party hostel and there is a huge kareoke party going on right now. Don't know if I can get Alex and Ley to join in, but I will try. Also, I have one pound left and I don't know if I should spend it on a fine San Miguel beer or save it for a cheeseburger tomorrow. Decisions...

Next update: Arrival back in the states

Last Day in Amsterdam / Travel to London

This trip has gone by so quickly. It's officially our final full day before our flight back to the states. Amsterdam has been nice, not great, just nice. Seeing the canals and the Anne Frank house were amazing, but I could have done without the some of the other stuff. Like the offers for cocaine every five minutes while you are walking around at night.


We are about to head out to the Pancake Bakery for breakfast/lunch. I'm starving right now. After that our train heads out around 2:30 to Brussels, arriving there around 5:30. Then we jump on the chunnel to London at 7:00 arriving there around 8:30.

Tonight we are staying at St. Christopher's Hostel, which is pretty cool since that is where we kicked this trip off. Should be a nice full circle effect.

I am actually really excited about heading back to the states. I can't wait to know what bed I am going to sleep in every night and not have to pay $4.00 for water.

Munich/Amsterdam

Yeah, I know I am a bad blog keeper upper. It's been like 3 days. We survived Munich and are now in Amsterdam. Pretty much New Orleans on steriods. There have been a lot of eye opening times in this city. 2 days is plenty. Don't think I will ever come back though.

The Anne Frank House was nice, very moving. Saw the Van Gogh Museum. More Van Gogh's than I ever wanted to see. Saw Sunflowers, which was great.

Alright, almost out time on this computer. Going to a comedic improv show tonight. Should be our last full night out for the trip. Will be a lot of fun.

Hope to update more thoroughly soon...

Mike`s Bike Tour in Munich

Just got back from Mike`s Bike tour. Awesome time. We had kind of a late night last night, so we rolled out of bed around 10:00 and headed to the start of the tour. We got our bikes, which were old school California cruisers, then headed off. We were able to see a lot in a short amount of time.

Munich got pretty much destroyed by bombings during WWII, but a lot of the buildings were able to be faithfully recreated thanks to prewar pictures. Saw a cool church. Also, saw the gestapo headquarters and the secret headquarters of the Third Reich, very interesting.

Then headed into the English Gardens. This place was huge. Great bike paths and a nice river flowing through, where we actually saw some surfers.

Stopped for lunch at a Beer Garden. Had half a chicken, mashed potatoes, and a liter of beer. Then jumped back on the bikes for the end of the tour.

All in all, a relaxing day. Tonight: Insomniac Tour

Arrival in Munich

Left our great Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald early this morning. On trains all day to Munich. It`s around 7:00 and we just now got in to the hostel. The hostel is great though. Very nice and a big upgrade from our rustic accomadations in Gimmelwald. Thanks KG for the recommendation.

Heading out to get some German food right now. Maybe a beer garden or two, we will see how the night moves.


Tomorrow: Mike`s Bike Tours

Mountain Hostel, Schillterhorn, and the Hike

Today was another amazing, beatiful day. We slept in kind of late by our standards to about 8:30. Got up to an amazing cloudless view of the mountains rising up right by our hostel. Check this link to see what it looked like: www.mountainhostel.com

We then took the gondola up to the Schillterhorn. This is the spinning restaurant, where part of the James Bond movie, In Her Majestys Secret Service, took place. Some of the most amazing views I have ever seen. We walked around the terrace taking dozens of pictures and video. We then sat down to the James Bond breakfast, far and away, the best breakfast of the trip. I had scrambled eggs for the first time in about 3 weeks. They were great. We also sipped on some oj, hot chocolate, and champagne.


After relaxing at the top for about an hour or so, we started the arduous trek down. It was straight out of Lord of the Rings. Walking along this rocky ridge about 5 feet across, with 100 foot drops down on either side. Breathtaking. The descent became a little easier after the first 20 minutes, but it was still pretty steep nonetheless. I think the instantenous death factor decreased a little bit.


We ended up down in a grassy meadow, straight out of the Sound of Music. And we walked through several herds of cows grazing several hundred feet up in these meadows. The cows were great, not spooked at all by our presence. I think they were just enjoying the view too.






The hike ended up lasting about 5 hours or so. But was definitley a highlight of the trip.


We leave for Munich tomorrow at 9:00 and arrive around 6:00.

Florence War Eagle, David, and the Swiss

Crazy dazy yesterday. We ran into some fellow Auburn students in the middle of a open air market in Florence, Italy, Laura and Britney a couple of ADPis at AU. After that went and saw Michelangelos David, which was very impressive. It dominates the entire museum. We were lucky enough to see it when the museum was free. So, we walked in, stared at it for about 15 minutes then headed out.

After David, we met up with Laura and Britnez and went to dinner at Il Latini. This was by far the best dinner we have had the entire trip. Every appetizer they had, a huge bottle of wine and veal and rabbit all around. Then afterwards dessert wine and dessert drinks. We ended up staying for over 3 hours. The atmosphere was great, very friendly, very family like. If I ever come back to Italy, I will be coming back.

Today was another travel day. Took about 7 hours to get to the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald. It is the idealic Swiss village. I love it. Huge mountains everywhere. We are heading up to the James Bond restaurant tomorrow.

Night in Florence and Danny Bonaduce

Yes, the trip just reached a whole new level last night. We met Danny Bonaduce of the Partridge Family. He and his wife sat next to our table at dinner. Great guy, shared some laughs and some wine. It was awesome.

After dinner we headed over to a square and listened to some great Italian and African music. And some more wine. We are so cultured right now.

Arrival in Florence

Since last post:

Had a great final night in Cinque Terre. Met up with an Australian and Floridian while doing laundry for the first time on the trip. Went out and watched the sunset over the ocean. Beautiful cliffs and great orange sky. Had another great dinner last night. Italian dinners are great, they last for hours, with so much food and wine. They are an event unto themselves.

After dinner went and heard a band play along the terrace. Thought they sounded a little Neal Diamondish, very nice. Finished up the night at a street side cafe and turned in for the night.

Got up late, around 9:00 this morning. Then packed up our stuff and said goodbye to our great apartment. Jumped on a train to La Spezia, and then down to Pisa.

Jumped off the train in Pisa. Had a Big Mac for lunch, it was so good. Ley had the McNuggets. Alex went for the local fare. Walked about 20 minutes to the Leaning Tower. I was actually impressed with just how much it leans, it really looks like it could topple over at any time. Took some great pictures. Did not go to the top however because the line was around 2 hours.

Jumped back on a train to Florence and here we are at this internet cafe. We have decided to change our itinerary a little bit. Darn terrorists. We are cutting out Rome and Naples. I am sure I will be back another time though. Anyway we are here for another full day, which means we will not be rushed tomorrow and we will also have more time at our other stops.

Long Overdue Update and Cinque Terre

Sorry for the delay in posts. I think it has been since Thursday. Anyway, let me get started where I left off last post.

We left Pamplona and headed back to Barcelona for the night. The train ride was fine. We slept pretty much the entire way, which we defintley needed. We stayed in our third hostel in three nights in Barcelona. This one was great, right by the train station, so we got to sleep in a little later.

The next day was pretty much a travel day. We jumped on a train to Nice, which had a layover in Montpeleir. Total travel time was about 10 or so hours. Ley and I got some good sleep. Alex was lucky enough to sit with an elderly spanish lady, who spoke no english at all, but decided to talk with Alex for about 5 hours anyway. It was great.

Nice was beautiful. Great weather, beatiful people. Just a laid back beach town. The French Riveria is great. No sand beaches like Destin, rocks instead. But the mountains reaching down to the city and beach are amazing.




The next day we jumped on another morning train and headed to Cinque Terre. Got in around 4:00 and headed to the beach. This place is beatiful. Very relaxed and very friendly. Our apartment we rented is great. Private bath which is awesome.




Today we hiked the 12 km trail to the five cities. It could be pretty demanding at some points, but it was well worth it. Took some great pictures. I will write a little more on Cinque Terre tomorrow. Right now, I am at a bar and it is getting kind of loud and rowdy.

Da Bulls Da Bulls Da Bulls........

Alex and I just ran with the bulls about 2 hours ago. It was by far the most intense thing I have ever done.

We got into Pamplona around 1:00 pm after getting up at 5:35 for the trainride out of Barcelona. The San Fermin Festival is the name of the festival surrounding the running of the bulls. It takes place over an 8 or 9 day span every July.

The festival kicked off an hour before we got into town. It´s New Orleans times 100. Everyone is walking around with their white shirts and pants and red bandannas and sash. Also, everyone is holding a bottle of Sangria, Champagne, or Wine. We definitely had a good time with the crowd. Met up with some Califorians, Australians, and Canadians. Crazy, crazy time.






That night we slept in the park. I think it dropped down to around 50 degrees and I was in shorts, not a smart move on my part. We probably got around 2 hours of sleep. Then woke up and headed to the Running.

Got in the gate around 6:30 and found our starting places. Met up with a guy we met on the train to Barcelona and his buddy from California. The crowd was nuts, everyone doing the oye, oye cheer. A couple minutes before the release of the bulls the crowd was allowed to start moving along the route.

We jogged ahead and jumped on a windowsill and got a great view. The bulls sprinted down the alley straight for the crowd. The crowd was insane, running with and taunting the bulls.



After a couple groups of bulls passed, we jumped down and headed for the stadium. We got separated and it was just myself and the guy from Barcelona. We waited around for the last group of bulls to head into the stadium at the same time as us. However, I jumped under a gate to get out of the way of the stampede and before I could jump back in the gate to the stadium was shut. Alex was able to make it into the stadium.

The adrenaline rush after the running was over was amazing. Just a big smile on your face, seeing all these frantic people running for their lives with huge bulls right behind them.

It was a great 24 hours. Our next stop is back in Barcelona tonight and then off to Nice, France tomorrow morning around 8:00

Barcelona Day Two

Today was a good beach/relaxation day. First day of our trip with no museums or other historic spots. We got up early at our Gothic Point Hostel, which has been the worst hostel by far of the trip, cold showers, 30 man rooms, and warm milk for breakfast...mmmmmm..... And then headed to check in at our new hostel Sant Jordea or something like that. Took a while to find, but it was worth our effort. Probably the best hostel of trip so far. Nice, new, clean, and free internet.

After checking in we headed off to La Playa (the beach.) The beach was amazing, right off the city. Bought some sandwiches and ate those as we got some sun. We then headed up the cable car to the mountain on the south of the city. Great views of the entire city.




We then walked down La Ramblas again and bought some Cuban Cigars for very cheap. Then headed up to Gaudi´s Garden. It was a hike, but it was worth it. Another great view of the city looking out towards the ocean.




That´s pretty much been the entire day so far. Nice and relaxing. I hope it prepares us for our next stop tomorrow in Pamplona. Our train leaves at 7 in the morning tomorrow.

Not sure on next update. Probably not until Thursday after Pamplona trip.

Travel to Barcelona

Today was a long travel day. Left Paris around 9:40 last night. We did have a sleeping cabin, so we had 6 bunks in there which was nice. It wasn't a direct train so we had stops pretty much in every small station along the way.

Got into Port Buo, a Spanish border town around 8:45. Had my first spanish meal, dougnut and a sunny d. Took a commuter train into Barcelona at 10:25, got in around 12:45. Stayed at station until 3:00 booking travel to Nice and Pamplona.

Not an outstanding day so far. But we are heading to La Sagrada Familia and then out to celebrate the 4th, Kareoke style. I'm sure the Diamond and the Boss will be making an appearance tonight.

Last Night Live 8 and Final Paris Day

Last night was quite an adventure. After my last post, Alex and I went to a Tex Mex restaurant and had a couple bottles of wine, and yes they were of the Mexican region, cheapest wine on menu. Then headed back into the crowd. I said 150,000 people last post but it was probably upwards of 200,000. The crowd was amazing, by far most people I've ever seen in one place. Most bands were French, but they were still very good. The Cure closed out the show at midnight. Awesome performance.






We then attempted to head back to the train station. Getting 200,000 people on a metro system takes a while. We waited in line for at least an hour before even seeing a train. After boarding, we thought we were set for the hostel, nope. The train's last stop was a good 2.5 miles away from the hostel. So, we started walking. Paris is a beautiful city at 2:30 in the morning especially along the Seine.



We made it back safely around 3:00 this morning. Got up at 9:30, had breakfast at the hostel and headed out to Notre Dame. Did a quick tour of it, then headed over to Saint Chappel, very impressed by this one. Huge stained glass windows, light floods the church.




Had lunch, then went to a famous macarew? place for dessert. Ended sightseeing with Rodin's museum. Saw the thinker, the kiss, and the gates of hell. All very impressive.


Our train leaves for Barcelona at 8:40 tonight. Have a stop at the border, will be in Barcelona by noon tomorrow.

French keyboards are awful.

Live Aid Paris

Alex and I are at Live Aid in Paris. There is like 150,000 people here. CRAZY!!!!! I can not wait for Shakira.

Paris Day Two

Got up late this morning around 9:00. Wanted to go to the Palace of Versailles, but could't get out there because Live Aid is going on and we didn't have tickets.

Made it into a museum day today. Started with the Museum D'Orseyy (spelling?). Mainly impressionist painting. Liked it a lot better than London's National Gallery. Very nice museum. And not too crowded.



Standouts were numerous Monets, Whistler's Mother, and many Picasso's.



Out of time now will update later

Update:::

The Lourve is by far the greatest museum in the world. They have everything: Venus de Milo, Hammurabi's Code, King Ramses II, and of course the Mona Lisa. We spent a good 4 hours here today. Did it kind of quick, but I think we got all the highlights. Easily could have spent a week here.

Paris

Early morning today. Got up at 4:45 to catch the 6:30 chunnel to Paris. First major train experience, very nice and fast. Was in Paris by 10:30. Took a while to get our bearings and figure out the metro but once we did we were fine.

The hostel is really nice. Much more upscale than London. Also, more relaxed, which is nice after a long day like today.

Walked a lot today. Saw Notre Dame, very impressive and large. Some old lady tried to take our picture outside Notre Dame and still it to us for 6 euros, but I talked her down to 1 euro, very impressive bargainging skills.



Also, saw Arc de Triumph and Eiffel Tower, both are huge. However, I have pictures of neither because my zipper pocket was stuck on my pants and that was the safe pocket i put my camera in. So, I will be relying on Alex's pictures for today.

After Eiffel Tower, went to dinner. Dinner was great, awesome pizza, nice cheese, and a couple bottles of wine. Very relaxing.

I better go there is a Dutchman waiting to use this computer.

Tomorrow we go to Versailles.