Our hostel was much quieter last night and this morning so we took the opportunity to sleep in! :) When I woke up, I wanted to take a shower but our shower was being repaired. So far, I'd just been using the public bathroom on the ground floor (which is where we were stationed) but it doesn't have any showers. So...I continued my search to the first floor. There happened to be a room open, with nobody staying in it, so I made myself at home and took a shower. :) Apparently it was fine cuz no one ever said anything.
At 10:30 we left our hostel, quickly grabbed coffee frapps (much too hot for real coffee) and a small breakfast for the road. Quickly we walked to the train station and ended up having plenty of time before our train was due. Thinking ahead (we were going to be on the train most of the afternoon) we bought sandwiches for the road. At exactly the time our train was due to leave, it decided to show up. Finding our seats was easy and we settled in for the 8.5 hour ride.
Three and half hours later, our train stopped at a station and completely stopped...as in turned off its engine and sat for quite awhile. A couple people came onto the train, rambled off a sob story (completely in spanish) then walked around looking for change. At first, Stephen and I had no idea what was going on, but we soon figured it out when they asked for money. We sat on the train, as the air heated and became stuffy, wondering why it had now taken an hour for us to move anywhere. I still have no idea why we had to sit for so long, but the train soon started up again, turned on the air, and continued its journey through Spain. We both sat engrossed in our Kindles for the next few hours until I had finished my book and looked at my watch. We were supposed to have arrived in Seville at 17:55 (5:55pm) but my watch now read 6:30 pm. Uh oh. I started to wonder and worry that we had missed our stop! Steve had read a few stations but not all of them. I sat for a few more minutes, thinking about what we'd do if we'd missed our stop. Instead of worrying, I decided to ask someone. When I'd ordered food for dinner at a small cafe on the train, the employee had spoken very good English. I decided to ask him. I felt a bit pathetic asking him if we'd missed Seville so I asked him what the next stop was. To my delight and relief, he said we would be in Seville in 20 minutes. Phew!
I'm guessing the hour we sat in the train station was a delay, which in turn made us an hour late to Seville. Normally, I wouldn't have minded, but I had been hoping to get into Seville before the ticket offices closed in the train station because we needed to book our tickets for tomorrow night! Our next journey will be quite long so I definitely wanted to get those as soon as we arrived.
Even though we arrived an hour late, the ticket offices were still open! :) It ended up being expensive, but we booked our tickets for tomorrow. In hind's sight, we probably shoudn't have come to Seville because we will only be able to spend tomorrow morning in the city and are then scheduled to leave :( I didn't realize, we'd be here for such a short amount of time, but oh well. We're here, it's beautiful, and I'm enjoying my short stay anyway.
Seville has beautiful architecture and several small windy streets. The directions to the hostel were great! and despite these small windy streets, we found our hostel easily. Although it was nearing 10:00, we dropped off our bags and set of to explore the city. The sun was ending its journey beyond the horizon which gave us a glimpse of Seville during the sunset. Darkness set in, but the city night life was just beginning and the streets were bright with activity. We stopped to eat outside in the (very) warm night air enjoying drinks and tappas. We also discovered that they bring you bread and olives...not for free. The servers drop them off at your table and if you don't ask for them to be taken away, you are automatically charged...fortunately not much. :) There was also a moment of panic when he told us how much our bill was. For a moment, I mistook the amount for $30 but after thinking and translating again, I realized it was just 13. need to work on my spanish a bit more...although i'm quite surprised at how much I remember from jr high and one year of high school.
The map our hostel gave us of Seville is black and white with impossibly small street names. Stephen took this as a challenge to not use the map and just find his way back (such a guy thing to do, right?) I am very impressed that he actually managed to do so with only one wrong turn. All the small streets start to look the same and I was soon confused and disoriented. Good thing for brothers.
We won't have internet tomorrow night since we'll be on the train so I'll try to update the next night.
Buenos Noches!
Required Jumping Photo
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Valenthia (thats how they pronounce it here)...
Last night, we found a really nice wine bar that also served mini "sandwiches" and tapas to eat. You paid a set amount per tapas so we were able to choose whichever ones we thought would taste nice. We ate some that we knew would be good, and decided to try a few that we had no idea what they were. Stephen was rewarded with a good one...me, not so much :)
Our hostel is much nicer than the one in Barcelona, but we are also staying in a room with 12 beds, so as a result, we have to deal with noise at all hours of the night. A couple people came in late, but what really kept me up was someone´s snoring. This was no ordinary snoring, but rather it sounded like a hog in full snort...every time! I thought they must be hurting themselves, it was such a forceful sound! Fortunately, they eventually quieted down and I was able to fall asleep.
This morning, I decided to forgo the complementary breakfast of cereal and toast (the same at every place) and expanded my boundaries to the city of Valencia. Our hostel is a couple minutes walk from a Plaza with several places to eat and there was one particular place that had caught my eye as we walked in yesterday. Stephen was still sleeping, so I told him where I´d be then set off. It was nice to be on my own for a change, and I enjoyed watching the city start their day. Valencia is a smaller town (but still full of history) without the mass of tourists. This results in a more authentic atmosphere and a calmer setting. My relaxing breakfast consisted of tea, and a Spanish breakfast, which turned out to be two sandwiches: one was ham and cheese, the other a Spanish omelet (egg and potato). After eating, observing my surroundings, and reading my Kindle, I returned to the hostel to collect my brother. :)
Stephen had just finished showering and was ready to go so we set off to grab some Starbucks. We spent the next couple hours exploring the city, climbing a guard tower, walking through a park, and finally sitting on a bench in the shade to talk. At one point, we found a huge, grassy field with goal posts on either side. The map also showed a football (the American kind) so Stephen started to get really excited! Then I pointed out a sign that said Rugby and his excitement slipped away. Close, but not quite.
At 1:00 a free walking tour was scheduled to start. On the way, we stopped by a restaurant (one of the only food stores open during this siesta time) and quickly ate lunch. I don´t think the server had ever seen people come, eat, and leave so quickly. We then rushed to the meeting place and since we are in Spain, we arrived just in time.
The next couple of hours took us around Valencia, learning about its history (did you know it was once the capital?) and admiring its old architecture. Once we had finished, Stephen and I drank some of the best Horchata around and some fresh squeezed orange juice (so yummy!), then walked about half an hour through the park to the end which holds a set of futuristic looking buildings. It really did look like a scene from star wars with huge white buildings floating over large pools of crystal blue water. Hot, tired, and hungry, we ate dinner at a restaurant close by, then took a bus back to the hostel. We had a couple hours till our next activity so Stephen read while I took a nap.
Our next activity, took us to several places. We first met in the Plaza right next to our hostel. At first we didn´t know where to meet, but we soon spotted a few people from the tour earlier today. We joined the group and figured that we looked enough like tourists to be noticed by anyone looking for us. A group of 9 soon formed and eventually our tour guide appeared. The first three places produced a drink and Tapas and we all sat around, chatting, getting to know each other, and making jokes. Our last stop was the highlight of my night because it was a Flamanco Show! I´ve only seen Flamanco dancers in Riverdance and was so excited to see one up close! It really was up close too! The bar was packed with people, but I managed to find a spot on the floor at the very front just beyond the foot of the stage. At first a guitarist, two singers, and two random backup singers/clappers came out with a lady in a Flamanco dress standing at the side. For two or three songs, the guitarist played while the others clapped and the two men sang. But no dancing. I was starting to worry that this Flamanco "show" was just Flamanco music without the actual dancing! However, I was relieved when the lady started to step out and began her dance with the fastest steps I have ever seen! Really, I didn´t know someone could move their feet that fast and move around with such passion and command. Her every movement was executed with strength and precision, moving to the beat of the music. An hour and a half of music and dancing left us with our first Flamanco experience and one that I thoroughly enjoyed!
In our small group of 9, there was another pair of brother/sister traveling buddies. The brother wanted to keep enjoying the night, so we offered to walk the sister home, and another girl happened to be at our dorm so she walked with us as well.
Today, I briefly looked at some of the Resolved photos and was sad I couldn´t be there but excited to come home and listen to the sessions! I love traveling, meeting new people, getting to know Stephen even better, and meeting up with friends, but what I miss about home is my friends and family there, bed, consistency of a normal life, and Gcom. It´s interesting how change helps us to realize what we really appreciate and the blessings we so often take for granted.
I am loving this trip and will cherish this time with my bro, but I´m also thankful for a nice home to return to. Love and Miss you all!
Our hostel is much nicer than the one in Barcelona, but we are also staying in a room with 12 beds, so as a result, we have to deal with noise at all hours of the night. A couple people came in late, but what really kept me up was someone´s snoring. This was no ordinary snoring, but rather it sounded like a hog in full snort...every time! I thought they must be hurting themselves, it was such a forceful sound! Fortunately, they eventually quieted down and I was able to fall asleep.
This morning, I decided to forgo the complementary breakfast of cereal and toast (the same at every place) and expanded my boundaries to the city of Valencia. Our hostel is a couple minutes walk from a Plaza with several places to eat and there was one particular place that had caught my eye as we walked in yesterday. Stephen was still sleeping, so I told him where I´d be then set off. It was nice to be on my own for a change, and I enjoyed watching the city start their day. Valencia is a smaller town (but still full of history) without the mass of tourists. This results in a more authentic atmosphere and a calmer setting. My relaxing breakfast consisted of tea, and a Spanish breakfast, which turned out to be two sandwiches: one was ham and cheese, the other a Spanish omelet (egg and potato). After eating, observing my surroundings, and reading my Kindle, I returned to the hostel to collect my brother. :)
Stephen had just finished showering and was ready to go so we set off to grab some Starbucks. We spent the next couple hours exploring the city, climbing a guard tower, walking through a park, and finally sitting on a bench in the shade to talk. At one point, we found a huge, grassy field with goal posts on either side. The map also showed a football (the American kind) so Stephen started to get really excited! Then I pointed out a sign that said Rugby and his excitement slipped away. Close, but not quite.
At 1:00 a free walking tour was scheduled to start. On the way, we stopped by a restaurant (one of the only food stores open during this siesta time) and quickly ate lunch. I don´t think the server had ever seen people come, eat, and leave so quickly. We then rushed to the meeting place and since we are in Spain, we arrived just in time.
The next couple of hours took us around Valencia, learning about its history (did you know it was once the capital?) and admiring its old architecture. Once we had finished, Stephen and I drank some of the best Horchata around and some fresh squeezed orange juice (so yummy!), then walked about half an hour through the park to the end which holds a set of futuristic looking buildings. It really did look like a scene from star wars with huge white buildings floating over large pools of crystal blue water. Hot, tired, and hungry, we ate dinner at a restaurant close by, then took a bus back to the hostel. We had a couple hours till our next activity so Stephen read while I took a nap.
Our next activity, took us to several places. We first met in the Plaza right next to our hostel. At first we didn´t know where to meet, but we soon spotted a few people from the tour earlier today. We joined the group and figured that we looked enough like tourists to be noticed by anyone looking for us. A group of 9 soon formed and eventually our tour guide appeared. The first three places produced a drink and Tapas and we all sat around, chatting, getting to know each other, and making jokes. Our last stop was the highlight of my night because it was a Flamanco Show! I´ve only seen Flamanco dancers in Riverdance and was so excited to see one up close! It really was up close too! The bar was packed with people, but I managed to find a spot on the floor at the very front just beyond the foot of the stage. At first a guitarist, two singers, and two random backup singers/clappers came out with a lady in a Flamanco dress standing at the side. For two or three songs, the guitarist played while the others clapped and the two men sang. But no dancing. I was starting to worry that this Flamanco "show" was just Flamanco music without the actual dancing! However, I was relieved when the lady started to step out and began her dance with the fastest steps I have ever seen! Really, I didn´t know someone could move their feet that fast and move around with such passion and command. Her every movement was executed with strength and precision, moving to the beat of the music. An hour and a half of music and dancing left us with our first Flamanco experience and one that I thoroughly enjoyed!
In our small group of 9, there was another pair of brother/sister traveling buddies. The brother wanted to keep enjoying the night, so we offered to walk the sister home, and another girl happened to be at our dorm so she walked with us as well.
Today, I briefly looked at some of the Resolved photos and was sad I couldn´t be there but excited to come home and listen to the sessions! I love traveling, meeting new people, getting to know Stephen even better, and meeting up with friends, but what I miss about home is my friends and family there, bed, consistency of a normal life, and Gcom. It´s interesting how change helps us to realize what we really appreciate and the blessings we so often take for granted.
I am loving this trip and will cherish this time with my bro, but I´m also thankful for a nice home to return to. Love and Miss you all!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Ole' Ole'!!!
Hot and Humid!! Two very good words to describe the weather in Spain right now. But somehow this manages to fit the culture and Spanish experience. So does their time schedule. Stephen and I decided to go on a bike tour of Barcelona. The first tour started at 11, so we slept in, ate a meager breakfast of toast and jam (like I said, not big on their breakfasts), grabbed a Starbucks which was conveniently on the way, and arrived at the bike tour place half an hour early. All the shops were just starting to open and the tour place was closed so we decided to walk around for another 15 minutes. We arrived back at the tour place at 10:50...and still shut down. A couple minutes to 11, an official looking guy comes walking up and opens shop. He introduced himself to us (he was from Australia himself) and picked a couple bikes for us to ride then we waited about ten minutes longer to see if anyone else would show. No one came...so Steve and I got our own personal tour guide for the day!
We took off on our bikes and explored the city of Barcelona. Highlights from the 3 hour ride was the Christopher Columbus statue (which does not point East, even though they had intended it that way), the beaches, and several buildings designed by Goudi. This man was quite the architect. His buildings generally have no straight lines and relate to nature, they are very intricate, and somewhat abstract. I will post pictures later, but if you have time, look up the Segrada Familia which was only partially built by Goudi (and is actually still under construction 100+ years later) until he died. We also spent some time at a small wine shop, drinking wine, eating tapas (bread topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and meat), and talking to our tour guide. Because there was only two of us, he also showed us a couple other places that the tour doesn´t normally include. We cycled back into the shop at 3:30, thanked our tour guide, and went to find lunch.
Our guide had suggested a good place to eat, but after waiting in line for a good 20 minutes (must've been good, but they were also slow), we opted to look elsewhere. I grabbed an apple, almonds, and an avacado (an "A" quality meal...pun intended..) while Steve ordered his hamburger from McDonalds.
We had a something special planned at 6:30 so we walked around awhile, grabbed drinks (I made my own iced coffee cuz they don´t see it here), then walked to the Monumental. We found our seats at the very top of the stadium and at 7:00, we saw our first ever Bull Fight!!! You couldn´t help but hold your breath as a charging bull ran full force toward the Spaniard with his bright pink or red "cape." (excuse my lack of technical terms as i don´t know what they are...) Each time the bull charged, the crowd would chant "Ole!" and clap when the Spaniard had successfully evaded the bulls charges. They continued to tire him out, poke him with spears and swords until finally he lay down from exhaustion. I will spare you the bloody details, but in the end, the Spaniards defeated the bull. :) We stayed to watch four fights then walked downstairs to watch them skin and cut up the freshly killed bull. Steak anyone?
I wasn´t really hungry at this point, and my camera battery was dying, so we spent about 15 minutes at the hostel so I could charge my camera enough for the rest of the night. The Metro took us to the top of a mountain where we met a huge commotion and a massive crowd of people. We had heard that a fountain show would play every half an hour so we started searching for the fountain. It soon became apparent that the massive crowd of people were not there to see the fountain, but to watch a concert. Furthermore, it was a gay-"pride" concert. yikes. We pushed our way through the sea of people, observing quite a few odd sights, then finally emerged only to encountered a different show: this time the fountain show! :) It was a mixture of the Belagio and Disneyland. Music of all genres accompanied an impressive water show shooting water high in the air, creating mist, and changing colors throughout the show. It was so relaxing to sit on the steps of the castle and enjoy the night with a singing/dancing fountain as our entertainment.
We ended the night by sitting at a restaurant on Las Ramblas (the main street of Barcelona...reminded me of 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica), eating a late dinner, talking, and observing the people around us (including a hissing cat lady...).
The internet wasn´t working at our hostel, so we just went straight to bed.
Although, I wouldn´t mind staying longer in Barcelona, I was very happy to say good bye to our hostel. It was the dirtiest we´ve had, and very noisy at night. However, it was also a place to sleep and it served its purpose.
I was hoping the internet would work this morning because I needed to get directions to our hostel in Valencia...our next stop in Spain. But...no such luck. Maybe it would work later in the day. So we grabbed our coffee at Starbucks, shopped for our breakfast and lunch, and headed off to see a couple more sights before leaving. Our first destination was the Parc Guell. It was a community of houses that Goudi had built intending to sell it only to rich people; however, the rich people took one look at his odd designs and refused to live there. He was forced to open them to the public and people are now able to tour them. Some of the houses literally look like Gingerbread houses. As soon as we ented the community, we felt like we were at Disneyland or some sort of zoo. It felt very much like an amusement park..but without the rides. Despite the intense heat and humidity, we walked around the Parc, admiring Goudi´s unique architectural designs.
Our last stop in Barcelona was back to the castle...but with no concert this time. :) I´m actually not sure if its a castle, but thats what it looked like. It stands on the top of a hill, so after climbing multiple sets of stairs, we reached the top only to find out it´s closed on Mondays. Instead, we admired the superior view of Barcelona and only had a few minutes to walk around anyway. The gardens at both places were so beautiful with plenty of green and various colorful flowers.
Our train was set to leave soon, so we returned to the hostel to grab bags and with fingers-crossed we asked if the internet was working. Nope. BUT we did find a solution. My Kindle happens to have internet and I was able to look up the hostel and gather directions! (Thank you Popsy!!!) And guess what? Stephen and I had been smart enough to buy tickets to Valencia yesterday and we had NO train complications!! woo hoo! We found our platform (it literally was a sauna down there), found the correct train and seats, and since we didn´t have to change trains, it took us straight to Valencia with no complications. phew! Once we arrived in Valencia, we actually remembered to get our next train reservations and we found a map of Valencia with good directions to our hostel as well. Such a good traveling day. :)
While walking to our hostel, we decided to stop for dinner. Stopping to eat was a good idea, but the place we decided to stop at, was not. We´d seen a few places called Pan & Company, so we tried it out. It was disgusting...and I´m not very picky to begin with. Stephen´s chicken was not cooked through and I know the pictures of meals always look nicer than the actual food, but if you had seen his sandwich and tried to find it on the board, you wouldn´t have even known which one it was. So far we´ve had really good food experiences so I suppose a bad one was bound to pop up sooner or later.
We continued our search for the hostel and found it with ease. Now we´ll probably go find something real to eat. :)
We took off on our bikes and explored the city of Barcelona. Highlights from the 3 hour ride was the Christopher Columbus statue (which does not point East, even though they had intended it that way), the beaches, and several buildings designed by Goudi. This man was quite the architect. His buildings generally have no straight lines and relate to nature, they are very intricate, and somewhat abstract. I will post pictures later, but if you have time, look up the Segrada Familia which was only partially built by Goudi (and is actually still under construction 100+ years later) until he died. We also spent some time at a small wine shop, drinking wine, eating tapas (bread topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and meat), and talking to our tour guide. Because there was only two of us, he also showed us a couple other places that the tour doesn´t normally include. We cycled back into the shop at 3:30, thanked our tour guide, and went to find lunch.
Our guide had suggested a good place to eat, but after waiting in line for a good 20 minutes (must've been good, but they were also slow), we opted to look elsewhere. I grabbed an apple, almonds, and an avacado (an "A" quality meal...pun intended..) while Steve ordered his hamburger from McDonalds.
We had a something special planned at 6:30 so we walked around awhile, grabbed drinks (I made my own iced coffee cuz they don´t see it here), then walked to the Monumental. We found our seats at the very top of the stadium and at 7:00, we saw our first ever Bull Fight!!! You couldn´t help but hold your breath as a charging bull ran full force toward the Spaniard with his bright pink or red "cape." (excuse my lack of technical terms as i don´t know what they are...) Each time the bull charged, the crowd would chant "Ole!" and clap when the Spaniard had successfully evaded the bulls charges. They continued to tire him out, poke him with spears and swords until finally he lay down from exhaustion. I will spare you the bloody details, but in the end, the Spaniards defeated the bull. :) We stayed to watch four fights then walked downstairs to watch them skin and cut up the freshly killed bull. Steak anyone?
I wasn´t really hungry at this point, and my camera battery was dying, so we spent about 15 minutes at the hostel so I could charge my camera enough for the rest of the night. The Metro took us to the top of a mountain where we met a huge commotion and a massive crowd of people. We had heard that a fountain show would play every half an hour so we started searching for the fountain. It soon became apparent that the massive crowd of people were not there to see the fountain, but to watch a concert. Furthermore, it was a gay-"pride" concert. yikes. We pushed our way through the sea of people, observing quite a few odd sights, then finally emerged only to encountered a different show: this time the fountain show! :) It was a mixture of the Belagio and Disneyland. Music of all genres accompanied an impressive water show shooting water high in the air, creating mist, and changing colors throughout the show. It was so relaxing to sit on the steps of the castle and enjoy the night with a singing/dancing fountain as our entertainment.
We ended the night by sitting at a restaurant on Las Ramblas (the main street of Barcelona...reminded me of 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica), eating a late dinner, talking, and observing the people around us (including a hissing cat lady...).
The internet wasn´t working at our hostel, so we just went straight to bed.
Although, I wouldn´t mind staying longer in Barcelona, I was very happy to say good bye to our hostel. It was the dirtiest we´ve had, and very noisy at night. However, it was also a place to sleep and it served its purpose.
I was hoping the internet would work this morning because I needed to get directions to our hostel in Valencia...our next stop in Spain. But...no such luck. Maybe it would work later in the day. So we grabbed our coffee at Starbucks, shopped for our breakfast and lunch, and headed off to see a couple more sights before leaving. Our first destination was the Parc Guell. It was a community of houses that Goudi had built intending to sell it only to rich people; however, the rich people took one look at his odd designs and refused to live there. He was forced to open them to the public and people are now able to tour them. Some of the houses literally look like Gingerbread houses. As soon as we ented the community, we felt like we were at Disneyland or some sort of zoo. It felt very much like an amusement park..but without the rides. Despite the intense heat and humidity, we walked around the Parc, admiring Goudi´s unique architectural designs.
Our last stop in Barcelona was back to the castle...but with no concert this time. :) I´m actually not sure if its a castle, but thats what it looked like. It stands on the top of a hill, so after climbing multiple sets of stairs, we reached the top only to find out it´s closed on Mondays. Instead, we admired the superior view of Barcelona and only had a few minutes to walk around anyway. The gardens at both places were so beautiful with plenty of green and various colorful flowers.
Our train was set to leave soon, so we returned to the hostel to grab bags and with fingers-crossed we asked if the internet was working. Nope. BUT we did find a solution. My Kindle happens to have internet and I was able to look up the hostel and gather directions! (Thank you Popsy!!!) And guess what? Stephen and I had been smart enough to buy tickets to Valencia yesterday and we had NO train complications!! woo hoo! We found our platform (it literally was a sauna down there), found the correct train and seats, and since we didn´t have to change trains, it took us straight to Valencia with no complications. phew! Once we arrived in Valencia, we actually remembered to get our next train reservations and we found a map of Valencia with good directions to our hostel as well. Such a good traveling day. :)
While walking to our hostel, we decided to stop for dinner. Stopping to eat was a good idea, but the place we decided to stop at, was not. We´d seen a few places called Pan & Company, so we tried it out. It was disgusting...and I´m not very picky to begin with. Stephen´s chicken was not cooked through and I know the pictures of meals always look nicer than the actual food, but if you had seen his sandwich and tried to find it on the board, you wouldn´t have even known which one it was. So far we´ve had really good food experiences so I suppose a bad one was bound to pop up sooner or later.
We continued our search for the hostel and found it with ease. Now we´ll probably go find something real to eat. :)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Count of Monte Cristo
We are now in the midst of a whirlwind tour...spending only a few days at best in each place to briefly experience the major sights and experiences. Although we werent keen to spend much more time in Marseille, there were still a couple sights I wanted to see before leaving. Im sure you can guess our first order of business...yup, Starbucks! And then straight to the docks to catch a boat to the Chateau Dif. The wind had died down and was replaced by an unrelenting sun which accompanied us throughout the next few hours. The short boat ride also showed us several locals enjoying their weekends on their speedy yachts or lazy sailboats.
The Chateau Dif wasnt quite Alcatraz but it was still fun for me to run around and explore. The best part of our explorations was a series of pictures that illustrate MY version of escaping the Chateau. I wish I could post them, but i will just have to wait until i have a proper computer to do so. The Countess of North Hills will come to a blog near you at some point in the future :) (stephen has his own series as well...but a little more original). caution: certain to be cheesy :)
After running around the deserted prison, we road the boat back to Marseille and proceeded to climb the very steep streets to Notre Dame which overlooks the city, bay, and beyond. It is a prominant building capped by a golden statue that is visible from almost any point of Marseille. It was worth a quick look, so thats what we did. We didnt have much time to spare, so we walked in, around, and back down with just enough time to appreciate the art, views, and take a few pictures. One interesting note: This church is where many wives of sailors would go to pray. Apparently they had confidence in their husbands (or sons) abilities at sea so they would pray: Please protect my loved one while he is on land because i know he will be fine at sea. :) Being a place of prayer, I decided to send up a prayer on my own for all the military friends/acquaintances I know serving our country and for the US troops in general.
On our way back down, we stopped by our hostel, made sandwiches for lunch, then hurridly left for the train station. We had allowed ourselves a good hour and fifteen minutes to get there, get reservations, and find our platform. It only took us about 10 minutes to get there but when we asked for a reservation, the ticket-man told us the train was filled and wasnt taking any more reservations!!! I was a bit worried that we would be staying in Marseille another night...but without any reservations...until the ticket-man decided to try entering other routes to Barcelona. By Gods grace, he was thorough in his search and found an alternative route that added train changes, but would get us to Barcelona at the same time we had originally planned for. He quickly printed our tickets and pointed us to the platform that our train was to leave from in just a few minutes! We ran to the platform and immediately entered the train. At first we couldnt find our seats, but a conductor showed us that we were on the wrong train and needed to get on the train just behind this one! Once we were on the correct train, we found our seats and began our journey to Spain. After a train ride to a bus in Avignon, and connecting to two other trains, we arrived in Barcelona...and this time with much better instructions to our hostel than before. Its actually extremely close to the Metro and even though we arrived at 11:00pm, it is located just off a main street that was still bustling with activity, getting ready for another weekend night. Steve and I settled in (to much dirtier beds than we have had so far...should be interesting. at this point i am very glad we brought our silk liners!) and now im going to get some sleep so as to be awake for a tour of Barcelona!
The Chateau Dif wasnt quite Alcatraz but it was still fun for me to run around and explore. The best part of our explorations was a series of pictures that illustrate MY version of escaping the Chateau. I wish I could post them, but i will just have to wait until i have a proper computer to do so. The Countess of North Hills will come to a blog near you at some point in the future :) (stephen has his own series as well...but a little more original). caution: certain to be cheesy :)
After running around the deserted prison, we road the boat back to Marseille and proceeded to climb the very steep streets to Notre Dame which overlooks the city, bay, and beyond. It is a prominant building capped by a golden statue that is visible from almost any point of Marseille. It was worth a quick look, so thats what we did. We didnt have much time to spare, so we walked in, around, and back down with just enough time to appreciate the art, views, and take a few pictures. One interesting note: This church is where many wives of sailors would go to pray. Apparently they had confidence in their husbands (or sons) abilities at sea so they would pray: Please protect my loved one while he is on land because i know he will be fine at sea. :) Being a place of prayer, I decided to send up a prayer on my own for all the military friends/acquaintances I know serving our country and for the US troops in general.
On our way back down, we stopped by our hostel, made sandwiches for lunch, then hurridly left for the train station. We had allowed ourselves a good hour and fifteen minutes to get there, get reservations, and find our platform. It only took us about 10 minutes to get there but when we asked for a reservation, the ticket-man told us the train was filled and wasnt taking any more reservations!!! I was a bit worried that we would be staying in Marseille another night...but without any reservations...until the ticket-man decided to try entering other routes to Barcelona. By Gods grace, he was thorough in his search and found an alternative route that added train changes, but would get us to Barcelona at the same time we had originally planned for. He quickly printed our tickets and pointed us to the platform that our train was to leave from in just a few minutes! We ran to the platform and immediately entered the train. At first we couldnt find our seats, but a conductor showed us that we were on the wrong train and needed to get on the train just behind this one! Once we were on the correct train, we found our seats and began our journey to Spain. After a train ride to a bus in Avignon, and connecting to two other trains, we arrived in Barcelona...and this time with much better instructions to our hostel than before. Its actually extremely close to the Metro and even though we arrived at 11:00pm, it is located just off a main street that was still bustling with activity, getting ready for another weekend night. Steve and I settled in (to much dirtier beds than we have had so far...should be interesting. at this point i am very glad we brought our silk liners!) and now im going to get some sleep so as to be awake for a tour of Barcelona!
Friday, June 24, 2011
3 Hour Tour...
We had great roommates last night (from Canada!) who went to bed early with us and left quietly in the morning. This allowed us to get a great night's rest and sleep in :). Our first activity of the morning was to visit Starbucks and find some breakfast. One of the things we miss about home, is that no matter what time you get up, there will always be a breakfast place open. Europeans don't seem to care for breakfast so even during breakfast hours, we are often hard pressed to find a proper breakfast. But never fear, for the Johns will find a way!
Yesterday, while Stephen and I had been searching for Starbucks, I had seen and made a point to remember where a grocery store was located. Remembering this, I led him back to this location after we'd gotten our coffees and we bought Muesli, milk, and aluminum tins (to act as cereal bowls). While there we also bought bread, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and apples for lunch. So cheap!
We had an hour before a boat tour of the Calanques Islands was to leave, and since our hostel is near the harbor, we walked back to our hostel, ate our cereal, made our sandwiches, and grabbed our jackets. The weather had been so hot yesterday that I'd assumed it would be hot today too. We soon experienced a different weather phenomenon of gusting winds. I was never cold, but not hot either and since we were going on a boat, I thought we should be prepared for even more winds!
Our boat left at 1:30 for a 3 hour tour of the Calanques. Steve and I chose a scenic view from the top deck and as soon as we'd sat down, he started singing "...a three hour tour, a three hour tour" (the theme song from Gilligan's Island. lol) Little did we realize, how true to reality it would become. No, we didn't crash on an island...but we did experience tumultuous waves that tossed us about and sprayed us until we were almost soaking wet. Fortunately, this didn't last the entire time, but the first half an hour was much more exciting than we'd anticipated!
The boat took us past the Chateu D'if, other barren islands, small fishing villages, and into bays with beautiful, clear, turquoise water. Although the Med is very salty, the water looked so inviting and refreshing! Unfortunately the tour didn't include swimming, but by the time we got back, it looked as if we had. When the water had dried, it had also left salty spots and designs on our skin and belongings.
As soon as we returned, we sat on the harbor to eat lunch. This also happened to be the moment that a large French Navy Ship was trying to dock. I'm sure there was a good reason for them to be taking so long, but Steve and I decided that they simply couldn't figure out how to get closer. It made for a comedic routine in our heads.
We discovered yesterday that the dinner culture here doesn't begin until 7 so we continued walking. We visited a regal Byzantine style Cathedral and then stumbled onto a simple church. A pleasant surprise awaited us inside the church in the form of musicians practicing for a concert that night. There was only three of them playing the organ, recorder, and a ukulele-type instrument. The organist also became the percussion section when he pulled out a drum. We enjoyed the music then headed back to our hostel to clean up.
On the way to our hostel, I had noticed several restaurants along the harbor, so once we were clean of salt, we returned to the restaurants and found a nice table by the boats. Our meals were delicious! I ordered a yummy salad while Stephen showed off with a large pot of mussels. The restaurant should've given us a discount because of all the customers we brought them. Every time someone walked by, they would see our table of food, decide to look at the menu (some who had walked on decided to come back and look!), and some would then decide to eat there! Good advertising strategy!
While walking back to our hostel we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. My favorite! :)
Yesterday, while Stephen and I had been searching for Starbucks, I had seen and made a point to remember where a grocery store was located. Remembering this, I led him back to this location after we'd gotten our coffees and we bought Muesli, milk, and aluminum tins (to act as cereal bowls). While there we also bought bread, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and apples for lunch. So cheap!
We had an hour before a boat tour of the Calanques Islands was to leave, and since our hostel is near the harbor, we walked back to our hostel, ate our cereal, made our sandwiches, and grabbed our jackets. The weather had been so hot yesterday that I'd assumed it would be hot today too. We soon experienced a different weather phenomenon of gusting winds. I was never cold, but not hot either and since we were going on a boat, I thought we should be prepared for even more winds!
Our boat left at 1:30 for a 3 hour tour of the Calanques. Steve and I chose a scenic view from the top deck and as soon as we'd sat down, he started singing "...a three hour tour, a three hour tour" (the theme song from Gilligan's Island. lol) Little did we realize, how true to reality it would become. No, we didn't crash on an island...but we did experience tumultuous waves that tossed us about and sprayed us until we were almost soaking wet. Fortunately, this didn't last the entire time, but the first half an hour was much more exciting than we'd anticipated!
The boat took us past the Chateu D'if, other barren islands, small fishing villages, and into bays with beautiful, clear, turquoise water. Although the Med is very salty, the water looked so inviting and refreshing! Unfortunately the tour didn't include swimming, but by the time we got back, it looked as if we had. When the water had dried, it had also left salty spots and designs on our skin and belongings.
As soon as we returned, we sat on the harbor to eat lunch. This also happened to be the moment that a large French Navy Ship was trying to dock. I'm sure there was a good reason for them to be taking so long, but Steve and I decided that they simply couldn't figure out how to get closer. It made for a comedic routine in our heads.
We discovered yesterday that the dinner culture here doesn't begin until 7 so we continued walking. We visited a regal Byzantine style Cathedral and then stumbled onto a simple church. A pleasant surprise awaited us inside the church in the form of musicians practicing for a concert that night. There was only three of them playing the organ, recorder, and a ukulele-type instrument. The organist also became the percussion section when he pulled out a drum. We enjoyed the music then headed back to our hostel to clean up.
On the way to our hostel, I had noticed several restaurants along the harbor, so once we were clean of salt, we returned to the restaurants and found a nice table by the boats. Our meals were delicious! I ordered a yummy salad while Stephen showed off with a large pot of mussels. The restaurant should've given us a discount because of all the customers we brought them. Every time someone walked by, they would see our table of food, decide to look at the menu (some who had walked on decided to come back and look!), and some would then decide to eat there! Good advertising strategy!
While walking back to our hostel we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. My favorite! :)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Parlez-vous Anglais?
...is a common phrase I now use, as well as "Merci Beaucoup."
I didn't realize that different countries have such different keyboards until this trip! My first challenge came in Germany, but that was easily solved by borrowing someone's American Mac. Czech was slightly different as well as Switzerland, but this board is by far the most difficult. If I zqs typing the q,ericqn zqy this is zhqt it zould look like::: (translated: if I was typing the American way this is what it would look like...)
Anyways, this morning we woke up "early," or what has now become early for us :), gathered our belongings, and hitched a ride to the train station with John William. I had printed out our itinierary which was fortunate because we quickly realized that we were supposed to be looking for a bus and not a train. (we're improving somewhat in the transportation department) We then took a tram to the train station where we caught two trains to end up in Marseille! So far our travels have never been completely smooth, and this one also had a hiccup, but fortunately not a big one.
When I'd printed out our hostel reservations, there were always directions (some better than others) to the hostel. As we were nearing Marseille, I figured I should get out the directions to start figuring out where we'd go. Literally, this is what our "directions" said, "The Hostel is located in the Old Port area 5 minutes walking distance from the Metro Vieux-Port." and that was all...how detailed and helpful!...NOT.
I looked up at Stephen with a sheepish smile and read him the directions. poor guy...but now he just shakes his head and laughs.
This trip has certainly sharpened our map reading skills and our reasoning skills as is evidenced by the relatively short amount of time it took for us to find the hostel. We had no idea where Old Port is, but we followed the signs to the Metro and based on a map, we figured out which train to take. Our short ride dropped us off at Old Port and we only got slightly lost (we'd found Avenue Fort Notre Dame but not Rue Fort Notre Dome), so I asked someone if they knew where our street was. We were really close, so she pointed us in the right direction and we soon came to the correct address and thus our hostel.
Our room wasn't quite ready yet so we decided to explore the city of Marseille. It has a strong Mediteranean atmosphere and reminds me a lot of Israel. Unfortunately, the streets are dirty and it often smells, but there are also really cool buildings and views of the ocean. A prominent feature is a fortress built on a hill overlooking the ocean. We tried to get near it, but only succeeded in walking around it. We also found a good view of the Chà teau d'If (from Count of Monte Cristo!) and a few other churches.
The weather today was very hot so at one point we stopped to rest and order drinks. It was also around 5pm and we were both hungry for dinner, however we soon found out that nothing opens for dinner before 7pm. So to pass the time, we continued exploring and searched for the nearest Starbucks which Stephen had previously mapped out (very important! :) ). The atmosphere was so relaxing so we grabbed a couch, pulled out our Kindles, and read until 7. Dinner was eaten right by the harbour, then we walked to a different beach to the West to watch the sunset. Sunsets are absolutely my favorite part of creation and this was no exception. Before it got too dark, we found our way back to the hostel and since we didn't get much sleep last night, we'll try to get a good night's rest.
Bonjourné!
I didn't realize that different countries have such different keyboards until this trip! My first challenge came in Germany, but that was easily solved by borrowing someone's American Mac. Czech was slightly different as well as Switzerland, but this board is by far the most difficult. If I zqs typing the q,ericqn zqy this is zhqt it zould look like::: (translated: if I was typing the American way this is what it would look like...)
Anyways, this morning we woke up "early," or what has now become early for us :), gathered our belongings, and hitched a ride to the train station with John William. I had printed out our itinierary which was fortunate because we quickly realized that we were supposed to be looking for a bus and not a train. (we're improving somewhat in the transportation department) We then took a tram to the train station where we caught two trains to end up in Marseille! So far our travels have never been completely smooth, and this one also had a hiccup, but fortunately not a big one.
When I'd printed out our hostel reservations, there were always directions (some better than others) to the hostel. As we were nearing Marseille, I figured I should get out the directions to start figuring out where we'd go. Literally, this is what our "directions" said, "The Hostel is located in the Old Port area 5 minutes walking distance from the Metro Vieux-Port." and that was all...how detailed and helpful!...NOT.
I looked up at Stephen with a sheepish smile and read him the directions. poor guy...but now he just shakes his head and laughs.
This trip has certainly sharpened our map reading skills and our reasoning skills as is evidenced by the relatively short amount of time it took for us to find the hostel. We had no idea where Old Port is, but we followed the signs to the Metro and based on a map, we figured out which train to take. Our short ride dropped us off at Old Port and we only got slightly lost (we'd found Avenue Fort Notre Dame but not Rue Fort Notre Dome), so I asked someone if they knew where our street was. We were really close, so she pointed us in the right direction and we soon came to the correct address and thus our hostel.
Our room wasn't quite ready yet so we decided to explore the city of Marseille. It has a strong Mediteranean atmosphere and reminds me a lot of Israel. Unfortunately, the streets are dirty and it often smells, but there are also really cool buildings and views of the ocean. A prominent feature is a fortress built on a hill overlooking the ocean. We tried to get near it, but only succeeded in walking around it. We also found a good view of the Chà teau d'If (from Count of Monte Cristo!) and a few other churches.
The weather today was very hot so at one point we stopped to rest and order drinks. It was also around 5pm and we were both hungry for dinner, however we soon found out that nothing opens for dinner before 7pm. So to pass the time, we continued exploring and searched for the nearest Starbucks which Stephen had previously mapped out (very important! :) ). The atmosphere was so relaxing so we grabbed a couch, pulled out our Kindles, and read until 7. Dinner was eaten right by the harbour, then we walked to a different beach to the West to watch the sunset. Sunsets are absolutely my favorite part of creation and this was no exception. Before it got too dark, we found our way back to the hostel and since we didn't get much sleep last night, we'll try to get a good night's rest.
Bonjourné!
Days of Rest
We have now been traveling for 3 weeks. Touring and Exploring is so much fun, but it's also nice to just relax and experience a restful vacation as well. Yesterday and today fell into that category.
Tuesday:
We decided to let ourselves sleep in and catch up on rest, so...at 11:00 am we finally tumbled out of bed. :) We relaxed, ate breakfast with Kimberly, and talked to John William when he came home for his lunch break at 12:00. At about 1:30 we rode into town with John William and walked around, exploring the city a little more. We'd already seen most of the big sights, so we mostly wandered for wanderings sake. First, we grabbed Starbucks :) then walked down the main shopping street which holds some of the world's most expensive shops. At one point, we sat down at a table, talking and enjoying the atmosphere of Geneva.
Continuing on, we ended up in Old Town Geneva where we passed old buildings, a park, and a chess game. This chess game was no ordinary chess game. The board had been painted on the ground and the chess pieces were a couple feet high! We observed several old men lounging on the benches and challenging each other in chess.Classic.
We had scheduled to call Kimberly at 4 to see what she was up to, so we found a telephone nearby. It had also started to sprinkle at this point, so we arranged to meet her at the tram station by her house. (So this is how people used to live without cell phones!! lol) We met her 15 minutes later (although Stephen walked right past her without even knowing..) and she drove us back to their house. Resting some more, Stephen read while I blogged as we waited for John William to come home from work.
At around 7, we all jumped in the car, picked up a friend of John William, and headed to a fondue restaurant! Both Stephen and I had never had fondue and apparently, France has some of the best! The chef recognized John William and after chatting with us, sent over a free bottle of Chardonney. :) We all decided to get the fondue and also that I would be the one to order in French! I ordered correctly, but then she started asking me questions in French to which I referred her back to John William.
The food was absolutely delicious. The fondue was a mixture of three different cheeses and we used our long "pitch fork" utensils to dip bread or potatos into the cheese. Satisfied and very full, we left the restaurant content but also knowing we probably wouldn't eat cheese for at least a week. :)
As we drove back, John William took a back road to their house which also provided an amazing view of Geneva with a backdrop of the Alps lit by the sunset. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, but the exceptional view is one I won't forget. God has created so many beautiful places and I am so blessed to be able to experience some of those places.
Even though it was almost dark, Kimberly and I took a short walk further up the mountain, enjoying the view and enjoying each others company. It was dark when we got back and the boys had just finished playing basketball so we all sat in the living room and watched Terminator 4 then went to bed.
i had planned to insert pictures here but never got the chance. i may not get a chance to for awhile so my narratives will just have to do for now... :)
Wednesday:
This was also a sleep-in day and once again we didn't get up until 11 and 12. Stephen and I were perfectly happy to relax at the Glass house. We had pondered trying to visit Montrix again, but as soon as we saw clouds and rain in the forcast, we decided it wouldnt be worth it. For most of the day, Stephen read while I finished booking hostels for the rest of our trip (its about time, no?) Shortly after lunch, the rain began, bringing bright flashes of lightening and booming thunder. I feel like its rained almost everyday we've traveled...and i should've known it would after assuring mom that i wouldn't need an umbrella. :)
Inside their cozy living room, Stephen and I made coffee and watched Transformers 2. Halfway through, we were joined by John William and Kimberly who also made and served Crepes for dinner! they were absolutely delicious!!!
That night we all hung out, played the french version of scattegories, I showed them the Scottish-influenced game of putting an After 8 mint on your forehead and they had to get it to their mouth without using their hands. (pictures and videos to follow when i have the opportunity...) Then we closed the night by watching Book of Eli, another movie I hadn't seen yet.
Updated Itinerary:
-June 23-25: Marseille
-June 25-27: Valencia, Spain
-June 27-29: Seville
-June 29-30: travel to Caen, France by train all night and day
-July1-3: Caen/Normandy Beaches
-July 3-4: Paris
from here we fly to Scottland to meet up with the rest of our family and we end in Northern Ireland...
Tuesday:
We decided to let ourselves sleep in and catch up on rest, so...at 11:00 am we finally tumbled out of bed. :) We relaxed, ate breakfast with Kimberly, and talked to John William when he came home for his lunch break at 12:00. At about 1:30 we rode into town with John William and walked around, exploring the city a little more. We'd already seen most of the big sights, so we mostly wandered for wanderings sake. First, we grabbed Starbucks :) then walked down the main shopping street which holds some of the world's most expensive shops. At one point, we sat down at a table, talking and enjoying the atmosphere of Geneva.
Continuing on, we ended up in Old Town Geneva where we passed old buildings, a park, and a chess game. This chess game was no ordinary chess game. The board had been painted on the ground and the chess pieces were a couple feet high! We observed several old men lounging on the benches and challenging each other in chess.Classic.
We had scheduled to call Kimberly at 4 to see what she was up to, so we found a telephone nearby. It had also started to sprinkle at this point, so we arranged to meet her at the tram station by her house. (So this is how people used to live without cell phones!! lol) We met her 15 minutes later (although Stephen walked right past her without even knowing..) and she drove us back to their house. Resting some more, Stephen read while I blogged as we waited for John William to come home from work.
At around 7, we all jumped in the car, picked up a friend of John William, and headed to a fondue restaurant! Both Stephen and I had never had fondue and apparently, France has some of the best! The chef recognized John William and after chatting with us, sent over a free bottle of Chardonney. :) We all decided to get the fondue and also that I would be the one to order in French! I ordered correctly, but then she started asking me questions in French to which I referred her back to John William.
The food was absolutely delicious. The fondue was a mixture of three different cheeses and we used our long "pitch fork" utensils to dip bread or potatos into the cheese. Satisfied and very full, we left the restaurant content but also knowing we probably wouldn't eat cheese for at least a week. :)
As we drove back, John William took a back road to their house which also provided an amazing view of Geneva with a backdrop of the Alps lit by the sunset. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, but the exceptional view is one I won't forget. God has created so many beautiful places and I am so blessed to be able to experience some of those places.
Even though it was almost dark, Kimberly and I took a short walk further up the mountain, enjoying the view and enjoying each others company. It was dark when we got back and the boys had just finished playing basketball so we all sat in the living room and watched Terminator 4 then went to bed.
i had planned to insert pictures here but never got the chance. i may not get a chance to for awhile so my narratives will just have to do for now... :)
Wednesday:
This was also a sleep-in day and once again we didn't get up until 11 and 12. Stephen and I were perfectly happy to relax at the Glass house. We had pondered trying to visit Montrix again, but as soon as we saw clouds and rain in the forcast, we decided it wouldnt be worth it. For most of the day, Stephen read while I finished booking hostels for the rest of our trip (its about time, no?) Shortly after lunch, the rain began, bringing bright flashes of lightening and booming thunder. I feel like its rained almost everyday we've traveled...and i should've known it would after assuring mom that i wouldn't need an umbrella. :)
Inside their cozy living room, Stephen and I made coffee and watched Transformers 2. Halfway through, we were joined by John William and Kimberly who also made and served Crepes for dinner! they were absolutely delicious!!!
That night we all hung out, played the french version of scattegories, I showed them the Scottish-influenced game of putting an After 8 mint on your forehead and they had to get it to their mouth without using their hands. (pictures and videos to follow when i have the opportunity...) Then we closed the night by watching Book of Eli, another movie I hadn't seen yet.
Updated Itinerary:
-June 23-25: Marseille
-June 25-27: Valencia, Spain
-June 27-29: Seville
-June 29-30: travel to Caen, France by train all night and day
-July1-3: Caen/Normandy Beaches
-July 3-4: Paris
from here we fly to Scottland to meet up with the rest of our family and we end in Northern Ireland...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Proverbs 16:9
"The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps."
-I feel like this is a good verse for our trip :) (and in life too, it's probably one of my favorites)Sunday:
Not only did we come to Geneva during a music festival, but the Glass'church had planned a retreat for this day! John William drove us to Crechet, which is about an hour and a half away, to a small town at the base of the Alps. We walked up to an old stone building surrounded by green hills and beautiful views. The church service was just about to start so we grabbed a few seats in the back. After worshipping in French, Stephen and I slipped out the back because we weren't going to understand any of the service. I really wanted to walk around and explore, but the weather was cold and we were both exhausted so we ended up laying down in the warm car and taking naps. About an hour and half later we woke up in time for lunch. I sat next to two families. The first family was originally from London and moved to France a year ago for work. The other family had just come back from a year long trip!!! The dad is a nurse and the mom a music teacher with three sons, 18, 16, and 11. They decided to take a year off work and school to travel the world. Because they were living out of their backpacks, they stayed in warm parts of the world (Australia, New Zealand, California, Tahiti, etc...) and survived by finding work (volunteering at different places for lodging and food). I was fascinated by their adventure!
After lunch, John William drove us another 30 minutes to a town called Montreux. The Glass family lives on one side of Lake Leman, and after driving about two hours, you arrive at the other side of the lake at Montreux. It is a quaint, rich town with a boardwalk that runs beside the lake. We walked along this path to reach the Chillon Castle where we toured its courtyard, cellars, prison, weapons room, "bathrooms", and towers. The views from the top overlooked the Lake with the Alps towering behind. It was fun to explore the different rooms, especially with Stephen and John William. :) We finished our stay by eating dinner at a Kebab shop (one of the only restaurants open on Sunday), then drove back to the Glass'. We began to watch a movie, but stopped it half way and everyone went to bed except for me. That's the night I blogged an entire update and lost it all...oh well.
Chillon Castle
They didn't like Stephen so much...
One of the views from the top tower
Monday:
Monday morning we were planning to take a trip up to Chamonix. It's at the top of the Alps and has amazing views, including several glaciers! The day was supposed to be sunny and clear, therefore the perfect day to go. It was hard to wake up since I hadn't slept much the last two nights, but I made a big cup of coffee and was ready to leave by 8. John William dropped us off at the train station at about 8:15 but the ticket booth was closed. We found a ticket machine but all its instructions were in French. We tried figuring it out and a lady behind us was nice enough to help. We figured out how to get the tickets, but when we tried to pay, it wouldn't take our credit cards! We needed to have a special chip in order to pay and there was no slot for money, so we decided to try paying the conductor after we got on the train (hoping they would understand and not fine us for not having tickets...). We had heard that the train would come on the other side of the tracks so thats where we waited for the train. At around 8:35 (about the time our train was supposed to arrive) a train came...but on the other side of the tracks. I assumed another train would come our way soon. But 15 minutes later, we came to the conclusion that we were supposed to be on the other train and had missed it. (what is it with us and trains?! lol) The ticket office opened precisely at this moment, so we inquired about the next train to Chamonix. The lady told us that the next train wasn't until 10:30 (confirming our suspicions of having missed the train) but wouldn't arrive in Chamonix until 4:40pm! (due to train changes). We didn't want to pay money to go for a loooong train ride only to return as soon as we got up there so we declined and walked away.
The Glass' thought we'd be gone the whole day so our next job was to find a phone booth so as to call them. There was a phone right outside the station, but because we were in France, the phone booths were different and wouldn't accept money or my swiss phone card. So....we needed to find a store that sold phone cards. The only problem was that we were in a very small town and had no idea where a store would be so we started walking. I actually enjoyed this hunt because when we'd enter a store, the people didn't speak English so we had to figure out how to communicate with the little French we know and with hand motions (kind of like Charades in real life). Eventually we found a store with calling cards and we were able to call the Glass'. Mr. Glass picked us up and took us into Geneva so we could tour the city for the day. He was very helpful in procuring a map, passes, and showing us where some great sites would be. So with our new agenda, we set off.
Our first stop was Starbucks, where we got energy, and then to Lake Geneva. Our passes included boat rides along the Lake. In the middle of the Lake is a "fountain"that actually looks more like a geyser. It shoots up super high and is quite fascinating to watch. The water in the lake is also beautiful because it's such a clear blue and looks so clean and refreshing! The boats we road zigzagged across the river and dropped us off at the Botanical Gardens. It was around noon, and I thought it so interesting to see several people running along the trails in the gardens. I wonder if its common to take a run on your lunch break in Geneva? If so, they had a beautiful place to do so.
Fountain
In the Botanical Gardens
She took us on a quick tour, showing us the Reformation Wall and Calvin's church, before taking us back to her house. The weather was so nice and warm so we all ate dinner on their back porch. From their yard, we spotted several people paragliding from the nearby mountains and laughed about all the different ways to fly through the air.
Reformation Wall
Calvin's Church
After dinner, we took a ride with Kimberly driving a stick! She's driven in the states, but in an automatic car and some of the street rules are different here so it was quite the adventure! She did great and didn't crash or stall, so we claimed it a success. We finished the movie from last night, I blogged, had a great chat with Kimberly, then happily went to bed. :)
Monday, June 20, 2011
3 Cities in 3 Days
Review Pictures :)
Munich Silliness:
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Friday:
Stephen and I started our search for the hostel, which turned out to be only a 15 minute walk from the station. It was too early to check in, so we locked up our bags and searched for breakfast. As we walked into the town, we noticed several booths being set up to sell food, drinks, ice cream, and clothes. But the odd thing was that we also saw several people dressed up in the traditional Swiss get-up. We soon found out that this was the same weekend as a festival! We found a place to eat that was pricey (especially compared to what we've been accustomed to so far...but we also knew Switzerland would be) but delicious. We had coffee and split a hash brown dish that was mixed with eggs, ham, cheese, and bacon.
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Once our stomachs had settled, we started off on our hike. Last year, Stephen and the boys had hiked up to a restaraunt on the side of a mountain. Stephen remembered where the trailhead was and had enjoyed the hike so we decided to go. At first, I was able to maintain a steady pace behind Stephen. But there was one problem. The hike goes up and up and up and up and up (at a pretty steep incline) the entire time! So throughout the hike, I slowly fell farther and farther behind. At first, he would wait for me and as soon as I arrived, gasping for air, Stephen, now rested, would immediately continue. (sounds like Dad, right Mom? lol) He quickly learned to wait till I had at least caught my breath again. Despite my lagging pace, we maintained a quick pace and an hour and a half later, the glorious restaurant appeared in our sights. :) We did the math and discovered that we had climbed 2500 feet in 90 minutes which is approximately 27 feet per minute! As you can imagine, I am still a little sore several days later :).
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The top of the mountain supplied us with breath-taking views of surrounding mountains and the city of Interlaken where a crystal blue, glacier river runs through the town. While relaxing, chatting, and enjoying our drinks, we were also entertained by several airplanes flying around in different formations. On our way back down the mountain, we stopped at a resting point with benches to eat our lunch (bread, cheese, and meat from a grocery store). The town was still bustling with people, some in their outfits, some playing accordians, yodeling, and others, like us, just enjoying the various activities. We grabbed some ice cream and milk and walked back to our hostel.
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Munich Silliness:
We have been very busy and constantly moving so here is the full update:
Thursday we visited the Fairytale Castle (see previous post).
Castle
Soaking wet in Munich that night
To save time and money, we decided to travel to the Interlaken overnight on a train! I knew we wouldn't get the best night's sleep, but in my mind, we would be sleeping in a sleeper car. When we went to book a car, the only option we had was to book a regular seat on connecting trains. So here's our overnight adventure:
Our train was scheduled to leave at 11:30pm which we promptly made. Our train schedule was to ride to Salzburg, connect to another train until we were close to the Interlaken where we would transfer to two more trains. But we ran into difficulties right away. On the first train, the conductor checked our passes and noticed that Austria was not one of the countries we could travel in...and Salzburg is in Austria (a detail we hadn't foreseen). Fortunately, he let us go to Salzburg but told us we'd have to pay for the next train out of Austria. We weren't sure how much that would cost, but since the train was already running we didn't have much of a choice. Our brief stay in Salzburg started at around 1:15am until our train came about 15 minutes later. We'd reserved seats so we found our car and room which during the day is compartments of 6 seats: 3 on each side, facing each other. Conveniently, these seats could pull out and together create 3 "beds." There was a girl in our compartment already, but we managed to get situated and after awhile we fell asleep. It wasn't a great night's sleep, but it was decent considering the circumstances. Before we fell asleep, I had asked Stephen to set his alarm for 7:15 am since we needed to switch trains at 7:30. The next thing I know, Stephen is yelling for me to wake up and get off the train!! We had both slept through his alarm and by God's grace, Stephen just happened to wake up as our train was sitting in the station we needed to get off at! The trains don't stay put very long, so we frantically grabbed all our stuff and rushed out the door. Disheveled and disoriented, we managed to find the platform for our connecting train. The next two trains left us at Interlaken where we were surrounded by awe-inspiring mountains and glaciers in the distance. I heard that Switzerland means "breath of fresh air" and if it does, I believe it! Our accidental side-trip to Austria
Stephen and I started our search for the hostel, which turned out to be only a 15 minute walk from the station. It was too early to check in, so we locked up our bags and searched for breakfast. As we walked into the town, we noticed several booths being set up to sell food, drinks, ice cream, and clothes. But the odd thing was that we also saw several people dressed up in the traditional Swiss get-up. We soon found out that this was the same weekend as a festival! We found a place to eat that was pricey (especially compared to what we've been accustomed to so far...but we also knew Switzerland would be) but delicious. We had coffee and split a hash brown dish that was mixed with eggs, ham, cheese, and bacon.
The Swiss in their Traditional Outfits
Following Steve Johns up a mountain is not easy
A view from near the top
After checking in, we took long, hot showers which felt amazing after sleeping and hiking in the same clothes! (eww :) ). That night, we had the pleasure of eating dinner with the Mantens! I had run into Martin at Katrina's wedding (we met in Berlin 7 years ago while I was on a high school missions trip) and impressively he had remembered me! That night, they served us a Swiss meal of pasta, cheese, potatoes, and ham (all in one dish). It was delicious! We were also entertained by stories from Martin and all 6 of their children. I had only met three of their children and it was great to see how much they'd grown! as well as meeting their younger siblings. Their youngest son, who is around 2 or 3 was sitting next to me at the table. During dessert, the whip cream can was sitting in front of me so he turned to me and with such cute, pleading eyes, started talking to me in German (he didn't know English). I could only assume he wanted me to give him some.. His mom said that he had asked me in proper German rather than Swiss-German, which is what the family usually speaks. Such a little cutie! Too soon, we had to leave so as to make our train back.
Bed felt wonderful that night. Funny story: the bunk beds in this hostel are really close to each other. I had the top bunk and basically slept right next to another girl in the bed next to me. Sometime during the night she had lost her blanket. In the morning, when the temperature started to drop, she sleepily grabbed for a blanked which happened to be mine! Reflexively, I grabbed the blanket back and she realized what had happened and found her own. awkward... :)
Saturday:
The morning was overcast and raining so rather than go on another hike, we decided to just leave early for Geneva. Rather than walk in the rain, we figured out we could catch a bus. As I was walking to the bus station, I saw a bus with the correct number pull up. I yelled for Stephen to run and we made it on the bus. However, as soon as it started driving, it was going the opposite direction as the train station. I was hoping it would turn around after a few streets but it just kept heading toward the mountains. It was the right bus; wrong direction. Oh well, we weren't in a hurry and we got to tour a little more of Interlaken before leaving. It was also entertaining to watch as a huge group of Swiss people in their traditional clothing came onto the bus. Not an ordinary sight.
We made it to the train station, with spare time to buy lunch materials from a grocery store (similar as before: bread, cheese, salami, and yoghurt). Our train ride to Geneva went smoothly and we enjoyed reading our Kindles for the three hour ride. Our next objective: find Kimberly Glass. We knew they would be at the Victoria Hall from 3-4 and I had two cell phone numbers. Other than that, we were on our own. We knew which tram stop to go to and we have now become pretty good at figuring out maps. But as soon as we knew which tram we needed, we realized it was sitting on the other side of the tracks about to leave. We ran to the tram and Stephen slipped through the doors just as they were closing. I had been behind Stephen and looked up in time to see his smiling face leave with the tram. I was just hoping he'd been listening when I told him the stop we needed. I waited about 15 minutes for the next tram and a few stops later we were reconnected.
We found Victoria Hall at 3:30 and knew the concert didn't finish until 4, so we grabbed coffee at a nearby cafe. We then camped out at the front of Victoria Hall ready to watch for the mass of people exiting the building. I went inside the lobby to check on when the concert would finish. They had a TV playing the concert live so I was able to listen to the very end and the last 15 minutes of anchor peices. It was a really good orchestra!! (I think it was the City of Geneva's orchestra or something big like that!)
As people streamed out of the building, Stephen and I kept our eyes peeled for the Glass'. Slowly the stream of people lessened and then stopped...but there was still no sign of Kimberly. We then moved to Plan B: Call their cell phones. Just one problem, I didn't have a cell phone and I had trouble figuring out their payphone system. I happened to have a calling card, but it took me about an hour to figure out the paying process, then the area codes. It was all very confusing. By this time, we had moved telephone booths and when it started pouring rain outside, Stephen joined me in the booth and offered to help. Naturally, on his first try he was able to connect to a cell phone. We left a message and waited a few minutes so as to call later. Instead, the payphone started ringing so I answered it. Kimberly had called us back and we were able to arrange a meeting point at a nearby Romanian Church that her family was going to that night. A girl from the church was getting baptized and Mr. Glass was asked to preach. The church was close to our phone booth, so we ended up beating Kimberly and John William, and were able to meet Mr. and Mrs. Glass. We stored our backpacks in the church and started sitting down with everyone else. Soon into the service we realized it was all going to be in French and Romanian and was going to be a couple hours long...so during prayer, we sneaked out and explored Geneva, eating dinner at a pizzaria.
A couple hours later, we returned to the church shortly before the service was over. Unbeknownst to us, after the service was a potluck dinner for everyone! So...we had our "second" dinner. Another funny story, as we were putting a little food on our plates, a Romanian man came up to Stephen, looked at his plate, looked at Stephen again, and just grabbed the food off his plate!!! haha! So Stephen grabbed more food and offered more to the Romanian man. :) He laughed.
That night, John, Kimberly, and other youth from the church took us into town because there was a music festival this weekend! (thus the concert earlier that day...) We happen to attract festivals somehow. The night music was much more contemporary so as we walked around the park, we heard rock, rap, reggae, techno, etc...We all had a good time hanging out and did so until late, then went home and to bed.
Kimberly and I being our completely normal selves
Once again, it's pretty late so I'll finish catching up tomorrow. :)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
:(
Want to know something really really sad? I just wrote a whole update from Thursday through Saturday. It took me quite awhile, then I lost it all. :( So I did have an update, but most of it disappeared and I simply don't have time to write it again tonight. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow. sorry.
On a happier note....Happy Father's Day!!!! I love you DAD!!!!!
On a happier note....Happy Father's Day!!!! I love you DAD!!!!!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
SHORT but sweet
I haven't had much access to computers so here is a brief summary for the moment...later to be updated in a more detailed manner.
After the castle, we spent the night on trains, getting an ok night's sleep. (exciting story here, but that'll have to be for later..)
We arrived in the Interlaken, Switzerland mid-morning and went for a hike! (pretty much we hiked straight up for an hour and half so we ended with a great view and i'm a bit sore today...but it was totally worth it!) The views were breathtaking.
Last night we had a real Swiss dinner at the Manten's house and it was so much fun catching up with them and meeting the kids again! (it's been 7 years since I last saw them...)
This morning it was raining, so we headed straight to Geneva. We connected with the Glass family and since there is a music festival this weekend, we got to walk around and enjoy all the different kinds of music.
That is an extremely brief summary of the last few days, but it is now 2am and we have a busy day tomorrow so I will try to update tomorrow (with pictures!!! i have so many beautiful ones from the interlaken!)
Ciao!
After the castle, we spent the night on trains, getting an ok night's sleep. (exciting story here, but that'll have to be for later..)
We arrived in the Interlaken, Switzerland mid-morning and went for a hike! (pretty much we hiked straight up for an hour and half so we ended with a great view and i'm a bit sore today...but it was totally worth it!) The views were breathtaking.
Last night we had a real Swiss dinner at the Manten's house and it was so much fun catching up with them and meeting the kids again! (it's been 7 years since I last saw them...)
This morning it was raining, so we headed straight to Geneva. We connected with the Glass family and since there is a music festival this weekend, we got to walk around and enjoy all the different kinds of music.
That is an extremely brief summary of the last few days, but it is now 2am and we have a busy day tomorrow so I will try to update tomorrow (with pictures!!! i have so many beautiful ones from the interlaken!)
Ciao!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Once Upon a Time...
A girl named Lady Jill and a boy named Sir Stephen found themselves only 2 hours away from one of the most beautiful castles in the world. This extraordinary castle was built exactly the way any child would imagine a castle looking like. This sibling team, booked a tour and departed from the Munich train station at 9:30 am. After two hours of green fields, black forests, and quaint countryside towns, the duo arrived at a small "town" just below the Neuschwastein Castle. For about 30 minutes, the tour guide had explained the history of this fascinating castle while still on the train. Therefore, after a quick lunch in "town," the whole group began the short trek up the hill. Their first stop was to cross a wet, rickety wooden bridge over a towering waterfall. The scariest part was how many people this poor bridge was holding, but hold them all it did. After taking several pictures and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over this picturesque view, the group continued their journey to the castle.
Upon entering the castle grounds, Lady Jill and Sir Stephen continued in their photographing ways until the time had arrived to enter the castle. While walking around this castle, they learned how its builder, King Ludwig II loved building castles but rarely finished them due to budget crisis'. This castle is one of those unfinished products. This king also designed the castle after the opera by Vaugner (sp?). It was quite extraordinary.
Although Lady Jill was indeed a Lady, she also contains a mischevious nature that sometimes shows itself. Knowing that one of her friends, Sir Sean, would soon be visiting this same castle and taking the very same tour, Lady Jill decided to write a special note and hide it somewhere in the castle for Sir Sean to find. Who knows if this scheme will be successful, we will find out in later chapters.
After planting the note in a special place, Lady Jill and Sir Stephen finished the tour which included breathtaking views of the valleys surrounding this "castle on a mountain". By the end of the tour, the sun had finally decided to shine which created the perfect afternoon to hike back down the mountain through a gorge (following their fearless leader, the tour guide, of course).
Being the generous sort, Lady Jill and Sir Stephen forwent their 1st class priveleges to sit with common folk on the 2 hour train ride back. They were rewarded by sitting next to an interesting older couple who had recently retired and oddly enough, were in Germany for a wedding which the lady had sung at!!! (weird coincidence...). Once in Munich again, the royals had time to spare before their night train to the Interlaken, so they searched for a place to eat. After dinner in a Beer Garden (yuk, i really do not care for beer...) they searched for a couple more sights. As soon as they'd found one (after seeing a castle, it was hard to be impressed :) ), the sky decided to pour down rain. Sir Stephen and Lady Jill ran into a coffee shop called San Francisco Coffee (of all places..) and made a game of determining who the other people in the coffee shop were and what their life story was. It was quite an entertaining game. After coffee, they walked home in the pouring rain and arrived at the hostel (very close to the train station) soaking wet. To pass the remaining time, Lady Jill updated.
The End.
We took plenty of pictures but i will have to wait for another computer to upload them. Off to the Interlaken!
Upon entering the castle grounds, Lady Jill and Sir Stephen continued in their photographing ways until the time had arrived to enter the castle. While walking around this castle, they learned how its builder, King Ludwig II loved building castles but rarely finished them due to budget crisis'. This castle is one of those unfinished products. This king also designed the castle after the opera by Vaugner (sp?). It was quite extraordinary.
Although Lady Jill was indeed a Lady, she also contains a mischevious nature that sometimes shows itself. Knowing that one of her friends, Sir Sean, would soon be visiting this same castle and taking the very same tour, Lady Jill decided to write a special note and hide it somewhere in the castle for Sir Sean to find. Who knows if this scheme will be successful, we will find out in later chapters.
After planting the note in a special place, Lady Jill and Sir Stephen finished the tour which included breathtaking views of the valleys surrounding this "castle on a mountain". By the end of the tour, the sun had finally decided to shine which created the perfect afternoon to hike back down the mountain through a gorge (following their fearless leader, the tour guide, of course).
Being the generous sort, Lady Jill and Sir Stephen forwent their 1st class priveleges to sit with common folk on the 2 hour train ride back. They were rewarded by sitting next to an interesting older couple who had recently retired and oddly enough, were in Germany for a wedding which the lady had sung at!!! (weird coincidence...). Once in Munich again, the royals had time to spare before their night train to the Interlaken, so they searched for a place to eat. After dinner in a Beer Garden (yuk, i really do not care for beer...) they searched for a couple more sights. As soon as they'd found one (after seeing a castle, it was hard to be impressed :) ), the sky decided to pour down rain. Sir Stephen and Lady Jill ran into a coffee shop called San Francisco Coffee (of all places..) and made a game of determining who the other people in the coffee shop were and what their life story was. It was quite an entertaining game. After coffee, they walked home in the pouring rain and arrived at the hostel (very close to the train station) soaking wet. To pass the remaining time, Lady Jill updated.
The End.
We took plenty of pictures but i will have to wait for another computer to upload them. Off to the Interlaken!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
From quaint to contemporary
Today was mostly a traveling day. We only had about an hour to walk around Prague before needing to leave for the train station. I had read about a chandelier being given to a church by Nicholas II and was convinced that it was St. Nicholas' Cathedral. We walked across town and across St. Charles' Bridge only to find an entry fee and no chandelier (we didn't pay to go in because the person had no idea what i was talking about when i mentioned a chandelier). I later found out that it was actually located in St. Nicholas' CHURCH. But i also found out that the cathedral we briefly visited has an organ that Mozart played on. just fyi :)
anyways...because of the long trek across town, we had to rush to the train station only to find out that we were an hour too early (i had read a time for a bus which isn't what we wanted...i'm still learning). We relaxed on the grass out front and took the train to Munich. Fortunately, everything went according to plan. At one point, the guy checking our tickets kept telling me we needed to get off at the next stop, but according to our schedule, we weren't supposed to get off for another 2 hours! When we arrived at that stop, EVERYONE in the car started getting up and leaving. We followed the crowd to a different train where we resumed our ride to Munich. We merely needed to change trains but language differences often make a little change very confusing! :) Conveniently, our hostel turned out to be about a minute's walk from the station! We had dinner at a great place that felt medieval. They served us literally half of a chicken, and if so desired, about a liter of beer.
After dinner, we explored and walked to the Konigsplatz. What we found was three large Greek buildings and surprisingly, a concert attended by several university students. Steve and I sat on the grass to enjoy the music and atmosphere for a little while then headed back.
We noticed there are a lot of young people here (must be a university town) and a TON of bikes everywhere. Tomorrow we are headed to another castle (neuschwanstein) that looks absolutely beautiful! I can't post pictures tonight and tomorrow night we'll probably be on a train all night so maybe the next day :)
anyways...because of the long trek across town, we had to rush to the train station only to find out that we were an hour too early (i had read a time for a bus which isn't what we wanted...i'm still learning). We relaxed on the grass out front and took the train to Munich. Fortunately, everything went according to plan. At one point, the guy checking our tickets kept telling me we needed to get off at the next stop, but according to our schedule, we weren't supposed to get off for another 2 hours! When we arrived at that stop, EVERYONE in the car started getting up and leaving. We followed the crowd to a different train where we resumed our ride to Munich. We merely needed to change trains but language differences often make a little change very confusing! :) Conveniently, our hostel turned out to be about a minute's walk from the station! We had dinner at a great place that felt medieval. They served us literally half of a chicken, and if so desired, about a liter of beer.
After dinner, we explored and walked to the Konigsplatz. What we found was three large Greek buildings and surprisingly, a concert attended by several university students. Steve and I sat on the grass to enjoy the music and atmosphere for a little while then headed back.
We noticed there are a lot of young people here (must be a university town) and a TON of bikes everywhere. Tomorrow we are headed to another castle (neuschwanstein) that looks absolutely beautiful! I can't post pictures tonight and tomorrow night we'll probably be on a train all night so maybe the next day :)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Fairytale Land
Prague at midnight and Prague in the morning are two very different places! As I walked out to meet the city this morning, I felt like I had stepped into a Disney movie! It seemed a natural thing to burst into a Disney song that everyone would also happen to know and dance to...don't worry, thats not what I did. I did mention that to Stephen and he seemed to walk a little further from me... :)
We explored the city a little, grabbed a coffee, and met a group of people for a free tour of the city! For the next few hours, we roamed Prague and learned about its history, folktales, and culture. After this tour had ended, we ate a snack by the river and walked back to meet for a second tour of the Castle! When we arrived for the tour, they told us the English tour had just left, but if we ran, we could catch up to them. So....that's what we did. Both tours were great! We learned a lot about Prague and saw most of its highlights. Our first tour guide was nice, but our second tour guide had so much energy and such fun stories! :) We ended the evening by walking across St. Charle's Bridge, grabbed some dinner, and planned more for Europe at our hostel. We had planned to see the city lights, but as I was planning, it began raining with thunder! So, we just stuck to planning :) Here are some pictures from the day.
Good night!
We explored the city a little, grabbed a coffee, and met a group of people for a free tour of the city! For the next few hours, we roamed Prague and learned about its history, folktales, and culture. After this tour had ended, we ate a snack by the river and walked back to meet for a second tour of the Castle! When we arrived for the tour, they told us the English tour had just left, but if we ran, we could catch up to them. So....that's what we did. Both tours were great! We learned a lot about Prague and saw most of its highlights. Our first tour guide was nice, but our second tour guide had so much energy and such fun stories! :) We ended the evening by walking across St. Charle's Bridge, grabbed some dinner, and planned more for Europe at our hostel. We had planned to see the city lights, but as I was planning, it began raining with thunder! So, we just stuck to planning :) Here are some pictures from the day.
Beautiful Prague
enjoying our tour :)
Higher view of Prague...on our way to the castle
Prague has possibly the most statues of all cities...this is of King George slaying the dragon. :)
Inside a church inside the castle grounds
Staring Contest
I am definitely the more intimidating one...
The door is just my size! (also this was in a movie called Amadeus)
Those black circles on the building are actual canon balls that have never been removed!
Steve and I on the bridge
Apparently, if you rub the dog, you will have bad luck...
...and if you rub the woman, you will have good luck! We're waiting to see what'll happen...
The sky was absolutely gorgeous all day!
Good night!
Marvels and Mishaps
Our last day in Germany began well and ended...well, let's call it an adventure.
With the wedding being over, you would think we'd all be sleeping in and relaxing, right? Well, some of us did. Stephanie Andresen and Stephanie Armstrong left the house at 4:30AM to go to Ireland for a week. Kimberly left around 7, and Mr. Andresen was the one who carted everyone around. Carissa and I managed to sleep through the early morning activity and woke up rested. Once again, we were able to take our time getting ready and I decided to pack my backpack since Stephen and I were planning to leave. :( We didn't know when exactly we'd be leaving but I figured we should leave sometime in the afternoon. This day also happened to be a German holiday so Thomas invited us to a park with other church friends. Stephen, Sean, Erich, and Thomas came to the Andresen's where Stephen and I said our goodbyes to everyone and left for the park. We grabbed some lunch at McDonalds on the way and arrived at a beautiful and HUGE park! By park, I don't mean the little parks where kids slide down the one slide and play in the sand. I mean a HUGE green park with fields of grass, dirt paths, some statues, and several trees. It took us awhile to find the our church friends, but we finally did and began passing around a volleyball. Next, Thomas taught us all how to play Cricket! Then we ended with a Russian game called "3 is too many" (translated literally). It's hard to explain, but it was really fun to play!
The next few hours were sad and a little unfortunate. Thomas, Erich, Sean, Stephen, and I walked back to the car so that Steve and I could grab our backpacks. When we were almost to the train station, Stephen realized he had forgotten his jacket in Thomas' car! (I'm just glad he remembered before we were on the train!) Thomas graciously offered to run back and meet us at the station. The rest of us continued on, and tried to figure out which train we should take. When Thomas was back and we'd bought our tickets, we hugged them goodbye and took off. It was sad to say goodbye to all our new friends, but we couldn't be sad for long, because we were on our way to Prague!!
We still had to switch trains so as to take the Eurail from Berlin to Prague. We managed to get off at the right station and find the platform that the train would leave from. Fortunately, the train was running a little late and we arrived with about 10 minutes to spare. 10 minutes went by and still our train wasn't there...something wasn't quite right. Stephen went to check and found out that the train had been moved to the platform behind us!!! Naturally, he was informed just as the train was leaving. Therefore, while we were sitting on the platform waiting for our train, it was sitting literally a couple yards away. Aaaaand we missed it. :) For some reason, God didn't want us on that train. The next train was due an hour later so we sat around, checking the train updates often, and eventually boarded the correct train headed for Prague! :) We left Berlin about 6:30pm and arrived in Prague at 11:30pm.
And that's not the end of our adventure...
You see, I've never really had to plan for trains, and hostels, while trying to think of everything we might need to know. So...I managed to forget something pretty important...directions to our hostel from the train station! Fortunately (more of God's grace), when I had printed out our reservations for the hostel, there were directions written on the back! I didn't have a map of Prague, but at least we had this.
Directions were a helpful step, but by the time we arrived, the station was dark and almost empty and all the signs were in Czech. This resulted in us guessing...quite often. Fortunately, again, we managed to guess correctly pretty much the whole night. We followed the steps down to the main part of the station. After searching a little, we found a Metro sign. That was good, but then where were we supposed to buy tickets? and with what? (since we didn't have Czech money). Here's how we did it. Stephen got cash from an ATM, but naturally it gave him cash in big bills. We finally found the ticket machines only to find that they only take coins; but we only had bills. Next objective: change our bill into coins. We found an open cafe in the train station and although the cashier didn't look happy about giving change for a large bill (we simply bought a water), he did anyway and we had coins! Next dilemma, the ticket machines would only take 20 Korun coins. We had one 20 and one 50...we needed two 20's. So...I returned to the cafe to buy another water and recieve a 20 K coin. Success!
We found the correct Metro and took the train to the next station where we needed to change to another line. As we stood waiting for the next train, we were told that this was going to be the last train for the night!! What timing! (once again, God was gracious!) We took the last train to our exit and found our next challenge. How were we supposed to find the streets on our written directions? We never did find the streets, but by following Stephen's intuitions on directions (which sometimes isn't the smartest thing, but in this case was impeccably accurate) and by spotting one landmark that I had read about in the directions, we were able to find our hostel! I'm still amazed that we did it so quickly and without a map, but very glad that we did. It was almost 1am by this point and we were more than ready to find a bed. :)
We checked into our hostel room and immediately went to bed.
Sorry, no pictures were taken to document this day....but never fear, I have a TON from today.
With the wedding being over, you would think we'd all be sleeping in and relaxing, right? Well, some of us did. Stephanie Andresen and Stephanie Armstrong left the house at 4:30AM to go to Ireland for a week. Kimberly left around 7, and Mr. Andresen was the one who carted everyone around. Carissa and I managed to sleep through the early morning activity and woke up rested. Once again, we were able to take our time getting ready and I decided to pack my backpack since Stephen and I were planning to leave. :( We didn't know when exactly we'd be leaving but I figured we should leave sometime in the afternoon. This day also happened to be a German holiday so Thomas invited us to a park with other church friends. Stephen, Sean, Erich, and Thomas came to the Andresen's where Stephen and I said our goodbyes to everyone and left for the park. We grabbed some lunch at McDonalds on the way and arrived at a beautiful and HUGE park! By park, I don't mean the little parks where kids slide down the one slide and play in the sand. I mean a HUGE green park with fields of grass, dirt paths, some statues, and several trees. It took us awhile to find the our church friends, but we finally did and began passing around a volleyball. Next, Thomas taught us all how to play Cricket! Then we ended with a Russian game called "3 is too many" (translated literally). It's hard to explain, but it was really fun to play!
The next few hours were sad and a little unfortunate. Thomas, Erich, Sean, Stephen, and I walked back to the car so that Steve and I could grab our backpacks. When we were almost to the train station, Stephen realized he had forgotten his jacket in Thomas' car! (I'm just glad he remembered before we were on the train!) Thomas graciously offered to run back and meet us at the station. The rest of us continued on, and tried to figure out which train we should take. When Thomas was back and we'd bought our tickets, we hugged them goodbye and took off. It was sad to say goodbye to all our new friends, but we couldn't be sad for long, because we were on our way to Prague!!
We still had to switch trains so as to take the Eurail from Berlin to Prague. We managed to get off at the right station and find the platform that the train would leave from. Fortunately, the train was running a little late and we arrived with about 10 minutes to spare. 10 minutes went by and still our train wasn't there...something wasn't quite right. Stephen went to check and found out that the train had been moved to the platform behind us!!! Naturally, he was informed just as the train was leaving. Therefore, while we were sitting on the platform waiting for our train, it was sitting literally a couple yards away. Aaaaand we missed it. :) For some reason, God didn't want us on that train. The next train was due an hour later so we sat around, checking the train updates often, and eventually boarded the correct train headed for Prague! :) We left Berlin about 6:30pm and arrived in Prague at 11:30pm.
And that's not the end of our adventure...
You see, I've never really had to plan for trains, and hostels, while trying to think of everything we might need to know. So...I managed to forget something pretty important...directions to our hostel from the train station! Fortunately (more of God's grace), when I had printed out our reservations for the hostel, there were directions written on the back! I didn't have a map of Prague, but at least we had this.
Directions were a helpful step, but by the time we arrived, the station was dark and almost empty and all the signs were in Czech. This resulted in us guessing...quite often. Fortunately, again, we managed to guess correctly pretty much the whole night. We followed the steps down to the main part of the station. After searching a little, we found a Metro sign. That was good, but then where were we supposed to buy tickets? and with what? (since we didn't have Czech money). Here's how we did it. Stephen got cash from an ATM, but naturally it gave him cash in big bills. We finally found the ticket machines only to find that they only take coins; but we only had bills. Next objective: change our bill into coins. We found an open cafe in the train station and although the cashier didn't look happy about giving change for a large bill (we simply bought a water), he did anyway and we had coins! Next dilemma, the ticket machines would only take 20 Korun coins. We had one 20 and one 50...we needed two 20's. So...I returned to the cafe to buy another water and recieve a 20 K coin. Success!
We found the correct Metro and took the train to the next station where we needed to change to another line. As we stood waiting for the next train, we were told that this was going to be the last train for the night!! What timing! (once again, God was gracious!) We took the last train to our exit and found our next challenge. How were we supposed to find the streets on our written directions? We never did find the streets, but by following Stephen's intuitions on directions (which sometimes isn't the smartest thing, but in this case was impeccably accurate) and by spotting one landmark that I had read about in the directions, we were able to find our hostel! I'm still amazed that we did it so quickly and without a map, but very glad that we did. It was almost 1am by this point and we were more than ready to find a bed. :)
We checked into our hostel room and immediately went to bed.
Sorry, no pictures were taken to document this day....but never fear, I have a TON from today.
Wedding Bells
I'm alive! :) last night was quite the adventure so there was no time to update...so...here i go!
Wedding!:
The day of the wedding was such a fun day! Since the wedding wasn't until the afternoon, we had a relaxing morning with plenty of time to get ready. The bride/bridesmaids left the house at 10 to get their hair done and finish preparing at the church. Kimberly, Stephanie Armstrong, and I continued preparing at the house. At 12, the Kinzels arrived to pick us up, and we followed Uncle Clemens to the church. We didn't really need to be at the church until 1:30ish but the day of the wedding also happened to be the day of a HUGE parade on the same street as the church! As a result, several streets were blocked off and parking was hard to find. We did manage to drive in circles for awhile, but Uncle Clemens pulled through and led us to the church with plenty of time to spare. We were all hungry by this time, so we revisited the cafe next door (which we had eaten at the day prior after the rehearsal). About 30 minutes before the wedding was scheduled to start, I received my microphone and ran through the song once. I wasn't very nervous at this point, but my usual "pattern of nervousness" is to not be nervous until just before I sing. That's when butterflies take off and my heart begins to pound a little bit harder. :)
The wedding began and all the bridesmaids/grooms looked beautiful/handsome while successfully walking down the aisle without tripping. The time came for Katrina to enter. No one had been allowed to see the bride before the ceremony, so we were all anxiously awaiting her appearance. She looked absolutely gorgeous! even regal! I almost felt like I was at a royal wedding :) Her smile couldn't have been more radiant or joyful. Neither could Marco's.
During the ceremony, Martin Manten spoke to Marco giving him advice from the Bible and from experience on how to lead his wife and future family. Christian Andresen interpreted into English. They then switched, and Christian spoke to Katrina while Martin interpreted. There was a funny moment when Christian began speaking in English! quick on his feet, Martin then translated it back into German. :) Christian realized this and we all had a good laugh.
After this, the congregation stood to sing a hymn. It was at this point that tragedy struck. As some of you know, I've had a cough for almost 8 months now. It sounds horrible at times, but that's not what worried me. I started to cough and as a result, my throat became froggy and I could barely sing! I was scheduled to sing my solo just as soon as the congregation was finished singing the hymn!!! I began to pray, cough, clear my throat, and drink lots of water in the hopes that my throat and voice would clear. Fortunately, the hymn was 5 verses long and just as everyone was finishing the last verse, my throat cleared and I could sing clearly again! Praise the Lord!
As predicted, I was nervous by this point, but confident because of all the practicing I'd been able to do that week. By God's grace, I was able to sing the song clearly and well, but was sad to sing the end, because it meant I wouldn't be singing it anymore. oh well. maybe another friend will want me to sing it at their wedding too. :) (any takers? lol)
Katrina and Marco said the vows they had written for each other, exchanged rings, and sealed it with a kiss. They were pronounced Marco and Katrina Bartholema and back down the aisle they went, man and wife. :)
We all took off immediately for the reception (at the Barn) where we set up several tables of beautifully decorated cupcakes! (they tasted really good too). The reception also had a horse and carriage ride that Stephen, Kimberly, Suzie, and I took advantage of! We rode through a forest where the scenery was so lush and green. The rest of the reception consisted of hugging the bride and groom, hanging out, and having a good time with all our new friends. After the happy couple departed, we helped tear down and headed back to the Andresens to eat and hang out some more. We finally fell into our beds around midnight, exhausted but happy. :)
Wedding!:
The day of the wedding was such a fun day! Since the wedding wasn't until the afternoon, we had a relaxing morning with plenty of time to get ready. The bride/bridesmaids left the house at 10 to get their hair done and finish preparing at the church. Kimberly, Stephanie Armstrong, and I continued preparing at the house. At 12, the Kinzels arrived to pick us up, and we followed Uncle Clemens to the church. We didn't really need to be at the church until 1:30ish but the day of the wedding also happened to be the day of a HUGE parade on the same street as the church! As a result, several streets were blocked off and parking was hard to find. We did manage to drive in circles for awhile, but Uncle Clemens pulled through and led us to the church with plenty of time to spare. We were all hungry by this time, so we revisited the cafe next door (which we had eaten at the day prior after the rehearsal). About 30 minutes before the wedding was scheduled to start, I received my microphone and ran through the song once. I wasn't very nervous at this point, but my usual "pattern of nervousness" is to not be nervous until just before I sing. That's when butterflies take off and my heart begins to pound a little bit harder. :)
The wedding began and all the bridesmaids/grooms looked beautiful/handsome while successfully walking down the aisle without tripping. The time came for Katrina to enter. No one had been allowed to see the bride before the ceremony, so we were all anxiously awaiting her appearance. She looked absolutely gorgeous! even regal! I almost felt like I was at a royal wedding :) Her smile couldn't have been more radiant or joyful. Neither could Marco's.
During the ceremony, Martin Manten spoke to Marco giving him advice from the Bible and from experience on how to lead his wife and future family. Christian Andresen interpreted into English. They then switched, and Christian spoke to Katrina while Martin interpreted. There was a funny moment when Christian began speaking in English! quick on his feet, Martin then translated it back into German. :) Christian realized this and we all had a good laugh.
After this, the congregation stood to sing a hymn. It was at this point that tragedy struck. As some of you know, I've had a cough for almost 8 months now. It sounds horrible at times, but that's not what worried me. I started to cough and as a result, my throat became froggy and I could barely sing! I was scheduled to sing my solo just as soon as the congregation was finished singing the hymn!!! I began to pray, cough, clear my throat, and drink lots of water in the hopes that my throat and voice would clear. Fortunately, the hymn was 5 verses long and just as everyone was finishing the last verse, my throat cleared and I could sing clearly again! Praise the Lord!
As predicted, I was nervous by this point, but confident because of all the practicing I'd been able to do that week. By God's grace, I was able to sing the song clearly and well, but was sad to sing the end, because it meant I wouldn't be singing it anymore. oh well. maybe another friend will want me to sing it at their wedding too. :) (any takers? lol)
Katrina and Marco said the vows they had written for each other, exchanged rings, and sealed it with a kiss. They were pronounced Marco and Katrina Bartholema and back down the aisle they went, man and wife. :)
We all took off immediately for the reception (at the Barn) where we set up several tables of beautifully decorated cupcakes! (they tasted really good too). The reception also had a horse and carriage ride that Stephen, Kimberly, Suzie, and I took advantage of! We rode through a forest where the scenery was so lush and green. The rest of the reception consisted of hugging the bride and groom, hanging out, and having a good time with all our new friends. After the happy couple departed, we helped tear down and headed back to the Andresens to eat and hang out some more. We finally fell into our beds around midnight, exhausted but happy. :)
Singing for Katrina and Marco
Wedding ceremony
At the reception
Carriage Ride!
The happy couple with Mr. and Mrs. Andresen
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