July 5-7: Cinque Terre, Italy (By Jeff)

After a very long day of travel with a 1.5 hour plane, 1 hour bus, and 3.5 hour train we were very relieved to have finally made it to Riomaggiore in the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is a set of 5 small towns that are connected by a gorgeous coastal walking route between each town. It’s popularity has made this region a national park as it is great to explore the towns and hike between them if it is not 95 degrees (which it was when we were there). Since neither of us have ever been to Italy, our first meal was quite a big deal for us as we have only heard stories and tasted what America considers Italian food. That first dinner was a gluttonous display with shellfish pasta, meat ravioli, stuffed mussels, grilled swordfish and a bottle of wine. We like to remind ourselves that we are backpacking not to overdo it (we had not eaten for like 8 hours prior to dinner).

The following morning we decided to start the hiking between the villages. We were at the southern-most village so the other 4 villages were along the trail to the North of us. The first couple villages are short walks like 20 and 40 minutes while the final 2 are 1.5 and 2 hours all increasing with difficulty. We hiked to Corniglia (3rd town) and realized it was too hot to do a difficult 2 hour hike and took the 10 minute train to the next town Vernassa. We hung out here for a while and eventually rented a Kayak to go explore some of the cliffs that surround this beautiful area and take a swim away from the tourist swarms. The ocean appeared a lot calmer within the dock area than it was when out there a ways and Liz began to feel her seasickness kick in. It was a quick but very gorgeous way to see the towns. We went for dinner in the final town Monterosso at a restaurant right on the beach with a great view as the sun was setting. We agreed that the following day we would get up “early” and go hike between Vernassa and Monterosso (it is said to be the most beautiful hike) before it got too hot and before our train to Siena that evening.

Our later start to the day than expected allowed for the heat to set in more than we would have preferred before beginning the hike, but we were committed nonetheless. Within minutes sweat was pouring down our faces and we knew it was going to be a challenging and disgusting next 1.5 hours. Upon reaching the summit of the hike you get a complete view of Vernassa and how beautiful it looks tucked away between mountains and flush with the ocean. As we pushed on swatting away bees and other insects attracted to our sweat we finally began to go downhill where the hike gets easier and eventually made it to Monterosso…the hard way. We hung at the beach for a couple hours and relaxed before hopping back on the train and heading down to Siena for the next few nights.


Monterosso Beach


Vernassa

July 2-5: Prague and Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic (By Jeff)

We arrived late afternoon into Prague tired and sweaty from a nearly 4 hour bus from Nuremburg, Germany. We found the tourist center in the train station where we arrived and he gave us all the basic city info we needed as well as how to get to our hotel. He had told us it was an 8-10 Euro cab ride, and nothing more. We were already tired from the bus ride, the temperature outside felt like 95 degrees, and our heavy bags were not helping. We chose to splurge for a cab (a rare event for us) and found a lot of about 10 cabs lined up. We pointed on a map to them where we needed to go and without hesitation a driver said 25 Euro as if there was no way to get there any cheaper. Disgusted and shocked we began to walk away until the head-honcho cabbie leader came up and eventually let us go for 11 Euro…a nice 65% discount from the original quote. The drive took about 4 minutes so it became apparent that local services would try to take full advantage of obvious tourists.

After settling into our hotel we decided to go explore the city center of Prague. Within moments you notice just how detailed and beautiful Prague truly is with its very old style of buildings and intricate molding and sculptures on what appear to just be apartment buildings. There are several gothic cathedrals scattered around the city and a gorgeous clock tower that overlooks the main city center plaza. We then found ourselves going on our daily dinner search which can be a bit trickier in the cities we are not yet familiar with. We found a place that served traditional Czech cuisine (or at least it advertised it), and ordered some delicious rosemary chicken and some of the chewiest (similar to what a dog experiences when chewing on a raw hide) steak you could ever imagine. After dinner we returned home to get ready for our eventful next day.

We narrowly caught our 8:15am bus to Cesky Krumlov the next morning which apparently is a big tourist attraction even amongst Czech people. The bus was completely full, so much so that Liz and I were not able to sit near each other and people were even lying down in the aisles between seats. After a grueling 4 hour ride we finally made it. From just outside the bus station you get a panoramic view of the gorgeous city that is built around a medieval castle and surrounded on 3 sides by a river that flows all the way through Prague. I had heard from some good family friends who visited here that it is a great place to rent a canoe/raft and go paddle down the river for the beautiful scenery as well as stop at the various campsites and towns along the way. Considering how much we have been sweating bullets for the previous couple weeks here in Europe, we figured it might be a fun and more refreshing way to see a city. It proved to be a great idea after we finally got going about 4pm for a 4 hour journey down the river. Initially the company we used gave us a raft with a hole in it and we had to wait an hour in the heat for him to return with a functional raft…rough start. After floating for some time we chose to stop at a campsite and get a sausage and a beer for lunch. It seemed to be a very normal place to visit except for one thing we noticed hanging from a tree about 30 yards from us. There was a full size Confederate Flag on display at this campsite and in such a way that it was tied between 2 trees and required a ladder to get it up there. It seemed a bit odd for several reasons, but most of all what was it doing there??? So we continued on for another hour or so until this group of Czech people around our age came up beside us and anchored themselves to us. They were clearly drunk but were hilarious and very nice to us. They offered us a beer of theirs and wanted us to stop with them at the next campsite and join them for a bite to eat and a beer so we joined. We ended up having a great time and 2 of them even hopped in our raft to help us paddle the remainder of the trip where they were stopping too for the night. They were disappointed we were only going down the river for just the day as they were on a 4-5 day camping trip down the river and raved about how much fun it was and even offered us a place to stay with them in their tents. Sadly we had already paid for our hotel room and needed to get back to town. Upon reaching the campsite where we needed to call the driver to come and get us we realized we had lost the number and could not find anyone who spoke English well enough to understand us. After 20 minutes of running around we caught a break and our driver randomly showed up to our rescue as we were about an hour later than he thought we would be. He was not happy with us to say the least. Aside from being cold and bitter towards us, he refused to talk to us and made us feel terrible for keeping him waiting as the raft that left an hour before us with 6 people did the whole trek in 2.5 hours…I decided not to explain simple math to him that there were only 2 of us so naturally it would take us much longer. Needles to say, it was a very awkward car ride back. Upon returning we went for dinner at a local place and went home as we had to do that same lengthy bus ride back to Prague again the next morning. We were very glad that we made the trip though as it turned out to be a great experience and a break from everyday site seeing.


The real Budweiser!


Rafting!


At the place where we got sausages and beers


Confederate flag...

Our last day in Prague got off to a late start as a much needed nap and desire to stay out of the heat of the day were big priorities for us. Once it cooled down we made sure to go check out the King Wenceslas Bridge and the Prague Castle which were both great sites but unfortunately undergoing construction. We stumbled upon the St. Nicholas bell tower where we decided to climb to the top as it was a former Communist Observation point used during WWII. It was very strange to be walking around the same place where such cruel and inhumane history was rooted. As the night went on we began walking back down the hill and found a great winery that served wine and snacks from tables that overlooked the entire city. It was a very relaxing time for us as we had been continuously on the move for the previous four days, and the setting beautiful. After the wine we returned home to get ready for our flight to Milan that next day.


At the winery




View from the bell tower of St. Nicholas

June 28-July 2: Munich and Nuremburg, Germany

Our arrival in Munich was a little less welcoming than we had expected. Our overnight train from Amsterdam and arrived in Munich around 7am. Sleepy and groggy, we got off the train and were met by two plainclothes policemen who showed us their badges and asked to see our passports. They asked where we came from and if we had any drugs with us. We said of course not, and he asked us if we were sure. We affirmed that we did not have any drugs, and then he asked us if we smoked cigarettes. We said no again, and he gave us our passports back. We knew that Bavaria, the region of Germany where Munich is, has a very strict zero-tolerance policy towards any drugs, so this did not seem out of the ordinary. We continued on to the end of the platform and were met by another plainclothes policeman. He asked to see our passports. I said that the other guy had already checked them, but we gave him the passports anyway. He asked us the same questions, and Jeff and I began to chuckle slightly; the whole situation was ridiculous and nerve wracking, and of course we didn’t have any drugs with us. The German polizei are very intimidating. The policeman asked told Jeff that he looked nervous and was he sure that he didn’t bring drugs? He kept up with this and said that he would need to search his bags. He checked through various pockets on Jeff’s clothes and backpacks, and said that we had so much stuff that they would need to have us go into their office and they’ll check our bags there. We were obviously irritated, seeing as how it takes us about 30 minutes to carefully pack our bags each time, but we said ok. The policeman said that it would be easier if we just told him if we had anything, and that we could get in trouble for the tiniest amount. There was nothing we could do but keep telling him we had no drugs. He waited a moment and said, “I have relatives in California,” and then walked away. We assumed that meant we were off the hook, so we got out of there.

Other than that first disruption, our time in Munich was very relaxing as there aren’t many sights to see. It was very, very hot, so walking around wasn’t exactly high on our to-do list. Instead, we rented bicycles and biked around the Englischer Garten (the English Garden, one of the biggest urban parks in the world) and visited all of the major beer gardens and beer halls in the city. We saw two beer gardens within the Englischer Garten: one was around a Chinese tower and the other was lakeside. It was very cool. Then we set off for an “off the map” beer hall, but apparently looked a little lost as we were trying to find our way. An American guy on a bike asked us if we needed help and we pointed out where we wanted to go. Conveniently, he was going there too and told us to follow him. He was meeting his friends there for the Spain vs. Portugal game. The hall was PACKED. He was cool enough to let us have two of the seats that his friends had been saving.


Hofbrauhaus House!


Beer Hall for Spain vs Portugal Game


Englischer Garten with bikes


Delicious German meal


Glockenspiel Munich

From Munich, we took a train to Nuremburg, which is close to where my friend, Brianna, is living. She gave us a wonderful and informative tour of the city, and then her boyfriend, Jose, picked us up and took us back to the town she lives in, Spardoff. We had a great barbecue with her parents and brothers: brats, rolls, mustard, and beer. So German. It was very hot, so the next day we went to a water park. While it wasn’t exactly as the website made it seem, we still had an amazing time tubing down the slides and sunning. Later, we went to a typical Frankonian restaurant (Frankonia is the specific region within Bavaria where Brianna lives) with a beautiful view of the countryside. It had recently become mushroom season, so Brianna and I ordered the delicious cream of mushroom soup…super yummy. Sadly, the next day we left Brianna and took a bus out to Prague.


Lucky Ring in Nuremburg


Nuremburg

June 24-27: Amsterdam, Netherlands

After arriving at the airport in Amsterdam, we made our way to the hotel. We had reserved the most economical hotel we could find, as most other budget options were already completely booked. It was called the Hemp Hotel, and we could see why upon our arrival. All of the rooms were decorated like various hemp-producing regions around the world. We got the Afghanistan room which had painted walls like we were in a desert palace and a night-sky ceiling. The breakfast at the hotel served fresh-baked hemp bread. There was also a small bar which sold several types of hemp beers and other hemp-based snacks. The hotel in general was a very ramshackle establishment; the stairs were so steep and narrow it was more like climbing a ladder. Very fun to do with 50 lb backpacks when you are staying on the top floor. The staff, though, was very helpful and friendly.

Our first night, Jeff needed to watch the world cup game so we set out to find a bar. We came across a very local and crowded place that had the game on outside on a projector screen and was barbecuing. Since the Netherlands were playing in the game there was a huge local turnout. Everyone was very friendly, which created for a great mix with brats and chicken wings.

We had a great time at the Heineken Experience. It was filled with the history of the beer and creator, how it’s made, their advertising, horses, a cool simulator ride type thing, and of course beer samples. I answered a question correctly first so I got an extra sample. They even give you two pints at the end of the tour! While we were enjoying those, we ran into three other American kids in college who were studying abroad in Paris. They asked about our travel plans and were very jealous.

We also checked out the Van Gogh museum and, of course, the Red Light District. It’s rather strange to witness someone going in or out of those windows…

It was great weather while we were there so it was very nice to go hang out at Vondelpark, one of the city’s main parks. There was a band playing a concert, we got ice cream and hot dogs, and played cards. It was a lovely, relaxing afternoon and great way to end our stay in Amsterdam before boarding our night train to Munich.


Heineken factory!


Chicken meatballs!

June 21-24: London, England (By Jeff)

We made it to London late, around 10pm, starved and tired. After figuring out how the Tube train works we eventually made it to our stop, found an Indian Kebab place still open, and made it to our hotel (which was nowhere near as nice as the pictures on the website advertise…a reoccurring theme for most of our hotels). The next day was dedicated to sightseeing around the city including sites such as the Tower Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and various smaller things around the city. The beautiful weather we had really made it nice to walk all around the city and get a feel for our surroundings. After walking all over we stopped for a beer at a traditional British Pub. Unfortunately for us, English people tend to prefer room temperature beer which was not as satisfying after our long journey in the heat, but still tasted good nonetheless. That evening we consulted the guidebook for some traditional English food and we found a place that served delicious meat pies. While we had never heard much about English cuisine, we found ourselves very happy with our choice and they went great with our cold pint of cider.


Our first traditional English meal


Overlooking London


The Tower Bridge

The next day started off by heading to the British Museum. They have possibly the most extensive array of world artifacts from Ancient Egypt (including lots of mummies that you see just in the bandages), Ancient China, European, and even North American history. You can get lost in there for hours or until you get tired of dealing with flocks of tourists each direction you turn. We really enjoyed the visit despite not seeing King Tut’s tomb as it was currently on a traveling exhibit around the world. I made sure that we left with enough time for us to get to a bar to watch the USA vs Algeria game that was on at the same time as the England vs Slovenia game. For those that followed the World Cup, these games were critical to each team and much of England shut down to focus on this game as they were on the brink of elimination. We found a bar that some 25 Americans were also in watching the USA play so we felt much more comfortable knowing we were not the only ones hoping England would choke. For most of the game it went the way English fans were hoping as they were winning their game and we were tied 0-0 which meant England would win the group and Slovenia would finish 2nd, and therefore eliminate the USA. You could see the joy in their eyes as they would pass by looking at the screen snickering to themselves as the USA fans were feeling dejected and nervous. When extra time came along we were all but dead until Landon Donovan scored in the 92nd minute and our section erupted with joy. Everyone of us were screaming and clapping as we knew we were going to win the group and edge out England and we let them know that by chanting USA! USA USA! for the entire bar to hear.

After all the euphoria settled in we decided to go check out the remaining sites we did not get to visit such as the Westminster Abbey, Big Ben clock tower, and at least go see the outside of Buckingham Palace as it is closed during summer months. Each of these sites are gorgeous and amazing landmarks within England. That night we wanted to try another bit of English cuisine…fish and chips. We took a train some ways outside the city as our guidebook praised one place in particular. Upon finally reaching it in a sketchy neighborhood we found a very average looking place with the crispy fish pre-made and under a heat lamp, but we were hungry enough to go for it. It definitely tasted better than it looked, but neither of us would have said the journey to find the place was worth the quality of food (thanks a bunch guidebook). We headed home after dinner to start our packing as we took off for Amsterdam that next morning.


The Westminster Abbey


Big Ben Clocktower


Trafalgar Square

June 17-21: Dublin and Waterford, Ireland (By Jeff)

Our trip to Ireland was a nice, and much needed, change of pace from our extensive sight-seeing adventures in France. It was very fortunate for us that several friends of mine that I met in Australia were Irish and most happened to be back in Ireland during the time we were visiting. Within a couple hours of reaching Dublin, we met up with my friends Fergal and Ellen who were going to be staying the night in Dublin as well. Ellen had grown up in Dublin and gave us a great tour of the city and showed us the sites that she considered the best Dublin had to offer. Later that day we decided it was time to sample our first authentic and “proper” (as the Irish would say) Guinness. It only took us about 5 seconds to find an Irish pub in the area and I think Liz and I both agree that it definitely has a much better taste than any place you would find in the U.S.. Later that evening after our “traditional” Irish dinner (no one who worked at the restaurant was Irish), we joined Fergal, Ellen and their friends at a bar outside of town. Our friend from LMU, Neil, who I traveled with for 3 months in Australia and New Zealand, was visiting Ireland during this time as well, so we tried to plan our own visit to overlap with his. It was a fun reunion and great to hear about his most recent travels as well as meet some funny Irish people.


Our first Guinnesses in Ireland!

The following day we loaded up all our stuff and got a ride to Waterford, Fergal’s hometown, with Fergal and Ellen. Waterford is only a 2 hour drive from Dublin and gave us a chance to see some of the beautiful countryside. We were on a race against the clock as this was the same day the USA played Slovenia in the World Cup and I had to make sure to watch it. That evening we went to Eoin’s house, another friend from Australia, for a barbecue which he was nice enough to put on for us Americans coming to visit. He even made sure to pick up plastic cups and ping pong balls to play Beer Pong; Neil and I taught them some American culture when in Australia. We had a great evening meeting everyone and teaching the Irish how to play Beer Pong and everyone seemed to have a blast as well. The next day we had a chance to go explore some of the great scenery of Waterford. We went out to what the locals call, “The Magic Road,” which earned its title for the strange act of nature that occurs with a manual transmission car. There are sections of this road where if you come to a complete stop on what appears to be a flat or possibly downward sloping road and switch it into neutral, the car appears to defy laws of physics. The car starts to roll and then continues to gain speed in the opposite direction you would think…kind of eerie when you first see it. This road eventually leads you to a beautiful wide open mountainous area covered in grass with a waterfall flowing between peaks. The amazing natural scenery was a very pleasant change from the urban city life we had been traveling in most of our time so far. We enjoyed our final night with my friends with a nice barbecue at Fergal’s house, where we were staying, and went out to downtown Waterford later that evening.


From left to right: Neil, Fergal, Ellen, Eoin, Liz, Jeff


The beach near Waterford




Beautiful Irish scenery

We headed back to Dublin for our final night in Ireland which happened to be Father’s Day as well…sorry we couldn’t be home to celebrate it but we did call! We made sure to go on the Guinness Brewery Tour and sample a Guinness in its freshest state. The factory was very uniquely designed and the entire glass center core of the building up to the top floor bar is supposed to be shaped like a giant pint glass. The Gravity Bar at the top floor gives you 360 degree views of the whole city which was gorgeous on the clear sunny day that we had (apparently that doesn’t happen often in Ireland). It was a great way to cap off our visit in before heading off to London.


The freshest Guinness on Earth: at the brewery

June 13th-17th: Paris, France

We stayed in a rickety hotel in Montmartre, complete with stains on the carpets, uneven floorboards, and cracked porcelain on the communal toilet. The location was great, however. Montmartre is a zesty neighborhood with lots of cafes, bars and restaurants to choose from. We of course saw most of the main tourist sites: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Basilique de Sacre Coeur, the Louvre, the Champs Elysees, the Notre Dame cathedral, the Moulin Rouge, Luxembourg Park, and Versailles.

The best decision we made in Paris was made on our first day. We took a trek up to the Basilique de Sacre Coeur and found ourselves surrounded by a group of men from Senegal and other African countries. One in particular approached me, and another approached Jeff. They began making small talk, and asked us to hold out fingers. They tied embroidery string to them and began making bracelets, continuing to make conversation with us. We had told them from the beginning that we had no money to give away and they said that it was no problem. But of course, at the end of making the bracelets and trying them to our wrists, they asked for a small donation. They were actually pretty cool bracelets and nice people so we gave them a couple euro. They pressed us for a bit more, but we honestly didn’t have any more coins, so they were content. Later on in the day, and every day after that when we passed through the area below the Basilique (as well as many other various areas around Paris), we had a “free pass”, and the men would thank us for supporting Africa, tell us that they liked the United States, and tell us to have a great day and to take it easy. Oh, and also for Jeff to not let me out of his sight.


The location where we got our bracelets

On our busiest day, we went down to the Eiffel Tower, picked up some quiches and other bakery things, and had a picnic on the lawn in front of the monument. We decided to go up the tower later on that night so we could get a sparkly nighttime view of the city. We continued on to see the Arc de Triomphe and cruised down the Champs Elysees to the Louvre. We saw as much of what the museum had to offer as we could, until our feet were dragging. We ran off to dinner in the student part of town and had the worst waiter you could ever imagine. He blatantly ignored us about four times while he passed our table, assisting other patrons. And because of him, we were late getting to the Eiffel Tower and missed their last time slot to ascend to the top. Grrr.











Versailles was amazing and is impossible to describe. Every room is a feast for the eyes. The palace exemplifies opulence. Furthermore, the gardens are so extensive that they rent golf carts to get around. Sadly, we weren’t able to make it to Marie Antoinette’s personal cottage before its closing time. We did, however, enjoy an ice cream on the bank of the main man-made lake. Absolutely beautiful.


Tradition mixing with innovation

June 11-13: Reims, France

We had originally planned to go to Reims so we could see a smaller city in France. It is also the capital of the Champagne region. We checked into our elevator-less hotel and were inconveniently placed on the fourth floor. The hotel, because it is small and family run, gave us a code, written on a slip of paper, to use to get into the front door if we return late at night. We got back a bit late the first night and of course had forgotten the tiny slip of paper. We tried ringing the bell, but no one came, and we began to get very distraught. A man came up behind us and miraculously was staying at the hotel and let us in. The next morning, the owner of the hotel was clearly upset with us and even though he spoke only a few words in English, managed to comment on our leaving the paper in the room. The rest of our stay was a bit tense.

Reims has a Notre Dame cathedral where every king of the time was crowned. It is very beautiful but clearly crumbling, and is in the process of being restored. Jeff and I discussed how it’s great to restore these buildings, to keep them standing for many years to come, but that eventually the building only becomes a replica of the original, standing in exactly the same place, and loses much of the historical value.

We intended to go champagne tasting but unfortunately it wasn’t very feasible on our backpacker budget. We thought it was much better to go to a grocery store and buy a bottle to do our own tasting. We deliberated for a long five minutes about which bottle to get and finally decided on a classy looking one from the area and was conveniently priced at four euro. We got together some things for a picnic and, because it was drizzly, picnicked in our hotel room. Sadly, the “champagne” turned out to be a sweet after-dinner liqueur. Major bummer. But the rest of the picnic was lovely!


Lovely French countryside




First of the World Cup games


The picnic and "champagne"!

Sadly, we forgot our cameras when we went to the Notre Dame, so we only have those photos on our phones :(