This is my last blog of my europe trip! It's that time already! We are headed back to Vancouver and are all excited to not be in the heat and to be back at home.
It has been 37 degrees here and since the metro strike the metro hasn't been working for the past 2 days. Good thing Madrid is a very walkable city. It is very easy to walk to your destination it's just super hot and dry.
Yesterday we made our day trip to Toledo and it was a small city and we went through it pretty fast. Nothing too exciting there but it was cool to see another part of Spain. The Soccer craze has been following us on our Europe trip from Germany, Czech, France, and Spain. After coming back, we decided to watched the Portugal vs Brazil in the common room. Not big on soccer but when in Spain you got to watch football.
I think that's all I have to say! See you back in Vancouver!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Protesting with the locals of Madrid
So far, not many pictures of Spain. Since my last update we have been having a chill time in Madrid. With the extra days in Madrid we don't have a whole lot planned so we do an activity each day.
After I finished writing my last blog in the common room at hostel numbero uno, I saw a guy in an Olympic shirt on the computer next to me. I asked him if he was from Vancouver and funny thing is, he is from North Vancouver as well and went to CapilanoU. We departed after chatting for a bit and for the next 2 days he was a 5th member to our crew for going to the Prado and Reina Sofia museums.
Our third day in Madrid was moving day. We had to change hostels, that was most of the day but good thing it was cool out with a bit of rain. After we moved in we went to the street market. It was like the chinatown night market but minus the food and a whole lot more nic nacks and cheap goods. Now we are in the new hostel and it seems like a whole new Madrid with the switch in location.
Today we slept in even though our small room is like a little boiler. After dragging our selves out of bed Ells, Paige, and I decided to explore the city. We went around town and did some shopping. Along the way home we walked by a huge group of people waving flags and making a whole lot of noise in the middle of the street. Naturally we joined in and waved our flags. Turns out it was for the transit strike going on in Spain.Oooops, at least it was fun at the time and we did feel like locals!
Missing the cool crisp Canadian air in Vancouver, and excited to go home in 3 days. Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Toleto. Until then, that's all I have!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Back in London!? what?
Wow updating a blog is more difficult then I expected. I am very behind. Since the last time I blogged we have gone to Paris, back to London, and today we just arrived in our final destination on the trip, Madrid.
We spent 5 days in Paris and everyday was packed with activities and attractions. You name it we saw it Notre Dame,Arc de Triomphe,Père Lachaise Cemetery, Eiffel Tower,Louvre,Catacombs( a little scary for me to see so many real bones and skulls) and lastly shopping of course. In the Jewish quarter they have many vintage shops that had great stuff you just had to rummage through it. There is just so much to say about Paris that I don't have time to write all about it! I'll have to give everyone the 411 when we speak.
Let me tell you how we ended up in London second time around. This is a long complex story, I hope I don't confuse you. Well our plan was to go Nice after Paris, however we discovered in Bruges that there was no where we could stay. We randomly decided to go to a place called San Sebastian where they have good shopping and beautiful beaches. The plan was a couple nights there then Barcelona, Madrid, then Vancouver. We book our hostels while we were in Bruges and continued on. When we were in Paris we tried to make reservations for the train to San Sebastian but there was not a single seat for us with our Eurails. The only way was to paid the price of a regular ticket, which was out of the budget for us. On that note San Sebastian was no longer a place we would go. With the Eurail being so unreliable with booking and reserving tickets we decided not to go to Barcelona. We didn't want to be stuck there with no way of getting to Madrid and having to put down hundreds of euros to get to there on time.
After weighing our options we decided to train back to London for a couple days. The train ride was only 2 hours or so and we were all happy to be able to be in London again and especially with sunny weather. We got there around 1pm and decided to see some Musicals. We talked about how we missed our chances last time in other cities so we went for it. Paige, Caitlin, and I went to see We Will Rock You, which was really good and who doesn't love Queen? Elliott went solo and saw Billy Elliot. We all had a great time and the weather was beautiful. Our last day in London we shopped till we dropped, and lets just say some suitcases were overweight.
Now we are in Madrid and it is so hot. The others are napping because we had a horrible plane ride. We got up early took a train to Gatwick airport( who knew we would be back there) and the plane was suppose to take off at 7:40am however with some strike complications in France all planes were delayed. We got on the plane at around 7:30 and had to sit on it for about 2.5 hours before we finally left the runway.
That's it for now
La
We spent 5 days in Paris and everyday was packed with activities and attractions. You name it we saw it Notre Dame,Arc de Triomphe,Père Lachaise Cemetery, Eiffel Tower,Louvre,Catacombs( a little scary for me to see so many real bones and skulls) and lastly shopping of course. In the Jewish quarter they have many vintage shops that had great stuff you just had to rummage through it. There is just so much to say about Paris that I don't have time to write all about it! I'll have to give everyone the 411 when we speak.
Let me tell you how we ended up in London second time around. This is a long complex story, I hope I don't confuse you. Well our plan was to go Nice after Paris, however we discovered in Bruges that there was no where we could stay. We randomly decided to go to a place called San Sebastian where they have good shopping and beautiful beaches. The plan was a couple nights there then Barcelona, Madrid, then Vancouver. We book our hostels while we were in Bruges and continued on. When we were in Paris we tried to make reservations for the train to San Sebastian but there was not a single seat for us with our Eurails. The only way was to paid the price of a regular ticket, which was out of the budget for us. On that note San Sebastian was no longer a place we would go. With the Eurail being so unreliable with booking and reserving tickets we decided not to go to Barcelona. We didn't want to be stuck there with no way of getting to Madrid and having to put down hundreds of euros to get to there on time.
After weighing our options we decided to train back to London for a couple days. The train ride was only 2 hours or so and we were all happy to be able to be in London again and especially with sunny weather. We got there around 1pm and decided to see some Musicals. We talked about how we missed our chances last time in other cities so we went for it. Paige, Caitlin, and I went to see We Will Rock You, which was really good and who doesn't love Queen? Elliott went solo and saw Billy Elliot. We all had a great time and the weather was beautiful. Our last day in London we shopped till we dropped, and lets just say some suitcases were overweight.
Now we are in Madrid and it is so hot. The others are napping because we had a horrible plane ride. We got up early took a train to Gatwick airport( who knew we would be back there) and the plane was suppose to take off at 7:40am however with some strike complications in France all planes were delayed. We got on the plane at around 7:30 and had to sit on it for about 2.5 hours before we finally left the runway.
That's it for now
La
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Shout out to my Father
Happy Father's day Dad! Have a great one! I hope all the other fathers out there have a great day too!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Sensobus just made my day!
Berlin is packed with history and since we all wanted to see different stuff in the city we split up for some things to utilize our time there. During our 3 days there I saw Checkpoint Charlie, which was the only section where you could cross the Berlin wall when it was up. At this point they had a museum all about the History of the Berlin wall. It was very interesting reading about the different ways people escaped to the other side of the wall. Elliott and I spent our afternoon there. The next day Squaynlee (Elliott,Caitlin, and I)went to to Topogragphie des terrors a free museums about the history of Nazis. After that we went to a Jewish museum that we kinda rushed through because we had to meet Paige. It was huge and about 4 floors. The last day we went to the East side gallery, which is paintings on the Berlin wall. We also went up the TV tower and got a great view of all of Berlin.
From Berlin we Traveled to Bruges. We spent 2 nights in Bruges and just explored the city. We arrived in Bruges around 7pm and we didn't leave the hostel till about 8:30pm and we were bummed to discover that most of the town was closed down at 9pm. The last day in Bruges we stumbled upon the Sensobus! We were just curious about it and when the lady came out and asked us if we wanted to go in the bus and eat cake we were practically running to get free cake. In the Sensobus we got to do a quick survey, drink water, and eat 6 pieces of cake and rate best to worst. After they let us take the cake and gave us free chocolate for doing the survey. Note to self manage a sensobus!
Today we left Bruges and arrived in Paris this evening. We will be spending the next 4 days here. We will be having packed days here so I better sleep now so I can wake up tomorrow. I will try and load more pictures later.
From Berlin we Traveled to Bruges. We spent 2 nights in Bruges and just explored the city. We arrived in Bruges around 7pm and we didn't leave the hostel till about 8:30pm and we were bummed to discover that most of the town was closed down at 9pm. The last day in Bruges we stumbled upon the Sensobus! We were just curious about it and when the lady came out and asked us if we wanted to go in the bus and eat cake we were practically running to get free cake. In the Sensobus we got to do a quick survey, drink water, and eat 6 pieces of cake and rate best to worst. After they let us take the cake and gave us free chocolate for doing the survey. Note to self manage a sensobus!
Today we left Bruges and arrived in Paris this evening. We will be spending the next 4 days here. We will be having packed days here so I better sleep now so I can wake up tomorrow. I will try and load more pictures later.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Do Europeans know what Air Condictioning is ?
Since Munich we have been around, and I haven't had time to right a good blog. I know Caitlin has been a lot better keeping up with all the updates so I apologize for the lack of blogging.
After Munich we went to Fussen, Germany where we spent 2 nights. It was a nice little town and we had a pretty cheap hotel with a free breakfast. When we got there it was really hot and we had to find a place to stay. After some research we found a place to stay and settled in. This is my dinner from that evening.
The Next day we traveled in a taxi for ten minutes and were in the next little town, Schwangau where we saw the castles Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. It was a beautiful day with an exhausting walk from 1 castle to the other (40min walked, walked in 20 because we were late). Paige had mayor hay fever but I think we have a few pictures of us 4 together.
After Fussen we headed to Nuremberg. Caitlin left Fussen in the early morning to visit some family so we were -1 member on the train/bus ride to Nuremberg. We were in Nuremberg for 2 nights and did some shopping and went to the Nazi Documentation Museum. Here is me and Ells with our cool audio guides.
We left Nuremberg and headed to Prague. First 2 hour train ride was brutal no AC and our window wouldn’t open until Paige and I got all supernatural and forced the window open. After that train and then a hour bus ride and then another 2 hour train ride, we arrived in Prague. Throughout the whole journey it was hot and humid. Arriving in Prague it was just drizzling rain. Once we got out of the station it was raining even harder. We trekked the streets looking for our hostel the rain started to pour down on us and it became a monsoon and streets were turned into rivers. My suitcase leaked and my new leather belt was a casualty due to water stains. When we got to the hostel we looked like 4 drowned rats dripping wet. After the thunder and rain storm that evening the weather was the hottest we ever encountered for the next 3 days.
We arrived in Berlin today and just had all you can eat burgers at the hostel. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with my blog a little better It is hard trying to recall what we did in each city.
Well I know my parents have been impatiently waiting for this blog so though I have not proof read I am posting it now.
After Munich we went to Fussen, Germany where we spent 2 nights. It was a nice little town and we had a pretty cheap hotel with a free breakfast. When we got there it was really hot and we had to find a place to stay. After some research we found a place to stay and settled in. This is my dinner from that evening.
The Next day we traveled in a taxi for ten minutes and were in the next little town, Schwangau where we saw the castles Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. It was a beautiful day with an exhausting walk from 1 castle to the other (40min walked, walked in 20 because we were late). Paige had mayor hay fever but I think we have a few pictures of us 4 together.
After Fussen we headed to Nuremberg. Caitlin left Fussen in the early morning to visit some family so we were -1 member on the train/bus ride to Nuremberg. We were in Nuremberg for 2 nights and did some shopping and went to the Nazi Documentation Museum. Here is me and Ells with our cool audio guides.
We left Nuremberg and headed to Prague. First 2 hour train ride was brutal no AC and our window wouldn’t open until Paige and I got all supernatural and forced the window open. After that train and then a hour bus ride and then another 2 hour train ride, we arrived in Prague. Throughout the whole journey it was hot and humid. Arriving in Prague it was just drizzling rain. Once we got out of the station it was raining even harder. We trekked the streets looking for our hostel the rain started to pour down on us and it became a monsoon and streets were turned into rivers. My suitcase leaked and my new leather belt was a casualty due to water stains. When we got to the hostel we looked like 4 drowned rats dripping wet. After the thunder and rain storm that evening the weather was the hottest we ever encountered for the next 3 days.
We arrived in Berlin today and just had all you can eat burgers at the hostel. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with my blog a little better It is hard trying to recall what we did in each city.
Well I know my parents have been impatiently waiting for this blog so though I have not proof read I am posting it now.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Vienna best city in the world?
Don't worry I'm not dead, I have just been unconnected to the world without internet. During this period we were in Vienna. It was a very beautiful city, and didn't smell like sewer which was an upgrade from Italy. It is ranked the best city in the world but in my opinion it has nothing on Vancouver. One thing about Vienna is that on Sunday most of the city is closed and on weekdays everything closes at 6 so we did a lot of relaxing during our three nights there.
Our last day in Vienna we went to an all you can eat Chinese restaurant. When I said the one in Florence was AMAZING I didn't know what was to come. This one was EPIC! They has a place where you choose what you want to they fry it up for you in any sauce and on top of that they had cooked food at the buffet as well. Different thing like wedged fries, fired rice, pot stickers,fruit salad and mini deserts. I'm drooling just thinking about it again. Here a few pictures because the internet is too weak to load all that i want too.
Since we were in Venice the weather has changed drastically. From super hot and sunny to weather more like Vancouver, rain, cold, cloudy. We arrived in Munich two days ago and even though it is gross outside the city is still really nice.
Yesterday, Elliott and I had a field trip to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. It was a very good informative day. During this time Caitlin and Paige went shopping. After our separate days we met back up at the hostel and went for dinner at the Munchen HardRock Cafe.
Sorry for the lack of picture there is just never enough time! I will try and post more.
Our last day in Vienna we went to an all you can eat Chinese restaurant. When I said the one in Florence was AMAZING I didn't know what was to come. This one was EPIC! They has a place where you choose what you want to they fry it up for you in any sauce and on top of that they had cooked food at the buffet as well. Different thing like wedged fries, fired rice, pot stickers,fruit salad and mini deserts. I'm drooling just thinking about it again. Here a few pictures because the internet is too weak to load all that i want too.
Since we were in Venice the weather has changed drastically. From super hot and sunny to weather more like Vancouver, rain, cold, cloudy. We arrived in Munich two days ago and even though it is gross outside the city is still really nice.
Yesterday, Elliott and I had a field trip to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. It was a very good informative day. During this time Caitlin and Paige went shopping. After our separate days we met back up at the hostel and went for dinner at the Munchen HardRock Cafe.
Sorry for the lack of picture there is just never enough time! I will try and post more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)