Amsterdam

The minute we arrived in the city, we felt it... this energy that is Amsterdam... More than any other city I have visited, there is a feeling you get in Amsterdam... it has something to do with the light, the bicycles everywhere, the openness of the people, the embrace of an alternative culture.

I think this is one city that truly is whatever you make it because everything is accepted here... so, of course, they are the most famous for the sex and drugs, but it is more than just that. There is this celebration of people with all of our differeneces and none of the judgement to accompany it.

Annika and I spent one afternoon just walking around our favorite section of town, looking in all of the shops. Every shop was a piece of art, beautifully decorated with the merchandise... clothes, books, journals, food, household appliances, really anything you could image. As we walked down the narrow cobblestone streets lined on either side by water and trees and cafes, we realized that each of the shops must have started out as a dream... they were all beautiful and creative and funky, each with a personality all their own. Sometimes we would smile to each other when the owner matched the shop...

We stopped for lunch at an organic vegetarian restaurant, and, I can't believe that I am saying this or that it is even possible, but the hummus there was better than even The Grit... :) We sat at a table on the sidewalk and watched the people ride by on bicycles... I think we saw every type of person imaginable: men in tuxedos, the tails flapping in the wind; parents with children strapped in the bike as well; students, old people, young people, people with dogs running beside them and people with dogs in a basket on the bike, peole dressed up, people dressed down...

We also toured the Anne Frank house and the Picasso museum... Both very interesting... My favorite part of the Anne Frank house was the end... they showed a clip of a controversial social issue in a cinema, and everybody pushes a button next to their chairs to assert their opinion on the matter... I know that everybody knows that I love to talk about social issues and have strong opinions on almost everything, and after spending the past year in school discussing every topic imaginable, I thought I had a good understanding of my personal political views... But many of the issues, I found myself very divided on... it was a really interesting experience... The whole time I was thinking what a great exercise that would be to do with students, especially teenagers...

The whole weekend was just wonderful... The best part was getting to spend time with Annika... She is one of my favorite people of all time, and I am constantly amazed at how similar we are, despite growing up on opposite sides of the world.

Tomorrow, we are off to Paris for the weekend (Wow... I never thought I would be able to say that :)

Signing out until next time...

My time in Germany

So, I actually never made it all the way to Berlin. I was meant to stop in Dresden for the day on the way from Prague to Berlin and ended up staying for two nights there... I don't know how this always happens to me!!! :)

Lars, one of my roommates from the hostel in Rome lives in Dresden, so he showed me around the city. We sampled the local cuisine, a little of the nightlife, i met his other roommmates (all great people), and I just had a great time there... We went on a bike ride on a path along the river, and it was just one of the most perfect days I have ever had. The path was completely flat, so the pedaling was easy; the weather was absolutely perfect, just the beginning of fall; the scenery was beautiful... palaces, the shining river, other pedestrians walking, biking, roller blading, jogging the whole way. From time to time, Lars would explain things to me about his city (he was a great tour guide :) We talked and laughed and rode for most of the day. A few kilometers down the river was a palace with huge gardens that you could walk through. We parked the bikes and took a ferry across the river to walk through the gardens where I was constantly amazed at how huge they were. Plants, flowers, trees, fountains, ornaments, nice benches in the shade... we could almost picture the royalty walking around hundreds of years ago on these paths, the gentlemen courting the ladies, just like a scene from the movies.

I think we must have left to go back at the perfect time... As we rode back, we watched the sun set behind the river silouetting parts of the ancient city. It was so beautiful it made me want to cry or dance or find some way to express this peace that saturated the evening...



Now I am in Cologne visiting my friend Annika. Even though we haven't seen each other in two years, it feels completely normal to be here with her... we just picked up where we left off. I find myself just walking and talking with her like it is something we get to do every day, only to realize: Oh my god, I am actually in Germany visiting Annika, something we have been planning since the summer we met! She has a great appartment in Cologne, and we share a passionate love of coffee that just makes me happy every morning... She made some great cappucinos for us today :)

So, this afternoon we are off to Amsterdam for the weekend... I have heard great things about this city, and I am excited to find out for myself... I should have some interesting stories when I get back... :)

On the road again

My last days in Prague were very nice... I met some really amazing people and had a great time enjoying the city... Today I am off to Berlin and then to Cologne, where I will stay with my friend, Annika. Now I am aware that these are my last few days of traveling, and I am both reluctant and relieved for them to end... I love the excitement and the freedom of going from city to city whenever I want, but I am also looking forward to staying in Cologne for about a week, really getting to know the place, and getting to see Annika (one of my favorite people in the world :)

Prague

As I expected, I am lovign this city... Last night I walked to the old town square and just took in the atmosphere. It feels very different here than it does in Italy. The light is different, the colors different, the architecture, the language, the money... I am starting all over discovering a whole new place. But I love it... this is the exciting part, being completely out of my comfort zone, learning how to get around, taking in the norms and quirks of this new city and country that truly has a personality all its own.

Mary, I thought of you last night. There is a great classical music scene here, with concerts and operas every night. Last night, just as the sun was setting, I was walking over the famous bridge to the castle. The light was just perfect... this huge castle with the sun settign behind it, the dark spires rising in sharp contrast to the fading light in the distance. The bridge was covered with artists selling their sketches and paintings of beautiful Prague. There was a small jazz band playing there, and I paused for several minutes to listen to them finish their set. It is all just very picturesque and perfect somehow.

Traveling to Prague

So, the night train to Prague was not nearly as uncomfortable as I had imagined. There were supposed to be six of us in the car, but there were only four, so we had a little more space than I imagined. And it was surprisingly easy to fall asleep to the gentle swaying of the train on the tracks... It almost reminded me in a way of being rocked to sleep as a baby.

I shared my car with two other guys who both absolutelty love Prague... one a professor of philosophy and Italian and another a film director and environmental engineer. We had lots to talk about, especially since it takes twice as long for me to communicate with people for whom English is a second language. But they told me all about Prague, their favorite places, things to avoid, good places to go, even helped me find my hostel once we arrived.

So, now I have checked into my hostel and just finished a really nice breakfast. I am sharing a room with 35 other people... a very interestign concept that I think I am actually going to enjoy. I have been here for about 30 minutes now and have already met about 10 people from all over the world, a great social atmosphere.

My last days in Venice

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain softly falling against the window pane of my quiet and clean room. I walked outside to find shopkeepers sweeping the water away from their doors and the streets crowded with umbrellas moving at a pace just a little faster than usual. I found a nice cafe, and sat to enjoy some cappucino and a croissant, and read my book until the weather cleared up. I ended up just having a lazy day, walking around, looking in a few churches, planning my departure from Italy. Tonight I will catch a night train to Prague and wake up in a completely new and different country to explore.

Feed the birds, toppins a bag...

Ok, so, if you do not recognize my lryics, they are from Mary Poppins, and I have had that song stuck in my head for about 24 hours now! It all started yesterday when I visited San Marcos Square (yes, John, the place with all the pigeons, although I did not see any footprints in the cement anywhere :)

I have heard this place described as this magical, mysterious place different from any other in guidebooks before, but did not really understand exactly what was meant by this. But it is. It just feels different as soon as you walk into the square. You are surrounded by huge palaces with shops and restaurants on three sides, and then an elaborate basilica and belltower in the middle. The center is a huge open space, at least the size of a football field where there are just tons and tons of people and pigeons.

I have no idea why anyone would want to do this, but you can buy birdseed, and hold it in your hands with your arms outstretched, and the pidgeons will just come and perch on your arms and shoulders and head, pretty much anywhere there is a spot for them to land. I had a fun time just watching other people do it, especially some of the women. They would hold out their hands with birdseed, and 1a swarm of birds all fly towards them trying to land on them. For some people, it would just be a little more pigeon than they would want, and I saw a couple of women just start shrieking and running... I tried not to let them see me laughing :)

After this, you can go to the top of the belltower and see out over the entire city. The view there is amazing... a completely different perspective to see all of the canals and sidewalks and buildings from overhead... it looks very different, but very beautiful, of course.

Today, I am finding it much easier to get around here, and have not even gotten lost once yet (yay for me!). I had some of the best coffee this morning, and now I am energized and off to take in a palace or museum or two.

Falling in love with Venice

After a day in Verona to ease myself back into the big cities, I arrived in Venice today. After about three hours of walking around and getting lost and then found again, I am already falling in love with this place. It is unlike any city I have every seen before. There are no cars or buses, everything is on the water. As I walked out of the train station this morning, the Grand Canal was directly in front of me, and as I am trying to learn my way around this city, I find that I count bridges and canals instead of traffic signs and addresses.

After I dropped off my luggage, I got some coffee and sat on the street listening to some street musicians, classical guitar and violin, and just sat and enjoyed the moment. Since then, I have just been walking around, visiting various places of interest, trying to get my bearings around this city. Tomorrow I will probably put together some sort of plan for the day, but for today, I am enjoying just wandering around the streets, along the canals, taking in the atmosphere of Venice.

To Jill

So, I changed email accounts, and I do not have your email anymore... can you send it to me? My email is rachelwooda@gmail.com

And also your mailing address :)

Cinque Terre

Most of today I spent hiking on the trails that connect the five small villages of Cinque Terre. The length of the trail is supposed to take four hours to commplete, but I somehow found a way to make it last all day. It was stunning to walk along these stone paths carved into the terraced sides of the hills. The sparkling water was on one side of me and the hills and villages on the other. Most of the path was steps, up and down, around the jagged edge of the mountains poking into the water. Once I ascended a group of stairs, I could usually see the next town in the distance, and slowly I would make my way up and back down again, along the water the whole way, through vinyards and olive groves, sometimes shaded, other times not, until I arrived at a the next town. The weather was perfect, but if I got too hot, there were paths winding down the edge of the cliffs to the water. I must have stopped at a beach every couple of hours, jumped in the water to cool off, lay in the sun to dry off, and when I was rested and a little cooler, I would continue on my way. I was surrounded by beauty the whole day, and now I am happy, tired, and ready for a good night's sleep.

The Tuscan countryside

Florence has been wonderful so far... My hostel very nice, with a garden, huge breakfast, big rooms and bathrooms, walls that you can write on and a nice common room where have met tons of really interesting people from all over the world.

Tongight is my last night here, so here are my favorite things from Florence.

* seeing the statue of David, a pretty surreal experience to see the most recognized statue in the world

* watching the sunset over Florence with some friends I met from the hostel. (Yes, I know I am a sucker for a nice sunset, especially over a beautiful Italian city)!
But it was another memorale, fabulous night as we talked and watched the sunset over the river, and got to see this beautiful scene that has inspired so many aritists here. Somehow we passed several hours there chatting away about everything, from Italian men to salami to our dreams for the future. On the way back, the streets were still crowded, many people just going out for the evening. As we were walking along, we stumbled onto some musicians playing a concert in the street. One was playing guitar and the other violin, and together with the Italian lyrics, it was just beautiful. We searched for a place to sit among the people crowded in the street and the stairs of surrounding buildings, and just stayed there enjoying the scene for quite some time.

* And, today, maybe my favorite thing in Florence: the Tuscan countryside.
I rented a bike and took off to explore the countryside (with a sort of planned route, of course). I know I say this about everything, but it is true, it was just beautiful. There were vinyards and grapes and olives and huge old wineries in every direction for as far as you can see... Most of the time I could not decide which side of the road to look on, both were so beautiful. The sun was shining, everything was green, and it was almost as good as bike riding in Rentz (ha, ha... that was for you Daddy!) I was gone all day, about 60 kilometers, through small Tuscan towns that looked like postcards, up and down hills, through vinyards...

My time in Rome

As you probably guessed, I have been much to wrapped up in seeing all of the sights in Rome to take the time to write on my blog. There is just so much to do and see that it is unbelievable... and honestly I do not really know where to even start. Over the past few days I have toured the Vatican museums, been in the Sistene Chappel, walked through countless beautiful churches (and even stayed for mass in one), and met some really incredible people.

I find it difficult to summarize my time in Rome in just a few paragraphs or really even to describe it with words. There were so many times when all I could really saw was "wow" as I stared at ancient pieces of art and culture.

And then there was all of the people I met... all of us from different places around the world, yet we connected. We talked about our similarities and differences, compared countries and cultures, and eventually connected as people and as friends.

Last night was my last night in Rome, and it was just beautiful. We prepared a picnic of fresh bread, cheese, basil, salami, tomatoes, olives... a huge assortment... hiked up to a park overlooking the city, and talked and laughed... enjoyed our short time together, appreciating it maybe just a little more knowing that it would soon be over.

My first day in Rome

So, yesterday morning, I woke up, stretched, and then realized: I am in Rome!!! I really didn't know what I wanted to do first, so I did what most tourists do: ancient Rome and the Colloseum. I checked my map, planned my route, and walked for about three minutes before it all came into view. There is was, just ahead, the Colosseum, surrounded by an intersection with people and cars and buses all going on with their lives, just like the Ancient Roman Colloseum wasn't right there in front of us! :) I felt like everybody should be just as awestruck as I and stop and look at it or something :) I walked through the ruins of ancient Rome first. It almost felt like going back in time to be there among what was left of this period of history and culture and spent most of the day walking around, looking through the remains of another era of humanity. It made me feel very human, and as the sun started setting, I sat down among the ancient relics on a stone in the shade and wrote in my journal. I had this feeling that this was a moment that I would only get once in a lifetime, and it was one I wanted to remember. So, as the sun began to set, I decided to head back the hostel to meet my roommates. I share a room with five other people, and they are all great. We shared stories about where we were from, our travels, and our time so far in Rome. I just love meeting other people who don't think it is crazy to backpack through Europe!!! :) I got along with two of my roommates especially well (Lars and Hector) and we decided to go visit the Fontana di Trevi. This beautiful spot was packed with people: couples sharing a bottle of wine; vendors selling roses, toys, balloons; groups of friends enjoying Rome together. The legend of this fountain is that if you throw a coin in over your left shoulder, you will return to Rome again. Then, if you throw another coin and make a wish, it will come true. So, we got some gellato (the best I have ever had) and sat and talked and threw our coins of course. I had a great time getting to know these people, talking about our similarities and differences, laughing together (a lot), and just living "la dolce vita." On our way back to the hostel, we decided to walk by the Pantheon to see it lit up at night. To our surprize, they were filming a movie there! It was in German, and luckily, one of my friends was German, so he translated everything for us to understand. The acting was really bad, and he guessed it would be a TV movie, but we had fun watching the production. We ended our night on a high note laughing our way back to the hostel and crashing happily into bed. This whole day has been one of the most beautiful of my life... one that I know I will always remember.

ROME!!!

My last night in Macedonia was amazing... We went out to a great restaurant and then to the park to meet all of Sneska's friends who have become like my friends now too. They all signed a cute stuffed duck for me, a memento of my time in Skopje. Snkeska and some other friends walked me to the station and saw me off on the train to Thessaloniki... We blew each other kisses as the train rolled away... I have always wanted to do that! I sat in a car with a very friendly girl who spoke very good English, and I am so thankful for her. She didn't seem to mind answering my questios and explaining things to me when I didn't know what was going on. Like, when we got to Greece, they took my passport!!! I mean, I know that they have to check passports during border crossings, but nobody ever told me anything about my passport being in the hands of a Macedonian border agent... I mean, I know I am a little overprotective of my passport, but that was just a little sketchy. Luckily for me, my co-traveler explained that after a few minutes we had to go to the ticket window to claim our passports back. As they called the names, I fought the urge to bite my nails, and waited anxiously for my passport to be returned to my hands. Finally, they called me up, and, relieved, and tired from the long night on the train, I went back to sleep in my compartment.

In Thessaloniki, I took a bus from the train station to the bus station, and, then, about an hour later, boarded my bus to Igoumenitso. (Try saying this five times fast). During the time I had to wait, I felt compelled to learn some Greek, at least the alphabet, so that I could at least be sure what Igoumenitso looks like spelled in Greek. At last, a bus pulled into the terminal that looked like mine, but didn't have any writting on it that I could understand. I asked the guy taking tickets, but he didn't understand English at all and seemed very apathetic as to whether I was getting on the right bus or not... I asked the guy who was checking the luggage, and he grunted something incomprehensible. I asked the driver, but he ushered me onto the bus. I asked a nice looking woman with children, and she assured me that she, too, was going to Igoumenitso. I sighed, found my seat, and let my body relax. Luckily, the bus was very nice ("nice" generally means air conditioned in the Balkans) and nobody sat beside me so I had both seats to myself. So, I stretched out, dozed off and on again, and enjoyed the ride... It was really one of the most beautiful rides I have ever been on. We wound through mountains for most of the way, drove into and out of clouds, and on roads so narrow, in some places I wondered if we would be able to make the turn without falling off the mountain. I woke up from one last nap as we arrived in Igoumenitso... It is a pretty little town, with more travel agencies than anything else... In essence, there wouldn't be a town without the port there. I found my way to the port, reserved my spot on the ferry and paid my port taxes, and then just waited. I watched the sunset over the water and the ferries coming and going. It is just amazing how enourmous those things are... When a ferry pulled into port, the huge 16 wheeler trucks would line up and drive right in... Most ferries had at least 10 big trucks, plus all the passengers who bring their cars on board... They are just huge!! So, finally my ferry arrived, and I climbed on board. I stood on deck watching the lights of Igoumenitso get farther and farther away until finally they were just the distant impression of a twinkle. Now I was ready for some sleep. I started walking around looking for a good place to crash for the night. My best bet was a room full of chairs in rows like on a bus or plane. I walked through the room, but could not locate an empty one. Then I looked through the restaurants and dining rooms for comfortable couches to lay on... These were all taken as well as most of the floor space... There were just people everywhere... on couches, on the floor, some in sleeping bags, some with blow up floats to sleep on on the floor). >I tiptoed my way through the crowd, trying not to step on or drop my luggage on nyone. I went out to the swimming pool area on deck thinking it might be nice to sleep under the stars on a pool chair... These were full as well. There were even people sleeping out here on the cold, steel, floor. Just when I thought I was running out of options, this very handsome Greek security guard asked me if I needed a place to sleep (I think, anyways... He said something in Greek first). After we had established English as the best language for useful communication, he explained that he would show me a good place to sleep for the night. He lead me down a hall where there were actual rooms for sleeping... There were people asleep lining the hallways anywhere there was some space between the doors to the rooms. I had already walked through these corridors to no avail earlier, but I followed on. We turned a corner, and voila, there was the perfect spot... Tons of people around, so I was safe, but a nice place in the hallway where I could stretch out. And it was on the carpet too... This is a little piece of luxury, it seemed, to get to sleep on carpet, instead of cold, hard floor. I was so happy, that I laid down, put my passport and money under my shirt, and passed out until the morning.

Bari is a great little town. I had some time to kill before my train to Rome so I walked around for a while, saw some ancient churches that are now just a part of the modern landscape, walked through the downtown area... it was just beautiful. Many of the streets were only for pedestrians, and there was every type of shop you could ever want. There were trendy clothing stores, quaint locally owned shops, upscale splurges, just everything. Every few blocks I would look up to see some amazing architecture that would be the center of everything in any town in the states, but here, just fit into the landscape. There was a park and a university near the train station, so I got some fruit and crackers, and sat there and watched people pass. A woman tried to talk to me, but could not speak English. She asked me if I could speak Russian, German, French, Spanish, or Polish, and I had to reply no to each one, explaining "only English." (I really must learn another language!) I think it is only Americans that are unilingual.

So, I caught my bus to Rome, and arrived that night. The area around the train station was really sketchy, but there was some security nearby and I clutched my valuables and marched through the craziness, hopefully looking like I knew where I was going. My hostel was close to the station, and wasn't too hard to find, but I was relieved to get there.

It was amazing to sleep in an actual bed last night, and the shower was one of the most amazing showers of my life (after two days with none). So, now I am off to explore Rome... Wish me luck!!