Well, today I flew into San Francisco. My last full day in London, the rain came pelting down in torrents, making it difficult to enjoy outside. My friend Ronnie and I bore it as best as we could, we ended up ducking into Harrods to avoid rain. We wandered around gazing at the overpriced merchandise before finally feeling a need to flee from such poshness.
My flight left at 11 am the next morning, but boarding started and one hour and fifteen minutes before take off. My plane was named "Ruby Tuesday" and she was a 747 (gaint plane). The flight was uneventful but decent. One of the great things about being a vegitarian on Virgin Atlantic is they serve you first!!! Even First Class people have to wait their turn to be served. I arrived in San Francisco tired and hungry but pleased to be back home. Cheers!
Friday, August 26
Sunday, August 21
Strasbourg
Hello from Strasbourg,
I wasn't planning on writing again so soon, except for it decided to rain on my one day in Strasbourg. So I've been running from one cover to the next. I am hangng out with two very sweet Oregonians who are also here for one night before heading to Paris. We had a leisurely lunch and some good beers before tramping around in the rain. It hasn't been so bad, I think the rain was most intent on soaking me while I was wandering around looking for the hostel. Thankfully two very kind French people rescued me. Well, time's almost up, so I'll probably send some final lines from London. Cheers!
Harmonious Emilie
I wasn't planning on writing again so soon, except for it decided to rain on my one day in Strasbourg. So I've been running from one cover to the next. I am hangng out with two very sweet Oregonians who are also here for one night before heading to Paris. We had a leisurely lunch and some good beers before tramping around in the rain. It hasn't been so bad, I think the rain was most intent on soaking me while I was wandering around looking for the hostel. Thankfully two very kind French people rescued me. Well, time's almost up, so I'll probably send some final lines from London. Cheers!
Harmonious Emilie
Saturday, August 20
Luxembourg
Hello everyone,
I arrived in Luxembourg today after a long day trip to Amsterdam the day before. This city/country is beautiful. It is one of the EU capitals and played in large role in the founding of the EU. Both the old town and the new areas are superb. Today I took a bus tour so I could see all around the city and have been wondering around since.
Old town is fun with all the shops and neat artwork. Apparently, Luxembourg won recognition for its cultural emphasis. There are neat sculptures all over the new and old areas. Just coming here to see all the sculptures is worth it.
Well, I am off to explore some more before heading back to the hostel. Tomorrow, I will head to Strasbourg for one night before flying from Paris to London. Can´t believe it is almost over, but I am ready for a long sleep. Cheers from em.
I arrived in Luxembourg today after a long day trip to Amsterdam the day before. This city/country is beautiful. It is one of the EU capitals and played in large role in the founding of the EU. Both the old town and the new areas are superb. Today I took a bus tour so I could see all around the city and have been wondering around since.
Old town is fun with all the shops and neat artwork. Apparently, Luxembourg won recognition for its cultural emphasis. There are neat sculptures all over the new and old areas. Just coming here to see all the sculptures is worth it.
Well, I am off to explore some more before heading back to the hostel. Tomorrow, I will head to Strasbourg for one night before flying from Paris to London. Can´t believe it is almost over, but I am ready for a long sleep. Cheers from em.
Thursday, August 18
On My Own
Hello everyone,
Nicole has left me to go back to the states, so alas I am on my own. Things are actually going very well. My first day I went to Antwerp (the second largest city in Belgium) and I had a great time. The hostel I stayed at had an excellent environment for meeting people, so I tromped around town with four people for most of the day. One of them is going to meet up with me in Amsterdam! Antwerp surprised me, I really enjoyed it. The town is beautiful and fun. The hostel I stayed in was probably the easiest to make friends at.
Today, I slowly made my way to Rotterdam. I will stay here for two nights (tomorrow I will visit Amsterdam). Everything in Rotterdam is new since the city was completely destroyed in WWII. It looks a lot like the states in the sense that everything was built so recently. I am enjoying my stay here as well although I haven't made any friends here yet, but I see a few faces around eager for companionship. Take care one and all!
With harmony,
Emilie
Nicole has left me to go back to the states, so alas I am on my own. Things are actually going very well. My first day I went to Antwerp (the second largest city in Belgium) and I had a great time. The hostel I stayed at had an excellent environment for meeting people, so I tromped around town with four people for most of the day. One of them is going to meet up with me in Amsterdam! Antwerp surprised me, I really enjoyed it. The town is beautiful and fun. The hostel I stayed in was probably the easiest to make friends at.
Today, I slowly made my way to Rotterdam. I will stay here for two nights (tomorrow I will visit Amsterdam). Everything in Rotterdam is new since the city was completely destroyed in WWII. It looks a lot like the states in the sense that everything was built so recently. I am enjoying my stay here as well although I haven't made any friends here yet, but I see a few faces around eager for companionship. Take care one and all!
With harmony,
Emilie
Monday, August 15
Brugge
Hello everyone from Brugge,
Belgium; what a great town it is. In fact it has my mothers name written all over it (figurtively, of course). Belgium has what one may call an affinity for chocolate...practically every other store in Brugge is a chocolaterie. Also, Brugge has elegant canals interwined throughout the downtown earning the nickname "Venice of the North". The buildings are well maintained and beautiful.
During our short stay in Brugge, Nicole and I have visited the Chocolate museum (where they supply you with free samples), we went on a boat ride though the canals, and walked all over the town exploring. Tomorrow morning we will head to Brussels for one last night before she heads back to the states. I have still a week left to adventure around and am looking forward to these last few adventures. And since computer time in this town is decidely expensive, that is all I have for now. Cheers.
Emilie the Drumm
Belgium; what a great town it is. In fact it has my mothers name written all over it (figurtively, of course). Belgium has what one may call an affinity for chocolate...practically every other store in Brugge is a chocolaterie. Also, Brugge has elegant canals interwined throughout the downtown earning the nickname "Venice of the North". The buildings are well maintained and beautiful.
During our short stay in Brugge, Nicole and I have visited the Chocolate museum (where they supply you with free samples), we went on a boat ride though the canals, and walked all over the town exploring. Tomorrow morning we will head to Brussels for one last night before she heads back to the states. I have still a week left to adventure around and am looking forward to these last few adventures. And since computer time in this town is decidely expensive, that is all I have for now. Cheers.
Emilie the Drumm
Friday, August 12
Berlin Berlin
It is surreal to be in Berlin a city that was divided by a wall about 15 years ago. Today, we awoke determined to have a wonderful day...it was Nicole´s 22nd b-day. She is now affectionally as old as dirt. But what does that make me? Older than dirt!
Our first act was to find breakfast with a decent cup of coffee (yes, we are becoming spoiled by good coffee every morning) and breakfast. Balzac coffee fullfilled our needs very well! We walked down to the square where book burnings took place once upon a time then saw some churches, the big tower...typical tourist stuff.
Our big pleasant surprise came when arriving at the remains of the Berlin wall. There was a display called the "Typography of Terror" which explained the WWII involvement of Berlin and the Nazi´s. It was full of neat photos and had an excellent audio tour for non-german speaking people (that was free). We spent quite a bit of time savvoring this tasteful memorial.
For dinner we ended up at a cute Art Cafe where we ended up eating with a sweet lady from Great Britian. She was sitting all alone but had brought Harry Potter down with her (we knew she had to have been a kindred spirit). We had so much fun drinking and eating at this charming venue.
Alas we are now on our way to bed, stopping in for a bit of internet. Hope all is well on that side of the world!
With harmony,
emilie
Our first act was to find breakfast with a decent cup of coffee (yes, we are becoming spoiled by good coffee every morning) and breakfast. Balzac coffee fullfilled our needs very well! We walked down to the square where book burnings took place once upon a time then saw some churches, the big tower...typical tourist stuff.
Our big pleasant surprise came when arriving at the remains of the Berlin wall. There was a display called the "Typography of Terror" which explained the WWII involvement of Berlin and the Nazi´s. It was full of neat photos and had an excellent audio tour for non-german speaking people (that was free). We spent quite a bit of time savvoring this tasteful memorial.
For dinner we ended up at a cute Art Cafe where we ended up eating with a sweet lady from Great Britian. She was sitting all alone but had brought Harry Potter down with her (we knew she had to have been a kindred spirit). We had so much fun drinking and eating at this charming venue.
Alas we are now on our way to bed, stopping in for a bit of internet. Hope all is well on that side of the world!
With harmony,
emilie
Tuesday, August 9
Prauge, oh soooo pretty
Arriving the Czech Republic we anticipated a dramatic change in something...after all this country is not on the euro, has slower
trains, and speaks Czech. Well, we were both right and wrong. Prauge is breathtakingly beautiful...you don't see beggers...it is very clean and well maintained. It is simular to other cities in terms of beautiful architecture and shopping here is very fun!!! (I found Harry Potter for about $15.) The people are friendly and the good food is extremely cheap. We are loving it.
There are lots of scary stories going around about Prauge though and being the wimps we are, we stay in after dark...which is just fine with us. I am known as the Harry Potter girl at the hostel already. While reading, I curl up with my blanket and a bar of chocolate. Who knows...tonight it I could add beer too. Our hostel is not overly nice, but is in a decent area of town and has good people.We have a kitchen and a bath tub too!!! After walking around in this picture perfect city all day who needs anything else? (On a more amusing note, our hostel has a 5000 crown [$200] fine for bringing in a prostitute...a first on this trip.)
Tomorrow we are going to do the sites...the Jewish Cemetary and possibly the castle. Cheers!
trains, and speaks Czech. Well, we were both right and wrong. Prauge is breathtakingly beautiful...you don't see beggers...it is very clean and well maintained. It is simular to other cities in terms of beautiful architecture and shopping here is very fun!!! (I found Harry Potter for about $15.) The people are friendly and the good food is extremely cheap. We are loving it.
There are lots of scary stories going around about Prauge though and being the wimps we are, we stay in after dark...which is just fine with us. I am known as the Harry Potter girl at the hostel already. While reading, I curl up with my blanket and a bar of chocolate. Who knows...tonight it I could add beer too. Our hostel is not overly nice, but is in a decent area of town and has good people.We have a kitchen and a bath tub too!!! After walking around in this picture perfect city all day who needs anything else? (On a more amusing note, our hostel has a 5000 crown [$200] fine for bringing in a prostitute...a first on this trip.)
Tomorrow we are going to do the sites...the Jewish Cemetary and possibly the castle. Cheers!
Summers in Salzburg
Summers in Salzburg are a lot like summers in Seattle or winters in San Luis Obispo. The rain was practically unrelenting with the clouds breaking up every now and then for a ray of sun before closing for more rain...and even when it was feeling up to it, some seasonal hail came down.
When we had arrived in Munich, Nicole was surprised by the rain (California upbringing can do that to a person) so she was poorly prepared for the rain. Although, to be totally honest, I was much in the same boat (I've been been jaded by summers in SLO too). Despite our discomfort from the moody weather we still really enjoyed seeing this part of the world.
Salzburg was small and pretty. An afternoon of walking around town is all you need to get the feel of the area. 1 out of every 3 jobs in Salzburg is related to tourism...so there are also lots of tourists. After a day of this, taking to the Alps to see the surrounding lakes and towns was the thing to do. We actually ended up crossing back into Germany for some coffee and a visit to the salt mines.
Hey, for all you Sound of Music fans, they offer a tour. I decided to try it out...having heard wonderful things about it; our tour guide was very nice but did not provide what I wanted it the tour...information. You had to prod it out of her. We did see filming sites though, heard how much Christopher Plummer didn't like children and visited outlying towns as well. Oh yes...in the movie the Vontrapps escaped into the mountains...but if you look on a map the mountains would bring them into Germany. hmmmm. The real Vontrapps actually took a train from Salzburg to Italy, then France, then England before settling in Vermont. I'm glad I took the tour but wouldn't reccommend it to anyone else...unless they could take Sound of Music no matter if the guide was good or not. Apparently there is another tour guide who is very entertaining...that makes all the
difference in the world.
So if you plan to visit Salzburg, bring an umbrella and your woolies, plan on lots of tourists but if you like beautiful scenery, it's an excellent place to see. I am very glad to have visited it.
When we had arrived in Munich, Nicole was surprised by the rain (California upbringing can do that to a person) so she was poorly prepared for the rain. Although, to be totally honest, I was much in the same boat (I've been been jaded by summers in SLO too). Despite our discomfort from the moody weather we still really enjoyed seeing this part of the world.
Salzburg was small and pretty. An afternoon of walking around town is all you need to get the feel of the area. 1 out of every 3 jobs in Salzburg is related to tourism...so there are also lots of tourists. After a day of this, taking to the Alps to see the surrounding lakes and towns was the thing to do. We actually ended up crossing back into Germany for some coffee and a visit to the salt mines.
Hey, for all you Sound of Music fans, they offer a tour. I decided to try it out...having heard wonderful things about it; our tour guide was very nice but did not provide what I wanted it the tour...information. You had to prod it out of her. We did see filming sites though, heard how much Christopher Plummer didn't like children and visited outlying towns as well. Oh yes...in the movie the Vontrapps escaped into the mountains...but if you look on a map the mountains would bring them into Germany. hmmmm. The real Vontrapps actually took a train from Salzburg to Italy, then France, then England before settling in Vermont. I'm glad I took the tour but wouldn't reccommend it to anyone else...unless they could take Sound of Music no matter if the guide was good or not. Apparently there is another tour guide who is very entertaining...that makes all the
difference in the world.
So if you plan to visit Salzburg, bring an umbrella and your woolies, plan on lots of tourists but if you like beautiful scenery, it's an excellent place to see. I am very glad to have visited it.
Thursday, August 4
Magnificent Munich
Stepping off the plane in Munich was a refreshing change in our European adventure. Despite the Seattle summer weather (cool and sprinkling rain) we were delighted. Munich is gorgous!!!! It actually reminds me a lot of Seattle with lots more history; beautiful buidings (almost all restored to look like their originals before the war), neat shops, sooo clean, wide streets, and clearly labeled streets. It is so nice to have dummy proof streets around us again.
Today we took a fabulous walking tour around Munich where we got to see all the big sights (i.e. Glockenspeil, main goverment buildings, famous beer halls). Our tour guide was fabulous, he was actually an Irish guy who must have studied Munich history for he could answer all our probing questions and told us stories with infectious zeal. All day Nicole has been saying how wonderful it is to be in Munich and I couldn´t agree more.
Another good thing about Munich is despite it having yucky Nazi history, it didn´t rebuild most of those truely horrific places, and did put a couple momuments up in places where the resistence held its
own. I think it is a very tasteful way to handle such a nasty past. The only points I take off for Munich (and will probably be true in most of Germany) is the lack of vegitarian options. I had the strangest meal I´ve ever had last night (a cream cheese like log with onion to be spread on bread). It was interesting...but the menus here have been a bit limited.
We are thrilled to be here! Munich is a beatuiful town with great culture. Tomorrow we will be meeting up with a friend of Nicole´s (Gianna) who will be accompaning us to Salzberg. Check out the photos, I´ve finally posted all of them from Greece and some from today. Cheers from Emilie.
Today we took a fabulous walking tour around Munich where we got to see all the big sights (i.e. Glockenspeil, main goverment buildings, famous beer halls). Our tour guide was fabulous, he was actually an Irish guy who must have studied Munich history for he could answer all our probing questions and told us stories with infectious zeal. All day Nicole has been saying how wonderful it is to be in Munich and I couldn´t agree more.
Another good thing about Munich is despite it having yucky Nazi history, it didn´t rebuild most of those truely horrific places, and did put a couple momuments up in places where the resistence held its
own. I think it is a very tasteful way to handle such a nasty past. The only points I take off for Munich (and will probably be true in most of Germany) is the lack of vegitarian options. I had the strangest meal I´ve ever had last night (a cream cheese like log with onion to be spread on bread). It was interesting...but the menus here have been a bit limited.
We are thrilled to be here! Munich is a beatuiful town with great culture. Tomorrow we will be meeting up with a friend of Nicole´s (Gianna) who will be accompaning us to Salzberg. Check out the photos, I´ve finally posted all of them from Greece and some from today. Cheers from Emilie.
Monday, August 1
Athens
We arrived safely in Athens bleary eyed and with dragging feet. Our bus ride from Corfu to Athens was about 10 hours long (a night bus), and wouldn't have been so bad except everytime we got on a ferry, they made us get out of the bus.
Our plan was to spend the night in Athens and catch a morning ferry, but we found a night ferry, so decided to catch that instead and tour to Athens on minimal sleep. We figured that we'd take a walking tour and we wouldn't have to think, just enjoy.
Athens was creepy but the tour was fun, especially with all the other people our age. It lasted about 6 hours...so we are exhausted, but ready to head to Santorini. Okay, I'm out of time for now, but our time in Athens was fun. The Acropolis was awesome though!!!! Goodnight and hope to hear from you all soon.
With harmony,
Emilie
Our plan was to spend the night in Athens and catch a morning ferry, but we found a night ferry, so decided to catch that instead and tour to Athens on minimal sleep. We figured that we'd take a walking tour and we wouldn't have to think, just enjoy.
Athens was creepy but the tour was fun, especially with all the other people our age. It lasted about 6 hours...so we are exhausted, but ready to head to Santorini. Okay, I'm out of time for now, but our time in Athens was fun. The Acropolis was awesome though!!!! Goodnight and hope to hear from you all soon.
With harmony,
Emilie
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