Carla and Cole's European Vacation

Paris!

2009-06-08T18:30:00.003-07:00

Last stop: Paris. This was a perfect end to our trip. Despite our slightly sketchy out of the way hostel, I really liked Paris. We went on a tour the first day there and covered the majority of sights. Of course, I loved the history lesson as well. Everywhere was so clean and there wasn’t a single hawker or busker asking for money. We spent the better part of the afternoon hanging out at the Eiffel tower. There is a great little park out front as we took in the sights and people watched. I dragged Cole up the Eiffel tower as well (we didn’t go all the way to the top, just the second level). The views were defiantly worth the climb. We found ourselves at a cute little French bistro later that evening and I got my escargot that I had been waiting for. Turns out, snails taste like snails wherever you eat them.

Day two was devoted to the Louvre. Having heard the statistic the previous day; “if you spent 30 seconds at each item in the museum and didn’t eat, go to the bathroom, or sleep, it would take three months to get through” we knew we were in for a long day. The Louvre didn’t disappoint. The collections were very unique and it was crazy looking at some of the originals that you see so many replicas of all over the world (i.e.: Mona Lisa). We gave the Louvre our best shot but had to leave due to near starvation (haha…well that’s how I felt anyway). After a nice meal, we headed to the Père Lachaise Cemetery because I’m still a sucker for Jim Morrison. It was a really cool place to walk around, there were some amazing burials.

Pa-ree: clean sidewalks, cute men in suits on scooters, great fashion, packed Metros.

Nice

2009-06-08T18:30:00.001-07:00

From the Italian Riviera, it was off to the French Riviera (I know, we had it rough). It was such a beautiful drive along the south of France. We drove by all of the ritzy celebrity retreats like Monaco, Saint-Tropez, and Cannes and stayed a few days in the central city of the region: Nice. At this point, Cole and I were counting the last of our money and trying to see how much further we could stretch it so I have to admit, we didn’t get up to very much in Nice. Luckily, we didn’t have to spend very much money to enjoy Nice because it was just a beautiful city to walk around and hang out on the beaches. We chilled out, said our good-byes to the people we had been travelling with, and faced the realization that it was soon home time.

Nice: fancy cars, beautifully groomed parks, pretty beaches, hotel personal that yell at you and say “I don’t speak English!”

Cinque Terre

2009-06-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

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Cinque Terre, ahhhhhhh….my favorite spot. The name means Five Terraces and it is basically five villages built into the sheer rock cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We stayed in a village called Riomaggiore with the Albertan and Aussie couple we met in Florence in our own apartment. It had a spectacular view of the ocean from the patio and the best part was our own kitchen. We cooked some proper Italian meals; complete with Antipasti, First Course, Second Course, and Dessert. The area is known for its pesto and we made the most of that. We spread it on crackers, ate it with prosciutto, and even stole a bit right from the container. We also indulged in just a little bit of wine…I mean it was excellent local quality and it was only 3 euro’s, what choice did we have? We did a lot of hiking as there are 12 km of trails between these villages. It pretty strenuous at times but the views were incredible. We even took a dip but I was out of the water pretty quick when I spotted a jelly fish. I totally recommend visiting here, it was incredible.

Cinque Terre: amazing views, warmest natural body of water I have ever felt, cute buildings and cobblestone streets

Florence

2009-06-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

From Rome it was off to Florence. We stopped at a nice lookout point before we headed in to our hostel and got a great view of the city. We also snuck a peak at a replica David statue that overlooked the city. Florence was a nice quiet break from the big cities (I think there are about 400, 000) as we just got some sun and shopped. We browsed the markets and stores and got some really good souvenirs for our families. It was hard not to go overboard. Florence was also home to the best gelato of all time. The place was called Grom and I think we had about 4 or 5 cones over the course of two days. I liked the lemon/melon combo and Cole preferred all strawberry. It was here that we also met some really cool people. We did lots of our exploring with a guy named Tyler from Alberta and hung out with a couple from Perth as well. Our hostel had a roof-top bar so we spent a few nights here getting to know our new friends…

Florence: male genetalia everywhere you look (the statues), great shopping, cool bridge

2009-06-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

Rome

2009-06-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

Rome! Wow! I don’t even know where to start with this city. It is so full of history and beauty. Our first day there I managed to drag Cole out nice and early so we were some of the only people on some of the little side streets. It was also a Sunday and lots of places were closed so this made it even better. We took in lots of statues and fountains basically undisturbed. My favorite was the Trevi Fountain, so cool! The afternoon we made our way to the Coliseum but got distracted along the way…First, there was the ‘gladiator’ man that accosted us on the bridge, put a helmet and sword in our hands, took our picture, and then demanded 10 euro’s. Second, we were mesmerized by the ruins of the forum and the old Roma city centre. Next, we (ok, I) realized we didn’t have enough cash for the Coliseum so the hunt was on for a bank machine. Finally, with some fresh water, we got in line. Luckily for us, all of our ‘lolly-gagging’ made it possible for us to run into a couple of Calgarians that we had met in Munich. We ended up joining there tour and it was a great time! The second part of the tour (yep, we were still tagging along for free) led us to Palentine Hill where Roma was created all those thousands of years ago and where the worlds first Palace sat, in ruins. At this point it was probably plus 38 and we were dying but it was totally worth it.

The next day was dedicated to the Vatican Museum. Luckily we packed a lunch because we were there for hours! The paintings and statues were pretty great but when you make your way into the Raphael rooms, the Map rooms, and finally the Sistine Chapel it is breathtaking. The pictures we took just do not do it justice. This was definitely a highlight of our trip.

Rome: crazy history, hot weather, pushy hawkers (“you buy! you buy!”), crazy church

Venice

2009-05-25T10:41:00.001-07:00


After Munich it was the trek down south to the glorious land of hot
weather, wine, and gellato...Our first stop was Venice.  We ended up
staying in a camping village just outside of the city as most of the bus
were staying there and it was dirt cheap.  Cole and I got to have our own
room (yeah, no 6-8 bed dorm rooms!), there was a restaurant, pool, and
bar.  It was a pretty nice escape as we hit Venice for a full day but it
wasn't our favourite so we spent the next day by the pool relaxing and
reading! Venice was really cool and unique with the canals, no cars, and
really old buildings (it was basically untouched in WWII) but there were
incredible crowds of people and pigeons that put a damper on things.  We
did a bit of shopping in the neat little boutiques but one day was good
enough for us.  The day by the pool was probably a good idea to start
building some what of a base since Rome has been EXTREMELY HOT so far.
Anyway, more about Rome later we have only just arrived and checked out a
few things but wow!

Venice: super unique, cheap and yummy gellato, throw away the map because
you will get lost, again, again, and again...

SIDE BAR: We drove through the area where the earthquake hit Italy in
early April and unfortunately it was not a pretty site.  Hundreds of
people are still displaced living in tents scattered around parking lots
and we saw the remains of the damaged homes...It was sad to imagine...

Munich

2009-05-25T10:40:00.002-07:00


From Vienna, we were back in Germany.  Munich, to be exact.  I thought
that I liked Berlin (and I still do) but I think Munich just has a better
feel.  It is quite a bit smaller and the people even look, act, and speak
slightly different.  The best part were the beer gardens (I hope I don't
sound like an alcoholic with the amount of times I have mentioned
drinking...).  They are just a beautiful secluded grassy area covered in
chestnut trees with picnic tables and stines of beer everywhere.  Whole
families come out to spend the afternoons and you can bring your own food
or purchase from them (we had to sample the pretzels).  They even have
playgrounds for the kids.  Munich is full (I think over 20?) of beer
gardens and it is just such a big part of their day. We met some great
Aussies, Canadians, and Americans from our hostel and spent some time with
each other at these gardens.  Another gem we found was a fantastic park,
complete with waterfalls, old archaeological ruins, ducks, and even naked
sunbathers (this part was a bit much, especially because all of the ones
we saw were male and this made Cole sad...).  We would love, love, love,
to visit Munich during Oktoberfest because I can only imagine what the
gardens would be like then!

Munich: delicious sausage, delicious cheesy noodle type mixture (I need
the recipe!), great people: PROST!

Vienna

2009-05-25T10:40:00.001-07:00

There has been a bit of delay in posting as a) we haven't had the best luck finding affordable Internet b) the computers don't often have a port to plug in our camera and c) we just have better things to do...haha...sorry but it's true. Anyway, enough of my whining...on with Vienna. We regrettably spent only one night in that great city. It was so clean, beautiful and we didn't have nearly enough time to really check things out. We did spend most of the evening at the symphony though!!! Yeah, that's right, opera, ballet, and an orchestra! It was so great. We figured it was a good splurge when we were in the birthplace of Mozart. My favourite part was watching the dancers dance a Viennese (sp?) waltz in its namesake. So amazing!

Vienna: giggling at the way 'schnitzel' sounds (especially when I ordered it), posh shopping, great music

NOTE!!!

2009-05-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

The following three posts, or previous three posts since they start with the most recent at the top of the page, (Vienna, Munich, Venice) will have pictures added as soon as I can....I miss my laptop and wireless internet sooooo much!!!

2009-05-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

Berlin/Prague

2009-05-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

This post comes to you from FREE (we love free) internet in Prague. First a quick Berlin recap:

We spent the first day walking around half asleep due to our 4:00 am wake up call and 6:30 flight from Edinburgh. Brandon met us the next day and we did a FREE (oh yeah!) walking tour through the city. It was a really good overview and I'm glad we had the commentary as Berlin didn't seem to have any plaques/posters describing their landmarks. There were so many landmarks that held Nazi/Hitler significance and our guide said that the country dosen't want to glamourize him and the Neo-Nazi's that still exist. I thought this was a good reason and it was kind of fitting when we stood where Hitler's final bunker (where he killed himself) was and it was a parking lot with a chinese restaurant and a gay bar across the street! Take that Hitler!

Berlin had the absoulte best restaurants SO FAR (cough, Italy, cough). Brandon, Cole and I frequented the same two for bratwurst/schnitzel and beer and they were huge portions for great prices, and absolutely delicious! We also discovered Schnieder Weisen (see picture below) and Cole was in heaven.

Fast forward to today! We left Berlin on our first day aboard BusAbout and stopped at a concentration camp just outside of Prague. It was a somber afternoon to say the least. We did a quick Prague sightsee extravaganza this evening and it is so beautiful! I really wish we could stay here longer :( I recommend Prague to anyone.

Berlin: sausage, jager, communist propoganda, and huge men

Prague: hilly coblestone streets, goulash, faces that always look angry (but actually turn out friendly)

2009-05-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Cole's favorite beer so far.

2009-05-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

The Roman Catholic cathedral built in 1890 by Willhelm the 1-3. Carlas favorite so far.

2009-05-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Memorial for all the murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany.

2009-05-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Where J.K. Rowling wrote the first two Harry Potter books in Edinburgh, Scottland

Busabout

2009-05-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, one last post for the day because this keyboard is driving me crazy! Just an update for the rest of our journey. Cole and I decided to book onto a bus tour company to save us some money, time, and headache. It has been really time-consuming trying to find the cheapest flights-trains-buses and annoying trying to figure out how it will all work in our schedule. So we have a flex pass through a company called Busabout that allows us all the major cities and tourist attractions around western, northern, and southern Europe. We can hop on and hop off whenever we like, we get a driver slash (can´t find that stupid key) tour guide, and hopefully will meet lots of new people. It is sort of like the bus company I went with through Australia and New Zealand. We are psyched and we leave Friday from Berlin for our first stop: Prague!!

Hope this finds everyone healthy and happy, Cole and I were chatting about everyone back home this morning on the plane. We miss you!

C

Edinburgh

2009-05-11T04:52:00.001-07:00

We spent three days in beautiful Edinburgh and it was so worth it. We had no intentions of visiting Scotland originally, but are really glad that we did. The city is an amazing juxtaposition of `old town´ and `new town` with old Gothic architecture and newer Georgian styles. It was the coolest impression when you first get off that train! We attended an extensive city tour, took in the parks, and even took a day trip outside the city.

The day trip took us up through the beautiful Scottish highlands (yes, it was very `Braveheart-esque`) and to the infamous Loch Ness. Unfortunately much to our chagrin, (not really) there was no Loch Ness Monster sightings.

Scotland: rain, drunk home-less men, a really bloody history, a really good time

Newcastle

2009-05-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

I have been bad at posting because I wanted a nice picture accompaniment to every entry but alas, we have not been able to upload our photos anywhere :(. So I guess I will have to make these next few text only. You will have to apologize if my grammar and or spelling looks off because I am on a German keyboard and it is totally messed up. Yes, we are in Berlin but I need to back up a few days.

After leaving London, we took a 3 hour train ride north to Newcastle which is the nearest city to where Brandon Caswell (long time friend from Drumheller) is living. We met him at the station and then he led us back to his town (around 40, 000) of Cramlington. We spent the next few days touring northern England stopping at numerous cathedrals, castles, and pubs. It was really good to see Brandon, meet his friends, and sleep in a real house. The last night with Brandon a group of us went out in Newcastle and it was lots of fun. This night out unfortunately impeded our journey to Scotland the next morning, but more on that when we get home...

2009-05-05T02:24:00.000-07:00

Here you go Ryan!

2009-05-05T02:21:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Piccadilly Circus which is kind of the 'times square' of London. There were tons of people and lots of tourist shops, cinemas, theaters, and big advertising (including two huge lcd screens on the sides of buildings). We did not really stay here that long but it was fun to people watch.

2009-05-05T02:19:00.000-07:00

Still at the Natural History Museum...of course I had to get this picture. It was a 1300 year old Siqouya tree (California Redwood). It was pretty spectacular.

2009-05-05T02:15:00.000-07:00

Day Two: Museums, Museums, Museums! Here is Cole inside the Natural History Museum. It was soooo beautiful and soooo huge! The building was built in the early to mid 1800's ( I know, this is actually quite new for London) and we could have wondered around admiring it on its own. We thought it was going to be a morning excursion but when it was 2:00 and we were starving, we had to forgo some of the exhibits. This part was ok because we were kind of sick of the crowds and 'learning' at this point.

2009-05-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

2009-05-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

2009-05-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

I see London, I see...

2009-05-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

After checking into our hostel after a really long and sleepless flight, we did a bit of exploring of our neighborhood yesterday evening. Today, however, was the big tourist day! We got up early and took in most of the main attractions: Tower of London, London Bridge(s), The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, The Parliament Building, Buckingham Palace..whoa! We got an oyster card for quick access to the 'tube/underground/subway' and of course lots of walking. I forgot to turn on the pedometer until around 2:00 in the afternoon but when we got back we had clocked in 25 km! It was really surreal seeing these things up close. I also have a feeling we are going to have hundreds of pictures of buildings because one is just more beautiful than the next.

2009-04-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

Pre-Trip

2009-04-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here I am two nights before we leave and am freaking out trying to get my 'to-do' list done. Of course that list includes things that (according to Mom and Cole) are so 'teachery' and unnecessary. This includes things like printing out labels with address' of people we want to send postcards to so we can just stick them right on the postcard. It also includes reading every single movie synopsis of the list of movies available on the plane (I admit, this was pushing it). Anyway, this post is more of a test, stay tuned for the real pictures and commentary later...