Andy Goes To Europe

There´s a whole world out there

I´ve been missing from the whole tumblr scene for a while. That is because I have been traveling a lot. during this last leg of the trip, it has been a little more difficult however to actually convince myself to explore other cities. I have slowed down for sure!!! :) But I honestly believe that this has been a very ambitious trip. I´ve been to so many places. You could spend a whole lifetime traveling just through Europe and never get to all of it. I´ve written posts about my trip up through Lucerne, Switzerland, and I plan to post them when I get near a Wi-Fi spot (maybe when I get back home). For now, I´d like to talk about Geneva, Barcelona, and Madrid.

After Lucerne, Switzerland, I headed to Geneva without even the faintest idea of where I was going to stay. When I got to the station I left all of my things in a locker so I could explore the city. Geneva is one of those beautiful cities where everything works (except for trains out), and where even the sketchy areas of town are actually just cultural havens. Switzerland is extremely expensive, but if you can handle eating all your meals at grocery stores it is not unbearable. And the lesson is that you do not always have to be eating at restaurants or buying tickets to museums to have a good time. I do recommend however that you take the UN tour. I did it and felt it was a good way to contemplate international politics and meet people from all over the world. It was nice to meet like minded people who shared common values of international peace and negotiation. I met people from the Middle East, Latin America, and many other places. There are also some free museums in that area such as the Red Cross museum. But in Switzerland, you could spend a whole week walking around and be perfectly content. Furthermore, in Geneva the government rents out bikes for free for 4 hours at a time. I took up the offer and explored the city, and believe me, it was worth it!!! I made it to the Rhone River and admired how ridiculously clear the water was. The Swiss youth were all jumping off the bridge into the river, and even with my jeans on, it was way too tempting to pass up. I jumped in to the water as the Sun was setting and it could not have been a better experience (except for the part where I didn´t have a hostel yet or any towel to dry off with :) ). When I returned the bike, I realized that I should find a hostel. Luckily, a hostel close to the train station let me get a room ( from their “emergency only” selection, which I don´t think is really true). That night, I met two girls from Zambia who were in Geneva for a UN conference for women from all over the world. I hung out with them and talked about what they were doing. They were there representing a refugee protection program and they gave me a bracelet from the program.

The next day I spent walking around the city and trying to figure out how to get to Spain. All the trains out were booked, but I managed to buy two out of three tickets necessary to get there, and convinced the Conductor to let me on by begging him in my elementary French (if you can speak any French you should try this, it is very effective). I don´t think he realized how little French I actually spoke because he spent most of the trip to Marseille joking with me in French. I just smiled and pretended I was following him. That day I went from Geneva to Marseille, from Marseille to Figueres (Spain), and from Figueres to Barcelona. It was a long journey, but it barely cost me anything, and we passed through some of the most beautiful countryside I have seen in Europe. This was especially true when we were in Southern France by the ocean. The views were breathtaking, and any photos from the train will not be posted because they do not do the area any justice. If you have money I would recommend renting a car with very little cover to enjoy the ocean air and sun of this beautiful area.

When I finally got to Barcelona, I followed my new friend Joe from the train to his hostel hoping to find a place. Unfortunately there wasn´t anything, so we decided not to worry about it and go out instead. Somewhere along the way I managed to find a really cool hostel that let me stay. The employees were really cool and friendly. Joe and I went to La Rambla, a popular street teeming with illicit business and drunk people. We ended the night at around 5 in the morning.

I was supposed to move to another hostel halfway across town, but I could not find it in me to leave such a cool place. I canceled my reservation at the other place and added three more days to my stay. My new german friends wanted to go to the beach, and my friend Pierre and I decided to tag along. It was time to try to get rid of the farmer tan (which unfortunately, has still not happened :) ). In Barcelona, almost all the girls go topless on sunny days, and I was recently informed that they used to go completely nude (guys too). That, in a way, expresses the spirit of Barcelona. It is a city with very few rules, a thriving art scene, good food and music, and weirdness, weirdness, weirdness. Everywhere you look there will be some monument that will make apparent how many people are on drugs in the city. The city really benefits from this art-centric attitude. The Plaça d’Espanya is a fantastic place. If you show up there at night you will see a street illuminated by glowing fountains that shoot high into the air and lead to a huge museums with even big fountains and waterfalls. We went to a hiphop concert here and looked out over the whole city in awe. It was probably one of the most memorable experiences on the trip (and in some ways one of the most forgettable). Other things that cannot be missed in Barcelona are the Park Guell and the Sagrada Familia, both project of Gaudi that lend a great charm to the city. The Park Guell could literally consume you for days. Walking through it you can basically get to the top of Barcelona. The view is spectacular, and you will most certainly see some extremely weird people along the way that provide a little extra flair to the journey. Also, do not do what many people do and take pictures of the Sagrada Familia but not actually enter. This is a huge mistake. The exterior is fantastic, but the interior is breathtaking. I am not a big fan of elaborate churches, but there is something about the way Gaudi does it that just kills you. It is beautiful, modern, and in my opinion, one of the most honest, heartfelt adorations I have ever witnessed. It is completely original, it changes in every corner, it is bright and optimistic. I could spend a whole day inside.

Another thing that is worth checking out is the zoo. The barcelona zoo has hundreds of monkeys, it has apes, big cats, birds from all over the world, snakes (yes, it has anacondas!!!), dozens of types of crocodiles, flamingos, hippos, seals, giraffes, and pretty much anything you could think of.

When I finally decided to say goodbye to Barcelona (it was really hard, believe me), I headed to the train station to catch my last ride with the InterRail pass. This was the first time that I was called out for using a pass that isnt meant for Americans. The ticket vendor said, “you realize this is only for europeans right?”. I told her that I too thought it was a little weird that I had been allowed to buy it. She let me get away with it one last time. I boarded a high speed train towards Madrid. We cruised through semi-arid Spanish landscapes at a bumpin speed of 301 km/hr while watching the Blind Side dubbed to Spanish. I know I´ve been traveling too long because I somehow felt emotional while watching it even with the wacky dub. It looks like I will need to finish talking about Madrid later, my time on the computer is running out!!!!!!!!!!! More in depth details about the journey later!!!!!!

Alive and well, life is beautiful in Geneva

For anyone who is curious. Yes, I am alive. Most of my tumblr entries I have handwritten in a notebook somewhere, and I plan on posting them soon! Right now I am in Geneva, which is probably one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. Everything seems to be just right. It is very diverse, surrounded by mountains, and has a river/lake that is crystal clear (you can see the birds through the water when they are fishing). For those of you who are curious, I have decided to post an up-to-date list of where I’ve been so far:

London,England/ Rotterdam,Netherlands/Amsterdam, Netherlands/ Antwerp, Belgium/Golmbach, Germany/ Berlin, Germany/ Prague, Czech Republic/ Vienna, Austria/ Budapest, Hungary/ Marghita, Romania/ Venice, Italy/ Rome, Italy/ Positano, Italy/ Naples, Italy/ Lucerne, Switzerland/ Geneva, Switzerland

Which is pretty crazy for being here only five weeks!!!!!!!!

A lot has happened since then…

At the moment I am sitting on the train to Rome coming from Venice. I managed to literally make my Heineken bottle shoot beer to the top of the train when I got on, but I am dry now. It is very helpful knowing Spanish in this part of the world because I have managed to have conversations in Spanishtalian during the whole trip. The landscape in this part of Italy is magnificent. We are traveling through densely forested mountains, interrupted by farms and beautiful old homes and mansions that are positioned in such a way that they look like they could fall to their fate at any second.

The last time I wrote I was settling down for the day in Vienna. A lot has happened since then, but some of it is probably best left for late night drinking conversations. After I recovered, I met up with my Canadian friends (Elena, Katrina, Alex, and Stephanie). We met at a local pub where I drank beer and helped them finish the food they hadn´t managed to eat. Afterwards we jumped on the Metro with the intention of going out dancing, but when we arrived at our stop we stumbled upon a couple hundred people staring into the sky (just like the beginning of a summer blockbuster!). It turned out that we had managed to show up to one of the best places in the city to see the lunar eclipse. It was one of the most beautiful things that I had ever seen. We could see the entire moon but it wasn´t lit up, which really made it look like what it really is, a ball floating around in the sky. The sight was mesmerizing, and we canceled any prior plans for the evening. My Viennese memories have little to do with the monuments. They passed me by like cars on a highway. What I will remember most is this wonderful night on a bridge in Vienna, staring at something that I will likely never see again. I hope to see my friends from Toronto again as we shared a truly special experience.

From Vienna my intention was to travel to Budapest. I arrived in Budapest, and quickly left. It is here where I will choose to skip part of my journey, as I believe it will be best to tell the story in about ten years. Let´s just say that I returned to Budapest the following day, and could not have been happier to be there. The first stop I made was at the West End mall in Budapest to get some internet and find a hostel. I took the tram and looked for my hostel, but it was a little hidden. A couple from Virginia helped me find the hotel and let me use their phone. They also invited me to breakfast at their really nice hotel!!!! My hostel was fantastic (Mandala Hostel). The people there were awesome and they were very fascinated by the story that I have chosen to leave out here. The first night in Budapest I was way too tired to go out, so I stayed in. Turns out, however, that the owner of the hostel is very interested in politics. We chatted until 5 in the morning and I woke up at 9 to meet my new friends for breakfast. I told them the story, and they urged me to not tell it J (Now you are all curious, as you should be). After bidding them adieu and sleeping for a few more hours, I took a walking tour around Budapest with my new friends: Jeff, Vasco, and Taggart. Budapest is gorgeous!!!!!! It is such an amazing city. We walked to the top of Budapest and looked over the city. I will tell you that Budapest is worth visiting for that view alone.

After the tour we saw that there were hundreds of police officers in the streets. We inquired as to what they were doing there and we found out that they were policing a Gay Pride Parade. Being from fairly liberal countries, we thought that such a high police presence was ridiculous. Initially we thought that the police were there to shut down the Gay Pride Parade. But we were very, very wrong. I followed the streets with Jeff, Vasco, and Taggart to look for an entry point to catch the story. We ended up at a place where we were almost in the parade. There was still a police blockade but we could see the event. There were people screaming all around us and at first we thought that they were all part of the parade. Then we noticed myriad middle figures, neo-nazi haircuts and hateful tattoos all around us. We had somehow managed to end up on the Neo-Nazi side (which let´s just say, was not good for Taggart). We managed to snatch a few photos of the hateful human beings while Taggart found a safer place to stand nearby.

After we left, Taggart didn´t waste time in reassuring his freedom from the circle of hatred. He led us into a store named “Furever”, which I have to admit was enjoyable from a non-fashion standpoint. We then quickly jetted to the Jewish Quarter and ate at the Castro Bizstro, which is an amazing restaurant. It was some of the best food I have ever had, and I highly recommend it! In the night we went to a local club. There were no tourists from the US there and the group was mostly Hungarian, which is a scene that is harder to encounter as a tourist. Jeff, Vasco, Taggart, and I got down all night on the dance floor and even managed to make some Hungarian friends believe it or not. The next day we headed to the Széchenyi Bath House, which is comprised of about 80 pools of various temperatures, saunas, and steam rooms. It was the most relaxing thing I have ever done. If you ever make it to Budapest, plan on spending at least a full day at the bath houses. And bring money with you as there are restaurants and bars on premise (you cannot leave and come back in).

My last trip was to Venice. Venice is nothing short of heavenly. The best way to enjoy Venice is to find about 4 hours and walk around by yourself. A bottle of water, 10 Euros, and a map so you can get back when you are sufficiently lost. I walked around for hours, stepping into random modern art galleries and occasionally stopping for a bite to eat or coffee. Traveler tip: Only buy water once. There is free water from spouts every few blocks in Venice. It is free, and will save you a ton of money!!! I went Tango dancing with a bunch of new friends that I made along the way. The event was attended almost solely by Italians and Argentines, so we felt a little intimidated at first by their dancing skills. I think I started to pick up on it by the end, but one cannot be sure.

I have left out certain details, partially for content, and also because I am now in Rome and going out to explore! I will tell more about my journey later!!

Praha and Wien (Prague and Vienna)

Sunday on the train out of Berlin I felt a little hesitant to leave. Berlin is so amazing. We saw the Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial, and the Brandenburg Gate. Standing in front of the Reichstag was a crazy experience. It is very powerful for me to consider its significance. It once housed Hitler´s regime, and now is in the center of one of the most open hip cities in the world. I will not forget my experiences in Berlin (at least for the most part). Berliners really know how to party. I think it was about 7:30 in the morning when my buddy Bjorn looked at me and said “Usually we would hit an after party right now, but I´m tired today.”

Even though I have an intense love for Berlin, I knew I was spent. You can only party past sunrise so many times before your body starts screaming at you. I bid farewell to Bjorn and Kyle, and went to the Berlin-Charlottenburg station. On the ride to Praha hl.n. I met some girls from England (Sophie, Sophie, Emily, and Amy). They ended up inviting me to stay at their hostel in Prague as I had not yet reserved anything. This was a really fun experience. We explored the city with a walking tour and went on a pub crawl. At some point during this I dipped out however to visit Dobrá Cajovna in Wenceslas Square because I know the owners of the Dobrá in Madison and I had to see the original!!! In Prague, we saw the Astronomical Clock, which is amazing despite the fact that it doesn´t function. We also heard a lot about the history of the Old Town, which to be honest kinda went in one ear and out the other pretty quick.

My favorite part about Prague is its old feel. You don´t have to know the history of Prague to be smitten by its beauty. The old bridges and churches hugging the river make the trip worth it.

I also visited a museum called the Museum of Young Art, which was free and incredibly enjoyable (although very very graphic at times). I would recommend this to anyone passing through that doesn´t get shocked easily. The exhibits played off of lots of controversial topics and at some times ventured to extreme measures to convey ideas (a rocking horse with a real horse head, rugs made out of puppies, 7 ft. tall pistols).

On my way to Vienna I met some girls from Ontario and another from the US. We all ventured to Zu den 2 Lieserln, an open-air restaurant hidden past an alley that serves amazing Wiener Schnitzel, Potato Salad, and Beer. The portions were huge and we all left satisfied.

After dinner we went to drinks, and headed back to our hostels. I was planning on going to bed but instead ended up heading to the clubs with my new Mexican friends from my hostel. We overall had a great time, but didn´t get to bed until 5:30, and I woke up at 8 for breakfast! So pretty much any tourism attempts were useless today. Vienna is beautiful, but I don´t think I will leave remembering much about the historical buildings (which seems to be the trend anyways :) ).

Au revoir Berlin

Berlin is…….

Exciting

Full of history

The city of the never-ending party

full of possibilities

The ultimate challenge to a cynic´s worldview