Italy

Alot happened in my 5 day Italy trip, but I'm a tool and didn't have time to write about it. 

I swear, I'll write about it ASAP!

leaving for croatia right now, then headed to spain!

Amsterdam, not to be confused with Hamsterdam.

Just for clarifications sake.

So I spent Thursday and Friday exploring Amsterdam on my own, since I had yet to actually spend any large amount of time there, despite only being 2 hours away. It's true what they say, you always seem to overlook the things right under your nose. 

Now, I personally think that Amsterdam gets a really bad reputation. Yes, prostitution is legal. Yes, Marijuana and other soft drugs are tolerated. Yes, they have urinals built into the streets. 

Yes, their flag has XXX in the middle of it. 

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure it has earned its "bad boy" reputation. 

Still, Amsterdam is a gorgeous city. I came in thursday night around 9, dropped my stuff off at the hostel, and walked into the heart of the city. The city itself isn't particularly large, but its got a very strange arrangement as the streets work around the canals, which serve as rings expanding outward. Its surprisingly tricky to navigate on foot. Fortunately, Amsterdam has an incredible tram system, which makes getting around a little easier. 

But, I digress. I got some Donor Kebab for dinner and walked into the Dam Square, experiencing the Red Light District and the bar scene on my own for a while. 

Girls of the Red Light District... you know the ones I mean... they really work for your attention when you're alone. I walked down an alley once, and had girls tapping on glass from both sides. It would have been an ego-boost, if they wanted me and not just my money.

Side Note: Come to think of it, I'll pretend they really wanted me. Damn, I'm sexy.   

After wandering for an hour or so, I stopped into a coffee shop and partook in some of the local culture, so to speak. Afterward, I made my way back to the hostel... it took a long time, I got pretty lost. 

The next day, I met Kristen for lunch, then we walked around in the beautiful weather for a while. Around 3 we split, and she went to a meeting while I checked out the Van Gogh Museum. 

It was pretty amazing, but my favorite pieces weren't even Van Gogh's! There was an exhibition of Millais, who did the famous Ophelia painting. I turned on my iPod, listened to some indie music and wandered for hours through those halls.

 

Afterward, I headed to the Bols museum, which is actually a huge marketing tool for Bols liquor. I don't care, it was really cool. I even met with the marketing director to discuss international marketing plans! I swear, it happened.

Finally, as I walked home through the streets of Amsterdam, I realized how great the city really is. Only here is there such a vivid contrast of Night and Day, comfortably tucked into a small circular city. Amsterdam is the Batman of International Cities. 

Oh, and I went to the Sex Museum.

I'll be sure to come back to Amsterdam in April, especially when the tulips are in bloom. 

Prahahaha

See, it's funny because it's actually called "Praha," not Prague. I don't get why they had to anglicize it either. 

Might as well laugh, otherwise it'll just be awkward.

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...

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Too late.

So this weekend I traveled with Cait, Kristen and the newly recruited Nick to Prague for the weekend. We headed out around 7 to our overnight train, which departed around 9 or 10. We had a 4 person compartment, complete with beds for us to sleep in. It was pretty claustrophobic, but we got over it and actually enjoyed ourselves. We arrived in Prague and were STILL exhausted, so we dropped off our bags and crashed for an hour or two. 

Side note:

We've been having incredible luck with Hostels! So far there's only been one hostel that left me feeling uncomfortable, and even that one wasn't so bad. GO EUROPE! 

Anyways, we left the hostel around Noon and began our exploration. The weather turned quite nice, and we had a great day out, seeing the sights and taking in the culture. Around 5 we divided so that Cait and Nick could see a classical music concert for their musical theatre class, while Kristen and I had a "date."  We actually decided to go to a show of our own, so at 8 o'clock we paid for cheap tickets, then snuck down to the better seats toward the front. 

I'm ashamed to say that I started to nod off during the music. However, what I heard, I really enjoyed. After this, we went back to the hostel, got ready and went to the biggest club in Prague, standing 6 stories tall with 5 different dance floors. 

Now, allow me to inform the public about clubs.

CLUBS SUCK.

There, I hope things have been clarified a little bit more.   It's not that I had a bad time, it's just the pretentious nature of clubs - constantly judging each other based of appearance since its too loud to attempt to have a conversation with anyone - It's ridiculous. Still, put a couple free drinks in my hand and I guess I can't complain. 

The next day, after arriving home in the wee hours of the morning, the 4 of us got off to a late start. We decided to check out New Town, since we had spent the day before in Old Town. 

Whereas I loved the historic beauty of Old Prague, New Town felt very commercial and turned out to be a lot harder to enjoy. Still, it was nice enough. Cait and I took off around 7 o'clock to see our Blacklight Theatre show at 8 O'clock. 

Blacklight theatre shows are normal stage shows with blacklit background and props - its actually very interesting to watch - actors hidden in all black ninja costumes move the bright green and orange props around to interact with the characters on stage. It looks amazing on stage - so simple, yet so engaging. 

After this, we headed back to the hostel, but Cait and I stopped in at a jazz club for about an hour, chatting over drinks dubbed "Hot Mango" and "Hot Apple". We expected tea, but instead got something so much better. From what I could tell, they steamed real fruit juice and added cinnamon sticks for flavor at the bottom. The drinks were amazing and I can't wait to try to make one of my own! 

Finally, we went to bed, only to spend the next 13 hours on trains getting delayed on our way home. Oh well, at least we tried. 

Prahahahaha. Get it?!

What do Mirrors do? They Reflect.

So, I've been in Europe for around a month and a half now, which leaves me with just under 2 months left. Plus, seeing as I stayed around the castle this weekend to save money and prepare for midterms, there's not much to report about this weekend. I did, however, bike to Germany, which sounds much more epic than it really is.  Next weekend I'll be in prague though, so I'll have plenty to talk about then. 

Onward unto reflections. 

 

Being here, living in a small town for the first time has been an experience all in itself - Saying hello to complete strangers as we passed on the sidewalk was almost jarring at first, but it comes quite naturally now. The funny thing is that all of the natives can point out the Castle Dwellers, not because we look American but because they've simply never seen us before - in such a small town, it must be hard not to notice someone new. 

On top of that, Its been really amazing seeing all these beautiful cities, experiencing all the different cultures, but at the same time, it's been bittersweet. Yes, I love seeing all these cities, but the thing I hate is playing tourist everywhere - there's never enough time to truly assimilate into the culture. There have been a couple cities where I've said "hey, enjoyed it, don't need to come back," (See Budapest, Geneva) but others like Paris and London have left me longing for more.

One assumption I held before my arrival in Europe was that America was hated worldwide, but I've actually found the people I've encountered to be very friendly and accommodating, even after finding out I am American. It certainly was a relief, knowing that many people recognize that we aren't entirely accountable for the poor decisions of our president. Plus, we've made some friends along the way, like our british and belgian friends! 

I'd like to say I'm totally different after living in Europe, but I don't feel particularly different... I'm pretty sure I'm still the same Dan. Maybe I know a little more dutch, but that's it. 

Anyways, Its only the first week of March, and I've got 2 more months to live it up, Euro-style. 

Paris, Where God's Love costs 15 bucks.

Hey, remember that time I completely forgot to finish my story?

Anyways, from Dublin I traveled solo to Paris to meet up with a whole mess of people at the Woodstock hostel - I even ran into some other Emersonians on the flight!  After touching down around 10, we took a bus out from the tiiiiiny little airport to Paris, and then navigated the winding vines that make up the Parisian Metro System.  I found my way to Rue De Rodier with only a few minor complications like, oh I don't know, my lack of speaking ANY french. 

 "Parlay Voo Ing-Lay"  became my Mantra for the weekend. 

Now, don't get me wrong - there's a feeling of validation that comes from being able to communicate with someone in another country - but sometimes its just alot easier to label yourself an outsider and get the answers you need. If its any consolation, I can order a baguette or a sandwich with moderate success! 

Anyways, I arrived at the hostel and met up with everyone. The next day we walked around Paris, starting with the  Sacre Care (or whatever its called),

Quick Side note: Why Don't the jerks with the string bracelets take "no" for an answer? Wait... you don't know about these guys? This is no longer just a side note!

So, in front of the Sacre Care is a HUGE grass hill with stone stairs leading up to it. See the flickr for pictures of this, I took several. Anyways, at the stairs there are several black guys with yarn in hand. They literally block off the stairs and confront tourists. Now, if you're not careful, they'll grab your wrist and start braiding a bracelet on you - If they do this, they'll start telling you that you owe them 10 Euros. 

Needless to say, its pretty messed up. 

Anyways, I successfully dodged them a couple times - it helps to look very angry and physically pull your wrist away when they reach for it. The following was an actual dialogue between me and them:

Obnoxious Guy: Hey, Do you have love for God?

Me: Yea, sure. (attempting to walk past without altercation)

Hey, stop, we want to give you some of God's love

Trust me, I've got plenty

You could always use more! (He and 2 others block my path, grabs my wrist)

Listen, I gotta go... (Pulls wrist away)

That's what everyone says!

Yea? Well I mean it. (Push through the 2 guys physically and run over to my friends)

From here we walked the Champs-Elysees, then made our way to the Louvre. It actually was very impressive - and since we're young we got in for free by saying we were under 18! Seeing all these magnificent art pieces together after days of museums in London left me a little burned out as far as art is concerned. Nonetheless, I made sure to see the pieces we've been covering in class, and of course the infamous Mona Lisa. 

Honestly? I don't see what's so great about her. She's just another chick with a smirk. 

Anyways, at this point we all headed home to the hostel and cooked ourselves some pasta dinner to save money. Along with our bottles of 2 Euro wine, we had a great time! That night we headed over to the Red Light District of Paris, which is like Amsterdam-Lite. Still, we had a great time. Shannon even got hit on by a creepy crepe maker! (Note to the reader - if you're a cute girl, never offer a kiss for a free crepe. It's going to go very, very badly.)

On Saturday, we divided in half - Kyle, Zander, Shannon and I headed to the Musee Rodin, which was full of amazing sculptures. Afterward, we wandered around Paris some more, eventually ending up at Luxemburg Park. It was gorgeous, and truly a chance to experience a non-tourist environment. It was a beautiful day and we happily spent almost an hour soaking it all in. 

That night, we went over to Billy's Aunt and Uncle's and had ANOTHER dinner party. This time, of course, we had a real kitchen which made everything that much better. Afterward we headed out to the Eiffel Tower for a fantastic night basking in its glow. We picnicked on the lawn underneath with wine and gummy bears, and everyone had a great night. 

On Sunday, before we headed home, Kyle and I headed up to the top of the Eiffel Tower - the pictures are available on your right, but it was truly amazing. Afterward we headed home, and my 10 day, 3 city adventure ended.

Upon arrival, we ALL, all 80 of us, crashed.