Berlin is an interesting city...kinda searching for a new identity since the Wall came down. We actually spent more time in East Berlin than West Berlin, due to there being more interesting sights there. We arrived in Berlin via the overnight train around 9 am, and the first thing our eyes spotted was a Dunkin Donuts (chain stores are everywhere in Berlin!) David had his jelly donut (in reference to JFK's supposed gaffe), we figured out how to get to our hostel, and we were off. It tooks us 2 U-bahn trains and 1 bus to get to our hostel on the outskirts of town (Ernst Reuter), and David was sad to find out we would be in gender separated bunks but happy with free Internet!
I wanted to visit Germany because my mother's heritage was German. We started our touring by walking down the famous avenue Unter den Linden, up to the Brandenburg Gate. It was very interesting to read about the history of this place, and to see the Reichstag off to the right. We attempted to go up to the glass dome of the Reichstag (free!), but the line was way too long and not moving. So instead we went up in a hot air balloon!!! It gave us an incredible view of the city, including the famous Alexanderplatz Radio Tower. David's fear of heights snuck up but did not prevent him from going up with me. Our ascent to high places continues!
In the afternoon we went briefly to a museum on Berlin history (all in German), then headed to the Radio Tower. We met there for the infamous 'Fat Tires Bike Tour', which David found out about in our hostel in Rome (the tour exists in Paris and Barcelona also). Now remember, David is the avid cyclist and I have not been on a bicycle since my teens...so I knew it was going to be interesting. It was great to be on a bike again, and weird for David to not be on his Lemond road bike. This was the only real organized tour we went on our whole trip, and it was worth it. We learned lots of Berlin and German history on the tour, focusing on the period from WWII to the coming down of the wall in 1989. We biked around to various sights, where our Texan tour guide Mike explained to us the history or significance of the place. The highlight of the tour was biking to Checkpoint Charlie, and seeing the last remaining section of the Berlin Wall. I also had a lot of fun biking through the Brandenburg Gate a few times, and David enjoyed playing real life Mario brothers when we attempted to bike across some intermittent fountains before the water shot up into the sky (success, with some slight cheating!)
Now, on this backpacking trip, David and I have been seeking out vegetarian restaurants (not an easy thing to do in Europe). We read in Lonely Planet about this veggie place in Berlin named Searose, and decided to try to find it (if it still existed). We figured out how to get their after our 5 hour bike tour, and actually found the place. It was another vegetarian buffet place, owned by an Iranian, and we had a good veggie dinner at a cute 2 person table upstairs. After we finished dinner, we encountered pouring rain streaming down outside (so many times during the trip it has briefly rained). We didn't find out till our bike tour that it rained most of June in Berlin, so we had no rain gear with us (so much for the 'Be Prepared' motto). So we made a mad dash to the U-Bahn to get back to the hostel (we got wet, though not dripping wet).
Our 2nd day in Berlin had a much more relaxed pace. We spent the morning doing David's stinky laundry at our hostel (very necessary!), and then headed out for more touring. We went back to the Reichstag to ascend the glass dome (David chilled in the park watching the backpacks while Sharon waited on line). It was worth the wait, and Sharon got to spiral up the glass dome and get a great view of Berlin (for FREE - no Euros!) From there, hunger drove us to follow signs for a vegetarian restaurant we had spotted earlier. The place ended up being closed on Mondays! Uggh!! Hunger continued to drive us down the street to a German Asian restaurant that was thankfully open and not crowded. We ate a spicy tofu dish, egg drop soup, and had a heaping bowl of rice! David went off grocery shopping across the street at Ullrich (!) and Sharon waited around in the restaurant with both backpacks. The waitress kept checking up on Sharon, afraid she was going to run off without paying the tab. Sharon found this hysterical...there was no way she could wear her backpack, carry David's backpack (80+ pounds total), and run at a fast enough pace before the waitress tackled her! We've encountered this 'backpacker prejudice' in quite a few places...
Berlin ended the luxurious part of our trip...off to 4 days of camping!
Monday, July 19, 2004
Saturday, July 17, 2004
Loving Vienna
Vienna...the city of music and art...I thought we'd run out of things to do here in 3 days, and now I wish we were staying for more...that's what backpacking does...it gives you a taste of new cities and places...
Our Pension owner Gertrude was gracious enough to let us leave our backpacks there after we checked out, so we could enjoy our last day in Vienna backpack-free. We headed first to KurstHausWien, which is this really cool art museum that contains the works of the Austrian artist Hundertwasser. I had never heard of him, and now I am really into his art. He created these incredible spiral paintings, was a political activist, and sought to reconcile modern urban life with environmentalism. His museum contained sloping floors ("the straight line is godless"), tree tenants and a plant filtration system.
After that it was back to the jewel of a vegetarian restaurant we discovered, Art of Life, for a lunchtime vegetarian buffet (all you can eat...even vegetarians have BIG appetites!). The afternoon was devoted to musical history, and was thus the "David" part of the day. We visited Mozart's apartment, where he resided for 3 years. Mozart moved around frequently (unlike his portrayal in the movie "Amadeus"), and actually lived in 18 different Viennese apartments during his lifetime. Then we hopped the S-Bahn out to the cemetery containing Mozart's remains. He has no grave, and no one is exactly sure where he is buried, but they do have a memorial to him at the cemetery. Then it was off to the train station to catch our overnight train to Berlin.
I liked Vienna a lot more than I thought I would...one of my favorite places of the trip. Good thing they speak English, because David and I are not up on our German!
Watch out Berlin...here we come!
Our Pension owner Gertrude was gracious enough to let us leave our backpacks there after we checked out, so we could enjoy our last day in Vienna backpack-free. We headed first to KurstHausWien, which is this really cool art museum that contains the works of the Austrian artist Hundertwasser. I had never heard of him, and now I am really into his art. He created these incredible spiral paintings, was a political activist, and sought to reconcile modern urban life with environmentalism. His museum contained sloping floors ("the straight line is godless"), tree tenants and a plant filtration system.
After that it was back to the jewel of a vegetarian restaurant we discovered, Art of Life, for a lunchtime vegetarian buffet (all you can eat...even vegetarians have BIG appetites!). The afternoon was devoted to musical history, and was thus the "David" part of the day. We visited Mozart's apartment, where he resided for 3 years. Mozart moved around frequently (unlike his portrayal in the movie "Amadeus"), and actually lived in 18 different Viennese apartments during his lifetime. Then we hopped the S-Bahn out to the cemetery containing Mozart's remains. He has no grave, and no one is exactly sure where he is buried, but they do have a memorial to him at the cemetery. Then it was off to the train station to catch our overnight train to Berlin.
I liked Vienna a lot more than I thought I would...one of my favorite places of the trip. Good thing they speak English, because David and I are not up on our German!
Watch out Berlin...here we come!
Friday, July 16, 2004
Vienna, the City of Musicians
Hi Friends and Family!
We made it to Vienna. This will be brief, because we are in a very expensive internet cafe!
Since our last post, we visited Venice....highlights included the vaporetto ride up the Grand Canal, visiting Murano (to see Venetian glass), hanging out in the Piazza de San Marco, and David enjoying another gelato.
We took an overnight train into Vienna, which went very smoothly (compared to the horror stories we heard). We are staying in a beautiful pension, which is heaven compared to some of the hostels and so called bungalows we have been in.
Yesterday we went to the House of Music, a Modern Art Museum, toured the Vienna Grand Opera House, and walked around Ring Boulevard. Today we walked around the Shonbrunn Palace, which is a mini Versailles, and then we visited St. Stephen Cathedral. Tonight we are going to a period Mozart concert, where the musicians are dressed in period costumes.
Okay...we are off to the concert!
We made it to Vienna. This will be brief, because we are in a very expensive internet cafe!
Since our last post, we visited Venice....highlights included the vaporetto ride up the Grand Canal, visiting Murano (to see Venetian glass), hanging out in the Piazza de San Marco, and David enjoying another gelato.
We took an overnight train into Vienna, which went very smoothly (compared to the horror stories we heard). We are staying in a beautiful pension, which is heaven compared to some of the hostels and so called bungalows we have been in.
Yesterday we went to the House of Music, a Modern Art Museum, toured the Vienna Grand Opera House, and walked around Ring Boulevard. Today we walked around the Shonbrunn Palace, which is a mini Versailles, and then we visited St. Stephen Cathedral. Tonight we are going to a period Mozart concert, where the musicians are dressed in period costumes.
Okay...we are off to the concert!
Monday, July 12, 2004
Relaxing in Roma
Free Internet access at our current hostel is too tempting -- so another post today. Our morning started with a trip to the Scavi Office to look into our reservation for the Scavi Tour (a much sought-after tour of the necropolis under the Vatican). We hadn't heard back from the SC after faxing our request a week before our trip. Fortunately, we have a schedulded time for tomorrow in the morning.
The rest of our touristic time today was spent in the Vatican Museum. There are several routes through the main part of the museum, all leading to the Sistine Chapel. Naturally, we took the long way, passing through sections featuring ancient Roman and Etruscan art, Raphael frescoes (including the "School of Athens"), and a varied collection of modern Christian art.
The highlight of the Vatican Museum, of course, is the Sistine Chapel. We saved it for the end of our tour for a reason. It is amazing to gaze upwards and realize Michelangelo painted those frescoes on the ceiling. The two standout frescoes in the Sistine Chapel are the Creation and Judgement Day. It was funny to hear the guards clapping and asking for "Silencio" every few minutes...Sharon felt like she was back at Bronx Prep.
This afternoon David finally got to do some laundry, and Sharon got to catch up on some journal writing. This evening we plan to go out to a Pizzeria and check out the evening sights from the Ponte San Angelo.
A girl in the hostel just asked David if we're on our honeymoon...at least someone thinks we're still young and not just around the corner from 30!
Ciao for now!
The rest of our touristic time today was spent in the Vatican Museum. There are several routes through the main part of the museum, all leading to the Sistine Chapel. Naturally, we took the long way, passing through sections featuring ancient Roman and Etruscan art, Raphael frescoes (including the "School of Athens"), and a varied collection of modern Christian art.
The highlight of the Vatican Museum, of course, is the Sistine Chapel. We saved it for the end of our tour for a reason. It is amazing to gaze upwards and realize Michelangelo painted those frescoes on the ceiling. The two standout frescoes in the Sistine Chapel are the Creation and Judgement Day. It was funny to hear the guards clapping and asking for "Silencio" every few minutes...Sharon felt like she was back at Bronx Prep.
This afternoon David finally got to do some laundry, and Sharon got to catch up on some journal writing. This evening we plan to go out to a Pizzeria and check out the evening sights from the Ponte San Angelo.
A girl in the hostel just asked David if we're on our honeymoon...at least someone thinks we're still young and not just around the corner from 30!
Ciao for now!
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Mmmmm, gelato!
Wow, Rome is HOT in July. Thank goodness for the endless number of public fountains and, of course, gelato!
Our two days in Rome so far have been great. Shortly after our last post we hit the street to begin seeing the sights: Pantheon, Piazza Navonna, Spanish Steps, and Via Condotti. A map posted outside a soon-to-be Louis Vuitton store was very helpful in finding the Pantheon. A free tourist map has been too much of a nuisance to find, so we've been using the maps in our Lonely Planet book (and the LV map!).
The good food has continued from Florence into Rome. Delicious reasonably priced pizza and pasta can be found almost everywhere. It makes one wonder if Romans ever bother to cook at home. Oh, and for David especially, there is gelato everywhere. Sharon has managed to keep David in check, having only visited the famous Gelateria della Palma, which is so popular that you need to buy a ticket for your ice cream!
Today was just as hot as yesterday, and just as much fun. Our day began with 9AM Mass at the Vatican. Yes, that Vatican! The Basillica of St. Peter is an awe-inspiring place to attend Mass. Following Mass, we (yes, David too) climbed another dome! The "Cupola" of St. Peter is a mere 537 steps to the top, and affords spectacular views of Rome and the Vatican (especially the Vatican Gardens).
Our next stop was the Colosseum. Russel Crowe was nowhere to be found. The capacity of the original Colosseum rivals that of modern stadia (80,000), and it remains quite impressive today.
Two important Churches followed the visit to the Colosseum. First was St. Clement, which is a church built over a church, which was itself built over an ancient temple. All three can be visited for a mere three Euro per person, what a deal! The second Church of the day was the very famous St. Maria in Cosmedin where the "bocca della verita" is found. Stick your right hand in and tell a lie -- the "bocca" will bite off your hand. Four hands here, check!
Our day ended with a refreshing visit to the Trevi Fountain. Coins were tossed over shoulders, and wishes were made.
Sharon's arms are uncharateristically covered in bug-bites and David has been out of clean clothing for a couple of days, but we are having a fantastic time.
Our two days in Rome so far have been great. Shortly after our last post we hit the street to begin seeing the sights: Pantheon, Piazza Navonna, Spanish Steps, and Via Condotti. A map posted outside a soon-to-be Louis Vuitton store was very helpful in finding the Pantheon. A free tourist map has been too much of a nuisance to find, so we've been using the maps in our Lonely Planet book (and the LV map!).
The good food has continued from Florence into Rome. Delicious reasonably priced pizza and pasta can be found almost everywhere. It makes one wonder if Romans ever bother to cook at home. Oh, and for David especially, there is gelato everywhere. Sharon has managed to keep David in check, having only visited the famous Gelateria della Palma, which is so popular that you need to buy a ticket for your ice cream!
Today was just as hot as yesterday, and just as much fun. Our day began with 9AM Mass at the Vatican. Yes, that Vatican! The Basillica of St. Peter is an awe-inspiring place to attend Mass. Following Mass, we (yes, David too) climbed another dome! The "Cupola" of St. Peter is a mere 537 steps to the top, and affords spectacular views of Rome and the Vatican (especially the Vatican Gardens).
Our next stop was the Colosseum. Russel Crowe was nowhere to be found. The capacity of the original Colosseum rivals that of modern stadia (80,000), and it remains quite impressive today.
Two important Churches followed the visit to the Colosseum. First was St. Clement, which is a church built over a church, which was itself built over an ancient temple. All three can be visited for a mere three Euro per person, what a deal! The second Church of the day was the very famous St. Maria in Cosmedin where the "bocca della verita" is found. Stick your right hand in and tell a lie -- the "bocca" will bite off your hand. Four hands here, check!
Our day ended with a refreshing visit to the Trevi Fountain. Coins were tossed over shoulders, and wishes were made.
Sharon's arms are uncharateristically covered in bug-bites and David has been out of clean clothing for a couple of days, but we are having a fantastic time.
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Viva Italia!
We've made it to Rome!!!
We arrived a little while ago, and we're in an award winning hostel right near the Vatican. We spent yesterday in Florence, and packed sightseeing into an entire day! We saw Michelangelo's David and visited Duomo and climbed to the top of the Bell Tower (a mere 414 steps) and the Cuppola of the Cathedral (a more challenging 463 steps!) David conquered his fear of heights and made it to the top of both! The view of Florence was breathtaking, and we got an up close and personal view of the frescoes on the dome.
Then we headed over the Ponte Vecchio to Giardino di Boboli, which were beautiful gardens with fountains, sculpture, and panoramic views of Florence (gorgeous, though not quite as pretty as Versailles in France). We had a delicious pasta dinner al fresco and some delicious gelato. We ended the day at an organ and contralto concert at a beautiful church tucked away on a side street. Phew!
The trains got us where we wanted to go, but they have been late! And in France, we got charged an extra 10 Euros for not writing in the stupid date on our passes. Damn the French!
David's learning to speak Italian and Sharon is figuring out the world of hostels and how to maximize the hours spent in each city with the most tourism possible! Thank goodness for Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" guidebook. And we're having TONS of FUN!
Okay, we're off to the Pantheon. Ciao!
We arrived a little while ago, and we're in an award winning hostel right near the Vatican. We spent yesterday in Florence, and packed sightseeing into an entire day! We saw Michelangelo's David and visited Duomo and climbed to the top of the Bell Tower (a mere 414 steps) and the Cuppola of the Cathedral (a more challenging 463 steps!) David conquered his fear of heights and made it to the top of both! The view of Florence was breathtaking, and we got an up close and personal view of the frescoes on the dome.
Then we headed over the Ponte Vecchio to Giardino di Boboli, which were beautiful gardens with fountains, sculpture, and panoramic views of Florence (gorgeous, though not quite as pretty as Versailles in France). We had a delicious pasta dinner al fresco and some delicious gelato. We ended the day at an organ and contralto concert at a beautiful church tucked away on a side street. Phew!
The trains got us where we wanted to go, but they have been late! And in France, we got charged an extra 10 Euros for not writing in the stupid date on our passes. Damn the French!
David's learning to speak Italian and Sharon is figuring out the world of hostels and how to maximize the hours spent in each city with the most tourism possible! Thank goodness for Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" guidebook. And we're having TONS of FUN!
Okay, we're off to the Pantheon. Ciao!
Monday, July 05, 2004
Hiking the Pyrenees
Hello everyone! Yes, we arrived in Europe for our backpacking trip as planned, and our adventure has started. The first true day of our trip was on Monday, July 5th, when we left David's summer home in Spain and set out. We went to the Pyrenees (in Spain), and planned to hike the Pyrenees all the way to the top, cross over the Spain-French border, camp out, and then hike down the mountains to get to the train in France. As we have found out from this trip already, things did not go exactly as planned....
We took a zipper train 1,000 m up the Pyrenees to Nuria, and started our hike from there. There was some confusion over where the trail began and the trail being roped off, though eventually we figured it out. Now David has hiked the Pyrenees before, back in 1997, right before we first met. He told me that there was a well-marked trail, though what he didn't tell me was that the trail was rocky, rough and steep. Now we were hiking up the Pyrenees with our backpacks on our backs for the first time, and as we started climbing the steep path my legs started aching and I began regretting putting every pound in my backpack that was there...I wished I'd left more beauty products and clothing home!!!
I have done day hikes, though I'd never done a hike like this. If I truly knew what I was in for, I probably would not have even attempted it. The steep climb is very difficult and even more so with a backpack. When David and I stopped for a break and lunch, it started to rain. Most of our fellow hikers started scrambling down the mountain, though we stayed put. Luckily the rain passed, and it was clear for the rest of the hike (though very windy). The amazing thing is that David and I were the only 2 crazy people hiking up the mountain...we did not see ANYONE ELSE UP THERE!!!
So David was breezing through the hike, and I was struggling. I must admit that twice I had mental breakdowns and did not want to continue, but David convinced me to keep going, and basically, there was no other option. We made it up to an elevation of about 9,000 feet, and the view was incredible. We could not continue into France because the last part of the trail leading up the mountain was covered with snow and ice. So mother nature blocked us from making it to the summit. We were forced to go to Plan B, which was to hike down the mountain, set up camp in Nuria, and take a train into France the next morning instead of hiking. I am glad this ended up happening, because I got to take in the surroundings on the climb down, as I did not have to focus hard on each step. We saw beautiful wildflowers, towering mountain peaks, snow, waterfalls, and lots of grazing animals (cows, horses, etc.) It was really amazing, and in the end I am really glad David planned this hike at the start of our trip (everything else will seem so easy from now on!)
It's really good we camped in Nuria, too, because it was a beautiful spot next to a mini-waterfall and a flowing stream. We were able to put up our tent before nightfall, and enjoy a dinner of peanut butter (just like lunch!) sandwiches.
Wow, what an incredible start to the trip. Right now we are in Nice, in an Internet cafe, and we are heading to Cannes to spend a day on the beach amongst the rich and famous (can you tell Sharon planned this part of the trip???) It took us 4 trains to get to Nice, but we pulled in at 11 pm last night. Our next stop tomorrow is Florence, so we'll post again in Italy.
Sharon and David
We took a zipper train 1,000 m up the Pyrenees to Nuria, and started our hike from there. There was some confusion over where the trail began and the trail being roped off, though eventually we figured it out. Now David has hiked the Pyrenees before, back in 1997, right before we first met. He told me that there was a well-marked trail, though what he didn't tell me was that the trail was rocky, rough and steep. Now we were hiking up the Pyrenees with our backpacks on our backs for the first time, and as we started climbing the steep path my legs started aching and I began regretting putting every pound in my backpack that was there...I wished I'd left more beauty products and clothing home!!!
I have done day hikes, though I'd never done a hike like this. If I truly knew what I was in for, I probably would not have even attempted it. The steep climb is very difficult and even more so with a backpack. When David and I stopped for a break and lunch, it started to rain. Most of our fellow hikers started scrambling down the mountain, though we stayed put. Luckily the rain passed, and it was clear for the rest of the hike (though very windy). The amazing thing is that David and I were the only 2 crazy people hiking up the mountain...we did not see ANYONE ELSE UP THERE!!!
So David was breezing through the hike, and I was struggling. I must admit that twice I had mental breakdowns and did not want to continue, but David convinced me to keep going, and basically, there was no other option. We made it up to an elevation of about 9,000 feet, and the view was incredible. We could not continue into France because the last part of the trail leading up the mountain was covered with snow and ice. So mother nature blocked us from making it to the summit. We were forced to go to Plan B, which was to hike down the mountain, set up camp in Nuria, and take a train into France the next morning instead of hiking. I am glad this ended up happening, because I got to take in the surroundings on the climb down, as I did not have to focus hard on each step. We saw beautiful wildflowers, towering mountain peaks, snow, waterfalls, and lots of grazing animals (cows, horses, etc.) It was really amazing, and in the end I am really glad David planned this hike at the start of our trip (everything else will seem so easy from now on!)
It's really good we camped in Nuria, too, because it was a beautiful spot next to a mini-waterfall and a flowing stream. We were able to put up our tent before nightfall, and enjoy a dinner of peanut butter (just like lunch!) sandwiches.
Wow, what an incredible start to the trip. Right now we are in Nice, in an Internet cafe, and we are heading to Cannes to spend a day on the beach amongst the rich and famous (can you tell Sharon planned this part of the trip???) It took us 4 trains to get to Nice, but we pulled in at 11 pm last night. Our next stop tomorrow is Florence, so we'll post again in Italy.
Sharon and David
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