Hello One and All,
Thanks for all your well wishes. I am back from one of the most amazing experiences of my life, intact. Whilst my parents heave a sigh of relief, I thought I’d take the time out to share some of my memories with you all. I warn you that after two months of meandering this will be a long email. So if you’re at work and need to procrastinate, read on. I will also be enclosing some pictures, though I will save you the pain of seeing all three hundred of them.
So let us start with London, the motherland. I walked through many of the British Museums in sheer awe of the size and quality of their collections, and couldn’t help but feel indignation rise up in my throat, the ordasity of these pompous fools, displaying our (India’s) treasures as if it were their own. Overall London is a beautiful and expensive city. I almost died of shock when I realised that everything I purchased was triple its price in Canadian. I think the most exciting part of my visit to London was seeing David Blaine, infamous TV magician, suspended in a glass box at the side of the Thames River for no apparent reason. Funny Brits kept throwing assorted vegetables at poor David, one fellow screamed, wake up you lazy Sod, we travelled two hours to see you.
Next we jetted into Amsterdam or rather took a rather time consuming train and boat ride. Amsterdam is a city for the odd and the curious. It is home to the oddest-looking people, imported from all over the world and Japanese ‘Digi-camera’ businessmen, eagerly snapping away in the Red Light District. I have honestly never seen so many men cramped together in one space before. The women in the red light district are on display like in a mall, except here the Mannequins talk, wiggle and shake, as you gawk in fascination. The funniest part was sitting around watching various negotiations take place. Since we were unable to find a place to stay in Amsterdam city, we ended up travelling two hours out of the city to Hurun, spending the night in small inn. Here we found postcard Amsterdam, complete with blossoming tulips, bike riding citizens and windmills!! The next night, we once again found ourselves unable to find shelter, emboldened we decided to tough it out and stay up all night, shifting from pub to pub, taste testing Amsterdam’s finest product, losing endless hours.
Our journey to Copenhagen was interesting. You take a train, which at one-point ends up in the belly of a ferry for an hour and half, until it resumes its journey on the other side. Our digs in Copenhagen deserve a special mention. We innocently arrived at 8 pm, guided to the "Sleepy Haven" by our trusty Lonely Planet, to find ourselves sleeping in a huge cellar type room, divided by large pieces of chopped wood. The washrooms, inspired by cattle feed designs, were equally horrendous and cold. The staff seemed to consist of runaways and druggies. The city is (much like Amsterdam) filled with bikers. So much so that the government offers free bikes on the streets, for anyone to ride. You can drop them off anywhere too. I attempted to ride one of these bikes, but after 10 years of dormancy, I became the town idiot but constantly falling into oncoming traffic.
Berlin, my favourite city, is a Mecca of modern history and culture. On our train there from Copenhagen, we met a girl whose apartment we ended up staying in for five days. The city itself is lively, yet overshadowed by a hint of sadness. A must do in Berlin is "The Brewer's 9 hour walking tour." Don't let the name fool you, the tour has nothing to do with beer, as some of my companions had hoped. Instead it is a nine-hour stroll through Berlin's historical streets to see remnants of the famous wall, the place Hitler's died (an innocent looking parking lot,) Checkpoint Charlie and other quirky idiosyncrasies of the city. For instance, all through Berlin, rich and poor areas alike, are large pink pipes. They are water pipes, which siphon out extra water preventing flooding. Berlin's water table is close to the surface and flooding is a major concern. So they’ve got these large ‘Pepto bismal’ inspired pipes running through the city. Also Berlin is the only place in Europe where the Christian Churches outweigh their Catholic counterparts in both grandeur and size. The Reichstag, historical house of the German Parliament, burnt down during World War I and II, has a see-through dome at its head. You can walk in the dome, circling your way to one of the most amazing sights in the city. Seeing the Berlin wall was a real learning experience. The wall itself went through many changes. It did not consist of only one large block going through the city. Instead the wall consisted of an outer wall and a more fortified inner wall. Between these two lay a passage of terror, in which the Soviets planted mines and tanks, mercilessly killing any would be escapees. Nevertheless museums all over Berlin are filled with countless escape stories. Berlin is a museum city; in total they have almost 150 big ones. There is an island, aptly named Museum Island, filled with them. Setting time aside just to visit a few is important.
We had the chance to visit the first concentration camp erected by Hitler, a mere hour and half train ride out of Berlin. What is most eerie about the place, is its size. The camp stretching out for miles is caped off by tall watchtowers, from which they used to terrorize and shoot the disobedient. The place is cleaned up and any innocent passer-by could easily mistake it for an abandoned summer camp.
But not all of Berlin is sad; the people are lively and fun. Almost all Germans are tri-lingual or multi-lingual, speaking English fluently. The clubs are amazing for live music.
Next off was Vienna, Austria. Our first trip was to the Grand Viennese Opera, where we managed to get standing room tickets for one euro. A steal! Dressed up in our grandest, we elbowed our way through the crowd in a vain attempt to get a place to stand. The opera was amazing. Though in my opinion there was no way a fat woman like that could get a gorgeous Argentinean man to fall in love with her. It was a Hindi movie in reverse. The rest of our stay in Vienna was confined to our hostel, where a lively bunch of nomads from around the world kept us in splits all day long.
Venice the city of lovers is so for a reason. After meandering through the streets for four hours, losing yourself in the endless hobbled maze, you begin to realise that there isn't much to do in Venice besides visiting Churches (all named Santa something or the other) and window-shopping. What is amazing are the many costume shops that replicate masks from Shakespearian days. The houses seem to grow out of each other, Bombay style. Overall the city is beautiful for a day, but real Venetian’s live twenty minutes out of the city in houses and streets as unromantic as ours. You can walk Venice city in three hours tops, or if you want to splurge 75 euros, you could do it in a gondola in forty-five minutes.
Our journey into Greece was an experience in and of itself. On reaching Ancona, on the southern tip of Italy, we happily boarded an impressive looking cruise liner. Anticipating a luxurious ride, we practically died of a shock to find that our overpriced Europass only guaranteed us an outdoor seat for the nineteen-hour journey. Furious I complained to the head steward, who nodded sympathetically and offered us a bunk for 40 euros. Grudgingly we accepted, and after a clean shower, nice clothes, and heels, we headed out with a fellow Aussie traveller for a gourmet meal and dancing at the disco. Needless to say we were the only women onboard and the main attraction of the night. George a very nice 'waiter on water' deserves a special mention, got us free drinks and food.
We finally arrived in Patras and were astounded by the sheer beauty of the place. The drive into Athens was equally breath taking. Stopping off for a swim, we found ourselves in a scene out of a movie, lazing in crystal clear water, surrounded by islands. Heaven must look like Greece. Athens is a busy city. It is filled with a strange blend of beauty, history and stupidity. Take the subway system, brand new and beautifully constructed, but to our frustration only half built. For some strange reason only half of most train stops have been constructed therefore to get around, one has to go through a strange loop. Whilst we didn't have a chance to visit the islands, I have to say Athens was my favourite place. Gorgeous and busy, I loved every inch of it.
On entering Rome and walking through the underground station, one doesn't really get the sense that they are in some sort of holy land. But a stroll into Vatican City changes all that. The Vatican Museum is by far the most enchanting museum on earth. It is lined with frescos and gold, and is a real feast for the eyes. The Sistine Chapel, whose image is currently owned by a Japanese firm for the next 10 years, is breathtaking. St. Peter's Basilica, is humongous, but doesn't really feel so. Rome is also filled with the ancients. The Coliseum and the Roman ruins are all must-sees. Though at some point you do begin to wonder why someone doesn’t just build something already.
Florence is a pretty city. We stayed at Osca Dela Campe, an ex monastery in the middle of nowhere, with the most amazing view of the city. The hostel was funny, had a curfew of 12 o'clock, at which time an old priest would yell over the loudspeaker, "GO TO SLEEP NOW EVERYBODY." The Tuscan landscape is gorgeous. The Duomo, Florence is most famous (and only real) landmark is visible from almost everywhere. Florence is renowned for its art. The most impressive of which is the David, which resides at the Academia. The Ufitizi its most famous gallery home to greats like Michelangelo, Bottecheli and Raphael, consisted of poorly displayed pictures and depilating walls, made for an unimpressive visit.
Geneva, Switzerland, home of the UN is filled with suited men and well-dressed women, so much so that even eating at Mc Donald’s in jeans makes you feel out of place.
Barcelona...where do I begin. Lets just say my days at Barcelona gained me more wisdom in four days than reading a hundred Deepak Chopra books ever could. Filled with Gothic art, Barcelona is a tourist city. It is simply wonderous to walk down a street and see structures plucked from Dali’s imagination on the street before you. What was outstanding was the place we stayed at "the Hostel Goya." A small pension just off Catalyana its run by a sweet brother and sister team and its like staying in a non expensive hotel, (always ask to stay on the second floor.) An interesting festival in Barcelona is called the Feast of Catalyana, where teams of men attempt to form the highest castle by standing on each other's shoulders. It’s a perilous stunt, especially when they send small children to the top as the crowd.
Our last stop was Paris. I am proud to say that lazy me, walked all the way up the Eiffel Tower and it was well worth the journey. The Louvre is way too big. We spent all day there and saw one half of a wing, on one floor. The Mona Lisa is non impressive. In fact my stamp album's cover is more inspiring. Also of note was the weather. Paris and London are colder than Toronto. Croissants in Paris are like ordering pastries from paradise. Umm Umm Good!! What was most interesting in Paris was trying to figure out how all their water saving gadgets worked.
So overall, my conclusions are this. For boasting first world status, Europe has two main problems which I think puts them in their place, equal to our vibrant "third world" cities. First washrooms are expensive to use and crappy. Most are a small left over spaces, cramped and smelly. Second, food. For all its the fanfare I heard on going to Europe, some of my best meals consisted of grocery store pasta and fish fingers. Pizza in Rome was thrifty with a slice consisting of one onion, one ham, one piece of cheese, but oh so many herbs. To that end, Mc Donald’s a place I loathe to visit in Toronto, has become a universal guarantee of free and clean washrooms, cheap and filling food. All hail the golden arches.
So now I find myself home, loving my beautiful city more, marvelling at our large roads, spacious bathrooms and comfortable cars, whilst also yearning for the beauty and art that preoccupies Europe. Job hunting, paying bills and deciding on how to construct the rest of life make me long for carefree days where my most important decisions were where to eat and sleep for the day.
I hope to see you each of you all soon, to bore you with more tales of adventure and my enormous photo album. To all those thinking of traveling but put off by the cost, I say Go!! On this journey I met travellers of all ages and incomes, and found that if there is a will there is a way. Plus the experience, good and bad, is irreplaceable. Our motto for this Journey was “GOOD LUCK US,” inspired by our Berlin tour guide. To that end, I bid thee farewell and “GOOD LUCK YOU” in your endeavours.
Love
Cranky Putz
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