Get thee to a nunnery!!

I wanted to add Bruges to my "What's Cuter" survey, but it appears I cannot go back and modify it once someone has voted. I would have changed my vote from devil duckies to Bruges.

I went from the Begijnhof nunnery to the De Halve Maan brewery yesterday, the nuns would probably have had a fit had they known I intended to get drunk. The nunnery compound is accessed via a cute little pedestrian bridge paved with cobblestone (well, most of the city is paved with cobblestone actually) with the canal flowing underneath, and beautiful swans gracing the small pond in front of the walls. The De Halve Maan is the only one out of 28 still operating in Bruges. Beer is huge in Belgium, and they're proud of using all sorts of natural ingredients to flavor their brew, including coriander, seaweed, and many types of fruits. I had a cherry beer, it gave me a bit of a buzz, but then again, it was my third beer.

The city is getting all geared up for Christmas, and it is lovely to see the wreaths and lights strung over the streets, and the ice skating rink in the city center. Climbed yet another tower today, the belfry in the Markt square. My new motto is "A tower a day keeps the doctor away."

Towers climbed so far: 7
Steps: Thousands
Calories burned climbing tower: Gazillion

Went to the Chocolate Museum today as well (leave it to Belgians to build a temple to the almighty chocolate), and discovered that chocolate has a ton of medicinal properties, plus it is good for your teeth. So the next time you bite into a KitKat bar, remember that it's for medicinal purposes (and remember to share too).

Don't throw stuff from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Went to the top of the Eiffel Tower tower, where there is actually a sign that tells you not to throw stuff from the tower (especially cigarettes). I guess some people are not aware of this little piece of social courtesy.

Arrived in Bruges, Belgium this evening, where I discovered the fun of trying to find my hostel in the dark, with crappy directions, and without a map. The hostel is on a tiny street and many locals didn't know where it was. Belgium, and Bruges, is famous for its beer. There's a pub here that has 300 varieties of beer...I'm soooo going there! They also have a chocolate museum, and make exquisite lace. The chocolate and lace connection? I don't know. And of coarse, the world famous waffle and fries (with mayonnaise, not ketchup for you Yanks).

Salut from the land of Fraternite, Egalite, Liberte

Sorry for not posting my adventures in Italy, I had a fabulous time which unfortunately left very little time to go online and share my adventures. Also, internet access was spotty and ridiculously expensive in some places, so I have not been able to enjoy as much time online as I would have liked.

The Cinque Terre was wet but still offered stunning coastline views and storybook quaint seaside villages perched on cliffs, just out of reach of the roaring ocean waves.

Tuscany (Florence and Siena) is a delight and parts of it reminded me of the vineyards in Napa and the agriculture in the central valley. Pisa was a bit disappointing though - other than the Leaning Tower, a church, and the old city walls all within the same square, there really isn't much to see. More entertaining than the tower itself was seeing tourists pose for silly pictures trying to push up the tower. For once, I did not pose for a silly picture.

It took me less than 3 hours to love being in Paris. To be fair, the first 1.5 hours were in transit. My hostel is in the Marais neighborhood, super cute, close to shopping and some of the best falafels in the world, packed so high that you need a fork to eat it. Lenny Kravitz even identified one of them as his favorite falafel place.

A bientot!

Roman Holiday

I completely missed writing about Roma while I was there, so I am trying to play catch up.

Rome is amazing. My favorite place has to be the ruins of the Roman Forum, Palantine Hill, and the Colosseum. It is mindboggling how an ancient civilization could be quite so advanced. Apparently, the Romans really liked their ceilings high, and I mean VERY high, so the first floor would be the equivalent to the height of roughly 3 stories in modern times. And the ruins, well, it was scattered with bits of broken and elaborately carved columns, some of the inscriptions still intact. I was hopping from one cracked marble to the next. It is amazing to see all the bits of polished marble here and there and call this a ruin. True, it is not what it used to be, but it does not take much imagination to reconstruct its grandeur. Plus, I do not think that any ruins from our century will look quite as graceful and advanced after 1500 years as this. Also, try to imagine if you will that these ruins have pretty much been picked clean, as the citizens of Rome quarried the marble, gold, and other precious metals that once graced the walls and floors of the Colosseum, and essentially recycled it for more modern projects, especially in the homes of the wealthy, being used as crown molding or other such mundane decoration.

The Past 48 Hours

Here is a laundry list of the mischief I am up to in Wien (Vienna)...

Train from Prague was late by about 1.5 hours due to heavy snow, so I arrived in Wien in the cold and dark. Arrived at the hostel in one piece, and was greeted by a very unfriendly guy who speaks English like Ahhhnold. The hostel was pretty empty and dead, very institutional and sparse, and a bit creepy like The Shining. I murmured 'Redrum' as I rolled my luggage down the long corridor to my room. I was the only one in the 4 bed room, or so I thought. Despite having the room all to myself, I started craving for company because the place was just so empty. About an hour later, my roommate shows up. Turns out she is about my age and lives about 45 minutes away from me in California. We searched the streets for food, but Wien is very dead on a Sunday night, and later we discover that most places close quite early.

Next day, we do a tram tour (the announcer on the tram speaks German with a very funny, serious, and calculated voice, very different from the German I heard in Berlin) and walk around the center of town, then check out the Hofburg Palace, which was the home of the Habsburg rulers of the Austro Hungarian empire for hundreds of years. The sheer amount of kitchen utensils and silver plates used on a daily basis could make your head spin. This is probably where the notion of dining on a silver platter was derived from. Later on, we got tickets to see an Italian opera at the grand opera house, a real treat.

More walking today, then checked out an English mass at the Votive Church, and visited the Koonst Museum, which had a fabulous exhibit on Titian the Venetian's works. Interesting to learn that Titian replicated his own works in his studio, sometimes painting 3 of the same image at the same time with some minor modifications. He also kept changing things on his paintings, as revealed through x-rays. Had a decadent dessert at Demel Chocolatiers, which is THE chocolate shop in Vienna with some very lively window displays (sometimes with busts of famous people made with cake, lots of lights and bright ribbons), and they used to make chocolate for the royals. Their shop is filled with scrumptuous little sweets inside equally scrumptuous wrapping.

Off to Rome tomorrow!

It's snowing!!

Woke up this morning to find beautiful soft snowflakes falling from the grey sky. First day of snow in Prague. I'm off to Vienna this morning.

Spires, towers, and other tall pointy things

Today's itinerary includes:

• Continuation of yesterday's tour of the Musuem of Communism. I arrived an hour before they closed, but they told me I can come back this morning. There was a video clip that showed the 1960's protests against the Stalinist regime, and the 1989 revolution that overthrew the Russians, both occurred in Wenceslas Square and a block from the museum. The musuem itself is wedged between a casino and Mc Donalds. Ironic.
• Climb tower #4 on Petrin Hill. My goal right now is to climb a tower a day, and so far I'm hitting that. I climbed the same tower in Old Town Square yesterday no less than 3 times - Climb #1: Once at the top, I saw a squished penny machine, but I did not have change and neither did people around me. Climb #2: So I went back down to ask the ticket booth if they can give me change, but they didn't have any either, so I thought I'd go back up and see if there are new tourists bulging with change and ended up teaching a group of Italian tourists how one of these machines worked, it was a masterpiece in mime I tell you. Still no change to be found, so I climbed back down. Climb #3: Once downstairs, I realised that I had lost my gloves, so I climb upstairs in search of my gloves. No gloves. I think it was pinched, but no big deal. I headed over to a department store on Wenceslas Square and bought myself a pair of soft, warm MITTENS. Hahahahahaha!!!! I shall have my mittens yet! Got a matching fuzzy hat while I was at it, a bit more stylish now sans pom.
• Walk through Gold Lane in the Castle Quarter, which I did not get to do because they were charging for admission and it is free after 4pm. Also looking forward to a nice stroll through Charles Bridge at dusk.
• Classical music concert in the St. Martin of the Wall church this evening.

And then I take the train to Vienna tomorrow. Already am starting to miss Praha. boohoo.

Ahoy Praha!

Ahoy Praha!

I feel like Prague is laid out like an E.M. Escher drawing, the more I walk, the more I walk in circles. Then there are moments when I discover the way, and it seems to have been there all along and it was so easy. I am pretty sure that the streets change places in the night, or maybe just the street signs.

No words, photograph, video, or mime can ever capture the essence and quintessential beauty that is part of everydaz Prague. It is the mother of all cities, and it took my breath away. I was trying to find the Jewish Quarter yesterday and stopped to ask an old Czech man who dreams of living in Malibu, visiting Las Vegas, and likes to pick wild mushrooms. He ended up spending the whole day showing me the unmissable sights, including Prague castle perched high on a hill overlooking the old town, climbed 288 steps up the gothic tower of the castle's cathedral to take in a million-dollar view of the city, looked through a secret window into the old Jewish cemetery with rows upon crooked rows of gravestones dating from the 14th century, a favorite bakery with cheerful orange walls that smells heavenly of sweet buttery bread and pastries with little cookies hanging in the large display window like Christmas ornaments. Then he took me on a short hike into Sharka Park just a 20 minute tram ride outside of the center but still within the city of Prague, to show me the rocky mountains and streams and lichen clinging on the trees, and breathe the fresh mountain air. As if that wasn't enough, he showed me his art collection that he has accumulated over all these years, which included numerous pieces from the Prague Castle that were auctioned off when the Communists took over, stamped with the royal coat of arms, and dazzling crystal and beautifully painted porcelains. Afterwards I walked circles around the Old Town Square to find this tasty little vegetarian restaurant and then walked circles again until I found my way home.

Today I hiked Petrin hill near the castle and took in another million-dollar view of the skyline from the hill. I randomly wandered into this church that is famous for a small infant Jesus statue. Apparently, Catholics from all over the world, especially South America, pilgrimage to this church to see and pray for miracles from this little statue. The church also had a museum, which displays some of the elaborate outfits that have been given to the statue over the years, including one from Empress Maria-Theresa, which had a thick velvety outfit embroidered in gold thread. There were outfits from the Chinese Catholics in Shanghai embroidered with birds and Chinese characters, Vietnam, and Columbia. This is certainly the best dressed statue I have ever encountered! Strolled across the famous Charles Bridge, taking in yet another breath-taking view from the river. The whole bridge is pedestrian only, and if there wasn't a river below, you'd think it was a carnival street scene -- packed with tourists, street artists, vendors selling prints of Prague and the bridge, and people snapping pictures left and right. Me, I had a picnic lunch while leisurely strolling the bridge. It's been cold and raining on and off, but the sun finally came out this afternoon, and I basked in its warm glow as I watched the hordes of tourists walk by, and then from atop one of the bridge's towers I caught another unbelieveable view of the city and the bridge. The bridge was built by King Charles, and it was a BIG deal to have a bridge built back then, and he had dedicated it to a saint. I learned more stuff about the bridge, but I cannot recollect anymore.

As for me, I'm certainly getting my steps in, no question about it! Europe has been a joy on foot, and I've regularly logged 20,000 steps, or roughly 7 to 8 miles, more in a walking city like Prague, less in a city like Berlin where I took the subway more because the city is so expansive. The weather - cold and wet. Fortunately, I'm decked out in my warmest ski wear, although I'm thinking of ditching my hat with the pom because I think I may be drawing attention to myself for being an American. But I love the pom, it's the reason I bought the hat. I do wish I had brought mittens, I prefer them to gloves. Europeans, especially those my age, do not wear mittens. Pity.

Berlin

Sorry this is going to be a very short post since I only have a few minutes of internet time left. Wish I could stay an extra daz in Berlin, but am fairlz satisfied that I have seen some of the best sights -- Berlin Wall and the Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag, Brandenberg Gate, Pergamon Museum with a recreation of a real Greek temple, and Egyptian Musuem. Excuse the misspellings - German kezboards are verz wierd.
Off to Prague this afternoon.

When in Rome (errr, Haarlem)

I arrived in Haarlem this morning without a hitch. Haarlem is a city about 15-20 minute train ride away from Amsterdam (and yes, the Dutch named Harlem in NYC is after this place), and has a very quaint, small town feel. Life (and traffic) moves a bit slower here, and people take their time to enjoy the little things in life.

I decide to finally take the plunge and join the denizens of Dutch by renting a bicycle at the train station. It took a few minutes to get used to the high handle bars (no wonder the Dutch have such good posture!) since I am used to hunching down on my mountain bike. Also, practically all the bikes here are one-speed road bikes, which works great because Holland is flatter than a pancake (really, it's been proven on a science show I saw a while back). Mine had the step-back-on-the-pedal brakes, which conjured up memories of my very first tricyle. No helmets, nobody wears a helmet, but then again with a one-speed and the Dutch's sensibility nobody rides like a speed demon.

With one very minor collision with an oncoming bike (they were going in the wrong direction), and one near miss with another one, but the ride generally went very smoothly. I snaked in and out of narrow neighborhood alleys, glided along the canals, and crossed and uncrossed bridges. When I had had my fill, I decided to head back to the train station. By this time, I was in the Grote Markt, the town square where my hotel and the old Grote Kerk church is. I had toured the church earlier in the day - airy vaulted ceilings with timbering and elaborate designs, creepy floors full of old dead Dutch people, and stunning stained glass windows. Judging from the tombs, the church has been there since at least the 1600s. And yes, I was playing hopscotch on the floors trying to find tiles that were NOT used for burial, but they apparently tried to use every square inch.

Back to the bike ride...so I set out from Grote Markt, which took me about 10 minutes to travel to by foot earlier, so I figured it would be less than 10 minutes by bike, maybe 5 minutes. I arrived 1 hour and 40 minutes later after a grand, self-inflicted detour (I was hopelessly lost), ended up at a train station in the next town (Aerdenhout), and slowly found my way back with the help of three kind strangers. I think I'll stick to walking from now on, I can't get too far or too lost that way.

Amsterdam

There isn't enough I can say about this city. I am happy to be a temporary resident these past few days, and I will be very sad when I leave tomorrow.

Here are some reasons the Dutch are a really cool bunch:

• They LOVE to bike. Everyone bikes everywhere, even when it rains they're still biking, and why not? There are very clear and often grade separated bike lanes that can access more places than cars. There are even separate traffic lights for the bike lanes, soooo cute! Ironically, I have not gotten on a bike yet, as I've been perfectly happy using my limbs and other modes of public transit to get around.
• There's a casino near my hostel in the center of the city, and yes, it is near resiential areas. While they are a Protestant country, they are not as uptight as other WASP nations. Gotta love the liberal Dutch!
• They have a Hemp Musuem, with a whole shopping district dedicated to "coffee shops" and specialty stores. The flower market along the canal even sells "Grow Your Own Cannibis" kits. I would bring some home, except that I'm heading to Taipei towards the end of the trip and smuggling or using illegal substances like marijuana is punishable by death. Tis a bit harsh, but even if I were able to convince the authorities that it is just a plant, I still can't bring it into the U.S. Anyways, it wasn't like I was contemplating it or anything, I'm just saying...
• They all speak English, and they speak it really well. They don't give you a bad look if you can't speak Dutch, they can transition seamlessly to English. I've always thought it was a pity that Americans only know one language, but at least English is useful the world over.

Other random observations:

• The City is great at giving directions, there are signs that point you to ANY place worth going to, however, more than once I've had to look high and low for some indication of which street I'm on. I'm getting pretty good with the guessing, but even so, not very fun.
• Love the trams and metro system! The public transportation system is very easy to navigate, and the trams are especially efficient.
• Very low rates of obesity, eventhough stands selling fries are everywhere and they pile their hot chocolates high with thick, rich whipped cream. This is probably because everyone bikes and walks everywhere.