Day 24-26 Amsterdam

So it is finally time for the infamous Amsterdam, we have two days, hopefully enough time to have our fun but also enough time to not get in any trouble. Sal and John have been in Amsterdam for a few days remember so now it is time for our reunion!

Day 1

From Prague Jamesy and I had to take an overnight train from 6PM til 10AM the next morning, at first I thought it was going to be the ride from hell. Although it could have gotten a lot worse it still was not very pleasant. We got stuck on the tracks for a few hours while we waited for a storm to pass but the good news is we still had a cabin to ourselves at this point. We were in a 6 bunk room that we were praying wouldn't fill up. Well it did, at 3AM we were awoken by 4 Hungarian guys getting on the train in Berlin. They spoke English pretty well and turned out to be pretty cool.

Jamesy in the bunk


We finally made it to Amsterdam by 10AM and we were greeted by pouring rain! I was in boardshorts, a t-shirt, and sandals! Pretty sweet.

Day 2

THE LOST DAY

Due to the desire to avoid self incrimination in regard to myself and the others this day will be referred to as "the lost day" as we strongly invoke the 5th amendment.

Amsterdam truly is out of this world. Pot can definitely be found on every corner, even still it does not stand up to the quality of California's. Heineken flows like water. You can purchase magic mushrooms from the store just like your groceries, sex shops are more frequent than pharmacies, and 75% of traffic is on bicycles. The canal systems were also nearly as abundant as the streets in city centre. If you want the nitty gritty of our Amsterdam Day 2 adventures you will have to ask us individually.



Given our state I was surprised we fit in any sight seeing even though the only place we saw was The Hash, Hemp and Marihuana Museum. I truly believe we are in a defining age for marijuana similar to what those experienced during the 1920's in regards to alcohol. I don't care to jump on my soapbox but our current stance on the drug in the U.S. just isn't working.



Day 3

So "The Lost Day" definitely took its toll on the other members, so the one man show would resume for another day. I definitely got my sleep in though as I didn't leave the room until 2PM. My first stop was the Rijksmuseum where I found most likely is my favorite piece of art from the entire trip, Rembrandt's "The Night Watch". Rembrandt was a revolutionary in terms of using specific shading and light to depict movement, you really felt his painting coming at you.

The Night Watch


Next I moved on to the Van Gogh Museum, that man was intense. Van Gogh was as brilliant was he was self critical. He had a mental illness which eventually drove him to suicide, generally he considered himself a failure, if he could only see today the love people have for his work. After the Van Gogh Museum I made my way to the Heineken Museum and Brewery where I got to learn quite a bit about one of my favorite beers and taste it straight from its source.

You got what I need!


I Amsterdam


My second to last stop was one of my favorites for the entire trip, the Anne Frank House. I can remember the first time I heard the story of Anne Frank, I always felt impacted by her because when things were tough for my family when I was 8 or 9 I remember writing and writing because it was the only thing that made me feel any better. If any of you take a trip to Europe I strongly urge putting this one on your list, Anne's stunning ability to articulate her emotion lets you feel like you are living her situation as you stand in the house.

Anne Frank


Anne Frank House (where she hid is actually on top and in back)


My last and final sight was The Red Light District. I imagined it being much different, desolate and dangerous, instead it was packed wall to wall with people, shops, and restaurants. It was strange to see prostitution considered such a norm. The women in the windows were intensely aggressive, they would pound on their windows, or yell things to you, and occasionally come outside at which point you had to lower your head and book it. It was funny to see some young guys getting stuck in super awkward situations that they were far too drunk to deal with, I saw one guy getting dragged into a room by a black woman 3 times his size.

Overall I was truly impressed with Amsterdam, it has caught a terribe rap but I believe if you look for trouble you can find it anywhere. I'd like to visit again and see more of the surrounding areas as I've heard good things about the countryside as well.

Day 22-23 Prague

So another bittersweet goodbye, Munich was hard to leave after just two days. Good news is we are headed to Prague which has been the most hyped up city on our entire schedule. I hope it lives up to it!

Day 1

Excluding Barcelona to Monaco we haven't had much trouble with train travel, all of that is now out the window. Sal and John had been itching to get to Amsterdam and between our train switches those two decided to skip Prague and head straight for The Netherlands. Those two got on their train OK and that is when the trouble began.

James and I waited... and waited... and waited some more for a train that never came. Apparently it was running hours behind and other people at the station said it flew right by us. We ended up sitting at the station from 2PM til 7PM, not a very pleasant wait. We met a bunch of English lads that were absolutely hilarious and made some of the time go by.

Schwandorf train station


We finally caught our train at 7PM and we were wiped out from sitting in the sun all day. James passed out most of the ride while I slept for a little and then I couldn't keep my head or camera in the window. The Czech Republic is gorgeous... beautiful green as far as you could see with random dense forests straight out of the movies. I expected to see Russian troops marching through with AK-47's at any second. The landscape reminded me of Gettysburg but obviously more mysterious.

Czech landscape


Jets flying straight into the sky


We finally made it to our hotel by just after midnight and when we arrived the hotel had booked all rooms with our double bed preference... so instead James and I got a suite with a bedroom, a living room, and two bathrooms. It must have been karma for being so patient all day! We got in the room, made some phone calls, and passed out!

Day 2

Since our entire day was wasted yesterday for travel, we now must fit all of Prague's sights into one day. Not impossible but rough. We were recommended a restaurant around the corner and we loved it so much we ate their twice. We ate lamb knuckle, beef shin goulash, and drank lots of Pilsner Urquell which was cheaper than water!

Pilsner Urquell


Prague or "Praha" really lived up to the hype, architectually Prague featured a heavy blend of baroque and gothic touches. At this point we had seen so many churches they all blended together but Praha offered a new twist in the interior and even the exterior of some of its churches, brass. Some of our early highlights included climbing the Powder Gate, Tyn Church, Old Town Square, and the Astronomical Clock.

Powder Gate


Tyn Church


Astronomical Clock


Next we moved on to Charles Bridge which was awesome but unfortunately was under heavy construction and smelled like nail polish which kind of ruined some of its appeal. We crossed the bridge into Lesser Town which we thought was a strange way to label a part of town, St. Nicholas Church was our next stop and this church featured the most brass of them all including the main altar being dominated by it.

View off Charles Bridge


St. Nicholas Church Altar


Our last stop of the day was actually a bunch of stops at the Prague Castle. The Prague Castle included a bunch of sites including the Old Royal Palace, New Royal Palace, Powder Tower, Golden Lane, Wenceslas Vineyard, several gardens, and most importantly St. Vitus' Cathedral. St. Vitus Cathedral contained probably the most impressive stained glass we have seen yet, and from the outside was right up there with the Basilica Fiore in Florence.

Front gates of castle


Stained Glass


St. Vitus Cathedral


A cool place we saw on our way out of the castle was Daliborka Tower, which was actually used as a defense tower and jail. The tower was named after its first inmate who was a young knight named Daliborka. The phrase "to fiddle" or "change your tune" was derived here when Daliborka would confess to crimes while undergoing torture. The reason they may have called it to fiddle was Daliborka mastered the violin while jailed and citizens would gather around the jail to listen to him play from the inside.

Daliborka torture tools


View of Prague from Castle


I wish we had more time to spend in this city, we didn't get to check out the nightlife or even drink the ABSINTHE! I definitely will be returning here when I make my Eastern European adventure.

Day 20-21 Munich

So it is goodbye to Athens and hello to Beer, I mean Munich. Maybe now James will stop using his ridiculous German accent he has been using this entire trip, probably not. I’m stoked to see Germany for a bunch of different reasons but one I know all of us are looking forward to is cooler weather!

Day 1

We took an early morning flight from Athens to Munich, just another flight in the books. From the air we could tell we were in for a big change of pace. Lush green land stretched as far as the eye could see, windmills, lakes, snow topped mountains, and storm clouds! All things we hadn’t seen in quite awhile.

Patiently awaiting departure


Entering the Deutschland


Because we took an early morning flight our hotel wasn’t ready for our check-in so we had time to burn. We left our bags in the deposit and headed for the subway or the “tube” as everyone else seems to call it. The concierge told us about a street fair so that was our destination. The fair was in the Freiheit area and it was called the Leopold Street Fair.

The street was lined with all the beer, food, and worthless junk you could ever imagine. There were live bands playing and street performers walking the streets, I must say what some find amusing out here I find intensely frightening. I drank several different beers all claiming to be Germany’s finest and ate three different kinds of bratwurst’s… I could live off this stuff back home.

These things will haunt my dreams


One of the bands (Makes us miss our favorite rockstar Michael Morris)


After a few hours at the street fair and enough beer to put me into a bit of a coma we headed back to check-in to the hotel for real this time. We all relaxed in the room for a bit and took what we intended to be a power nap. However time got away from us a bit and we slept for a few hours. So we all popped up and headed into city center for dinner, drinks, and just to walk around. We didn’t last too long and we were going to need rest because we are doing a bike tour tomorrow! Gotta get my Lance Armstrong on.


Day 2

With some handy BlackBerry work I was able to locate the #1 rated bike tour in all of Munich which started at 11:30AM. James and I got up and headed downstairs for breakfast and I must admit I have been craving cereal. So I loaded up on a bowl of Alaska Flakes, high class Frosted Flakes I guess. We geared up and headed for Marienplatz, the city center of Munich and home of the new town hall.

Marienplatz “St. Mary’s Square” and the New Town Hall


After browsing around a bit we were able to locate our tour guide Jolly, the name fit this Aussie perfectly. We had what he said was his largest group ever, at around 30 I’d say, which made for an interesting ride especially after the biergarten or beer garden.

Jolly the guide


The bike tour was definitely the best way to see Munich. We got to see so many things, all the while having a guide with us and plenty of people to befriend. We basically saw the entire city but a few places stuck out to me the most.

My favorite was Odeonsplatz which is a major square in Munich that holds the most beautiful church in the city as well as the Royal Palace. In the 1920’s before Hitler was in power he marched his troops through this square and an altercation broke out with Police in which 16 Nazi’s were killed, Hitler was jailed soon after and this is when he wrote Mein Kampf. Once Hitler reigned over Germany he returned here and erected a huge swastika in Odeonsplatz and everyone was to salute it. Bavarians were resistant however and would walk down a back alley called “Evader’s Alley” or “Dachau Alley” after the first concentration camp to be liberated by the Allied Forces in WWII.

Odeonsplatz Monument (the far left opening is where the swastika stood)


“Evader’s Alley” (Notice the golden snake)


My next favorite would have to be the Hofbrauhaus, which is supposedly the world’s greatest pub. Hitler used to drink here and give speeches, Bavarian crests cover the walls where swastikas used to lay. Some other cool places include the Chinese Biergarten and the English Garden which makes Central Park look like a playpen. Oh and another spot that holds a special place especially for James and I is called the Surf Spot, obviously there is no ocean close to here but the locals make due with water that comes raging out of a dam and creates a pretty intense little swell. I almost forgot to mention James kicked my mudflap in after we drank at the beer garden and my bike came to a complete stop while the pedal cut my leg open and left a gnarly bruise… I didn’t feel much at the time.


Hofbrauhaus


Chinese Biergarten (beer garden)


Surf Spot


Some other spots I really enjoyed in Munich included the Olympic Village and Stadium and seeing in person all the places involved in the kidnapping of the Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympic games. Another spot was the monument to the leaders of the White Rose Movement, which was an anti-nazi propaganda campaign. Their names were Sophie and Hans and instead of fleeing when discovered Hans ran to the top of the university and tossed every pamphlet he had left down on the Gestapo and students who had gathered due to the commotion. Oh and I have to mention the BMW Museum, I wish I had more money!

Munich Stadium


White Rose Monument


My next purchase BMW HP2 Sport


So day two has been pretty jam packed and you’d think it is over right? So did we. James and I made a last second decision to just go straight to the Hofbrauhaus and instead get a beer and dinner. One beer turned into two and soon enough we had met an intensely drunk Austrian named Ansgard (spelling?) followed by meeting an entire pub crawl of people from the UK, Australia, Spain, Ireland, and two kids from San Francisco. We ended up joining the pub crawl and befriending a few English girls who are convinced life in California is exactly like The OC. When I told them I played sports and dated a cheerleader in High School they were absolutely fascinated.

James and Ansgard (sorry for drunk photo)


First cheers on our new pub crawl


So now you really think the night is over… again so did we. Everyone from the pub crawl dispersed and James and I somehow met a group of Germans in the subway station as we discovered the subway was closed. So we headed with them towards a taxi and they talked us into heading to another bar with them. These six Bavarians were the coolest Europeans we have encountered our entire trip, they took us to the most underground dive bar I have ever seen and we didn’t pay for a single beer all night. I honestly felt like we were in a bat cave with not a single tourist around but at no time did we feel uncomfortable at all. This was the absolute best day hands down of the entire trip.

The Germans


My favorite wouldn’t let me take a picture!


Schwabinger 7 (entrance)


James passing out like a baby after terrorizing everyone while blacked out


Munich was and probably will remain the greatest time we’ve had while in Europe. We couldn’t find a bad beer if we tried, the people were all awesome, and the history certainly applied more to a WWII buff like myself.

Day 15-19 Athens

I feel like we are in a time machine! Each city for the most part has slowly offered us more dated history than the previous one. From Rome to Athens was no exception and this would obviously be our largest leap of all. What we did not expect was to find the best English speaking Europeans yet and the most westernized society we have encountered.

Day 1

Leaving Rome
We had an early evening flight from Rome to Athens so we had time to kill, like true Americans we headed to the city center of Rome and immediately hit Burger King. I have been heavily resisting eating any food outside the local specialty but after a bad batch of pasta the day before I was quite alright with some comfort food.

After our meal we headed into town for some last minute sight seeing before we made the trek to the airport. I enjoyed Rome quite a bit but I’d take another trip to Florence over Rome any day.

Athens
Our flight was taking off right at sunset which made the views pretty sweet, I really have conquered my issue with flying, don’t know what my deal was. The meal on the plane wasn’t exactly my favorite and the dessert seemed a lot more like punishment. Sal has adopted my fear of flying, every time we take off he has his hat pulled over his face and his headphones on full blast so he can’t hear a thing.

Happy Sal minutes before becoming not so happy Sal


Coast of Italy at sunset


We got to the hotel at about 1AM so we got unpacked and called it a night.

Day 2

Rome had officially whooped our ass so today we wanted to do absolutely nothing all day, and that is pretty much what we did. Our hotel is just outside of city center and on the top floor resides the pool with an unobstructed view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Pool on top of hotel


View of Acropolis from pool level


Roughly seven hours later we are still in the pool. By this point we had discovered “Mythos” the greatest if not only Greek beer on earth. I had also introduced myself to two girls in the pool, who turned out to be sisters from NYC, they’d be playing a large part in our time in Athens. There names were Kerri and Diana and it just so happens they were staying directly across the hall from us.

Mythos



James and Sal were crippled by the sun, chlorine, and booze so they headed for a nap, while John and I were eager to get into town and have dinner and see the city. We got dressed and headed into town with Kerri and Diana on the free shuttle from the hotel. The girls had prior plans but we walked them down the creepy alleys and by the time we reached their destination (Greeks give terrible directions) they had invited us to join them… John and I had no idea what we were getting into.

Unfortunately I left my camera behind on this one but once Kerri and Diana get to the States I will have video and pictures to prove the events that occurred. We dined at a place called Krekopos that cost 39 Euros a person but included bread/hummus, two bottles of wine, 4 small appetizers each, an entrée, dessert, and most importantly live song and dance!

Before you knew it John and I were on stage with 3 other guys and a belly dancer and we were following her lead, or attempting to follow I should say. Little secret I have is I can actually do the belly roll but I spared the crowd and just shook what my mamma gave me.

The dinner was a blast but the night did not end there. We had met this guy from Houston earlier at the pool as well who had some local contacts in Athens so we headed out to a club but this time with the whole crew, the NY’ers, and two other girls they had met. I didn’t even catch the name of the club but that doesn’t matter as much as the fact it was right on Mediterranean with the ocean floor lit up and the club looked like something straight out of the movies. Nick from Houston’s buddy had scored us tables and bottle service at an obvious cost which would become a headache later when they tried to charge us way too much. Regardless we killed three bottles of Stohli, danced/sweated our butts off, and had an amazing night! We left the club around 3AM I’d say and I swear it felt like we were the first people to leave.

Day 3

We were supposed to hit the beach with Kerri and Diana but our dark room was way too enticing for our hungover blood. So we slept, slept, and slept some more. I got up before everyone else and hit the pool and spa for a bit trying to revive myself, I felt a ton better afterward.

Once everyone woke we headed down the street on the search for food, and we found the equivalent of In N Out just down the block from the hotel. I know I know not very Greek =/. Next we headed out to take care of our laundry, Rome ate our clean clothes quick because of how much we were sweating. While we were doing laundry we met people from all over the U.S. including some girls from Orange County and an awesome couple from Georgia.

I miss the old days of Mamma doin laundry


We finished our laundry around 930PM just in time to see the 10:10 showing of Bruno, we bought the last edition of GQ before our ride over and Sacha Baron Cohen was on the cover. That dude is a maniac and we could not wait to see it. If you don't enjoy insanely crude and uncomfortable humor I don't recommend it, we however loved it.

After the movie we met up with Kerri and Diana and headed to Plaka for drinks, it was their last night in Athens. John and James split off to go meet up with the girls that we met at laundromat earlier. We found a little dive bar and posted up for a few hours, the place was nearly empty when we walked in but the dance floor soon filled up. The bartender was the coolest Greek we met. He poured us all a free Jaegerbomb and bought Sal and I a beer each. We didn't fall asleep until 6AM, the girls didn't sleep at all seeing as they had to catch a boat at 8AM.

Day 4

Ok so now you are probably saying why aren't we sightseeing?! Well after Rome we needed a few days to just veg and after all of my reading Athens could be seen in a day. So James and I got up early (by early I mean noon) and headed into Plaka on the shuttle.

We decided to start with The Arch of Hadrian followed The Temple of Zeus and the rest of Olympia. The Temple of Zeus was the second member of "The Seven Wonders" we have seen and I was personally more moved by the Temple of Zeus than the Colosseum. Most people may think that is crazy but so little of this Temple is left your imagine can run wild with what went it may have looked like, felt like, and what it took to build.

Arch of Hadrian


Temple of Zeus


James getting his Buddha Zeus on


Next we moved up the hill and made the climb up the Acropolis. During our run on the Acropolis we saw more things than I can remember but the places that stood out the most to me included the Theater of Dionysus, the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, and most of all the Parthenon. I never knew the Parthenon had served as a temple, a mosque, and a church depending on who was in power. The Parthenon has withstood vast amounts of looting, fire, and warfare. For only 1 Euro more we toured the Acropolis Museum which contained thousands of artifacts some dating back to 1000 BC.

Theater of Dionysus


Parthenon


View of Temple of Zeus from Parthenon


View from from Acropolis


Upon our return to the hotel James and I hit the pool and spa for a bit and called it a night relatively early.


Day 5

We started the day off on a manhunt for a hole in the wall place with the most authentic gyro possible... and we found it right in the ghetto. I must say out of all the places we've been, I have enjoyed the food here the most. I've had to step outside of my comfort zone a few times but I haven't had a bad meal yet.

After our intense journey for the gyro a nap ensued followed by a trip to Plaka for some shopping and the last of our sights. I should also mention on our way out we saw Panathinaiko Stadium, where the first Olympic games were held.

Panathinaiko Stadium


After we got back to the hotel we decided to give into our inner computer nerd and make a visit to the local lan center around the corner. A few years back when I was traveling around the country competing in the computer game Counter-Strike the European teams dominated the scene. It was a ton of fun getting to see how things work on their turf, most things were the same as a nerd is a nerd =). Don't worry ya'll Hollywood held it down.

That concludes our time in Athens and although this may be the weakest blog yet, I have enjoyed my time here the most! Leaving the camera in the room was a much needed break for me seeing as I've taken over 3000 pictures!