Saturday, July 28, 2007
Arras Memorial
After Amsterdam, we headed to the town of Arras in northern France. Arras is the place where my great grandfather Edward Rowden, or as it was on his gravestone Roden, is barried. He died in WWI and visiting his burial place was one of the more important things I wanted to accomplish on this trip. It was a really great experience and am glad I did it. The memorial was awesome and really well maintained, there were flowers everywhere, by all the stones, and the yard was impeccably well kept. It made me feel really good to know that the site was so well cared for. It took me a little while to find his place, as there are a thousand or more stones, I knew the area, but not exact location. I was walking along and when I saw his name it stopped me cold. There really isn't a whole lot to say other than that, it was just something I am really glad I did.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam was great, in Amsterdam we stayed with Melanie's friend (and now mine as well), Martijn. Martijn came over to visit Melanie a couple of years ago after writing back and forth so it was nice to be able to come and see him in his home country. We did a lot of fun things in Amsterdam and were able to see many things the city has to offer.
Despite some showers we caught some good weather in the Netherlands which has had a great deal of rain this summer. We went for walks along the various canals, saw a huge windmill, and saw a cool group of statues taken from Rembrandt's painting "The Night Watch". We also went on a boat tour which gave us a nice view of the city from the canals. On the boat tour we saw the smallest house in Amsterdam, which was about four feet wide, had three floors, and was squeezed in between to other houses. It was hard to believe that someone would bother building it, but I suppose you have to buy what you can afford.
We took a quick walk through the famous Red Light district, which was really kind of weird. There wasn't anything to see out in the open, just some girls standing in windows wearing bikini's really, and neon signs advertising what was inside the buildings. It was just kind of weird to know that if you had the money and the desire you could do so many things. I read a good quote in a book about Amsterdam, it said that even though Amsterdam is one of the most visited cities in Europe it is seen by so few. I think it is true as many people come and see the Red Light district and go to cafes but don't see all the city has to offer.
One the best place's we went was the Anne Frank museum. It was really moving to walk around in the house seeing where the two families lived for two years, hiding from the Nazi's. There were clips of interviews from the secretary and Mr.Frank talking about the time spent there and many information points talking about their living conditions and the time leading up to their going into hiding. There aren't many items left in the hiding spot, but there is Anne's magazine clippings on the wall, the bookshelf, the register for Auschwitz with their names in it, and her diaries. It was a great experience and really put a face on what happened. There was a quote by an Auschwitz survivour who said, that Anne's story puts a face on the suffering experienced, but can not convey the suffering of all those that died, but if we were able to comprehend that suffering we may not be able to live. I think quote is all to true.
We had a great time in Amsterdam, we were able to relax and not have to worry about finding our way around as Martijn and his girlfriend Danielle were with us and showed us how to get around. It was a nice change from getting of the train going to the tourist information stand, getting a map and figuring out where and how to get around.
Despite some showers we caught some good weather in the Netherlands which has had a great deal of rain this summer. We went for walks along the various canals, saw a huge windmill, and saw a cool group of statues taken from Rembrandt's painting "The Night Watch". We also went on a boat tour which gave us a nice view of the city from the canals. On the boat tour we saw the smallest house in Amsterdam, which was about four feet wide, had three floors, and was squeezed in between to other houses. It was hard to believe that someone would bother building it, but I suppose you have to buy what you can afford.
We took a quick walk through the famous Red Light district, which was really kind of weird. There wasn't anything to see out in the open, just some girls standing in windows wearing bikini's really, and neon signs advertising what was inside the buildings. It was just kind of weird to know that if you had the money and the desire you could do so many things. I read a good quote in a book about Amsterdam, it said that even though Amsterdam is one of the most visited cities in Europe it is seen by so few. I think it is true as many people come and see the Red Light district and go to cafes but don't see all the city has to offer.
One the best place's we went was the Anne Frank museum. It was really moving to walk around in the house seeing where the two families lived for two years, hiding from the Nazi's. There were clips of interviews from the secretary and Mr.Frank talking about the time spent there and many information points talking about their living conditions and the time leading up to their going into hiding. There aren't many items left in the hiding spot, but there is Anne's magazine clippings on the wall, the bookshelf, the register for Auschwitz with their names in it, and her diaries. It was a great experience and really put a face on what happened. There was a quote by an Auschwitz survivour who said, that Anne's story puts a face on the suffering experienced, but can not convey the suffering of all those that died, but if we were able to comprehend that suffering we may not be able to live. I think quote is all to true.
We had a great time in Amsterdam, we were able to relax and not have to worry about finding our way around as Martijn and his girlfriend Danielle were with us and showed us how to get around. It was a nice change from getting of the train going to the tourist information stand, getting a map and figuring out where and how to get around.
Prague and Berlin
Wow, have been really busy in the past week. Enjoyed a great time with Martijn in Amsterdam, A busy info-packed stop in Berlin, and an awesome couple of days in Ireland. I will try to fill you in on what has been happening.
After Budapest, we went to Prague in the Czech Republic. Prague is a great city and is very well preserved when compared to other cities in Europe as it was not damaged by WWII. It has some really great sites to visit which included a castle(see the great hall in picture below), the Charles Bridge which is lined with statues, and one of the most interesting sites for me was in the Jewish quarter. Inside the now depopulated quarter, there is a very crowded grave yard (unrelated with WWII I think), and it is really an interesting site. The graves are said to be up to 12 deep, and the gravestones are just as crowded and all in different angles. A strange site, but a popular pilgrimage site for the Jewish community.
Berlin was great, we were only there for one full day but we made the most of it. First off I have to say, the fabled German efficiency is from my experience quite true. They have there buses on a schedule for each stop, and they are on time. We went on a free walking tour and got to see many of the important sites or should I say WWII and Communist Era sites as I know there is much more to Germany than these two periods. We were able to see Checkpoint Charlie, Hitlers Bunker (or the car park that is on top of it), the controversial Jewish memorial (no one really knows what it means, and a chemical used to make the memorial graffiti proof was manufactured by the company that made gas for the gas chambers), and many other sites. I wish we had more time to see Germany (sorry Uncle Chris),but what we saw of Berlin and the countryside was beautiful. We stayed in a hostel owned by a New Zealand guy and it was really nice, one night we had eight Canadians in the 11 bed dorm. We also ate at the near-by New Zealand restaurant and got Kiwi burgers that had slices of beet on them and they were surprisingly good.
After Budapest, we went to Prague in the Czech Republic. Prague is a great city and is very well preserved when compared to other cities in Europe as it was not damaged by WWII. It has some really great sites to visit which included a castle(see the great hall in picture below), the Charles Bridge which is lined with statues, and one of the most interesting sites for me was in the Jewish quarter. Inside the now depopulated quarter, there is a very crowded grave yard (unrelated with WWII I think), and it is really an interesting site. The graves are said to be up to 12 deep, and the gravestones are just as crowded and all in different angles. A strange site, but a popular pilgrimage site for the Jewish community.
Berlin was great, we were only there for one full day but we made the most of it. First off I have to say, the fabled German efficiency is from my experience quite true. They have there buses on a schedule for each stop, and they are on time. We went on a free walking tour and got to see many of the important sites or should I say WWII and Communist Era sites as I know there is much more to Germany than these two periods. We were able to see Checkpoint Charlie, Hitlers Bunker (or the car park that is on top of it), the controversial Jewish memorial (no one really knows what it means, and a chemical used to make the memorial graffiti proof was manufactured by the company that made gas for the gas chambers), and many other sites. I wish we had more time to see Germany (sorry Uncle Chris),but what we saw of Berlin and the countryside was beautiful. We stayed in a hostel owned by a New Zealand guy and it was really nice, one night we had eight Canadians in the 11 bed dorm. We also ate at the near-by New Zealand restaurant and got Kiwi burgers that had slices of beet on them and they were surprisingly good.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Berlin Pics
Brandenburg Gate
Cool WWI memorial
In front of the Berlin Wall
Hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his baby over the balcony
The titanic in chocolate
Prague Pics
Prague Castle by night
The castles Great Hall, apparently hosted jousting matches
Prague skyline
Old cars were popular tour vehicles in Prague
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Budapest
Finally got to another computer. In Berlin now for a couple of nights and then off to Amsterdam for my birthday where we will be staying with Martijn a friend of Melanie´s.
Budapest was a nice city, we stayed in a rather unique hostel run by a guy from Chicago. It was kinda dirty, but the guy that ran it made up for it, by being super friendly and helpful. He told you what you should be paying for things and the best places to go. The hostel was really relaxed, and we thought it was like staying in your messy friends apartment. Budapest itself was nice, lots of great views to be had and things to see. One of the more interesting experiences we had was a visit to the local baths. We were not really sure what to expect, but once you got used to sitting in a hot pool with a bunch of other people its alright. The water was around 38 degrees centigrade so it was very relaxing, the water is fed from a natural hot spring and is supposed to have medicinal qualities.
The Széchenyi Spa
Budapest also had a really great market, where we tried some authentic goulash. It had a whole lot of cabbage though, but wasn´t to bad. After Budapest we headed to Prague in the Czech Republic. We had a bit of an adventure on our way there, as we didn´t know we had to transfer at a station and got stuck in Zhob on the Budapest border for 3 hours waiting for the next train headed for Prague to come. It was a bit of a panic, but I manged to communicate with the local station operator where we wanted to go and she let me know we weren´t stuck and when we could catch the next train. Prague was nice, but the air was really heavy with smog so it made walking around a hot and sweaty thing to do. While in Prague we visited the castle which had a massive great hall, that was apparently used for jousting matches. The castle also had a display of Medieval torture instruments which was disturbing but interesting at the same time. St.Vitus Cathedral in the castle had some of the nicest glass I have seen yet made up entirely of small slivers of glass.
Budapest was a nice city, we stayed in a rather unique hostel run by a guy from Chicago. It was kinda dirty, but the guy that ran it made up for it, by being super friendly and helpful. He told you what you should be paying for things and the best places to go. The hostel was really relaxed, and we thought it was like staying in your messy friends apartment. Budapest itself was nice, lots of great views to be had and things to see. One of the more interesting experiences we had was a visit to the local baths. We were not really sure what to expect, but once you got used to sitting in a hot pool with a bunch of other people its alright. The water was around 38 degrees centigrade so it was very relaxing, the water is fed from a natural hot spring and is supposed to have medicinal qualities.
The Széchenyi Spa
Budapest also had a really great market, where we tried some authentic goulash. It had a whole lot of cabbage though, but wasn´t to bad. After Budapest we headed to Prague in the Czech Republic. We had a bit of an adventure on our way there, as we didn´t know we had to transfer at a station and got stuck in Zhob on the Budapest border for 3 hours waiting for the next train headed for Prague to come. It was a bit of a panic, but I manged to communicate with the local station operator where we wanted to go and she let me know we weren´t stuck and when we could catch the next train. Prague was nice, but the air was really heavy with smog so it made walking around a hot and sweaty thing to do. While in Prague we visited the castle which had a massive great hall, that was apparently used for jousting matches. The castle also had a display of Medieval torture instruments which was disturbing but interesting at the same time. St.Vitus Cathedral in the castle had some of the nicest glass I have seen yet made up entirely of small slivers of glass.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Athens, Venice, Vienna
Well it has only been 10 days since I last updated but we have been busy in that time. We took an overnight ferry to Athens spent 5 nights there, took another ferry and a train to Venice spent three nights there, and are now on our third night in Vienna. Tomorrow we are off to Budapest so to say we are hopping around is an understatement.
Greece and Athens were awesome. The landscape and water were just what you would expect. Surprisingly Athens was quite a clean city, which was not what I expected. I had heard what a chaotic place it was but after Naples and Milan it was quite pleasant. The Parthenon and Acropolis were both great, as were the other sites around the Athens area. The sculptures in Athens were excellent much more detailed and expressive than the ones seen in the museums of Italy. We enjoyed the ferry rides back and forth from Greece as well. Both rides were overnight and were 15-20 hours but a nice change from the typical running around we usually are up to. The food was expensive but we packed lots to offset the cost.
Venice was awesome! It was exactly what you expect it to be. It is a labyrinth of small narrow alleys, lots of different squares, and waterways with boats floating along all over the place. We spent our time in Venice just walking around and checking out shops and sights. We had seen so many museums and churches we were happy just to take it easy window shopping. Probably the best part other than just being there, is when I paid a Euro for some corn to feed the pigeons. It was awesome, I would put a little food on my hand and they would land all over me. It was kinda gross, cause they are pigeons but we were both laughing so hard. Melanie could hardly take any pictures.
Our train ride to Vienna wasn't the best we spent 4 of the 7 hours without a seat as we had to get on without a reservation and the train was full. We had a seat for a while but had to get out when we found out we couldn't sit there with the pass we have. Austria has been good though, it is very clean but colder than we are used to. It was 16 Celsius and we were nearly freezing. We went to the Zoo yesterday for a change, and it was great. The Vienna Zoo is the oldest zoo in the world and has everything. We saw Pandas, Elephants, Giraffes, Koalas, and a whole assortment of Monkeys and Penguins. There was even a bat cave which was awesome, it was freaky having so many fly all around you. I was proud of Melanie, she actually came into the cave (with a bit of coaxing). It was a great time and we spent 5 hours there. Today we walked around in the cold rain just looking and at the local cathedral and Hapsburg palaces. It would have been more enjoyable without the rain. Luckily the hostel we are staying in has a kitchen so we were able ti enjoy a good homey dish of fried potatoes and hot dogs. You would be surprised the things you miss when they aren´t around.
Off to Budapest tomorrow, our most easterly stop. Looking forward to the differences it will have from other countries we have been to . Not sure what exactly the things we will be up to but it should be fun.
A couple of pics of me with the Venetian pigeons
Greece and Athens were awesome. The landscape and water were just what you would expect. Surprisingly Athens was quite a clean city, which was not what I expected. I had heard what a chaotic place it was but after Naples and Milan it was quite pleasant. The Parthenon and Acropolis were both great, as were the other sites around the Athens area. The sculptures in Athens were excellent much more detailed and expressive than the ones seen in the museums of Italy. We enjoyed the ferry rides back and forth from Greece as well. Both rides were overnight and were 15-20 hours but a nice change from the typical running around we usually are up to. The food was expensive but we packed lots to offset the cost.
Venice was awesome! It was exactly what you expect it to be. It is a labyrinth of small narrow alleys, lots of different squares, and waterways with boats floating along all over the place. We spent our time in Venice just walking around and checking out shops and sights. We had seen so many museums and churches we were happy just to take it easy window shopping. Probably the best part other than just being there, is when I paid a Euro for some corn to feed the pigeons. It was awesome, I would put a little food on my hand and they would land all over me. It was kinda gross, cause they are pigeons but we were both laughing so hard. Melanie could hardly take any pictures.
Our train ride to Vienna wasn't the best we spent 4 of the 7 hours without a seat as we had to get on without a reservation and the train was full. We had a seat for a while but had to get out when we found out we couldn't sit there with the pass we have. Austria has been good though, it is very clean but colder than we are used to. It was 16 Celsius and we were nearly freezing. We went to the Zoo yesterday for a change, and it was great. The Vienna Zoo is the oldest zoo in the world and has everything. We saw Pandas, Elephants, Giraffes, Koalas, and a whole assortment of Monkeys and Penguins. There was even a bat cave which was awesome, it was freaky having so many fly all around you. I was proud of Melanie, she actually came into the cave (with a bit of coaxing). It was a great time and we spent 5 hours there. Today we walked around in the cold rain just looking and at the local cathedral and Hapsburg palaces. It would have been more enjoyable without the rain. Luckily the hostel we are staying in has a kitchen so we were able ti enjoy a good homey dish of fried potatoes and hot dogs. You would be surprised the things you miss when they aren´t around.
Off to Budapest tomorrow, our most easterly stop. Looking forward to the differences it will have from other countries we have been to . Not sure what exactly the things we will be up to but it should be fun.
A couple of pics of me with the Venetian pigeons
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Some more pictures....
Melanie and I outside our Chalet in Rome
A nice picture of Saint Peters
Inside the Sistine Chapel (notice the God and Man painting in the middle)
The Hall of Maps inside the Vatican Museum - there were paintings along the entire corridor ceiling, which must have been 300ft long
A view of Mt.Vesuvius from Pompeii
A restaurant counter in Pompeii, the holes in the couters held soups and olives
One of the Ash People frozen in time
A view of Greece caught during our 16-hour ferry ride
The Parthenon
A view of Athens
A view of Athens
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