Ahhh, the City of....Love? Well, maybe for those few people who find busy streets and the smell of cigarette smoke charming, but for me, it was just a new adventure to be had. Dani, Chelsea, Mike and I were lucky enough to rent a car at a reasonable choice and stayed at a hotel (cheap accommodations as always, plus they sneaked me in) in a jenky part of Paris. However, the first night we were there we parked along the water's edge and walked over the oldest bridge to view Notre Dame at night. With the full moon shining in the background, I was in awe over it's shear enormous...ness. =) After a jaunt down the river, we made it to the famous Eiffel Tower, which literally sparkled and shined as we approached. I never actually thought the Eiffel Tower sparkled at night, and for that moment, I was completely impressed by Paris.
The next day we fulfilled Mike's life-long wish of Disneyland Paris. At first, I set my standards low for my favorite amusement park, but as soon as I entered it almost felt like being back in California. Except everyone spoke French and smoked in the park. Aside from that, I continued to be pleasantly surprised by the rides and friendliness of the French cast members. By the end of the day, I had decided that Big Thunder Mtn. Railroad, Indiana Jones (in Paris, a roller coaster) and Space Mtn. were my favorites. Can you imagine I actually ended up loving loops on roller coasters? That surprised me. =] The only complaint I had was the fact that my lower back (a part of my body that has caused me considerable discomfort in the last few years) suddenly decided it wanted to remind me of how easy back pain can come back. Thus, I winced and choked down my complaints as we were all having too much fun to be slowed down.
Sunday we hung out in the Walt Disney Studios, which was basically a smaller version of California Adventures. After seeing a few shows and shops, we decided Disneyland Paris was much more exciting and ended up riding Indiana Jones as well as Space Mtn. again (twice). As Mike drove us back to the hotel that night, I fell fast asleep in the car with no trouble.
Today, however, we had a packed morning. WE woke up bright and early (6am) and shuffled out the door, bags in hand. Arriving to Paris at 7:30am, we parked and walked to the Louve down the street. Walking into it's glass pyramid was more thrilling than I thought it was going to be. Basically, I've never been a fan of huge, eleborate museums, but hey, this was suppose to be the best of the best, so I gave it a try. We ended up seeing Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, The Code of Hammerabi and tons of Roman statues. Besides having back pain still, and being exhausted from lack of food, the trip was fun. We ended up leaving just as the crowds started to swarm, and grabbed take-away pizza and crepe's (a must) and parking in front of the Eiffel Tower. We figured seeing it in daylight was a very wise choice. And so it was. We set out our food and ate lunch on a wooden park bench in front of the Eiffel Tower. For about an hour and a half we simply hung around on the grass, taking silly photos, catching up, and relaxing. It was probably the best part of the day for me.
The rest of our day consisted of the 6 hours journey back to Germany. Nothing exciting to report except that I fell asleep again (tends to happen in the car) and we drove by some French town called Bitche. =)
Tonight I get to sleep in my own bed and tomorrow we pick up Lisa and all head to Munich for the rest of the week. Maybe by the weekend I'll have a chance to finally relax haha
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Oi Vey
Who do you talk to when the person who should understand you the most, doesn't get you at all?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Best Italian Food in Sweden
[taken from my travel log, dated March 7, 2010]
We arrived in Sweden at around 9am, rubbing our tired eyes and lugging our backpacks and belonging off the ship. My initial reaction to Stockholm was how beautiful it was. The harbor especially. The water ways wove and weaved throughout the city and the inhabitants of Stockholm lived on separate islands and inlets for this very reason. I liked how spread apart and yet somehow centralized Stockholm seemed to me. We decided to walk to our hostel, which was about a mile trek through snow and ice that covered the streets and sidewalks. Breathing heavily, we arrived at the lodging just in time to check-in and after throwing our things into the bedroom, Chelsea and I collapsed on our beds. We were exhausted and ended up taking a nap for 3 hours. We awoke later that night and Mike suggested we grab some chow before the stores close. We roamed the streets, and checked out a few places, but our minds weren't into it. Finally, we found a cozy-looking restaurant squeezed between two large buildings and we shrugged our shoulders and opened the door. Inside was a snazzy-styled Italian restaurant. It was warm and inviting, o we plopped ourselves down into the nearest booth. The waiter came over and greeted us with big smiles and we both soon realized he spoke neither English or German, so we spent the next few minutes pointing at the menu or playing charades to let him know what we wanted. He was really kind and brought us a huge salad bowl and basket of bread. Now, to starving travelers who are use to spending money on a simple glass of water, the salad and bread made us cautious. Was it a trap? Would we have to play for this in the bill? Every other table seemed to have the same salad and bread, so we decided to dig in. It looked so good that at that point, we didn't care if we had to pay for it or not. When our meals came, we were pleasantly surprised by it's large portion sizes and great quality and decided right then that this little shop had the best Italian food in Stockholm =]
We arrived in Sweden at around 9am, rubbing our tired eyes and lugging our backpacks and belonging off the ship. My initial reaction to Stockholm was how beautiful it was. The harbor especially. The water ways wove and weaved throughout the city and the inhabitants of Stockholm lived on separate islands and inlets for this very reason. I liked how spread apart and yet somehow centralized Stockholm seemed to me. We decided to walk to our hostel, which was about a mile trek through snow and ice that covered the streets and sidewalks. Breathing heavily, we arrived at the lodging just in time to check-in and after throwing our things into the bedroom, Chelsea and I collapsed on our beds. We were exhausted and ended up taking a nap for 3 hours. We awoke later that night and Mike suggested we grab some chow before the stores close. We roamed the streets, and checked out a few places, but our minds weren't into it. Finally, we found a cozy-looking restaurant squeezed between two large buildings and we shrugged our shoulders and opened the door. Inside was a snazzy-styled Italian restaurant. It was warm and inviting, o we plopped ourselves down into the nearest booth. The waiter came over and greeted us with big smiles and we both soon realized he spoke neither English or German, so we spent the next few minutes pointing at the menu or playing charades to let him know what we wanted. He was really kind and brought us a huge salad bowl and basket of bread. Now, to starving travelers who are use to spending money on a simple glass of water, the salad and bread made us cautious. Was it a trap? Would we have to play for this in the bill? Every other table seemed to have the same salad and bread, so we decided to dig in. It looked so good that at that point, we didn't care if we had to pay for it or not. When our meals came, we were pleasantly surprised by it's large portion sizes and great quality and decided right then that this little shop had the best Italian food in Stockholm =]
I'm On a Boat
[taken from my travel log, dated March 6,2010]
This morning we woke early, said our quick good bye's, grabbed some rye bread and headed out to Helsinki's harbour. There, we bought tickets for an over-night ferry, The Viking Line. The ship was huge; much bigger than any boat I've ever been on, and if I was impressed with the outside, it paled in comparison to it's interior. Each deck had either a bar, restaurant or both and some decks even had grocery stores, lounge areas, or stages with live music. By the time we boarded the gigantic vessel, it was already 8pm and we were ravenous for dinner. After grabbing some cheap eats at a Mexican restaurant, we were headed to the upper deck when we heard some swanky live music coming from the hallway. Upon further inspection, it wound up being a live African band who played a combination of jazz music and African style instruments (my favorite being steel drums). Chelsea and I usually can't help but move to beats, so we started grooving in the back, hopefully hidden from view. Wrong, haha. The lead saxophonist set down his instrument and asked us to dance. Before I knew what was happening, he pulled Chelsea and I onto the floor and started, I guess, swing dancing with us. It was hilarious and Mike couldn't help but laugh at us.
After the dance lessons, Mike, Chelsea and I set ourselves down on some comfy chairs overlooking the ship's effortless attempts to break apart the large chucks of ice in the Baltic Sea. A hour later, we had finished off some sodas, played a few rounds of Monopoly, the card game and enjoyed the piano players valiant attempts to sing Johnny Cash with his Swedish accent. I let Chelsea and Mike know I was tired and wanted some good reading/writing time on the bottom deck where our cabins were located so we parted and they headed in the direction of a dance floor. Below decks, our cabin floor wired and groaned as the bottom of the ship hit and broke apart ice. With the addition of the engine room, I thought to myself that it was funny how soothing the noise was to me. I stayed up for an hour enjoying the peace and passed the time engrossed in a book. Sleep overtook me later, and the day day, I awoke to the sound of the captain letting us know we had a half hour until arriving in Stockholm.
This morning we woke early, said our quick good bye's, grabbed some rye bread and headed out to Helsinki's harbour. There, we bought tickets for an over-night ferry, The Viking Line. The ship was huge; much bigger than any boat I've ever been on, and if I was impressed with the outside, it paled in comparison to it's interior. Each deck had either a bar, restaurant or both and some decks even had grocery stores, lounge areas, or stages with live music. By the time we boarded the gigantic vessel, it was already 8pm and we were ravenous for dinner. After grabbing some cheap eats at a Mexican restaurant, we were headed to the upper deck when we heard some swanky live music coming from the hallway. Upon further inspection, it wound up being a live African band who played a combination of jazz music and African style instruments (my favorite being steel drums). Chelsea and I usually can't help but move to beats, so we started grooving in the back, hopefully hidden from view. Wrong, haha. The lead saxophonist set down his instrument and asked us to dance. Before I knew what was happening, he pulled Chelsea and I onto the floor and started, I guess, swing dancing with us. It was hilarious and Mike couldn't help but laugh at us.
After the dance lessons, Mike, Chelsea and I set ourselves down on some comfy chairs overlooking the ship's effortless attempts to break apart the large chucks of ice in the Baltic Sea. A hour later, we had finished off some sodas, played a few rounds of Monopoly, the card game and enjoyed the piano players valiant attempts to sing Johnny Cash with his Swedish accent. I let Chelsea and Mike know I was tired and wanted some good reading/writing time on the bottom deck where our cabins were located so we parted and they headed in the direction of a dance floor. Below decks, our cabin floor wired and groaned as the bottom of the ship hit and broke apart ice. With the addition of the engine room, I thought to myself that it was funny how soothing the noise was to me. I stayed up for an hour enjoying the peace and passed the time engrossed in a book. Sleep overtook me later, and the day day, I awoke to the sound of the captain letting us know we had a half hour until arriving in Stockholm.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Likritsia
Licorice-one of the many things that sets my apart from the typical American (minimalism being another one). One of the first things I noticed and learned about Finland was its love of licorice...as well as their love to putting just about anything on rye bread. Today, we went to the mall and spent 10 Euros on every "typical Finnish" chocolate candy bar they could find for me. All of them either contained mint, Carmel or licorice. I even bought a licorice-flavored ice cream (sounds dissatisfying but to me, it was well-thought out idea!). After buying a doughnut with licorice icing, we strolled to the dried fruit and nut store and packed up on peppered cashews (my favorite) and dried mango (another favorite) and drove home to spend one last night with our knew friends. Everyone met up at Laura's house and we played a few games they taught us and we taught them Never Have I Ever and Two Truths and a Lie.
Tomorrow we leave for Stockholm on an overnight ferry! Let's hope it can break through the ice as easily in the Baltic Sea as it did while venturing to Estonia. Every other ferry but ours has cancelled their lines because of the ice, so I hope not to reinact the Titanic issue. =]
Tomorrow we leave for Stockholm on an overnight ferry! Let's hope it can break through the ice as easily in the Baltic Sea as it did while venturing to Estonia. Every other ferry but ours has cancelled their lines because of the ice, so I hope not to reinact the Titanic issue. =]
Estonia and Why It's Worth a Visit
[taken from my travel log, dated March 4, 2010]
Ok, so maybe Estonia wasn't the most epic country I've ever been too. It was cold, sad and full of recently independent people from the SSR. Having no previous knowledge of Estonia's culture (let alone it's existence) I had curious eyes about it. We took a three hour ferry ride from Helsinki to Tallinn, the most visited city on the coast, and I exchanged my Euros for Estonian Krones. There money is colorful and full of pictures of birds and scary looking people, so I kept a few for myself. =) After strolling through the streets, and taking pictures of all the colorful buildings, we took refuge from the snow in a Medieval tavern. The place was really authentic and served only food that Estonians could have prepared in the middle ages. Lynda and I had some home-made garlic and herb bread with fresh-churned butter and Chelsea and Laura feasted on elk jerky and wild boar with potatoes and beans. The atmosphere was charming while their only source of lit was by candles and it smelled of wood, good food and spices from the kitchen. So, for that, Estonia has become a highlight of my trip thus far!
Ok, so maybe Estonia wasn't the most epic country I've ever been too. It was cold, sad and full of recently independent people from the SSR. Having no previous knowledge of Estonia's culture (let alone it's existence) I had curious eyes about it. We took a three hour ferry ride from Helsinki to Tallinn, the most visited city on the coast, and I exchanged my Euros for Estonian Krones. There money is colorful and full of pictures of birds and scary looking people, so I kept a few for myself. =) After strolling through the streets, and taking pictures of all the colorful buildings, we took refuge from the snow in a Medieval tavern. The place was really authentic and served only food that Estonians could have prepared in the middle ages. Lynda and I had some home-made garlic and herb bread with fresh-churned butter and Chelsea and Laura feasted on elk jerky and wild boar with potatoes and beans. The atmosphere was charming while their only source of lit was by candles and it smelled of wood, good food and spices from the kitchen. So, for that, Estonia has become a highlight of my trip thus far!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Super Sauna
[taken from my travel log, dated March 3, 2010]
Today we had our first ever sauna. In Finland, sauna is a very typical, weekly activity that helps heal the body and clear the mind. So, to get the full experience, we naturally agreed to do it! Almost every family has a sauna in their house, and we were all invited to go to an older couple's sauna and enjoy company, food (again, no complaints) and the sauna. While Mike, the host and another guy Maitus had their sauna (which, if you don't know, consists of taken off all your clothes, sitting in a hot wooden hut and sweating, then dipping into cold water and rushing back to the sauna again), the girls (Chelsea, the hostess, Lynda and our friend Laura)ate and talked of the future, our past and our present.
When it was our turn, Lynda, Chelsea and I were the first to take off our clothes and bravely venture into the hot sauna. Now, to say it was merely "hot" wouldn't have given it justice. it was 212 degrees Fahrenheit....basically if the temperature didn't get to you, the steam that came off of the hot coals we used would. The hostess would pour a large copper ladle of water onto the coals and a burst of steam would emerge, eventually burning your eyes, but supposedly, helping your body and mind. My favorite part was dipping into the water. They had a creek running under the sauna hut and it was being fed by the snow that kept falling into the creek. So, extremely cold water greeted those who submerged their bodies into it for 15 seconds, which felt like an hour. However, if you could ever image an image of three naked girls running outside, dipping into an ice cold creek and squealing out of surprise and then rushing back into the sauna, you should....because it would have been a humorous site to see. =]
I felt accomplished though. Like I had experienced something truly unique and well, something I'll never have the chance to do again. And these are the moments when I feel like everything I'm doing is worth it. Because having these kinds of memories will be the most valuable things I ever own.
Today we had our first ever sauna. In Finland, sauna is a very typical, weekly activity that helps heal the body and clear the mind. So, to get the full experience, we naturally agreed to do it! Almost every family has a sauna in their house, and we were all invited to go to an older couple's sauna and enjoy company, food (again, no complaints) and the sauna. While Mike, the host and another guy Maitus had their sauna (which, if you don't know, consists of taken off all your clothes, sitting in a hot wooden hut and sweating, then dipping into cold water and rushing back to the sauna again), the girls (Chelsea, the hostess, Lynda and our friend Laura)ate and talked of the future, our past and our present.
When it was our turn, Lynda, Chelsea and I were the first to take off our clothes and bravely venture into the hot sauna. Now, to say it was merely "hot" wouldn't have given it justice. it was 212 degrees Fahrenheit....basically if the temperature didn't get to you, the steam that came off of the hot coals we used would. The hostess would pour a large copper ladle of water onto the coals and a burst of steam would emerge, eventually burning your eyes, but supposedly, helping your body and mind. My favorite part was dipping into the water. They had a creek running under the sauna hut and it was being fed by the snow that kept falling into the creek. So, extremely cold water greeted those who submerged their bodies into it for 15 seconds, which felt like an hour. However, if you could ever image an image of three naked girls running outside, dipping into an ice cold creek and squealing out of surprise and then rushing back into the sauna, you should....because it would have been a humorous site to see. =]
I felt accomplished though. Like I had experienced something truly unique and well, something I'll never have the chance to do again. And these are the moments when I feel like everything I'm doing is worth it. Because having these kinds of memories will be the most valuable things I ever own.
Snow Pegasus
[taken from my travel log, dated March 2, 2010]
Today we woke and ate a hearty, warm and delicious Finnish breakfast. That usually contains rye bread, meat, cheese, cucumbers, and rice porridge.Soon, we met up with the guys who Mike would be staying with. We had all agreed the night previous that an epic snowman should be built and thus, our day's quest began. When we arrived in a snowy park, the men hunted out the perfect location and Chelsea, Lynda and I decided we would like to create something a little more exotic, thus a snow Pegasus emerged. Three hours later, the men had finished a truly gigantic snowman, and our Pegasus lay peacfully beside it. We took photos because we were so proud of it.
We left our creations, hoping they wouldn't be snowed over the next morning, and went to Jonnis's house, where his family had made us another great feast for the afternoon. Finnish people love to feed you, and for me, I couldn't have accepted that cultural norm more gladly.
Today we woke and ate a hearty, warm and delicious Finnish breakfast. That usually contains rye bread, meat, cheese, cucumbers, and rice porridge.Soon, we met up with the guys who Mike would be staying with. We had all agreed the night previous that an epic snowman should be built and thus, our day's quest began. When we arrived in a snowy park, the men hunted out the perfect location and Chelsea, Lynda and I decided we would like to create something a little more exotic, thus a snow Pegasus emerged. Three hours later, the men had finished a truly gigantic snowman, and our Pegasus lay peacfully beside it. We took photos because we were so proud of it.
We left our creations, hoping they wouldn't be snowed over the next morning, and went to Jonnis's house, where his family had made us another great feast for the afternoon. Finnish people love to feed you, and for me, I couldn't have accepted that cultural norm more gladly.
Finally Finland
[taken from Travel journal entry for March 3, 2010]
Today was one of the craziest travel journeys I've ever had. Travel as in anything that could have gone bad, did. We almost missed our trains, purchased tickets that actually didn't exist, almost lost Mike, stayed in an underground for three hours which ended up being more like a wind tunnel, and once we finally made it to Frankfurt, Germany's worst looking city ever, we realized we missed the crucial bus we needed to take us the hour-journey ride to the Ryan Air Airport, which is inconveniently located no where near Frankfurt. The next bus would end up arriving at the airport an two hours later, giving us a stressful 10 minutes to run through check-in, customs, and security before the gate closed. And that's just what we did, run. The only part that ended up being humorous was when we realized they thought my boots must have been some sort of security problem because I was treated like they must have hidden a bomb. Of course, upon further inspection, they realized, I was no terrorist but just a tired and hungry traveler who just had buckles on her shoes.....oi vey.
Thankfully, the plane was still loading passengers, and we made it safely on. We left Germany as snow began to fall and landed in Finland to more snow than I could have imagined. My luggage had a hard time keeping up with me as I trudged through the snow where my friend Lynda and her friends greeted us with big grins and signs (literally, it was an authentic Welcome Wagon). We then enjoyed the most peaceful ride back to their home where delicious chili awaited my starving body. That night all of Lynda's friend's threw us a grand get-together and we ate good food, met good people, learned some Finnish and played some Finnish games similar to games from my Comedy Improv class.
Today was one of the craziest travel journeys I've ever had. Travel as in anything that could have gone bad, did. We almost missed our trains, purchased tickets that actually didn't exist, almost lost Mike, stayed in an underground for three hours which ended up being more like a wind tunnel, and once we finally made it to Frankfurt, Germany's worst looking city ever, we realized we missed the crucial bus we needed to take us the hour-journey ride to the Ryan Air Airport, which is inconveniently located no where near Frankfurt. The next bus would end up arriving at the airport an two hours later, giving us a stressful 10 minutes to run through check-in, customs, and security before the gate closed. And that's just what we did, run. The only part that ended up being humorous was when we realized they thought my boots must have been some sort of security problem because I was treated like they must have hidden a bomb. Of course, upon further inspection, they realized, I was no terrorist but just a tired and hungry traveler who just had buckles on her shoes.....oi vey.
Thankfully, the plane was still loading passengers, and we made it safely on. We left Germany as snow began to fall and landed in Finland to more snow than I could have imagined. My luggage had a hard time keeping up with me as I trudged through the snow where my friend Lynda and her friends greeted us with big grins and signs (literally, it was an authentic Welcome Wagon). We then enjoyed the most peaceful ride back to their home where delicious chili awaited my starving body. That night all of Lynda's friend's threw us a grand get-together and we ate good food, met good people, learned some Finnish and played some Finnish games similar to games from my Comedy Improv class.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Northern Exposure
"The world is a book and those who never travel only read one page."
[taken from my travel log, dated Feb. 28, 2010]
We leave for Finland tomorrow morning. Tonight, however, we take the late night trains all the way to Frankfurt...a city I'm only aquainted with because I sometimes have to fly out of there with Ryan Air. Currently, Chelsea and I are waiing for Mike at our favorite resturant/bar. Oddly enough, it's locatd in the bahnhof. Laugh if you must, but apart from it's deep wood tables, frosted glass windows and stained glass lights, this place is special to me for it's charming atmosphere. Here you'll find locals as well as out-of-towners, enjoying some good food or their favorite drinks while they wait for their train. Everyone from the dapper gentleman on a business trip to the local bohemian artist in the corner, you are bound to find something interesting. To me, it's the perfect place to people-watch.
Until next time, I shall say Ciao! And hopefully, Finland welcomes me! Unfortunatly, it'll have to welcome me with snow covered arms, but eh, that's part of it's charm, no?
[taken from my travel log, dated Feb. 28, 2010]
We leave for Finland tomorrow morning. Tonight, however, we take the late night trains all the way to Frankfurt...a city I'm only aquainted with because I sometimes have to fly out of there with Ryan Air. Currently, Chelsea and I are waiing for Mike at our favorite resturant/bar. Oddly enough, it's locatd in the bahnhof. Laugh if you must, but apart from it's deep wood tables, frosted glass windows and stained glass lights, this place is special to me for it's charming atmosphere. Here you'll find locals as well as out-of-towners, enjoying some good food or their favorite drinks while they wait for their train. Everyone from the dapper gentleman on a business trip to the local bohemian artist in the corner, you are bound to find something interesting. To me, it's the perfect place to people-watch.
Until next time, I shall say Ciao! And hopefully, Finland welcomes me! Unfortunatly, it'll have to welcome me with snow covered arms, but eh, that's part of it's charm, no?
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