Have you ever seen someone smoke crack? I have. When we arrived at Napoli Central station we had to swich to a local train (above ground subway) to get to our final destination of Sorrento. We hopped on the subway that looked like it was taken right out of the 80's classic film "The Warriors". This thing was spray painted from front to back. I have seen some pretty good graffiti in my day but this train looked like some painted it with their left hand. That is assuming they are a righty. Anyways, we sat at the back of a bus with two guys, both of whom looked like crack heads themselves. After a few stops, a guy who could barely stand decided to join us. He found himself a seat and decided to light up. Veronika and I looked at each other and didn't know what to do. So we took the approach that one might take if they fear a bee might sting them. Stay still and eventually they will go away. Although this crackhead was sitting right in front of us, he didn't even realize we were there. He fell over a few times, took a break to throw up at one of the stops and just as fast as he came into our lives he was gone.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Timmy. Budweiser is a delicious beer. Now for those of you pucking in your mouths, hear me out. Prague is the birthplace of the original Budweiser (Budvar). It is one of the finer beers I have had on my beer tasting tour.
After one dinner in Prague that consisted of a pork knee and many Budvars, Veronika and I decided to take a walk. On this walk we discussed many things but during one of our conversations we were interrupted. The interruption came in the form of a long, hanging fart. It was long lasting, which provided us the opportunity to take a look in the direction of the disturbance. We saw and old couple sitting on a bench. One of them was balancing on their right cheek to fart in the opposite direction of their partner. I guess that's why he married her. I know some might take the side of the old lady and say, "at least she leaned the other way" and I couldn't agree more. But there comes a point in a man's life where you have to decide if this is acceptable behaviour. I have come to terms that some women may pass gas. Some. Baking brownies in the privacy of your own home is one thing but shitting your pants on a bench in a busy square is another. Ladies listen up. If you are ever in this position blame your husband right away. Hopefully you can convince him that you are disgusted with his behavior and he will, as a reflex, apologize. If this doesn't work, you will at least remain married for the next 5-10 mins.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Prague, Salzburg and Mozart
Prague - the red roof tops of Prague, the castles, parks, bridges, canals, and an ancient old city that has not been ruined by new development, makes Prague a city to visit and remember. Marc and I started the visit to Prague with a tour to the Prague castle, which calls itself the biggest castle grounds in all of Europe. We saw an underground burrial area where nobbles were burried with their armour and many really rich churches.
The biggest and most populr bridge connecting the city and the Castle is called the Charles bridge, where I decided to have my portrait done. After 20 minutes and $50 I was very dissapointed. I should have known better when bypassers came up to look at the artists work as he was painting me and no one stayed to have their portrait done. To make matters worse he didnt give me the proper carrying case so I have been lugging the portrait around from city to city and train to train.
Local food in Prague definately caught Marc's eye. One day on the train as he was sleeping I caught him smiling. I asked when he woke up what he was smiling about and he said that he the best dream about a pork knee that he had the other night which was covered in fat, spices and salt. The Checzs do a lot of potatoes, pork, sausage, dumplings and goulash (beef stew).
Marc has become a serious beer conoseour. He was asking a waiter about their beers on tap, and the waiter told Marc that this one particular beer is one the best beers in the world... Marc asked him "is this really the best beer because I have had quite a few good beers in the last few days." I would say that this is kind of an understatement. Marc has tried probably every beer on tap in each country we have been to. We actually decided to go to Belgium solely because of their reputation for beer. Lucky for the waiter, it was a very good beer.
They have a very productive train system (subway) in Europe. It runs on the honour system. Each passenger is responsible for buying his own ticket, validating it and riding the train. He does not need to wait in a line up to show his valid ticket or pass which means there are no line ups to get into the subway and there are no line up to catch the bus because all doors open and passengers enter. This again creates less waiting time and less traffic. There are conductors that pass by and check tickets. I know that some of you are thinking that there will be people that dont pay the fare. And I agree there are probably 2% of the population of train riders in Europe that manipulate the system, but why punish the other 98% who are honest and deserve to have a fast transit system?
Jewish Quarter in Prague - Prague has the oldest preserved Jewish town in Europe. It was especially left alone as per Hitler. He wanted to keep the Jewish quarters as they were left by Jews before they were deported to concentration for one purporse: if any jews in the future should come back to Prague they would see what kind of vibrant past the Jewish community has had and make an example of what their faith has become. Marc and I wondered through the quarters for two days. It was really nice to see actual old synagogues, shops, buildings and a cemetery. The cemetery is very unique, they have too many people burried in one place, so to combat this problem, they burried plot on top of plot and placed cascet on top of cascet. As a result the cemetery has one tumbsone one over the other. We saw a clock in the Old New Synagogue that was done in the Hebrew alphabet and the handles moved counterclockwise to simulate the Hebrew language. We also heard the Golem story. Rabbi Low, one of the most prominent and famous Rabbis of Prague had a problem with break ins in his town. So God advised him to make a Golem out of clay and place a shem (cloth) inside his mouth. The Rabbi followed instructions and the Golem came to life, he protected the town as he came alive each time the Rabbi placed the shem in his mouth. One day the Rabbi forgot to take the shem out and on Shabbath went to pray, the Golem up to no good destroyed everything in sight. The Rabbi took the shem and hid in in the Old New Synagogue. Till this day access to that area is forbidden.
Quest for Mozart - Our quest for Mozart began early on in Prague. I read a brochure in our hotel that there are places in Prague that Mozart stayed at. We were told to go to the state theater to find him. This theater was very well hidden and it took us quite some time (especially at our pace) to find this place. Once inside the theater we approached two ladies in uniform and said "we are looking for information about Mozart" and the lady said "Mozart is dead." I was so shocked by her response that I remained polite and restated the question. After which she informed me that if we want information about Mozart we should visit Salzburg his birth place, and so we did.
The train ride to Salzburg was very scenic, the landscape was full of mountains, farms with well fed animals running free, little wooden homes, and tall white churches. We had one full day to spend in Salzburg so we ordered two trips. One to see the city sites that focused primarily on Mozarts whereabouts, and one to see the lakes, mountains and spots from where the filming of sound of music took place. The Austrians are pretty clever, they named the museum for Mozart no other than Mozarteum. We visited the house he lived in and the place he performed. He started composing at five years old and wrote over 600 compositions during his life. Mozart was not a very wealthy man when he died. He worked for the Roman Catholic Church which at his time was very rich and powerful in Salzburg. They were the ones that build most of the city and brought in riches. Their main source of income were the salt and gold mines. Mozart also composed music for wealthy people that paid for his work. He liked to hang out with his friend Bach in England. He moved to Vienna at 27 years old, and he did it for love. He significantly improved his career when he started attending court in Vienna and impressed the dutchess with his genius. He ended up having 7 children, only 2 of whom survived. He and his wife did not belive in the public education system and they home schooled their children.
Our quest for Mozart continued on the following tour to the hometown of Mozarts mom and the place where he was born: St. Giligen. This is a typical small town on a lake with many small houses and set against the mountains. We took a boat ride to many little towns just like Mozarts and one that we particularly liked called Wolfgang. The town produces gift soap, food and a place to sleep for the flock of tourists that come to gawk at this beautiful place. Our next stop was the church from the Sound of Music, from the scene where the Baron marries the nun. Last stop was a patio on the 7th floor that overlooks a castle and Fortress at the same time back in the city. I really liked Salzburg because it has the old city with royal gardens, museums and lots of history as well as a breathtaking countryside.
Salzburg is the home to Red Bull and the owner is one of the richest man in Austria.
Today we are in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It is Marcs birthday but he is still asleep. I snuck out to check out the views from our hotel and they are spectacular. We are on top of a mountain overlooking the city. We have a pool and the weather is great. So I leave you now and hope that you are having a great weekend as well.
Kissess
The biggest and most populr bridge connecting the city and the Castle is called the Charles bridge, where I decided to have my portrait done. After 20 minutes and $50 I was very dissapointed. I should have known better when bypassers came up to look at the artists work as he was painting me and no one stayed to have their portrait done. To make matters worse he didnt give me the proper carrying case so I have been lugging the portrait around from city to city and train to train.
Local food in Prague definately caught Marc's eye. One day on the train as he was sleeping I caught him smiling. I asked when he woke up what he was smiling about and he said that he the best dream about a pork knee that he had the other night which was covered in fat, spices and salt. The Checzs do a lot of potatoes, pork, sausage, dumplings and goulash (beef stew).
Marc has become a serious beer conoseour. He was asking a waiter about their beers on tap, and the waiter told Marc that this one particular beer is one the best beers in the world... Marc asked him "is this really the best beer because I have had quite a few good beers in the last few days." I would say that this is kind of an understatement. Marc has tried probably every beer on tap in each country we have been to. We actually decided to go to Belgium solely because of their reputation for beer. Lucky for the waiter, it was a very good beer.
They have a very productive train system (subway) in Europe. It runs on the honour system. Each passenger is responsible for buying his own ticket, validating it and riding the train. He does not need to wait in a line up to show his valid ticket or pass which means there are no line ups to get into the subway and there are no line up to catch the bus because all doors open and passengers enter. This again creates less waiting time and less traffic. There are conductors that pass by and check tickets. I know that some of you are thinking that there will be people that dont pay the fare. And I agree there are probably 2% of the population of train riders in Europe that manipulate the system, but why punish the other 98% who are honest and deserve to have a fast transit system?
Jewish Quarter in Prague - Prague has the oldest preserved Jewish town in Europe. It was especially left alone as per Hitler. He wanted to keep the Jewish quarters as they were left by Jews before they were deported to concentration for one purporse: if any jews in the future should come back to Prague they would see what kind of vibrant past the Jewish community has had and make an example of what their faith has become. Marc and I wondered through the quarters for two days. It was really nice to see actual old synagogues, shops, buildings and a cemetery. The cemetery is very unique, they have too many people burried in one place, so to combat this problem, they burried plot on top of plot and placed cascet on top of cascet. As a result the cemetery has one tumbsone one over the other. We saw a clock in the Old New Synagogue that was done in the Hebrew alphabet and the handles moved counterclockwise to simulate the Hebrew language. We also heard the Golem story. Rabbi Low, one of the most prominent and famous Rabbis of Prague had a problem with break ins in his town. So God advised him to make a Golem out of clay and place a shem (cloth) inside his mouth. The Rabbi followed instructions and the Golem came to life, he protected the town as he came alive each time the Rabbi placed the shem in his mouth. One day the Rabbi forgot to take the shem out and on Shabbath went to pray, the Golem up to no good destroyed everything in sight. The Rabbi took the shem and hid in in the Old New Synagogue. Till this day access to that area is forbidden.
Quest for Mozart - Our quest for Mozart began early on in Prague. I read a brochure in our hotel that there are places in Prague that Mozart stayed at. We were told to go to the state theater to find him. This theater was very well hidden and it took us quite some time (especially at our pace) to find this place. Once inside the theater we approached two ladies in uniform and said "we are looking for information about Mozart" and the lady said "Mozart is dead." I was so shocked by her response that I remained polite and restated the question. After which she informed me that if we want information about Mozart we should visit Salzburg his birth place, and so we did.
The train ride to Salzburg was very scenic, the landscape was full of mountains, farms with well fed animals running free, little wooden homes, and tall white churches. We had one full day to spend in Salzburg so we ordered two trips. One to see the city sites that focused primarily on Mozarts whereabouts, and one to see the lakes, mountains and spots from where the filming of sound of music took place. The Austrians are pretty clever, they named the museum for Mozart no other than Mozarteum. We visited the house he lived in and the place he performed. He started composing at five years old and wrote over 600 compositions during his life. Mozart was not a very wealthy man when he died. He worked for the Roman Catholic Church which at his time was very rich and powerful in Salzburg. They were the ones that build most of the city and brought in riches. Their main source of income were the salt and gold mines. Mozart also composed music for wealthy people that paid for his work. He liked to hang out with his friend Bach in England. He moved to Vienna at 27 years old, and he did it for love. He significantly improved his career when he started attending court in Vienna and impressed the dutchess with his genius. He ended up having 7 children, only 2 of whom survived. He and his wife did not belive in the public education system and they home schooled their children.
Our quest for Mozart continued on the following tour to the hometown of Mozarts mom and the place where he was born: St. Giligen. This is a typical small town on a lake with many small houses and set against the mountains. We took a boat ride to many little towns just like Mozarts and one that we particularly liked called Wolfgang. The town produces gift soap, food and a place to sleep for the flock of tourists that come to gawk at this beautiful place. Our next stop was the church from the Sound of Music, from the scene where the Baron marries the nun. Last stop was a patio on the 7th floor that overlooks a castle and Fortress at the same time back in the city. I really liked Salzburg because it has the old city with royal gardens, museums and lots of history as well as a breathtaking countryside.
Salzburg is the home to Red Bull and the owner is one of the richest man in Austria.
Today we are in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It is Marcs birthday but he is still asleep. I snuck out to check out the views from our hotel and they are spectacular. We are on top of a mountain overlooking the city. We have a pool and the weather is great. So I leave you now and hope that you are having a great weekend as well.
Kissess
Monday, June 8, 2009
Berlin and Brugge
Brugge - the postcard city. We got an amazing deal on priceline thanks to tips from our friends wink wink and stayed in the heart of the city. The first order of business was to try the Belgium waffle at a tea house and drink some local beer. The waffles were all that and more and the beer (according to Marc) was even better. The city centre was 2km x2km and each turn showed a new building that was more beautiful than the one before. There arent any contemporary buildings and the city looks as if it is 200 or more years old. Every 15 minutes the clock on the bell tower will ring reminding you just how fast the time is passing you by. One of my favourite parts of Brugge was relaxing on a bench by a little pond with hundrends of swans and ducks who did their best to pose for our pictures. As well the sun still shines at 8pm and it does not get dark until 11pm. Imagine how much more can be done with such a long day....
The official language of Brugge and the Northern Belgium is Flemmish. The funny thing is it sounds just like that (while the south speaks French). The only downsides are majority of the tourists there were 55+ and all the businesses closed at 9pm. When we showed up with our backpacks at this 4star hotel we definately stood out.
From Brugge we hopped on a train and got out in Berlin. We were given a very warm welcome. My uncle Igor and his mother Firra were very gracious hosts and they put us up in their two bedroom apartment. They took incredible care of us, making sure we have the best meals and entertainment. Igor and Marc got along well especially during dinner when Igor would teach Marc Georgian toasts and demanded Marc say one back. On our last night Marc came up with a toast that made our host very proud. Igor accompanied us through Berlin on a daily basis showing us the sights and teaching us about the city's history. Berlin is a very large city that has over 10 million people living there. The city is very modern and has very few old structures left. It is clear that the government tried really hard to remove itself from its history and even went as far as putting a car park over Hitlers bunker. However, that does not stop Neo Nazis from denying the Hollocaoust and influencing and recruiting high school students. While we were in Berlin President Obama visited a concentration camp in Dresden and we later visited the city on our way to Prague.
On our walk through Berlin we saw the Brangady (spelling???) bridge that was errected in the 17th century to divide the city. We also visited the Hallocaust memorial that was located underground, just below 2700 metal grave like structures. I was upset to learn that Berlin only put up this memorial in 2004. Why did it take over 60 years to do this? I was also dissapointed that we didnt get to visit the Berlin wall that divided the city into East and West but Igor said that there isnt much left of it and it is full of grafettie. Marc and I also have a new love affair with Salvador Dali and we went to see his work both in Brugge and Berlin. His paintings are from the mid 1900 and are very contemporary and completely ridiculous works or art. He has many paintings that are sexual and violent in nature, but overall they are his imagination and it can take up to 5 minutes staring at a picture to understand what he meant to depict.
While in Berlin we took the train to Potsdam, a small city outside of Berlin that was the home to King Frederick and Queen Cicilia. The castles are still intact and in very good shape spread over a very large area. During our tour inside the castle Marc and I felt as if we were royalty visiting our friends the king and queen. On the way to Prague we stopped in Dresden (the city President Obama visited while in Germany). This is another old town full of castles and old money. We visited the Green Vault that holds mosts of the regions treasures from kings and queens past. The last display was a 41carat green diamond, according to the display was the biggest green diamond ever found and most expensive in the world. Marc had to pull me away from the display becuase I was sure that I got hypnotized by the sparkles. My head was literally swaying from side to side in front of the display.
I cant describe the feeling of getting off the train in a different county. Especially when all it takes is to look at a map and to look at a timetable and decide the next destination. That has to be one of the most liberating and gratifying experiences.
We are now in Prague and although staying in the industrial part of town, we are jsut a few stops from the centre at a 4 star hotel through priceline.
About questions when we will be home... We will call British Airways to change our ticket today and once we know what availablility they have we will let you know.
Until then we hope that the weather in Toronto or wherever you are reading this from is better than it is here. We miss you and will see you really soon!!!
Kissess
The official language of Brugge and the Northern Belgium is Flemmish. The funny thing is it sounds just like that (while the south speaks French). The only downsides are majority of the tourists there were 55+ and all the businesses closed at 9pm. When we showed up with our backpacks at this 4star hotel we definately stood out.
From Brugge we hopped on a train and got out in Berlin. We were given a very warm welcome. My uncle Igor and his mother Firra were very gracious hosts and they put us up in their two bedroom apartment. They took incredible care of us, making sure we have the best meals and entertainment. Igor and Marc got along well especially during dinner when Igor would teach Marc Georgian toasts and demanded Marc say one back. On our last night Marc came up with a toast that made our host very proud. Igor accompanied us through Berlin on a daily basis showing us the sights and teaching us about the city's history. Berlin is a very large city that has over 10 million people living there. The city is very modern and has very few old structures left. It is clear that the government tried really hard to remove itself from its history and even went as far as putting a car park over Hitlers bunker. However, that does not stop Neo Nazis from denying the Hollocaoust and influencing and recruiting high school students. While we were in Berlin President Obama visited a concentration camp in Dresden and we later visited the city on our way to Prague.
On our walk through Berlin we saw the Brangady (spelling???) bridge that was errected in the 17th century to divide the city. We also visited the Hallocaust memorial that was located underground, just below 2700 metal grave like structures. I was upset to learn that Berlin only put up this memorial in 2004. Why did it take over 60 years to do this? I was also dissapointed that we didnt get to visit the Berlin wall that divided the city into East and West but Igor said that there isnt much left of it and it is full of grafettie. Marc and I also have a new love affair with Salvador Dali and we went to see his work both in Brugge and Berlin. His paintings are from the mid 1900 and are very contemporary and completely ridiculous works or art. He has many paintings that are sexual and violent in nature, but overall they are his imagination and it can take up to 5 minutes staring at a picture to understand what he meant to depict.
While in Berlin we took the train to Potsdam, a small city outside of Berlin that was the home to King Frederick and Queen Cicilia. The castles are still intact and in very good shape spread over a very large area. During our tour inside the castle Marc and I felt as if we were royalty visiting our friends the king and queen. On the way to Prague we stopped in Dresden (the city President Obama visited while in Germany). This is another old town full of castles and old money. We visited the Green Vault that holds mosts of the regions treasures from kings and queens past. The last display was a 41carat green diamond, according to the display was the biggest green diamond ever found and most expensive in the world. Marc had to pull me away from the display becuase I was sure that I got hypnotized by the sparkles. My head was literally swaying from side to side in front of the display.
I cant describe the feeling of getting off the train in a different county. Especially when all it takes is to look at a map and to look at a timetable and decide the next destination. That has to be one of the most liberating and gratifying experiences.
We are now in Prague and although staying in the industrial part of town, we are jsut a few stops from the centre at a 4 star hotel through priceline.
About questions when we will be home... We will call British Airways to change our ticket today and once we know what availablility they have we will let you know.
Until then we hope that the weather in Toronto or wherever you are reading this from is better than it is here. We miss you and will see you really soon!!!
Kissess
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Kiev and Brugge from Marcs Perspective
Yesterday we went shopping for beer at a grocery store in Berlin. The grocery store was massive and had two parts. One part was dedicated to the wide selection of German beer. The other part of the store was for everthing else. I filled half the shopping cart with individual bottles of beer and pushed it over to the cashier. I can't remember a time in my life when I was happier. We are staying with one of Veronika's relatives who showed us aorund Berlin and accompanied us at the grocery store. After he scanned the shopping cart he asked me, "Do you think you have too much?" My heart stopped and I found myself choked up. How could I possibly part with one of the beers I carefully selected over my 25 minute shopping extraveganza? I made it seem like it didn't bother me that much. But the truth is I wanted to throw a temper tantrum in the store or run out crying. Anyways, I drank a few bottles last night and told Veronika I would blog today. I don't remember this and like to think of myself as a man of my word, so here it is.
KIEV: On the last night of our Asian leg, I found a pimple in my ear. The damn thing was throbbing and drove me to the brink of insanity. I took a Q-Tip and poppped that son of a bitch. I took great satisfaction in my relief. But the war was far from over. We touched down in London and my ear was hurting even more then before. I weighed the pros and cons of ripping my ear off, I was in favor of ripping it off and Veronika convinced me to not.
Over the next few days my ear had gotten worse. It hurt so much that I couldn't properly hear out of it. Russians believe that if you have a sore ear you should stick a cotton ball in it to keep it warm. So not only did I have an ear that was growing more useless by the day I was walking around the city looking like an idiot. Veronika took me to a Ukrainen doctor and it is this experience that makes reading this story up to now worth while.
It is a beautiful thing when you can walk into a doctors office and see a specialist on the same day. However, a red flag goes up when you see the secretary making a chart for the doctor with a pencil and ruler. I forgot what it would be like to make a chart without using an Excel spreadsheet. The doctors desk was right beside his secretary and he invited me to have a seat next to him on a stool. The doctor was wearing green scrubs and had a black head band with a reflector on it. I had only seen this disk twice before. Once on the cover of a childrens book with Grover dressed as a doctor the other time was at Pioneer Village. Staying with the pioneer village theme, the doctor took a small metal funnel and stuck in my ear to take a look. The doctor then took a pair of tweasers and stuck a cotton ball in the sore ear. The doctor explained that when we were in London I must have gotten some wind in it that caused an infection. Can anyone possibly see this as a reasonable explaination from a doctor? After the Mickey Mouse explanation he prescribed some drugs for me and instructed to return the following day.
The next day my ear felt much better but not 100%. The secretary had left for the day and the doctor was filling in his chart when we walked in for the check up. My reason for the follow up was to make sure the ear was healing properly. The doctors invited me back with the hope that someone would explain to us that it was customary to leave the doctor a tip. The docotr skipped the foreplay with the funnel and grabbed a drill bit and decided to go to work. He told me to relax. Relax? You are sticking this giant screw in my ear and I'm expected to relax? Sure you put a cotton ball on its tip but I really didn't feel comfortable with the ancient medical training this doctor had recieved in school. After the drill bit fiasco he took a calking gun and once again told me to relax. At this point I was already willing to remove my ear so I let the doctor do his work. He proceeded to flush my ear and follow it up with another round of the drill bit. After all of this my ear is back to normal and remains intact with my head.
One more thing. Do not drink with Russians! I learned my lesson after waking up in our bath tub the next morning.
BRUGGE: A few moths before we left I watched In Brugge with Colin Ferrel. I think he's a ponce but the movie was better than expected. This is the only reason why we went to Brugge.
Old people make up 99% of tourism in Brugge. As a result, every kitchen in every restaurant closes around 9pm. We found a restaurant that would give us some pasta and had enough beer for me and the party at the table next to us. The party consisted of one old man waiting for his buddy who owns the restaurant where Colin Ferrel punched the Canadian guy. The old man's name is Roger Moore, not the actor but the self proclaimed best waiter not only in Brugge but all of Europe. When we started talking to him he was at a point where he probably shouldn't drink anymore, unless he was planning on sleeping in a bath tub. During our time at the restaurant the old man drank 7 more pints and started telling us stories. We would ask him a question and he would answer by telling us how much beer he drinks in a day or how he owned a very prominent bar in Amsterdam. Couldn't have been that prominent now that he is waiting tables.
Belgium not only has the best beer in the world their waffles are the bees knees too.
Toodles
Monday, June 1, 2009
Kiev, Amsterdam and Roesale
Thailand to London, London to Vienna, Vienna to Kiev Phew what a marathon. If you are looking to save a few bucks on flights do not do it at the expense of comfort. Marc and I ended up paying for a hotel in Vienna in Euros just to sleep for the night because we were so tired from travelling. If we got a direct flight we would have saved time and money. Live and Learn.
Kiev.... We were picked up from the airport by my Uncle Naum and his daughter Lena who I havent seen since I was 8 years old and Marc has never met. They were so nice and welcoming and they ended up giving us one of their apartments. We had our own place in the center of Kiev. They also left us a lot of food in the fridge and made dinner for us, took us out and were very wonderful. In Kiev we spend a lot of time walking through the beautiful city. It is soo green with chestnut trees blooming all over the place. We saw many museums and art centres that my parents have carefully selected. We took pictures in front of the last standing monument of Lenin. We were so happy to meet up with Helen and Andrei who were staying with their cousin and went to a Ukranina rock bar which was a lot of fun. The best thing in Kiev were definately the caves of the 900 year old monestary called Lavra. We got an English speaking guide and spend a lot of time visiting the churches, groudns and caves that were used as Monk living quarters and burial grounds.
My moms friend Lena took Marc and I to a beautiful outdoors museum that had a collection of windmills and old Ukranian houses. It was beautiful to walk around in this open park with blue skies and green trees. It was like we were transformed to the 18th century. The same couple took us to the Kiev botanical garden and dressed us up in Ukranina national costumes put us on a carriage and had us pose for pictures. We later visited my old house and saw all the neighbours who remember my parents and grandparents very well and they all said I look exactly the same 19 years later. We also broke into my old school which is now a private school and Marc and I roamed the hallways. Kiev is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen and I am proud that I was born there.
Following Kiev we went to Amsterdam where we met Olga, Timmy and Alana who have already been in the city for a few days. We were very happy to see them to say the least. The first two nights we shared a room with Helen and Andrei who were nice enough to put us up in their 5 star hotel room. We forgot what luxury meant. We then decided to splurge and got a nice 4 star hotel room and really enjoyed the showers and the sleep which was long overdue. It was shocking after leaving Asia how expensive everything is in Europe. We were used to paying $20 per night and here it is $100 for a 3 star hotel room, big difference.
Red Light District: it is definately a very interesting part of town. There are little streets that have women selling themselves in the windonws. A customer will choose his girl and then she opens the door and closes the curtain. When the customer leaves, she opens the curtain and is ready for business. I didnt know the rules and as walking down one of these streets I snapped a picture. To my surprise the girls behind the window freaked out they ran out and started screaming at me to erase the pictures. One of the girls went as far as saying "I dont take pictures Im not a model." I was in such schock that I just dint even reply. I was scared that some kind of pimp will come out and confescate my camera so I erased the picture, she apoligized and we parted. There are also coffeeshops on every corner where you can buy and smoke marijuana. To my surprise there was no police anywhere in sight everyone was conducting themselves very professionally and no one was fighting or acting crazy. I think that they are on to something in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is a beutiful old city. It has three sets of canals around the old part of town right by the central train station where we were staying. A lot of old buildings with beautiful archetecture and churches everywhere. Timmy told me some statistics about Amsterdam that they have the highest bicycle per capita percentage in the world. Everyone in Amsterdam rides a bicycle; women in high heels, men in suits, people with kids, people on date, everyone. They even have special bicycle lanes all over the city where cars and pedestrians are not allowed. They have significantly less cars on the roads and they dont have that reliance that we do in North America to use our car everywhere we go. Walking 7 to 10km per day is normal and highly encouraged. Think about the last time you walked for 7 km? The lifestyle in Europe is very different. People are relaxed less stressed less in a hurry, they take their time and enjoy their coffee and newspaper.
We visited the Heineken brewry and saw how they brew their beer, at the end we got three pints and were let out to the streeet. Great experience. My favourite museum so far was the Van Gogh exhibit in Amsterdam. We first learned about his style and where it was evolved by looking at artists he learned from. We also saw paintings that he replicated in his own style by comparing the original to his. I learned that Van Gogh only painted for ten years and he started with absolutely no talent. In ten years he did some 900 paintings and 1100 drawings. Which means that he finished a painting every 3rd day. Pretty impressive. We also visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam which was ok as an experience but im very glad that it is still there and people are visiting it. Marc reread the book and I didnt finish it but it was really touching to be at her home and going through her life in captivity with seven other people in a tiny home.
Saying bye to our friends was very hard!!! I was so happy to see everyone and now we are back to two. We left everyone at the train station and for the first time used our Eurail pass to get to Belgium. Everything was easy the train was very clean and spacious (were in 1st class) nothing like Vietnam dirty train. We got to Bruge at around 9pm and it was still light outside. We had a reservation to Park Hotel. At first we didnt realize something was wrong but later when everyone was pointing us in a different direction we started getting worried. It took us many little alleys and over an house to reach out hotel (with our bags on our backs). Exhausted and happy to find the hotel I handed the hotel manager our reservation that was done earlier in the day from a coffee shop. He looked very confused and at this point I knew in my heart that something was awfully wrong. He said well thank you for making a reservation at the Park Hotel but youre in Brugge and the Park Hotel you reserved in is Roesale (a city 30km away)......
Not only did this news schock us to disbelief the hotel manager thought it would be funny to share these news with people that were walking by (who had a room) in French. I was soo sad and felt very guilty that I didnt realize what I did. We had to go all the way back to the train station find the next train to Roesale. We ended up getting to our room at 11pm, 2 hours later. We went out for dinner to the only place in town that was open. An egyptian pita place. I was charged 3 euros for two glasses of water. Welcome to Europe.
Right now we are on the way to Brugge (again) from Roesale where we are planning to spend a few days. From what we have seen it was a beautiful town with old buildings and snug alleyways.
I promise to start posting pictures and Marc promises to do a blog in the next few days (he needs to make sure he has enough material)!
I Hope everyone is doing well, we miss you.
Irene I saw your post on my wall and realized I had to do the blog now, say hello to Charlie and Yury kissess.
Marc and Veronika
Kiev.... We were picked up from the airport by my Uncle Naum and his daughter Lena who I havent seen since I was 8 years old and Marc has never met. They were so nice and welcoming and they ended up giving us one of their apartments. We had our own place in the center of Kiev. They also left us a lot of food in the fridge and made dinner for us, took us out and were very wonderful. In Kiev we spend a lot of time walking through the beautiful city. It is soo green with chestnut trees blooming all over the place. We saw many museums and art centres that my parents have carefully selected. We took pictures in front of the last standing monument of Lenin. We were so happy to meet up with Helen and Andrei who were staying with their cousin and went to a Ukranina rock bar which was a lot of fun. The best thing in Kiev were definately the caves of the 900 year old monestary called Lavra. We got an English speaking guide and spend a lot of time visiting the churches, groudns and caves that were used as Monk living quarters and burial grounds.
My moms friend Lena took Marc and I to a beautiful outdoors museum that had a collection of windmills and old Ukranian houses. It was beautiful to walk around in this open park with blue skies and green trees. It was like we were transformed to the 18th century. The same couple took us to the Kiev botanical garden and dressed us up in Ukranina national costumes put us on a carriage and had us pose for pictures. We later visited my old house and saw all the neighbours who remember my parents and grandparents very well and they all said I look exactly the same 19 years later. We also broke into my old school which is now a private school and Marc and I roamed the hallways. Kiev is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen and I am proud that I was born there.
Following Kiev we went to Amsterdam where we met Olga, Timmy and Alana who have already been in the city for a few days. We were very happy to see them to say the least. The first two nights we shared a room with Helen and Andrei who were nice enough to put us up in their 5 star hotel room. We forgot what luxury meant. We then decided to splurge and got a nice 4 star hotel room and really enjoyed the showers and the sleep which was long overdue. It was shocking after leaving Asia how expensive everything is in Europe. We were used to paying $20 per night and here it is $100 for a 3 star hotel room, big difference.
Red Light District: it is definately a very interesting part of town. There are little streets that have women selling themselves in the windonws. A customer will choose his girl and then she opens the door and closes the curtain. When the customer leaves, she opens the curtain and is ready for business. I didnt know the rules and as walking down one of these streets I snapped a picture. To my surprise the girls behind the window freaked out they ran out and started screaming at me to erase the pictures. One of the girls went as far as saying "I dont take pictures Im not a model." I was in such schock that I just dint even reply. I was scared that some kind of pimp will come out and confescate my camera so I erased the picture, she apoligized and we parted. There are also coffeeshops on every corner where you can buy and smoke marijuana. To my surprise there was no police anywhere in sight everyone was conducting themselves very professionally and no one was fighting or acting crazy. I think that they are on to something in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is a beutiful old city. It has three sets of canals around the old part of town right by the central train station where we were staying. A lot of old buildings with beautiful archetecture and churches everywhere. Timmy told me some statistics about Amsterdam that they have the highest bicycle per capita percentage in the world. Everyone in Amsterdam rides a bicycle; women in high heels, men in suits, people with kids, people on date, everyone. They even have special bicycle lanes all over the city where cars and pedestrians are not allowed. They have significantly less cars on the roads and they dont have that reliance that we do in North America to use our car everywhere we go. Walking 7 to 10km per day is normal and highly encouraged. Think about the last time you walked for 7 km? The lifestyle in Europe is very different. People are relaxed less stressed less in a hurry, they take their time and enjoy their coffee and newspaper.
We visited the Heineken brewry and saw how they brew their beer, at the end we got three pints and were let out to the streeet. Great experience. My favourite museum so far was the Van Gogh exhibit in Amsterdam. We first learned about his style and where it was evolved by looking at artists he learned from. We also saw paintings that he replicated in his own style by comparing the original to his. I learned that Van Gogh only painted for ten years and he started with absolutely no talent. In ten years he did some 900 paintings and 1100 drawings. Which means that he finished a painting every 3rd day. Pretty impressive. We also visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam which was ok as an experience but im very glad that it is still there and people are visiting it. Marc reread the book and I didnt finish it but it was really touching to be at her home and going through her life in captivity with seven other people in a tiny home.
Saying bye to our friends was very hard!!! I was so happy to see everyone and now we are back to two. We left everyone at the train station and for the first time used our Eurail pass to get to Belgium. Everything was easy the train was very clean and spacious (were in 1st class) nothing like Vietnam dirty train. We got to Bruge at around 9pm and it was still light outside. We had a reservation to Park Hotel. At first we didnt realize something was wrong but later when everyone was pointing us in a different direction we started getting worried. It took us many little alleys and over an house to reach out hotel (with our bags on our backs). Exhausted and happy to find the hotel I handed the hotel manager our reservation that was done earlier in the day from a coffee shop. He looked very confused and at this point I knew in my heart that something was awfully wrong. He said well thank you for making a reservation at the Park Hotel but youre in Brugge and the Park Hotel you reserved in is Roesale (a city 30km away)......
Not only did this news schock us to disbelief the hotel manager thought it would be funny to share these news with people that were walking by (who had a room) in French. I was soo sad and felt very guilty that I didnt realize what I did. We had to go all the way back to the train station find the next train to Roesale. We ended up getting to our room at 11pm, 2 hours later. We went out for dinner to the only place in town that was open. An egyptian pita place. I was charged 3 euros for two glasses of water. Welcome to Europe.
Right now we are on the way to Brugge (again) from Roesale where we are planning to spend a few days. From what we have seen it was a beautiful town with old buildings and snug alleyways.
I promise to start posting pictures and Marc promises to do a blog in the next few days (he needs to make sure he has enough material)!
I Hope everyone is doing well, we miss you.
Irene I saw your post on my wall and realized I had to do the blog now, say hello to Charlie and Yury kissess.
Marc and Veronika
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