Before Going Home...

I had one last day in Amsterdam before heading to the US. My friend Anetey is a Dutch native, so he showed me around the town. I told him I wanted to go to the red light district, a place I thought was famous for clubs and bars...actually it is famous for sex shops and prostitutes. Anetey was saying that Dutch locals actually never go there. It is kind of a scary place. The prostitutes are all behind windows, and Anetey said not to take any pictures because they will get pissed and break your camera! I do think the prostitutes look really aggressive, but I suppose you have to be if i you work there. It is surprising how many of them there were. Anetey was like, "what, did you think there was only one of two prostitutes for all of Holland???" and I guess I really did imagine there´s only be a few. Anyhow we left the red light district pretty quickly.

The next day we walked through town and visited a coffee shop! aparently ALL the coffee shops sell soft drugs. I asked Anetey if we could find a coffee shop that sells coffee and he was like, "you mean a cafe?" Anyhow, I decided to try this thing called space cake. Soooo AWFUL!

Well, it did not taste bad, but the effects came late so by the time I started feeling differently I had already eaten too much. I really felt like I was being hurtled though space, hence the name I guess. I never get motion sickness, but EVERYTHING was spinning, I felt like I was floating one second then falling the next and I ended up feeling nauseaus. We saw Ice Age 3 in 3-D. I am not sure if it was good or not, but I found it super entertaining since I´d eaten that special cake. It took about 20 hours for the effects to finally wear off.

Brugge

I took a shower at Frankfurt station and the facilities were really clean! Unfortunately there was no hot water.

Brugge is amazingly beautiful, just as beautiful as Prague although the architecture is completely different. While both a mideival centers, Prague has more stunning cathedrals while Brugge has chaming old buildings. Supposedly Brugge had been abandoned when the trade routes around that area fell apart, leaving the city ¨suspended in time¨ until it was later rediscovered. I did visit a church in Brugge, the Basilica of the Holy Blood. At this church they have some of Christ´s blood on something (cloth perhaps) and it is kept in a vial. I do not know if this really is Christ´s blood, but many people go to touch the relic. It is a bit frightening to me to see so many people in awe over dried blood on a napkin...evin if it is the blood of someone very famous. I don´t know, I do feel like it is a bit macabre!

Anyhow Belgium is famous for two wonderful things: chocolate and waffles! The pralines were invented by the grandson of Neuhaus, so of course I visited that store. I went to Choco Story, a museum dedicated to choclate. Unfortunatley I left my beloved ampleman umbrella (that I bought in Berlin) there! At the museum I watched them make pralines and (of course) I bought more chocolate. These british girls told me that there are so many Indian restuarants in England that if you were to throw a rock over London it would probably hit an Indian restaurant. Now if you threw a rock over Brugge, it would probably hit a chocolaterie; there is one on every street!

Belgium pralines are AMAZING though. I have had ¨Belgiam Pralines¨outside of Belgium--but it is NOT the same! It is soooo good in Belgium! Since this is the last country I visit before returning to Amsterdam I was more liberal with shopping. I bought these very pretty macarons and Neuhaus but they were just okay.

I had a Belgian waffle with whipped cream and it was also perfect! Soft but a bit crunchy on the outside, it was really good. Another thing that is made very well in Belgium are fries! I had flemish stew for lunch (just okay) but it came with an amazing side of fries.

These is also a religious community in Brugge that is only for women--it is made up mostly of widows. This is a very pretty park with so many swans. It is also very peaceful; I took a walk here before heading to the station to take my train to Amsterdam.

Verona

Okay, I wrote all this in my journal and was going to type it up later. It is quite a delay.

Verona really is a beautiful city. It is the town in which Shakespeare´s Romeo and Juliet takes place. We went to visit Juliet´s ¨house¨--actually it is a property of the noble house that Juliet supposedly belongs to. There is a balcony from which Juliet (in the story) talks to Romeo, and a statue of Juliet in the Garden. Supposedly rubbing the statue´s right breast will either bring good luck or a new lover, so that breast is worn smooth from so many people rubbing it.

I think Verona is like a smaller combination of Florence and Rome. It has an arena that looks like a small Colosseum--the locals seem very proud of it! Yesterday night after dinner we were approached by these two Italian guys who also recommended that we see the arena. We convinced them that Hanna was Jolin Tsai, HAHAHAHA. I let them listen to Jolin Tsai on my ipon and they were like, ¨WOW, you sing well!!¨ I was Jolin Tsai´s song writer.

After Juliet´s house we walked up to the castle and took pictures of the city. Lots of pretty architecture; I will probably find American cities very bland after this.

After Verona Hanna and I went our separate ways! She went to Venice since her flight leaves from there and I went to Milan so that I could take the night train to Frankfurt. People told me that Milan is just okay, and the only think to see is the Duomo. So, when I got to Milan I put my backpack in a locker and took the metro to the Duomo. It is indeed a very pretty square! I took a bunch of timed photos and got gelato.

Now I am on the night train to frankfurt. Unfortunately there is a very smelly woman in my cabin, it is really awful. It is hot and stuffy so she took off all her clothes and slept naked. Then the conductor came and yelled at her for being inappropriate and made her put her clothing back on.

An Awful Day!

What a TERRIBLE day! We had planned to leave our luggage at the campsite but they would not let us. So, being the clever little planners we are, we decided to go use the lockers at La Spezia and then explore the rest of Cinque Terre. Unfortunately we got on the wrong train--and ended up in Sestri Levante. Seriously, of EVERY country I have been to Italy had the WORST set up for transportation. The sign on the platform will say one thing...but the train at the platform is actually going to another destination. Anyhow, from Sestri Levante we could go directly to Milan, so we figured to do that. But then we got on the wrong train AGAIN! Actually, I think what happened was that we were suppoed to switch trains at Genoa, but it does not say so on our ticket and the conductor said nothing!!! The ticket checker was the one who told us that there are no direct trains to Milan. OH! And yesterday we got FINED. We bought a ticket but forgot to validate it. The ticket checker was an angry older woman who was already in a bad mood because we had been putting our feet up on the seat across from us. We had to pay 50 euros, and when we tried to reason with her she screamed "YOU PAY NOW!!!"

Anyhow, we had to get off at the next station, which was a pretty town in the middle of no where...Since it was Sunday nothing was open except for this little bakery, so we got gelato, cannolis, fruit tarts and cream puffs. We nearly missed out train to Milan, and I had to jam myself between the doors so Hanna could make it on too. That train was so crowded and there were no seats! People were standing in the aisle, so Hanna and I ended up sitting the hot stuffy area between cars. We were joined by 4 guys from Canada who were very nice to talk to. During the ride I was grateful that 1.) The bathroom was not in our compartments and 2.) The guys were from North America and therefore use deodorant!! They told us that often people purposely give them wrong directions because they dislike foreigners. I do not think that has happened to us, but then again we are girls so perhaps people are nicer.

When we finally arrived in Verona it was 9 pm. Our hostel said to get on bus 73, so we waited at the bus station. We waited 20 minutes before we asked someone and found out that bus 73 does not run on weekends!! A nice person pointed out an alternate route for us. When we got to our hostel the door was locked. We rang the bell but no one answered. Finally a nice waiter saw us and lent us his phone so we could call the owner. The owner was very rude and told us that checkout closes at 5 pm on Sunday!! When making the reservation I specified that we would arrive late at night, like 11 pm. I was so mad because we had no place to stay and we were so tired!! The waiter took us to the restaurant and the owner of the restaurant called a hotel that he knew. They had space but they were so expensive, 130 euro a night! We were so tired though that we just took it :(

For dinner we got a bottle of wine because we were so upset, and we also ate a ton. Really an unlucky day!!!

Cinque Terre

On the fourth of July I wanted to be in a place with a lot of Americans so we could celebrate together, but the only place with openings was a campsite on the outskirts of Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre, a group of 5 villages, is a national park and a UNESCO Heritage Site; supposedly it is the most beautiful coast in all of Italy. Camping here is not like camping in America--at least not this campsite. They provide tents and there are beds and blankets already set up inside. It is cute but it is really hot during the day and there are many insects.

Hanna and I really wanted to go to a beach, so we went directly to Monteresso, the first of the 5 towns; we were planning to do a walk through all 5 the next day. The beach is very pretty, with a nice mountainous backdrop and numerous colorful houses. There are also enormous flowering trees and bushes that just spill over people's walls and gates. Unfortunately the beath is very rocky. The plus side is that we do not end up getting sand everywhere, but it is painful to walk on. I realize how much I miss being in the water so I went for a swim. The water was cold at first but I acclimated very quickly. There was a group of Americans standing the water while drinking beer. I avoided them because I suspected that they were drinking and peeing...speaking of which, we ran into some guys who also went to the Palio. They said that they spent the entire time drinking; I told them that I had been too afraid to drink because there were no bathrooms. they told me they had brought an empty bottle with them and they just peed into that. EWWWW

For dinenr we had salmon pasta and stuffed mussels, but it was not very fresh. That night at our campsite we had a really loud conversation about parting...and realized that the entire campsite can hear us talking. The conversation actually began because the person in the test next to us farted really loudly and we burst out laughing. I suppose if we could hear them fart they could probably hear us laugh...too bad that did not occur to us then.

Last Day in Florence!

Today was our last day in Florence, so Hanna and I decided to go to a museum. The most famous one is Uffizi, which has a lot of Renaissance artwork. While I remember loving the Louvre, I was not that impressed with Uffizi. I suppose I am not that interested in artwork with Christian themes. Uffizi has a lot of virgin Madonna paintings. I really like paintings and sculptures associated with Greek Mythology; Uffizi had some. One of my favorite paintings, the Birth of Venus, is on their brochure...but I did not see it in the gallery. I did see that in the Louvre though, so I am not sure what is up with that.

That night our hostel was hosting a party, so Hanna and I went. It is kind of nice to go to the bar in our hostel because everyone speaks English there. After being abroad for a while it is actually comforting to be in a room full of English speakers...I remember in Ecuador I did not like to hang out with English speaking groups, but that is probably because I was very comfortable with Spanis.

Anyhow, we ended up foing to this place called Fish Pub with good American music. The DJ was from Cameroon and he played Britney Spears for us. We met some people from Albania who suggested another club called Twice, but we did not like it. It was full of really gross smelly old men, so Hanna and I just went to McDonalds. I paid 8 euro for chicken nuggets and fries!!! A complete rip off, but nothing else was open.

Siena

Today was really quite awesome. We went to Siena to see the Palio, apparently the biggest event in Italy--at least the biggest event in Florence. It is a very brutal horse race in which the riders ride without saddles and the only rule is that you cannot pull the reins of another person's horse--however you are free to knock another person off their horse, etc. There are about 40,000 people in the plaza during this time and everyone is very crazy about their team! Siena is divided into Contradas, I suppose districts is the best term, and each district is very competitive. Each district has its own mascot and colors. For the tour we had to wear these bright orange shirts with blue writing on them, so I figured I should support the Unicorns, since their colors are orange, white and blue.

We entered the plaza very early, so it was not super crowded yet. However, upon entering the plaza there are no bathrooms so I was very paranoid and did not drink any water. I did get a gelato though. At about 5:00 they shut all entrances, and you are unable to leave the plaza until the end of that race...which can be very late, depending on what time they start. At 5 the parade begins!

People dress in mideival clothing; each contrada has a rider leading the horse, two flag bearers who do tricks, a drummer, a groom and another person carrying a more elaborate flag. Once the parade started these boys refused to let us go near the fence because they have some special paper allowing them to reserve the area. But then our guide, who is Italian, was like, "there is no such thing!!" So Hanna and I--well, more so I--pushed our way through. At first I think the boys were really not happy with us, but I think they got used to it and one of them was very nice and started talking to me in English and explained a lot about the Palio.

So apparently they spend the entire year preparing for this! And they were cheering for the Wolf Team, and they came at 9 am to reserve this fence area. Apparently as soon as the race ends they have to "jump onto the race track and escort the horse back to the stable". So I asked why they need to escort the horse, and my new friend answered that they had to "protect their horse from the enemy". So suddenly this Palio became a lot more complicated! Apparently each Contrada has a rival, and the rival of the Wolf Contrada is the Porcupine Contrada. So I was like, "do you boo at the Porcupines when they pass?" And they were like,"of course not, we are GENTLEMEN". Hahahaha, I think people are very funny. Anyhow, the Dragon Contrada was favored to win, and unfortunately the Wolf Contrada had the worst horse, according to my new friend. However, they were not hoping for to Wolf Contrada to win (since they did not think that was possible), they just wanted to beat the Porcupine Contrada. After the race people get into fist fights, and they said that they would very likely be punching some Porcupine people later.

Anyhow, the reason they need to escort their horse is because members of the rival contrada will try to attack and hurt the horse!! So apparently a lot of people will go and surround the horse to protect it.

Now the interesting thing is that the race starts whenever one horse...I forget what the term was, perhaps the contrador? Anyhow the other horses line up, and the race starts whenever the contrador starts running. It could take a minute, an hour, or even the entire day! Today it really took a lot time, and there were 3 false starts. Apparently if the horses start running and the start was not fair they fire a gun to signify that they must redo the start. I learned a lot of Italian curse words because this was the first time that there were so many false starts! People were getting very impatient. The contrador, by the way, was the Dragon Contrada.

Also, each time 10 horse run, 7 by right depending on how well they did in the last race, and the other 3 by lottery. This time however, only 9 ran because the Owl Contrada's horse got injured during the preliminaries. The Owl people looked very very sad during the parade.

Apparently the Wolf Contrada has not won the Palio since 1989! Being from Boston I can definitely sympathize so I was rooting for them. ALSO, it turned out my Unicorns were not even racing!!! SIGH, I should I bought a flag for a team that was actually in the race. Oh well. The Wolf team is orange and black, so I suppose that is kind of similar.

Once the race started, my new friend suggested sitting on the fence, which I did so I had a very nice view of the entire arena! Apparently that fence is one of the best spots. I have videos of 2 of the false starts, and of the final race. It is common for horses to fall down, and they line the corners of the track with mattresses to protect people since it is common for them to tip over while turning. If the rider falls off the horse it is actually okay because the horse could still win--if it crosses the finish line first, that contrada wins!

For the race the riders run 3 laps. In the end, the Turtle contrada won! I almost fell off the fence because so many people were jumping over it, some fights broke out and people really did attack horses!!! The winner gets carried out of the stadium and is given a banner and a baby bottle because winning the Palio is like a new birth. People were so happy that they were crying! Men were sobbing hysterically because they won. New friend was like, "you must think Italians are crazy", and I was like, "well, I am from Boston, where we celebrate victory by destroying our own city..." Although there are a lot of Italians in Boston, a connection??

We followed the celebration--only the winning team celebrates, everyone else goes back and mourns. People were parading and singing (only the winners of course). I was really hungry so we ate some cold pasta and then went back to our hostel. Overall a very interesting experience. Tomorrow...not sure what we are doing yet so we will see!

Pisa

As usual we got up quite late and headed out for a day trip to Pisa. This morning I had a nutella croissant which was very good, but I am beginning to think I should lay off the sweets...all the sugar and salt is making me retain a lot of water.

There is nothing in the town of Pisa aside from that square with the tower in it. Soooo, we took the hour and a half train ride, took a bunch of ridiculous photos with the tower (i.e. of us holding the tower up, blowing it over, etc.), then hopped on the train to come back home.

Later we decided to do our laundry, and apparently the washing machines here are set an much higher temperatures. We put the setting on color, but the water for that is 50 degrees celcius! So...a lot of our clothing got ruined. My BU sweatshirt completely lost its color and now all of my white things are blue...Hanna's stuff got really messed up as well. Oh well, I suppose it happens. I am thankful that I did not put my favorite polo or my dress in though!

That is it for today...not terribly exciting! Hopefully I will find a place where I can post more pictures!