Netherlands

Amsterdam is now finished. Nothing more should need to be said. Thank you and have a wonderful day.

Ich Bin Ein Berliner

We are chilling in the common area of the hostel here in Berlin now and gearing up to leave to Amsterdam. I have a feeling most of this will end up being written on the train when I'm not passed out from exhaustion. All this travel has been a huge learning experience and I definitely have a better idea how to do this next time. At the end of this trip, I am going to post a decent sized post about lessons learned. In the meantime though, I suppose it's correct and necessary to actually mention Berlin.

The first and most important thing is my obsession. I believe I have mentioned on more than one occassion the amazingly often use of bicycles as a mode of transportation and have been emailing several people about how I want to tour Europe on my Fuji. Well, Berlin has showed me my dream and I love it. There was a ridiculously amazing bike race that got me way psyched and drooling at the thought of abusing the hell out of my body to ride around this glorious city, circling around some of the most importat historic landmarks of the 20th century in this perfect weather. The sun was shining, a perfect, crisp breeze, and just a couple scattered clouds with the sound of bikes flying by made our walk around Berlin perfect for me.

As for the actual touring of this city, it is amazing. The first day here we just wandered, one of my favorite things to do in any new place. We walked over to the victory column which was really cool since we made it just vsrely in time to be able to go to the top. That vantage point was amazing as you could see almost the entire city. Some great pictures from up top of the 300 or so stairs and a few I am going to put together for some HDR shots, hopefully. Without a tripod that can be a bit difficult but I tried to make due.

After enjoying the view for a bit, we went back down and continued to explore. We walked over to Bellevue which we later learned was the chancelor's house. Working our way around to the Brandenburg Gates, we came across the setup for the bike race sponsored by Skoda and, no surprise, I'm the only one paying mler attention to the bikes than the cars. After getting past this area, we came to the square facing the gate and were welcomed by perhaps the most significant building in all of Berlin's history; Hotel Adlon. Who can remember what happened there just a few years ago? That is correct, Michael Jackson dangled his child from the balcony. We learned the next day that our tour guide was the AP press staff on site during this event at that time yet he missed it as he was too busy getting his starbuck's coffee to be bothered with one of the top 5 most historical moments of our time. The rest of the evening was spent making our way to Nikalae Quarters for some old-style German food and a meter of beer. Yes folks, I said a meter of beer.

Day two we took a tour of Berlin to see some of the biggest sites around the city. I did this last time I was in Berlin and I'm inclined to not say much about it as most of the sites were things I ace previously seen. I will say that it gave me a different perspective on what I saw as our tour guide, Alexander McKenzie (keep your eyes open for his book in a few years about the Jeziuts of Berlin from 1773 - 1803), had a different agenda of what details he wanted to cover. It wa definitely very interesting and, mom and dad should be happy to hear this along with my uninvited, unofficial mentor, learned a lot. So much so that we went back and did a different your with him the next day.

But before I go onto that, I should finish off that day. We ended up going to one of the five museums n the muarm district. Originally, I was unsure about the idea of a museum. Especially one that didn't really have much to do with German history. However, our tour guide suggested it on the premise of it housing one of the eight ancient wonders of the world; the Gates of Babylon. The funny thing about it was that James and I actually didn't even realize that we were looking at the gates as they are more of an arch and all the signs were in German only. So we didn't even realize what we were looking at yet we were rather impressed anyways.

Day three has been the Third Reich Tour and train. I'll write more later when I get back.

Cheers.

Kutna Hora; Bone Church

Praha Castle

Charles Bridge

All Aboard

So I spent most of my Blog time in Prague recapping Dublin and I want to correct this now as we sit on the train to Berlin. In an effort to make this easier I am going to recap Prague on the train and try to keep up with the rest of our stops as we go although some of them will likely be sans pictures. The preceding posts, however, are pictures from Prague.

So our first day in Prague was pretty chill as we arrived pretty late. We had some cheap gyros and pizza in one of the many random pizza and gyro places. Then we had a couple drinks at the glorious Music Sky Bar, an underground bar that was once the cellar and now has a great disco ball.

Day two is where we did the majority of our site seeing; being dumb American tourists. We started out by taking the 22 tram up to Prague Castle. We came up the side only to be greeted by a side view of the cathedral hidden behind the gorgeous trees that make Prague what it is. We arrived at the perfect time too as they were doing the full changing of the guard ceremony with the musicians and everything, which I did not get to see previously. It's a pretty awesome ceremony and I managed to get some pretty good video on my camera which I will try to post when I arrive back in the states to a youTube or something. So after enjoying that and getting some shots of the city we headed into the cathedral. For those of you who don't know, the cathedral is the biggest building in the castle and castle essentially means town in this context. The cathedral is as gorgeous as I remember and we were able to enjoy something I did not know about my first time around; the South Tower. Arrivig at a narrow, two-way spiral stair case, a sense of excitement overcomes you. The 287 stair climb is a great cardio workout and well worth the effort. At the top we enjoyed the most breathtaking panoramic views of Prague I have been able to enjoy to date.

After that we walked our way down to the Charles Bridge stopping for pictures and a giant feast at a local restaurant. Giant skewers of happiness on top of salad with sides of potatoes, fries, and rice. We wandered across the Charles and discovered another great view atop the main entrance. 50Kc will get you in and up another 186 steps to another great view perfect to observe the passers by on the Charles and the activity of the river.

When we were done enjoying that view, we worked our way around to Stare Mesto (Old Town) and the astronomical clock. Not much for me to say here I suppose as there wasn't much new to enjoy this time around. I was glad that the large church in the square and the statue were no longer under construction which was pretty nice. The rest of the night was wandering around going to food and drinks around Prague.

The third day was pretty relaxed as we atsued up pretty late the night before so those of us who didn't feel dead headed over to Kutna Hora to see Kostnice Ossuarry, aka Bone Church. This place is amazing. Hidden in a small town of great history and a perfect rural feel, Bone Church is decorated with the real bra of 40,000 people. This being in a city of approx 23,000 is quite intriguing and incredibly beautiful and morbid. The rest of our time in Prague went to eating, at the world famous and now New York Times reccomended Hlucna Samota, and catching some sleep as the travel is starting to wear on all of us. Now it's nap time on the train to be sure I am locked, stock and ready to roll when we arrive in Berlin. Cheers and enjoy some more pics.

Now Walk It Out

One Last Stop...

The Guinness Brewery!

What's a trip to Dublin without a trip to the Guinness Brewery? So we saved the best thing for last and had a magnificent time. The large black gates with the Guinness logo and the Irish harp get you excited while walking upto the main entrance to behim your self guided tour. Starting with the brewing process, you can smell the roasted barley in the air. As you continue and get your first taste of the sweet nectar of the day an excitment grows inside you to continue. After a tour of the history of all the different aspects of the company, including an amusing section on marketing, you arrive at the top of the brewery. From this 7th floor observatory you can see the entire city of Dublin and beyond. A gorgeous view and a perfect place to enjoy a complimentary Guinness which you can even learn to pour yourself. There is a true art in making, pouring, and even drinking Guinness that everyone should be requird to learn. Cheers mates!

Ireland, Party Time, Excellent

We spent some time partying with Bobby and his crew which made a pretty massive group of 11 total people at any given point. James, Dan and I had lunch with them at this place next to their hostel called Darkey Kelley's. Good food, not too crowded, and we learned a horrifying fact. Bobby's girlfriend Nicole uses a straw to drink a Guinness. This later got her almost shunned from the Guinness factory as it is a mortal sin. I almost couldn't speak to her for the rest of the trip. I managed to get past it enough to say a few words to her, but it was hard. At any rate, later that night we all met up and took our pack of 11 miscreants to The Temple Bar and hung out for the rest of the night. Good times and good friends; can't ask for anything more.

The Wanderers

In the two days we were in Dublin, we managed to see a LOT. We combined walking, a "hop on, hop off" bus tour, and the tours inside places, we managed to see a fair amount of the sights this beautiful city has to offer. We walked around Viking/Medieval area which took us to all of the oldest buildings in Dublin. Walking away from Brazenhead Inn we came across St. Audden's Cathedral (12th century) and worked our way around to Christ Church Cathedral (1030), St. Audden's Gate (1275), Tailor's Hall (1706), St. Werburgh's (1715), and Dublin Castle (1204). After that we walked south to St. Patrick's Cathedral (1192) which is gorgeous inside. We arrived there rather late in the afternoon ist before closing which ended up being a really good mis-timing because they reduced the fee by a bit and, more importantly, we were able to sit and listen to the choir sing. I'm definitely not a catholic person, but I dare anyone to go into a cathedral with that much history and beauty while the choir is singing and the oregon is laying out the lows and not be in utter awe.

The second day in Dublin was fantastic as we took the Dublin city hop-on hop-off bus tour. This bus just drives in a big circle around the city stopping at 23 of the best areas for sight-seeing tourists. As a side note, one of James' friends from ASU was also in Dublin at the same time we were with a group of his awesome friends. So we get on this bus and we're taking some pictures, enjoying the bus drivers commentary, and I notice some random people in front of us for some odd reason. Then, after being on the bus for almost 30 minutes and watching these people change seats 8 times, because the poor babies couldn't take the cold, James says, "holy crap, I think that's my buddy Bobby". Of course it is. So we spent the majority of the rest of the day with them.

After meeting all of them, we headed to Trinity College (1592) where they house The Book of Kells (800) in the most amazing library I think I have ever been in. We took the €10 tour which was completely worth it as it was a really sweet 30 minute tour run by a student of the college and included price of admission to see the book exhibit. The entire experience is incredible, but it's the library that most impressed me. We learned that the books in it have no discernable organizational system. We were told that, rather than using something logical like th Dewey decimal system, they organize the books by size. Yes folks, that's right, to find a book you must know its exact dimensions. Strange as that is, entering the library is freaking jaw dropping, pants crappingly amazing. It is the largest single room library in the world. You walk in and the air is thick and filled with the smell of books; the smell of knowledge. Inside, there is also the harp. The harp is the symbol of Ireland and this specific one is said to be the original harp from the last high king. This is a place that all travelers should check out.

Olde Tyme Fun

For dinner our first night, someone suggested we try The Brazenhead. This pub is the oldest standing pub in Dublin. Built in 1198, you can still experience the old feel when you look around at the old brick architecture. When entering, you are herted by the classic smells of pub food and beer, stacks of kegs, and, if you arrive on a Sunday afternoon, the wonderful sounds of traditional Irish music; enough to make anyone feel Irish. Between the traditional Irish stew, bangers and mash, and beef and Guinness stew, The Brazenhead is the perfect place to sit back, relax and order a pint of your favorite brew. And in these parts, if it's anything other than Guinness, you best go elsewhere.



So I'm actually finished this time so it's time to really post.

1 Whiskey, 1 Bourbon, 1 Beer

That's right folks, it's the Jameson distillery. This place is awesome. €9 admission for the tour for students and €12.50 for regular adults and worth it. As you enter the main reception, passing under the Jameson sign, you are greeted by a bar on the left and a mock still on the left. Along with that still, you get a view of some wonderful bicycles. Don't worry, I am having one shipped back to the US for my next race and I'll be flying past you all ;).

So, the tour starts out with a brief movie with some of the history of the company and its founder. Like everything Irish, it too was run by the Jameson clan for generations. After the video, the tour guide asks for volunteers. If you like whiskey and scotch, I suggest volunteering. We were unsure about this and if we were gonna get punk'd by her so none of us were members of the 6 chosen ones. After the video, there is a tour which is quite interesting. It goes through how Jameson is made and how the process got to where it is. Going through the history and being able to stand and smell the barrels of whiskeys past is something else. We learned some of the key differences between Irish whiskey and other whiskeys and scotches. One, Jameson is triple distilled and shed to perfection making it smoother. Two, the casks, or barrels, are not new. Jameson's buys casks that have already had another type of alcohol in them so the Jameson can soak in the flavor. That's how it gets that sweet taste. At the end, everyone gets a free drink which you can get straight, on the rocks, with cranberry juice, ginger ale, or coke. And this is where the volunteers come in. There is a tasting for the volunteers who get to do a proper whiskey tasting.

Well, free time for now is coming to a close so I'll leave you with some pics and well wishes. I'll try to catch up with the rest on any other downtime.
Cheers!

Arriving to the Digs

So when you arrive in Dublin airport, you catch the 747 to o'connel street. And to get to this stop, you go through the longest tunnel ever. After that, you must wander the city aimlessly to find The Brewery Hostel. Thank god James won a GPS the day before the trip from work as that saved our lives. Who knew one street could have 8 names within a mile without changing directions?

At any rate, the hostel was actually quite nice even if it was a bit cramped. The first night there we met a man named Dave who was pretty awesome. And the lobby is just great as the music changes as the receptionist changes. We went from punk to techno to indie and everywhere else and I enjoyed it all. Our room mates were pretty chill. Between the two nights we had a frenchman, a hand full of Germans, and a group of 3 pretty cool chaps from New Zealand. Well, that's all for arrival I believe.

Cheers and enjoy the snaps.