Hello again from Paris!
Craig and I decided to leave France for a few days during the public transportation strike and travel to Belgium. Belgium is positively enchanting! After splurging a bit on the world's most amazing chocolates and finest lace, we headed back to Paris to catch a view from the Eiffel Tower and the famous palace at Versailles.
Loving both Paris and Belgium, Craig and I are now flying back to London for the last day of our European tour together.
On Sunday, Bill is meeting me in London before flying off to Rome. I've been so incredibly busy with country-hopping that I will eventually look forward to returning home to the States in a few weeks for a little Christmas relaxation!
Cheers!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Bonjour from Paris!
Bonjour!
Just wanted to post a quick note to say hello from Paris! (I love free hotel internet...)
To catch the Americans up on current European events, the entire Paris public transportation system has been on strike for weeks, which means that the entire city has been without subway trains and buses for most of the month. Thankfully, Craig and I have found our way around the city on foot without any problems.
Despite common stereotypes, Craig and I have found the French to be incredibly friendly and Paris is absolutely wonderful.
Tomorrow, we are taking a train to Belgium for chocolate, beer, and lace.
Stay tuned for small updates on my grand finalè tour of Europe!
Au revoir!
Just wanted to post a quick note to say hello from Paris! (I love free hotel internet...)
To catch the Americans up on current European events, the entire Paris public transportation system has been on strike for weeks, which means that the entire city has been without subway trains and buses for most of the month. Thankfully, Craig and I have found our way around the city on foot without any problems.
Despite common stereotypes, Craig and I have found the French to be incredibly friendly and Paris is absolutely wonderful.
Tomorrow, we are taking a train to Belgium for chocolate, beer, and lace.
Stay tuned for small updates on my grand finalè tour of Europe!
Au revoir!
Friday, November 16, 2007
A Short Blogging Sabbatical
Don't be alarmed by the title of this blog post! The stories don't end here! There is so much left to tell!!
For the next two weeks, I will be taking a short break from blogging due to a 13-day tour of Europe. Beginning with England, I am meeting Craig (my incredible boyfriend) tomorrow in London for a few comfortable days of touring before flying off to Paris. After touring France's capital city, we're hitching a high-speed train to Belgium for a few relaxing days in Brussels and Bruges. Hopping back on the train, we're backtracking to Paris before catching a later flight back to London.
Making sure that Craig grabs his flight back to the States, Bill is meeting me in London to re-group before flying for a 5-day vacation in Rome, Italy. From there, who knows were we may end up!
Add in a much-needed entry on the highlights of my recent visit to Windsor Castle, and you'll have more than enough to read over the weeks when I get back to the U.K.!
So bear with me over the next 2 weeks, and I promise that you'll hear plenty of stories about my giant tour of Europe. In the meantime, leave a comment or send me a few lines via email!
Cheers! :)
For the next two weeks, I will be taking a short break from blogging due to a 13-day tour of Europe. Beginning with England, I am meeting Craig (my incredible boyfriend) tomorrow in London for a few comfortable days of touring before flying off to Paris. After touring France's capital city, we're hitching a high-speed train to Belgium for a few relaxing days in Brussels and Bruges. Hopping back on the train, we're backtracking to Paris before catching a later flight back to London.
Making sure that Craig grabs his flight back to the States, Bill is meeting me in London to re-group before flying for a 5-day vacation in Rome, Italy. From there, who knows were we may end up!
Add in a much-needed entry on the highlights of my recent visit to Windsor Castle, and you'll have more than enough to read over the weeks when I get back to the U.K.!
So bear with me over the next 2 weeks, and I promise that you'll hear plenty of stories about my giant tour of Europe. In the meantime, leave a comment or send me a few lines via email!
Cheers! :)
Munich, Germany: Ich Liebe Deutschland! (Part 3)
Not wanting to leave you on a such a sad note in my Munich-trip-recap, I do have one final story to tell... about planes.
Feeling slightly smug that we had caught our flight to Germany without any glitches, Bill and I thought that we had finally mastered the art of flying across Europe... well, at least that's what we thought. The German subway system is an ingenious work of technology that is actually quite well-planned and easy to follow -- if you know what you're doing. Knowing which line we needed to grab in order to bring ourselves back to the Munich airport, Bill and I felt no stress about catching our flight since we had allowed ourselves plenty of time to arrive at the airport before check-in. Unfortunately, we made two fatal mistakes. The first was hopping on the right train going in the wrong direction. The second was not realizing that we were traveling directly away from the airport until we were 20 minutes outside the city. (YIKES!)
When it finally hit me that we were traveling in the wrong direction, I frantically told Bill that we needed to jump off at the next stop and wait for the next train heading back into the city. Waiting anxiously for the next train to arrive 15 minutes later, I watched minutes tick away on my watch as we began the hour-long trek back towards the airport. Feeling completely defeated by my inability to read German subway signs, I had begun to accept the fact that Bill and I were going to miss our flight back to the U.K.
By some miracle of high-speed German subway technology, however, we arrived at the Munich airport just 10 minutes before the check-in ticket counter was scheduled to close for our flight. Dashing across the large airport, Bill and I darted left and right without ever completely knowing where we were supposed to go. By the grace of fate, I spotted the EasyJet ticket kiosk with just a few minutes left before boarding. Expecting long lines at the customs gates and security checkpoints, Bill and I grabbed our boarding passes and ran to the metal detectors. Surprisingly, there were no lines! Thinking that our boarding gate would be located remotely far from the customs officials, I briefly thanked the customs officer as I dashed to the gates only to discover that I only needed to walk 20 feet to my waiting area. Such amazing luck!! Ironically, Bill and I arrived at the airport only 10 minutes before boarding was scheduled to begin, and we still managed to grab a few minutes to catch our breath before passengers were allowed to board the plane.
The best lesson that I have learned from this nerve-wrecking experience is:
Feeling slightly smug that we had caught our flight to Germany without any glitches, Bill and I thought that we had finally mastered the art of flying across Europe... well, at least that's what we thought. The German subway system is an ingenious work of technology that is actually quite well-planned and easy to follow -- if you know what you're doing. Knowing which line we needed to grab in order to bring ourselves back to the Munich airport, Bill and I felt no stress about catching our flight since we had allowed ourselves plenty of time to arrive at the airport before check-in. Unfortunately, we made two fatal mistakes. The first was hopping on the right train going in the wrong direction. The second was not realizing that we were traveling directly away from the airport until we were 20 minutes outside the city. (YIKES!)
When it finally hit me that we were traveling in the wrong direction, I frantically told Bill that we needed to jump off at the next stop and wait for the next train heading back into the city. Waiting anxiously for the next train to arrive 15 minutes later, I watched minutes tick away on my watch as we began the hour-long trek back towards the airport. Feeling completely defeated by my inability to read German subway signs, I had begun to accept the fact that Bill and I were going to miss our flight back to the U.K.
By some miracle of high-speed German subway technology, however, we arrived at the Munich airport just 10 minutes before the check-in ticket counter was scheduled to close for our flight. Dashing across the large airport, Bill and I darted left and right without ever completely knowing where we were supposed to go. By the grace of fate, I spotted the EasyJet ticket kiosk with just a few minutes left before boarding. Expecting long lines at the customs gates and security checkpoints, Bill and I grabbed our boarding passes and ran to the metal detectors. Surprisingly, there were no lines! Thinking that our boarding gate would be located remotely far from the customs officials, I briefly thanked the customs officer as I dashed to the gates only to discover that I only needed to walk 20 feet to my waiting area. Such amazing luck!! Ironically, Bill and I arrived at the airport only 10 minutes before boarding was scheduled to begin, and we still managed to grab a few minutes to catch our breath before passengers were allowed to board the plane.
The best lesson that I have learned from this nerve-wrecking experience is:
People plan. God laughs.
Munich, Germany: Ich Liebe Deutschland! (Part 2)
Waking up decently early the next morning, I was ready to tackle a "pastry-crawl" through Munich's many bakeries and pastry shops. Leaving our hostel around 8:30 a.m., Bill and I stopped at our first pastry stop on our way to the subway station. While I ordered a nusschnecken (cinnamon roll with nuts) to test my German pronunciation, Bill wandered off to another food stand to buy a pretzel and a few sausages. Impressed that he was able to order his food with the international language of gestures (Bill doesn't speak German), I sipped a cup of hot chocolate while Bill waited for his food.
Taking the subway back into town, we were hoping to hop around shops in the Marienplatz (the town square) for an hour or so before touring the Residenz Palace. Arriving at the Marienplatz, Bill and I ducked into another bakery to escape the frigid wind until the shops opened at 9:30 a.m. Splitting an apfelschnecken (apple pastry) and sipping fruit tea, we watched light snow flakes begin to fall from the sky. Watching snow fall on a picturesque German city while sitting in the comfort of a small cafe is rather comforting. Therefor, it was no wonder why I was reluctant to leave my hot cup of tea a few minutes later to head back into the cold weather.
Despite snow flurries, the Marienplatz has several cute German shops selling everything from clothing to traditional Christmas decorations. Though a few larger "department-like" stores could be found, most of the shops were small boutiques specializing in a specific genre of goods. My favorite shop was Dallmayr, which specializes in coffees and fine foods. Though rather large compared to many of the stores in the Marienplatz, Dallmayr was fun for browsing through fine wines, handmade German chocolates, and a plethora of spices and ingredients. Splurging a bit on wine and chocolates, I rationalized my purchases with the infamous traveler's quote, "I may only visit here once!"
Lugging our shopping bags back to the hostel and locking our purchases in a secure locker, Bill and I rushed off to the Residenz Palace to view a taste of Bavarian opulence. Built by the Wittelsbach royal family in the 14th century, the Residenz was badly damaged in the first and second World Wars. Practically leveled during World War II, the citizens of Munich rebuilt the Residenz in its original style of fine tapestries and ornate gold leaf walls. By far, the two most magnificent rooms of the palace are the Shell Grotto and the Antiquarium. Demolished by WWII, the Shell Grotto is constructed from thousands of seashells. After the second World War, the people of Munich wanted to rebuild the grotto, but they lacked enough money to undertake such an ambitious project. Persistant to resurrect the ornate monument, the townspeople collected seashells throughout Germany and rebuilt the grotto themselves from pictures taken during the Nazi regime. The Antiquarium, on the other hand, was one of the few rooms in the palace that managed to escape total demolition during the two World Wars. Supported by dozens of stone arches, every ceiling panel and archway is painted with a beautiful Renaissance fresco. Among paintings of angels and saints, scenes from 120 Bavarian towns are depicted on the walls. Aside from the beautiful paintings, the Antiquarium contains rows of Roman emperor busts. By displaying these busts, the Wittlebachs hoped to convince the rest of the world of their ancestral connection to the great ancient Roman emperors.
Loving nearly every moment in the beautifully reconstructed Residenz palace, Bill and I decided to change pace a little and view a darker side of German history -- Dachau Concentration Camp. One of the first German concentration camps built during the Holocaust, Dachau was conveniently located on the outskirts of Munich away from prying eyes of the townspeople. Walking to the train station to catch a ride to the concentration camp, Bill and I ran into an interesting sight not yet experienced in Europe: a public rally. Though I can understand a limited amount of German, I wasn't able to figure out why the protestors were waving a German flag while wrapping themselves in flags representing Turkey. Seeing fully-armed riot police cautiously watching the crowd nearby, Bill and I decided that it would be best to avoid a public protest in a foreign nation that doesn't speak primarily English!
The cold, grey winter weather set the mood for our visit to Dachau. Demolished and leveled after the fall of the Nazi regime, only the walls foundations of camp remain as a cold reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. The front gate of the camp where prisoners were led into a life of oppression and inhumane living conditions boldly states, "Arbeit Macht Frei," which was the Nazi motto of "Work Makes You Free". To educate visitors that wish to tour the camp, a Holocaust museum was built along the perimeter and two prisoner bunkers were reconstructed in the original design. The museum was unlike many of the museums that Bill and I have toured thus far. While most museums have artifacts and works of art, the Dachau Museum consisted of mainly posters with very few artifacts (which is understandable since most Nazi memorabilia was destroyed after WWII). Most importantly, the museum contains a theater that plays 20-minute documentaries on the Holocaust in several languages. Catching an English showing, Bill and I were appalled by suffering inflicted by the Nazis as part of their "ethnic cleansing" program. I've seen pictures of the Holocaust in many history books, but the video footage shown in the Dachau theater was more vivid than any that I have seen before. Because Dachau was one of the first concentration camps, the Nazis often took pictures and videos of their inhumane practices to use as training aids for other camps. Learning that only 32,000 people were murdered at Dachau (a relatively low number compared to other camps) made me feel sorrow for the pain and suffering experienced by the German nation. To quote my international adviser at Surrey who is from Germany, "Few people realize that the German nation suffered the most during World War II." Seeing evidence of the horrors created by the Holocaust, I understand why the current motto of Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial rings true to all who visit there:
Taking the subway back into town, we were hoping to hop around shops in the Marienplatz (the town square) for an hour or so before touring the Residenz Palace. Arriving at the Marienplatz, Bill and I ducked into another bakery to escape the frigid wind until the shops opened at 9:30 a.m. Splitting an apfelschnecken (apple pastry) and sipping fruit tea, we watched light snow flakes begin to fall from the sky. Watching snow fall on a picturesque German city while sitting in the comfort of a small cafe is rather comforting. Therefor, it was no wonder why I was reluctant to leave my hot cup of tea a few minutes later to head back into the cold weather.
Despite snow flurries, the Marienplatz has several cute German shops selling everything from clothing to traditional Christmas decorations. Though a few larger "department-like" stores could be found, most of the shops were small boutiques specializing in a specific genre of goods. My favorite shop was Dallmayr, which specializes in coffees and fine foods. Though rather large compared to many of the stores in the Marienplatz, Dallmayr was fun for browsing through fine wines, handmade German chocolates, and a plethora of spices and ingredients. Splurging a bit on wine and chocolates, I rationalized my purchases with the infamous traveler's quote, "I may only visit here once!"
Lugging our shopping bags back to the hostel and locking our purchases in a secure locker, Bill and I rushed off to the Residenz Palace to view a taste of Bavarian opulence. Built by the Wittelsbach royal family in the 14th century, the Residenz was badly damaged in the first and second World Wars. Practically leveled during World War II, the citizens of Munich rebuilt the Residenz in its original style of fine tapestries and ornate gold leaf walls. By far, the two most magnificent rooms of the palace are the Shell Grotto and the Antiquarium. Demolished by WWII, the Shell Grotto is constructed from thousands of seashells. After the second World War, the people of Munich wanted to rebuild the grotto, but they lacked enough money to undertake such an ambitious project. Persistant to resurrect the ornate monument, the townspeople collected seashells throughout Germany and rebuilt the grotto themselves from pictures taken during the Nazi regime. The Antiquarium, on the other hand, was one of the few rooms in the palace that managed to escape total demolition during the two World Wars. Supported by dozens of stone arches, every ceiling panel and archway is painted with a beautiful Renaissance fresco. Among paintings of angels and saints, scenes from 120 Bavarian towns are depicted on the walls. Aside from the beautiful paintings, the Antiquarium contains rows of Roman emperor busts. By displaying these busts, the Wittlebachs hoped to convince the rest of the world of their ancestral connection to the great ancient Roman emperors.
Loving nearly every moment in the beautifully reconstructed Residenz palace, Bill and I decided to change pace a little and view a darker side of German history -- Dachau Concentration Camp. One of the first German concentration camps built during the Holocaust, Dachau was conveniently located on the outskirts of Munich away from prying eyes of the townspeople. Walking to the train station to catch a ride to the concentration camp, Bill and I ran into an interesting sight not yet experienced in Europe: a public rally. Though I can understand a limited amount of German, I wasn't able to figure out why the protestors were waving a German flag while wrapping themselves in flags representing Turkey. Seeing fully-armed riot police cautiously watching the crowd nearby, Bill and I decided that it would be best to avoid a public protest in a foreign nation that doesn't speak primarily English!
The cold, grey winter weather set the mood for our visit to Dachau. Demolished and leveled after the fall of the Nazi regime, only the walls foundations of camp remain as a cold reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. The front gate of the camp where prisoners were led into a life of oppression and inhumane living conditions boldly states, "Arbeit Macht Frei," which was the Nazi motto of "Work Makes You Free". To educate visitors that wish to tour the camp, a Holocaust museum was built along the perimeter and two prisoner bunkers were reconstructed in the original design. The museum was unlike many of the museums that Bill and I have toured thus far. While most museums have artifacts and works of art, the Dachau Museum consisted of mainly posters with very few artifacts (which is understandable since most Nazi memorabilia was destroyed after WWII). Most importantly, the museum contains a theater that plays 20-minute documentaries on the Holocaust in several languages. Catching an English showing, Bill and I were appalled by suffering inflicted by the Nazis as part of their "ethnic cleansing" program. I've seen pictures of the Holocaust in many history books, but the video footage shown in the Dachau theater was more vivid than any that I have seen before. Because Dachau was one of the first concentration camps, the Nazis often took pictures and videos of their inhumane practices to use as training aids for other camps. Learning that only 32,000 people were murdered at Dachau (a relatively low number compared to other camps) made me feel sorrow for the pain and suffering experienced by the German nation. To quote my international adviser at Surrey who is from Germany, "Few people realize that the German nation suffered the most during World War II." Seeing evidence of the horrors created by the Holocaust, I understand why the current motto of Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial rings true to all who visit there:
"Never Again."
Munich Germany: Ich Leibe Deutschland! (Part 1)
After a hectic week of studying for exams and planning a final 2-week tour of Europe, I finally have a free day to update this blog and recount amazing weekend in Munich, Germany! Like many of our European trips this month, this story begins like many of the others by re-capping the perils of catching a flight from London. For the first time, I am pleased to say that I have virtually nothing to say about our flight to Munich... HOORAY! Cursed by wrong departure times and nearly-missed flights, Bill and I actually arrived at London Standsted airport with plenty of time to spare before boarding our plane bound for Germany. Thrilled by a smooth start to our trip, I was ready to brush up on my German language skills in the Fatherland!
Arriving in Munich about 30 minutes late due to a bit of bad German weather, Bill and I walked through customs with no problems and checked into our hostel before an afternoon of seeing the sights. After stopping for a quick bite to eat at a small Chinese cafe, we began our tour of Munich with the famed Deutsche Museum. Answering to the American Smithsonians with their own massive museum complex, the Deutsche Museum consists of 10 MILES of exhibits on science and technology. A prominent world force in engineering and technology, Germany has much to boast in this gigantic museum. Incredibly well laid-out and logically organized, Bill and I began our tour with the transportation wing. As expected, the story of transportation began with a room filled with huge life-sized ships as well as intricate smaller models. From sails to steam-powered boats, the display was definitely one of the museum's crowning glories. Walking "below deck" (rather, taking the stairs down one floor in the museum), we were able to peruse through several refurbished submarines, torpedoes, and deep-sea diving contraptions. Just as the submarines were located on the floor below the ships, the airplane exhibit was placed one floor above the ships. (Starting to make sense??) Taking some time to admire the jets and helicopters, Bill and I climbed to the upper floors, which featured space exploration and astronomy. Thinking back on the museum organization, I find it ingenious that the floors were arranged to mimic the position of the transportation exhibits in relation to the earth (ships on the ground floor, submarines below ground, flight above ground, etc.), which makes me wonder why more science museums don't follow this logical format! Other wings of the museum covered physics, trains, bridges, musical instruments, communication, and many additional topics that would require several paragraphs to list all of them.
Though Bill was most impressed by the transportation exhibits, my favorite wing included the musical instrument rooms. Like I've mentioned in earlier blog posts, I'm not a huge fan of science museums. Ironically, I love learning about science, working in research labs, and am entering a predominantly science-related career field. So why do I prefer history and art museums to those sporting a hodge-podge of scientific posters and specimens? I like the variety of learning something new. After countless biology, physics, and engineering classes, the exhibits in many science museums are mainly review of what I've already studied in great detail. As an analogy, picture your job whether it be office work, teaching, medicine, writing, etc. Then imagine taking a vacation where you spend several hours surrounded by fax machines, rambunctious kids, microbes, or editors, respectively. Not much of a vacation, huh? Hopefully, this sheds a little light on my point. Backing up to the musical instrument exhibits... these rooms were a breath of fresh air after wading through airplanes, stress/strain demonstrations, and amendments to the fact the Pluto is now not a planet. Marveling at some of the most beautiful pianos, harps, and international percussion sets, my fingers itched to plunk out a few tunes on the most prodigiously-made instruments in the world. Much to my excitement, an organist arrived in the afternoon to give an informal concert as avid museum-goers passed through the exhibits. Enjoying the acoustical properties of the room, I paused for a few moments to admire the ornately-painted pianos before moving from my favorite part of the Deutsche Museum. Overall, the Deutsche Museum is incredibly impressive, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Munich. The exhibits are clearly catered to adults and older children, but several rooms contained play-areas for small children and lively demonstrations. Bill thought the museum was fabulous, and I also liked several of the exhibits. Given a choice, however, I usually prefer historical buildings and Renaissance art galleries.
After spending nearly three hours in the Deutsche Museum, evening was quickly falling on the city as we walked back to the center of town. Bundling up to fight the freezing temperatures, I was in the mood for a lively beer hall with hearty German food. Where would we go?? THE HOFBRAUHAUS, of course! Living in Cincinnati for the past three years of my college career, I was ecstatic to visit the original Hofbrauhaus. Newport, Kentucky (a small city just south of Cincinnati) has their own replica of the Hofbrauhaus in the States, which has always been one of my favorite destinations when studying at UC. (In fact, my boyfriend and I "met" at the Newport Hofbrauhaus... of course, you'll either hear that we met at church or a beer hall -- depending on which one of us you ask.) Sliding into a bench at one of the long wooden tables, Bill and I glanced through the menu before ordering hearty plates of traditional Bavarian fare: sausages, pork roast, potatoes, and sauerkraut. Though I'll probably recieve a few incredulous rebukes from my friends, Bill and I are probably two of the few who have eaten at the Hofbrauhaus and did not drink beer. Before your feathers get too ruffled, we did order a few glasses of German wine, which is of incredibly fine-quality and outshown only by the German beer culture. Chatting with the native Germans sharing our table, they looked slightly appalled when we told them that neither of us like beer, but they were slightly impressed when I ordered a glass of Frankfurt's finest red Riesling. The alcoholic drinks, however, fall closely second to the amazing German food. There are not enough words to describe the ingenious flavor of Bavarian sausage that made my tastebuds dance and shout out, "WE WANT MORE!" Bill was constantly laughing at me all weekend as I ordered plate after plate after plate of sausages, pork, potatoes, sauerkraut, strudels, Bavarian cream, and beautiful pastries. No matter how stuffed I felt before a meal, I shoveled plates of food into my mouth with ravenous carnality that I've never before experienced in my life. Perhaps my German heritage is to blame, but no food has ever made my tastebuds happier or my stomach more satisfied.
Prolonging our stay over drinks and desserts, Bill and I had a few great moments to appreciate German culture. Exclaiming "Prost!" and clinking glasses with our German tablemates, we engaged in a lively conversation on similarities between the U.S. and Germany. Incredibly impressed by their language skills, we had no trouble understanding their fluent mastery of the English language even though they occasionally seemed slightly confused by our "crazy American phrases". Clinking a final "Prost!", Bill and I eventually bade them farewell before snapping a few final pictures of the Hofbrauhaus and walking back to our hostel for the night.
Enduring the cold, we rushed back to our hostel with stomachs full and tastebuds satisfied only to find the common rooms hopping with student travellers from across the globe. While Bill ordered a drink at the bar, I commandeered a computer to email my family to let them know that we had arrived safely in Germany. Stifling a few yawns, I decided to by-pass the smoky bar room and curl up in a warm bed. Though tired from the early-morning flight, I was most excited to fall asleep only to wake up the next morning to a beautiful breakfast of German pastries and a cup of rich hot chocolate!
Arriving in Munich about 30 minutes late due to a bit of bad German weather, Bill and I walked through customs with no problems and checked into our hostel before an afternoon of seeing the sights. After stopping for a quick bite to eat at a small Chinese cafe, we began our tour of Munich with the famed Deutsche Museum. Answering to the American Smithsonians with their own massive museum complex, the Deutsche Museum consists of 10 MILES of exhibits on science and technology. A prominent world force in engineering and technology, Germany has much to boast in this gigantic museum. Incredibly well laid-out and logically organized, Bill and I began our tour with the transportation wing. As expected, the story of transportation began with a room filled with huge life-sized ships as well as intricate smaller models. From sails to steam-powered boats, the display was definitely one of the museum's crowning glories. Walking "below deck" (rather, taking the stairs down one floor in the museum), we were able to peruse through several refurbished submarines, torpedoes, and deep-sea diving contraptions. Just as the submarines were located on the floor below the ships, the airplane exhibit was placed one floor above the ships. (Starting to make sense??) Taking some time to admire the jets and helicopters, Bill and I climbed to the upper floors, which featured space exploration and astronomy. Thinking back on the museum organization, I find it ingenious that the floors were arranged to mimic the position of the transportation exhibits in relation to the earth (ships on the ground floor, submarines below ground, flight above ground, etc.), which makes me wonder why more science museums don't follow this logical format! Other wings of the museum covered physics, trains, bridges, musical instruments, communication, and many additional topics that would require several paragraphs to list all of them.
Though Bill was most impressed by the transportation exhibits, my favorite wing included the musical instrument rooms. Like I've mentioned in earlier blog posts, I'm not a huge fan of science museums. Ironically, I love learning about science, working in research labs, and am entering a predominantly science-related career field. So why do I prefer history and art museums to those sporting a hodge-podge of scientific posters and specimens? I like the variety of learning something new. After countless biology, physics, and engineering classes, the exhibits in many science museums are mainly review of what I've already studied in great detail. As an analogy, picture your job whether it be office work, teaching, medicine, writing, etc. Then imagine taking a vacation where you spend several hours surrounded by fax machines, rambunctious kids, microbes, or editors, respectively. Not much of a vacation, huh? Hopefully, this sheds a little light on my point. Backing up to the musical instrument exhibits... these rooms were a breath of fresh air after wading through airplanes, stress/strain demonstrations, and amendments to the fact the Pluto is now not a planet. Marveling at some of the most beautiful pianos, harps, and international percussion sets, my fingers itched to plunk out a few tunes on the most prodigiously-made instruments in the world. Much to my excitement, an organist arrived in the afternoon to give an informal concert as avid museum-goers passed through the exhibits. Enjoying the acoustical properties of the room, I paused for a few moments to admire the ornately-painted pianos before moving from my favorite part of the Deutsche Museum. Overall, the Deutsche Museum is incredibly impressive, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Munich. The exhibits are clearly catered to adults and older children, but several rooms contained play-areas for small children and lively demonstrations. Bill thought the museum was fabulous, and I also liked several of the exhibits. Given a choice, however, I usually prefer historical buildings and Renaissance art galleries.
After spending nearly three hours in the Deutsche Museum, evening was quickly falling on the city as we walked back to the center of town. Bundling up to fight the freezing temperatures, I was in the mood for a lively beer hall with hearty German food. Where would we go?? THE HOFBRAUHAUS, of course! Living in Cincinnati for the past three years of my college career, I was ecstatic to visit the original Hofbrauhaus. Newport, Kentucky (a small city just south of Cincinnati) has their own replica of the Hofbrauhaus in the States, which has always been one of my favorite destinations when studying at UC. (In fact, my boyfriend and I "met" at the Newport Hofbrauhaus... of course, you'll either hear that we met at church or a beer hall -- depending on which one of us you ask.) Sliding into a bench at one of the long wooden tables, Bill and I glanced through the menu before ordering hearty plates of traditional Bavarian fare: sausages, pork roast, potatoes, and sauerkraut. Though I'll probably recieve a few incredulous rebukes from my friends, Bill and I are probably two of the few who have eaten at the Hofbrauhaus and did not drink beer. Before your feathers get too ruffled, we did order a few glasses of German wine, which is of incredibly fine-quality and outshown only by the German beer culture. Chatting with the native Germans sharing our table, they looked slightly appalled when we told them that neither of us like beer, but they were slightly impressed when I ordered a glass of Frankfurt's finest red Riesling. The alcoholic drinks, however, fall closely second to the amazing German food. There are not enough words to describe the ingenious flavor of Bavarian sausage that made my tastebuds dance and shout out, "WE WANT MORE!" Bill was constantly laughing at me all weekend as I ordered plate after plate after plate of sausages, pork, potatoes, sauerkraut, strudels, Bavarian cream, and beautiful pastries. No matter how stuffed I felt before a meal, I shoveled plates of food into my mouth with ravenous carnality that I've never before experienced in my life. Perhaps my German heritage is to blame, but no food has ever made my tastebuds happier or my stomach more satisfied.
Prolonging our stay over drinks and desserts, Bill and I had a few great moments to appreciate German culture. Exclaiming "Prost!" and clinking glasses with our German tablemates, we engaged in a lively conversation on similarities between the U.S. and Germany. Incredibly impressed by their language skills, we had no trouble understanding their fluent mastery of the English language even though they occasionally seemed slightly confused by our "crazy American phrases". Clinking a final "Prost!", Bill and I eventually bade them farewell before snapping a few final pictures of the Hofbrauhaus and walking back to our hostel for the night.
Enduring the cold, we rushed back to our hostel with stomachs full and tastebuds satisfied only to find the common rooms hopping with student travellers from across the globe. While Bill ordered a drink at the bar, I commandeered a computer to email my family to let them know that we had arrived safely in Germany. Stifling a few yawns, I decided to by-pass the smoky bar room and curl up in a warm bed. Though tired from the early-morning flight, I was most excited to fall asleep only to wake up the next morning to a beautiful breakfast of German pastries and a cup of rich hot chocolate!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Guy Fawkes Day: A Pyromaniac's Paradise
Last Monday, Bill and I witnessed an integral part of British culture -- Guy Fawkes Day. Celebrating a foiled plan to blow up Parliament in the 1600's, nearly every town in England celebrates this national holiday with a parade of burning torches and a town carnival. Swamped by many blog posts this month, Bill decided to help me out by recounting the exciting festivities on his blog. It's definitely something to check out!
Bill's Blog:
http://www.uc2uk.blogspot.com/
I'm hoping to post some great Guy Fawkes Day pictures soon. Feel free to click through them on my online photo album:
www.picasaweb.google.com/drummergirl71385
Stay tuned for new blog posts on last weekend's trip to Munich, Germany!
Bill's Blog:
http://www.uc2uk.blogspot.com/
I'm hoping to post some great Guy Fawkes Day pictures soon. Feel free to click through them on my online photo album:
www.picasaweb.google.com/drummergirl71385
Stay tuned for new blog posts on last weekend's trip to Munich, Germany!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Madrid, Spain: ¡Adoro España! (Part 3)
Having seen most of Madrid's major sights the day before, Bill and I decided to take a side trip away from the city on Saturday to visit El Escorial located in San Lorenzo. An imposing palace and basilica built by King Philip II, El Escorial is famous for its role in the Spanish Inquisition. An institution created by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1478, the goal of the Spanish Inquisition was to protect Spanish Catholicism from the influence of other religions. Despite targeting primarily Jews and Muslims in the fifteenth century, King Philip II sought to prevent the growing strength of Protestant religions sweeping through Europe. During the 16th century, approximately one hundred Protestants were charged as heretics under the Spanish Inquisition and consequently burned at the stake. How does El Escorial play into this historical scheme? King Philip II combined his palace with a monastery to demonstrate his allegiance to the Catholic church. An architectural statement of power, El Escorial is somewhat austere in design, which fits the intended impression of the Spanish Palace: "...an expression in stone of Catholicism in Spain; an answer, solid and unified, to the disintegration of the Christian universe." (Quote taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Escorial#The_reliquaries)
Wanting to see the forboding palace ourselves, Bill and I caught a late-morning bus bound for San Lorenzo. The bus ride across the Spanish countryside was a treat in itself. Built on relatively flat ground, Bill and I didn't realize until leaving the city that Madrid is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Marveling at Spain's magnificent scenery through the bus window, I hardly realized that an hour had passed and we were quickly approaching San Lorenzo. Originally, our plans were to tour El Escorial in the early afternoon and then catch a bus to Valle de los Caídos ("Valley of the Fallen") around 3 o'clock. Valle de los Caídos is the final resting ground of Francisco Franco, Spain's 20th century dictator. Marked by a huge granite cross, Valle de los Caídos seemed like an interesting site to visit. Unfortunately, we weren't expecting to see such an incredibly long line stretching from the gates of El Escorial. Reformatting our afternoon plans and cutting out a visit to Valle de los Caídos, Bill and I decided to enjoy a light lunch at an outdoor Spanish cafe in hopes that the line would shrink during our small meal. Watching a street musician entertain the cafe guests on accordion, we were in no hurry to stand in line at the palace, but I knew that we should grab a spot in the courtyard to ensure entrance before the El Escorial closed at 5 p.m. Paying our bill, we walked back to El Escorial and were encouraged to find that the line had become slightly shorter over lunch. Taking our place at the end of the line, we spent the next two hours inching towards the palace entrance. Legs aching from 120 minutes of standing and weight-shifting, we eventually reached the ticket counter and began our self-guided tour of El Escorial.
As indicated by the stark exterior of the palace, El Escorial was much simpler than the Palacio Real in Madrid. Boasting mostly whitewashed walls, only religious paintings and tapestries decorated the rooms of King Philip II's palace. Thankfully, there were a few exceptions to this rule: the Hall of Battles and the Basilica. The Hall of Battles was a long interestingly painted room that reminded me of a "Where's Waldo?" cartoon. On every wall and ceiling, cartoon-like depictions of Spain's most famous battles were painted for guests to see. Frescoes also adorned the Basilica, but the style and subjects were much different from the Hall of Battles. While the Hall of Battles seemed almost comical in their animated nature, the Basilica was decorated in paintings of the heavens, Holy Family, and various saints. Dark and bold, the Basilica proudly displayed its collection of characteristic Spanish art.
With only two hours to tour El Escorial before closing time, Bill and I felt slightly rushed to see the entire palace before it was locked up for the night. Unfortunately, we were unable to tour many areas of the Basilica because a wedding was scheduled to take place in the evening. Closing the church to visitors, Bill and I caught a glimpse of the bride as she emerged from a car in front of El Escorial with her father. Leaving the palace after our tour, we stopped to rest our legs in a nearby park. Watching as the sun quickly began to set behind the trees, we headed back to the bus stop to catch a return ride to Madrid.
Discouraged that we had wasted much of our day standing in line to see a single palace, Bill and I returned to Madrid with plans to find a great restaurant to lift our spirits. Much to our luck, we did! Located near Puerto del Sol, Hotel Europa was a charming restaurant with incredible staff. Served by the head waiter, Bill and I decided to try the infamous Spanish dish, paella. Known for its flavorful mix of spices, paella is an eclectic combination of meat, seafood, vegetables, and rice. Though usually adventurous in my taste for food, I was not exactly expecting to see so many random crustaceans piled onto my plate. Watching prawns stare up at me from my plate, I decided that this was an instance where I could be entitled to pick and choose which parts of the dish would be best to eat. Removing anything with eyes (i.e. whole shrimp, prawns, etc.) and anything that didn't look edible without complicated de-shelling, I was still left with a huge plate of rice, mussels, vegetables, chicken, pork, and beef. Checking with us often to make sure that we were enjoying our meal, the head waiter kindly offered us two free glasses of the house wine. Usually preferring red wine, I was impressed by the flavorful body of the white house wine and must admit that it was one of my favorite glasses of wine during our weekend in Spain. Laughing at the pile of critters piling on the sides of our plates, Bill and I felt our moods begin to brighten after a long day in San Lorenzo. Tipping the waiter generously to cover the free wine, we left Hotel Europa feeling light-hearted and loving the friendliness of Spaniards. Deciding to end our trip to Madrid on a happy note, I snapped a picture of my favorite Spanish restaurant before hopping on the subway to check into an airport hotel before our early-morning flight back to London.
Overall, our trip to Spain was beautiful and a lot of fun. With mild weather and gorgeous scenery, it's hard not to love Madrid. Despite the long palace line at El Escorial, San Lorenzo is a charming town and definitely worth a second visit. After a warm weekend in the Spanish sun, it'll be difficult to handle the opposite weather extreme next weekend: rain and snow in Munich, Germany.
Wanting to see the forboding palace ourselves, Bill and I caught a late-morning bus bound for San Lorenzo. The bus ride across the Spanish countryside was a treat in itself. Built on relatively flat ground, Bill and I didn't realize until leaving the city that Madrid is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Marveling at Spain's magnificent scenery through the bus window, I hardly realized that an hour had passed and we were quickly approaching San Lorenzo. Originally, our plans were to tour El Escorial in the early afternoon and then catch a bus to Valle de los Caídos ("Valley of the Fallen") around 3 o'clock. Valle de los Caídos is the final resting ground of Francisco Franco, Spain's 20th century dictator. Marked by a huge granite cross, Valle de los Caídos seemed like an interesting site to visit. Unfortunately, we weren't expecting to see such an incredibly long line stretching from the gates of El Escorial. Reformatting our afternoon plans and cutting out a visit to Valle de los Caídos, Bill and I decided to enjoy a light lunch at an outdoor Spanish cafe in hopes that the line would shrink during our small meal. Watching a street musician entertain the cafe guests on accordion, we were in no hurry to stand in line at the palace, but I knew that we should grab a spot in the courtyard to ensure entrance before the El Escorial closed at 5 p.m. Paying our bill, we walked back to El Escorial and were encouraged to find that the line had become slightly shorter over lunch. Taking our place at the end of the line, we spent the next two hours inching towards the palace entrance. Legs aching from 120 minutes of standing and weight-shifting, we eventually reached the ticket counter and began our self-guided tour of El Escorial.
As indicated by the stark exterior of the palace, El Escorial was much simpler than the Palacio Real in Madrid. Boasting mostly whitewashed walls, only religious paintings and tapestries decorated the rooms of King Philip II's palace. Thankfully, there were a few exceptions to this rule: the Hall of Battles and the Basilica. The Hall of Battles was a long interestingly painted room that reminded me of a "Where's Waldo?" cartoon. On every wall and ceiling, cartoon-like depictions of Spain's most famous battles were painted for guests to see. Frescoes also adorned the Basilica, but the style and subjects were much different from the Hall of Battles. While the Hall of Battles seemed almost comical in their animated nature, the Basilica was decorated in paintings of the heavens, Holy Family, and various saints. Dark and bold, the Basilica proudly displayed its collection of characteristic Spanish art.
With only two hours to tour El Escorial before closing time, Bill and I felt slightly rushed to see the entire palace before it was locked up for the night. Unfortunately, we were unable to tour many areas of the Basilica because a wedding was scheduled to take place in the evening. Closing the church to visitors, Bill and I caught a glimpse of the bride as she emerged from a car in front of El Escorial with her father. Leaving the palace after our tour, we stopped to rest our legs in a nearby park. Watching as the sun quickly began to set behind the trees, we headed back to the bus stop to catch a return ride to Madrid.
Discouraged that we had wasted much of our day standing in line to see a single palace, Bill and I returned to Madrid with plans to find a great restaurant to lift our spirits. Much to our luck, we did! Located near Puerto del Sol, Hotel Europa was a charming restaurant with incredible staff. Served by the head waiter, Bill and I decided to try the infamous Spanish dish, paella. Known for its flavorful mix of spices, paella is an eclectic combination of meat, seafood, vegetables, and rice. Though usually adventurous in my taste for food, I was not exactly expecting to see so many random crustaceans piled onto my plate. Watching prawns stare up at me from my plate, I decided that this was an instance where I could be entitled to pick and choose which parts of the dish would be best to eat. Removing anything with eyes (i.e. whole shrimp, prawns, etc.) and anything that didn't look edible without complicated de-shelling, I was still left with a huge plate of rice, mussels, vegetables, chicken, pork, and beef. Checking with us often to make sure that we were enjoying our meal, the head waiter kindly offered us two free glasses of the house wine. Usually preferring red wine, I was impressed by the flavorful body of the white house wine and must admit that it was one of my favorite glasses of wine during our weekend in Spain. Laughing at the pile of critters piling on the sides of our plates, Bill and I felt our moods begin to brighten after a long day in San Lorenzo. Tipping the waiter generously to cover the free wine, we left Hotel Europa feeling light-hearted and loving the friendliness of Spaniards. Deciding to end our trip to Madrid on a happy note, I snapped a picture of my favorite Spanish restaurant before hopping on the subway to check into an airport hotel before our early-morning flight back to London.
Overall, our trip to Spain was beautiful and a lot of fun. With mild weather and gorgeous scenery, it's hard not to love Madrid. Despite the long palace line at El Escorial, San Lorenzo is a charming town and definitely worth a second visit. After a warm weekend in the Spanish sun, it'll be difficult to handle the opposite weather extreme next weekend: rain and snow in Munich, Germany.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Madrid, Spain: ¡Adoro España! (Part 2)
Arriving in Madrid late the night before, Bill and I finally found our hostel around half past midnight only to discover that someone had already taken Bill's bed. Stifling a few yawns, I walked back to front desk in hopes of locating a second bed. Confused by the occupied bed, the hostel manager walked into our room, wrapped the stranger's belongings into a sheet, and said, "Now the bed is yours!" Almost too tired to chuckle at the quick fix, I hopped into my bunk bed for a few good hours of deep sleep.
Sleeping in an extra hour the next morning, Bill and I still managed to leave the hostel around 9:30 a.m. for a beautiful day of touring Madrid. Pleasantly surprised by the cloudless blue sky, the gorgeous Spanish sun instantly put both of us in a good mood for seeing the city sights. Big fans of castles and palaces, we began our day with a tour of Palacio Real (a.k.a "Royal Palace"). Though currently owned by King Juan Carlos I, Spain's royal family resides in a mansion outside the city and uses Palacio Real mainly for official state functions.
To give you a brief history of the Spanish monarchy, Spain was a democratic nation until dictator Francisco Franco rose to power in 1939 after the Spanish Civil War. Allied with Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, Franco ruled Spain with a ruthlessness that marked several dictators during World War II. Before the outbreak of the second World War, Hitler asked Franco to provide a city for "strategic mitilary testing". Wanting to appease his powerful ally, Franco allowed Hitler to test his military strength on the Spanish city of Guernica. Without warning the citizens of Guernica, Franco and Hitler bombed the city and all who lived there, thus killing over a thousand of Spain's native citizens. Franco remained in power after World War II until his death in 1975. Hand-picking his successor, Franco believed Juan Carlos to be a stoic supporter of his fascist regime. Despite playing the part of devoted supporter, Juan Carlos secretly met with opposition leaders and began making plans to reestablish Spain's democratic government after being crowned as the reigning monarch. Thankful for an end to Spain's fascist dictatorship, King Juan Carlos I is one of the most beloved national leaders in the world.
Considered to be one of the three most beautiful palaces in Europe, the Palacio Real is artfully magnificent. With nearly every ceiling painted with Spanish frescoes, the rich colors of the royal palace left me breathless and wanting to spend hours admiring the beauty and warmth of each room. Though Buckingham in London was also very beautiful, the queen's palace couldn't hold a candle to Madrid's royal residence. Of the many gorgeous rooms in Palacio Real, my favorite is split among the Throne Room, King Philip V's Bedroom, and the Porcelain Room. The Throne Room is everything that a throne room should be. Covered in deep red velvet, the golden trim appears to glimmer from the light of the crystal chandelier. Though thrones for the king and queen are placed on a small platform near the center of the room, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia greet their guests from the floor rather than sitting in the designated seats of power. (Interesting to Note: Queen Sofia was formerly a princess of Greece and Denmark before the democratic governments disbanded the monarchy. After World War II, Sofia returned to school in Germany to study pediatrics, music, and archaeology. An Olympic athlete, she represented Greece in sailing during the 1960 Summer Olympics.) Of my three favorite palace rooms, King Philip V's Bedroom is definitely the most magnificent. Extremely ornate, a patterned marble swirled floor lay beneath our feet while we marveled at the brightly painted moulded ceiling above. Adorned with moulded roses, vines, and Asian faces, the ceiling was unlike anything I've encountered so far in Europe. Despite the dizzying ornateness of the walls and ceiling, the decorations seemed to somehow fit in a crazy pattern of swirls and vines. Though not a fan of extremely ornate rooms, I couldn't stop myself from loving every detail of this bedroom. Similar to King Philip V's Bedroom, the Porcelain Room was also covered with moulded flowers and leaves, but rather than sculpting the ceiling from ceramics, this room was decorated with fragile porcelain. Though relatively small, the Porcelain Room compensated for its size with an air of fragile beauty. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take pictures within the palace, which means that you'll need to either believe me when I say that it was absolutely gorgeous or take a trip to Spain to see it yourself!
Finishing our tour of Palacio Real, Bill and I found a cute cafe for lunch before grabbing a spot in line to see Museo del Prado (a.k.a. "Prado Museum"). Acclaimed as the world's largest collection of Spanish art, our tour books recommended the Prado as the most important sight in Madrid. Thankfully, the long line leading into the museum was moving quickly and we quickly found ourselves browsing through Spanish paintings after only an hour of waiting outside the museum doors. In general, I can sum up my impression of Spanish art in two words: dark and religious. I saw more variations of the crucifixion in the Prado than I have my entire life. El Greco, Goya, and many others all had their own opinion on how to portray the suffering of Christ. Even though I am a devout Catholic, even I have limits on how many religious paintings tolerated in a day, and that limit was quickly exceeded after only an hour within the Prado. Beyond a doubt, the art was quite good, but the paintings may have been better appreciated by people who like dark works with distinctly religious undertones.
Giving up after two hours within the Prado Art Museum, Bill and I decided to take a relaxing stroll through Retiro Park as the sun was quickly setting behind the city. Formerly private royal grounds, the reigning monarch gave the land back to the people of Madrid to use as a public resting place. Centered around a medium-sized lake, people can rent rowboats to row around the lake on sunny days. Missing the boat rental shop before it closed, Bill and I were bummed that we couldn't go rowing, but we had a great time resting on the grass until the air became too chilly for sitting outside.
Walking back to the city center, we browsed through Puerto del Sol (similar to Times Square in New York City) for a bit of window shopping and watching street performers. Ducking into an upscale Spanish restaurant, Bill and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice bottle of wine and a hearty plate of steak. Excited to try authentic Spanish wine, I was surprised by the light body of our expensive bottle of Rioja. Expecting the strong bitter taste of a merlot or cabernet, it was interesting to discover that Rioja is actually rather light and sweet for a red wine. Stretching out our meal for much longer than many of the restaurant's guests, Bill and I eventually paid our bill and strolled back to our hostel for the night.
With beautiful weather and a gorgeous palace, I quickly fell asleep with happy dreams of Madrid floating through my head.
Sleeping in an extra hour the next morning, Bill and I still managed to leave the hostel around 9:30 a.m. for a beautiful day of touring Madrid. Pleasantly surprised by the cloudless blue sky, the gorgeous Spanish sun instantly put both of us in a good mood for seeing the city sights. Big fans of castles and palaces, we began our day with a tour of Palacio Real (a.k.a "Royal Palace"). Though currently owned by King Juan Carlos I, Spain's royal family resides in a mansion outside the city and uses Palacio Real mainly for official state functions.
To give you a brief history of the Spanish monarchy, Spain was a democratic nation until dictator Francisco Franco rose to power in 1939 after the Spanish Civil War. Allied with Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, Franco ruled Spain with a ruthlessness that marked several dictators during World War II. Before the outbreak of the second World War, Hitler asked Franco to provide a city for "strategic mitilary testing". Wanting to appease his powerful ally, Franco allowed Hitler to test his military strength on the Spanish city of Guernica. Without warning the citizens of Guernica, Franco and Hitler bombed the city and all who lived there, thus killing over a thousand of Spain's native citizens. Franco remained in power after World War II until his death in 1975. Hand-picking his successor, Franco believed Juan Carlos to be a stoic supporter of his fascist regime. Despite playing the part of devoted supporter, Juan Carlos secretly met with opposition leaders and began making plans to reestablish Spain's democratic government after being crowned as the reigning monarch. Thankful for an end to Spain's fascist dictatorship, King Juan Carlos I is one of the most beloved national leaders in the world.
Considered to be one of the three most beautiful palaces in Europe, the Palacio Real is artfully magnificent. With nearly every ceiling painted with Spanish frescoes, the rich colors of the royal palace left me breathless and wanting to spend hours admiring the beauty and warmth of each room. Though Buckingham in London was also very beautiful, the queen's palace couldn't hold a candle to Madrid's royal residence. Of the many gorgeous rooms in Palacio Real, my favorite is split among the Throne Room, King Philip V's Bedroom, and the Porcelain Room. The Throne Room is everything that a throne room should be. Covered in deep red velvet, the golden trim appears to glimmer from the light of the crystal chandelier. Though thrones for the king and queen are placed on a small platform near the center of the room, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia greet their guests from the floor rather than sitting in the designated seats of power. (Interesting to Note: Queen Sofia was formerly a princess of Greece and Denmark before the democratic governments disbanded the monarchy. After World War II, Sofia returned to school in Germany to study pediatrics, music, and archaeology. An Olympic athlete, she represented Greece in sailing during the 1960 Summer Olympics.) Of my three favorite palace rooms, King Philip V's Bedroom is definitely the most magnificent. Extremely ornate, a patterned marble swirled floor lay beneath our feet while we marveled at the brightly painted moulded ceiling above. Adorned with moulded roses, vines, and Asian faces, the ceiling was unlike anything I've encountered so far in Europe. Despite the dizzying ornateness of the walls and ceiling, the decorations seemed to somehow fit in a crazy pattern of swirls and vines. Though not a fan of extremely ornate rooms, I couldn't stop myself from loving every detail of this bedroom. Similar to King Philip V's Bedroom, the Porcelain Room was also covered with moulded flowers and leaves, but rather than sculpting the ceiling from ceramics, this room was decorated with fragile porcelain. Though relatively small, the Porcelain Room compensated for its size with an air of fragile beauty. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take pictures within the palace, which means that you'll need to either believe me when I say that it was absolutely gorgeous or take a trip to Spain to see it yourself!
Finishing our tour of Palacio Real, Bill and I found a cute cafe for lunch before grabbing a spot in line to see Museo del Prado (a.k.a. "Prado Museum"). Acclaimed as the world's largest collection of Spanish art, our tour books recommended the Prado as the most important sight in Madrid. Thankfully, the long line leading into the museum was moving quickly and we quickly found ourselves browsing through Spanish paintings after only an hour of waiting outside the museum doors. In general, I can sum up my impression of Spanish art in two words: dark and religious. I saw more variations of the crucifixion in the Prado than I have my entire life. El Greco, Goya, and many others all had their own opinion on how to portray the suffering of Christ. Even though I am a devout Catholic, even I have limits on how many religious paintings tolerated in a day, and that limit was quickly exceeded after only an hour within the Prado. Beyond a doubt, the art was quite good, but the paintings may have been better appreciated by people who like dark works with distinctly religious undertones.
Giving up after two hours within the Prado Art Museum, Bill and I decided to take a relaxing stroll through Retiro Park as the sun was quickly setting behind the city. Formerly private royal grounds, the reigning monarch gave the land back to the people of Madrid to use as a public resting place. Centered around a medium-sized lake, people can rent rowboats to row around the lake on sunny days. Missing the boat rental shop before it closed, Bill and I were bummed that we couldn't go rowing, but we had a great time resting on the grass until the air became too chilly for sitting outside.
Walking back to the city center, we browsed through Puerto del Sol (similar to Times Square in New York City) for a bit of window shopping and watching street performers. Ducking into an upscale Spanish restaurant, Bill and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice bottle of wine and a hearty plate of steak. Excited to try authentic Spanish wine, I was surprised by the light body of our expensive bottle of Rioja. Expecting the strong bitter taste of a merlot or cabernet, it was interesting to discover that Rioja is actually rather light and sweet for a red wine. Stretching out our meal for much longer than many of the restaurant's guests, Bill and I eventually paid our bill and strolled back to our hostel for the night.
With beautiful weather and a gorgeous palace, I quickly fell asleep with happy dreams of Madrid floating through my head.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Madrid, Spain: ¡Adoro España! (Part 1)
At the beginning of our semester in England, I sent Bill an email that said something like this:
"I found cheap flight tickets to Spain and Germany. Between Munich and Madrid, which city would you rather see?"
Keeping my fingers crossed for Munich, I was shocked when Bill replied,
"Both."
From that point on, I began planning a crazy month of non-stop European travel. Besides squeezing in flights to Madrid, Munich, and Rome with Bill, Craig and I had already planned a 9-day tour of London, Paris, Brussels, and Bruges (also in Belgium). Needless to say, I'm going to desperately need three weeks of Christmas vacation back home just to catch up on some sleep! Sleep aside, touring six European countries in 20 days is one opportunity that I'd never pass up!
Kicking off our tour of Europe with a weekend trip to Spain, Bill and I faced an obstacle that seems to haunt us wherever we go -- catching flights on time. Giving ourselves an hour and a half to check in and walk through security, I assumed that we'd have a few minutes to spare before boarding the plane. Unfortunately, I failed to imagine all of the things that can possibly go wrong at an airport ticket desk and factor the delay into our arrival time. Between slow lines and a few high-maintenance passengers ahead of us, Bill and I grabbed our tickets only five minutes before the boarding time and dashed to the security check. Like most security checkpoints, the long winding lines in London Gatwick Airport are no exception. Beginning to freak out about missing our flight, I anxiously shifted from foot to foot while watching minutes slowly tick away on my watch. Eventually reaching the metal detectors, I threw my shoes, loose change, and backpack into a security bin and prayed that I wouldn't need to be patted down by a security officer. Breathing a sigh of relief as I darted through the metal detector without setting off any alarms, I shoved my feet into my shoes, grabbed my bag, and rushed to the nearest display screen to figure out which gate I needed to sprint towards in order to catch my flight. Making a mental note of the gate number, I grabbed Bill from the security checkpoint and began running towards Gate 17. With calves burning, we arrived at the departure gate out-of-breath but thankfully on time. Stashing our bags in the overhead compartment, I sank into my seat and tried to slow my pulse from the sudden adrenaline rush. After a frantic hour of worrying, I finally began to relax and revel in the fact that we were on our way to Madrid!
"I found cheap flight tickets to Spain and Germany. Between Munich and Madrid, which city would you rather see?"
Keeping my fingers crossed for Munich, I was shocked when Bill replied,
"Both."
From that point on, I began planning a crazy month of non-stop European travel. Besides squeezing in flights to Madrid, Munich, and Rome with Bill, Craig and I had already planned a 9-day tour of London, Paris, Brussels, and Bruges (also in Belgium). Needless to say, I'm going to desperately need three weeks of Christmas vacation back home just to catch up on some sleep! Sleep aside, touring six European countries in 20 days is one opportunity that I'd never pass up!
Kicking off our tour of Europe with a weekend trip to Spain, Bill and I faced an obstacle that seems to haunt us wherever we go -- catching flights on time. Giving ourselves an hour and a half to check in and walk through security, I assumed that we'd have a few minutes to spare before boarding the plane. Unfortunately, I failed to imagine all of the things that can possibly go wrong at an airport ticket desk and factor the delay into our arrival time. Between slow lines and a few high-maintenance passengers ahead of us, Bill and I grabbed our tickets only five minutes before the boarding time and dashed to the security check. Like most security checkpoints, the long winding lines in London Gatwick Airport are no exception. Beginning to freak out about missing our flight, I anxiously shifted from foot to foot while watching minutes slowly tick away on my watch. Eventually reaching the metal detectors, I threw my shoes, loose change, and backpack into a security bin and prayed that I wouldn't need to be patted down by a security officer. Breathing a sigh of relief as I darted through the metal detector without setting off any alarms, I shoved my feet into my shoes, grabbed my bag, and rushed to the nearest display screen to figure out which gate I needed to sprint towards in order to catch my flight. Making a mental note of the gate number, I grabbed Bill from the security checkpoint and began running towards Gate 17. With calves burning, we arrived at the departure gate out-of-breath but thankfully on time. Stashing our bags in the overhead compartment, I sank into my seat and tried to slow my pulse from the sudden adrenaline rush. After a frantic hour of worrying, I finally began to relax and revel in the fact that we were on our way to Madrid!
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