I woke up at 4:30 am the day I left for Egypt, since we were meeting up at 6:00 at the ISH building in central London. There, I met the group of people who I was to be traveling with (none of whom I knew before). The group was a very diverse one (18 people, with 16 different nationalities), which made for interesting conversations. I really liked the group – half the fun of the trip was the people who went along. We took a bus to Heathrow and then flew from there to Cairo, which was about a 5 hour flight.
We touched down to a hazy, dirty, and warm city. There was so much sand and pollution in the sky that it was a brown color (it was better the other days, but Cairo was definitely the most polluted city I’ve ever visited). We were picked up at the airport by Attif, the hostel owner / local godfather (as we later discovered), who transported us to the King Tut Hostel, down in the center of the city. Once we arrived, we had free time to relax and unpack our clothes. A few of us decided that we would wander the streets a little around the hostel, so we went out with Oscar, a funny guy who worked at the hostel (and was Attif’s nephew).
Egypt was quite a change from the West. There are rarely fixed prices on anything (unless one is at an establishment catering to foreigners) and the true value of an item is probably far lower than one would expect (labor is extremely inexpensive there). Thus, one will get ripped off (luckily, with the exchange rate, things are still cheap, even being ripped off). Furthermore, vendors actively try to sell you items. Walking down the streets (which are always very crowded – the population density in Cairo and Alexandria is far higher than American cities) is an interesting experience due to the constant haranguing. Since I was normally with either Nicole (an American girl) or Kasha (a Polish girl) when out walking the streets (we often split up into smaller groups), we would get significantly more attention (mostly unwanted). Most of the Egyptian men acted like they’d never seen a woman before (granted, basically all the women there wear coverings as opposed to Western clothing, but we weren’t the only tourists to ever visit Cairo).
Crossing the street was also always interesting, as they don’t have traffic lights, stop signs, pedestrian crossings, lanes, or really any rules concerning vehicles, it seems. It amazes me that there are not more accidents, as the street traffic there is extremely heavy. To cross, one just has to start walking confidently and hope that the cars will stop (they will). It is a rather unnerving experience at first, however, and I was one of the few people in the group who was willing to be the leader in crossing (once someone has gotten out there and stopped the cars, it is easy to cross). Another thing I found interesting was that the army and police are everywhere. I remember reading that before I left and thinking, ok, they have more people than America does. In actuality, Egypt has police and soldiers everywhere. It seems like 1 in 10 guys over there is a soldier or policeman. And these police are strolling around with AK-47s. Tourist spots have even heavier protection forces (the pyramids had several hundred soldiers guarding them), normally with armored vehicles, heavy machine guns, and defensive posts. I found this quite cool (I like military things), and it meant that we were always really safe (almost anywhere we were, we could see a policeman or soldier).
That evening, we went down to the Nile and boarded a riverboat. It cruised up and down the Nile (though in the city area, which isn’t really all that exciting – I imagined us cruising along out in the desert) while we ate dinner and watched live entertainment. Getting our food was an experience (people – not our group – stampeded to get it, even though it was buffet and it wasn’t going anywhere). Since we were close to the food, we all got squished in by the hoard of people. The entertainment consisted of musicians and singers, whirling dervish dancing, and belly dancing, which was all fairly interesting. Afterwards, we headed back to the hostel. Some of us walked around the streets a little longer before heading off to bed. I shared a room with Alexis, a guy from Mexico, John, an American, and Tee, a guy from Thailand, all of whom are friendly. I'll add the next few days soon.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Saturday, 17 May 2008
Roma Eterna (April 19-22)
I arrived at Rome in the late afternoon. The train station is on the other side of town from where Megan, so I hiked the 30 min walk from there to her place. Along the way, I walked past all sorts of interesting sights, such as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the city center, and a whole lot of other things. Megan lives in a prime location, basically on top of where Pompey’s grandiose villa, theater, and alternate senate house used to be (famously, where Julius Caesar was murdered). Now the ruins are just full of cats (they really are). Finding Megan’s place was interesting, as I had a very poor map at the time. As it was, it is right next to the ruins, but I walked past it a bunch of times before realizing that. After maybe 15 mins of wandering around the area where it was, I found it and met up with Megan. She lives with 4 other girls from Cornell, whom I met. After sitting around and visiting for a while, Megan and I wandered around her area a little bit, heading over to the Trevi Fountain, the Parthenon (which was by then closed), and another piazza. We then met up with Mel (one of her roommates) and went to eat dinner at a restaurant in the nearby Piazza Navona. I forget exactly what I ate (it was some sort of pasta), but the food was quite good. Afterwards, we headed back to Megan’s place and hung out with some of her other roommates till fairly late.
The next morning I got up and lounged around for a while, including doing a crossword puzzle with Megan and planning what I wanted to do around the city the next few days. Megan and her roommates had a soccer match, so I was on my own for the day. I decided to hit up the Ancient Roman part of Rome, so I headed over to the Capitoline Hill and walked around it a bit (there is a massive building/monument to the king there). I then walked down to the Roman Forum, passing a parade of sorts and various other things on the Imperial Way. It was very cool to be in the actual place where so many important events occurred. Unfortunately, the forum is also just ruins, and even with my knowledge of Ancient Rome, it is pretty challenging to make much sense of everything. After wandering around in the actual forum, I headed up the bordering Palatine Hill, which is also preserved as ruins. It was where most of the wealthy lived back in the day due to its prime location right above the forum. It is also the birthplace of Rome, and sports the ruins of what the Romans believed to be Romulus’ hut. Most of what remains up there is the ruins of the Imperial Palace, which slowly grew to take over much of the hill. After that, I headed over and visited the Flavian Ampitheatre, better known as the Colosseum. Although also only a shadow of its former glory, it is still quite an impressive structure. I then headed up the nearby Esquiline Hill, which was another fashionable area to live back in the day (Nero had his giant palace built there after bulldozing the existing residences). It too is mostly just ruins, but still interesting to see.
Afterwards, I returned to the Colosseum, as I had planned to meet up with Josh in front of it at 5:00. As it turned out, there were 3 other Americans from QM also in Rome, whom Josh had run into. The group of us went over to the ruins of the Circus Maximus (very cool – it is now just grass, but the depression of the stadium is still very visible, as is the track and the raised middle section) and hung out for a while, as there is a nice view there. We planned to meet up the next morning to see the Vatican, as well as later that evening and maybe walk around a bit. I then headed over to the Tiber (which is right by the Circus) and walked back to Megan’s along it (she lives right by the river). The Tiber has some trash in it, but is relatively clean and scenic. There are some neat ruins of bridges going across it, as well as a cool little island with some buildings on it near the lower bend.
When I got back to Megan’s, I hung out with her and her roommates for a while (I ran into them just outside her place, as they were walking back from soccer – they had won their tournament). They made burgers, which were quite good (it was very nice of them to cook them). I then decided to head back down to the Colosseum to meet up with the other QM people. Naturally, the people whose idea it was to see it at night ended up not showing, so it ended up just being me and Josh. The Colosseum is pretty cool lit up at night, I must say. We headed up to walk around in the northern part of the city, seeing things like the Spanish Steps, some of the other plazas, and the Trevi Fountain (he hadn’t seen it yet). Rome is pretty interesting at night, with all the lights and shadows playing off the structures.
The next morning, I got up bright and early and hiked over to the Vatican, which is about a 20 minute walk from Megan’s, on the other side of the Tiber. It started to rain just as a got there, but I had luckily thrown in my windbreaker/rain jacket, so I was set. The plaza in front of St. Peter’s is pretty awesome – it is too bad the Pope was in the US at the time, it would have been interesting to see him give a speech. The plan was to meet in front of the giant obelisk at 8:45 am and beat the lines. Only one other person from the group showed up: Joelle, one of the other QM students (she’s from Minnesota). We waited around for a little while, but no one else showed up (we later found out that Josh and an Australian girl he had met at the hostel had shown up in front of the Vatican Museum and been waiting there, even though we had made clear the day before to meet in front of the obelisk).
We were able to walk right in, without a line, which was quite nice. St. Peter’s is easily the most impressive cathedral in the world (and I’ve been to most of the famous ones now). It is simply massive, but also full of priceless and amazing artwork. Walking around inside, I couldn’t help but wonder how expensive it would be to create something like this today (the size alone would make it pricey, but it would be the artwork that would really drive up the price, as well as all the solid marble). After seeing the main church, we went and saw their collection of relics and things and the tombs of the popes. We then hiked up the 500 or so steps to the top of the dome, which provided a great view of the city below. The climb up was very interesting, as near the top, one had to bend with the shape of the dome (which made it difficult for me, since I am tall, and had to walk in a really strange manner).
We then headed over to the Vatican Museum, where we waited about an hour in line before getting in (not too bad of a wait, it is normally much worse). There was a lot of random junk in the museum, but they also have some of the greatest masterpieces in the world. Their statue collection is amazing, as is the Sistine Chapel, of course, as well as the nearby rooms painted by the greats like Raphael. Easily one of the best art museums in the world. While inside the Sistine Chapel, I ran into Ashley Eastin, another USC student (she’s up in Scotland for the semester). Apparently USC and QM students have taken over Rome. After seeing the museum, we hiked up the nearby Janiculum Hill. It is the highest point in Rome (at least the older part) and offers a great view overlooking the city (the Romans used to have their main lookout tower up there to spot invaders). Then we walked down through the Trastavere region and down to the Tiber, where we split up to head back to our respective places. I then got some pizza with Megan and hung out for a while with her and some of her roommates. Later, I met up with Josh and another friend he had made at his hostel and the three of us wandered around the city, including yet another visit to the Trevi Fountain (where we were in theory going to meet up with some more people from their hostel, but who never showed up). On the way back, it started to pour, and we all got very soaked.
The next day, Josh and I walked around and saw some of the things that we had missed, such as the Pantheon (which is really amazing – it is still in great condition and would be a engineering masterpiece today, much less 2000 years ago). We then took the bus out along the Appian Way to the famous catacombs. Naturally, they were closed for 2 hours for lunch when we arrived, so we walked up and down along the old road (very, very cool). Part of the old road (along the catacombs) has been kept very clear of modernity, so it is lined with the traditional trees and surrounded by fields and one could easily imagine oneself in the Roman era. We eventually went down and saw the catacombs (which were alright, but nothing really special) and then headed back to the city. I decided to head back up to the Capitoline Hill to get a nice view of the forum again, while Josh parted off to see the Tiber area. I then returned back to Megan’s, where I hung out with Megan for a while (she had just gotten back from taking a final) before walking back to the train station and catching a bus to the airport.
Overall, Rome was a very neat city. Since I love Ancient Rome, seeing the actual place where it all happened was especially interesting. There are literally cool ruins everywhere in Rome – the city has done a good job of preserving them. The Papal section is also very neat to see (definitely something one should see at least once). It was great seeing Megan again, and really nice that she let me stay with her. Now I just need to come back at some point and show Karli it, as she would really enjoy Rome.
The next morning I got up and lounged around for a while, including doing a crossword puzzle with Megan and planning what I wanted to do around the city the next few days. Megan and her roommates had a soccer match, so I was on my own for the day. I decided to hit up the Ancient Roman part of Rome, so I headed over to the Capitoline Hill and walked around it a bit (there is a massive building/monument to the king there). I then walked down to the Roman Forum, passing a parade of sorts and various other things on the Imperial Way. It was very cool to be in the actual place where so many important events occurred. Unfortunately, the forum is also just ruins, and even with my knowledge of Ancient Rome, it is pretty challenging to make much sense of everything. After wandering around in the actual forum, I headed up the bordering Palatine Hill, which is also preserved as ruins. It was where most of the wealthy lived back in the day due to its prime location right above the forum. It is also the birthplace of Rome, and sports the ruins of what the Romans believed to be Romulus’ hut. Most of what remains up there is the ruins of the Imperial Palace, which slowly grew to take over much of the hill. After that, I headed over and visited the Flavian Ampitheatre, better known as the Colosseum. Although also only a shadow of its former glory, it is still quite an impressive structure. I then headed up the nearby Esquiline Hill, which was another fashionable area to live back in the day (Nero had his giant palace built there after bulldozing the existing residences). It too is mostly just ruins, but still interesting to see.
Afterwards, I returned to the Colosseum, as I had planned to meet up with Josh in front of it at 5:00. As it turned out, there were 3 other Americans from QM also in Rome, whom Josh had run into. The group of us went over to the ruins of the Circus Maximus (very cool – it is now just grass, but the depression of the stadium is still very visible, as is the track and the raised middle section) and hung out for a while, as there is a nice view there. We planned to meet up the next morning to see the Vatican, as well as later that evening and maybe walk around a bit. I then headed over to the Tiber (which is right by the Circus) and walked back to Megan’s along it (she lives right by the river). The Tiber has some trash in it, but is relatively clean and scenic. There are some neat ruins of bridges going across it, as well as a cool little island with some buildings on it near the lower bend.
When I got back to Megan’s, I hung out with her and her roommates for a while (I ran into them just outside her place, as they were walking back from soccer – they had won their tournament). They made burgers, which were quite good (it was very nice of them to cook them). I then decided to head back down to the Colosseum to meet up with the other QM people. Naturally, the people whose idea it was to see it at night ended up not showing, so it ended up just being me and Josh. The Colosseum is pretty cool lit up at night, I must say. We headed up to walk around in the northern part of the city, seeing things like the Spanish Steps, some of the other plazas, and the Trevi Fountain (he hadn’t seen it yet). Rome is pretty interesting at night, with all the lights and shadows playing off the structures.
The next morning, I got up bright and early and hiked over to the Vatican, which is about a 20 minute walk from Megan’s, on the other side of the Tiber. It started to rain just as a got there, but I had luckily thrown in my windbreaker/rain jacket, so I was set. The plaza in front of St. Peter’s is pretty awesome – it is too bad the Pope was in the US at the time, it would have been interesting to see him give a speech. The plan was to meet in front of the giant obelisk at 8:45 am and beat the lines. Only one other person from the group showed up: Joelle, one of the other QM students (she’s from Minnesota). We waited around for a little while, but no one else showed up (we later found out that Josh and an Australian girl he had met at the hostel had shown up in front of the Vatican Museum and been waiting there, even though we had made clear the day before to meet in front of the obelisk).
We were able to walk right in, without a line, which was quite nice. St. Peter’s is easily the most impressive cathedral in the world (and I’ve been to most of the famous ones now). It is simply massive, but also full of priceless and amazing artwork. Walking around inside, I couldn’t help but wonder how expensive it would be to create something like this today (the size alone would make it pricey, but it would be the artwork that would really drive up the price, as well as all the solid marble). After seeing the main church, we went and saw their collection of relics and things and the tombs of the popes. We then hiked up the 500 or so steps to the top of the dome, which provided a great view of the city below. The climb up was very interesting, as near the top, one had to bend with the shape of the dome (which made it difficult for me, since I am tall, and had to walk in a really strange manner).
We then headed over to the Vatican Museum, where we waited about an hour in line before getting in (not too bad of a wait, it is normally much worse). There was a lot of random junk in the museum, but they also have some of the greatest masterpieces in the world. Their statue collection is amazing, as is the Sistine Chapel, of course, as well as the nearby rooms painted by the greats like Raphael. Easily one of the best art museums in the world. While inside the Sistine Chapel, I ran into Ashley Eastin, another USC student (she’s up in Scotland for the semester). Apparently USC and QM students have taken over Rome. After seeing the museum, we hiked up the nearby Janiculum Hill. It is the highest point in Rome (at least the older part) and offers a great view overlooking the city (the Romans used to have their main lookout tower up there to spot invaders). Then we walked down through the Trastavere region and down to the Tiber, where we split up to head back to our respective places. I then got some pizza with Megan and hung out for a while with her and some of her roommates. Later, I met up with Josh and another friend he had made at his hostel and the three of us wandered around the city, including yet another visit to the Trevi Fountain (where we were in theory going to meet up with some more people from their hostel, but who never showed up). On the way back, it started to pour, and we all got very soaked.
The next day, Josh and I walked around and saw some of the things that we had missed, such as the Pantheon (which is really amazing – it is still in great condition and would be a engineering masterpiece today, much less 2000 years ago). We then took the bus out along the Appian Way to the famous catacombs. Naturally, they were closed for 2 hours for lunch when we arrived, so we walked up and down along the old road (very, very cool). Part of the old road (along the catacombs) has been kept very clear of modernity, so it is lined with the traditional trees and surrounded by fields and one could easily imagine oneself in the Roman era. We eventually went down and saw the catacombs (which were alright, but nothing really special) and then headed back to the city. I decided to head back up to the Capitoline Hill to get a nice view of the forum again, while Josh parted off to see the Tiber area. I then returned back to Megan’s, where I hung out with Megan for a while (she had just gotten back from taking a final) before walking back to the train station and catching a bus to the airport.
Overall, Rome was a very neat city. Since I love Ancient Rome, seeing the actual place where it all happened was especially interesting. There are literally cool ruins everywhere in Rome – the city has done a good job of preserving them. The Papal section is also very neat to see (definitely something one should see at least once). It was great seeing Megan again, and really nice that she let me stay with her. Now I just need to come back at some point and show Karli it, as she would really enjoy Rome.
Saturday, 3 May 2008
Florence (April 18-19)
On Friday, I got up early, said goodbye to the Büels and my parents, and caught the 7:40 train to Florence. It was a 7 hour train ride, but it didn't seem so bad because there was scenery to look at. Once I got to the city, I checked into the hostel (which was very nice) and explored the city a little bit. I went and saw the impressive Duomo cathedral, once of the largest cathedrals in the world (it is unbelievably massive in its giant domed area). I then hiked up the many steps of its bell tower, which gave an excellent view of the city and the surrounding hills (I took tons of great pictures). After that, I met up with Kevin McCormack, who is spending the semester here in Florence. We went and saw the Academy, which houses Michelangelo's famous David. The statue is very impressive (I didn't realize how massive it is). We then went and ate some gelato, which I had never had before and which is very delicious.
He had to head out, so I went back to the hostel to get some warmer clothes (it had been surprisingly warm when I arrived, but had by that time cooled off, and it would eventually start to rain). I then walked back to the Duomo and met up with Michelle Delanty, who is also in Florence for the semester. We walked past the old civic center and palace and over to the ancient bridge across the Arno, which has loads of shops on it. We walked over and looked at the Medici palace across the river and then looped back towards the Duomo. She then headed out for the evening (she and Kevin both had their last finals the following week and needed to finish up projects). I then went and ate a good (and quite large) calzone and headed back to the hostel. While on the computer in the common area, I ran into Josh Bark, a friend from Queen Mary (what are the odds?). Even more ironically, he also was going to Rome the next day. After running into Josh, we hung out in my room with one of my roommates (a girl from Idaho). While we talked, a heavy thunderstorm and rainstorm descended upon the town (it was neat to listen to). Shortly thereafter, the 5 remaining roommates (4 Swiss girls and 1 Canadian girl) arrived, completely drenched. They had been caught out in the rain, but found the incident humorous once they finally made it inside. Shortly thereafter, we called it a night (it was by then quite late).
The next morning I got up and cruised over to the Uffizi Gallery. To get there, I walked along the Arno, which is quite a brown, dirty river (it is one of the dirtiest rivers I have ever seen). After waiting an agonizing 2.5 hours to get into the gallery, I finally got in and discovered that it was definitely not worth the long wait. While it does have a fair amount of artwork, most of it is not to my taste, and I feel that the museum pales in comparison to the Louvre, National Gallery, or Prado. I think I saw everything in there in about an hour (maybe a little bit longer). After that, I was quite hungry (I had only had yogurt and Rivella for breakfast), so I went and ate at none other than McDonald's (I felt like a burger). Never have a seen a more crowded fast food place - and it wasn't tourists, it was mostly Italians. Apparently the locals love their McDonald's. It actually was quite good - McDonald's is better over here. I then walked over to the other side of the city to go inspect the Medici family's imposing fortress. From there, I then went and caught the train to Roma.
He had to head out, so I went back to the hostel to get some warmer clothes (it had been surprisingly warm when I arrived, but had by that time cooled off, and it would eventually start to rain). I then walked back to the Duomo and met up with Michelle Delanty, who is also in Florence for the semester. We walked past the old civic center and palace and over to the ancient bridge across the Arno, which has loads of shops on it. We walked over and looked at the Medici palace across the river and then looped back towards the Duomo. She then headed out for the evening (she and Kevin both had their last finals the following week and needed to finish up projects). I then went and ate a good (and quite large) calzone and headed back to the hostel. While on the computer in the common area, I ran into Josh Bark, a friend from Queen Mary (what are the odds?). Even more ironically, he also was going to Rome the next day. After running into Josh, we hung out in my room with one of my roommates (a girl from Idaho). While we talked, a heavy thunderstorm and rainstorm descended upon the town (it was neat to listen to). Shortly thereafter, the 5 remaining roommates (4 Swiss girls and 1 Canadian girl) arrived, completely drenched. They had been caught out in the rain, but found the incident humorous once they finally made it inside. Shortly thereafter, we called it a night (it was by then quite late).
The next morning I got up and cruised over to the Uffizi Gallery. To get there, I walked along the Arno, which is quite a brown, dirty river (it is one of the dirtiest rivers I have ever seen). After waiting an agonizing 2.5 hours to get into the gallery, I finally got in and discovered that it was definitely not worth the long wait. While it does have a fair amount of artwork, most of it is not to my taste, and I feel that the museum pales in comparison to the Louvre, National Gallery, or Prado. I think I saw everything in there in about an hour (maybe a little bit longer). After that, I was quite hungry (I had only had yogurt and Rivella for breakfast), so I went and ate at none other than McDonald's (I felt like a burger). Never have a seen a more crowded fast food place - and it wasn't tourists, it was mostly Italians. Apparently the locals love their McDonald's. It actually was quite good - McDonald's is better over here. I then walked over to the other side of the city to go inspect the Medici family's imposing fortress. From there, I then went and caught the train to Roma.
Switzerland (April 15-17)
We woke up very early and caught the 7:55 train to Neuchatel. It was a long ride (4 hours) but it was fairly scenic, so it wasn't too bad. We then got ready to take a connecting train from there to Mürten, but it was canceled. Luckily for us, a friendly Swiss man asked us if we were waiting for that train and told us that it was canceled. He told us just in time, as we were able to take a different train and then change once to reach our ultimate destination 15 minutes later than originally planned. Daniel Lehmann picked us up at the train station and we went back to his place, where we had a big fondue meal with him and his wife Sina (Hardy came by and joined us part way through). Flavia (their daughter) then got back from school and we all wandered around town, the walls, and the castle. Mürten is a picturesque town and very worth visiting. Flavia and Cordion (their son) came with us as we walked the city. They were a little shy at first (it has been 2 years), but they quickly warmed up and became my friends again (they are funny kids - I really like them). We then went to the train station to purchase our tickets for that evening and drove over to Mons Vully, on the other side of the lake (which has a great view of the area). We then had dinner with everyone (Daniel's sister Barbara even drove out). After dinner, we had to leave, and Barbara gave us a ride to Bern, where we caught the train to Luzern. We were sad to leave them, but we needed to get to Luzern that evening. Markus and Kathy were there to pick us up, and we went back to there place and talked a while with them, Caroline, Andreas, and Lucas. It was great to see everyone again, but we had to quickly call it a night because of the next day's plans.
The next morning, we got up at a little before 5:00 am. After getting ready and eating breakfast, we drove over to Interlochen and rode up the cogtrain to the Jungfraujoch. It was an impressive view and a neat facility (with some cool ice caves full of ice carvings). It was also amazingly cold (-17 degrees Celsius before the heavy wind chill). I was bundled up in heavy warm clothing and was still cold. Rather comically, a crazed Chinese guy ran out to the viewing platform in just his boxers and has his friends take pictures of him. Markus got a picture of him too, shortly before he threw a bunch of snow on him. The guy then ran back inside, but I imagine he must have been freezing. We tried hiking a little bit along the ridge, but the snow was too deep and it was too cold, so we turned back. We then headed back down the mountain and went to the airfield, where Markus took us up in his Cesna. I enjoy flying, so it was rather cool. Weather conditions prevented us from flying over parts of the Alps like last time, but we still had some great views of the area. While on landing approach, some joker was taxing around on the runway, and Markus had to slow down his approach to avoid hitting him (the guy wasn't supposed to be on it). We then went back to Büels and relaxed (it by then being late afternoon).
The next morning, we got up early again and headed out with Kathy and Caroline to Titlis, where we went skiing. We went up on some fairly challenging slopes and had a great time. I was by far the worst skier (not having done it in years), but with lots of help from Kathy, I greatly improved by ability to maintain control on steep slopes. Caroline and my dad went skiing down some thick powder that was off the official slopes and my dad sunk down in it. He had a hard time getting up, and when he did, he had snow and ice all over him (including his eyebrows, mustache, and eyelashes). We joked that he looked like Frosty the Snowman. After skiing half day, we returned back to Luzern, ate lunch, and walked around town for a bit with Christian (he had come home by then) and Caroline, seeing the Lion monument, the old walls, the bridge, and doing some minor shopping (buying chocolate, etc.). We then went back to their place and met up with Martina, who had also come home from school. We all ate dinner and then visited in the evening. I wish we could have stayed longer - I really enjoy being around the Büels.
The next morning, we got up at a little before 5:00 am. After getting ready and eating breakfast, we drove over to Interlochen and rode up the cogtrain to the Jungfraujoch. It was an impressive view and a neat facility (with some cool ice caves full of ice carvings). It was also amazingly cold (-17 degrees Celsius before the heavy wind chill). I was bundled up in heavy warm clothing and was still cold. Rather comically, a crazed Chinese guy ran out to the viewing platform in just his boxers and has his friends take pictures of him. Markus got a picture of him too, shortly before he threw a bunch of snow on him. The guy then ran back inside, but I imagine he must have been freezing. We tried hiking a little bit along the ridge, but the snow was too deep and it was too cold, so we turned back. We then headed back down the mountain and went to the airfield, where Markus took us up in his Cesna. I enjoy flying, so it was rather cool. Weather conditions prevented us from flying over parts of the Alps like last time, but we still had some great views of the area. While on landing approach, some joker was taxing around on the runway, and Markus had to slow down his approach to avoid hitting him (the guy wasn't supposed to be on it). We then went back to Büels and relaxed (it by then being late afternoon).
The next morning, we got up early again and headed out with Kathy and Caroline to Titlis, where we went skiing. We went up on some fairly challenging slopes and had a great time. I was by far the worst skier (not having done it in years), but with lots of help from Kathy, I greatly improved by ability to maintain control on steep slopes. Caroline and my dad went skiing down some thick powder that was off the official slopes and my dad sunk down in it. He had a hard time getting up, and when he did, he had snow and ice all over him (including his eyebrows, mustache, and eyelashes). We joked that he looked like Frosty the Snowman. After skiing half day, we returned back to Luzern, ate lunch, and walked around town for a bit with Christian (he had come home by then) and Caroline, seeing the Lion monument, the old walls, the bridge, and doing some minor shopping (buying chocolate, etc.). We then went back to their place and met up with Martina, who had also come home from school. We all ate dinner and then visited in the evening. I wish we could have stayed longer - I really enjoy being around the Büels.
Paris (April 12-14)
We arrived in Paris in the evening and checked into the hotel. It was an interesting little place, with a tiny, sketchy elevator (I could beat it up and down the stairs – from the 5th floor – if I moved fast). My bed was nice, however, and the location was good. That evening, we just walked around the Latin Quarter a little bit (that was where we were staying) and ate at a little café full mostly of students.
The following morning, we got up, ate croissants of course, and rode the metro out to Versailles. Naturally, we caught a metro that took the wrong fork, so it took a while to finally reach the palace. By then, the line was already quite long. We ended up waiting about 1.5 hours (maybe even 2) in line before we finally entered. It is an extremely impressive place, although far to gaudy. My dad and I decided that Napoleon had far better taste than Louis XIV, as the parts that he restored and lived in were, though still ostentatious, much classier. The best part of Versailles, we all thought, was walking around the grounds. They are massive! The French kings had themselves a very nice area to walk around in. The best part was Marie Antoinette’s fairy tale land, where she had Disneylandesque cottages and buildings so she could pretend to be a milking girl or a farmer or whatever. It was rather funny to see. After seeing the great palace, we headed over to the Eiffel Tower, but it was raining, so we didn’t go up. Instead, we headed back and ate a delicious 5-course dinner (it was reasonably priced too – only 20 Euros per person) at a restaurant near where we were staying.
The next morning, we got up early and headed over to the Louvre. Since we arrived before it opened, we beat the crowds and got in quickly. I really love neoclassical art, and especially Jacques-Louis David, so I found the Louvre to be the best art museum that I have ever visited. And of course, it really is massive, so we didn’t see nearly as much as I wished (that place is a maze too). In the afternoon, we walked up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe, which we went up to get a decent view of the city (would have been better if it wasn’t raining). We then headed over to Notre Dame and saw it. It was neat to go inside such a famous structure (though it was kind of dark and gloomy inside). After that, we hiked through the Latin Quarter and back to our hotel, and after eating dinner at a restaurant, we ended out stay in Paris.
The following morning, we got up, ate croissants of course, and rode the metro out to Versailles. Naturally, we caught a metro that took the wrong fork, so it took a while to finally reach the palace. By then, the line was already quite long. We ended up waiting about 1.5 hours (maybe even 2) in line before we finally entered. It is an extremely impressive place, although far to gaudy. My dad and I decided that Napoleon had far better taste than Louis XIV, as the parts that he restored and lived in were, though still ostentatious, much classier. The best part of Versailles, we all thought, was walking around the grounds. They are massive! The French kings had themselves a very nice area to walk around in. The best part was Marie Antoinette’s fairy tale land, where she had Disneylandesque cottages and buildings so she could pretend to be a milking girl or a farmer or whatever. It was rather funny to see. After seeing the great palace, we headed over to the Eiffel Tower, but it was raining, so we didn’t go up. Instead, we headed back and ate a delicious 5-course dinner (it was reasonably priced too – only 20 Euros per person) at a restaurant near where we were staying.
The next morning, we got up early and headed over to the Louvre. Since we arrived before it opened, we beat the crowds and got in quickly. I really love neoclassical art, and especially Jacques-Louis David, so I found the Louvre to be the best art museum that I have ever visited. And of course, it really is massive, so we didn’t see nearly as much as I wished (that place is a maze too). In the afternoon, we walked up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe, which we went up to get a decent view of the city (would have been better if it wasn’t raining). We then headed over to Notre Dame and saw it. It was neat to go inside such a famous structure (though it was kind of dark and gloomy inside). After that, we hiked through the Latin Quarter and back to our hotel, and after eating dinner at a restaurant, we ended out stay in Paris.
England with my Parents (April 7-12)
The morning after I arrived back from Scotland, my parents showed up. They had flown in a few days earlier and had driven to Queen Mary, having a difficult time finding the school. We all then drove over to my mom’s cousin’s home in Hampstead (which took a ridiculous 1.5 hours). For the next few days, we visited with Rupert and his wife Fran and I showed my parents a few of the interesting sights around the city. I stayed at their place too, even though it is in London, because it is at the other end of the city.
After a few days, my parents and I drove down to Chandler’s Ford, just south of Winchester, where my parents had rented a place. It was out in the countryside and very traditional British. That evening, we drove down and walked around Southampton, which is where the Pilgrims left from to head to America. It still has any old buildings up (and its walls) and was fairly interesting. The next morning, we drove out to Salisbury to see the great cathedral there. On the way, we passed through the New Forest, which was really neat. There were loads of wild ponies, swine, and other critters roaming loose (including on the road) and many old houses. The funniest was a giant sow that was rubbing herself on a tree (she had climbed up a little bit on a tree). It was a very humorous sight. Salisbury was quite neat (I love seeing cathedrals) and the town is still very medieval. We also visited a church in the city where some of my ancestors are buried.
After Salisbury, we drove up to Stonehenge, which is not far away. Stonehenge was alright – I found it a let down because it cost quite a bit, even though all one got to do was walk up near the stones. It is cool in that it is one of the oldest structures on earth, but it was kind of a “been there, seen that, ok next” sort of thing (the extreme cold may have had something to do with this). After Stonehenge, we headed over to Old Sarum, which is something that I had really wanted to see. Old Sarum was once a prosperous castle and town before the cathedral and town were moved to nearby Salisbury in the early 13th century. After that, it entered decline and eventually became the most infamous of the “rotten boroughs” that plagued British politics. Now all that remain are ruins, but the enormous hill and earthworks that were constructed still form an imposing sight and allow the visitor to easily imagine what the castle was once like.
The next day, we drove back down to the New Forest and visited the National Automobile Museum in Beaulieu Wood. It was quite expensive to get in, but seeing all the cars was fairly neat. They have most of the earliest cars built, including the very first car, as well as a fine collection of hot rods, racing cars, Ferraris, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car, and more. Since my dad and I like cars, it was neat. We also walked through the estate that is there by the museum, which was fairly interesting.
The following morning, we drove back to Heathrow, turned in the car, and took the tube back to Rupert’s place in London. We visited and ate lunch with them for the afternoon and then caught the Eurostar to Paris. Staying in the countryside was alright – we were able to see some interesting things. However, we all later felt that the time we spent there could have been spent in Paris or Switzerland, where we could have seen more (especially for my father, who had never visited Europe before – he likes the tropics). Overall, though, the first part of our trip had been good, and it was great seeing my parents again.
After a few days, my parents and I drove down to Chandler’s Ford, just south of Winchester, where my parents had rented a place. It was out in the countryside and very traditional British. That evening, we drove down and walked around Southampton, which is where the Pilgrims left from to head to America. It still has any old buildings up (and its walls) and was fairly interesting. The next morning, we drove out to Salisbury to see the great cathedral there. On the way, we passed through the New Forest, which was really neat. There were loads of wild ponies, swine, and other critters roaming loose (including on the road) and many old houses. The funniest was a giant sow that was rubbing herself on a tree (she had climbed up a little bit on a tree). It was a very humorous sight. Salisbury was quite neat (I love seeing cathedrals) and the town is still very medieval. We also visited a church in the city where some of my ancestors are buried.
After Salisbury, we drove up to Stonehenge, which is not far away. Stonehenge was alright – I found it a let down because it cost quite a bit, even though all one got to do was walk up near the stones. It is cool in that it is one of the oldest structures on earth, but it was kind of a “been there, seen that, ok next” sort of thing (the extreme cold may have had something to do with this). After Stonehenge, we headed over to Old Sarum, which is something that I had really wanted to see. Old Sarum was once a prosperous castle and town before the cathedral and town were moved to nearby Salisbury in the early 13th century. After that, it entered decline and eventually became the most infamous of the “rotten boroughs” that plagued British politics. Now all that remain are ruins, but the enormous hill and earthworks that were constructed still form an imposing sight and allow the visitor to easily imagine what the castle was once like.
The next day, we drove back down to the New Forest and visited the National Automobile Museum in Beaulieu Wood. It was quite expensive to get in, but seeing all the cars was fairly neat. They have most of the earliest cars built, including the very first car, as well as a fine collection of hot rods, racing cars, Ferraris, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car, and more. Since my dad and I like cars, it was neat. We also walked through the estate that is there by the museum, which was fairly interesting.
The following morning, we drove back to Heathrow, turned in the car, and took the tube back to Rupert’s place in London. We visited and ate lunch with them for the afternoon and then caught the Eurostar to Paris. Staying in the countryside was alright – we were able to see some interesting things. However, we all later felt that the time we spent there could have been spent in Paris or Switzerland, where we could have seen more (especially for my father, who had never visited Europe before – he likes the tropics). Overall, though, the first part of our trip had been good, and it was great seeing my parents again.
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
The Highlands of Scotland (April 3-6)
On Wednesday, April 1st, I finished up my classes for the semester. I do not have anything again until a final on May 22nd. It is a fairly ridiculous break. I kicked off my extra-long Easter break with a trip to the Scottish Highlands, courtesy of USC. I headed up to Edinburgh on the morning of 3 April with Josh, another USC student here at QMUL. We bought our tickets with plenty of time to make the 11:00 train, but when I got up to the gate, my ticket wasn’t in my pocket – where I had just minutes before placed it. I ran back to the ticket counter, and asked if I could have a new one printed out, as mine had disappeared. I was told no, I would have to buy another one (about $145). I said no, I’ll try looking around some more. No luck, however. I then got back in line to go ahead and buy another ticket, but this time I came up to the same guy I had originally bought the ticket from, and he recognized me. Thankfully, he was able to go look around and found my ticket (apparently someone had found it and turned it in). That was an extremely close call, made all the weirder because I do not know how I lost it. I definitely placed the ticket in my pants’ pocket, which does not have a hole. Nor did I stick my hands in my pockets between the ticket place and the train (that I am aware of – I don’t walk with my hands in my pockets). We then ran up to the train platform, getting there at 10:59. Unfortunately, they closed the gate just as we got there (they stop boarding about 2 minutes before departure). I was still glad to have gotten my ticket back, so it was a fair trade (though we had to wait for the 12:00 train).
Once we got up to Edinburgh, we checked into the hostel and then decided to wander around and look at things (it being about 4:30). Up on the main street, we ran into the two Davids (other USC students) who told us about a hill they had just climbed that gave a nice view of the city. We decided to go hike up it, and wandered down to its base. Once we reached it, however, I noticed that Arthur’s Seat, the famous mini-mountain, was very close and I convinced Josh to climb that with me instead. It was a pretty good workout (we went up fairly quickly) and the view was impressive. We then hauled back down the mountain and returned to the hostel. There we met up with the Davids and together we all walker over to the other side of the city, where there is another neat hill that overlooks the city. It has a bunch of random monuments, like an obelisk, a fake Greek ruins, a White House looking building, a cemetery, and more.
By then it was dinner time, and we went over to the Chinese restaurant where we ate dinner with the entire USC group. 17 of us went on the trip, but only 7 of us (including John, the USC UK coordinator) showed up the first night (as most people missed the last train of the day). The restaurant was all you can eat, so we all ate quite a bit (for a buffet it was quite good) and then hit up a nice pub before heading back to the hostel, where we encountered one more USC student and had a few more drinks (there being a bar there).
The next morning, we got up and hopped on our tour bus, which we rode up towards the Highlands. Along the way, we made numerous stops at interesting places, including Stirling, where William Wallace defeated the English, many beautiful mountain vistas, and more. That afternoon, we reached Loch Ness, where we stayed that night. In the evening, we went and saw a presentation of what life was like for highlanders, which was pretty interesting. Back at the hostel we had a few drinks and watched a local guy play and sing mostly Scottish songs.
The next morning we took the bus around more of the beautiful highlands, again making frequent stops to see great sights. About mid-day, we crossed the Skye Bridge over onto the Isle of Skye, which is part of the Hebrides. It was really neat traveling around the island (and very, very cold and windy). It is amazing that people live up here (and one understands why so much scotch is made up here). My favorite stop was at the Fairy Glens, which is this area full of bizarre shaped mounds and rocks, rumored to be the legendary home of the fairies. I took pictures of it, and will try to get those posted soon.
That evening, we stayed in Kylie Lochalsh, a little town on the Isle of Skye. We had a big hearty dinner (I had seafood pie – it was good but sooo filling). A blizzard began, and a group of us went out there and had a snowball fight. Pretty soon some drunk Scottish guys joined in and began attacking us. We outnumbered them, and were much better shots, however. After we got tired of that, we began constructing a giant snowman (it was seriously huge – almost 7 feet tall). The Scotts came over and chatted with us, and while this was going on, a drunk English sailor came up and tackled our snowman, destroying him. Right after this, the other 16 or so English sailors began throwing snowballs at us (there is a naval base near the town and the bar that the sailors go to had emptied, resulting in this large group of sailors passing by where we were). Naturally, the Scotts joined in with us, as they hate the English sailors, and we had a second snowball fight, this time throwing ice balls. I beaned a few of the sailors pretty well and we definitely emerged victorious, pushing the sailors off (though they had destroyed our snowman). After that, we called it a night.
The morning of the final day (Sunday) we got up early, ate breakfast at the hostel, and rode the bus back to Loch Ness (about 1.5 hours away). We spent about 30 min there (this time on a different part of the lake – it is very large), looking at the lake and wandering around before heading back down the road. We drove along the lake (it is 23 miles long) and went through Inverness, the main city in the Highlands. From there we drove down the main road on the eastern side of Scotland, until we reached the plains near where the famous Battle of Culloden took place. We went and looked at the ruins of an old British fort there and then ate lunch down in the town. I had a venison burger, which was decent. We hopped back on the bus and continued are long trek back towards Edinburgh (we couldn’t make many stops because we had a huge distance to travel this day).
It really was an amazing trip. Scotland is a beautiful place and there is open wilderness almost everywhere (very few people up in the Highlands – it is like Alaska). Even driving around in the bus was enjoyable because the scenery was so nice (and our tour guide was a funny guy). I highly recommend visiting the area at some point; it is really worth it.
Once we got up to Edinburgh, we checked into the hostel and then decided to wander around and look at things (it being about 4:30). Up on the main street, we ran into the two Davids (other USC students) who told us about a hill they had just climbed that gave a nice view of the city. We decided to go hike up it, and wandered down to its base. Once we reached it, however, I noticed that Arthur’s Seat, the famous mini-mountain, was very close and I convinced Josh to climb that with me instead. It was a pretty good workout (we went up fairly quickly) and the view was impressive. We then hauled back down the mountain and returned to the hostel. There we met up with the Davids and together we all walker over to the other side of the city, where there is another neat hill that overlooks the city. It has a bunch of random monuments, like an obelisk, a fake Greek ruins, a White House looking building, a cemetery, and more.
By then it was dinner time, and we went over to the Chinese restaurant where we ate dinner with the entire USC group. 17 of us went on the trip, but only 7 of us (including John, the USC UK coordinator) showed up the first night (as most people missed the last train of the day). The restaurant was all you can eat, so we all ate quite a bit (for a buffet it was quite good) and then hit up a nice pub before heading back to the hostel, where we encountered one more USC student and had a few more drinks (there being a bar there).
The next morning, we got up and hopped on our tour bus, which we rode up towards the Highlands. Along the way, we made numerous stops at interesting places, including Stirling, where William Wallace defeated the English, many beautiful mountain vistas, and more. That afternoon, we reached Loch Ness, where we stayed that night. In the evening, we went and saw a presentation of what life was like for highlanders, which was pretty interesting. Back at the hostel we had a few drinks and watched a local guy play and sing mostly Scottish songs.
The next morning we took the bus around more of the beautiful highlands, again making frequent stops to see great sights. About mid-day, we crossed the Skye Bridge over onto the Isle of Skye, which is part of the Hebrides. It was really neat traveling around the island (and very, very cold and windy). It is amazing that people live up here (and one understands why so much scotch is made up here). My favorite stop was at the Fairy Glens, which is this area full of bizarre shaped mounds and rocks, rumored to be the legendary home of the fairies. I took pictures of it, and will try to get those posted soon.
That evening, we stayed in Kylie Lochalsh, a little town on the Isle of Skye. We had a big hearty dinner (I had seafood pie – it was good but sooo filling). A blizzard began, and a group of us went out there and had a snowball fight. Pretty soon some drunk Scottish guys joined in and began attacking us. We outnumbered them, and were much better shots, however. After we got tired of that, we began constructing a giant snowman (it was seriously huge – almost 7 feet tall). The Scotts came over and chatted with us, and while this was going on, a drunk English sailor came up and tackled our snowman, destroying him. Right after this, the other 16 or so English sailors began throwing snowballs at us (there is a naval base near the town and the bar that the sailors go to had emptied, resulting in this large group of sailors passing by where we were). Naturally, the Scotts joined in with us, as they hate the English sailors, and we had a second snowball fight, this time throwing ice balls. I beaned a few of the sailors pretty well and we definitely emerged victorious, pushing the sailors off (though they had destroyed our snowman). After that, we called it a night.
The morning of the final day (Sunday) we got up early, ate breakfast at the hostel, and rode the bus back to Loch Ness (about 1.5 hours away). We spent about 30 min there (this time on a different part of the lake – it is very large), looking at the lake and wandering around before heading back down the road. We drove along the lake (it is 23 miles long) and went through Inverness, the main city in the Highlands. From there we drove down the main road on the eastern side of Scotland, until we reached the plains near where the famous Battle of Culloden took place. We went and looked at the ruins of an old British fort there and then ate lunch down in the town. I had a venison burger, which was decent. We hopped back on the bus and continued are long trek back towards Edinburgh (we couldn’t make many stops because we had a huge distance to travel this day).
It really was an amazing trip. Scotland is a beautiful place and there is open wilderness almost everywhere (very few people up in the Highlands – it is like Alaska). Even driving around in the bus was enjoyable because the scenery was so nice (and our tour guide was a funny guy). I highly recommend visiting the area at some point; it is really worth it.
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