Wallet: Day 21
Shorts and T-shirt
This morning I woke up something was missing. My Livestrong band that I have worn for over 4 years had fallen off at some point in the night. It was slightly ironic because today was the final stage of the Tour de France and we went to Champs Elysee to see the finale. Weird coincidence.
Loyd, Kim and I headed to the train station near Audrey's so that Loyd and I could get tickets to Bordeaux. It was good Kim joined us because the ticket she had printed out back in Dubin was in fact just a confirmation so she would have had to pay full price for a ticket on the train. Loyd & my tickets each cost 3 Euros, not bad for a 4 hour high speed train.
We finally made it home after another hot and humid metro ride. Once gain, it had been over a day since I last showered, I can't believe I am starting to get used to it; especially considering how I generally shower twice a day. Once clean we went to Arc De Triumph and saw the madness that is the Tour de France finish line. It was nice to see so much commotion and excitement over the is race that nearly lost its legacy recently with all the doping scandals.
Time was flying by so we headed back to Bree's apartment to catch the 5:15 train to Bordeaux. We made it to the station with very little time to spare and Loyd and I had to walk a good half mile down the track to the first car. Adding the distance and the packs on our backs, and the heat of the day and you have a lethal combination. The AC on the train couldn't cool us down any faster, we were drenched.
4 hours later we arrived in Bordeaux. Coco led all 6 of us to her car around the corner from the station;. It was absolutely one of the smallest cars I have seen but all 6 of us managed to pack in with all our bags. It was a sight to see. We arrived at Coco's moms house as the sun was setting. I took some amazing pictures of the sunset.
We were served an incredible dinner of roasted duck and pasta. We were also introduced to the jugs of wine people in Bordeaux consume on a daily basis. The wine is made 2 minutes from Coco's house and couldn't be more fresh or tasty. We enjoyed more than 5 liters of wine that night and got to be around 3. Our plan for tomorrow is to either go to the beach or check out some of the surrounding Chateaus. Win/Win situation...without a doubt.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Parisian Insanity 7/26/08
Wallet: Day 20
Stupidly wore jeans today - crazy heat wave
Today a few other NU kids are coming into Paris and our plan is to meet up with them and their French friends from study abroad in Ireland. Zoe, an Northeastern student made us pancakes for breakfast and gave us authentic Vermont maple syrup on them, from her home state. Great way to start the day. Lyuba, Loyd and I headed back to Bree's place with our stomachs full after spending the night at Zoe's and Audrey's. We got back to the apartment and could think of only one thing - showering. I hadn't showered in almost 30 hours, the longest I have gone so far this trip.
I emerged from the shower a new person. I came into the living room and said hi to Kim and Lauren, both of which I know from school. I had heard that there was a 3rd person coming with them and when I asked about it they told me that Ryan had been held back in Dublin and was taking a later flight. We made our way to Jardin du Luxembourg which surrounds the French Senate. All the lawns but one are blocked off and the one that was open was absolutely packed with people. We managed to find a small patch and pack ourselves in. We opened the two bottles of wine we brought and got the party started. We arrived at the park around 2 with 8 people in tow but by 7 the group had expanded to 11. 6 more bottles and a full French meal was shared amongst all of us. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.
The night only got better, we met up with Bree, her boyfriend Alex and 4 other Northeastern kids behind Notre Dame Cathedral. We sat by the river and sipped the evening away. We watched one of the most spectacular sunsets as the sun lowered behind the Cathedral towers. As it got darker the group of 15 began to move towards to the metro, as Alex suggested we check out a park that has a view of the entire city.
Once at the base of a hill, which sits about 300 steps below the park, we began the most serious hike we had taken on the trip. We all reached the top of the hill panting. It was that brutal. Truth is, the effort was entirely rewarded, as the view was incredible and the park was filled with young people sipping wine and listening to the live band covering songs. We jammed away until the rains came and dispersed the crowd. Instead of scurrying to cover as everyone else did, our group stayed out in the rain and started an impromptu sing-along. I shot quite a few videos and from the looks of them, they will be classics very soon.
We finally left our spot at the top of the hill with a few Parisians in tow. The rain was coming down hard at this point so we jetted into the first bar we saw. We were thrown out within minutes, classic Parisian rudeness. The second bar we found had live music and fit our attitudes perfectly. We absolutely took over the bar, packing it in with some of NU's finest. I started a Bon Jovi Livin' on a Prayer chant that picked up so much steam that I'm sure the next bar could hear it perfectly. The guitarist came back from his break and acknowledged it as the best cover he'd ever heard of Bon Jovi. Amazing.
We all finally split up as the bars were closing and made it back to Audrey's. Somewhere along the adventure today were invited to stay with Kim, Lauren, Ryan (who joined us after making his 2nd flight from Dublin) at their friend Coco's place in Bordeaux. So no Switzerland for now...off to WINE COUNTRY FRANCE!
Stupidly wore jeans today - crazy heat wave
Today a few other NU kids are coming into Paris and our plan is to meet up with them and their French friends from study abroad in Ireland. Zoe, an Northeastern student made us pancakes for breakfast and gave us authentic Vermont maple syrup on them, from her home state. Great way to start the day. Lyuba, Loyd and I headed back to Bree's place with our stomachs full after spending the night at Zoe's and Audrey's. We got back to the apartment and could think of only one thing - showering. I hadn't showered in almost 30 hours, the longest I have gone so far this trip.
I emerged from the shower a new person. I came into the living room and said hi to Kim and Lauren, both of which I know from school. I had heard that there was a 3rd person coming with them and when I asked about it they told me that Ryan had been held back in Dublin and was taking a later flight. We made our way to Jardin du Luxembourg which surrounds the French Senate. All the lawns but one are blocked off and the one that was open was absolutely packed with people. We managed to find a small patch and pack ourselves in. We opened the two bottles of wine we brought and got the party started. We arrived at the park around 2 with 8 people in tow but by 7 the group had expanded to 11. 6 more bottles and a full French meal was shared amongst all of us. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.
The night only got better, we met up with Bree, her boyfriend Alex and 4 other Northeastern kids behind Notre Dame Cathedral. We sat by the river and sipped the evening away. We watched one of the most spectacular sunsets as the sun lowered behind the Cathedral towers. As it got darker the group of 15 began to move towards to the metro, as Alex suggested we check out a park that has a view of the entire city.
Once at the base of a hill, which sits about 300 steps below the park, we began the most serious hike we had taken on the trip. We all reached the top of the hill panting. It was that brutal. Truth is, the effort was entirely rewarded, as the view was incredible and the park was filled with young people sipping wine and listening to the live band covering songs. We jammed away until the rains came and dispersed the crowd. Instead of scurrying to cover as everyone else did, our group stayed out in the rain and started an impromptu sing-along. I shot quite a few videos and from the looks of them, they will be classics very soon.
We finally left our spot at the top of the hill with a few Parisians in tow. The rain was coming down hard at this point so we jetted into the first bar we saw. We were thrown out within minutes, classic Parisian rudeness. The second bar we found had live music and fit our attitudes perfectly. We absolutely took over the bar, packing it in with some of NU's finest. I started a Bon Jovi Livin' on a Prayer chant that picked up so much steam that I'm sure the next bar could hear it perfectly. The guitarist came back from his break and acknowledged it as the best cover he'd ever heard of Bon Jovi. Amazing.
We all finally split up as the bars were closing and made it back to Audrey's. Somewhere along the adventure today were invited to stay with Kim, Lauren, Ryan (who joined us after making his 2nd flight from Dublin) at their friend Coco's place in Bordeaux. So no Switzerland for now...off to WINE COUNTRY FRANCE!
Paris Sightseeing 7/25/08
Wallet: Day 19
2 days of Shorts & T-shirts in a row!
The sun poured in through the living room french doors. It was going to be a great day, I could tell. Our plan was to head to the TGV (The French Train Company) office down the street from Bree's and book our tickets to Lisbon and then go walk around Paris. Once we got ourselves together, we headed to the office. The line was nearly non-existent so we felt that were in luck. The customer service we received lived up to every bit of the stereotypical Parisian rudeness. The ticketing agent seemed impatience from the moment we sat down. When we told him where we wanted to go he casually started searching. 10 minutes later he still had not looked back at us and had not said a word. Finally, he threw his hands up and said the system was down and he couldn't help us. I asked him when we should come back and he said the he didn't know, 10 minutes maybe 2 hours. Ugh.
We headed back to the apartment to eat a quick lunch and figure out what the hell we were going to do next. The street where Bree lives is lined with shops and bakeries, making it a cool place to walk around. The food we picked up was so delicious it lifted our spirits, seriously. We put another load of laundry in the washing machine and readied ourselves for round 2 at the ticketing office. The moment we walked in we got a bad look from the guy who we talked to before but we casually grabbed a new number and sat down. About 10 minutes later he got up and decided it was time for his break, leaving his desk empty. Eventually, the one lady left working got to our number. She seemed ready and happy to help it was actually a pleasant experience working with her...mostly. What we found out was there were no trains available on our Eurail pass and we would have to pay full price to get to Lisbon, an astounding 158 Euros. Ridic. Not happening.
Suddenly, I had a though - why don't we go to Switzerland instead? We would at least be working ourselves somewhat south and could probably find a train from there to Lisbon. The ticketing agent quickly found us two tickets for two days from now and we were set. Off to Bern and then Zurich. Total cost 10 Euros, much better.
We walked out of the office and towards the Eiffel tower feeling good about ourselves. We headed straight for the base of the Tower, it is so impressive. It seems to loom over practically everything in its' vicinity. You feel absolutely minuscule when you stand beneath it. We then headed up to the lookout point and took a few of our jumping pictures. They came out absolutely amazing. As we walked away, a man stopped us and showed us his camera, he had taken a shot of us jumping from another angle. We were tempted to ask for his email info so he could send it to us but his English was pretty hard to understand so we moved on. I'm still somewhat kicking myself for not getting that picture.
We took a short metro ride to Champs Elyses and walked to the Arc de Triumph. The whole street is lined with shops like Louis Vitton and Versace. We walked under the roundabout and to the base of the the Arc. Snapping a few pictures and seeing the view all the way down Champs Elyses was a good time. I took a look at our map and saw that if we headed straight down from where we were standing we would run into the Louve. As always, we decided to go with it, so off we went.
We made it to the Louve about 45 minutes later, feeling somewhat overheated from the incredibly hot day. I remembered reading that Louve closed at 6 and it was 5:30 so sat near the fountain and dipped our feet to cool off. After 20 minutes I saw there was still a line forming so I looked through our Paris book and was shocked to see that on Fridays it is open until 9. Sweet deal! We grabbed our things and got right in line.
As we made our way down to the lower floor where tickets are purchased a guy in an orange shirt stopped us. I figured he was trying to sell us something so we brushed him off. He switched from French to English and said, as students, if we waited until 6 PM you two will get in for free. RIGHT ON! We grabbed a cup of coffee at the cafe and went into the first part of the museum. The caffeine provided a serious boost to both of us.
We spent the most time in the Egyptian Mummy Exhibit, something I found absolutely amazing. We toured the multiple floors of the museum and later made our way to the Mona Lisa, also known as the massive disappointment. I was expecting some massive painting but its more the size of two postcards put together. I found the crowd gawking at the painting more interesting than the painting itself. I manged to get myself to the front of the crowd to get a good picture of the painting but more importantly a picture of the hundreds of cameras snapping away pictures.
Two and a half hours at that museum absolutely flew by and we made our way back to Bree's to shower up and get ready for another night out in Paris. Bree texted us directions on where to meet up and we made our way to a cool area of the city known for bars packed with students. We spent the rest of the night making up shots and chanting NU songs. Good times.
So again, from Pariiii, Au Revior!
2 days of Shorts & T-shirts in a row!
The sun poured in through the living room french doors. It was going to be a great day, I could tell. Our plan was to head to the TGV (The French Train Company) office down the street from Bree's and book our tickets to Lisbon and then go walk around Paris. Once we got ourselves together, we headed to the office. The line was nearly non-existent so we felt that were in luck. The customer service we received lived up to every bit of the stereotypical Parisian rudeness. The ticketing agent seemed impatience from the moment we sat down. When we told him where we wanted to go he casually started searching. 10 minutes later he still had not looked back at us and had not said a word. Finally, he threw his hands up and said the system was down and he couldn't help us. I asked him when we should come back and he said the he didn't know, 10 minutes maybe 2 hours. Ugh.
We headed back to the apartment to eat a quick lunch and figure out what the hell we were going to do next. The street where Bree lives is lined with shops and bakeries, making it a cool place to walk around. The food we picked up was so delicious it lifted our spirits, seriously. We put another load of laundry in the washing machine and readied ourselves for round 2 at the ticketing office. The moment we walked in we got a bad look from the guy who we talked to before but we casually grabbed a new number and sat down. About 10 minutes later he got up and decided it was time for his break, leaving his desk empty. Eventually, the one lady left working got to our number. She seemed ready and happy to help it was actually a pleasant experience working with her...mostly. What we found out was there were no trains available on our Eurail pass and we would have to pay full price to get to Lisbon, an astounding 158 Euros. Ridic. Not happening.
Suddenly, I had a though - why don't we go to Switzerland instead? We would at least be working ourselves somewhat south and could probably find a train from there to Lisbon. The ticketing agent quickly found us two tickets for two days from now and we were set. Off to Bern and then Zurich. Total cost 10 Euros, much better.
We walked out of the office and towards the Eiffel tower feeling good about ourselves. We headed straight for the base of the Tower, it is so impressive. It seems to loom over practically everything in its' vicinity. You feel absolutely minuscule when you stand beneath it. We then headed up to the lookout point and took a few of our jumping pictures. They came out absolutely amazing. As we walked away, a man stopped us and showed us his camera, he had taken a shot of us jumping from another angle. We were tempted to ask for his email info so he could send it to us but his English was pretty hard to understand so we moved on. I'm still somewhat kicking myself for not getting that picture.
We took a short metro ride to Champs Elyses and walked to the Arc de Triumph. The whole street is lined with shops like Louis Vitton and Versace. We walked under the roundabout and to the base of the the Arc. Snapping a few pictures and seeing the view all the way down Champs Elyses was a good time. I took a look at our map and saw that if we headed straight down from where we were standing we would run into the Louve. As always, we decided to go with it, so off we went.
We made it to the Louve about 45 minutes later, feeling somewhat overheated from the incredibly hot day. I remembered reading that Louve closed at 6 and it was 5:30 so sat near the fountain and dipped our feet to cool off. After 20 minutes I saw there was still a line forming so I looked through our Paris book and was shocked to see that on Fridays it is open until 9. Sweet deal! We grabbed our things and got right in line.
As we made our way down to the lower floor where tickets are purchased a guy in an orange shirt stopped us. I figured he was trying to sell us something so we brushed him off. He switched from French to English and said, as students, if we waited until 6 PM you two will get in for free. RIGHT ON! We grabbed a cup of coffee at the cafe and went into the first part of the museum. The caffeine provided a serious boost to both of us.
We spent the most time in the Egyptian Mummy Exhibit, something I found absolutely amazing. We toured the multiple floors of the museum and later made our way to the Mona Lisa, also known as the massive disappointment. I was expecting some massive painting but its more the size of two postcards put together. I found the crowd gawking at the painting more interesting than the painting itself. I manged to get myself to the front of the crowd to get a good picture of the painting but more importantly a picture of the hundreds of cameras snapping away pictures.
Two and a half hours at that museum absolutely flew by and we made our way back to Bree's to shower up and get ready for another night out in Paris. Bree texted us directions on where to meet up and we made our way to a cool area of the city known for bars packed with students. We spent the rest of the night making up shots and chanting NU songs. Good times.
So again, from Pariiii, Au Revior!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Seeing the sights in Strasbourg & Enjoy some wine along a canal in Paris 7/24/08
Wallet: Day 18
Wow, what a difference a night of no partying can do for your body. I woke up this morning feeling the best I have felt on this trip. Elian and Daniel told us to be ready by 10 so we awoke and get packed up early. After taking a scaldingly hot shower, we headed down to the lobby to wait for them to arrive. Just as planned, they arrived at 10 and we were on our way to seeing the sights in Strasbourg.
With the little English and Hebrew we were able to communicate with we learned that the Cathedral in Strasbourg dates back over 600 years. The building itself is quite impressive. We walked around the old city and toured the new area as well. I spotted an REI looking store along the way and stepped in to replace the towel I had left behind in our mad dash out of the train from Budapest. 27 Euros later I had my replacement towel. Yikes.
We headed back to Eliane and Daniel's for lunch and enjoyed a delicious meal. Daniel took us to the train station around 3 and we got our tickets for a later train (at 5) to Paris as there were no remaining reservations for the train at 3:20. We decided to risk it and try to get on the earlier train. The conductor initially hesitated but eventually she gave in and told us to walk to the front of the train and get in. What we found at the front of the train was a private cabin with two doors isolating it from the rest of the cars. Baller. Status.
Once we made it to Paris we hopped off the train and celebrated getting there so quickly. Bree, Meghan's close friend was nice enough to offer us a place to stay in Paris. She had emailed me directions a few days earlier so we followed them and soon made it to her apartment. We were so intensely looking for her apartment that we didn't even notice the Eiffel Tower looming just two blocks away from us. Once we met up with Bree I got an overwhelming sensation, meeting up with someone familiar is something that is easy to take for granted.
We were shown her absolutely incredible apartment and dropped our bags and headed out all together. We headed over to meet with a few other Northeastern students studying in Paris on a canal in the city. The ride to the canal was intense, full of people jam packed into the metro cars. It was worth ever second as the evening was nothing short of incredible. We sat and enjoyed a typical Parisian summer evening, sipping wine with 1,000 or so of Parisian neighbors. Not long after we arrived we had run out of wine so Loyd and I went out to purchase some more. We were pleasantly surprised by the 3 Euro wine and bought a few bottles to share with the others. The evening was full of laughs and reminiscing about the incredibly city Boston is. Before we knew it, the metros were about to close so we hustled back to make it home. We emerged from the metro station at the best look out point at the Eiffel Tower and I had no choice but to snap quite a few pictures. Arriving home around 1:30 we all crashed.
So, from the shadow of the sparking Eiffel Tower, Au Revior!
Wow, what a difference a night of no partying can do for your body. I woke up this morning feeling the best I have felt on this trip. Elian and Daniel told us to be ready by 10 so we awoke and get packed up early. After taking a scaldingly hot shower, we headed down to the lobby to wait for them to arrive. Just as planned, they arrived at 10 and we were on our way to seeing the sights in Strasbourg.
With the little English and Hebrew we were able to communicate with we learned that the Cathedral in Strasbourg dates back over 600 years. The building itself is quite impressive. We walked around the old city and toured the new area as well. I spotted an REI looking store along the way and stepped in to replace the towel I had left behind in our mad dash out of the train from Budapest. 27 Euros later I had my replacement towel. Yikes.
We headed back to Eliane and Daniel's for lunch and enjoyed a delicious meal. Daniel took us to the train station around 3 and we got our tickets for a later train (at 5) to Paris as there were no remaining reservations for the train at 3:20. We decided to risk it and try to get on the earlier train. The conductor initially hesitated but eventually she gave in and told us to walk to the front of the train and get in. What we found at the front of the train was a private cabin with two doors isolating it from the rest of the cars. Baller. Status.
Once we made it to Paris we hopped off the train and celebrated getting there so quickly. Bree, Meghan's close friend was nice enough to offer us a place to stay in Paris. She had emailed me directions a few days earlier so we followed them and soon made it to her apartment. We were so intensely looking for her apartment that we didn't even notice the Eiffel Tower looming just two blocks away from us. Once we met up with Bree I got an overwhelming sensation, meeting up with someone familiar is something that is easy to take for granted.
We were shown her absolutely incredible apartment and dropped our bags and headed out all together. We headed over to meet with a few other Northeastern students studying in Paris on a canal in the city. The ride to the canal was intense, full of people jam packed into the metro cars. It was worth ever second as the evening was nothing short of incredible. We sat and enjoyed a typical Parisian summer evening, sipping wine with 1,000 or so of Parisian neighbors. Not long after we arrived we had run out of wine so Loyd and I went out to purchase some more. We were pleasantly surprised by the 3 Euro wine and bought a few bottles to share with the others. The evening was full of laughs and reminiscing about the incredibly city Boston is. Before we knew it, the metros were about to close so we hustled back to make it home. We emerged from the metro station at the best look out point at the Eiffel Tower and I had no choice but to snap quite a few pictures. Arriving home around 1:30 we all crashed.
So, from the shadow of the sparking Eiffel Tower, Au Revior!
On to Strasbourg, the apparent 2nd Morocco 7/23/08
Wallet: Day 17
Jeans & Sweatshirt
What a crazy night we had. Our hostel room was in shablmes and 9 guys' stuff scattered all over. We scampered down to breakfast to enjoy of the best ones we've had in a while. Plenty of fresh fruit and even a grilled cheese maker...MONEY! We gout our stuff out of the clutter and barely made it out for the 10 AM check out.
We chilled in the amazing atrium for a few minutes and talked about what we wanted to do that day. I wanted to see the nearby concentration camp so we made our way to the train station across the street.The tour was due to leave at 10:15 and we got to the meeting point at 10:20. I forgot that we were in Germany and when the say 10:15 they mean 10:15. Another tour guide told us we had already missed the tour but helped us by calling the tour leader. The train to the concentration camp had already left so we would have to wait another hour and a half to catch it. Opportunity lost but I am sure that I will be doing another Germany trip so I will make sure to see the camps.
We rehuddled and decided to check out the BMW factory. It is a short subway ride and sits right by the site where the Olympics were held. The moment we emerged from the subway I had a feeling of uneasiness in my stomach, at the site were I was standing Israeli Olympians were held hostage and later murdered. A tough sensation to describe but I felt haunted.
The BMW factory and museum sit just across the street. As we made our way over we spotted a BMW 7 series with the large Hydrogen writing on the side. We were both so impressed by this amazing technology, with the only emissions from the vehicle being pure water. Very cool stuff.
The Factory was one of the less educational experiences thus far but we did manage to see some of the very cool cars they have created over the years. Loyd felt a bit sick from the previous evening's festivities so we headed back for a bit more rest.
As we sat in the atrium at Wombat's I flipped through the Eurail train schedule and saw that there was an early train to Strasbourg. Without much debate we walked the block and a half to the station and for the first time on this trip, the schedule booklet was inaccurate. The book did tell us which transfer station we had to get to so we took the first train there.
Once at the transfer station we waited 2 hours to catch the train to Strasbourg. We killed the time by sitting outside a Burger King and watching a flock of pigeons go absolutely nuts over scraps of food. There was such a tremendous number of the in the restaurant that people would through food at them just to get the away from their tables. Frightening!
The train finally arrived and we boarded as fast as possible. We arrived around 8 PM and the train station was absolutely dead. I had made a reservation at a hostel near my cousins house so we used the directions provided in the confirmation email and made it without much of a problem. The site was looked more like a YMCA camp ground than a hostel. The facilities were not much better with the bunks feeling like summer camp. The second we got into our room we dropped our bags and ran back to the bus. I had received directions on how to get to my cousins house a few stops away but we were already late for dinner. Once we made it to the stop I joked with Loyd that we were totally living in that situation your parents told you avoid as a kid, some stranger coming and telling you to come with them. Luckily, my cousin Daniel came to get us and the way he shouted my name and opened his arms he reminded me more of a huge Papa Bear. He hugged and kissed both Loyd and I just as the rest of my Moroccan family does.
Once at his house I met the last surviving member of my grandparent's generation, my grandfathers sister. She took one look at me and began to tear up and saying in french that I looked like Michu (my father). She absolutely peppered my cheeks with kisses and I felt at home instantly. We were treated to a delicious meal prepared by Daniel and his lovely wife Eliane. The conversation was strained as French was the main language and English was nearly non-existent. Nonetheless, we had a blast with these amazingly warm people.
Daniel gave us a quick ride back to the hostel and told us to be ready at 10AM for a tour of the city with him and Eliane.
So from the 2nd coming of Morocco, Bon Nui!
Jeans & Sweatshirt
What a crazy night we had. Our hostel room was in shablmes and 9 guys' stuff scattered all over. We scampered down to breakfast to enjoy of the best ones we've had in a while. Plenty of fresh fruit and even a grilled cheese maker...MONEY! We gout our stuff out of the clutter and barely made it out for the 10 AM check out.
We chilled in the amazing atrium for a few minutes and talked about what we wanted to do that day. I wanted to see the nearby concentration camp so we made our way to the train station across the street.The tour was due to leave at 10:15 and we got to the meeting point at 10:20. I forgot that we were in Germany and when the say 10:15 they mean 10:15. Another tour guide told us we had already missed the tour but helped us by calling the tour leader. The train to the concentration camp had already left so we would have to wait another hour and a half to catch it. Opportunity lost but I am sure that I will be doing another Germany trip so I will make sure to see the camps.
We rehuddled and decided to check out the BMW factory. It is a short subway ride and sits right by the site where the Olympics were held. The moment we emerged from the subway I had a feeling of uneasiness in my stomach, at the site were I was standing Israeli Olympians were held hostage and later murdered. A tough sensation to describe but I felt haunted.
The BMW factory and museum sit just across the street. As we made our way over we spotted a BMW 7 series with the large Hydrogen writing on the side. We were both so impressed by this amazing technology, with the only emissions from the vehicle being pure water. Very cool stuff.
The Factory was one of the less educational experiences thus far but we did manage to see some of the very cool cars they have created over the years. Loyd felt a bit sick from the previous evening's festivities so we headed back for a bit more rest.
As we sat in the atrium at Wombat's I flipped through the Eurail train schedule and saw that there was an early train to Strasbourg. Without much debate we walked the block and a half to the station and for the first time on this trip, the schedule booklet was inaccurate. The book did tell us which transfer station we had to get to so we took the first train there.
Once at the transfer station we waited 2 hours to catch the train to Strasbourg. We killed the time by sitting outside a Burger King and watching a flock of pigeons go absolutely nuts over scraps of food. There was such a tremendous number of the in the restaurant that people would through food at them just to get the away from their tables. Frightening!
The train finally arrived and we boarded as fast as possible. We arrived around 8 PM and the train station was absolutely dead. I had made a reservation at a hostel near my cousins house so we used the directions provided in the confirmation email and made it without much of a problem. The site was looked more like a YMCA camp ground than a hostel. The facilities were not much better with the bunks feeling like summer camp. The second we got into our room we dropped our bags and ran back to the bus. I had received directions on how to get to my cousins house a few stops away but we were already late for dinner. Once we made it to the stop I joked with Loyd that we were totally living in that situation your parents told you avoid as a kid, some stranger coming and telling you to come with them. Luckily, my cousin Daniel came to get us and the way he shouted my name and opened his arms he reminded me more of a huge Papa Bear. He hugged and kissed both Loyd and I just as the rest of my Moroccan family does.
Once at his house I met the last surviving member of my grandparent's generation, my grandfathers sister. She took one look at me and began to tear up and saying in french that I looked like Michu (my father). She absolutely peppered my cheeks with kisses and I felt at home instantly. We were treated to a delicious meal prepared by Daniel and his lovely wife Eliane. The conversation was strained as French was the main language and English was nearly non-existent. Nonetheless, we had a blast with these amazingly warm people.
Daniel gave us a quick ride back to the hostel and told us to be ready at 10AM for a tour of the city with him and Eliane.
So from the 2nd coming of Morocco, Bon Nui!
Quick Apology
I wanted to quickly apologize to all of those waiting for an update on this blog. I have fallen desperately behind but have managed to keep my journal up to date so I will be adding entries in the next few days. I hope you all find them entertaining and provide me those comments I so cherish.
Cheers,
Aviad
Cheers,
Aviad
Friday, August 8, 2008
Munich, World of Beer & Brats 7/22/08
Wallet: Day 16
Jeans & Sweatshirt again
The conductor knock on the cabin door at 5:30 AM. Brutal. He tossed a few croissants and OJ containers into the room. Even though our train had left Budapest nearly an hour late we were right on time in Munich at 6 AM. Once I got myself out of bed by rolling off I walked out into the hallway. Everyone from the other cabins was waiting to get off the train and none of us in ours had even started to put our stuff together. I rushed back in and packed my stuff up quickly. I told Loyd to see if I forgot anything and left the train. Loyd was the last one off the train and he told me that the conductor was yelling repeatedly "please leave, PLEASE LEAVE!!". We made our way to a cafe in the station and sat for a bit. About 20 minutes later my heart skipped a beat, I realized I had hung up my towel overnight in the train and in my mad dash to get out, I had left it hanging there. I sprinted down to the platform where our train was and saw it was already gone. I guess my towel is somewhere in Budapest at this point.
We called our hostel to see if we could drop off our stuff and possibly check in early. They said check was at 2 PM without exception. Seeing it was 8 AM we decided to go drop off our stuff and then find something to entertain us for 6 hours... I looked at the directions and realized that the hostel was across the street from the station so the walk over was quick. As we walked in I noticed a few people on what looked like hammocks in the next room but I didn't pay too much attention. We put our bags into the luggage room and then I got a good view of the next room, it was an atrium full of hammocks, massive bean bags and benches. SCORE!!! Both of us snagged a spot in the room and were out within seconds. I woke up 2 hours later and looked around, I spotted Loyd laying face down. We were that tired from our trip.
There were signs in the hostel for a free walking tour leaving directly from the hostel. Although our past experience was, shal I say, less that ideal we decided to do it anyway. As soon as the tour guide started talking we knew we made a good decision. The tour guide was a flamboyant gay guy from the states who had moved to Berlin because his grandfather, who was German had caught "the fever"...jungle fever - which is why he's black. He was cracking us up from second one. He was exactly what we needed that morning -entertainment. He started the tour with a thorough review of the history of Germany, the high and the lows, the fact that before WWII and the Nazi party coming to power. I didn't know that the money in Germany was so worthless that they only printed it on one side. We left the hostel and headed through the city.
We stopped by a few churches and then at a beer garden, packed with people on a weekday afternoon. Loyd and I enjoyed 1 liter beers each, amazing. We continued the tour after the beer garden in much happier spirits. The fact that I hadn't showered in 30 hours wasn't bothering me so much. We learned about Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putch (coup) and saw where it all went down. The tour went on for a few more hours and finally ended with our brains hurting from so much information being pumped in. On the tour we met a brother and sister from Santa Barbara, Diana and Jacob. Once the tour ended we headed back to the beer garden for another round.
A little while later we finally made it back to the hostel and got that much needed shower in. We met back up with Diana and Jacob and headed to another Beer Hall that Ozzie had recommended. The food was cheap and the beer was delicious. A great dinner and a brew cost us each 10 euros, not bad! We headed back to our hostel for a pub crawl but just as we left the Beer Hall, the rains began. It was absolutely pouring. By time we made it back to the hostel 10 minutes later, we were all soaked head to toe. Instead of the pub crawl we decided to relax a bit in the bar in the hostel. We enjoyed the Happy Hour and 1 Euro beers and played some card games. Eventually we made it out of the hostel and to the Hofprahouse, where that failed Hitler coup occurred.
We finally made it home after an absolutely epic night. We're off to Strasbourg tomorrow but I knew from moment one that we had spent far too little time in Munich. Germany has absolutely been the best country we have visited yet. Off to FRANCCCEE!
Jeans & Sweatshirt again
The conductor knock on the cabin door at 5:30 AM. Brutal. He tossed a few croissants and OJ containers into the room. Even though our train had left Budapest nearly an hour late we were right on time in Munich at 6 AM. Once I got myself out of bed by rolling off I walked out into the hallway. Everyone from the other cabins was waiting to get off the train and none of us in ours had even started to put our stuff together. I rushed back in and packed my stuff up quickly. I told Loyd to see if I forgot anything and left the train. Loyd was the last one off the train and he told me that the conductor was yelling repeatedly "please leave, PLEASE LEAVE!!". We made our way to a cafe in the station and sat for a bit. About 20 minutes later my heart skipped a beat, I realized I had hung up my towel overnight in the train and in my mad dash to get out, I had left it hanging there. I sprinted down to the platform where our train was and saw it was already gone. I guess my towel is somewhere in Budapest at this point.
We called our hostel to see if we could drop off our stuff and possibly check in early. They said check was at 2 PM without exception. Seeing it was 8 AM we decided to go drop off our stuff and then find something to entertain us for 6 hours... I looked at the directions and realized that the hostel was across the street from the station so the walk over was quick. As we walked in I noticed a few people on what looked like hammocks in the next room but I didn't pay too much attention. We put our bags into the luggage room and then I got a good view of the next room, it was an atrium full of hammocks, massive bean bags and benches. SCORE!!! Both of us snagged a spot in the room and were out within seconds. I woke up 2 hours later and looked around, I spotted Loyd laying face down. We were that tired from our trip.
There were signs in the hostel for a free walking tour leaving directly from the hostel. Although our past experience was, shal I say, less that ideal we decided to do it anyway. As soon as the tour guide started talking we knew we made a good decision. The tour guide was a flamboyant gay guy from the states who had moved to Berlin because his grandfather, who was German had caught "the fever"...jungle fever - which is why he's black. He was cracking us up from second one. He was exactly what we needed that morning -entertainment. He started the tour with a thorough review of the history of Germany, the high and the lows, the fact that before WWII and the Nazi party coming to power. I didn't know that the money in Germany was so worthless that they only printed it on one side. We left the hostel and headed through the city.
We stopped by a few churches and then at a beer garden, packed with people on a weekday afternoon. Loyd and I enjoyed 1 liter beers each, amazing. We continued the tour after the beer garden in much happier spirits. The fact that I hadn't showered in 30 hours wasn't bothering me so much. We learned about Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putch (coup) and saw where it all went down. The tour went on for a few more hours and finally ended with our brains hurting from so much information being pumped in. On the tour we met a brother and sister from Santa Barbara, Diana and Jacob. Once the tour ended we headed back to the beer garden for another round.
A little while later we finally made it back to the hostel and got that much needed shower in. We met back up with Diana and Jacob and headed to another Beer Hall that Ozzie had recommended. The food was cheap and the beer was delicious. A great dinner and a brew cost us each 10 euros, not bad! We headed back to our hostel for a pub crawl but just as we left the Beer Hall, the rains began. It was absolutely pouring. By time we made it back to the hostel 10 minutes later, we were all soaked head to toe. Instead of the pub crawl we decided to relax a bit in the bar in the hostel. We enjoyed the Happy Hour and 1 Euro beers and played some card games. Eventually we made it out of the hostel and to the Hofprahouse, where that failed Hitler coup occurred.
We finally made it home after an absolutely epic night. We're off to Strasbourg tomorrow but I knew from moment one that we had spent far too little time in Munich. Germany has absolutely been the best country we have visited yet. Off to FRANCCCEE!
Free Tour? There must be a catch... 7/21/08
Wallet: Day 15
Jeans & Sweatshirt
This morning we woke up and had the least nutritious breakfast I have ever had. It consisted of a single slice of white bread and some apricot jam from a jar made of brown plastic. It didn't exactly scream GOOD MORNING! That was all that was available to us at this Hostel, pretty pathetic even for Hungary.
After eating that measly meal Loyd and I headed to a nearby square where a free tour was meeting, when I asked the guy at reception at our hostel about it he had no idea it even existed...good to know. We had already gone a few of these tours but they were usually well known by the hostel staff. We needed something to do so we went anyways. As soon as we arrived I knew something wasn't right. The tour guide stood holding up a sign that as we got closer I realized was upside down. As soon as he saw us walk up he stopped, midsentence, and asked where we were from. When I said Seattle he looked confused and looked to Loyd who answered New York. He repeated "New York, very nice" tat he would start his presentation over, much to the chagrin of the others in the group. At first it seemed like nothing when everyone sighed when he started again but it only took a few minutes before someone else joined the group and just as he did with us he started his whole thing from square one. Oh yeah, it didn't help that the guy was Hungarian and couldn't speak English outside of his prepared speech.
Nonetheless, it was a free tour so we stayed on for the first bit. About an hour in the guy pulled out a map he made in High School to demonstrate the changes in Hungarian history. That was it, final straw, I'm not staying and looking at handmade maps. I bit my tongue as looked at Loyd, looking more board that I ever thought was humanly possible. As soon as the next intersection came up, we went the opposite direction of the group. I saw a bench nearby and sat down. I saw the group walking the other way so I felt it was ok to just chill. Not two minutes into my nap I got this strange feeling that someone was looking at me so I opened my eyes. To my horror, the tour guide was standing next to me, looking at me and said "You need nap?". I have never jumped up faster in my life. Loyd could hardly contain himself he was laughing so hard. Needless to say, we rejoined the group until we could see a place to escape from. The second we saw a street nearby we ran down and turned a few corners...free at last!
We hopped on a metro across town towards Heros Square. As we started to set up for another one of our jumping pictures we caught the attention of a nearby family. As soon as we got the picture taken, the family started to do it as well. We have officially started a trend in Europe. As we walked around the nearby park we spotted the two Parisians we met in the train station the day before. They waved us over and we sat down with the two of them on the edge of a pond. Both of them had these great attitudes towards Americans so I joked with them that they weren't living up to their Parisian reputation of hating Americans. They joked with us that its not Americans they hate, its Bush...touche
The Parisians headed off to the Turkish Bath nearby, we had to head home so we split up. Before I could leave I had to change back the $300 plus I had left in Hungarian currency. As I exchanged them back into Euros I could feel myself getting ripped off. Problem was I couldn't do anything about it. We picked up our bags and made it to the station a good 2 hours before our train was due to leave. We did a Budpaest summary video and spend some time just relaxing. About 20 minutes before we were set to board Loyd jumped up from the stairs we were sitting on. A bird had just pooped on his hand. As bad as I felt for him I had to make a commotion, I yelled EW at the top of my lungs. A few other backpackers offered some wet wipes and purell. Nice people, I just stood and laughed.
We boarded the train and were instantly confused. The train is supposed to be a sleeper train but there were only two beds. A few minutes later 3 Korean kids came into cabin. He spoke pretty good English so explained to us that there we 6 beds in the cabin, the conductor would come around and transform what looked like a wall and the benches
we sat on into two more. Craziness.
A few hours into the trip the conductor did just what they said and made the room into 6 beds. I had about 10 inches between my face and the next bed. Good times. Our train was arriving in Munich at 6 AM so we tried to get to bed as early as possible. So from a train traveling through the back country of Hungary, goodnight!
Jeans & Sweatshirt
This morning we woke up and had the least nutritious breakfast I have ever had. It consisted of a single slice of white bread and some apricot jam from a jar made of brown plastic. It didn't exactly scream GOOD MORNING! That was all that was available to us at this Hostel, pretty pathetic even for Hungary.
After eating that measly meal Loyd and I headed to a nearby square where a free tour was meeting, when I asked the guy at reception at our hostel about it he had no idea it even existed...good to know. We had already gone a few of these tours but they were usually well known by the hostel staff. We needed something to do so we went anyways. As soon as we arrived I knew something wasn't right. The tour guide stood holding up a sign that as we got closer I realized was upside down. As soon as he saw us walk up he stopped, midsentence, and asked where we were from. When I said Seattle he looked confused and looked to Loyd who answered New York. He repeated "New York, very nice" tat he would start his presentation over, much to the chagrin of the others in the group. At first it seemed like nothing when everyone sighed when he started again but it only took a few minutes before someone else joined the group and just as he did with us he started his whole thing from square one. Oh yeah, it didn't help that the guy was Hungarian and couldn't speak English outside of his prepared speech.
Nonetheless, it was a free tour so we stayed on for the first bit. About an hour in the guy pulled out a map he made in High School to demonstrate the changes in Hungarian history. That was it, final straw, I'm not staying and looking at handmade maps. I bit my tongue as looked at Loyd, looking more board that I ever thought was humanly possible. As soon as the next intersection came up, we went the opposite direction of the group. I saw a bench nearby and sat down. I saw the group walking the other way so I felt it was ok to just chill. Not two minutes into my nap I got this strange feeling that someone was looking at me so I opened my eyes. To my horror, the tour guide was standing next to me, looking at me and said "You need nap?". I have never jumped up faster in my life. Loyd could hardly contain himself he was laughing so hard. Needless to say, we rejoined the group until we could see a place to escape from. The second we saw a street nearby we ran down and turned a few corners...free at last!
We hopped on a metro across town towards Heros Square. As we started to set up for another one of our jumping pictures we caught the attention of a nearby family. As soon as we got the picture taken, the family started to do it as well. We have officially started a trend in Europe. As we walked around the nearby park we spotted the two Parisians we met in the train station the day before. They waved us over and we sat down with the two of them on the edge of a pond. Both of them had these great attitudes towards Americans so I joked with them that they weren't living up to their Parisian reputation of hating Americans. They joked with us that its not Americans they hate, its Bush...touche
The Parisians headed off to the Turkish Bath nearby, we had to head home so we split up. Before I could leave I had to change back the $300 plus I had left in Hungarian currency. As I exchanged them back into Euros I could feel myself getting ripped off. Problem was I couldn't do anything about it. We picked up our bags and made it to the station a good 2 hours before our train was due to leave. We did a Budpaest summary video and spend some time just relaxing. About 20 minutes before we were set to board Loyd jumped up from the stairs we were sitting on. A bird had just pooped on his hand. As bad as I felt for him I had to make a commotion, I yelled EW at the top of my lungs. A few other backpackers offered some wet wipes and purell. Nice people, I just stood and laughed.
We boarded the train and were instantly confused. The train is supposed to be a sleeper train but there were only two beds. A few minutes later 3 Korean kids came into cabin. He spoke pretty good English so explained to us that there we 6 beds in the cabin, the conductor would come around and transform what looked like a wall and the benches
we sat on into two more. Craziness.
A few hours into the trip the conductor did just what they said and made the room into 6 beds. I had about 10 inches between my face and the next bed. Good times. Our train was arriving in Munich at 6 AM so we tried to get to bed as early as possible. So from a train traveling through the back country of Hungary, goodnight!
Off to Budapest! Land of Interesting Characters 7/20/08
Wallet: Day 14
Back to Jeans and Sweatshirt
This morning we all woke up feeling rested. I got to shower for the first time since London without Sandals...SWEET! Before we took the train to Budapest around 2, Meli wanted to show us one more thing the Danube Tower which sits on the banks of the river. She drove us over and we headed up the huge monument. The weather was not fully cooperating, as it was crazily windy at the top. We walked around and snapped some pictures of the beautiful city Vienna is. Not before long, we were all freezing and needing to get inside. We decided to try to grab some food at the restaurant at the top of the tower, much like the Space Needle.
At first we were told there were no seats but after some negotiation and pointing towards empty tables, we were seated at a table with an amazing view. The tower seemed to spin substantially faster than what I remembered the Space Needle ever spinning, leading to both Loyd and I feeling dizzy when we looked anywhere but straight outside. It was somewhat of a trippy experience.
Meli suggested we try the apple struddle, so we ordered one for the 3 of us to share. WOW, it was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten in my life. After trying just about everything to get our waiters attention, we finally received our check and headed back towards the elevator. When we initially walked in a guy took a picture of us with a blank background and when we left the image had been printed out with the Danube Tower inserted behind us. The price of the picture was an astounding 6 Euros so we beat the system by taking a picture of the picture using Loyd's camera...classy, I know.
We made it to the station without a problem and Meli came onto the train to wish us goodbye. We tried to convince her to come with us but she clearly couldn't. The feeling shared by all of us in that train car was bittersweet, it had been a really fun time enjoying Austrian culture and Meli's family had been so hospitable to us, it was tough to leave. Eventually, the inevitable happened and Meli had to get off because the train was leaving. Loyd and I waved goodbye as we left the station.
One we got back to our cabin, we met a young Ukrainian. Turns out he is studying at Boston University Medical School and he entertained us the entire 3 hour trip to Budapest. He is living there for the summer so he shared with us some good places to see before we left.
Once we arrived in Budapest and got off the train I suggested to Loyd that we reserve our spaces on our first overnight train, to Munich. The atmosphere in the train station is closer to chaos than it is organized, people stand in a huge crowd and watch the ancient train schedule board. There isn't a TV or Digital system anywhere in sight. We took a number and waited, I looked up at the numbers being served and we were still 150 people away. After a few minutes I decided my time was probably better spent going to find some Hungarian currency, since they do not run on the Euro. The ATM in the station went through all the motions with me, asking for my PIN and amount I wanted to take out before it gave my card back and said that the ATM was out of order...HUH? Bad start for this city...
I decided to go take a look around and found a bank a few blocks outside the station. I put my card hoping I would actually get money this time. The options for withdrawal amounts ranged from 1,000 to 150,000 FTs. Geez, I had no idea what a normal amount was to take out so I went somewhere in the middle, 50,000 FTs. I only later found out that I had taken out close to $350 for the 48 hours we were spending in this city! BAD CALL!
Once I got back into the station, I was stopped by a couple Americans who spotted my Prague Pub Crawl t-shirt I was wearing. They were heading that direction so I happily gave them my advice of the best things to do in the city. In return one of the guys gave me one of their numbers in line and it was only 20 away from being called. Clutch. We quickly got called up and got our reservation.
We headed down to the metro to get over to the area where we lived and on the way we met two Parisian girls who needed help figuring out how to get out money. I pointed them towards where I had successfully been able to get some out. I bought Loyd and I 4 single use tickets for a grand total of 400 FTs. I realized that I still had 49,600 FTs left...I think that I may have taken out too much money. Even more sketch than that was the fact the lady behind the desk sort of threw a few bills and met with some change and started helping the guy behind me. I walked away and looked the amount of money she gave to me. I had handed her a 10,000 FT bill and had gotten back only 4,600. I got right back in line, hoping she wouldn't just plainly deny the whole thing. As soon as I got close to the front of the line she gave me this strange wink and handed me back the remaining 5,000 bill she had stashed in an envelope next to her full of cash. This was a scheme she was running on EVERYONE!!! Wow, Hungary is already sketching me out...
We managed to find our hostel even if it was on the most random street in the entire city. Once inside we realized how cool of spot it was, with two main rooms off the lobby with 15 foot ceilings. I walked into the full kitchen and met an Aussie named Al. We started chatting it up about our trips. Turns out he is backpacking alone for a full year, A FULL YEAR! He had already traversed Asia, the Middle East (including a trip to Israel which he loved) and Africa. Our conversations were classic from moment one, swapping stories of ridiculous people met along the way. We had both been ripped off by the lady in the train station, although I had managed to notice, Al only realized when he got the hostel.
After showering up and getting ready Al, Loyd and I headed out to explore the city and pick up a few brews. Once we got back to the hostel we sat around some more and listened to Al's insane adventure stories. A few guys from Amsterdam joined our conversation and told us about a few clubs that we should check out. We headed out with them only to be massively disappointed. The first one was open air, which is a cool idea except the moment we arrived the rain and lightning began. The place emptied out pretty quickly. The second place was a hardcore hike from the first one and once we arrived it was also completely dead. The 3 of us laughed about but were not terribly happy with our decision to leave the hostel in the driving rain.
The Dutch guys tried to convince us to visit one more place but I was having no part of it. I went to the bar and tried to order Loyd and I some Jaeger shots and caught the attention of a few Hungarian girls sitting at the bar. They asked us where we were from in impeccable English. We joined their group of people at their table and enjoyed some Hungarian specialty wine concoction. Al and the Dutch guys left for the 3rd club. Loyd and I enjoyed the new company until the restaurant closed. We hopped into a cab to avoid the driving rain and got back to the hostel dry. As soon as we walked in we saw Al walking in completely drenched. Turns out the 3rd club was closed and they had hiked all the way back across the city in the rain. Even in the horrible situation, Al was finding humor in it...you have to love the Aussie disposition in life.
We got to bed pretty late and planned on being productive tomorrow, doing some touring around the city. So goodnight from BUUUUDAPEST!
Back to Jeans and Sweatshirt
This morning we all woke up feeling rested. I got to shower for the first time since London without Sandals...SWEET! Before we took the train to Budapest around 2, Meli wanted to show us one more thing the Danube Tower which sits on the banks of the river. She drove us over and we headed up the huge monument. The weather was not fully cooperating, as it was crazily windy at the top. We walked around and snapped some pictures of the beautiful city Vienna is. Not before long, we were all freezing and needing to get inside. We decided to try to grab some food at the restaurant at the top of the tower, much like the Space Needle.
At first we were told there were no seats but after some negotiation and pointing towards empty tables, we were seated at a table with an amazing view. The tower seemed to spin substantially faster than what I remembered the Space Needle ever spinning, leading to both Loyd and I feeling dizzy when we looked anywhere but straight outside. It was somewhat of a trippy experience.
Meli suggested we try the apple struddle, so we ordered one for the 3 of us to share. WOW, it was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten in my life. After trying just about everything to get our waiters attention, we finally received our check and headed back towards the elevator. When we initially walked in a guy took a picture of us with a blank background and when we left the image had been printed out with the Danube Tower inserted behind us. The price of the picture was an astounding 6 Euros so we beat the system by taking a picture of the picture using Loyd's camera...classy, I know.
We made it to the station without a problem and Meli came onto the train to wish us goodbye. We tried to convince her to come with us but she clearly couldn't. The feeling shared by all of us in that train car was bittersweet, it had been a really fun time enjoying Austrian culture and Meli's family had been so hospitable to us, it was tough to leave. Eventually, the inevitable happened and Meli had to get off because the train was leaving. Loyd and I waved goodbye as we left the station.
One we got back to our cabin, we met a young Ukrainian. Turns out he is studying at Boston University Medical School and he entertained us the entire 3 hour trip to Budapest. He is living there for the summer so he shared with us some good places to see before we left.
Once we arrived in Budapest and got off the train I suggested to Loyd that we reserve our spaces on our first overnight train, to Munich. The atmosphere in the train station is closer to chaos than it is organized, people stand in a huge crowd and watch the ancient train schedule board. There isn't a TV or Digital system anywhere in sight. We took a number and waited, I looked up at the numbers being served and we were still 150 people away. After a few minutes I decided my time was probably better spent going to find some Hungarian currency, since they do not run on the Euro. The ATM in the station went through all the motions with me, asking for my PIN and amount I wanted to take out before it gave my card back and said that the ATM was out of order...HUH? Bad start for this city...
I decided to go take a look around and found a bank a few blocks outside the station. I put my card hoping I would actually get money this time. The options for withdrawal amounts ranged from 1,000 to 150,000 FTs. Geez, I had no idea what a normal amount was to take out so I went somewhere in the middle, 50,000 FTs. I only later found out that I had taken out close to $350 for the 48 hours we were spending in this city! BAD CALL!
Once I got back into the station, I was stopped by a couple Americans who spotted my Prague Pub Crawl t-shirt I was wearing. They were heading that direction so I happily gave them my advice of the best things to do in the city. In return one of the guys gave me one of their numbers in line and it was only 20 away from being called. Clutch. We quickly got called up and got our reservation.
We headed down to the metro to get over to the area where we lived and on the way we met two Parisian girls who needed help figuring out how to get out money. I pointed them towards where I had successfully been able to get some out. I bought Loyd and I 4 single use tickets for a grand total of 400 FTs. I realized that I still had 49,600 FTs left...I think that I may have taken out too much money. Even more sketch than that was the fact the lady behind the desk sort of threw a few bills and met with some change and started helping the guy behind me. I walked away and looked the amount of money she gave to me. I had handed her a 10,000 FT bill and had gotten back only 4,600. I got right back in line, hoping she wouldn't just plainly deny the whole thing. As soon as I got close to the front of the line she gave me this strange wink and handed me back the remaining 5,000 bill she had stashed in an envelope next to her full of cash. This was a scheme she was running on EVERYONE!!! Wow, Hungary is already sketching me out...
We managed to find our hostel even if it was on the most random street in the entire city. Once inside we realized how cool of spot it was, with two main rooms off the lobby with 15 foot ceilings. I walked into the full kitchen and met an Aussie named Al. We started chatting it up about our trips. Turns out he is backpacking alone for a full year, A FULL YEAR! He had already traversed Asia, the Middle East (including a trip to Israel which he loved) and Africa. Our conversations were classic from moment one, swapping stories of ridiculous people met along the way. We had both been ripped off by the lady in the train station, although I had managed to notice, Al only realized when he got the hostel.
After showering up and getting ready Al, Loyd and I headed out to explore the city and pick up a few brews. Once we got back to the hostel we sat around some more and listened to Al's insane adventure stories. A few guys from Amsterdam joined our conversation and told us about a few clubs that we should check out. We headed out with them only to be massively disappointed. The first one was open air, which is a cool idea except the moment we arrived the rain and lightning began. The place emptied out pretty quickly. The second place was a hardcore hike from the first one and once we arrived it was also completely dead. The 3 of us laughed about but were not terribly happy with our decision to leave the hostel in the driving rain.
The Dutch guys tried to convince us to visit one more place but I was having no part of it. I went to the bar and tried to order Loyd and I some Jaeger shots and caught the attention of a few Hungarian girls sitting at the bar. They asked us where we were from in impeccable English. We joined their group of people at their table and enjoyed some Hungarian specialty wine concoction. Al and the Dutch guys left for the 3rd club. Loyd and I enjoyed the new company until the restaurant closed. We hopped into a cab to avoid the driving rain and got back to the hostel dry. As soon as we walked in we saw Al walking in completely drenched. Turns out the 3rd club was closed and they had hiked all the way back across the city in the rain. Even in the horrible situation, Al was finding humor in it...you have to love the Aussie disposition in life.
We got to bed pretty late and planned on being productive tomorrow, doing some touring around the city. So goodnight from BUUUUDAPEST!
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