The Northern Loop: A tour through Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris

Note: I updated my blog throughout my 10 day fall break trip last week when touring through Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris. Here is the collection of the blogs from each city. Enjoy! :)

When in Prague

Hi, everyone! Yes, I decided to go with an English greeting as opposed to Italian since in the Czech Republic, where I was the past two days, they don't speak Italian (or English much for that matter), and I don't know any Czech so I kind of went with the typical, boring greeting. I guess I could look it up now, though...*is google translating*...it' ahoj. Okay, now that that's settled, I'd like to tell you all that I am currently on my fall break trip for the semester--The Northern Loop with the student travel group, Bus2Alps. I have a little downtime this evening after a nonstop past couple of days, and I decided I'd write a little post about each city I visit. I left Prague today for Berlin, where I am currently located, and we will soon be off to Amsterdam on Monday night, and Paris on Wednesday or Thursday.

We began our journey on Thursday evening at 9pm, departing from the Santa Maria Novella Train Station in Florence, where I am studying for the semester. It was an overnight ride for about 13 hours, but hey, at least for the first few hours we watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall and He's Just Not That into You to ease the pain of cramping limbs and uncomfortable sleeping positions. We arrived that morning, checked into our hostel, The Czech Inn (ahahaha. Get it? Check. In. Yeah, it kills me every time. I'm okay with that.). Aimee, my roommate from Florence, and I ended up in a two person room with its own bathroom, which was a blessing after the 12 person room and shared bathroom that I had to deal with on the Amalfi Coast trip a few weeks ago.

After freshening up and having breakfast, we departed on a three hour walking tour of the city of Prague with a crazy, kind of funny, and extremely awkward tour guide named Christian. He was half Czech, half Swedish, and all pumped up. He would jump all over and yell "I'm over here!"...and we'd all have to turn around and adjust our positions in the group to hear him properly. It was kind of a pain, but hey, I guess it kept our attention. We saw the beautiful sites of Prague throughout the trip, heard the history of the area, enjoyed the architecture, and got a good workout. However, all the calories burned off from walking were gained back when consuming my first bagel since I left the states from a place called Bohemia Bagel (with some veggie cream cheese). SO GOOD.

After the walking tour, my friends and I explored the souvenir shops, sat and relaxed in a local restaurant, then headed back to the hostel to prepare for the Prague Pub Crawl. For the record, pub crawls are not my style, but I figured I'd give it a shot. We took the metro from the hostel and ended up in a rather dark, haunted-house style bar where a live band was playing. It was really different, but I was able to spend time with some new friends I made the first day. After the third bar, though, I was exhausted, and so two of my friends and I, unable to figure out the metro station, walked about 40 minutes in the cold back to the hostel and finally were able to rest.

The next day, we decided to sign up for the Prague Castle Tour with the same group who offered our tour the first day. We crossed the Charles Bridge and ventured up some extremely steep stairs to get to the castle high above the city. We didn't get to go inside, but we explored the castle grounds, heard about defenestration (the act of throwing people out of windows as punishment), saw some beautiful cathedrals, and got to see some lovely views of the city. We then hiked down to see the John Lennon wall. It began as graffiti by the Czech youth rebelling against the government during the times of communism and asking for peace. However, the police kept painting over it...but the Czech youth kept coming back and repainting it. Eventually, it was left for good as a work of art and is still added onto today. It was an unforgettable sight. Some of the artwork was really intricate and was a fantastic dedication to Lennon, the Beatles, and peace.

After that, we joined up with the entire Bus2Alps group at a beer hall and had a large meal of delicious, genuine Czech cuisine. It started with a vegetable soup and bread. We then had beef goulash with dumplings and apple strudel. I was really impressed and really enjoyed the entire meal. Who knew I'd ever be in the Czech Republic? I had to enjoy some genuine cuisine while I was there! That evening, we continued walking around, I picked up some gifts, and then we relaxed for the evening in the hostel bar.

Prague's architecture was unforgettable, and I overall fell in love with the city. We left this morning for Berlin and got here this afternoon. Tomorrow, we will be exploring the entire city on another walking tour and taking in the culture. Look for a Berlin blog post soon! I must continue on my journey now. :)

Brrrrrrr-lin

Guten tag, friends! I am no longer in Germany, but I was yesterday! I am currently in Amsterdam, the third city on my four city/ten day journey over fall break, but I figured I'd take a little bit of time to fill you in on the happenings in Berlin before I got to the tales of sex, weed, and prostitution running rampant in the streets of the Netherlands. Berlin was only a one night, one day stop on our loop around Northern Europe, but it was certainly memorable.

We drove through the day on Sunday so we could arrive in the late afternoon to Berlin. By that time, I was exhausted from the nonstop walking and exploring of Prague and uncomfortable bus-riding, so I took it easy that night, caught a delicious meal with my friends in the hostel bar, and bonded with some people on the trip from different colleges who decided to lie low as well. The real exploration of the historical German city began the next morning. We woke up early for another walking tour to take in the sights and gain some knowledge of the sights. Sadly, the weather did not cooperate. I was wearing two sweaters, a leather jacket, and a raincoat, and I was still frigid as the wind whipped at our faces, but you know what? It was worth it. I was with my roommates from Florence and some friends I'd met on the trip, and we shivered together. We were able to see the Brandenburg Gate, which towered over the main plaza of the city, which houses the German and French embassies. Oh by the way, in that square, there is also a hotel that costs approximately 15,000 Euro per night to stay in. Guess which one it was? THE ONE WHERE MICHAEL JACKSON DANGLED HIS BABY OUT THE WINDOW! Now that is history.

We toured all over the city and saw some pretty surreal historical monuments and locations. I never thought I'd be able to say that I stomped all over the grounds which house Hitler's former bunker where he stayed towards the end of WWII, and where he committed suicide, but I can say it now. Another amazing experience was seeing the portion of the Berlin Wall remaining, which was once known as the Death Strip. It divided East and West Berlin and was located right in front of the former S.S. headquarters. Anyone who tried to cross was typically shot dead, but some did make it and were able to be reunited with their loved ones on the other side. We also saw Checkpoint Charlie, the U.S. Army checkpoint in the war. I got a picture posing on some sandbags in front of the replica that has been placed there. It was overall amazing to know I was in the place where so many major events of WWII took place, but nothing compared to knowing I stood  right on the place where Hitler took his own life. If only he'd done it earlier.

We also got a taste of the war from the side of the victims rather than the Germans by going to the Jewish Museum. We spent approximately 2 hours touring the museum filled with possessions from Holocaust victims and survivors, films, letters, and artwork representing the desperation and sadness felt during the war.My friends and I had a really emotional experience at one piece of art. It is pictured below. An artist filled a long strip of open floor with anguished metal faces of all different sizes. You were allowed to walk over them if you wished. Two of my friends did, and I followed after one of the museum workers confirmed that we could. She asked me how I was feeling as I walked over the faces, and I said guilty, but I continued walking. She asked, "then why are you still doing it?" And I honestly couldn't answer her. I felt horrible walking over these sad metal faces, but I still continued. After hearing this conversation, three more of my friends began walking over the faces, and the museum worker asked them, "After you just heard how guilty she felt doing it, why did you feel the need to try it too?" We all stood there, ashamed of ourselves. We were an example of what happened when the Nazis took over. When someone says it's okay, even if you feel guilty, you feel as though it is acceptable to do it. People follow others, no matter how morally poor the act actually is.I've been to Holocaust museums and read many books on the subject and taken many classes that covered it, but nothing compared to being in the middle of where it all happened. The emotions were fully charged, and it was a once in a lifetime experience to be a part of.

Berlin, as a city, reminded me a lot of New York City. Because it was so brutally destroyed during the war, much of the city was rebuilt closer to present times, giving it a more modern feel. It was very Americanized, but the history was not lost. I had a genuine German meal that evening ad then headed overnight on the bus to Amsterdam, where I am now. I have plenty of stories from today, but I'll have to tell them in my official Amsterdam post. Keep an eye out for more on my journey through Northern Europe! Cheers (as all the Europeans say)!

I Am Sterdam

Hi, everyone! I'm now safely back in Florence after my 10 day journey around Northern Europe. You've already seen my Prague & Berlin posts, but the last two cities, Amsterdam and Paris, gave me little time to add any blogs until now. So here you will now be seeing two upcoming posts to fill you in on the second half of my unforgettable trip.
 
Amsterdam, as you know, is a big tourist attraction--mainly because of the legalized marijuana and mushrooms, as well as legalized prostitution. Being the straight-edge that I am in many ways, one would think that this would not be an enjoyable place for me to visit. However, in the end, I loved it! Amsterdam is actually a really quaint city. The houses and buildings are tall and thin and resemble doll houses all lined up in a row. The Red Light District, however, is a tad bit different. That's actually where our hostel was located. We began a three hour tour first thing our first morning there that took us through all the main landmarks, including seeing our first few prostitutes in the Red Light District. In this district, the prostitutes are protected by the law (and each other) from anyone trying to expose them publicly (they will smash your camera and pee on it if you try and take a picture),. They display themselves in rented out windows with red lighting and pose trying to get passers by to come in and pay for their services. It's unreal. Also, look out for the blue lights. Those mean that they may have lady and man parts! Uh oh. hahaha So many fun facts come out during those tours.

In the few days we were there, besides seeing the prostitutes and watching half the people on the trip get high from the legal marijuana from the "coffee shops" around town, we went into the Anne Frank House, explored the city, and had amazing pancakes. The Anne Frank house cost 8.5 Euro to get into and explained Anne's story along with artifacts from her family's stay in the secret apartment. We also got to walk through the actual apartment where they had been housed in Amsterdam before being betrayed and discovered, see actual journal pages from her diary, and really try to understand what it was like being cramped in that small apartment for two years, hoping she wouldn't be taken away by the Nazis. It was really emotional to see. Walking through made Anne less of a character (or Apples to Apples trump card) in my mind and more of a real person.  Between that and seeing everything in Berlin, I was educated on the Holocaust and Nazism during this trip in such a real way. It was amazing to experience.
Outside of the Anne Frank house

My friends and I also found our way to the "I Amsterdam" sign in the middle of the nicer part of the city. We spent a good amount of time posing on the letters and relaxing in the park nearby. We then made our way over to this fantastic pancake house, which was built around an old carousel. I splurged a tad and got the Carousel Pancakes...the most elaborate creation on the menu. It was a giant pancake covered in powdered sugar, mixed fruit, two scoops of ice cream, and whipped cream. After not having pancakes, or any American breakfast food for that matter, for the past two months, it was like heaven. After that, my friends and I did some shopping, returned to the hostel, fell asleep at an embarrassingly early time ("It's 9:30...and we're in Amsterdam..."), and then got up to head to Paris the next morning.

Even though Amsterdam is a pretty scandalous place, I fell in love with the city and really enjoyed the easygoing culture, as well as the quaint appearance of the area. Even if you're not a partier, I'd highly recommend a visit. :)

Oui Louvre Paris

Yeah, that's right. You better enjoy that title full of delightful puns. Anyway, Paris was amazing. It was the fourth stop on my 10 day trip around Northern Europe for fall break at LDM. Though I was exhausted from my many days of traveling and overnight bus rides, I was able to muster up enough energy to fully submerge myself into the beauty that is Paris, France.

The first night, I sucked it up and went to another pub crawl. Again, I didn't drink anything, but I was able to hang out with all of my friends and see a bit of the seedier part of Paris before being amazed by the beauty of the main area of the city the next day. At one point, we stole my friend's camera in one of the bars and got some pretty hilarious shots to remember that night.
 
The next morning, we took our final 3 hour walking tour of the city. We were able to see the beauty of the bridges, canals, buildings, and atmosphere of the city. We ended just past the Louvre at a park filled with fountains and sun (finally...since the majority of our trip was cloudy). From there, Aimee, Josh, and I decided to wait in line to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Seeing the towering structure above you in person is incredible, and it truly completes the Paris skyline. We only ended up getting to the second floor of the tower due to how crowded it was, but we were still able to take in some breathtaking views of the city of love, and hey...we can still say we climbed the Eiffel Tower! From there, we took a stroll to the Louvre, where we were able to see the Mona Lisa live and in person (it's a little anticlimactic, to be honest, but I can still say I did it) and observe some of the magnificent works that are located in the intimidatingly large museum.  From there, we continued being super classy and had dinner at McDonald's. Yup. We had McDonald's for dinner in France. I mean, what else do you do when you've spent way more money than you should have?
 
The next day, we took a train out to Versailles. Our subway actually broke down on the way, and we ended up being quite late for our tour, and so we had to cram it into about an hour and a half instead of 4 hours. We got there and got an up close and personal view of the stunning and elaborate gardens and fountains with a tour guide to tell us stories along the way. Eventually, though, we wandered from the tour to see inside the actual palace itself. Nothing compares to the rich, excessive decor of this place. There was gold everywhere, paintings and sculptures lining each and every room, and even a hall of mirrors where, back in the 1400s, people would see their reflections for the first time. The entire place left my friends and I in awe. We even had time to catch a fountain show, where all of the fountains in the gardens were turned on as classical music played.

We then hopped on a train back into Paris and spent some time souvenir shopping and visiting Notre Dame. We happened to go inside Notre Dame during a French mass, and it was a really spiritual experience. Mind you, I'm not very religious, but walking through this beautiful, famous church (no, I did not see the hunchback) and hearing voices singing while seeing candles lit everywhere definitely hit that soft, emotional spot I have hidden deep down inside. I smiled to myself the entire time as I walked through the church and felt an odd calm.
 
After this, we hustled back to the hostel, got on the bus, and spent 15 hours overnight driving back to Florence! I am now back at home and preparing to go back to class at 6pm. WOOHOO. Marc and three of our friends were supposed to be here yesterday afternoon, but the random snowstorm thwarted our plans. The poor things have been going nonstop for three days trying to get here, and they will be arriving...right in the middle of my class. I'm going to meet them as soon as I'm out, and I can't wait. My next blog post will be filling you in on our week together in Firenze. :) Ciao!