The Outcome

I am now safely back in the United States as of the evening before last.

Wow! What an incredible trip. It could hardly have been better.

Traveled through 11 countries [Spain, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland,  Hungary, Czech Republic, Denmark and Sweden] , stayed in 9 of them, and took 21 trains. Met people from all over the world and created hundreds of memories.

And somehow I made it only speaking English, and listening very carefully**
I recommend everyone do a trip like this sometime in their life. It truly is an experience.

The Aftermath:

Now back to school and American life. YIKES!

I'm going back

To Amsterdam.

I had a not-so-positive experience in Berlin, so thought it’d be a nice pick up to go back to this incredible city. Another plus- it’s full of Dutch; I’ve met many of them traveling and really enjoyed having conversation. I think I’ve decided I want to learn Dutch.

The Prague was similar to Budapest in a lot of ways; city split West/East by a river, West the older and East the newer and more hip. As well, the currency is not Euro but Crowns (in Budapest it was Florint). Biggest difference has to be that Prague has medieval architecture and Budapest has a slightly more decrepit and Arabic feel to it.

I plan on seeing the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank house tomorrow. Further, going to finally see Vondelpark which I’m really excited about!

Coming to the USA in 5 days!

Banking on Budapest

So originally I was planning on doing a loop around Europe from Spain through the South of Europe, and making my way back from the North. That didn’t exactly happen. I had to make a choice to try to make it back by train (which would have been ridiculously hard) or do something else. I’ve decided seeing Scandinavia is worth paying for a short flight to Madrid. I’ll be able to see a lot more this way.

Anyways, the pluses include going to Budapest in Hungary. Now this was not a place I intended to go, but kept hearing good things from other travelers and it sounded mysterious so I gave it a shot. I’m glad I did.

I stayed in “party” hostels, meaning they have a bar on the first floor. They were really cool because it’s just youth that want to party every night. Simple idea, and the owners of these things really did it right. I had a great time hanging with many Irish and Australians.

But Budapest itself is anything but a letdown. If this isn't faeryland, I don't know what is.

It was quite the atmosphere in both of the hostels I stayed at.

Probably the best memory I’ll keep is of about 40 of us rolling out of the hostel heading towards the Karaoke bar in plastic trash bags “bin bags” as they call them. Grandio/ Retox/ Carpe Noctrum all do an excellent job of bringing partiers together to have a wicked time.

Oh and on my way to Budapest I was told of Europe biggest music festival- Sziget was happening this very week. I knew instantly that I had to go.

Running

Paris was rushed to say the least. Spent about 23 hours in the city most of which was great, but it is hard to truly experience a city of this size in such a short amount of time. Got to do a couple touristy things though.

One of my best friends at school was able to protect me from ‘ze froggies’ as she likes to say. Shannon speaks perfect French so that I don’t have to pathetically try. That made traveling France a much better experience.

In Marseille just before I was fortunate enough to have true Southern French cuisine thanks to Shannon’s mother and good friend. The food was fantastic!

We decided on a whim to tear up Amsterdam for just a quick day and a half-ish because she had to get back to her mother, and I had to continue my travels. Amsterdam was dope. Perhaps the best surprise of the trip. It’s beauty is unsurpassed in my book.

Ask me sometime about our adventure catching the train. Unbelievable. Somehow, for some reason we made it though.

After tending to the local frivolities, it was incredible to see a city with water everywhere you look. This is so because Amsterdam is made of many series of canals. I felt like I was in Venice.

We had a blast and I definitely hope to go back to Amsterdam in the future with close friends. Just try not to drop anything in the water… Oops.

The Prohibition of the Green Fairy

So in Solothurn I got a little history of the legendary green highly alcoholic drink plagued with wormwood – Absinthe aka “The Green Fairy”.

Absinthe is a tradition in Switzerland. Ever since it was founded in the 13^th century it was drank by farmers and common folk at occasion. However in 1910, the forces of the church and medicine were able to prohibit it from sale and consumption. And with good reason, as the drink is 50% upwards of 70-some %. But it is not known for that as much as the ingredient- wormwood- which if drunken in quantity can lead to hallucinations and encounters with the abnormal. Perhaps you’ll even meet a green fairy in your cups.

                                     ..... Get ittt??

The good news is March 1, 2005 prohibition ended. Absinthe is now legal in Switzerland and you can even get lighter versions in stores in the United States. Drinking absinthe need not be a big deal if you’re not an idiot and have some familiarity with your body’s reaction to alcohol and/or intoxication in general.

When my Swiss friends mentioned an Absinthe bar in town, I was all- “What!” “Where!” and they were happy to show me.

 Funny story is the guy that opened this bar has been in trouble with the law several times since its opening for selling other sorts of still illegal substances. What can you expect though. The bar had 10 or so Absinthe’s to choose from. I picked the “Absinthe 69 Love” because I felt it was only on the menu for tourists and Americans anyways.. someone had to do it.

Proscht!!!

The Swiss Don't Dance

Let me apologize for not keeping up as I have wished. Things indeed got hectic, more than I could have imagined.

I am now on a train somewhere in the middle of Austria. It’s pretty wild when I think about it.

To write in order of events at this point would stunt the free-flow of my thoughts and so I shall try not.

Switzerland is beautiful as I expected, what I did not expect was how good the food was. Definitely the best culinary surprise of the trip. Yesterday after driving/walking up a mountain, my Swiss friends Eva, and Chris, and their good friend Jasmine took me to a place where they serve top-notch Röschti. The dish is essentially thickly sliced hashbrowns and the one they insisted to order for me was full of onions and topped with ham and a fried egg. Incredibly delicious.

Another surprise was this pizza. No doubt the best of my life. Yes, the best pizza of my life. Though it does make perfect since because of Switzerland being in the vicinity of Italy. Funny thing though, I’ve never been to Italy, but they have, and told me this restaurant in their hometown is better than the pizza they had in Italy. I believe them. Paper-thin dough, unbelievable. 

Switzerland is heartland Western Europe and the people are reserved and traditional. But they live a good life. Chris, Jasmine, and Eva are all from different small villages (the names of which I can’t remember) but they all adhere to the same town- Solothurn. Which is a quaint and beautiful place.

We drank along the Aare River that passes through Solothurn and late in the night swam in it. The local beer is Oufi- meaning 11. Eleven is the historical number of Solothurn- the town has 11 scattered fountains- each guarded by one of the 11 saints. There’s also flights of 11 stairs leading the cathedral/church in the center of Solothurn.

Eva my hostess has a cozy wooden house backing up to forest. There’s a lot of forest here by the way, I love it. The dog Lenox was of course my favorite among the house animals. They have probably 10 cats.

Also, it apparently is not a big deal to grow a little marijuana in your back yard.

Although it was too cloudy to see the Alps, the Northern mountains- the Jura - were still quite the back drop.

Oh, and the Swiss do not dance. But of course my Swiss friends and I did.

The Madrid Rio Project (el Plan Especial Madrid-Río)!!!

If you ever go to Madrid (or Spain) you do NOT want to miss exploring the Madrid Rio!

Madrid undertook a massive city project that relocates the highway that goes through this part of the city - M-30 - and placed it entirely underground (previously it had run beside the river). Over 8,000,000 sq. meters, 6 city districts, 33,000 newly planted trees, significantly improved water quality through more natural storm water filtration and retention- every aspect of the project is colossal and yet brilliantly done; Madrid did this right! Trying to think on the scale of this project, I can't help but recall China's Three Gorges Dam. However, this project is completely about improved quality of life for the people of Madrid by bringing them closer to their river and including them into their environment. The road had prior prevented individuals from experiencing this river on an intimate level. Now the project opens so much land to be used by people simply walking (as humans do so well) and will provide excellent access that shall allow us to cherish and protect it. Further, it provides exceptional sense of place and is an environmental benefit for a plethora of reasons.

Despite relocating the highway and the enormous scale of this project I was glad to see Madrid had protected this vital historical bridge.

One of the most incredible things about this project is how interactive the landscape is that was created. They've got a little something for everyone including an Urban Beach, Skateboard Park, Greenhouse, multiple basketball/futbol courts and fields, significant amounts of green space with various trees, shrubs, landscaping, fountains, and many areas for kids (young and old) to play. Families were all over the place. Two of my favorite things were a shallow water pool which spat water from various holes- the kids were all over this one. Also an artificial mountain that had I think about 7 slides going all different directions down it and through it. This impressed me because of how natural of an appeal it has. It is better in so many ways than your average plastic McDonald's "Play Place". It integrates children into an incredibly similar to natural environment that challenges their skills and is a stimulating place to play and be in. Parents were enjoying the attractions as much as the kids, Alvaro and I of course joined in. 

Another great thing about Madrid in general is there's always someone walking around selling cerveza for a euro. That's barely more than in the store so it's pretty great when a guy walks up to you in the park and offers nice cold Mahou for a coin that's in your pocket. We rarely refuse.

The green spaces were done spectacularly:

Food update: Yesterday I tried eating rabbit, and today bull's tail!

Hasta Luego!

Madrid por la Noche

A few nights ago Alvaro's dad (Jose Tomas), Alvaro, and I went to see some of the most famous sites in the oldest part of Madrid.

Here we go!

In the beginning there was an 8-hour plane trip. And despite having a glorious whole 3-seat row to myself (I tried laying down) I slept, or sort of slept, for only an hour. But it was definitely okay because I finished reading a book I've been at for a year- The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs; a classic on city-design and done just in time to apply that knowledge with first hand experience with European cities! I am so thrilled about this month! Also spent time reading all the information that came with my Eurail ticket on the plane, but am still pretty overwhelmed with it. The train lines are not straight shots usually and I'll be transferring like its my job since I'm traveling through many countries.

When I got here it took a little to find Alvaro (my Spanish roommate whose family is generously housing and feeding me while I'm in Madrid) because he flew into a newer terminal 5 miles away. Got in at 6:40am and had to stay up the whole day to try and readjust to Spain time. I was holding strong until I crumbled when offered a siesta...

Alvaro's father and stepmother's house is beautiful! Since everyone here seems to favor walls and highly secure buildings (metal-grates on windows, advanced security systems, etc.) , the privacy is abnormally high. Haha- I can only imagine if we had this kind of privacy in our suburban house in America how much more crazy our high-school parties would have gotten.

The climate here completely kicks VA's butt. I mean, really, the absence of humidity makes a world of difference and air-conditioning is really unnecessary. It's great to be staying in a house that is open almost all day to fresh air. Pool, outdoor TV lounge, outdoor clay oven, etc. etc. this place is stocked! From what I understand Spanish middle class is an incredible life to live, and it shows.

Alvaro's stepmother- Miriam (Mimi) cooks all the incredible Spanish food I've heard about. Since getting here 3 days ago I've had many traditional Spanish meals including fried fish and sardines, calamari,  pan steak with tortilla de patata, black (blood sausage), olive oil cooked octopus and potatos, seared tuna and traditionally cook Paella (see picture) that is cooked in a humongous pan. Usually there are many meats with each meal. Every meal tends to include the famous tapas of sliced cheeses always including Manchego, and various thinly sliced cured meats, endless white baguettes, and typically a small salad with tuna, corn, and balsamic/olive oil. And of course copious amounts of wine are always available for social lubrication. Basically I am in heaven, though it has been hard to adjust from a diet that is mostly vegetables to a diet that is mostly meats. Vegetarians would not fair well here.

Been going out late-night to the nearby mall that has 2 clubs on its roof... and they don't get started to about 2am... Yeah, its pretty wild. Two nights ago Alvaro and I went into the city and clubbed at a 7-story club that has a movie-theater in it. Didn't get home till after 9am.

I'll be in Madrid relaxing for the next couple days. I do not expect the rest of the trip to be as laid-back as this at all. It's good to give my sprained ankle a few extra days before I start walking ridiculous amounts of miles around the cities I plan to visit.