Monday, March 19, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
London, Day 14, The End
Today was our final day in Europe... It's been a long adventure.
We started off the day slow again, but we really didn't have much of an agenda. It was a nice blue day out, but cold in the low 50's. We started out by heading over to the National Gallery which is London's free version of the Louvre. We were pretty much done with art from the early periods so we headed to the galleries of Monet and Van Gogh. They had about 7 or 8 paintings from each. There were also a few Rembrant's that were easy to spot... colorless portraits (all were confirmed authentic). Next we headed to the Tower of London. We traveled by metro again. All of the metros have been very nice compared to what the NYC subway looks like. We got in line for tickets which were £21 a person! As we were waiting, a nice gentleman came up and asked if we wanted a buy one get one free coupon. Being wary of strangers, I declined. He looked very surprised, shrugged, and threw the coupon in the trash can. At that point I realized he was just a nice guy, so I did a little dumpster diving... Made one pass, spotted the coupon, second pass I nonchalantly threw away some paper while reaching in. Surely no one saw me... :) It was genuine and we saved £21 which was nice! We listened to the free tour by the Yeomen that live and work there. It was very interesting and entertaining. After the tour we headed in to see all the sights; the crown jewels, the armory, and a few of the towers.
We crossed the Tower Bridge and then headed back to the hotel. We went to our new favorite Italian restaurant that we discovered in Italy, Rossopomodoro. They have 8 locations. 5 in Italy, one in London, NYC, and Tokyo. It is truly the best pizza.
So that is it, we are done. Our transfer agent picks us up tomorrow at 8:50 and we head home. It will be sad to leave, but I'll be glad to get home.
The train station
Westminster Abbey
Big Ben at night.
Our hotel... Super nice.
We started off the day slow again, but we really didn't have much of an agenda. It was a nice blue day out, but cold in the low 50's. We started out by heading over to the National Gallery which is London's free version of the Louvre. We were pretty much done with art from the early periods so we headed to the galleries of Monet and Van Gogh. They had about 7 or 8 paintings from each. There were also a few Rembrant's that were easy to spot... colorless portraits (all were confirmed authentic). Next we headed to the Tower of London. We traveled by metro again. All of the metros have been very nice compared to what the NYC subway looks like. We got in line for tickets which were £21 a person! As we were waiting, a nice gentleman came up and asked if we wanted a buy one get one free coupon. Being wary of strangers, I declined. He looked very surprised, shrugged, and threw the coupon in the trash can. At that point I realized he was just a nice guy, so I did a little dumpster diving... Made one pass, spotted the coupon, second pass I nonchalantly threw away some paper while reaching in. Surely no one saw me... :) It was genuine and we saved £21 which was nice! We listened to the free tour by the Yeomen that live and work there. It was very interesting and entertaining. After the tour we headed in to see all the sights; the crown jewels, the armory, and a few of the towers.
We crossed the Tower Bridge and then headed back to the hotel. We went to our new favorite Italian restaurant that we discovered in Italy, Rossopomodoro. They have 8 locations. 5 in Italy, one in London, NYC, and Tokyo. It is truly the best pizza.
So that is it, we are done. Our transfer agent picks us up tomorrow at 8:50 and we head home. It will be sad to leave, but I'll be glad to get home.
The train station
Westminster Abbey
Big Ben at night.
Our hotel... Super nice.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
London, Day 13
No wi-fi again so no pictures, and hopefully this works. We made it to London by way of the Eurostar through the Chunnel. We thought our trip was only an hour, but we changed time zones so it was actually 2 hrs. We arrived at the train station and were met by our transfer agent. We made it to the hotel in a few minutes. It was a nice, after the last two travel days.
It was drizzling out when we got in around 1pm, so we headed to a Starbucks and read for a while. We headed out for a walk in the afternoon. We were close to Westminster Abbey so we stopped by for a few pictures. We headed over to the Parliament building and saw Big Ben. Next we headed to Trafalgar Square, where a St. Patricks Day festival was taking place with live music. We checked it out for a little, but there were no bands that looked interesting so we kept walking. We headed through St. Jame's Park and up to Buckingham Palace. So we pretty much saw it all in an afternoon.
Tomorrow we'll probably head over to the Tower of London and London Bridge.
We headed back to the hotel and stopped by a restaurant recommended by the hotel. Unfortunately it was booked due to St. Patricks Day. We headed to the restaurant in the hotel and I just had a good ole burger and fries.
It was drizzling out when we got in around 1pm, so we headed to a Starbucks and read for a while. We headed out for a walk in the afternoon. We were close to Westminster Abbey so we stopped by for a few pictures. We headed over to the Parliament building and saw Big Ben. Next we headed to Trafalgar Square, where a St. Patricks Day festival was taking place with live music. We checked it out for a little, but there were no bands that looked interesting so we kept walking. We headed through St. Jame's Park and up to Buckingham Palace. So we pretty much saw it all in an afternoon.
Tomorrow we'll probably head over to the Tower of London and London Bridge.
We headed back to the hotel and stopped by a restaurant recommended by the hotel. Unfortunately it was booked due to St. Patricks Day. We headed to the restaurant in the hotel and I just had a good ole burger and fries.
Location:Caxton St,,United Kingdom
Friday, March 16, 2012
Paris, Day 12
We got off to a slow start today because we needed a rest. Unfortunately, we are only in Paris for one full day so we couldn't lounge around too long. We started off by viewing the Arc de Triomphe. I could have watched the activity in the traffic circle for hours. With all the scooters around and high speeds, I'm surprised we haven't seen any wrecks yet.
After the Arc, we headed to the Louvre. We spent a few hours there, but it was so massive there was no way to see it all, and unfortunately we had kinda reached art overload. The highlight to me was the hand sketches by Delaroche and the corresponding paintings. We saw the crowd favorites Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, but they just kinda leave you wondering why are they so famous compared to the others... some statues still had arms. I had a ham and cheese baguette at the museum and it was so good we found a sandwich shop for dinner as well.
After the Louvre, we headed to Notre Dame. The stained glass was incredible and looked good since it was another nice sunny day. The colors really came out in the pictures on the camera, not so much on the phone...
We walked a little to find "the best ice cream in the world" at Berthillion. It was very good, but did not live up to the description. We took a stroll down the Champ-Elysées and then called it a day.
We definitely needed more time in Paris... It's a very spread out city. We had to take the metro between every location and still ended up walking many miles.
We have really enjoyed all the cities so far. Maybe it's because it's out of the typical tourist season, but everything seems safe, uncrowded, and everyone has been extremely nice. The weather has been perfect as well. It's looking like rain in London, but we'll see...
After the Arc, we headed to the Louvre. We spent a few hours there, but it was so massive there was no way to see it all, and unfortunately we had kinda reached art overload. The highlight to me was the hand sketches by Delaroche and the corresponding paintings. We saw the crowd favorites Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, but they just kinda leave you wondering why are they so famous compared to the others... some statues still had arms. I had a ham and cheese baguette at the museum and it was so good we found a sandwich shop for dinner as well.
After the Louvre, we headed to Notre Dame. The stained glass was incredible and looked good since it was another nice sunny day. The colors really came out in the pictures on the camera, not so much on the phone...
We walked a little to find "the best ice cream in the world" at Berthillion. It was very good, but did not live up to the description. We took a stroll down the Champ-Elysées and then called it a day.
We definitely needed more time in Paris... It's a very spread out city. We had to take the metro between every location and still ended up walking many miles.
We have really enjoyed all the cities so far. Maybe it's because it's out of the typical tourist season, but everything seems safe, uncrowded, and everyone has been extremely nice. The weather has been perfect as well. It's looking like rain in London, but we'll see...
Location:Rue Boissière,Paris,France
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Paris, Day 11
We determined the optimal length for a stay in a city is 2 full days 3 nights... Anything less makes you feel like you don't get a break from traveling.
We had to wake up at 6:30 because the Rome airport is 20 miles away! We had our hotel book us transportation because we didn't want to get ripped off by a cab at that distance. We also had to forfeit our free breakfast because it didn't open until 7. We stopped at McDonalds to take care of that. During the flight we passed over the Alps again and had a connection in Zurich.
The Paris airport was also 45 minutes away from the city so we had to catch a bus to the metro and ride the metro (with our bags... ugh) to the hotel. It was an exhausting day of boring and stressful travel that lasted until around 4pm. Luckily our travel agent has got the rest of the transfers fixed so we should have stress-free travel from here on.
We got to the hotel and we're pleased to find it right next to a grocery store. We are gonna try and keep lunch and dinner tomorrow cheap. We were also only a 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower so we thought we'd check it out.
The sun was kinda in the wrong spot for that picture, but it was another really nice sunny day in the 60's. We headed to dinner nearby at a frou frou French restaurant that was highly rated on tripadviser. We were both a little new to French cuisine so we didn't know what to expect. Linz said it was the best salmon she's ever had, and my steak was good too. We got dessert also, to really send our bill through the roof, hence grocery shopping for tomorrow.
On our way back we debated going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower but it had gotten colder and we had no jackets. We also didn't have our matching berets with our names embroidered on them yet...
Tomorrow we'll use the metro to hop around to all the sites within the city. Unfortunately with only one full day, I don't think we'll have time to make it to Versailles :(
We had to wake up at 6:30 because the Rome airport is 20 miles away! We had our hotel book us transportation because we didn't want to get ripped off by a cab at that distance. We also had to forfeit our free breakfast because it didn't open until 7. We stopped at McDonalds to take care of that. During the flight we passed over the Alps again and had a connection in Zurich.
The Paris airport was also 45 minutes away from the city so we had to catch a bus to the metro and ride the metro (with our bags... ugh) to the hotel. It was an exhausting day of boring and stressful travel that lasted until around 4pm. Luckily our travel agent has got the rest of the transfers fixed so we should have stress-free travel from here on.
We got to the hotel and we're pleased to find it right next to a grocery store. We are gonna try and keep lunch and dinner tomorrow cheap. We were also only a 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower so we thought we'd check it out.
The sun was kinda in the wrong spot for that picture, but it was another really nice sunny day in the 60's. We headed to dinner nearby at a frou frou French restaurant that was highly rated on tripadviser. We were both a little new to French cuisine so we didn't know what to expect. Linz said it was the best salmon she's ever had, and my steak was good too. We got dessert also, to really send our bill through the roof, hence grocery shopping for tomorrow.
On our way back we debated going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower but it had gotten colder and we had no jackets. We also didn't have our matching berets with our names embroidered on them yet...
Tomorrow we'll use the metro to hop around to all the sites within the city. Unfortunately with only one full day, I don't think we'll have time to make it to Versailles :(
Location:Rue Saint-Didier,Paris,France
Rome, Day 10
Well I promised you a quick update, but we were so tired after dinner that we both fell asleep...
We started off the day by getting picked up from the lobby by our tour guide. It was a riding and walking tour which was nice. We walked around the streets and saw a few landmarks. Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain which is the largest in Rome.
We passed a few obelisks and government buildings before stopping at the Pantheon. We got to go inside and walk around, Raphael's tomb is there. The dome is apparently the largest in Rome.
After a few more government buildings, we bused over to the Vatican. Being a Wednesday and nice outside, the pope was addressing the crowd in St. Peter's square! I took a picture but we were kinda far back. He addressed the crowd in Italian, English, German and Spanish... Pretty neat.
Because of the activity in the square we couldn't enter St. Peter's Basilica for a few hours so we headed over to the Vatican museums. We spent a good amount of time checking out the statues, paintings, maps, and tapestries before walking into the Sistine Chapel. The paintings were surprisingly very crisp and colorful due to the restorations. We ate a quick lunch, our first of the trip, and headed back to the Basilica. The line wrapped around the square, but only took us about twenty minutes to get in. It was amazing for sure. We got plenty of pictures as it was one of the few churches that allowed them. We decided against walking up the 330 steps to the top.
By staying in the Vatican we had to forfeit the tour bus ride back into town so we experimented with the metro. We took the line straight to the Colosseum. We were a little surprised the "Classic Rome Tour" did not include this, but oh well... We walked around inside for a while and walked around the ruins located nearby. As you can see from the picture, it was a beautiful day out...
We did a search on Tripadvisor to find our restaurant of the night, Babbo's. It was a nice italian restaurant, Lindsay got what I got the night before, pasta and lobster, and I got one last pizza. The pizza was good, but not as good as in Venice. Tasted just like Cinelli's.
We started off the day by getting picked up from the lobby by our tour guide. It was a riding and walking tour which was nice. We walked around the streets and saw a few landmarks. Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain which is the largest in Rome.
We passed a few obelisks and government buildings before stopping at the Pantheon. We got to go inside and walk around, Raphael's tomb is there. The dome is apparently the largest in Rome.
After a few more government buildings, we bused over to the Vatican. Being a Wednesday and nice outside, the pope was addressing the crowd in St. Peter's square! I took a picture but we were kinda far back. He addressed the crowd in Italian, English, German and Spanish... Pretty neat.
Because of the activity in the square we couldn't enter St. Peter's Basilica for a few hours so we headed over to the Vatican museums. We spent a good amount of time checking out the statues, paintings, maps, and tapestries before walking into the Sistine Chapel. The paintings were surprisingly very crisp and colorful due to the restorations. We ate a quick lunch, our first of the trip, and headed back to the Basilica. The line wrapped around the square, but only took us about twenty minutes to get in. It was amazing for sure. We got plenty of pictures as it was one of the few churches that allowed them. We decided against walking up the 330 steps to the top.
By staying in the Vatican we had to forfeit the tour bus ride back into town so we experimented with the metro. We took the line straight to the Colosseum. We were a little surprised the "Classic Rome Tour" did not include this, but oh well... We walked around inside for a while and walked around the ruins located nearby. As you can see from the picture, it was a beautiful day out...
We did a search on Tripadvisor to find our restaurant of the night, Babbo's. It was a nice italian restaurant, Lindsay got what I got the night before, pasta and lobster, and I got one last pizza. The pizza was good, but not as good as in Venice. Tasted just like Cinelli's.
Location:Somewhere in Rome
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Rome, Day 9
I posted last night about day 9, but I had to post it over 3G and it failed and deleted it all... I just found out there is free wi-fi in the lobby so I'll try and remember what I wrote:
The travel agent sent someone to meet us in our Venice hotel lobby at 9 am. She walked us to a water taxi and took us all the way to the train platform. We boarded the train with no problems and began our 4 hr. journey to Rome. It was our first time traveling by train, and I really enjoyed it... traveling through the Italian countryside was nice.
We arrived in Rome and ran into a few hiccups. First, there was no one there to meet us... It was a little nerve-racking being in a crowded train station with no plan. After verifying we had no local transfer scheduled with the travel agent, we caught a cab to the hotel. I'm pretty sure we got ripped off with a scheme where I handed him a 20 and he did a quick turnaround and claimed I only handed him a five. At the time, I just laughed at my "mistake," but after thinking about it a while, I was pretty sure I handed him a twenty. I'll point at the number next time.
It was 3:30 by the time we got checked in, so we had time to kill before looking for dinner. We decided to walk to the Colosseum as it was the closest thing we knew within walking distance... It was pretty impressive. We didn't go inside because we had a tour planned the next day.
We ate at a restaurant recommended by the concierge and it was great. I had linguine with lobster and red sauce and Lindsay had some spicy pasta dish. They were great and the staff was super nice.
Look for blog post day 10 within a couple of hours... It'll have some good pics.
The travel agent sent someone to meet us in our Venice hotel lobby at 9 am. She walked us to a water taxi and took us all the way to the train platform. We boarded the train with no problems and began our 4 hr. journey to Rome. It was our first time traveling by train, and I really enjoyed it... traveling through the Italian countryside was nice.
We arrived in Rome and ran into a few hiccups. First, there was no one there to meet us... It was a little nerve-racking being in a crowded train station with no plan. After verifying we had no local transfer scheduled with the travel agent, we caught a cab to the hotel. I'm pretty sure we got ripped off with a scheme where I handed him a 20 and he did a quick turnaround and claimed I only handed him a five. At the time, I just laughed at my "mistake," but after thinking about it a while, I was pretty sure I handed him a twenty. I'll point at the number next time.
It was 3:30 by the time we got checked in, so we had time to kill before looking for dinner. We decided to walk to the Colosseum as it was the closest thing we knew within walking distance... It was pretty impressive. We didn't go inside because we had a tour planned the next day.
We ate at a restaurant recommended by the concierge and it was great. I had linguine with lobster and red sauce and Lindsay had some spicy pasta dish. They were great and the staff was super nice.
Look for blog post day 10 within a couple of hours... It'll have some good pics.
Location:Via Goito,Rome,Italy
Monday, March 12, 2012
Venice, Day 8
Sorry no pictures today. We went inside a few churches and museums which did not allow cameras. We started out by going inside St. Mark's Basilica, it was definitely the most impressive thing we've seen so far. From there we headed west with the Scuola de San Rocco as our intended destination. We stopped in a museum that featured old musical instruments which was pretty interesting. We also stopped in Santo Stefano and took in the sights. We crossed the Grand Canal on the Accademia bridge, and I'm pretty sure we passed a place used during filming of Casino Royale... We finally made it to our destination which apparently contains tons of paintings from Tintoretto who seems to be a pretty big deal. Unfortunately there was a sign on the door that said "closed march 12." There were lots of police in the area so it must have been some special event. After 3 hours of walking, we headed back to the hotel and napped for a while. For our last tourism stop, we checked out the Museo Correr located in the building that surrounds St. Mark's Square. It had plenty of different exhibits; art, coins, architecture, statues... We stayed until we could barely stand anymore and headed back. Seeing all that stuff really had me wishing I would have done some research before this trip. I'll just have to buy a lot of coffee table books when we get back...
We decided to eat at our first dinner spot again to guarantee a good last meal in Venice. I had pizza again and Lindsay had a pretty good pasta dish. Once again we picked up some gelato and headed home. We head to Rome in the morning by train. The weather is looking pretty good.
We decided to eat at our first dinner spot again to guarantee a good last meal in Venice. I had pizza again and Lindsay had a pretty good pasta dish. Once again we picked up some gelato and headed home. We head to Rome in the morning by train. The weather is looking pretty good.
Location:Sestiere Castello,Venice,
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Venice, Day 7
Today I took a lot of pictures... Unfortunately, not with my phone. We started the day with our walking tour. We met the group at 9 and began. There was a Spanish speaking couple and later an Italian speaking couple so the tour guide had to give three explanations at every stop, which was a little annoying but gave us time to take pictures. The tour took us through the popular areas of Venice and into the Doge's Palace. They didn't allow cameras inside so that was a bummer. There were tons of painted canvas covering the walls and ceilings. We'll just have to find a good coffee table book when we get home. The tour ended at 12 and they told us to come back at 2 for a free tour of a glass blowing shop on the island of Murano with transportation by water taxi included. I thought that seemed a little too good to be true, but it was something we wanted to see. Us and two of the other american families in our group showed up. We got to the shop and saw a really cool glass blowing demonstration. The glass blower made a vase and a horse, but that only took about 10 minutes. Then we found out why we were really there... They took us into a showroom full of ridiculously priced glass items and turned up the sales pitch. Luckily for us the cheapest items were priced at 1000 euros so we didn't have to worry about any haggling. The other two families had deep pockets so they drew all the attention quickly. Unfortunately we had to wait until the haggling and purchasing was all done... It took 2 hrs!! We did have a nice conversation with one of the families while we waited. They were from Texas and had brought their granddaughter for a European tour for her graduation gift.
Afterwards we found out they had a modestly priced gift shop adjacent to the showroom, so we probably could have bought something for all our trouble... oh well.
We got a restaurant recommendation from our new friends from Texas, and went there for dinner. It was good, but would have been better if I knew what I was ordering. The spaghetti I got was lacking tomato sauce... but ok without. We picked up some gelato before heading back to the hotel room.
We have one more full day in Venice, but no plans. I'd like to find a museum or two or just walk around some more. Just no more glass blowing...
Afterwards we found out they had a modestly priced gift shop adjacent to the showroom, so we probably could have bought something for all our trouble... oh well.
We got a restaurant recommendation from our new friends from Texas, and went there for dinner. It was good, but would have been better if I knew what I was ordering. The spaghetti I got was lacking tomato sauce... but ok without. We picked up some gelato before heading back to the hotel room.
We have one more full day in Venice, but no plans. I'd like to find a museum or two or just walk around some more. Just no more glass blowing...
Location:Sestiere Castello,Venice,
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Venice, Day 6
Lindsay's flight got in around 9:30 am and I picked her up. Lindsay's only goal was to find some strudel. I did a search on google and found a blog about it. In the blog, the person tried out 3 or 4 different strudels in different locations in Germany and said her favorite was a bistro in the Frankfurt airport. We found it with no problem and ordered some apple strudel. It was tasty (and so were those red berries which were the same ones on my schniztel... counting on a comment from mom or nana to clear this up... cranberries?)
We caught the flight to Venice with no problems and we were there in a little over an hour. We flew over the swiss alps on our way... It looked like a nice place to snowboard. I guess I'll have to go back one day. Our travel agent planned out every detail, so when we arrived, there was a lady waiting for us. She took us to the water taxi and walked us to our hotel and got us checked in. Very stress free. The boat ride over took about 20 minutes, after we got to the city we got to sit out on the deck as we cruised through the canals.
After we got checked in, we walked around for a few hours, getting lost constantly, but feeling pretty safe. Maps were of little help and I consider myself pretty handy with one. We walked into St. Mark's Square and over the Rialto bridge.
We got a recommendation for some gelato and pizza for dinner. Both were terrific. We had heard that the pizza in Italy wasn't all that great, but those poor people must have missed the place we went to. We have to thank the concierge for that though. After dinner, it was dark and we headed back to the hotel. Lindsay is asleep at 8:30 and I'm watching the BBC World News and typing this blog. We have a guided tour tomorrow at 9am... Should get plenty of pics.
Proof we were actually there... Bad pic though... Try again tomorrow.
We caught the flight to Venice with no problems and we were there in a little over an hour. We flew over the swiss alps on our way... It looked like a nice place to snowboard. I guess I'll have to go back one day. Our travel agent planned out every detail, so when we arrived, there was a lady waiting for us. She took us to the water taxi and walked us to our hotel and got us checked in. Very stress free. The boat ride over took about 20 minutes, after we got to the city we got to sit out on the deck as we cruised through the canals.
After we got checked in, we walked around for a few hours, getting lost constantly, but feeling pretty safe. Maps were of little help and I consider myself pretty handy with one. We walked into St. Mark's Square and over the Rialto bridge.
We got a recommendation for some gelato and pizza for dinner. Both were terrific. We had heard that the pizza in Italy wasn't all that great, but those poor people must have missed the place we went to. We have to thank the concierge for that though. After dinner, it was dark and we headed back to the hotel. Lindsay is asleep at 8:30 and I'm watching the BBC World News and typing this blog. We have a guided tour tomorrow at 9am... Should get plenty of pics.
Proof we were actually there... Bad pic though... Try again tomorrow.
Location:Sestiere Castello,Venice,Italy
Friday, March 9, 2012
Germany, Day 5
Everything went according to plan today. We checked out of the hotel, finished up our training, and then headed off to Frankfurt. We checked into our hotel and then headed into the city around 4pm.
Using a walking tour guidebook I found on my phone, we got to see some pretty cool sites in a short amount of time. We started off at the Frankfurt Cathedral. Then we headed into Romerberg which is a big open square area. We walked across the Eiserner Steg (iron bridge) which is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Main. It was a very pleasant area, lots of people like a big city, but no bums or sketchy people.
We pulled out the phone again to find a restaurant for the evening. We decided we would try another German restaurant since it was our last dinner in Germany. I found a well reviewed restaurant located outside of the main tourist area. They specialized in schnitzel which we hadn't had yet. It was the best meal of the trip so far. I had schnitzel covered with bacon, apple, some berries, and a fried egg. It was the weirdest thing but tasted really good.
We worked off the dinner with a nice mile walk back to the car along the Main.
A typical sight along the autobahn, castles on hilltops.
Parallel parking?
Me in front of the Frankfurt Cathedral
Romerberg
Not sure what this was but you could see it from the iron bridge.
Some schnitzel from Klosterhof restaurant. Yum.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Using a walking tour guidebook I found on my phone, we got to see some pretty cool sites in a short amount of time. We started off at the Frankfurt Cathedral. Then we headed into Romerberg which is a big open square area. We walked across the Eiserner Steg (iron bridge) which is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Main. It was a very pleasant area, lots of people like a big city, but no bums or sketchy people.
We pulled out the phone again to find a restaurant for the evening. We decided we would try another German restaurant since it was our last dinner in Germany. I found a well reviewed restaurant located outside of the main tourist area. They specialized in schnitzel which we hadn't had yet. It was the best meal of the trip so far. I had schnitzel covered with bacon, apple, some berries, and a fried egg. It was the weirdest thing but tasted really good.
We worked off the dinner with a nice mile walk back to the car along the Main.
A typical sight along the autobahn, castles on hilltops.
Parallel parking?
Me in front of the Frankfurt Cathedral
Romerberg
Not sure what this was but you could see it from the iron bridge.
Some schnitzel from Klosterhof restaurant. Yum.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Frankfurt,Germany
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Germany, Day 4
Today was our last full day of training. All the other group members left after lunch, but me and Rob will go back tomorrow. We took a group picture with my camera, but i'll have to upload it when we get home. Concept Laser gave us all beer steins as a parting gift. There were different scenes painted on each one. I picked the one with the arch near our hotel... It should hold plenty of Mt. Dew!
We were done training for the day around 3pm so we had plenty of time to kill and Concept Laser was not taking us out for dinner. Me and Rob decided to head back to Bamberg. We saw a bunch of cool sites on our last trip over, but it was dark. It was a nice sunny day so we grabbed our cameras and hit the road. We surprisingly were able to find the castle again and got some good pics. It is known as Michaelsberg Abbey and here is a pic...
On our way up to that caste we ran into another castle so we stopped and got a few shots. This place was huge, known as the Bamberg Dom (cathedral), but was unfortunately under construction...
We also went downtown to the main square/market area. The college was also located in this area so there was plenty of activity. After taking enough photos we used my Yelp app to locate a good restaurant. We found a mexican restaurant and were curious about the German version of Mexican, so we tried it. It was quickly obvious that it was a college hangout, so we knew the locals enjoyed it. As we struggled with the menu, the waiter came up and in perfect english asked us if we wanted an English menu. It was a relief to be able to order exactly what we wanted. The food was very good, comparable to the west coast mexican food me and Lindsay had in San Diego.
We changed our plans for the last day since training will only last until lunch. We are going to head back to Frankfurt in the early afternoon so we don't have to wake up early on Saturday and drive. We should also have time to do a little sightseeing. Be on the lookout for some good pics tomorrow... But only if we have have free wi-fi...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We were done training for the day around 3pm so we had plenty of time to kill and Concept Laser was not taking us out for dinner. Me and Rob decided to head back to Bamberg. We saw a bunch of cool sites on our last trip over, but it was dark. It was a nice sunny day so we grabbed our cameras and hit the road. We surprisingly were able to find the castle again and got some good pics. It is known as Michaelsberg Abbey and here is a pic...
On our way up to that caste we ran into another castle so we stopped and got a few shots. This place was huge, known as the Bamberg Dom (cathedral), but was unfortunately under construction...
We also went downtown to the main square/market area. The college was also located in this area so there was plenty of activity. After taking enough photos we used my Yelp app to locate a good restaurant. We found a mexican restaurant and were curious about the German version of Mexican, so we tried it. It was quickly obvious that it was a college hangout, so we knew the locals enjoyed it. As we struggled with the menu, the waiter came up and in perfect english asked us if we wanted an English menu. It was a relief to be able to order exactly what we wanted. The food was very good, comparable to the west coast mexican food me and Lindsay had in San Diego.
We changed our plans for the last day since training will only last until lunch. We are going to head back to Frankfurt in the early afternoon so we don't have to wake up early on Saturday and drive. We should also have time to do a little sightseeing. Be on the lookout for some good pics tomorrow... But only if we have have free wi-fi...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Zweigstraße,Lichtenfels,Germany
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Germany, Day 3
Today was pretty similar to yesterday. Training, lunch, training, interesting dinner experience.
For lunch we went to our first actual German restaurant. The menu was completely undecipherable so I just went out on a limb and got what the Concept Laser guys suggested. It was some sort of pork with bacon and vegetables... Schwinebraten I think, and some potato dumplings which were just balls of mashed potato, but better (to me at least). There was also a side of red sauerkraut but I wasn't to keen on that.
During training I got to start the machine for the first time. Out of the 6 of us they all nominated me to go first so it was a little stressful... The two Spaniards we're trying to help, but that only made it more confusing. I got it started, so it all worked out.
At 4:00 we all left to go on a "walk." It ended up being a hike up a mountain! (well foothills...) We got some nice views of the city from the top. Luckily I thought to bring my camera. After a full hour of pretty intense hiking, we went to dinner. It was another German restaurant, but I wasn't feeling too adventurous so I just got the "filetsteak." I didn't need a translator to figure out what that meant...
Now I'm back and ready for bed... after I read about the iPad 3 announcement :-p
A view from our hike...
For lunch we went to our first actual German restaurant. The menu was completely undecipherable so I just went out on a limb and got what the Concept Laser guys suggested. It was some sort of pork with bacon and vegetables... Schwinebraten I think, and some potato dumplings which were just balls of mashed potato, but better (to me at least). There was also a side of red sauerkraut but I wasn't to keen on that.
During training I got to start the machine for the first time. Out of the 6 of us they all nominated me to go first so it was a little stressful... The two Spaniards we're trying to help, but that only made it more confusing. I got it started, so it all worked out.
At 4:00 we all left to go on a "walk." It ended up being a hike up a mountain! (well foothills...) We got some nice views of the city from the top. Luckily I thought to bring my camera. After a full hour of pretty intense hiking, we went to dinner. It was another German restaurant, but I wasn't feeling too adventurous so I just got the "filetsteak." I didn't need a translator to figure out what that meant...
Now I'm back and ready for bed... after I read about the iPad 3 announcement :-p
A view from our hike...
Location:Zweigstraße,Lichtenfels,Germany
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Germany, Day zwei
Well unfortunately I didn't get a full night's sleep even though I was up for >24 hrs yesterday. I woke up around 2 am and didnt fall back asleep until 6 or so.
I got up at 8 and met Rob downstairs for breakfast. It was a pretty standard continental breakfast with the exception of raw bacon and some cold deli meats. I had some pineapple, oj, and scrambled eggs.
We arrived at Concept Laser for our training at 9. There were 4 others also in our training session and the language barrier got worse. Two of the guys were from Spain, and had a hard time with English. One guy was from Germany and he and the trainer would randomly start talking together about certain training points in German. Luckily, the last guy was from England, and I was sitting next to him. We had some good conversations throughout the day... He was a golfer and pianist. He reminded me of Veruca Salt's dad.
For lunch we had pizza, and having a german translater helped out in the ordering process. I got pepperoni and mushroom and it was OK. On a side note, most of the water around here is carbonated... Weird.
It was in the 50s and sunny today so after training, me and Rob walked around town and took some pictures. We both had the big bulky cameras around our necks looking like tourists. I had to remember to snap two shots, one with my iphone, so I could post them to the blog. We stopped in a store to buy soap, because it doesn't seem to be complimentary.
Our sales rep, Andreas, took me Rob and the british guy, Colin, out to dinner in Bamberg (30 km south). We went to this Italian restaurant located in a castle. It was pretty spectacular. I snapped a pic, but its kind of dark, and doesn't do it justice. The place was on top of a hill and overlooked the city. It was the VIP treatment for sure... I just got some basic spaghetti, but had some good grilled scallops for an appetizer and vanilla gelato with rasberrys for dessert. Or as Tom Haverford would say, Apps and Zerts...
Now we are back and its 10:30. I should be able to get a full nights sleep tonight.
Our hotel
Lichtenfels
What I think of when I think German architecture...
More of the quaint town of Lichtenfels
Part of the building/castle our restaurant was a part of with full moon backdrop.
P.S. remember to click the pictures to make them bigger and clearer.
I got up at 8 and met Rob downstairs for breakfast. It was a pretty standard continental breakfast with the exception of raw bacon and some cold deli meats. I had some pineapple, oj, and scrambled eggs.
We arrived at Concept Laser for our training at 9. There were 4 others also in our training session and the language barrier got worse. Two of the guys were from Spain, and had a hard time with English. One guy was from Germany and he and the trainer would randomly start talking together about certain training points in German. Luckily, the last guy was from England, and I was sitting next to him. We had some good conversations throughout the day... He was a golfer and pianist. He reminded me of Veruca Salt's dad.
For lunch we had pizza, and having a german translater helped out in the ordering process. I got pepperoni and mushroom and it was OK. On a side note, most of the water around here is carbonated... Weird.
It was in the 50s and sunny today so after training, me and Rob walked around town and took some pictures. We both had the big bulky cameras around our necks looking like tourists. I had to remember to snap two shots, one with my iphone, so I could post them to the blog. We stopped in a store to buy soap, because it doesn't seem to be complimentary.
Our sales rep, Andreas, took me Rob and the british guy, Colin, out to dinner in Bamberg (30 km south). We went to this Italian restaurant located in a castle. It was pretty spectacular. I snapped a pic, but its kind of dark, and doesn't do it justice. The place was on top of a hill and overlooked the city. It was the VIP treatment for sure... I just got some basic spaghetti, but had some good grilled scallops for an appetizer and vanilla gelato with rasberrys for dessert. Or as Tom Haverford would say, Apps and Zerts...
Now we are back and its 10:30. I should be able to get a full nights sleep tonight.
Our hotel
Lichtenfels
What I think of when I think German architecture...
More of the quaint town of Lichtenfels
Part of the building/castle our restaurant was a part of with full moon backdrop.
P.S. remember to click the pictures to make them bigger and clearer.
Location:Bamberger Straße,Lichtenfels,Germany
Monday, March 5, 2012
Germany, Day 1
Rob picked me up at 3pm on sunday afternoon and we headed to RDU. We flew into Detroit and then to Frankfurt. I didn't sleep at all on the flight, but it didn't feel like a long flight. There was a strong tailwind so the flight was only 7.5 hours, unfortunately that also meant it was bumpy for a lot of the time.
We got to Frankfurt around 9:30 local time which would be 3:30 am in Raleigh. We rented our car and began the two hour drive to the small town of Lichtenfels. We drove on the autobahn which has no speed limit. Rob took it up to 115 mph on an isolated stretch, but we stayed around 80-90 for most of the trip. There were tons of BMWs and Audis flying by at 120+ at all times. It was very different. We had a GPS in the rental which was helpful due to all the strange road names.
We stopped at a Subway on the side of the road for a quick lunch. The menu was in English, and the music playing was all US top 40 hits, but no one knew English... It was pretty bizarre. We did a lot of pointing at menu items and toppings and it worked out. We got to Lichtenfels around 1pm and checked into our hotel. One of the employees spoke English enough to get us checked in, but it seems English is not as common in the smaller towns.
The town is a quaint little German town. I'll try and get some pictures tomorrow... It was drizzling out today. Temperature is in the upper 40s and feels fine.
We went to visit Concept Laser after we checked in. We meet some people and saw the machines we are training on, but only stayed a few hours. Training starts tomorrow. At 6:30 me and Rob met to eat, and it seemed like the town was going to sleep, no one was out. We stopped at a restaurant that seemed pretty laid back. None of the menu items looked appealing to me, and the staff spoke zero English, so I just got what Rob got... a kabob. It was good, but would have been a lot better if it wouldn't of had a bunch of different sauces on it. I need to learn how to ask for food "plain" or I might be in for a long week... Luckily the guys from Concept Laser are taking us out tomorrow and they all speak good English. Hopefully I can learn a few things.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We got to Frankfurt around 9:30 local time which would be 3:30 am in Raleigh. We rented our car and began the two hour drive to the small town of Lichtenfels. We drove on the autobahn which has no speed limit. Rob took it up to 115 mph on an isolated stretch, but we stayed around 80-90 for most of the trip. There were tons of BMWs and Audis flying by at 120+ at all times. It was very different. We had a GPS in the rental which was helpful due to all the strange road names.
We stopped at a Subway on the side of the road for a quick lunch. The menu was in English, and the music playing was all US top 40 hits, but no one knew English... It was pretty bizarre. We did a lot of pointing at menu items and toppings and it worked out. We got to Lichtenfels around 1pm and checked into our hotel. One of the employees spoke English enough to get us checked in, but it seems English is not as common in the smaller towns.
The town is a quaint little German town. I'll try and get some pictures tomorrow... It was drizzling out today. Temperature is in the upper 40s and feels fine.
We went to visit Concept Laser after we checked in. We meet some people and saw the machines we are training on, but only stayed a few hours. Training starts tomorrow. At 6:30 me and Rob met to eat, and it seemed like the town was going to sleep, no one was out. We stopped at a restaurant that seemed pretty laid back. None of the menu items looked appealing to me, and the staff spoke zero English, so I just got what Rob got... a kabob. It was good, but would have been a lot better if it wouldn't of had a bunch of different sauces on it. I need to learn how to ask for food "plain" or I might be in for a long week... Luckily the guys from Concept Laser are taking us out tomorrow and they all speak good English. Hopefully I can learn a few things.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Zweigstraße,Lichtenfels,Germany
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