BERLIN BERLIN!

So, last weekend Vanessa, Audrey and I went to Berlin.

This was our first experience using our Eurail passes, and my first experience with international train travel.  What is so great about the Eurail is that you don't need to book anything in advance.  You find the trains you want and get on them.  It takes a little getting used to, but once you've done it, it makes so much sense.  Without booking anything in advance, however, if someone has booked a specific seat (our train to Berlin was quite full) you're stuck without a seat.  For a good two hours I sat on the floor in between cars.  

1st class travel accommodations 

We made it!

We arrived midday Friday and we decided it best to go to our hostel (so we'd know where it was) and then we'd explore from there.  Going from the train station to the Amstel House gave us a very... interesting picture of Berlin.  From out hostel we went through the Tiergarten to the Siegessaule (victory column) and went back to have dinner in the garden (Falafels from a hole in the wall near our hostel, so good!).

Siegessaule

Gathering that we weren't in the best part of town, we decided it would be best to get back to our hostel before dark.  This we did, enjoying a few glasses of wine before getting to bed early.  

A wee bit clinical, ya?

It wasn't until late Saturday night when we found out that the Amstel House is located promptly in the "ghetto."  We knew it must have been something to this effect as we walked from our hostel to the meeting point of our tour Saturday morning.  Berlin got prettier and prettier.  

Brandenburg Gate

We met our tour in Pariser Platz, just beyond the Brandenburg Gate (outside the Starbucks).  From there we toured Pariser Platz, got a history lesson at the Brandenburg Gate, viewed the Reichstag from afar, took in the Holocaust Memorial, stood on top of Hitler's bunker (where he committed suicide), awed at the enormity of the Lufwaffe building (later, when East Berlin was under Soviet rule, the Ministry of Ministries), walked past the Topography of Terror (an outdoor exhibit featuring information on the Nazi party and its infrastructure), stood on both sides of the Berlin Wall, saw Checkpoint Charlie, stopped for lunch at Schlotzsky's, photographed the Gendarmen Markt (supposedly the most beautiful square in Berlin), peered down into the Book Burning Memorial, were moved by the statue of Kathe Kollwitz, and finished at Museum Island.  For ten euro (Mary, our tour guide, worked for tips only) it was a great tour.

The Holocaust Memorial. This truly was one of my favorite parts of Berlin.  The designer of the memorial purposefully designed it to be without specific purpose.  This forced you to have your own, specific response.  These concrete slabs had little height near the outskirts of the memorial (giving them a very tomb-like appearance) and then grew as the ground below you gradually sank.  Once inside, they became walls.  I highly recommend visiting.

After that we walked through Potsdamer Platz and then spent some time at the Topography of Terror.  We hopped on the U-Bahn and had dinner at a wonderful little German restaurant/bar on Oranienburger Strasse.  And why stop then?  We still had the entire night ahead of us!

The same company that did our free tour also does what they call a "Pub Crawl" each night.  We met them outside the S-Bahn station on Oraneinburger Strasse and went first to a crazy outdoor/indoor club called Zapata.  The names of the next three clubs are escaping me, but we had a great time dancing the night away in Berlin.  

The crazy fire man at Zapata.

Sunday we set the bar low, deciding to get breakfast, tour the Reichstag, and see the East Gallery.  Then, we popped on a train (with a slight hiccup in Koln) and went home.  

The new dome atop the Reichstag.

A piece of the East Side Gallery.

I only wish I'd had more than one weekend in Berlin.  Here are some more pictures.

AMSTERDAM ON A BEAUTIFUL DAY

So, last weekend almost everyone at the Castle went to Amsterdam.  It's about two hours away (total travel time via bus and train) and since this past weekend was our first travel weekend Amsterdam seemed to be the default destination.  And we all got lucky.

The weather for all three days was absolutely beautiful.  It wasn't under 60 degrees in the daytime and the sun was out.  I think Amsterdam would have been a very different city with overcast.  

If you've never been, you should try to get to it.  It is a relatively small city, in both physical size and population, reminding us Emersonians frequently of Boston.  Wonderful brick streets and two to three story buildings surround you that are, in some cases, 400 to 500 years old.  Obviously, the canals offered a striking difference from our home during the school months, also giving the city much of its distinct character.  

We arrived in the evening on Friday, without a map and with only a general idea of where our hotel was.  We were supposed to meet the group that had left before us at hour hotel at 8pm.  It was 8:30.  Luckily, Chris and Vanessa were waiting (jumping and waving their arms, really) for us at the tram stop that was right outside our Hotel.  

From there we walked around, looking for someplace relatively cheap to eat, and stumbled upon this "Dutch looking" restaurant and bar.  We ordered a round of beers (letting the waiter pick out a "good beer") and I ordered this chicken kabob that ended up having peanut sauce on it.  The beer was fantastic (Maredsous) and was served in this huge, ceramic goblet that made us feel like kings at a feast.  From there, we simply walked around Amsterdam at night.  We found the public urinals.  We found the center of gay nightlife.  We found the redlight district.  And after a successful night, we found our way home.

Saturday was, again, full of walking.  After exploring more of the city in the daylight, I met up with Noel and Audrey and we toured the Anne Frank house.  To be honest, it was a little strange.  It might have had more of an impact were I in middle school and had I just learned about the holocaust or read her diary for the first time.  When I went, I couldn't help but consider the commercialization of a tragic place and story.  It was interesting, nonetheless.  

From there we met up with the rest of the group for dinner, then visited a couple of our favorite bars from the previous night.  A clean bed seems the only solution for exhaustion (thank god our Hotel provided us with sheets, I hear that isn't alway the case).

On Sunday morning we visited the Van Gogh museum.  It's unequaled to see the texture, vibrancy, and color of those paintings in person.  Reproductions don't do them justice.  There was also a small exhibit on the "Druksel prints" of Werkman.  These I liked a lot.

After that, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to the train station.  We were home and in bed (wink wink) by nine o'clock.  

Here are some pictures.

VARIOUS ADVENTURES THROUGH AND AROUND WELL

Classes have started here at Kasteel Well and I suppose I'm getting into the swing of things.  This post might be a little anticlimactic because I haven't had time to really go anywhere yet (look for a post at the beginning of next week-- we're going to Amsterdam this weekend).  But, I'm going to try posting a facebook photo album to see if everyone can view the pictures.  That way, I won't have to upload them twice.  

The following album covers the "boat tour" of the River Maas (a river that runs through Well), which was included as a part of our orientation activities, Vanessa and I's ride to Bergen (a town about 5 km from here), and just a couple more random pictures from around the castle.  

I hope you enjoy.

Castle Upload 1

A NIGHT'S RIDE FROM VENLO

Saturday night, three of us decided it would be a little bit of an adventure and a whole lot of fun to ride our bikes to the nearby city of Venlo and take the bus back to Well.  Venlo is about 25 kilometers from Well (15-16 miles) and is, from what I can gather, the closest "city."  

A few minutes into the ride, I remembered that I hadn't really ridden a bike in years.  Decades, perhaps.  It was a beautiful ride, though.  The Dutch countryside is so green and unlike anything I am used to.  Also, the terrain has several identifying features: flat.  

Also also, the trees are planted in rows.  So many straight lines of trees.  

It was in Venlo that we discovered that bikes are NOT allowed on the busses.  This meant a 25 km ride back to the Castle in the dark.  At least the light on Noel's bike worked.

On our way back we rode through this quaint little town called Arcen.  Arcen is all brick and has, from what we hear, the best ice cream in Holland.  We had stopped to check our lights, or something, when a pack of Dutch girls came around the corner singing.  It was then that I saw the little ice cream shop and shortly after when we were instructed by the girls to get ice cream with them.  

The ice cream was fantastic.  I had (I think) Cookies n' Cream and Chocolate in a waffle cone.  We sat outside, in the crisp night air, eating wonderful ice cream and learning "Dutch" from these girls.  It was one of the girl's birthday, and the owner of the shop came out singing variations of "The Happy Birthday Song" including, "Hanky Panky Shanghai."  I wouldn't ask.

Long story short, we all made it back in one piece.  And with sore butts.  

I MADE IT.

So, without too much hassle, I have arrived here in the Netherlands.  The Castle is beautiful.  

Here are some pictures of the view from my little bitty window.

        

Yes, that's a moat.

Luckily, I was able to get a single room (there are only a few at the castle).  This is where I'll be living for the next three months.  

        

That's my little tiny window. 

Well, we're doing orientation today and I have to go.  I'm going to try to rent a bike for the semester.  I hear that's one of the easiest and most efficient ways to get around.  

PS, My phone thing isn't currently working.  If you leave me messages, I CAN still get them, but I can't call anyone (as of right now).  So, email me, or leave me messages!  (602) 449-8416

WHERE I'LL BE

Come Friday, I will (if all goes according to plan) be in the city of Well in The Netherlands.

The Netherlands is highlighted in yellow below--

Below is a province map of The Netherlands.  Amsterdam is located in the Noord-Holland province and Well is located about two hours south east in the Limburg province.  Well is almost on the German border.

Hopefully, after spending months there, I'll be more acquainted with European geography and will have more to say.  But, for now, that's all.

PRE-EUROPE

I'm actually writing this post before my departure for Europe, early on Thursday morning.  My room continues to be a mess and my bags continue to lie on my bedroom floor, menacingly unpacked.  

I hope that this blog will provide those interested in my travels abroad with a way to quickly and easily access any updates I might have.  Also, it's going to be approximately one thousand times easier than emailing everyone individually.  I plan to post pictures, perhaps video, and any anecdotes that I find even slightly entertaining.  

Also, let me know that you're reading.  I'll be more likely to post more often if I have tangible evidence that my efforts aren't completely in vain.