Winding down

Good Afternoon from the road,
We are in the middle of our journey from the Netherlands to Belgium. It has been a great few days. The end of last week we spent in Nice, France which was an extremely nice break from our busy travel schedules. We had two nights there, so we basically just had one full day to spend there. Our first night we stayed in e neighborhood and ate dinner at a wonderful Lebanese restaurant where I had surprisingly good barbecued sheep.

The next day we spent downtown exploring the Old Town and spent a good 4 or 5 hours on the beach. The water was a comfortable temperature and it was just so blue and beautiful. Every time I opened my eyes I couldn't help but smile. We chatted for a while with a family from Melbourne, and just enjoyed a day of relaxation and beautiful weather.

The next morning we had to leave the hostel around 5 in the morning to catch an early train. It's was by far the longest travel day we have had since being in Europe. We took a train from Nice to Marseilles, Marseilles to Brussels, Brussels to Antwerp, Antwerp to Rotterdam, Rotterdam Amsterdam, and finally a tram from Amsterdam to get outside of the city where we were staying. All in al it took a good 13 hours.

Now we are on our way to Brussels just for one night. We plan to go to a bar that we have been highly recommended to visit with beer from all over the world that stocks over 4,000 beers on tap. We also hope to be able to look around the city and get some Belgium waffles because we haven't yet had any on our travels through Belgium.

After Belgium we have two nights booked in a hotel near CDG to make it a little easier on us the day we leave. We are looking forward to visiting the Eiffel Tower and putting locks on the bridge.

And then we make the journey home at the end of the week.

I'm looking forward to going home but it will definitely be hard to go, it doesn't seem like I have been on the road for a month because I find a spot that feels like home in every place i go.Wen you're traveling your friends feel like family because you have no one but those you meet on your journey, and even with goodbyes everyone you meet leaves a lasting impact, sometimes small and sometimes large.

I will see you all soon.

The South of France

We have had a wonderful day in Nice. I am extremely exhausted from being in the sun all day, just letting everyone know that I am alive and well! We have to leave for Holland tomorrow at 5am so it will be early to bed for us. We have a ten bed mixed dorm, hopefully we are able to sleep with everyone else still up and about. I will update and write about the great time we had here tomorrow if possible. 

Au revoir

Yesterday was our last night in Italy. We had a great time in Florence. Our first day we spent at a camping area that overlooked the whole city. We met up with some friends there and ended up spending the entire afternoon and evening with a Hungarian family. They were a family of four on a two week trip to Italy. The four of us ended up babysitting their two kids Ana, and Andrew for a few hours. We played countless games of foosball with them, and they taught us how to count in their native language, and some common phrases. That evening we caught up with their parents again and conversed with them for a while, they thanked us for hanging out with their kids because they are in the process of learning English and it is wonderful for them to be around English speakers. After a day in the sun at the camping area Shelby and I headed back to our hostel because we had to get up early the following day. We wanted to get an early start and a good spot in line for the Academia. We waited in line for over two hours but it was well worth it to see Michelangelo's famous statue of David. It was a moment that gave us all goosebumps. The statue is massive and absolutely immaculate. After the gallery, we visited a mineral shop, walked around all the plazas and got gelato. We ended up walking for a good eight hours. We headed back to the hostel and made the best dinner we could with no kitchen as a farewell supper for us and our friends. We feasted on salad, salami and mozzarella, fresh tomatoes with basil we picked from a plant on the roof, bread, rice, and a bottle of limoncello to top it off. After our farewell Shelby and I went downstairs and made friends with a handful of other hostel guests. I immediately hit it off with a girl from Sydney named Olive. She has just moved to London and is in the middle of a two month euro trip. We spent hours talking to all our new acquaintances, and ended the night with a walk to the Duomo downtown. Olive and I grabbed some gelato and we all just enjoyed one another's company. Yesterday Shelby, Olive, and I took a train out of town to Pisa. We spent a while admiring the tower, took some tourist shots, and went for a long lunch at a cute pizzeria nearby. We enjoyed margherita pizza and Tuscan red wine before taking the train back to Florence. We were absolutely exhausted by the time we got back, and just spent he evening in the lounge area and made friends with a whole new handful of guests. Our time in Florence was really enjoyable, and we met so many great people. Now it's off to Nice! Ciao!

Venice and Verona

It is Thursday afternoon and we just boarded our train to Verona. Yesterday was absolutely amazing, we spent the entire day downtown Venice. We started with strolling down the grand canals, and the side canals, and stopped along the way for some delicious pizza and superb red wine. We spent the afternoon taking pictures and wandering around with no destination.

We bought some fedoras to blend in with the locals and protect ourselves from the hot sun... And we couldn't help but buy these two beautiful dresses we saw walking by a shop window.

We enjoyed fruit while walking along the side streets and exploring the little corners of the city. After we got tired of walking we took a water bus to Piazza San Marco and wandered around there for the afternoon. Once again, our legs grew tired beneath us so we sat down on the water, had a few beers, and wrote out a handful of postcards.

We took the bus back to our campground and enjoyed ourselves and had a peasant's dinner of salami, cheese, and crackers. We woke up this morning and had to check out of our hostel. We went back downtown and enjoyed gelato for breakfast and had a seat at an Internet cafe and had an espresso. We sat there for an hour or so and right when we were getting ready to leave, two guys we met in Paris strolled in. They were some of the few people we really connected with, and it was the best feeling to see them again.

We enjoyed catching up with what the other has been doing since we departed in Paris. We had a bottle of beer with them and then the four of us headed to a park down the road Shelby and I had come across yesterday.

We spent the entire afternoon laying down in the shade with them, talking, and listening to them play their ukulele. After four or so hours we decided we should probably get going and had to sy the dreaded goodbye.


To four of us may be in Florence at the same time, we hope to all go camping together at a place they have researched. It would be great to see some familiar faces again. Enjoyed ourselves a relaxing day with our new friends, and now we are off to Verona.


Ciao!

***

We are on our way to Rome!

We had a pleasant time in Verona. Our hostel was a bit strange. It was a University, and there was a hospital attached. As soon as we arrived a man was being transported out to an ambulance on a stretcher... Not the best welcome. Again, we were supposed o be in a 10 bed mixed dorm but had a private room instead. We were tired Once we got there and just got some food and drinks at a few different places in town. There wasn't much to do around where we were staying, so we just stayed close to home that night.

The next day we ventured into the city. We had no access to Internet so we had no idea where Juliet's house was. We found a map and located the house, it seemed to be pretty far away so we took a bus to the main station and looked for street stops that were close to the house. We hopped on a bus hoping that we were headed the right way. After some map studying we found our way to her house! We didn't go inside, we just wandered around the courtyard, saw the balcony, and took a picture with the statue of Juliet. We spent the rest of the day wandering around, and stopping for wine and water occasionally.

We made it back to the hostel that night and met a couple from Australia we spent some time talking to. We just hung out the two of us and woke up this morning and packed.

We have been traveling all day. We left around 930 this morning for the train station, got ona train to Padova where we had a 2 hour layover. And have just boarded the train to Rome. The ride shouldn't be too bad though, it's only a 3.5ish hour ride and we have chocolate and each other to keep us happy and occupied!

Talk to you in Roma!

Ciao

Vienna, Budapest, and arriving in Venice

Vienna was one of the most beautiful places we have seen thus far in our trip. We got upgraded to a single dorm rather than the 6 bed mixed dorm we had reserved. Our room was a lively bright yellow, a much happier feel than the rest. We stayed three nights and had some of the best times I could have never imagined.

Our first night we took it easy; explored a bit, did a bit of grocery shopping because we finally had a kitchen to use at our hostel, and went or bed pretty early. The next day we took the tram into the heart of Vienna and had a look at where Popfest was going to be taking place later that day. We went back for a nap and were ready to go out.

We took the tram back downtown Vienna, grabbed ourselves a couple Ottakringer and had a seat on the fountains edge. With our feet In the water we enjoyed the first band. They were the best all night in my opinion. Their sound was a very chill alternative which fit perfectly with the still of the fountains water and the orange glow of the sunset.

After our first beer I asked the woman next to me if she spoke English, she said "of course I do" so I proceeded to ask her how to say "can I have two beers please?" In German. It was a very proud moment when I went up to the counter and confidently said "svie grosse bier bitte" and got a smile from the woman behind the counter.

We stayed for a few hours at Popfest and then headed back to our hostel for a good night sleep. The next day we ventured out of the city via two metro lines and an entire bus line. Much to our surprise we found our hiking trail with no problem. It was in the upper 90s that day and our breathing was heavy but the views of the vineyards and the city made up for it.

After completing our hike we decided to venture to a swimming we had heard of. Thankfully it was only a few bus stops away. We purchased a ticket and got a key for our locker and proceeded up the tall cement stairs. We were hot and exhausted by the time we got to the pool we just dove in without taking a good look around. Soon we realized there was much more to see than a beautiful pool and recreation park; the whole city of Vienna was below us. We sat on the second pool's edge and looked down over the city. We could see the monuments we sat by just the night before at the festival, and some of the vineyards we had hiked through just earlier that day. We stayed at the pool for an hour or two before catching our bus back to the station.

***

We arrived in Budapest on Saturday in 100 degree heat. We took a few metros and a tram line to get to our hostel but had no luck finding it. Finally after asking help from a few people we found it. It was just a slim black gate in between two other stores. It was extremely sketchy looking and set up like a big maze. After climbing a few flights or stairs a woman opened up another gate for us and we were inside the hostel. The inside was actually very pretty and modern looking. We had a 5 bed room we shared with a woman from Canada, a man from Southern Australia, and a mystery woman who didn't say much.

We took a little while to lay down and figure out what we wanted to do for the short time we were there. Aussie told us about a few things he had done and we took a few of his suggestions. We headed to Heroes Square, which at first looked to be just a monument on an empty cement patio. We decided to walk down behind the monument and it was like another world. In front of of us was a beautiful bridge over water and to our left a line of restaurants right on the edge of the water. We got gelato at a little shop for 200 HUF which is actually less than 1 euro.

We enjoyed our gelato and then walked around the entire area. I was one of the most beautiful and calm spots we have been to so far. There were couples everywhere, old and young, laying in the grass, sitting with their feet in the water, and strolling around.

We spent a long while sitting, just watching the sunset over the water.

Once back at the hostel we planned out the next 10 or so days of our trip. We got hostels booked for Zurich, Venice, Verona, and Rome. We were just planning to go to bed, but Aussie came back and told us he and another girl he met from Colorado were going to check out a bar that is ranked 3rd in the world, Szimpla Kert...we couldn't decline his offer. Around 11 we started walking over with the two of them and the Canadian who was staying in our room.

It is one of the many ruins bars that are in Budapest. It is probably one of the hardest places to explain. It was gigantic and the walls, ceilings, and floors were covered in the most random of materials. It was not at all fancy, it actually looked kind of grubby, but in an acceptable way. In some parts there was no roof, and in some places there was. I enjoyed it because it was not a club, there was no dancing or anything like that. It was just a pub with about 25 different rooms. It kind of reminded me of Sona (mom dad and mike) except without riots. And the beer was extremely cheap; a half liter for 500 HUF which is only 1.5ish euros.

We sat around this old car that had been turned into a kind of couch/bench/pen. We talked to Aussie, Colorado, and Canada most of the night and go to know them better. We also made some friends with some men from London and I talked to a nice man from Switzerland for a while who told me a lot about where he comes from.

We wanted to stay out so badly we were having such a good time, but decided to head home so we could get some sleep because we had to check out early the next morning. We were planning on taking a walking tour of the city, but in the 100+ degree heat we decided it would be better to try to eat into the water. Aussie told is about this wellness spa with hot sprigs only a few metro stops away so we decided to check it out.

Inside there were 15 water holes all with different temperatures ranging from 18c to 38c, and outside were massive hot springs and swimming pools. We hung out in the giant hot spring for a good while, cooled off in the whirlpool and had a few beers on the terrace.

We had such a good time we never wanted to leave, but eventually we had to. On the way back we learned that we had gotten the wrong metro ticket and after getting off we got charged 8,000 HUF which is about 26€ which was not the best. Apparently our time stamp had run out and we were not aloud to use that ticket anymore. We had to find out the hard way. We went and picked up our bags and headed to the station for our 12 hour overnight train to Zurich.

The train was pretty miserable, we were in a cart of 6 people in seats that didn't recline. It was so hot in the car for the first few hours that we would sweat just sitting in our seats not moving a muscle. After about 7 hours Shelby and I were the only ones left in our cart so we were able to finally lay down and get a few hours of non-continuous sleep. Overnight the train got so cold that we had to use our blankets as towels. Finally 7am rolled around and we were able to get off the train.

Zurich was really rainy, and we felt absolutely awful. We were really hungry, sore, and exhausted. We got coffee and a snack and then layed down in the hostel bar for a good couple of hours before we could check in. We barely left our hostel at all in Zurich. We used it as a rest stop which was much needed. We met a few nice people while we were there, and when we were finally feeling better later on in the night we went downstairs and had a fewbeers, pizza, and had some pretty lovely long conversations.

Now, I am on the train to Venice. We had a train earlier today to Milan and we watched letters to Juliet on the way since Verona, where it takes place, is our next stop. We met a man from Verona in Paris who we hope to get in contact with while we there.

I also talked to Piero last night, an artist I met in Australia last summer who lives in Florence. I haven't had wifi to see his last response yet, but we are hoping we will be able to meet up with him and possibly stay at his place while in Florence.

I am really excited to finally be in Italy, it's somewhere I have always wanted to go. We are staying in a campground to save some only these first two nights. We have a tiny private cabin lined up--it should be pretty hot but hopefully there will be water nearby.

Ciao!

***

Made it to Venice. Our train station was on the grand canal so we got a glimpse of it already. We met some nice people on the bus to our campground who gave us some advice where to go while back in Holland.

It is so refreshing to be on the outskirts of the city and be in a wooded area. Our cabin is 6x8 probably. Very tiny! There are just two beds and the bathrooms are separate. Luckily it's semi cool tonight. So I am looking forward to getting a good nights sleep. We plan to be in the city all day tomorrow! Can't wait!

A blurry pic of our cabin

Quick walking pic of grand canal

Made it to Venice. Looking like a bum.

Hanging out in hostel bar in Switzerland.

Resting

I still have a lot to write about Budapest but the past two weeks are catching up to me and I am very tired and don't feel good today. On our way to Venice from Budapest we decided to stop in Switzerland to rest. We got  here at 7 am this morning and haven't done much else than rest. We have a cabin booked for Venice tomorrow night and the next.

When I have a bit more energy I will fill you all in on Budapest. It was a blast.

I have a few pictures from the last couple days from heroes square and the spa.

Long day

We had the perfect day in Austria today. We finally got a good nights sleep. The beds in this hostel are actually comfortable and for the first time in a week there was no construction outside our window at 7 am. We slept in until 830 and got ready for a day of adventuring. We took two metro lines and a bus to get out of the city.

We managed to not get lost along the way and made it to the trail we had planned to go to. It was extremely hot but very worth it. We hiked through the mountains, vineyards, and walked through a few suburbs where we got to see what everyday life was like on the outskirts of Vienna.

After our hike we were exhausted. Good thing we found a pool on a mountaintop! I didn't bring my camera or phone with me because we put them in lockers before we went up but the view was absolute,y beautiful. We swam for a bit, and then sat on the edge of the pool and could see the entire city of Vienna below us. It was a moment like no other.

We finally made our way home and rewarded our long day of adventure and exercise with nachos and beer. We thought we deserved it. We just packed all of our things for our day of travel tomorrow. We leave about noon for Budapest, Hungary. We should be getting there tomorrow before 4.

If we have wifi I will update from Budapest.