I have hit another wall

Family and Friends! I know that I have been promising the posting of my latest trips to Rome as well as my trip to Ireland. My computer is having some problems and I will try to have everything posted by Sunday of this weekend if I can get my computer to work, if not it may have to be later in the week. I am so sorry and I hope that you all can wait a little while longer!

Anticipation....I know its killing you!

I am going to apologize now, I am working on getting the photos in order as well as my blog notes in order then I will try and get everything up for everyone's enjoyment. It's the first week back for term and wow going from two classes a week to four classes a week is difficult. I am also preparing to leave for Dublin, Ireland on Friday 20th of this week. So I am busy, I am so sorry. I will get everything up as soon as possible!

Carnival! Carnival! Carnival!

I went to Maastricht Netherlands near the German border and the Belgian border to celebrate Carnival. Best way to describe it would be Mardi Gras meets Halloween but you party for three days straight and get to dress up. I had a blast, I only spent 24 hours in Maastricht but it was defiantly worth it to experience Carnival.

I made Sushi!!!

I made sushi today, it was so fun but very messy. I love that I am learning to make all these fun foods.

Cologne Germany...THE DOM

Following a glorious, relaxing day in Aachen Germany the party and I boarded the train to Cologne (Koln). It’s about an hour train ride with stops from Aachen, not much time to grab a nap. When you arrive in Cologne Central Station it is massive and full of people! It’s just as busy as some tube stations in London! It is always nice traveling with a group so that you don't feel so alone. I was able to embark on the Germany trip with all undergrad study abroad students from the Webster campus in St. Louis. (Danna, Bruce, Andrew, Mike, Scott, and myself) When we exited the station there it was, The Dom, a gothic cathedral, it’s huge. The group had booked a hostel that wasn't close to the city center but it was a great hostel. We were placed in an 8 person room with our own bathroom and shower so it wasn't a community style. Once we checked we were all hungry and started to discuss where to gets some grub. I had done my research on great places to eat on a budget thanks to the Europe on a Budget book I have used to base all travel on. I was set on having some Chicken Red Curry, well Scott and I were the only one's feeling Thai and Indonesian food. We set out in the busy night city to find the restaurant...we were unsuccessful, the restaurant had been closed. Anyways we stumbled on a great Thai hole in the wall place and it was perfect. After dinner we met up with the rest of the group and ask the birthday boy, Andrew, what he wanted to do for his big 21st. We ended up at a Techno Club...Lets just say it was one of the craziest night clubs I had ever been to. But we all had a blast! We paid 15 Euros for all you can drink and dance...I believe it was a good deal. The 6 of us all had a great time. The following day we checked out of the hostel at 10 am in the morning and prepared for the day. Had a morning and a Berliner (doughnut) and decided to shop for most of the morning and then head to The Dom to climb the south tower (509 stairs). Cologne is a huge shopping city with giant walking streets with shops lining either side. I was in aww of how many people were out shopping. It reminded me of NYC at rush hour. We ate at an Italian Mexican restaurant near The Dom and it was the worst meal I have had in Europe and was pricey. We made it to The Dom and I stood in amazement of the size and architecture of this epic land mark. The stained class in The Dom was full of color. Now it was time to climb the stairs to the south tower and we were stopped because it was closed for the day!!! We were all sad but it leaves something for me to come back to if I ever make the journey to Cologne. The trip was a great experience and I was happy that is what only Friday and Saturday which gave me Sunday to relax.

Aachen Germany...Home to the Hot Springs!

My adventure to Germany first started as the idea of heading to Berlin, Germany. Once I researched my options of getting to Berlin I decided that it was difficult and a long journey, not to mention outrageously expensive! So I started researching places to go that were close to the border of Germany next to the Netherlands and stumbled on Aachen. That is when I started to read about the natural hot springs.

Early on Friday the 13th, I left the Leiden Central Station with a one way ticket to Aachen. I traveled with 5 other friends that I know from school. When we arrived in Aachen we navigated to the tourist information center to get maps as well as information on these mysterious hot springs. Truth be told they existed and that it was not a far walk. We were all starving so we found a local, cheap bistro where I sampled the authentic Curry worst, exactly what it sounds like. It was excellent! I also had a side of frietes (fries) and a Fanta. After our quick and filling meal we set off for the hot springs along the way Bruce stumbled on a skate shop where he found some Nike shoes that were a must have. We were navigating our way to the Hot Springs through the city of Aachen stopping to site see and take photos. We were able to see the resting place of Charlemagne’s remains. While walking through the city we found a park that was a short cut leading us to the hot springs. The park was beautiful! Green grass, huge trees, dogs playing, a play ground and it was on a hill so I saw some amazing views of the city. Then...there it was the HOT SPRINGS!!! Everyone started to celebrate and get really anxious.

The hot springs are set up like a resort but not with the outrageous prices. The Carolus Thermen is set up to where you register at the entrance and they give you a bracelet that is the key to your lockers as well as it acts as a time clock and will record an extra amenities you use through out the baths. The hot springs are both outdoor as well as indoor. But I would have to say the best part of the whole experience was swimming in the outdoor section and it began to snow. So I was thinking to myself who gets to sit and relax in hot springs while it is snowing in EUROPE!!! The host springs also had back messaging jets, saunas, and hot tubs. All around it was exactly what I needed. We spent 3.5 hours just relaxing and that cost 15 Euros each. After the hot springs we showered and got ready to make the next leg of the trip. (coming soon)

Delft Ware & Rotterdammers

On the 24th of January a few friends and I set out to explore the close cities of Delft and Rotterdam. We spent the whole day walking around these cities, we took pictures, laughed, shopped, and ate some delicious food.

We arrived in Delft before noon and we were able to catch the little towns market. It was smaller than the market I am used to attending in Leiden. It was Saturday, which means the market is usually very busy and last till middle afternoon, buzzing with people we were able to see the fresh produce, the chicken stand, the fish market, as well as the odds and ends you need to fix your bike with. Ah, and the Stroopwaffle stand. Stroopwaffles, these are sweet cookie like waffles that are cooked hot and ready similar to a pancake and in between the two cookie like layers is a soft butterscotch syrup. They are a must try, I am hoping to send some home but will have to microwave them for a few seconds to get the syrup to melt in the middle. They are to delicious!

Back to Delft, this little city is the epitome of Holland, the little houses, cobblestone streets, delftware, and many churches. As I walked through the narrow streets I looked over the rooftops and noticed that in Delft alone there where, at least six giant, very old churches. At the towns square there were a few statues, on one end a large church and the other end was the towns government building but very brightly colored. My friends and I wanted to find the Delft ware, we were able to find the infamous shop, Aardewerk De Candelaer, not sure what that means but this shop is famous for allowing the public to come in an see Delft Ware being created. Unfortunately, we came on the day when both the artists were sick, so we were only able to look at the hanging work and make a few impulsive purchases. Walking around Delft for a few hours you are able to see the whole town as well as stop into the many little shops scattered through out the many cobblestone streets.

We left the town of Delft and hoped on the train for a short ride to Rotterdam, the city of Architechture and the 2nd largest port in the world. As we arrived in Rotterdam we noticed that the city is under a lot of construction especially around the central train station and bus depot. We found the tourist information hub and picked up maps and received some great advice on what there is to do. We decided to do our own personal walking tour. We picked up the self walking tour map and set out to explore the city.

Sites that we were able to see and learn about were, Nationale Nederlands, Lijbaan, Schielandshuis, Cube Houses, Oudehaven (old harbor), Erasmus Bridge, Syvette.

Nationale Nederlands is the highest building in the Netherlands. (151 meters)

Lijbaan is a famous street in the Netherlands, since it was opened in 1953 it is the busiest street in Rotterdam. It was Europe's first pedestianised shopping area.

Schielandshuis is the oldest building in the city of Rotterdam. It is named after the Dyke Board of Schieland. Napoleon visited Rotterdam in 1811 and stayed at the Schielandshuis. Today, it houses the history museum of Rotterdam.

Cube Houses, Piet Blom was commissioned by the city of Rotterdam to create a bridge between Blaak and the Oude Haven in a non traditional way. Each house consists of three floors, with the staircase in the supporting pile. You are able to go into these Yellow cube houses for a fee but soon you will be able to stay in a few of the houses that are unoccupied due to the Construction of a new hostel that will allow travelers to stay in these unique creations.

Oudehaven, we ate lunch at a Caption Morgan like pub on the harbor. The food was really good. We all sampled different dishes. I ordered a grilled Gouda and pineapple sandwich, others ordered curry soup, and goulash soup with a side of mozzarella and tomato pesto sandwiches. It was very good! There are historic ships moored in the harbor as well the first skyscraper in Europe stands and was built. It is a local hang out for wining, dining, and dancing.

Erasmus Bridge, built by Ben van Berkel (1996) the 800 meter bridge connects the northern and southern parts of Rotterdam. It has a 139 meter pylon which is suspended by 40 ropes. The shape of the bridge gave the bridge its nickname, "the swan."

The Syvette is located on the corner near Boijmans Van Beuningen, this sculpture created by both Carl Nesjar and Pablo Picasso.

The walking tour had 42 different monuments scattered through out the city and it took us to walk at a steady pace and taking pictures 2 hours at most to do the tour. We stopped in the middle have a late lunch but it was a nice day I had a great time walking through the city of Rotterdam. One last note about Rotterdam is it doesn't have a Netherlands or Holland look or feel to it, the people are very nice but due to the city being heavily bombed in WWII it had to rebuild which doesn't have the old look or Leiden or Delft. All in all the city is a young city and very vibrant. As we were leaving to head back at dusk the city is beautiful and full of lights.

The photos of our trip are embedded into the slide show.

DAG