Monday, July 16, 2007 

Chenonceau and more



Sunday, I took the TGV to Tours to view the Chenonceau chateau in the Loire Valley region. I've wanted to visit Chenonceau ever since I saw the poster of it in my French class in high school. Well, it took about ten years but I finally went! (A - do you remember the poster?) The trip took a total of about 1.5 hrs (1 hr TGV, then another half hour to the chateau). All the chateau are spread pretty far apart and the best way to visit the region is really by a bus tour or car. If I revisit in the future, I'd go on the tour. The chateau was a lot smaller than I thought it would be but it was interesting. There's a lot of history linked to Catherine de Medici, her husband Henry IV and her family there. The audioguide was cool because the machine is an iPod: not only do you get the audio commentary but you see the video too. The Loire region reminds me a lot of Napa/Sonoma, except that in addition, there are historic castles. I don't know if the trip was worth the cost (the TGV was very expensive) but at least I got to visit a place I've been wanting to visit for a long time.




Today, I revisited the Marais area and finally found Mariage Freres. They are famous for their teas and have been in business since 1854. They have a selection of over 600 teas (from China, India, the Himalays, etc.). Everything was beautifully displayed but quite pricey!




On the subject of food, I also found Le Procope. It is one of the world's oldest continually operating restaurants (been in business since 1686) and is one of the first places to have introduced coffee to the Western world.


11:27 AM | |

Sunday, July 15, 2007 

back in Paris

arrived back to Paris yesterday morning. I'm not sure if it's because I returned to where I started my trip or whether this brings my trip to a close, but coming back to Paris felt like a small homecoming. I really love it here. If I were to chose a favorite city of all the places I've visited, I would probably have to choose Paris. All the other cities were also beautiful and interesting but there's something intangible here that's hard to describe. There is just so much to do in this city and there's a little something for everybody. Also, being in a place where you can understand the basics makes a huge difference in experiencing it more authentically.


I arrived on Bastille Day (July 14th), which commemorates the French Revolution. I wasn't even home for Independence Day but I'm here in France for theirs. Go figure. Apparently, the celebrations start on the 13th and continue on the 14th, where there's a parade in the morning down Champs Elysees and fireworks in the evening. Everywhere in the city, you saw French flags waving proudly. Also, throughout the day, you heard planes overhead. Back home in SF, these were called the Blue Angels, I'm not sure what they're officially called. On Sat. I went on a walking tour of the city, then visited the Musee d'Orsay and the St. Germain des Pres area in the early evening before viewing the fireworks.

I really enjoyed strolling down Blvd St Germain. Stopped at Les Deux Magots, a historic cafe where many famous philosophers (Sartre, Beauvoir) as well as literary greats met, mingled and wrote some of their famous works. The cafe is named such after the two wooden chinese figures in the cafe. I'm assuming its illustrious history is the reason why it was packed and my run of the mill coffee cost 4 euros. Nevertheless, I enjoyed sitting there and sipping my coffee. The best part was that the woman sitting next to me also happened to be American and we started chatting. She suggested that I visit Gerard Mulot (patisserie) as well as the Poilane boulangerie. I did find Gerard Mulot and their pastries were gorgeous! They were truly pieces of art. (Sorry to say this but Finale in Harvard Sq. doesn't come close). See picture, need I say more? I hadn't found Poilane yet but I hope to visit tomorrow. I had read somewhere that the daughter is now running the family business after her parents tragic passing. She apparently is/was a Harvard undergrad and runs the business overseas.



The fireworks were scheduled for 10:30pm, where the best viewing would be in front of the Eiffel Tower/Champs de Mars area. I thought that I would avoid the huge crowds by going up to Montmartre and seeing the fireworks from the hill. But there were also a TON of people there and I could barely see the fireworks. Although it was cool to be out in the Montmartre area, it was very difficult to move anywhere. Would've been best to stake out a prime viewing location hours earlier. Doable in theory but that strategy is best when you have friends to keep your spot. Reminds me why I usually don't bother going to see the fireworks on July 4th...


12:25 AM | |

Wednesday, July 11, 2007 

Prague





The weather has been very temperamental here in Prague. The sun makes an appearance intermittently - and so does the rain. Mostly, the sky is overcast though. I did a walking tour today of Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle, etc. It was alright but paled in comparison to the memorable Berlin tour. I wandered around different neighborhoods but without any specific destinations in mind really. I really should've gotten a travel guide for Prague so I have a better idea of what to see/do and to plan it better.

I am looking forward to being back in Paris and visiting sights/places I hadn't visited earlier during my trip. I'm also looking forward to being able to somewhat understand/speak the language too. It's not as much fun when you are in many respects mute and deaf and illiterate. =(

Traveling has been fun, I'm not complaining. But I'm starting to feel antsy and feel the need to get back to my "normal" life. They say that travel is life intensified - but I feel that it is also life postponed as well.

7-13-07

Visited a bunch of museums today. Went to Stone Bell House, Golden Ring House and Kinsky Palace which display Czech art. The Stone Bell House and Golden Ring House are named as such because back in the day, houses weren´t numbered as they are nowadays. So residences were distinguished by something on the facade.
I also visited National Museum and the Dvorak museum today. The National Museum was beautiful inside but they mainly housed paleontologic artifacts. I realized that I´m not that interested in dead things. Maybe if the exhibit were better, I´d appreciate it more.

The Dvorak museum was a little bit out of the way and not that great. They had a few momentos from his life displayed throughout a small building. However, I had visited the Mucha Museum yesterday and the art was beautiful. But I´m all museumed out for the moment. Similarly, I don´t want to climb another tower to look at another view or visit another church anymore.

Today I tried a smatzeeny (spelling is probably wrong), which E (who had lived in Prague) recommended. It is fried cheese with mayo in a roll. Sort of like fried mozarella sticks with mayo in a sandwich. It tasted good but afterwards, I felt exactly like how you´d imagine you would feel after having a chunk of fried cheese in your stomache. Yes, the well-balanced diet of a traveling tourist. But it was for the sake of experiencing the local cuisine. And I agree with her that this is something that sounds gross but would go well with beer or post-drinking.

8:14 AM | |

Monday, July 09, 2007 

Belgium and Berlin













I had a great time in Belgium. Hands down, the best part was simply seeing A and T again. It had been about 2.5 yrs since I last saw them. After spending quite a few days in Florence and Rome on my own, it was wonderful to see friends you haven't seen in a long time. First stop was Brugges (Venice of the North) and it was a very charming. Of course we made a stop at a chocolate shop and sampled some of the goods (indeed excellent). Next day, we visited Leuven. Although not known as one of the usual tourist stops but it was a very cozy, charming city. The architecture of the buildings was very distinctive (wish I had pics to post now). We also stopped by a botanical garden where there were many fruit-laden trees of pears and apples (I was very tempted to go fruit-picking). I was very impressed with Leuven and it's a very livable city. I'm glad my friends live there so I have an excuse to revisit in the future.

Berlin





We drove to Berlin on Saturday morning (7 hrs drive!). Part of my Europe experience was being on the autobahn in a car going about 105 mph. Thankfully for most of the drive, I dozed off. After we arrived, we met up with D and J and had a great dinner. On the agenda for the next day was a walking tour of Berlin which was very good. The guide was very enthusiastic and filled us in on the history of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag, etc. There is a lot of history here in the city - you're constantly confronted with it, especially when walking around in East Berlin. East Berlin seems more hip, trendy and interesting compared to the areas of West Berlin I visited. We also explored a couple museums on Museum Island and then climbed the dome of the Reichstag. It's too bad I didn't have enough time to visit Charlottenburg of the Berlin Zoo (home of the famous baby polar bear named Knut).

I also got a chance to try some German cuisine as well - tried some currywurst and weinerschnitzel and sauerkraut. Can't say that I'm a fan though. The best food I had here was probably a Turkish dinner and a samosa appetizer. And sadly, the coffee was disappointing. You know, after Italy the standards are high. Yes, I'll admit to being a coffee snob.

Luckily, the Berlin hostel I stayed at was excellent. St. Christopher's Inn was recently renovated and everything was clean, modern and comfy. They were very conveniently located as well. I would definitely recommend it. Berlin was good. I had a good time visiting the city and it was a great chance to catch up with friends as well as getting to them better.

This afternoon I hopped on my Prague bound train from the Berlin main train station. Once the train passed into the Czech Republic, the view was very pretty. The train route more or less went along the length of a river - it was peaceful pastoral scenery for quite a few horus. Upon arrival, the Holesevic train station seemed a bit sketchy though. I'm very glad that at least the hostel is very modern and clean (they're also a hotel as well as a hostel). It's called Czech Inn. Get it? ;-)

10:12 AM | |

Wednesday, July 04, 2007 

Rome






Rome is very busy and crowded, very different from Florence. Once I arrived at the Termini train station, it was swarming with people.

I had originally planned on staying in Florence for three nights, but I decided to leave for Rome after the second night (so i'd have more time to explore Rome, three days instead of two). Last minute, I booked a night at the Colors Hostel, which is close to Vatican City. It's not as conveniently located as someplace near Termini but it was a decent hostel and quite clean. It's also located in a very nice, residential area. If I lived in Rome, I'd want to live in this neighborhood. There was a great cafe nearby, on the Via Cola di Rienza. The cafe was like a gourmet shop-deli-cafe-bar. Their coffee was excellent.

On the first day, I visited the ruins (Colosseum, Pallatine Hill, Forum area). The colosseum was very impressive - amazing engineering if it lasted 2000 years! the Pallatine Hill area was nice but I had a hard time appreciating all the ruins because they were all small remnants of the huge buildings that used to be there. I couldn't imagine what the rest (the missing bits) looked like, neither did I know how it should've looked like. I also visited the Pantheon. The area surrounding it was nice - good gelato at Cremeria Monteforte, also Tazzo d'Oro nearby (well known for their coffee). It was filled with tourists though. But I must say, their coffee granita con panna is as good as advertised, especially on a hot day. I also stumbed across the Cafe Sant Eustacchio, which had mostly Italian customers. They advertised a blurb written about them in the NY Times as well. I later found out that their espressos and coffees are considered one of the best in Rome by the Italians. Cool that I found this place - I wouldn't have learned about them in a guide book. Their coffee was indeed very good. In Italy, I've tried a large assortment of coffee drinks: cafe (espresso), cafe freddo (iced, sweetened coffee), capuccino freddo (iced capuccino), cafe americano (espresso w hot water, but much better than the americanos from back home), and coffee granita. They also have cafe shakerato (like a cafe frappe) and a espresso con panna which look really good but i haven't had a chance to try yet. As long as you order them and drink them at the counter (not seated), the prices are still cheaper than prices back home (compared to Starbucks or something). So they're a deal!

Yesterday I visited the Vatican. The lines to get in were very long (1.5 hrs to get in, past security). The Vatican was very impressive and has a great collection of art. Reminds you that back in the day, the church was very rich and powerful. The Sistine Chapel was impressive, as was St. Peter's basilica. I had to rush to the Borghese Gallery for my 5pm reservation. They limit visitors to about 350 per two hours and you have to make reservations in advance. The art was beautiful - Bernini sculptures were stunning. The pieces of art collected there are some of the greatest and the gallery rooms were designed to display and house these pieces to advantage. The building and galleries were stunning in and of themselves. I bought the audioguide which was so worth it because they did a beautiful job explaining the artists', how the piece was acquired in the collection, the significance and meaning of the piece, etc. Most audioguides are worthless but it was very well done at the Borghese Gallery. It is my favorite of all the museums I've visited, even the Louvre. Since it's limited to so few people, you can really walk around and enjoy the art upclose, withoutthe annoyance of large noisy crowds. I was very sad that the museum store was closed after my tour. I really liked the art there and wanted to purchase some books or postcards of the gallery. This is rare as I'm not usually so into getting the touristy museum stuff. I actually returned today and got two books about the art and the gallery.

This morning I had to check out of the Beehive (hostel last night) and into another hostel. The Beehive is run by an American couple and it's a really nice place to stay. They mostly have apartments and only one or two dorm rooms so you have to book months in advance. That is why I only manged to book one night there. It's very clean and cater mostly to couples and families (they mostly have apartments). They have free internet and their own cafe downstairs, as well as some outdoor seating and comfy couches for lounging. It's also super close to the Termini train station. Unfortunately, the place I'm at tonight isn't nearly as nice. It's also close to the Termini station but on the other side (Via Giolitti) and the area is a little sketchy. Oh well, just one night and tomorrow morning, I've got to hop on my 6:40am shuttle to the Ciampino airport to Brussels. Can't wait to see my friends A and T tomorrow!

2:04 PM | |

Sunday, July 01, 2007 

a few things

a few things I learned so far during my trip...

- good coffee or food isn't a given everywhere, even in Europe.

- beverages bought from a supermarker or grocery store (about 0.50 euro or less) are cheaper than those from a cafe (about 1.50 euro).

E pointed this out and this was very good to know. at first i didn't understand why but given the European penchance for lingering in cafes, i then realized this was a way for the owners to recover some overhead. you also pay much less for a drink consumed at the counter than seated.

- things are cheaper in Portugal, as compared to Paris and Italy. so far, Paris has been the most expensive.

espresso in Portugal (0.50 euro) compared to espresso in Paris (1.20 euro) or Italy (0.80).

- coffee i'm used to consuming in the US has a higher caffeine content than the espressos served here. it's counter-intuitive but true. espresso may have a higher caffeine concentration but overall caffeine is more in say, a Peet's or Starbuck's coffee.

- when Italians pick up the phone, they answer "Pronto". meaning: ready (talk to me).

- when you're a female walking alone at night, you're likely to be greeted by overly-friendly Italian men. (A - you were right).

- in Italy, they ask you for your passport everywhere. and they xerox it. even to use the internet cafe, they ask to see it. Italian police presence is very noticeable as well.

- only tourists order cappuccino after breakfast. Europeans don't drink cappuccino after breakfast.

6:38 AM | |

 

Florence




Florence is a great town to be strolling around at night. Many people are out and about, cafes and restaurants and gelaterias are open, and the narrow streets without cars makes walking around a very pleasant experience. All the areas in and adjacent to the many Piazzas are bustling. The narrow streets also provide a lot of shade against the heat of the sun. Florence is a rather small city and everything is a very accessible distance. But maybe because of the heat, some inertia has kicked in and I haven't felt inclined to cover all the sights yet. Mainly because I know I will have plenty of time to do just that.

Last night I had dinner at the Trattoria Buzzino near the St. Croce chuch. The pasta I had was simple but very good. I ended up chatting with the waiter (his family owns the restaurant) and it turns out he had visited Boston almost 20 years ago as a teenager. As I was walking around, I noticed a crowd gathering outside of the Uffizi gallery. There was a free concert at the Piazza della Signoria and so I found a seat on the floor and joined the crowd. I hadn't been to an orchestra concert in a while - this was even better because it was outdoors.

My hostel yesterday (Hotel Sampaoli) was very good. It's about a 15 min walk from the train station. The guy working there was very friendly and the accomodations wery comfortable and clean. Each room was equipped with a sink and even a hair dryer. I was sharing a room with two other women - one who was visiting from Australia, another from Colorado. This morning I went check in to my other hostel (International Student House), which is also clean but not as nice as the one from yesterday. At least it's super close to the train station, which will be good for when I leave for Rome.

I visited the Uffizi Gallery (best collection of Italian greats) and the Accademia (houses Michaelango's David) today. Thankfully I had called ahead and booked reservations because the line for people without reservations would've been at least two hours. With a reservation, you wait in line to pick up your tickets, then you're in within half an hour. At the Uffizi they limit total people to 600 at a time. I did a brief tour of each gallery but once again, I couldn't really fully appreciate the art. So many of them are religious art - what do I know about that? There seem to be so many variations of the same theme. Jesus on the cross, the Virgin Mary, etc. A will be quite upset that I didn't give the great art it's due. She would probably take all day visiting both... =)

I think I will go later to St Croce church to see the tombs of Galileo and Michaelango.

6:11 AM | |