10 days in Europe, 3 friends, 3 cities and an amazing amount of traveling in between. Open Photo Slideshow Here
Arrival Day 1: We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany by plane and took a high speed ICE train to our final destination of Munich. We had our own train compartment to start the trip off right and allow our eager appetites to consume the first of our many yet to come European beers! Three hours later we arrive into Munich with the wet chilly rain to greet us, we threw on our backpacks and hoofed it to our Hostel. (which just so happened to be two blocks away) After checking into the Euro Youth Hostel we were surprised at how nice the accommodations where and decided to have a few more beers then head out for a meal. That night we ate at the Augustiner restaurant which was a very small German place although the schnitzel in mushroom gravy with spaetzle I had was fantastic. We then walked down towards the Marienplatz and realized that is the place we should have been all along. The rain was letting up and the city center was magical with the large buildings all around us. We then retired to the Hostel bar and after meeting some friendly British dudes in the royal navy we partied until 5am drinking beers and singing songs with our international friends.
Munich Day 2:
We started the day sightseeing at the Marienplatz which is the Munich town square named after the virgin Marry. Today the weather was nice providing blue skies and small puffy white clouds spotting the skyscape. We came across an anti-NATO protest on the Marienplatz with a few hundred protestors offering free-hugs to those that walked by. We then toured the monolithic Frauenkirche, which is the largest church in Munich built in 1494. After the church we walked around the east part of town then headed for St. Peters to climb the main tower and catch an awesome view of the city and Alps in the distance. St. Peters is the oldest church in Munich and was first built in 1158 although the first church burnt during the great fire in 1327. The building we toured was constructed in 1368. Yeah that’s old and the platform 12 stories above the ground had me a little nervous.
We climbed 12 or so stories on narrow wooden stairs and spiral stone staircases to reach the extremely narrow open air viewing platform at the towers top. Some of these pictures were taken from atop and we could see the Alps looking south in the distance along with great views over Munich.
After our day of sightseeing it was time to freshen up and head out to drink some German beers. We tried the all too famous Hofbräuhaus beer hall which was a tourist nightmare. We couldn’t even get into the main section as they had a doorman telling everyone the place is full and to go upstairs. We ended up dinning in the overflow portion of the restaurant upstairs. Earlier I took down a European double espresso and about now is when I got hit with a caffeine overdose and felt sick. Burning up in this restaurant we got seated at a table with a few German tourists and the older man at the table taught us how to properly hold the giant litter of beer we had. I ate the variety meat plate of wieners and after the meal made it an early night as I did not feel well.
Munich / Dachau Day 3: Today was Easter and a day that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Scott, Brad and I took a guided tour to the town of Dachau 30 minutes from Munich, home to the Nazi’s first concentration camp that opened in March of 1933. The camp was open originally to house political prisoners of the Nazi party and only later in the WWII years did it begin housing large amounts of Jews and members of the general public. Over 200,000 people were held at this camp during its 12 years of operation from 1933-1945. OVER 30,000 deaths occurred at this camp and the number is highly inaccurate as countless more died in transit on the death train destined to reach Dachau before the liberation (when it arrived over 2k were dead inside the train) along with other events. A gas chamber was present at this camp but the tour guide told us it was never used. The thought is they didn’t have to, as people were dying so fast from starvation, disease and being literally worked to death they didn’t need to use the chamber.
This was an absolutely emotional and heart wrenching tour with fellow tourist weeping, it left all of us with the kind of feeling you can only experience in the rawness of being there.
The day was cold and light snow flakes fell over the gray skies creating an eerie and uncomfortable backdrop as we toured the already disturbing concentration camp. The tour started from the prospective of a new prisoner to the camp. We walked into the camp through the main gate which was the only way in Dachau. There were two ways out of the camp, the gate and through the chimney of the crematorium. As we entered the gate we saw the text “Arbeit macht frei” inscribed above the wrought iron door, translated as “Work shall set you free” (a common finding on many Nazi camps throughout Europe). Entering the camp, the sheer size of this place started to set in. The main grounds were so big catching a glimpse of the far side parameter was difficult. The place looked more like a fortified city then that of a camp.
Continuing the tour we then walked into the registration building which would have been the first stop for the prisoners. A map displaying the network of Nazi camps throughout Europe was the first stop inside; I soon realized how Dachau was just one of an estimated 15,000 Nazi camps throughout Europe. We were then directed into the registration room where for a new prisoner the SS guards would have stripped you of your clothes and then shaved your body bald. The Nazi’s used the human hair as a commodity to make things such as mattress insulation and clothes. As I was standing in this room our tour guide told us the story of how prisoners would be tortured with the whip and hung up by their hands in painful positions. When she mentioned the use of the standing cell; a 3x3 foot space where you would stand without food and water for a minimum of 3 days, I felt myself starting to emotionally loose control and had to exit the room.
The sheer horror this place must have produced brought a severe sense of fear over me that this could ever happen on our Earth. Here I was standing atop ground which for an entire generation was truly ground zero of HELL.
Another story that really got to me was regarding the female prisoners brought to Dachau to be prostituted to the SS guards. Most of the women came from an all-women’s camp in northern Europe called Ravensbrueck. The guards would tell these women who were hand picked for their beauty that if they prostituted and serviced the guards for 6 months they would be set free. (Granted they had no choice at any time but the Nazi’s leaders had a good understanding of psychology and played every mind game possible) Of course the women were never let go at any point, so after the girls were abused and eventually considered worthless they would be sent back to the Ravensbrueck camp. A new batch was then sent into Dachau for the guard’s pleasure.
Truly nothing haunts me more in life then imagining the idea you are taken against your will inserted into hell on earth in this camp at Dachau and the very guards which beat you down and split your family apart find pleasure in raping possibly your wife and/or sister. We must all hear these stories and remember them so that these horrible events can never take place again. We must remember that an entire country was fooled by Hitler and his propaganda machine which allowed this inhuman nightmare to come true. We must look at each other as human beings who all deserve the basic rights to life, liberty and happiness. I fear too many of us are ripe for manipulation with the clever use of boogie man news stories (current boogie men are in the form of Middle Eastern Islamic men). This tactic is always used to slowly push society to give up liberty for security. We have the power to do what’s right and must never let evil men (not bearded men, I said evil men and they can wear suits too) dictate our world and realize this type of nightmare didn’t happen overnight but was a slow erosion of personal liberties. Without the German people’s indirect consent, Hitler would have never had a chance to push forward. We as American’s must take warning from this historic lesson or I fear history shall repeat itself in a new fashion.
Quote from Benjamin Franklin: "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."
Quote from Supreme Court Justice William O Douglas: “As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.”
I fear we may now be in that twilight..
The rest of this tour took us through the few remaining barracks and to the crematoriums which operated 24/7 burning bodies of the recently deceased. The fact is the furnaces (four in all) could barely keep up with demand so piles of dead bodies would be stacked outside the crematoriums. All the gold teeth were collected and melted down to add to the German wealth. Some of these gold bars still sit in Swiss accounts to this day.
The tour ended with videos and documentation of the liberators (US and allies) coming into Dachau to free the remaining prisoners. The horror those soldiers witnessed prompted US President Roosevelt to fully document the events that took place so they could be shared with the world. This single event is what in my mind provided the US a very lucrative world image after World War II which led to many great years of Americanism spreading throughout the world. We became the symbol of liberty and justice after liberating those from this Hell on Earth. The world loved us and thanked us for our generosity and service. Unfortunately it would seem we have used up that entire positive world view and now have a fairly large deficit. America is finding itself on the wrong side of the fence these days and promoting things like torture, reduction of civil-liberties, along with a war mongering mentality. We have invaded Iraq and are pushing for Iran and it has all been done on evidence that did not exist. Let us not be the enablers of evil but rather stand up for what is right as our hearts not our minds define!
I could write for days about Dachau and think I have helped capture some of the horror I witnessed in my writing thus far. I shall leave it to you the reader to take a visit someday and experience first hand what happened at this place. I truly hope mankind has learned a lesson from this atrocity and patriots around the world help ensure humanity is spared a repeat of this unimaginable come to life terror.
The end of our day was interesting as we just witnessed Dachau and now had to figure out a place to eat once we got back in Munich. We had a beer and sat in silence digesting the events of our tour. We agreed to eat at Pauliner brew house and had a very nice meal in an authentic and quite German restaurant. I once again had pork and beer for dinner. The food and drinks tasted good but I felt somewhat guilty enjoying these simple pleasures after the sights witnessed that day. We had a few more drinks back at the hostel and went to bed for our big drive in the AM.
Day 4 Drive to Interlaken, Switzerland / day-trip to Neuschwanstein Castle:
My first experience driving in Europe happened today as we rented an Easter egg blue Czech car called a Škoda Roomster, which was our transportation to Interlaken Switzerland (drive time five hours).At the rental counter we explained we had rented a VW wagon but the clerk informed us since we planned on driving through Austria we were required to have snow tires. Getting caught with no snow tires and face a fine of over 2 thousand euro, so we took whatever car we could get with snow tires (later in the day we would thank our fate even though snow was currently far from our minds). So I drove the manual Skoda out of Munich and onto the German
Autobahn where certain stretches of road have no speed limit. Too bad I didn’t have my old BMW Z4 out here as the road was in perfect condition and numerous Audi S8 and Mercedes were cruising by at speeds in excess of 100 mph.We reach our day-trip destination of Neuschwanstein Castle located a few hundred feet up the base of the Alps Mountains. This is the fairytale castle built by Ludwig II and made famous in America by Walt Disney as the magic kingdoms castle was inspired after Neuschwanstein. We had to park the car and walk a mile or so up a paved path to the castle and then took the quick but visually beautiful tour of the interior. We spent a few hours in the small mountain village and sat outside near the castle to enjoy a well earned lunch of bratwurst, fries and a nice cold beer.
Continuing on the drive we headed southwest approaching Austria and the adventurous drive into the Alps. We knew that the road was going to be difficult taking the route we did, but we had no idea how bad. With the Sun setting we drove by a small country I never knew existed. Liechtenstein was out our window and from my research this country is only 62 square miles in size and has a population of 34 thousand people. Interesting fact but now the Sun had set and we could no longer see the Alpine lakes, cliffs and large mountains as we did on the drive thus far.
Switzerland is simply amazing. The urban city of Lucerne we drove through was literally built in the high mountains of the Alps and the word city really doesn’t help the reader visualize my experience. The landscape was cold and snowy as we drove through 8 mile long tunnels cut into the monstrous mountains. Popping in and out of this intense and massively expensive network of auto-tunnels the eye could see civilization spread out along the hills and valleys although dusk sucked up most of the available light. Here was a country built in what must be compared to the middle of the Colorado Rockies, the expense of such an engineering feet had me truly speechless.
We finally worked our way closer to Interlaken as the snow started to fall. Yes we were driving an Easter egg blue tin-can up the Swiss Alps at night in the snow on a single lane winding mountain road. My hands were literally death gripping the wheel as we made S curves then switchbacks; here comes a tunnel, up and down the mountain to Interlaken we go. It is late around 9pm and our five hour drive to Interlaken has now become an eight hour endeavor which has us all hungry and anxious to arrive. Driving on a few inches of fresh powder the auto is slipping and sliding but still moving forward at cautious speeds. We stop for fuel at the only gas station we see for a much needed bathroom break, stretch and fast snack. Stepping out of the car into the mountain air the night was quiet with the sound of snow falling and wind whistling through the night. I had the feeling we were far from civilization, almost a time portal back to a slower more relaxed existence. I do want to make clear though that every person we came
across seemed educated and appeared to have considerable monetary means. The buildings and roads were in fantastic conditions. The technology and cleanliness was truly amazing. This country may have felt isolated in the Mountains but it had none of the “rural” feel in regards to education, culture or financial means that I was used to seeing back home. Finally after nine hours of driving we pull into dark, quite and what appeared to be closed up for the night Interlaken Switzerland. We checked into our hostel, Balmer’s and literally had to find the desk clerk as this place was dead. I think we were some of the only people awake in Interlaken that night. We walked to the town’s main area while the snow came down and found the only restaurant open was a Hooters. Yes we traveled over 5,000 miles from home to eat at Hooters. Our first dose of Swiss sticker shock happened as the cheapest item we could find (chicken sandwich) was about $15 bucks with no fries included. For the record only four hooters were present in this establishment and two of them could be classified as prehistoric. Food, Beer, 15 min walk back to hostel then bed.. Shewww what a day!Day 5: Interlaken – Day trip to Mannlichen via Wengen
We woke up in our hostel which seemed more like a giant log cabin with a hint of Swiss cuckoo clock as our room was in what appeared to be the addict. From the picture you see here our room was pretty basic and this was the most raw hostel experience we had on our trip in
Europe. Balmer’s is a cool spot for sure but it is home to a die hard demographic of international snowboarders and younger types that had the three of us feeling a little out of place. The free breakfast felt more like food rations as we got in line and stated our choice of either bread or fruit and the female worker promptly plated me with a small biscuit and a slice of bread. She then proceeded to fill my NyQuil Medicine Cup sized glass with Orange juice. I provided a blank stare externally, although I was laughing inside. Two bites and one gulp later we took off heading for the local train station to head into the Swiss Alps for our daily dose of adventure. Thirsty we remembered Interlaken prides itself on having the world’s best tap water as it comes fresh from the Swiss Alps. The town has
public fountains all over with fresh water just pouring out for your consumption. We filled our water bottles from a stone Lions head and then entered the train station.We basically winged this entire day with no solid plans whatsoever. We took a train from Interlaken (Elev 1,864ft) to Lauterbrunnen (2,605ft) which was as far a normal train could handle the vertical mountains. From Lauterbrunnen we took a cog wheel train (think roller-coaster going up hill with teeth in the track) to Wengen. You can see the video of this train clicking here as it pulled us up the steep mountain.
Once reaching Wengen (3,822ft) we realized most people were wearing ski boots and gear. Brad and I were sporting jeans with our upper bodies covered in North Face gortex we realized we might be out of place with the jeans. So
we figured why not go the whole way up the mountain and proceeded to buy a ticket up the giant cable lift that took us from Wengen to Mannlichen (7,029ft). Reaching Mannlichen it was super windy and freezing cold with 100% exposure to wind, snow and ice(see here). Literally walking on the mountains ridge we found a rental house and rented three sledges to take down the mountain. Now a sledge is like a sled kind of but think giant ice skates on a sled with a rope and you use your heels to break. The rental guy told us we were basically nuts to be out on sledges with weather like this. We inquired about the avalanche warning system and after about a 10 second instruction session we took off (yeah I was really comforted by that too). We walked towards the launch point and the wind was relentless. Knee deep in snow my jeans were already soaked and my shoes would be soon to follow. I looked at Brad and the expression on his face must have matched that of my thoughts “what the hell are we doing up here and should we turn back”. Shaking off our common sense we huffed forward into the snow and blowing wind looking for the point of no return.
So sitting my ass on the sledge with feet in front of me I hung onto the rope like Santa tends his slay and down the Swiss Alps I went. The snow was deep and as I picked up speed I figured out that breaking with your heels was more complicated then it sounded. Bouncing around and seriously starting to shoot down the mountain I dug my heels in to try and slow myself from flying off the edge. Now as you break, snow flies up into your face and crotch region freezing your balls and blinding you at the same time. Not exactly good things when your going full speed down the Swiss Alps with major vertical drop offs to your right and left. This would become our
reality for the next 4-5 miles down the mountain. Sledge for a bit and then break to regain control (see video here). About half way down or so the snow was so deep that sledging became impossible and we instead had a fun filled day of dragging our sledges down the mountain. The scenery was breathtaking but my legs were freezing cold as my jeans had frozen solid from the knee down and my butt checks were also starting to freeze to the sledge. Wet jeans and cold Swiss air really do not mix well as it doesn’t take much to get hypothermia so we headed down fast to catch the lift back up to our starting point to call it a day and find warmth.To finish the day we had dinner at another local hostel bar once back in Interlaken and then ended up at a place called the Rock Bar listening to hits from the classic rock era and drinking beers until the wee hours of the night. One thing to note as we walked towards the rock bar we had a police officer following us with a flash light. We found out that in Switzerland they have a national quiet hours law where you must be quiet outside after 10pm or face a serious fine. Seriously the entire country is quiet outside after 10pm. Just think about that kind of thing working in America.. Yeah right.
Day 6 Drive to Frankfurt Germany – Train to Amsterdam
We awoke feeling exhausted and warn out from our Alps adventure and a very late night. Today was interesting considering we had to drive from Interlaken to Frankfurt Germany to drop off the rental car and catch our 4:30pm train to Amsterdam. We wasted no time hitting the road and skipped breakfast as we knew time management was going to be an issue today with the four hour drive.
Once again we drove through lakes and mountain scenery until we hit the German border. We were asked to pull over as we drove through the border and a giant German guard questioned us for a good 5-10 minutes on our trips plans etc… Honestly this was some what intimidating as a 6’3 German soldier with a serious looking weapon on his shoulder proceeded to ask me “Tell me where your coming from quickly and be honest and detailed, now” add in the German accent and you get the picture. There wasn’t exactly a “Welcome” mentality as we answered the questions either and he asked to pull out our bags for inspection. After a few intense moments we went on our way uneventful until hours later hitting Frankfurt traffic as we were approaching rush hour.
We thought we were dropping our car at the main train station which would have provided a seamless transition from our car to our train. Instead the Garmin GPS took us to a suburb Avis store and with time literally down to 25 minutes until train departure Scott and Brad ran into the store checking if we were in the right spot while I stayed in the car. Turned out it was the right spot so the girl came out and gave a very thorough and slow inspection of the car, she told us we could catch the local metro train to the main train station just a quarter mile from here. Suitcases mounted on our backs we took off running the streets of Frankfurt to arrive at the platform just in time for the train heading downtown. We watched the minutes erode away as the train made stop after stop heading in what we prayed was the right direction. This trip was truly in high compression as we had no time to second guess our actions. We literally had to make decisions on the fly and considering the complexities, language barriers and foreign landscape I’m amazed we pulled off half of what we did. We arrived at Frankfurt Main train station and caught our train literally with 5 minutes to spare leaving us time to grab a sandwich and water for our first meal and drink of the day.
We met a girl on the train who happen to walk by our seats while we were playing rock, paper scissors. (A great game we use for those hard to figure out decisions like: ridding shotgun, fetching next beer and most importantly and the reason for this game: first in line for the in-room bathroom we were traveling towards. Remember we have been in hostels with shared bathrooms so far). So the girl asked us if we know where to stay in Amsterdam and we told her about our hostel and the lay of the land. She told us her and a friend slept on the train last night because they had nowhere to stay. I guess that is a popular option for youngsters backpacking around Europe and defiantly a hardcore option. Anyway we offered they could walk with us to our hostel and then go our separate ways.
Walking out of the Central Train Station with two train friends we embarked toward our hostel down Danmark Street heading for Dam Square. After reaching our hostel we walked into the lobby of the Bulldog and the smell of Amsterdam’s liberal laws were there to greet us. We check-in and our friends found a room so we said our goodbyes. So after a much needed freshen up we went and ate an Argentinean Steak meal, which tasted at the time like the best meal of our lives (Amsterdam is loaded with Argentinean steak houses). My giant steak along with papas fritas and empanadas for appetizer were all washed down with some deliciously cold beers. Interesting thing is I have never seen someone hustle a steak before but the manager / worker of the restaurant was exactly that, a “Steak Hustler”. The menu outside the window was more of a baiting station for him to run outside and pull off whatever sales pitch he could to get the potential customer to come inside and eat. This is the way it is done in all the Argentinean steak houses, as we experienced the same behavior at other restaurants. Don’t let that fool you though as the meal was top notch and delicious.
We then checked out our hostel bar at the Bulldog which was pretty crowded and had a few local Amstel beers before we walked around the streets and of course the Red Light area to see the all too famous window girls. What a strange place this is with such liberal laws that allows an anything goes mentality. The town has a somewhat seedy feel to it not having caught up to the western world the same way other European cities have. This helps define the unique energy and culture found in Amsterdam but also adds for some interesting characters and experiences.
Day 7: chill-out day
Today we took it easy and for the first time on the trip didn’t have to rush around to travel or sightsee. We woke up around noon and enjoyed an authentic English breakfast then walked around town and checked out the city. Amsterdam is laid out like a horseshoe with narrow sized cabal stoned streets and canals in the center. Truly a town not designed around the automobile it is amazing how few cars you actually see for a city of this size. Everyone is on foot and riding bikes. Bikes, bikes everywhere you go. These foot powered vehicles look like bikes from the 50’s with big baskets on the front and the ringer bells
sounding something like thrrrrling thrrling. The city does move at a fast beat though and standing in the Dam Square it is an orderly chaos that seems to move everyone around. The weather is cool and the setting feels like what old Europe most have been like. I find myself smiling embracing the idea of life without the need for cars. What a wonderful idea I wish we held back here in the states.We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant called Oriental City then went back to the Hostel for a night of beers and chilling out. (see video here of walk to Dam Square from our hostel)
Day 8 - Van Gogh & City Exploration
Awaking late again today we decided to repeat the previous day’s start. English breakfast once again and then off to see the city. This time we took a streetcar to a different part of the city near the Van Gogh museum and Vondelpark. We walked over to Vondelpark after seeing the line for the Van Gogh was somewhat long. The day was still cool near 50 degrees with light sprinkles coming down. The wind was brisk but fresh as we walked through the park. Hints of spring were starting to show but I can only imagine how packed this place must get in the summer. We strolled around and then headed back for the museum. We motored through the Van Gogh as Brad and I had already experienced the museum on a previous European trip. The main reason for us going to the museum was the value priced art prints sold at the museum. They made the perfect gift for the girlfriends back home.
We left the Van Gogh and took the street car back to our district of the city just in time for rush hour. The three of us were literally crammed in this street-car / train and it is not a smooth ride. After that we had a cheap meal at our hostel bar and decided tonight we would try and find an club to experience some of the Amsterdam nightlife.
So in the light drizzle we walked in the darkness of Amsterdam’s streets to find a club called Club 11. It was located in a strange spot near the water’s edge east of the Central Train station. Walking into this place is absolutely crazy as it looks
like a run down urban graffiti vacant building. You walk through several hallways and rooms to find a single elevator in a very artistic but run-down styled building. Taking the graffiti infested elevator to the 11th floor we walked out into an ultra contemporary restaurant / bar with a great view of the city (see video here). It appeared we were too early as dinner was still being served so we headed back to the hostel and in the last minute decided to take the the street car to another place called club Paradiso. This place was also interesting as it has three different time slots each weekend night for different shows / DJs and each time slot appeared to bring a very distinct demographic. We bought our tickets and caught the tail end of the previous session and decided to experience the late night show thinking we would find some electronica music. This club experience was really something else. As you drink you just drop your empty plastic beer cups on the ground and a worker actually has the job to pick these up and sweep them during the chaotic dancing and live shows. So, walking around an extremely crowded room with patrons that motor past walking faster then rush-hour traffic you also get to surf around and trip on plastic cups everywhere. An extremely odd experience to say the least as I’m moving around from room to room, full speed taking in the DJ music which ended up being a retro re-mix of MJ and James Brown era infused into modern Hip/Hop. Add in a visual light show and giant projection screens displaying odd commercial ads from the mid-early 1980’s and the picture is formed. Brad, Scott and myself trying to dance on plastic cups in the dark laser light gymnasium sized room watching a Pepsi commercial from 1984 really started to trip out my brain and eventually we had to get out of this madhouse.With all the streetcars not running this late we got to walk a few miles back to our hostel. This is tricky as Amsterdam streets tend to all look the same with brick roads on both sides of a canal and 3-4 story buildings. We didn’t have a map but we did have an idea so we took off into the night. About half way we hit some detours of construction and out of nowhere appeared what I might describe as a hobbit man from Lord of the Rings except he came from the alley. He scared off Brad and Scott pretty quick and sparked up a convo with me. The dude was probably in his late 60’s hunchbacked, truly a dirty looking little hobbit. He spoke in broken short sentenances like he just ran a marathon but still calm with a heavy British accent.
“Hello…. My .. friends…… . I .. .know…. the city well…. You need help…. Yes..”
Strange indeed. After a few moments of this broken conversation he gave us a map and some advice on how to cut through the construction and save us serious time and mileage on the route to our hostel. He asked if we could please “help us out with something” obviously referring to money. Brad gave him 3 euro or so and I had to laugh as we were literally sent a “trail angel” in the middle of Amsterdam.
We made it back home and hit up some late night Chipsy King. What is Chipsy King you ask… Well let me tell you about the best little idea every. Imagine a land where late night food counters stay open on the street and they only sell one item. Yes FRENCH FRIES. The deal goes down like this. The workers cut extra thick fat fries fresh from potatoes and then deep fry them in three separate batches with each station having a different oil temperature (I assume this cooks the perfect crunchy fry). Then these little golden miracles are placed into a paper cone and drenched in a sauce that mostly resembles mayonnaise although it has a slightly different taste. You pick up your mini fork stabber and walk away happy and salivating at the French fry feast awaiting. So, with Chipsy King in our belly’s it was time for bed! Good Night.
Day 9: Flower fields near coast
Today’s goal was to take a train out to Harlem west of Amsterdam near the North Sea coast and rent bikes to tour the country side and flower fields. We had no real idea of what was possible so early in spring so we took the train to Harlem and from there let fate decide our path. After speaking with some people around the Harlem train station we took a bus for about an hour to a small town called Lisse. From this town it was a short walk to Keukenhof. This place is like the Kings Island of flowers but we actually didn’t go inside. Instead we rented bikes from a small tent rental in the parking lot and decided to ride out into the country side. Our backpacks were loaded up with big smelly and tasty European sandwiches waiting to be eaten. We pedaled out farther and farther from town and the flower fields started to open up and the colors were truly beautiful. We were somewhat early in the season but still plenty of fields were covered in a sea of yellow or orange. This was a great day with a chilly breeze blowing but the Sun was out and it felt like a great day to be alive! We stopped for our lunch on a bench and listened to the sounds of Lisse. We could hear a kids sporting event taking place but then some strange Latin salsa music came from nowhere over the wind. We watched as Lisse local teens sped their cars around the small town showing off like teens might here in the US. We finished up our lunch and then took to the bikes once again (bike ride video). We finished the tour after a couple of hours and then waited around for our hour long bus back to Harlem. We had a long way home back to Amsterdam in front of us and we were feeling pretty tired. After out long journey we made it back to the city and celebrated with one last Argentinean steak meal. This new place wasn’t as good as the last but considering it was our last meal it did the job. We finished the night relaxing around the city having a beer here and there before hitting the sack for the last time.
Day 10 – Trip Home
We awoke late and had to rush our way out the hostel into the rain to make the train for the airport. Jogging down the street bags in hand I had flashbacks to Germany and Switzerland in which we had already conquered. Ah this trip was truly a journey and what a way to end it “running in the rain through Amsterdam”. We arrived into the train station and waited in line to purchase our ticket and soon realized we had about a 10 minute window to catch a train. If we missed this train then we would miss our flight back to the states. Go, go, go we hop the train and once again read the signs as it pulls away praying we made the right choice. We make it to the airport and started the long unpleasant trip home. I had awoken with a very swore throat and got to spend the entire 8 hour flight to Atlanta sick drinking apple juice and trying to watch the in-flight movies. I guess 10 days in Europe had finally caught up with me.
Conclusion
First of all thanks for spending the last hour reading my extremely long blog entry / Novel about Europe. This was a great trip with great friends and getting to experience so much unique and diverse culture was truly special. If you haven’t been to Europe yet I suggest you go sometime and realize international culture travel is much more then just a vacation. It is an experience that changes your viewpoint as an American citizen and truly initiates you as a citizen of the World.
With the price of the dollar continuing it’s separation against the Euro I think it may be some time before I head back to Europe. Look for some adventure stories in the future with South America most likely the destination of choice… Inca trail here I come.. Oh wait I forgot I have to conquer the Grand Canyon first. Yup look for a big update in September / October timeframe after my Dad, Brother and I hike the Canyon from Rim to Rim. James IV signing off for now.
Map of our travels
View Larger Map
