Switzerland Rules!

I am not sure what I should do for last week. Getting on the internet has been getting harder and harder. Go figure its in Western Europe that it's more of a pain to get on the internet. I want to cover some of the stories to this point that I had to summerize but I think I will do that later. Or maybe I won't. I guess I will let the poll dictate my actions. But int he meantime here are the major events from Sunday to now.

As I said last post, we headed off to Assisi Sunday night. We then had about a mile to walk to our hotel. Normally this wouldn't be that bad but my pack is considerably heavier now and we spent a lot of time in Rome walking. Our stumbled across the hotel and it was really nice. It was run by a family and had the mother and son working the counter. When I saw the price of the room in the busy season I was really thankful we came this time of year. Monday morning Eric and I split up and saw what we wanted to see in Assisi. Well, I saw the main monastery but not much more. I really liked Assisi and wished we could have stayed longer but Monday was also a travel day to Switzerland. We had to take a total of 4 trains to get up there but the views when crossing the alps were incredible. I snapped a few pictures with my trusty camera phone but I think the pictures will leave something to be desired. We then met a distant relative of mine Christoph. After dropping our stuff off we went to the local bar for a night cap. The bar was in a hotel that used to be owned by my great great grandfather. Sort of cool to see.

Tuesday was a little hectic. I have some more family in Switzerland that I wanted to see but not having a cell phone to call people makes it harder to contact people. I was going to visit the Hurliman side of my family on Wednesday but I was able to call and I found out that the whole family was busy that day. So after an incredible lunch Eric and I hopped on the train and went down to Walchwil. There I met another distant relative, Franz. He took us around the town and showed me the house where my grandpa was born. Just to note, on tradition my mom failed to pass down to her kids was the appreciation of the festival called carnival. It is HUGE here. We were only able to catch the tail end of the celebration but it was great. Franz's 2 sisters both play in a carnival band and we were able to see them play at the local bar.

Wednesday we went to mass at the local church and it happens to be the same church where my grandpa was baptized at. From there we just about ran out of the church because our train was just about to leave. This whole running around at churches is becoming a little too regular. We did make the train and from there we went to Luzern. It's the most touristy town that is in the area. So it has a lot of really nice views. There is a castle there that Michael Jackson tried to buy but he couldn't. After spending the afternoon there we headed back up to meet the Haedingers again. There we got a traditional Swiss meal but I have no idea what it is called. I do know that it tasted really good though.

We left early Thursday morning because we planned on touring around Fussen and then going to Munich. This would allow us to save days on our rail pass. When we got to Fussen we missed the bus and noticed the next bus left in almost an hour. Since we were able to rest up the past few days we decided to walk to the castle. It wasn't until we got there that we found out 2 things. First, it is 5 km to the castle from the train station. Second, they stop selling tickets at 3 PM and we got there at about 3:05. We still hiked up the mountain (only about a 20 min hike) to get a better view of the castle. If you haven't heard of the castle it is interesting. Although, any castle built by a guy nick-named Ludwig the Mad has got to be interesting. I guess instead of getting an architect to design the castle Ludwig got a stage designer to design it. The result is a fairy tale looking castle. I don't really see anything wrong with it but people were a little upset at him for it. After the castle we went up to Munich. From there I got on this computer and updated my blog.

Also, I forgot to mention but I got my camera while in Switzerland. So now I can be posting pictures except the computers in our hostel do not have a USB port for me to plug into. Oh well. I should be able to post some pictures on Saturday. But at this rate I will probably just be uploading them from home.

Where has the time gone

Ok, sorry for taking so long to get back to blogging. It hasn't been easy getting to a computer. Plus I have been running around a lot this week. I don't have a lot of time so I will try and give a very brief run down as to what trouble I have been getting into.

Monday was just a low key day wondering the steeets of Salzburg. There was a traditional desert in town that I was looking forward to trying. I herd that it was huge and delicious. But the only place that I could find it at was at an upscale kind of restraunt. I felt a little out of place going into that sort of place and eating by myself so I oppted for a cheap dinner instead. Now I have an excuse to go back though.

Tueday was a long travel day down to Florence. It was a sunny day though and that made the ride very enjoyable. And it was nice getting into Italy in with all of the vineyards. After so much time in Eastern Europe it was nice seeing a little green. I was met at the station by some friends from college who are studying abroad in Florence. So instead of blindly running around the streets of Florence I had my own guide to take me to my hostel. The other nice thing about visiting friends with an apartment is that I home cooked dinners every night in Florence. Nice thing to have after 3 weeks of kababs. Plus the food was really good. I also got to wash some of my cloths as well so now I don't smell quite as bad as before.

Wednesday and thursday was spent roaming the streets of Florence. I got to go up inside the dome of the Il Dumo cathedral. It gave a very impressive view of the city. A little expensive but I think a must do if you can afford it. I also walked to a nearby little town called Fisole. I was glad I did it because it gave me a break from the downtown that I have been living in so far. I was disappointed I couldn't get in the monestary in the little town but the walk was so nice I didn't care too much. On the way back I met a little Itallian women who tried to talk make little conversation with me. But I could only smile and nod. Oh well, next I come to Italy I am going to need to learn some italian.

Friday I went to Rome with Eric (met up with him on wednesday) and my friends from college, Jenny and Lauryn. We got into Rome and dropped our stuff at the hostel and headed off to the vatican as Eric had scored us some tickets to see the some of the tombs under the Vatican. When we were in line getting into the Vatican we noticed we had about 20 min to pick up our tickets. We ended up running accross the Vatican and just barely getting our tickets. Will go into details about the tour later. But it was really good if you want to know.

Saturday we went to the Lateran Basilica. (5 min left on computer, going to summerize rest sort of quickly). Then to ruins, then to vatican museum that we were a little late to so we coundn't get into.

Sunday we went to mass inside St. Peter's. I guess thats the good thing about going in the off season is you can go into places that usually would be really hard to go and see. Afterwards we went outside to catch the pope's blessing he does every Sunday and noon. Even though he was far away and just looking out his window, it was cool to know that I could actually see the pope. After a d little prayer he then said some things to the crowd in different languages. I am now getting ready to go off to Assisi. About out of time, so until next time.

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!

Again, I am still without a camera so I can't upload any pictures. Plus, Eric isn't around anymore so I can't use his camera. Oh well.

On Friday I decided to stay an extra day in Budapest but I moved to a different hostel for the extra day. The other one was okay but the old lady cheated me out of some money so I left. I was glad I moved to the new hostel, it was cheaper and had free internet. The woman who ran the hostel also spoke perfect english and was very friendly. The only problem was finding the place, I had the address but that didn't really help as much as I would have liked it. There were no signs on the street so I couldn't find the place. I ended up walking around the bloke too many times and ended using an internet cafe to find more exact directions.

After I dropped my pack off at the hostel I just walked around the city. I just walked in the Pest part of the city but it was great. It was interesting to see a beautiful looking building and then right next to it a building that looks as though it is going to colapse at any moment. I did take some pictures with my camera phone, but I won't be able to post any of those until I get home.

Saturday I took the train to Salzburg. It was a clear day so the train ride was paticularly good that day. I got into town and dropped my stuff at the hostel so I could take a quick walk through the town. That evening I went to a local beer hall and got some really good beer brewed by the Augustinine Monks. I met some people from the hostel there and it was nice being able to talk to people again, sorry you don't count anymore Eric. It was interesting to see the locals at teh beer hall as well. I almost tripped over this boy who was probably around 10 years old as he rushed by me with his half pint mug of beer. I am not sure if he was bringing that back for his dad or if he was just really thirsty but I thought it was a little funny to see.

Today I took a good long walk around the town. I went up the local castle here and got an amazing view of the entire city. I really wished I had remembered my camera but my phone's camera isn't too bad so I will at least have something. On my little walk today I came accross three different Irish pubs. I had no idea that the Irish pubs were that popular in Austria. I can only think of two Irish pubs in Seattle. One of them has live music everyeveing so I am going to go to that one tonight. While I am there, I plan on toasting one for Ryan. Happy birthday Ryan!

Quick correction for you dad

Dad-
Our hostel is not an old woman but is an apartment that is owned by an old woman who rents out rooms. Not sure if you needed the correction but here it is. I was reading over my post and thought my original phrasing didnt sound quite right.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Dad-
I am at a internet cafe right now because our hostel is an old women who has a bunch of rooms. I guess that is a popular thing to do in place of hostels in some Eastern European countries. But because I am at an internet cafe I cant post any pictures of me saying happy birthday or something like that so I hope this works fou you dad. I also have been looking for phone cards but there arent a lot of grocery stores in downtown Budapest. I did drink a pepsi in your honor today though. And I plan on going to a pub and drinking something else in your honor as well. Sorry I couldnt be there to say this in person but I will say again here, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Other people-
We took the train from Bratislava over to Budapest adn were immediatly greated by throngs of people eager to meet us. Well, us and our tourist money. Budapest has some of the most aggresive sales people ever. I was offered a place to stay by 4 different people at the train station. While touring a castle today we had some guy with an awesome Hungarian accent telling us he could give us a one of a kind tour of the castle showing us things we could never find ourselves and he would also give us tips where we could get food cheap. It took us a little over 5 minutes trying to explain to him we werent interestead. Finally I said we had a couple friends who were waiting for us and we needed to leave. This made the guide happy and he told us to bring them and he would give us all a tour. I think he is still waiting for us.

We are staying at a little hostel downtown that was recomended tin Erics travel guide. It is nice but there is no laudry facility and no interent. I would be loading pictures now but because I am at an internet cafe I cant really do it now. So no pictures for a little longer. I can tell you that they are really cool. For now you will have to imagine something really cool and then put me into that picture.

Slovakia and some photos in review

As most of Vienna was closed on Sunday, we decided to stay another day. We walked around the shops and found a little pub that one of our guides talked about. They have a little challenge called drinking around the world where you have to drink 15 beers from around the world. If you finnish the beers they put your name on the wall and you get a free shirt. I wasnt allowed to do it though because you have to allert the bar about your attempt. Oh well, maybe next time I am in Vienna. It was cool though, the bar tender was from Ireland.

Today we took the train over to Bratislava, Slovakia. It was nice as the train was only an hour so we were able to see the city today. We mostly just walked around seeing the sights. It is interesting to see the mix of buildings around here. One picture, I am having trouble loading it might have luck on a different computer, shows a really modern bridge with some buildings leftover from Bratislavs communist days. We made our way up to the castle here and I thought it was odd that it is still under construction. I guess in a way to keep tourists they are rebuilding there old castle. You can tell its rebuilt though because there is no cathedral inside the walls.

Another picture I am going to try and load is from today. I found a Byzantine catholic church online today and saw that they have liturgy at 5 PM every evening. So we were able to make it to that. Its was nice to have somethign that is somewhat familiar. I was able to follow along although I didnt know the responses as they were all in Slovak. I think. So if my mom told you about this Fr. Joeseph, then I have been able to make it to a liturgy while over here.

Tomorrow we will be off to Budapest and from there who knows. I hope I can find a computer to post a few of my pictures. If I cant I will update you in Hungry.

Goodbye Poland Hello Austria

I guess I will start with what I have been doing since my last post. On Thursday we visited the salt mines. My dad used to threaten my with sending me off to the salt mines and after my visit I find that it would have been really cool if he had sent me there. Apperently the air in salt mines is very healthy and was sometimes used as theropy in the old days. Sort of weird to think about people sitting around while other people are there actually doing work. The mines were a nice break in the weather. Instead of the near freazing temperatures that we have been used to we got a constant 57 degrees. Inside the salt mines there are some really impressive carverns and scupltures. It was interesting to find that almost all of the sculptures and chapels inside the mines were carved by the miners themselves. They didn't get paid anything, just there devotion drove them to do it. Sort of cool to see.

Friday we spent the first half of the day just wondering the streets of Krakow and then took a little trip off to see the Black Madonna over in Czestaowa. Our timing was just about perfect because as soon as we got there they started mass.

Saturday we said goodbye to Poland and headed off to Vienna. I was a little disappointed as every day prior to Saturday was either foggy or just overcast but Saturday was bright and sunny. This did make for a more pleasent train ride though. We then hiked around Vienna for a bit trying to find a hostel. But after about a half hour of wondering we jumped into a internet cafe and found one and just went there. It's a nice hostel but the real selling point was the 'free' drink fro everyone who stays. It's only a small beer but a beer none the less. There is a bar in the downstairs lobby making it easy for us to make our way home after a night on the town. The only downside is that the internet isn't free here.

Today we went to mass at the cathedral in Vienna. It is another beuatiful gothic cathedral. This one was consecratedin 1147. We just missed the 10:15 mass so we went to the 11:15 mass down in the catacombs of the church. It was nice becasue we had the small church feel to it. The other little bonus was that the mass was in latin so it was a little easier for me to figure out what was being said in some parts. The homily was still in german so I could only pretend I knew what the priest was talking about. So not much different than whens its in english. Afterwards we saw in our guide that there is a farmers market type of place where the food is cheap whiched perked our interest. But like most of Austria, this place was closed on Sundays. So we just found a bakery and got some food there. Just a note to make you jealous Mike, they have created something here that you would love. They took bread, and combined it with cheese and bacon. They call it 'bread, cheese, and bacon.' I thought of you when I ate it. And it was delicious.

Tomorrow looks like we will be heading off to Bratislava. I hope to put some pictures up there where the internet will probably be free. If not then Budapest. I am banking on the fre internet of Eastern Europe basically.

Poland

Got into Warsaw Monday and immediately went to the hostel to go to bed. It's a little more than a nine hour train ride from Prague to Warsaw so I was little tired. Tuesday we walked down to the old town and saw some beautiful churches. It's kind of interesting to see the difference between the Polish churches and the churches we saw in Germany and the Czech Republic. In Poland there was a very reverent atmosphere and you can still realize that this is still a place of worship. For the most part, all of the churches we saw in other countries were all tourist locations.

In one of the churches we went to they had Chopin's heart preserved inside one of the pillars. I thought it was a little interesting. Eric snapped a picture of the plaque saying "this is Chopin's heart" or something to that effect. I can't post any pictures right now so you will have to make do with just imagining it.

Today we got up and hopped on the train down to Krakow. It's a considerably closer distance than our other train rides so we once we got here we threw our stuff in the hostel and went back to the train station to go down to Auschwitz. When the train rolled into Auschwitz there was a lot of fog that sort of gave the town an ominous sort of feel to it. As if the town didn't have that sort of feel already. That pretty much filled out our day but we booked our hostel for 3 nights so we are going to be here for a little while. The hostel we found is really nice, we are staying here for about $35 a night. And that is with a complimentary breakfast. I know that probably just means some cereal and a roll but who cares its free.

My First Experiment with Absinth

Just kidding. But I guess you can get a little bottle for about 130 Krown (about 7 bucks) so if anyone wanted me to pick some up for them you missed your chance.

The first picture is the view from our hostel window. I think it's one of the best views in town but I am a little biased. A little interesting fact, one pigeon has enough meat to sustain two grown men for a day. At least the pigeons that we have come across here.



Sunday morning we went to church at St. Giles. The church is beautiful but we didn't get any pictures. The church is famous for its massive organ. You have to pay to listen to it perform but we got to listen for free because we were there for mass. We spent most of Sunday trecking around Prague. There is a little hill there that we climbed so we could see the entire city and the view was great.



Not seen in the picture is a huge gothic cathedral. The way we planned out our trip was by walking around seeing the huge cathedral and then just walking in that general direction. So on the way to this cathedral we came across a church called Our Lady of Victory. Inside was the original Infant of Prague. At least I think thats what the sign said. Not sure if you can tell in the picture but that's the infant of Prague there. We stopped in for a bit and had the priest there bless some of our rosaries and medals. I guess I look Irish or something because the first thing the priest asks me is am I Irish.



Monday we took the train over to Warsaw. It was a 9 hour train ride so that pretty much took the entore day. But I do like taking the train. I spent most of the time looking at the country side. Tomorrow looks I will be seeing the sights in Warsaw.