Prekestolen- Pulpit Rock

So, Norway is SPECTACULAR. It is a land of mountain and sea which makes for an interesting combination of feeling very grounded (by the mountains) and very open and free (because of the sea)- very cool.

We took a day trip to Prekestolen (Pulpit Rock) which is about 1hr away from Stavanger and involves taking a ferry across the fjord. Actually lots of travel in Norway involves taking a ferry across the fjord because the country is criss-crossed with them.

Emma's friend Tom told us before we went that it was a really easy hike, "practically wheel-chair accessible," he said. Um, check out the picture of Emma and I on the way down the mountain- does that look wheelchair accessible to you?

The three of us headed out together- Tom in his professional hiking boots, Emma in her Converse sneakers, and me with my beloved Chalie Chaplin-esque shoes to undertake this 4 hr hike. Luckily after carting our backpacks around for a month Emma and I were fit for the challenge!

We got to see some great views on the hike but nothing compared to what awaited us at the end. Prekestolen has a surface of 25 x 25m to stand on and looms 600m above sea level (sorry no idea what the conversion to feet is).

Photos from top to bottom: Tom and I looking over the edge, longview of Emma and I standing on the edge, Emma and I triumphant!

Norway- 1st stop Stavanger

Aug. 1st-3rd

On August 1st I flew from Budapest to Norway to stay with Emma and her family. I was very excited about going to Norway because I had never been there. We spent the first couple days in Stavanger where Emma's uncle Ove lives.

We visited the old town where all the houses are painted white, the streets are cobblestone, and there are pretty flowering gardens and window boxes galore.

Stavanger also has an oil museum- did you know that Norway has the 2nd largest oil source after Saudi Arabia? The oil museum is geared towards kids, with lots of colorful and interactive displays, so of course Emma and I really dug it!

In Hungary

After our night out, Emma got up early the next morning to catch her flight to Norway. I spent the next 3 weeks hanging out with my parents, relaxing, digesting everything that had happenned so far and generally recharging my batteries.

I got to take a day trip into Bratislava (Slovakia) which was very interesting. There was a public art project happening which showed all these different acrobats on strings which I thought was awesome.












One of the best things I got to do was go down to check out an alternative theatre festival that was happenning in the city of Szeged, in the southeastern part of Hungary. My mom and I hopped on a train down there and got to see a movement theatre piece by a Croatian theatre company. It was great!

Statue Park & the World Cup FINAL

July 9th

About 40 min outside of Budapest there is a place called "Statue Park" where they took all of the old communist statues in the city and placed them on exhibit for people to see. Look at the size of that giant one!

After visiting the park that day, Emma and I headed out to an open air screening of the World Cup final that evening (see picture below). I was rooting for France but it seemed like almost everyone in the crowd was rooting for Italy. We have no idea why the Hungarians would be cheering for Italy but there it was. Oh it was a heartbreaking end! My favorite player, Zidane, totally lost his cool and head butted one of the Italian players and was red carded out of the game. The Italians won in penalty shots and then it was all over.

After the game, Emma and I went out to a bar where we found some devastated frenchmen drowning their sorrows and some over the moon Italians and Hungarians partying away. Ever the peacemakers we convinced a couple frenchies and some italians to go out dancing at a club all together- what better way to create goodwill and peace for all?

Land Ho! Home in Hungary

July 4th- Aug. 1st
To get to Budapest Emma and I took an overnight train from Venice to Vienna, spent a couple hours in Vienna, then hopped on a train from Vienna to Budapest to arrive there on July 4th in the early evening.

While we were in Vienna Emma and I took the opportunity to rush over to the Belvedere Museum and check out Gustav Klimt's artwork. When we arrived there we found out there was also a special exhibit about the work of Egon Schiele. It was the the best curated exhibit I have ever seen, very informative and fascinating.

After all that running around it was great to be home. I was really excited about being able to share the objects and "things" of my childhood and past with Emma. In fact, I was so happy I didn't even notice my wallet had been stolen until the following day- DOH! Wouldn't you know it, I can make it all the way across Europe without any major mishap, but within reach of Budapest I fall asleep on the train with my bag on the chair opposite me- and whoop, there goes my wallet. So much for appearing totally together and responsible in front of my parents, (sigh). Luckily, it was the only time when I could lose my wallet and not be stranded, so it was not a total disaster.
On my dad's birthday (July 8th), we drove out to a vineyard a couple hours northeast of Budapest to have dinner. Emma was very excited to visit her first vineyard. It was a beautiful day and on the drive home we drove through fields and fields of sunflowers- sooo beautiful!

Venice

July 2nd-4th

Venice was ENchanting. Our time there was very short because we were only there for one night, but the vibe there was like no other city we had been to.


It's hard to describe the quality of beauty; there is water everywhere, the buildings have a crumbling loveliness to them, the air is salty, the sun is hot, and there are good looking older Italian men in beautiful suits walking around. (Note to all who would be interested in hooking up with men in their fifties and beyond.)


Emma and I took a vaporretti ride out to the island of Murano to check out the glass blowing factories. All the glass blowers were banished to this island because their furnaces kept causing fires in Venice.
Our other key Venice experiences included eating gelato on the Rialto Bridge, strolling through the Piazza San Marco, getting lost in the narrow winding alleyways of the city, and going into the Dolce & Gabbana store (where we had to be escorted by someone to shop) to buy underwear for my bro Santi's birthday.


I really loved our time in Venice. I have to say that of all the cities we visited Barcelona does take the cake but Venice was my second favorite. It was also interesting to see it because the last time I was there was when I was 9yrs old- at that time the highlight of my trip was feeding the pigeons at San Marco.

This time, I was just blown away by the melancholy magnificance of the sinking city.

Florence

June 30th-July 2nd

Florence was a huge relief after the hecticness of Rome.



We spent a lot of time just walking around and taking everything in. It was beautiful!!

While we were in Florence we witnessed Italy's win against Argentina and Brazil's surprise defeat to France. The night that France beat Brazil we came upon one of the most amazing things we saw on our trip- Brazilians gathered in a parking lot with huge boom boxes in their trunk blasting sad samba songs, singing, dancing...it was the most incredible response to disappointment we had ever seen.

Rome

June 29th-30th

Emma and I spent one night and 2 very hectic days in Rome. Being in Rome was definitely one of the most difficult times we had on our trip- it was HOT, the city was crowded with tourists, and the one night we spent there we were eaten alive by mosquitoes.
But we persevered: we made a wish at the Fontana di Trevi, heard about the gladiator fights at the Colosseum, and learned the true meaning of the early bird gets the worm at the Vatican- where the line to visit St.Peter's and the Sistine Chapel was over 4hrs long...

Turista Photo Shoot

Because we are total dorks Emma and I got matching World Cup t-shirts while we were in Germany. Here we are in full glory:

Before we left Christine's we asked if she wouldn't mind taking a few photos of Emma and I in full turista gear. Notice we have our big backpacks, our little day packs, our giant "Let's Go Europe" tourist book, and one extra handbag which carried our essential food provisions!

GER-many

June 23-26th

After Geneva and Paris we headed to Pfozheim (1/2 hr outside of Stuttgart) to visit Emma's friend Christine. Christine went to UConn with Emma and was in Germany for the summer visiting her family. We stayed in her father's 1 room art studio in the middle of town, which was really neat.

Emma and I were very excited to finally be in GER-many, for 2 reasons. 1) It was the hot center of the World Cup. 2) Emma and I had been breaking out our fake German accents every once in a while to crack each other up and we were excited to hear the real thing.

With Christine, we went to visit a medieval cloister in the nearby town Maulbronne.



















We also took a trip out to Heidelberg to visit a famous castle ruin. It was a steep climb up, but when we got there it was worth the view.

The Paris Runaround

Paris is a 4hr train ride away from Geneva so Emma and I decided to run in and have a look.

We arrived at 4:30pm and headed straight for the Notre Dame cathedral. Then we went to the Eiffel Tower and rode the elevator to the top- although Emma doesn't like heights she said "only a wuss would come this far and not go to the top." That night we headed to the Latin Quarter and had a delicious cheap meal (thank you "Let's Go Europe").

The next morning, we got up early and went to the Louvre where we moved through the museum at lightning speed to see the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and some Vermeer. We also ran through Egyptian wing and saw a lot of ancient artifacts. At 2:30pm we hoped on the train back to Geneva.

The Swiss Experience

It was nice to be back in Geneva. The last time I was there was 5 years ago. We stayed with my friend Seb from high school and were once again blessed with wonderful care and hospitality during our stay.

Thats Emma sunbathing and reading "The Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss" on Seb's lawn.

I got to take Emma on the memory lane tour of Geneva and my old high school which was a lot of fun. Seb lent us his scooter so I also got to drive Emma around through the swiss countryside- wheeee! One night, after a swiss victory in the world cup, we had to drive through a parade of cheering swiss people- honking their car horns, waving their flags. While I nervously navigated the crowd Emma got to joyfully wave to everyone and yell "Allez les Suisse!" Fun.

Beautiful Barcelona

Barcelona was awesome!
Emma and I's favorite things about it included:
- All the Gaudi art.
- That its okay to get a late start on your day, because at 9pm the night is only beginning.
- Going out dancing every night. We sampled some hip-hop, Emma got her first taste of real european techno music, and we hit the salsoteca for the latin beats.
- Really great dining experiences.
- The fact that all the guys there were HOT. (FYI the girls there were hot too.) Not only is eveyone who lives in Barcelona FINE but if you ever wondered where all the good looking people go on vacation, now you have your answer.
- On a personal note, Emma's grandfather was from Barcelona, so it was really cool for her to check it out.

Return to Parc Guell

I have always wanted to see these benches.
Mira que linda!
(Look how beautiful they are!)


Emma and I loved the Parc Guell- going back there using the escalators helped too.




Also- check out the Lizard below!

Sitges Beach

After all that activity, a day at the beach is in order. Emma and I board a train and travel 45min out of Barcelona to Sitges, a beach town.

Emma had her first contact with the Mediterranean Sea (which was cooooold, nothing like the warm temperatures of Jobos beach in Puerto Rico)

Tricky, tricky (Day 1, part 4)

That night, Emma and I went out to eat some yummy paella. After our strenuous day we thought we'd go out for just one drink at the oldest bar in Barcelona. When we got there the place was packed with tourists.
Now I have to take a time out here to explain that since our arrival in Spain Emma and I have been speaking in Spanish whenever we are in public. Which is pretty hilarious since my Spanish is very disjointed and elementary, all the real Spaniards who may have overheard our converstions probably thought we were loca. But it helped us keep a low turista profile.
Emma and I sit down at a table and gossip in Spanish about the other tourists in the bar. The guy sitting next to us asks her for a light and they keep on talking in Spanish. Meanwhile a Bristish guy asks me what street we are on,
"Que?" I reply innocently
"Oh, damn, er, the street? Outside?"
"La calle?"
"Yeah, la calle, whats the name?"
I tell him and he thanks me then looks at me curiously and says suspiciously, "you're not Spanish." I grin at him uncomprehendingly.
Next thing I know I'm locked into my ruse as one of the other Brits at the table starts trying to talk to me in broken Spanish. When Emma turns back around I have to quickly let her in so she doesn't blow my cover. Emma looks at me in shock but doesn't miss a beat and next thing we know the Brits have broken out the phrase book to keep the conversation going.
The people who Emma first started talking to tell us they're going dancing at a club and invite us along. Emma and I never say no to dancing. Off we went to a huge club where we proceeded to dance our asses off to great music. We finally tumble into bed at 5:30am. End of Day 1 in Barcelona.

The trek to Parc Guell (Day 1, part 3)

After we were done checking out La Sagrada Familia, Emma and I consulted our map to see if the Parc Guell (where there is more Gaudi art) was nearby.
"Hmm, looks like you just have to follow this main road, take a left here, and then make a right and we should be there."
LITTLE DID WE KNOW it was a completely uphill trek, a montanya if you will.
"Nana! These benches better be worth it," Emma says as we pant up the hill. Forty-five minutes (and many wrong turns) later we finally arrive at a small north-eastern entrance to the park. Emma and I suck it up a little more and keep climbing up a winding path to get this fine view of Barcelona. Those are triumphant smiles you see.

"Right, where are the benches?"
"Hmm, maybe that way?"
"Okay, let's take this short cut down this dirt path." Except that the dirt path seems to lead us way off the beaten path, and just when we sigh with relief at having finally found a paved road again- we realize that we have exited the park!

We decide to throw in the towel and come back to see the benches another day. On our way walking back to the Metro we see moving escalators that take you from the bottom of the hill to the top- no montanya climbing necessary. Emma and I look at each other in exasperation and laugh.

La Sagrada Familia (Day 1, part 2)

The Sagrada Familia is HUGE. And crazy! Apparently Gaudi was an ardent Catholic otherwise it almost seems as if he is making fun of the whole thing. He's like a very Catholic Dr. Seuss.
Emma and I took an elevator to the top of one of the towers. Thats when I discovered that Emma is actually not the greatest fan of heights. After checking out the view of Barcelona from up high Emma took the elevator back down and I excitedly ran up and around a few more tower spirals.
I decided to take the stairs all the way back down to the ground and encoutered the famous snail staircase on the way down. Which I thought was beautiful.

Barcelona- Day 1, part 1

June 14th

We arrive in Barcelona at 7:30am and after walking around in circles for a while looking for our hostel we finally find it. First order of business is to get some laundry done.

Our first day in Barcelona proved to be quite the marathon. After doing our laundry we headed out to check out the City Muesum- which includes the archeological remains of the Roman city of Barcino- to learn about the history of the city.