Ola amigos!

     Well, here I am in Spain. The weather is hot, the sun is shining, and it seems as if I have just entered another world. The short mountain range called the apennines cuts off Spain from the rest of Europe. The city I am currently in is called Barcelona. Though Madrid is larger, I am going to spend the rest of the day here in Barcelona. The city is amazing! red tiled roofs and archways, a bustling port and crowded, cobblestoned streets. But undoubtedly, the best landmark in Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia Basilica. Wow. Thats a mouthful. Lets just call it "Big Church"

     See the cranes? This Cathedral is still under construction. But get this- it was started in the late 1800s and is slated to open in 2026! Talk about a slow construction job. I think those guys need to pick up the pace a little bit, don't ya think?

     The entire first day was spent touring the city of Barcelona. But I decided that I should see Madrid, the other major city in Spain. so I rented a car and drove off.

     I arrived in Madrid just in time to check in to my hotel. After driving around and seeing the sights, I met an older man who I got into a very interesting conversation with. He told me about Spanish traditions. I learned a lot about bull fighting, which we Americans know is a very Spanish sport. But have you ever heard of bull running? The most famous bull run is in early July, before a big bull fight. A narrow, half-mile long street in Madrid is packed with people, all wearing red scarves. Then, as a rocket sounds, a gate opens and a pack of angry bulls runs into the street! They chase the entire crowd down the street, and the goal of the people in the street is to feel the bull's breath but not get gored by it's horns. Talk about incentive not to lose.

     Every year somebody gets gored. Now this is an extreme sport, borderline suicidal. I am quite glad I am not here in July,  because I would be tempted to try it out. That would probably end badly.

     Madrid was certainly an experience, and I spent the next day on long strolls through the broad city boulevards. If you ever wanted to travel to or learn about Madrid, go here:

   www.aboutmadrid.com/

     After that, I had to return to Frankfurt and caught my plane back to the states. This was certainly a fun-filled and glorious trip to Europe, but I think it will be good to get back home.

    

    

Fish 'n' Chips

     Post # 3- London, England

     so here I am in London, it sure was a tiring train ride. We stormed through the English channel from France and I had a nightmare finding my hotel. Eventually I did find it, but it took nearly an hour to find my way through that mess of streets that they call London. I just completely crashed, and to top things off, it was raining outside!

     the weather eventually cleared up, however. The next day I took a tour through London on a big, red bus with an open deck. It really is an amazing city, but I decided on the tour bus because I most certainly do not trust my sense of direction in this maze. The tour was great, though. We passed by a huge church called St. Pauls cathedral, and some really historic places that looked centuries old. My favorite was the houses of parliament, on the Thames river.

This is the House of parliament from a bridge over the Thames. The huge clock you see is called the Big Ben, an icon of London. The rest of the building is devoted to housing the British Parliament, a group of people similar to the Senate and House of Reps that we have in the states. See the big red bus in front? That is similar to the tour bus I took, except the top was open air so people could take better pictures.

     Of course, even a tourist has to eat. I stopped at a small riverside cafe and decided to have a quick lunch. I got the classic, British fish 'n' chips. They were great! I  have to say, those brits may have outranked even the Italians in cuisine choice.

     At the end of the day, I took a ride on the Big Ferris wheel of London. Now, when I say big, I mean monsterous.

Yea. Big. I could see the whole city from there, where I got some awesome pictures. I recommend that people with a fear of heights should most certainly NOT go on this.

     But, early on, I realized that there was more to Great Britain than London. So, on the second day, I rented a car and traveled up the countryside to Edinburgh, Scotland. That city is so old, you can smell the history. Cobblestoned Streets and the works made Edinburgh a thriving, tourist ridden city.
If you are traveling to Edinburgh, this is a useful site right here
     England is an interesting and beutiful nation, but I eventually had to move on, to...

Spain

                                                                

When in Rome...

Post #2- Italy

     Yes, here I am in Rome. The train ride from Brno was long, but pretty. Passing through those Alps was truly a once in a lifetime experience. We pulled into Rome around dinner time, and I decided to go find a meal. I ate at another sidewalk cafe and the food was delicious! I think Italian food is my new favorite. From the cafe, I had a hillside view of Rome, and I felt the most relaxed I had been during this whole trip. I wanted to stay there forever, but I knew I had to had to go on to the Hotel. It is a five-star luxurous resort, so I get rock-star treatment here.

     It is now the 29th of September, so I am going to relate to you all of the things I did while I was in Italy.

     The first day I spent exploring Rome. Though they are only separated by two countries, Prague and Rome are two completely different worlds. The weather was nice all the time, thanks to that wonderful medditerrainian climate. The apartments are much more closely packed here, but everything was great! The city has milleniums of history spilling out of it's pores.

     This photo is the Roman coliseum. It was built way back when the Roman Empire still thrived, in the BCs. I am amazed that it is still standing, it truly shows that the Romans were great architects. Back in the day when this was functional, the romans used slaves as gladiators to fight one another in the middle of the arena, while spectators crowded the seats around the central ring. It must have been really gory, and terrifying to the gladiators, with people wishing you dead just for the purpose of entertainment. Maybe those Romans were not as civilized as we were led to believe.

     Sorry about the blurry photo. This is of the ruins of a roman town named pompeii. I visited it on the 2nd day in Italy. The mountain in the background is called Mt. Vesuvius, and it is actually a volcano! Around 49 BC, the town was still inhabited, with roman citizens. At that time, the mountain erupted without warning, spewing ash on the poor little town. The only means of escape was by boat, out onto the sea. Most of the people died, however, and the town was buried in thick layers of ash. The ash preserved a large amount of the city, and it was found later on in the 18th century. The preservation also accounted for the people that layed down and died. the impression that their bodies made are still there! Now that kind of creeped me out. If you want to learn more about this extraordinary feature, click here

     On the third and last day in Italy, (by now I am STUFFED with italian food) I visited the Vatican City. The Vatican city is actually it's own country, and it is where the pope lives. The population of the Vatican is only in the hundreds, outnumbered even by visitors. It is a very pretty place, an oasis in the middle of the bustle of modern-day Rome.

     Tommorow I am going to England. I can't wait to see the country of my heritage. Until next time...

Prague, Czech Republic

Post #1- Prague, Czech Republic

     The flight was certainly long. I quickly recovered my jet lag, however, because I had to get on the Frankfurt Train the same day. I wish I could see Germany, but there are certainly more interesting countries to go to. As the train pulled into Prague, I was so tired all I could think about was getting to the hotel.

     Today I spent my day exploring the old city of Prague, the capitol of the Czech Republic. The buildings there were ornately decorated, and looked brand new. But after inquiring, I learned that they were centuries old! Supposedly, the Americans gave this part of Czechslovakia to the Germans without a fight in World War two, meaning that there were no battles in this part of Euope. Therefore, the old historical cities were not destroyed by artillery and gunfire, the fate of many French towns and cities.

This is the Church of our lady before the Tyn. It is the largest building in the old city and can be seen all throughout the city. It is located in town square, the heart of Prague. The cathedral was finished in the 1500s and is the largest church in the entrie Czech Republic. Notice the Buildings? They almost look brand new! Those Czechs sure know how to preserve history!

See this clock? It sure looks weird. Actually, I didn't even know how to read it! It is called the Astronomical clock, and it does all kinds of strange things. It is divided into three parts- The walk of the Apostle (top), the sphere/clock dial (center) and the calendar (The lower part). It tracks every kind of thing there is to track: date, time, month, postion of the stars, where the sun is, what phase of the moon there is, and that kind of thing. Anyway, it is located across the town square from the Church of our lady before tyn, making this center of Prague the most popular tourist destination in the city. If you want to learn more about this clock, click here

I spent the evening dining at a very European sidewalk cafe. I then watched the sunset on an old bridge, gazing at the Vltava river, the major waterway that cuts a furrow through the old city. Later, I returned to my hotel for the night to prepare for the day. tommorow I am going to check out of my hotel and spend half of the day in Brno, (good luck pronouncing that!), another city in the Czech Republic. After that, I am traveling to another country...Italy.