well we have made it into England again! staying with whitney ( a freind from high school) for 2 nights, today is the last day, it was so good to see her again!
our last night in paris was alot of fun, we met this guy named george from newcastle, england in our hostel and he came with us to go and see the eiffel tour at night. we got there shortly after 10 so we had to wait for the 11 oclock display, in the mean time we ate crepes and just ppl watched! at 11 oclock the tour started sparkling! it was so neat! and beautiful! we stayed around and saw the 12 oclock one as well then started walking to Champs elsee (sp?) the famous shopping street, on the way we passed the memorial of where princess diana got into her car accident ppl had written her notes on the bridge and near here memorial (which is a replica of the flame that the statue of liberty holds in new york) we then continued walkeing and found the street and decided that we wanted to go to mc donalds, yes this posh street allowed mc donalds to open a branch! but all the M's are white not yellow in paris! we had to catch the bus back because all the metro lines stop working around 1. we didnt get back to the hostel till 3 am. and since me and tamara had to pack and get up at 5 to catch our train to amsterdam we just stayed up all night!
we got to amsterdam ok and went strait to bed, we stayed at the same hotel we had found earlier,when we were in amsterdam, we went for a walk to find some food but since we were near the airport there wasnt much around jsut fields, but there was a mcdonalds, lol! by this time we are getting sick of mcdonalds.
the next mornign we packed up and headed for the airport, left our baggage in a locker and hopped on a train to amsterdam central and pretty much walked around the very circliur city all day! its a really nice city, so much to look at and we went to a park and it was so pretty and the weather was amazing and it was all in all a very good day!
we went back to the airport, got our bags and got on a plane to stanstead (london) where whitney picked us up!
its been crazy driving with her there are no 4 way stops just round a bouts EVERYWHERE!!!! its crazy!
we head into london today and will be staying in a hostel for 1 night then staying with a freind we met in Lucca, Italy for the other 2 nights, then on thursday i fly home!
so this is prolly my last entry so i shall see you soon!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Paris, France
well back in france but Paris is deffinalty alot different then Nice!
we spent the night in Berlin train station, not the best experience of my life, acutally prolly one of the worst! haha! then in the morning we traveled to amsterdam. we were so trired from our night of zero sleep that we found a hotel and crashed till the next mornign when we had to get up early and catch a train to Brussels Belgium. we didnt get to try any real waffels but we did get some from a vending machine! lol! they were actually very good! who would have thunk it!
we spent a few hours in the Brussels train staiton and then headed into Paris. we found our hostel ok and spent the rest of the day doing nothing!
the next day we went and did another free walking tour! the sun was out so that was nice! Paris is such a go big or go home kinda city i love it! the eiffel tour wasnt the greatest thing ever but it was neat; tonight were giong to watch it light up!
we walked down the famous shopping street and saw the notre dame, and the arc du triumph! after the tour we walked for a closer look of the tour and walked around the grounds a bit.
yesterday the plan had been to go to Disneyland; i know i know im in europe and i went to disney! i dont even care i love that place! the weather was so cold and rainy we decided not to do it but then around 11 we were so bummed we decided to tuff it out! and it was SOOO much fun! we were soaked and cold at the end but it was deffinalty worth it!
well my time on the coputer is almost up so i gotta post this but i shall write more of our adventures soon!
we spent the night in Berlin train station, not the best experience of my life, acutally prolly one of the worst! haha! then in the morning we traveled to amsterdam. we were so trired from our night of zero sleep that we found a hotel and crashed till the next mornign when we had to get up early and catch a train to Brussels Belgium. we didnt get to try any real waffels but we did get some from a vending machine! lol! they were actually very good! who would have thunk it!
we spent a few hours in the Brussels train staiton and then headed into Paris. we found our hostel ok and spent the rest of the day doing nothing!
the next day we went and did another free walking tour! the sun was out so that was nice! Paris is such a go big or go home kinda city i love it! the eiffel tour wasnt the greatest thing ever but it was neat; tonight were giong to watch it light up!
we walked down the famous shopping street and saw the notre dame, and the arc du triumph! after the tour we walked for a closer look of the tour and walked around the grounds a bit.
yesterday the plan had been to go to Disneyland; i know i know im in europe and i went to disney! i dont even care i love that place! the weather was so cold and rainy we decided not to do it but then around 11 we were so bummed we decided to tuff it out! and it was SOOO much fun! we were soaked and cold at the end but it was deffinalty worth it!
well my time on the coputer is almost up so i gotta post this but i shall write more of our adventures soon!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Krakow, Poland (from Berlin hauptbahnhof)
well i am sitting in Pizza Hut/Burger King in the train station in Berlin but will be writing u about Krakow.
well the 10 hour train wasnt so bad, we got to krakow around 8ish and then found our bus and walked to the station, i think that was the first time we didnt get lost finding out hostel or have to walk for hours on end! were getting good at this! we got to our hostel, which is really a university dorm they rent out in the summer, which was nice cuz we got our own room and a kitchen a really nice bathroom! lol! oh the things u take for granted back home! our hostel offered a tour for Auschwitz and we decided to take it so we didnt have to find it on our own.
the next morning the van picked us up at 1pm and we started our 1 and a half journey to Auschwitz 1. we got there and were put into tour groups, according to language, and began the tour, we entered throught the gates that all the prisoners would have entered apon arriveing, our guide translated the saying and it read ' work makes you free' we were also told that to welcome the prisoners the nazi would tell them that the only way out of the camp was through the chimney....
not exactly a freindly welcoming.
the camp itself had been left to its original state only the inside of some buildings had been re done to host the exibits. it was terribly disturbing, on exhibit was a glass wall the size of a box car on a train and on the other side was a room, filled to the top with human hair, which we were told was used in the making of blankets...... another exibit the same size hosted prostetic limbs that had been taken from these people, some were as small for a 5 year old.....another was full of glasses (eye wear) and another pots and dishes, they really thought that they were traveling to a new home.
we visited the jail cells they were put in while 'waiting' trials. they were a normal cell size, but were filled with so many ppl it was standing room only, there was a hole in a box in one corner used as a toilet and a window the size of my hand that was there only source of air, even the door was window free, which is why most ppl died waiting becuase of suffocation.
we also got to walk inside of the gas chambers and the crematorium.....there are no words to describe the feeling you get as you walk through a room that so many thought they were going for a shower but in reality they were spending the last moments of there lives.
after visiting Auschwitz 1 we were taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz 2) (there were many different camps all close together) this camp was the one you see in most movies, it had the original train tracks and platform where the prisoners were brought and sorted through, sorted meaning, life and death, they were torn from there famlies and and if strong enough they went to live in baracks. there were so many baracks, each with 40 or more people living inside. they were forced to work for 11 hours each day.
it was terribly eerie to walk the tracks that so many people had walked in there last moments of life, i cant even begain to imagine how it must of felt....
our visit from that camp left most people silent and gratful for the life we live today, i know im more thankful for my country i live in and the times im in.
we ended our day with making some grilled cheese and going to bed early because our train left at 755 this morning back for Berlin. so that leaves me to now. we decided to spend the night in the station, no point in trying to find sumwhere to stay just to leave early tomorrow.
were off to Amsterdam tommorrow! and then on moday Paris!
well the 10 hour train wasnt so bad, we got to krakow around 8ish and then found our bus and walked to the station, i think that was the first time we didnt get lost finding out hostel or have to walk for hours on end! were getting good at this! we got to our hostel, which is really a university dorm they rent out in the summer, which was nice cuz we got our own room and a kitchen a really nice bathroom! lol! oh the things u take for granted back home! our hostel offered a tour for Auschwitz and we decided to take it so we didnt have to find it on our own.
the next morning the van picked us up at 1pm and we started our 1 and a half journey to Auschwitz 1. we got there and were put into tour groups, according to language, and began the tour, we entered throught the gates that all the prisoners would have entered apon arriveing, our guide translated the saying and it read ' work makes you free' we were also told that to welcome the prisoners the nazi would tell them that the only way out of the camp was through the chimney....
not exactly a freindly welcoming.
the camp itself had been left to its original state only the inside of some buildings had been re done to host the exibits. it was terribly disturbing, on exhibit was a glass wall the size of a box car on a train and on the other side was a room, filled to the top with human hair, which we were told was used in the making of blankets...... another exibit the same size hosted prostetic limbs that had been taken from these people, some were as small for a 5 year old.....another was full of glasses (eye wear) and another pots and dishes, they really thought that they were traveling to a new home.
we visited the jail cells they were put in while 'waiting' trials. they were a normal cell size, but were filled with so many ppl it was standing room only, there was a hole in a box in one corner used as a toilet and a window the size of my hand that was there only source of air, even the door was window free, which is why most ppl died waiting becuase of suffocation.
we also got to walk inside of the gas chambers and the crematorium.....there are no words to describe the feeling you get as you walk through a room that so many thought they were going for a shower but in reality they were spending the last moments of there lives.
after visiting Auschwitz 1 we were taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz 2) (there were many different camps all close together) this camp was the one you see in most movies, it had the original train tracks and platform where the prisoners were brought and sorted through, sorted meaning, life and death, they were torn from there famlies and and if strong enough they went to live in baracks. there were so many baracks, each with 40 or more people living inside. they were forced to work for 11 hours each day.
it was terribly eerie to walk the tracks that so many people had walked in there last moments of life, i cant even begain to imagine how it must of felt....
our visit from that camp left most people silent and gratful for the life we live today, i know im more thankful for my country i live in and the times im in.
we ended our day with making some grilled cheese and going to bed early because our train left at 755 this morning back for Berlin. so that leaves me to now. we decided to spend the night in the station, no point in trying to find sumwhere to stay just to leave early tomorrow.
were off to Amsterdam tommorrow! and then on moday Paris!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Berlin, Germany
Yes i am in Berlin! city of history as many ppl have told me and i have experienced!
I'm enjoying Berlin much more than frankfurt! we arrived at umm.. in the eveningish on the 13th and got to a particular stop on the U-bahn, (underground) and then realized that the next line we needed to take was under construction, so we decided that we could walk....bad idea. we didnt have a map that had our area of the city on it but we found a bus stop that had a map, so we found a route, then memorized where to go.
we walked and walked, then it rained ,so for the first time, we whipped out our ponchos! so much fun, for like 10 minuets, then with all the people starting at us (thanks dunn family for my lovely Canadian poncho!) we got very annoyed. man can ppl stare, it was worse than italy (everyone in italy stares) so with our rain clouds litarally and figuratly over us we continued walking......three hours later we found our hostel. yup if you have gone to europe and not walked 3 hours with a backpacka and poncho on in the rain, you have not truley backpacked europe!
so our hostel is a bit in the 'hood' but its alright, clean and comfy beds. yesterday we decided to do a free tour of Berlin since we werent quit sure what to see and how to get there, this city if far more bigger than i thought. the tour was amazing! our tour guide was so much fun, she told us so much stories on the history and we got to see so many pivital spots, like for example; we walked the grounds that hitlers bunker were over (it is now a car parking lot) , also we saw where the burning of the books took place, we saw the berlin wall of course, and checkpoint charlie, also the jewish memorial and the place where hitler had his airforce based out of plus lots of other really neat places. the tour was about 4 hours in length and had a 30min break for supper.
after the tour me and tamara decided we wanted to see a movie, so we asked our tour guide if there were any english theatres around, and there was. so we went to the hugest theatre i've ever seen, it was so neat! they had escalators! lol! oh how easily im amused! we went and saw Evan Almighty, such a good movie! also though there was this guy sitting behind us and i think he was a bit mentaly unstable. he was whipering to himself before the movie started really odd things....then this girl came into the theatre and was looking for her keys under a seat and was trying to put the light on her phone and she thought outloud saying, 'if i were a light on my phone where would i be?' and the man replied 'in heaven with god'.... he was very serious as well, a little creepy but kept us entertained till the movie started!
we got back to the hostel around 1am and went to bed.
this morning we ventured out and did a bit of shopping, then sat, then more shopping and walking and more sitting. we went to this HUGE department store called KaDeWe it had 7 levels! so much fun! we headed up all the escalators, and found a candy shop at the top! so much fun! we then proceded to walk and sit some more! a very eventful day!
tomorrow we leave for Krakow, Poland. its about 11 hours by train, so wish us luck! we then are going to Auschwitz the next morning. looking very much forward to that!
hope your all having a great summer!
Amy
I'm enjoying Berlin much more than frankfurt! we arrived at umm.. in the eveningish on the 13th and got to a particular stop on the U-bahn, (underground) and then realized that the next line we needed to take was under construction, so we decided that we could walk....bad idea. we didnt have a map that had our area of the city on it but we found a bus stop that had a map, so we found a route, then memorized where to go.
we walked and walked, then it rained ,so for the first time, we whipped out our ponchos! so much fun, for like 10 minuets, then with all the people starting at us (thanks dunn family for my lovely Canadian poncho!) we got very annoyed. man can ppl stare, it was worse than italy (everyone in italy stares) so with our rain clouds litarally and figuratly over us we continued walking......three hours later we found our hostel. yup if you have gone to europe and not walked 3 hours with a backpacka and poncho on in the rain, you have not truley backpacked europe!
so our hostel is a bit in the 'hood' but its alright, clean and comfy beds. yesterday we decided to do a free tour of Berlin since we werent quit sure what to see and how to get there, this city if far more bigger than i thought. the tour was amazing! our tour guide was so much fun, she told us so much stories on the history and we got to see so many pivital spots, like for example; we walked the grounds that hitlers bunker were over (it is now a car parking lot) , also we saw where the burning of the books took place, we saw the berlin wall of course, and checkpoint charlie, also the jewish memorial and the place where hitler had his airforce based out of plus lots of other really neat places. the tour was about 4 hours in length and had a 30min break for supper.
after the tour me and tamara decided we wanted to see a movie, so we asked our tour guide if there were any english theatres around, and there was. so we went to the hugest theatre i've ever seen, it was so neat! they had escalators! lol! oh how easily im amused! we went and saw Evan Almighty, such a good movie! also though there was this guy sitting behind us and i think he was a bit mentaly unstable. he was whipering to himself before the movie started really odd things....then this girl came into the theatre and was looking for her keys under a seat and was trying to put the light on her phone and she thought outloud saying, 'if i were a light on my phone where would i be?' and the man replied 'in heaven with god'.... he was very serious as well, a little creepy but kept us entertained till the movie started!
we got back to the hostel around 1am and went to bed.
this morning we ventured out and did a bit of shopping, then sat, then more shopping and walking and more sitting. we went to this HUGE department store called KaDeWe it had 7 levels! so much fun! we headed up all the escalators, and found a candy shop at the top! so much fun! we then proceded to walk and sit some more! a very eventful day!
tomorrow we leave for Krakow, Poland. its about 11 hours by train, so wish us luck! we then are going to Auschwitz the next morning. looking very much forward to that!
hope your all having a great summer!
Amy
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Frankfurt, Germany
well we are in frankfurt, and ummm yesterday we found out were in the red light distrect! we went for a walk yesterday after our train got in and then the sun started setting and strange ppl come out when the sun sets so we headed back to our hostel. the city is very metropolus, sp?
its kinda like a regular city, nothing quante at all. we went to Heidelburg today, was there for a total of 1 hour! in which we ate a milka bar, and a sandwhcih and coffee, walked down a road then turned around and walked back to the train station and left for frankfurt! lol! a very productive day...not!
oh well sumtimes u just need nothing days we kept hearing great things about Hiedelburg but when we got there it was dirtier then winnipeg! we weren t quit sure what we were supposed to see. we did however see a lovely postcard at the train station of the city and it looked pretty, appertently the prettiness was a far way from the station, oh well tomorrow we head off to Berlin for 3 nights! were quit excited about that. its appernetly a really nice city, big! should be interesting. from Berlin were heading into Poland. so ya only ummm............. 30-12 equals.... 18? oh shoot that took a long time! so ya 18 days till home.....
chuse!
its kinda like a regular city, nothing quante at all. we went to Heidelburg today, was there for a total of 1 hour! in which we ate a milka bar, and a sandwhcih and coffee, walked down a road then turned around and walked back to the train station and left for frankfurt! lol! a very productive day...not!
oh well sumtimes u just need nothing days we kept hearing great things about Hiedelburg but when we got there it was dirtier then winnipeg! we weren t quit sure what we were supposed to see. we did however see a lovely postcard at the train station of the city and it looked pretty, appertently the prettiness was a far way from the station, oh well tomorrow we head off to Berlin for 3 nights! were quit excited about that. its appernetly a really nice city, big! should be interesting. from Berlin were heading into Poland. so ya only ummm............. 30-12 equals.... 18? oh shoot that took a long time! so ya 18 days till home.....
chuse!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Salzburg, Austria
"the hills are alive...." lol! i love salzburg! its so neat to actually see where they filmed the movie and that the sights are pretty much the exact same! so neat! the garden where they filmed the hole "doe and dear" scene was the same, and yes we ran through the terace that they bike through! also the fountain in the "i have cofidence" scene where Maria splashes in the fountain, yup i splashed in that fountain! it was great fun!
yesterday we watched the movie then walked around the city, which is gorgeous by the way! today we went to Wein (Vienna) and walked around the city for the day, just arrived back in Salzburg by train! Vienna is beautiful, so many neat buildings, we didn't know what any of them were mind you but we took pictures and intend to look it up later! lol! there were so many gardens!
i am tired it was a long day 6 hours total on a train! somorrow is a see more of sound of music day! have a great weekend! we're off to Frankfurt on saturday as long as the trains still aren't on strike!
yesterday we watched the movie then walked around the city, which is gorgeous by the way! today we went to Wein (Vienna) and walked around the city for the day, just arrived back in Salzburg by train! Vienna is beautiful, so many neat buildings, we didn't know what any of them were mind you but we took pictures and intend to look it up later! lol! there were so many gardens!
i am tired it was a long day 6 hours total on a train! somorrow is a see more of sound of music day! have a great weekend! we're off to Frankfurt on saturday as long as the trains still aren't on strike!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Munich, Gernany
well i have attemped serval times to upload some pics but it says error every time! so u'll have to wait till i get home! but alll in all we had a lovely stay with anna! so much fun! our drive in the country was BEAutiful! and today we went to the castle that Mr Walt Disney made the sleeping beauty castle in the Disney theme parks after! it was gorgeous! on a hill so the veiw was breathtaking!
we leave tomorrow for Salzburg, Austria! land of the Sound of Music! so ever excited for that! but im tired and bored of the computer so thats all i have to say!
talk to u later!
Amy
we leave tomorrow for Salzburg, Austria! land of the Sound of Music! so ever excited for that! but im tired and bored of the computer so thats all i have to say!
talk to u later!
Amy
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