Europe trip winding down...

Today, waking up in Amsterdam, it was even colder than it had been the days prior. It was finally quite sunny, but unfortunately I was leaving. I packed up all of my belongings, and headed out. It was very difficult to fit everything I had left in the hotel room into my small backpack. The night before, I had left my larger suitcase with Rob to hold onto for the time that I will be in Africa, and had estimated that all of the items I had left would fit into my small backpack. It was a little tight, so I left with an overstuffed backpack, and bulging pockets on my jeans and my jacket. I made my way to Central Station, and found my train to Zwolle, which is where I was meeting Roelf and Cecile, where my Europe trip had begun. The train ride was beautiful; Holland is such an interesting country, being so flat. And blanketed in snow, it was just beautiful. After the hour train ride, I found Roelf without a problem, and we drove back to his home. It was nice to have come full circle, and I was excited to report to them that my entire Europe trip had gone off without a hitch! They had been a bit worried, as had I. We spent the afternoon eating, and discussing my journey so far, and then set off on a long walk. It was quite cold, but Roelf and Cecile have a son that is my age, and he still had some very warm clothes at the house that fit me perfectly. I felt like an eskimo, but the walk was really beautiful. They live right on the edge of a national forest, so we walked all through there. As I said before, Holland is so flat, so there is no 'hiking', just 'walking'. We did arrive, about halfway through our walk, at a big dutch barn, with a traditional thatched roof, and inside it was full of sheep. Upon return home, I was able to do some laundry, respond to some final emails, and just enjoy a home cooked meal. My counting down of days until Africa has turned into a counting down of hours. It is now Tuesday night, and I had been planning on staying here with Roelf and Cecile for two nights, but I have again changed the plan, and will be returning to Amsterdam tomorrow afternoon. I would love to say that it is because it will be more convenient to get to the airport Thursday morning, but truly, I am very excited to spend a bit more time with Rob. Tomorrow, Cecile and I have a day planned to do some exploring around here in Northern Holland, seeing the local museum, which is only accessible by a thirty minute bicycle ride. Then, in the evening, I will get on a train with my BIG backpack, and return to Amsterdam for my last night in Europe. Thursday morning, I will meet Sarah, her mother, and Pam at the Schiphol Airport in Amsteredam, and we will board our 9 hour flight to TANZANIA!

Canal Tour and the Anne Frank House

Despite the bitter cold (20 degrees F), I had a great day of sightseeing with my Dutch buddy Rob. I took advantage this morning of the breakfast served in the hotel that I am staying in, it is free after all! Rob and I met up around Central Station, and the canal tour boats are right out front. The amount of water in this city is just mind boggling. The boat was lovely, a long boat that was completely covered in glass, with comfortable seating. The boat took us all around the city. It was a real treat to have Rob there with me, because as I was listening to the narration of the guided tour, Rob was also filling me in on local info. For example, right as we pulled away from the station, Rob pointed out to me a structure on the right that was many levels high - it was a parking garage for bicycles with three stories! i have never seen anything like it, but it's no wonder that all the Dutch are in such good shape. After about an hour of winding along the canals, hearing all about the cities history, and just marveling at the integration of city and water, Rob and I hopped out. We started walking over toward the Anne Frank House, which I had been very interested in seeing. On the way, Rob showed me lots of sites, Dam Square, The Royal Palace, and a few other beautiful buildings. Not only was it very cold, but it was also very foggy out, so I really wasn't able to take many great photographs. The Anne Frank House was not what I expected at all. it is not a huge museum, only a small house in a row of ordinary houses. The impact was anything but small. I was walking through, and it all seemed just like an ordinary house, but when I got upstairs, and then into the room that Anne and her sister had been in, and saw all of the magazine clippings that they had glued to the wall, it hit me. This is where this young girl spent two full years, NEVER going outside. I was also very struck at the end of the tour of the house, where there was a display about her capture and what happened after. I guess it had been so long since I had read the book, that I just assumed that since her diary survived that she had as well. I was really saddened to hear of her death, one month before the liberation. There was also a very neat temporary interactive exhibit in the museum at the end of the tour. It was a big television screen with a bunch of seat all around it, and at every seat was a little box with a green and a red button. A short video would play about things like religious freedom, freedom of speech, or expression, and then they would ask the audience to vote on each scenario. It was very interesting to see the percentages of people that voted in each direction. A very cool exhibit indeed. From there, Rob and I went and grabbed some lunch. We each went to our respective places, and took an afternoon nap. For dinner, Rob had invited me over his place for a home cooked meal, so I headed over, finding my way on the local bus. Rob cooked a great dinner - pancakes! Savory pancakes with cheese, and sweet ones with apples! I love the Dutch! We had a very nice night together, but it was kind of sad to say goodbye. It would be just my luck that I'd meet such a great guy 9 time zones from my house! Hopefully our paths will meet again. Tomorrow, I'm waking up, and taking the train to Zwolle, in Northern Holland, to meet Roelf and Cecile again. I will stay there for two nights I think, and then head to the Amsterdam Airport on the morning of the 28th! Sad that the Europe leg of my trip is coming to an end, but that means that Africa is about to begin!

Jumping Amsterdam!

I'm very tired so I will keep today's update very brief. I was very pleased to spend the day with my new Dutch friend, Rob. It's really nice to have a local person to show me around, especially one that is so good looking and sweet! After sleeping in a bit, we met up around 11 and took the tram over to the RAI arena for Jumping Amsterdam, Europe's largest horse show. It was quite a spectacle. All day long we watched the competition, as the jumps were set higher and higher. It was amazing to see a competition at the highest level out there, and after an hour or two, we were both fully enthralled in the riding. In addition to the horse jumping, there were some beautiful choreographed numbers that a famous horse trainer did with his horses, which were magnificent to watch. I was quite pleased that Rob took such an interest in the riding, and very grateful that he was able to translate the Dutch announcers remarks. We took a break, and Rob showed me a well known lunch spot, where we both had an authentic Dutch lunch, and finished watching the horse show. Ireland took the trophy! The horses were magnificent, and the riding was truly remarkable. Watching horse and rider sail through the air over jumps that are 6 feet high and several feet wide is a wonder. The horses seem to suspend in midair for a moment. It all appears effortless, but as some one that's been on horseback quite a bit, I know, it is anything but effortless! After the show, it was already dark, so Rob and i both went home, took naps, and met back up for a quiet dinner of take out pasta and a movie at my place. So tomorrow will be my last full day in Amsterdam, and will be devoted to sightseeing and tourist things! It is a little tough, as it is bitterly cold and snowy out, but the snow does add to the scenery. I really love Amsterdam....

Goodbye Barcelona.... Hello Amsterdam!

It's Sunday morning, and I'm sitting in my room in Amsterdam, looking out at a canal, snow falling from the sky, putting a white blanket over the city - so beautiful! Yesterday was my last day in Barcelona, and I was very sad to leave. I felt like i was finally hitting my stride there, I had begun to figure out the schedule, my spanish was getting used, and I was really enjoying the people and seeing the sights. I was able to reach my friend, Jared, from New York City, so we met up in the morning and had some breakfast. What a treat it was to see him. When we knew each other, we were both a lot younger, and in very different places in our lives, so it was really nice to spend time with him as the men we have become, and share our stories together. He speaks Spanish, and lives in Barcelona, so it was also comforting to be with some one that was so comfortable with the local scene, and able to show it to me a little. After strolling down La Rambla, Jared and I came to the big market that my buddy Brad had insisted that I check out. Brad was spot on! It's called St. Josep La Bouqueria, and it was amazing. It was a huge, bustling market, with immense amounts of meat and fish and fruits and vegetables. It was such a bright, beautiful spectacle of color, and bustling with activity. Jared and I both got one of the fresh juices, which were amazing. It was just really fun to walk around, soak it all in, watching local Spanish people doing their shopping, and tourists as well. From there, we walked around the city a bit more, and said goodbye. I grabbed my stuff and headed to the airport. The flight was not the most comfortable, I've never been on a plane with seats that were so close together, but I didn't care. In two hours and change, I landed in Amsterdam. This would be the last regional jet I would be taking before Africa. The Netherlands is the last country on my Europe tour. What I've seen of the city so far is gorgeous, and the fact that it's been snowing for a couple of days only enhances the beauty. I'm going to Jumping Amsterdam today, the biggest horse show in Europe, so I'm really looking forward to that. And I have a new friend, a Dutch guy, that is coming with me :-).

Three words... La Segrada Familia!

There are, in my opinion, very few things in this world that cannot be captured in photographs. Before coming to Barcelona, I had read about La Segrada Familia, the Gaudi church that stands in the center of town, and had heard people rave about it. But I had figured, that, like the Statue of Liberty, it would be an impressive landmark worthy of a couple of photos and a postcard. I was in for a surprise! I woke early this morning, with the intention of spending the day sightseeing. I made my way to the plaza where the tourist buses are, bought my ticket for 29 Euros, and hopped on the top of the Blue Line. I was kind of unsure if the bus was a good idea or not, but several people had urged me to do it, so there I was. After waiting for a while, off we went. Initially, the bus was a little frustrating. Although I was on the top level, all the sights that we passed initially, we passed so quickly that I couldn't really snap any photos. Soon, the streets got tight, and the traffic got congested, and the narrator told me that the next stop would be the famous La Segrada Familia. I remember coming along the block, and I was sitting on the right side of the bus, and for a split second, as we passed an intersection, I saw it down the block. WOW! I'm really at a loss for words for even describing it, other than to say, it looked as though Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, and the Vatican had all gotten together to build a church. We pulled up to the building, and I was anxious to get off the bus, the sight was just thrilling. 4 HUGE towers pointing way up towards the sky, and a magnificently overdone entryway with figures and patterns. Unfortunately the bus stop was on the other side of the building, so I had to wait as we inched through slow moving traffic. I was even more shocked, when as we drove around, I realized that the 4 towers that I had seen were only part of the building, and to the other side were ANOTHER 4, equally as impressive towers. The whole thing just got better and better from there. I hopped off the bus, paid my entrance fee and got the audio tour headset. Immediately, I became engrossed in Gaudi, the designer of the building. I just couldn't stop staring up, noticing new details every moment, snapping photos, looking at more details. I took over 50 pictures before I even went inside. Upon entering, I was immediately enchanted by the stained glass windows. It was quite a sunny day out, and the rainbow of the stained glass cast a magnificent glow of color on the inner workings of the cathedral. It's impossible to explain what was inside, but I'll try. A huge cavernous building with pillars made to look like trees, ceilings with intricate patterns, it just went on and on. A real treat for the eyes. I kept taking photos, and then looking on the screen at the picture I had taken, and thinking that no photo would adequately capture what I was seeing. At best, the pictures would just serve to remind me in the future. I debated for a couple of minutes whether or not to wait in the line to take the 2.50 Euro lift to the top of the tower, but I was so into it, I decided I had to. That was the best decision all day. If I thought I had seen beauty at ground level, it only got better and more impressive up in the tower. The building is under construction, it has been being built for 100 years, and will take at least another 20 to complete. So I found myself several stories up in the sky, in the tower of a half built cathedral, overlooking Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea. This was one of those unforgettable moments I will carry with me all my life, I'm sure! The trip down, unfortunately, was not via lift, it was down several spiral staircases, all of which were very scary and narrow, but the last was the worst. The last maybe ten stories, the staircase got very tight and narrow, and there was nothing in the middle, no handrail, nothing, just a hole. I have never gotten vertigo in my life (and I've gone skydiving), but walking down these stairs, I was CLINGING to the handrail, and very happy to be on solid ground once I got to the bottom. I spent another couple of hours following the audio tour, studying the facades, really in awe. After a few hours at La Segrada Familia, I grabbed some lunch, and hopped back on the bus. Next stop, The Park Guell, another Gaudi creation. The park was amazing, no doubt. I must say, though, I was so amazed by the church, that it was a tough act to follow. I walked around the park, and was blown away to see how Gaudi's designs had been used to integrate nature. I got some great photos, and then sat and relaxed, and just enjoyed it for about thirty minutes, and then headed back to the bus. It was cool standing at the bus stop, and being on the tourist bus, listening to all the different European languages being spoken. I didn't hear any english! The bus took us all over Barcelona from there, and I just stayed on it for a while. We drove past the big mountain, and the soccer stadium that can hold 100,000 people. Very impressive. By the time I hopped off for the Modern Art Museum, it was already late in the afternoon. The art museum, sadly, was nothing special. Actually, the highlight of the museum wasn't anything inside the building at all. Outside the museum was a very large Plaza, where there were about 50 guys skateboarding, so I sat and watched them for a while. There were some guys that were REALLY good, doing some impressive tricks. Today has been amazing, I feel like i've seen something beyond my wildest dreams or comprehension, and I'm so happy to have been there to experience it all. Tonight is my last night sleeping in Barcelona. I will have the day here tomorrow, and then it's back to Amsterdam tomorrow night. I'm very excited about Amsterdam, I just bought tickets to the biggest horse show in Europe, Jumping Amsterdam, and will be attending on Sunday afternoon. Should be amazing. So Las Ramblas tomorrow morning, and the famous market, and we'll see what else there is time for. I wish I had more time for Barcelona, but Africa is calling! I can feel it! In less than a week, I'll be leaving the developed world behind....

What A Difference A Day Makes!

Ahhhhh, Barcelona! After a very difficult, albeit short, adjustment period, I am LOVING Barcelona. I woke up today and decided to slow down, that I didn't have to attack Barcelona at the pace that I did London. I had some things to attend to this morning, and I did so, despite the language barrier, and afterwards, while walking down the street, found a little bakery selling fried goods. I had already decided to turn my attitude around, but after eating two of these pastries that were fried and covered with sugar, one filled with cream, the other with fruit, I had arrived fully in Barcelona! I spent the next several hours walking around, watching and listening to the hustle and bustle that is Barcelona! It really feels very different than London did, and I definitely get the sense that I am in a foreign country. The people have all been so kind today, seeming to enjoy taking the time to try and help me with whatever I was asking for, usually directions. It's been fun to struggle through with my Spanish, and their attempts at English, and both of our dramatic gesturing sign language! The city is so beautiful, very noticeably Mediterranean. The buildings are all built very close together, and have beautiful little terraces with wrought iron railings, all having laundry hanging and several plants. The streets are filled with scooters whizzing by very quickly, all the while people hustling in every direction and Spanish filling the air. I took a little afternoon siesta, and then found the English speaking AA meeting, which was about a 50 minute walk, and headed out. The walk was beautiful, night had fallen, and the city is really magical. I will say, I do not have the same feeling of safety that I did in London. I can definitely sense a different vibe here, but being some one that has lived in some rough places in NYC, it doesn't frighten me, I'm just very aware of it. I can't explain how comforting it was to find the AA meeting, and sit through an hour of people speaking English, talking about things that were familiar. After the meeting, a couple of the guys and I went out for dinner. Ordering food has been the most challenging part with the language, because I never really know what I'm ordering. Tonight I ended up with a big 'combination plate,' with pork chops, a fried egg, fried potatoes, and the most wonderful fried fritters I've ever had! I'm finding that the Spanish like to fry, which is fine by me. The walk home was lovely, the streets had really cleared out and quieted down. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, to doing some more of the touristy things, and hope to get to a tour bus, and La Segrada Familia. After so many people have cautioned me about robbers and pickpockets, I've been so hyper vigilant, and been afraid to bring my camera out. But tomorrow, I'm going to do so, and hope for the best!

A New Day In Barcelona

Hola! It's Thursday morning in Barcelona, and since I neglected to post yesterday, I figured I should catch up now. Yesterday was my first challenging day on the trip thus far. I was very sad to leave London, I absolutely loved being there. I made my way to Gatwick in the morning, and by the time I arrived, it was snowing. Nevertheless, we got out on time, and I arrived in Barcelona. Immediately, I was a little overwhelmed by the language barrier. I've had a lot of people tell me that 'everyone in Barcelona speaks english.' Well, that certainly hasn't been my experience, a lot of people speak some english, but not very much at all. After about 30 minutes of walking back and forth, trying to figure out where to buy a ticket, I finally figured out how to get the bus from the airport, and made my way to my hotel. After having to change rooms twice because of cigarette stench, I settled in. I was kind of surprised how freaked out I was feeling, as this was the experience I had come traveling for. I needed to get my cell phone sorted out, so with the help of the front desk, I made my way to Frnca, which seems to be Spain's version of Best Buy. This was another very frustrating experience. No one that worked in the store spoke English, so I had a very difficult time understanding what I was buying. It was very interesting and unsettling to see and feel how frustrated they got with me not understanding them, the same way in which I have gotten frustrated with people in the U.S. that didn't speak english. I did get the cell phone working (I think), and headed out to get something to eat. Much to my chagrin, I found out that people in Spain don't eat until 10PM, so I would have to wait a couple of hours to meet my friend and eat dinner. I did stop on the way back to the hotel and got a couple of slices of pizza, which were really delicious. The pizza had no sauce, and very thick crust. I had gotten in touch with an old friend from New York City, and he had told me to call him around 9pm, and we would make some plans for dinner. When I called him though, he cancelled. I set out to find something to eat, at this point not feeling very great, and found a little cafe that served 'Torrades.' I'm still not sure if I ate it correctly, but it was a big piece of toast with REALLY good ham sliced over the top of it. I sat at the cafe feeling kind of lonely and overwhelmed. When I got back to my room, I decided to just chill and watch a DVD, and wake up with a new attitude, which is exactly what I did. I do still feel a bit lonely and overwhelmed, but this is EXACTLY what I took this trip for. I wanted to have these 'fish out of water' experiences, and I am very excited to be here today. I've spent the morning walking around, watching the hustle and the bustle. And now I'm going to get some lunch (I hope they eat at the noon hour), and just walk around some more. I have plans to be somewhere at 3:30, but other than that, I am just going to enjoy being here, a step outside of my comfort zone. I keep reminding myself that if this is uncomfortable, or out of my comfort with the language and loneliness, Africa is going to be really challenging. Which is a good thing. I do feel much better today already.