Masks, Glass, Gondolas, and Floods

Iain and I just landed in Split, Croatia after spending three days in Venice, Italy! Oooh, what a fun place to spend a couple of days!

Between the canals, crazy little streets, massive buildings and ridiculously priced pasta there is still so much to do.

The first day we were there it bucketed down with rain. Seriously, the streets were so flooded that everyone was walking around barefoot with their pants rolled up to past their knees. Even little old ladies were carrying half their clothes over their shoulders and little kids and girlfriends were being piggy-backed across newly made city street lakes.

Everyone was saying it was too bad we didn't get sun, but I personally had so much fun splashing around barefoot in the streets that I didn't care.

Because we were with two other couples, we decided to do a gondola ride - yes, in the rain. But not only in the rain. We waited until the day's hardest downpour to enjoy this magical boat ride. The six of us were so happy though with our bottles of wine and our Italian stallion (according to him, better than that - he makes love seven hours a day because he practices yoga) and our guide sang 'When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore'. It was so hilarious we couldn't help but love every moment of it.

The second day were there it WAS sunny and four of us went out to the very famous glass and lace islands in the region. Iain bought himself some new cuff links (which I had to twist his arm to buy and are beautiful) and I got myself a couple of necklaces. However the BEST part of the day for me was eating the biggest green Italian olives I have ever seen, enjoying a pistachio Gellato and drinking a beautiful bottle of red wine which only cost us $3.90.

We are heading out in a few minutes to sail in Croatia, but afterwards we are heading straight to Rome. I can't wait to get back to Italy, were the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie and you feel amore.

Austria was the biggest surprise!

When I first booked the Europe portion of our trip, I had really no interest in visiting Austria. I just hadn't heard much about it. I knew that Vienna was here, but many people say that Vienna is boring, and I knew The Sound of Music was filmed SOMEWHERE in this part of the world, but that's about it.

What an absolutely pleasant surprise Austria was to me. Vienna was intriguing, filled with incredible architecture, culture, music, art, gardens, and it's QUIET for a large city, which really surprised me. The shopping is awesome with all the big high fashion names, and people are extremely friendly!

My guess is the people who thought Vienna was boring must have had all their senses dulled for the time they were there. When we went into the main Vienna Cathedral, there was a 30 person choir singing at the front of the church. It was impossible to be bored by the music and surrounding of this setting and I had chills and tears in my eyes lost in the moment.

There are a dozen different museums you can choose from to visit. We went to visit The Belvadere which houses the very famous 'The Kiss' by Gustav Klimt. Even if you didn't go inside this museum, the elaborate gardens that surrounded it was enough to inspire you. We went here with our friend Luis and enjoyed a couple bottles of wine in the gardens before we even went inside.

As a day excursion, six of us went Grape Grazing in the Austrian countryside. This was a full day of wine tours by bicycle! It turns out I am the cheapest drunk (big surprise) and I'm shocked I didn't fall off my bike at sometime during the day. Two other people did! I wore my little summer dress and loved cycling through the vineyards in the countryside feeling all girlie.

We were able to make a few extra stops to visit the castle ruins where Richard the LionHeart was kept prisoner for a few months , play some beach volleyball and go for a swim in the Danu River (which was VERY cold). We even did do some homemade jam, liquor and mustard tastings along the way.

We are currently in a town about three hours away from Vienna called Salzberg, which we are leaving today. This is the town that Motzart was born in and The Sound of Music was filmed. They have a channel on TV here that plays The Sound of Music perpetually so you can identify places in town you just visited that Maria and the Von Trap children played in.

The town itself is my favorite town I have been in yet. Quaint, peaceful, interesting and extremely pretty. The mountains, hills and river that surround it are breathtaking.

Yesterday Iain and I went to visit the world's largest ice caves, which are only an hour away from Salzburg. We spent about an hour inside the Austrian Alps and were amazed by the 42 kilometers of ice caverns. This literally was the world's largest ice palace.

Unfortunately since it was pitch black inside and the only lighting was from our little lanterns, I have only a couple of good pictures to show for it, and they are close-ups. You will have to see it in person to believe what we saw.

Overall, I give Austria my highest rating. It had both my favorite city and favorite town so far on this trip, two great excursions (Grape Grazing and the ice caves) and the countryside is without peer. It's a' must do' for anyone visiting Europe and I am SO happy we came here.

Gothics, Medieval Times and Bone Churches, OH MY!

Last week Iain and I visited Prague and had a lovely time. Prague is the center of Bohemian and Gothic culture, creating a perfect medieval feel that speaks loudly from every street corner in central Prague.

We were lucky enough to land on a weekend where an international marathon was running (mind the pun) and the streets were filled with entertainment and excited people.

There is a clock in the center of town where about 1000 people stand in front of every hour to see the devil ring a bell to the twelve apostates every hour on the hour. This clock was so meticulously made that the king poked the creator's eyes out with hot coal irons so he couldn't reproduce it.

This is also the town that two important town figures were thrown off the Charles Bridge because they displeased the king. One of them was a saint. As you walk across this bridge you can see 30 religious statues dating back to the 18th century, one of which gives you good luck if you rub the feet on the figure.

I didn't know which one it was at first but was quick to figure it out by the lineup of people waiting to get a photo and the two ridiculously shiny spots on the bottom of the figure where the dirt had been rubbed away.

The other attraction in this town that we really enjoyed was Prague Castle. At noon every day there is a changing of the guards that is quite the spectacle. I have it on video so will post it sometime. The two front entrance guards are changed and these guards are lead by the captain of the guards and about 30 military trumpets. It one of my favorite palace experiences.

However the highlight of our visit to Prague was our train ride out to the Czech country side to visit the Bone Church of Kunta Hora. This church had a cemetery that held 30,000 graves. When the church was later became private, the 30,000 preexisting graves had been dug up, bones cleaned, and now decorate the entire interior of the church.

When you walk in the front doors you can't help but be shocked by the hundreds of human skulls and skeletal pieces hanging around in artistic positions throughout the church. The best pieces were the chandelier in the centre of the church which has every singe bone in the human body at least once in it, and a shield of arms made for a noble family made entirely out of human bones.

Other than that, Iain and I just spent a lot of time wondering around town. We found some great restaurants and parks to relax in and I got to lie in a field of spring flowers. We even went out for dinner with two other like-minded couples we became friends with on our bus tour.

Berlin is Charming!

We have just spent the last three days in Germany's capital city, Berlin, and we loved every moment of it! We found that the best way to see the city in the sort time we had was by bike.
Here's what we saw:

Brandenburg Gate - Finished in 1791 it was the East/West crossing point for the Berlin Wall.The Statue of Victory - This is a statue that was erected to show the victories of the Germans before and during WWII. The last ring was put up by Hitler a little too early since they lost the war. It lies in the middle of Berlin's central park which is also well worth the visit. Even if the flowers and trees don't impress you, all the nude sun bathers will.

The TV Tower - 368 meters high, this is the second largest TV tower in Europe. On a sunny day you can see a Christian Cross reflecting off the globe. It's both unattractive and impressive at the same time.

The Berlin Wall - This came down in 1989 when the people ripped it down after being repressed by it for over 20 years. Pieces of it can still be seen around the city with much expressive graffiti adding to the memory of the rebellion.

Checkpoint Charlie - Shows the American and Russian contribution to the liberation of the Berlin Wall. This was the American and Russian checkpoint during the oppression.

Hitler's Bunker and the SS Headquarters - out of respect for the millions of people who died during WWII and because the German people are not proud of one of their past leaders, Hitler's bunker and the SS Headquarters are not open to the public, however we got to go by them on our bikes and it was creapy just being around them.

The Holocaust Memorial - This is a great (and free) museum paying tribute to the many millions of Jews who were murdered during WWII. I cried several times during this exhibit, and if you don't want to know the honest truth about what happened to these people, don't visit it.
However, if you can stomach some hard pictures and devastating stories, this is well worth a visit.

We wish we could have spent more time here but leave tomorrow for Prague. We feel there are still a million other things we could have done here and three days just wasn't enough. Hopefully we can come back one day to see the rest.

If you ever make it to Germany, please make the effort to visit Berlin. It's exceptional. Also, we would encourage you to rent a bike while you're here. It's the perfect way to See Berlin.

Feeling Liberal? Move to Amsterdam!

If you have ever considered yourself liberal, a free spirit, or one that doesn't like to follow rules, Amsterdam is a great place for you! Why? Because they don't have any!

Honestly, I don't even know if Amsterdam has a police force because you can do just about anything there. Not only are the 'softer' drugs legal (weed and mushrooms) but you can buy them in practically any coffee shop in town. In fact, people spend their days lounging on patios smoking big Jays or eating Marijuana Muffins and watching people go by.

This is also the hometown of the ever famous 'Red Light District', which means that prostitution is legal. There is a nicely laid out little area downtown where the girls (some of which could work as models while others you wish you could erase from your mind) actually display themselves in windows in the streets.

You almost feel like you're window shopping for a puppy or some clothes while walking through these little alleys. In case you ever find yourself in this area of town, I'll give you a tip: the red lights on the windows means its a girl. The red and purple lights together mean she used to be a guy but is now a girl, and the purple lights by themselves mean it's still a guy and if you aren't interested in trannies, I would avoid these ones.

I would have loved to have taken some photos but the girls are well protected and the bouncers wouldn't think twice about smashing my camera on the street and giving me a nice new shiner. I guess you'll just have to go see it in person if this sounds interesting to you.

Finally, we were able to go to a crazy festival and outdoor free rock concert in order to help the Dutch celebrate their Remembrance Day. I have never seen such an accumulation of strange looking people in my life.

Ok, aside from the many punks, emos and goths, there were also hippies, huge amounts of gay couples (mostly women) and tini-boppers expressing themselves through their piercings and 80's fashion comebacks. There were also many obvious tourist loving every minute of it.

Why do I say 'obvious tourists'? They were either wearing very normal clothes, wildly flashing their cameras at everything they laid their eyes on, or were the ones having a bad drug trip because they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

What was my overall rating of Amsterdam? Though a little dirty in parts and quite crazy in general, I would say it's a must do for anyone who believes in freedom of expression or you just like to see weird things.

Personally, I liked it though it will be a LONG time before I ever go back (if ever). I think I need the rest of my life to recover...

Paris in the Springtime

The City of Romance. The City of Lights. Paris in the springtime has lived up to it's names!

Iain and I just spent the last two most romantic and pleasantly leisure days in the city of love. And how could it NOT be? The Eiffel Tower sets the mood in the streets of young lovers and families enjoying the sun under trees and newly blossoming tulip beds.

Even the Mona Lisa in the ever famous Louvre (in the Da Vinci Code) attracts hordes of people to admire the subtle mystery and intrigue of Da Vinci's forever famous lady. The Moulin Rouge attracts more movie loving audiences and the Arc De Triumph can't be excluded in it's beauty while luminated in it's nightly golden glow.

However there is nothing like sitting under the Eiffel Tower at dusk with a glass of wine and some sweet jazz playing off our ever trusty IPODs. We completely lost track of time under the Eiffel Tower with people moving and lights changing to the melodies of Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Buble, Etta James, Nina Simone, and Frank Sinatra.

It will take a long time before Iain and I ever forget our stay in Paris in the springtime. That is, if a weekend like this could be forgotten at all.

The Best of Scandinavia

When Iain first said he wanted to go to Scandinavia I laughed wondering where the heck that country was! How embarrassing to me that the Scandinavian countrIES he wanted to visit were Norway, Denmark and Sweden. And I was supposed to be the travel agent! Yeesh.

Well, good thing I was finally educated on where Scandinavia was because my favorite city in Europe so far lies in the waters of the Vikings, Stockholm.

Oslo, Norway

When we were first pulling into this city from the tiny airport an hour away I was thinking to myself 'Oh boy, what are we getting ourselves into?' The country side wasn't very flattering and the city looked like it was from the 1940s with no tall buildings at all. The lesson learned in this city was 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.' Sometimes you have to read a couple of chapters before it gets going.

There were two attractions in Oslo that really stood out. The first was the Opera House (which I will post pictures of later because the architecture of this place was incredible) and the second was a park called Vigelandsparken. Now if you can pronounce that name properly I'll give you five dollars.

In this park was one of the most exquisite pieces (or should I say several pieces) of public art I have EVER seen (again I will have to post pictures so you understand how incredible it was.) The Sculpture Bridge in Vigelandsparken is part of a collection of works by sculptor Gustave Vigeland. The central theme of the works on the bridge is family. The left side of the bridge shows mother-child sculptures. On the right, we see sculptures of fathers and children. The bridge's centerpiece, depicts life as a circle with no beginning or no end in is incredibly made out of one solid piece of stone.

You'd have to see it all in person to appreciate the complexity, detail and time it must have taken to make.

Oh, I forgot to mention, it would be best to visit Oslo after you have won the lottery. It's ridiculously expensive and we had to pay $30 for a meal at McDonalds, which was the cheapest we could find.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen had lots of great things to see. More interesting than Oslo, the classic European side streets, squares and sculptures in parks made walking around this city interesting.

The highlight for me were actually the Erotica Museum and seeing the ORIGINAL little mermaid statue built based on the Hans Christian Anderson story, which apparently didn't have as happy an ending as the Disney Movie depicts.

The Erotica Museum was extremely interesting as it had pieces dating back to the first century AD and explained the history of sex, prostitution, play boy, brothels, and even sexuality in Hollywood. I was grateful that it was more historical and educational than anything else.

If you ever go to Copenhagen I would recommend walking around the streets of the city, enjoying an ice cream or beer (it's legal to drink in public, much to Iain's pleasure) and sit in the squares enjoying the architecture and people going by. Two days here was enough, though we enjoyed them thoroughly.

Stockholm, Sweden

Now THIS is an amazing city! About the size of two Manhattans and surrounded by a lake and the ocean (that run into each other), Stockholm won for overall beauty, intrigue, and things to do. It is rich in history and is just so incredibly pretty, I would move here at the drop of a hat if my friends and family were there too.

We spent the entire first day in a park called Djurgarden which had a great zoo, buildings depicting how the early Swedes and Vikings lived and live entertainment throughout the day due to a local festival. At nine o'clock a huge bon fire was lit in the park which could be seen for miles.

The second day we walked several kilometers throughout the city, checking out the Grand Palace of the Swedish King, some churches, the old town and several parks. The place I found to be the most interesting was the Vasa Museum, where an old warship from 1628 was found and displayed 333 years after it had sunk in the bay. It was so incredibly built with over 95 percent of it was still in tact when they discovered it that you literally felt like you walked through a time warp and stood there looking at one of the kings ships from 400 years ago.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Roger, Daniel and Mikael from Coastal Contacts and Lensway for giving us a place to stay downtown and showing us around. We enjoyed your company and were grateful for your kindness and genuine hospitality.

Glasgow and Edinburgh,Scotland Reviewed!

Scotland is such a pretty country. The cities are all very different from each other but the countryside is very much the same with their grassy rolling hills, country walking trails and sheep farms. There is a certain kind of peace that comes from the countryside there.

The first city we visited was Glasgow, which we got to by the world's largest and fastest smooth passanger ferry. It reminded me of the cruise ship I went on in the Bahamas when I was a kid. It boasted casinos, a spa, movie theatre, bars and stores which entertained guests for an hour ride from Ireland to Scotland.

Glasgow ended up being a really cool city. It had free museums and galleries, great shopping (not that we did any) and several universities. Scotland prides itself on education and school is totally free, including the universities!

The highlights of Glasgow for us were the Kelvingrove Art Gallergy and Museum (free admission) which displayed famous works by Van Gogh, Monet and Rembrant and visiting with Iain's Auntie Tor, who happened to live an hour away.

Edinburgh also offered free admission to various attractions around town, though the best attraction is well worth the admission fee. Edinburgh Castle is the best kept castle I have seen yet with weapons and honeraries dating back from WWII as far as the days of William Wallace.

There were even stain glass windows with William Wallace and Robert De Bruce's symbols! It was incedible to think that we stood in the same courts and halls as these great kings and leaders.

Other things we enjoyed were the city gardens, the tartan factory store where they make traditional Scotlish kilts and family coloured garments and the Scotish Wisky Heritage Centre.

Edinburgh was our favorite city in the UK and well worth a visit. I couldn't help but leave Scotland with a bit of an accent and a newly found respect (and admiration) for men in kilts.