June 30^th, 2012

Day 42: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

For our second day in Amsterdam, we decided to visit some of the parks and other monuments throughout the city. I woke up early, had some breakfast downstairs and the hostel and we were up, packed, and ready to go by 11.

Our first stop was the Iamsterdam sign over in Museumplein. This is also where the Van Gogh Museum is located and is a gorgeous park, especially on a day as nice as today! We had some fun taking photos and hanging out here for a while:

Museumplein

After we found our way out of the park, we went to Vondelpark, a huge city park in the southern part of the city. Stephen and I decided that this is what Boston is missing- a park that you can get lost in. A park that’s so big you can’t hear the hustle and bustle of the city and can feel like you’re out in the countryside. The park itself is absolutely gorgeous, with fountains and ponds and benches spread out all over. We spent some time wandering/getting lost in here too!

On our way back, we got some chips and waffles- 2 trademarks of the city. It made for a great lunch before we were going to be on the train for 10 hours! We went back to our hostel and took care of a few things before we were off for the train station. Our train left at 5:53 and took us to a station south of Amsterdam, where we switched to the night train that would drop us in Berlin.

Luckily, Stephen and I were alone in our 4 person sleeper for about 5 hours.  Not being able to do much, we just hung out and read for a while. We each had gotten a salad at the train station for dinner (which is also where Stephen, with his backpack, knocked over 2 bottles of wine in the shop. Oops!) and mine was absolutely delicious- cous cous, lettuce, goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, olives, and a pesto olive oil type dressing. Best store bought salad I’ve ever had!

Gettin' comfy in our sleeper car

3 beds on each side- luckily only 4 (total) were used in our car!

Dinner :)

This train was a lot more palpable than the last night train I took, and I actually managed to get some sleep. To Berlin we go!

Favorite part of the day: Vondelpark- I want a park just like it back at home!!

June 29^th, 2012

Day 41: Hamburg, Germany & Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Happy birthday Kimi!!! So sorry I couldn’t be there to celebrate with you. Love you chica <3

(That's me having a drink for you.. virtually.)

After a late night and a way too early morning, Stephen and I made it (barely) to our train that was headed for Amsterdam! The train left at quarter to 8 and got us into Amsterdam Centraal around 1:30p. We spent most of the train rides trying to sleep and getting some rest on and off so that we could capitalize on our first afternoon in Amsterdam.

Now, I was extremely excited to go back to this city. It won me over the first time I visited with its laid back, liberal atmosphere and charming people.  The city is pretty and so unique compared to any other city I’ve spent some time in. It was definitely a good time 2 years ago so I couldn’t wait to be back!

Amsterdam did not disappoint at all- we were welcomed to the city by 72 degree weather, sunshine, and a relatively easy path to our hostel! It was a pretty sweet place, kind of expensive for one night, but very centrally located (in the Red Light District), nicely decorated, and with free breakfast!

After settling into our hostel for a while, Stephen and I then ventured out to explore some parts of the city. We went over to Neiumarkt first to grab something to eat, and then walked through the narrow streets, over canals, and made our way to Dam Square. It was a pretty laid back afternoon overall, and after a little while we went back to the hostel for a short nap- train sleeping in the morning just didn’t cut it!

After our nap, we started chatting with one of our roommates, Phil from Germany, and decided to go out and grab a beer somewhere. We wandered the streets for a while and ended up at a place called the International Café. While we were sitting on the benches outside people watching (Amsterdam is most certainly #1 for this pastime), we started talking to 2 Dutch girls who lived in Amsterdam and their friend from Australia. They invited us to join them as they left this café to go to another, and we joined them for a few more beers! It was nice to get a personal ‘tour’ of the area from residents, especially to hear about the trends in terms of nightlife, the Red Light District, places to eat, drink, etc.

After a bit more wandering in the area, we called it a night and went back to the hostel! A nice ending to the night was skyping with all of my frienda back home! They’d been celebrating Kimi’s birthday and mourning Annese’s departure, but it was great to see everyone, even if it was electronically!

Favorite part of the day: Meeting the locals. There’s no better way to be introduced to a city!

June 28^th, 2012

Day 40: Hamburg, Germany

This morning we woke up with enough time to grab a quick breakfast of bagels and coffee before meeting in the lobby of the hostel at 10:30 to be picked up for the Sandeman’s free tour. A few tour guides met us at the Generator and then walked us over to the main meeting place near the Town Hall.

The tour today had several common themes: fires (as per usual), reconstructions, and WWII. I didn’t realize until I was on this tour today that most of Germany will not be as old as some of the other cities I’ve seen so far. Old, historic buildings were destroyed during the course of Germany’s history, and many aren’t much older than 70 or 80 years.

Our first stop was the Town Hall, where regular town/area business still occurs on a daily basis. A very large, very ornate building that dominates the main square. Also, a building that has more rooms than Buckingham Palace!

The Town Hall

The courtyard just inside the Town Hall

As we continued on with the tour, we went to many famous buildings in the history that centered around trade, commerce, and regulation of the port of Hamburg, one of the most important in the global trading spectrum. Many buildings are inspired by the nautical spirit, including this one building that was built to resemble the shape of a boat- Chilehaus!

Chilehaus

We also visited several churches throughout the city, one of which houses the oldest piece of artwork in Germany that dates back to the 1300’s-  old brass door knockers! They were salvaged from the building after it burned down and remain famous for their age.

St. Peter's church. Was once used as stables for Napoleon's horses!

Oldest piece of artwork in Germany

One of my favorite parts of the tour, I think, was when we went to visit the Church of St. Nicholas. It’s more of a shell of the church, really, since it was destroyed in WWII. They have done very little restoration work on the building though, and it now serves as a monument to remember the tragedies of war. There were also several smaller monuments inside, one of which depicts a man sitting on a pile of bricks. This sculpture is meant to symbolize the deaths of over 50,000 people who lost their lives in the nearby concentration camp and is partially made from original stones from the camp grounds.

The shell of the tower

Explanation of the statue

Destruction left by bombings

Here are some other photos from the tour stops:

The canal where the great fire started

The office building where Zyklon B was chosen as the primary chemical in the murders of Jews at Concentration Camps during WWII. The sign is quoting the company saying "Don't worry about destroying the worst of the worst; let them destroy themselves"

We ended the tour in the Speicherstadt district- the warehouse district. This is a section right along the coast where warehouses for shipping were all centralized. Major shipping activity has since moved to a different part of the harbor, but the district remains and is currently under construction to be developed into a new residential and entertainment space!

After the tour was over, Stephen and I wandered to one of the tallest points in the city- the tower in St. Michaelis church. We walked up all of the steps to get to the top and enjoyed a picture perfect panorama of the city.

Deciding it was about time for lunch, we made our way back to the Town Hall square and walked through the various food stands that were set up. Not being able to pronounce or understand any of the menus made for a difficult decision. Eventually I ended up accidentally ordering a pile of marinated mushrooms in a dark gravy of sorts with some sauerkraut. I say accidental because I tried to ask what it was and got a plate of it in return. I’m pretty sure Stephen tried to order the same thing from a different stall, but got something completely different than mine. Oh well- It was delicious, regardless, so it all worked out!

Satisfied with our meals, we made our way back to the hostel to do some planning for Amsterdam. Once that was sorted (difficult, for the rescord), we got ready to watch the match, which started at 8:45. We had a few drinks with a boisterous crowd that had gathered in the hostel bar in support of Germany. After the Italians emerged victorious against Germany, we gathered up a small group and went over to the Reeperbahn district. We found a really busy bar/club and spent some time there before we walked home.

Overall a great (though late) night!

Favorite part of the day: Getting a chance to see (and experience) Hamburg’s nightlife!

June 27th, 2012

Day 39: Copenhagen , Denmark & Hamburg, Germany

This morning we were up and out of the hostel around 9am and on our way to the train station for our 9:45 train to Hamburg. We would be getting into Germany around 2:15!

We ended up sitting in first class with this adorable Turkish family. A mother and son, they had been on holiday in Copenhagen and were now headed to Hamburg for a few days before they went back home. We spent some time chatting with them, and each took a short nap!

About halfway through the train ride, we were told to get off.  What? Turns out the train had pulled onto a ferry that would take us 45 minutes across a body of water before we were back on the tracks again. Um… okay! Stephen and I were slightly baffled by the fact that this ferry had train tracks on it, but we got out of the train and spent some time on the upper decks of the ferry  (which semi-resembled a cruise ship). After our short stint on a boat, we were back on the train for another 2 hours to Hamburg!

When we got to Hamburg, we stupidly asked for directions to our hostel that was located across the street. Oops! We got here, checked in and got settled into our room. After a while, we wandered down towards the bar to get a few drinks during their happy hour before we wandered the city. When we made our way outside, we got on the train to find our way over to Reeperbahn, the Red Light District of Hamburg. Over in that general area, we found an outdoor seating area that had 2 stages, a bunch of food stands and bars and a whole lot of televisions showing the Semi final EuroCup match between Spain and Portugal. We sat down to watch the second half of the game there and enjoy the atmosphere! We also sampled the local cuisine, getting 2 large bratworsts at one of the stands:

U-bahn in Germany

He's confused.

Dinner!

Outdoor strip in the Red Light District to watch the match!

After the match, we walked through the area that was quite alive at this time of night. Tons of bars and clubs (both regular clubs and strip clubs) lined the streets. Throngs of Spanish supporters celebrating and Portugal supporters sulking were everywhere. It was a lively atmosphere, but we only stayed for a bit and then headed back to the hostel to get to sleep!

Favorite part of the day: The match- it’s exciting to be in an atmosphere where everyone is so involved in watching soccer (football). It’s not like this at home!!

June 26^th, 2012

Day 38: Copenhagen, Denmark & Malmo, Sweden

Today, we decided to go to Sweden. The fact that you can take a 25 minute train and be in another country in Scandinavia is just crazy. But! We woke up, got ready, got some DELICIOUS danishes for breakfast, and then hopped on our Sweden-bound train!

After a short ride, we disembarked in Malmo, Sweden. Malmo is a gorgeous little town; I think the best word to describe it would be ‘charming.’ We paid a visit to the tourist center, got a few maps and suggestions, and headed out to explore for a few hours. After some wandering, we stumbled upon a dock on the canal that was just calling our names. We laid down for about 45 minutes and took a nice nap in the sun! After yet some more wandering around Old Town, to the castle, and to the famous turning tower, we got back on a train to Denmark. 

Our dock!

Naptime :)

The castle

We waited in line for a bit to buy our train tickets to Hamburg for the next day (which was an entertaining experience altogether, between a guy buying about 3,000 tickets and spending 40 minutes at the window to drunkards running from side to side trying to figure out the line). After our tickets were successfully booked (1^st class, might I add), we headed outside and again, indulged in some street vendor hotdogs, this time ordering a French hot dog that just looked funny. Nonetheless-delicious!

photo cred: Stephen!

We headed back to the hostel to do a bit of research on Germany and accidentally ended up taking a short nap. Afterwards, we were finally able to secure some of the public bikes and pedaled back to Christiania to do a bit of shopping and hang out with a beer or two. We also grabbed falafel while we were there for dinner!

Finally, we hopped back on our bikes (which had the 20 Kronor coin missing thanks to some drunk Asian man wandering Christiania with a plastic fork) and headed down the coastline to The Little Mermaid!

After a bit of fun there, we didn’t’ realize how late it had gotten due to the lack of sunset here in Copenhagen, and decided to head back to the hostel. We grabbed a bottle of wine to split, and relaxed in the lounge downstairs before we called it a night.

Favorite part of the day: Christiania; it was a nice day so when we went this time it was a lot more lively and entertaining. I could definitely go back there again and again!