The Last 4 Days in a Very Quick Nutshell

On the ferry ride across the Adriatic to Italy, we met a very interesting character. He claimed he started cooking when he was 14. He also has owned special effects studios all over the world. Anyways, during his time working for 'the richest man in Italy' he learned that men with Italian heritage are only interested in claiming as many 'trophies' as they can. That was his way of warning me not to trust Italian men. Hmmmmm... ;). That was an amusing conversation. Venice was amazing. Ive been there before, and really, you only need to be there a day. However, the food is the most amazing on the planet. We took a train through the Alps yo Zurich. BEAUTIFUL!! However, paid $150 for a room with bunkbeds and a shared toilet. Apparently Switzerland is very expensive - and boring. I had some good fondue though. Made it to Germany. Munich had beautiful weather all day. I sat in a church for an hour killing time. (Having inappropriate thoughts for a church because of those damn 50 Shades books). Then I went on a Third Reich tour. It was very interesting. Did you know that the Haufbrau Haus in Munich is where Hitler launched the Nazi Party? I stood in the same room. It was eerie. Went to the second largest beer garden in Munich. It seats 5,000 people - mostly outdoors. It rained the entire time - figures! Met some locals and learned the appropriate cheers and had some schnapps. After a long night of partying in Dublin, I am now enjoying wine in Galway where they just finished a yacht race. Busiest weekend of the year. We stopped at Tara's House Bed and Breakfast for a room. No luck, but she was very nice and hooked us up with another B&B. It's our first time at a bed and breakfast - perfect place for spooning. Just kidding. By the way, driving on the right side of a car is a piece of cake. (As long as you don't have to go through a roundabout - but those are everywhere!)

Bug spray - What's that?

I went to the beach on another island and stumbled across a nudist beach. Actually, it's right in front where the water taxi drops you off. There were empty lounging chairs, so that is where I ended up. I didn't mind the naked bodies, but I was worried that others would be upset that I wasn't nude. So I took my straps off my bathing suit top and got in the water. That way I at least looked like I was naked. Last night I found local wine bar that serves only Croatian wines grown here on the island. I don't consider myself much of a wine snob since the way I choose my bottles is based upon how interesting the label is and that the bottle is under $10, but the Croatian red wines are the best red wines I have ever had. I talked to the waiter about the wine. Apparently, Croatia has been making wine for 2400 years. Zinfandel's are an offspring of the wines I was drinking on the island. I didn't know wines had offspring. Anyways,the wines can't be exported due to some laws, so you can only drink it here -at least for now. I love planning the trip on a day to day basis. Today, I was supposed to be heading on two long train rides back the way I came to Austria. Talking with a couple from Budapest, they suggested taking a ferry from Split, Croatia to Anconda, Italy. It's much faster. So now the plan is Italy. I'll be in Venice tomorrow and Zurich on Wednesday. Going with the flow. Including the fact that there is no bug spray here because Croatians say there are no bugs. But this Minnesota girl has over 20 bites on her legs alone that are red and swollen because I can't stop itching!

Island Life

Another long train ride from Zagreb, the capitol of Croatia, to Slplit. There was a mother with a baby and a toddler on board. For 6 hours, one of those kids were crying. And not just a cry, but a blood-curdling scream. There was not one passenger who didn't want to throw one of those kids off the train. I was playing Gin Rummy to pass the time (funny that everyone seems to play by slightly different rules). A young Croatian couple asked to borrow the cards. In return, the gentleman offered me one of his cigarettes at our rest stop. I almost felt obliged to take it from him even though I don't smoke. Many people in Europe smoke, so I felt rude turning him down. No worries, I did. Split is an amazingly beautiful, quaint city. I stayed in an apartment in the old palace that was built in the 300's ad. Actually, when you get off the train, everyone bombards you with rooms in their private homes to rent. I had a very nice room in the center of everything, but literally, the shower was maybe two feet by two feet. There was no way I was shaving my legs in that thing. I met Branka, a friend of a friend from the bar who actually lives in Croatia. She took us to a local restaurant and then on a private tour of the palace ruins. There was so much more to the palace than I ever would have found. We were climbing staircases and going down narrow alleyways - and all of a sudden we would be at a small local bar in the middle of the 1700 year-old palace. Today, I took an hour long boat ride out to the island of Hvar. It's incredible. It reminds me of a mixture of Italy and the Yucatan. The harbor is filled with yachts, sailboats, and fishing boats. In fact the fishing boats bring back fresh fish that the restaurants serve for lunch and dinner. I'm staying at a hotel right on the water with a sports bar. When sitting down to order a drink, the guys and girls behind me were quoting Dirty Dancing, so I knew I must be in the right place. I tried to play pool, but there was no chalk and the air was so moist that I couldn't get a proper stroke.it was more frustrating than fun, but I won anyways! The island sells Cuban cigars, so I tried to smoke one of those. Anyone who has seen me try to smoke a cigarette can only imagine how humorous this adventure was. After five or six tries of puffing and not releasing any smoke, I gave up and returned to my Irish coffee. (Preparing for Ireland) there isn't really any beach to visit on this island, so tomorrow, I'm taking a water taxi to a nearby island to swim and tan - well, turn red really. I don't have any sunscreen either, so this should be interesting. They say there are no bugs here, but I have managed to gain 6 mosquito bites while I am writing this blog. Guess it's time to turn in.

"Of Course You Speak English - You're Not Naked!"

Budapest - NOT my favorite. Another long train ride to get here, and all the taxis have different fares because they are not regulated. The Internet said a fare from the train station to the hotel should be about 2000 ft ($8). The taxi drivers offered us 8,000, then 6,000, then name your price. They didn't like the 2000 price, so we settled on 4,000. The hotel was very nice and cheap. It was on the Buda side of town- aka the quiet side of town. I did not know that Budapest is actually two cities. Buda is on one side of the Danube and Pest is on the other. That's the side I belonged on. It has a bit more to do. I did get a massage that felt incredible and was able to swim and use the sauna in the hotel. The first day it rained - nonstop. I had to buy an umbrella outside the Royal Palace, and my flip flops did not help much when I walked through the deep puddles along the cobblestone roads. But now I have an excuse to buy a new pair or two when I get back to Vegas! Saw the castle and some magnificent churches, but the pictures aren't great due to the gloomy weather. Because of the rain, I decided to stay in the hotel for the night. I found a local grocery store and bought some Hungarian wine, cheese, and bread. I really wanted a bottle of regular water, and the past two or three that I had purchased ended up being sparkling. So, being the genius I think I am, I stood in the local grocery store and shook all of the bottles of water to see which ones bubbled. No wonder Americans get a bad reputation in Europe. The worst part is, back at the hotel room, I discovered that I choose wrong - again! Budapest is known for their wine, paprika, and natural hot baths; so, I went to Gellert's Bath House. It was built in the early 1900's and is based on the tiled baths from Ancient Rome. It is actually quite beautiful and warm. There is a section for mixed sexes as well as large private sections that are gender specific. I was in the steam room in the female section when a group of 16 year-olds walked in. They were giggling and talking about how the steam room is cleaning out their 'nasty' pores. I laughed because it sounded like an exact conversation I would have had in high school. They apologized for making noise and I replied "It's fine. You all are funny." Then one of them responds, "You speak English! Of course you do, you're not naked!" And they were right. I had noticed as well, that all of the rather 'healthy' Hungarian women were enjoying the baths completely nude - and they don't necessarily have the same tastes in physical appearance as most English cultures do, if you know what I mean! Since Budapest was not the most enjoyable place, we decided to make it better by going to a local bar on the Pest side and having a few drinks - cheap. Buying a round for the three regulars was a smart move and only cost about five dollars. Soon we were all having shots of the local spirits and of course - beer. A lot of drinks later, it was time to walk back to the Buda side. On the way, pizza sounded like a good idea. There are shops selling slices of pizza on the side of the road. There was the normal, pepperoni, sausage, ham and pineapple, but, they all had kernals of corn on them. Trying to catch a train to Croatia in a hurry, I ended up taking a taxi to the wrong station and had to take another taxi to the right one. Waste of money - there goes my new flip flops. But now I am in Zagreb, Croatia, and will be taking another 7 hour train ride to Split, Croatia - right on sea. Not sure which one - I need to look at a map. I do like it much better here. By the way, I am not happy with those of you who told me to read 50 Shades of Grey. It is cruel and unusual punishment when I am over 9,000 miles from home, but I sure am blushing on those long train rides!

Fish Feet

So, this morning I actually woke myself up before 9am and was able to enjoy the free hotel breakfast for the first time. I went on a tour to the Karlstein Castle which is about 30 minutes outside of Prague. It's basically a vacation home for the royal family but now holds some of the crown jewels. The odd thing about the daytrip is that there were only two other people who spoke English, an older couple from Minneapolis, MN. They own a house on 53rd and Irving. My house was on 27th and Irving. Eerie. When I got back to Prague, I went to a 5-star restaurant named Plecko, or in English -hell. It was actually in the movie 'The Prince and Me' with Julia Stiles. Not a great chic flick, but it was filmed in Prague so that adds to its charm. Being the star-struck girl that I am, I had to go. Plus, how often can you go to a 5 star restaurant. Where the most expensive dish is $30. Anyways, this restaurant is underneath the city in caves that were used to store wine for Charles IV. I ordered the duck because Top Chef has made me less afraid to try it, and when the food arrived, there was an entire duck on my plate! I ate about one leg of it. What a waste! (but it was tasty) On the way back from the cave, I stopped into a Thai massage parlor to get a fish foot treatment - and no, those don't come with a happy ending. I had actually heard about it on the radio back in Vegas. You stick your feet in an aquarium filled with little black fish, and the fish nibble the dead skin off your feet. As some of you may know, I am very ticklish, and the tiny fish mouths did just that! Best/worst part was that the treatment took place in the window of the shop. So, all the tourists would walk by and either act grossed out or they took a picture. It is my last night in Prague, and I am having a hard time with that. I love this city for so many reasons. (Although I do curse the TGI Friday's and Hooters in the city center.) For one, I've enjoyed listening to the church bells from my hotel window. The cobblestone streets are unique and charming. Tonight, sitting in Old Town Square drinking a Pilsner Urquell, I saw a family dressed in soccer gear ready to cheer Spain on to victory, a bachelorette party from Scotland with the bride carrying around a blow-up doll in a kilt, and a group of guys dressed up like Run DMC - plus countless normal people speaking many different languages. Later in the evening I was sitting on one of the statues on Charles's Bridge just staring up at the castle at 11:30pm. There were groups of people just hanging out and drinking beers. Kids were sitting on the laps of statues from the 17th century, or something like that - I made that number up. It was a nice social gathering that no one interfered with (except for the underage drinkers). Oh - church bells just told me it's 2am. Time for bed - headed to Budapest tomorrow.

Amazing, simply amazing!

Let me first just say that I am typing this blog while drinking a can - yes, can, of Cabernet called Happy Wine. I purchased it from the grocery store outside of my hotel room in Prague for 18 CZK (about $1). In fact, in Prague, ordering a large draft beer will cost you $1.00 - $1.50, but a Coke will cost you $2.25. So, why drink soda, it is not economical. Sorry, I went off on a bit of a tangent. Back to Amsterdam. I went into a shop that sold strictly American groceries because I was curious what they offered. This is what I remember: Pop-Tarts, Shake-n-bake, peanut butter, Baco's, and Campell's Chicken Noodle Soup. They are selling the soup for 4 Euros, or about $5! I did a lot of walking up and down the streets of Amsterdam. I had been there before, so the Anne Frank House was not on my to do list. However, I had read about a Catholic Church that was hidden in the attic of one of the houses in the Red-Light District during a time when it was illegal to practice the Catholic religion in Amsterdam. Being raised Catholic, I wanted to check it out. Sure enough, the top 3 floors of three of the houses were convererted into a rather large Catholic church. There was even balcony seats and an organ. Foodwise, Amsterdam had 3 types of restaurants: Argentinian Steak Houses, Indonesian Restaurants, and typical pub fare. There was one Mexican restaurant whose specialty of the day was a hamburger. Three days was definately enough time to spend in Amsterdam - don't miss the Heiniken Brewery tour - it is very entertaining. Now off to Prague! The overnight train ride to Prague was pure hell. It was 14 hours, and we were stuck in a small carriage room that barely held 6 people sitting upright. There was no way you could lay down, no food, no water. I can't compare the ride to the train rides the Jews had to take to the concentration camps, but I can say, with my level of discomfort, their's must have been unbareable. On a brighter note, Prague is AMAZING! This is my second time in Prague, and it makes me wonder why I left the first time. It is truly the most beautiful city I have ever been in, both during the day, and at night. People take pictures of the city, including me, but the pictures don't come close to capturing the breathtaking views the city holds. Being in this city makes me very happy, and very lonely at the same time. It's a place you want to experience with that special someone. Okay, I've had enough of my sappiness. Interestingly enough, despite the beauty, there are people carring huge bottles of beer around and peeing in any spot they feel like. The day I arrived, the Czech Republic was playing in the Eurocup Finals against Portugal. I am staying near Old Town Square, so I ventured out to the square looking for a bar showing the game. Well, the entire square was filled with people watching the game on a large portable screen with the churches and clocktowers in the background. (Same church that the castle in Sleeping Beauty was based off of!) Talk about old and new. Wow! The square sounded like a stadium, and there were groups of people cheering like they were in the stadium. It was pretty incredible. Unfortunately, Czech lost 0-1. It was the equivalent of the Packers losing to the 49ers in the playoffs this year. However, instead of crying about it like I did, people roamed the streets chanting for the Czech Republic. Everyone here is very nice, especially the receptionists at the hotel. I have booked a river cruise, a trip to a castle outside the city, and a brewery tour that I can earn my diploma in Czech beer. Don't know what that will do for me in life, but it will look good on my wall. Funny, the check-out card for the hotel states that check-out time is as 12:00am. Hmmmmm....that makes the sleeping arrangements a bit challenging!

When in Rome...or Amsterdam

Well, I survived the long plane ride. I had a 50 minute layover in Minneapolis. That's the first time I've been in that airport and not been able to visit my family. That felt a bit wrong. After landing in Amsterdam, I took a shuttle straight to the Hampshire Hotel, freshened up, and did what any tourist would do - headed straight for the Red Light District (RDL). I was convinced to try a coffee shop that we passed by. While I was there, a couple came in with their 6 year-old daughter. The barista explained to them that all patrons had to be over 18. After some deliberation, the woman told her husband they would take turns walking their daughter around the block while the other "relaxed" in the coffee shop. That was quite entertaining. I countinued my trek North to the RDL, and stopped to have a beer. It was here I had to stay seated for awhile and hold on to the bench because I was a wee bit lopsided and felt like I was going to fall. Needless to say, my equilibrium was a bit off and I felt like a live bobblehead. At this point, I continued down the busy tourist streets filled with shops, bars, and more coffee houses. I needed to stop into a phone store to buy a sim card so I can make some cheap calls back to the States. I walked into a store and immediately realized this was way too daunting of a task for me at the time - better luck tomorrow. There are fritte stands all over the center - saw the line and knew it was a must try. I asked for the specialty - a cone of fries covered in Mayo. All of a sudden, I was riding in a car with John Travolta shooting a scene in Pulp Fiction. Made it to the RDL, and there wasn't much to see or do. It was only 6pm, I guess the action starts later. I did see a few of the 8,000 legal prostitutes in the city. A return nighttime visit might be another thing to add to my list of to do's tomorrow. We grabbed some edam and gouda cheese, another regional specialty, and headed back to the room. I was asleep by 9:15 and woke up to an episode of Saved by the Bell on TV around 3am. Really? Saved by the Bell is the American TV show they play repeats of in Europe?! Great show when I was younger, but Ive been through puberty. So, now I'm in the hotel lobby because that's where you can get wifi, but their computer isn't open for use during these hours, so no posted pictures yet. Soon!