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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
So the end of my stay in Eurpe is rapidly approaching Jake and I decided to have one final weekend adventure So we put some diesel in the car and drove to Amsterdam I didn't really know what to expect from this city, except for loads of people on bikes We met up with a friend from home (cailfornia) and spent the whole weekend walking aroung and enjoying the sights There in fact were more bikes then anyone could possibly know what to do with By the central station they have a bicycle parking structure It was packed! It was amazing! The entire city has a spider web of efficient bike lanes which people of all ages use A very popular style of bike there is the cargo bike they are used to transport groceries, children, even drum sets! The city was busy and bustling with visitors from all over the world Walking down the street I heard about a dozen different languages (there were tons of english speakers too) We spent a few hours wandering around the Vincent Van Gough museum which houses the largest permanent collection of his work We saw other famous sights including the Flower market, the Dam Square, and the infamous Red Light District We sampled some tasty Dutch sweets and even tried chocolate sprinkles on toast! I was sad to go, but excited by the thought of returning to sunny california. The temps are now in the freezing range here in Germany so it's about time to say good-bye stay tuned for my last photos from Europe... Posted by Eva Lu at 8:02 AM
Friday, November 14, 2008
When we finally got back to our house in Germany we packed our bags yet again and headed southwest to Munster and Köln (Cologne). We got to tour around the cities and see several beatuiful sights. The Dom in Köln is more beautiful on the inside then on the outside (which is crazy since it's stunning from the outside) It stands tall along the Rhein river and attracts people year round The ambiance from the enormous stained glass windows left me speechless. I had no idea that such a gothic cathedral existed in Germany, let alone one of the most extrordinary ones I have even seen. We spent a good hour or two wandering around admiring the carved statues and intricat mosaic floors. Afterwards we took a stroll down the river side to the Schokoladenmuseum, yes that's right a museum of Chocolate!!! Once again I was suprised to find that not only was the chocolate making process exhibited (and taste tested :) ) but there was an expansive collection of vintage wrappers, boxes, vending machines, and other visual delights. I felt like a kid in a candy store, literally. After a day in Cologne we headed out to Munster to check out the scene. Munster has the largest number/population of cyclists in Germany. It was so inspiring seeing people of all ages incorporating the bicycle into everyday life. People in normal clothes, doing normal things, on normal bikes!! We spent our time there walking or cycling around everywhere. One evening on the way to dinner we were at a shortage of bicycles for us and our colleagues...so I hitched a ride on the back rack of Jake's bike... It was scary and hillarious at the same time!! I'll never forget our time in Munster and Köln I'll be heading to Amsterdam for the weekend :) stay tuned for pictures... Posted by Eva Lu at 3:30 AM
Tags: Evoluer, munster, cologne, koln, the dom, stained glass, Schokoladenmuseum, cycling in munster
Sunday, October 19, 2008
I went to Paris the other day... It was more spectacular then I could have ever imagined I will let the photos do the talking All I can say is that isn't evident in the photos is that the Eiffel Tower is cold at night, the baguettes were perfectly crunchy and soft, and the people were all very beautiful... I'll work on getting some more pictures up since I have internet again :) stay tuned... Posted by Eva Lu at 12:04 PM
Friday, September 26, 2008
We took a train from Padova to Venice it only took about an hour and it was scenic the entire way when we got to Venice I was speechless at how beautiful the lighting was all of the building were sherbert colored and looked so peacful sitting ontop of the water The canals were filled with gondolas, small speed boats, and large 'bus' type boats We took one of the bus boats to the hotel in San Marco Piazza Spent most of the day just walking around and sightseeing with what day light we had left enjoy... Posted by Eva Lu at 6:59 AM
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Padova is equally as stunning and beautiful as Vicenza My friends told me about this ritual that goes on at the University (which is the second oldest in southern europe) When the graduates are getting ready for their ceremony their friends make posters of cartoon illustations of them and post them in the town square These posters are typically rude in content and very very funny The first night we walked through the square there were no posters, the next day when I went back I was able to witness the tradition first hand! In the middle of the square a graduate (of masters level) was being what looked like paper machet'ed while reciting some rediuclous poem written by his colleagues I was trying to hard not to laugh (even though everyone else was) The other posters on the wall of the university were equally as funny the ones I took pictures were the only ones PG-13 ;) After having a few laughs at the guys expense I wandered over to a small alley where a meat/cheese/olive oil/candy market was the mean stand was a bit shocking (entire cured pig legs) but the cheese stand filled my mind with better thoughts Heading to Venice tonight...ciao! Posted by Eva Lu at 12:56 PM
Monday, September 22, 2008
This post goes out to Meredith :) Italy is amazing! Its everything that I ever expected it to be...and MORE It is safe to say that I have had the best food of my life over the past two days pizza, pasta, wine, proseco, cannoli, brusceta the list goes on and on We walked around the downtown area of Vecenza last night The streets are all cobble stone and very narrow There was a night market going on which was selling local foods One stand sold only truffles (the funghi not the chocolate) for 20euro/4 truffles! They are the most expensive fungus I have ever seen in my life Another stand offered about 20 different parmeseans and other delicious cheeses I was finally luered in my the Cannoli cart, which is actually a Sicilian dessert, but enjoyed all throughout Italy We sampled the chocolate and pistaccio (both were amazing) Afterwards we went back to the Inn and ate a proper 3 course meal at the restaurant next door I could hardly walk afterwards, but I was not complaining If and when I can get a better internet connection I will post more mouthwatering photos ciao! Posted by Eva Lu at 2:57 AM
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
While walking from the Flohmarkt to my most favorite Italian restaurant (in germany) I came across a new crop of grafitti art that I hadn't seen before a guy on a bike, a soul sister, and some mesopotamian dinner scene (I especially liked the mesopotamian themed one, since it reminded me of the B-52's) There is also a structure very similar to the space needle in Seattle It was very stunning against the cloudless sky I forgot to mention in my last post that I found a cute little urban boutique that carried some Hurley stuff! The employees were super nice and were stoked to tell me that they had just sold some Hurley gear before I came into the store :) Im off to Italy on Friday...a change of scenery is needed... enjoy! Posted by Eva Lu at 3:05 PM
Monday, September 15, 2008
So I finally scored a sunny weekend in Hamburg What a difference it made! The flohmarkt was super busy and every where I looked there were stylish people Ladies and Gents dressed so well, yet so casual It was almost too much to imagine I was able to wiggle my way into a pair of late 70's leather boots, found some great old books, 45's, and got a healty dose of mid century modern furniture The sunshine seemed to put everyone in a good mood enjoy! Posted by Eva Lu at 2:43 PM
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
(Finding w-lan on the road is not the easiest task) I just got back from my stay in Spain The Pyrenees mountains were so beautiful The city of Jaca is small, yet full of life It is home to one of the oldest cathedrals (10th century) and a fully intact citadel/military base. We got to dine on Tapas and Sangria till we were about to burst We took a tour of the citadel (built c. 1560) It was really something to see; old cannons, huge stone walls, and a moat! There was a pretty fantastic museum of minatures as well We got to go white water rafting in the el Rio Aragon The scenery was so surreal passing through the canyons I wans't able to bring my camera rafting so you're gonna have to take my word enjoy! Posted by Eva Lu at 2:17 PM
Saturday, August 30, 2008
We got up pretty early today to head back inland to the Pyrenees region of Spain The route we had planned took us through the French and Basque parts of the mountains before putting us into our final destination, Spain. The drive was so beautiful!!! We passed by century old stone houses, vinyards, farms, castles, and a never ending field of sleeping sunflowers (Being a follower of Pro cycling, it was also neat to see the region where many top cyclists train I would probably be pro if I could see this beautiful landscape every day!) Now we are in Jaca Spain, and the weather is perfect. enjoy :) (i know i am...) Posted by Eva Lu at 2:23 AM
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