We boarded the train to the patter of rain drops. The car count: three. The passenger count, not much greater. As we left the Croatian cityscape, the patter quickly faded but the view from the window quickly blurred with a paler mana. I, along with my Viking of a friend, Sigi, from Iceland were leaving Croatia behind and looking forward into the bleaker countryside of it’s southern neighbor. One of my first insights of Bosnia was the frequency of small villages and the fact that I couldn’t tell one from the other. It was as if some giant child had taken a village mold and filled it with Play-do and then spent the day pumping them out. The same twenty of so recycled brick houses with the small domed church in the center.
Around hour three or four of our nine hour train ride, the snow flakes increased to the size of cotton balls. Not the way I thought I would see Bosnia…but a unique experience that will stick in my mind. It was around this same time the we had an unexpected stop. It wasn’t until one of our compartment-mates gave us some insight that we learned that apparently the driver had stopped for a beer run. A comforting thought, a three car train, in the snowy countryside with a driver under the influence…haha! Luckily, other than some disturbingly screechy breaks, the rest of the trip was uneventful.
We arrived in Sarajevo somewhere around the time the my stomach was crying out for sustenance beyond the ketchup flavored cheese puffs and pretzel sticks that I had brought onto the train. Unfortunately, it would have to wait while we trudged through the dark and slushy streets of downtown Sarajevo. We quickly caught a tram (okay…so we actually waited for forty-five minutes) and counted out the five stops that would take us near our hostel. Near our hostel, that’s the key. As we exited the tram, it may have been my imagination, but it appeared that that snow was now coming down in like a curtain. We asked some giggling girls at the tram stop for directions only to receive more giggles and some shrugs. I think the count was around ten when we finally found someone who pointed us to the street where our snow-less haven awaited. Shivering we climbed up the three floors through a cramped stone staircase that brought us to our hostel door. We had made it, and our pants were only soaked up to the knees.
If you have been paying close attention to this blog you will quickly notice that I haven’t written anything of my time in Zagreb. I have things to say about that amazing city but I felt the urge to write about my Bosnian train ride first!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
LEE-YOU-BLEE-YANA
**I made two separate posts so don't forget to read the one below this!**
Ljubljana. A great city that nobody has heard of and even fewer can pronounce. Embarking into Slovenia was the first time that I really felt foreign. After being in so many German speaking regions, it was a complete change of pace to start hearing the Slavic tongue. I arrived at the train station and within an hour of arrival found myself at another concert. This time they were American…and they were old. The Eagles of Death Metal looked more like the Eagles of Yester Year. The lead guitarist had a delightful double chin that jiggled along with the music while the light shined off his shiny scalp while the bassist looked like some Emo caveman. Don’t get me started on the lead singer…they might have picked him up along the road somewhere…
But enough about old men. I spent the next day in Ljubljana simply walking the streets and snapping photos. Hopefully I will have the patience to go through them and pick a few key shots. I was fortunate to be in the artsy mood because there isn’t much else to do in Ljubljana except drink. That’s why I made a trek away from the city the next morning to the beautiful Triglav National Park.
Something that I’ve already picked up on about Eastern Europe is the lack of fear in the bus drivers. The drive to Triglav took us down barely paved roads that could fit about and a half cars and around blind bends that could very well have led to the death of some poor cow or farmer that may have been walking along the road. Thankfully, we made it without any casualties. I arrived at the tourist information only to find out that the hiking trails in Triglav have a sad way of starting in the middle of nowhere (I.e. nowhere near the town) so I enjoyed a walk around the lake as well as a daring dance along a rocky river shore. And there was plenty of time to sleep on the bus on the way back as the bus broke down about a twenty miles from anywhere important enough to have a mechanic. Needless to say, we made it back, and I roam on.
Ljubljana. A great city that nobody has heard of and even fewer can pronounce. Embarking into Slovenia was the first time that I really felt foreign. After being in so many German speaking regions, it was a complete change of pace to start hearing the Slavic tongue. I arrived at the train station and within an hour of arrival found myself at another concert. This time they were American…and they were old. The Eagles of Death Metal looked more like the Eagles of Yester Year. The lead guitarist had a delightful double chin that jiggled along with the music while the light shined off his shiny scalp while the bassist looked like some Emo caveman. Don’t get me started on the lead singer…they might have picked him up along the road somewhere…
But enough about old men. I spent the next day in Ljubljana simply walking the streets and snapping photos. Hopefully I will have the patience to go through them and pick a few key shots. I was fortunate to be in the artsy mood because there isn’t much else to do in Ljubljana except drink. That’s why I made a trek away from the city the next morning to the beautiful Triglav National Park.
Something that I’ve already picked up on about Eastern Europe is the lack of fear in the bus drivers. The drive to Triglav took us down barely paved roads that could fit about and a half cars and around blind bends that could very well have led to the death of some poor cow or farmer that may have been walking along the road. Thankfully, we made it without any casualties. I arrived at the tourist information only to find out that the hiking trails in Triglav have a sad way of starting in the middle of nowhere (I.e. nowhere near the town) so I enjoyed a walk around the lake as well as a daring dance along a rocky river shore. And there was plenty of time to sleep on the bus on the way back as the bus broke down about a twenty miles from anywhere important enough to have a mechanic. Needless to say, we made it back, and I roam on.
Friends and Fry-masters in Östereich
Have you ever had those moments where you are walking down the street, listening to you Ipod and all of the sudden a song comes on that perfectly fits your mood. It’s kind of like a soundtrack for you life for a few minutes…This has happened a few times on the trip so far and I love it! It seems to work like de ja vu for me though. After it happens I forget what the song was so when I try to tell someone about it it just turns out lame. And that folks is your moment of Zen for the evening.
I was sad to leave Salzburg. I won’t lie. But my trip was taking me towards more friends and they were waiting for me, so I moved on! I don’t have too much to say about Linz. It was a nice picturesque university town…that’s about it. Luckily I was staying with another of my cousin’s Tanzanian muchachos so that made it a lot more fun. Daniel is getting close to finishing up his thesis at the University of Linz. There are a few memories that I have of my short stay here. The main themes are food and music. I’ll start with the food.
Daniel and his roommate Luke have this amazing machine…it’s called something like the fry-o-matic. Basically it crisps up and cooks food with out drowning it. It looked like a big donut and you could even watch the food spinning around…needless to say, we had great chicken nuggets with our spaghetti and amazing sausages and chips, all thanks to the help of our fry-friend. I was also fortunate enough to have a traditional Austrian meal when I was invited to eat at Daniel’s parent’s place. I provided a delightful excuse for him to bring his girlfriend to meet the fam without it being too weird. Go me! Anyway, we had roasted pork parts (different parts…I forget) along with some for of craut and dumplings. Delicious…yep, even the oinker.
And what better way to digest any well cooked meal (Besides the traditional schnapps or two of course!) ? Well, go to an industrial-esque concert with screaming men that try to look like Marilyn Manson of course! It was some British band named I AM X and although they could put on a show, it was a show that I would be happy enough never to relive. Slightly up from this was the “Dress like an animal” themed birthday party at a local bar. No, I did not ever actually meet the birthday boy himself…but I enjoyed the rocking the house with bears, ants, pigs and elephants, among other woodland creatures. At the my friends is Linz in a nutshell.
On to Vienna. A spectacular city which comes in at a close second to Berlin of my favorite European cities. I arrived in Vienna to the smiling face of my Nick’s girlfriend, Eva. Eva lives with some amazing roommates and I felt at home in their flat. We cooked, we walked, we watched (movies, but that doesn’t fit into the alliteration). Austrian spaetzle and nectarine and raspberry cobbler was the highlight of our cooking ventures while riding the Ferris wheel and seeing the city from above provided the most entertainment of the sights. Some artists I enjoyed: Egon Schiele and Ernst Barlach. You should check them out.
Did you know that the word Schmuck means jewelry in German? Neither did I and it became a great inside joke for the rest of my stay in Vienna. We laughed all the harder when it was mentioned in “Milk”. Great movie. Sean Penn. Wow.
Oh yeah, and do as Mr. T says and “Respect your Mother!” (Youtube it…hilarious)
I was sad to leave Salzburg. I won’t lie. But my trip was taking me towards more friends and they were waiting for me, so I moved on! I don’t have too much to say about Linz. It was a nice picturesque university town…that’s about it. Luckily I was staying with another of my cousin’s Tanzanian muchachos so that made it a lot more fun. Daniel is getting close to finishing up his thesis at the University of Linz. There are a few memories that I have of my short stay here. The main themes are food and music. I’ll start with the food.
Daniel and his roommate Luke have this amazing machine…it’s called something like the fry-o-matic. Basically it crisps up and cooks food with out drowning it. It looked like a big donut and you could even watch the food spinning around…needless to say, we had great chicken nuggets with our spaghetti and amazing sausages and chips, all thanks to the help of our fry-friend. I was also fortunate enough to have a traditional Austrian meal when I was invited to eat at Daniel’s parent’s place. I provided a delightful excuse for him to bring his girlfriend to meet the fam without it being too weird. Go me! Anyway, we had roasted pork parts (different parts…I forget) along with some for of craut and dumplings. Delicious…yep, even the oinker.
And what better way to digest any well cooked meal (Besides the traditional schnapps or two of course!) ? Well, go to an industrial-esque concert with screaming men that try to look like Marilyn Manson of course! It was some British band named I AM X and although they could put on a show, it was a show that I would be happy enough never to relive. Slightly up from this was the “Dress like an animal” themed birthday party at a local bar. No, I did not ever actually meet the birthday boy himself…but I enjoyed the rocking the house with bears, ants, pigs and elephants, among other woodland creatures. At the my friends is Linz in a nutshell.
On to Vienna. A spectacular city which comes in at a close second to Berlin of my favorite European cities. I arrived in Vienna to the smiling face of my Nick’s girlfriend, Eva. Eva lives with some amazing roommates and I felt at home in their flat. We cooked, we walked, we watched (movies, but that doesn’t fit into the alliteration). Austrian spaetzle and nectarine and raspberry cobbler was the highlight of our cooking ventures while riding the Ferris wheel and seeing the city from above provided the most entertainment of the sights. Some artists I enjoyed: Egon Schiele and Ernst Barlach. You should check them out.
Did you know that the word Schmuck means jewelry in German? Neither did I and it became a great inside joke for the rest of my stay in Vienna. We laughed all the harder when it was mentioned in “Milk”. Great movie. Sean Penn. Wow.
Oh yeah, and do as Mr. T says and “Respect your Mother!” (Youtube it…hilarious)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Hills Are Alive….with Big Busted Eateries and the Sound of Improvised Melodies
***New Pictures***
Something I’ve noticed in Europe is that it appears that one in every ten people is using some for of crutch or cane. At first this took me as odd…just because I didn’t think that there were that many more fragile walkers on this side of the Atlantic. Then the reason struck me. I’ve only seen at total of about five people in wheelchairs. Europeans are just more sturdy and hardcore than Americans and can walk everywhere instead of being wheeled around by a sulking relative. Yet another way that Europeans appear to be in a healthier state than Americans!
But now back to thee prime time event that is the actual traveling experiences. I believe I last left off in Bern, so that brings us to Interlaken. The picturesque cliché mountain town in the middle of the Alps. You wake up each morning with either a breathtaking view of a lake or a mountain. You really don’t have a choice because you are surrounded. Suffice it to say how to surprised I was then, to walk down the street and see the unmistakably familiar sign of the local Hooters! Not to say that there is any lack of attractive women…but c’mon people! There are plenty of breathtaking views if you look up a little higher! It may also have been due to the observation of a middle-aged women doing lines off of a newspaper in front of the train station…but my impression of small town Switzerland was slightly marred.
Upon my emancipation from the high hills, I arrived in Zurich. That’s about all I have to say about the town. It has the largest clock face in Europe…and…is supposedly nicer in the Spring (along with most of the other places I’ve been so far!). The real enjoyment that I had in Zurich was in getting to spend time with my host. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay with a friend of my Aunt that she met while traveling through Europe herself as a youngster! Manuela was an amazing host and chef! I am happy to let you know that I have now tried Veal and some kind of smoked Swiss meat because of her! It was also great to swap travel stories (Manuela had been on an around the world trip when she was about my age) and she even made me a birthday torte with candles and everything! In my final day in Zurich, I took an amazing train ride through the Alps to the town of St. Moritz. St. Moritz is a posh mountain ski town that also hosts the snow polo world cup on the frozen lake in town. Unfortunately, when I actually got to the town, it was snowing so hard that my camera wouldn’t even focus on the blurry forest around me so I enjoyed a cappuccino and some apple strudel along with a good book.
From there my journey sent me into Austria! I stayed in Innsbruck for a few uneventful days. Innsbruck was nice (although I realized that I’d actually been there on a previous trip!) but it was very similar to some of the other small mountain towns I’ve described so I’ll save you the gory details. I did so an amazing jazz performance on a whim! It was the only thing playing in town so I decided to check it out. I think I must be drawn to a cappella or something because this concert involved a trumpet and a beat boxer. The trumpet was sub par in my opinion but the beat boxer was one of the best that I’ve ever been blessed to hear. Both the trumpet and beat boxer looped their tracks to layer the sounds and make sweet sweet music!
Now I find myself in Salzburg. The hills are not as alive in the winter time, but still beautiful and full of music if you know where to go. I met my host at the train station and he took me directly to one of his favorite lakes. We trudged through half a mile of snow covered path to get to it…but it was worth the view! Salzburg has nice cobbled streets and a very welcoming atmosphere. There are two things that this town is famous for: Mozart and…you know that one musical…they sing a lot of favorite things and do re mi’s…So of course I made it my goal to see as many of the famous sights having to do with both. Mozart was done by midday on my first day. The Sound of Music provided a little bit more of a challenge…as in most movies, there wasn’t one place that it was set. They use the back of this castle and front of another and then they use the gate from one nunnery, while they use the lake from a completely opposite side of town than the backyard that is supposedly facing it. In the end, here was the count: The front of the house, the back of the house with the balcony, the cemetery where they hide from the Nazis, the gate where there children beg to see Maria and the theater where the Salzburg festival is held. I almost made the trip to the gazebo, famous for 16 going on 17, but I’d had enough of trespassing on private castle properties for the week…so I decided to skip it!
Last night we went to an amazing alternative bar. Well, okay, the bar wasn’t really the amazing part. The amazing part was that Monday nights are jam sessions! Half of the bar got up on stage and one point of another…and I had even had enough beer to free style on some bluesier tunes! Tonight was are heading to a jazz club where hopefully we will actually hear people who are made to jam…I head to Linz tomorrow and then Vienna in a few days! After that…who knows!
Peace in your hoods.
Something I’ve noticed in Europe is that it appears that one in every ten people is using some for of crutch or cane. At first this took me as odd…just because I didn’t think that there were that many more fragile walkers on this side of the Atlantic. Then the reason struck me. I’ve only seen at total of about five people in wheelchairs. Europeans are just more sturdy and hardcore than Americans and can walk everywhere instead of being wheeled around by a sulking relative. Yet another way that Europeans appear to be in a healthier state than Americans!
But now back to thee prime time event that is the actual traveling experiences. I believe I last left off in Bern, so that brings us to Interlaken. The picturesque cliché mountain town in the middle of the Alps. You wake up each morning with either a breathtaking view of a lake or a mountain. You really don’t have a choice because you are surrounded. Suffice it to say how to surprised I was then, to walk down the street and see the unmistakably familiar sign of the local Hooters! Not to say that there is any lack of attractive women…but c’mon people! There are plenty of breathtaking views if you look up a little higher! It may also have been due to the observation of a middle-aged women doing lines off of a newspaper in front of the train station…but my impression of small town Switzerland was slightly marred.
Upon my emancipation from the high hills, I arrived in Zurich. That’s about all I have to say about the town. It has the largest clock face in Europe…and…is supposedly nicer in the Spring (along with most of the other places I’ve been so far!). The real enjoyment that I had in Zurich was in getting to spend time with my host. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay with a friend of my Aunt that she met while traveling through Europe herself as a youngster! Manuela was an amazing host and chef! I am happy to let you know that I have now tried Veal and some kind of smoked Swiss meat because of her! It was also great to swap travel stories (Manuela had been on an around the world trip when she was about my age) and she even made me a birthday torte with candles and everything! In my final day in Zurich, I took an amazing train ride through the Alps to the town of St. Moritz. St. Moritz is a posh mountain ski town that also hosts the snow polo world cup on the frozen lake in town. Unfortunately, when I actually got to the town, it was snowing so hard that my camera wouldn’t even focus on the blurry forest around me so I enjoyed a cappuccino and some apple strudel along with a good book.
From there my journey sent me into Austria! I stayed in Innsbruck for a few uneventful days. Innsbruck was nice (although I realized that I’d actually been there on a previous trip!) but it was very similar to some of the other small mountain towns I’ve described so I’ll save you the gory details. I did so an amazing jazz performance on a whim! It was the only thing playing in town so I decided to check it out. I think I must be drawn to a cappella or something because this concert involved a trumpet and a beat boxer. The trumpet was sub par in my opinion but the beat boxer was one of the best that I’ve ever been blessed to hear. Both the trumpet and beat boxer looped their tracks to layer the sounds and make sweet sweet music!
Now I find myself in Salzburg. The hills are not as alive in the winter time, but still beautiful and full of music if you know where to go. I met my host at the train station and he took me directly to one of his favorite lakes. We trudged through half a mile of snow covered path to get to it…but it was worth the view! Salzburg has nice cobbled streets and a very welcoming atmosphere. There are two things that this town is famous for: Mozart and…you know that one musical…they sing a lot of favorite things and do re mi’s…So of course I made it my goal to see as many of the famous sights having to do with both. Mozart was done by midday on my first day. The Sound of Music provided a little bit more of a challenge…as in most movies, there wasn’t one place that it was set. They use the back of this castle and front of another and then they use the gate from one nunnery, while they use the lake from a completely opposite side of town than the backyard that is supposedly facing it. In the end, here was the count: The front of the house, the back of the house with the balcony, the cemetery where they hide from the Nazis, the gate where there children beg to see Maria and the theater where the Salzburg festival is held. I almost made the trip to the gazebo, famous for 16 going on 17, but I’d had enough of trespassing on private castle properties for the week…so I decided to skip it!
Last night we went to an amazing alternative bar. Well, okay, the bar wasn’t really the amazing part. The amazing part was that Monday nights are jam sessions! Half of the bar got up on stage and one point of another…and I had even had enough beer to free style on some bluesier tunes! Tonight was are heading to a jazz club where hopefully we will actually hear people who are made to jam…I head to Linz tomorrow and then Vienna in a few days! After that…who knows!
Peace in your hoods.
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