My Adopted City

I have talked to several people who mentioned having adopted cities around the world - you know, home away from home cities that really grab you and hold on for dear life. I have always wanted to learn Portuguese but never had any reason to until now, so I am officially adoption Porto, Portugal (and Portugal as a country in general).

Nothing in particular was incredibly spectacular, but maybe that's why I liked it so much. It was a normal city, with locals and culture and fantastic food and silly traditions like all countries and cities (should) have. The hostel I stayed in (Yes! Porto Hostel) was incredible and I met several older (27-32) friends there who openly shared their adventures and languages with me. My room had an amazing view or the city center and gave free shots to the guests at 11pm!

The city itself was wonderful as well. I went on two free walking tours with the same guide and feel like I really saw the center in the two days I was there. I attended a Porto football game (soccer for all you Americans) and supported the locals, ate traditional food, went Port wine tasting, bought pastries at the best bakery in the city, and more. I loved it. I love the language, the people, the relaxed atmosphere - I am already planning my trip back!

Quick note: night life was good but not as good as Barcelona, but I had more friends in Spain which probably added to that. Currently in historical and fantastic Roma, Italia! Met a lovely French friend, Michael, and had drinks with my waiter from dinner last night who kept giving me free Lemoncello shots and drew a whipped cream heart on my tiramisu. Oh Italians... They are just as bad as I expected. More updates later!!

-A

Catch Up Time - Barcelona, Spain

Ahhh, beautiful Barcelona. So it is true - everything that I heard about Barcelona is true. It is absolutely fantastic and I now plan and staying for an extended period of time (maybe 6 months?) to learn Spanish and embrace their culture. I am disappointed that I did not get the chance to visit elsewhere in Spain, but maybe that is a good thing. I probably wouldn't ever leave...

I met a few really wonderful people durring my stay there including Ina, my fellow teanager (19), and Zach, a scary tattooed Canadian (secretly a big teady bear). My favorite part about Barcelona - besides the obvious architecture, culture, beaches, etc. - were the people I spent time with. My hostel is an infamous party place where the staff are just as involved with pub crawls and outings as the guests are. We ended up becoming very close - it was probably the booze, actually - and I plan on meeting up with them durring my travels!

Just to give you a visual, imagine walking down small pedestrian outdoor corridors to the beach, drinking cold beer and cider, hair being blown by the wind and kissed with the salty air. Picture getting lost in the local markets full to the brim with produce and eating gelato in the park. And then... The night life. Pub Crawling is a great way to see the local hang outs. It usually consists of  3 bars and a club, somtimes including free drinks or shots. Meet locals, and if your lucky you will get to watch a stripper dance in a giant martini glass full of water!

Quickly worth mentioning is the notorious shots bar around the corner. It offers 600 completely original shots ranging from the "Boy Scout" ( involves roasting a marshmello over flaming alcohol - my favorite) to "Exorcist" (involving a horribly mysterious mixture that I refused to try). Great atmosphere, although it gets pretty crazy and packed the closer you get to midnight.

I can't wait to visit again and see everything I didn't get a chance to see! Four days was definately not enough time to really experience the sites and absorbe the crowd.

Back for more soon,
-A

Communicating With the French Police

I apologize for being out of contact for the last few days (it seems like a blink of an eye to me, but it probably feels a lot longer for all my adoring fans back home). I will say that it was not my fault - the blame belongs to the French police and the jerks who stole my phone in the metro station. Let me debrief you:

So here I was, minding my own business, trying to get my shit together in the main metro station in Lyon, France. I was approached by four boys (and I do mean boys... the youngest was about 7) and was asked if I wanted to buy a metro ticket from them. I said no, because it was obviously a used ticket, and turned to buy my own, and then BAM - the youngest snatched my phone from my pocket and they were gone before I could turn around. Long story short, a woman called the cops and I was stuck in the police station trying to explain what happened (which I didn´t see) to French police men (who did not speak more than a word of English).

And now I know why French police men are so loved and respected by their people (sarcasm). Any who, I´ll give a quick update on what else has happened. I met a wonderful French/English man in Thonon-les-Bains, France - he was getting tattooed at the same time as me, and we bonded over our mutual pain. He is lovely and kind and proves that all French stereotypes have exceptions - so thank you Chris for making France worth every second of inconvenience that I did experience.

In other news, I stayed with a wonderful couple in Lyon. Mostly, I recovered from my sour first experience while in Lyon, but they walked me around and showed me a good time with their friends later on. I can´t wait to go back and truly experience Lyon! Old town is beautiful there, and I ate the best meal of my whole trip while there (including snail, which isn´t nearly as bad at you would think it is). 

Currently, I am in beautiful Barcelona, and there is a good chance I will never leave! That´s for a new post though. Ciao!

-A

Bucket List

Like many celebrated holidays, I don't see the point of Valentine's Day. No mater what, I end up being alone, whether I am currently single, dating, or in a relationship (frankly I'm not sure what I am right now) it doesn't matter. So, instead of celebrating this meaningless holiday that supports wasteful habits and consumerism, I am permanently reminding myself that life takes you where it wants to - whether you succeed or not depends on your ability to ride the waves so to speak. Today is the day that I will be tattooed by one of my favorite artists: Xoil (Loic) in Thonon-les-Bains, France at Needles Side Tattoo!

I am both nervous and excited - mostly nervous because I have no idea what my tattoo looks like, how long it will take, or how much it will cost. I'm being spontaneous,  I guess.

In other news, I see the mail truck outside, hopefully with my Eurorail Pass! And I have been thinking a lot these last few days about my life and what I want to accomplish, so I started a bucket list:

Amanda's Bucket List:

• Visit 30 countries by the time I'm 25
• Work with/train elephants in Sri Lanka or elsewhere in Asia
• Work with wildlife conservation through www.projects-abroad.co.uk
• Volunteer in an orphanage
• Get my Master Diving Certification
• Get my Paragliding Certification
• Do research in Antarctica
• Swim in the Red Sea
• Swim with great white sharks
• Touch a whale in the wild
• Hike to Base Camp (at least) on Mt. Everest
• Through-hike the PCT
• Learn 3 foreign languages

And so, with that I leave you. I will be sure to post pictures of my masterpiece when it is finished. Off to get tatted!

-A

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day to all those lucky couples who get to be with eachother today.

PICTURES!

Everyone, my lovely room mate Peter is letting me borrow his computer so that I can start to catch up on picture posting. Hang in there, and soon all the pictures will be up! yay!

A little piece of Heaven

On a personal note:

I stepped of the train into the small town of Interlaken, Switzerland a few days ago - having had a terrible day consisting of losing money, missing trains, and much more - and all my qualms and complaints were wiped clean away. The beauty of this quite city at 1 am astounded me and I much enjoyed my short walk through the light snow to my hostel.

I have been here now for 4 days or so with the intention of doing some awesome extreme sports like sky diving and bungee jumping, but have yet to do any of them. The weather here in Interlaken has been unceasingly snowy and cold, preventing any decent visibility. So I have opted to stay mostly inside of my hostel, relaxing and watching movies, going for short walks in the snow and cooking meals to save some extra money (still a good trip if you ask me...). Tomorrow, Saturday, is supposed to clear up and I might actually get a nice hike or crazy adventure in!

Meanwhile, I thought I would update all of you on where I am planning on going in my last month or so of traveling, so here is a very rough tentative schedule. If you or anyone you know has an available couch or floor, I would gladly trade a piece of art or pan of brownies for a roof! The more locals I can stay with, the better!

Amanda's Schedule:

• Interlaken, Switzerland
• Bern, Switzerland - Feb. 11th
• Geneva, Switzerland - Feb. 12th
• Thonon-les-Bains, France - Feb. 13th
• Lyon, France - Feb. 15th
• Barcelona, Spain - Feb. 17th
• Madrid, Spain/Porto, Portugal - Feb. 20th
• Lisbon, Portugal - Feb. 22nd
• Rome, Italy - Feb. 23rd
• Florence, Italy/ Verona, Italy - Feb. 27th
• Vienna, Italy - Mar. 1st
• Austria (not sure where yet...)
• Prague, Czech Republic - Mar. 4th
• Berlin, Germany - Mar. 6th
• London, England - Mar. 9th
• Frankfurt, Germany - Mar. 12th

Any questions? Going to be in the area? Want to meet me somewhere? Comment and let me know!

With a coffee in my hand - Cheers!
-A

Paris - Off the Beaten Path

Not only did I see all the obnoxious tourist sites in Paris, I tried my best to also check out some of the local hangouts and more culture-filled parts of the city. In doing so, I fell in love with Montmartre, a district (sort of recently adopted into the city of Paris) where famous painters, authors, and artists holed up in their studios working on some of the most famous works of art in history. It doesn't need to be said that this was right up my alley.

Montmartre Tour:

        The amazing people of Culturefish! Tours also had a free tour of the Montmartre district - just as full of history, fun facts, and cultural habits of the French as the last tour. Honestly,. I don't think my stay in Paris would have been as lovely as it was without the amazing Pierre. Despite us both (Pierre and I) being sick as dogs, coughing up a storm, we handled the cold just fine and spent three wonderful hours exploring the beautiful narrow cobblestone alleys and windmills that the artist found so inspiring. I felt like whipping out my canvas and paintbrush and joining the crowd! We also passed by the Montmartre Museum (didn't go inside, but it has a wonderful amount of history attached to it) and a few breathtaking cathedrals with views of the entire city. I could write pages about all I saw and loved in Montmartre - the street artists, the only vineyards left in Paris, Van Gogh's old apartment - but I would go on forever. One thing you may have heard of though is Moulin Rouge, the famous cabaret in Paris where some of the best dancers from all over the world came to dance at (Oh and there was that movie about it in 2001 with Nicole Kidman...) I did not attend a show unfortunately, it was rediculously over priced and I heard the food wasn't that great.

I also wanted to take a second to mention a few things I did not get a chance to explore in Paris. One being an awesome street art tour of the city (either by foot or on bike) recommended by Culturefish! Tours, and another being the Catacombs -  an underground tomb holding the remains of nearly 6 million people. I will most certainly be back in Paris to do these and  more - there is an old myth that says if you turn 360 degrees in a circle over the center of Paris, you will be back in the city within 7 years of doing so (which I did before I left.).

Ciao for now, more on Switzerland coming up next!

-A

Finding Myself in Paris

Ah, Paris. So much history and passion is wrapped up in this city and its people. It has become the iconic city of France, representing French value, culture, cuisine and more - finally I have experienced Paris, France for myself. I decided to prepare myself by starting with a walking tour hosted by Culturefish! Tours - a tour company started by three American-born siblings who grew up with a French mother and decided to share their passion for culture clash and history together in Paris (Check them out at www.culturefishtours.com).

Walking Tour of Paris:

        Our walking tour covered the most substantial parts of Paris (within reasonable walking distance of each other - sorry no Eiffel Tower!) in roughly 3 - 3.5 hours, with the only downside to this being that it is all outdoors (which happens to be cold in winter...) and there are no restroom or snack breaks. The tour is completely free with the guides working only on tips - a "pay what you think it was worth" system. Some sites we saw (the outside of) included Notre Dame, the Lock Bridge, the Louvre, City Hall and several other cathedrals and statues along the way. The most interesting part, I must say, would have to be the cultural tips that my guide, Pierre, provided. As a part of their tour they help tourists understand the important, though sometimes subtle, actions that sometimes lead to culture clash and generalizations about the French. Noted: running into people on the streets is not rude, but talking loudly is extraordinarily rude in public.

Museums:

        So, apparently the first Sunday of every month is Free Museum Day, which landed perfectly in the middle of my time in London. Taking advantage of no admission charges, I visited all the museums on my list: The Louvre, The d`Orsay, and Centre Pompidou.

        The most impressive thing about the Louvre was the sheer size of it. If you spent 60 seconds in front of everything in there, you would spend over 5 years in the museum (not including bathroom and snack breaks). My method was to simply pick a few things I wanted to see and go from there. I loved the statue wing and of course saw the Mona Lisa (she is definitely smiling). If you check out the museum for yourself, don`t forget to look up - the ceilings and architecture of the building itself are a work of art!

        The d`Orsay (no photography) was my favorite of the museums in Paris, and one of my favorites in Europe. Though still massive, you are able to see it in a day, unlike the Louvre. The museum holds everything from statues to paintings to artifacts from hundreds of years ago to modern times - my favorite (go figure) is the very nice collection of Van Gogh paintings upstairs. I walked through that section at least three times (it is very crowded, consider yourself warned) and could have sat in there all day!

        The Pompidou was very interesting (being a modern art museum) but I really enjoyed walking through it. They have two parts, a permanent collection wing and a featured artist wing (I went only to the permanent collection, but Dali was featured in the other and it looked like a wonderful exhibit). The building itself is a work of modern art with all the guts of the building (water lines, air conditioning, etc.) being on the outside of the building, painted and color coded, while the inside remains clean, white and open - fantastic! Pictures cannot do it justice.

Versailles:

        On my last day in Paris, I decided it was worth the 28 euros to take a guided tour of the Palace Versailles - and it absolutely was. Originally I thought that it was throughout the whole palace, but when I arrived I found that it was only through the gardens (which are massive enough). My lovely guide Onno took us through a nice chunk of the miles and miles of garden that good old King Louie thought was necessary to show off his wealth and power. Getting the historical background of the grounds and palace was wonderful, and I am beginning to connect all the history I have learned about throughout Europe - very cool! If you get a chance to go, I absolutely would (though the cafe is overpriced and it is 15 euros to get into the palace, and twice as expensive to visit in the summer when the fountains are on). Check out the pictures (coming soon...)

-A

Ghent, Belgium

Although I only spent part of a day here in Ghent (Gent), my trip was made very special and extra enjoyable by the lovely Lisa, a local who introduced herself on the train there.

Mostly, my trip to Ghent consisted of walking around the main part of town, which is very cozy and friendly, and Lisa pointing out the pest places to eat, drink, and just soak in the beauty. There were narrow cobblestone streets lined with old stone buildings covered in ivy. We walked through the popular street art alley where anyone is welcome to show their spray painting talents off.

We also stopped at a wonderful little chocolate cafe, unique (of course) to Ghent, where they served everything from chocolate brownies to chocolate milk, coffee, and liqueur. I enjoyed a chocolate coffee (or mocha for all my fellow coffee shop go-ers) and a brownie - some of the best chocolate goods I have ever had! Another (interesting) treat I had in Ghent were the best fries in all of Belgium. Did you know that "French Fries" are not French at all? They are actually originally from Belgium, and so natually it was necessary that I tried them the locals way with brown sauce (basically gravy made from a cornicopia of meat drippings) and mayonaise (which normally I despise, but it was actually not as horrible as in the States).

Other fun things I did besides walking around and enjoying the city were visiting the castle (which I did not go in because it technically is not a real castle... shhh) and taking a look through the modern art museum (S.M.A.C. standing for who knows what...). The museum was very interesting... as most modern museums are. One of my favorite pieces was a massive piece of linnen, probably the size of a football field, covered in blue ball point pen scribbles. Talk about getting the creative juices flowing!

I appologize for the delayed posting again, but I will be catching up A.S.A.P.! Thank you for your understanding. Peace and love,

-A

Bruxelles, Belgium

I have at this point moved on from my stay in Brussels, but as I reflect upon what was there, I am slightly dissapointed at myself for not exploring more durring my stay. Perhaps I compared it too much to the fabulous Edinburgh, Scotland. Maybe getting into the city late in the day tainted my view - either way I am sure Brussels has more to offer than what I experienced (not to say that I didn't enjoy my stay). Location wise, I was not exactly in an ideal place to enjoy downtown, so I definitely recommend staying as close to the main city center as possible.

Actually, I found myself wandering around a lot, probably because it was the first truely foreign country I have been to alone (everyone speaks french/dutch and they have an entirely different culture). It was certainly rich in culture and that became apparent when in the town centre. Here's the good things I saw:

Musée des Instruments de Musique:
        Right in the middle of the museum square downtown is a really interesting musical instruments museum. I had been recommended this by the company Use-It (geared toward free/affordable youth tourism - check them out at www.use-it.travel) and was not at all expecting what was inside. The tour comes with a free audio guide and as you walk around looking at the thousands of different instruments, it automatically plays music played by the instrument infront of you! I had never experienced such a thing, and was really impressed by how high-tech everything was.

Musée Margritte: (no photography, but I snuck a few)
        This was by far my favorite museum in Belgium, and probably my favorite museum in Europe so far. Dedicated to famous contemporary artist René Margritte (reh-neh mahr-greet), this museum holds the largest personal collection of paintings done by Margritte, aswell as a full history of his life and accomplishments. Having not been very familiar with him, I was reluctant about going at first, but for a very reasonable €2 it was worst every bit. I even bought a book from the gift shop (which typically is against everything I stand for), and so with that, I leave you to google more of his artwork and see for yourself.

Chocolate Square and the Chocolate Museum:
        For everyones information, the Chocolate Museum is not located in Chocolate Square... Easily missed (and I can see why) is the Chocolate Museum in Brussels which in my mind is not worth the Euros I paid for it. The museum gives a full historical backround on the cocao bean and chocolate as a whole, as well as a chocolate making demonstration (which I missed) and a chocolate sampling (which was pretty delicious) Available for purchase are overpriced chocolate bars and other paraphernalia. Chocolate Square got its nickname through being the home of every gourmet Belgian chocolate shop you can think of (and then some). Its located mjust down from museum square and is a real pleasure to walk around in, although I did not purchase any chocolate because the prices were absurd. If you have the money, I recommend it, but being on a backpacker budget that was out of the question.

Manneken Pis:
        The famous statue of a boy doing his business - not the best thing but a must see if in Brussels. There are also rumors that they now have a female version and a dog version somewhere in the city!

There were plenty of other good things about the city, but thays for you to find out when you are on your own trip! Questions? Comments? Write to me below!

-A