Beginning of my trip with my small backpack
Dusseldorf
Dusseldorf is a smaller German city on the Rhine river. It is not a well known city around the world but we were definitely able to experience the German culture there. The food was excellent. We were able to try true German bratwurst and schnitzel. Not only was the food delicious but the beer was also very good. The common beer to drink in Dusseldorf is call "Altbier". In my opinion, it was nothing more than a lager with a bit more flavor. But the Weissbier couldn't be beat.
We were lucky to experience Dusseldorf on one of the best nights of the week, Wednesday. It seems that everyone aged 18-50 goes to beer halls all over Dusseldorf after work till about midnight. The street we were on was so packed with people that cars couldn't drive through. This was one of my favorite nights of the trip.
The tallest building in Dusseldorf is the "Rheinturm", which is the largest digital clock in the world. It is a large spire that lights up at night to display the time.
My first meal in Dusseldorf: bratwurst and a beer
Hanging out next to the Rhine
View of Dusseldorf with Rhineturm in the background
View of Dusseldorf from the Rhineturm
The crew
Schniztzel and Weissbier
The street packed with people
Amsterdam
After two days in Dusseldorf we took the train to Amsterdam. It was about a 6 hour journey but it allowed us to see the German and Dutch countryside. We arrived in Amsterdam without any idea of where our hostel was located. So as we wandered along the canals and took in the sights of downtown Amsterdam. All of a sudden I looked to my left to find that we were right in the middle of the Red Light District. Despite all the stories and movies, seeing the Red Light District for the first time with my own eyes is something I will never forget.
After all the tourist activities like doing a tour of the Heineken factory, Anne Frank house, and a canal tour, we were able to experience the more normal Dutch culture. We were blessed with warm, sunny days that we spent hanging out in the parks with hundreds of Dutch. Another popular custom in Amsterdam is to take your boat out at night with food, drinks, and a couple friends and cruise up and down the canals. If I ever lived in Amsterdam I would definitely have to get a boat and participate in the nightly cruises.
Easter sunday was spent attending a catholic church service in spanish. It honestly seemed like a baptist church service with lots of singing and clapping but in spanish. After the service we were able to enjoy some good English breakfast of eggs, toast, beans, sausages, and real bacon. Anther memorable meal was the night we went to a pancake house for dinner. The restaurant we went to was owned and run by one lady. I ordered a belgium waffle with chocolate sauce, banana slices, and whip cream. This waffle is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted, even beating out a freshly cooked Krispy Kreme doughnut. I could feel the sugar crystal in my mouth while I was chewing, that's how sugary it was.
Our hostel experience in Amsterdam was what really tired us out. In order to get the best prices we decided to move hostels frequently. This ended up not being the best decision as we had to be up by 930 and checked out by 1030. We stayed in rooms with 12, 16, and 20 beds. So we really got the true hostel experience.
Canals of Amsterdam
Outside of the Anne Frank house
House boats on the canal
20 bed hostel room
Relaxing in the park
London
As I mentioned in a previous blog post, London is incredibly expensive. So after the previous week in Dusseldorf and Amsterdam and having my debit card eaten by an ATM in Amsterdam, I was definitely feeling strapped for cash. But despite my situation I was able to see a lot of the sights I saw last time including some new ones.
I experienced more bad luck our second day when I got separated from the group. But it did allow me to do my own thing. I was able to enjoy a good lunch with an english ale after checking out the Globe theater. Ithen proceeded to 221 Baker Street. This is the address of the consulting services of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The tour through the house was really cool and I picked some souvenirs for my super-fan dad. After I took a quick tour through the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. Both were really cool and I could have spent hours there but I was so tired that I just had to get off my feet. That night we were able to see "All's Well That Ends Well" at the Globe Theater. It was a great play, which we spent on our sore feet. The one thing I did miss from not being in the group was the performance by Natasha Bedingfield at the Tower London. They have some great pictures with her.
After the play we spent the night in the Stansted airport to catch our flight early the next morning to Dublin. My first night spent at an airport, and definitely not my last.
We were in London the day before the Royal Wedding and we could already see how crazy the city was getting. A lot of security everywhere and tons of tourists. It would have been really cool to see the royal wedding but we were only a country away in Ireland when it happened.
With Holmes and Watson
Me and the stage at the Globe Theater
Dublin
Dublin was bigger and dirtier than I expected. Outside of the central tourist area, everything was split up. Our first tour was of Kilmainham jail, which was the jail that housed and executed almost every Irish revolutionary in Ireland's history. It was interesting to notice how much of Ireland's history was tied to this prison.
Other than the jail there is only one other popular thing to do in Dublin and that is the tour of the Guinness factory. This tour is the coolest brewery tour I have ever been on. The history that surrounds the Guinness name is best learned at the brewery. And, of course, there is nothing better than ending the tour with a nice pint of Guinness.
Our time in Dublin also included a Pub Crawl. In Dublin there is a whole neighborhood devoted to pubs and clubs called Temple Bar. Our pub crawl took us to 5 different pubs. Some of the beers I was able to enjoy were Guinness, Smithwicks, and Harp. All great Irish beers that completed my time in Dublin.
But we couldn't stay cooped up in Dublin for long because we took a 30 minute train north of Dublin to the coastal town of Howth. Not only does Howth have the coast but also cliffs. We brought a picnic of sandwiches and Irish cider with us and set up on top of one of the hills and enjoyed a 360 degree view of Howth.
The Liffy River running through the center of Dublin
2nd oldest neighborhood in Dublin
Kilmainham jail
Outside the Guinness Storehouse
Howth
Sunset in Howth
Stansted
After flying back to London for a 24 hour layover we decided to book a B&B in the town of Stansted. It was a great place connected to the owner's house. We spent the afternoon watching TV and just relaxing. In the morning the owner gave us a ride back to the airport and then we were on our way back home.
B&B in Stansted
Food was another important aspect of the trip and we took the cheapest route when it came to eating, other than the few times when we went out to eat. We were lucky with many of our hostels offering breakfast. We took advantage of this and made sandwiches for lunch, which saved us a lot money. The majority of our lunches and dinners were sandwiches. All I wanted when I got back to Valencia was a nice cooked meal.
Also, as you can see from the first picture, I traveled for 12 days with a 36 L backpack. Because of weight restrictions placed on hand luggage by Ryanair I had to keep the backpack weighing less than 10 (22 lbs). With all the souvenirs that I planned on buying this seemed an almost impossible task but by the end of the trip by bag weighed only 10.5 kg. I'm not 100% sure what I started at but I would guess around 9 kg. So I am very happy that I was able keep the weight down.
So this has been a long recounting of my journeys but there are still more stories that I will be glad to share with everybody when I get back to the States.
No comments:
Post a Comment