Jake starts his time in Europe

My vacation is now certifiably finished. But a friend and excellent writer from Indiana University is just beginning his time in England. Jake is studying at the University of Canterbury this year, and will be traveling around Europe as time and money permits. So, be sure to check out his weblog -- the posts are already hilarious!

Photos from the trip

All photos from the trip are now available, relocated to zoto.com.

Two days in Florence

The train ride from Rome to Florence lasts about 1 1/2 hours. The time goes fast because I doze off intermitently, half awake from the previous night's drinking and socializing. Once there, plenty of day remains for exploring. So, I gather some strength and put on my tourist hat.

The city is smaller than expected, a welcome change from the huge span of Rome. I pass a couple gigantic cathedrals walking down via Faenza. Eventually I wander into Ponte Veccio, a large piazza near the Arno river with many beautiful statues. This is where the original David once stood before it was moved to The Academy Gallery. Now only a copy sits in its old spot. Other remaining statues are priceless, original works. Perseus and Medusa is a particularly cool bronze statue. The grisly scene shows Perseus proudly projecting Medusa's decapitated head.

The last sightseeing for the day is the Arno river. Downstream is a beautiful old bridge, filled with shops and houses. It makes a perfect picture as the sun sets.

Food in Florence proves far better than Rome. The Florentine pig tripe makes an excellent native dish, despite how eating fried intestines might sound.



Early the next morning I walk back to the cathedral mentioned yesterday. The massive church is called Duomo for the high dome in the center with frescoes of Heaven at the top and Hell at the bottom. The lighting inside is dim, so pictures turn out shaky. The 500 year old Duomo is actually built atop an older church from about 400 AD. The underground structure from the Middle ages is well preserved in a museum downstairs. It is a spooky, dark place, with a low ceiling and Roman looking architecture. A crypt housing early Christian knights and holy men gives the place a ghostly feeling.

Finally, I communicate with the Italians

I'm ready for a good night's rest when Marcello convinces me, with great effort, to party last night at Campo de Fiori. Before leaving, we talk a couple Italian girls into coming along. But by now the busses have stopped running. We decide instead to stay around the hostel and drink some cheap wine.

The Italian girls are from a seaside village about an hour east of Florence. I ask about good food in the region, and they suggest Florentine beefsteak. Pig tripe is also a popular dish. These seem much different from my original impression of Italian food, but more like the food in Northern Spain.

I mention that pizza is very different in Chicago. They are amazed that deep dish pizza can be about 4 inches thick, with loads of tomato sauce and meat. Italian pizza, a taste I enjoy less, is thin, oily, and usually lacks meat and tomato sauce.

The Italian girl I talk with understands only a little English, nevertheless impressive for having learned it all from a university course. She is a 23 years old recent graduate from University of Pisa, majoring in art from the Middle Ages.

The tuition set her back considerably at 1,000 euros per year. It sounds like the U.S. system where student loans can last years after graduation. But this relatively cheap tuition for the U.S. is expensive because of Italy's weakening economy. This, according to her, is mostly due to Berlusconi's poor economic decisions as Prime Minister. People, particularly in the South, often work long, hard hours and earn only 1,000 euros a month. This certainly factors into the declining birth rate in Italy.

On a lighter note, she is a fan of The Simpsons, especially Mr. Burns. The show unfortunately loses much of its subtle humor in the Italian translation, but increases the resolve to immerse herself in English. Unlike me though, she watches The Griffins, what Italian TV calls Family Guy. I don't mention that, despite the show's popularity with my friends, I hate Family Guy.

As my trip through Italy ends soon, I'm especially pleased to have hung out with the Italian girls. They are the only Italians I've talked to in any depth. In fact, the majority of Italians I meet in Rome don't speak English at all.

Tonight, Saturday, is a huge party night in Rome. A new Canadian friend and I, however, decide to drink a few beers in the hostel lounge instead of heading out into the rainy weather. A group of four Brits, two guys and two girls, eventually join us. Conversation quickly becomes entertaining; our clashing English accents (maybe even dialects) provide an excellent source for jokes. The Brits constantly say "literally brilliant" or "rubbish" while the Canadian says "aboot" and "eh." I can only imagine how my accent sounds to them.

The Capitoline Museum and a birthday at Campo de Fiori

The archaeological guidebook makes the Capitoline Museum look like the best museum in Rome. The most famous statues and busts from the time of the Caesars are inside, and even a few from the period of the Rebublic. Pretty much any Roman history textbook has pictures from the Capitoline. In fact, many of the exhibits are immediately recognizable from my undergraduate Roman history class.

The massive head, feet, and hands of Constantine are the first exhibit. Together with the rest of the missing body fragments, they once made a huge statue to the caesar who converted the Roman world to Christianity. The statue, despite being Christian in origin, still has classical elements that personify Constantine as god-like, a tradition in art that would soon pass.

The she-wolf statue is from around 400 BC, surprisingly old for such a well-preserved statue. She-wolf, with a modern addition of Romulus and Remus, has come to symbolize the city as the official insignia.



The Philosopher's Room, made to represent ceasar Marcus Aurelius' love for philosophy, has busts of Homer, Socrates, and, my favorite, Pythagoras. Surprisingly, the statues were made to look like their subjects. This is unusual for classical busts because Romans often tried to capture their personality traits rather than actual appearance. Thus they would usually be portrayed as a classical hero or god, i.e. Hercules.

My feet are aching terribly from hours of standing and I'm hungry. After a quick dinner, it's time to return to the hostel. Some new friends there have promised a celebration for my 24th birthday. The plan is to buy some cheap wine (about 3 euro bottles, yuck) and meet everyone at the most popular hang-out piazza in Rome, Campo de Fiori.



Campo de Fiori, literally "field of flowers" in Italian, is an open space that is larger than a football field and surrounded by bars and dance clubs. The center has an imposing statue of a Catholic Monk, always looking down disparagingly at the drunkenness below. Nevertheless, the relative calm of the place at night amazes me. Nobody shouts, fights, and hardly anyone stumbles around drunk. I couldn't imagine a place like this in America, where people drink to excess regularly. It would be chaos, no?

The night proves an excellent birthday -- I've never heard "Happy Birthday" sung in so many languages, Italian, Spanish, French, etc.

Our colorful group consists of three Mexicans, Marcello, Annabelle, and another guy, two Swedes, three Americans, a French girl named Emmanuelle, and a Dutch guy named William. Obviously some names are missing, but the night is a bit hazy anyway.

Marcello (next to me in the picture above) is a regular around the youth hostel. He's been here for over three months, and, before that, all over Europe for two years. He saved enough money for the long journey by working two years as a waiter in Monterey, Mexico. Although it might seem like a vacation, Marcello now knows French, Italian, English, and of course Spanish. He's extremely personable, always around the side door hang out, meeting new people and socializing.

Annabelle (the 5th person to my right) is the other Mexican regular around the hostel, possibly even more social than Marcello. She has been busy taking language classes at the University of Rome. Recently she found an apartment nearby the hostel. So, I assume she's in Rome to stay. Annabelle has a passion for language that I've never encountered. She speaks every major European language, and, for fun, picked up some Hindu from Internet tutorials!

One of the two Swedish guys is on the far right in the photo; his friend is off somewhere else. The travel companions are probably the most drunk in the whole piazza, mostly from vodka they chugged earlier. Patrick, the one missing from the photo, speaks broken but understandable English. His taste in American movies is similar to mine, even down to individual scenes and lines. It's amazing how American culture permeates all around Europe.

Patrick likes to stress the importance of milk in Sweden. Apparently, they drink it like water, but only fresh; no pasteurization.

William is missing from the picture. But I spend the most time talking with him. Like my brother, his political science major preoccupies him with U.S. foreign policy and current world events. He is highly critical of the U.S. government, as are most Europeans. He still keeps an open mind, a very cool individual indeed.

The Palatine Hill and Coliseum

I wake up early to see the ancient centers for Roman government and entertainment, Palatine Hill and the Coliseum. Ruins on Palatine Hill are spotty, but the place is nevertheless impressive for its significance in Roman history. The babies Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, are fabled to have been discovered on the side of the hill. Thus the hill was considered the sacred starting point and center of Rome. Although the brothers' existence is probably apocryphal, recent archaeological digs suggest the earliest Roman huts are on the Palatine.

During the Republic many rich and powerful Romans have lived on Palatine Hill. But Caesar Augustus made it a magnificent home for the imperial family, with giant palaces overlooking the city. It is particularly amazing to see the remains of the House of Augustus and the House of Livia, and to imagine them eating sumptuous dinners, entertaining politicians, and maybe even scheming at each others' demise.

Next I walk down the via Sacra to the Coliseum. The interior is incredible; archaeologists believe that almost 60,000 people could fit into the stands to watch the bloody games. The entertainment was typically execution of condemned criminals in the morning, simulated hunting during lunch, and, finally, gladiator battles in the afternoon. Entire species of animals almost became extinct from the lunchtime animal massacres. Gladiator battles were, by far, the most popular event. The Gladiators were sometimes famous and revered professional fighting men, similar to modern boxers, or they were lowly slaves. Slaves almost always died in the Coliseum, although just two survived to be given their freedom, signified by the emperor awarding a wooden sword.



Archaeologists hypothesize that at least one million people, most of them slaves, have died within the Coliseum. Each year the Pope says mass there in memory of Christians executed by Rome. This is probably the wrong place because Christians would only be allowed to die in the Coliseum if they were also incidentally slaves. Roman law stated that Christians and similar enemies of the state must be executed outside the sacred city walls.

The name Coliseum is actually a term from the Middle Ages, derived from a massive statue of emperor Nero. Christians falsely attributed the name Coliseum to the nearby amphitheater after the statue was destroyed several centuries ago. Ancient Romans called it the Flavian Amphitheater after the Caesar who initiated its construction.

First day in Rome

The first day in the Eternal City is exhausting. After a couple long train rides, I check in to the youth hostel. It's about 5pm, enough time to investigate the Colleseo stop on my subway line. All the tours are closed, but there's a quick opportunity to see the Colesseum and Palatine Hill. Both look amazing in the Italian sunset.

I have a quick dinner in the neighborhood around the hostel. The area seems safe, but the restaurants here could be better.

There is a group talking outside the hostel, most quickly switch languages, Spanish, Italian, English, etc. Everyone is friendly, and we talk over a few beers. There are two travelers from Texas, two from Mexico, one from Ireland, and a student from Holland in search of an apartment. Conversation inevitably changes to politics, probably annoying half of the group. It's clear that the Europeans are keen to bash Bush and American foreign policy. The pair from Texas, maybe surprisingly, like Bush in general, but dislike how he handled the war. In any case, nothing surprising from the talks, although they were enjoyable.

The student from Holland added, quite interestingly, that the Dutch aren't as tolerant as is supposed. In fact, a recent assasination might spur illegalizing marijuana and prostitution.

It's been a long day and I'm tired. Tomorrow I will head back to the Colesseum and get a tour, and some excellent pictures.

Bilbao, Spain

Borja takes me to the center of Bilbao by the cleanest subway I've yet seen. Duesto University, where Borja studied and taught, is sandwiched between large hills and the new Gugenheim. We spend a while looking around the campus. The halls are quiet since it's the grueling exam week for students. The campus buildings are beautiful, and look surprisingly new for being 100 years old. The campus is more centralized than the average American University. Most classes are held in one huge building.

On the subway, we hear a few students griping about one of their classes. Apparently, it is considered insulting to assign homework in most Spanish universities. This makes quite a contrast with University of Chicago, where certain professors are known to give three or four homeworks a week. ;)



The old quarter of Bilbao is exceptionally clean and pretty. It's amazing how the all the buildings keep a consistent look. Shops and restaurants line the narrow streets. We stop at a coffee shop to try another Spanish custom, mid-afternoon snacks over coffee. I order a couple small, tasty sandwiches. One has a raw, cured meat called jamon serrano; the other has raw sardines.

Here are the pictures.

Barcelona, Spain

After a short flight, it is time to see Barcelona. Our first stop, the unfinished Sagrada Familia, is the beautiful design of Gaudi. Gaudi is a local architect who is world famous for styles that imitate nature. Barcelona has many buildings designed by Gaudi, but the Cathedral is the most ambitious. It's so ambitious that, over 100 years after construction began, the main tower remains to be built amongst other parts. There is, however, a great view of the city from the completed towers, via a long staircase. There are some great opportunities for photographs here, and I took many.



Lunch in Spain is extravagant compared to American standards. There is much more food, often several plates of croquettes, tapas, etc. I had chorizo, fried pig tripe, croquettes, and battered, fried squid rings. After eating, we had a nice strong coffee, much stronger and flavorful than American coffee. There is no time, however, for the traditional siesta.

We visit a couple other Gaudi buildings, and finally a park overlooking the city. The park is also designed by Gaudi. It was featured in a popular European movie, L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment). A college student seduces an older French woman there with a forceful kiss, leading to steamy adultery. Quite an excellent scene. ;)



After dinner it's time to catch the flight to Bilbao, a city in the Basque country of Spain. Borja's parents pick us up at the airport, and we drive to their home on the river. Borja's mother speaks a little English, and his Father speaks no English. Since my Spanish is particularly weak after years of neglect, Borja is conscripted to translate. Borja's parents are excellent hosts, and great people. But there's little time to talk tonight. I quickly fall asleep after such an exhausting day.

Here are the pictures.

Amsterdam - Day 2

This morning we start with the Rijksmuseum. There are many Dutch paintings and artifacts from when Holland was in its hey-day. They Rembrants are the best of the paintings. Next stop is the van Gogh museum. There is an impressive collection of his paintings and the original correspondence with Theo van Gogh. The Dutch are particularly proud of this tragic figure, who was barely appreciated during his life.

In the afternoon, we take a boat tour on the canals that wind throughout the city. I took many pictures from the boat, but few turned out well. The city is beautiful in an orderly, organized way. The Dutch are obviously masters at city building -- there is great cultural diversity, but with clean, safe streets. Chicago, and many other U.S. cities, should take notes from Amsterdamers.

Here are pictures from both days in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam - Day 1

We arrive in Amsterdam in the early afternoon, and check into the youth hostel. The room is similar to a college dorm room, with a bunk bed and a communal shower. Young people are milling about the hallways, speaking all sorts of languages.

Once things are settled in the hostel, we walk to the Anne Frank house. The house-turned-museum blends with its neighboring houses. Sadly, photos are prohibted inside, but there is one picture of the exterior. The Frank's hid in the two upper floors during the occupation. Both floors had all the furnishings cleared out by the Nazi troops, and are left empty by Otto Frank's wishes. Many of the family's artifacts are on display, including some of Anne's diaries and some posters. The spookiest display is the girls' height marks on the wallpaper. It shows their growth, stunted by their tragic betrayal near the end of the war.

But now onto happier things. We eat dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant -- Dutch food is purportedly boring, hence the success of foreign foods in Amsterdam. The sun is setting, and its time for the famed Red Light District. This small section of the city is packed with people on a Friday night. We stop at a nice "coffee shop" called The Greenhouse Effect. Down the street we hear a huge clamor, as a crowd of bar hoppers get drunk and wild. Contrasting that all-too-common scene with the tranquility of our coffee shop makes me wonder why marijuana legalization is so contraversial in the U.S.

A while later, we walk down the more [in]famous part of the District, namely the sex shops, theaters, and prostitute perches. The streets are full of tourists who gawk at the prostitutes. A couple of Dutch boys ride up on their bikes and try to solicit a prostitute. She turns them away, laughing their boldness. Some Dutch men on the street see this, and chastize the boys.



The District supposed to be safe, but for two exceptions. There are scary hard-drug dealers hanging around almost every street. They whisper "Hey, you. Coca? Coca?" constantly. It quickly becomes annoying, but it's best to ignore them and continue on. The dealers leave people alone who ignore them.

Taking pictures of the prostitutes is dangerous. Their pimps are known to beat an offending tourist senseless for it. The prostitutes probably want to stay as anonymous as possible. So, there is just one photo in my album of the Red Light District.

The Dutch are famous for their tolerance to foreigners, soft drugs, and prostitution. My increasing impression is that the Dutch are tolerant to anyone who stays off their bike paths. Drugs, drinking, prostitution, and masses of tourists? All O.K. if we can ride our bikes everywhere.

The Globe Theater and the London Eye

The Globe Theater is the first stop today. It is actually a replica of the famous Globe where Shakespeare showed his more famous plays, such as Romeo and Juliet and Julius Ceasar. The original burnt down during a performance of Henry IV. The fake cannon blasts set the thatched roof ablaze, burning the place to the ground. How dramatic.

The new Globe was built in the 1990's. It is intended to be as close to the original as possible, no mics, no roof, and no seats for those close to the stage. Nevertheless, it would be amazing to see a play there. Actors are of the highest caliber because its performances are unique for reproducing the original experience.



Time, however, has run out for our Globe visit. Next we take a ride in the London Eye, the world's largest ferris wheel. There are plenty of pictures from the ride. Most of the city is visible from the top of the Eye since London has few tall buildings.

The rest of the day was devoted to shopping on Oxford Street. There is little to say about this, except that I finally bought a "Mind the Gap" t-shirt. Finally, we rode the Tube back to the hotel one last time, and now are preparing for the early flight to Amsterdam.

Here are today's pictures.

Cambridge

Today we take the 30-minute train ride from King's Cross to Cambridge. The university is beautiful, but more closed to visitors than I expected. A visit to the individual colleges costs about 2 pounds a piece. Only small parts of their campuses, however, are available to tourists. The boat tour around the campus, called punting, was the best part of the visit.

Tower of London and Museum of Science

The Tower of London is a must when in town. We woke up early to make the tours; the doors close sometime in the early afternoon.

The Yeomen Warders, also known as "Beefeaters," are the tour guides for the Tower in addition to being its caretakers. We hear some history about notorious places like Traitor's Gate, the chapel execution and grave site of Anne Boleyn, and the White Tower.

There is a long-held superstition, begun by King Charles, that Britan would fall if the birds leave the Tower walls. To this day, several huge ravens occupy the courtyard in front of the White Tower. Our tour guide is head Yeoman, making him responsible for the ravens and thus the future of the empire.



The White Tower has some artifacts like torture devices, the hatchet that beheaded Anne Boleyn, and some Kings' suits of armor. I took a picture next to King Henry VIII's very unusual armor. See if you can spot what is strange about it.



There is a reenactment of Guy Fawkes' grisly torture and execution. Several signs around the White Tower draw comparison between Fawkes' attempted terrorism, and the recent bombings in London. I'm unsure of the quality of this comparison, but the Britons certainly handled the Fawkes business decisively.

Next we head to the Museum of Science. Borja and I especially appreciate the collection of early computers. Some of Babbages original machines are on display, including the difference engine. Much to our dissapointment, there is just a single picture and caption about Alan Turing. This is strange considering Turing's important contributions to the development of the modern computer, and his war efforts to decrypt enigma codes. Maybe the British are still a bit uncomfortable about persecuting him for his sexuality.

Here are the pictures from today.

I'll have to make another brief posting, as we have just a few moments at an Internet cafe.

Yesterday, Borja and I saw the British Museum. The collection is enormous, something like 1 million objects. The few we saw were impressive. The original Rosetta Stone, preserved remains of a 4,000 year old Egyptian, mummies, and remains from the Parthenon come immediately to mind.

I'll have a large chunk of photos online soon. Also, tonight I should find time to write a longer blog article. We head for Cambridge tomorrow. There should hopefully be time to post stuff after we get back.

London's subway, the Tube, criscrosses the city with stops at seemingly every other block. Just walk for a moment, and you'll find a stop. The Tube is far more hectic than the EL, but great for getting around the city. I also appreciate the constant reminder to "Mind the Gap, Please, Mind the Gap."

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Today we visited the British Museum. It would be tiresome to relate everything we saw here. So, here are some pictures of the visit.

I'm sitting in a Starbucks nearby our hotel. Internet is expensive at $10 per hour, much like everything else in London. So, this posting is brief. More details and pictures will be posted when there is more bandwidth. Here is the batch of images from the first day.

The flight landed about on schedule yesterday at 10:00 AM London time. Neither of us got much sleep on the plane. So, we decided to stay awake until night. After checking in the hotel, we saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliment. Then we took the Tube to Camdentown, an interesting place that I'll detail later. We also saw Hyde Park and its notorious Speakers Corner. Lots of colorful people at both places.

Unforunately, this Starbucks closes soon. Will post more tomorrow about today's trip to the museum, and post more pictures.

First day in London

The first day in London is constant activity to keep our sleep deprived minds awake until sunset. First, we hit the main touristy places, such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliment, and Downing Street. Tony Blair is regretably unavailable to meet with us, but maybe next time. We then grab a quick bite to eat and head to the parks.



Today Hyde Park, the most famous of London's parks, bustles with people enjoying the gorgeous summer weather. There are many football games, but most just lay out in the sun. Others, however, come to the park for reasons besides leisure. Speaker's Corner is a curious but popular section where Londoners group around and listen to individuals standing on boxes or crates. This tradition is old, apparently begun to protest a decree that slandering the king on British soil is treasonous -- hence standing on boxes.



Despite the corner's political beginnings, today's speakers mostly rant about religion. There are Muslim fundamentalists, Christian fundamentalists, and enough mixed nuts to feed the park's squirrels indefinitely. But what strikes me about the corner is how the crowds often indulge the speakers by arguing, and sometimes by chanting bible passages.

One of the speakers has a refreshingly honest sign on his chest: "It's now or never. Come listen to me. I'm very clever. I know everything." Sadly, nobody listens.

The final stop of the day is Camdentown. There are masses of people shopping in the offbeat shops and outdoor stands along the streets. Many have wild, dyed hair, and wear 1980's punk clothes.

Last night in Chicago

The last night in Chicago is finally here! Today was busy; I scurried to take care of all the loose ends at work and, after that, went downtown for dinner. Here are some pictures from Millennium Park.

Borja and I leave around 3:00 PM tomorrow for O'Hare. The eight-hour flight takes off at 8:00 PM, and lands at Heathrow at 10:00 AM. So, the next post might be written with one bloodshot eye.

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My roommate from Indiana University, Mitch, is keeping a nice travel weblog. He is journeying through some beautiful, but fairly dangerous places in the Middle East. There are some interesting stories and pictures, so be sure to check it out.

First post from Chicago

I leave for London next Saturday, 3 September 2005. This is a long-awaited vacation, and first trip to Europe. In fact, it will be my first time outside U.S. borders!

Luckily, I'm well prepared for the trip. I spent this weekend buying the essentials, including a large backpack and outlet converters. Of course, having a Spanish friend along helps enormously. ;) Borja, a fellow PhD student, is accompanying me for the first week and a half.



Here's a rough itinerary of our plans -- click here for a more detailed one. We spend the first five days in London, then two in Amsterdam, and then spend two days in Bilbao. Borja is from Bilbao, which makes it a cool but essential pitstop for us both. Following Spain, I fly alone to Rome. Plans are to spend about nine days there. Otherwise, the Italy leg of the trip is unplanned. I expect to take a night train to Florence, Naples, or Venice. I'll also probably stay in youth hostels, as they are cheaper than the hotels, and reputedly more exciting for the single traveler. Finally, I fly back to Bilbao so that Borja and I can decompress before the flight back. We should return to Chicago on 24 September, just a couple days before classes begin. Does that sound like enough for three weeks?



I'd like to remember the trip many years from now (hence the weblog title); so, I started this mini-weblog. I hope to post at least every two days, but internet access determines the frequency. I'll also post photos from my new digital camera.

To kick off the picture posting, I've added some pictures from today at Promontory Point (on the south shore of Chicago).