Amped about our 10-day vacation traveling through 3 countries of Europe, we showed up at our hostel in Amsterdam. The Flying Pig is a super cool hostel that comes highly recommended. As Ellen gives her name, the kind lady informs her that the only reservation under that name is not until the 24th of March. Well that was funny because it is the 18th and they are fully booked. Nice one Ellen. We were on a time crunch to get to the Anne Frank museum because we pre brought tickets, so we dropped our stuff there for the time being and headed out. I had immediate grade school flash backs when I walked into the house of Anne Frank. I thoroughly remember reading the book and watching the movie as a kid and it was unthinkable that I was actually walking up the same stairs concealed by the bookcase where she hid for years. I stood in her room where she wrote this life-changing novel and walked through the kitchen and bathroom that she had to tip toe and restrict herself of any noise. Although it wasn't spacious by any means for 8 people to live in isolation for so long, it was quite bigger than I imagined. I pictured a single little annex of a room. There were quotes and video clips from herself and other survivors a part of this horrible history. It was incredible thinking how recent this happened compared to the history I am used to seeing in Rome. After this we still had to figure out our sleeping arrangements for the night. We ended up booking a room at the Best Western for 3 people and had to sneak in the other 3.
There was a group of boys we knew visiting Amsterdam this night as well, so we all went out to dinner together. On the way to the restaurant, we happened to be walking down the streets of the Red Light District. My reactions to the displays before me were disturbed, surprised, sad, uncomfortably giggly, scared, and disgusted. Girls were literally behind glass doors knocking, winking, and waving at everyone passing by. We were only in Amsterdam for 24 hours and it was plenty of time.
BERLIN
Luckily our next mode of transportation was by train so I didn’t have to hide my purse under my sweater and appear to be preggers on the airplane to get by with 2 bags. Just as we were marveling at ourselves on how independently mature we are for making our way from country to country without any adult to lead us, the conductor came by telling us we had the wrong tickets for this train. We were supposed to be on the earlier one and technically would have to pay for another ticket. As usual we played dumb, except I'm not so sure we are playing anymore, and we got by. We didn’t get in until later on Saturday night so we checked into the hotel and went to a traditional German restaurant for some sausage and sauerkraut, and of course beer. We were tired from traveling all day, but we decided to check out the bar on the top level of our hostel called Wombar, cleverly named by the Wombat’s Hostel. Little did we know that this would start a revelation for the next 4 days.
Sunday we did the free walking tour of Berlin and saw Hitler's bunker where he allegedly committed suicide (where we spat on the ground), the Berlin wall, Charlie's Checkpoint, the monument to the murdered Jews of Europe, and so much more in between. Berlin is such a large city that is very modernized because 90% of its buildings were destroyed during the war. Just like in Amsterdam, the history is so compelling to me to hear about because of the recency and memory of learning about it in school. It was Brittany’s 21st birthday at midnight so we went out to a nice dinner and ended up at, what do you know, the Wombar. Claire and I met a girl from Belgium that was seemingly a very nice girl that turned into being weirded out by her overly friendliness, along with her friend with the most interesting dance moves I have ever seen. I want to say it was a mix between an elephant trunk and a pigeon head bob. I’ll be sure to bring it back to the States for it to catch on.
The next day we took a lllloooooonnnnnggg walk to find the East Gallery of the Berlin Wall. This is the part of the wall that is covered in murals by artists from all over the world. We then rode a six-person bike back to the hostel. The only advantage the guy had to convince us cheap college students was the complimentary beer. Score!
Tuesday was a day I will never forget. We went to Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp right outside of Berlin. I was truly taken aback by the stone cold facts right before my eyes. It was all too real walking amongst the death chambers as our incredible tour guide narrated thoroughly detailed stories of what happened on this site and the day to day lives of the prisoners. It was all I could think about the rest of the day, even when we hit up our usual spot, Wombar, we found ourselves immersed in deep conversations about our earlier discoveries.
I said that I could live in Paris for the semester. Well, I could live my LIFE in Ireland. The second I took foot off the airplane I had a huge rush of emotions that I should have spent my entire spring break here, that I should have studied here, that I should apply for jobs here after college. Dublin is everything I imagined it to be with pubs every 2 feet you walk, comparable to the amount of Starbucks you find on every corner in America x5, if that is even fathomable. We celebrated Pilcher’s birthday at The Temple Bar, which is the most famous pub in the heart of Temple Bar, which the main street with nothing but pub after pub. I could think of no better way than to spend your birthday at a pub in Ireland with live music and friends, not to mention the gorgeous bartenders and their ever so dreamy accents.
Thursday morning we rose at the crack of dawn to get on a train to Galway. I was head down asleep when I opened my eyes to find an old man sitting next to me. He cracked a smile and asked in the cutest Irish accent, "rough night?" It wasn’t so cute afterwards when he and his friends loudly conversed the entire way there. The stars must have been aligned because when we arrived in Galway, the tourist information center told us that the only bus to the Cliffs of Moher was in 6 minutes. So, like every other travel experience this semester, I sprinted to the station to catch the bus. It was a much longer travel than I was expecting, but one that was worth it times infinity. The view is beyond words and since a picture is worth 1000 words, here's 3000:
Galway is a very small town that was so friendly and I was sad to leave it behind. However I wasn’t too sad to be returning to Dublin. We visited the Guinness factory and learned how they brew the beer. Who knew barley, hops, and water could create such a tasty and refreshing beverage. The tour ends at the top of the factory that looks out over the city and provides you with a free beer and then cleverly happens to lead you to the gift shop right when you’re feelin’ good. The Brazen Head is the oldest pub in Ireland, established in 1198. We stopped by there to check it out and got to talking to a few of the regulars that look like they were there on the day the pub opened. Later that night I happened to run into one of my family friends studying in Dublin and his family was visiting at the time too! Once again, I really realize how small the world actually is. Every night was just a really feel good time with live music playing as we belting out along with. I would describe my voice as a mixture of Fergie and Jesus. Until next time… Ciao a tutti!
I'm so glad we're related.
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