I AMsterdam (We AREsterdam??)

LOCATION:

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Not only was I excited to see Amsterdam, I was excited to see Kyle! It is a fairly quick flight from New York so he decided to join me for a weekend and got in Thursday morning. One of the first things we did - find a bar!

 

Who is manlier, Kyle or the caveman?

 

After some delicious beer and a delicious burger (the best in Europe, according to tripadvisor!), we headed out for - yes - more beer! Though it is a bit touristy and I don't really like their beer, I wanted to see the Heineken brewery. It did indeed turn out to be very touristy, but was still a fun time. The thing I appreciated the most from the tour was the importance of branding (um, hello marketing student). There were three generations of Heinekens, but only the third placed an importance on marketing and introduced the "smiling e's" which are now a part of the logo. The experience was also full of interactive stations including a DJ booth, a make-your-own music video station, and a beer pouring simulation game. I rarely beat Kyle at anything, so I was extra proud of my near perfect beer pouring skills compared with his sub-par score.

See the "smiling e's" in the logo?

DJ Heine-Kyle.

The tour, of course, included lots of samples.

 

One of the things I was most excited about seeing in Holland was the tulips. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, and the largest garden in the Netherlands opened the day before we arrived. I had daydreams of renting bikes and cycling through fields of color that stretched as far as you could see.

 

What I was hoping to bike through.

What I was hoping the gardens would look like.

 

Clearly I didn't do enough research, and late March is not exactly prime tulip season. Though the garden we went to did have greenhouses and exhibition halls filled with beautiful flowers, the garden grounds were not what I had dreamed of. It was cold and mostly brown, but we tried to make the best of it.

Inside, beautiful flowers and color!

Look, a teeny tiny tulip!

Me and this guy are really sad.

But this is the outside garden view.

After the rather disappointing flower experience, we were hoping for better luck with a football match we decided to go to. This was a national match - Holland against Estonia. The match we were going to was a 2014 World Cup qualifier so we went expecting excitement. We certainly weren't disappointed; the final score was 3-0 with Holland for the win! Two games in one week, am I an official football fan now?

We got orange scarfs to try and fit in.

Corner kick!

The next morning we went on a WWII history walk. I finished reading The Diary of Anne Frank about a week ago, and am currently reading another book about an American family living in Hitler's Berlin, so WWII history is really fascinating to me right now. Though the two hour walk left me probably the coldest I have been so far on this trip, it was really interesting. Our guide was a journalist-turned-historian who was born just after the war, so he had a lot of information to share. He held up pictures of what certain locations looked like during or just after the war, and some of the monuments he pointed out were very moving - including a monument to a Jewish boys orphanage where none of the 300 boys taken ever returned, and Hollands Auschwitz memorial consisting of six broken mirrors on the ground which reflect the broken sky because - according to the artist - when remembering the Holocaust the sky will always be broken.

The only picture from the walk, and I don't even remember what this place was!

 

Overall Amsterdam was super fun, and seeing Kyle was super super fun! It was cold and windy while we were there, but we made the best of it. Amsterdam is pretty small and I feel like I sort of have a feel for it, but all of those canals resulted in lots of lost wandering. I am sad Kyle had to head back to New York, but I am excited to continue my travels to Belgium! Up next, Brugge!

 

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Museum Art Versus Street Art

LOCATION:

London, England

 

This first stop in London was only for a few days, but I still managed to conquer many of the museums on my checklist. In one day I saw the British Museum, the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery. I don't have any good photos, but here is my quick take:

British Museum - really enjoyed this one. There were a ton of Egyptian and Greek artifacts, including the second largest collection of Parthenon relics (the first largest is in Athens, naturally). I also saw the Rosetta Stone, which - don't laugh - I never considered was anything other than DVDs to learn a language. The real stone contains the same text in three different scripts, and has been used to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. Makes sense! My favorite part of the museum though was an exhibition on life and death. It sounds a little morbid, but it was fascinating to learn how people around the globe deal with illness, death, mourning, and celebrations of life.

National Gallery - to tell the truth, I skipped most of it, except for the 1800-1900 galleries. But the cool thing about museums in London is that they are free so I might go back in a few weeks during London part two. There are many impressive paintings here though, including Renoir's, Degas', Van Gogh's, Monet's, Rembrandt's, Picasso's and some Cezannes which I particularly enjoyed having just been through his hometown of Aix-en-Provence. This museum was challenging though - it was so crowded, and there were a lot of noisy schools kids on field trips so I ended up rushing through it. I definitely support kids going to museums, but maybe they could have an "adults only" hour or two every week?

National Portrait Gallery - my fave of the day! I had definitely been to the other two before while living in London, but I am pretty sure I never made it to this one. It was quick, but had a lot of really cool work! Most of it was by artists who are not that well known (to me at least - but that is not saying much!) but there were a lot of great portraits of people important to British society. I enjoyed the more modern stuff, including a painting of Dame Judi Dench, a video exhibit of David Beckham, a mod-style painting of Anna Wintour (the only portrait she ever sat for!) and the gallery's newest acquisition, a portrait of Her Royal Highness, Catherine, Duchess Of Cambridge - aka Kate.

My museum blitz did not include the Tate Modern, which I am really excited about, so it will be a priority for London part two in a few weeks. A newer style of art I keep finding myself drawn to though, is street art. I knew London's east-end neighborhoods were supposed to have quite a bit, so I signed up for a street art walk. After seeing the street art in Marseille, London definitely takes it to a whole different level.

While on the walk, our guide explained the fine line between graffiti and art, and there is actually a street art council in London who decides what can stay and what has to go. Though it is legal, most of the work is done at night and many artists prefer to remain anonymous. In contrast, however, several of the major pieces are commissioned by the city. The artists often don't get paid for commissioned works, but they kind of work like ads for the artists, and many get famous (and rich!) after experiencing success on the streets.

 

Some of my favorites were by an artist known as Stik. While living on the streets, Stik began painting these stick figures using only six lines. Each one is different, and our guide told us he takes a lot of time deciding where to place the eyes because they set the mood for each figure. Stik has now become pretty well known, and has even had work sold in auction at Christies.

This one is called "art thief"

 

This one incorporates the rope as a seventh line.

 

One of the largest ones.

 

Another artist that showed up a lot throughout the walk was Thierry Noir. He got his start while living in Berlin. His apartment looked out onto the Berlin Wall, and he started painting it one night to try and make light of the melancholy situation. His style evolved to the simple faces out of necessity - people were always interrupting him to ask if he was a spy, or who was paying him - so he learned to paint quickly. Pieces of the Berlin Wall with his art on it can now be found all over the world, and to many are a symbol of freedom and the reunification of Germany.

A restaurant door.

 

A commissioned collaboration between him and Stik.

 

I don't remember the details about a lot of what we saw, so here are just some of my favorites.

 

This portrait is more of a fine art style.

 

This was an artist from Barcelona, and is "Barcelona Happy" style.

 

This is by Banksy, one of the original street artists, and is now a protected landmark.

These are tiny "paste-ups" and the only paint is the shadows.

This artist uses blasts of spray paint to create almost a 3D effect.

 

This is painted on a piece of gum on the street.

Throughout the tour our guide kept pointing out mushrooms made of fiber glass and polyurethane, perched high on top of some buildings. Most of the time you would never know they were there unless you knew to look up. There have been about 300 created and installed, but only a handful remain because they were either stolen or taken down because they can be considered dangerous if they fall. The very last thing on the tour was one of these mushrooms, and while pointing it out our guide confessed he was actually the artist behind the mushrooms. Well played, tour guide!

The first mushroom we saw.

 

And another.

 

And another... next to a cool mural.

Though I was freezing by the end of the walk, I completely enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone with even a slight interest in non-traditional art. It really makes you think twice about what you see on walls, and about who put it there and why.

 

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Stonehenge, Bath, and "Secret Places" Tour

LOCATION:

Wiltshire, Bath, Lacock, and Avebury, England

 

Though I spent about four months in London many (12? Yikes!) years ago, I never managed to visit Stonehenge so I made it a priority when planning this trip. This tour sounded fun, and while I was skeptical about the "secret places" part, they turned out to be some of the most interesting!

 

The first stop on the tour was Stonehenge. While the guide did a great job explaining everything he knew about the monument, there are still just so many unanswered questions about the site. I did not do much research prior to my visit, so I learned a lot during the trip. Stonehenge is one of the oldest landmarks, and is estimated to date back to 3000 BC - an interesting contrast to see was people holding up iPads and cell phones to take pictures of it. The heaviest stones weigh up to 50 tons, and there is no record of why or how it was constructed. Were the stones dragged? Did they float to the site on rafts? How did they get the heavy stones up on top? So many mysteries!!

 

The ropes keeping people away actually make it easier to take great pictures!

 

All of the mysteries surrounding Stonehenge have resulted in so many theories about why it was constructed - religious ceremonies, ritual burials, astronomical connections, aliens, etc., and it attracts all kinds of visitors. Unfortunately because of damage like graffiti (our guide told us in the 70s they sold little chisels so you could chip off a piece as a souvenir!) visitors are kept behind ropes and can only admire the stones from afar. There is one day every year though - summer solstice - when you can walk up into the stones, and thousands of people camp out overnight to party and celebrate the longest day of the year. The site still attracts some religious zealots - we saw one man in a cape walking around with a wizards staff - but we learned most are harmless and are only too happy to share their theories with you.

That nub on the top of the far stone was probably some kind of socket, holding another stone in place.

 

I took about a hundred pictures, it is one of the coolest things I have ever seen!

 

After Stonehenge, we continued driving through the English countryside to Bath. Bath is home to Britain's only natural hot spring, so has been a popular destination for centuries. Up until relatively recently visitors could swim in the original Roman baths, but a deadly case of meningitis closed them to the public in 1978. Rumor has it the town campaigned to change its name to something other than Bath, because for over thirty years there were no baths in Bath. A new facility was built and reopened a few years ago though, which is more like a spa than anything else. The new facility was a public project, and was completed six years late and three times over budget. The town had to raise taxes to fund the project, so many Bath residents are quite resentful of the space.

 

The original baths can still be seen through a window in a restaurant called The Pump Room.

 

We were able to taste the water (it is pure and safe!) - it was warm and kind of metallic tasting.

 

The new facility is up on the roof surrounded by glass walls - very modern looking.

 

We also had a walking tour of the town, and it was so beautiful! I was surprised to learn that it was bombed several times during WWII - not because of any industry or military connections - but simply because it was beautiful. The British bombed several beautiful places in Germany, thinking it would cause morale to drop and people would want to stop fighting, but it only resulted in retaliation, including the bombing of Bath.

 

One of the famous streets, some say the middle house was an inspiration for the White House.

 

Such a pretty town, I would love to spend a few days here.

 

After Bath we headed off to secret place number one, which turned out to be a place called Lacock. Lacock is a tiny village that was given to the National Trust (a conservation organization) because estate owners could not afford to maintain their houses during WWII. The village is almost completely untouched by signs of modern life - no paint on the streets, no telephone wires - the only way you can tell you are in 2013 is from the cars parked in front of some of the buildings. Because it is such an untouched site it has become a popular set for period movies and shows, which brings in revenue to help maintain the village. Apparently the Harry Potter house is here, but I have never seen any of the movies so that bit of trivia was lost on me.

 

People live here! Only rentals though, and relatively cheap at 500£ per month.

 

People here must have been short - all the doors were this height.

One of my favorite pictures of the day!

 

After Lacock, we headed off to secret place number two, which turned out to be Avebury. Having never heard of Avebury before, I was surprised to learn it was another prehistoric stone circle, and was actually much larger than Stonehenge. Avebury henge is thought to have been constructed before Stonehenge, but again is so mysterious. The cool thing about Avebury though, is that you can walk right up through the stones, and we were the only visitors! The stone circle is so large, there is even a pub inside of it. The pub is said to be very haunted, and has recently drawn guests like Bono and Bon Jovi.

Also very beautiful, especially at sunset.

It was cool to get right up next to the stones.

 

The haunted Red Lion! Notice the thatched roof?

 

We didn't stay long enough to find out if the pub was really haunted, we started the drive back to London before dark. Though the day was long - over 12 hours - it turned out to be one of the best yet. It was also my first solo tourist experience this trip, which was a little unnerving at first because I was the only person who had signed up for the tour alone. Having the common bond of a guided tour made it easy to talk to people though, and I met people from Japan, Australia, and all over the United States! Tour success!

 

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Nearly Blown Away By Marseille

LOCATION:

Marseille, France

 

The last city on the France tour was Marseille. Neither Lauren nor I had been here before, so we had no expectations. The first thing we noticed - while lugging our heavy bags from the train station - were the hills! It felt like ups and downs forever. As soon as we dropped off our bags we headed out to the impressive cathedral on the hill we had seen from the train, the Notre Dame de la Garde. This church looked much newer than any we had seen before, and the inside was very clean with its candy colored stripes and nautical themes.

To give an idea of size, the baby Jesus that Mary is holding has a wrist that is 1.1 meters across!

Very bright inside, and notice the hanging ships and nautical mosaics.

 

The church's hilltop location gave us a good view of the Mediterranean and the Chateau d'If, where Alexander Dumas' Count of Monte Christo was wrongfully held captive. It is on one of the islands, and is similar to Alcatraz in San Francisco.

We thought it was windy on day one... Little did we know what as coming!

 

The next day we did our best to be proper tourists, but cold temps and 50mph wind gusts had us nearly running (and blowing!) from destination to destination. We did see another great church and an incredible photography exhibition featuring ruins from at least a dozen famous sites, but sadly no pictures were taken by me because taking the camera out was too much work for my cold hands. But I did take my gloves off long enough to get some pictures of the waves crashing in the bay!

Water crashing over the walls.

Look at those white caps! No boat tour for us.

 

On our final night in Marseille, Lauren and I bundled up and braved the cold to attend a football match - Marseille against Corsica. My knowledge of European football is far worse than my knowledge of American football, but it was fun to watch both the game and the screaming fans. American football fans can get rowdy, but European fans take it to another level - they were singing and chanting in unison for the entire match. I now know most of the words to a Marseille fight song! "Allez OM..."

 

We had on about six layers each. This is what happens when people from Texas go outside when it is below 40 degrees.

Marseille is the light blue socks. Despite the action here, the final score was 0-0.

French hotdog, served in a baguette of course!

 

This Marseille summary would not be complete without mentioning our awesome hotel, the Mama Shelter. Lauren found it based on a New York Times article, and I am still not sure how we scored such a great deal, but this place was awesome. Super fast wifi, free movies, and an uber-trendy atmosphere provided a much needed respite from the cold and wind we experienced. Overall I am still undecided about Marseille as a destination - parts of it were charming (in a gritty way, if that makes sense) and the up-and-coming art scene was impressive, but perhaps this port city would be better explored in the summer months. We still had a great time though, and I am sad my time with Lauren has come to an end. She returns to Austin tomorrow and my journey continues. Time to ease on down the road - to London!!

 

Lauren modeling one of the masks that was decorating our room.

 

See you later, France! It has been fun!

 

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