Mussels in Brussels!

Now we are almost caught up!  We are in Brussels, Belgium right now and it's already our last night here!  Let me tell you about our time here...

We arrived yesterday evening with empty stomaches, and again nowhere to stay.  We had booked a hostel, and having come to the conclusion that we aren't cut out for sharing a room with strange men, we cancelled it.  Luckily, we found the exact same hotel chain right by the train station that we liked so much in Amsterdam (called NH Hotels), they should hire us to be spokespersons for them we love it so much!  It was even cheaper than the one in Amsterdam.  Only 79 euros a night with our own room, showers we don't have to wear flip flops in, and so much more!  It's the same amount we would have been paying to stay in a hostel (because with the 79 euros we split that, and at the hostel we had to pay a per person rate, so it actually worked out perfect!).  Okay, enough about the hotel...

After finding our hotel, we set out to fill our bellies with...you guessed it....Mussels!  That is apparently the "thing to eat" while in Brussels.  So we found a spot that was recommended by our hotel staff as well as our travel guide.  It was good, but the service was BAD.  People speak French here, and have no patience for those who don't.  Granted Napes and I both took French in high school, we still can't communicate well.  We then walked around a little bit and found another spot recommended by our guide, with an amazing view of the "Grand-Place" and great Belgium brews.  The big Christmas tree was still lit up last night and they had a unique light show going on outside that we could see from inside the warmth of the pub.  Today we stopped by there again and they were taking down the lights and the Christmas tree, so we were lucky to have seen it all in its glory the night before.  After the pub we called it a night!

We got up this morning and ventured out for some Greek food!  I love Greek food, and being so close to Greece I figured I could find some good Greek food.  We found some, it was okay, but I got my Feta cheese fix so Napes doesn't have to keep hearing me talk about it anymore!  We tried to get some Greek food in Italy, but when we asked the person at our hotel where a good Greek restaurant was, he almost shot us (I forget that they all hate each other over here!).

Next we did some sightseeing.  We saw the Mannekin-Pis (the little boy peeing), which was really really small in real life!  That was about it for sightseeing in Brussels!  Since it was cold we retreated to a cozy cafe for some English coffee (coffee and Bailey's), sat by a fire, and wrote out some postcards.  We did stop in a few shops to stock up on some Belgian Chocolates and saw the authentic lace that Belgium is also known for.

We then had an absolutely delicious dinner.  It was some kind of a beef in an onion stew sauce.  French fries were created in Belgium (I always assumed it was an American invention), so most meals are served alongside french fries!  Anyways, the dinner was great, and we have similar tastes in food, so we usually get some kind of an appetizer, side salad, or soup before our meal and then split the main course.  Tonight, with both of us eating we couldn't even finish the food, we were stuffed!  

We also spent about an hour of our time at the Post Office today!  Some guy ripped us off when we were buying our stamps (he charged us a euro for each stamp, and only gave us .54 cent stamps, they have to be .90 cents to send to the U.S. and he even told me they were the correct stamps, but the post office informed us that we got scammed).  I was ready to go give him a piece of my mind, but I don't need to be arrested for assault charges, I could be locked up for a long time over here for that!  So...live and learn I guess! 

We leave tomorrow for Bruges, Belgium - where we will spend our New Year.  I hope all of your New Year's Celebrations are fabulous.  Be careful, I miss you all! 

Jenna

P.S.  We might still go track down the guy who ripped us off, so keep an eye out for us on the news : )

Amsterdam!

Greetings from Belgium!  

We didn't have internet service in Amsterdam so first I'll tell you all about our time there...

After taking 4 trains from Rothenburg, Germany - we finally arrived in Amsterdam.  Once we got into Amsterdam we had to hop on a tram to get to our hostel.  Like every other time we got off of the trains we got lost finding our hostel, but eventually found it.  The hostel was a bit rough, the whole place reeked of weed and there were a bunch of "shady" looking guys running around.  Napes and I officially decided that we aren't cut out for the true "backpacking" experience so we asked if there was anyway we could get a private room (so we didn't have to share a bunk with one of the creepo's running around).  They didn't have a private room, so we made up a sob story about a "bad experience" at a previous hostel, and got some of our money back!  Then we headed off in a search for a roof over our heads...  

We then tried a few hotels, and found a "5-Star" hotel that was reasonable (it was cheaper than the crappy looking Mariott).  It actually wasn't much more than our hostel.  Let me just say that their version of a 5-star is far from a 5-star in the States, but it was WAY better than our shady hostel.  I think the extra 20 Euro a night was worth it (and Napes does to0!).  We also were fortunately staying in a great area called "Leidseplein" that had a lot of restaurants, bars, "coffee shops", and other entertainment.  

After dropping our stuff off at our hotel we ventured our for a bite to eat.  While eating at our restaurant we met a guy from the States that just moved to Amsterdam about a month ago.  So we hung out with him for the rest of the night.  He showed us around the town and we eventually made it down to the Red Light District.  It was much different as I was expecting:  1) I thought it was one street, one block - it was a long street, many blocks, with streets branching off of it, hence the term "district" I guess  2) I thought the girls were going to be trashy and ugly - most of them were gorgeous!  3) I thought they would be up off the street somehow - they were RIGHT THERE!!  It was pretty neat, but we were content with 10 minutes of it.  It's probably more entertaining for a guy to walk around there than for us!  We didn't get back to our hotel until about 2 or 3 a.m. so we slept in the next morning!

Our next day in Amsterdam was spent doing some sightseeing.  First, we went to the Anne Frank Museum.  It was an awesome experience to see the actual annex that her and 7 others hid in for 2 years.  I loved reading about Anne Frank when I was younger and am thrilled that I got to learn more about her and her family.  I also bought her diary and have started reading it, it makes a lot more sense now that I'm older and can understand it better!  It's amazing that she wrote those words from the ages of 13-15, the caliber of her writing to mine is astonishing, she had true talent, it's a shame she didn't live on to write more...okay, enough of the sad stuff!  Second, we went to the Sex Museum!  You didn't think we only did the serious stuff did you?  Let's just say, the Sex Museum was very graphic, and again, I only needed about 10 minutes and I was ready to move on!  Finally, we went to a comedy show!  There is a comedy place in Amsterdam called "Boom Chicago".  It is part Improv part scripted, there were 4 comedians, all American so it was all in English.  They made fun of Dutch people, American people, pretty much everyone!  It was very entertaining and well worth it - we even got a free ticket to the show!

We called it an early night the last night in Amsterdam because we were pretty tired from the night before.  We got up the last morning and went to the Van Gogh Museum.  After having been in Rome and seeing all the naked paintings and old statues, it was nice to actually see some art we were familiar with.  The museum was very nice and they had tons of his paintings as well as others.  We thought about buying some prints, but I'm sure everything we saw there is readily available in the States, so I bought a little book about the museum and his paintings instead.  After the museum we packed up and headed out on the train to Brussels, Belgium (only 1 train this time!).

Overall, Amsterdam was absolutely amazing.  There were canals throughout the city, the homes were beautiful, and the architecture was much different than other places we had been.  This is the first place that Napes and I agreed would be somewhere we would love to come back to when it's warmer outside and spend some more time getting to know the city.  There is a lot more to it than drugs and the Red Light District.  We were surprised with how much we enjoyed our time in Amsterdam.   : )

~Jenna

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Being away from home for Christmas has most certainly been hard, but Dad was right when he told me that if I should spend it anywhere else in this world it should be Rothenburg, Germany.  This town is a perfect walled-in midevil town that is uber-Christmas!  We'll start with the train ride...

It was beautiful!  The rolling country-side and cute little towns were adorable, and because of whatever they grow in the fields it was surprisingly green!  We missed out on any castles because we were smart travelers and rode the train rather than renting a car.  That just means that next time we make it out here we have something else that we want to see!  We had to ride on 3 different trains just go get here, and with each change of trains we only had 5 minutes to RUN to the next train....down stairs, up stairs, all while hauling our luggage.  I had no idea I should have gone through rigorous training before coming to Europe!  Next our hotel....

It's beautiful!!  (do you get my drift yet?)  Since we are away from everyone for Christmas, and didn't get to open any presents : ( ...we decided to SPLURGE on a hotel!  It's not a major splurge, but a bit more than our hostels we've been staying in.  It's a charming little hotel that's hundreds of years old, it's quaint, warm, and has beautiful christmas decorations.  The staff is friendly and our room is actually spacious!  But not spacious in American terms...spacious in European terms.  It's absolutely perfect.  When we checked in they asked if we were interested in dinner for Christmas eve.  They told us it would cost 65 Euros each, so we told them we would think about it...then they said it was a 5-course meal that included champagne and as much wine as we wanted...SOLD!  It was well worth the money...we had a salad (delicious), oxtail soup (amazing), a fish entree (delicious), a meat entree (good), and desert (good)...and wine and champagne (amazing)!!!  Needless to say...we were stuffed.  But what made the meal most enjoyable is it was spent with about 75 other guests, they played music before the meal (a violinist and pianist) and the table settings were elaborate.  They lit candles and so on.  They seated us with two other American families and we had great conversations at dinner, it was a truly great experience.  Therefore, today we behaved and ate cheap! Next up the town...

Picture Perfect!  Everywhere we turn it is just like a postcard.  Little upset that there is no snow...but I can imagine!  The people here say that it is rare to not have snow at this time of year...so I guess I'll have to come back again to see the snow.  I would have no problem with that!

Last night after dinner we went to a church service...it was in a pretty cathedral but was all spoken in German, so we didn't understand a bit of it.  There was plenty of singing, so when we knew the tune we chimed in with our English lyrics.

Today is Christmas, so we slept in a bit, had a free breakfast downstairs at our hotel, then took a nap!  We then walked around for a while and found some good food and a little pastry and came back to the hotel, drank a glass of wine and read our books.  We then got ready for dinner and just had an appetizer and another (amazing) bowl of soup.  Next up, we went on the Night Watchman Tour, which lasted about an hour, and a group of us went around Rothenberg with a man dressed up as a Night Watchman and he told about the history of a town, it was actually very entertaining!!

Now we are winding down for the night.  We head to Amsterdam in the morning...it's been nice to have a relaxing break in our trip before the next leg of our adventure begins!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  Love and Miss you all!

Jenna

Hello!  I would say it in German - but still have not picked up a word of German, besides thank you...which we pronounce "DAHNKA!!!".

We had a loooong train ride from Florence to Munich yesterday (the 22nd).  We had to switch trains in Bologna, Italy and ran as fast as we could towards  a McDonald's and I of course had a Big Mac!  It was even better than in the states because they added extra special sauce...yum.

The train ride was interesting, the train was not very nice, but we were in a "cabin" with other people our age that were from Germany, and one other guy our age from Italy.  The German's spoke very good English, one of the guys speaks 11 languages!!  Once we crossed into Austria on the train the police came and checked passports.  There were several times that they only questioned the guy from Italy because he was darker skinned and could pass as a middle-easterner, I guess he was pretty used to it because it didn't bother him a bit, we were very shocked when they would pass through and only question him.  You can't get away with that in the states!!

We made it to Munich last night and found our hostel easily.  It is very nice, with a bar inside and about 6 floors.  We are diva-travelers and asked for our own room again, and we finally have our own shower, toilet, and sink in our room - and we shaved our legs today!!! YAY!

We had a good dinner last night, Bavarian-style food, and a big stein of beer.  There is a festival, called Tollwood, that's been going on in Munich for about a month, it is on the same grounds as Octoberfest.  There are lots of food stands, bars, and tents set up with live music.  The food smelled so good last night but were too full to eat, so we came back tonight and had a wonderful meal!  It is much classier than the Fall Festival in Evansville!  I didn't see a single mullet!

Even though we are in Germany, there is mostly American music that is being played!  Right now I am hearing "ghetto superstar" from the bar at the hostel, and was hearing NSync's Christmas music while walking through town.

We went to the famous beer house here...Haufbrahaus (spelling?).  It was wonderful, we had another big stein of beer (unfortunately I got Leigh Ann's suggestion a little late for the beer/lemonade drink!) but it was still good.  We met some people from London that were friendly and gave us lots of good advice for our time in London.

German boys are cuter than Italian boys and aren't quite as sleazy!  Two boys sent shots of Jagermeister over to Napes and I at Haufbrahaus, and the Londoners were so shocked because they "only see that happen in the movies".  Well...the movies they see are mostly American movies, so I guess that's just an American thing!  

Overall, things have gotten much better for us.  We are more used to counting money, riding trains, and getting around the towns.  I'm getting less homesick, but I think that's because Germany is much more American-feeling than Italy.  We've learned that Italians like to keep things Italian by not speaking English and dominantly having Italian food.  In Germany things are much more diverse and we've had mexican food, American food, German food, and Indian food just since getting in last night.  

We head to Rothenberg in the morning and plan to go to a gorgeous church for Christmas Eve service, even though we won't understand a lick of it!  

Merry Christmas!!!  Might not have internet until after Christmas when we are in Amsterdam so I hope Santa treats you all well!!

LOVE,

Jenna

Sick of Italian Food!

View of Florence

Senior Picture

Hello Everyone!  I hope you all are doing well and staying warm!

Napes and I officially had it with Italian food, it's good - but we can only handle so much pasta, paninis, and pizza - so we found a restaurant/bar called the Red Garter that had burgers and salads.  There is no such thing as "italian dressing" or "cesar dressing", one of the many things thought up by America I assume.  I was hoping for a delicious salad before my meals, but they come naked.  Speaking of naked, we have been to many museums and cathedrals and seen many many naked people in all the paintings, but back to the food.  I have been homesick for many things, and one thing in particular that I can't get used to is their Diet Coke...called Coca-Cola Light.  It does not taste the same, more sweet and less carbonation.  We have been trying to eat in spots that are favored by the locals and have found some great little hole in the wall restaurants!  Luckily, Napes and I like the same foods, so we each order something different and split it so we can try lots of yummy foods!  

We have been to all the main sites in Florence, including the cathedrals and museums.  We went to Santa Croce which is a cathedral that holds many tombs, in particular the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo!  We went to the Uffizi museum which is one of the most famous museums in the world and saw works by Michelangelo, Boticelli, and Leonardo Da Vinci.  We went to the gallery that is home to David, but weren't happy when they wouldn't let us take a picture of him.  He is much bigger in person than he looks in pictures.  I'd say he looks to be over 20 feet tall.  We also went across the river and climbed up a big hill that overlooks Florence and got some great pictures.  It is much bigger than you would expect for a city that's population is only about 400,000. 

Shopping is good in Florence too, Napes and I both found some good Italian leather handbags and got good deals on them (at least we think so!).  I wanted a pair of boots, a handbag, and a scarf, I found them all so will be doing no more shopping!!!  

The guy that runs our hostel, Leonardo, is very friendly and has given us lots of great advice on places to go for drinks and food.  He wrote all over a map he gave us with recommendations and we have done most of them.  

We had drinks with a crew of Italian soccer referees.  They spoke very little English, and the guy that could translate for us was a jokester.  One of the guys was interested in me, but the translator was telling me that he has 30 wives and wanted me to be his 31st.  It was all pretty funny when we all found out what he was really interpreting.  

We leave for Germany in the morning and are ready for a change of pace.  Cheap beer and cheap food in particular is what we look forward to, there is no such thing in Florence.  We have been spoiled with good weather so far, so we are expecting to have to bundle up warm for our venture up north.  The train ride should be pretty because we will be going through the mountains in Austria and Switzerland, which will make it a long train ride as well.  We will stay 2 nights in Munich, but will only have one full day to see the sights.  Our plan is to rent a car in Munich and drive to Rothenberg to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  

Love and Miss you all!  Happy Holidays!!! : )

Jenna

When in Rome!

Bonjourno!! That's one of the few words I've actually picked up on since arriving in Italy ~ I keep mixing Spanish and French to come up with Italian words...it's not really working for me.

We arrived safe and sound in Rome Wednesday morning around 7 a.m (Rome time, it was midnight back home). On our flight we met a very nice guy from the states that lives in Rome now. He is a federal agent for the U.S. and works at the U.S. Embassy in Rome and he gave us some great advice for our time in Rome. We decided to stay up all day so we could go to bed early and catch up, and fortunately we have not been too jet-lagged since Day 1.

Day 1: We were walking zombies, but got a lot accomplished. We checked right into our Hostel (which was not too great) and left immediately to go sightseeing. The less time in the hostel the better. They tried to put the two of us girls in a room with a 40 year old man, so we decided to pay 5 extra euros to have our own room. We caught on quickly to the bus system and rode down to Vatican City and explored St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel was phenomenal, there was room after room of beautiful artwork, and long elaborate hallways, but unfortunately we could not fully appreciate it because we don't know too much about it all. We then walked around, stopped in some shops, and grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to bed at 7 p.m. (Woohooo Party!!!).

Day 2: Was much better! We did some shopping (I finally found some boots!!!), and more sightseeing. We saw...the Spanish Steps (not too exciting, probably due to the time of year), Colleseum and Ruins (amazing!!!!), and ate outside at a typical Roman bistro. We then saw a beautiful church and decided to go inside and check it out and it was gorgeous. We decided to sit down and listen to a service that was going on, the people started singing Christmas songs in Italian, but we could tell by the tune what they were singing so we joined in singing in English (quietly). I do have to say we felt much safer than expected in Rome, we were always cautious of pickpockets, but never had any problems. (Confession - I called mom from St. Peter's Plaza and accidentally left my wallet on top of the payphone, didn't realize it until a little girl ran up and gave it to me...guess I should hang out in holy areas more often!). Trust me, that won't happen again!

Day 3: Sick of Rome! We were ready to get somewhere with less hustle and bustle, and with a better hostel. We hopped on a train early and headed to Florence and already feel much more at home. The people are nice, the town is beautiful and quaint. We feel safer here and have a much better hostel! Gotta run, I'm in an internet cafe and about to run out of time.

Love and Miss You All!!!

Ciao!!!

Jenna

P.S. I'll get Napes to write soon! : )

Up, Up, and Away

So I have never "blogged" before, and I will apologize in advance for my writing skills.  According to the GRE I am verbally-challenged, but I will do my best!  When I asked Napes what we should title our first blog while sitting here in the Indianapolis airport she poetically replied, "Up, Up, and Away".  So here it is, Thanks Napes - you're such a lyricist.

I just want to say thanks first to everyone who helped me this past week with getting my life in order.  It wasn't easy taking finals, moving, and packing to live on the road for the next 8 months and I couldn't have done it without everyone's help.  Special thanks to Mom and Cathy for all the cleaning and packing, Dad and Phyliss for cleaning and packing as well as driving my Eurail pass up to Indianapolis last minute (I had a near-emotional breakdown), Jenny for being my personal assistant, and Meghan for taking lots of my junk!  Oh yea, and Mom and Dan for taking care of my kitties while I'm away.  If I forgot anyone else, I am sorry, I've been forgetting lots of things lately!  And I want to thank God (don't they do that at the Oscar's?).  Napes told me that my thank you's sounded like an acceptance speech for an award.

We are about to take off and will be in D.C. for about 5 hours, then will land in Rome for the first leg of our adventure!

~Jenna