Bravely bold Tiffani
Walked forth from the Mercure.
She was not afraid to see,
Oh Brave Tiffani,
She was not afraid
To be Schooled in nasty ways.
Brave, brave, brave, brave Tiffani
She was not in the least bit scared
to be exposed to porn
or to have her eyes bludge out,
and her honor broken.
to have her money split,
and her retina burned away
to have her innocence hacked and mangled
Brave Tiffani
To see sex shops in
and see boobs fall out
to see clothes removed
and see butts unplugged
to see submissives raped
and to see guys jacked off
to see dildo-
"That's enough for now! There's red lights ahead..."
*After bolting from the street*
Brave Tiffani ran away
"No!"
Bravely ran away, away!
"I didn't!"
When naked reared its ugly head,
She bravely turned her tail and fled.
"No!"
Yes Brave Tiffani turned about,
"I didn't!"
And gallantly she chickened out.
Bravely taking to her feet
"I never did that!"
She beat a very brave retreat.
"All lies!"
Bravest of the Braaaaave!
"I never!"
*Obviously this is a spoof from Monty Python's song about Brave Sir Robin. So just read it to the tune of that.
Here are the original lyrics
Here you can view the video of the original from Monty Python and the search for the Holy Grail.
Also, the sad part is, in my last blog, I wrote about promptly running away... it's pretty much true. I got about three or four steps out onto the street and turned and literally bolted back into the alley where I stood there giggling for a good three or four minutes. Heh.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Adventures in Euroland: Day 11
Amsterdam - better in the morning? Not by much...
I think due to our sheer amout of disappointment with our initial impression of Amsterdam yesterday Nick and I did not bother leaving the hotel until about noon today.
Amsterdam does not look much better in the sunlight. We meandered around trying to decide which museum to check out. I think our indecisiveness stemmed from being worried about having such another negative experience. We stumbled upon a canal tour, which we thought would be pretty safe, so we decided to take that.
It wasn't too bad. It was about an hour, and the boat was pretty cool. It was long and flat and had a glass roof on it so you could see all the buildings. Amsterdam is all built on wood planks and the city is slowly sinking, like Venice. The buildings lean all different directions in some places, I will have to add pictures later.
To be honest, I spent most of the tour watching a little kid on the boat terrorize the people he was with. Some super grungey lookig guy and his wife/girlfriend/mistress. He was wearing a wedding ring and she was definitely not. The kid was throwing his soda can all over and at one point bit the lady's finger. She screamed really loud and then sat in her seat and cried. The kid didn't even get scolded. The guy was like, "are you gonna say you are sorry?" and the kid laughed and spit out a chunk of her fake nail. GROSS.
After that Nick and I saw the flower market, which was really cool actually. It was like three or four blocks of flower venders. They had all kinds of plants, every type you can think of. I saw lots of cacti and thought of dad. There were sooo many different kinds I think he would have wanted to buy them all. I also saw Bonsai trees and tulips and all kinds flowers, some orchids, and venus fly traps, lots of bulbs for every type of flower, all sorts of starter kits, including a grow your own cannabis kit.
We had lunch, the food here is not as good as Germany. Not by any stretch.
We also walked around and found a local market with lots of street vendors. Some of the stuff they were selling was really cool. I liked one stall in particular which sold some really neat clothing. They had the coolest hoodies and jackets I have ever seen in my LIFE. If I had not already gotten my Swatch I would have bought a jacket hands down. But I did get their website for future purposes. In case anyone is interested... here are the jackets we saw. I thought they were AMAZING. I really liked the ones by Gado Gado. SUCH cool clothing.
We headed back to the hotel to rest for a bit, since we walked all over the place. It was about 4, so we'd been walking for about 4 hours or so, minus half an hour for lunch.
One thing to note is that Amsterdam is FULL of bikes. I'm positive bikes outnumber cars at least three to one. So people are used to getting around by bike, on foot, or on the bus/trolly. So things are very crowded as I mentioned in my last post. Plus you have to watch out for tons of bicyclers. Dad, you would HATE it here just because of THAT alone.
Ladies of the night...
Anyway, after a few hours of down time we headed back out in search of food. Nick looked up this asian place that was supposed to be really good. So we headed in that direction. When we stopped to look at a map for directions, the inevitable happened: we realized our restaurant was precariously close to the Red Light district.
We kinda looked at each other... and back at the map, then back at each other.
Morbid curiosity won over.
The decision was made.
The place we wanted to eat had an hour wait so we put our name in for a table and headed one block to the north. As soon as we set foot in the next street over we were greeted with red lights and neon in the shape of busty women.
I promptly ran away.
I stood in the little alley between main streets and giggled like an idiot for a while. I told Nick maybe we should just cross the street, and not walk along the red light district, just to be safe. So we could kind of test the water, as it were. He agreed. So we bravely ventured out from our alley into the Red Light District. And right on through to the other side.
It wasn't that bad. We could see lots of sex toy shops all along the streets, neon sigs of naked women, bars, and LOTS of red lights. The red light district is literally FULL of red lights. Even the street lamps have red bulbs in them.
We went across and over to the next street, which was relatively safe. We went down another block and decided to cross back over through the red light district to the street our restaurant was on. Upon doing so we saw a sex theatre and in the alley there are lots of windows with real live girls standing in them in their lingerie solicing to people. Almost all of them were smoking.
I didn't really see a lot. I was staring with great intensity at the back of the person-ahead-of-me's back. So most of what I saw I saw out of the corner of my eyes. Don't judge me dear reader, I was curious, but intensely freaked out. I wanted to go back again, just for the sake of this blog, but I couldn't do it. Dad, please don't be too disappointed in me, I went to the red light district, I just can't tell you much about it. :p
Nick and I opted to wander in another direction instead, the whole time Nick was teasing me about getting me a lap dance, you know, for the sake of my blog. Jerk. To be fair, I did ask him if he thought they took women clients as well as men, and he said we could go back and ask one. To which of course I freaked out. It's my own fault really. I'm too easy to pick on. : /
ANYWAY. He was just being silly, because we were both sort of embarassed about the whole thing and I think we both respond to awkwardness with humor. It really isn't too different from Vegas I suppose, except they are probably more open about it here.
On a slightly unrelated but just as humorous note, there is a GIANT church right at the end of the red light district. Somehow, neither Nick nor I were surprised by this fact.
That sums it up.
The food was terrible, sadly, and we returned to the hotel feeling more or less bemused but ready to go home. I'm not sure what we are going to do tomorrow but I can honestly say I am ready to come back to the states. I do not care for Amsterdam much although it has been an intersting experience to say the least.
Who knows what we'll end up doing tomorrow, but the day after I will fly home, so that is great news to me. I flew coach on the way to Europe and I am just going to check into upgrading to first class for the flight home. I expect it to be several thousand dollars or more points than I have to upgrade but I want to at least ask. Coach for 8 hours blows, but at least I will have a window seat this time.
P.S. I have also decided to write the Ballad of Tiffani Visits the Red Light District, it would be similar to Monty Python's song about Brave Sir Robin Bravely Running away. Some possible lines include:
"When Naked reared its ugly, tiffani bravely turned her tail and fled,
Yes Tiffani turned about and gallantly she chickened out."
http://tiffanitravelblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/adventures-in-euroland-ballad-of.html
I think due to our sheer amout of disappointment with our initial impression of Amsterdam yesterday Nick and I did not bother leaving the hotel until about noon today.
Amsterdam does not look much better in the sunlight. We meandered around trying to decide which museum to check out. I think our indecisiveness stemmed from being worried about having such another negative experience. We stumbled upon a canal tour, which we thought would be pretty safe, so we decided to take that.
It wasn't too bad. It was about an hour, and the boat was pretty cool. It was long and flat and had a glass roof on it so you could see all the buildings. Amsterdam is all built on wood planks and the city is slowly sinking, like Venice. The buildings lean all different directions in some places, I will have to add pictures later.
To be honest, I spent most of the tour watching a little kid on the boat terrorize the people he was with. Some super grungey lookig guy and his wife/girlfriend/mistress. He was wearing a wedding ring and she was definitely not. The kid was throwing his soda can all over and at one point bit the lady's finger. She screamed really loud and then sat in her seat and cried. The kid didn't even get scolded. The guy was like, "are you gonna say you are sorry?" and the kid laughed and spit out a chunk of her fake nail. GROSS.
After that Nick and I saw the flower market, which was really cool actually. It was like three or four blocks of flower venders. They had all kinds of plants, every type you can think of. I saw lots of cacti and thought of dad. There were sooo many different kinds I think he would have wanted to buy them all. I also saw Bonsai trees and tulips and all kinds flowers, some orchids, and venus fly traps, lots of bulbs for every type of flower, all sorts of starter kits, including a grow your own cannabis kit.
We had lunch, the food here is not as good as Germany. Not by any stretch.
We also walked around and found a local market with lots of street vendors. Some of the stuff they were selling was really cool. I liked one stall in particular which sold some really neat clothing. They had the coolest hoodies and jackets I have ever seen in my LIFE. If I had not already gotten my Swatch I would have bought a jacket hands down. But I did get their website for future purposes. In case anyone is interested... here are the jackets we saw. I thought they were AMAZING. I really liked the ones by Gado Gado. SUCH cool clothing.
We headed back to the hotel to rest for a bit, since we walked all over the place. It was about 4, so we'd been walking for about 4 hours or so, minus half an hour for lunch.
One thing to note is that Amsterdam is FULL of bikes. I'm positive bikes outnumber cars at least three to one. So people are used to getting around by bike, on foot, or on the bus/trolly. So things are very crowded as I mentioned in my last post. Plus you have to watch out for tons of bicyclers. Dad, you would HATE it here just because of THAT alone.
Ladies of the night...
Anyway, after a few hours of down time we headed back out in search of food. Nick looked up this asian place that was supposed to be really good. So we headed in that direction. When we stopped to look at a map for directions, the inevitable happened: we realized our restaurant was precariously close to the Red Light district.
We kinda looked at each other... and back at the map, then back at each other.
Morbid curiosity won over.
The decision was made.
The place we wanted to eat had an hour wait so we put our name in for a table and headed one block to the north. As soon as we set foot in the next street over we were greeted with red lights and neon in the shape of busty women.
I promptly ran away.
I stood in the little alley between main streets and giggled like an idiot for a while. I told Nick maybe we should just cross the street, and not walk along the red light district, just to be safe. So we could kind of test the water, as it were. He agreed. So we bravely ventured out from our alley into the Red Light District. And right on through to the other side.
It wasn't that bad. We could see lots of sex toy shops all along the streets, neon sigs of naked women, bars, and LOTS of red lights. The red light district is literally FULL of red lights. Even the street lamps have red bulbs in them.
We went across and over to the next street, which was relatively safe. We went down another block and decided to cross back over through the red light district to the street our restaurant was on. Upon doing so we saw a sex theatre and in the alley there are lots of windows with real live girls standing in them in their lingerie solicing to people. Almost all of them were smoking.
I didn't really see a lot. I was staring with great intensity at the back of the person-ahead-of-me's back. So most of what I saw I saw out of the corner of my eyes. Don't judge me dear reader, I was curious, but intensely freaked out. I wanted to go back again, just for the sake of this blog, but I couldn't do it. Dad, please don't be too disappointed in me, I went to the red light district, I just can't tell you much about it. :p
Nick and I opted to wander in another direction instead, the whole time Nick was teasing me about getting me a lap dance, you know, for the sake of my blog. Jerk. To be fair, I did ask him if he thought they took women clients as well as men, and he said we could go back and ask one. To which of course I freaked out. It's my own fault really. I'm too easy to pick on. : /
ANYWAY. He was just being silly, because we were both sort of embarassed about the whole thing and I think we both respond to awkwardness with humor. It really isn't too different from Vegas I suppose, except they are probably more open about it here.
On a slightly unrelated but just as humorous note, there is a GIANT church right at the end of the red light district. Somehow, neither Nick nor I were surprised by this fact.
That sums it up.
The food was terrible, sadly, and we returned to the hotel feeling more or less bemused but ready to go home. I'm not sure what we are going to do tomorrow but I can honestly say I am ready to come back to the states. I do not care for Amsterdam much although it has been an intersting experience to say the least.
Who knows what we'll end up doing tomorrow, but the day after I will fly home, so that is great news to me. I flew coach on the way to Europe and I am just going to check into upgrading to first class for the flight home. I expect it to be several thousand dollars or more points than I have to upgrade but I want to at least ask. Coach for 8 hours blows, but at least I will have a window seat this time.
P.S. I have also decided to write the Ballad of Tiffani Visits the Red Light District, it would be similar to Monty Python's song about Brave Sir Robin Bravely Running away. Some possible lines include:
"When Naked reared its ugly, tiffani bravely turned her tail and fled,
Yes Tiffani turned about and gallantly she chickened out."
http://tiffanitravelblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/adventures-in-euroland-ballad-of.html
Friday, January 27, 2012
Adventures in Euroland: Day 10
Thoughts upon leaving Berlin:
Germany was, all in all, a really great experience. I think the Germans were, in general from what I experienced, a very private/quiet people, but also a polite and friendly people. Especially when they warm up to you a little bit. They seem to take care of and respect their history and their culture and I would not mind returning to Germany again. Although I would like to know more of the language first.
My Grammy asked me if she could see a lot of influence from the German culture in our [the American] culture. I really wasn't sure how to answer at first. I think it is a curiosity particular to my family especially since our last name is Sprague and as far as we have been able to trace, our heritage is mostly German with a smattering of other cultures thrown in.
I have given it some thought, and I do not see a lot of German influence in the American culture. At least not the part of the country we live in. (Colorado, which would be the Midwest part of the country)
I THINK, due to my limited exposure to living in other parts of the country, that one might find the most amount of German influence in the Northern part of the country, particularly North East. I think, based on what Mom has told me about growing up in Wisconson, that places like that have more German/Scandinavian type influences then other parts. I think the way they dress, social gatherings with close friends and family to play card games and drink beer, cheese and sausage being very common foods, etc.
On my trip to Nashville I met a writer name Phil. He told the Extroverted Norwegian joke. It goes like this:
How can you tell when you are talking to an extroverted Norwegian?
I dunno, how?
He's staring at YOUR shoes.
This is kind of the vibe I get from the people of Northern Germany, although not that extreme certainly. And again, this is only my perception, which is colored by my ideas, attitudes, and experiences.
Grammy, I hope that answers your question. That was a difficult question and our Country is SO large compared to the countries in Europe it is difficult for me to answer acurately having only really lived in the Midwest.
Initial Impressions of Amsterdam:
Upon arriving in Amsterdam and getting a taxi to our hotel, and seeing the rooms, Nick and I were pretty appauled. It is essentialy like being in a closet.
Nick was pretty pissed off because it cost more than the hotel in Berlin and the rooms were a third the size. MAYBE a fourth. So we went out for dinner so he could cool off.
And we were met with more shock and appaul.
Amsterdam, at least the part of the town we are staying in, is DIRTY. I'm not talking like, dirty minded, which it is also that, but I mean the town is filthy. There is trash EVERYWHERE, the side walks are dirty, there is gum all over the ground, there are cigarette butts everywhere, the buildings and windows are dirty, EVERYTHING is covered in grime. The place we ate at, was dirty inside too.
We passed pot stores, and hooka bars, and alcohols shops, and all kinds of stuff. There are lots of people out in the evening, and the streets and sidewalks are very crowded. Everything is very narrow due to all the canals, and people have a very small personal bubble here. (Americans actually have the largest of any culture. On average we prefer to stand or be at least six feet away from each other when we talk to people.) They have no problems bumping into you when they walk by. They are louder and on the whole less considerate seeming and polite than the people we saw in Berlin.
The people here in Amsterdam just give off a vibe that says "I don't give a fuck."
It is very hard to explain, but the initial impression Nick and I got is that this would be what the wold would be like if it were run by pot heads and the spoiled children of wealthy people who are used to getting whatever they want, getting away with anything, and who don't care about anything.
Obviously people come to Amsterdam for Drugs and Sex. But we really had no idea that downtown was so trashy.
I feel bad writing these things because I am sure there are lots of decent and hard working people who live here, I just have yet to meet any of them. No one we have come across seems overly eager or ambitious or friendly. I'm sure people here are also very friendly, but I think perhaps Nick and I come across as stuffy and contemptous, which compared to these people we probably are.
It's hard not to be when the prevading atmosphere is one that comes across as the people being very lazy and unindustrious. (is that even a word?)
Anyway, suffice it to say that neither Nick or I are impressed with Amsterdam AT ALL. I feel lonely, shocked, upset, lost, disgusted, afraid, weirded out, and ready to go home. I think this is probably what true culture shock feels like. I just do not understand this place at all. Maybe things will look better in the sunlight tomorrow...
Germany was, all in all, a really great experience. I think the Germans were, in general from what I experienced, a very private/quiet people, but also a polite and friendly people. Especially when they warm up to you a little bit. They seem to take care of and respect their history and their culture and I would not mind returning to Germany again. Although I would like to know more of the language first.
My Grammy asked me if she could see a lot of influence from the German culture in our [the American] culture. I really wasn't sure how to answer at first. I think it is a curiosity particular to my family especially since our last name is Sprague and as far as we have been able to trace, our heritage is mostly German with a smattering of other cultures thrown in.
I have given it some thought, and I do not see a lot of German influence in the American culture. At least not the part of the country we live in. (Colorado, which would be the Midwest part of the country)
I THINK, due to my limited exposure to living in other parts of the country, that one might find the most amount of German influence in the Northern part of the country, particularly North East. I think, based on what Mom has told me about growing up in Wisconson, that places like that have more German/Scandinavian type influences then other parts. I think the way they dress, social gatherings with close friends and family to play card games and drink beer, cheese and sausage being very common foods, etc.
On my trip to Nashville I met a writer name Phil. He told the Extroverted Norwegian joke. It goes like this:
How can you tell when you are talking to an extroverted Norwegian?
I dunno, how?
He's staring at YOUR shoes.
This is kind of the vibe I get from the people of Northern Germany, although not that extreme certainly. And again, this is only my perception, which is colored by my ideas, attitudes, and experiences.
Grammy, I hope that answers your question. That was a difficult question and our Country is SO large compared to the countries in Europe it is difficult for me to answer acurately having only really lived in the Midwest.
Initial Impressions of Amsterdam:
Upon arriving in Amsterdam and getting a taxi to our hotel, and seeing the rooms, Nick and I were pretty appauled. It is essentialy like being in a closet.
Nick was pretty pissed off because it cost more than the hotel in Berlin and the rooms were a third the size. MAYBE a fourth. So we went out for dinner so he could cool off.
And we were met with more shock and appaul.
Amsterdam, at least the part of the town we are staying in, is DIRTY. I'm not talking like, dirty minded, which it is also that, but I mean the town is filthy. There is trash EVERYWHERE, the side walks are dirty, there is gum all over the ground, there are cigarette butts everywhere, the buildings and windows are dirty, EVERYTHING is covered in grime. The place we ate at, was dirty inside too.
We passed pot stores, and hooka bars, and alcohols shops, and all kinds of stuff. There are lots of people out in the evening, and the streets and sidewalks are very crowded. Everything is very narrow due to all the canals, and people have a very small personal bubble here. (Americans actually have the largest of any culture. On average we prefer to stand or be at least six feet away from each other when we talk to people.) They have no problems bumping into you when they walk by. They are louder and on the whole less considerate seeming and polite than the people we saw in Berlin.
The people here in Amsterdam just give off a vibe that says "I don't give a fuck."
It is very hard to explain, but the initial impression Nick and I got is that this would be what the wold would be like if it were run by pot heads and the spoiled children of wealthy people who are used to getting whatever they want, getting away with anything, and who don't care about anything.
Obviously people come to Amsterdam for Drugs and Sex. But we really had no idea that downtown was so trashy.
I feel bad writing these things because I am sure there are lots of decent and hard working people who live here, I just have yet to meet any of them. No one we have come across seems overly eager or ambitious or friendly. I'm sure people here are also very friendly, but I think perhaps Nick and I come across as stuffy and contemptous, which compared to these people we probably are.
It's hard not to be when the prevading atmosphere is one that comes across as the people being very lazy and unindustrious. (is that even a word?)
Anyway, suffice it to say that neither Nick or I are impressed with Amsterdam AT ALL. I feel lonely, shocked, upset, lost, disgusted, afraid, weirded out, and ready to go home. I think this is probably what true culture shock feels like. I just do not understand this place at all. Maybe things will look better in the sunlight tomorrow...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Adventures in Euroland: Day 7
FINALLY have internet again!
I will post my posts with pictures as I have time. I have written several but was not able to post them till now. I would like to post them with pictures, so I may spend a day or two catching up.
My one souvineir is the Swasian Swatch! It's super nifty. Swatch is a Swiss Watch company (hence the name, Swatch) and I declared it Swasian because it has an asian theme but it is a Swiss Watch. Hence, Swasian. SWASIAN SWATCH! I am declaring it my one souvinere from the trip. Food over here seems to be incredibly cheap, but everything else is very expensive. My watch was 48€. But I also expect it to last me a really long time. Plus, it is white and blue with a dragon on it, and neat modern looking Kanji on the face of the watch, so it was well worth it to me. I have had a hard time finding anything I thought would make a good souvinere for the family back home when I was in Bad Bentheim, but maybe I will have more luck here in Berlin.
Still very gloomy weather, lots of travel today. Took the rental car back to Amsterdam to turn it in and took the train all the way back to Berlin. A good 8 hours of travel. Yeehck. On the plus side, I think trains are really cool and we need more of them in the US. They are so awesome!
I have to say, I am very glad I am not having to travel solo. It is very intimidating for me, having been born and raised in a country where we speak only one language, to suddenly be thrust into an environment where English is no longer the primary language. Not everyone speaks my language. Announcements are made at the train station and signs are posted that I cannot understand. Its just unsettling because I feel lost and ill-prepared and at times it is kind of overwhelming.
I can only image what tourists must feel like when the come to the United States. There are a lot of places that post signs in several different languages. Sometimes even in English too. That would NEVER happen back home. We gripe about having Spanish subtitles on the signs at Wal-Mart because, "This is AMERICA, we speak ENGLISH here!" I really need to travel more and see what life is like on the coasts or if this is strictly a mid-west attitude.
Arriving in Berlin, was crazy. The city is HUGE. We got off the train at the central train station. It was MASSIVE. Like, 4 or 5 stories and trains arriving and leaving on every level, stores everywhere. It was NUTS! Definitely overwhelming because I had no idea where to go and couldn't read any of the signs. Thank goodness for pictograms!!! I never realized how helpful the little man and woman signs are and the like, but thank god for the graphic designers who made them and worked to implement them universally. They are a LIFE SAVER.
Nick and I made our way out to the front and got a Taxi. Our driver did not speak English, but Nick is pretty good with German numbers and was able to give him the address of our hotel, so we got there no problems.
Our hotel is CRAZY COOL. The pool is on the 8th floor! No joke. It's awesome. Everything is super modern and designy looking. Here are pictures of my sweet and awesome room:
BED.
View from the window of my room, it looks down into the lobby.
There is a phone in the bathroom next to the toilet... you know... in case you have to talk while you're on the John.
Designer faucet.
Again with the glass and no shower curtain/door. Although this shower head makes it a rain shower. It's really cool.
TOWEL WARMERS!!! <3
These people know how to stock a mini fridge. See those bottles of water? Don't be deceived. They are 'mit kohlensauer'. That means they are SPARKLING WATER! EWWW!
All light switches in Germany are square buttons. (The one's at the hotel in Bad Bentheim were too, but they were not this fancy) These people like their buttons. Buttons to turn on the lights and to flush the toilets.
We were exhausted and starving so we dropped our stuff off and went out for food. We ate at a nice little cafe where the service did not take quite so long as it did in Bad Bentheim. I brought my pocket guide along, but they had a menu in English available, also in French and Spanish and German and Italian. Wow! You would never find that in America. At least not any parts of America that I have lived in. Well, as mentioned, maybe in Spanish in some parts of the country, (or perhaps in Japanese on parts of the west coast) but I would hazzard a guess and say that most Americans are stubbornly set in the idea that we speak English in this country. Period.
I went out on a limb and ordered water tonight. It came still and in a bottle. I almost wept when I drank it. No nasty carbonation, no apple flavor, just pure sweet delicious bottled water.
So Berlin seems like a really cool town and I am looking forward to getting to see more of it tomorrow. The fashion is different here, people seem to care a lot more about their appearance. Well, maybe not a lot more, but I would say the sense of style is more sophisticated here. I have noticed LOTS of girls with very short hair, especially from the age of what appears to be mid 30s and older, but even lots of younger ones too. I'm not sure if this is just common here or if it is a current style trend, but there are very few women with long hair. I have also noticed there are lots of make up or cosmetic stores EVERYWHERE. Pretty much on every corner it seems like. Sandwiches seem to be a very common food in Germany. There are sandwich shops all over the place too.
That about sums up my first impressions Berlin and its people. Bad Bentheim the people were friendly for sure, but there is definitely the big city feel to Berlin.I am really looking forward to the museums tomorrow. At some point this week I am going to try some German beer too. Although I will probably stick to ordering mostly wine. It's actually cheaper than water to get wine with dinner. Crazy, huh? Water is 2 or 3€ for a tiny small bottle and wine is about that for a quarter of a liter. 5€ for half liter. Looking forward to seeing more sights and eating more delicious food.
I will post my posts with pictures as I have time. I have written several but was not able to post them till now. I would like to post them with pictures, so I may spend a day or two catching up.
Still very gloomy weather, lots of travel today. Took the rental car back to Amsterdam to turn it in and took the train all the way back to Berlin. A good 8 hours of travel. Yeehck. On the plus side, I think trains are really cool and we need more of them in the US. They are so awesome!
I have to say, I am very glad I am not having to travel solo. It is very intimidating for me, having been born and raised in a country where we speak only one language, to suddenly be thrust into an environment where English is no longer the primary language. Not everyone speaks my language. Announcements are made at the train station and signs are posted that I cannot understand. Its just unsettling because I feel lost and ill-prepared and at times it is kind of overwhelming.
I can only image what tourists must feel like when the come to the United States. There are a lot of places that post signs in several different languages. Sometimes even in English too. That would NEVER happen back home. We gripe about having Spanish subtitles on the signs at Wal-Mart because, "This is AMERICA, we speak ENGLISH here!" I really need to travel more and see what life is like on the coasts or if this is strictly a mid-west attitude.
Arriving in Berlin, was crazy. The city is HUGE. We got off the train at the central train station. It was MASSIVE. Like, 4 or 5 stories and trains arriving and leaving on every level, stores everywhere. It was NUTS! Definitely overwhelming because I had no idea where to go and couldn't read any of the signs. Thank goodness for pictograms!!! I never realized how helpful the little man and woman signs are and the like, but thank god for the graphic designers who made them and worked to implement them universally. They are a LIFE SAVER.
Nick and I made our way out to the front and got a Taxi. Our driver did not speak English, but Nick is pretty good with German numbers and was able to give him the address of our hotel, so we got there no problems.
Our hotel is CRAZY COOL. The pool is on the 8th floor! No joke. It's awesome. Everything is super modern and designy looking. Here are pictures of my sweet and awesome room:
BED.
View from the window of my room, it looks down into the lobby.
There is a phone in the bathroom next to the toilet... you know... in case you have to talk while you're on the John.
We were exhausted and starving so we dropped our stuff off and went out for food. We ate at a nice little cafe where the service did not take quite so long as it did in Bad Bentheim. I brought my pocket guide along, but they had a menu in English available, also in French and Spanish and German and Italian. Wow! You would never find that in America. At least not any parts of America that I have lived in. Well, as mentioned, maybe in Spanish in some parts of the country, (or perhaps in Japanese on parts of the west coast) but I would hazzard a guess and say that most Americans are stubbornly set in the idea that we speak English in this country. Period.
I went out on a limb and ordered water tonight. It came still and in a bottle. I almost wept when I drank it. No nasty carbonation, no apple flavor, just pure sweet delicious bottled water.
So Berlin seems like a really cool town and I am looking forward to getting to see more of it tomorrow. The fashion is different here, people seem to care a lot more about their appearance. Well, maybe not a lot more, but I would say the sense of style is more sophisticated here. I have noticed LOTS of girls with very short hair, especially from the age of what appears to be mid 30s and older, but even lots of younger ones too. I'm not sure if this is just common here or if it is a current style trend, but there are very few women with long hair. I have also noticed there are lots of make up or cosmetic stores EVERYWHERE. Pretty much on every corner it seems like. Sandwiches seem to be a very common food in Germany. There are sandwich shops all over the place too.
That about sums up my first impressions Berlin and its people. Bad Bentheim the people were friendly for sure, but there is definitely the big city feel to Berlin.I am really looking forward to the museums tomorrow. At some point this week I am going to try some German beer too. Although I will probably stick to ordering mostly wine. It's actually cheaper than water to get wine with dinner. Crazy, huh? Water is 2 or 3€ for a tiny small bottle and wine is about that for a quarter of a liter. 5€ for half liter. Looking forward to seeing more sights and eating more delicious food.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Adventures in Euroland: Day 6
Thoughts on a quiet day:
Walked around town more, things that I have noticed.
Even though there is lots of country side in this country, space in town is very cramped. Hallways are narrower, streets are narrower, elevators are freaking TINY.
Here in Bad Bentheim there is little to no ambient noise. When walking to dinner in the evenings there is very little light polution, and no sirens, no cars, no dogs, its very quiet. You can hear the wind and the gentle rain, but usually not alot else as compared with most towns in America. Even when eating in the restaurants the ambient noise level seems to be much quieter. People talk very quietly, and Nick's voice seems to just carry, which is kind of awkard. Places are just very hushed.
There is a lot of new mixed with old. I think I may have mentioned this before, but you just see a lot that.
Most people here seem to prefer cash. I dont think I've seen anyone pay for anything by card yet.
It is interesting to me that so many people speak multiple languages. It really makes me want to learn more. Esepcially to improve my Japanese before I got Japan. Big time. I think about how difficult it must be for people to travel to America if they don't speak English since a lot of people in our country only speak English.
I do find it interesting though, and incidentally enough Nick has had the same experience; when trying to commnicate with someone in German, if it is kind of spurr of the moment, we've both answered people in Japanese. How weird is that!? I am not sure if it is maybe just the part of the brain that stores foreign language freaking out and pulling the first thing that it comes across out to respond with or what, but it's odd. Someone will ask a question and instead of "Ja" (Yaw) we've both nodded and been like "Hai" (Which is yes in Japanese). It's the weirdest thing.
Also, here are pictures of the hotel here in Bad Bentheim. It's very cozy. :)
Here is the bakery where Nick and I would get our lunch. It was called Joh Wittenbrink. They had some tasty deserts too.
A view of one of the streets from my room.
Do you know what this is? This is awesomeness made metal. Basically all the bathrooms have towel warmers in them. Oh. My god. I want one in my house.
Showers do not come with curtains or doors. The standard seems to be a piece of glass that comes not quite half way down the tub with a shower head on that side. Very cool. Except its hard to shower without getting water on the floor. : /
The bathroom at our first hotel had two parts. One room had the tub and the sink...
The other was a tiny closet sized room with the toilet in it. The button on the wall flushes the toilet. Almost all the bathrooms I have been in have either two handles, one for flushing a little (or going number one) and one for flushing more (when you go number two) or you can opt to push to flush, and push back to stop. These people are serious about not wasting water on flushing toilets. I actually like this set up a lot better than the way toilets flush back home in America. It's pretty spiffy.
The totally suave and very amazing swimming pool of modern luxury. This was the coolest pool I have ever been in. The lights on the wall and in the pool change colors. Also, the water was really warm. And a lot less chlorine smelling/feeling than pools back home. Probably because I don't think a lot of kids get to swim in here, so its not needed... if you catch my drift...
Another shot of the pool.
PEACE!
Even though there is lots of country side in this country, space in town is very cramped. Hallways are narrower, streets are narrower, elevators are freaking TINY.
There is a lot of new mixed with old. I think I may have mentioned this before, but you just see a lot that.
Most people here seem to prefer cash. I dont think I've seen anyone pay for anything by card yet.
It is interesting to me that so many people speak multiple languages. It really makes me want to learn more. Esepcially to improve my Japanese before I got Japan. Big time. I think about how difficult it must be for people to travel to America if they don't speak English since a lot of people in our country only speak English.
I do find it interesting though, and incidentally enough Nick has had the same experience; when trying to commnicate with someone in German, if it is kind of spurr of the moment, we've both answered people in Japanese. How weird is that!? I am not sure if it is maybe just the part of the brain that stores foreign language freaking out and pulling the first thing that it comes across out to respond with or what, but it's odd. Someone will ask a question and instead of "Ja" (Yaw) we've both nodded and been like "Hai" (Which is yes in Japanese). It's the weirdest thing.
Also, here are pictures of the hotel here in Bad Bentheim. It's very cozy. :)
Another shot of the pool.
PEACE!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Adventures in Euroland: Day 5
Das Schloss!
Tour of the castle. It was amazing!
There are a couple different parts to the Castle. There was a church building, walls around the castle, a newer finished part to the castle, a tower, a keep, and a part that was being renovated. The castle has been built a few different times, having been destroyed or having parts of it destroyed since it was first built in 1050 A.D. WOW.
I cannot explain how cool it is to be standing in something that old. It was also very creepy. You just get a weird feeling being around/in something with that much history attached to it. As I mentioned before the castle has been burned down or destroyed several times, it was used as a prison and has a dungeon, so many people have died there as well.
To the left are pictures of the inside of the furnished and finished part of the castle itself. (I think you can click on the pictures to pull up a full sized version) The dining room, a mosaic on the floor, etc. Everything was very elaborately and richly decorated. It was a mixture of Gothic, Neo-Gothic, and Rococo architecture and interior decoration styles.
Not a single detail was overlooked. Even the ceilings were richly decorated. I have pictures of carvings on the wood paneling, of tiny details EVERYWHERE. At some point I will put up a gallery and link to it, but for now here are some of my favorite pictures from the castle.
Here is a picture from the library. It's hard to see because it was pretty dark inside the castle, but all of the wood work was carved with incredible detail.
One of the family lines who lived in the castle at one point had a swan as part of their crest. I think it looks more like a Flamingo because every time you see it is painted red, or the red has faded to kind of a pink color. If my Aunt Doni had a family crest, it would probably be a flamingo and look something like this. :)
Here is a real honest to goodness Treasure Chest. The D&D side of me couldn't resist getting a shot of this.
Family lines and crests of 'Lords of the Castle'.
A more detailed family record for families who have owned/occupied the castle at various points throughout history.
This stuff also made me think of my Aunt Doni, who works for the Repository dealing with illegal imports of animal products into the US. She sees stuff like this all the time, except usually more exotic. Aside from the antlers everywhere they even had serving dishes and utinsles made out of deer hooves!
Some really neat examples of armor on display.
Another shot of the outside of the castle.
My favorite part of the castle were the unfinished parts. The battery tower and the keep were both carved stone like this and unfinished. The tower used to house cannons for defending the castle and prison cells. I got the strangest vibe from being in the tower and the tower basement. The tower featured the spiral staircases you usually see when people draw or make movies about castles. Well, they really do have spiral stair cases in towers like that, although the steps are a lot more narrow than I would have guessed. It's hard to tell, but I tried to take a picture of my feet on the stairs. I have pretty small feet and not even my whole foot fit on the step at close to the widest part of the stair. It made climbing the tower a tiny bit nerve wracking, but still VERY COOL.
Spiral Stair Case of AWSOMENESS.
Very old, very steep wooden stair case in the keep tower.
More stairs to the top of the keep tower.
Looking out over the castle gardens and to the north-west from the keep.
The castle as seen from the keep.
The church steeple as seen from the wall near the keep.
The keep itself. This part of the castle is roughly 30 meters high and you can climb all the way to the top and look out between the crenelations. The walls are 5.5 meters or 16.5 feet thick. (Yes, they really are that thick. You can see how thick they are when you look out the windows of the keep from the inside) I didn't get a picture of it, but at the ground floor there is a square hole that was roped off and had a grate over it. I later read that this is called an Angstloch or "Fear Hole" and that it goes straight down over 12 meters into the dungeon. There are no lights and no windows in the dungeon and the only way in or out is via a wench that used to be installed directly over the hole. In Medieval times it was used as a prison. In more recent years it was used as a gun powder storage room. Either way, it was a very dark hole and gave me the chills.
I spent a good two hours just roaming the grounds looking at everything and taking lots of pictures. And after I left, I still didn't feel like I had taken enough. The tour was only 3,50€ and WELL Worth it. I wish I spoke German and could have taken the tour, but the lady in the office was kind enough to dig up a guide book about the castle in English which she let me have. :D On my way out I told her "Dankeschehen! Es ist wunderschön!"
Here is a picture of the inside of the church.
I also included this picture because Nick and I had a conversation about how people probably take for granted that they live in a city (or even in a country) which has historical sights that are older than our nation. Like, "Oh... yeah, I pass the castle on my way to school or work every day. Its no big deal." We don't have things anywhere near as old as this that are man made in North America, but as you can see by the graffiti on the door to this prison cell in the Battery Tower, people over here don't seem to take notice....
There are a couple different parts to the Castle. There was a church building, walls around the castle, a newer finished part to the castle, a tower, a keep, and a part that was being renovated. The castle has been built a few different times, having been destroyed or having parts of it destroyed since it was first built in 1050 A.D. WOW.
I cannot explain how cool it is to be standing in something that old. It was also very creepy. You just get a weird feeling being around/in something with that much history attached to it. As I mentioned before the castle has been burned down or destroyed several times, it was used as a prison and has a dungeon, so many people have died there as well.To the left are pictures of the inside of the furnished and finished part of the castle itself. (I think you can click on the pictures to pull up a full sized version) The dining room, a mosaic on the floor, etc. Everything was very elaborately and richly decorated. It was a mixture of Gothic, Neo-Gothic, and Rococo architecture and interior decoration styles.
My favorite part of the castle were the unfinished parts. The battery tower and the keep were both carved stone like this and unfinished. The tower used to house cannons for defending the castle and prison cells. I got the strangest vibe from being in the tower and the tower basement. The tower featured the spiral staircases you usually see when people draw or make movies about castles. Well, they really do have spiral stair cases in towers like that, although the steps are a lot more narrow than I would have guessed. It's hard to tell, but I tried to take a picture of my feet on the stairs. I have pretty small feet and not even my whole foot fit on the step at close to the widest part of the stair. It made climbing the tower a tiny bit nerve wracking, but still VERY COOL.
I spent a good two hours just roaming the grounds looking at everything and taking lots of pictures. And after I left, I still didn't feel like I had taken enough. The tour was only 3,50€ and WELL Worth it. I wish I spoke German and could have taken the tour, but the lady in the office was kind enough to dig up a guide book about the castle in English which she let me have. :D On my way out I told her "Dankeschehen! Es ist wunderschön!"
I also included this picture because Nick and I had a conversation about how people probably take for granted that they live in a city (or even in a country) which has historical sights that are older than our nation. Like, "Oh... yeah, I pass the castle on my way to school or work every day. Its no big deal." We don't have things anywhere near as old as this that are man made in North America, but as you can see by the graffiti on the door to this prison cell in the Battery Tower, people over here don't seem to take notice....
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Adventures in Euroland: Day 4
OMG SLEEP WTF?!
Woke up again today at 4:30am. I stared at the ceiling until 6. Then met Nick for Breakfast. I would love to get my sleep schedule back where it should be. : /
The hunt for the windmill continues and a nice old man tries to talk to me:
Anyway, breakfast, then to the bakery and back to the hotel room to hang out till about 10 or so when the castle opens. It is raining again and very gloomy out. Chilly and gloomy. But like the post office, neither wind nor rain nor sleet nor snow will keep me from my quest!
So I headed out into the weather. I wandered down a few different streets this time. I found a bookstore which I would like to explore tomorrow. I also spotted a little Thai/Chinese place which I will try to talk Nick into going to. If Italian food is as good as it is, or really that much better than it is in America here, I hope the Asian food is just as good too.
I looped around the castle and back towards the hotel, past it, and down another street I hadn't yet traveled. I walked down this way for quite a while.
I saw some signs that had to do with the windmill, but I have yet to find the windmill itself. I'm pretty bummed that I don't read German or Dutch.
After having been out in the rain for an hour or so and coming up empty on my search for the windmill it was time to head back to the hotel. On my way back I passed a really nice old man, (I did say this town was pretty much mostly old people from what I can tell, I've seen very few younger people here)
Anyway, so this nice old man said "Guten Morgen!" (Also, pardon my German spelling, I know its terrible) and then he said a bunch of stuff after that which I did not understand. I felt so bad! I wanted to speak to him and be like, "HI! Good morning to you too! This is really swell weather, even if it is a little chilly. I think your town and your country are beautiful!" But alas, I was kind of taken by surprise and all I could manage to sputter was "Uh, I'm really sorry, nein Deutsch." :( I am so sad. I didn't even ask if he spoke English. Sprechen zie English? :( He said, "Oh, Ok, Thank you." and walked away. I was crushed. Like, I really cannot explain how sad I am that I didn't get to talk to him. :( I wish I could speak every language under the sun. If I had a super power, that is what it would be. To read, write, speak, and understand every language known to man. I vow that when I go to Japan I will be able to communicate with the locals, at least on a rudimenary level.
A very wet and very cold and very sad Tiffani arrived back at the hotel a short while later. :( I got back, hung all my soaking wet clothes out on the heaters to dry, and suited up for some lunch and then prepared to go see if the castle was open.
My clothes drying on the towel warmer in the bathroom. These things are SO handy!
Bad weather and evening meal time:
After I got back, ate my sandwich and set my clothes out to dry, I was feeling a little sniffly and very cold. The weather didn't show any sign of improving so I opted to wait for tomorrow to see if the weather improves a bit for Castle Viewing. Whether it does or not I will still be going as the Castle is only open Saturday, Sunday and Thursday and tomorrow will be my last chance to see the castle before we head to Berlin.
I hung out at the hotel for a while and when Nick got back we decided to try to the little Thai/Chinese place for dinner. The food was pretty good, but I don't think it was quite as good as the little Italian place. I have to admit, I think it is kind of funny to see/hear Asian people speaking German since back in the states they usually speak their native Asian language when working, and speak English with an accent. Just an observation, no disrespect ment to anyone.
So, all in all another laid back day, hoping for better weather tomorow.
Woke up again today at 4:30am. I stared at the ceiling until 6. Then met Nick for Breakfast. I would love to get my sleep schedule back where it should be. : /
The hunt for the windmill continues and a nice old man tries to talk to me:
Anyway, breakfast, then to the bakery and back to the hotel room to hang out till about 10 or so when the castle opens. It is raining again and very gloomy out. Chilly and gloomy. But like the post office, neither wind nor rain nor sleet nor snow will keep me from my quest!
So I headed out into the weather. I wandered down a few different streets this time. I found a bookstore which I would like to explore tomorrow. I also spotted a little Thai/Chinese place which I will try to talk Nick into going to. If Italian food is as good as it is, or really that much better than it is in America here, I hope the Asian food is just as good too.
I looped around the castle and back towards the hotel, past it, and down another street I hadn't yet traveled. I walked down this way for quite a while. 
After having been out in the rain for an hour or so and coming up empty on my search for the windmill it was time to head back to the hotel. On my way back I passed a really nice old man, (I did say this town was pretty much mostly old people from what I can tell, I've seen very few younger people here)
Anyway, so this nice old man said "Guten Morgen!" (Also, pardon my German spelling, I know its terrible) and then he said a bunch of stuff after that which I did not understand. I felt so bad! I wanted to speak to him and be like, "HI! Good morning to you too! This is really swell weather, even if it is a little chilly. I think your town and your country are beautiful!" But alas, I was kind of taken by surprise and all I could manage to sputter was "Uh, I'm really sorry, nein Deutsch." :( I am so sad. I didn't even ask if he spoke English. Sprechen zie English? :( He said, "Oh, Ok, Thank you." and walked away. I was crushed. Like, I really cannot explain how sad I am that I didn't get to talk to him. :( I wish I could speak every language under the sun. If I had a super power, that is what it would be. To read, write, speak, and understand every language known to man. I vow that when I go to Japan I will be able to communicate with the locals, at least on a rudimenary level.
A very wet and very cold and very sad Tiffani arrived back at the hotel a short while later. :( I got back, hung all my soaking wet clothes out on the heaters to dry, and suited up for some lunch and then prepared to go see if the castle was open.
My clothes drying on the towel warmer in the bathroom. These things are SO handy!Bad weather and evening meal time:
After I got back, ate my sandwich and set my clothes out to dry, I was feeling a little sniffly and very cold. The weather didn't show any sign of improving so I opted to wait for tomorrow to see if the weather improves a bit for Castle Viewing. Whether it does or not I will still be going as the Castle is only open Saturday, Sunday and Thursday and tomorrow will be my last chance to see the castle before we head to Berlin.
I hung out at the hotel for a while and when Nick got back we decided to try to the little Thai/Chinese place for dinner. The food was pretty good, but I don't think it was quite as good as the little Italian place. I have to admit, I think it is kind of funny to see/hear Asian people speaking German since back in the states they usually speak their native Asian language when working, and speak English with an accent. Just an observation, no disrespect ment to anyone.
So, all in all another laid back day, hoping for better weather tomorow.
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