Hard to believe we’re in our final European destination: Greece. We finally pulled the shorts and bikinis out from the very bottom of our backpacks. It’s a wonder they weren’t dusty–sitting down there for so long. Our first impression of Greece is the overall friendliness–even to tourists. The bus driver from the airport offered to bring us right to our stop, and then an older … Continue reading Europe 2013: Relax. It’s Greece.
We ate a lot of gelato in Europe, especially during the four days in Italy. Because it’s basically everywhere. We feel like we got to the point where we could judge a gelateria based on appearances. Which we were taught never to do while growing up. We did it anyways. (Sorry, Mom). After about 30 scoops of gelato between us, we noticed a trend. In … Continue reading Europe 2013: Gelato 101. From Italia.
Venice is like another world. It starts when you take a water bus from the airport. And then there are boats everywhere. Boats for absolutely everything and anything. Ambulance boats. Police boats. Firetruck boats. Mail boats. Subway boats. Taxi boats. We even saw a hearse boat. Boats, boats, and more boats. It’s incredible. We didn’t stay directly in Venice. Instead we stayed on the island … Continue reading Europe 2013: And then we ended up in Narnia. Also known as Venice.
Paris is beautiful. From what we packed into two days, anyways. In just two days, though, we somehow managed to visit the Eiffel Tower no less than three times. We’re suckers for Le Tour Eiffel, it seems. On our first day, we rode the Metro to the Notre-Dame, and slowly made our way to the Louvre, the Champs-Elysees, and eventually the Eiffel Tower. The next … Continue reading Europe 2013: Paris in a Blur. Avec des Macarons.
Why didn’t anyone tell us how delicious the food is in Germany? In all of your defense, however, we stayed with a friend of ours–a local– so he knew the best places already. Which makes it easier being a tourist–he pretty much did the hard part of already weeding out the not-so-great eats. (We eventually had to confess to Patrick that we had McDonald’s. We … Continue reading Europe 2013: Rick Steves, can you publish a German Food Tour Guide?
I guess it’s called a ‘comfort zone’ for a reason, haha. Our three days in Germany will be spent with a German friend in Dusseldorf. In hindsight, we should have printed off a basic map, or at the very least asked our friend Patrick for directions, haha. Oops. Without a map or wi-fi, we basically did what we could while exploring this morning–we traced our … Continue reading Europe 2013: Trying not to get lost in Germany.
Bicycles absolutely, one hundred percent, run the streets in Amsterdam. It could potentially be hazardous for a pedestrian if you’re not paying attention. Walking around at any given time, you’re sharing the streets with trams, mopeds, cars, and thousands of bikes. We’ve also seen scooters, horses and carriages, and one chic on rollerblades. You’re supposed to be paying attention, but it’s hard when there’s just … Continue reading Europe 2013: If I were a Bicycle, I would move to Amsterdam.
I think Amsterdam was our very first taste of culture shock. Trying to take the right train when everything is in Dutch, for example. We pretty much had no choice but to ask for help, haha. Lord knows we don’t want to board any more wrong trains. The first thing that grabs your attention? Cannabis. All over the place. Totally geared towards the tourists, but … Continue reading Europe 2013: Dear Amsterdam, You’re a Little Odd. We like it.
Europe is old. I mean that as a compliment. Seriously, when’s the last time you saw a 16th century castle in Newfoundland? We were barely even discovered at that time, let alone building castles. Even the city skylines are completely different over here. Flying into NYC or Toronto is not at all like flying into London. You walk around the center of London or Dublin … Continue reading Europe 2013: The O’Brian’s-Kings of the Castles.
Our first night in Galway was a pretty good time. It almost didn’t happen. We arrived in Galway by bus in the afternoon. The B&B is just a short little walk up from the station, so we were all settled away in no time. The bed and breakfast is super nice. Going from here to a hostel won’t be a very pleasant adjustment, haha. Eddie, … Continue reading Europe 2013: The Best Nights are Not Planned.
Jess & Jana 