Berlin was our second major city in Germany and the last city James would be joining us in. It was a rainy day again and we got off the train and took the metro to our hostel. We liked Wombats so much in Munich that we booked its sister hostel in Berlin. It was brand new and it was another extremely nice hostel. We had a 4 man room with one other roommate from Israel.
We were getting a little hungry but wanted to wait a little until we had some food so we decided to hit up the 7th floor bar. The bar was awesome with euro beers, a pool table, and an outdoor patio looking over the city. We all grabbed something to drink and decided to play a few games of pool. After about an hour it was time or dinner and we went to the hostel recommended German restaurant called The Marcus Brau. They brewed their own beers and served up classic local food. The food was pretty good but by no means the best German food we had the whole trip. After dinner was over we deliberated for quite some time trying to figure out what to do with our Friday night. We went back to the hostel for another recommendation and this time is was for a very local Berlin bar called CCCP. It wasn’t too far from the hostel so we decided to walk there. Inside there was a 2 euro cover and a tiny bar packed with people. We grabbed a drink and tried to blend in. There were no seats available so we stood. I was scolded for requesting Absolute because it wasn’t Russian vodka the bartender preferred so I ordered the suggested drink. He was right, it was very good vodka. A few seats finally opened up and we sat down. Like many other establishments in Europe, this place allowed smoking and it was very apparent while there. By apparent I mean it felt like you were inhaling cigarettes even if you weren’t smoking. It wasn’t the most amazing bar and we were all tired so we had a few drinks and called it a night.
The next day we planned to go on a walking tour of the city that started at 10:15 so we had a very quick breakfast and headed out on the walking tour. We had about 27 people in our group and Paulo our guide from the UK was awesome and very informative. He started the tour out right by giving a little background on the wars that Germany had fought and made mention of the relationship they had with France. The statue on the Brandenburg Gate looks directly at the French embassy and Paulo asked if there were any French people in the group and without any hands raised he said “GOOD”. With that exchange I knew that I would like Paulo! Throughout the tour we saw the Reichstag parliament building, Holocaust museum, Hitler’s suicide place, the Berlin wall, Check Point Charlie. We had some coffee halfway through the tour and after went to the Opera house and walked down the Unter Den Linden street to end in Museum Island. It was a great walking tour and we saw a lot of historic Berlin.
The tour ended around 3 so Wang, James and myself were very hungry. We headed to the river and stopped at a café with coffee, sandwiches and desserts and sat down for all three. They made a very good Club sandwich so I was a happy guy. After lunch we decided we should buy some chocolate from the famous Fassbender and Rauch. They had huge chocolate models of different buildings in the city and other objects on display like the titanic made entirely of chocolate. It was getting later in the day so we decided to just wander around the streets of Berlin admiring the blend between classic architecture and modern architecture coexisting together throughout the whole city. We walked past the TV tower (the largest freestanding building in Europe) and back to the hostel.
Dinner was at a widely recommended Vietnamese place called Monsieur Vuong. The service was great, the food was better and the price was right. It also came as a nice change from the heavy, fatty German food we had been eating for more than a week. Everyone talks about the nightlife in Berlin so we knew that we had to go out drinking on a Saturday night. The same company that organizes our tours also does a pub crawl every night so we decided to join in. It was 11 euro and we got an hour of all we could drink beer, entrance to 5 different bars/clubs and free (read: nasty) screwdriver shots between each bar. This turned out to be a great idea because we met some very fun girls and the 5 bars we went to were all great and as the night wore on got progressively more clubby. A little after three we were sufficiently liquored up and partied out and it was time to go back. The metro back was interesting. Riders can choose to buy a ticket or risk getting caught and facing the expensive fine. Many people opt to take the risk but we didn’t. Once on the train we were surprised to see a bunch of kids lighting up a big blunt and at that moment we realized there was absolutely no reason to buy a ticket next time.
We decided to spend the next day visiting an old concentration camp called Sachsenhausen. Oranien was the stop 45 minutes down the metro where Sachsenhausen concentration camp is located. Visiting a concentration camp while in Germany is a necessity. When we got to our stop there was a 15 minute walk north east. It was an eerie, grey, windy day. We headed out through the little town where the camp was located and immediately noticed an excessive amount of armed police standing around in groups. We also quickly noticed the addition of riot masks and full jumpsuits most were wearing. At first we didn’t think much of it but as we continued to walk 5 and 10 more minutes we saw more and more police. Sidewalk blockades, checkpoints, police cars with flashing lights blocking intersections, etc. we actually were feeling quite uncomfortable as we had no idea what all of this was about. It was also strange that the area seemed to be quite empty otherwise and the hovering helicopter overhead didn’t help the cause. I finally couldn’t take it any more and took my chances on a police officer speaking English to see if there was any cause for concern. He informed us that it was ‘standard’ security for a demonstration later that afternoon. It seemed a little more than that to me but I felt a hell of a lot better after talking to him. So we marched onto the camp. My words would never be able to live up to the feeling you have when entering the gates of this former place of torture and killing. The site is entirely grey and very quiet with most buildings having been torn down and only a few remaining for purposes of remembrance. We spent a few hour touring the housing, prison, line-up site, etc. It was an emotionally draining experience. I was more than ready to go back to Berlin.
Once back to the city it was dinner time and we had to figure out what to eat. James looked over the Fromers book and found an East Prussian restaurant on the west side of the city. We all agreed to go there because we hadn’t had Prussian food yet. We rode the metro to the west side and walked the 5 minutes to Marjellchen. We entered the restaurant to find what would be considered a very nice restaurant 30 years ago. Nothing had been updated and the dining room was manned by 2 people. The woman who seemed to be the owner and another older man, both in their 60s. We were seated at a very nice table in the small dining room in the front of the restaurant with 5 tables. We were offered English menus and graciously accepted. From the moment we entered the restaurant the wait staff was nothing less than utterly charming, taking pride in every second of their work. It was a wonderful place with great food. We were very satisfied after the meal and headed back to the hostel. Poor James had to wake up extremely early the next morning to catch his flight so we called it an early night.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Prague
St. Patty’s day in Prague. We got to the city early evening, and saw that it was a hassle of public transportation to get to our hostel, so we decided upon a cab. Our hostel website said cabs should cost around 200 crowns, roughly 10 dollars. No problem right? We got charged over 700 crowns. Ripped off, maybe? Anyway, our hostel, Czech Inn, was an extremely cool hostel, probably one of the nicer ones we’ve stayed in. It’s been renovated recently, and had a very modern/contemporary design to it. Glossed concrete floors, rooms with high ceilings (and high bunk beds too), and just up-to-date facilities, not always easy to find when staying at hostels. We headed to dinner at U Bulini, just down the street, and had a satisfying meal and a few drinks to start the night off. Naber had the best dish of the night, Devil’s Pot, or a beef goulash served in a bread bowl.
Since it was St. Patty’s, should be plenty of nightlife going on… so you would think. Our hostel had suggested a bar called U Sudu, which was just on the edge of Old Town. We found the bar, and headed in. For the first few minutes, we could not figure out why anyone would suggest this bar. It was small and smoky, the bar being no longer than 20 feet. The room had 4 or 5 tables, which were full of older people drinking beer or wine. As it was cold and windy outside, we ordered a drink anyway. Naber had needed to use the bathroom, and when he came back, he let us in on a little discovery. Tucked away in the back corner of this room was a tiny low-ceiling staircase that lead down into a cellar. This room was much larger, full of younger people drinking. At the end of this room was another small staircase which lead into a hallway, with rooms splitting off on either side. This bar had a total of 7 rooms, each with its own DJ and different genre of music, with the exception of the bar when you first walked in, which turned out to be the wine bar. In other words, this bar was massive, and almost completely underground with curved brick ceilings. Very cool. We found a table, got a few drinks and some more, and I listened while Naber and James got into a heated argument regarding a Grosse Pointe high school choir teacher and why she was so ‘controversial,’ and whether she had an effective and acceptable way of teaching students. Enlightening.
A handful of drinks (and Red Bulls) later, we decided it was St. Patty’s… might as well hit up a club while in Prague. It was well past 1 in the morning by now, so we headed towards a couple of the clubs that had been suggested by either the hostel or some friends. One club was only open Thurs-Sat, and another was hosting some sort of private party. A bit disappointed, considering the occasion, but apparently they don’t care much for the Irish celebrations in the Czech Republic. We made our way back to our hostel, thinking to grab a drink or two at the bar in there, but to our dismay, that was closed down by the time we got back. Guess we were calling it a night.
We woke up a bit later the next day, and opted out of the 140 crown breakfast offered by the hostel, springing to go to Café Louvre in the Old Town are instead. Leave it to Naber to pick a French place. You should ask him of his opinion of Parisians some time. It will leave you thoroughly entertained for 15 minutes. But that’s neither here nor there. After coffee and some bread, we set off along the Vltava River, and crossed over the Charles Bridge and into the Mala Strana area. We wandered through the streets a bit, and made our way up to the Prague Castle. When you think the word castle, you typically think tall towers, high walls, majestic-looking building, maybe a fire-breathing dragon, etc., right? Well not this one. Since the castle already sits on top of a hill, it’s made up of several buildings that run along the top of the hill, and it has many courtyards inside. The biggest building is actually the cathedral in the middle, which was really cool, but just not your everyday spitting image of a castle. Nevertheless, we made the obligatory walk-through, and at least got some cool city views. We sat down for lunch at some place that wasn’t worthy enough to have its name remembered, as we got hit with an unexpected service charge and such for a mediocre meal. After lunch, we walked along the river, then meandered back into Old Town to the Powder Gate and Wenceslas Square up to the National Museum, and found our way back to the hostel. I should mention that Prague is a beautiful city. It has a darker aura to it, maybe because it’s just part of Eastern Europe, which doesn’t have all the Golden Age history and period that Western Europe seems to have. Or maybe I don’t really know what I’m talking about. But either way, there’s more of a dark charm to the city.
Back at the hostel, we met our Canadian roommate, Cindy. Being from Quebec and having studied in France, she was also just traveling around Europe. Apparently Parisians treat French-Canadians badly too, as their French accent was inferior to those from France. At least Naber and her had some things in common. Being pleasant company, she came along for dinner at a place called Cheers, a very cool restaurant and bar. Afterwards, Naber, James and myself sat down at the hostel bar for a nightcap before turning in.
I had fully intended on making a free walking tour of the Old and New Towns the next morning. So I got up early, ready to hop in the shower and get the rest of the guys up. As I took a gander out the window, there was snow coming down. Not evening wanting to see Naber’s reaction to walking around in some snow, I promptly returned to bed. The snow had stopped coming down later in the morning and we went to Café Meduza for breakfast. A great little place, which served vey eclectic food including a Czech interpretation of huevos rancheros, chocolate crepes and breakfast noodle dumplings stuffed with all the fixings. Not to mention delicious cappuccinos. Afterwards, we walked to see the Fred and Ginger dancing building, and crossed back over the river to walk in the Devil’s Stream area where Mission Impossible was filmed. We also did a walk-by of the John Lennon a wall, a small area with Lennon lyrics and poem graffiti. While not significant by looks alone, it was the place where students had started protesting communism in the 1980s. While the government would whitewash the wall, overnight it was filled with graffiti again, and this cycle repeated itself almost daily, leading up to a clash between students and police on the Charles Bridge. We crossed back over the bridge into the Old Town Square, which is easily one of the more impressive squares we’ve seen this trip. As it was another chilly day out, we warmed up with some hot chocolate and mulled wine, and watched the astronomical clock go off on the hour. Afterwards, we climbed up to the top of the tower, overlooking the square and the rest of Prague. We took a stroll through the Old Jewish Quarter afterwards, completing our exploration of Old Town, and headed back to the hostel to relax before dinner. We decided upon a place called Hergetova Cihelna, a restaurant right on the river next to the Charles Bridge. It came recommended by James’ friend. No expense was spared for this dinner. Drinks, wine, beef tartar, duck, chicken stuffed with prawn, beef cheeks, etc. It was absolutely delicious, and worth every penny. We made our way back to the hostel, stuffed and ready to fall into food coma. A great dinner to close out Prague.
Since it was St. Patty’s, should be plenty of nightlife going on… so you would think. Our hostel had suggested a bar called U Sudu, which was just on the edge of Old Town. We found the bar, and headed in. For the first few minutes, we could not figure out why anyone would suggest this bar. It was small and smoky, the bar being no longer than 20 feet. The room had 4 or 5 tables, which were full of older people drinking beer or wine. As it was cold and windy outside, we ordered a drink anyway. Naber had needed to use the bathroom, and when he came back, he let us in on a little discovery. Tucked away in the back corner of this room was a tiny low-ceiling staircase that lead down into a cellar. This room was much larger, full of younger people drinking. At the end of this room was another small staircase which lead into a hallway, with rooms splitting off on either side. This bar had a total of 7 rooms, each with its own DJ and different genre of music, with the exception of the bar when you first walked in, which turned out to be the wine bar. In other words, this bar was massive, and almost completely underground with curved brick ceilings. Very cool. We found a table, got a few drinks and some more, and I listened while Naber and James got into a heated argument regarding a Grosse Pointe high school choir teacher and why she was so ‘controversial,’ and whether she had an effective and acceptable way of teaching students. Enlightening.
A handful of drinks (and Red Bulls) later, we decided it was St. Patty’s… might as well hit up a club while in Prague. It was well past 1 in the morning by now, so we headed towards a couple of the clubs that had been suggested by either the hostel or some friends. One club was only open Thurs-Sat, and another was hosting some sort of private party. A bit disappointed, considering the occasion, but apparently they don’t care much for the Irish celebrations in the Czech Republic. We made our way back to our hostel, thinking to grab a drink or two at the bar in there, but to our dismay, that was closed down by the time we got back. Guess we were calling it a night.
We woke up a bit later the next day, and opted out of the 140 crown breakfast offered by the hostel, springing to go to Café Louvre in the Old Town are instead. Leave it to Naber to pick a French place. You should ask him of his opinion of Parisians some time. It will leave you thoroughly entertained for 15 minutes. But that’s neither here nor there. After coffee and some bread, we set off along the Vltava River, and crossed over the Charles Bridge and into the Mala Strana area. We wandered through the streets a bit, and made our way up to the Prague Castle. When you think the word castle, you typically think tall towers, high walls, majestic-looking building, maybe a fire-breathing dragon, etc., right? Well not this one. Since the castle already sits on top of a hill, it’s made up of several buildings that run along the top of the hill, and it has many courtyards inside. The biggest building is actually the cathedral in the middle, which was really cool, but just not your everyday spitting image of a castle. Nevertheless, we made the obligatory walk-through, and at least got some cool city views. We sat down for lunch at some place that wasn’t worthy enough to have its name remembered, as we got hit with an unexpected service charge and such for a mediocre meal. After lunch, we walked along the river, then meandered back into Old Town to the Powder Gate and Wenceslas Square up to the National Museum, and found our way back to the hostel. I should mention that Prague is a beautiful city. It has a darker aura to it, maybe because it’s just part of Eastern Europe, which doesn’t have all the Golden Age history and period that Western Europe seems to have. Or maybe I don’t really know what I’m talking about. But either way, there’s more of a dark charm to the city.
Back at the hostel, we met our Canadian roommate, Cindy. Being from Quebec and having studied in France, she was also just traveling around Europe. Apparently Parisians treat French-Canadians badly too, as their French accent was inferior to those from France. At least Naber and her had some things in common. Being pleasant company, she came along for dinner at a place called Cheers, a very cool restaurant and bar. Afterwards, Naber, James and myself sat down at the hostel bar for a nightcap before turning in.
I had fully intended on making a free walking tour of the Old and New Towns the next morning. So I got up early, ready to hop in the shower and get the rest of the guys up. As I took a gander out the window, there was snow coming down. Not evening wanting to see Naber’s reaction to walking around in some snow, I promptly returned to bed. The snow had stopped coming down later in the morning and we went to Café Meduza for breakfast. A great little place, which served vey eclectic food including a Czech interpretation of huevos rancheros, chocolate crepes and breakfast noodle dumplings stuffed with all the fixings. Not to mention delicious cappuccinos. Afterwards, we walked to see the Fred and Ginger dancing building, and crossed back over the river to walk in the Devil’s Stream area where Mission Impossible was filmed. We also did a walk-by of the John Lennon a wall, a small area with Lennon lyrics and poem graffiti. While not significant by looks alone, it was the place where students had started protesting communism in the 1980s. While the government would whitewash the wall, overnight it was filled with graffiti again, and this cycle repeated itself almost daily, leading up to a clash between students and police on the Charles Bridge. We crossed back over the bridge into the Old Town Square, which is easily one of the more impressive squares we’ve seen this trip. As it was another chilly day out, we warmed up with some hot chocolate and mulled wine, and watched the astronomical clock go off on the hour. Afterwards, we climbed up to the top of the tower, overlooking the square and the rest of Prague. We took a stroll through the Old Jewish Quarter afterwards, completing our exploration of Old Town, and headed back to the hostel to relax before dinner. We decided upon a place called Hergetova Cihelna, a restaurant right on the river next to the Charles Bridge. It came recommended by James’ friend. No expense was spared for this dinner. Drinks, wine, beef tartar, duck, chicken stuffed with prawn, beef cheeks, etc. It was absolutely delicious, and worth every penny. We made our way back to the hostel, stuffed and ready to fall into food coma. A great dinner to close out Prague.
Vienna
We arrived in Vienna around dinner time and it was dark, cold, and rainy. Not the best way to start out visit. We checked into our hostel called the Ruthensteiner. It was a very nice hostel and Wang, James and I had a three man room so the privacy was nice. It was late and we were hungry so we asked the nice Italian guy behind the counter where we could grab some good Viennese food. He suggested a restaurant called Seven which brewed seven different kinds of beer and served local food. Their beer was good and the food was better. After a satisfying meal we walked slowly back to the hostel through the quiet, Paris-like streets of Vienna.
The next day we woke and James was up first. This is an oddity as he tends to be a night owl so I figured he was a little jet lagged still. He showered up and went out to get some fruit at the corner market. He returned with some oranges and plums. We were still hungry and wanted some coffee and a smoke for James so we went to a local bakery that served coffee and delicious pastries. They also allowed smoking but this is a moot point in Vienna because you can smoke EVERYWHERE. The ladies at the bakery were very nice and again spoke surprisingly good English so the language barrier was minimal. After our very French breakfast we walked to Schloss Schonbrunn, the summer imperial palace within the city. It was a huge building overlooking a palatial garden elevated at the furthest point which provided beautiful views of the city. We walked around the Palace and up to the highest point in the garden. We then took the 35 minute walk south west to the city center. We were headed for the opera house where we decided to look for food. We found a little eatery near the opera house and settled down for some local cuisine, sausage, schnitzel, and goulash. After lunch we headed to Stephans Platz to check out the shopping street and the largest cathedral in the city, the Stephans cathedral. It was a very large structure and what set it apart from other churches we had seen on this trip was its roof. It was fully decorated in different tiles making a very interesting design. After some more walking we stopped at Manner for some famous Vienna Wafer cookies.
Out of the city a little we walked to the Donau Kanal. There was a coffee shop right on the river so we stopped in to grab a coffee and use the facilities. It ended up that the bathroom cost 1 euro so we went across the street to McDonalds and used the free one there. I am getting sick of bathrooms you pay for. Wang wanted to see the old Ferris wheel so we walked to through Prater Park to see it. James and I decided not to make it just a trip to the Ferris wheel and hopped on the rollercoaster in the park. We figured when are we ever going to ride a rollercoaster again in our lives. With that realization the 4 euros was considered well spent and the ride was better than we expected.
After our fun we went back into the city center and saw the Hofburg buildings including Alte and Neue. Then it was onto the Parliament building and the Rathaus, the old town hall which unfortunately was under construction. We walked through Burg Garden to see the Mozart monument and Opera house all lit up at night. Wang snapped a few more pictures and with that it was dinner time.
James and I were drawn into a shoe store and while there James decided to ask the guy working where he suggested we grab some local food. This turned out to be the best idea all day and he suggested a place called Alt Wiener Beisl, Zu Den lieserln, which was only a few blocks away. We walked around, passing the restaurant because it was a very small place that is not well advertised. We walked in to find that it is probably the smokiest place on earth and that the front dining room had one large table for 8 and the rear had about 7 tables for 4 apiece. We were ushered back to the rear dining room which was even smokier than the front with absolutely zero air circulation. I swear there were clouds in this room. The waiter, owner, and english speaking smart ass was the best waiter we could have asked for. We all ordered ‘house specialties’ and some drinks. James and I both ordered different schnitzels and Wang had a mixed plate of meat. All three meals were FAR too large and included a side. Our schnitzel was so large it covered an entire dinner plate. We tried to finish it all but all three meals proved to be too large. James then decided to order dessert and this shocked the waiter. He gave us hell but we ended up getting out chocolate pancakes. We were then approached by a man from another table to chat with us. He had lived in the states and just wanted to strike up a little conversation. He proved to be overly chatty but nice either way. We then started talking to the two Swiss girls sitting next to us chain smoking cigarettes. They were our age and one was studying abroad in Vienna and her friend was visiting. They proved to be great conversationalists and we stayed for about an hour longer than intended. We walked back and called it a night.
Morning came and we decided to post right back up and the same coffee shop we had gone to the morning previous. After breakfast we walked to train station to head to Prague.
The next day we woke and James was up first. This is an oddity as he tends to be a night owl so I figured he was a little jet lagged still. He showered up and went out to get some fruit at the corner market. He returned with some oranges and plums. We were still hungry and wanted some coffee and a smoke for James so we went to a local bakery that served coffee and delicious pastries. They also allowed smoking but this is a moot point in Vienna because you can smoke EVERYWHERE. The ladies at the bakery were very nice and again spoke surprisingly good English so the language barrier was minimal. After our very French breakfast we walked to Schloss Schonbrunn, the summer imperial palace within the city. It was a huge building overlooking a palatial garden elevated at the furthest point which provided beautiful views of the city. We walked around the Palace and up to the highest point in the garden. We then took the 35 minute walk south west to the city center. We were headed for the opera house where we decided to look for food. We found a little eatery near the opera house and settled down for some local cuisine, sausage, schnitzel, and goulash. After lunch we headed to Stephans Platz to check out the shopping street and the largest cathedral in the city, the Stephans cathedral. It was a very large structure and what set it apart from other churches we had seen on this trip was its roof. It was fully decorated in different tiles making a very interesting design. After some more walking we stopped at Manner for some famous Vienna Wafer cookies.
Out of the city a little we walked to the Donau Kanal. There was a coffee shop right on the river so we stopped in to grab a coffee and use the facilities. It ended up that the bathroom cost 1 euro so we went across the street to McDonalds and used the free one there. I am getting sick of bathrooms you pay for. Wang wanted to see the old Ferris wheel so we walked to through Prater Park to see it. James and I decided not to make it just a trip to the Ferris wheel and hopped on the rollercoaster in the park. We figured when are we ever going to ride a rollercoaster again in our lives. With that realization the 4 euros was considered well spent and the ride was better than we expected.
After our fun we went back into the city center and saw the Hofburg buildings including Alte and Neue. Then it was onto the Parliament building and the Rathaus, the old town hall which unfortunately was under construction. We walked through Burg Garden to see the Mozart monument and Opera house all lit up at night. Wang snapped a few more pictures and with that it was dinner time.
James and I were drawn into a shoe store and while there James decided to ask the guy working where he suggested we grab some local food. This turned out to be the best idea all day and he suggested a place called Alt Wiener Beisl, Zu Den lieserln, which was only a few blocks away. We walked around, passing the restaurant because it was a very small place that is not well advertised. We walked in to find that it is probably the smokiest place on earth and that the front dining room had one large table for 8 and the rear had about 7 tables for 4 apiece. We were ushered back to the rear dining room which was even smokier than the front with absolutely zero air circulation. I swear there were clouds in this room. The waiter, owner, and english speaking smart ass was the best waiter we could have asked for. We all ordered ‘house specialties’ and some drinks. James and I both ordered different schnitzels and Wang had a mixed plate of meat. All three meals were FAR too large and included a side. Our schnitzel was so large it covered an entire dinner plate. We tried to finish it all but all three meals proved to be too large. James then decided to order dessert and this shocked the waiter. He gave us hell but we ended up getting out chocolate pancakes. We were then approached by a man from another table to chat with us. He had lived in the states and just wanted to strike up a little conversation. He proved to be overly chatty but nice either way. We then started talking to the two Swiss girls sitting next to us chain smoking cigarettes. They were our age and one was studying abroad in Vienna and her friend was visiting. They proved to be great conversationalists and we stayed for about an hour longer than intended. We walked back and called it a night.
Morning came and we decided to post right back up and the same coffee shop we had gone to the morning previous. After breakfast we walked to train station to head to Prague.
Munich
The train ride to Munich was S L O W. It was a seven hour ride that should easily be covered in less than 4 hours. However, the view is gorgeous going through the mountains in northern Italy and throughout Austria. We also saw a lot of snow in Austria, sure signs that our trip is about to get a bit colder. We finally got to Munich, and in my excitement to get off the train, I failed to notice which Munich train station we were in. Whoops. Got off the Ostbanhof station instead of Hauptbanhof. We had to remedy that by catching the S-bahn train to the main train station. Our hostel, Wombats, was located less than a full block away from the train station. The hostel has a very lively atmosphere. There’s a bar in the back, adjacent to a nice lounge room, which is actually an enclosed courtyard. The rooms are large and clean, and we had two Korean roommates. As we arrived in Munich pretty late, we just checked in and grabbed a few beers at the bar before calling it a night.
We spent our first day in the Munich area out of the actual city. Ingolstadt is about an hour away from Munich by train, and is home to Audi’s headquarters. If you haven’t figured out why we went there, then you clearly don’t know Naber. But moving on, we sort of didn’t look up exactly how to get there, even from the train station. Had to try to decipher German bus maps and routes to figure out how to get to the Audi complex. We made it to the Audi Forum just in time for the only English plant tour of the day. The two hour tour of the plant was awesome. The Ingolstadt plant produces almost all of the A4s, A3s, and Q5s. The Q5 is their smaller SUV, just as the BMW X3 is to the X5, and is not yet sold in the States. Therefore, it is highly likely that Naber’s car came from that very plant. They pump out 2300 cars a day, and they have incredible machinery and robots that are part of their production lines in the plant. Another interesting fact: the workers are allowed to smoke on the job, and each worker is also allowed to drink half a liter of beer per shift. As they say, Germans are good at working and drinking beer. I guess they go hand in hand in this case.
Audi’s main customer center is also in Ingolstadt, and on average, about 250 customers pick up their cars straight from the center every day. When a customer arrives, their car is brought out onto a showroom floor, where an Audi rep. shows them every nook and cranny of their car, and the customer gets to drive their car straight off the floor. It was very cool to see. After our plant tour, we grabbed lunch in a very chic cafeteria, and headed for the Audi museum, where we got to see all the Audi models from the very beginning of the company.
We got back to Munich in the evening with pretty dreary weather out; cold and rainy. We got dinner at Augustiner Braustuben, an off the tourist path restaurant. The inside of this place was exactly as I would have imagined an authentic Bavarian style restaurant. It was full of people, loud, and all drinking beer, and all the tables were shared tables. We were squeezed in at a table between two other pairs of people eating, where we ordered beer and the ‘mixed pan.’ This dish involves half a roasted chicken, a quarter of a duck, and crispy pork knuckle, with sides of potato dumplings and a red cabbage. So in other words, a man’s dinner. And also cardiac arrest waiting to happen. Probably one of the top three under 10 euro meals we’ve had in Europe.
The next day, we were joined by none other than James Fox of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Three’s a crowd right? Now I have someone to help me make fun of Naber. Not a bad deal. James got to the hostel around 10:30, having come straight from Minnesota overnight and also not having slept a whole lot. So at 11:00, we did a walking tour of the city, provided by a guy named Ozzy. It was a great tour, considering it was free, and also very informative. For instance, Bavarian beer consists of four ingredients and four only: yeast, barley, hops and water. No preservatives or anything else. Also, most locals drink beer in half liter steins because beer only keeps most of its flavor for about 20 minutes or so after it comes out of the tap. Regulars at beer halls also have their own stein locker. So drinking a big liter mug doesn’t really make you look cool, and plus, you’re in Bavaria, where half the women can probably outdrink you in beer. We also learned some Third Reich history, which a lot of the city has covered up. On another note, the Hitler salute is illegal, as in you go to jail illegal, and they’re serious about it, so if you intend on coming here, consider yourself warned. On the topic of illegal, jaywalking is also illegal and actually enforced as well, so another thing to keep in mind. Our tour group only consisted of us and one Australia dude named Al, so it was nice and a little more personalized. We saw the central Catholic Church in the city, and the noon show at the Glockenspiel in Marienplatz, and walked along part of Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch March. After the tour was over, the rest of the day was dedicated to walking across the river to see the Parliament, then strolling through the English Garden before heading back to the hostel. Dinner was had at Donisl, a restaurant right off of Marienplatz, the plaza in the center of the city. After dinner we made our way over to the Augustiner Keller, one of many beer halls in the city. It was the beginning of Starkbierzeit, or the ‘strong beer festival.’ The cellar had a bit of a party going on, but we opted out of the cover charge and contented ourselves with a few beers in the main beer hall.
The next day we hopped on a regional train southbound for the town of Fussen, which lies on the Germany/Austria border. It was a beautiful sight on the train ride in, as the town lies right under the mountain range. We got lunch in the town center, then jumped on a bus that took us to a village just outside of town, where we made a short hike up to Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle that Disney modeled their signature castle off it. It was beautiful out, as the ground was still covered by snow, but the temperature was in the high 40s. The castle was built to satisfy Ludwig II’s love for fairy tales and fables, and the inside of the castle was full of paintings and murals dedicated to certain fairy tales, so it was easy to see why Disney chose this castle. After our castle tour, we had noticed a bridge over a gorge with a good view of the castle, so we decided to try to get to this bridge. Unfortunately, there was a fenced off road that read, “danger: no trespassing,” and was apparently the road that lead to the bridge. Following the lead of a couple other people, we skirted the fence and walked up the road. We were greeted with a few amazing views of the Alps and a large frozen lake behind the castle. Continuing along, there was another fenced off area. Well, we’d already hopped over one fence. What’s another? Two more no trespassing signs later, we were on Marienbrucke, or Mary’s Bridge, which spanned over a 90m deep gorge. A little creepy to feel how springy the wood on the bridge was, but it was worth see the castle in its entirety, something unachievable on the walk up to the castle.
After getting back to Munich, we headed for the all famous Hofbrauhaus, the most well-known beer hall in Munich. It was PACKED with people, and we shared a table with a German woman, her mom and mom’s friend, and also a father-son pair who were very friendly and fun to chat with for a few hours. Beer is only served by the liter at night, so that was settled. It’s an enormous beer hall with a live German band, loud people singing and being obnoxious, and pretzel girls walking between the tables, and in general a fun atmosphere. The food was good, and the company was better. A few liters of beer later, we closed down the Hofbrauhaus, a good end to our trip to Munich. Vienna up next.
We spent our first day in the Munich area out of the actual city. Ingolstadt is about an hour away from Munich by train, and is home to Audi’s headquarters. If you haven’t figured out why we went there, then you clearly don’t know Naber. But moving on, we sort of didn’t look up exactly how to get there, even from the train station. Had to try to decipher German bus maps and routes to figure out how to get to the Audi complex. We made it to the Audi Forum just in time for the only English plant tour of the day. The two hour tour of the plant was awesome. The Ingolstadt plant produces almost all of the A4s, A3s, and Q5s. The Q5 is their smaller SUV, just as the BMW X3 is to the X5, and is not yet sold in the States. Therefore, it is highly likely that Naber’s car came from that very plant. They pump out 2300 cars a day, and they have incredible machinery and robots that are part of their production lines in the plant. Another interesting fact: the workers are allowed to smoke on the job, and each worker is also allowed to drink half a liter of beer per shift. As they say, Germans are good at working and drinking beer. I guess they go hand in hand in this case.
Audi’s main customer center is also in Ingolstadt, and on average, about 250 customers pick up their cars straight from the center every day. When a customer arrives, their car is brought out onto a showroom floor, where an Audi rep. shows them every nook and cranny of their car, and the customer gets to drive their car straight off the floor. It was very cool to see. After our plant tour, we grabbed lunch in a very chic cafeteria, and headed for the Audi museum, where we got to see all the Audi models from the very beginning of the company.
We got back to Munich in the evening with pretty dreary weather out; cold and rainy. We got dinner at Augustiner Braustuben, an off the tourist path restaurant. The inside of this place was exactly as I would have imagined an authentic Bavarian style restaurant. It was full of people, loud, and all drinking beer, and all the tables were shared tables. We were squeezed in at a table between two other pairs of people eating, where we ordered beer and the ‘mixed pan.’ This dish involves half a roasted chicken, a quarter of a duck, and crispy pork knuckle, with sides of potato dumplings and a red cabbage. So in other words, a man’s dinner. And also cardiac arrest waiting to happen. Probably one of the top three under 10 euro meals we’ve had in Europe.
The next day, we were joined by none other than James Fox of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Three’s a crowd right? Now I have someone to help me make fun of Naber. Not a bad deal. James got to the hostel around 10:30, having come straight from Minnesota overnight and also not having slept a whole lot. So at 11:00, we did a walking tour of the city, provided by a guy named Ozzy. It was a great tour, considering it was free, and also very informative. For instance, Bavarian beer consists of four ingredients and four only: yeast, barley, hops and water. No preservatives or anything else. Also, most locals drink beer in half liter steins because beer only keeps most of its flavor for about 20 minutes or so after it comes out of the tap. Regulars at beer halls also have their own stein locker. So drinking a big liter mug doesn’t really make you look cool, and plus, you’re in Bavaria, where half the women can probably outdrink you in beer. We also learned some Third Reich history, which a lot of the city has covered up. On another note, the Hitler salute is illegal, as in you go to jail illegal, and they’re serious about it, so if you intend on coming here, consider yourself warned. On the topic of illegal, jaywalking is also illegal and actually enforced as well, so another thing to keep in mind. Our tour group only consisted of us and one Australia dude named Al, so it was nice and a little more personalized. We saw the central Catholic Church in the city, and the noon show at the Glockenspiel in Marienplatz, and walked along part of Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch March. After the tour was over, the rest of the day was dedicated to walking across the river to see the Parliament, then strolling through the English Garden before heading back to the hostel. Dinner was had at Donisl, a restaurant right off of Marienplatz, the plaza in the center of the city. After dinner we made our way over to the Augustiner Keller, one of many beer halls in the city. It was the beginning of Starkbierzeit, or the ‘strong beer festival.’ The cellar had a bit of a party going on, but we opted out of the cover charge and contented ourselves with a few beers in the main beer hall.
The next day we hopped on a regional train southbound for the town of Fussen, which lies on the Germany/Austria border. It was a beautiful sight on the train ride in, as the town lies right under the mountain range. We got lunch in the town center, then jumped on a bus that took us to a village just outside of town, where we made a short hike up to Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle that Disney modeled their signature castle off it. It was beautiful out, as the ground was still covered by snow, but the temperature was in the high 40s. The castle was built to satisfy Ludwig II’s love for fairy tales and fables, and the inside of the castle was full of paintings and murals dedicated to certain fairy tales, so it was easy to see why Disney chose this castle. After our castle tour, we had noticed a bridge over a gorge with a good view of the castle, so we decided to try to get to this bridge. Unfortunately, there was a fenced off road that read, “danger: no trespassing,” and was apparently the road that lead to the bridge. Following the lead of a couple other people, we skirted the fence and walked up the road. We were greeted with a few amazing views of the Alps and a large frozen lake behind the castle. Continuing along, there was another fenced off area. Well, we’d already hopped over one fence. What’s another? Two more no trespassing signs later, we were on Marienbrucke, or Mary’s Bridge, which spanned over a 90m deep gorge. A little creepy to feel how springy the wood on the bridge was, but it was worth see the castle in its entirety, something unachievable on the walk up to the castle.
After getting back to Munich, we headed for the all famous Hofbrauhaus, the most well-known beer hall in Munich. It was PACKED with people, and we shared a table with a German woman, her mom and mom’s friend, and also a father-son pair who were very friendly and fun to chat with for a few hours. Beer is only served by the liter at night, so that was settled. It’s an enormous beer hall with a live German band, loud people singing and being obnoxious, and pretzel girls walking between the tables, and in general a fun atmosphere. The food was good, and the company was better. A few liters of beer later, we closed down the Hofbrauhaus, a good end to our trip to Munich. Vienna up next.
How You Know You've Been in Europe a Long Time
So we’ve been traveling for a while now. There are simply some telltale signs that you’ve been in Europe too long:
· Don’t even think in dollars anymore. Just euros
· Think in kilometers instead of miles, meters instead of feet, kilograms instead of pounds More or less, you do what the rest of the world does, which is use the metric system
· Call diet coke coca light
· Think in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. I guess again… use the metric system.
· Stop feeling bad about not tipping (this is SWEET)
· Lots of hand gestures to communicate
· Know how to say “thank you” and “please” in many many languages
· Always be prepared to pay for water
· Only have a single glass of liquid with your meal because free refills don’t exist
· Use cash for everything
· Use military time
· Include 'cheers' and 'ciao' in your everyday vocabulary
Venice
This was my second time to Venice, but it has yet to lose its magical feeling. A fully pedestrian city, it is composed of hundreds of tiny islands connected by bridges. Venice has been sinking over the years, and it is evident as you look up and down the canals, and see the water level right at the doors leading into the houses. As you walk into some of the buildings, the first floors are abandoned, as high tides sometimes flood the streets and city. We stayed at a guesthouse situated just a couple minutes from Rialto Bridge, the main pedestrian bridge that crosses over the Grand Canal (there are only three of them). St. Mark’s Square is less than ten minutes away. We grabbed a quick lunch consisting of pizza and wandered between Rialto and St. Mark’s Square. The square is enormous, with a beautiful cathedral and tower. The square leads out to the ocean side of Venice, where you can see a few of the smaller islands outside of Venice. After a quick viewing of the cathedral, we headed to the northeast corner of Venice to catch a ferry to the island of Murano, known for its glass blowing factories. We walked around most of the island in a couple of hours, popping in and out of shops to look at glass items, much of it beautiful and handmade right on the island. The highlight of Murano was receiving a glass blowing demonstration from a local shop. Starting from what looks to be a hot molten ball, a man using a glass blowing technique and some pliers-like tool formed a small vase and also a figure of a horse. Afterwards, we took a ferry back to Venice and looked for a Venetian meal.
We had dinner at a place called Alla Botte. The menu is scribbled up on a chalkboard, but as with the rest of Italy, the waiter was more than helpful in explaining the menu options to us to the best of his ability. I ordered fresh pasta with shredded crab meat and Naber got a tuna steak accompanied by grilled vegetables, both which were excellent. For dessert, the best tiramisu I have had to date. And of course, a sufficient amount of wine which was hardly more expensive than bottled water.
We saw more of Venice itself our second day. After another quick lunch, we set off to explore more of the San Marco district of Venice, the southern section that contains St. Mark’s Square. We more or less hopped from one square to another to see all the churches and bridges of the district. The walkways are very narrow and eerily quiet, as there are actually a very low number of inhabitants of the islands part of Venice. A lot of the buildings are completely abandoned. Being off the more touristic paths makes you feel very isolated. We made our way back to St. Mark’s square to catch a vaparetto through the Grand Canal. Originally, we had wanted to take one of the many cool wooden taxi boats up and to down the canal, but the idea was quickly shot down by the 100 euro price tag associated with it. We settled for the waterbus at 6.50 euro. A bit more reasonable. Anyhow, the ride was pleasant, and we got to see all the old mansions and buildings alongside the canal. We rode the waterbus up to the train station, where we made our reservations to get to Munich. We walked along the northern section of Venice afterwards, stopping by the Ghetto Nuevo, the old Jewish ghetto, before crossing another bridge back over the Grand Canal to explore the San Polo district, or the middle area of Venice. After getting back to the Rialto Bridge, we got dinner on the go from a pizza place, which sold large slices of excellent pizza for cheap, topped off by some gelato.
I had wanted to go back to St. Mark’s to take some pictures at night, but needed to charge my camera up a bit. When I got to St. Mark’s, I noticed several large puddles of water in the square. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the water was coming up from holes in the ground. As the tide is highest at new and full moons, and there was close to a full moon out, the rising tide was higher than the lower points of St. Mark’s square, so effectively the square was being flooded. There were elevated planks and walkways lining in front of the basilica leading up to the edge of the island for people to walk. Walking up to the water, I noticed that the wakes from passing boats and waterbuses were splashing up onto the walkways, and the steps that would normally lead from a docked gondola were already covered with water. In the next two hours, almost all of the square became flooded, and the water level of the sea covered up a few feet of the walkway. It was a very cool experience to see the tide so high, and the square full of water.
Venice is a unique city to see, even though there aren’t a whole lot of exciting things to do. The city shuts down very early, so nightlife isn’t as popular here. It’s also expensive, and there is plenty of shopping on the islands. The experience of all the canals and bridges and walkways make it a worthwhile trip.
We had dinner at a place called Alla Botte. The menu is scribbled up on a chalkboard, but as with the rest of Italy, the waiter was more than helpful in explaining the menu options to us to the best of his ability. I ordered fresh pasta with shredded crab meat and Naber got a tuna steak accompanied by grilled vegetables, both which were excellent. For dessert, the best tiramisu I have had to date. And of course, a sufficient amount of wine which was hardly more expensive than bottled water.
We saw more of Venice itself our second day. After another quick lunch, we set off to explore more of the San Marco district of Venice, the southern section that contains St. Mark’s Square. We more or less hopped from one square to another to see all the churches and bridges of the district. The walkways are very narrow and eerily quiet, as there are actually a very low number of inhabitants of the islands part of Venice. A lot of the buildings are completely abandoned. Being off the more touristic paths makes you feel very isolated. We made our way back to St. Mark’s square to catch a vaparetto through the Grand Canal. Originally, we had wanted to take one of the many cool wooden taxi boats up and to down the canal, but the idea was quickly shot down by the 100 euro price tag associated with it. We settled for the waterbus at 6.50 euro. A bit more reasonable. Anyhow, the ride was pleasant, and we got to see all the old mansions and buildings alongside the canal. We rode the waterbus up to the train station, where we made our reservations to get to Munich. We walked along the northern section of Venice afterwards, stopping by the Ghetto Nuevo, the old Jewish ghetto, before crossing another bridge back over the Grand Canal to explore the San Polo district, or the middle area of Venice. After getting back to the Rialto Bridge, we got dinner on the go from a pizza place, which sold large slices of excellent pizza for cheap, topped off by some gelato.
I had wanted to go back to St. Mark’s to take some pictures at night, but needed to charge my camera up a bit. When I got to St. Mark’s, I noticed several large puddles of water in the square. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the water was coming up from holes in the ground. As the tide is highest at new and full moons, and there was close to a full moon out, the rising tide was higher than the lower points of St. Mark’s square, so effectively the square was being flooded. There were elevated planks and walkways lining in front of the basilica leading up to the edge of the island for people to walk. Walking up to the water, I noticed that the wakes from passing boats and waterbuses were splashing up onto the walkways, and the steps that would normally lead from a docked gondola were already covered with water. In the next two hours, almost all of the square became flooded, and the water level of the sea covered up a few feet of the walkway. It was a very cool experience to see the tide so high, and the square full of water.
Venice is a unique city to see, even though there aren’t a whole lot of exciting things to do. The city shuts down very early, so nightlife isn’t as popular here. It’s also expensive, and there is plenty of shopping on the islands. The experience of all the canals and bridges and walkways make it a worthwhile trip.
Italian Mini Road Trip
Our original plan for the trip was to take a train from Florence to Venice, stopping in Modena, where the Galleria Ferrari is. Unfortunately, we found that the museum is actually located in a smaller town called Maranello which is south of Modena, and there were no forms of public transportation to get us from Modena to Maranello. Not be daunted by this obstacle, we found another solution to get us to Maranello: rent a car. Why not, right? So we went and found an area in Florence with a handful of car rental companies and began the inquiries as to how to procure a car to get to Venice. We found out that technically, to legally drive, you need to have an international driver’s license in addition to your regular US State issued license. However, for a car company to loan you a vehicle, you only have to provide a passport and a US State issued driver’s license. Just don’t get pulled over. And even if you do, a lot of the time, it’s just an additional fine on top of whatever traffic violation you may have committed.
So the next morning, we picked up a gray Fiat Punto, a small five speed manual Italian four-door hatchback. We loaded our bags into the car, and with our Googlemaps directions that didn’t properly print out, we hit the road, hoping not to get overly lost somewhere in northern Italy. I drove the first leg of the trip to Maranello. About Italian drivers, they drive fast and aggressively. However, they’re rather polite. No one passes on the right, and they flash their lights at you if they think you’re too slow rather than tailgate or honk the horn. The Italian countryside is beautiful, with smaller towns on hillsides. So beautiful in fact, that Naber felt the need to lean out the passenger side window to try to get an unobstructed picture. Smartly, he forgot that he had his sweet Prada sunglasses on top of his head. So here I am driving, and I hear, “Oh, my god,” loudly as part of Naber’s body is out the window. He brings himself into the car. “Oh. My. God.” Touching the top of his head, he informs me his sunglasses fell off and instructs me to pull over. We’re now in a narrow shoulder with a guardrail with a creek on the other side on a two lane road with cars whizzing by and honking. Naber opens the door and begins sprinting down the shoulder in his Cole Haan loafers, against traffic. The Fiat is so small that every passing car creates a wind that buffets the car. We hoped the police would not drive by to the crazy American running down the highway. Shortly enough, Naber hops back in the car, sunglasses in hand and intact, minus a few scratches, and we’re on our way again.
Getting to Maranello, we found the Ferrari museum, and also several Ferraris driving around on the roads. Naber was on cloud nine for the afternoon, as we toured the museum. Unfortunately, we could not tour the actual Ferrari factory, as you have to personally own a Ferrari to receive that tour. I think we’re just a tad shy of reaching pay grades to afford one.
Naber drove from Maranello to Venice, a two and a half hour drive. The drive was a bit flatter than the first half, except that as we got further north, the view of the Alps started becoming more and more clear. Up until this point, the google directions had been pretty accurate, but we reached a point where the exit didn’t seem to existe. Looking on google maps on my phone, it seems that we were north of Venice and driving too far east. Luckily, we got off at the next possible exits to find there were other signs leading to Venice using smaller roads. The next issue was to fill the car up with gas before returning it to the car rental service. No one works at gas stations on Sundays, and because of that, you can’t use credit cards to pay for gas, even though they have the automated machines similar to the States. It was quite the annoyance as gas is expensive in Europe, about 1 euro per liter, a rough approximation of 5 dollars a gallon. Another little hiccup was that while in Florence, we were told we could drop the car off at the rental place in Venice and put the keys in a dropbox, the store was closed and we have to drive back onto the mainland and to the airport to return the car. We hopped on the bus to get us back to the islands, and then the vaparettos, or waterbuses, to take us down the canal to our hostel.
So the next morning, we picked up a gray Fiat Punto, a small five speed manual Italian four-door hatchback. We loaded our bags into the car, and with our Googlemaps directions that didn’t properly print out, we hit the road, hoping not to get overly lost somewhere in northern Italy. I drove the first leg of the trip to Maranello. About Italian drivers, they drive fast and aggressively. However, they’re rather polite. No one passes on the right, and they flash their lights at you if they think you’re too slow rather than tailgate or honk the horn. The Italian countryside is beautiful, with smaller towns on hillsides. So beautiful in fact, that Naber felt the need to lean out the passenger side window to try to get an unobstructed picture. Smartly, he forgot that he had his sweet Prada sunglasses on top of his head. So here I am driving, and I hear, “Oh, my god,” loudly as part of Naber’s body is out the window. He brings himself into the car. “Oh. My. God.” Touching the top of his head, he informs me his sunglasses fell off and instructs me to pull over. We’re now in a narrow shoulder with a guardrail with a creek on the other side on a two lane road with cars whizzing by and honking. Naber opens the door and begins sprinting down the shoulder in his Cole Haan loafers, against traffic. The Fiat is so small that every passing car creates a wind that buffets the car. We hoped the police would not drive by to the crazy American running down the highway. Shortly enough, Naber hops back in the car, sunglasses in hand and intact, minus a few scratches, and we’re on our way again.
Getting to Maranello, we found the Ferrari museum, and also several Ferraris driving around on the roads. Naber was on cloud nine for the afternoon, as we toured the museum. Unfortunately, we could not tour the actual Ferrari factory, as you have to personally own a Ferrari to receive that tour. I think we’re just a tad shy of reaching pay grades to afford one.
Naber drove from Maranello to Venice, a two and a half hour drive. The drive was a bit flatter than the first half, except that as we got further north, the view of the Alps started becoming more and more clear. Up until this point, the google directions had been pretty accurate, but we reached a point where the exit didn’t seem to existe. Looking on google maps on my phone, it seems that we were north of Venice and driving too far east. Luckily, we got off at the next possible exits to find there were other signs leading to Venice using smaller roads. The next issue was to fill the car up with gas before returning it to the car rental service. No one works at gas stations on Sundays, and because of that, you can’t use credit cards to pay for gas, even though they have the automated machines similar to the States. It was quite the annoyance as gas is expensive in Europe, about 1 euro per liter, a rough approximation of 5 dollars a gallon. Another little hiccup was that while in Florence, we were told we could drop the car off at the rental place in Venice and put the keys in a dropbox, the store was closed and we have to drive back onto the mainland and to the airport to return the car. We hopped on the bus to get us back to the islands, and then the vaparettos, or waterbuses, to take us down the canal to our hostel.
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