Hello all from Santiago de Compostela, which is in northwest Spain. I leave for Madrid in a few hours and thought I would post a quick update before leaving. As some of you know, Santiago de Compostela is the official end of the path of Saint James trail (often times called the ¨Camino¨) which starts a few hundred miles away in France. The town´s main cathedral (famous for its giant incense burner that hangs from the ceiling and takes a team of four or five men to swing) is where pilgrims end their journey. Though I´m not Catholic, I do respect the mental and physical fortitude that these journeys require. Interestingly enough, it turns out you can actually keep going from Santiago all the way to the ocean (another two or three days of hiking) to Cape Fisterra, if you want some Catholic bonus points.
Santiago itself is not a large town, and the historic old town can be seen in a single day. I´ve stayed here three days, so I need to get going to get back on schedule. I´m in Madrid for three days before moving on to Sevilla (Seville), Granada, Valencia and then finally Barcelona. I should have another post in a few days from either Madrid or Seville. As always, if you have a suggestion for something worth seeing or doing in those cities, send me an email of leave a comment below.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
San Sebastian: The Tides of Time
Welcome to San Sebastian, Spain, the place where you go to do nothing. After an overnight train from Paris (sitting next to a large Frenchman) I arrived in this little seaside town and took a liking to it. It actually reminds me of my hometown of San Diego, just a lot smaller. Whereas in Paris you strive to do everything, in San Sebastian you sit back and let the waves remind you that your feet need some time off from sightseeing. As for sightseeing itself, there´s not too much in the way of touristy stuff to do in San Sebastian. The two hills on either end of La Grande Conche, (probable misspelling) which is the larger of the town´s two beaches make for great views of the town and surrounding area. The western hill has a small amusement park on top of it and an old watchtower that has the best views of the area. The eastern hill is not quite as tall as the western one, but has the remains of an old fort on it and a large statue of Jesus on top of it. For my Colorado readers, imagine Boulder, but with an ocean next to it and the mountains moved back two miles or so, and you get a rough idea of what this place is like. Like Boulder, San Sebastian is very friendly to outdoor activities like running and cycling. I also saw for the first time what I can only describe as ¨kayak surfing¨(I don´t know the official name). It utilizes a special kind of kayak with fins on the bottom like a surfboard, and people paddle out and ride the waves much like surfing. San Sebastian is something of a resort town in the summer, but the rest of the year there aren´t that many tourists, though there are some people stopping in town along their way to Santiago De Compostela, along the path of the Saint James trail. Being the heart of Basque Country, everything is written in both Spanish and Basque, and it´s very easy to tell the two apart. The Basque language uses the letter x more than any other I´ve seen so far. I´m told that if you live in San Sebastian you´d be fine with just Spanish, but if you moved out into the countryside you would need to know Basque.
I am currently in Santiago de Compostela and leave for Madrid on Monday. I´ll have another post on Santiago in a few days.
I am currently in Santiago de Compostela and leave for Madrid on Monday. I´ll have another post on Santiago in a few days.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Paris: The Aftermath
I've been meaning to add another entry to the blog for some time, but a series of events has kept me busy. I have some time now that I'm about to leave, so here's a longer blog entry to cover my time in Paris.
I've been in Paris for 9 days (longer than intended, you'll see why further down) which is the longest I've stayed in a single city. On day one I decided to do the Eiffel Tower right away since I only had time to do one thing. I got there by the Trocadero metro station (best way to arrive for the dramatic reveal of the tower as you come around a corner) and spent a few minutes getting pictures at ground level before getting in line. After a short while in line, I realized I was in the line for the lift, and the line for the stairs was significantly shorter and even cost less, so I left the poor souls who were going to be spending 2 hours in line and joined up with the stair line, which lasted about 20 minutes. I climbed up to level 1 and then level 2 and spent about 1.5 hours total in the tower. It was getting dark when I was coming down, so I got to see the tower lit up and even the hourly light shows where a few hundred strobe lights get set off for a few minutes. The next three days were spent doing miscellaneous stuffs. I took a day trip to Caen, went up the Montparnes Tower (the strangely out of place skyscraper near the Eiffel Tower, which has almost no line and just a good a view), visited Notre Dame and the surrounding area, climbed the hill up to Sacre Coeur cathedral (covered with both tourists and aggresive souvenir salesmen), visited the Grand Arche at La Defense (Paris' financial district), walked the Champs D'Elysee from the Arc D'Triumph to the Louvre, took a day trip to Orleans and Blois, and visited the Pantheon (not related to the one in Rome), among other things. Then on Wednesday, I hit up the Louvre, Orsay, Rodin and Army museums in a single day. Normally this would mean several hours standing in line, but I had a Museum Pass, so I got to laugh maniacally at other tourists in line as I walked straight in. The Louvre is cool, though you'd have to spend an entire day there to see everything. I would suggest sticking to the southern wing (which houses mostly Renaissance and Enlightenment stuffs) if you have limited time. The Orsay is smaller and more managable, and I think I liked it a bit more than the Louvre. You could spend all your time on the ground level and it would be worth your admission. The Rodin is a fairly small museum (composed of two houses and gardens) and houses various works by Rodin and a few other artists. The gardens outside also feature a number of his most famous works, such as the Thinker and the unfinished Gates of Hell, and by themselves only cost 1 euro, so they might actually be the best value in Paris. Lastly, the Army Museum is dedicated to (mostly French) military history from the Middle Ages through the end of World War 2. It also houses Napoleon's tomb in a mini-cathedral in the back (or, front, depending on what side you're on). The building also has other French military leaders, but Napoleon gets the giant tomb in the center under the dome. On Thursday I went to Versailles and spent most of the day there. I walked quickly through the chateau (a bit crowded in the morning) and then spent a few hours wanding the expansive gardens. Oddly enough, I kept hearing what sounded like gunfire in the distance, so maybe there's a firing range near Versailles. I found that most tourists don't go very far in to the gardens, so if you're willing to walk out to the perimeters you'll leave most of the crowd behind. At the end of my visit I went back to the chateau and went through it again now that most of the crowds were gone. I then returned to Paris and went up the Arc D'Triump, which has good views of La Defense and the Champs D Elysees, but not much else.
This brings me to where my plans got sidetracked by TGV, the French rail administration. I was supposed to take a train from Paris to San Sebastian (Spain) on Friday morning, but the train I wanted was all booked up and the next one I could get on was an overnight train on Sunday night. So, I extended my stay here by another 2 nights and thought about what to do. I decided to spend Saturday taking a day trip to the D-Day beaches in Normany. I caught a train to the town of Bayeux and then got on a bus to the American Cemetary, which overlooks Omaha Beach. It was raining when I arrived, so there weren't many other people walking around at first. After some time in the cemetary I took a path down the bluffs to the beach. 70 years has erased almost everything from that day, except for a scattered bunker here and there. Before leaving I paid a visit to the visitor center and then caught the bus back to Bayeux and then a train back to Paris. Now it's Sunday and I've got a number of hours to burn before my 10:00pm train. Next post will be from somewhere in Spain. The current plan is to go to Santiago De Compostela after San Sebastian, and then Madrid.
I've been in Paris for 9 days (longer than intended, you'll see why further down) which is the longest I've stayed in a single city. On day one I decided to do the Eiffel Tower right away since I only had time to do one thing. I got there by the Trocadero metro station (best way to arrive for the dramatic reveal of the tower as you come around a corner) and spent a few minutes getting pictures at ground level before getting in line. After a short while in line, I realized I was in the line for the lift, and the line for the stairs was significantly shorter and even cost less, so I left the poor souls who were going to be spending 2 hours in line and joined up with the stair line, which lasted about 20 minutes. I climbed up to level 1 and then level 2 and spent about 1.5 hours total in the tower. It was getting dark when I was coming down, so I got to see the tower lit up and even the hourly light shows where a few hundred strobe lights get set off for a few minutes. The next three days were spent doing miscellaneous stuffs. I took a day trip to Caen, went up the Montparnes Tower (the strangely out of place skyscraper near the Eiffel Tower, which has almost no line and just a good a view), visited Notre Dame and the surrounding area, climbed the hill up to Sacre Coeur cathedral (covered with both tourists and aggresive souvenir salesmen), visited the Grand Arche at La Defense (Paris' financial district), walked the Champs D'Elysee from the Arc D'Triumph to the Louvre, took a day trip to Orleans and Blois, and visited the Pantheon (not related to the one in Rome), among other things. Then on Wednesday, I hit up the Louvre, Orsay, Rodin and Army museums in a single day. Normally this would mean several hours standing in line, but I had a Museum Pass, so I got to laugh maniacally at other tourists in line as I walked straight in. The Louvre is cool, though you'd have to spend an entire day there to see everything. I would suggest sticking to the southern wing (which houses mostly Renaissance and Enlightenment stuffs) if you have limited time. The Orsay is smaller and more managable, and I think I liked it a bit more than the Louvre. You could spend all your time on the ground level and it would be worth your admission. The Rodin is a fairly small museum (composed of two houses and gardens) and houses various works by Rodin and a few other artists. The gardens outside also feature a number of his most famous works, such as the Thinker and the unfinished Gates of Hell, and by themselves only cost 1 euro, so they might actually be the best value in Paris. Lastly, the Army Museum is dedicated to (mostly French) military history from the Middle Ages through the end of World War 2. It also houses Napoleon's tomb in a mini-cathedral in the back (or, front, depending on what side you're on). The building also has other French military leaders, but Napoleon gets the giant tomb in the center under the dome. On Thursday I went to Versailles and spent most of the day there. I walked quickly through the chateau (a bit crowded in the morning) and then spent a few hours wanding the expansive gardens. Oddly enough, I kept hearing what sounded like gunfire in the distance, so maybe there's a firing range near Versailles. I found that most tourists don't go very far in to the gardens, so if you're willing to walk out to the perimeters you'll leave most of the crowd behind. At the end of my visit I went back to the chateau and went through it again now that most of the crowds were gone. I then returned to Paris and went up the Arc D'Triump, which has good views of La Defense and the Champs D Elysees, but not much else.
This brings me to where my plans got sidetracked by TGV, the French rail administration. I was supposed to take a train from Paris to San Sebastian (Spain) on Friday morning, but the train I wanted was all booked up and the next one I could get on was an overnight train on Sunday night. So, I extended my stay here by another 2 nights and thought about what to do. I decided to spend Saturday taking a day trip to the D-Day beaches in Normany. I caught a train to the town of Bayeux and then got on a bus to the American Cemetary, which overlooks Omaha Beach. It was raining when I arrived, so there weren't many other people walking around at first. After some time in the cemetary I took a path down the bluffs to the beach. 70 years has erased almost everything from that day, except for a scattered bunker here and there. Before leaving I paid a visit to the visitor center and then caught the bus back to Bayeux and then a train back to Paris. Now it's Sunday and I've got a number of hours to burn before my 10:00pm train. Next post will be from somewhere in Spain. The current plan is to go to Santiago De Compostela after San Sebastian, and then Madrid.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Bruges and Brussels: A Tale of Two Cities
Let me first start by admitting that I have never in fact read A Tale of Two Cities. It just seemed like a good name for the title of this post.
I am leaving tomorrow for Paris and thought to give you all a short recap of my time in Belgium. I have been staying in Bruges and earlier today did a day trip to Brussels. Bruges is what I would call an "Old World Disneyland" in that it is full of medieval and renaissance things and is kept alive entirely on tourism. It's also a town where you strangely feel ok being part of the tourist mob. I've done most of the touristy stuff like climb the Belfry Tower, see the blood of Christ and the Groening Museum. But also enjoyable has been just walking around town, especially when you get away from the tourist hordes. Because Bruges is so small, you could see everything in day, but I would suggest two just for a more relaxed pace. Brussels on the other hand is more the modern city, thanks largely to the EU and others organizations making it their HQ. It has the bustle of a big city, though still has plenty of old world sights. I spent a few hours walking around, and went into a few buildings, but I don't feel like I did very much. Perhaps if I have time at the end of the trip I'll come back and give Brussels a second shot.
Lastly, if anyone ever goes to Bruges I strongly recommend Da Vinci's ice cream parlor for some very tasty ice cream. Next post from Paris, probably in a few days.
I am leaving tomorrow for Paris and thought to give you all a short recap of my time in Belgium. I have been staying in Bruges and earlier today did a day trip to Brussels. Bruges is what I would call an "Old World Disneyland" in that it is full of medieval and renaissance things and is kept alive entirely on tourism. It's also a town where you strangely feel ok being part of the tourist mob. I've done most of the touristy stuff like climb the Belfry Tower, see the blood of Christ and the Groening Museum. But also enjoyable has been just walking around town, especially when you get away from the tourist hordes. Because Bruges is so small, you could see everything in day, but I would suggest two just for a more relaxed pace. Brussels on the other hand is more the modern city, thanks largely to the EU and others organizations making it their HQ. It has the bustle of a big city, though still has plenty of old world sights. I spent a few hours walking around, and went into a few buildings, but I don't feel like I did very much. Perhaps if I have time at the end of the trip I'll come back and give Brussels a second shot.
Lastly, if anyone ever goes to Bruges I strongly recommend Da Vinci's ice cream parlor for some very tasty ice cream. Next post from Paris, probably in a few days.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Netherlands Recap
So, I'm leaving for Bruges in Belgium today, and I thought I'd give a short recap of the Netherlands before going. Again, apologies for not proofreading this before posting.
On Sunday after church I visited the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I also burned part of my mouth on some very hot fries. On Monday I took a train to the town of Haarlem. Unfortunately, since it's common for places to be closed on Monday, just about everything was closed. It was also cold, wet and windy, so it wasn't the best day to be out and about. I decided to try to make the most of it by walking around town and got to see the town cathedral (closed for Easter Monday) and an old windmill. I asked a local at the windmill if there were any of Holland's famous flower fields around, and he suggested a town to visit, but I must have gotten on the wrong train because I wound up in The Hague. On the plus side, I had noticed some flower fields while on the train so I took the next one heading back and got off at a station nearby one of the fields. I would have walked the mile or so back to the main section of fields, but the weather was so bad I couldn't convince myself to go very far beyond the train stop. After that I came back to Amsterdam and spent the last bits of the day just walking around the city.
I have to go catch my train now, but I'll update this again whenever I can (hopefully soon, from Bruges or Brussels).
On Sunday after church I visited the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I also burned part of my mouth on some very hot fries. On Monday I took a train to the town of Haarlem. Unfortunately, since it's common for places to be closed on Monday, just about everything was closed. It was also cold, wet and windy, so it wasn't the best day to be out and about. I decided to try to make the most of it by walking around town and got to see the town cathedral (closed for Easter Monday) and an old windmill. I asked a local at the windmill if there were any of Holland's famous flower fields around, and he suggested a town to visit, but I must have gotten on the wrong train because I wound up in The Hague. On the plus side, I had noticed some flower fields while on the train so I took the next one heading back and got off at a station nearby one of the fields. I would have walked the mile or so back to the main section of fields, but the weather was so bad I couldn't convince myself to go very far beyond the train stop. After that I came back to Amsterdam and spent the last bits of the day just walking around the city.
I have to go catch my train now, but I'll update this again whenever I can (hopefully soon, from Bruges or Brussels).
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Arrival in Amsterdam
I have arrived safely in Amsterdam by plane (EasyJet) and am typing this post from the Amsterdam Central Library. I am staying at a hostel just a bit southeast of the main train station. Unfortunately I don't think I'll have time to see all that much here before leaving on Tuesday because tomorrow is Easter and on Monday I'm doing a trip in the morning to the town of Haarlem. Yes, I did get the distinct smell of weed in my nose while walking around, but since I went to CU for college this is nothing new. This town also has more smokers than I've seen anywhere in the states. Apparently smoking doesn't have the same health stigma here as in America. I'll have an update with my final thoughts and experience in this city in a few days.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Ricardo goes to London, AKA The Blitz Part 2
Hello everyone. Before I start let me just mention that they keyboard I'm using feels a bit odd so there may be some typing errors in this post. I've spent the last few days on a busy sightseeing tour across London (hence the Blitz reference) and have taken a substantial amount of photos, however I can't upload any from where I'm typing this so you'll have to wait for another time. Just to name a few of the sights I've visited, I've been to the Victoria and Albert Museum, Buckingham Palace, Imperial War Museum, London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, St Martin In-The-Fields Church, the National Gallery, St Paul's Cathedral, the Olympic construction zone (I hope they finish in time) and Tower Bridge.
I am staying at a hostel called The Steam Engine, which is on the South Bank of the Thames between the London Eye and the Imperial War Museum. It's a decent place and for me it does everything I ask of a hostel; it gives me a safe place to sleep at night and has a decent shower. The rooms are above the hostel's pub, but the noise from below is muffled very well so it's not a problem.
London is a cool place, and has more sights to see and things to do than even my schedule can fit in. I might have a chance to do a few more things at the end of the trip when I return to the UK, but I'll have to wait and see. The only big problem I've had is that being Britain, it's a bit chilly this time of year.
Anyways, I leave tomorrow for Amsterdam by airplane. Easter services should be, interesting, to say the least. I'll let you know if I have to do any doctrinal intervention. The next blog post will hopefully be in a few days from either Amsterdam, or Bruges (in Belgium, which is next in line).
I am staying at a hostel called The Steam Engine, which is on the South Bank of the Thames between the London Eye and the Imperial War Museum. It's a decent place and for me it does everything I ask of a hostel; it gives me a safe place to sleep at night and has a decent shower. The rooms are above the hostel's pub, but the noise from below is muffled very well so it's not a problem.
London is a cool place, and has more sights to see and things to do than even my schedule can fit in. I might have a chance to do a few more things at the end of the trip when I return to the UK, but I'll have to wait and see. The only big problem I've had is that being Britain, it's a bit chilly this time of year.
Anyways, I leave tomorrow for Amsterdam by airplane. Easter services should be, interesting, to say the least. I'll let you know if I have to do any doctrinal intervention. The next blog post will hopefully be in a few days from either Amsterdam, or Bruges (in Belgium, which is next in line).
Monday, April 2, 2012
Final Preparations
Just a few hours to go before I depart. I've packed up my backpack and am grabbing some last minute items. Not much else to do but do a final check to make sure I have everything important. Above is a picture I took of the clothes I'm taking along. Who knows, perhaps by the end of the trip I'll be down to half of them. This will be my final entry prior to departure. Hopefully I'll have a post for all of you within a day or two of arrival.
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