After a 13 hour flight direct from Hong Kong, my European trip (and final leg) had arrived. Well, almost anyways. There was still the flight from London to Lisbon, Portugal to take...so make that a 16 hour trip...
Landing in Portugal, I was worried it might be a little chilly. Heaven forbid I experience any amount of frigid temps. Well, it turned out to be a wonderful day and a great way to start of the trip. Leaving my bags in the train locker, I left to wander the city, with a trusty Lonely Planet guide book to help navigate the way.
You see, the plan for this part is to hit as many cities and countries in the 21 days we have on our rail passes, to make the most out of it. Well, so far, so good.
Portugal was great. Beautiful, relaxed...a place to return to someday for sure. I will let the pictures do the talking. We got on the train that night (for the first of many long train rides) and headed to our next stop - Madrid.
Overnight train to Madrid was comfortable. Well, as comfortable as possible in a reclining seat. Arrived in the morning and with our bags on our backs, headed out into the city again. Madrid is the only city in Europe (and most anywhere) that has a Taco Bell as well, so we had to fit that into the agenda. Overall though, Madrid is a really nice city, and pretty big as well...unfortunately we caught some rain this day that thoroughly soaked my shoes...but pushed through it to get some decent picture time...
One night in Madrid, left in the morning for Barcelona. I loved the architecture in the city here, very archaic and stunning. Also, it is right on the water, so walking alongside it takes away the size of the city and makes it more person. It is hard to believe they had an Olympic games here, I suppose it is a deceivingly large city. Oh and the last picture is of the group of guys who were selling fake purses along the water...they are running from the cops.
Yada yada yada, overnight train to Switzerland. Arrived in Zurich at around 11am. Walked around for a bit...a little boring of a city, but some good pics. Hopped a train to Lucerne, a city more in the center of the country, surrounded by the Swiss Alps. Very nice! Amazing views and the city has such a cool feel to it. Castle, bridges, old Swiss buildings...loved it there. Then headed to Interlaken, which is a small town nestled, literally, between the Alps. It is breathtaking there on a clear day, and though we didnt get one, it was still nice to go there...I had actually did a skydive there 3 years ago, so it was cool to see all the things to remember. The train ride took us up into the mountains surrounded by snowy peaks and crazy cliffs...definitely the most amazing train ride ive ever taken...rivaled only by the New York City to Springfield, MA train. Umm....maybe not. Then our last train took us to the capital, Bern, where we walked around with a local tour guide (random kid who showed us around) until our next overnight train left to take us to Florence, Italy.
While it was definitely cold in Switzerland, it was amazing. We headed overnight to Florence and arrived at 6am. Another day of walking around...and let me just say that Florence is spectacular. It is right out of the 1500s but never feels too old. There is an enormous amount of history there and it is still so evident on almost every street.
Rome was next, and well...its Rome ), so it has to kick ass...
Venice was the next stop. Surprisingly serene and calm if you walk a little off the beaten path, it was a great day for moseying (yes, moseying) around and shooting pictures. The main square in San Marco is really a beautiful place and Venice would be a great place for a little vacation. Who am I kidding, of course it is. Also a fun side note is that we saw Bernie Bickerstaff here. Now, most people dont know who that is, but I do.
Onto the European leg, we hit Budapest the next morning. I had heard a lot of the city and was eager to check it out. Funnily enough, the city is divided by a river down the middle separating Buda and Pest. This is really true. Buda was pretty cool and hosts an amazing palace area...Pest...well, I was a little let down. Glad I went there, but I expected more.
Next stop was Vienna, Austria, to stay with our friend Igor who we had met while in New Zealand at the hostel. We finally got to relax a little bit, and for the first time we stayed somewhere more than 24 hours! We also got a personal city tour, and real food, courtesy of his mother and girlfriend. Some much needed energy and comfort boosters.
And now we are in Prague, Czech Republic. Barack Obama spoke today in front of 30,000 people right here in the city next to a castle. I got so close I could actually heard words being spoken from around the corner...yay I guess. But this city is very cool, i can tell already. We will be here for another day and a half and then likely headed to Berlin...and onto more crazy European cities. All this traveling is getting exhausting and I would be lying if I didnt say I was thinking about home with my arrival date nearing, but I wouldnt miss this for anything...
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