Why I Love Amsterdam

Mention Amsterdam to most people and you get the snickering, sideways wink that says knowingly "yeah sure Amsterdam is great". I was pretty much one of those people. In fact I admit that I almost crossed it off my list when considering places to visit in Europe. But I decided that I should see it and regardless of the American reputation for liberal drugs and prostitution it was worthy of a visit.

I'll set a couple rumors to bed (no pun intended)- weed is not legal, it is "tolerated" and the Red Light District (although I walked it during the day) is not as shocking as you would imagine.

The reason I fell in love with this city is the charming way it is set up. Weaving alleys around canals lined with houseboats overseen by apartment buildings which always seem to have some bright flowering plants on the balcony- probably from the floating flower market around the corner. The adorable cafes, noodle counters and infamous coffee houses all make me want to sit and absorb the scene.

I ran in to these guys playing a serious game of chess near one canal. A crowd had gathered to

observe quietly.

I'm not sure yet if this is the place I could call home but I truly loved the relaxed vibe and casual cool of a city with a decidedly questionable reputation- maybe because it exudes charm despite all of that.

Brussels- Heavenly Chocolate & Amazing Beer

I'm sitting in my room at the Hotel Francois looking out of my window at the view in the picture to the right. I found this tiny charming place whose location is in the Quartier Saint-Gery neighborhood where there are lots of cafes, pubs and little shops. It's bustling with activity on the cobbled streets. I love it here- but not at first.

While taking the train here I had a reserved seat in a compartment with three other people. I was seated next a guy that turned out to be from Kenya. We started talking and he told me he played football for his national team and had also spent some time in Kentucky (why??) playing American soccer. We also talked about politics back in Africa, refugee issues, Obama and some of the profiling annoyances he goes through while he's in Europe. (He was the only one in our compartment to have his passport checked out of 2 mature white people and me). All is going well and then he seems to get comfortable. He moves into that conversation territory where he's trying to to get a footing and either shock me or impress me. I decide the friendly banter is over and when he asks me a question about what I like to do I tell him "read my book", give him the withering look and with that conversation is over. Done and done. (And for those of you that keep telling me to be safe- he was staying on the train to Paris when I got off)

Arrival in Brussels is kinda mad. The Midi station is teeming with people looking for ways to pickpocket or steal your stuff. They're loud, disruptive and usually in pairs. I'm on high alert and keep my important pack on my front always moving with purpose as if I KNOW where I'm going and belong in Brussels. Oh yeah- and those people get my "I know what you're up to" look too!

I go downstairs to the subway and take the train to the Bourse stop for my guesthouse. After a quick check in (I called from the stop and the girl actually walked to lead me back) I headed out for a walk.

Ah sweet Brussels. Chocolate-chocolate-chocolate. I went for the waffle with chocolate syrup from a street vendor and promptly got it all over my face and fingers. It was heavenly. There was an outdoor street market/garage sale down some little alleys that I perused. I even ran into a parade with several marching bands. At one point the parade was stopped and the band put down their instruments, took off the hats and lit up for a smoke until they moved on. Only in Europe does the marching band take a smoke break.

Making Friends

When I got to Vienna I made a conscious decision that I wanted to meet people and make at least a friend. So while the hostel was bustling with activity the night I arrived it seemed everybody was in their own clique- and really young. So I decided to relax in my room with a book and tackle it tomorrow in my own way. While I was relaxing a tall, slim, red headed girl arrived in our dorm room. I put my book down and introduced myself. She was Inna from Latvia. She spoke English (once again she speaks several languages and I alas speak English) and was here for a job interview as an optometrist. She's only in town for two nights. She immediately opens her duffel bag and brings out her hot water teapot, plugs it in and asks me if I'd like to eat with her. She had bread, cheese, meats and tomatoes and of course tea. Hell yeah! So I contribute some olives I've got and we get to know each other. We decide I'll take the U-Bahn to her interview with her in the morning and then after we'll go look at the city together.

While I love to see the sights I kind of wander, stroll if you will. I've been travelling for six weeks now so I'm not in a huge rush. Not my long legged friend- she wanted to see everything in two days because she might never come back to Vienna. So this presents the bittersweet issue in making a new friend. She wanted to see lots of museums and cover as much ground as possible while I wanted to sit in front of a fountain and chill sometimes. But thanks to her I did see things I probably wouldn't have otherwise. There was the massive church she wanted to see that I reluctantly dragged myself into behind her only to find a stringed orchestra practicing for that night's performance.

There was the 4th floor apartment where Beethoven lived for a while composing. I looked out a window imagining he saw something there that may have inspired him.

Heading South

I have arrived in Prague, Czech Republic!

After a mini meltdown when I first arrived in Germany (before I met everybody) I decided I needed to slow down and stop trying to cover as many countries as my Rail Pass would allow.

So after Germany I changed my frenetic itinerary. I have been craving some kind of music concert and figure between Prague and Vienna I had a good shot. I had heard there are symphonies, shows or concerts every night.

I took today to walk around and orient myself to the city. I walked towards Old Town and found the National Museum. They had a flier out for a Mozart opera concert today at 19:00hrs inside the museum. I bought a ticket and continued my walk.

Walking into the square at Old Town took my breath away. The architecture is so ancient, so ornate. While I do like museums, I prefer the less obvious choices. I found a photography exhibit of Czech photographers- professional and amateur- of Prague. It was a great exhibit in an old building next to the Bell Tower.

Just next to the square I walk over to find a HUGE fashion show going on. It's Prague Fashion Weekend. Big names, expensive cars, killer clothes all around me to the sounds of a well known DJ spinning. A ridiculously long runway set up outside shops like Hermes, Dior and Prada under the eaves of the ancient buildings on old cobbled streets. The dichotomy was striking.

The crowd was suffocating but I couldn't stop watching for a long time. There was a really great old guy dancing around on the sidewalk next to the show. Maybe he was drunk, maybe he was just way into it. Didn't matter- he was as fun to watch as the Gen X Design come down the runway.

Tonight I attended the mini concert in the museum. It was an intimate affair where we sat on cushions on the stairs or chairs in the main staircase of the grand lobby. There was a piano and three opera singers. Performances included Mozart, Verdi, Bizet. My favorite was the solo from Carmen: Aria of Carmen. It was a tiny affair in a magnificent setting with brilliant acoustics.

Outside of Berlin

A short train ride from Berlin lies Hamburg. An important European port that sits on the Elbe River, Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany.

Friends back in Florida know somebody that lives here so after a quick text to say basically Hi I'm Jasmine, you don't know me but if you have time for coffee or beer I'll be in Hamburg. So props to Rudy who agrees to meet me during a busy time at work for lunch. We meet up near his office and walk down to the port where he gives me a little sightseeing tour and then over to the Portuguese neighborhood for a great lunch outside.

I spend some time on my own exploring. There are great green areas in Hamburg. There's beautiful sunny weather so I relax and take some time to just sit in the park reading.

When work is done Rudy shows me around the Bohemian neighborhoods of Hamburg. This is what I was missing in Berlin. The people are here- living, creating, sparking, making mayhem and art with passion.

I have a beautiful realization in Germany. For me it's not about ticking off monuments viewed or cities on a list. It's about people, what happens everyday is what's extraordinary.

Berlin- City of Scars

In order to see the sites in Berlin I decided to go for one of the tourist staples- the Hop On Hop Off narrated tour bus. You know the one- double decker navigating horrible urban traffic while somebody on a PA system blandly intones "and if you look to your left".

I got a great overview of the city including seeing part of the still standing Berlin Wall which I really liked. It's amazing to see the recent history written all over the city. Signs of the war are everywhere and yet Berlin is over 700 years old.

While it was very interesting to see the monuments, I didn't feel like I got a good feel for the pulse of this part of Germany. People from all over the world are everywhere taking pictures, touring, buying souvenirs. I'm glad I saw it and visited but I believe there is a more intriguing current human soul elsewhere in the country.

Living as a German resident

This one is dated 31 August...

I got my awesome first class reservation confirmed for the train from Copenhagen to Berlin. It was 6+ hours of comfort watching East German countryside fly by. Oh- and this train actually boards a ferry where we are required to get off the train during transit to sit on the ferry for the 45 minute crossing. That was cool.

I had arranged to call Ulrike's son, Simon, when I arrived in Berlin around 3pm. Unfortunately I had international calling difficulty and didn't reach him until around 7pm. From the easy to follow directions Ulrike gave me I took the S train to Wannsee station from Berlin Hauptbanhof (Central Station) and then took the bus to a stop 150 meters from her home. She works as a psychotherapist and doesn't get home until late. I visited with Simon for an hour until she arrived. He is turning 18 in a few weeks and is very bright. He speaks 3 languages, plays flute and piano, and has already travelled quite a bit. He had just returned from a month in Canada where he stayed exclusively with Servas hosts. I think it would be fair to describe him as precocious and confident in his European schooling. It was fun to talk to him.

Ulrike arrived home and we visited briefly. She reminds me of an earth mother. She is warm, tranquil, cares about others and open to sharing her life. She just celebrated her 50th birthday. She studied 6 years to become a doctor right out of school. Now she works with people suffering from cancer to help them learn how to control their own bodies and holistically heal (or keep the illness in remission). She has worked with people that had very short life expectancy but who were able to concentrate their own bodies' healing and keep the cancer at bay. It was fascinating to hear about and I don't do the explanation justice.

Traditionally Servas hosts accommodate travelers for 2 nights. Ulrike told me I was welcome to stay as long as I liked. She is very hospitable and wants me to feel like part of the family.

My first full day on my own Ulrike went to work and I set off for a walk. The house is in an old yachting community on a big lake. Her father, a renowned radiologist, bought the old, multi-storied house many years ago and they have all lived here on different floors.

There is a path down by the lake that goes all the way round to an area in East Germany called Potsdam. The walk was actually part of the Berlin Wall route with several monuments to see. It was through scenic woods, next to the lake and took a little over 2 hours to get to Potsdam.

After a look at the sculpture garden in Potsdam I rested with a macchiato and a roll. I decided I would find a bus back to Wannsee station so I could go into the city. I was looking at the schedule posted at the bus station and realized I had missed it by just 3 minutes. Just then a woman drove up, rolled down her window and "deutsch deutsch deutsch Wannsee deutsch deutsch deutsch". I told her "no sprechen sie Deutsch" just like my trusty translator taught me. She would not be put off. She pointed in the direction of the bus and told me to get in the car. She was going to give me a ride. With a little English she told me she was going to the city but parking was too expensive so she would park at the bus stop and take public transportation. She asked me where I was going and I told her into the city. She took me under her wing and showed me how to use the bus ticket, how to find the best train and made sure I knew where my stop was. It was an amazing gesture of hospitality.

It made me wonder- when was the last time I helped someone unsolicited? As an American am I so jaded that I think everyone is going to be dangerous or try to sue me?

Tivoli Gardens

Due to limited or completely unavailable internet access the last week this entry was actually from 29 August...

While in Sweden I made contact with a Servas host in Berlin. Her name is Ulrike Collins and she has two teenage sons. She was willing to meet me on short notice so I arranged to go to Berlin within a couple days. I decided to take the train to Copenhagen and spend the night there before taking an early train to Berlin.

I had booked a hotel close to the train station since my train left early the next morning. The Copenhagen Star Hotel had some great quirky character traits and turns out it's on the fringe of the Red Light District. Adds a nice dash of local color to the walk around the neighborhood. I arrived in the afternoon so I dropped my bag and headed to the opposite side of the train station to Tivoli Gardens.

Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park with beautiful botanic areas- think Busch Gardens in a European, classy way. It only costs about $15 to get in and rides cost additional. They had a competition of some sort for flower arrangements going on which was lovely to see. The gardens are really beautiful but the park is pretty crowded. I did buy a single ride ticket to jump on the wooden rollercoaster. I knew I'd be okay when the 4 year old got in the seat in front of me. It was a little tame compared to coasters back home but still a good rush.

After Tivoli I walked around the city for a bit. It was very crowded and seemed dirty compared to some places I've been. I did see a great photography exhibit set up in an outdoor square about the rites of life in various countries.

I didn't spend much time in Copenhagen so I can't say I gave it a fair shot, but I don't plan to go back anytime soon.