Spring Break Part One: Italy

I had been looking forward to this trip for quite some while. Italy was a month away, then a week away, and now its already been and gone. Italy is amazing, its definetly on my list of countries to go back and explore.

Rosy and I met nice and early on Monday morning and took a train to Eindhoven in the south of Holland. We had booked cheap flights through Ryan air..which makes use of tiny little random airports in the middle of nowhere. A bit of hassle really. Considering the effort it takes to get there, it would almost be cheaper to fly with another company out of Amsterdam. Hmm. The train ride was incredibly boring, both of us were very exhausted and ready for a holiday. We took a bus from the Eindhoven station to the airport, checked in, and had about an hour an a half to spare in this airport! So we both got some lunch and read out on the balcony. Very nice.

I loved the plane ride to Italy. It took us over the swiss alps which looked stunning from an aerial view. And once we got through the clouds that constantly hover over holland, there was blue sky and sun. I could feel the intense heat of the sun through the plane window. Funny how sun makes everything so much better! Extreme climate change, we went from cold wrap up in a jacket weather, to shorts and singlet weather.


Pisa

We flew into Pisa airport and spend a good hour discussing how much fun it would be to get a rental car and just cruise around, but after asking each rental company about prices we finally decided it was not worth it, and took a train into Pisa central. Then after working out bus timetables, we found our way to the Piazza dei Miracoli. We got some lunch in a cute little wineshop/cafe thing and here i ate the best pizza i have eaten in quite some while. We then explored the Piazza dei Miracoli, where the leaning tower of pisa stands among other buildings, green grass, markets and lots of tourists. We spent the afternoon taking cheesy touristy photos, and then lazed on the grass eating gelato icecream and soaking up the rays. I also found a stand selling fresh coconut, so i also ate some of that. (Photos - The Piazza, eating gelato, me in front of the leaning tower)

About 6pm we headed back to Pisa central, and took a train to Firenze (Florence) where we would change trains and head to Venezia. (Venice) We accidently got off one stop too early, so spent some time figuring out how to get into the centre, as well as trying to converse with some african who was asking us complicated questions in a language we didnt understand. At Florence central we got some dinner, and then spent three hours on a train to Venice. Rosy and I were split up on the train, so i tried to entertain myself by sleeping, but didnt suceed. We got into Venice just before midnight, and wandered around trying to find a bus that could take us to Fusina, where we were staying the night. Two friendly Italians tried to help us, but after about half an hour of them arguing with each other in Italian, and us trying to communicate with them, we found that the buses had stopped for the night. So we opted for the longest and most expensive taxi ride i have ever been on, and finally arrived at 'Camping Fusina' feeling very exhausted and ripped off.

Venice

Fusina is on the coast of Italy and the Island of Venice lies off the coast. The camping ground is amazing, it even has its own supermarket and a bar and restaraunt. Tuesday morning we went to the restaurant for breakfast and had some scrambled eggs. Suitably clothed in shorts and singlets and sunglasses, we then took the ferry across from Fusina to the Island of Venice. (photos - the fusina jetty, rosy and i on the ferry)

The views coming into Venice were amazing, it was exactly like i had always pictured it. The island of Venice is amazing. There are many streets and canals, and we found that its very confusing to navigate without a good map. The island is quite small, we found that it takes about half an hour to walk from one side of the island to the other. (photo - coming into venice)

We had no set plans for the day, we just wandered the streets admiring the buildings and canals, the street performers and artists, the markets and Rosy tried to pull me away from every single Venecian glass shop. I think that our favourite street performers were these two guys who played some famous concerto on wine glasses and what looked like giant glass test tubes. They were amazing, they even had a CD you could buy. Another thing i really enjoyed was seeing this convoy of gondolas going down the canal, and on one of them an opera singer was serenading everybody. (photo - opera singer on gondola)

We made our way to the Piazza San Marco, a square which sites many buildings such as the Palazzo Ducale and the San Marco Basilica, the true centres of social and political life in Venice. Crowded with tourists of course, the line to enter the Basilica went through the square and almost around the corner. I got a bit stressed out, a mixture of dehydration and claustrophobia and hunger pains. I did enter the Palazzo Ducale, after much persuasion from Rosy. The Palazzo Ducale was the centre of Venice’s political, social and economic life right from the beginning. Palazzo Ducale was the private residence or palace of the 'Doge'...im still not sure what a doge is. Apparently he had very high status, but no political power. But the building was also the home of the Government’s and the Courts’ main offices. The interior was amazing, but i was not allowed to take photos. (photo - San Marco Basilica)

We had lunch and gelato down by the wharf and explored more markets along the waterside. We then took a ferry around to the other side of the island, and then spent the rest of our afternoon getting lost while walking back through the island to where the ferry had dropped us off in the morning. Thank goodness i have some skills in backtracking. We took the ferry back to the camping ground and asked about taking a ferry to the beach the next day, but apparently it was not reccomended because the water is still too cold. We did have an amusing conversation with the guy at the camping ground, an old,talkative italian man who seemed to know alot about New Zealand..the all blacks, the kiwis, our americas cup boat....he even did an imitation of the haka for us.

Wednesday morning the weather was not the greatest. Overcast, and slightly cooler. We went for a walk around the camping ground and to the jetty, and then at the last minute decided to check out a day early and take a train to Florence, which we did! (photo - train to florence)

Florence

Florence is absolutely beautiful. Its a contrast to Venice. Alot bigger and more greener, full of lovely gardens and parks and hills surrounding the city. Very 'tuscany'. We arrived in Florence late in the afternoon and made our way to 'Camping Michelangelo', which sits on a hill just above the city. This camping ground was even cooler than the one in venice. It too was equipped with its own supermarket and outdoor bar, but instead of hiring out cabins, they have tents instead. Its like a giant tent town. We didnt do much on the Wednesday evening. It started pouring down with rain, so we just spent the evening sitting up at the bar and admiring the lights of florence at night and watching the lightening. The weather was very odd in florence. It would be really nice and hot during the day, but every night it would downpour and turn freezing cold. So you can imagine it was very hard to sleep in a tent with only one thin blanket.

On Thursday we slept in and were ready to head into the city just after 10. Our first stop was to find an internet cafe. Then we spent the rest of the day wandering around the streets seeing all the 'sights'. We went shopping at a supermarket and ate some lunch in a nice park by the rail station, only to be frightened away by Italian boys playing soccer. We did some shopping as well. Shopping in Italy is amazing...amazing shops and amazing markets! I loved the markets, i could just spend days there. One exciting thing that we did was climb up to the top of the duomo (dome tower?). This was great, let us get some exercise and we were rewarded with the most stunning views of florence from the top. On our way home we passed over the Ponte Vecchio, one of the famous bridges. Probably the most expensive area...the bridge is full of the most expensive looking jewellery shops. (photos - good times at the top of the duomo, reflections in the arno river)

On friday we spent the morning the camping ground just relaxing. We then headed back to the internet cafe to use up the rest of our credit. We then wandered around some more streets, had some lunch and headed back to the markets for some more retail therapy. On our way home we passed back over the Ponte Vecchio and then decided to walk back the long way, past the palace and up through the gardens. It started raining though, so we had to pass some time drinking hot chocolate in a cafe. The gardens were absolutely amazing, windy roads led us back to the camping ground with some amazing sights of the city as well. When we got near the camping ground, we walked even further up the hill where there was a church at the top. We entered the church and were able to listen to some very beautiful singing. For dinner we decided to go out. We went along to this Restaraunt by the Camping ground to have some pasta, only to be very dissatisfied. We got ripped off big time. The most pitiful amount of pasta and it tasted like it had been reheated! We cheered ourselves up with some more gelato icecream, and sat on the steps of the stairs and admired the lights once again. (photos - walking through gardens, view of florence from gardens)

Today i had to get up nice and early. 6am to be exact. Because i was flying back to Holland from Pisa airport at about 10.30. Rosy has stayed on in Italy, she is heading to Milan on Sunday and then is going to Barcelona, and i Will meet her later in the Week when i get to London. It has been a long day travelling. I took a bus from the camping ground to the station, then waited around for a bus that would take me to Pisa airport. Then i had to wait over an hour until i flew back to Eindhoven, then had to take a bus back to the train station, and then a train back to Utrecht! So i was very very exhausted when i got back to Utrecht, and very hungry and i just wanted to get home as fast as i could. But oh dear, I came back on the wrong day! I had to walk my bike most of the way home, pushing through crowds of people. Today is Queensday, the Dutch Queens birthday and the dutch like to celebrate. It seemed like the whole of Holland was out on the streets today, drinking and celebrating. I am finally safe and sound in my room, and i aim to just relax and unpack and have an early night. I have to get up early tomorrow morning and head to Schiphol airport because my friend Sarah Carey is coming over to stay for a few days! Im so excited!

Easter

Good Friday

On friday i dedicated my day to doing nothing in particular. I slept in. that was nice..I spent the rest of the morning kind of just roaming around doing all sorts...dishes..a bit of drawing..playing the piano...dancing around my room to music...talking to friends on msn...it was quite funny, i had really random bursts of heaps of energy..and bursts of being really really sleepy..so the activities i chose matched how much energy i had. School was not open today..so a nice excuse for not doing schoolwork because its officially a holiday! Talked to Jane Stewart in Australia today which was great. Cant wait to see her when i back in NZ. Exciting.

Later in the afternoon i felt energetic so i biked around to see Rosy. My bike had a half flat tire so it was a bit of a mission to get there..slower than usual. Nice to be able to ride my bike again though. On thursday i was all set to go to school in the afternoon when i discovered that my poor bike had a flat tire from having stepped on a pin..i was extremely frustrated because with everything so far away, im basically screwed if my bike is not in working condition. I was quite angry too..because i had no idea how to change a flattie. Rosy my hero came around to fix it for me, so now i know! Gone off track....anyway, feeling spontaneous i let Rosy try out her creative skills in giving my hair a bit of a chop. A bit of Risk taking, as ive never had my hair cut by anyone other than a hairdresser, but im just too stingy to pay the ridiculous dutch prices. Anyway, she did a great job of the back, and i had a go at the front later in the evening when i got home.

We went for a walk to Juliana Park for a bit of exercise. This is the park that we always bike past on our way to Thursday night lectures. Anyway, its a crazy kind of park..it has all these crazy birds, ducks and roosters roaming free, it has a playground for the kiddies, a deer paddock with a mini version of the huge rock formations in the lion king, and also some goats. As well as lots of paths to walk around, and a nice lake with a fountain. We had a nice time walking around and taking some photos of the first evidence that spring is on the way. My camera died though. (Photos - goats, a crazy rooster and a pretty blossom tree!)

After that we went to the nearest icecream shop! I havent got an icecream since i have been here so that was fun! Expensive though...five euro for this tiny little tub. It was heavenly though

By the time i got home it was 9pm! i couldnt believe it because i hadnt eaten dinner yet..it felt like it was only 6.30 or something crazy. So i had some veges for dinner and watched Lost at night!

Easter Saturday

Sooo incredibly tired when i woke up! not good..i actually slept through my alarm! Not good! Rosy and i had planned to go to Amsterdam this weekend so was rushed for time to get ready. Ive actually been feeling really tired lately...and im coming to the conclusion that i may be low in iron, because ive hardly eaten any meat since i got here...only the tiniest slices of bacon now and again. So ive decided that this week im going to have some good pig outs on red meat. I met Rosy at about 10 and we took a train to Amsterdam. Not such bad weather today...not really sunny, but it wasnt freezing cold like last time we were here.

First we went on a mission to the Stedelijk museum..we were quite excited because we saw a poster which said there was an exhibition with Klee and Miro..but it turned out to be in Schiedam, not Amsterdam. Guttered. I was not in the mood for looking at art at all because i was so tired and had a bit of a headache, and the museum guard kept picking on me.. I did see some cool stuff though, some Videos by Shirin Neshat, and some giant digital printmaking from Michel Quarez, and some cool lampshades made from paper cut outs.

About 1pm we exited the museum and went on an adventure to meet up with Karen, a friend from Christchurch who now lives in London. I hadnt seen her for nearly 4 years so it was a little hard to recognise her. But when i did, it was just like there has been no gap! We just both summarised the past four years in a paragraph..and got on as usual, it was great!She also had a friend Penny with her who was absolutely lovely (proper english pron: panny)We met at the information centre and lined up for nearly an hour trying to get some evening tickets for the Anne Frank house. Amsterdam is really insane at Easter time, all the hostels booked out and queues for something nearly everywhere. (photo - penny, karen, rosy and I)

It was about maybe 2pm when we had lunch. We just kept walking out of the busy part of amsterdam until we found a nice little cafe that had seat space for us.

After lunch we went on a walking mission around town to find the narrowest house in amsterdam, the flower market and Karen and Penny searched for people on bicycles to take photos of that fit into the following categories: someone dubbing someone on the back or handlebars, two bicyclers holding hands, someone biking taking another bike, a toddler in front of a windshield..theres always something funny going on. The funniest one ive heard of was from Rosy...she said she saw a whole family on one bike..the dad biking, toddler in front, wife sitting on handlebars, and another girl holding onto the back of her dad. hilarious. We all discovered we shared the same passion for spontaneous self take photos...so we passed alot of time coming up with inventive ways of taking photos....the favourite turning out to be the 'walk at the front, and shoot the camera over your shoulder of your friends walking behind you'. It was great...you never know what youre going to get. (photos - the narrowest house, and a self take)



On our way to the Anne Frank house, we stopped for a 'coffee' at a little cafe called Illy. Here i experienced the most strongest, most sweetest, most hot chocolate that i have ever tasted in my entire life! My head was buzzing! The Anne Frank house was a good time, very interesting story surrounding the Frank Story. I remember studying the book in highschool, so it was awesome to actually see the house where they hid out. A pity it was sooooo busy though, i got quite claustrophobic. Honestly the queue for the house went right down the street and around the corner. And every room that we went into was jam packed with people!

After this Rosy and I had to boost away on the train, for we were due at the theatre at 8.30. We made our way over to near the Amstel Station where we were going to stay the evening with Eavan, a friend of my brothers. Its so great having 'hook ups' in different cities, it makes life so much easier when you dont have to pay to stay at hostels! We had a quick bite to eat and went on our way to the theatre where we were going to watch 'Waiting for Godot', a play by Samuel Beckett.

Oh my goodness, 'Waiting for Godot' is the most insane thing that i have come across in quite some while. There is no particular plot to the story really, just these two men who are waiting for this guy called Godot...you dont really get any idea of who this guy is and if hes ever going to come. So these guys just wait, and get into the most crazy conversations to pass the time...they dont really talk about anything in particular though. And some passer bys come as well. Oh goodness, how do i explain. Its absurd. It was absolutely hilarious though. Rosy and I were laughing the whole way through...not at anything in particular...just stupid things people said, and funny facial expressions etc. One time we were in fits of laughter..people kept giving us odd looks wondering what the heck we were laughing about. I think we were the only ones who actually found the whole play very humourous! If it ever comes your way, id suggest you go see it, or watch the movie and make up your own mind.

Easter Sunday

Woke up early to meet Karen and Penny at the Amstel Station so they could come with us to church. After some problems with communication and dying cellphones we finally met on a metro sneltram and made our way to Church. The service was ridiculously short, a lot of singing and an easter story. It was so funny because they told the story in both dutch and english, and if you have ever heard the dutch telling storys its quite amusing the way their language works. Karen told me that it reminded her of the crazy chef on the muppets who is always trying to catch the chicken. I never thought of it, but totally agree.

After church, Rosy and I made our way back to Utrecht and tried to find our bikes at the station...i had totally forgotten where i had parked mine...And rosy's was totally jammed in the middle of millions of bikes and had to lift it out! It was lovely weather this afternoon, on my way home i stopped by the canal to take some photos of the pretty daffodils and tulips that are starting to appear. (photos - daffodils along the canal)

I sat outside for a while until the sun disappeared, and attempted to tidy our backyard a bit but that didnt last long. So i made some cinnamon pinwheels and then prepared my marvellous dinner which turned out to be pork chops and veges..mm. Then Rosy came around and we watched 'Anna and the King'. I had found a whole box of videos upstairs..im not sure whos they are. Anna and the king was a great movie, the only bummer was that alot of it was spoken in thai...and there was only dutch subtitles, so we felt we missed out on a lot of important conversations. I think ill hack my way through the rest of the videos this week before i head to Italy.

Relaxing in Groningen

This weekend i had planned to go and visit my Aunty Margriet and Uncle Jaap in Groningen, in the north of Holland.

I was due for a well deserved break once again. The week that had passed was not the best. A critique with four male dutch lecturers had left me upset, pretty depressed and so stressed that the knots in my shoulders actually felt like bone. Ask Rosy - for she was trying to beat them out with a wooden stick. So i decided a weekend just chilling out, not doing any schoolwork might help me calm down again and put things back into perspective, and rearrange my priorities once again.

FRIDAY
I didnt leave until 7.30 friday night, this way i could get a cheap 'weekend retour' ticket, otherwise its very expensive to buy two single tickets. The train went direct to Groningen which was great, no stop overs. The two hour trip passed suprisingly fast. I just listened to music the whole way, and stared out the window looking at the landscape as i usually do. I really like travelling in trains, its much more interesting than travelling in a car. I seemed to be really fascinated with powerlines this time...

Uncle Jaap met me at the station and we walked through the city back to their house. Their house is in a really neat location. Right next to a little harbour, with lots of boats. I think Uncle Jaap really likes the harbour, for everytime we walked outside..he always walked right down the harbour side. And far out, their house is flippin amazing. Its like this three story house on a corner, really old styles. And the interior is amazing too, really modern and just nice to be in. I think that the thing that impressed me the most about their house was their kitchen. Really clean and looks like a kitchen showroom!It had this thing that looked like a time capsule in the wall...but is actually a steam pressure cooker. And they actually have a deep fryer integrated into the bench top as well! thats a first! I later found out that they are actually in the kitchen design business...I had no idea.no wonder it was so gadgety! On the friday night i watched this TV programme called Hack which was pretty interesting, and tried to keep my eyes open until Margriet came home. She had been out at some sportsclub dinner. Its so fun being around my mothers sisters. I love it how they all look the same and share the same habits. (photo of their house)



SATURDAY
Saturday morning i had a nice sleep in. So needed! I havent slept in for quite a while. I seem to have got myself into the routine lately of getting up at 8am. Breakfast was better than usual. I seem to have developed a new addiction to All bran cereal. Odd. But its just so good. The weather wasnt so good in the morning. When the rain cleared a little, we took our giant umbrellas and took a walk into the city. I really like the city centre of Groningen, there looked like there was some cooler shops than the ones in Utrecht. Pity i didnt have more time. We went to the markets. First to the fish man, then the cheese man, then into town to the nut store (i cant believe they have a store just for nuts...) and then to the coffee and tea shop. I think this is routine for them.

After lunch, and after having digested my food while lounging on a very comfortable chair, we went for a bike ride. It was so hard getting used to riding a bike that had handbrakes and gears. Dangerous too. When i wanted to stop at intersections i kept going for the pedal brake...forgetting there was none! We biked to Martini Platz, this big convention centre where they were having a 'Kunst Event'. It turned out to be a huge expo where like 80 or so artists could display their work to sell. I found it really interesting to see some 'contemporary dutch art', a big change from all the museums ive been to. There were mostly paintings and sculptures. I think that i saw like one printmaker amongst them. I took my time scanning each artwork, and picking up free postcards and info on artists that inspired me. And there were alot, which was unusual. It seems that alot of painters seem to be into this whole colour expressionism thing which im interested in. Cant say id pay half the prices though.

After this Margiet and i went to the Grafisch museum which is a printmaking museum. We got in free because it is museum weekend..when all museums in Holland are open to the public for free. We were in a rush for time which im really guttered about because i think this is one of the most interesting museums ive been to so far. A nice man took us on a little tour, explaining about the history of printmaking and presses, and the movable type. There were so many different machines... a machine for making letter moulds out of lead, a machine for cutting and scoring paper, and many different printing presses which i got to see in action. It was so interesting i was actually quite upset i had to leave. Maybe if i get the chance i will go back.

Before dinner i went for a walk around the area because the sun came out and there was blue sky as well! Definetly walking weather. I took a walk around the harbour, and took some photos here and there. On the other side of the harbour (ps..when i say harbour its more like a canal with boats) i found some pine trees amongst some really green grass! Reminded me so much of home. Oh i cant wait to come home! (Photos - me, the sun and a pine tree, view from across the harbour)


Dinner was just superb. Fish, fried potatoes and salad. And for dessert strawberries and cream. Such a summer meal..you know summer is on the way when you eat stuff like this. It was such a huge change to the amount of pasta and roast vegetables ive been eating lately.

After dinner we went out to the movies to see Brokeback Mountain. A very interesting film, but personally its not the best ive ever seen. The cinematography was pretty wicked, but as for the storyline im not sure. I guess i just cant really relate to it.

TODAY
This morning i slept in again. Then when Jaap and Margriet came home from church we took a drive to Heerenveen to visit their daughter Lizette and her husband and children. This was cool, although alot of the conversation was in dutch. But i was amused enough just watching the children. Funny times. Id love to be little again, you get up to such mischief!
Also had a look around their business which was like the hugest kitchen and bathroom showroom i have ever laid my eyes on. Honestly if i had to buy a kitchen im not sure i would want to go there because there is an overwhelming amount of choice..and im pretty indecisive. But oh i cant wait until i have a house of my own! Its going to be so much fun!

When we came back we had dinner which was at about 3.30. Unusual, but they insisted i eat before i catch my train back at 4.20. But it was no prob, with their kitchen they had a meal whipped up within minutes! At 4.20 i said my goodbyes and caught my train back to Utrecht.

I had such a good weekend. I feel so much more relaxed now and am ready to face this next week with a more positive attitude than that of last week! Here goes..

A Rainy Weekend in Germany

Yeah..the weather really isn’t getting any better. I spent this weekend in Germany, kind of expecting it to be slightly nicer weather now that spring is well on its way. But no. The germans like to say ‘April, April..he does what he likes’..so apparently im in for more unpredictable weather. Fantastic.

Having packed my bags the night before, of course, I spent the morning doing all those things that needed doing again..dishes, tidying my room, a bit of washing, saying goodbye to my new flatmate. Then I jumped on my bike once again and headed for Utrecht Central..I pedaled to the medal because I was running a tad late. I had no time to check every few minutes for things I could have forgotten. Got a good work out this time too, my bag even heavier than my trip to Switzerland because I decided to take some school work this time.

To get from Utrecht to Bremen it takes just over three hours, and involves a few transfers onto different trains. The train ride to Amersfort was quite short and not too exciting either. The next train went from Amersfort to Osnabruck in Germany. Not anymore exciting than the previous train. I spent the time listening to music, staring out at the landscape and being fascinated by reflections in the window. Only when we crossed the border into Germany did it start to get a little more interesting. Lots of really green paddocks and even a few hills here and there, but not that different to Holland. Especially as the weather was so horrid. But my first impression of Germany was that it looks like a nice place. The train from Osnabruck to Bremen was the most annoying. I was in this seat next to about 10 young teenagers who spent the entire time shouting really loud and throwing stuff, and one of them smelt really bad. I tried to be as patient as I could, but when something finally hit my head I had to move to the carriage below.

Ann Katrins boyfriend was meant to meet me at Bremen but there was a little communication breakdown. Apparently I had told them I would be there at 3.30 but my train didn’t arrive till 4pm. I spent an hour waiting around on the platform feeling pretty hopeless and asking every tall guy with brown hair whether he knew Ann Katrin. It all worked out in the end though. I gave Ann Katrin a call (after remembering I had to dial an area code…no wonder the number didn’t work..??) and he came to meet me.

I spent the early evening hanging with “Morritz” and his fellow friends from Brewery School in a pub. Beer is huge in Germany, even more so than soccer is in Holland I think. I sat drinking my coke for about an hour while these boys who were celbrating exams, chugged back the beer and sang some crazy songs, really random ones too..like Johnny Cash and that ‘I am sailing’ songs, and other chants familiar to those in NZ. Very Amusing.

It was great to see Ann-Katrin again. She came and picked me up when she had finished work and we made our way back to her flat. Her flat is really cosy. It’s the third floor of some old house…three sets of creaky windy steps to get to it. Tiring. But oh I just love the flats here in Europe, they are just so cute with complete lack of space..so different to NZ. We cooked some kai (veges and rice) and spent the evening looking at photos from both of her New Zealand trips and reminiscing about 6th form at Riccarton High.

FRIDAY

On Friday I explored Bremen. Bremen is really lovely, I think that I could live there if I had to. It’s a small town so not as hectic as the bigger cities. In the morning Ann Katrin and I took a tram into the city and she took me on a little tour through the town. Our first stop was the St Petri Cathedral or the Dom as they call it. We had a look inside, a good excuse to shelter from the rain. The Cathedral is about 1, 200 years old. It’s the biggest cathedral ive ever been in..puts New Zealand Cathedrals to shame. I was taken by the awesome stained glass windows and rose windows and the awesome chandeliers. They also had tombs inside which was cool to see. The exterior is really beautiful. The cathedral is built in the style of early Gothic Architecture. I thought the most beautiful part was the roof, a beautiful turquoise colour. I thought it was purposed, but later I found out that the roofs are actually copper…this is the colour they go when they rust. Either way I was very impressed. (photos - cathedral roofs, and the city hall)

Next we went to the Schnoor Quarter. This is the oldest part of town, with cute little houses surviving from the 15th and 16th century. It is full of little giftshops, and galleries and also small cafes and restaurants. It was like being in the set of a movie, one that came to mind was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Take away the tourists and its totally like that quiet town on the movie where the people hide as puppets. There are the smallest ‘streets’ I have ever seen. More like alleyways. One I could just fit my body through. (photos - some of the narrow 'streets')

We then walked to Viertel, a suburb that’s called ‘suburb’. It actually means ‘quarter’ which is what the germans call their suburbs. In fact all the shops and cafes have a sticker on their doors with a ‘1/4’ on it which amused me. Here we stopped in a café and had a coffee (hot choc for me). We went our separate ways after this, Ann Katrin to work, and I to explore the city on my own.

My first stop was the Kunstmuseum. I cant say it compared well to the one in Basel, but it was still good to see what they had. Mostly old masters, but also a good collection of art from the 19th and 20th century that im pretty interested in. They were also holding a Rembrant Exhibition which was great. Good to finally see some printmaking. Most art galleries ive seen so far seem to be mainly painting and sculpture.

I then spent some time wandering through the markets and shops. It was raining very heavily at one point so I took refuge in a huge department store..they had like a whole department that was just womans stockings. I was amazed. When the rain died down I ticked off the rest of the must sees on my list. I looked at the buildings in Am square, including the town hall, walked through the Bottcherstrasse, and found all the sculptures by Gerhard Marcks that are around the town. The most famous being the Town Musicians. Huge story behind it which im not going to go into. Some crazy story about animals who are musicians?Beats me. (photo - the town musicians)

I also went to see the Neues Museum Weserburg Bremen – a museum with International contemporary Art. It was huge collection. Awesome to see some contemporary art for a change as well…but there was so much of it that I was overwhelmed. Like five stories or something! I was also really cold and hungry so whizzed through the museum. There were some pieces I really liked, but most of it pissed me off. I don’t know why. I think its just that it requires you to think too much, and half of it actually looks like crap. Haha..i always come back to that saying ‘imagination without skills’. So appropriate. Honestly I saw this series of ‘art works’ that were made from lined refill, holepunched paper and staples…it just made me so angry! I don’t know how you can call it art..i really think that one day someone should come up with a better definition of what art actually is…because I think its just too darn broad.
I walked back to Ann Katrins and had some lunch. Of all things I am really addicted to their bread. Its just so good. No white crap…its like pretty much grain..with something holding it together. I spent the afternoon chilling out listening to music…letting my brain relax from looking at too much art. In the evening after dinner we went out for cocktails with a friend from her work. Far out, like the houses the bars and pubs here are just so cute as well. So small and packed, and heaps of them. They are everywhere too. But we had a nice night. I spent most of my time just listening to the music since they both spoke German all night. Its quite funny im used to people talking in other languages now even though I don’t understand it. It seems completely normal.

SATURDAY

Rain again. We made the most of another rainy day though and took a train to Hamburg for the day. Cant say i have much of an opinion on Hamburg..it seems like a nice city, but it was just so rainy and cold. Im sure it would be lovely on a nice day when youre not running around trying to avoid the rain. We took a boat ride around the harbour which was fun and kind of interesting. For an hour we huddled in a crowded boat avoiding heavy sea spray and drips from the tarpolin cover. There was a commentary but it was in german so it wasnt much use to me. But apparently we crossed through some parts where pirates used to kill, and we looked at some impressive cargo ships and got views of some tall towers in the city etc. There is another sky tower look alike in Hamburg. We also passed the huge lion king theatre which is on a dock. Huge marquee. Apparently when they do musicals here they go on for like 6 years or so! imagine performing every night for 6 years! (Photo - Ann Katrin and I on the boat)

Almost soaked through, we decided we were hungry and went into town for some Falafel for Lunch! Yum! I love falafel..makes me happy just thinking about it. After lunch we missioned to the Hamburger Kunstmuseum to have a look around. We both got in free which we were stoked about..me cos im an art student, and ann katrin because she is doing her volunteer year in culture. The best thing is that they were having an Edward Munch Exhibition which was just so fantastic! It was really great to see some really cool famous prints. Honestly you hardly ever see printmaking in these galleries. I was inspired. The rest of the museum wasnt so flash..again more old masters and alot of 'contemporary' art as well. I seem to be stuck in the middle...ive decided the art of the 19th and 20th century is in fact the coolest ever.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing a little shopping in town..in the rain. Some opp shops and some shoe shops, H&M of course, and the highlight...the gummy bear store! If you dont know, Germany is famous for their gummy bear lollies! We went into this shop that honestly sold every single flavour you could ever want. I got myself some to take back to New Zealand. Hopefully i dont eat them before then.

In the evening Ann Katrin and 'Morritz' went to a party and i decided to stay home. I attempted to do some schoolwork again but ended up falling asleep. I was really shattered from walking around all day i think.

YESTERDAY AND TODAY

I dont think ive ever done less on a sunday before. We slept in until lunchtime (first in ages). Had a big lunch and then spent the afternoon just hanging around...eating, reading, drawing, listening to music, resting my eyes... At night we watched some DVDs. Freaky Friday which i thought was hilarious and another movie called A mothers angst or something like that. We stayed up watching crazy german TV until midnight so we could say Happy Birthday to Ann-Katrin who turned 21 today.

This morning we had a huge breakfast for Ann-Katrins birthday, I filled my face and then had to bust a move to catch my train. Really ridiculously boring trip back. I listened to music the whole way and held on for the toilet.. When i finally made it home i was welcomed by a strange girl in our flat. Turns out to be Nienke, our non existent flatmate who has been travelling through New Zealand and Australia for the past few month. She is moving out in the weekend though so we have to find a new roomy. Thats the funny thing here, if someone moves out they dont have to find a new flatmate..the existing flatmates do so they can find someone they like. Different concept. Its nice to be home ay. I think i can finally call Utrecht home for now. Ive been unpacking and before i went for a run to Rosy's place. Hard going but it was good finally getting some good exercise. My April resolution is to eat healthier and exercise more...I wonder how long this one will last??...