miércoles, 23 de marzo de 2011
Brugge
Our last stop for this weekend trip was Brugge. After an eye-opening experience in Amsterdam, it was very refreshing to step foot into such a beautiful city, full of history. We decided to epitomize our touristic ways and take a boat tour of the city throughout the different canals, which proved to be a very educational experience. Not only did we learn about the history of the city by seeing the different buildings and hearing different stories, we were able to experience the means of transportation that was used so long ago. After the boat tour, we walked around the city, indulged yet again in some delicious, yet overpriced, waffles, and enjoyed the antique feel of the city. The buildings are beautiful, made out of stone with gold accents and such minute details. We were even able to find the bar that has been in business since 1515, still decorated with many of the same pieces of the furniture, and even heated by an oven that has been there since. Overall, Brugge was a very quaint city, rich with history and beautiful architecture. 
Amsterdam
After a night at Delirium Cafe, we woke up early the next morning and hopped on a train to get to our destination of Amsterdam. Just a hop, skip, and a jump, and we were there. We stepped out of the train, walked a few minutes, and the smell of marijuana hit us like walking into a brick wall. We walked around a bit until finally finding our hotel. The receptionist told us that there was only one rule that was imperative that we follow: you can only smoke marijuana in the rooms, not cigarettes. Only in Amsterdam. We also came to find out that the Red Light District was just on the other side of our hotel, ironically enough. So, we dropped off our belongings and went out in search of one of two edible things that Amsterdam is known for, pancakes. They had all sorts of savory and dessert pancakes, but considering it was before noon, I chose the savory pancakes topped with cheese, ham, and fried eggs. 
After yet another overindulgent meal, we walked around and stumbled upon the Red Light District. For those of you whom have experienced this, I need not say more. For those whom have not, it is something worth seeing only if you think you can handle it. It was an intense scene of just a whole block of separate windows, each with at least one semi-nude woman standing there. Some were staring into space, some were walking around the little room, a few were attempting to lure in the few men that walked by. It was an incredibly vile scene and left me feeling extremely violated and disgusted with the fact that these people are living their lives like this. Truly an awful situation.
On another serious note, we left here and found Anne Frank's house. Although we were prohibited from taking photographs while inside, the mental pictures of their home that I have will forever be engraved in my brain. Throughout the home, there are little phrases that are written on the walls, taken directly from Anne Frank's diary. It was as if she was telling her story and the house helps to bring her story to life. We were enveloped by the reality, her reality, those few years ago when she and her family were forced to live in such close quarters. We were able to look at the blacked out windows that forced her and her family to be separated from the freedom of the outside world, left only to her imagination and memory of what the outside world was. Being in the home was an overwhelming experience, to say the least, but such a privilege to see it and feel it for myself.
After leaving the more historical part of the city, we decided to head back to where our hotel was and experience Amsterdam for ourselves. We soaked in the atmosphere and ambience of a city that combines history with the art of the modern world into such a unique experience.
After yet another overindulgent meal, we walked around and stumbled upon the Red Light District. For those of you whom have experienced this, I need not say more. For those whom have not, it is something worth seeing only if you think you can handle it. It was an intense scene of just a whole block of separate windows, each with at least one semi-nude woman standing there. Some were staring into space, some were walking around the little room, a few were attempting to lure in the few men that walked by. It was an incredibly vile scene and left me feeling extremely violated and disgusted with the fact that these people are living their lives like this. Truly an awful situation.
On another serious note, we left here and found Anne Frank's house. Although we were prohibited from taking photographs while inside, the mental pictures of their home that I have will forever be engraved in my brain. Throughout the home, there are little phrases that are written on the walls, taken directly from Anne Frank's diary. It was as if she was telling her story and the house helps to bring her story to life. We were enveloped by the reality, her reality, those few years ago when she and her family were forced to live in such close quarters. We were able to look at the blacked out windows that forced her and her family to be separated from the freedom of the outside world, left only to her imagination and memory of what the outside world was. Being in the home was an overwhelming experience, to say the least, but such a privilege to see it and feel it for myself.
After leaving the more historical part of the city, we decided to head back to where our hotel was and experience Amsterdam for ourselves. We soaked in the atmosphere and ambience of a city that combines history with the art of the modern world into such a unique experience.
Brussels
Just two weekends ago, I went to Belgium with a couple of friends from my study abroad program. We really wanted to go to Amsterdam and we found that the least expensive way to get there was to fly to Brussels and from there take the train. Looking back on this whirlwind of a weekend, I am elated that we chose to do this versus going straight to Amsterdam.
We flew from Alicante to Brussels via Ryanair, which is basically Southwest but on a much different level. To start off, everyone lines up at the gate about 30 minutes before they even start boarding. Once they announce that they are boarding, everyone starts pushing and nudging, trying to force themselves to the front of the line to pick which bad seat they want on the plane, meaning that every single seat is just as bad as the next, seeing as they don't recline and for the duration of the flight, you're sitting at about a 90 degree angle. Uncomfortable is just an understatement. So after being pushed and shoved by numerous people, the Ryanair staff opens the door to an enclosed area where you stand in a corral of irritable human beings. Once they open this gate, it's a mad dash to the plane; even the elderly are trotting along, hoping to get a window seat on the plane. Once you step foot onto the aircraft, your heart starts racing as the melodies of classical music are seeping into your ears and pumping blood through your veins creating an overwhelming anxiety of completing such a simple task as finding a seat. Once buckled, the music is still penetrating into your ears and the people around you are slightly less irritable and eager, but then comes the flight. The flight attendants pace up and down the aisle, selling various items such as smokeless cigarettes, food items, and other useless products. After the landing, an obnoxious jingle comes over the intercom, congratulating Ryanair for yet another on-time flight, but I consider it to be congratulating the passengers for being able to endure the flight. Congratulations, you made it out alive!
So, we landed in Brussels, and we were ecstatic. We took an airport shuttle bus and arrived in the city about an hour later, left to search for our hotel on our own. After about 30 minutes of meandering in every direction but the correct one, we finally found it. After freshening up and attempting to look impossibly pristine, we set out on the town to see as much as possible in just a little amount of time. We were trying to find the Mannequin Pis, and along the way we stumbled upon several gofre shops, so we decided to stop and indulge. They had a variety of topping options ranging from chocolate, Nutella, different fruits, powdered sugar, and anything else that could satiate any sweet tooth. So, of course I chose Nutella and some strawberries (although I ordered bananas, oops!) and it was delish!
Little did we know, the Mannequin Pis right right around the corner- go figure. We succeeded in our mission. Afterwards, we decided to try and find Delirium, a bar that was recommended to me for their infinite amounts of beer and over 2,000 different kinds. For those of you who know me, you know that I love beer and would never pass up the opportunity to try different kinds. After asking several different Belgians for directions and being harassed by restaurant employees, we finally found it. We ended up staying here for several hours, trying over 20 different kinds of beer together, and befriending the bartenders. We even found some fellow Terps and had a beer with them- gotta love UMD! Brussels is a beautiful city with amazing waffles and beer, and I loved it!
We flew from Alicante to Brussels via Ryanair, which is basically Southwest but on a much different level. To start off, everyone lines up at the gate about 30 minutes before they even start boarding. Once they announce that they are boarding, everyone starts pushing and nudging, trying to force themselves to the front of the line to pick which bad seat they want on the plane, meaning that every single seat is just as bad as the next, seeing as they don't recline and for the duration of the flight, you're sitting at about a 90 degree angle. Uncomfortable is just an understatement. So after being pushed and shoved by numerous people, the Ryanair staff opens the door to an enclosed area where you stand in a corral of irritable human beings. Once they open this gate, it's a mad dash to the plane; even the elderly are trotting along, hoping to get a window seat on the plane. Once you step foot onto the aircraft, your heart starts racing as the melodies of classical music are seeping into your ears and pumping blood through your veins creating an overwhelming anxiety of completing such a simple task as finding a seat. Once buckled, the music is still penetrating into your ears and the people around you are slightly less irritable and eager, but then comes the flight. The flight attendants pace up and down the aisle, selling various items such as smokeless cigarettes, food items, and other useless products. After the landing, an obnoxious jingle comes over the intercom, congratulating Ryanair for yet another on-time flight, but I consider it to be congratulating the passengers for being able to endure the flight. Congratulations, you made it out alive!
So, we landed in Brussels, and we were ecstatic. We took an airport shuttle bus and arrived in the city about an hour later, left to search for our hotel on our own. After about 30 minutes of meandering in every direction but the correct one, we finally found it. After freshening up and attempting to look impossibly pristine, we set out on the town to see as much as possible in just a little amount of time. We were trying to find the Mannequin Pis, and along the way we stumbled upon several gofre shops, so we decided to stop and indulge. They had a variety of topping options ranging from chocolate, Nutella, different fruits, powdered sugar, and anything else that could satiate any sweet tooth. So, of course I chose Nutella and some strawberries (although I ordered bananas, oops!) and it was delish!
Little did we know, the Mannequin Pis right right around the corner- go figure. We succeeded in our mission. Afterwards, we decided to try and find Delirium, a bar that was recommended to me for their infinite amounts of beer and over 2,000 different kinds. For those of you who know me, you know that I love beer and would never pass up the opportunity to try different kinds. After asking several different Belgians for directions and being harassed by restaurant employees, we finally found it. We ended up staying here for several hours, trying over 20 different kinds of beer together, and befriending the bartenders. We even found some fellow Terps and had a beer with them- gotta love UMD! Brussels is a beautiful city with amazing waffles and beer, and I loved it!
lunes, 7 de marzo de 2011
Carnaval
This past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity of celebrating Carnaval de Alicante. Starting on Thursday night, it was a relay of dancing, costumes, and trying to get by with as little sleep as possible. On Thursday night, the festivities began with just a few máscaras that a handful of Spaniards were wearing- I even managed to score myself one at one point during the night. Friday night there were even more masks that could be seen by everyone and anyone walking down the streets. There was a live ska band that was playing and everyone was just dancing (and drinking) the night away. Spaniards love to have a good time, to say the least!
Saturday was the big night, though. La Rambla, one of the main streets, was blocked off so that cars could not enter; there was an elevated runway where people dressed in their best costumes could walk down for all to see, a few bands playing live music, and overall, one massive block party. The streets were crawling with people dressed in creative costumes, quite to the contrary of the "sexy" costumes that Americans tend to prefer. A family of Mr. Potato Heads, a husband and wife dressed as chickens while pushing their child in a stroller dressed as an egg, and Cruella De Vil with her boyfriend as one of the 101 Dalmations, were among some of the most unique costumes that I saw throughout the night. Spaniards from towns and cities surrounding Alicante came to celebrate here, and they sure made it a good one. People were chanting and yelling and drinking in the streets, known as "botellón" until the morning. And although the festivities lasted throughout the night, the streets were lined with beautiful lights, making the city and the buildings come alive for all to see. Thus far, I would venture to say that this has been one of the best nights in Alicante.
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