http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Tatia/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Tatia en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:26:04 +0000 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:26:04 +0000 It has been very English and rainy here. Despite this we've had a busy social schedule and have not allowed for thumb twiddling. We went to see Pygmalion and a Slight Ache Pinter play. very strange and scary and a play about a woman going through a severe midlife crisis. We did a little shopping in London went to a bbq on a nature preserve and met some of Emily's grandparents neighbors. I also http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Chiswick/blog-310860.html Emily and I took a bus on Monday to see Cambridge Thanks to a wonderful letter from my dad we knew all the hot spots to hit. After walking by most of the schools and checking out the Corpus Christi courts we went to the Wren Library. There were original copies of Winnie the Pooh and Newtons Mathmatica. I'm not sure which was more impressive.I popped inside Kings College Chapel which was gorgeous http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Cambridgeshire/Cambridge/blog-308905.html Hello againWe've just arrived in Chiswick after a whirlwind trip through Amsterdam. I liked it but didn't love it Paris and Berlin have stolen my heart. It does have amazing old buildings and interesting history. Not to mention the somewhat eccentric culture. We went on another walking tour saw the Rijks Museum and Van Gogh Museum. We also went on a neat boat ride with the St Nicholas Boat Cl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Chiswick/blog-307557.html Hey all Sorry there hasn't been word for long but at the last hostel I didn't really have a chance to write... we all shared a computer so it didn't make sense to go to an internet cafe but there was always a line so I felt rushed. I'm still alive and okWe took a free tour in Berlin on our first day and it was amazing it gave us a real feel for the city. We also got to see the film museum and t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-306748.html Guten TagYesterday was a day filled with hiking and beautiful landscapes. While I will admit the weather was anything but ideal think... very gray pretty chilly and cloudy it turned out to be a wonderful time to get a look at the German countryside. Kirsten was nice enough still can't get over it to drive us Rhudesheim am Rhine the actual town name is a complete guess. I cannot remember exa http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Bremen/Bremen/blog-303686.html Hello againThe rest of our stay in Paris was delightful. We went to the Musee des Invalides on Saturday which was full of different exhibits about French war and warfare. While some of the shows were a little bit biased towards the French it was overall interesting and at times very touching. Napoleon's grand tomb is also quite a sight the little man with a big ego outdid himself in death.We wa http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Hessen/Frankfurt/blog-302791.html Today we saw the lovely Musee D'Orsay. It was really refreshing because though it was extensive the layout made it easy to wander through the museum without hitting too many crowds or getting lost or having to take long detours. as at the Louvre. I loved the Degas dancers in particular. I will post the photos soon ah 2 minutes left on my internet time...We had a baguette and cheese in the Ja http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-301424.html We got to go over to Emily's mom's friends house phew earlier this week for an AMAZING meal. It was filled with vegetables and deliciousness so we had a great time. The family was really nice and I'm hoping to see them again some time in the future.In short paying for internet at this point we've been to the Louvre see pictures it was amazing and gorgeous and big scale. yum the Centre Pomp http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-301051.html BonjourWe've been in belle Paris for two days now and have finally located an internet cafe. We're staying in Patricia Crowne's flat on the Rue Surcoeuf. Its really nice if a bit cozy. There is a washing machine and a kitchen so I'm in heaven. The only down side is that Emily and I both sustained large numbers of bug bites from we theorize our stayin the fishy Venice Fish so we're pretty ichy. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-299950.html Its the second and last day in Venice. Our trip out of Florence was pretty uneventful we shared a car with a very tired seeming American dude. To get the griping out of the way out hostel is not that hot. At all. Compared to the first two which were AMAZING its pretty pathetic and much more expensive. I could deal with the fact that its a little oddly laid out and that there's only one comp http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/blog-298464.html Hey thereSorry its been a day or two. Things have been pretty packed there's alot going on in Florence and this hostel only has one computer so we all have to fight over it. And I'm a lover not a fighter.The hostel we're staying at The Emerald Palace is pretty nice. One computer but its less hot and there's a balcony and fridge. However the room we're in also sits right next to a very busy http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-297504.html The Last Day in Rome This morning we got a late start because last night none of us slept well... we woke up and had a light breakfast of leftover rolls and cheese. We went over to Termini station and caught a metro down town and then a bus to the Via Appia. This is the oldest major road in Rome it used to be the largest commercial road leading into the city. It is nice paved and a little uneve http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-296150.html Greetings from the Vatican It has been a day filled to the brim with history and art. This morning the three of us caught the metro over to Vatican city. It is still very hot in case you were wondering about that aspect of things...We hopped on to the rather long line into the Vatican museums which moved pretty quickly. It turns out that it was just the line to get into the area where you get ti http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-295713.html The Colosseum Palatine Hill and the Pantheon Italy is hot. Very hot. It is also humid muggy and warm. Thankfully there are public fountains with clean semidrinkable water that I used to refill my water bottle as the day wore on. It is also too hot to eat anything besides fruit and gelato in my case grapes and chocolate which we had for lunch. Can't really complain though.This morning we en http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-295295.html Arrival in Rome Wow. We've been on the road for more than 24 hours now. Combine that with time zone changes and its a little bit daunting. The flight to England was not great I ended up directly behind a young child who screamed for literally the entire time. That wasn't too condusive to resting up. Then we had to transfer airports in England. Emily's uncle Hedgie gave us a lift. He's really i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-294928.html Planning with EmilyThere's now less than a week left until our departure so we finally decided to get our act together and figure out what we want to do in ItalyFranceGermanyHollandEngland. We're still waiting to figure out the hostel situation in Berlin and the flight or boat ride from Amsterdam to London. My books Count of Monte Cristo Tom Jones and Crime and Punishment arrived along w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Connecticut/Fairfield-County/blog-292088.html