I am just writing this quick note to let everyone know that I don't think I will have time to write a proper entry about Vienna, Berlin, Leipzig, and Hamburg until I get home. Everything is moving so quickly that I don't have time to sit down for more than a few minutes to check train stations and confirm hostel bookings. I refuse to believe and/or accept that I will be back in Maryland in three days. It's impossible. What is really impossible is that between now and then I have to visit Leipzig and Hamburg, and then make it to [View Full Entry]

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Warning: This entry is massive. Read at your own risk. Since I last left you I have been in three different countries. I left Heidelberg and went to Cannes, France to meet up with an old friend I hadn't seen in five and a half years. After a miraculous journey (one of my trains was late, so I missed the bus that was supposed to take me to the other train station in Avignon, and I got off the bus at 14:46 and somehow made the train that left the station at 14:47), I arrived in Cannes before Brian and was [View Full Entry]

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Well, I am back in Germany after my Southern sojourns. I boarded a night train from Burgos to Paris in the middle of the second half of the Spain v. Germany game, and was on the edge of my bunk waiting to learn who won. When I got to Paris I saw people walking around wearing Spanish flags and knew immediately. I wasn't able to get a train to Munich until that night, so I got to spend the day in Paris. I walked all around, going back to my old neighborhood to get my favorite sandwich from my favorite boulangerie, [View Full Entry]

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When I last left you I had just arrived at my hostel in Madrid and was waiting to get into my room. After settling in I spent the whole afternoon in the incredible Reina Sofia museum. While boasting some of the 'greats', their collection was predominantly from Spanish artists. Picasso and Dali were two artists who were heavily represented. In fact, Reina Sofia is the home of Picasso's famous Guernica, which is so powerful to behold in person. It has been given a room to itself, which is needed to hold the crowds that it draws. I thought that the two [View Full Entry]

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Wow, I haven´t had a chance to sit down and write one of these in a while. Leslie and I tried to when we were in Bruges, but our internet session cut out in the middle and we didn´t want to pay for another 30 minutes. Oh, Leslie was here! Tito and I picked her up from the Amsterdam airport on the 14th, we went back to the Viel Castel´s where Diane had prepared a lovely lunch. On our first day we visited the Van Gogh (pronounced: *make the noise when you are trying to get the popcorn out that's stuck [View Full Entry]

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Wow, I haven't had the time to write in a while, and now I'm daunted by the thought of having to write about everything that has happened. I made it through Basel. It was a wonderfully overwhelming experience. I went to some interesting lectures and panel discussions on the art market today and important things to consider when collecting contemporary art. I saw a plethora of amazing works by well known modern and contemporary artists, as well as number of beautiful and/or intriguing pieces by people I had never heard of before. I made an effort to write every name I [View Full Entry]

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Art Basel = Anne's heaven. Ok, a bit of an exaggeration. There would be more chocolate and fewer pretentious people in heaven. I've never been surrounded by so much wonderful modern and contemporary art! I really enjoyed Art Unlimited, which is the big exhibition of contemporary works. Then there are more gallery booths than I could have ever imagined, each with some of the best works by their best artists. On my first day I was having such a great time and thought I was going to be finished very quickly and what was I going to do with all of [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday I was on top of the world. I took the ferry to Alpnachstad where I got on the steepest cogwheel railroad to the summit of Mount Pilatus. It was one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life. First, taking the boat around Lake Lucerne gave me the opportunity to see the landscape from constantly changing perspectives. Then the rail car was an incredible experience. The landscape changed right before our eyes as we ascended. There were daffodils towards the top¦ At times I felt like I was on a ride from Six Flags and that any minute we were [View Full Entry]

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I have moved on from Zürich after a lovely stay. After my last entry I continued around Zürich to the sites I had not yet seen. I started at Fraumünster church, which was begun in the late 7th century and now contains five large stained glass windows by Chagall; they were absolutely stunning. Then I went to the top of one of the towers at Grossmünster church where I got the most beutiful panoramic view of the city. This was followed bz going to St. Peter-Kirsche, which was begun around 1100 and has the largest clock-face in all of Europe. That [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in Zürich on Wednesday after a flight that felt more like I was on a rollercoaster than a plane. At first I was surprised at how relatively small the city is in comparison to it's great importance in the banking world. I've had a great time just wandering around the city on foot. So far I have visited the Kunsthaus Zürich and the Daros exhibition space, but the Kunsthalle (museum of modern art) was closed for reinstallation. Last night I enjoyed my first Raclette during a rainstorm that made me feel like I was back in NOLA. While in [View Full Entry]

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