Hello,
It's early Saturday morning here in Rome. It's hard to believe that we already leave tomorrow. But then again, it feels like we've been gone FOREVER. It seems months ago that we were in England enjoying some F & C.
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I think I missed Florence. The first day we just walked around and watched Italy lose. We seem to be bringing around good weather and poor soccer (France, then Italy). Friday in Florence was really cool. We saw Michelangelo's David in the morning. Mikey was damn good. The guy didn't even do a model or use one. He carved it in 18 months. It's crazy to see in-person.
Okay, so I'm running out of time. We need to leave in a couple minutes to see the Vatican. Don't worry, I'll tell the pontiff you say hello. We're old pals. Ciao! I'll blog tomorrow sometime and we'll put together a recap soonish (and pics!).
Showing posts with label europe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label europe. Show all posts
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Salve from Venezia!
Ok, the blog shouldn't take nearly as long tonight. I found a converter, so I'm typing on my regular computer!
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We're in Venice tonight. Off to Florence tomorrow. We'll finish up our trip with a couple days in Rome. Today was another great day. The ladies went into Lucerne to get some shopping done. My mom bought a Swiss watch and some chocolates. Us boys went to the top of a mountain that overlooked the lake. It was nice to get up there with some fresh air and clear the mind (Sie should insert pics here). The drive to Venice was only 7 hours. It's one of the shortest rides we've had. The good news is that we are sleeping quite a bit on the road.
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We rode on the gondolas as soon as we made it to Venice. The gondolas are the main way to get through the islands of Venice. It's a very unique experience. Even so, my mom keeps saying how much of this trip we've sort of "seen" before. Think about it: between Disneyland/World and Las Vegas this is deja vu all over again (kidding). We also had some pizza and wine near our visit to St. Mark's Basilica. We get to go back tomorrow morning and see some glass-blowing. Ok. Starting to get tired now. These days are very tiring, but we wouldn't trade it for the world. I start my big boy job in 8 days... but who's counting.
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We're in Venice tonight. Off to Florence tomorrow. We'll finish up our trip with a couple days in Rome. Today was another great day. The ladies went into Lucerne to get some shopping done. My mom bought a Swiss watch and some chocolates. Us boys went to the top of a mountain that overlooked the lake. It was nice to get up there with some fresh air and clear the mind (Sie should insert pics here). The drive to Venice was only 7 hours. It's one of the shortest rides we've had. The good news is that we are sleeping quite a bit on the road.
---
We rode on the gondolas as soon as we made it to Venice. The gondolas are the main way to get through the islands of Venice. It's a very unique experience. Even so, my mom keeps saying how much of this trip we've sort of "seen" before. Think about it: between Disneyland/World and Las Vegas this is deja vu all over again (kidding). We also had some pizza and wine near our visit to St. Mark's Basilica. We get to go back tomorrow morning and see some glass-blowing. Ok. Starting to get tired now. These days are very tiring, but we wouldn't trade it for the world. I start my big boy job in 8 days... but who's counting.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Guten Tag from Lucerne
Guten tag (I can't find the exclamation point on this silly German keyboard). I had such a tough time with the French one. Then, by the time I got used to it, we left (insert exclamation).
We are in Lucerne, Switzerland. Apparently it has many spelling variations. The country has four national languages. I barely know four languages exist (not really, come on). I knew this before because my first roommate at Mizzou was a Swiss German. This guy was way out of my league on the roommate scale (he was smart AND clean). The town has only has 90,000 residents. It's kind of like a little Columbia (if CoMO was in the Alps and in Europe).
To get here, though, was an adventure. We spent some 10 hours in the Trafalgar bus to get us here. This included two, that's right, two stops at French rest stops. Let's just say the food is comparable to gas-stations-in-the-middle-of-nowhere in the States. The highlight of the bus trek was when my mom bought waffles and Nutella (don't you wanna be us right now?).
Lucerne is an absolutely gorgeous city on a lake. We toured the lake with our Trafalgar brethren. It's a completely different scene than the last two bustling cities, but it's a nice change of pace. Tonight my mom, Joey, and I went to the casino down the street. The lady told us it was a five-minute walk. Maybe they translate the time here too because that definitely was about 15.
Tomorrow morning Mark, Joey, and I will take a railroad to the top of a mountain. Mom will refinance our house for another time (who knows which mortgage it is now) to buy a nice Swiss watch. Sierrah is a baby (she won't see this post until at least tomorrow). I'll try to check in again tomorrow from Venice. Ciao.
We are in Lucerne, Switzerland. Apparently it has many spelling variations. The country has four national languages. I barely know four languages exist (not really, come on). I knew this before because my first roommate at Mizzou was a Swiss German. This guy was way out of my league on the roommate scale (he was smart AND clean). The town has only has 90,000 residents. It's kind of like a little Columbia (if CoMO was in the Alps and in Europe).
To get here, though, was an adventure. We spent some 10 hours in the Trafalgar bus to get us here. This included two, that's right, two stops at French rest stops. Let's just say the food is comparable to gas-stations-in-the-middle-of-nowhere in the States. The highlight of the bus trek was when my mom bought waffles and Nutella (don't you wanna be us right now?).
Lucerne is an absolutely gorgeous city on a lake. We toured the lake with our Trafalgar brethren. It's a completely different scene than the last two bustling cities, but it's a nice change of pace. Tonight my mom, Joey, and I went to the casino down the street. The lady told us it was a five-minute walk. Maybe they translate the time here too because that definitely was about 15.
Tomorrow morning Mark, Joey, and I will take a railroad to the top of a mountain. Mom will refinance our house for another time (who knows which mortgage it is now) to buy a nice Swiss watch. Sierrah is a baby (she won't see this post until at least tomorrow). I'll try to check in again tomorrow from Venice. Ciao.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Bonjour from Paris!
Hey all!
Sorry it's taken a couple of days. We've had 1) internet problems and 2) a very busy schedule. In our first four days, we've already visited London and Paris. It's way too fast to take in what both of these cities have to offer! We did try our best, but the trip is very tiring. Most nights we're working on less than 5 hours, and the travel is starting to wear us down. We might need a vacation from our vacation! It's really a great trip and we're so blessed to take one last trip as a family (this isn't the "last trip", but more of like a last hoorah before I start my job).
We'll go into more detail in the days after the trip. Sierrah will probably post pictures, and my mom took some great videos, too (like I said, internet problem).
Here's a quick summary of the trip so far:
Day One:
We spent all of the first day traveling. ALL DAY. We got to LAX at 4 am Thursday and landed in London at 8 am on Friday. Our airport/plane time consisted of watching World Cup games and sleeping (not in that order).
Day Two:
We arrived at the hotel around 10:30 am. We met up with our cousin Hilary who's studying abroad in Ireland for the summer. The six of us went to a local pub for some Fish and Chips. Also note that Joey legally had a beer. My girlfriend Abby told me to try Leffe (her favorite beer when she visited last year). We walked around our hotel like zombies for a couple of hours. Then we slept.. and slept.. and slept. We finally went out to eat and had a burger. I don't know exactly why we would travel so far to have a meal similar to Johnny Rockets, but we did. Then it gets interesting. Hilary and I went out to Chelsea (a real nice area of town). We went to a club called Eclipse. This is the place of overpriced drinks and weird performers (interested?). The drinks cost an arm and a leg (about $12 each). Hilary and I decided that first drink would be our only drink. While we casually waited at the bar, a DJ and a bongo player played some music. The DJ was playing to a packed crowd in this tiny club. Then a girl walked up to the bongo player and whispered something in his ear. He proceeded to bite her on her arm. He full on Count Dracula'd her right on the bicep! He either knew the girl or she was very intoxicated because she just went about her business. Hilary and I left the bar in awe. It still weirds me out thinking about it.
Day Three:
All of our internal body clocks were completely off. London is 8 hours ahead of LA. No one slept passed 5 am this day. I woke up at about 4 and went to work out (impressed?). After that Joey and I went on a walk to Hyde Park. We sort of knew where we were going (we had no clue). We ended walking some 45 minutes down a street when we could've made a Larry and been there in 10, but we had some time to kill. The whole family then took a trip to see the major tourist spots. We saw Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace. We saw the changing of the guard at the palace. We would've had tea with the Queenie but she jetted off to one of her other abodes. Our tour let out and we went walking again. We went back to Hyde park to see the Princess Diana memorial. The girlfriend also told us to have tea at the Orangerie in the park. We walked to miles and miles (okay, minutes and minutes) only to find out that recommendation was closed. Luckily enough we found a really nice Italian hotel that specialized in making hot water and cold sandwiches. Joey called this his "surprise" (see project guidelines). After another nap, the six of us left for a musical. We've all seen Grease the movie, but we heard the musical was a little different. We ended up taking two taxis because six of us could not fit into one. Sie, my mom, and I all fit into the first taxi. Joe, Dada, and Hil got into the other. Here's the problem: no one in the other taxi knew the name of the theatre. They barely made it and got to problem solve. The play was great! It had a slightly different plot with all the same songs we all love.
Day Four:
We got up plenty early for our journey to France. Sadly, we left our cousin Hilary to fend for herself and sleep in the airport (while not confirmed, I'm sure she's fine*). Our Trafalgar (the bus company) tour took us to a boat that crossed the English Channel. Then we bussed another three hours to Paris. Our tour guide Jenny showed us some great spots on the right side of the city. We also took an hour boat ride on the Seine River. The guide on the boat spoke at least seven languages. Apparently that's no biggie in Europe. i think that's just showing off. Before we went home, we had some good eats at a sidewalk cafe. I chose the onion soup (they already are French, so I find the use of the word unnessesary).
Day Five:
Our only full day in Paris was a lot to handle. Our tour started at the Eiffel Tower. The cinq of us made it to the second floor (about halfway up). Joey and I took the lift all the way to the top. Both of the floors had great views. Then we went to see the Notre Dame Cathredal and the Champs-Elysees on our way to the Louvre. The Louvre is the world's largest museum. Remember that. THE largest. The most notable work there is the Mona Lisa (no relation to my mom). I don't care what anyone says; I think she's good looking. She's kind of plain-looking, but those eyes and that smile struck me. My mom said she got a lump in her throat. Sierrah took a picture of it (I hope she posts it soon). Some 15 minutes later, we lost Joey. That's right. We lost my brother in the world's largest museum. He told us after he just kept thinking of that. The world's largest museum. We had bets on where we'd find him, if at all. Dada won the bet. We found Joey at the information desk. I thought he'd go to the Inverted Pyramid or back to the hotel. Check a win with Gen X. We then had some crepes. I called it my "surprise". Then we went back to the hotel for a quick break. Moulin Rouge was next. Let me tell you this... they were... topless. I know. Gross. My mom said it was art or something. The reviews were mixed: Mark LOVED it, Joey, Mom, and I thought it was a pretty good show, and it was not Sierrah's cup o' soup (onion).
We have a long bus ride to Lucern in the morning. It should take about seven hours to get to the Swiss city. Until then, au revoir!
*Fingers crossed
Sorry it's taken a couple of days. We've had 1) internet problems and 2) a very busy schedule. In our first four days, we've already visited London and Paris. It's way too fast to take in what both of these cities have to offer! We did try our best, but the trip is very tiring. Most nights we're working on less than 5 hours, and the travel is starting to wear us down. We might need a vacation from our vacation! It's really a great trip and we're so blessed to take one last trip as a family (this isn't the "last trip", but more of like a last hoorah before I start my job).
We'll go into more detail in the days after the trip. Sierrah will probably post pictures, and my mom took some great videos, too (like I said, internet problem).
Here's a quick summary of the trip so far:
Day One:
We spent all of the first day traveling. ALL DAY. We got to LAX at 4 am Thursday and landed in London at 8 am on Friday. Our airport/plane time consisted of watching World Cup games and sleeping (not in that order).
Day Two:
We arrived at the hotel around 10:30 am. We met up with our cousin Hilary who's studying abroad in Ireland for the summer. The six of us went to a local pub for some Fish and Chips. Also note that Joey legally had a beer. My girlfriend Abby told me to try Leffe (her favorite beer when she visited last year). We walked around our hotel like zombies for a couple of hours. Then we slept.. and slept.. and slept. We finally went out to eat and had a burger. I don't know exactly why we would travel so far to have a meal similar to Johnny Rockets, but we did. Then it gets interesting. Hilary and I went out to Chelsea (a real nice area of town). We went to a club called Eclipse. This is the place of overpriced drinks and weird performers (interested?). The drinks cost an arm and a leg (about $12 each). Hilary and I decided that first drink would be our only drink. While we casually waited at the bar, a DJ and a bongo player played some music. The DJ was playing to a packed crowd in this tiny club. Then a girl walked up to the bongo player and whispered something in his ear. He proceeded to bite her on her arm. He full on Count Dracula'd her right on the bicep! He either knew the girl or she was very intoxicated because she just went about her business. Hilary and I left the bar in awe. It still weirds me out thinking about it.
Day Three:
All of our internal body clocks were completely off. London is 8 hours ahead of LA. No one slept passed 5 am this day. I woke up at about 4 and went to work out (impressed?). After that Joey and I went on a walk to Hyde Park. We sort of knew where we were going (we had no clue). We ended walking some 45 minutes down a street when we could've made a Larry and been there in 10, but we had some time to kill. The whole family then took a trip to see the major tourist spots. We saw Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace. We saw the changing of the guard at the palace. We would've had tea with the Queenie but she jetted off to one of her other abodes. Our tour let out and we went walking again. We went back to Hyde park to see the Princess Diana memorial. The girlfriend also told us to have tea at the Orangerie in the park. We walked to miles and miles (okay, minutes and minutes) only to find out that recommendation was closed. Luckily enough we found a really nice Italian hotel that specialized in making hot water and cold sandwiches. Joey called this his "surprise" (see project guidelines). After another nap, the six of us left for a musical. We've all seen Grease the movie, but we heard the musical was a little different. We ended up taking two taxis because six of us could not fit into one. Sie, my mom, and I all fit into the first taxi. Joe, Dada, and Hil got into the other. Here's the problem: no one in the other taxi knew the name of the theatre. They barely made it and got to problem solve. The play was great! It had a slightly different plot with all the same songs we all love.
Day Four:
We got up plenty early for our journey to France. Sadly, we left our cousin Hilary to fend for herself and sleep in the airport (while not confirmed, I'm sure she's fine*). Our Trafalgar (the bus company) tour took us to a boat that crossed the English Channel. Then we bussed another three hours to Paris. Our tour guide Jenny showed us some great spots on the right side of the city. We also took an hour boat ride on the Seine River. The guide on the boat spoke at least seven languages. Apparently that's no biggie in Europe. i think that's just showing off. Before we went home, we had some good eats at a sidewalk cafe. I chose the onion soup (they already are French, so I find the use of the word unnessesary).
Day Five:
Our only full day in Paris was a lot to handle. Our tour started at the Eiffel Tower. The cinq of us made it to the second floor (about halfway up). Joey and I took the lift all the way to the top. Both of the floors had great views. Then we went to see the Notre Dame Cathredal and the Champs-Elysees on our way to the Louvre. The Louvre is the world's largest museum. Remember that. THE largest. The most notable work there is the Mona Lisa (no relation to my mom). I don't care what anyone says; I think she's good looking. She's kind of plain-looking, but those eyes and that smile struck me. My mom said she got a lump in her throat. Sierrah took a picture of it (I hope she posts it soon). Some 15 minutes later, we lost Joey. That's right. We lost my brother in the world's largest museum. He told us after he just kept thinking of that. The world's largest museum. We had bets on where we'd find him, if at all. Dada won the bet. We found Joey at the information desk. I thought he'd go to the Inverted Pyramid or back to the hotel. Check a win with Gen X. We then had some crepes. I called it my "surprise". Then we went back to the hotel for a quick break. Moulin Rouge was next. Let me tell you this... they were... topless. I know. Gross. My mom said it was art or something. The reviews were mixed: Mark LOVED it, Joey, Mom, and I thought it was a pretty good show, and it was not Sierrah's cup o' soup (onion).
We have a long bus ride to Lucern in the morning. It should take about seven hours to get to the Swiss city. Until then, au revoir!
*Fingers crossed
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
T-Minus 7 Hours
We're just about ready to go to Europe. On our 10-day trip, we're traveling to London, Paris, Lucerne, Venice, Florence, and Rome. The entire Gonzalez Gang* will travel: Lisa and Mark (ages unknown), Ryan (beyond my years), Joey (18), and Sierrah (16).
---
Joey almost already lost his wallet. Okay, I accidentally took his wallet for about an hour. Let's just say it was a hectic hour.** :)
---
As part of our trip, our parents are requiring*** us to put together a project. We each have a city where we're responsible to be the tour guide. Here are the project guidelines, per my mom's e-mail:
We'll try to update this blog as much as possible. Cheers!
-ryan
*Not an actual gang
** In my defense, our wallets look very similar
***By "require", I mean they dangled spending money in our faces.
---
Joey almost already lost his wallet. Okay, I accidentally took his wallet for about an hour. Let's just say it was a hectic hour.** :)
---
As part of our trip, our parents are requiring*** us to put together a project. We each have a city where we're responsible to be the tour guide. Here are the project guidelines, per my mom's e-mail:
The city that you picked will have to include the following questions answered and researched to obtain you spending money.
1. Some interesting history about the city
2. What to see
3. What is around our hotel
4. Something interesting to do in the town
5. A hidden treasure****
6. Two people that are from there that are famous
7. Language hey speak and learn to say the following that language
a. Hello / Good bye
b. Thank you
c. Please
d. Where is the bathroom?
e. Whats the best wine?
f. Is it vegetarian?
Must be one full page typed and will be read on the plane out to NY
Here are the rules for your adventure, must only take 2-4 hours of our day and not cost more that $200 each. So do your research wisely, if you sign us up for a cooking class or gondola ride or anything else you find interesting you need to make sure it is available on that day and if they recommend that we make reservations. If we need reservation you need to let me know asap, so I can let the travel agent know to make reservations for us. When we are in your city you get to choose places to eat and basically be our tour guide.
---We'll try to update this blog as much as possible. Cheers!
-ryan
*Not an actual gang
** In my defense, our wallets look very similar
***By "require", I mean they dangled spending money in our faces.
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