August 12, 2006 | September 29, 2005

Home Sweet Cyprus

October 24, 2005

Yes, I'm still alive. And I did get all 45,000 emails from everyone asking me to update. Sorry I couldn't keep in closer touch. I just spent the last 20 days touring 13 cities. I really wish I could have written while I was there and experiences were fresh in my mind, but internet access at the hotels was rare and expensive. So I'll try to fill you in on the highlights now:

Our first stop was Budapest. We took a red-eye flight and nobody got a single second of sleep so much of the tour of the city was lost to drooping eyelids. But what I did see of it was really amazing. I didn't expect Hungary to be such a beautiful place. It had an old, inspiring beauty and was modern at the same time. We went up to a cathedral on a hill overlooking the city. The view was breathtaking. There were artists and musicians up there and can really see why. If I lived there, I would go there all the time too. I know I could write better than I ever have before there. It's a perfect place for an artist's life. Image hosted by Photobucket.com


 

(This is only a very small section of the view, but you get the idea...)


From there we went to Berlin. I love this city. There is so much life and color and history there. We saw a lot of the sights and tourist spots and then we had the rest of the day to explore on our own. Jen and I went to this really cool flea market and then went out that night. We ended up at a bar full of the ugliest people I've ever seen in my life! But it was really fun. They weren't dancing like you normally do in a club, they were swing dancing and tangoing and ballroom dancing all to a live band. It was a really great night out. I even finally saw an exceptionally hot guy there amid all the bad hair and even worse style, but unfortunately for me his boyfriend was also hot.

What struck me most about the Germans is how much guilt they carry everyday. There are WW2 monuments everywhere and the people talk about the holocaust all the time. It's still a very fresh wound for them. They don't have national pride and patriotism like we are used to in America, but they have replaced that with a desire to be the most peaceful nation in the world. They have pride in sports, government, humanitarian efforts and hospitality. All the people I met there were so nice.



(Remains of the wall)


Next stop was Prague. Its reputation as the most beautiful European city is well deserved. It was gorgeous. I don't have any pictures that really do it justice, but when I get home I'll show you some short videos I took on my camera; they capture the feeling a little better.


 

(Dan, Aubrey and Jen getting into the local culture and eating a traditional Czech meal...)


Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg, Strasbourg and Luxembourg all went by very quickly with only one afternoon in each. This is about when things started to run together like watercolor. Cathedrals, castles, cafes, shops, political institutions, stories and inside jokes. The reason I picked this program is because it allowed me to see so much. But the down side is that means you have to do it all very quickly. I'd barely kicked my shoes off when it was time to move on to the next city. But there are some things that stand out, like the Opera I went to with my friend Laura in Vienna. Amazing. And the bitchiest waitress in the world in Luxembourg, me dropping Jen's toothbrush in the toilet in Strasbourg, good times!


 

(We took over every place we went. The Americans are here!)


The Dachau Concentration Camp defiantly made a unique impression on me. It's very hard to put my feelings into words though. I guess it's really something you need to see and feel for yourself. It's so strange because on one hand you can really smell death there, on the other had it's been very sanitized into a tourist spot, which kind of makes it an even more disturbing experience. This sculpture was put up there as a memorial- it captures the feeling there perfectly.







(Entrance gate: "work brings freedom")


Belgium was probably my favorite place. Out of everywhere I went it's the place I can picture myself actually living. Louvain was great. It's just this little town full of college students on bikes. It was like UCSB... but with old European architecture instead of a beach. I would love to look into going to school there. Plus it's close to Brussels which is like the Washington DC of the EU, so I'm sure I could find lots of projects to keep me busy! When we first got there Jen and I went for a walk to explore the city. Some old homeless guy comes up behind us and goes, "Want my nuts?" I was about to turn around and be like, "Look pervert!" But then the poor guy pulls a couple of linty almonds out of his pocket to sell us. We were like, "Ughh, no thanks!" And he says, "Ok, sorry, thank you, you have beautiful breasts, have a nice day." Lol! So random!




(Real Belgian waffles)


Amsterdam is the most liberal place I've ever been to in my life. Seeing the Red Light District was so upsetting. Those girls are so young and pretty, not like the dirty, fried hookers with cigarette burns that you see on the street in LA. I could go so school with these girls. It was so depressing. But other than that, there was a lot of really cool stuff there. Homosexuality has been legal there since 1811 so this is by far the gayest city in the world, and that's saying a lot after spending so much time in WeHo. The Ann Frank house was closed that day, but the Van Gogh museum was really cool! Oh and I REALLY liked the brownies from the "coffeshops" there! ;)




(One of the many famous Dutch windmills)


Finally. Paris. I've wanted to go there my whole life and I LOVED it. I wish I could have stayed longer. The only down side was shopping believe it or not. Most of us saved our money to shop there and it was so unbelievably crowded that I had an instant headache. Terrible. I can't even describe. Saving your money to shop in Paris is like saving your virginity to lose it on a porn set. Blech. Plus, French women really do deserve their reputation, so rude! But other than that, I loved it there!!! It really is the most romantic city in the world (despite the porn analogy! sorry!). Even I couldn't be as bitter as I usually am there.






(Laura and I at the Louvre (don't worry, that was accidental hair! it's back to my normal color now!!))


 

(The Venus de Milo)




(The Seine)




(Notre Dame)


Then it was home to Cyprus. It's nice to relax, unpack and get back into school. I think the biggest thing I learned while traveling was that I REALLY need to learn some languages. I don't think I met a single person who speaks less than 4. That includes little kids and beggars! it's sad that my American education isn't even enough to beg on the streets here!



(Me and my roommate Jessica at the birth place of Aphrodite here in Cyprus)