Paris, enfin

Preface: the Oktoberfest post will happen as soon as I don't have to compose beautifully smithed English on a BlackBerry.

I had studied French for who-knows how long. Middle school. High school. A short time in college. I've been lectured on France and Paris for years. Finally I had arrived.

After a much needed do-nothing/laundry day in Brussels at my host's house, I took the high speed train down to Paris. An hour and a half at blazing fast speeds was all it took. I dropped my stuff off at my hostel and set out ASAP (after some savory kebab for lunch).

I stopped by the national Opera house first to check on the spot of the home of the Phantom of the Opera. Definstely the most intimate concert hall I've ever been in; it didn't seat that many people relative to others but it was stunningly gorgeous.

Beyond being huge and having vast collections of art, what's the one thing people think of with reference to the Louvre? Long lines. Well I waited 5 minutes and got in without a problem. I decided to go the first night I was there. The museum was open until 10 that evening and I figured going during dinner time was a smart move. Turns out I was right. There were points in time where I was the only person in a wing of the Louvre - kinna creepy actually.

Beyond the typical Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triumphe I had some good times. I did a day trip out to Versailles and a bicycle tour in Paris another day. I also met a ton of cool people at the hostel I was staying. One even lives in Allston - Roxanne. Another, Lisa, I met up with in Geneva later by chance.

My last day and night there was perfect. It was a Sunday. I slept in a little strolled around the city for a little and got a darn good falafel for lunch, which I ate along the river in perfect weather. That night I bought a Guinness at the hostel bar with the intention of reading a little of my book. I ended up talking for hours with an Aussie, a Brit, a Kiwi, and eventually a Brazilian as well. After a few units of wine, the Brit and I eventually took up arms against one another in the form of foosball to settle that whole Revolutionary War thing. It was a fantastic game, but in the end I was the victor. 'merica!

Kyle Bruley

Blitz aktualizace ("Lighting Update")

Blitz means "lightning" in German. Aktualizace means "update" in Czech. Since Amsterdam, I've been in Germany and the Czech Republic. Tremendous amounts of fun!




Berlin

Berlin was a blast. I did a free walking tour when I got there that really showed you the sights of the city. It was then that the Australians started to infiltrate my trip. I met Olivia, an Australian on the tour finishing up her gap year, and we wandered about the city at various times throughout my stay in Berlin. Then I met more Aussies on a pub crawl Saturday night along with a few Scotsmen as well. We all emerged from the 6-hour crawl relatively unscathed.

The Berlin Wall



Potsdam

 I took a day trip to Potsdam, the "Versailles of Berlin" and walked through the enormous gardens and tours the palaces. The impending rain managed to hold off for my trek on the outskirts of Berlin.




Sunday was the Berlin Marathon. How does it compare to Boston. Boston wins hands down. The Berlin race snakes through the city - if you tire, you can stop. In Boston it's a straight line - you better make it or you’re stuck. Also, for public drinking being legal in Berlin, I was severely disappointed at the lack of public libation. Boston, again, wins.



There was something strangely romantic about the city of Berlin that I had by no means expected. Its river is a fantastic little waterway. The Berlin Wall still stands. This city was the focal point of the Cold War for over 40 years. There was just something about it that struck me so unexpectedly. I loved it here.





Prague

On the way to Prague I took a break from Aussies - my cabin of 6 on the train ride to Prague was all Americans. Three were studying abroad in Prague coming back from a weekend in Berlin, and the other two were a mom and daughter (my age) on vacation. Julie, Katie, Emily, Casey, and Suzie. Yes, all "-eey"s. Julie, Katie, and Emily showed me a good first night when we all got dinner. Then they showed me another one after that when we were all out until 4 am...on a Tuesday night. That was a first.



I had met two more Aussies at the hostel bar, Bennie and Shane, that Tuesday as well. In addition to running into them that Tuesday night, we went out the next night as well to the largest club in Central Europe (on a Wednesday night). 4am night...take two.



Fear not, there was plenty of sightseeing done in Praha in between gallivanting about the cobbled streets at night: Prague Castle was fantastic; the celestial clock; Charles Bridge; Wenceslas Square; etc. The views from the Castle and the parks in western Prague were gorgeous.

Prague Castle at night

Oktoberfest

Let's be honest, this one deserves a post of its own...