Lisboa

After 4 days on the beach it's hard to leave now to get my culture back on.

I had read one can compare Lisbon to San Francisco in that it's built on seven hills, uses trolleys, and has a bridge designed by the same architect who designed the Bay Bridge. Only this one in Lisbon is painted red like the Golden Gate.

Nice lunch spot at this Miradouro/lookout

And I actually thought at times I was in California. The landscape around the beaches is very hilly like La Jolla and Torrey Pines in southern Cali. 

In terms of what there is to see I don't really know. I myself just love to wander with no goals set out and see what I discover. This is a great place to do that.

I started out in Belém, a town just outside downtown where there actually are many things to see like the monastery and the tower. But I had to try this pastry according to my host Carlos who mentioned I would probably have to queen a bit because they were so famous.

Belém Tower. Built 1519 for fortifications and to be a gateway. 

Now here's my rant on these things. They look like a little cupcake with custard filling. They give you packets of powdered sugar and cinnamon to put on the pastry yourself. After doing this I was covered in whiteness since it was a tid bit windy. But it really just tastes like dough had you not put the other ingredients on it. So why not just put it on in the first place and spare me the trouble?! This is what makes it taste good! Anyway after explaining this to Carlos he got a kick out of it and kind of agreed with me.

The inner city is extremely hilly and full of old falling apart buildings. Tiles adorn the facades as people thought they would last longer than paint and ultimately be cheaper. This adds a bit of color to the otherwise drab urbanscape.

I jumped on one of these to go one stop because there was an accident blocking ahead

It reminded me of when I went to Rome and thought every thing was falling apart. I hated Rome. But Lisbon has a different feel for me. The city is plagued by earthquakes and the one back in the 18th century flattened much of the historic core. So what we see today is what was rebuilt.

I spent much of the day on one of the cities Miradouro's or look out points enjoying a little snack.

As far as cuisine goes Carlos was explaining to me one night how they have a special word for the mixture of garlic, onion, and olive oil because it is the staple of most dishes in Portuguese cooking. I found this fascinating probably because it's one of my favorite combinations to use myself.

I went out in Bairo Alto at night with some Couchsurfers because they were having a Stammtisch. After a few hours not much German was being spoken so I ended up at this spontaneous party they set up by the river just for this week only and enjoyed the view with a nice Heineken? Don't ask.

One of those contemplating life moments

The next Carlos drove me out to show me his hometown of Sintra. It was the first time it rained in 6 months! But it didn't last long. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site also meaning it's very touristy. They're numerous castles dotting the tops of hills and it was nice to hear Carlos describe what it was like growing up here. To me it seemed like a spot where a bunch of well to do people would come to live and get away from the city. Hence the castles.

Pena Palace

Moors castle. Not the Moops Seinfeld fans.

Then he drove me out to the beaches one being the most western point of Europe. Can you just think that on the other side of this is the Jersey Shore?! I know hard to imagine.

Cabo da Roca

Well we took too long lollygagging around and I only had two hours until my flight left. So Carlos averaged about 90 mph on the way while I kept asking if he had enough gas to make it. "Sure" he assured me as it was almost under the red line. "How many times have you run out of gas before" I asked. "Only twice."

Well the panic subsided when we reached the airport fighting through rush hour traffic and off I went with an hour to spare before I was off to Paris.

One night in Lagos

Lagos is a backpackers delight on the Algarve coast. Great nature and a great nightlife.

I got in a bit late but headed straight for the main site the beach. Or rather rocks.

This place is spectacular. Yeah I've been saying that a lot lately but believe me.

I am not a beach person but the beach I found made me one for the day. Apparently there is another beach like this one but actually has stairs leading down. I missed that one.

I saw people down in this small cove off the edge of the cliff I was standing on and asked myself "how did they get there."

I didn't see any boats or anything or a path leading down but I knew there was a way.

So I saw a small little trampled dirt area and started down this steep slope. This was it I thought.

At one stage there's 6 feet of rope to help you down. There's nothing here from you falling and going down the rest of the 50 foot slope.

But wow what a spot. The photos speak for themselves.

The only people here were some topless lady, a mom and her kid, and a German couple I got to talking to since I was interested in his camera.

Why is the sand so soft here?!

As for the nightlife well I don't know what changed in the last year but everyone at the hostels I've been at so far were really boring. You tell me watching "Old School" is better than conversing with travelers?

I did go eat a burger though. First one I had here in Europe and it was at a place named in the top 50 in the world called Nah Nah Bah. Pretty cool place. You notice everyone working in here is not Portuguese. Mostly Americans and Aussies. Aussies run this town.

So I befriended the Texan in my room and had a few beers on the terrace with a view out to the ocean. That was my nightlife. But not too bad. I still have Oktoberfest to come!

Die Hochzeit

The hotel I was staying at was its own little town as it was located away from Tavira and Santa Luzia. It had its own supermarket, restaurant, and bar on premise so you never really had to leave the place. Every morning you would wake up to a bright blue sky. The landscaping around the resort was immaculate as well with palms and bright colorful flowers.

I headed straight to the beach to catch the sunset as I got into town late. The beach lies out on an island much like the Jersey Shore is and the only way out is by foot or with the little mini train they have. So I walked not having the patience to wait with the couple making out next to me. It doesn't have any features to it but the beach was amazing nonetheless.

Friday we all headed out in separate cars to the west coast of Portugal near Bordeira about a 2 hour drive from where the resort was. We were supposed to meet my friend and her fiance at a specific beach but turned out to be difficult given the roads here weren't on the GPS. So we ended up at the beach too far north and just met there. Walking to the beach you have to walk down the cliffs and through the tidal water to hit the beach.

We decided we would surf later at the other beach considering the swell here was ridiculous. Just swimming in it was tiring with the rip tide and being battered time after time by 8 footers.

About 5 o'clock we got to the other beach and rented boards for an hour. After a brief instruction from my friend I just went for it. It was my first time surfing and I figured it would resemble snowboarding to some degree. Turned out it was a lot easier and I stood on my first wave. It all went downhill after that being exhausted from the swimming earlier. But I am definitely hooked now.

We stopped in a really small town on the way back home for some dinner. Absolutely fantastic small town charm as the town is built on a hill with the old guys strolling around with nothing to do. You know that type. Dogs wandering the streets.

We ended up stopping in Tavira at the hospital because our friend had a pretty bad bee sting from a few days ago and we also had to pick someone else up at the airport later. So we split up and I went to the airport.

After picking her up we sat on the beach at about midnight waiting until the others were ready. Portuguese hospitals aren't really known for being that quick so they had to wait awhile until a doctor would see them.

Meanwhile we sat down at at a bar for a drink just as they said they were ready and that the sting was nothing serious.

The next day was the wedding so we lounged by the pool all day until it was time to get ready.

Headed to the harbor at about 5 to get on a boat to take us to the beach. Pretty awesome way to arrive I must say.

It was only about 20 people so I felt very blessed to be able to take part with some really great people.

And the setting was amazing as the sun set. I've never seen such a site. The little girls running around reminded you were in a different place though. Added just a little comical note on the side.

Dinner was served, drinks were had it was a great evening. Ended with fireworks and lanterns on the beach.  I really will never forget that.

Taken with the Ipod.

Why you should go to Seville

Down to where it still feels like summer here as it was topping out around 90 degrees here with bright blue skies. Sevilla is only 2 hours from where the wedding is and looking at pictures of the city I knew I had to go there.

Cathedral and Alcazar

The city is well known for it having tapas and flamenco. I can surely tell you they both are prevalent here. Walking down the street expect to hear cab drivers blasting flamenco clapping off beat like they do to the song. I'd definitely want that guy if I was taking a cab.

I stayed at La Banda hostel a block from the cathedral which takes up an entire city block in of itself. The thing is massive considered the third largest in the world behind St. Peter's and St. Paul's in London. What was really nice was the rooftop with a view of the cathedral at sunset. The Brits running the place do a fantastic job.

From the roof!

The cathedral like I said is usually the first stop as it sits right in the middle of town. Alongside the is the Alcazar palace. Getting into the cathedral costs about $11 and I'm not one to pay such a price for another church like that. I did go into the Alcazar because I was still considered a student for a price of just 2€.  And it was definitely worth it for the palace and beautiful gardens it had. I spent about two hours roaming around.

The Plaza Espana lies a little south surrounded by more beautiful gardens and was built for the world fair. You may recognize it as a shooting spot in one of the Star Wars movies. I don't because I've never seen them all.  The detail on the building is just immaculate. As you go around each state is represented with their own little designs like the photo I took of Barcelona's. And the explosion of color is ridiculous. It's just a shame it doesn't have much of a purpose anymore as they only house a few city offices. It resembles more a state parliament building.

The old city is a mix of small alleyways and I was constantly going around choosing whatever way looked more interesting to me.

A more controversial building is the so called mushrooms. They were finished just a few years ago in 2011.

There also is a bullfighting ring for those interested. I was not.

I had only one night to spend and the boys cook every night up on the roof for the entire hostel. But considering that is not a very good Andulucian night out, I went out with the couchsurfing crew where they met up for some tapas across the river at the Triana market. And wow was it awesome to eat some great food and meet some cool people. Definitely the right choice.

Sevilla is an incredibly gorgeous city and is becoming very popular for tourists. It was still swamped in late September and I can't imagine how it would be in summer.

Next stop wedding.

Rotterdam by bike

Onto the Netherlands but not Amsterdam. Yeah sure it's a great city but I need to see more of this country.

Rotterdam is the country's second largest city and it offered me numerous side trip opportunities when I wanted. The country is extremely flat making it perfect for cycling lengthy trips. Luckily for me my host, Jan, had both a city bike and racing bike I could use at my disposal.

So the first day I set out for The Hague some 30 kilometers or 16 miles away. I was taking a chance here as rain was in the forecast not only on this day but for the entire length of my stay.  I quickly realized the seat was a little too high for me and there was not adjuster to make it better. It was going to be a long ride!

Yay Windmills! No tourists Yay!

Windmills, dikes, and cows later I passed through one of the Netherlands most culturally important cities, Delft. It's a big university town with that picture postcard Dutch look. I stopped in the main square to have some of the free cheese samples and stroopwafels to make a breakfast out of before continuing on.

Main Square Delft. Excellent Cheese Shop on the right

Blue sky here but it rained right before and after this photo was taken.

Delft is considered the most Dutch city in the country

The Hague houses some government functions while the others lay in Amsterdam. One big sight is the peace palace in the north of town where the world hammers out issues relating to multiple countries.

Peace Palace

I didn't realize how modern this city would be and one only needs to look at the city hall. It's ultra modern with a hollow interior and lots of glass to let light in.

City Hall

Highrises dot the inner city. Just outside them is the Binnenhof,where the Senate holds sessions as well as the prime ministers office. Here they were setting up for Prince's Day happening tomorrow.

Binnenhof/Dutch Parliament

The Hague. A nice biker let me pass here because he noticed I was a football fan from my bag

I ended up taking the train back as the threat of rain loomed and I wasn't sure I could ever have kids from the seat digging in with every pedal of the bike.

The next day had more chance of rain than the previous so I walked around Rotterdam. And it rained. Hard. I stopped in the tourism office by chance as it's connected to the local soccer team Feyenoords' fanshop. What a fantastic setup they had. It had a scale model of all the new buildings and one of the entire city where you could interact per screens and choose what you wanted to look at.

Rotterdam was strategically bombed flat in WWII by the Germans causing the Dutch to surrender in fear their other cities would take on similar fates. After the war they decided to rebuild in a modern style with skyscrapers instead of the old way it was.

Later that night we met up at a bar with the CS meeting and met some interesting people. There was even a guy from Philly. I try and stay away from Americans when I'm here because who wants to meet them honestly.

Got about two hours of sleep before I was off to the airport. I was super tired but all the dutch teenagers kept me entertained singing drunk dutch schlager songs at 4 am. Nice way to end the day or start it in my case.

Downtown Square with City Hall

Skyscrapers engulf the river on both sides with the Erasmus Bridge lit up

Crazy Copenhagen

Beautiful Nyhavn

This was the first stop on my trip. I stayed with Lumbri who I was really fortunate to find him because he really delivered on the experience for me.

I had wanted to go here form long time now because I heard from so many people how nice it was.

I got in off the plane at 1:30 and couldn't meet up with Lumbri until 5pm so I went exploring immediately. I decided to walk the Strøget that starts at the really beautiful city hall. I think the first thing I noticed however was the GTA 5 ads plastered one after the other in the main square.

As for the Strøget or shopping street, it was bustling on a Friday afternoon. This led me to Nyhavn, which is a place to hang out and drink a beer on sunny days. Some go to the cafes, others like myself find a kiosk for a Tuborg not Carlsberg. The area is a little harbor with colorful houses along the sides. This was probably my favorite part of Copenhagen.

I passed through the rest of the tourist attractions (Amilienborg, opera house, Rosenborg castle) But no mermaid statue which is the symbol of the city. Is there a need to see a 3 foot mermaid. Not really.

City Hall

Rosenborg Castle

I headed back to meet Lumbri and went out for a quick pizza. He had a special party, well parties set up that night we were heading to.

The first was at the University but resembled the likes of a dive bar complete with Foosball, a bar which Lumbri helped staff, and pong. He goes there almost every week so he knows mostly everyone which really helped me meet people.

The Danes have an outstanding level of English so communicating is not a problem. And the people are fantastic and extremely attractive. You think every girl you meet is your wife here.

We got here at 6 and stayed to around 12 before heading downtown for a house party. We stayed only a short while before heading to a club. BUT why need a club when everyone is outside drinking in the middle of the street. I think the whole city comes out on the weekends to do this. It really was the craziest thing I've seen and I've been a few places.

Add in the fact most everyone is intoxicated yet still trying to ride bikes. I saw a guy eat it on his skateboard coming home. Then told him about it.

We ended back at the same house party because the club wasn't that good. But there was a huge dance party going on there so all ended well at 5 am.

Malmö was the next day.

Came back and we to dinner around the corner at Pegasus that served tapas style meals paired with great brews. Ended up getting a free one since the waiter forgot my order and made him pay getting a Westmalle.

Lumbri was working at Fermentoren, a bar specializing in local micro beers. Unfortunately 16 of the 20 were IPA's. So I spent some time there chatting with a few people around the bar before meeting Jonas from CS at a skateboarders party. They had help a big competition earlier in the day and now were holding the party at the skatepark located in old warehouses. Really awesome party and cheap prices.

We then went downtown to a bar. I lost everyone else in the chaos after I started chatting with a Norwegian girl for a good hour. Cut off early ended up home at 3 right as Lumbri got of work.

Sorry for the summary of events here as I like to analyze a bit better.

Just know you can drink only pretty decent beer here, party till the sun comes up, and find a wife.

Why the hate on Malmö?

Old Town Square

I took the train over the Oresund bridge into Malmö, Sweden. This bridge opened in 2000 and really paved the way for a new Malmö to begin. I was certainly glad I did because it is an awesome place. If I were to choose between Copenhagen and Malmö on where I would want to live, based solely on how the city looks and feels, it would be Malmö. Having cheaper prices and a hockey team doesn't hurt.

A lot of people I meet who comment on Malmö say "oh there's nothing to see or do, it's a really boring city."  Yeah sure they are correct with such a broad statement but I don't think traveling is all about seeing only tourist attractions and sure people know this fact already. I mean I spent 3 days in Paris last year without seeing any of the sights until the last day and had a great time.

So what did I see then that made this town so lovely?

Coming out of the both modern and classic train station I walked into the old town, where it was an "old town."  Tons of people were out strolling the main shopping drag enjoying the great weather on a Saturday afternoon. There's obviously a church. What old city doesn't have one in Europe? And a nice little square where the city hall stands.

So yeah that's it. Not much.

Onto the castle or more of a fortress as it's surrounded by a moat and sunken below a hill in the back. The whole area around the castle is the green lung of the city and where a lot people come to spend a day like today.

OK so now off to the beach and the more modern attractions.

I stopped just before the beach to slackline with a Swedish guy named Johan. (pronounced Yu-han) He's only been slacking 3 months yet he's about 5x better than me. Thus this fact allowed me to learn some basic new spiffy tricks I'll take along.

The beach was full of people walking their dogs. I'd heard from Johan this wasn't the place to swim but rather they had piers specialized for swimming in a contained area. Not that you can't swim here on the beach. Just stuck my feet in as I was ill-prepared on only a 65 degree day.

On the way there was a capsized houseboat. Entertaining article right here on what happened last week.

Apparently it was one crazy party

The beach and skyline of Malmo

Now onto the the claim to fame for the city. Turning Torso started construction right after the bridge opened on a site being developed into a huge new living and working quarter. Similar to Hamburg's HafenCity. The city had gotten rid of its famous landmark which was a big cargo crane. Needing a fresh landmark they decided to build a new skyscraper.

Yet after all these years, the area is still not completely finished. 

Like Turning Torso, the entire area here is ultra modern with some great building and landscape design. I especially like the crane like buildings here. 

Seriously Malmö is definitely worth your time. 

Next Ausflug

Hey everybody!

So I choose to start a travel blog as I think they're not only entertaining to the readers but also for myself to help me remember the great times that lie ahead of me.  I want to be able to recall the places I went for dinner or the bars I frequented which seem too distant to remember now.

I am no writer but I do hope to be able to entertain people with this blog as well as informing them of all the great places our world has to offer.  Opinions will be expressed to tell things as I see them.  They are not meant to harm any one's feelings.  I want to also explore cliches about the people and places I visit.  Again these are cliches and not necessarily the truth about things.

So why am I headed to Europe this time? A dear friend of mine is getting married on the beach in Portugal and I was graciously invited to attend the festivities.  So why not make a little euro trip out of it? It will be 6th time for me in this diverse continent.

There are plenty of places I have been before but a lot of new ones on the itinerary.

I start off on Friday in a city that has been at the top of my list for a awhile in Copenhagen.  I don't know much about Danish culture as I have not met many Danish people in my life.  I do expect the people to be beautiful as many of the Scandinavian countries are considered.

A few highlights on this trip are of course the wedding on the beach in Tavira, seeing old friends in Paris, Munich, Karlsruhe, and Nuremberg, getting back to Berlin, and seeing Poland for the first time.  Of course throw in Wasen and Wies'n!

I will be couchsurfing in a few places I have never been and thus have no contacts. If you are not familiar with it, it's basically a website that allows you to stay at someone's place for free.  However it is more than that as it offers up the chance to have a cultural exchange with your host/guest.  I've hosted and surfed before and have had nothing but great experiences and have found some friends for life.

I imagine I will have down time on the road to update this along the way and if possible with the limited tech I will have to upload some pictures I will be taking with my Canon.  So see you guys on the other side!