Day #115 - Venice to Barcelona to Pamplona, Spain

A little history for The Running of the Bulls

Wednesday, July 7th

I got up today at 5am. I walked over to the bus stop and took the 6:50am to the Marco Polo Venice Airport. (There are 2 airports - so be careful if you're flying out). Because I have alot of places to be in a short amount of time, I decided to fly from Venice to Barcelona, Spain to get to my next destination quickly.

As of 10pm yesterday - I hadn't heard of the airline I was flying - Vueling Airlines. The flight was only $70. You can get really inexpensive flights from city to city in western Europe. I would prefer the train (as I have my Eurail pass) - but the train just takes too long sometimes. I arrived in Barcelona at noon. I had 4 hours to get my travels confirmed to/from Pamplona, Spain.

Let me take a minute to introduce Pamplona, Spain and why I'm going there. Every year from July 7-14, they have the San Fermin festival - otherwise known as the 'Running of the Bulls' festival. It's a crazy event that brings more and more people each year.

It started as an honor to San Fermin many years ago. It used to be held in the fall but was changed to July for more predictable weather. In addition to the 'Running of the Bulls', there are daily fireworks, bands everywhere, a daily bullfight, a cattle fair, etc. The 'Running of the Bulls' has become the drawing card. It originated a while back when some teenage boys would run in front of the bulls being led to the arena for the bull fight event. This was greatly frowned upon. However, it started to pick up attention - more people began to join in. This has brought us to today. See my picture explaining the history.

As I'm a big fan of interesting - I wanted to see this in person. Pamplona is located in Spain - north of Madrid and west of Barcelona. It's not an easy location to get to, on even an arbitrary day in January. It's virtually impossible to get to during this 9 day period in July.

As I've been accustomed to doing on this trip, I completely decided to wing the travel plans. Not smooth - I'm aware. But, I knew I could do it. Once arriving at the Barcelona Sants train station, I was informed that the trains were full to Pamplona. I got in another line to inquire about buses. Then, I was told that I COULD get the train. (I think of airline/bus personnel like I think about doctors - get a second opinion. Many times a different person can get you a new result. This happens to me almost daily). I booked the 4:35pm train from Barcelona - arriving in Pamplona at 8:34pm.

OK - I have plans to get there. Now, how am I going to get from Pamplona to Geneva, Switzerland by Friday night (July 9th). This would prove to be more difficult. The trains weren't full, but the timing was just really poor. I opted for an overnight bus from Pamplona to Barcelona on Friday morning at 1:15am. Then I got a train from Barcelona at 8:45am to Geneva - arriving at 8pm on Friday night in Geneva.

Wow - this set of transactions and mind shuffling took me the complete 4 hours in Barcelona before boarding the train. It was 4:35pm - time for some rest.

I had booked a hotel yesterday about 25 miles from Pamplona. It was not possible to get anywhere near the city unless booking months ago. I was arriving at 8:30pm - how was I going to get to this hotel?

On arrival, I found a taxi to take me there for 60 euro. Ouch! But, my hotel was cheap. This cost, in combination with the taxi - I was still paying less than the hotels in Pamplona.

I got to the hotel about 10pm. A great lady helped me get set with buses to/from Pamplona on Thursday. I would need to take a taxi again in the early morning, but all buses from that point forward. I watched the end of Spain vs. Germany in the World Cup semis. Spain won 1-0. They are going to the Championship Game. I could almost hear the screams of joy from Barcelona and Madrid. Even in this 'Bloomsdale, MO sized town', cars were going up and down the streets blaring music and beeping their horns. It had to be absolute pandomonium on the streets of Pamplona. I wish I could have been there. I just couldn't swing this without dropping my bags. Tomorrow will be one of the most interesting days of the trip. Check out the website http://www.sanfermin.com/ to get a taste for what I'm going to.

Day #114 - Venice, Italy

Awesome Venice

Some of the many gondolas on the Grand Canal

A still side canal in daylight

A perfect dinner night picture

My aunt and I at St. Mark's Basilica

Tuesday, July 6th

Sorry for the delay the past couple days - it's been an adventure. Coming to you live from Geneva, Switzerland late on Friday night in my hotel room.

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Tuesday started with a 3-mile run around the canals and bridges of Venice. A great place to hill train with the endless steps in the city. I then grabbed a large bottle of orange Fanta - a drink I've come to favor while in Europe. Even though I was staying at a bed & breakfast - I chose not to participate in the food offering. The breafast consisted of a loaf of bread, a couple small containers of jam, and a package-thing that appeared to be a twinkie. I opted out and would eat later.

I met up with my aunt and uncle at 9am. We headed out walking in a different direction from yesterday. We stopped and appreciated the small local shops. Venice celebrates Carnevale - similar to Rio de Janiero. There were masks, beads, and costumes in many areas along the streets. Carnevale is celebrated the 10 days before Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday - day before Ash Wednesday). It's basically a festival period with dancing and costume balls. The idea is similar to Mardi Gras in the US - but Carnevale is a bit more elegant in my eye.

We kept walking and found ourselves back in St. Mark's Square. My aunt and I spent some time in St. Mark's Basilica. The Basilica was originally built as the final resting place of St. Mark - whose body was smuggled by two merchants out of Alexandria in 828. The current structure dates back from the 11th century and has a Byzantine style. Some of the items found in the Basilica were looted from Constantinople in 1204. (Maybe some of the gold and marble were taken from the Hogia Sophia - the great building I visited in Turkey) I'll remember St. Mark's for it's impressive ceilings and gold outlines. A neat, historic place.

We continued on from St. Mark's Square and made our way through the fresh fish markets, as well as the fruits and vegetable markets. We crossed over one of the most impressive bridges that spans the Grand Canal - The Rialto Bridge. Awesome sites all around.

We chose not to do the gondola ride as we had really seen the city from the water viewpoint during our water bus from St. Mark's Square all the way to our hotel at Piazza San Marco. This is really a great option to the more expensive gondola rides. The time frame is roughly the same - about 35-40 minutes each. Gondola rides can go between 60-100 euro ($75-$130).

I did read up a little on the gondolas. The left side of all gondolas is 24cm longer than the right side. We were on to something yesterday. The longer left side aids the gondalier in paddling on the rightside only and controlling the boat. Also, gondolas are always black and have a flat bottom so they manuever in even the smallest depths of water.

The gondalier has to pass a written and skill test, and then go through a 1-year apprenticeship before they can be a gondalier. It takes 5 years to where they could get their own gondola and be considered the 'real-deal'. This surprises me - it doesn't appear to be all that complicated. I doubt they would like me coming up to them and saying: "Hey, I bet I could paddle that thing right now around these canals". This takes me to a dinner my buddies and I had in Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics. We were having dinner at this restaurant and we noticed what appeared to be a team also having dinner near our table. We introduced ourselves. We found out it was the Norwegian curling team. We ended up having drinks with them and talking into the evening. (Norway won the gold in curling that year). I think it was a few beers in and I stated: "Hey, I think I could do this curling thing with a little practice" I was just kidding around. They told me how they worked their entire lives to become a champion curler. They spent years perfecting their craft. No way could a person ever pick this up quickly. This was all friendly jabbing and conversation - we all laughed at the thought. (But, underneath, to be honest, I think I could be a curler with a little practice)

After seeing Venice at its finest, we headed back to the hotel for an afternoon break. We skyped my mom to see what was going on in the states. My aunt and uncle had never used Skype before - I think they were impressed. I had to book a few upcoming hotels and complete some email - so we decided to meet up at 6pm.

Our evening started with some relaxing conversation by our hotel at an outdoor table. We then walked over to a nearby restaurant recommended by our hotel attendant. We proceeded to have the best dinner of the trip for me. About 3-1/2 hours later - we were leaving the restaurant for a little walk to end the evening. Fantastic. Great conversation, great wine, great atmosphere by this side canal, and great company. I really get along well with my aunt and uncle. We pretty much talk about anything. They are awesome. We ended the meal with an after dinner drink - that I did as a shot - my aunt/uncle were laughing at me.

A walk back to the hotel and a farewell to each other. I really look forwad to our next meeting - wherever that may be. One things for sure - it's bound to be fun and interesting.

Day #113 - Venice, Italy

Crossing the Grand Canal for the first time

Great dinner on the canals of Venice

Grand Canal - taken from the water bus

St. Mark's Basilica

Bell Tower in St. Mark's Square

Monday, July 5th

Today was a really great day. I started in Milan, Italy where I took a 8:05am train to Venice - arriving around 10:30am. I got some money from the ATM, bought a map, and went to search for my hotel. Perfect location - my place was just a 10 minute walk from the main train station in Venice.

My Aunt Mary and Uncle Steve were arriving by plane at 10:30am in Venice. Their hotel is just 100 yards from the place I'm staying. Our plan was to meet in the lobby of their hotel around 12noon. I checked in, dropped off my bags, walked over to their place -- wa-la -- they were just checking in. Awesome

My aunt and uncle are fantastic. They are very passionate about traveling and we have a bond where we share our travel stories and enthusiasm for upcoming trips. We have met in many locations around the world. We spent a week together in Prague, Czech Republic about 4-5 years ago, we met up for lunch on the shores of Lake Tahoe, my mom & I took a trip to their place in Lakeland, FL a couple years back, my brother and I met them in Orlando for dinner before the Disney marathon, and now - Venice, Italy.

Venice is really great. All those northern cities that call themselves "The Venice of the North" -- not so much. Canals and small bridges everywhere. No cars - just boats. No bikes - just boats. You can take a water taxi or a water bus to your destinations around the city. The taxi is 60 euro, so we opted for the bus (6.50 euro). And, last night the ticket machine was down - so our water bus was free.

After meeting up at noon, we grabbed a couple drinks at an outdoor restaurant near the hotel. It was great just catching up. We took a couple hours in the afternoon for some rest as we all were pretty exhausted over our recent travels. They had just flew from the US overnight, and I was coming off a couple 3-hr sleep nights.

We met up at 6pm and headed out to see the sites. Venice is a relatively small-sized city - so easily walkable. The streets and canals can get confusing at times - but eventually you'll get to your destination. We first walked down to St. Mark's Square. Unbelievable place. My aunt & uncle said it's the same replica that's shown at Disney's Epcot. A huge square - filled with people. The 2 main take-aways -- the Bell Tower and St. Mark's Basilica. Both these sites are old, historic, are have amazingly unique architecture. They are often referred to as "the heart of Venice".

We walked around some more, taking pictures along the way. Gondolas filled all the side canals. Really interesting. You could see anywhere from 2 to 6+ people in the boats. The gondoliers only paddle on the right side of the boat (from their perspective). We think maybe it's because the gondolas appear to be tilted to the right, meaning that they will go this direction unless the gondolier paddles to steer left. (More to come on this theory - we'll be taking a cruise tomorrow)

We strolled back to our hotel which is located near the Piazzale Roma. We found a great little outdoor cafe and had a nice dinner. We followed that up with some gelato ice cream - ending the day on a perfect note.

More Venice to explore tomorrow.

Day #112 - Amsterdam to Milan, Italy

Sunday, July 4th

Today was a big travel day for me. I took an 8:04 train out of Amsterdam headed to Milan, Italy. We entered into Germany right away and skirted the western edges of Germany until we reached our mid-point destination at Basel, Switzerland. We went through Dusseldorf and Frankfurt making our way south. This is the first time on the trip into Germany for me. I'll be spending alot of time here in the fall.

It took 6 hours to get to Basel - arriving around 2:30pm. I had a 3 hour layover here. I left the station and found a Starbucks where I got some food and used the internet service. Back to the station for a 5:30pm departure to Milan. We headed straight south, travelling through Bern, Switzerland on our way into Italy. Another 90 minutes - I arrived at my final destination at 9:25pm - another 4 hour train ride (10 hours on train today).

I'm currently in my hotel in Milan. I'm staying right by the central station, Tomorrow morning I have an 8am train to Venice, Italy. I'll be meeting up with my aunt and uncle for a couple day visit. I'm excited about seeing them and really looking forward to exploring Italy some more.

Day #111 - Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House

World War II Monument - The Dam

Oude Kerk - old church

Saturday, July 3rd

Today was a good day. My little niece, Madeline, had recently talked with me about the Diaries of Anne Frank before leaving on my trip. As she is so very smart, she explained the story to me and what this involved. I had never read this book, nor really knew much about it.

This brings me to today in Amsterdam. Let me explain. Anne Frank was one of the millions of victims of the persecutions of the Jews during World War II. She lived in Germany, when, in 1933, Hitler came to power and installed an anti-Jewish regime there. For their safety, the Jewish Frank family fled to the Netherlands. However, in May 1940, the German army occupied the Netherlands and repressive measures against Jews followed here as well. The Frank family hoped to escape these by hiding in the now famous - 'Anne Frank House'.

Otto Frank, his wife Edith Frank-Hollander and their daughters Margot and Anne took up residence in the 'Anne Frank House' on July 6, 1942. Later on, Hermann and Auguste van Pels, their son Peter, and Fritz Pfeffer joined them in hiding.

This place was fascinating - really. I normally filter through museums pretty quickly, spending time on areas of interest only. Today was different. I read every word in this museum, watched every film, and looked at every display. I was passionate about it. I was surprised on how much this place had an affect on me. It wasn't all that big, so it took me about 1-1/2 to 2 hours to complete the tour.

The Anne Frank House is a 15 minute walk from the central train station of Amsterdam. It's located right on one of the many canals that filter through the city. One would not know this house from any other if it weren't for the huge line of tourist waiting to get inside. I waited for about 25 minutes before entering. This wasn't too bad. It was a Saturday afternoon.

The building is comprised of two sections: the front part of the house and also a back part - referred to as the annex. Otto Frank's company was located in the front part of the house with the warehouse on the ground floor, and the offices and storeroom upstairs. The warehouse ran all the way through the building, extending under the annex out back. Anne's family, and the others hiding, lived on the upper floors of the annex for more than 2 years. They were eventually betrayed and deported. No one knows to this day who actually led the Nazis to the building.

The 8 hideouts were aided daily by the workers in the office space. These included: Jo Kleiman, Victor Kugler, Miep Gies, and Bep Voskuijl. They provided food for survival. When the Nazis invaded the home, all 8 of the hideouts were sent to Camp Westerbork in the east of the Netherlands and were then transported to Auschwitz extermination camp. Only Otto Frank survived the war. Two of the helpers were also arrested and imprisoned. Jo Kleiman and Victor Kugler were imprisioned in Amsterdam and transferred to Concentration Camp Amhersfoort. They survived the war.

Upon Otto Frank's return, he was given Anne's diary that she had kept during her time in hiding. This was found and kept by Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, who had not been arrested upon the Nazi invasion of the home. Otto Frank was actively involved in making the Secret Annex available to the public as a museum - and also in publishing Anne's diary.



I guess this place meant more to me because this is relatively recent history - some 60 years ago. Alot of the castles and older buildings throughout Europe - they don't seem real. I can't understand how things were back then. The 'Anne Frank House' is very real. You could just imagine how these people were feeling on a daily basis.

The things that struck me most included:

(1) The movable bookcase that hid the secret passageway to the Annex. I'll always remember those words written on the wall: "Now, whenever we want to go downstairs, we have to duck and then jump". You could close your eyes and see this 15 year old girl doing this.

(2) They had a film of Miep Gies telling how she was asked to help the families in hiding. Very interesting to hear her perspective.

(3) Walking through the bedrooms where the 8 stayed - wow. Anne had cut out pictures and pasted these on the wall. There was pencil markings showing how much the 2 girls grew in height over the 2 year period. Otto had a little map showing how the war movement was progressing.

(4) Anne, her family, and Fritz Pfeffer (5 total) stayed 1 level below Hermann, Auguste, and Peter van Pels. There was a very steep staircase connecting the 2 levels. I can't imagine staying in that close of quarters for 2 years. There was zero privacy. Hermann and Auguste's bedroom also acted as the sitting room and kitchen.

(5) They had a film of Otto Frank. He lived for several years after his family had passed. He knew that Anne had kept a diary. He stated that the words he read really surprised him. It was words that he never knew Anne felt. He said: "Anne and I were so very close, and it seems like I didn't know her at all"

Hey Madeline - you defintely have to come here some day. If you can't find anyone to go with you, give me a call, I'll be your wing man anytime. I have something coming your way. I even bought the diary and plan to read it after Shakepeare -- somebody needs to stop me.

I spent the rest of the day walking some sections of the city I hadn't gotten around to. I visited Oude Kerk - Amsterdam's oldest church. This church dates from 1300 and has a 47-bell Hemony carillon. A carillon is the largest musical instrument, a bronze chorus of multiple bells - that graces a number of church towers across the Netherlands. I also visited the main town square - The Dam. They have an obelisk monument to remember those who had fallen in World War II.

Back in the hotel. Tomorrow is a huge travel day for me. I make my way to Italy - and a visit with my aunt & uncle on Monday-Tuesday.

Day #110 - Amsterdam, Netherlands

Van Gogh self portrait

The Rijksmuseum

Netherlands beat brazil 2-1

World Cup 2010

Friday, July 2nd

I started the day out at the Van Gogh Museum. Pretty interesting. Again, trying to open the mind to new things. The take home points from the museum for me: Van Gogh only started painting at the age of 27, his entire collection of painting was created in a 10 year span, Von Gogh killed himself at the age of 37 (shooting himself in the chest and only dying 2 days later), 1853-1890 - life span, Van Gogh cut off a part of his ear in a fit of rage 1 year before his death, he checked himself into a mental institution 1 year befoe his death (he was let out 3 months before his suicide), his paintings use soft coloring and he has several famed self-portraits.


After the Van Gogh Museum, I walked down the street to the Rijksmuseum. The "Rijks" is recongnized as the Netherland's greatest museum. It houses a number of Rembrandt's finest works. "The Night Watch" - Rembrandt's best known painting, is on a king-sized canvas on the 2nd floor of the museum. Other impressive painters are displayed in the museum as well - Jan Vermeer, Frans Hals, and Jacob van Ruisdale to name a few. I didn't enjoy this museum quite as much as the Van Gogh Museum - but interesting nonetheless.

It was now about 3:30pm. The Netherlands were playing Brazil in the quarterfinals of the World Cup today - sarting at 4pm. Another really cool thing I stumbled into - this huge field outside the Van Gogh Museum had big screens and thousands of fans were gathering. How great is this? It's Friday at 4;00pm, it's a perfect sunny day, about 90+ degrees, people are drinking, partying - it was an incredible atmosphere. Now, Brazil is like the NY Yankees of soccer. I believe they've one 5 World Cups - the most all time. Every 4 years when the Cup rolls around - Brazil is pretty much the favorites. It was a huge game.

Brazil takes an early 1-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. After halftime, the Netherlands ties it up. Then, with about 20 mintues to go, they net the go-ahead goal off a corner kick header. People were going nuts. The atmosphere kept getting more and more crazy - finally the game had ended. See the video I'm including. After the game, there's this huge fountain area. People were jumping in with all states of dress. The rest of the night, the streets were filled with loud and screaming fans.

After the game, I went back into the city and grabbed some dinner. I walked around a little but called it an early night. Tomorrow I'll be touring the Anne Frank House - one of the things I'm looking most forward to here in Amsterdam.

Day #109 - Amsterdam, Netherlands

Streets of Amsterdam

Typical Bike

One of many canals

Thursday, July 1st

The Netherlands, Holland, the Dutch -- all synonymous with one another. Today I took a 3 hour train north from Brussels to Amsterdam - the largest city and capital of the Netherlands (even though the States-General and Goverment have been situated in The Hague since 1588). I arrived early afternoon. I found it a little confusing at first to understand the metro, tram, bus situation. I tend to always opt for the metro (subway) whenever possible. The internet, however, said that the #2 Tram was the way to go. I wasn't able to work this out very well so I defaulted to my comfort level - and ended up on the metro instead.

The place I'm staying at is really nice. It's called Casa 400 - located off the Amstel metro stop. It's about a 10 minute subway ride to the main central station of the city. By the time I had got situated it was early evening. I took the train back to the central station and started my exploration.

At the end of yesterday, I mentioned that 1 city in the US comes to mind when I think about Amsterdam. Now, I've been to Amsterdam about 3 times, but only 1 of those times have I left the airport - and it was only for a quick overnight. Therefore, I have no working knowledge of the city - just alot of hearsay. I'd say just about every backpacker whose gone to Europe or is planning to go to Europe - has included Amsterdam as part of their itinerary. Why?

The city in the US I'm thinking about is Las Vegas. Have you been there? I'm willing to guess that 90% of people reading this blog have been to Las Vegas. I've personally been there with about 15 of you. Completely remove the casino/gambling aspect of Vegas from your mind. What else do you think about? Sin City, What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, the movie "The Hangover". All these things exist for a reason - Vegas has a very big party reputation - and rightly so.

Amsterdam - the Las Vegas of Europe. Sin City - just elevated a couple notches from Vegas. The place where drugs and prostitution are legal. The place where liberal open-mindedness is taken to a new level. However, just like Vegas, there's many other things to Amsterdam. It's all about what you make of it. I've been to Vegas on occasion and not stepped foot into a casino other than for lodging. I used it as a site for day trips to the Grand Canyon, Lake Mead, and to check out some other areas around Vegas. Other trips, I've spent 3-4 days with my buddies where we never left the bars/casinos. With all that being said, what makes Amsterdam the #7 most visited city in all of Europe and what makes the Las Vegas strip the #2 most visited area in the US - partying, sex, drugs -- this is the correct answer.

I'm cautiously aware of the subject matter I'm writing about is sensitive. But, to talk about Amsterdam and not mention these things - would not be doing justice. No worries - I'm keeping it clean.

To prove my point, when I got off the train at the central station in Amsterdam, I headed out into the streets without a map (like always). I have zero knowledge of the geographic makeup of Amsterdam - I've never looked at a map of the city - ever. By following the masses of people after departing the train, within 15 minutes, I was walking the streets of the Red Light District. Me and tons of my nearest friends, were scanning the 100's of window-shopper prostitutes that stretch across an area of the city.

I'm currently reading the description of the Red Light District in my 1000 Things Book. It's funny - this lady who wrote the book - didn't nail this description. She says: "You won't see much going on; it's infrequent that you'll even get a beckoning "come hither" look, as the ladies of the night patiently wait their next assignment, while braiding their hair, doing their nails, or reading a book". Wrong. These girls were opening the door yelling at me to come on over. They were working it in a very big way - not so much waiting patiently. Something tells me I shouldn't think highly of myself however - I'm pretty sure it's part of the job description. The other thing I'll say about the Red Light District is that it's only marginally seamy, and there's tons of people walking around. (Now, at 4am - it might be a different story). Also, there's 100+ of these little apartments with window display, and this stretches a fairly substantial area of town. Also, it's not out of the way - it's 10-15 minutes via foot from the central train station. I say this only because I've heard that this area is raunchy, you have to want to go there, and it's just a little tiny part of the city -- I would disagree with all 3 of these observations. In conclusion on prostitution - I don't do it. To my nieces and nephew - don't do it either.

Let's get on to a different subject matter - drugs. This is undeniably present - if you don't see it or smell it -- you don't know what you're looking for. Soft drugs (marijuana) are tolerated in Amsterdam. The internet states that it's illegal - but nothing is done about it. What does that mean? Coffe shops are the areas where drugs are sold. This differs from cafes. Cafes sell beer and act as a typical bar. Coffe shops sell drugs and are not allowed to sell alcohol. Also, there's magic shops - that sell things like magic mushrooms and such. In conclusion on drugs - I don't do them. To my nieces and nephew - don't do them either.

The other things that jumped out at me during my first night in Amsterdam were canals and bikes. I'm reading now that Amsterdam is "the Venice of the North". I guess everybody wants to be Venice. I'll be there in a few days - but it's getting alot of good press. The canals were really neat. They were everywhere. Again - motorized boats trolled through the canals with city tours.

Bikes - Amsterdam has more bikes than any other city in Europe that I've visited to date - easily. They are so abundant - they are almost annoying. You not only have to look out for cars running you over - you REALLY need to watch out for bikes. And, they're these ancient old-style bikes. Like the one Dorothy had on "The Wizard of Oz". These heavy bikes, many with baskets on the front and side satchels on the back. Some of these could probably carry what some folks could fit in a car. I guess it's good that they're old and slow - because if they were fast and streamlined - people would be getting hurt in bike accidents on a daily basis.

I walked around for several hours into late night and then took the train back to my hotel. Tomorrow I see what else Amsterdam has to offer.