My Roman Recap

Well, my second Euro tour ended once again in Rome.  After about 12 days flying, busing and training around the European perimeter, I looked forward to finishing my trip exploring the Vatican's museum and northern Rome's Piazza del Popolo.  I even gave myself more than four hours to do it!

With a full day to see the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel, I arrived there mid-morning after a less-than-comfortable overnight train from Vienna.  Unfortunately, what awaited me at the Vatican's walls was only the first of a day's-worth of disappointments: The museum was closed for the day.

Failing to recognize that Monday, the 15th of August, was an Italian National holiday celebrating Mary's ascension to heaven, I planned my trip to see the Vatican on one of the few days that its museum is closed to the public.  Alas, after two attempts, I'm "0 for 2" and the Sistine Chapel still awaits my money.

The Piazza from the Borghese Park.

The square's center Obelisk was brought to Rome from Egypt in 10 BC.

So, with the brunt of my day quickly opened up, I walked to the Piazza del Popola (People's Square) and took some photos.  Then, a nearby small museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci's works took seven of my euros.  A quaint thing, its staff did pretty well at recreating some of the inventor's more notable ideas, but it felt hackneyed all the same (maybe I was just disgruntled).

I like bikes; so did Da Vinci.

One of his flying machines.

...and a multi-directional gun wagon.

Afterward, a stroll through the northeastern Borghese Park evoked mixed feelings.  A huge inner-city park, it offered a peaceful reprieve from the city's masses; also, it provided a couple of famous museums, the renowned Borghese Art Museum as well as the National Modern Art Museum.  However, after I made my way through their entrances, disappointment quickly followed.  This time, they were open but extremely busy...for the entire day.  Advanced-purchased tickets were welcome, but the rest of us free-stylers were not.  After going "0 for 3" on museums, I decided to stroll through the park's zoo which was more than happy to take my euros to see giraffes, elephants and bears, oh my.

See...a giraffe...

...South Asian Elephant...

...and American Brown Bear.

Following my foray into the tamed jungle, I decided to head to the hotel and get an early start on my return home.  Whipped after two weeks, I'd return to Fez a little lighter in the wallet but a bit more full of cultural understanding.  In light of that minor revelation, I offer you the "Best of" the seven cities: London, Amsterdam, Oslo, Simferopol, Budapest, Vienna and Rome.

My Euro Trip Two "Top Three" List:

• Food.  #1 - Budapest, #2 - Amsterdam, #3 - Rome.  Now, I didn't eat traditional meals at each stop and for those that I did, they probably weren't the best example of culinary artistry.  With that being said, I'm also a fast-food junkie when travelling.  As such, I didn't eat too well and the best meal I had was in Budapest, consisting of kielbasa and potatoes.  Listening to some AC/DC from a Sziget Festival performer set the atmosphere, and some Bitburger suds rounded out the spuds.  Meat and potatoes: like my dad, I enjoy.  The hot dogs and fritters in Amsterdam were a close second; like Belgium, you could top both of them with anything.  Italy's food - come on!  Even the fast ham and cheese cannoli and bolognaise roll were better than anything I ate in London or Oslo.

One of Pest's Keiser Kielbasas and Potatoes.  Gold Medal.

Deceptively plain, this Roman role was delicious!

• Site.  Amsterdam, Vienna, Oslo.  The best sites were difficult to judge, but I enjoyed Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum the most for a few reasons.  First, the structure was huge and quite impressive for being 200 years old.  Second, the interior display was both rich in art and well-organized.  Further, it defined the Dutch Golden Age, being all from the 17th century.  Finally, the audio guide did quite well at actually guiding and being interesting at the same time.  Vienna's Saint Stephen's Cathedral was next.  Though more impressive in size and scope than the Rijksmuseum, this structure was unfinished and reminded me too much of Barcelona's La Sagrada Familia.  It felt like I've already been there.  Third was Oslo's Nobel Peace Center.  Though neither structurally large nor impressive, it was what the center represented that makes this one of my favorites.  The blue room that displayed each of the recipients' stories was a little cheeky but unique and memorable nonetheless.

Oslo's Rijksmuseum.

Vienna's Cathedral.

The "Blue Room" in Oslo's Nobel Peace Center.

• Beer.  London, Amsterdam, Oslo.  The Great British Beer Festival wins this one hands down for not only the quantity but quality of its brews.  It was ten hours of beer heaven.  Holland's Heineken Experience helps Amsterdam come in at #2 with the help of the Red Light District's Excalibur Bar, a biker dive bar that played "Jack Ass: The Movie" around loops of Black Sabbath, Volbeat and Godsmack.  A return trip to Excalibur alone is warranted.  Oslo's on here because no other place (Vienna, Budapest, Simferopol or Rome) could come up with a "good national beer" when I asked the bartender (or street vendor).  Though I'm sure they exist, they didn't when I asked!

"Beer, beer, beer, said the Private..."

...."for Merry Men are we!"  The Heineken mini-keg: My Father's Favorite.

• People.  Amsterdam, Simferopol, London.  The people I encountered were absolutely fantastic, but in various ways.  The most diverse - and subsequently my favorite - were found in Amsterdam.  From the fruits in the parade to the women on display to the biker behind the bar, everyone was comfortable with who they were and out-going and friendly to at least one foreigner.  Ukrainians were next.  Perhaps a product of the festival environment, most of the people I met at kaZantip were friendly and genuinely interested in just meeting new people.  London's beer drinkers could easily be at the top of this list, but aren't probably because they spoke English (which at the time was a God-send).  Regardless, every time I nudged up to a bar, conversation was easy and interesting (probably because it revolved around beer!).

Dragged in Europe's largest pride parade, the people were open, friendly and proud.

My Italian mates (from left): Marco, Stefano and Matteo.  Good dudes in the Ukraine!

Hayley and Bianca keeping control of part of London's Brew Crew.

• Transportation.  Oslo, Vienna, London.  Here, I'm talking the Metro.  I didn't use this means too much during my first Euro trip, but relied on it heavily over the past couple weeks.  Awesome way to get around - it's my one piece of advice if you want to travel like this: know the Metro (thanks LDub!). Oslo's was easily the best: quiet, modern, clean.  The second class "compartment" had an electrical outlet at each seat as well as reading material.  Classy.  Next was Vienna's, which tops London only because of price.  Each were clean, reliable and easy to navigate, but London's was about three times more expensive.  The worst, incidentally, was Budapest's version, which was a Soviet-era freight train that rumbled along uneven tracks.  Very industrial, like the steel escalators there that I thought would eat my foot if it got caught!

First class in Oslo!

• Art.  Amsterdam, Oslo, Vienna.  With residents like Van Gogh and Rembrandt, it's going to be difficult to beat Amsterdam.  I visited three museums featuring art from these masters and many others.  Impossible to beat, save for France?  Oslo was almost as diverse, and their hero, Munch, was quite impressive.  However, the city's National Gallery just couldn't compete with Amsterdam's quantity.  Though I didn't visit any museums in Vienna, it was apparent that their music and art collections were top-notch.  From the exterior of Saint Stephen's Cathedral to the numerous museums proliferating the inner-city, there is much to see from artists and architects like Mozart, Wagner and Beethoven.  Please note: Despite London and Rome's vast collections, I didn't visit them during this trip and have therefore excluded them from this list.

In Amsterdam, a couple of Van Gogh's earlier works, part of the Potato Eaters.

Munch's Three Girls on a Bridge in Oslo.

• Deals.  London, Budapest, Vienna.  Another subjective topic, the top three "deals" spanned a range of activities.  London's Beer Festival was the biggest steal.  At close to eight pounds for admission and another three pounds for a glass, the rest that I paid was voluntary.  A pint of premium beer was typically three more pounds, which is better than most local bars.  The second value was Budapest's Danube tour.  Weighing in at 12 euros, the 75-minute tour included two catered drinks, an audio guide, arguably the best view of most of the World Heritage sites and an escape from any responsibility.  Coming in third was the bus ride from Budapest to Vienna.  At 15 euros and three hours, the bus was hastle-free, comfortable and an easy way to get from one capital to another.

Beer Heaven in London.

Budapest's Danube River Tour.

• Rip-Offs.  Simferopol, Oslo, Rome.  Probably entitled a little harshly, this subject covers where I paid a little more than I thought reasonable.  It starts with my hotel in the Ukraine.  Having booked with the festival, I paid over 100 euro an evening for a hotel that reminded me of an Iraqi bunker, furnished only with a cot, nothing additional in the bathroom (like towels or toilet paper) and ten liters of water per day.  In Oslo, lunch consisting of a burger, fries, chicken wings and a couple beers exceeded the $80 threshold.  And, from Vienna to Rome, my 13-hour overnight train may have only cost 80 euro (about $120), but my couchette measured about five feet, making it impossible to sleep in the non-air conditioned cabin.  And the service lady was a bit bitchy.

Til next time, Europe; stay classy!