Wednesday 11
Among hiding from the occasional rain shower, I explored the city of Copenhagen, an old fortress, an old graveyard (with Hans Christian Anderson inside, or what´s left of him), and a massive coin collection dating back to Roman times.
Thursday 12
On my final day in Copenhagen, I enjoyed a fine view of the city from atop a spiral tower, a museum collections about Danish history, and some Danish pastries. And I successfully avoided being run over by bicycles.
Friday 13
Luckily, this unlucky day didn't turn out as such, and I had a safe flight to Dusseldorf, Germany. From there I went a short distance north to the city of Duisburg, located where the Ruhr River flows into the Rhine River, in the midst of a large industrial region called the Ruhrgebiet. I spent the day and night exploring and climbing about an steel making site that has been preserved in a good state of decay and turned into a cultural and recreational park. The view from atop the blast furnace ("hochofen") was impressive, as was the entire site when lit up at night.
Saturday 14
The following day I caught a train to the nearby town of Oberhausen, and spent a while at a museum describing the industrial history of the area. I then visited what they call a "gasometer," a very large tank that used to store some of the gas products from coal and steel processes. Today this one is an art exhibition space, and has an elevator which took me up to a dizzying view of the region.
Sunday 15
I concluded my Ruhrgebiet sandwich of site-museum-site with a visit to an old coal mine and coke factory site called Zollverein, nearby in Essen (the namesake of the Southwestern Pennsylvania town Monessen, aptly located on the Monongahela River). I took a tour of the "kokerei," including walking through a series of coke ovens. Cool, I mean hot!
I am now in Freiburg, Germany, visiting a high school friend. After a couple of days I will go to London for two more days, before returning to Belfast, then Portland, and finally Pittsburgh.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Journal - Trieste and Croatia
Hello again, and greetings from Copenhagen, Denmark. Sorry for no news the past week or so, but (as you will see below) an internet connection is difficult to find in the wildernesses of Croatia. So here goes!
Thursday 5
I arrived in Trieste, Italy early in the morning, and decided to depart that evening for a Croatian town just down the coast, Rijeka. I was amazed at the number of motor-scooters that were driving all over the busy city! Most of my day was spent in the area surrounding a suburb, Villa Opicina. To get there I took a tram (streetcar) which turned into a funicular in the middle! I then visited a (not really nearby) cave, which was a good experience, although I wish I had known I could take the bus there instead of walking for over an hour. The views of the city from on top of the hill near Opicina were much more beautiful than the city itself.
Friday 6
Croatia day one. After spending the night in a nice private room in an old apartment building down by the docks of Rijeka, I caught a bus further down the coast to Paklenica National Park. It is known for having great rock-climbing routes, but I was more interested in all the hiking opportunities. I then proceeded to hike into the park towards a hut a few hours away. It turned into an hour longer than expected because I had to take shelter from a thunderstorm. I eventually made it, and had enough time to go on a small hike to a wonderful overlook of the park before returning, eating dinner, and watching the first match of Euro2008 (soccer tourney). The hut was not plush, but did have that amenity.
Saturday 7
Saturday I spent hiking through the park, eventually reaching the highest point in the Velebit Mountain range, Vaganski Vrh at 1757m. From the top were amazing views in all directions, including out to the numerous islands offshore. The rain held off for the most part, but fog kept hiding and revealing amazing views and steep drop-offs all along the trails. I was glad to relax that evening, and sleep early.
Sunday 8
I left my mountain retreat early in the morning and headed back down to the coast road to catch the bus to Zadar and then to Plitvice National Park with two other American travellers I had met a few days before. We arrived too late in the day for the park, so we crashed nearby for the night.
Monday 9
My last full day in Croatia was beautiful too. Plitvice was a much more touristy park, but I would say slightly more beautiful than Paklenica (although the beauty was much less rewarding). It is located around a series of crystal-clear blue lakes with numerous cascading waterfalls linking them. In "Myst"-like fashion, the paths, made of uneven wooden planks, weaved around and over all of the lakes and cascades. I was trying to be restrained, but I still took too many pictures. That evening, I caught a bus to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and found a hostel for the night.
Tuesday 10
I had a bit of time before I had to get to the Zagreb airport in the morning, so I walked to a nearby market and aquired some good bread and delicious strawberries. Food seemed very inexpensive, at least in comparison to what I had to pay in the UK. I had a five-hour layover in Berlin on my way to Copenhagen, so I used the time (and the wonderful warm and windy weather) to read outside and dry my wet clothes. The plane was a bit late, so I arrived and had enough time to get to the hostel and check in before falling asleep last night.
Thursday 5
I arrived in Trieste, Italy early in the morning, and decided to depart that evening for a Croatian town just down the coast, Rijeka. I was amazed at the number of motor-scooters that were driving all over the busy city! Most of my day was spent in the area surrounding a suburb, Villa Opicina. To get there I took a tram (streetcar) which turned into a funicular in the middle! I then visited a (not really nearby) cave, which was a good experience, although I wish I had known I could take the bus there instead of walking for over an hour. The views of the city from on top of the hill near Opicina were much more beautiful than the city itself.
Friday 6
Croatia day one. After spending the night in a nice private room in an old apartment building down by the docks of Rijeka, I caught a bus further down the coast to Paklenica National Park. It is known for having great rock-climbing routes, but I was more interested in all the hiking opportunities. I then proceeded to hike into the park towards a hut a few hours away. It turned into an hour longer than expected because I had to take shelter from a thunderstorm. I eventually made it, and had enough time to go on a small hike to a wonderful overlook of the park before returning, eating dinner, and watching the first match of Euro2008 (soccer tourney). The hut was not plush, but did have that amenity.
Saturday 7
Saturday I spent hiking through the park, eventually reaching the highest point in the Velebit Mountain range, Vaganski Vrh at 1757m. From the top were amazing views in all directions, including out to the numerous islands offshore. The rain held off for the most part, but fog kept hiding and revealing amazing views and steep drop-offs all along the trails. I was glad to relax that evening, and sleep early.
Sunday 8
I left my mountain retreat early in the morning and headed back down to the coast road to catch the bus to Zadar and then to Plitvice National Park with two other American travellers I had met a few days before. We arrived too late in the day for the park, so we crashed nearby for the night.
Monday 9
My last full day in Croatia was beautiful too. Plitvice was a much more touristy park, but I would say slightly more beautiful than Paklenica (although the beauty was much less rewarding). It is located around a series of crystal-clear blue lakes with numerous cascading waterfalls linking them. In "Myst"-like fashion, the paths, made of uneven wooden planks, weaved around and over all of the lakes and cascades. I was trying to be restrained, but I still took too many pictures. That evening, I caught a bus to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and found a hostel for the night.
Tuesday 10
I had a bit of time before I had to get to the Zagreb airport in the morning, so I walked to a nearby market and aquired some good bread and delicious strawberries. Food seemed very inexpensive, at least in comparison to what I had to pay in the UK. I had a five-hour layover in Berlin on my way to Copenhagen, so I used the time (and the wonderful warm and windy weather) to read outside and dry my wet clothes. The plane was a bit late, so I arrived and had enough time to get to the hostel and check in before falling asleep last night.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Journal - Germany and Salzburg
Greetings from rainy Salzburg, Austria! I have made it this far on my three-week journey, and its been great! Except for the occasional rain the last few days. I´ll make this relatively quick.
Saturday 31
This day was mostly a travel day, with a long layover in London-Heathrow en route to Stuttgart, Germany. I had plenty of time to visit every store in the terminal, and be amazed and jealous of the expensive chocolate and $12,000 bottle of 50-year-old whiskey.
Sunday 1
I had a full day in Stuttgart to explore the city, so I spent the morning at Wilhelma, the city zoo and botanic gardens, trying to learn the German names for animals. "Der Braunbär" or "Das Flusspferd" for example. Then I investigated the city´s transport system, including a trip up on the "seilbahn" (funicular), a walk through a forest, and a trip down on the "zahnradbahn" (cog-railroad).
Monday 2
I caught an early-morning train to the nearby university-town of Tübingen, where I met a friend from Belfast who studies there. She led me on an excellent tour of the neat and bustling little city, including good views over the houses, a trip to the schloss, and ice cream next to the river. That evening I met some of her Biology friends and ate a traditional local dinner: käse-spetzle (a homemade pasta with cheese)...delicious! The next morning before I left we also had another delicacy: strawberry-quark.
Tuesday 3
Yesterday I caught a morning train from Stuttgart to München to visit another Belfast friend who lives nearby. He showed me all around the city, including the glockenspiel, the city gates, the river and English Gardens, and the Olympic park and tower (with a great view of the city, and even a bit of the Alps). We even saw some urban surfing! We also ate well: weißwurst and weißbier mixed with lemonade. Mmm!
Wednesday 4
Today I got a ride to Salzburg with my friend, because he was flying back to Belfast from there. I´m very glad I came to Salzburg, because it is a beautiful and interesting place, even if cloudy all day. I visited the main attraction this morning: a big castle overlooking the town called Festung Hohensalzburg, with great views of the Alps on good days. I also stopped in some massive churches, and walked around the interesting old and narrow streets. This evening I hiked a bit on an urban mountain, and enjoyed dinner on the bastion overlooking the city before the rain chased me into an internet cafe. Now I´m just waiting until my overnight train arrives to take me to Trieste, Italy!
Saturday 31
This day was mostly a travel day, with a long layover in London-Heathrow en route to Stuttgart, Germany. I had plenty of time to visit every store in the terminal, and be amazed and jealous of the expensive chocolate and $12,000 bottle of 50-year-old whiskey.
Sunday 1
I had a full day in Stuttgart to explore the city, so I spent the morning at Wilhelma, the city zoo and botanic gardens, trying to learn the German names for animals. "Der Braunbär" or "Das Flusspferd" for example. Then I investigated the city´s transport system, including a trip up on the "seilbahn" (funicular), a walk through a forest, and a trip down on the "zahnradbahn" (cog-railroad).
Monday 2
I caught an early-morning train to the nearby university-town of Tübingen, where I met a friend from Belfast who studies there. She led me on an excellent tour of the neat and bustling little city, including good views over the houses, a trip to the schloss, and ice cream next to the river. That evening I met some of her Biology friends and ate a traditional local dinner: käse-spetzle (a homemade pasta with cheese)...delicious! The next morning before I left we also had another delicacy: strawberry-quark.
Tuesday 3
Yesterday I caught a morning train from Stuttgart to München to visit another Belfast friend who lives nearby. He showed me all around the city, including the glockenspiel, the city gates, the river and English Gardens, and the Olympic park and tower (with a great view of the city, and even a bit of the Alps). We even saw some urban surfing! We also ate well: weißwurst and weißbier mixed with lemonade. Mmm!
Wednesday 4
Today I got a ride to Salzburg with my friend, because he was flying back to Belfast from there. I´m very glad I came to Salzburg, because it is a beautiful and interesting place, even if cloudy all day. I visited the main attraction this morning: a big castle overlooking the town called Festung Hohensalzburg, with great views of the Alps on good days. I also stopped in some massive churches, and walked around the interesting old and narrow streets. This evening I hiked a bit on an urban mountain, and enjoyed dinner on the bastion overlooking the city before the rain chased me into an internet cafe. Now I´m just waiting until my overnight train arrives to take me to Trieste, Italy!
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