Where did they go?

Yes! We made it back to the states!

We spent the last few days of our trip in London with my friend Kelly from high school. It was great to see her and spend some time hanging out. She was totally in the middle of her exams and she still let us stay with her.. Thanks Kelly!

Anyway, we had a great time in London. We went to "the Philadelphia Story" playing at the Old Vic and spent a day checking out a ton of sights in London. No, we didn't make it to Abbey Road or Wimbeldon, but we did go see Buckingham Palace on Prince William's birthday!

Then we took a day and traveled back to Amsterdam via Brussels. We didn't get to leave the train station in Brussels unfortunately, but it seemed like a very nice stop.

To get to London and then back to Amsterdam we took the Eurostar which is the train that goes underneath the English Channel. I thought this was pretty cool, but I think Jennie was a little nervous being under a body of water!

Check out the sidebar to see "where we were and when" on our trip!

Geneva and Paris

We are quickly winding down our ti,e in the French speaking world of Western Europe. These are a few pictures from these two cities!



Yes! We are standing in front of the United Nations building in Geneva!!! This was very cool.. and the Red Cross museum was also wonderful! We really loved Geneva!

The other awesome part of Geneva was we got to spend time with some American friends from college! Christy Hallenbeck and Andrea Halverson are currently interning in Geneva. They met us at the train station and showed us some wonderful midwestern hospitality! It was great to see them!



We said we didn't need to go, but then here we are climbing the steps of the Eiffel Tower. For as many pictures of it that you see, there's nothing like turning a corner and seeing nothing but the Tower!

Now, we're off to London!

One for our man!

This one goes out to our man.. I hope you enjoy it.

Captain James T. Kirk
The voice, the delivery
Shatner: he inspires



Just a side comment here: Jennie and I both own only one of the ,any albu,s he has put out and we highly recommend it! It's called 'Has Been' and was produced by Ben Folds..I'm tptally serious. Anyway, it's great because it's him delivering these words, in only the way Shatner can, to music. There are also guest singers on the tracks-don't worry he doesn't sing!

I hear my house is overrun with flies so..

I am about to overrun this blog with Haiku!

Our travel partners
Pack, zip, pull, tug, whip it on
Backpacks of glory!

by Kira

*By the way...we are so fond of our sweatmonsters that we've named them. Jennie's backpack is Gloria Marie and mine is Joan. There is a story behind the na,es of course, but I guess you'll just have to tune in zwhen we get back to find out! ;)

Keyboards of Europe
Puzzling letters, symbols
Sorry for the typos!

*Another note: I think Paris/France wins the award for most messed up configuration of letters and symbols on the keyboard. Again, sorry for the typos.

Example:
This is ,e typing like I nor,qlly aould qt ho,e on ,y co,puter
This is me typing like I normally would at home on my computer

Kira

Heidelberg.. who knew?

So we´re walking down a pleasant cobblestone street in old town when we come across an astonishing revelation. Not only are there McDonalds, Burger Kings, and KFCs in places you just wouldn´t expect, but there just happens to be a Hard Rock Cafe in Heidelberg. Hiding discreetly between two German souvenir shops on a pedestrian street.

Today we leave for Geneva! We will be meeting a couple friends there and staying for 2 days. We are anxiously anticipating our arrival.

The tourist staredown
So curious and gaping
Watch out for the curb!

Did you say BMW?

Yes, that´s right! We were in Regensburg earlier today...and this city (which just happens to be the same size as Sioux Falls) just happens to be where the 3 series BMWs are made. Unfortunately there was not enought time to check it out, but I will say it is quite a sight to see 100 BMWs go by on a train!

Regensburg is a beautiful town in the Bavarian Forest. You wouldn´t believe all of the beautiful landscapes we have seen. The view out the window of the train has certainly been a highlight for me. Yes, I agree it sounds odd that looking out a window is a highlight.. but you have to understand that Jennie and I have been covering A LOT of ground and land in the last few days! There have certainly been some intresting journeys!

Right now we are in Heidelsburg on the hunt for some chocolate.. however I´m afraid we´re not giong to find it!

For now.. we are exhausted so we are hanging out at the hostel tonight.

Kira

Snapshots from abroad..

I know you're all waiting breathlessly for those pictures so here you go...

Here is Jen..




Here is Kira..




Here is Jen and Kira with some Aussies from our hostel..

By the way...

Tomorrow we are headed for Regensburg in Germany which is in Bavaria! Then the next day we will go to Heidleberg. After that it is off to Geneva in Switzerland. We have some train rides ahead of us which will be entirely differently than the last few relazing days we have spent in Prague.

Prague is a wonderful city.. everything is relatively cheap, but it is time to move on! I would love to write more, but there is a line behind me since I am using the one computer in the hostel.

I hope everyone is well.. we are having a marvelous time!

Kira

PS We walk alot!

Haiku for you!

A few new ones and one Haiku from the I-forgot-to-blog-this-earlier-so-I'm-going-to-put-it-up-now file.

Ode to Heineken
Your spirit overwhelms us
Bar 1 and 2? ...yes!

by Kira
(Amsterdam)

Ode to the train seat
You've traveled hard and you smell
King of "butt holders"!

by Kira
(Prague)

Oh cobblestone stone
Smooth, curved, unpredictable
Please stop tripping me!

by Kira
(Prague)

The Bleak Blog landscape...

OK.. so I haven't blogged in a while and you're probably asking yourself questions like: Why didn't she post today? Why aren't there pictures yet? Where has she been? What country's oxygen is she currently breathing? Where is another clever haiku that I can memorize and recite to friends? Why have I checked this blog 8 times today and it's only 12:48 in the afternoon?

Don't worry, my friend, these are all good questions. I will begin with the first question.

Why didn't I post?

Well, we have been traveling extensively the last 3 days which makes it hard to find time or a place to jump on the internet. Also, the older couple we stayed with in Bunde, Germany (Bini and Frederic) had a beautiful home decorated in a very chic 70s motif and the technology in their home was no different. We couldn't exactly communicate to them what we were looking for since Jennie only speaks a little German, Bini spoke very little English, and Frederic didn't speak any. In our credit, however, we did perfect one universal communication tool which I will call the "smile and nod" approach. It goes a little like this, "(insert German words here), ja?" smile and nod thoughtfully. See how it works?!?!

Anyway, we had a great time in Bunde and Bini and Frederic we're very generous in opening their home to us. It's comforting to see that the tradition of food being the most important tool in hospitality is still the rule in Germany! I think we spent a majority of our time at their home around a table eating! It was wonderful!!

Why aren't there pictures yet?

I'll tell ya.. I'm a little disappointed myself. It seems that internet cafes either a) haven't updated their CPUs in a while or b) the CPU is cleverly hidden inside a comparment where people like me can't get to them! So I guess all I can say is that I will keep trying. I'm hoping that I will have more luck when we are staying with friends in other countries. (Maybe they can lead me in the right direction!)

I'll take the next two questions at the same time...

Where has she been? What country's oxygen is she currently breathing?

We landed in Amsterdam on Wednesday and left for Germany on Thursday. We were travelling and hanging out in Bunde Thursday and Friday. On Saturday we left for Prague. It took us about 10 hours to get here so we didn't really get a chance to explore Prague until today, Sunday! We are currently using the air of the Czech Republic in its capital city of Prague. (or Praha in Czech)

Haiku?

Where is another clever haiku that I can memorize and recite to friends?

Well, if you really want to memorize them that's your deal, but feel free to share them with friends. Please, keep in mind when you are reading these Haiku they are really meant to be read aloud.. and also, keep in mind that when they were written I was reading them aloud. Here goes...

Stay in a cabin
I find that I am sleepless
Kira...snore-tastic!

by Jennie and Kira
(Amsterdam)

We're off to Bunde
A mad Scotsman directs us
Who knew there were two?!?

-Jennie
(Germany)

Backpackers unite!
trav'lers, students walk glob'lly
Common thread? bad hair.

-Kira
(Prague)

*All haiku are as is.. no commentary or explanations will be given as to preserve the sanctity and purity of the haiku. hehe...

Why have I checked this blog 8 times today...??

That's you're problem, man. We (Jennie and I) do not encourage partaking in addictive behaviors, but in this case we will make an exception. Please check often and post your comments. It is so fun to hear from you while we are away from home.

Let me emphasize "experience"

The last day in Amsterdam we visited a museum and then stopped at the Heineken Brewery for what we thought would be a tour.. The name of it was the Heineken 'experience' which it truly was! We had a lot of fun and it was totally interactive. At one stop we could send photomail or videomail to people at home. Well, having the steeltrap of a memory that I have I could not remember anyone's e-mail correctly, so here is the photo from our last experience in Amsterdam!

What are you doing here?!?

Please raise your hand if someone has ever yelled "What are you doing here?" at you in a crowded airport?? Looks like I'm the only one with my hand raised because.. you guessed it.. I ran into someone I knew. And not just anyone, my SISTER who was waiting to fly back to Minneapolis from Logan International in Boston. (I must mention that she yelled "What are you doing here?" three times and then I of course began yelling in response. The number of people that turned their heads and stared is unknown. The Christensen voice travels well and so it is not known how far down the corridor this happenchance meeting was announced.) It was a great way to start off the long flight across the ocean, but at the same time WAY WEIRD!

OK.. bad news I can't upload any pictures yet, so please don't boycott the site.. I promise I have some GOOD ones coming!!

Alright! The trip.. Jennie and I have been keeping count of the interesting things we have seen and comments we needed to make on our first day of travel.

We decided that there is either something in the water or all the dutch weed is going to people's heads because people have been surprisingly nice and pleasant!

The Award for Best Dutchman goes to the guy at the train station who was SO helpful in getting us set with our Eurorail passes that he even waved the processing fee as a birthday present.. yes!

The Award for Most Surprising Dutchman goes to the dude who had patches of blue foam hair dye all over his head. Yes, this man stepped out of the hair salon to ask us if we were lost-we weren't, but he did direct us to a nearby internet cafe.

Jennie's Observation of the Day: When standing in line, stand as close as possible to the person in front of you. If you fail to do so, someone will most certainly see the open space as an invitation to budge.

BTW We went to Anne Frank's House, Central Station, we're heading to a Historical Dutch Museum, and the Rikestadt Museum.. we thought the other stuff was way more interesting to mention.

TOMORROW: Bunde, Germany- ya vol!

Hope everyone is well!!
Kira and Jennie

What day is it today??

As I'm sitting here at the "Blue Light Telecom" I realized that I really have no concept of what day it is today. It still feels like Tuesday.. a really long Tuesday. Then, I started reading comments on the blog and both of my parents have politely reminded me that today is, in fact, my birthday! And not just any birthday.. today I turn 23 which just happens to be my favorite prime number!

So, thank you for the birthday wishes, and Mom I believe I have celebrated my birthday in 6 countries: Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, and of course the USA. (I spent my 20th birthday on a train going from Italy through Switzerland to Germany)

More to come...

Any good trip must have...

Haiku. The 5-7-5, nature inspired poetry is part of any good trip. In my opinion, it can succinctly describe the mood, current environment, and/or attitude of the travelers. So, I thought I would start off on the right foot. (This is the kind of stuff I think about when I'm in the car driving...hmmm)

Beautiful day
Wake early. Run errands. Pack.
Skin...still pasty white.

I'm going to post a picture of the disaster in my room otherwise known as my laundry! I'm halfway through it so far...

The Blue Sweatshirt

My blue sweatshirt has gone with me almost everywhere in my adult life. It has successfully travelled through more countries than my passport, more cities than my car, and been worn more times than any article of clothing should be worn. I view this blog as an extension of my blue sweatshirt. Here I can share what I experience and see just as my sweatshirt has gotten to for the last 5 years. Please visit often and share in the adventures...

Let's get it started..

The blue sweatshirt is getting washed, and my backpack is anxiously awaiting to be packed...

When I finally uploaded my last set of grades, signifying the end of my first year of teaching, my mind turned immediately to my upcoming trip and its preparations. How can I share my pictures and thoughts from this trip with my friends and family who will be thousands of kilometers away? Being my father's daughter I immediately thought of this.. an on-line journal.. this blog...

Anyway...

I'm preparing for, what I expect to be, an exciting trip into Central Europe. I'm travelling with Jennie, my friend and former roommate which I hate to say because the connotation of the phrase "former roommate" is perhaps negative and therefore does not accurately portray the relationship with one of my closest and dearest friends. There are not many people that I would even consider travelling through Europe with in this way. We've been to Germany together, and I know that the two of us will be great travelling companions.