Italia

Finally made it to the country I've anticipated most. Arrived in Venice yesterday with my bro and spent the day and night there. Very unique town and very pretty. Hundreds of canals filled with gondolas and bridges all over the place, winding streets and dead-ends that guarantee getting lost (we did), and very old world feel. Public transporation there is by vaporetti, which are water taxi boats.

Jerm and I had a great time seeing the major sights in Venice (Basilica di San Marco, Rialto Bridge, etc.) and just walking around for hours. We grabbed dinner last night and our first Italian dinner in Italy somehow surpassed my obnoxiously high expectations. Had an insanely good meal at this little spot a few streets in from the Grand Canal. Nine euros for one liter of delicious vino della casa (we may have taken down two reds), tomatoes and mozzarella for the antipasto, spinach and ricotta filled gnocchi for my first course, delicious fish for my second (the name escapes me), some tiramisu, and almost too much bread with olive oil and balsamic...but not quite too much. Weight-gain mode in full effect.

After a great visit my brother flew home this morning and I took a train to Florence for the afternoon and night before heading to Rome tomorrow for the weekend. My hostel is right off the gorgeous Plaza della Repubblica, though operated by a guy who seems to be a few slices short of a pizza pie. Ive just been chilling here today and got a much needed haircut and beard trim (pretty high and tight for both the head and stubble, but necessary for the warmer weather) after enjoying un po di gelati. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around amid incredible architecture and scouting the town for when I return here next week to spend more than just a day. Will be relaxing tonight with some more outstanding food and likely my second helping of gelato for the day.

Vienna

Austria´s capital is a pretty one. Jeremy and I have hit most of the main tourist draws, including the Hofburg Palace, St. Stephen´s Cathedral, the Parliament and City Hall buildings, plenty of older Baroque-era theaters, and Mozart´s apartment from when he lived here for a few years. To be honest, everything was awesome except for Mozart's apartment which was a letdown (I think because Salzburg, his birth place, has the rights to all of his original music, property, etc. This museum had nothing except claim to his original apartment, which was interesting as it is where he wrote Figaro, but overall a bit weak).

Today held the highlight of Vienna: the Schönbrunn Palace and palace grounds from where the Habsberg monarchy ruled. The grounds were massive and beautiful and Jerm and I walked all over. Great gardens, majestic fountains, incredible sculptures, and an unbeatable view of all Vienna from the top of a hill. Feeling strong after our palace visit, we ventured into the Naschmarkt (had authentic wiener schnitzel there yesterday) for another solid meal and some more good Austrian bier.

We cut out Salzburg from our itinerary due to my bro´s schedule and we are taking an overnight sleeper train to Venice tonight which should be Eurotrip-esque. Then we have a full day in Venice before he has to fly out Thursday morning. I am pumped to start my time in Italia.

Prague - Czech it out

Prague's Old Town Square
Pretty cool city here - beautiful castles (apparently there are 100 spires  in Prague), very pretty streets, and fun night life.  Having a good old time despite coming here with no idea what to expect and very little idea of what to see (the Czech Republic is not covered in my Lonely Planet, and I was lazy about getting another guide book).

Highlights so far in Prague: Prague Castle that sits on a hill above the river and has several old cathedrals within; Charles Bridge with it's old statues and dime a dozen local artists; the bar and club scene which can have a very Euro feel; and last but certainly not least the 24 hour bratwurst stands on the street corners (though I think all the sausage and Pilsner Urquell consumption is starting to catch up with me).  

Have one more night here and will spend it with my youngest bro (arrived last night) and my friend Ed from work who was nearby for business (seriously) before Jeremy and I head to Austria tomorrow.  TK had to fly back this morning after an awesome stay.  And now it's nap time.

Street sausage stand

More Deutschland

Leipzig at night
Tom and I had a very nice stay with my friend Annemarie in Leipzig (my bro and I met her in an Argentine hostel and she so graciously offered us her apartment for the night) - rented a rowboat on a river in town and paddled around for the afternoon with some local brews, then we all had dinner and we went out with her for a bit to her colleague's art show then to her favorite local spot which was this giant bar and dance club that looked more like a dungeon. Very cool, and Leipzig has a solid vibe.

Tom and I took the train south this morning and stopped in Dresden, Germany for a few hours. Beautiful town - old looking architecture (though much of it had to be rebuilt after the WWII firebombings) and situated right on the Elbe river. A beautiful mix of new commercial development with the old surviving buildings and churches. And the weather was perfect, as were the bratwursts and beers we took down in the town square before catching the train to Prague.

About to head out on a pub crawl here in Prague. First impression of the hostel is that it is a decent one. And more sausages are in our near future (in more ways than one as we are sleeping in a six bed dorm).

Dresden

Amsterdam, now Berlin

Amsterdam 
Everything you've read or heard about Amsterdam is true. It is a beautiful city with canals running all through town and very pretty 17th century architecture lining the streets. Tom and I have had solid weather, adding to the daytime appeal of this place. It's such a civilized city on the surface, so it feels a bit funny to walk by a couple kids legally rolling some reefers outside a coffee shop in the middle of the afternoon. But that provided a glimpse of the other culture in Amsterdam, which takes the spotlight at night. And when it gets dark in Amsterdam the city is quite different than in the daytime. As a packaged deal it is a pretty cool place to visit.

Berliner Dome
TK and I took a six hour train ride to Berlin last night and once we successfully navigated the S-bahn (local train system) we arrived at our hostel and got a feel for the neighborhood here. We got a bite to eat at a local biergarten which had very good German food (veal meatloaf and meatballs), then headed back to our hostel to enjoy the `Monday Madness´ at the hostel´s bar. Beers cost one euro and boots cost eight euros (boots hold over two liters of beer) - needless to say we parked it here with some other guests for a while. Things are a bit hazy this morning, but we are feeling strong and are headed out to sightsee. On the list for today: the Brandenberg Gate, Reichstag, Holocaust Museum, and Berlin Wall (the 1.3km that is left of it). Pretty pumped.

Brussels, Belgium

Final experience in Paris: was sitting at a cafe in the quasi-outdoor international train station, Gare du Nord, waiting for my train to Brussels and a pigeon took a dump on my right arm. It almost went unnoticed, but it was too disgusting and as a result took my long-sleeved shirt total for this trip from three down to two. FYI.

Moving on, I had a fun afternoon in Brussels and it was consumption-packed: hit up a local frites place (Belgians claim they invented fries) that had 46 different kinds of sauce to go with the fries; then had some local beers and a croque monsieur sandwich at a recommended bar; and finished it all off with some ice cream. Gross, yet awesome. Oh and I did some good sight-seeing as well. The main square here is pretty cool.

Going to go try and navigate the French and Flemish street signs around here and see what this town has to offer on a Tuesday night.

Paris

It was only a matter of time before I left the spoiled environment of a country whose people speak the same language as I do (though most people we met speak English anyway). No matter, everything about Paris (besides the fashion sense of Parisian men) has been beautiful.

Have had a great time with my Mom and grandmom here (they were both in town for my grandmom's 80th birthday present and left for the U.S. this morning), and we have mastered the town and seen all the major attractions.

Highlights: the Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, and of course taking an elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower for some incredible views. The Arc de Triomphe is right near where we stayed, and it might be my favorite landmark in the city.

Paris itself has a very relaxed cafe culture that is easy to get used to, though I think we experienced more crowds than usual as this past weekend was a holiday weekend in France. Regardless, I've had a blast these last four days.
main entrance to the Louvre