by Missie Hills | Apr 29, 2016 | Europe, International Adventures
After the quite somber stop in Poland, it was nice to find ourselves in another bright city full of amazing architecture. We didn’t have a lot of time in Vienna, but it was enough to learn how special this city was. The beautiful buildings filled with art and history were a perfect backdrop to the laid back, café-lounging attitude the city possessed. And laid back is exactly what we needed by that point.
There are many things to do and see in Vienna. Between the art museums, the opera house, and the classical music, you could find yourself spending days here wrapping yourself up in the culture. We had one afternoon. So, saying we had the true Vienna experience would be a major stretch. We could have done our usual plan of stuffing in as much as possible in the shortest time frame imaginable. But, the first thing I really wanted to do was find a café and relax. So, that is exactly what we did. And it never really got much more exciting than that.
We roamed the streets and parks, popped in to a few museums and churches, and then had a nice dinner before turning in for the night. It was actually a quite pleasant visit and a nice end to our European adventure.
We were anxious and excited to completely switch gears and head to India the following morning. After exploring 5 bustling European cities, the Indian jungle was calling our names.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Mar 5, 2016 | Europe, International Adventures
After a long night train, we arrived bright and early in Krakow ready to explore a city full of history. For once on this trip, we planned on venturing away from the city to explore the infamous WW2 concentration camp, Auschwitz. We set a full day aside for the somber depressing walk through the one of the world’s most tragic events in history, thinking we were fully prepared to handle the emotions we knew would arise. But first, we had a day to spare and time to burn before we could check into our hotel.
We boarded a train and took a short 20 minute ride to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. I guess I knew what a salt mine was. I knew I’d be underground, and I knew there would be some walking. What I didn’t know was that we would be trekking down over a thousand feet deep into the ground through a labyrinth of dark tunnels filled with marvelous carvings made from the surrounding salt deposits. A thousand feet! Just think, that’s about the height of New York’s Chrysler Building. I had no idea I was capable of walking that much. I also didn’t know I would feel a slight sense of panic when I realized that there was a thousand feet of dirt between me and fresh air. However, the wondrous surrounding salt statues and beautiful sparkling caverns kept my mind occupied. And my love for salt (seriously, I really love salt!) was brought to a new appreciation, especially when we walked into the huge Salt Cathedral made completely from salt down to the beautiful chandeliers.
The salt mines took a lot of energy out of us, especially since my body was busy producing another human. So we spent the rest of the day relaxing in an underground pub eating pirogis (Polish dumplings) and preparing for our morning trip to Auschwitz.
The following morning, we loaded up in a decently comfortable van and took a two hour drive out of the city. Our guide prepared us for the trip by playing a documentary in the van. The documentary did the trick. There was no laughing, no friendly banter between guests, no jittering from anticipation. It was solemn and quiet when we pulled up the foggy barbed wired camp. I could feel my chest tightening, knowing what my hormones were about to put me through.
Turns out, the weather also helped set the mood. It was a dreary, drizzling, foggy day. As we walked slowly through the camp, we could feel the presence of suffering, pain, and sadness. It took over me like being dunked in ice water. I did my best to keep my emotions in check. But I broke, many times. And as I tried to hide the tears running down my cheaks, I realized, I wasn’t the only one struggling to keep it together.
You might be wondering why we would spend our much needed vacation in such a depression place. The truth is, I welcomed it. I needed a dose of compassion for human kind. I needed to be reminded what we are capable of. For those of us that have been blessed with cushiony, plush, lives, sometimes it can be easy to forget about the suffering others must endure. Some perspective will bring you back to realty quickly.
By the time we arrived back in Krakow, my emotions had drained me of energy. So, Jason and I sat down to a quiet dinner and discussed how we felt about the experience. It was very different from our average conversations where we would recap the adventures of the day. In a way, the sentiment was so deep that it brought us closer to have shared the moment together.
The next day, we brushed the sad emotions aside and headed out to see what made Krakow such a delightful city. We spent the day touring churches and castles, eating the local street food, and strolling the town square. We ended the night with a romantic ride in a horse-drawn carriage before saying our goodbyes to the beautiful city.
Through all the sad history Poland has endured, we were still able to experience the wonder and amazement this magical city contained. I like to think we left Poland as better, more mature people, ready to make a difference in the world our child would grow up in. We slept that night on the cramped train dreaming of a world in which our future child would never have to experience such pain.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Feb 10, 2016 | Europe, International Adventures
Ahhhhh, Prague… the Golden City.
Well, yeah, it is quite golden. But I would like to rename it “the Tourist City”, because it is also packed. Packed with young 20-somethings looking for a cheap, loud, European party. And then there was me, very pregnant me. However, I was still able to find the charm the city had to offer, and this city had plenty of it (that is once you could see past the half price shot bars and the loud bass music blaring from every corner).
We arrived mid-afternoon. After a long debate, we decided to make the trek with our packs across town to our hotel. It was only a 30 minute walk after all. However, we didn’t realize that this 30 minute walk meant winding ourselves through tiny streets packed with lots and lots of people. This was our first view of the Golden City. And even though the sun was setting during our walk, it was hard to see the shimmering gold streets through the mass of people. Still, the architecture definitely had my eye, and my anticipation of getting back out with my camera on my neck was growing.
Once we did get back out with the cameras, we spent two long days walking to church after church after church. We would stop for some good food here and there, some hot chocolate occasionally, and of course some Czech beer (for Jason). We also strolled the Charles Bridge and wondered through the Jewish cemetery. And we even waited in the rain for what felt like a long time just to see the tick tock of the famous astronomical clock. But the best part of the trip was our long night walk along the Danube hand in hand as we dreamed of what our future had in store. It was quite romantic. But the romance was quickly lost as we came across two statues of men peeing on each other. (I spared you those pictures. I’m sorry, and you’re welcome.)
Before we headed back to the station to catch our night train to Poland, we found a traditional pub to rest in. They had around 300 different beers for Jason to try and some excellent Czech food for me. It was a perfect end to a rather good trip. Prague proved to have a personalty of its own even through its touristy, gimmicky side. And once we saw through that touristy, gimmicky side, we were able to see the streets shine in gold after all.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Jan 25, 2016 | Europe, International Adventures
The political environment in Europe has been quite tense. Sense the attacks in Paris, the whole world has been on edge. Two days before we boarded our flight, the US issued a worldwide travel warning. So, that along with pregnancy hormones raging through my body, I was a little nervous. But nevertheless, we boarded up, slept the long 8 hours, and arrived in Frankfurt, Germany on Thanksgiving morning ready to explore.
Frankfurt was a short stop on our list. We only had the afternoon before we needed to catch a train to Munich that night. But Frankfurt ended up being one of our favorite cities. We started out the trip by what would become our main theme: walking, walking, and more walking. We walked to a quaint restaurant and had a wonderful German dinner. This place was perfect for Jason because they brewed their own beer and perfect for me because they had potatoes and gravy. And I needed that. It wouldn’t quite replace the Thanksgiving turkey that I craved, but it was still wonderful. We missed our family, but it was nice spending the holiday with just the two of us too (well three of us if you included the bun in the oven). It made us realize, we were our own little family now.
We spent the rest of the day wondering the city, taking in the architecture and local culture. We found ourselves climbing a bell tower that ended up being much taller than we thought it was, 329 steps to be exact. It was a bit much for my pregnant body. However, the views at the top proved worth the climb.
And even though my feet ached and I was tired and cranky, afterwards we walked some more until it was time to board our train to Munich that night. The high speed train was a perfect spot to relax and catch up on some zzzz’s. When we arrived in Munich we headed straight to the hotel ready to start the next day.
I’d like to say we really got a good view of Munich and took the city for all it could offer. But, my pregnant body had other plans, mainly sleeping. So, after wasting half the day sleeping in and enjoying a large German breakfast, we finally headed out to explore. And we walked… and walked… and walked… We found time to stop in the famous Hofbräuhaus for lunch. We walked in to exactly what I had pictured in my beer garden dreams, a huge room full of long tables, noisy guests, a nice polka band, and a rich aroma of German foods. At this point it hit me hard that I couldn’t drink. No German beer? Seriously? However, the conversations we had with the local Germans dressed in full lederhosen attire made up for the lack in drinking. We chatted as much as their broken English and our non-existent German would allow. They tried to convince me that beer was good for the baby. Don’t worry I didn’t fall into the temptation. Then our new friends offered some snuff to Jason. He accepted hesitantly, and then quickly became a fan. We said our goodbyes to our new local friends with one last “Proust”, and off we went for more walking.
We were lucky enough to be in town for the grand opening of the Christmas Market. We caught the end of the Mayor’s speech and listened to the band play while the large Christmas tree lit up. The market was open for business. And the people came, oh did they come. We shopped, drank mulled wine and hot cider, and ate sausages. Then we shopped some more.
And as the night went on, we saw the charm the city really had to offer. Germany is a beautiful country with supreme hospitality and a relaxed atmosphere that invites you to stay forever.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Oct 6, 2015 | Asia, Europe, International Adventures
As we near our next big trip, Jason and I are going a bit stir crazy here in Texas. Yes, we do love it here, and we stay quite busy doing Texan-y things, like going to the rodeo and watching football. But nothing can quite replace the rush we get when we experience a complete different culture from our own. And that wanderlust in us has us looking back on our past adventures in envy. So, today I am thinking about our exploration of Istanbul, the city of charm.
After our 8 days at sea, it was nice to wind down on land. Ok, wind down? Maybe, not. Istanbul is not really a city you wind down in. But either way, we were on land. And we had two days to see the city. Two days is a very aggressive timeline. But if you know me, you know that I can see a lot in two days.
We started our tour of Istanbul at the famous Grand Bazaar. The title of the Grand Bazaar should have prepared me for what we were up against. But the word “Grand” doesn’t really capture the essence of this bazaar. Perhaps it should be called “Colossal, paralyzing, in-your-face” Bazaar. Because that is how I felt from the moment I walked in. And I LOVED it. Yeah, I was scared to death to look any shop giver in the eye out of fear of being talked into buying a rug. And yeah, being chased down the aisle because you ignored aggressive shop owners was also uncomfortable. But looking past the aggressiveness of it all, I was astounded by the never ending stimuli that continued to catch my senses. The colors of the lamps, scarfs, and beads… The aromas of the exotic spices… The taste samples of the Turkish delight… Oh My! Yes, maybe it was a bit of sensory overload. Still, Jason and I let ourselves get caught up in it all. And we left with a good amount of trinkets to take home.
Our next stop was at the Basilica Cistern, the largest of several ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city. The semi-long wait to get down into the cistern was worth every minute. The moment you walk into the cool underground you feel an eerie sense of being pulled into a dark underworld. However, the mass of touristy people in all directions brings you back to reality quickly.
The next morning we woke at sunrise to try to beat the crowds for Istanbul’s main attractions, the mosques. And despite the unexpected downpour, we headed out wrapped in rain gear to the
Hagia Sofia. After some creative deals with street tour guides, we were the first guests to walk through the Hagia Sophia doors that day. Our early rise paid off. The former mosque and former Christian church was undergoing restorations while we were there. However, we still were knocked breathless at our first gaze up to the iconic dome.
Then, we strolled across the square to the Blue Mosque and waited in a line that seemed to last an eternity. The reward of seeing the millions of blue tiles filling the mosque was good enough to pay off the wait. However, we were crowded into the small room with many other people forcing us to snap a few photos and leave quickly to get fresh air.
We spent the rest of the day walking around the city soaking in the local culture and ended the night with a wonderful dinner in a rooftop bar overlooking both beautiful mosques.
Istanbul definitely has that charm I expected from an old Turkish city. At the same time, it had that bustling big city feel you’d expect out of one of the largest cities in the world. Every corner presented something new. Every alley was a mini adventure. Every shop and bistro was packed full of culture. It was a wanderlust’s dream getaway, and the memory of every bit of it has me begging for more: more culture, more charm, and more adventure.
Until next time,
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