Blogger Photos

I am fed up with trying to find a decent photo hosting site that is convenient, easy to use, fast, and let's me post a smaller image that links to the larger one. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can avoid using blogger to load images, and use another photo hosting site instead?

Home Alone?

I was trying to find the scene from Home Alone online, so I typed in "Home Alone Airport Scene" into my search bar. I didn't actually find a clip, but I found the related searches a little strange...

"Related searches: Home Alone, Girl Home Alone On Cam, Girls Home Alone, Teenage Girls Home Alone"

Ew, WTF? Are all the people on Google pervs? Weirdos!

Cause I know you people care about this stuff. ;)

The Quest for Porcelain Dolls

The majority of our visit in Prague was spent looking for Porcelain Dolls. I had read many online reports about their being dolls in Prague, and there were, but there was one small problem. THEY ARE MADE IN CHINA. Only SOME of the dolls have Czech made clothes, but the porcelain bodies and the painted faces are both from China. I was so mad! As a last resort I mentioned to Brian that I wanted to see Karlstejn, a small city 45 minutes outside of Prague purported to have handmade Czech dolls. But because we are crazy, we decided to leave this excursion for the last day of our trip in Prague. You know, before we had to catch a train at 4:40pm to Berlin. And what time did we leave for Karlstejn? 12:10. Yeah, good call. We didn't even know how to get there, where we were going, or how we would get a train back. We just hopped on the train like it was no big deal.

We got to Karlstejn and boy was it hot. Not as hot as Rome was, but still rather uncomfortable. There was this Taxi driver there who said the walk to the Castle was 45 minutes, and we figured we didn't have that time, so we wanted to take a cab. He said 100 crowns, so we got in and as he's handing us the seat belt he says, "Ok, 400 crowns." We were like what, you said 100 crowns? Apparently, it's only 100 crowns per person if the Van is full. So we yelled at him and got out, and he tried to run us down with his van. Ok so not really, but he tried to get us to come back and we told him to shove off. 45 minutes...what a joke. It was a 15 minute walk at best. Yes, we were hot and sweaty, but it didn't cost us an arm and a leg. And we didn't have to be near that crook.

So what do you think happened when we got to Karlstejn? No Czech Porcelain dolls. Just plastic porcelain dolls. So we bought some of those, because at this point I'm thinking, this Czech porcelain doll thing is a myth. Countless people on the internet have lied to me. So, disappointed, hot and grumpy, I headed back to the train station while Brian shopped around some more.

And lo and behold, what should my knight in shining armor come back with, but REAL Czech porcelain dolls. Hot, sweating, and looking like NOT a million bucks, Brian arrived with not one but TWO dolls. Brian would like me to add that he was near death. He said he couldn't decide which one to get me, so he got both. I was so happy, and the dolls are so beautiful. Apparently he found them on the other side of Karlstejn and then ran like he was on the track team to get back to me. It was a good thing he did too, since it was 2:20, and we needed to get back to our hotel room to get our luggage before taking the tram to the station.

Speaking of that, what a disaster. We got to the train station at 4:10, bought some Burger King for lunch (YUCK), and then looked at the departure board for our train to see what gate it was at. I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Our train was not listed. And why? Because we were at the wrong train station. Lord how the train station lady laughed at us. We had 20 minutes to take the metro 3 stops, and then find our gate at the other station. Running to get to our destination like that scene out of Home Alone (minus losing a child), we somehow managed to arrive with 2 minutes to spare. And, as it turned out, that didn't matter. The train was 20 minutes late anyway. SIGH. Such was our overall stay in Prague, full of beauty, magic, and a little inconvenience.

Prague, Engagement Day

Well it's time to stop being lazy and write about our wonderful engagement in Prague, and our subsequent trip to Berlin. I'm having a problem deciding what kind of photo hosting I should use to upload my pictures. I can't stand using blogger anymore because it takes 10-15 minutes just to upload 5 pictures (you can only upload 5 at a time). Picasa is pretty good because you can sync the photos using Picasa 3 on your computer to the web, but the photo frames don't open into larger pictures when you click on them. I'm going to try using photobucket, but that has to load. So I'm going to write first and then add the pictures later!

Since our train to Nuremberg left at 6:00am, we had to get up quite early at 4:50, so Mom could drive us at 5:15. Thank God for Mama. She even made us little sandwiches to eat on the train. She's the best! So we were quite tired on the train. I can't remember if I slept or not. When we got to Nuremberg after 3 hours, we took a double-decker bus. This was awesome, because our EuroRail pass is 1st class, and the bottom of the bus is 1st class only, and no one else was there! Being 1st class also entitled us to one free hot beverage per person. Brian slept a little, and I think I did too.

Arriving in Prague was a bit confusing. We knew which trams we had to take to the hotel, but we didn't know where they were. And unlike Germany or Switzerland, most people do not speak English. After walking around for 10 minutes, a man offered to help us. Though he spoke very little English he did manage to guide us in the right direction. So, we got on the RIGHT tram but in the WRONG direction. It took us about 5 minutes to figure this out before we got off and turned around. Mind you we did all this with luggage, laptop bags, backpacks, and purses. FUN.

So we were a little tired after getting up so early and trying to find our way, but thank goodness the hotel was perfect. Somehow we lucked out and got a room on the backside of the hotel facing a hill, and we had a nice balcony. Very pleasant. So we rested there for a little bit before taking showers and getting ready for what would become our big evening!

Brian wanted to see a park that overlooks the city of Prague, so we took a little train up, much like the one we used in Switzerland. I took some pictures in the flower garden, and then we sat down at a little cafe to drink some cola. Then we went on our trek to find exactly what Brian was looking for. And what a trek it was! No matter where we walked we could not find this view, but finally we got to the Monastery, and the view was behind it. It just took about an hour, so we rested for a long time on a bench that was pretty secluded.

Now, I had pretty much had a "feeling" all day that he was going to propose, since he seemed a little nervous, was looking for a particular spot in the park, and kept looking around to see how many people there were. It was downright hilarious though, when he tried to get the ring out of his pocket because he had put it in his wallet. I had to feign blowing my nose and turning the other way just so he could manage to extract it. So cute. Finally, after waiting for months, he got down on one knee and made a little speech, and then asked me to marry him. I have no idea what he said though haha, I couldn't really think.

So, although Brian couldn't surprise me, I could surprise him. I had secretly slipped off the ring I normally wear on my ring finger, which he gave me for Valentine's day as a sort of promise ring, and had put it in my other hand. He was quite surprised when he went to remove the old ring and found it wasn't there! Hehe. I am much more subtle than my silly boyfriend...er, fiance. :D And then he picked me up and spun me around like the Princess that I am.

We took many pictures, enjoyed the view some more, and marveled in our happiness. Then it was off to a very romantic, EXPENSIVE dinner that was probably the best food I've ever eaten besides at Craftsteak in Las Vegas. I had duck, which I'd never had before, but I loved it. I also had rosemary creme brulee, which was delicious. The restaurant was on the top floor and we sat outside on the terrace surrounded by plants and flowers just under the nearby Castle. It was very romantic and peaceful, AND since it was a Tuesday night, no one was there. We practically had three waiters all to ourselves!

After dinner we concluded our lovely day/night by walking on the Charles Bridge. It was just what a Princess dreams of!

Engaged!

Yes, Brian finally proposed on August 18, 2009. Just wanted to update that really quick, but I don't have any pictures on my computer yet. We are both very happy and are having fun making wedding plans! We are also very tired from all of the traveling we have done, so will probably be pretty lazy in the next few days. Look for a full length blog post sometime soon!

Swagbucks

I just started using this, as I've heard a lot of good things about it. I've even seen pictures of people opening their gifts they've recieved with swagbucks, so I know it works. Basically, you get paid to search for things on the web, just like you would with google. It's pretty easy, I've already got some. Here's my referral link:


http://www.swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=882101

Let's get some free swag people!

Switzerland, Our Home Away From Home

We knew Switzerland was going to be a special experience for us both, since it was one of the few countries in Europe that Brian hadn't been to. But it was more than special, we really fell in love with the place. Zurich is so beautiful, the lake is so blue, and it's as clean as Disneyland. The only negative comments I can think of is that the people were not always friendly (especially to foreigners), and Zurich was extremely expensive. But beyond that, Brian and I really enjoyed our stay there. The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold.

We stayed with a friend Brian had made when he worked at the International Language School back in Santa Barbara. David was so nice, and it worked out perfectly that we could stay with him since he got back from his vacation the same day we got to Zurich. His parents were also on vacation in the Alps, so we weren't imposing on anyone either. We stayed in his brother's old room, which had been converted to a guestroom. As of yet, it is by far the largest room we have slept in. The bed was so comfy, and the room had a door to a patio with a hammock! Perfection.

Anyway, we mostly relaxed our first day, recovering from travel in Rome. We stayed in Zurich from Monday, August 10 until Friday morning, August 21. Here's some of what we did:

We went to a museum about the history of Switzerland


Walking by the Lake, with the many swans.




The Lake flows into a river that runs through the city.


Marveled at the architecture.


Actually went to the Museum (we didn't the first day, only took a picture of the outside), and posed with a woolly mammoth.


Walked down the main shopping street.


Took a 1.5 hour boat ride around the lake.


Had fun with David, our host (OMG is he cute or what!?).






Took the Polybahn to the University.


The view from the University.


Surprised some old friends. That's Martin and Patricia, also from Brian's International School.


Drank my first beer, all by myself.


David's home, where we stayed.


Before we knew it, it was time to leave. David needed to study for his finals next week, and we needed to get home to get the house ready for Mama and Papa. So we said goodbye, but we know we will be back someday. Here are some pictures from our train ride home:



Hard to tell, but that's a waterfall we passed by. Beautiful.


Sigh. I miss it already.

What I Miss Most...

Here's what I miss most about the USA:

1. Free refills. They don't have that here. It's horrible.
2. Ice in your glass.
3. Cheap prices. A small coke is 5 dollars here. Even at McDonald's it is still 3 dollars.
4. Normal washers and dryers. The ones they have in Europe are so confusing.
5. My comfy bed.
6. My car.
7. Hearing people speak a language I understand.

Mama and Papa are coming home tonight, so Brian and I are cleaning house to make it look nice. Toodles!

Rome Trip Day 4

Our last day in Rome! And boy was it a hot one. Things didn't really go quite as planned either...the museum we wanted to see charged 10 euro per person and wouldn't give us a student discount because we were from the US. I guess I'm not really a student anymore anyway...haha. So we ended up doing a lot of random stuff instead.

Walking along the river.


Castle Saint Angelo, which we also didn't go in because it was too expensive.


The Angel Bridge to the Castle.


We ended up at a flea market, and Brian bought me a present!


Saint Cecelia's remains are in her church.


The apse in Saint Maria of Trastevere.


Gelato!


And that was seriously about it. A lot of the pictures we took in churches over the last 4 days need to be edited for contrast because it's just too dark to really see. I'll have to do that some other time. I think we saw about 4 churches per day...so 16 churches in all? So it gets confusing which one is which as well.

Our train left at 8, and we slept in couchettes in a compartment with a nice family from Korea. They got off the train around 4am, and we arrived in Zurich, Switzerland around 8am. That post is next!

Rome Trip Day 3

Day 3, or Saturday August 8th, was designated as our Vatican Day. We were going to do everything in the Vatican that there was to do. We started with Saint Peter's Basilica.

Outside St. Peter's.


Here is a member of the Swiss Guard. They are traditional mercenaries who guard the Pope. And they dress awesome.


Here is Michelangelo's Pietà


Here I am touching St. Peter's feet. I don't know why I look so sad. I was really excited! I think that's my pious Catholic woman face.


The Pope List.


A nice picture of the baldachino and altar where only the Pope may celebrate Mass.


One of the amazing altars in St. Peter's.


Here I am in all my glory.


And here we are in our sweaty glory together!


Then it was time for the Vatican Museums. This is one of the most important museums in the world. It's main claim to fame is the Sistine Chapel.

Unfortunately, you are not allowed to use cameras in this area. Nor were you allowed to use cameras in the crypt where the Popes are laid to rest...

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I took videos with my camera in both places. C'mon people! I'm not shoving out $2K to get to Europe and then not take a photo! But for fear that the Pope's people will hunt me down, I'm not going to post it. Sorry folks.

Anyway, let's continue.

Here are the twin Santa Maria churches in Plaza del Popolo.


Here we are in the gardens above the Plaza.


We hung around here for awhile and walked in the park before heading home for another night of McDonald's. No wonder we haven't lost any weight despite all this walking! Haha.

Rome Trip Day 2

Day 2 was very labor intensive. I'm surprised my feet didn't fall off. Here are some of the amazing things we saw.

The chains St. Peter was bound in, located at San Pietro in Vincoli.


The famous statue of Moses by Michelangelo, also at San Pietro in Vincoli.


Basilica of St. John Lateran. The ceiling was made with the first gold brought back on the ships from America.


One of the many Egyptian obelisks imported to Rome by Emperor Hadrian. Seriously. There's one outside every important church.


Ok, I have to explain this picture. We saw three different types of these people in Rome. One was this guy, one was an Egyptian sarcophagus, and the other was a tin man. Basically they dress up from head to toe, paint their faces, and stand in the same position all day in hopes that you will give them a few coins. I'm poor so I just took pictures.


The Trevi Fountain.


The dome of the Pantheon. And some hooligans.


Outside the Pantheon.


Here is Largo di Torre Argentina, where four temples and Pompey's Theater now stands in ruins. It was on the steps of Pompey's Theater that Julius Caesar was killed.


The Spanish Steps.


Brian at the top of the Steps. Yes, he made me climb.


Here I am eating McDonald's. Next to an ancient Roman wall. In the underground train station. Did I mention that ancient Roman wall is in a McDonald's?


And so concludes Day 2, where we got to sleep in a really nice Hotel with AC that worked. Yay for the small things in life.

Rome Trip Day 1

In an effort to try and condense everything that we saw in Rome, which was way too much for my poor little brain, these next posts will be mostly pictures. Obviously, I can't post every picture or this blog would explode (we took about 500) so this is going to be the best of the best.

The one thing I will talk about though was our journey to Rome and our arrival. We took a train from Stuttgart to Karlsruhe, then we took a night train from Karlsruhe to Milano. This was the worst. We couldn't afford beds (60 euro per person on top of our ticket already) so we took seats. There are 6 seats in a cabin, and we got stuck with a smelly, old, loud Italian. Apparently he had been robbed earlier in his trip on this very train because he fell asleep and they took his bags. So for the next two hours all he did was explain to the other Germans what happened to him in very loud German with an Italian accent. Therefore, we didn't get much sleep. Finally we got to Milano, and then took another train to Rome. This time, it was first class. Very pleasant and I even slept a bit. They give you food and drinks too.

When we got to Rome we found our hotel after asking the female police officer for directions, avoided a street that was blocked off due to construction, and then made it to Hotel Serena. There was just one problem. Apparently, there are two Hotel Serenas. The one that booking.com booked us at was an hour outside of Rome. We couldn't believe it. Thankfully, the staff at the Hotel we had planned to stay at, and thought we were booked at, were very helpful. They called the other Hotel and had them cancel it without charging Brian. Still though, they didn't have a room for that night. But she found us a room across the street at Hotel California (and she did warn us it wasn't that nice), so we stayed there the first night, and stayed at Hotel Serena the next 2 nights. So, what could have turned out to be a real disaster turned out okay. Thank God.

Anyway, here are some pictures.



The Colosseum.


The trapdoors where they kept the animals and other such killing things.






These rocks are older than shit. I'm totally serious. This is where Romulus and Remus were supposedly raised by the she-wolf on the Palatine Hill.


The Forum.




Trajan's Market


It was at this point that an old man smiled at us and said, "It's nice to hear English again." We laughed and agreed, and he asked us where we were from. We said California, you know, being all nondescript. When we asked where he was from he replied, "Seal Beach, California." Brian couldn't think of anything to say for about 15 seconds, which is a really long time for him. But really, how amazing is that? We on the other side of the world, and we run into someone who lives in the same small beach town as Brian. Crazy.

Anyway, we had dinner at a nice outdoor cafe. Our only Italian dinner in Rome actually (we ate McDonald's the next 3 nights to save money). Then it was back to the Hotel for bed.