Buenos Aires Tres y Cuatro

Once again, another great international journey comes to a close!  Gillian and I are aboard our flight from Buenos Aires back to the United States via Atlanta sans any airline strike complications. We spent our final two days in South America split between Uruguay and Argentina, where we collected quite a few more passport stamps leaving and entering each country each time. 

On Friday morning, we boarded the Colonia Express ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, for a day trip to see the quieter side of South America. Colonia is about an hour away by boat across the Rio de la Plata, known to the locals as the widest river in the world though it looked more like a delta to me.  Colonia is famous for being a UNESCO World Heritage site because much of the historical town center has been preserved since its founding in the 17th century.  Colonia first was built by the Portuguese because of its proximity to the Spanish colonial capital of BA. From its shores, the Portuguese could keep an eye on the nearby Spanish as they sought to defend the Portuguese empire centered in Brazil. The city changed hands several times before finally becoming a permanent Spanish settlement.  

Instead of wandering around the historical center on our own for the 7 hours between our ferries, we hired a tour guide for the day, Damián. Usually we don't spend as much money as required for a private tour as do-it-your-self travelers; however, the price was fairly reasonable given we were crossing over to Uruguay. Damián was a fantastic tour guide, who showed us more of the city and gave us more history than we could have figured out from the 3-page insert in our BA book. Damián left Argentina 8 years ago in the middle of another financial crisis to escape the instability and fluctuation in the quality of life in the big city across the river. Uruguay is a tiny country of just over 3 million people that is best known for its soccer team, red wine, and offshore banking. Situated between Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay was once a part of the Argentinian territory as a province meant to buffer the country from its big Portuguese neighbor to the north. Now a lively and independent nation with perhaps the best education and quality of life in South America, Uruguay greets visitors with open arms and welcomes the chance to teach others about its culture. 

First, we started with a driving tour of the main old town center to get acquainted with the city and to grab a bite from a delicious Italian restaurant. Like Argentina, Uruguay was home to many Italian, English, Spanish, and even Swiss immigrants during the early 20th century who sought a life outside of Europe.  From lunch, we drove a bit into the countryside to tour a winery. The winery was small and family-owned, first created by the family's Swiss immigrant descendants that brought grapes from Europe. A particular grape, the Tannat, can really only be found in Uruguay despite its French roots, and it produces strong and full-bodied red wine similar to Argentinian Malbec. The winery also produced its own grappa (wine grape leftovers that become clear liquid like vodka), and they are the only producer of different varieties of grappa (Tannat, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) in all of Uruguay. 

After finishing the wine tasting (a little lightheaded for certain), we returned to the historical center for a walking tour with some bottled grappa for our enjoyment back to the U.S. The tour was led by a local woman, Maria, who taught us about more of the detailed past of Colonia. For example, the buildings in the city are a mix of Portuguese and Spanish construction. Portuguese buildings were made of rough stone, tiled roofs, and stone alleys that drained downward into the river. Spanish buildings had brick exteriors with flat roofs, iron railings, and streets built to drain down the sides instead of into the river. Maria also showed us the historic basilica that is host to many modern weddings from around the world due to its location and seating capacity. 

After the walking tour ended, we rounded out our day with Damián by seeing the remaining sites of Colonia like the beachfront and abandoned bullring from the early 20th century, which was used to attract tourists to Uruguay from BA. We boarded the ferry back to BA after passing through customs and collected even more exit/entry passport stamps. For dinner, we found our way back to the upscale Retiro neighborhood for dinner at the chic Floreria Atlantico. Located in the basement of a flower shop, this restaurant serves up modern Argentinian food with swanky cocktails using their homemade fruit-infused gin. Floreria was an eclectic mix of locals and foreigners on a Friday night and the perfect end to our day of traveling. 

On Saturday, our last day in Buenos Aires, we took it a bit easier as we explored the last uncharted neighborhoods of the city. We took a subway, which reminded me of the oldest Paris subway lines because of its tiny cars and painted tile stations, to the mainly Italian area of Palermo. Even though it is named for the infamous mobster city of Sicily, Palermo is now a gentrified and quiet barrio filled with restaurants, shopping, and scenic parks. We stopped quickly by the Plaza Serrano market around 11:30a only to discover the Saturday market was still being setup. It came as no surprise that Porteños do not rise before noon on weekends to begin their days. 

After leaving the market, we walked back through Palermo to the major city park, Parque de 3 Febrero. The highlights of the park included Rosedal (rose garden), the modern Planetario Galileo Galilei, and many Porteños enjoying the relatively cool and sunny weekend.  We continued to explore Palermo by foot and reached the largest art museum of the city, Museo de Arte Latino-americano de Buenos Aires (Malba).  Although the collect wasn't as impressive as we hoped, it contained a few pieces from major Latino artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. The mission of Malba is to display Latin America art rather than traditional European pieces found in other art museums, and the impressive modern building will serve as a home for future artists' work from the Americas. 

Before rounding out our final few hours in BA, we continued walking back towards Recoleta to visit the much more impressive weekend market there. Dozens of vendors gathered in the park to sell local products and art pieces, and we both picked up a few souvenirs to remember our time in Argentina. Last but not least, we grabbed lunch at a tiny traditional BA parrilla (steakhouse) with mostly locals enjoying the asado (barbecue) of famous Argentinian beef. We spent every last peso we had getting back to the hotel before grabbing a taxi over to Ezeiza international airport for our trip home. 

Buenos Aires was a completely different expierence than Rio de Janeiro - not necessarily better or worse. BA is a highly cultured and modern city in the style of many European capitals; however, it retains some of the unique elements that make it a South American destination. The people were friendly and willing to help out visitors, and they were extremely proud of the place they call home in Argentina. Much like New York or other large American cities, BA deserves to be seen on its own. However, I left BA feeling that there were many more places outside of the big city to see, and I hope to return one day to see the wine-filled lands of Mendoza, the plains of Patagonia, and the end of the continent as Argentina touches the Arctic. 

While I will be sad to end our adventurous vacation and return to the real world, I leave South America with a newfound appreciation of both the cultures I saw and my own culture.  Seeing new places and stepping out of my comfort zone are the reasons why I love to travel so much.  Although I have spent much of my time abroad before in Europe, I am very happy to have seen a completely different part of the world in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.  I'm not sure if or when I'll be back in South America, yet I look forward to learning more about this part of the world either on another trip or by talking with others about my experiences there. Best said in the words of mural I saw leaving Buenos Aires, travel is the only thing that costs money that makes you richer. 

Buenos Aires Uno y Dos

¡Hola from Argentina!  Gillian and I made it to Buenos Aires in the middle of the night Tuesday into Wednesday after our travel debacle. Much to our surprise, we learned that Argentina called for a one day transportation strike on Tuesday, which led to our canceled flight from Iguazù to BA. Eventually on Tuesday afternoon, we finally boarded our connecting flight from São Paulo to BA even though we were delayed until our arrival time fell after the end of the strike at midnight. We breezed through customs then arrived at the hostel by 2:30a; not even the "Paris of Latin America" is appealing at 3 in the morning. 

On Wednesday, we slept in before taking a free walking tour of downtown at 11a. Our tour guide Nicolás led a group of us, mostly from Latin American countries, through the windy streets and broad avenues at the heart of Buenos Aires. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the tour was mostly in Spanish to accommodate the group. The guide did his best to switch from Spanish to English and back, and Gillian and I welcomed the challenge of using our broken Romance language knowledge to follow along the tour in Spanish. We began the day at a replica colonial church and school near the center of the city, which was destroyed along with most colonial artifacts in the 19th century as the residents of BA tried to "modernize" the city. Within just a few blocks of seeing the city, you can clearly see how very different and European is in comparison to the lively and tropical Rio de Janeiro. 

The next main sight we visited was Plaza de Mayo. The central square holds many of the most important government buildings of the city including the Casa Rosada (Rose House), the executive office of the Argentinian President, the Banco de la Nación Argentina, and the Cabildo museum. This central plaza is home to many of the protests often run by Argentinian citizens, which is evident by a permanent protest fence in front of the Casa Rosada and the accompanying police van parked outside with a water cannon. Also located on the square is the Catedral Metropolitana, the main church of BA that was once the seat of Pope Francis' cardinalship and holds the body of famous colonial liberator San Martin. During this part of the tour, we began learning of the dual history of Argentina as both a modern developing country and a dictatorial military state. 

Next, we moved to tour the headquarters of the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT), which is the largest and most established labor union in Argentina. Other than delaying our trip because of a transportation strike they organized, CGT is most famous for its relationship with the most beloved Argentinian politician Eva Perón, or Evita.  Although she is most memorable to Americans for her portrayal by Madonna and the song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," Evita is the national heroine of Argentina who's likeness and memory live everywhere in BA. Located at CGT is a small museum where Evita once had an office and eventually a place to hold her embalmed body for private display after her premature death from cancer at the age of 33. Evita is a symbol of the rise of the middle class during the 1950s as the aristocracy of Argentina yielded less power and influence. We also learned about the fall of populist Perónism and beginning of several decades of dictatorial rule until the final liberation of Argentina in the 1980s. Our guide provided us with much of this historical context that we wouldn't have had walking around on our own, and the weather finally began to cooperate after a whole day of chilly winter air. Unlike Rio, BA required us to have on jackets and layers to make it through the chilly day; however, it never gets cold enough to snow here. 

Our tour ended near our hostel in the neighborhood in San Telmo, which is a bit off the beaten path but quickly gentrifying because of its location next to the city center.  We rested up and began planning on final three days in South America, which will include a trip to Uruguay across the Rio de la Plata on Friday.  Before dinner, we wandered to the nearest ATM to collect more pesos, which inflate at 25% a year and come in mostly A$100 denominations (or $9 USD) per banknote. It's a bit tricky to keep track of spending when the price of beers run A$30 and meals about A$150. Prices in BA are still pretty reasonable compared to the States but more expensive than Brazil. Later we went to dinner at the Casal de Catalunya, which served up delicious Spanish seafood and Argentine Malbec wine. Before calling it a night, we explored our neighborhood to get drinks at San Telmo Square complete with a funny Rolling Stones cover band. 

Today we took another walking tour in a different part of town, Retiro and Recoleta, which are the most upscale neighborhoods in all of Buenos Aires. After taking a quick bus to the other side of town, we whizzed by the major skyscrapers and business people (Argentina has the most western business relations in Latin America) to begin our tour of the quieter life in BA. Retiro is the oldest aristocratic neighborhood in the city, which was modeled after 18th century Paris with its architecture and beautiful old avenues. The richest people in BA built elaborate mansions and palaces in Retiro to show their wealth and bring European culture to Argentina. Walking the streets reminds one more of a European capital than a South American city, which was much more my style than Brazil I must admit.  Rio de Jaineiro was unlike any place I've been in the world with its spicy culture and scenic landscapes, but I could not imagine spending much more time there because of the relaxed culture and sense of insecurity. Buenos Aires feels more like a transplanted European city with high culture, modern amenities, and a slight Latin twist. Nearly 90% of Porteños ("port" people from BA) self-identify as European, with most coming from Italian, French, Spanish, English, and German descent. While it is not nearly as diverse in race and creed as Rio, BA embraces both its European and Latin roots. 

Our tour wound through the streets filled with embassies, hotels, and wealthy complexes before finishing at the Cementerio de la Recoleta, which holds the final resting places of the BA elite. Just like the famous cousin cemeteries of New Orleans and Père Lechaise in Paris, the graves are built above ground in elaborate mausoleums meant to show the power of families during their lifetimes.  Recoleta is a beautiful yet dark mix of cement and stone, and its most visited grave is that of Evita. This is the ultimate oxymoron be user the people's champion is buried in the wealthiest place in BA; however, after many years of her body being kidnapped and lost, her family hoped to find a permanent and safe place for her to be visited by the people of Argentina. 

Finally, we walked through the Tribunales neighborhood (barrio) to visit the Teatro Colón, BA's opera house and nod to its cousins in Paris and Italy. We took a tour in English where our guide told us about both the building and the history of arts in Argentina. Much like in Europe, having tickets to operas and shows was a social gathering and display of wealth, which lasted until the 1980s when the govnerment finally bought all the remaining opera boxes and made the theatre public. We didn't get to see much of main auditorium because the lights were off as the crews did lighting tests in the winter off season.  Still, it was cool to see the behind the scenes production work as the massive opera house gears up for its next season. 

Although we're already halfway through our time in BA, we still have much to explore in this most popular tourist destination in all of South America.  Tonight, we're hoping to visit a milango (tango club) to see the national tradition of tango dancing.  Tomorrow, we're off to visit the colonial town of Colonia in Uruguary before our final day in BA. For now, ciao!

Rio Três e Quatro com Cataratas del Iguazú

I'm writing this second Rio entry from an unexpected flight to São Paulo to connect from Iguazu Falls to Buenos Aires. Gillian and I were supposed to be spending a full day at the waterfalls on the Brazil and Argentina border; however, we learned that our connecting flight the next day to BA had been canceled. With a little bit of panicking and even more careful alternate planning, we should be touching down in Buenos Aires right on time by Tuesday night. Since my last post, we spent our final two days in Rio de Jaineiro making the most of our final moments there. 

On Sunday, we decided to recover from our night out in Lapa by spending the day at the beach. Instead of lounging on the people's beach of Ipanema again, we made our way to the more posh beach of Copacabana. Upon our arrival, we rented chairs and umbrellas for R$20, which only comes out to around $7. I think anyone would be hard-pressed to find beach rentals so affordable anywhere in the United States. Speaking of prices, overall, Rio has been more affordable than I had expected for a major Latin American center. The U.S. dollar is strong in comparison to the Brazilian Real at this time, and the cost of living in Rio is only expensive in comparison to much of the rest of Brazil. Rio has many fantastic sights and beautiful beaches; however, there is a massive amount of urban poverty. More socioeconomic commentary to come. 

After lounging on the Copacabana beach for most of the daylight, we took a taxi (also cheap!) to the Pão de Açucar (or Sugarloaf Mountain). Named for its conical shape, Sugarloaf sits in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean shoreline surrounding much of Rio. Rio is unlike anywhere I've ever been before with its beaches forming right next to tall mountains with lofty viewpoints. Sugarloaf is famous for its panoramic perches, which we were able to take advantage of by riding two separate cable cars all the way to the top. Even though Cristo Redentor provided spectacular views, Sugarloaf's positioning within Rio's harbor provided us with a sunset that can't be forgotten. 

After climbing back down from Sugarloaf, we rested for a bit before heading to an authentic Brazilian barbecue dinner recommended by a friend (thanks, Gahan!).  Carretão is an upscale churrascaria, which the chain Fogo de Chao is modeled after, serving meats brought right to your table and plenty of fresh sides. To be honest, it was one of the first times we came across vegetables in Brazil, where most people's diets seem to be filled with meat, cheese, rice, bread, and the occasional fruit. After enjoying our mutli-course dinner for $30 complete with Argentinian wine (can't wait for some Malbec in BA!), we digested at an Ipanema neighborhood bar called Barthodomeu on cheap pilsner beer. Fun fact: Brazilians are the third largest consumers of beer in the world while 98% of beer sold is light pilsners. No craft beer to be found in Brazil!

On our final day in Brazil Monday, we decided to take a full day tour of a favela neighborhood. Favelas are infamous around the world for their crowded quarters, drug trafficking, and general violence/social unrest. While it's not recommended to take a tour of one of the 1,000 favelas in Rio on your own, there are several companies that take visitors on guided tours in the safest favelas. While I was not as keen on the idea as Gillian, I learned a lot of information and facts about the people and culture of the Rocinha favela in Rio. More than 300,000 live in this particular favela, which was only the size of any neighborhood in Rio. That's more people than live in the entire city of Madison!

Rocinha was more developed in many ways than I expected. There were fully thriving businesses, schools, transportation, grocers, and housing. Although the quality was expectedly low considering it houses the poorest of Rio's residents, the favela reminded me less of the thriving city of Rio and more of the poorer Central American places I've been such as Nicaragua. Our guide, Jody, was a British national and gringo in his early thirties who moved to Brazil and has lived in the favela for those two years. He was knowledgable about Rocinha and able to provide much of the context of what makes a favela both a thriviling cultural hub and an underserved zone. Seated between two highly expensive communities, Rocinha is one of 60 favelas that have undergone "pacification" in the past several years because of its central location and upcoming major events like the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. Pacification meant a large police presence and subsequent violence between the police and the drug trafficking gangs. During our tour, we witnessed much peace and calm surrounded by armed military police presence, who carried large assault weapons and were covered in combat gear. Other than seeing the police, our tour was safe and gave us the chance to interact with real people in Brazil. In many ways, the favela had a stronger sense of community and well being than the neighborhood I taught in during my time in Baltimore City; however, it also had the sense of external social mobility stagnation and little chance of leaving or receiving quality education. 

After touring the favela, we made our way for one last sunset at the rocky point between Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. As the sun literally set on our four days in Rio de Janeiro, Gillian and I said goodbye to Andres, who would be leaving Rio the next morning to return to his university assignment in northeast Brazil. After taking a very busy and treacherous cab ride to the Rio international airport, we finally made it to the gate for our flight to the Brazilian side of the falls at Foz do Iguaçu. Just as we were about to board our flight, we received an email stating that our flight for the next night out of the Argentine side of the falls in Puerto Iguazu was canceled. Faced with getting stuck in Iguaçu, we boarded the flight anyways. When we arrived, we headed straight to the hotel to grab WiFi and look for alternate plans. Luckily, we were able to get a flight out of the Brazilian side to BA via São Paulo. With a hefty cost and no help from Expedia, we made the choice to lose half a day in the waterfalls in order to get to Buenos Aires on time for our four days there. 

That being said, today's journey through the Parque Nacional Iguazu in Argentina was amazing and worth the extra hassle. We spent the night as planned on the Brazilian side of the falls, and we woke up early to figure out how to make the most of the six hours before our flights to BA. We were extremely lucky to have a tour company situated right in our hotel by chance, and the guides helped arrange the perfect private ride to and from the more scenic Argentine side of Iguazu. Unfortunately, we had to miss the Brazilian-side park in Foz do Iguaçu, but we think we made the right choice of which sid of the falls to see.  The guides took care of helping us cross the border each way and to enter the park without struggling to find an ATM for the currency change to Argentine pesos to buy tickets. They even took care of our bags while we were in the park and brought us to the airport for our earlier flight this afternoon. 

Even though it took a lot of extra planning and expense, the waterfalls were incredible. Once we entered the park right at opening when crowds were low, we took a two-stop train (more like one of those trains you see at a zoo or amusement park for families) to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). This section of the park houses a walking trail that takes you right to the very top of the massive main waterfall. Though I haven't been to Niagara Falls, Iguazu supposedly rivals and bests its North American cousin. We were able to walk so close that we were soaked from the spray as the water went barreling down the breathtaking cliffs. After taking plenty of photos at the falls, we took the train back down to hike some of the smaller paths that provided views of the falls from the base and the chance to get closer to dozens of surrounding smaller waterfalls. 

Hopefully I'll have nothing more to report of our journey out of Brazil and truly into Argentina for the rest of our adventure in South America. I am really excited to be seeing Buenos Aires, which has more a European flair and what I predict will be more my style of travel. For now, tchau to Brasil and ¡hola to Argentina!

Rio Um e Dois

After a more than yearlong reprieve from my travel blog, it's time to revive Beegs in Europe from the ashes. In its newly-reborn form, I am proud to present Beegs in South America!  I am one day into my 9-day whirlwind journey through both Brazil and Argentina. My travel partner in crime Gillian and I met up last night in Atlanta for the beginning of our trek to the Southern Hemisphere. This morning, we arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after a 9-hour flight from Atlanta and hit the ground running. Over the course of our adventure, we will be visiting Rio, Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Iguazu Falls in between. We'll also be meeting up with our friend from Baltimore Andres in Rio since he moved to Brazil this year to begin a Fulbright Program Scholarship. 

Although I've had the chance to visit many places across Europe and even as far in the world as Nicaragua and Costa Rica in Central America, this marks the first time I've been as far south as Brazil. Luckily, it's also only a one hour time difference from the East Coast, so there's less jetlag to overcome. Even though we've been here for just 12 hours, it's easy to get a feel for Rio de Janeiro as a cross between Latin American flare and European history. Rio is more developed that either Central American country I've been to previously; however, it has the same grit and personality that European cities don't seem to be able to match. Portuguese is the language of Brazil, and luckily I am able to read the signs and follow along because of my background in French and previous visit to Portugal. The pronunciation of Portuguese is unlike any other Romance language, which has made communication a welcome challenge for us gringos ("white people"). Gillian and I stick out like sore thumbs here with her bright red hair and my blue eyes. 

Upon our landing in Brazil, Gillian and I took a taxi from the airport to our hostel in the downtown neighborhood of Gloria. Gloria is central to many of the best places in Rio, which can be reached by a combination of walking, subway, and bus.  Our hostel is nice even by European standards, and the staff is very willing to give advice and directions on the best ways the experience Rio. After unloading our bags (we both fit 9 days of clothes into just backpacks!), we hoped on a city bus to the farthest side of town to explore the less accessible areas so we could cross them off our list. First, we visited Parque Lage, a man-made luscious park complete with a colonial School of Visual Arts center, replica caves, tiny monkeys that act like squirrels, and a view of the Cristo Redentor statue from the base of the Corcovado (hunchback) mountain. We could have hiked to CR from Parque Lage but opted to save that for another day. 

Next, we walked around the spectacular Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (saltwater lagoon) and Jardim Botânico (botanic gardens). The lagoon is surrounded by luxury highrise apartments and expansive walking/bike paths. The Jardmin has over 8,000 plant species including a Orquidario, which housed several magnificent orchid varieties, with more squirrel monkeys bothering the visitors for food leftovers. After the garden, we set for lunch along the lagoon at a surprisingly good Middle Eastern restaurant for food and caipirinhas.  Caipirinhas are the national drink of Brazil, made from crushed limes, sugar, ice, and cachaça (sugarcane rum). Between the travel, sun, and strong cachaça, just one caipirinha put us on a good start to the evening. We walked to the other side of the lagoon before branching off to the beaches. Interestingly enough, the Lagoa area will host next year's Olympic Village for the 2016 Rio Summer Games, which we noticed from the major construction and signage happening in the area. 

Our final stop during the day was the Ipanema beach, made famous around the world by the song "The Girl from Ipanema" that made Brazilian bosso nova music more popular both here and abroad. Before hitting the beach, we stopped to buy beach towels and a pair of Brazilian Havaianas sandals, which are only $5 here and $40+ at home. On our way to the beach, we happened to stumble by the H. Stern precious stone museum, which was highly recommended by our book. In our finest beach bum attire, we signed up for the "tour," which we quickly realized was actually a ploy to sell visitors some of Brazil's finest stones like amethyst and aquamarine. Eventually, we made it to Ipanema to sit in the sun and capture some of the breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean and seaside mountains. However, our sun time was short lived when we quickly realized the sun sets by 5:30 in Rio as the winter approaches on this side of the world. That being said, it was still balmy 70-80s all day with sunshine and blue skies.

For the evening, we followed several people's recommendation to try the Bar do Mineiro in the Santa Theresa neighborhood for good traditional Brazilian food. First, no one warned us that the "short 15 minute walk" was a hike uphill for 30 minutes. Next, we did not realize how traditional the place would be because it was difficult to communicate with the non-English-speaking staff. We eventually were able to order the house speciality, feijoada, a classical Brazilian black bean and meat stew over rice. In a struggle to ask the staff for more information on the ingredients, Gillian and I made friends with the Brazilian couple sitting next to us, who spoke great English. We talked and drank with them all night, and Andres finally arrived to meet us in Rio from his Fulbright location in a more rural northern part of the country. We stayed out a little too late and probably had one to many shots of cachaça before heading home down the Sta. Teresa hill home to Glorio, but it was really great to experience Rio with local hosts and flavor. 

On day two of four in Rio, we took a walking tour of the historic center of the city. Much like the free walking tours I've taken all over Europe, this tour led us around the city to many places we might never have seen otherwise with great historical and cultural context. Our guide, who has lived all over the world in Spain, Brazil, and the U.S., helped us to learn more about how Rio came to be the major and magnificent city it is today. Rio de Janeiro was previously the capital of the Portuguese Empire, Brazil, and the gold rush of European colonial times. Although it was just a city of 70,000 merchant and slaves for its first 300 years, Rio became the capital of Portugal's worldwide empire in 1808 as the King of Portugal fled Napoloean's reign of terror in Europe. From that event, Brazil grew and grew into the massive Latin American country it is today, but it's history before is very short and not as elaborate as one might expect. During the tour, we saw the few remaining colonial streets and the former royal palace, which was constructed for the monarchy's arrival in Brazil. Over the next 100 years, Brazil became a free and independent country with Rio as its political and cultural hub. In the early 20th century, politicians in Rio built European-inspired building like the City Hall, National Theatre, and National Library on the Cinelândia square. The tour ended at the Escadaria Selarón, a set of tile-covered stairs built over 20 years by a local artist with tiles gathered or given from around the world. I even spotted a tile from Bourbon Street in New Orleans!

After the tour ended, we made our way to catch a bus to the Corcovado, which houses the Cristo Redentor statue and spectacular views of the city. The bus ride up the mountain, which stretches 2500 feet up into the skyline of Rio, was treacherous between the winding tiny roads and crazy traffic/driving style of the city. Eventually, we made it to the pinnacle, which was teeming with thousands of local and international tourists trying to snap the best photos of the cityscape and selfies with the gigantic Jesu Cristo statue. Corcovado was first settled in the late 1800s when a cable car was built to scale the mountain, and the Art Deco monument was constructed in the 1920s right atop the mountain to commemorate 100 years of Brazilian independence. The statue stands 100 feet tall and sees more than a million visitors annually. Although I do not personally love heights, I am glad that I made the trek to the top to see the views even though I stayed as far away from the edge as possible. Tonight, we'll be going for dinner and drinks in the Lapa neighborhood, which is famous around the world for its nightlife, samba dancing, and street caipirinhas. For now, tchau ("bye" in Portuguese)!

Dublin Take 2

That's a wrap, folks!  Gillian and I are on board the British Airways flight back to the States from London to Baltimore.  Our connecting flight from Dublin arrived late, so we had to rush around Heathrow before we made it to our plane just in time for final boarding.  This will be the last posting from this round of European adventures.  Although it was my shortest venture to Europe yet, I throughly enjoyed my time in the UK and Ireland.  People here are so warm and welcome to visitors, and I made connections with so many different people this go round.  I can't wait to plan another adventure abroad soon, but that will have to wait for another day!  For now, let's talk about Dublin. 

After our adventure in Belfast in Northern Ireland, we took the Enterprise train south on the Irish Sea coast on the eastern side of Ireland down to Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland.  This is my second time in Dublin, and I was happy to return after I had such a great time when I was here in the summer of 2010.  Upon our arrival at Connelly Central station, we took the Luas ("speed" in Gaelic) light rail to our hostel on the south side of the River Liffey.  We had a traditional Irish pub meal for dinner at The Brazen Head, of course accompanied by Guinness.  I had my favorite dish in Ireland, bangers and mash or sausage and mashed potatoes.  To our dismay, we learned that on Friday, which is the feast of Good Friday in the Catholic tradition, all pubs and stores would not be allowed to serve alcohol per an old Irish state law.  This is one of those footnotes in a guidebook that you always ignore, but our spring break ran right in the middle of this traditional Easter weekend.  To prepare for the dry spell, we went out our first night in Dublin at The Temple Bar.  It was jam packed because of the upcoming holiday, which I dubbed Black Friday with the lack of alcohol in Ireland of all places, and the live music.  They were very serious about the rules and closed at midnight!  Regardless, we had a great time listening to music and talking to other travelers in the bar. 

On Friday, we expected everything to be closed and dead for Good Friday; however, all the streets were more crowded than I'd ever seen in Dublin!  Apparently all the locals leave for Easter because so many tourists arrive in Dublin for their own Easter break.  We took a walking tour of the city, led by the same company as the one in Edinburgh.  Our tour lasted nearly 4 hours winding through historic Dublin, and our tour guide James gave us plenty of history and stories along the way.  Some of the sights we saw were Christchurch Cathedral, Temple Bar, the River Liffey, the Ha'Penny Bridge, Irish Parliament, and St. Stephen's Green.  Ireland has such a rich yet tragic history, and it did not gain its true independence until 1949 from rulers like the Vikings, Anglo-Normans, and British Empire.  Despite these troubles and events like the famous Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s that expanded the Irish diaspora across the globe to places like the United States, the Irish are such a happy and friendly people always willing to share their traditions with others.  

After the tour, we decided to purchase tickets for a day trip and pub crawl on Saturday to make up for the Good Friday alcohol ban.  We headed over the Kilmainham Goal prison, which I visited last time, because of its rich history as a prison and center of unrest against the British Empire.  Because of the Easter crowds, we were taken on an alternate tour to keep up with the demand, so I got to see a different part of the prison that I had previously.  We grabbed dinner later at a small noodle place where even the old Irish man at the counter was so friendly to us.  He even gave me the special price on the meal despite mine being different that the perscribed choice.  We ate at hostel and got to know a few other travelers like a girl from University of Michigan who just left Prague before arriving in Dublin.  Although I was very much craving a Guinness with dinner, we were sadly out of luck on Friday.  Or so we thought!  Our hostel, which we will leave unnamed for their protection, sold us songs for €3 that included a free Guinness with it!  Must have been a leprechaun watching over us. 

On Saturday, we rejoined our tour guide James and some friends from the walking tour including other Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Swiss Germans.  We took the DART train about 30 minutes north of Dublin to Howth, a sleepy sea village in the far suburbs of the city.  On my last visit, we went all the way across the country to the west coast with Galway and the Cliffs of Moher.  This time I'm glad we decided to stay closer to Dublin for a day trip, although I am always amazed at how many different places there are to see in a small country like Ireland.  Our tour of Howth led us around the peninsula past castles and up to the top of a hill with spectacular views of the surrounding area with green land for days that makes the name of the Emerald Isle fitting.  Along the way, James filled us in on stories about Howth and other Irish myths including leprechauns folklore.  For lunch, we stopped at a pub on the cliffs for yet another round of bangers and mash and the return of Guinness taps!   After a long lunch, we finished the day trip with a hike along the Howth cliffs overlooking the Irish Sea.  The views were stunning and so often taken for granted by Irish according to our guide.  

After our trip to Howth, we grabbed a quick bite to eat before starting our pub crawl through Dublin on our last night in Europe.  We started at 7:30, and I certainly lost count of how many Guinness pints I had before we finally got home at the wee hours of the morning.  We had a blast socializing with the friends we made on our day tours, and it was sad to leave our new friends from around the world.  Bright and early on Easter morning before our flights out, we went to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour and a pint as any good Irishman would celebrate the holiday.  Since I was there last, they added a new part where you learn how to properly pour a pint before snapping a photo and taking your freshly poured Guinness up to the top floor for a view of the whole city.  

This has been yet another amazing trip through Europe, but I already feel like there are so many more places to see!  Just to think of all the cities and parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland that I have yet to see makes me want to come back soon.  Alas, it wouldn't be a vacation if it happened all the time.  I love this part of the world, and I could easily see myself spending more time here.  The people are great, the sights are amazing, the language is manageable (expect maybe in Scotland!), and the possibilities are endless.  Cheers to another trip in the future, and I hope you enjoyed this round of Beegs in Europe!!

Northern Ireland: Belfast

Gillian and I are currently on the train from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland for the final leg of our journey, hoping for a passport stamp as we cross the border out of the United Kingdom for the first time this trip.  As you may know, Northern Ireland is separate from the rest of Ireland as it has retained its ties to England by remaining a part of the United Kingdom.  Although I certainly had a basic knowledge of the conflict between Protestant and Catholic Ireland before my trip to Belfast, it was much more powerful to be in the center of the historical action to really understand more of the struggle.  Since I was only 8 years old when the latest and longest peace accord (The Good Friday Accord) was signed between the UK and Republic of Ireland, I do not have the first-hand knowledge of the struggle for rights and independence between the Unionist Protestants and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) that plagued Ireland from the 1960s-1990s in what was dubbed the most recent set of "The Troubles."

Our day-long journey to Belfast began at 4 in the morning with a 25-minute flight from Glasgow to Belfast. Luckily, this time our travel luck at the airport was present.  We scored a free ride on the bus to the airport because the ticket machine wasn't working, and there were no lines or snafus at security.  Guess the luck of the Irish was shining upon this leg of our trip!  Once we landed and made our way to the city center, we dropped our bags off at the train station and headed for the tourist information center. Ireland's friendly people were immediately apparent, and everyone was willing to help us.  Plus, we could definitely understand their accents better than those of the Scots.  After doing some research before our flight, we decided to take one of the famous Black Taxi Tours to get a better sense of Belfast.  Gillian and I were taken on a private tour of Belfast's West Side, where the majority of the violence between Catholics and Protestants was concentrated during The Troubles.  Our driver, Bobby, was born and raised in the Protestant section of Belfast; however, his description of events was incredibly honest and unbiased.  He has been a taxi driver in Belfast for 41 years, since before the beginning of The Troubles.  Taxis are the only method of transportation that was consistently open for the entire period of violence when buses and city transit shut down.  There's even a dedicated mural to those taxi drivers like Bobby who risked their lives to keep the citizens of Belfast moving. 

Having a guide like Bobby gave us a whirlwind history lesson on the immense struggle between Irish and English sentiments that have torn apart Northern Ireland, which is only recently recovering to have tourists like us coming to visit the city.  We began our tour on the Protestant side of West Belfast where the sides of many homes are painted with murals honoring the heroes, dead, and historical figures of the Protestant and English traditions of Northern Ireland.  This part of town was fairly run down and gloomy, but there are improvements and new construction finally coming to this section.  Next, we saw the wall that separates the Catholic and Protestant sections of town, which is three stories high to prevent bombs and violence.  It reminds me of the Berlin Wall with its murals and peace memorials.  What makes it different is the fact that it is still very much intact, and the 17 gates in and out of the wall still close on large holidays like St. Patrick's Day and Remembrance Day.  On the Catholic side, there were more updated dwellings and memorials to the 10 men who died on hunger strikes in the 1980s and those killed in the first bombings of the Catholic side in 1968.  Although there is clearly peace and progress in Belfast, it's hard to shake the feeling that there is still a great divide between the people in the city.  According to Bobby, it will be up to the younger generations to maintain peace and bridge communication between both parties to grow as a people. 

After the riveting and enlightening tour, we explorered the Queens University area of town where students of both religions attend in the main academic institution of the country.  We had lunch at a small breakfast place popular with students called Maggie Mays (à la Rod Stewart), where I had a traditional English/Irish breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs, beans, potato bread, and soda bread.  When we finished lunch, we headed to tour the Botanical Gardens of the university and the Ulster Museum, which contains artifacts of the history of the 9 counties of Ireland that make up the northern region constantly divided between Irish and English.  On the most typical weather day so far (cold, rainy, and gray), we headed for refuge at the train station before our cross country journey south to the capital of the Irish Republic in Dublin.  We were sure to spend all our British Pounds as we head to the Eurozone next. 

Although Belfast is a mix of Irish, English, and even Scottish (Gaelic brethren) traditions, it very much reminded me of former communists cities that I have visited in the past like Prague and Budapest.  Although the streets were busy and there were beautiful historic buildings, something felt distinctly non-Western in Belfast.  First, there is a lack of long-term culture from medieval and Renaissance times that exists in other European cities and countries.  Belfast seems to have been the most likely place for the English in Northern Ireland to establish an economic center and cultural hub; however, there are a disproportionate number of 20th century buildings in such an ancient country like Ireland.  To me, there is a clear affect on Belfast like I've seen in Berlin where conflict stunts the development of a city culture, leaving it unable to match the prowess of other European destinations.  Like Prague or Berlin, I very much enjoyed my time learning about the city's rich history, but I wouldn't want to spend a long time there if given other European options.  Nevertheless, I am happy to experience a new place with such a distinct history and uncertain future full of both hope and tenuousness.  That's all for our short jaunt to Northern Ireland!  Next up: a return excursion to Dublin!

Scotland 2: Glasgow

Today, we're flying across the Irish Sea from Scotland to Northern Ireland for the final two stops of our trip in Belfast and Dublin!  We spent the last two days in the cosmopolitan and industrial city of Glasgow, which is probably most know for being in the Abba song "Super Trooper."  Although our guide books for Scotland seriously downplayed Glasgow in comparison to Edinburgh, we very much enjoyed our time in the Scottish arts capital. The residents were always friendly and willing to give us tips on places to see and things to experience. 

We arrived on Tuesday afternoon on a short hour-long train ride across the country from Edinburgh in the east to Glasgow in the west. Upon our arrival into central Glasgow, we made our way to the River Clyde where our hotel was located to drop off our bags and begin planning our visit of the city.  We decided to take the subway, which only has one line that runs in a loop around the city, to the posh, student-oriented West End. Home to the University of Glasgow, the fourth oldest university in the UK, the West End is full of bars, shops, and restaurants catered to a generally young and hip crowd. We began with dinner at Oran Mor, a bar inside of a former church.  We had our taste of traditional Scottish fare: fish and chips and bangers and mash. Although I do enjoy the meat and potato diet of Scotland and Ireland, there is a reason British cuisine has not left its mark on the international food scene.  After dinner, we wandered past the university grounds and down the main bar drag, Byres Street, stopping at 3-4 pubs along the way. Per chance, we ended our night at the Lismore Pub where there was a group of 10 musicians playing traditional Scottish music with fiddles, drums, guitars, and bagpipes. It was awesome to see Scots young and old playing music on a random Tuesday night in Glasgow. 

After a night of rest, we began our first and only full day in Glasgow with a walking tour of the city.  Glasgow is very walkable, and the city center is a compact area with all the main sights and streets together. Glasgow has a distinctly more "new world" feeling versus Edinburgh with its medieval walls and castle hills. The streets are lined with modern buildings (i.e. 1800s and later) and Glaswiegans going about their days. There are many different periods of Glasgow's architecture, stemming from the industrial period from the richer merchant class homes and working class tenements. There are signs across the city that read "People Make Glasgow," which reminds people not to take themselves and their city too seriously. For example, the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art has a bright colored glass mosaic on top of a Romanesque building with a traffic cone on the head of the bronze statue out front. 

Near the end of our walking tour, we stopped at the world famous Glasgow School of Art for a tour. This school has educated and trained many of the UK's best artists, with specialties like painting, ceramics, printmaking, and jewelry design. The most famous part of the school, where our tour explored, is the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building. Designed by a former student at the beginning of the Art Deco period, the Mackintosh building is a tribute to this architect's unique style and the modern era of architecture followed suit by buildings like the Chrystler Building in New York City. Mackintosh created a building that was designed for art students to create their works in and for standing as art itself. Mackintosh's designed his own furniture for the building, which can also be seen at his famous Willow Tea Rooms in the city.  Our tour guide was a ceramics student herself, who provided insights into life of students and professors at the School of Art. 

After walking across the city, we made a final stop at the Glasgow Catherdal of St. Mungo. It is a stark example of a high gothic cathedral in a country that dismantled many gothic churches during the Reformation in favor of simpler Presbyterian churches. Next door, the Necropolis is a large cemetery on a hill in the style of Pere Lechaise in Paris. We wandered back to the city center after a long day of sightseeing before grabbing dinner in the oldest pub in Glasgow. Sloan's has been operating since the 1790s, and there is even traditional Scottish dancing (ceilidh) on Friday nights. 

We had an early morning Thursday on our 7am flight for Glasgow to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland and our final stop in the UK.  Glasgow was an energetic and highly underrated city with the modern heartbeat of Scotland. English is certainly the language of Scotland, but we did have some trouble understanding many of the residents with their heavy Scottish accents and colloquial words like "aye" for "yes" and "cheers" for any greeting or thanks.  Although the winding streets and medieval history of Edinburgh are not to be missed, Glasgow has a hip and funky flare that are the total opposite of its Scottish rival city.  Of particular note, Glasgow will be host to the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and it's clearly excited to show itself off during the event.  Next update will be from Ireland after our journey in Great Britain comes to a close!  Cheers!  

Scotland 1: Edinburgh

This afternoon Gillian and I are taking the train across Scotland from the capital, Edinburgh, to the  largest city, Glasgow. As in the rest of Europe, the train service is clean, fast, affordable, and far more manageable than flying. We spent the last two days here in the Jewel of Scotland, Edinburgh, which is home to the historical and political heart of this country. Although it is certainly a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of London, Edinburgh holds its own as an important city of the United Kingdom. 

Of particular excitement at this time, Scotland is preparing to hold a referendum vote on its independence from the United Kingdom. This underscores much of the rich history of rivalry between England and Scotland that we learned about on our tour of Edinburgh, which is steeped in tales of wars and kingdoms from the medieval period to today. In 1998, the UK passed the Scotland Act, which devolved power to allow Scotland to have its own parliament and lawmaking institutions.  Scottish Nationalists today are campaigning for full independce of the Scottish country with the upcoming election; however, there seem to be mixed opinions on what the future of Scotland will be. We even saw a car driving around the city shouting Scottish music from the windows and towing a giant "VOTE YES!" sign behind it!

We began our journey in Scotland yesterday by flying from London to Edinburgh. On our early morning flight, we seemed to use up all our bad airport luck. Every train we took, we just missed the previous one. At security, we picked the longest lines of course. I even had to go through extra baggage security, with every single article of clothing in my bag having to be combed through. Luckily, we made it to the gate just in time for our flight and a pleasant journey.  After landing and taking a bus into central Edinburgh, we checked into our hostel in the center of Old Town. Edinburgh is divided into two sides, Old and New Town, which are aptly named for their apparent ages. Old Town is the historic and medieval section of town lined with stone buildings and castles. New Town was constructed in the late 1700s by the wealthy and noble to escape the filfth and crowds of the city. They drained the loch (lake) down the hill and constructed a picturesque Georgian city with planned streets and open green parks. Edinburgh is home to the world's first skyscrapers, with many 11+ story medieval buildings pouring down the volcanic mountainside. Scots built Edinburgh down instead of out because many people were too poor to pay the city's entry/exit tariff at the toll gate and spent their whole lives in the protection of the city walls. 

After checking in, we hiked the Royal Mile up to Edinburgh Castle. This menacing medieval fortress is the most visited site in all of Scotland and the most recognizable element of Edinburgh. It served as a place of security and wealth a top the extinct volcanic mountain it was constructed upon over the last 1000 years. Many famous figures like Robert the Bruce, who established the Scottish Kingdom, William Wallace of Mel Gibson in Braveheart fame, and Mary Queen of Scots are associated with the castle. After an hour-long line, we finally made it into the castle just in time to see the famous one o'clock gun, which is shot once at 1p every day to mark the hour. Other famous parts of the castle ground include the palace where Mary lived, the National War Memorial, and the Crown Jewels of Scotland, which were returned recently from Westminister Abbey by Queen Elizabeth II on the condition they return to England for future coronations. 

From the castle, we headed to the center of the Royal Mile, which connects the Castle to the official royal residence of the Queen in Scotland known as Holyroodhouse Palace, for a free walking tour of Edinburgh. Prior to the tour, I stopped at a Starbucks for a coffee, and, to my surprise, the cashier knew of Metairie when I showed him my Louisiana ID with my credit card. By chance, he attended the University of Alabama for college and had a fraternity brother there from my hometown. What a small world!  Our tour looped us through many of the main sights of Edinburgh including the Royal Mile and St. Giles' Cathedral, which isn't a cathedral at all because there are no bishops in the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian).  Our guide was a local law student at the University of Edinburgh, and he gave our tour a local flavour. One of the highlights of modern Edinburgh is its inspiration for J. K. Rowling in her writing of the Harry Potter series. She composed the first two books in The Elephant House cafe facing the Greyfriars Cemetary. Some of the graveyards residents inspired characters in her book like Thomas Riddle, Mr. Moody, and the Scottish poet William MacGonagall. 

After the tour, we became true tourists by purchasing tickets to the Scotish Whisky Experience, which takes visitors through the history and production of Scotland's largest export. You ride an animatronic whisky barrel through the whisky production process before sampling the different smells and tastes of the Scottish whisky producing regions. Like the Jameson factory in Dublin, this is a great way to learn about the national beverage of Scotland and it's rich tradition. Note: whiskey is Irish and (Scotch) whisky is from Scotland.  For dinner, we stopped at The World's End cafe for traditional pub fare before ending the night at the Royal Oak Pub, which has live traditional Scottish music each night of the week. It was the perfect ending to a long day in Edinburgh. 

The second day was a little lighter on the intinerary. First, we headed over to the National Museum of Scotland for the history and artifacts of the Scots from 900 AD to today. The top of the museum had a great lookout point of the entire city of Edinburgh. Next, we toured the new Scottish Parliament building, designed by a Spanish architect in a modern concrete style, to celibate the devolution of power from England.  After peeking at the Holyrood Palace, we decided not to take the extreme hike up Arthur's Seat to the top of another of the city's volcanic rocks. Instead, we made our way across the tracks to the New Town for the first time. The streets are spacious and full of beautiful parks like St. Andrew Square, Prince Street Gardens, and the Georgian House. Before heading to our train, we stopped by the National Gallery of Scotland to see some of the country's most famous artists. 

Overall, Scotland has been a great place to relax and soak up culture, reminding me of my previous trip to Ireland. To me, Scotland and Ireland are similar both in their Gaelic traditions, friendly people, and mutual distrust of the English. I am excited to continue our journey at the modern and cultural hub of Glasgow. Stay tuned!

London Round 2

Have no fear, the blog is here! We've already been in Europe for a weekend, and we're currently on a flight from London to Scotland. My roommate Gillian and I are on a whirlwind 9-day adventure through Great Britain and Ireland, hitting 5 cities along the way on a well-deserved spring break. Although this is the shortest of my European adventures, I've planned a full trip through the British and Irish cities of London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, and Dublin. Thanks for tuning in again to the blog!  First up: London.

Although I've been before, London does not disappoint on a second go-round in the largest city in Europe.  Gillian and I arrived after a direct flight from Baltimore to London Heathrow overnight. The flight was fairly short, but the all-night flights are always a struggle to sleep on for more than an hour or two. On Saturday morning, we arrived in London, passing through the UK border security and onwards to central London via train. After arriving at the wrong division of our hostel, just backpacks in hand, we took a leisurely stroll across Hyde Park to reach our actual hostel on the south side in Kensington. Definitely one of the nicer hostels I've stayed in, it was centrally located to public transit but in the quiter part of Westminster, the posh section of London. After dropping off our bags, we pushed through the jet lag to take advantage of the rest of our full day in London. 

Our first stop was Harrod's, the large and swanky department store in Kensington. We grabbed lunch take-away and rode the Egyptian escalator before picnicking in Hyde Park. Refreshed from a meal, we took the tube (subway) to Buckingham Palace, the royal monarchy's residence in the city. Once again, I missed the changing of the guards ceremony, but, alas, there were others sights to see in the city! From the park area, we made our way to see the British Museum (home of the archeological treasures of the Empire from places like the Parthenon and the Egyptian pyramids) and the National Gallery (full of famous works of art like two of Van Gogh's Sunflowers). The weather was fairly overcast and windy, but not as cold or rainy as it could have been in foggy London. The sun appeared for our walk between Trafalger Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Leiscester Square. 

Since Gillian is a theatre buff and soon to be returning to school in New York City for her MFA in theater management, we figured we had to enjoy a play in London's West End, the Broadway of Britain. After visiting the TKTS booth for half-price tickets, we decided to see Once, a musical telling the love story of an Irish man and Czech woman in Dublin. Before the show on Saturday night, we ate dinner in Chinatown on Gerrard Street at simple Chinese restaurant. Although I always try to travel frugally to see as many places as possible, it is difficult to stay on a tight budget in London with the British Pound (~$1.60) and the NYC-like prices. After dinner, we enjoyed Once from the middle balcony, and we were even able to go on the stage during intermission to get drinks from the "bar" where the play was set.  After a long, long day, we finally made it home to the hostel to clean up and collapse before our next and final day in London. 

On day two, we got off to an early start on the East End of London at the Tower of London.  This medieval fortress on the River Thames is home to the long-time seat of the monarchy, the Crown Jewels, and the site of several famous executions (such as St. Thomas More and several of Henry VIII's wives).  After living in Baltimore, where the main street of Fells Point is called Thames Street and pronounced "Thaymes," I had to readjust to pronouncing the river in the proper English way of "Tems." The tour around the fortress grounds includes time with a Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater, the palace guards and boisterous tour guides of the Tower. Our Beefeater tour guide, Colin, gave us many stats and stories of the Tower, including the fact that there are actually 20 "towers" within the Tower. After walking the grounds and viewing several buildings of historical artifacts, we began our walking tour down the Thames across the city from Tower Bridge to Westminister.  

Along the way, we walked the riverbanks past sights like St. Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and the Millennium Bridge. One of the interesting parts of this Sunday in particular was the running of the Virgin Money London Marathon, which spanned through the whole city. More on this later!  After stopping for lunch at an Italian restaurant on the south bank of the river,  we walked back to the north side to see Covent Garden, an outdoor market with upscale shopping and the scene of parts of the play My Fair Lady. To our surprise, the Oliviers - the British equivalent of the Tony theater awards- were taking place on Sunday, and we were able to walk right up the the red carpet before the actors arrived later in the evening. Note to self: see if Once won any of the 6 awards it was nominated for this year.

From the Garden, we walked down Whitehall street on our way to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.  Along the route, we passed sights such as Charing Cross train station, Churchill's War Room, and the entrance to 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's official residence.  Right as we reached the main street to the Abbey, we ran into the marathon once again. However, this time we were unable to cross the course to reach the Abbey just a few meters away. After fighting through thousands of people, we walked around the city for nearly an hour (around St. James's Park and Buckingham Palace) to avoid the race before finally reaching the other side of the track. Although it was a Sunday when religious sights are closed, we were able to make it into the major ones. St. Paul's let us into the lobby for a viewing without being able to walk around most of the church. Westminister Abbey, however, is closed to all tourists on Sunday despite its many important sights like the Coronation Altar and the graves of Britian's most famous royals and residents. Luckily, we were able to "sneak" into a Palm Sunday evening Stations of the Cross meditation and organ event. First, we had to convince the usher that we were there for the ceremony and not just for tourism, then we had to sit through the concert despite the stupor of a long day taking over. 

Of course, we made it through our Abbey experience and crossed over the Thames to see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament from a sunset view. After taking the tube up to King's Cross for a picture with Harry Potter's famous Platform 9 3/4 (which is now sectioned off by a tourist photograph company!), we wandered through the posh shopping neighborhood of Soho for dinner and drinks before calling it a wrap on London. Soho reminds me of the Marais in Paris with its narrow streets, colorful buildings, and plethora of shopping options. We took the tube home to Kensington to rest and pack up for our early flight to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland and the seat of Scottish culture. Although I've been to the UK previously, I am very excited to journey to see some new places in Scotland and Northern Ireland to tour more of the American motherland! 

London is such an easy and fun city to navigate. First of all, the fact that it is English-speaking makes the travel a littler easier. There are so many neighborhoods to explore, sights to visit, museums to explore, and places to experience. Other the getting used to cars and street crossings on the opposite side of the road, London is an easy city to get used to, and I always have a great time visiting. I hope to spend more time than a weekend in the future when I have more time and resources. For now, Scotland-bound!