TRAVEL JOURNAL 5
6-6-09 8:41 PM- Train to Basel. Basel! Basel!
We had an adventure.
But since I like to keep chronological order going when I remember to do that, let's rewind to the 4th.
No, not the mindinght when I juornaled last, the actual day.
Alright, we didn't actually do anything interesting that day, aside from taking the train to gorgeous Trier.
After timy showers and cramped living space, our second, roomier, classier hotel was amazing. I slept well, having stayed up the previous night, but not until we had another round of mezzo mix, beer, and MTV. Apparently, Elita had a nice bath while I slept. Does she sleep? The world may never know.
Oh, time to break chronology already. I knew that would happen, I can't even get this far without forgetting something. While walking along, we saw the remains of some old Roman baths on the way to the hotel. Pretty.
But, next day, or rather, yesterday, was action-packed. We started off sightseeing at Porta Nigra, an old gate from... Roman times. I don't know, I'm terrible at getting my centuries straight. Shameful, I know, but what can you do?
Anyway, the inside was beautiful, every arch or window you could look through gave a different view. I loved it, but I think Elita had a greater appreciation for it, and the whole town, really, as she studied that time period and all. She could tell you what sort of roman times the Porta Nigra was built in without even thinking, I bet.
After that, we went to the Dom, a giant ornate cathedral. Yeah, i've mentioned some nice-looking churches before, but this one really took the cake, insanely detailed statuary and wall decorations everywhere. We even found a huge reliquary in the basement, so Elit and I played a probably-disrespectful game of identify-which-bone with the remains of saint whatshisface. Oh well, it was good fun.
The palace gardens nearby were a nice outdoor jaunt after that, though I kept losing sight of Elita as I stopped to take note of an interestingly-shaped flower, or the huge crow who knew that he was the king of the fountain.
Next, likely the most intact place of all, was the amphitheater. First place we headed was to the half-submerged in rainwater underground people-and-animals storage area, where we both got a decidedly creepy vibe. Aboveground was cheerier, with the gravel stage itself and the sating area to explore. The seating area was basically a very steep hillside, which I climbed up on all fours, though "scurried" is probably a more appropriate word. Elita didn't join me because she was wearing a skirt. At least, that's the excuse she had at the time not to make a fool of herself. I know the truth.
Next, we went on over to the imperial baths. This is where we ate lunch.
The baths are where you eat, this was our sentence for the first half of the day.
Stupidity aside, they were great fun, from the little patch of of grass where we had a picnic, to the maze of tunnels inside the ruins.
A group of teenagers, also on a visit there, seemed to be having great fun as well, though we couldn't tell what they were saying. Something was awesome.
We got back to the hotel at the hottest part of the day with our frinds beer, mezzo mix, and MTV. It's a wonder that I'm actually losing weight instead of becoming spherical.
We managed to find an English-language movie, even though we didn't have time to watch much. Something about a kid getting a fake ID in the single name of McLovin. Elita and I vowed to watch this movie as soon as we get home.
Note to self: Google "McLovin", find the title of this movie.
After our break, we saw a nice looking bridge. I'll admit, I wasn't paying too much attention because we were going to the Karl Marx house next.
It was an informative museum on- did you guess?- the life of Karl Marx. I really enjoyed it, but I'm unable to describe it in any way that doesn't ake it sound all dry and educational. I guess I'll just have to say that I really liked it and take my own word on it when I come back to read this later. You hear that, future self? The Karl Marx House was fun.
Before we got into the house, a stranger decided to chat us up. Elita was uneasy and we'd heard one cautionary tale after another by friend and acquaintance alike, but the dude seemed friendly and I was fed up trying to be afraid of the world. I'm so much more likely to be mugged in Chicago, but nobody tells me to wear my wallet under my underpants when I'm there.
The conversation itself wasn't significant, only that it happened. Elita thought the whole while that her purse was going to be stolen or something.
The forum baths were difficult to find at first, because they were located in the middle of a city area, covered in a glass building. Really, the ruins were tiny.
All the while we made this stupid exchange of
"Itty bitty baths!"
"I can't believe it!"
"Habeeb it!"
"Twinkie House!"
After that, we went back to the hotel for a bit. Do I need to tell you what we did there? Use pattern recognition to help your guess!
Dinner was at this amazing traditional-Roman-food place. Everything was just absolutely wondrous at the very least. Wine rolls filed with delicate flavours, not-so-subtle vinegar beans and sausage, and the most amazingly tender venison in plum sauce made up our main course, served with honeyed, spiced wine that somehow complemented each dish in its own way. Desert was an amazing pear custard with honey sauce and crushed black pepper on top. I was apprehensive about the pepper at first, but it really made the dish something special, and I only mean that in the best way possible.
Full of delicious foods, we waddles back to our hotel room. I had the happiest shower eer, with real liquid shampoo instead of a shampoo bar, and a really nice bathtub to wash myself and my clothes in.
After such a busy day, sleep came easily. This morning, we packed all our stuff in preparation for a train ride. little did we know, our plans would go horribly wrong.
Our first train started off fine, but slowed down immensely, getting in twenty minutes lat. These twenty minutes meant we had to wait an hour for the next one, and it was doubtful whether we could actually catch a full travel to Lucerne before the trains stopped running for the night. Our second train complicated matters, as it also slowed down and got in late. We were sure it wouldn't be getting in in time for us to take the second-to-last train to Basel, thoe only one from which we'd get in in time to catch the last one to Lucerne. Elita startid finding bars we could spend the night in if things didn't work out. Our second train mercifully ended up right across the platform from the train to Basel we needed. It was soon to depart. We ran onto it, screaming, "Basel! Baselbasel! BASEL!" This continued as we made it onto the trai and hugged, repeating the same word continuously like a pair of ecstatic Pokemon. The lady in front of us was trying so hard not to laugh.
Nothing really noteworthy there except for the friendly Argentinian who claimed to learn how to speak English from listening to Pink Floyd, who eventually moved next to his newfound friend from Hong Kong, who claimed to learn the language from watching the movie "Saving Private Ryan". They were both very fluent, so I think they were just trying to impress each other.
Now we're on the train from Basel to Lucerne. We're going to make it!
We had an adventure.
But since I like to keep chronological order going when I remember to do that, let's rewind to the 4th.
No, not the mindinght when I juornaled last, the actual day.
Alright, we didn't actually do anything interesting that day, aside from taking the train to gorgeous Trier.
After timy showers and cramped living space, our second, roomier, classier hotel was amazing. I slept well, having stayed up the previous night, but not until we had another round of mezzo mix, beer, and MTV. Apparently, Elita had a nice bath while I slept. Does she sleep? The world may never know.
Oh, time to break chronology already. I knew that would happen, I can't even get this far without forgetting something. While walking along, we saw the remains of some old Roman baths on the way to the hotel. Pretty.
But, next day, or rather, yesterday, was action-packed. We started off sightseeing at Porta Nigra, an old gate from... Roman times. I don't know, I'm terrible at getting my centuries straight. Shameful, I know, but what can you do?
Anyway, the inside was beautiful, every arch or window you could look through gave a different view. I loved it, but I think Elita had a greater appreciation for it, and the whole town, really, as she studied that time period and all. She could tell you what sort of roman times the Porta Nigra was built in without even thinking, I bet.
After that, we went to the Dom, a giant ornate cathedral. Yeah, i've mentioned some nice-looking churches before, but this one really took the cake, insanely detailed statuary and wall decorations everywhere. We even found a huge reliquary in the basement, so Elit and I played a probably-disrespectful game of identify-which-bone with the remains of saint whatshisface. Oh well, it was good fun.
The palace gardens nearby were a nice outdoor jaunt after that, though I kept losing sight of Elita as I stopped to take note of an interestingly-shaped flower, or the huge crow who knew that he was the king of the fountain.
Next, likely the most intact place of all, was the amphitheater. First place we headed was to the half-submerged in rainwater underground people-and-animals storage area, where we both got a decidedly creepy vibe. Aboveground was cheerier, with the gravel stage itself and the sating area to explore. The seating area was basically a very steep hillside, which I climbed up on all fours, though "scurried" is probably a more appropriate word. Elita didn't join me because she was wearing a skirt. At least, that's the excuse she had at the time not to make a fool of herself. I know the truth.
Next, we went on over to the imperial baths. This is where we ate lunch.
The baths are where you eat, this was our sentence for the first half of the day.
Stupidity aside, they were great fun, from the little patch of of grass where we had a picnic, to the maze of tunnels inside the ruins.
A group of teenagers, also on a visit there, seemed to be having great fun as well, though we couldn't tell what they were saying. Something was awesome.
We got back to the hotel at the hottest part of the day with our frinds beer, mezzo mix, and MTV. It's a wonder that I'm actually losing weight instead of becoming spherical.
We managed to find an English-language movie, even though we didn't have time to watch much. Something about a kid getting a fake ID in the single name of McLovin. Elita and I vowed to watch this movie as soon as we get home.
Note to self: Google "McLovin", find the title of this movie.
After our break, we saw a nice looking bridge. I'll admit, I wasn't paying too much attention because we were going to the Karl Marx house next.
It was an informative museum on- did you guess?- the life of Karl Marx. I really enjoyed it, but I'm unable to describe it in any way that doesn't ake it sound all dry and educational. I guess I'll just have to say that I really liked it and take my own word on it when I come back to read this later. You hear that, future self? The Karl Marx House was fun.
Before we got into the house, a stranger decided to chat us up. Elita was uneasy and we'd heard one cautionary tale after another by friend and acquaintance alike, but the dude seemed friendly and I was fed up trying to be afraid of the world. I'm so much more likely to be mugged in Chicago, but nobody tells me to wear my wallet under my underpants when I'm there.
The conversation itself wasn't significant, only that it happened. Elita thought the whole while that her purse was going to be stolen or something.
The forum baths were difficult to find at first, because they were located in the middle of a city area, covered in a glass building. Really, the ruins were tiny.
All the while we made this stupid exchange of
"Itty bitty baths!"
"I can't believe it!"
"Habeeb it!"
"Twinkie House!"
After that, we went back to the hotel for a bit. Do I need to tell you what we did there? Use pattern recognition to help your guess!
Dinner was at this amazing traditional-Roman-food place. Everything was just absolutely wondrous at the very least. Wine rolls filed with delicate flavours, not-so-subtle vinegar beans and sausage, and the most amazingly tender venison in plum sauce made up our main course, served with honeyed, spiced wine that somehow complemented each dish in its own way. Desert was an amazing pear custard with honey sauce and crushed black pepper on top. I was apprehensive about the pepper at first, but it really made the dish something special, and I only mean that in the best way possible.
Full of delicious foods, we waddles back to our hotel room. I had the happiest shower eer, with real liquid shampoo instead of a shampoo bar, and a really nice bathtub to wash myself and my clothes in.
After such a busy day, sleep came easily. This morning, we packed all our stuff in preparation for a train ride. little did we know, our plans would go horribly wrong.
Our first train started off fine, but slowed down immensely, getting in twenty minutes lat. These twenty minutes meant we had to wait an hour for the next one, and it was doubtful whether we could actually catch a full travel to Lucerne before the trains stopped running for the night. Our second train complicated matters, as it also slowed down and got in late. We were sure it wouldn't be getting in in time for us to take the second-to-last train to Basel, thoe only one from which we'd get in in time to catch the last one to Lucerne. Elita startid finding bars we could spend the night in if things didn't work out. Our second train mercifully ended up right across the platform from the train to Basel we needed. It was soon to depart. We ran onto it, screaming, "Basel! Baselbasel! BASEL!" This continued as we made it onto the trai and hugged, repeating the same word continuously like a pair of ecstatic Pokemon. The lady in front of us was trying so hard not to laugh.
Nothing really noteworthy there except for the friendly Argentinian who claimed to learn how to speak English from listening to Pink Floyd, who eventually moved next to his newfound friend from Hong Kong, who claimed to learn the language from watching the movie "Saving Private Ryan". They were both very fluent, so I think they were just trying to impress each other.
Now we're on the train from Basel to Lucerne. We're going to make it!