A Whole Lot Of Everything. And Now We're In Istanbul.

For our last day in Prague, we went to the Prague castle and Saint Nicholas's monastery, where they have brewed their own beer to pair with traditional food for centuries. The castle was huge and beautiful, and the beer and sausage was quite good! We went from Prague to Vienna, where we stayed for only one night, but we made the most of the day, going to see the city center and hanging out in the museum district. We then took a train to Budapest, where we stayed for 2 nights. The first day, we climbed a mountain overlooking the whole city, which was a blast, but it wore out Mikey who has been battling some sickness. We went back to the hostel and he went to bed, and I hung out at the ruin bad adjacent to our hostel, eventually meeting up with some girls we met at the hostel in Prague. We went to a dance club and had a good night! Mikey and I then woke up at 10 or so the next day, and we walked to a famous Hungarian bathhouse. We spent almost all day there, moving from warm pools to cool pools to steam rooms and to ice cold pools. It was so relaxing, and I think we both needed the day off. Mikey was still feeling sleep, so when he got back he watched a bit of a movie, the weirdest movie I've ever seen, that the hostel was showing. It was a weird stoner flick from the 70s called The Holy Mountain. That was done at 10 or so, and I stayed up after Mikey went to bed talking to some British people, Scots, and Aussies. All in all a great experience in Budapest. 

We then flew to Istanbul, where we are now. Yesterday we got to our hostel at about 5 and met the Australian girls staying in our 5 bed room. They were hilarious, and we decided to go out with them at night. First, Mikey and I went to watch the USA - Germany game at a shisha bar (hookah), smoking and having some traditional Turkish tea as we watched the game. We had a blast and despite the loss were quite happy. Then, we met up with the Aussies and went out for some kebabs, to walk around Taksim square, and ultimately to a bar where they were playing some Turkish pop and having awesome dancing circles and such. We had a blast.

Today, we woke up and went to the palace on the water. It was massive and had incredible gardens, as well as a museum with artifacts from this area dating back to 10000BC. That number blew my mind. I could literally reach out and touch something that someone made 12000 years ago. So cool. We then walked to the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia. The blue mosque was beautiful and is still in use, so we walked around quietly for a bit and really enjoyed the beautiful architecture. The Hagia Sophia used to be used as a church, and was equally stunning. It was really cool to see the Christian architecture right by the more Ottoman-like stuff, and we appreciated all of the history around us!

Istanbul is so awesome, and it's by far the least western of the places we are going. It's something different, and I love it. When we got back from our day out, I spent a half hour explaining the rules of baseball to the cafe owner below our hostel. He then made us some Turkish coffee and we just sat and relaxed and took it all in.

This month has been incredible. It's hard to believe it's almost over. I think Mikey and I will both be ready to be home and see our loved ones in a week, and then I need to start preparing big time for Korea! So many new adventures. I am a lucky man. Thanks for reading, and I will try to get one or two more posts in before we're done!

Miss you all!

-Ryan

End of Rome, Cinque Terre, Padova/Venice, and Arriving in Prague

If you couldn't tell by the title, it's been a few days since I posted, and unfortunately, typing on a Czech keyboard is rather painstaking, so I still must try to keep it brief!

Our last day in Rome was pear pasta, then out to some of my old stomping grounds with Mitch, TJ, and the Sinclair crew to watch the USA soccer game against Ghana. It was a great time!

We woke up early and took a train to La Spezia, where we took a train to Riomaggiore, the first town of Cinque Terre, where we were staying for a few days. Mikey and I hiked to the next town, wearing ourselves out, then took the train back to Riomaggiore to relax for the night. It was stunningly gorgeous and we met some great people at the hostel who we hung out with for the evening, watching the sunset from the bay. The next day, we took the train to the third city, and hiked to the fifth. It was very hard work, but so gorgeous and a lot of fun. Cinque Terre is definitely in the running for my favorite cities in Italy now!

We took a train the next morning to Padova, where we met the parents of my good friend Marco. His parents were far too kind to us, giving us a taste of authentic Italian home cooking and hospitality. It was wonderful. The next day, we went with them to see the islands of Venice, which were stunning. Venice is a city unlike any other. Really incredible to see. We took boats to the islands and spent the day exploring and eating, then when we got home, Marco's mom, la mia mamma Italiana, made us another great meal. Interestingly enough, for anyone who knows I don't normally eat tomatoes, I was eating them like candy. So delicious in her caprese. We then turned in early to catch a plane from Venice to Prague, unable to adequately thank Marco's parents for their kindness.

It was a one hour flight to Prague, and the first two striking things were the exchange rate and the language barrier. It's 22 Czech crowns to every euro, and we speak absolutely zero Czech. After a bus to the city, we wandered for about an hour finding the hostel. It's a beautiful hostel, and it seems like it will be a great few days! It's a beautiful city. We are going to relax and watch soccer tonight, then go out and explore the city tomorrow. Should be lovely.

Sorry for the lack of detail! Thanks for reading, and I will try to write again soon.

Ciao,
Ryan

La Citta Eterna: Home at Last

After a fun last day in Barcelona walking around and exploring the city, we made our way via Ryanair to Rome. We got in Saturday evening at ten, took a train to the main train station, Termini, and then took a cab to meet my good friend Mitch (who lives in Rome) in my favorite area of town, Trastevere, to watch Italy's World Cup game. The game started at midnight, so we got back to the Zone Hotel, where I lived when I studied abroad, at 2:30AM.

We woke up at 9AM, went to the Rome center to see Mitch, and then made our way to Saint Peter's Basilica to catch the end of the pope's noon mass. We saw about a half an hour of his words from the balcony, and then met up with my friends from Saint Louis, Liz, John, Matt, and Mary, who just happened to be in Rome at the same time that we are. So great to see old friends! We spent the day with them, going to the Pantheon, Giolitti gelato, the Spanish Steps, and the Villa Borghese, a giant park above the Spanish Steps, before getting caught in a massive thunderstorm. We were so soaked that we had to go home and change clothes.

After changing clothes, Mikey did a quick work out while Mitch and I caught up over a few espressos. We then made our way to the Colisseum to meet everyone for a special dinner at a restaurant suggested by my good friends the Beazleys, called Taverna dei Fori Imperiali. Mike Beazley made the reservation for us and sent me along with a letter and pictures of his adorable daughter Annie for the staff at the restaurant, who he knew well during his time in Rome. The dinner included me, Mikey, our friend TJ, and the crew from Saint Louis.

When we first arrived and I gave the staff the gifts from the Beazleys, they were overwhelmed. Annie has grown so much since they last saw her! The waitress couldn't hold back tears, and it really was a great moment and connection for us all. We then sat down to the most incredible meal of our lives, which deserves its own paragraph.

The first round was antipasti: an eggplant dish, bacon and truffle bruschetta, roman style pork, and panna cotta with cherry tomatoes and goat cheese. Each one more delicious than the next. The prima piatti included pasta carbonara, pasta alla romana, and pesto cheese ravioli. All delicious, but the highlight was definitely the ravioli. The greatest pasta I have ever had. The secondi piatti was too much to do fully. We all split a plate of wild boar, which was also incredible. We followed this with i dulci, an apple strudle and a strawberry rum cake. Both incredible. We then did after dinner drinks of limoncello and amaro, followed by espresso for all. It truly was the greatest meal of my life, complete with a picture of me and the staff for the Beazleys. We all had a blast, and I think I got some points with my friends for having an in at such a wonderful restaurant!

We then got lost walking to Trastevere to meet Mitch, which was fine! It was a beautiful night and we walked catching up with friends and enjoying the Roman scenery. We finally met Mitch and enjoyed a beer and a chocolate shot in Trastevere before taking cabs home. One of the best nights I have had in years.

As I sit typing this post in the Rome center Information Commons, where I spent six months as a student two years ago, my emotions are very mixed. On one hand, it has been the best few days I have had in as long as I can remember. On the other hand, there's a hint of sadness that I won't be here for a job next year. I am trying to focus on the positives and look forward to Korea, but Rome really is home. I love this city more than anywhere else on the planet, and I think I know deep down that someday in some capacity I will have to be back. It's been strange trying to disassociate the experiences I had a few years ago with the experiences I'm having now. The faces are different; the campus has changed immensely; I don't have my favorite baby Annie here to keep me company! The beautiful part is that despite all that, nothing has really changed. I've caught up with old friends like I was here yesterday. The Coliseum and Vatican are just as I remember them. It truly is the Eternal City. Tonight is our last day here, and after we finish our laundry this morning, we are going to head back out on the town and make the most of the day before a meal at the famous "Pear Pasta" restaurant tonight followed by a trip to one of my favorite bars from when I studied here, the Abbey, and end in Trastevere. Tomorrow we have an early train to the coastal town of Cinque Terre, where we will stay for two days, and I am very excited for that too!

All in all, coming back to Rome was what I needed to turn over to a new beginning. I feel refreshed and ready for what's next. I will try to write another post next time I have access to a computer! A little over two weeks left. It's flying by. Thanks for reading!

Da Roma con amore,
Ryan

Spain: Tapas and Castles

Hola from Spain!

We arrived from Dublin to Sevilla on a Ryanair flight at 1PM on Sunday. There was an immediate change in feeling for both Mikey and I upon entering Spain. First, Mikey can speak the language which is super helpful, and I can pretty well understand it with my Italian background. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, it felt like summer as soon as we stepped off the plane. No more rain and cold! Sunny and warm with low humidity made it start to really feel like a summer vacation.

We took a bus to the hostel and dropped our things off in our room. It was one of the coolest hostels I have ever stayed in. Very nice and modern, friendly staff, clean, small rooms, and instead of keys, they had fingerprint scanners to enter the rooms. If you're ever in Sevilla, stay at Toc Hostel!

We then walked to Plaza de Espana, a massive horseshoe shaped castle-looking thing that was absolutely breathtaking. Similar to the Cliffs of Moher, it was one of those 'wow' moments where we both just didn't want to leave. We walked around there for a bit taking pictures and checking things out, then went to what the guy at our hostel called 'the mushroom.' Essentially, it was a giant webbed metal structure that kind of looked like a mushroom that you could stand underneath and go up in for a beautiful view of all of Sevilla. We thoroughly enjoyed that, but we were starting to get hungry.

The hostel suggested a tapas place all the way on the other side of town, so we started walking. We got there at 6:30 before the reminder came that Spanish people don't generally eat dinner until 9PM or later. The kitchen didn't even open until 8:30. We decided to wait it out until 8:30 and went to a cafe down the street for sangria and carrot cake. An oddly satisfying combination.

When Duo Tapas opened, we had a feast. We had green mustard chicken, beef and potatoes, patatas bravas, some sort of salmon dish, and sangria. It was absolutely delicious, and in true Spanish fashion, we made the meal last for almost three hours. Anyone who has spent time around me eating knows that it is an accomplishment for me to eat so slowly!

We had a very early bus the next morning, so we went back and went straight to bed after talking to the host at the hostel, Tomas, a young Italian who had also just graduated and decided to move to Sevilla for work. I got to practice my Italian a bit with him too which was nice!

After a three hour bus ride, we arrived in Granada at noon and went straight to our hostel to drop off our things. We were greeted by a zany Spaniard named Gregorio who told us all of the best spots for tapas and stunning views of the Alhambra, a giant castle-fort at different times controlled by the Moors and Catholics, thus having very interesting and varying degrees of art and architecture. Mikey and I had in mind that we wanted to visit the Alhambra before we came, but we didn't know that we needed to have bought tickets far in advance. Gregorio had a solution for us, which I will get to in a minute.

We then went out for some lunch and wandered the streets, hung out in a few plazas reading books, and then went with some people from the hostel to see the sunset over the Alhambra from a massive hill. Then we went out for drinks and tapas, getting home around 1AM.

I mention the time, because Gregorio's solution to our Alhambra problem was to arrive there at 6AM and wait in line. We arrived around 6:30, and luckily I was the only person to originally notice that in addition to the ticket window, there were ticket kiosks where you could use a credit card. So we were first in line! At 8:30, quite tired but still in awe, we entered the Alhambra and began exploring the palaces and gardens of the castle. Each portion was more breathtaking than the next. We stayed for three and a half hours admiring the architecture, nature, and views of Granada. It was absolutely incredible.

By that point, we were exhausted and returned home for a nap. With a brief break out of the room because of the cleaning crew, we slept from 1PM to 7PM. Now, we're getting ready to watch another sunset with people from the hostel, then more tapas and sangria is the plan. Should be a fun night! We go back to Sevilla for a day tomorrow, then fly to Barcelona for a few days. I'm so excited for Barcelona, but still trying to delay my excitement for Rome! My great friends Colleen and Mike Beazley who I met in Rome made a dinner reservation for us there, and I can't wait to see my friend Mitch and my friend Liz from Saint Louis, who by chance will be in the city the same days we are.

The only other thing of note over the last few days is the realization that I have seen hundreds of people during this trip already, interacted with dozens, and there are so many people in this world who have stories and troubles and joys. I was sitting on a bench watching people go by and I started wondering what they do with their lives or what motivates them. It was a weird fleeting thought. I would never see the people passing by again, and they all had somewhere to be, something to do, people who loved them. It was just odd. I think too much sometimes!

That's it for now. Will try to blog at the end of Barcelona. Thanks for reading and sorry for the length!

Hasta luego,
Ryan

Last Days in Dublin

Tomorrow, we take off for Sevilla in the south of Spain. Ireland has been absolutely splendid. We did a walking tour of Dublin on Thursday and met some really great people, an Australian girl and a girl from Ohio specifically, who we've hung out with for the last few days since. We went out Thursday night with some guys from West Point which was a lot of fun, then relaxed most of the day yesterday before going out with our friends Julia and Liam from home. Today, we did laundry and are going to head to Phoenix Park this afternoon before a quiet evening and an early bed time.

It's amazing how fast the days are already going. It's been five days in Dublin! We're excited for warm weather and tapas in Spain. We've got plans to meet up with the West Point guys in Barcelona to watch the World Cup, so that should be fun. I'm looking forward to all that's ahead, but selfishly can't wait to get to Rome. Trying to live in the present and not anticipate my return to La Citta Eterna too much! There were some Italian people in the hostel yesterday so I practiced up on my speaking a bit with them.

I'm also actively trying to balance out my thoughts of Korea on this trip. There's so much to do and so much anticipation built up for next year, and it's so fresh on my mind, that it's tough to ignore right now. It's a mix of excitement and fear. I can't imagine how stressed I would be if I wasn't traveling and had all day to think about it! I just finished a book that my Uncle Peter got me for graduation called The Promise of a Pencil, and it was a really inspiring read. Just what I needed right now! I highly suggest reading it for anyone looking for a good summer book. A main theme of the book is to dream big and follow your heart, which I feel like I'm doing with Korea, so that was reassuring in a way.

Well, at this point I'm rambling, and there's still more of Dublin to see before our 9AM flight tomorrow! Will write again after a day or so in Spain. Ciao for now!

The Beginning: Dublin Days 1 & 2

Hello friends and family!

It's been a quick first two days of the trip, and I will try to summarize a bit of what we've done so far.

We arrived in Dublin at 9AM local time, and we both had a ton of energy. I had slept almost the entire flight, and Mikey was just excited. The first thing I heard in an Irish accent was in the airport: "I need to get out of here and go have a whiskey!" I found that funny, being that it was 9AM. I guess there's nuggets of truth in all stereotypes.

We took a shuttle to the hostel and put down our belongings. Our rooms wouldn't be ready until 12:30, so we decided to go get some lunch and play it by ear from there. I had a delicious lunch of bangers and mash (sausage and mashed potatoes) and two pints of Guinness. It really does taste better in Ireland than in the US. It was odd to think that I was enjoying a pint two blocks from the brewery!

In the midst of my second pint, I realized just that! We were two blocks from the brewery. Our hostel still wasn't ready for us, so we headed over to the brewery for a tour. We poured the perfect pint, saw how Guinness was made, had a tasting in 'the perfect conditions for all of your senses to enjoy Guinness', and saw a beautiful view of the city from the Gravity Bar on the top floor of the brewery. We went back and checked into our room from there, and relaxed for a bit before going to buy groceries for our next few meals. We made burgers and fries for dinner because they were cheap, not realizing that it was the most stereotypical American meal ever. I think I saw a few snickers from our hostelmates!

After that, we did what Mikey and I do best. We borrowed the hostel's guitars and started jamming. By the time we were done, we had a crowd of about 40 people from the hostel clapping and singing along, and we had some other folks sit in and play with us drumming and guitaring! Here in Ireland, they call that sort of thing a 'session', and they often happen at pubs. People will come together in the pub, have some pints, and sit in on music jamming all night. I think I could get used to Ireland! After that, our friend Carolyn arrived at the hostel, and we spent the rest of the night catching up with her!

Today, we woke up at 6:30AM to catch a bus to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher (Alex Boesch and Nic Herrmann, if you're reading this, I have a photo to show you). We went to Galway first for a rainy walking tour. Between Dublin and Galway, it was amazing to me how much I remember from when I was here two years ago during my time abroad. Not much has changed, and I love it just as much as I did then. The hostel staff in Dublin is even the same. Very deja vu!

After Galway, we bussed to the Cliffs of Moher and fortunately, the skies cleared for a beautiful, sunny few hours. We walked 5km to the end of the cliff range and took in the breathtaking views. I had seen it before, but it was no less stunning the second time around. Absolutely gorgeous. Mikey and Carolyn were mesmerized, as it was their first time seeing it, and I enjoyed seeing them so taken aback by the beauty. Lots of photos from today to come! We rode back to Galway to drop off the people staying there for the night, and by some ridiculous stroke of chance, my friends Julia and Liam wound up on our bus back! It was a ridiculous coincidence. I knew they were in Ireland, but hadn't planned on seeing them in a few days, and then they just walked onto our bus. So strange, but such a fun time catching up with them on the way back to Dublin.

When we got back to the city, we got fish and chips for dinner, then went back to the room and did a quick workout with pushups, situps, and dips. I have a strange feeling that Mikey is going to whip me into shape this trip. Now, we're relaxing in the hostel, anticipating a walking tour tomorrow early. Not sure where the rest of the day will take us!

It's been a great start, and we're loving life. Thanks for reading, and more updates to come!

Cheers,
Ryan

Departure Day

We're headed to the airport in about an hour! 6:30PM departure from O'Hare, 9AM arrival in Dublin. There we will wait for our good friend Carolyn who will be spending a few days with us in Dublin. We'll probably try to do some touristy Dublin things for the day on Tuesday, maybe Guinness factory or something! So that's the plan for the next few days.

The bags are packed and the boarding passes are printed, but it still really doesn't feel real. A few days ago, I accepted a position to work in South Korea next year, and it has been a whirlwind trying to get the visa process started for that and also getting ready to make this Europe trip. But it's finally here! I will be checking my email every night and trying to write on this blog every few days. Stay in touch! See you all in July!

Excitedly,
Ryan