For some reason, Windows Movie Maker would not upload an .avi video. I downloaded the codec but still no luck. Anyways, I used the sample clip that comes with the computer in "MyDocuments/MyVideos"... it's pretty boring but here you go
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
London
After the overnight boat ride across the North Sea, the group arrived in London at the Paddington Underground Station during the afternoon. The London Underground, also known as the Tube, proved to be the cheapest and fastest way around the city. The five of us ate dinner at a nearby pub, where we met up with Goldscher, a friend from high school. The food was actually very good. Later, we went out to the Picadilly Circus area and roamed from bar to bar. We actually met some girls that study at the University of Maryland, which was pretty random but cool.
On Sunday, we walked through Hyde Park. Hyde Park is the most amazing park I have ever seen. In my opinion, it kills Central Park. Below are some pictures of Hyde Park:
Another reason we walked through Hyde Park was to find tickets to the concert that night. The concert venue, named Hyde Park Calling, hosted one of the two Live 8 Concerts, along with over a million spectators that witnessed it. We finally found the concert venue around 5pm. We found a few girls who were selling their extra tickets back, but we didn’t have any cash. They gave us five minutes to get some cash so Brett and I ran to the nearest ATM, which was far off in the Hyde Park Corner Underground Station. We came back around 15 minutes later and luckily they were still waiting for us (although we figured they wouldn’t strand us because they wanted money). The band Jet started about 10 minutes after we bought drinks and claimed our place in the crowd. They were amazing during their 90 minutes on stage, but there was much more to come. Next was Audioslave, who was also good. The grand 90 minute finale was Aerosmith. Their music, especially the song “Love in an Elevator,” captured me. Run D.M.C. came out on stage to perform the encore, “Walk this Way,” with Aerosmith. The concert was unbelievable. Below is a concert advertisement that I found on Google:
On the third day, I went on a computer science field trip to Bletchley Park. The location was just over an hour away. Bletchley Park hosted American and British scientists who cracked strategic German military codes during World War II. The site was very interesting. At night, we met with Goldscher and another high school friend named Carie. We went out to the Roadhouse Bar, which was American-themed. The bar/club was actually very nice, along with the live music.
Tuesday, I attended some personal business. I returned to the hospital I was born, named Wellington Humana Hospital in the St. John’s Wood area. Next, I visited my former house between the Maida Vale and Warwick Avenue Underground Stations on the Bakerloo Line. It was located on Sutherland Avenue. Interestingly, when we lived there, Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Hackman were our next door neighbors. Afterwards, I met up with the other guys and we visited the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge. The surrounding area was very nice. The Tower Bridge is amazing.
The London Bridge, on the other hand, is very boring. I thought it was supposed to be iconic. We attempted to see the British War Museum, but they closed early that particular day. Again, we met with Carie and Goldscher and went out to the Sports Café, a popular two-story pool bar. It was college night and pints of beer were only one pound.
For our last day, I unsuccessfully searched for “The Who” concert tickets. I was very disappointed due to the fact that “The Who” is one of my favorite rock bands. Afterwards, we visited the British War Museum, this time successfully. It was very interesting and authentic. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for the Eurotour reception to commemorate the last night.
On Sunday, we walked through Hyde Park. Hyde Park is the most amazing park I have ever seen. In my opinion, it kills Central Park. Below are some pictures of Hyde Park:
Another reason we walked through Hyde Park was to find tickets to the concert that night. The concert venue, named Hyde Park Calling, hosted one of the two Live 8 Concerts, along with over a million spectators that witnessed it. We finally found the concert venue around 5pm. We found a few girls who were selling their extra tickets back, but we didn’t have any cash. They gave us five minutes to get some cash so Brett and I ran to the nearest ATM, which was far off in the Hyde Park Corner Underground Station. We came back around 15 minutes later and luckily they were still waiting for us (although we figured they wouldn’t strand us because they wanted money). The band Jet started about 10 minutes after we bought drinks and claimed our place in the crowd. They were amazing during their 90 minutes on stage, but there was much more to come. Next was Audioslave, who was also good. The grand 90 minute finale was Aerosmith. Their music, especially the song “Love in an Elevator,” captured me. Run D.M.C. came out on stage to perform the encore, “Walk this Way,” with Aerosmith. The concert was unbelievable. Below is a concert advertisement that I found on Google:
On the third day, I went on a computer science field trip to Bletchley Park. The location was just over an hour away. Bletchley Park hosted American and British scientists who cracked strategic German military codes during World War II. The site was very interesting. At night, we met with Goldscher and another high school friend named Carie. We went out to the Roadhouse Bar, which was American-themed. The bar/club was actually very nice, along with the live music.
Tuesday, I attended some personal business. I returned to the hospital I was born, named Wellington Humana Hospital in the St. John’s Wood area. Next, I visited my former house between the Maida Vale and Warwick Avenue Underground Stations on the Bakerloo Line. It was located on Sutherland Avenue. Interestingly, when we lived there, Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Hackman were our next door neighbors. Afterwards, I met up with the other guys and we visited the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge. The surrounding area was very nice. The Tower Bridge is amazing.
The London Bridge, on the other hand, is very boring. I thought it was supposed to be iconic. We attempted to see the British War Museum, but they closed early that particular day. Again, we met with Carie and Goldscher and went out to the Sports Café, a popular two-story pool bar. It was college night and pints of beer were only one pound.
For our last day, I unsuccessfully searched for “The Who” concert tickets. I was very disappointed due to the fact that “The Who” is one of my favorite rock bands. Afterwards, we visited the British War Museum, this time successfully. It was very interesting and authentic. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for the Eurotour reception to commemorate the last night.
A Night on the North Sea
The overnight cruise from Copenhagen to London was pretty entertaining. We played more poker on a small table near the bar. The drinks were very expensive, however. When the bar closed at 1am, we moved our poker game to another room. After we were playing for a bit, some English men from the bar arrived. One gentleman asked Brett for his lighter, to which he obliged. When he came back from outside, he did not give the lighter back. When Brett asked, the man gave him back his lighter and then paused for around 20 seconds before telling Brett that he wanted his lighter back. This man was extremely drunk, but after some convincing from the other Englishmen, the man finally accepted that it was Brett’s lighter after all.
Copenhagen
1st day
We arrived around 6pm. For dinner, we ate Mexican food. My quesadilla was reasonably good but it was overpriced. Everything in this city is overpriced. I bought twelve pints later at “7 Eleven” for around $35. It cost 177 Kronen. What a rip-off, but I didn’t have any other options. The sun sets around 10:30pm-11:00pm around here, so it is quite deceptive. When it set, I thought it was 8pm but I was sadly mistaken. Zach’s friend lived in Copenhagen for five years, so he told us the places to hang out. We were walking to a bar named “The Moose” when three girls rode up on their bikes. We asked them for directions and they told Brett to hop on. Next thing we know, Brett is long gone. Zach, Red, Kuhn and I continued to walk. There were no seats or space in “The Moose,” so we went to a close bar called “L.A. Bar.” We had a few drinks, which cost only 20 Kronen per pop. Soon, we moved on to a club called “Culture Box.” The music was good. We got back around 4 or 4:30am.
2nd day
This was one of the latest starting days so far this trip. Me, Red, and Zach woke up around 1:30pm and went to go eat and wander the town. I didn’t really want to see much of this dreary city. We attempted to go to the Viking museum but it is an hour train ride away. Since I like Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Television show but haven’t watched an episode for a couple years, I wanted to go to the museum. We paid 66 Kronen to enter. It was a pretty poorly done museum, and but I thought a few things were interesting. The video about the 8’8” man was interesting, and next to him was the world’s smallest human being. This Egyptian dwarf was roughly 18” tall. When we arrived back at the hotel, we played some poker.
Tonight we went back to the Moose bar; since we heard it was good on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Tonight was Thursday night). The drinks were reasonable and we stayed until about 4:30am. The sunrise occurs around 3pm, so it was already light out by the time I had left.
Before the group left for the train station, we went to the Carlsberg Factory. It was even better than the Heineken Experience. The tour was much more authentic, and the beers we received at the end were much better. My favorite types were the Elephant Beer, which was 7% alcohol, and their new beer called Jacobsen Extra, which is a whopping 12% alcohol. Jacobsen Extra is very smooth as well. Below is a picture of the gate to the Carlsberg Brewery:
We arrived around 6pm. For dinner, we ate Mexican food. My quesadilla was reasonably good but it was overpriced. Everything in this city is overpriced. I bought twelve pints later at “7 Eleven” for around $35. It cost 177 Kronen. What a rip-off, but I didn’t have any other options. The sun sets around 10:30pm-11:00pm around here, so it is quite deceptive. When it set, I thought it was 8pm but I was sadly mistaken. Zach’s friend lived in Copenhagen for five years, so he told us the places to hang out. We were walking to a bar named “The Moose” when three girls rode up on their bikes. We asked them for directions and they told Brett to hop on. Next thing we know, Brett is long gone. Zach, Red, Kuhn and I continued to walk. There were no seats or space in “The Moose,” so we went to a close bar called “L.A. Bar.” We had a few drinks, which cost only 20 Kronen per pop. Soon, we moved on to a club called “Culture Box.” The music was good. We got back around 4 or 4:30am.
2nd day
This was one of the latest starting days so far this trip. Me, Red, and Zach woke up around 1:30pm and went to go eat and wander the town. I didn’t really want to see much of this dreary city. We attempted to go to the Viking museum but it is an hour train ride away. Since I like Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Television show but haven’t watched an episode for a couple years, I wanted to go to the museum. We paid 66 Kronen to enter. It was a pretty poorly done museum, and but I thought a few things were interesting. The video about the 8’8” man was interesting, and next to him was the world’s smallest human being. This Egyptian dwarf was roughly 18” tall. When we arrived back at the hotel, we played some poker.
Tonight we went back to the Moose bar; since we heard it was good on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Tonight was Thursday night). The drinks were reasonable and we stayed until about 4:30am. The sunrise occurs around 3pm, so it was already light out by the time I had left.
Before the group left for the train station, we went to the Carlsberg Factory. It was even better than the Heineken Experience. The tour was much more authentic, and the beers we received at the end were much better. My favorite types were the Elephant Beer, which was 7% alcohol, and their new beer called Jacobsen Extra, which is a whopping 12% alcohol. Jacobsen Extra is very smooth as well. Below is a picture of the gate to the Carlsberg Brewery:
Berlin
Berlin, Germany: The group arrived at Hotel California in the afternoon. The city looked to be promising from the walk to the hotel. The buildings looked sleek and powerful. On Monday, I visited the Berlin Zoo, which is acclaimed as the premier zoo in the world. There was no denying that. We witnessed just about every animal I can think of. Here are some of my pictures from the Berlin Zoo:
We returned to the hotel to meet with the entire group for the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and the tour of the Berlin Wall. Checkpoint Charlie was the geographical focal point of the Cold War.
Afterwards, we walked past the Holocaust Memorial, where Hitler’s body lies. Brett, Zach, Kuhn, Red, and I caught a public double-decker bus back to our hotel’s area.
At night, five of us went to a club called Maxxim. Red’s birthday began at midnight so we celebrated. The club included a poker tournament that was still going on when we arrived. We danced the night away until the break of dawn. It was a very good night.
The next day was not very easy. I did not sleep before going to the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin, which was part of Computer Science 101. It was an interesting museum and I managed to keep together and learn, but afterwards I had to rest. For dinner, I ate at the Hard Rock Café. The food was very good and I noticed that the coasters were advertising an Aerosmith concert in London when we were going to be there. I was definitely going to try to get tickets.
We returned to the hotel to meet with the entire group for the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and the tour of the Berlin Wall. Checkpoint Charlie was the geographical focal point of the Cold War.
Afterwards, we walked past the Holocaust Memorial, where Hitler’s body lies. Brett, Zach, Kuhn, Red, and I caught a public double-decker bus back to our hotel’s area.
At night, five of us went to a club called Maxxim. Red’s birthday began at midnight so we celebrated. The club included a poker tournament that was still going on when we arrived. We danced the night away until the break of dawn. It was a very good night.
The next day was not very easy. I did not sleep before going to the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin, which was part of Computer Science 101. It was an interesting museum and I managed to keep together and learn, but afterwards I had to rest. For dinner, I ate at the Hard Rock Café. The food was very good and I noticed that the coasters were advertising an Aerosmith concert in London when we were going to be there. I was definitely going to try to get tickets.
Prague
Prague, Czech Republic was our last stop in Eastern Europe. We arrived at our hotel in the afternoon. Apparently Hotel Evropa’s dining room was the model for the one on the ship Titanic and it was also the hotel in which Mission Impossible was filmed. Our (Peter, Zach, and I) enjoyed the penthouse suite. The room was massive and comprised of three rooms put together. However, the room came with a price: we were forced to climb over ten sets of stairs to reach it. Although Kuhn, Red, and I had shared many rooms that were on the highest floors before, this was brutal. That evening we enjoyed another group dinner before everyone parted their ways.
We heard the city was wild, but we did not know it would be this wild. Don’t get me wrong: it was a lot of fun. The city was a bunch of hustlers, which reminded me of Budapest. We referred to walking down the street as ‘running the gauntlet’ because every five feet we were propositioned by promoters of bars, clubs, strip clubs, and cabarets. They would not take no for an answer, following us down the street. It was very annoying.
Saturday we visited the Prague Castle. The walk to the castle consumed our time and energy. The walk was over an hour, including the second half which was very steep. The castle overlooks the entire city and creates great views. The castle includes the St. Vitus Cathedral, which was very nice.
The picture below is the view from the Prague Castle.
We heard the city was wild, but we did not know it would be this wild. Don’t get me wrong: it was a lot of fun. The city was a bunch of hustlers, which reminded me of Budapest. We referred to walking down the street as ‘running the gauntlet’ because every five feet we were propositioned by promoters of bars, clubs, strip clubs, and cabarets. They would not take no for an answer, following us down the street. It was very annoying.
Saturday we visited the Prague Castle. The walk to the castle consumed our time and energy. The walk was over an hour, including the second half which was very steep. The castle overlooks the entire city and creates great views. The castle includes the St. Vitus Cathedral, which was very nice.
The picture below is the view from the Prague Castle.
My favorite part of the city was the beer called Budvar Budweiser Bier, which is not to be confused with American Budweiser. The two companies hate each other and have fought over the name. Overall, Prague was one of my least favorites due to the countless number of hagglers and hustlers that were impossible to avoid.
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