After a long train ride from Rome, we arrived in the city of Pisa. Everyone goes to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower, but the main reason we were going was actually was to catch a flight to Dublin. The flights out of Pisa were much cheaper than the flights from Rome, and hopping from Rome to Pisa would also mean we'd get time to see one of the world's most famous architectural mess ups. Not a bad way to save some money if you ask me. We arrived with hoards of tourists making the trip up from Rome, walked from the train station to the center of town, and were greeted by even more tourists all ready there doing interpretive dance and mime all over the place.
See?Just kidding. We all knew they weren't practicing their miming techniques. Rather, they were all taking the stereotypical "Look ma, I'm holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa!" picture. Up and down the main street there were dozens of people all posing at once. It's kind of funny to watch, that is, until you cave into peer pressure and end up taking one yourself out of fear that your mother will be mad when she finds out you didn't get a picture of you holding up the Leaning Tower when you went to Pisa.
Besides the Leaning Tower, the beautiful Duomo next door, and the Baptistry in front of the Duomo, there really wasn't all that much to see in Pisa. Sure, it had the standard beautiful architecture of most traditional Italian cities, but there wasn't anything else there we just had to see. We ended up wandering around the city for a while, bought lunch at a nearby supermarket, and then walked back to the grassy area in front of the Duomo where we ate our lunch and proceeded to take a nap under a beautiful, clear blue sky. It was spring break after all. Why not take a couple hours to just relax and enjoy your surroundings?
Pretty nice surroundings if you ask me.
Following an enjoyable and relaxing day in Pisa, we spent the night at a cheap but comfortable hostel in town, and then made our way to the airport to catch our early morning flight to Dublin. We actually walked to the airport. It was conveniently located right on the edge of town a couple of minutes walk from the hostel. Still tired, we boarded a plane comforted by the fact that in a few short hours we would be in Ireland.
We landed in Dublin after a relatively bumpy flight, and were greeted by chilly gusts and a cold rain as soon as we stepped outside the terminal. Typical weather in Ireland. It ended up raining plenty while we were in Dublin but that didn't stop us from having a good time. After the bus ride from the airport into the city center, we got situated in our hostel and ended up making it to a pub for a full Irish breakfast and our first pint of Guinness before noon. There is something special about having a Guinness in Dublin. It's hard to describe but it just feels right.
The architecture varied throughout the city, and if I could compare it to any place I had been before I'd say was very similar to a lot of the stuff I had seen when I was in England. There was a mixture of Gothic, Neoclassical, Modern, and everything in between. Lots of brick buildings and lots of framed window panes. The one that that sets Dublin apart, through, are its brightly colored doors. While many of the rowhouses along the various streets were very similar in design and articulation, their front doors are painted every color under the sun from bright reds and yellows to deep, bold blues and greens.
In the two days we were in Dublin we explored much of the city and saw many of its most famous sights. We sipped on a pint or two of Guinness at a couple of different pubs, toured the Guinness factory, ate Beef and Guinness Stew, and did other Guinness related activities. We walked around the famed Trinity College that educated the likes of Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett, saw a couple of churches, and took a stroll along the River Liffey. We also took time to visit one of Dublin's most famous landmarks, Leo Burdock's Fish and Chips. It was one of the largest, most delicious meals I had eaten in a long, long time. They give you the biggest piece of fried cod you've ever seen along with a couple big handfulls of thick cut french fries, wrap it up in butcher paper, and send you on your way. We walked out of there, each with a football sized package of steaming hot food, and went across the street where we found some benches. We then proceeded to devour our food in about 10 seconds.
So delicious...
Besides the Leaning Tower, the beautiful Duomo next door, and the Baptistry in front of the Duomo, there really wasn't all that much to see in Pisa. Sure, it had the standard beautiful architecture of most traditional Italian cities, but there wasn't anything else there we just had to see. We ended up wandering around the city for a while, bought lunch at a nearby supermarket, and then walked back to the grassy area in front of the Duomo where we ate our lunch and proceeded to take a nap under a beautiful, clear blue sky. It was spring break after all. Why not take a couple hours to just relax and enjoy your surroundings?
Pretty nice surroundings if you ask me.Following an enjoyable and relaxing day in Pisa, we spent the night at a cheap but comfortable hostel in town, and then made our way to the airport to catch our early morning flight to Dublin. We actually walked to the airport. It was conveniently located right on the edge of town a couple of minutes walk from the hostel. Still tired, we boarded a plane comforted by the fact that in a few short hours we would be in Ireland.
We landed in Dublin after a relatively bumpy flight, and were greeted by chilly gusts and a cold rain as soon as we stepped outside the terminal. Typical weather in Ireland. It ended up raining plenty while we were in Dublin but that didn't stop us from having a good time. After the bus ride from the airport into the city center, we got situated in our hostel and ended up making it to a pub for a full Irish breakfast and our first pint of Guinness before noon. There is something special about having a Guinness in Dublin. It's hard to describe but it just feels right.
Enjoying a pint at the Guinness Storehouse
The architecture varied throughout the city, and if I could compare it to any place I had been before I'd say was very similar to a lot of the stuff I had seen when I was in England. There was a mixture of Gothic, Neoclassical, Modern, and everything in between. Lots of brick buildings and lots of framed window panes. The one that that sets Dublin apart, through, are its brightly colored doors. While many of the rowhouses along the various streets were very similar in design and articulation, their front doors are painted every color under the sun from bright reds and yellows to deep, bold blues and greens.
In the two days we were in Dublin we explored much of the city and saw many of its most famous sights. We sipped on a pint or two of Guinness at a couple of different pubs, toured the Guinness factory, ate Beef and Guinness Stew, and did other Guinness related activities. We walked around the famed Trinity College that educated the likes of Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett, saw a couple of churches, and took a stroll along the River Liffey. We also took time to visit one of Dublin's most famous landmarks, Leo Burdock's Fish and Chips. It was one of the largest, most delicious meals I had eaten in a long, long time. They give you the biggest piece of fried cod you've ever seen along with a couple big handfulls of thick cut french fries, wrap it up in butcher paper, and send you on your way. We walked out of there, each with a football sized package of steaming hot food, and went across the street where we found some benches. We then proceeded to devour our food in about 10 seconds.
So delicious...Although I certainly would not have minded staying in Dublin a little while longer to enjoy more of its delicious food and culture, we had to leave and catch a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, the last stop on our odd and seemingly circuitous spring break. We ended up spending the night in the brand new Dublin airport in another attempt to save a little bit of cash. It was actually a pretty comfortable night as we were able to find some couches we could sleep on. In the wee morning hours we got on an Aer Lingus flight bound for Frankfurt. I was returning to Germany for the third time since coming to Europe.
The incredible skyline of Frankfurt
I had originally planned on traveling to Frankfurt over Christmas Break, but I did not get the rail passes I was to receive in the mail on time and had to scrap half of my planned trip to Germany, including a day or two in Frankfurt. Luckily I was able to work a trip to Frankfurt into my spring break itinerary. I was really excited to see the city, not only for the many incredible skyscrapers that dominate its skyline but also because it is the largest city in my favorite German state, Hessen. I'm sure you can put two and two together and figure out the reason why.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Frankfurt. The architecture was awesome, the weather was perfect, and to top it all off I got to again enjoy bratwurst, frankfurters, and all the other German foods I had come to know and love during my earlier travels of the Fatherland. One of the coolest experiences I had in Frankfurt was going up to the outdoor observation deck on top of the Main Tower (pronounced 'mine' for you non-German speakers), a 200 meter tall skyscraper. On that bright and sunny afternoon you could see for miles in every direction. It was truly and incredible sight to behold.
Standing 200m above Frankfurt with the Commerzbank Tower in the background
I enjoyed plenty of brats, drank some good beer, and saw some incedible buildings while in Frankfurt, but when Sunday afternoon rolled around it was time to get packed up and head back to Rome. Before catching the bus to the airport, I grabbed a pair of huge bratwursts at a stand by the train station. It was sad realizing that I might not get to have another brat in Germany for quite some time. Hopefully, it won't to too long before I go back to Germany sometime in the future.
In all, I traveled almost 2500 miles on my spring break, saw three very different cities, and saw some great architecture along the way. The food wasn't too shabby either. The only thing more I could have wanted was a long spring break. If I had a couple of extra days I would have loved to explore other parts of Ireland outside of Dublin or maybe the Black Forest south of Frankfurt. I'll save those for another adventure, though, and for the time being just think about bratwurst, fish and chips, delicious pizza, and all the randomness that created a unique and fascinating spring break experience I'll never forget.
The incredible skyline of Frankfurt
I had originally planned on traveling to Frankfurt over Christmas Break, but I did not get the rail passes I was to receive in the mail on time and had to scrap half of my planned trip to Germany, including a day or two in Frankfurt. Luckily I was able to work a trip to Frankfurt into my spring break itinerary. I was really excited to see the city, not only for the many incredible skyscrapers that dominate its skyline but also because it is the largest city in my favorite German state, Hessen. I'm sure you can put two and two together and figure out the reason why.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Frankfurt. The architecture was awesome, the weather was perfect, and to top it all off I got to again enjoy bratwurst, frankfurters, and all the other German foods I had come to know and love during my earlier travels of the Fatherland. One of the coolest experiences I had in Frankfurt was going up to the outdoor observation deck on top of the Main Tower (pronounced 'mine' for you non-German speakers), a 200 meter tall skyscraper. On that bright and sunny afternoon you could see for miles in every direction. It was truly and incredible sight to behold.
Standing 200m above Frankfurt with the Commerzbank Tower in the background
I enjoyed plenty of brats, drank some good beer, and saw some incedible buildings while in Frankfurt, but when Sunday afternoon rolled around it was time to get packed up and head back to Rome. Before catching the bus to the airport, I grabbed a pair of huge bratwursts at a stand by the train station. It was sad realizing that I might not get to have another brat in Germany for quite some time. Hopefully, it won't to too long before I go back to Germany sometime in the future.
In all, I traveled almost 2500 miles on my spring break, saw three very different cities, and saw some great architecture along the way. The food wasn't too shabby either. The only thing more I could have wanted was a long spring break. If I had a couple of extra days I would have loved to explore other parts of Ireland outside of Dublin or maybe the Black Forest south of Frankfurt. I'll save those for another adventure, though, and for the time being just think about bratwurst, fish and chips, delicious pizza, and all the randomness that created a unique and fascinating spring break experience I'll never forget.
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