Hello all..
I am here in Cinque Terre, Italy.
Its 5 small coastal villages on the west coast, up by Genoa.
I wanted to come on and say Happy Father's Day to Terry and Happy Birthday to Keri!!
I am truly sad I am not going to be there to celebrate both, but I hope this comes in as a close second!
Love you all,
Michel
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Firenze
A very busy town, but so incredibly beautiful. I am glad Christa spoke highly of this place because it was very worth it to come! Yesterday we rented bikes and did a bit of shopping then dinner overlooking the Ponte Vecchio & Arno River at Open Bar, an amazing restaurant!
Today we took a 20 mile bike ride through Tuscany and wine tasted at a 17th Century villa with over 180 rooms! It was the best lunch and wine combo I have ever had and cannot wait to share with my family & friends.
Recommendation of the day: If you do a bike tour in Tuscany, do Per's Bike Tour! Its a small, more boutique style ride that promises (and delivers) the best adventure through Tuscany and really gives you the ultimate Tuscan experience!!
Firenze pictures are up on the Flickr!!
Today we took a 20 mile bike ride through Tuscany and wine tasted at a 17th Century villa with over 180 rooms! It was the best lunch and wine combo I have ever had and cannot wait to share with my family & friends.
Recommendation of the day: If you do a bike tour in Tuscany, do Per's Bike Tour! Its a small, more boutique style ride that promises (and delivers) the best adventure through Tuscany and really gives you the ultimate Tuscan experience!!
Firenze pictures are up on the Flickr!!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
NEW VIDEO!
http://vimeo.com/1154366 go here!!!
So here is the last of my drives bandwith... :(
More to come in a few weeks!
So here is the last of my drives bandwith... :(
More to come in a few weeks!
My Flickr Account...
Out of the internet black hole!
Hello all, I know & have heard that you are all waiting for an update!
I am writing this in preparation of soon finding some FREE internet in Florence(Firenze). Dad & I are on the train from Venezia (Venice) to Firenze as I write!
Let's back up a bit to inform you of the latest in my travels.
Since we last spoke in Bochum, Germany...
We arrived in Munich, Germany at around 5PM and checked into our hotel. Got situated and went straight to the Hofbrau House for liters of beer and GIANT pretzels! We sat at a table close to the TV's where the Euro Cup was getting underway. At this table were 3 Germans by the names of Florian, Fabian & Didi. We made quick friends with them & bought them a few rounds until the entire restaurant was singing American songs with us! Of course, we sang some Deutschland fighting songs as well.
Our table was one of the last ones to be kicked out of the place at closing time and all I can remember was stumbling around outside looking for Florian.
Then, as I look down a rainy, dark alley, I see a white Deustcher Fussball Bund shirt walking towards me with something big, smuggled under it...
Wouldn't you know, it was Florian and he stole an HB Liter Glass for me!
What a great welcome to a wonderful city...
The next day we woke up early and took "Mike's Bike Tour" throughout Munich.
It was a long and hard journey of 4 miles in 4 HOURS! Although it doesn't seem like a hike... After a night with the locals, it was pretty damn rough!
As soon as I started to feel recovered from the night before, we biked to the 2nd largest beer garden in the world for lunch... AHHHH!
Bought a couple more Liters and then finished the bike tour.
If you ever go to Munich, TAKE THIS TOUR!
After the tour we went back to the beer garden (Chinese Tower) to meet up with our new friends to watch the Deustchland vs. Poland game. We made about 3,000 more friends here and all got back into singing and drinking together!
The match ended with Deustchland on top 2-0 and we said goodbye to Florian & Fabian and headed to the train depot for a night train & much needed rest...
Well... we definitely got the rest we needed and after 20 hours on trains, we arrived in Venezia!*
*We took a sleeper car to Vienna, Austria which allowed us to sleep for cheap in a real bed! Woke up in Vienna, spent 5 TERRIBLE hours there and then caught the first possible train to Innsbruck. From Innsbruck we took a train through the Alps, which was incredible to see, changed trains in Verona, Italy and finally arrived in Venezia (Mestre)...
...breath....
caught a regional train to Venezia (St. Lucia) & then across the Grand Canal to our hotel in the Rialto Bridge area.
Venice is amazing, I don't think I really need to describe it in detail, you just have to come see it for yourself... OR watch my travel-film that will be completed in August!
We stayed 2 nights in Venice and ate wonderful pizza (I am eating it AT LEAST once a day until we leave) & gelato (Christa, you were right... It's fantastic here!)
STRACIATELLA FOREVER!
See you in Florence!
-Michel
PS- There is a drumstick-like ice cream here called the King Cone... If you know where they sell it in the states I will pay you a finder's fee!!!
I am writing this in preparation of soon finding some FREE internet in Florence(Firenze). Dad & I are on the train from Venezia (Venice) to Firenze as I write!
Let's back up a bit to inform you of the latest in my travels.
Since we last spoke in Bochum, Germany...
We arrived in Munich, Germany at around 5PM and checked into our hotel. Got situated and went straight to the Hofbrau House for liters of beer and GIANT pretzels! We sat at a table close to the TV's where the Euro Cup was getting underway. At this table were 3 Germans by the names of Florian, Fabian & Didi. We made quick friends with them & bought them a few rounds until the entire restaurant was singing American songs with us! Of course, we sang some Deutschland fighting songs as well.
Our table was one of the last ones to be kicked out of the place at closing time and all I can remember was stumbling around outside looking for Florian.
Then, as I look down a rainy, dark alley, I see a white Deustcher Fussball Bund shirt walking towards me with something big, smuggled under it...
Wouldn't you know, it was Florian and he stole an HB Liter Glass for me!
What a great welcome to a wonderful city...
The next day we woke up early and took "Mike's Bike Tour" throughout Munich.
It was a long and hard journey of 4 miles in 4 HOURS! Although it doesn't seem like a hike... After a night with the locals, it was pretty damn rough!
As soon as I started to feel recovered from the night before, we biked to the 2nd largest beer garden in the world for lunch... AHHHH!
Bought a couple more Liters and then finished the bike tour.
If you ever go to Munich, TAKE THIS TOUR!
After the tour we went back to the beer garden (Chinese Tower) to meet up with our new friends to watch the Deustchland vs. Poland game. We made about 3,000 more friends here and all got back into singing and drinking together!
The match ended with Deustchland on top 2-0 and we said goodbye to Florian & Fabian and headed to the train depot for a night train & much needed rest...
Well... we definitely got the rest we needed and after 20 hours on trains, we arrived in Venezia!*
*We took a sleeper car to Vienna, Austria which allowed us to sleep for cheap in a real bed! Woke up in Vienna, spent 5 TERRIBLE hours there and then caught the first possible train to Innsbruck. From Innsbruck we took a train through the Alps, which was incredible to see, changed trains in Verona, Italy and finally arrived in Venezia (Mestre)...
...breath....
caught a regional train to Venezia (St. Lucia) & then across the Grand Canal to our hotel in the Rialto Bridge area.
Venice is amazing, I don't think I really need to describe it in detail, you just have to come see it for yourself... OR watch my travel-film that will be completed in August!
We stayed 2 nights in Venice and ate wonderful pizza (I am eating it AT LEAST once a day until we leave) & gelato (Christa, you were right... It's fantastic here!)
STRACIATELLA FOREVER!
See you in Florence!
-Michel
PS- There is a drumstick-like ice cream here called the King Cone... If you know where they sell it in the states I will pay you a finder's fee!!!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Bochum, Germany.
After a night in Amsterdam, we arrived in Bochum, Germany where Shelby's old nanny lives. She put us up for two nights and bought us a great Spanish dinner?? Yeah, I thought it was going to be weird, but it turned out to be tasty! Today we went to where the Mosel & Rhine rivers meet and hiked through a forest for 2 hours... Don't worry, what we found on the other side was worth the walk and a video (to be posted after I return to home) will show the surprise!
Tomorrow, we head to Munich to drink beer & celebrate the beginning of EURO CUP 08!
PS- Amsterdam is strange...
(Bad News) My hard drive is full... which means, no more editing room :(
I don't know what to do.. I HAVE SO MUCH GOOD FOOTAGE, but no way to show it...
Pictures & more text to follow!
Tomorrow, we head to Munich to drink beer & celebrate the beginning of EURO CUP 08!
PS- Amsterdam is strange...
(Bad News) My hard drive is full... which means, no more editing room :(
I don't know what to do.. I HAVE SO MUCH GOOD FOOTAGE, but no way to show it...
Pictures & more text to follow!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Paris, France
um... WOW.
This place is amazing.
The people... AMAZING
The food... INCREDIBLE
And my new friends Alex, Sylvain, & Virginie made us feel right at home with the best meal we've had on our trip. And then, a night-run through Paris on 2 scooters that were kick ass!
More info & video to come!
VIVA!
This place is amazing.
The people... AMAZING
The food... INCREDIBLE
And my new friends Alex, Sylvain, & Virginie made us feel right at home with the best meal we've had on our trip. And then, a night-run through Paris on 2 scooters that were kick ass!
More info & video to come!
VIVA!
London - Day 1&2
FIRST THING'S FIRST!
Click this link to see a little travelfilm from London!
http://www.vimeo.com/1107470
London was a great adventure through time. The Underground has to be one of my favorite subways in the world! It is easy to navigate and takes you ANYWHERE in London. The historical sites, such as; Parliament, The Eye, London Tower, Trafulgar Square, & Westminster Abbey are fantastic and it's great to look at well-kept artifacts dating back 1000+ years!
BUT, THE FOOD SUCKS!
I really can't explain it. All I can do is hold my nose when I bite into the bland-mystery-meat burger, topped off with leafy greens that I swear grow wild here and wash it down with a nice WARM beer!
Enough about the negatives, London is a great town and I would love to come back to host an anti-tube-law* party on The Underground & maybe stay outside of the city... And of course, bring my own snacks!!
*While we were traveling through London, the new mayor, Boris Johnson, passed a law that prohibits drinking in The Underground. A group of young activists staged a giant party on the Circle Line train in protest of this law. These kids love getting pissed!!
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