Rainy Freiburg

After our awesome time in Innsbruck, I traveled to Freiburg, a little university city tucked in the Swiss-German border area, with my good friend Katharina. Katharina goes to university there, so knows her way around, and also provided a place to stay and some great company after Tyler had left from Innsbruck to head back to the U.S. I really, really loved Freiburg. The city is a fun city with tons of students, loads of cafes and bars, and a cozy little character that I found a little in Innsbruck, but not as much as in Freiburg. In fact, if I could take the mountains surrounding Innsbruck and the small, university feel of Freiburg, and then combine them, that would be one hell of a little place. Unfortunately, I can’t do that, so I am stuck taking the good with the bad. Anyway, pretty much the only lousy thing about Freiburg was the weather during my time there. I thought the saying went “April showers bring May flowers.” Apparently whoever wrote that wasn’t with me in Europe during May. There are a few flowers, but a whole hell of a lot of showers. It rained almost nonstop while I was in Freiburg, making sightseeing a little difficult, but with Katharina’s constant pushing to get me to see the city, we persevered and managed to actually do quite a bit. We were wet the entire time, and also sick (I am totally blaming Ty for leaving us his cold), but still had a great time and enjoyed the constant teasing and jabbing that had continued from Innsbruck.
One weird thing that we saw during the few days I was in Freiburg was a sort of medieval game going on in the park. It is very difficult to describe this spectacle, mostly because we still have no idea what the hell was going on. If desired, I have a video of it that I can send to those who want to try to decipher this strange game. Just let me know. Anyway, we saw 5 or 6 guys hitting each other with jousting sticks, balls and chains, and other crazy weapons, while trying to steal some sort of wooden object and place it on another wooden object. I know that is a horrible description and probably does not help at all, but that is about the best I can do. Even right now, I am kind of at a loss for words. Those of you who know me also know that that is rarely the case. Anyway, trust me.
Instead of some of the usual visits to museums and churches that I normally do when I go to a new city, we only saw one church in Freiburg. However, it was really amazing, especially the size of it for such a small city. If they really tried, they could probably fit most of the people of the city in that thing. We also just enjoyed walking around, especially when the sun actually came out for a few hours, and I took a lot of pleasure in sampling some of the local sausage dishes. I don’t know why, but I remember before when I was in Germany and Poland, I was damn near addicted to sausage. Well, apparently that addiction is still alive and well, since I was always subtly hinting to Katharina that we needed to find a sausage place to eat not only lunch at, but also breakfast and dinner. Okay, a sausage with a coffee is kind of pushing it. I admit it, but not by much. Well, those Freiburgers (people from Freiburg, although they probably call themselves something else; I just couldn’t resist, especially after all this talk about sausage) do indeed make a mean sausage. What will I do when I get back to the States? I sense a catastrophe on my hands!
Well, after a lot of rain, a lot of relaxation time, and a lot of quality time with one of my best friends, it finally came time to leave Freiburg. It was hard for me. After not having traveled with anybody before, and then having my cousin and then Katharina with me for the last 3 weeks, now I am venturing back out on my usual road of solo travel. It will be a little different this time, as now I have something to compare it to. I must admit that I know I will be a little lonely. Those long bus and train rides won’t be the same for sure. I won’t have someone to constantly tease, to push me to the limits of my German pronunciation ability, and to get me sick. Hmm, well I guess there are advantages too. In either case, I am going to a place that is like a second home to me, so my loneliness will only be from not having someone around, but not from being in a strange place with no one I know around to help me. Poland is calling, and I am ready to answer. Two years of waiting will be over in about 4 hours of train rides and 2 hours of flying. Isn’t life grand?

Fun in Innsbruck

So the highlight of our trip so far has been our time in Innsbruck, hanging out with my friends (or sisters, depending on whom I am talking to) Katharina and Ann. After an absolutely horrendous day of travel, combining bus, airport shuttle, train, and damn near any other mode of transport you can think of, excluding rowboat of course, we finally arrived at the Innsbruck train station just before midnight. Luckily, Ann and Katharina were waiting there with open arms, although I was secretly hoping for some sausages too, as I was really starving. Ty and I had grabbed a fabulous bratwurst and Bavarian beer in the Munich train station while waiting for our connecting train, just like good Germans do. However, I immediately knew that I needed a second sausage, but the train had already taken off and I was left with hoping for a sausage greeting in Innsbruck. Seeing Ann and Katharina though was so great and we immediately fell back into our old selves, although Ann has definitely become wittier since I last saw her. Ty and I enjoyed exchanging little wordy jabs back and forth with both Katharina and Ann our entire time in Innsbruck, adding a lot of humor and laughter to our Innsbruck days.
We stayed in a cozy little hostel called the Glockenhaus. I really didn’t know what that meant, but after a full night of church bells ringing right outside our window, Katharina explained that “Glockenhaus” meant “bell house” and it all made perfect sense. Ty and I thoroughly enjoyed our floral duvets and wanted to bring them home with us, but they were a little bulky and wouldn’t pack down very easily, and since those grouches at the budget airlines around here are just looking for an excuse to hurl extra charges at us, we figured we wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.
Innsbruck is the fourth city that has hosted the Winter Olympics that I have visited. It is a charming city with big mountains surrounding it and cobblestone streets running through its interior. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t show us the most beautiful sides of Innsbruck while we were there, but the rain made sure we stayed clean and that we had our raincoats with us at all times. However, it is a small city that is walkable and bikeable, two of my most important characteristics of cities I like.
During our stay in Innsbruck, we were able to attend a theology class with Ann, which I thought was extremely interesting. A lecture about evolution, intelligent design, and the Catholic idea of creation sparked my motivation to chime in and maybe stir some things up, but cooler heads prevailed and I was relegated to my courtside seat. We were also able to take a gondola up one of the mountains above Innsbruck, but with our luck, the weather was terrible and we might as well have been up in the snowy Himalayas rather than the mountains above Innsbruck in the spring. It was still amazing though and reignited my passion for getting outdoors and climbing as high as possible when I get back to SLC.
One really interesting thing for me in Innsbruck was this statue of Jesus on the cross that was on one of the main bridges in the city. Unlike other crucifix statues, this one was unique in one special way—this Jesus looked like a Native American to me! I really don’t know how to describe this, but he just did! The facial features, the slightly braided hair, Jesus was Native American all the way, probably from the Nez Perce tribe if I had to guess. He was also completely naked, something you also don’t see in an everyday Jesus. In any case, as soon as I started to refer to this statue as the “Native American Jesus,” I was reminded of the song “My Own Personal Jesus,” started pounding my feet with the beat, and then found myself sounding the beat and singing that song with my own words every time we passed within the vicinity of this statue. It was something that I really enjoyed, and I think Ty and Ann did too, but Katharina wanted to strangle me, especially when I proceeded to dance around the statue singing and whooping about. I thought it was incredibly funny.
Ty and I kept the mood light as we were constantly showing off our mastery of the German language by announcing every word we saw, everywhere, with the kind of accent and gusto that you can never achieve with Rosetta Stone. We had several compliments about our German, but none of them were nice. We were pretty sure that they were just jealous and wondered how we had learned so much so quickly. However, when we finally encountered a word with 22 letters in it (the whole English alphabet only has 26 letters!), we had finally met our match. It was quite fun, and even Katharina, our fellow German friend, was laughing deep down inside, although she was reluctant to show it. From now on, my friends in Innsbruck will know me as “The Kaiser.”
Another interesting day brought us through a neighborhood near the train station, and a drunk lady, who we later referred to as “the squatter,” spreading her cheeks between two cars and going the bathroom right in front of us as we were walking down the sidewalk. Needless to say, we double-checked every parking space after that before proceeding with our cheery walks through Innsbruck, just to make sure we weren’t about to come up on anything unexpected. The Squatter seemed to be lurking around every corner.
Innsbruck had a variety of characters who impacted our lives for a few minutes in one way or another. Besides the Squatter, we also ran into a man we dubbed “Armageddon” or “Apocalypse” because of the fact that he was ranting in German, or Austrian, or whatever, that the end of the world was at hand. The fact that we were speedily walking away from him on the opposite side of the bridge did not stop him from pursuing us for a few blocks before chasing after the next victim. Maybe he finally hooked up with the Squatter. They could have been a match made in, well, someplace. The walks through Innsbruck at night were always interesting, completely safe, but full of surprises.
A night of hanging out and baking cookies occupied our last few hours in Innsbruck. The normal banter back and forth between the guys and girls continued in the kitchen, up to the point that when it came time to say goodbye, we weren’t quite sure what to do. The jokes and laughter the last few days had finally ceased, and it was a feeling that I definitely didn’t like, but that had to come. Our time in Innsbruck was amazing and just what I had hoped for. Although the weather was a little ugly at times, the time spent with friends there was very uplifting and particularly special for me.
Ty grabbed a flight back to the U.S. the next day, putting an end to this European trip for him. However, I have a feeling that he’ll be back, and if I am lucky, maybe I can join him again. I decided to travel up to Freiburg, Germany with Katharina. There should be many more great times to come, but Innsbruck will definitely be a highlight of this trip.

Viva Barcelona

Barcelona was our third stop on this European tour. Barcelona has the reputation of being one of the coolest cities in Europe, so we wanted to check it out. After a long day of traveling from Bruges, we finally made it to the center of Barcelona. We walked down La Rambla, the main avenue running down the Barcelona city center, with tons of cool shops lining both sides of the streets, a walkway of palm trees running down the middle, and lots of people walking and people-watching everywhere you look. The temperature was warm, probably in the upper 70s, which felt really good. The activity around this area, late into the night, reminds me a little of San Gil in Colombia, or even Medellin. It is just a fun atmosphere with people hanging out in Plaza Reial all night long, eating, drinking, and having a good time. It actually makes me want to be back in Colombia.

Two of the coolest things we saw in Barcelona were the Barcelona Cathedral and La Sagrada Familia. First, the Barcelona Cathedral was an impressive sight. It is a huge cathedral with several individual chapels inside it. Nothing really stood out about it, but it was still incredible to see. La Sagrada Familia however, was something that I will always remember. Designed by Antonio Gaudi, and started by Gaudi and still in the process of construction, it stands as an amazing mix of ideas and creativity. It was started in 1882, which is very recent for nearly any of the grand cathedrals of Europe. Its architecture, however, is very unique. This cathedral is one of my favorites, mostly because of how different it really is. Gaudi took many of his ideas from nature—the interior columns shaped like giant tree trunks, even with knots in them, the canopy of leaves serving as the ceiling, and the numerous different kinds of animals sculpted all over both the exterior and interior of the church. Gaudi, like myself, thought that nature showed us how to be perfect, and he just too the time and made the effort to learn some of its lessons. He wanted the cathedral to be a place where people could feel that they were worshipping in nature, not a dark house or old church. He wanted different kinds of people all to feel at home in his cathedral, and this really appealed to me. The outer designs, with one side featuring the passion story of Jesus, with much sadness and sorrow, to the other side showing the nativity story, with all of its joy and promise. The shapes and sculptures of the cathedral are not the well-defined, finely carved out ones that you will find on other grand cathedrals, but more sketched ideas and visions that let our imaginations fill in the gaps. It is one of the coolest and most impressive things I have ever seen, and it is amazing to think that it is still being constructed, and is planned to finish in about 20 more years. All present designs are based on Gaudi’s own notes and designs that he left behind after he died, with his idea of the grandest cathedral in the world still alive and breathing in Barcelona.

It really is amazing the amount of renovation and construction going on throughout Europe right now. It seems that with every major museum, cathedral, or other attraction we see, there is just as much if not more scaffolding associated with it. There is a great absence of quality photo opportunities of these sights right now because of the cranes, scaffolding, junk piles, and everything else that comes along with construction and renovation. It is too bad, but I guess that just forces us to use our imaginations. The scaffolding construction though is very impressive, but I wouldn’t want to be one of those guys working 300 feet up and dangling off a ledge, trying to touch up a little statue that was created 800 years ago.

The rest of our time in Barcelona was spent relaxing. We went down to the beach to get some sun, but found that the beach wasn’t much of a beach and the wind was a little strong. It was a little overcast, so we didn’t get much sun, but it was still interesting to see.

Our last night in Barcelona was spent hanging out with some of the local Catalonians. Okay, I will explain this because it is a little complicated. So think of Catalonia as a part of Spain that doesn’t really want to be a part of Spain. Most of the people think of themselves first as Catalonians, and second as Spanish. There is a building movement to create a Catalonian country, since the language is different (Catalonian is a mix of Spanish, French, and Italian, but it is difficult to understand for me, and even difficult in some cases for native Spanish people), the culture is very different, and there is a very distinct area of the country that this is confined to. A river (I forgot the name) is the southern border of this region, and the Catalonian influence stretches all the way into southern France. In fact, and I did not know this, there are even a few small villages in Sicily, Italy that are Catalonian, where Catalonian is the main language and Italian is secondary. That was very cool to discover. Okay, back to our last night in Barcelona. So we went down to the waterfront and saw a free concert with several rock bands from throughout Spain. After having fun listening to some good music, we joined some friends and went into a few local bars, far away from the tourist areas of town. We sampled leche de pantera (“Panther’s milk”), which is a sweet alcoholic drink that is rather tasty in my opinion. After a few bottles of that, along with two large servings of cabrales cheese (a locally made cheese that is very strong, but also incredibly delicious, especially when combined with alcohol!), we were feeling pretty good about ourselves. Despite having to catch an early bus the next morning to start a full day of traveling to Innsbruck, we managed to extend the night until after 3 in the morning, and then somehow wrestle ourselves out of bed and basically into the bus to the airport. It was a great day and exactly what I was hoping for, some time away from the tourist scene and getting into the authentic Barcelona experience, while learning some about the culture too. Well, adios Barcelona, but Germany and Austria are calling now.

Bruges, Belgium

Stop #2 on our quick European tour was Bruges, Belgium. Bruges is considered to be the Venice of the North, and historically, was one of the most powerful and busiest cities in Europe, due to the large ports that used to connect the city to the sea. Bruges did immediately remind me of Venice, with its cobblestone streets, scarcity of vehicles, and tons of canals everywhere you look, kind of creating this surreal feeling of perpetual confusion as to where you actually are, but at the same time, producing an environment so pleasing and relaxing that you really don’t care that you’re lost. Most of the local people here in Bruges ride their bikes everywhere, especially since the city is so small that you can virtually get from any one place to another within 10 minutes on a bike, not having to worry about finding a parking place. Unlike Amsterdam, Bruges seems much more bike-friendly, as there are no confusing bike lane lines running all over the streets, there is very little vehicle traffic, and trams are not constantly trying to run you over from several different directions at once.

Sitting in the Market Square, drinking our first Belgian beer in Belgium, we watched local kids race around the giant statues in the square on their bikes, narrowly missing tourists and grinning with delight. The noise and constant movement of Amsterdam seems very far away from the casual, serene atmosphere we found here.
We met a very friendly couple who offered us a place to stay, and then also gave us a quick tour of the city. We were able to see a few places that tourists typically don’t get to see, which was really cool. After our quick little tour, we sat down with them in a local pub and sampled our first Belgian beer and pub experience. The variety of beer here is truly astounding, and as someone who does not know a lot about beer in the first place, I was a little overwhelmed. Luckily, the locals helped offer their advice to us whenever they could.

Our second day in Bruges was filled with a little more sightseeing, but at a very relaxing pace. Bruges is small enough that you can just saunter through the streets, not racing around to see every little museum and church that is on the tourist walk. Our first stop was the Chapel of the Holy Blood, where some blood from the second Crusade was brought back and is kept in a chalice behind one of the altars in this church. The church itself is very beautiful, and although it no not a huge church, I found it to be among the finest churches I have seen. Below the chapel is another little basilica, carved into stone walls. It is a dark, older chapel in the ground, but was very nice and reminded me a lot of the underground chapel in the hospital in Sienna, Italy—probably my favorite church I’ve seen, period. The simplicity of it is the most impressive thing I think. There are no fancy paintings or stained glass windows. There is a silence there, but also something powerful that cannot be explained. It is hard to describe, but it is one of those things that you can only feel, but not put into words.

After the Chapel of the Holy Blood, we visited the Church of Our Lady, the largest brick building in the world. It is a huge church, with the centerpiece being a sculpture by Michelangelo, the Madonna with Child. It is one of Michelangelo’s few pieces that can be found outside of Italy. Like everything of Michelangelo’s that I’ve seen, this was incredibly impressive and another example of just what a genius the man really was. The church itself was also amazing, probably ranking as one of my favorites as well. After trying to experience a little more of Belgium through an authentic hot chocolate and chocolate Belgian waffle (that was a little too much chocolate in one meal for me, but absolutely delicious), we took a canal ride through Bruges. It was very relaxing and provided us with a different perspective of the city. We also visited a few windmills, bought some food at a market and had a picnic in a small square, and bought two big blocks of chocolate at the Chocolate Line store, rated as one, if not the best, chocolate stores in the world. However, because we bought this chocolate in blocks because it is cheaper that way, we had forgotten that we had nothing to cut them with, finally resorting to smashing the bag against the ground numerous times to try to break the block into pieces. As you can imagine, our success varied.

Later in the day, we met Lies, a really cute, friendly girl who grew up in Bruges and works as a psychoanalytical nurse. We spent the night drinking champagne, beer, and red wine (I know, quite the combination) and talking about random topics. It was a lot of fun and another good opportunity to hear about what life is like in Bruges. I hope she wasn't trying to get into my head too much. If so, she might need to drink a little more!
The best part about Bruges, besides spending the time with the friendly people we met, was just getting lost in the maze of cobblestone streets that is Bruges. In that way, it was exactly like Venice. I would love to return to Bruges a little later in life, when I have a little more money to spend (hopefully that time will come one day), and sample the fantastic cuisine and more of the mouthwatering chocolate that really sets Bruges apart from most places. Until that time comes, I will have a lot of fond memories of this place to keep me company.

Back to Europe-- Amsterdam

So after a few years away from Europe, the time has finally arrived for me to find my way back. I have a lot of friends over there that I have been waiting to see, and I am also excited to see a few places I have never been before. This trip will also be a little different because I will be traveling with someone for the first time, at least for the first few weeks, my cousin Tyler.

After a long day of flying, we finally arrived in Amsterdam, our first stop along the way.

It really is a bike city here. It seems like everyone is on a bike and that there are as many bike lanes as there are car lanes. You do have to really pay attention when walking around though, and the complex system of bike lanes seems to put pedestrians in the constant crossfire of schoolgirls riding by, middle-aged men bringing groceries home on the back of their bikes, and the leisurely recreationists just out enjoying the sun. Within our first few hours, both my cousin and I had narrowly missed being taken out by enthusiastic Dutch cyclists.

We visited Rijksmuseum, the National Museum, where we were treated to 15 or so paintings by the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt. His play with light and dark in his images is still very awesome to see and brings a realism to his paintings that I haven’t found in the works of too many other artists. After the museum, both Tyler and I felt as if we were about to collapse from exhaustion, having basically been awake for the last 27 hours, with only 3-4 hours of sleep separating us from 72 sleepless hours.

After a resuscitating 3-4 hour nap, we almost felt normal again and decided to head out to see Amsterdam at night, and that meant one thing—the Red Light District. Okay, so up until this point, Amsterdam seemed to be pretty typical of a lot of European cities—many old alleys and streets full of little shops and eateries, tons of people walking the streets all the time, and old buildings and fantastic architecture dominating the skyline. Well, the Red Light District definitely separated Amsterdam from the rest of the European cities I have visited, in one way or another. Nowhere else have I seen half-naked girls sitting and standing in shop windows, (illuminated by red lights of course) smiling at passersby and inviting them to come in for a visit. Sex was selling all over the place, with erotic shops and boutiques, as well as strip clubs and places advertising live peep shows lining both sides of the old canalways. In fact, there was even your typical Erotic Museum and Sex Museum, both of which were strictly for educating the public on the history of both eroticism and sex. I personally did not have the opportunity to sample these two museums, but I am sure that the displays were quite interesting, and the interactive movies were even more entertaining.

It was very surreal walking through these streets, and then realizing how different that it was from good old Utah! Well, I guess my cousin couldn’t ever have as much culture shock as he must have experienced there. It was very interesting even for me. The prevalence of cafes is also astounding, especially considering that every one also promotes itself as a “smoke club” where you can buy marijuana and smoke it there. I’m sure that if you are a pothead, Amsterdam would be close to Nirvana for you, but since I don’t think I exactly fall into that category, it was just very interesting to see and didn’t really affect me in any way. Oh, that is except for the ever-present smell of weed permeating every street and alley. At times, I almost felt that I was getting high just by being there. That feeling definitely started to wear on me after a day or two.

After a decent night’s sleep finally, we took a guided tour around the city, which ended up being very entertaining and informative at the same time. We learned about the history of the city, from its founding, to its development through the Dutch East Indies Company, and then the occupation of the city by Nazi forces during the second World War. Some of the most interesting things to see were how some of the buildings built around the canals were slouching into crooked positions because of the fact that their foundations were sinking in the swamp-like ground below them. The famous Febo chain of stores was something different. Here you can purchase on-the-spot hot snacks, sandwiches, and anything else that you might want when you have the munchies after passing the time in one of the cafés. However, the difference is that you buy them out of coin-operated vending machines. Neither my cousin nor myself dared to try the aforementioned snacks, for fear a good portion of our trip would be spent on the toilet. We also learned that one of the favorite pastimes of drunken Amsterdamers is to try to find bicycles that aren’t locked up (there are over 85,000 bicycles stolen within the city limits each year!) and to throw them into one of the several canals in the city, trying to see which ones create the biggest splashes. In fact, this is even occasionally done with those little Smartcars, since you can almost literally give them a heave and they will roll along, right down into the canal. Hmm, I know that wouldn’t be funny for the owner, but I would kind of like to see that.

It is still remarkable to me how many close encounters with cyclists I see daily. It seems like the locals on the bike are playing some game that rewards them for mowing down tourists. They are pretty good at at least scaring us with their kamikaze riding. And scooters being able to zoom down the bike lane? Horrible idea! Having someone cruising at 25 miles per hour basically along the sidewalk is just asking for trouble.

One highlight of our trip to Amsterdam was our visit to Ann Frank’s house. This was a little weird because the exterior is all surrounded by metal and glass, almost like it is in a cage. No pictures were allowed inside, unfortunately. The fact that the family hid in that space for 2 years is downright amazing and something I can’t even imagine. Perfectly covered by a bookcase, the hiding rooms were much bigger than I thought they would be, but still, a very crammed, little place that would drive anyone crazy. The experience was very cool, and I especially liked this large photo of Otto Frank, Ann’s father, looking back into the attic 5 or 6 years after Ann had died in Auschwitz. What a powerful photo, with his mind seemingly transformed back in time to the hardest difficulties he would ever face. The experience definitely sparked my interest to read Ann Frank’s Diary, which I learned is the second-most translated book in the world, just after the Holy Bible.

Another highlight of mine was seeing the incredible number of famous Dutch tulips present in the city. I love tulips and it was great being able to see bright red and gold tulips all over the place. I am sure that if I had a girlfriend here, she would be drowning in tulips every week, just because I couldn’t help myself.

So here are my final thoughts of Amsterdam, before heading off to Bruges on a train tomorrow. Amsterdam is unlike any other city I have been to before. The fact that prostitution and marijuana are legal here creates an environment I would almost compare to Las Vegas. If these were things I enjoyed, I would probably think that this place was amazing. However, I generally find that the types of people Amsterdam attracts are the kinds of people I would rather not mingle with too much. The canals and bike-friendly environment of Amsterdam are really cool and it would probably be a pretty cool place after you get out of the tourist areas, but we didn’t have enough time to really explore the city like I wanted. I think that Amsterdam is just so hyped up that you can’t help but to have very high expectations of this place. I know I did. However, when I compare it to many of the other cities I have visited throughout Europe, I find that there are several other cities in which I would rather spend my time. It was nice seeing the city that is so famous, or maybe infamous, around the world, but now it is time to go see another city that I suspect will be a little more to my liking- Bruges, Belgium.

Finishing Up on the Coast

Well everyone, as most of you know, I have returned back to Salt Lake City from Colombia now, but have yet to write my final blogpost about my time on the coast. So after getting reacquainted with the snow and cold here, I am finally ready to do so. So here it goes....

After my amazing week in San Gil, I flew to Santa Marta, a large city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Considering the incredible times I had in the smaller, less-touristy towns of Santander and Boyaca, I decided to stay out of Santa Marta for the most part, and spend my time in Taganga, a little fishing village about 15 minutes from the big city. Wow, this decision turned out to be a great one!
Taganga is a cozy little fishing village located in a valley between mountains, settling into the coastal landscape with its own bay. It brought back a few memories of Madagascar and the fishing villages I lived in there, although those were much poorer, less developed, and "true" fishing villages in the sense that the only thing that occurred in these villages was fishing. Anyway, after walking around the little town for awhile, carrying my backpack and asking the locals about all the possible places to stay, an older gentleman directed me to a really cool hostel overlooking the bay. The hostel was run by a friendly American couple, and offered a sweet rooftop terrace and bar with hammocks and everything else. Like all places along the Caribbean coast, Taganga was pretty hot and the rooftop terrace proved to be a lifesaver, especially with the famous Taganga winds blowing all afternoon and evening. The sunsets from the harbor were also very beautiful.
While in Taganga, I met a very nice lady who ran a little eating establishment out of her home. I ended up eating there every night I spent in the little village, and also met her two boys, who taught me a new card game, and made it somewhat difficult for me to eat my dinners, between all the cheering and dealing going on in our high stakes games.

From Taganga, I traveled to the incredible Parque Tayrona, a coastal national park full of beautiful beaches and gorgeous mountains, including the Sierra Nevadas de Santa Marta, one of the highest coastal mountain ranges in the world. It was about a two-hour hike through the jungle and then along the beach to arrive at Cabo San Juan, one of the last accessible beaches along the park's interior. Cabo had a calm bay and a great beach for relaxing and swimming, along with a little bar and cafeteria to buy food and drinks. After trying to arrange to sleep in one of the hammocks high above the rocks of the bay and finding out that they were all full, I decided to ask about the other hammocks that were still free. I talked to a guy who had spent the previous night in these hammocks, and after he showed me the 75 or more mosquito bites along his one arm that he had acquired the night before while sleeping, I decided against staying the night in those horrendous contraptions and instead, set my backpack down on the deck of the gazebo high above the water, and ended up sleeping (okay, I actually didn't sleep a minute that night) while sitting in a chair on the gazebo. I guess the weather wanted to punish me for not paying for a hammock because it rained on me for about 2 hours during the night. Although it was very miserable and one of the longest nights of my life, there was something cool about sitting there in the dark, all alone, and just watching the ocean do its thing while listening to the waves crash up against the rocks. I was very happy to see the sun come up though, and then to hike back out and get back to Taganga.

After another day in Taganga, I took a bus over to the jewel of Colombia, or at least in the tourists' eyes, Cartagena. I stayed in the Getsemani area of Cartagena, where many of the hostels and tourist attractions are located, just outside the Old Town. The first thing that struck me about Cartagena was the heat. It was very, very hot and very, very humid. I arrived in the evening, so I didn't get a true idea of the heat and humidity until the next day.
The Old Town, which is really the only photographed area of the city, is very pretty. It is a treasure trove of colonial architecture, cobbled streets, horse-drawn carriages, and festive cultural plazas and performances. It was really nice walking around the Old Town at night, after the blazing sun had decided to rest for the day, and while the bright and colorful lights illuminated the colonial architecture and the dance groups came out to show off their moves in many of the several plazas. I actually came across a charity concert that was being held in one of the main squares of the city, and after befriending a security guard, was offered free entrance into the concert. However, because it was an international, black-tie event (concert for a Landmine-Free World), and I was wearing shorts (although they were nice shorts:) and a t-shirt, I decided not to spend much time there, for fear of attracting attention because of my stylish wardrobe. I did get to see Juanes, a famous Colombian music artist, perform a few songs, which was really fun.
While in Cartagena, I decided not to do the typical tourist thing and run all over like a chicken with its head cut off. I did not even look at my guidebook, but spent all my time just wondering around the Old Town, being totally spontaneous, and visiting the places that seemed to be the most "local" around. I enjoyed visiting the little food stands along the water, sampling ceviche (think of a type of raw fish stew), popping my head into the various little markets, and talking to completely random people. I was very surprised to find that outside of the Old Town, Cartagena seemed to be a very poor, rundown city. It reminded me a lot of Cairo, with the magnificent Pyramids standing just outside a city of filth and garbage. While walking around some of the areas outside of the tourist center, I probably felt the least safe in these areas than in any other area I visited during my trip. I know that within 5 hours of arriving in Cartagena, I was offered cocaine at least 20 times, approached by 4 or 5 prostitutes, and had one guy approach me like he wanted to fight. It was very interesting and I never knew what to expect next.
It was strange seeing the street markets start to fill with Christmas trees and other holiday items, while I was sweating profusely and trying to find some respite from the relentless heat. I guess some people can get into the Christmas spirit in a place like this, but not me. I need snow, cold, mountains, and all that stuff that I find back home in Salt Lake. Most importantly though, I need family and friends around me to make the holiday season special. At the end of my trip, I was very grateful that I had had the opportunity to see so much of this beautiful country that has been painted in a tarnished fashion by the media for so long. I was able to see for myself that there is so much more to Colombia than FARC, cocaine, kidnappings, and murder. There are beautiful people, diverse landscapes, dancing like nothing you have seen before, bustling metropolitan cities, relaxing towns and villages, and memories to last a lifetime. In summary, the national motto of Colombia says it best: "El riesgo es que te quieras quedar," or "The risk is wanting to stay."
Thanks to everyone for joining me on this Colombian adventure, and I am sure another adventure will be following soon:)

Final Pictures---
Parque Tayrona: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/AF5D9F23908C?source=pw980

Cartagena: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/A1485123908D?source=pw980

Relaxing in the Boyaca Region

I have spent the last few weeks in the Santander and Boyaca regions of Colombian. These regions are considered some of the most beautiful of Colombia, where people go to relax and get back in touch with nature. They also provide the gateways to access the tallest mountains of the country, those in El Cocuy National Park. It is a little off the beaten tourist track, as there are not many large cities in the region and transportation is a little tricky sometimes. It is a very beautiful region, with decent size mountains everywhere you look, and then small colonial villages and towns settled down into the valleys.



From Bogota, I stopped in Zipaquira for a few hours to see the famous salt cathedral. I saw a salt cathedral in Poland, near Krakow in a little town called Wieliczka, and that was one of the most impressive things I have seen, so I was not expecting this salt cathedral to measure up. Anyway, the salt cathedral was incredible, and much larger than I expected. It is larger than the salt cathedral in Wieliczka, but lacked the detailed sculptures, pews, altar, and other ¨church-like¨ things that you find in churches. The Zipaquira salt cathedral had the stations of the cross in salt and huge shafts where crosses out of salt were displayed, along with kneeling pews for praying. However, I never really felt like I was in a holy place, or even a church. It was definitely impressive, especially the size of this place (you could easily get lost in there), but the intricate, detailed pieces and the powerful emotion I felt while standing in the Wieliczka cathedral was lacking.



I can say that the tiny town of Zipaquira has another cathedral in its little town square that really impressed me. It was just a simple cathedral, nothing special to the naked eye, but it was one of those places that you walk into a just get hit with some sort of feeling. It doesn´t happen to me very often, so I take notice when it does. This cathedral was something special, and much more impressive to me than the salt cathedral. The shame is that probably an incredibly small percentage of tourists that visit Zipaquira actually even see the cathedral from a distance. Or, maybe that is a good thing too, and part of the reason it does provide a special sensation to the person that does take the time to witness its grandness.














After Zipaquira, I continued on to the little city of Tunja. Tunja is the capital of the department of Boyaca and is the highest departmental capital in Colombia, located at an elevation of almost 8,500 feet. At this elevation, the city is significantly colder than any other city I have visited on my trip thus far. Days are nice and cool, and nights are colder, probably in the low 40s. Tunja is a university town, with something like 5 or 6 universities calling the city home. Therefore, most of the people walking the streets are young people. Unfortunately, I was not able to experience a weekend there, as I spent two days there, just to sample the city and see the colonial churches that the city is famous for. Well, just as my luck would have it, I chose the week during which all the priests were on retreat, and only 2 of the dozen churches were open. I was not able to see the interior of the grand cathedral, which I was a little upset about, but I did see the insides of the San Franciscan Church and the Church of Santo Domingo, which were both decorated in the Baroque style, with lots of gold and elaborate statues. While this is cool in one way, I prefer the simple churches. Call me a simpleton. I know. I can´t help it. When I think of God, the last thing I think about is gold and showy, gaudy decorations. To each his own (or her own) I guess.






After Tunja, I spent 4 days in a colonial town called Villa de Leyva. This charming little city is very peaceful and laid back. The roads in the main part of the town are all cobblestone, and there are very few cars driving the streets. It has one of the largest main town plazas in all of South America, and is the place to hang out at night, when all the little tiendas and restaurants are playing music at night and the square (called Plaza Mayor) transforms itself into the gathering place for old and young alike. I spent a few nights hanging out on the steps of the cathedral at night, watching over the square, talking to random people, and even listening to a few student bands play their rattles and other instruments as the town fountain in the middle of the square drew the young crowd into dancing and singing.



While in Villa de Leyva, I was able to visit some of the sights around the town. One really cool place I was lucky enough to visit was El Fosil. This place is the original site of an archaeological dig that uncovered the largest intact fossil of a prehistoric marine animal. The kronosaurus measures around 30 feet long and looks like a giant crocodile with huge, wing-like fins that propelled it forward. It must have been quite a sight for anything else in the sea. It was really, really cool to see, and just to imagine something that is 120 million years old is crazy!! 120 million years ago? Wow, I would give anything to see what this world looked like back then and what strange, awesome creatures were roaming about the earth before the mighty hand of Homo sapiens got hold of it. It is definitely fun to think about.







While at the fossil site, I met a young Colombian couple, who I began talking to. It turned out that we were heading to the same place, and since they had a car, they offered to give me a ride. They were very nice and we got along very well. We visited a site called El Infiernito, which is a sacred, Stonehenge-like site for the Muisca people (think Incas, but of Colombia). In this site, the Muiscas erected these tall structures with which they used, along with the projection of their shadows at different times of the year, to determine the seasons of the year and the best times to plant their crops. There were also some tall structures shaped in the form of a male penis. Yes, I am not making this up! These structures symbolized male fertility, and since they were protruding from Mother Earth, also represented the partnership between mankind and nature. Hmm, interesting, and not exactly what I was expecting. In fact, when I first saw those large stones, I definitely thought to myself how much they resembled penises. I guess I have an eye for detail, because I was right!


Our next stop was at a vineyard to sample some of the Colombian wine produced in the region. While nothing special, it was a cool experience and something that I never thought I would do while in Colombia. Plus, it was a great way to sample several wines without paying too much. After a quick stop at an Ostrich Farm (kind of weird but definitely interesting- I got to pet an ostrich and let it peck at my hand (they wouldn´t let me try to ride him), we returned to Villa de Leyva, where I relaxed in a hammock for the rest of the day, before visiting the square again at night.




A short drive from Villa de Leyva takes you to the awesome little town of Chiquinquira, the most Catholic place in Colombia, where many Catholics from around the country and even the surrounding countries make a pilgrimage. There is a legend that a miracle occurred here a few centuries ago. There was a painting of Mary that had been painted by the famous Spanish artist Alonso de Narvaez. The painting was stored in a church that was basically falling apart, and the result was that the painting was damaged and the images started to fade. The image was finally taken to Chiquinquira and stored there in a chapel in 1577. Several years later, a lady from Seville rediscovered the painting, and although the images were very faint at this point, she loved to pray in front of it. One day, the lady came to pray at the painting when she discovered that the painting had been miraculously restored to its original condition overnight. Word spread of the miracle, and in 1829, Pope Pius VII declared the Virgin of Chiquinquira patroness of Colombia.



The church is elegantly simple and the painting is displayed behind a glass case, to prevent pilgrims from damaging it. The church itself is marvelous and one of the most impressive ones I have seen. Although it isn`t particularly old like many of the cathedrals in Europe, and definitely not as elaborately decorated as others, this impressive cathedral standing over this little town is quite a sight.





After Villa de Leyva, I traveled to the adventure town of San Gil. San Gil is one of the outdoor meccas of Colombia, offering plenty of activities for extreme sports athletes. By far the coolest thing I did in San Gil, and one thing that I will always remember, is a hike to the magnificent Cascadas de Juan Curi. This hike went up a small river for about 1 hour, through the dense cloud forest. Most of this time was spent hiking in the river, crossing the shallow areas where the river ran over hard bedrock. In the distance, I could see this amazing, enormous waterfall crashing down from the top of the mountain above. Passing numerous cascades and swimming pools (I jumped in most of them), the trek continued until I reached a huge waterfall towering over a cliff, into a deep, dark pool below. It was absolutely breathtaking, and one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I jumped in the pool, but there was a pretty wicked current, and after discovering that there was an undercut bank, was a little weery of being swept under and trapped, so I had to cut my time in that freezing pool short. After continuing on a faint trail through the jungle even higher, I came across an even more massive waterfall, tumbling over the true top of the mountain. This waterfall was almost 500 feet high, and crashed into a pool just above a giant boulder field. Just a few hundred feet downriver was the top of the last waterfall I had just seen, so I was able to crawl to the edge and peer down, with my chest hovering just above the water that was about to take a serious fall. Peering down, I could really see how high this waterfall was (probably 400 feet or so). I really, really wanted to try to climb to the top of the largest waterfall, but a thunder clap and some rain turned me back. However, this series of waterfalls was undoubtedly the most impressive waterfall I have ever seen, and one of the most impressive things I have seen period. I felt a little like Indiana Jones!



I spent another day in the little colonial town of Barichara. The town was almost completely empty because it was in the middle of the week, but that definitely gave it more of its charm. The church was amazing, just like the ones in San Gil and Chiquinquira. The only person I saw was a man sweeping the streets. It was really nice to find myself in such a quiet place. I decided to go for a little walk, so took a cobblestone trail down the mountain for a few hours to another even smaller colonial village named Guane. The trail passed mountain pastures and incredible landscapes for the duration, and was very relaxing and nice, almost like I was doing some sort of pilgrimage. When I reached the little village of Guane, people were very surprised to see me. Nearly all of the little tiendas were closed, but there were a few small groups of people hanging out in the main square. After seeing another amazing church, I visited with a few of the locals, and one lady took me into her home and showed me around. It was really cool and I thought to myself that I could easily spend a week in this charming little village, away from all the worries of the world.
One interesting note-- I tried hormigas (ants) for the first time. Although a little too crunchy for myself, they definitely have a distinct taste. However, I wouldn`t exactly sign up to have them with every meal, and you DEFINITELY need a drink with them, as they leave a fairly bad aftertaste!



So now, I am getting ready to leave Boyaca and head to the Caribbean Coast for some fun in the sun and a change of scenery. I´ll be sure to wear my sunscreen, and I guess I should start preparing for the heat. Ciao everyone, and I hope you are enjoying the snow back home!





Photos of Zipaquira: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/ACB9873386B5?source=pw980



Photos of Tunja and Villa de Leyva: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/AA417C2386B3?source=pw980



Photos of Chiquinquira: www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/A4B9AD2389F3?source=pw980




Photos of San Gil: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/A3662E3389F1?source=pw980




Photos of Barichara: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/AA9FC53389F2?source=pw980