Vatican fun facts

The Vatican did not become a sovereign city-state until 1929, and believe it or not you can thank Mussolini for that. It is a walled city-state covering approx. 110 acres. The Popes have generally resided in the area of the Vatican since 1377. 

FUN FACTS

• The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world with the smallest population. It measures 44 hectares ( 110 acres) and has a population of about 1000 people.
• The Vatican has its own Post office and issues its own stamps. The Vatican mail system is widely used by Romans as in most cases is a lot quicker than Italian mail.
• The Vatican's radio station is located in a tower inside the Vatican Gardens and broadcasts in 20 languages throughout the world.
• The Vatican's railway Station was opened in 1930 and is mostly used for freight.
• Piazza di San Pietro (St Peter's Square) and the colonnade were designed and built by Bernini (completed in 1667). At 314 meters long and 240 meters wide it is the largest square in Rome. Bernini (with the help of his pupils) designed the 140 statues of saints which decorate the colonnade.
• The Vatican City issues its own passports; the Pope, cardinals, members of the Swiss guard and clergy being the recipients.
• The Vatican City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the only site to encompass a whole country.
• Italians are allowed to donate 8% of their yearly taxes to the Vatican (this is instead of paying it to the Italian Government).
• In 2007 the Vatican opted to become the first Carbon neutral state by offsetting their carbon footprint with the creation of a forest in Hungary.
• The Vatican stamps its own coins. The €1 coin which has a portrait of the present Pope is in high demand with collectors.
• The Vatican museums are over 9 miles (14,5 kilometers) long, and it is said that if you spent only 1 minute admiring each painting it would take you 4 years to complete the circuit...(WOW)

•  Swiss Guards were chosen for their loyalty. Until then, the Pope used Mercenaries, whose allegiance was bought. Pope Julius II felt this was unsafe.

• Established in 1506 by Pope Julius II the Pontifical Swiss Guard (Vatican guard) were originally employed as personal bodyguards to the Pope, at present they serve as the military force of the Vatican.
• To be a Swiss guard one must be: at least 5'8.5'' in height, Male, Catholic, between the ages of 19 and 30, have completed basic training in the Swiss military, and of course, be Swiss.

• In 1998 there was a murder in the Vatican City. The newly named commander of the Swiss Guards and his wife were killed, allegedly by the new Commander's homosexual lover.

• There is no public illustration or painting exists in the Vatican of Pope Johannes. Why you wonder.... Because it is alleged that Johannes was really Joan, a female. It was discovered she was not a he when she gave birth to a child. She and the child were killed, and it seems almost all memory of them have been torn from the history books.

Talk about Vatican – history – cool sights – Sistine chapel – St. Peters basilica – the dome

School is ending, yet the fun continues

Tomorrow I take my final exams, enjoy a "good bye banquet," and will be getting on an overnight train to Rome. I will try to update more often as I travel. I wanted to give you all an idea of what I will be experiencing. 

•  Aug 10th to 13th - Rome
• Aug 13th to 15 - Cinque Terre
• Aug 15th to 18th - Florence with day trips to Siena to watch the Palio
• Aug 18th - over night train to Berlin
• Aug 19th - spend the day in Berlin
• Aug 19th (evening) to Aug 21st - Amsterdam
• Aug 21st - Overnight train to Kempten
• Depart Germany on Aug 23rd.

I am sure everyone here has heard of Rome, and knows the treasures it has, so that does not need to be discussed. If you have never heard of Cinque Terre, please go to google.com and search that term. After your search is complete, click on images. It is absolutely beautiful. I plan on enjoying some wine, pasta, and the Mediterranean sea. Florence and Siena are both famous in their own right, but I truly am looking forward to visiting Siena. Instead of trying to explain why, I will simply post a link below for you to read about it. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palio_di_Siena

I think it will be amazing to witness an event that has, in some form been going on since the 14th Century. 

Odd things

As I am sure Europeans think there are many odd things about America, I have found there to be many odd things in Europe. Here is a list of some of them.

• Mayonaise on everything!!
• Condiments are not free! If you need ketchup for your fries, you are paying
• It is cheaper to drink beer than water when traveling through Germany
• Paying to take a piss - Major train stations and even some restaurants make you pay anywhere from 5 cents to 1 euro for the privilege of relieving yourself.
• Public transportation in Europe is a million times better than most of Florida.
• Europeans are always walking fast. Its like they are forever in a rush
• In Germany you can drink soft alcohol (beer and wine) at age 16, and are not allowed a driver's license til you are 18.
• For the most part, processed food is not readily available.
• We might have Dunkin Donuts, but there are bakeries everywhere, and though I usually have no clue what exactly I am pointing at, the pastries are pretty damn awesome.
• Beer - Yes we have microbrews, but most of Europe seems to have regional beers, and they are not crazy experiments with all kinds of fruits. They are good, full bodied beers.
•  Spandex/tights seem to be all the rage for women. I am not sure if I understand it, but it is what it is.

That is just a short list of some things that came to mind. As I travel over the next two weeks I am sure I will have more. 

The best dancing girls are in Prague (I have not gone to Amsterdam yet)

Like in the title, I will preface this post by saying I have not gone to Amsterdam yet! I will be going, so this post may prove to be untrue. With that warning being stated, I will continue the story.


I was in Prague when I met a group of guys from England and Australia. They had been in Prague for business, and were going out to party. I met them at a small bar located on Winchelas Square. It was a small hole in the wall called Zombie bar. The beer was cheap, and it had a juke box!! This was the first time in Europe where I could play music of my choice. I was very excited.

After about an hour the Aussie and Brits left, I continued to hang around. Finally stumbling out of the smoke filled bar into the dark night. I come out of the small corridor into the square, and who do I run into but the group of guys from early. I started talking to a short guy named Lazarus, asking where they had been and if it was any good. They told me how they went to the strip club, called Hot Pepperz, and how amazing it was. I told him I would check it out. Next thing I know Laz is pulling out a card that is good for free drinks. His card had 8 free drinks left on it, now I was starting to get excited. Then he starts telling his friends to hook me up, after all they were leaving the next day. Before I could say thank you I ended up with 30 free drinks at this "Gentleman's club." This was going to be interesting. I found my way to Hot Pepperz and it was like the Mecca for anyone who enjoys naked women, and cold beverages. It was bigger than any strip club I have been to in my life, and the women were simply incredible. As I surveyed the room, I could tell there was some silicone but most appeared to be all natural, and very perky. I got myself a drink and sat down, with in a few mins I found myself surrounded by beautiful women.

Unlike in Hamburg or Frankfurt, not one of them asked me to buy them an overpriced drink. (Hamburg - she wanted a 90 euro bottle of wine, which I could probably buy at a store 10 euros) The women were beautiful, and kind. Without getting too graphic and/or possibly offensive, I will simply say at about 5:45am I left with a smile from ear to ear. The greatest part about the club was the free drink tickets.

 I used up about 15 of them (mixed drinks cost two "free beer" tickets. With 15 of them left, I turned to the group of brits and offered them for sale. With 700 czk in my pocket I walked out the door. So to recap - multiple hours with beautiful naked women everywhere, cold beer, and strong mixed drinks, food from a street vendor before I left, and a taxi ride back to my hotel. Total cost to me = 00.00 I actually made money because after eating and paying for my cab I still had 100 czk in my pocket. I must say that night was epic, and I will not forget it.

Prague Nightlife

Prague has a bar or club for every type of person. As I sit here I do not know where to start.




My first night in Prague, I went on the "backpacker's pub crawl," which was recommended to me by a friend. From 9pm to 11pm you get an open bar at the Drunken monkey, and then from there you get taken to two or three different bars/clubs, where you are given free entry, a free shot, and a free beer. I got to the drunken money at about 9:15pm after getting a little lost. It was rather empty when I got there, maybe ten other people. I quickly learned the idea behind the pubcrawl. They wanted to get us drunk as could be, so we would spend money freely. I go to the bar, and get a beer, and with out even asking for it the bartender puts two shots in front of me. Not to be a poor sport, I downed both quickly. They were vodka and apple juice. Not the best I will say, especially considering the vokda was of very low quality. At about 7 beers into the night, the Drunken money was now filled with people from all over the world. I beat a Brit in beer pong, and had a Americas vs. Europe flipcup game. My teammates were another US college student and two guys from Brazil, and yes we won. After two hours in the drunken monkey it is safe to say the name of the bar could be used to describe many of us walking out of the bar to start the crawl. We were like cattle being herded through the streets of Prague. The organizers had 3 people escorting the group of approx 80 people. One in the front, one in the middle and one at the end catching the stragglers.  I could only imagine what these 3 people deal with on a nightly basis. I would not be a job I want, that is for sure. The rest of the night was similar to the beginning. It included lots of drinking, lots of laughter, and even had some dancing. (I am not sure how some of these people were able to dance, when they could not walk) I met many people on this pubcrawl, including a large group that are also staying in Innsbruck. They are with a program run through University of New Orleans. Needless to say, the 20 or so people I met, all knew eachother, Needless to say I could not even if sober remember all their names. I have run into some of the girls back here in Innsbruck since, and I know their faces but not names. Good thing I can get away with using the words Darlin and Honey!!! At a certain point the fun did come to an end. When the truth or dare jenga game started, I took it as my cue to leave. I got into bed at 6:30 am

How to describe night number 2....The only word that comes to mind is INTENSE. I went to the biggest club in Eastern Europe. It is called the 5 story club, logically because it has five stories. On each floor a different style of music was played, and on each floor there were multiple bars. I would be afraid to know how many people were in this club. When I went, it was about 2am, and the club was filled. Beautiful women everywhere, dancing the night away. The drinks were moderately priced, and the women I met were eager to meet Americans. With in a few ten mins. of being there I had met a group of friends, 2 blonds and a brunette. I only name I do remember was Julie. I am pretty sure her name was something more "Russian" sounding but that was the american version. Her and I hit it off immediately, and I had enough liquid courage in me that I danced the night away til the sun was rising. Surrounded by a few hundred other people, the 3rd story dance floor was steaming hot. Jule and I danced, and drank til 5:30 am. At that point we both were exhausted, and ready to call it a night. She said good bye to her friends, and we left the club, going right and walking along the river. At this point the sun was starting to rise, so we found a cab and took off. This happened on my second night in Prague, and boy was it an amazing morning.


Recap of night # 3 coming soon

Charles Bridge = AMAZING

The Charles Bridge is located in Prague, Czech Republic. Many of you reading this have seen the Charles Bridge and do not realize it. In the critically acclaimed film  XXX staring Vin Diesel had a dramatic ending where Vin Diesel's character saves the world and ends up in the river right at the Charles river bridge. He is shown on the wooden "wedges" that protect the bridge from floating debris. 

 

• Construction started on the bridge in 1357 under the reign of King Charles iV, and finished in the early 1400s. 
• It was the only way to cross the River Vltava for 400 years!!
• It connected the Prague Castle and the Old town area.
• 516 meters long
• 10 meters wide
• 16 arches
• Three bridge ("guard") towers
• In the 1700s the bridge had 30 baroque style statues (they have since been replaced with replicas)
• The Old town bridge tower displayed the severed heats of 27 leaders from the anti-habsburg revolt (1621) in an attempt to stop any further resistance

I took many pictures of the Bridge, and the statues. Below is my favorite, and the rest can be seen in my photobucket account.

The agony on his face really caught my attention. It was almost as if I could feel his pain.

Chasing the Green Fairy

Absinthe has been a taboo beverage for a long time. It was once thought that if you were to consume absinthe you would go crazy, hallucinate and hurt yourself or others. I am writing this blog to tell you these statements about Absinthe are bullshit! I drank alot of Absinthe in Prague. I did not go crazy! I did not see any green fairy, I did not hurt myself or anyone else. It is a great tasting beverage with a long history, and the various ways to drink it can be a social activity. A little background on absinthe:

•  Absinthe is described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage, flavored from herbs.
• It is anise flavored (liquorice)
• It originated in Switzerland, but was made famous by Parisian artists and writers.
• Van Gogh was know to consume Absinthe 
• A chemical found is absinthe called thujone was blamed for its alleged "addictive psychoactive" properties
• By 1915 Absinthe was banned in the United States and most European countries.
• In the 1990s countries in the EU began to reauthorize the manufacture and sale of Absinthe
• By 2008 nearly 200 brands
• The Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street hosted people such as Mark Twain, Franklin Roosevelt, and Oscar Wilde.

In Prague, there was a bar (who's name escapes me right now) that many times a day held an "Absinthe introduction" class. In this class we were introduced to the history of Absinthe, as discussed above, and the various ways to drink it, that was the fun part. Absinthe can be consumed in many different ways. Obviously you can drink it straight, which I would not recommend. It tastes like Jagermeister on steroids. If you live where it snows, it would be a great drink to warm your soul!!!!

The other way to drink absinthe is the "French method." This is done by using a slotted spoon, an ice cube, and cold water. I know this sounds like some Macgyver type shit, but I assure it is so easy a trained monkey could do it. You place the sugar cube on the slotted spoon, hold the spoon over the glass of absinthe, and slowly pour the cold water over the sugar causing it to dissolve, and run into the shot of absinthe. This was the best tasting way to do it. It turned the bright green liquid into a green opaque, almost cloudy liquid. It lessened the strong alcohol taste and sweetened it. Though a little time consuming, it is my favorite method.

Then there is the last method. The I am cool, and living on the edge method. It is called "the Bohemian method." Its popular is primarily due to the use of fire. Like the French method, a sugar cube is placed on a slotted spoon over a glass containing one shot of absinthe. The difference is that the sugar is pre-soaked in alcohol, usually more absinthe, and then set ablaze. The flaming sugar cube is then dropped into the glass igniting the absinthe. Finally, a shot glass full of water is added to douse the flames. This method tends to produce a stronger drink than the French method. This method required a beer chaser for me!!

A variant of "The Bohemian Method" is to allow the fire to burn itself out. This variant, called "Cooking the Absinthe" or "Flaming Green Fairy," removes much but not all of the alcohol. This one looks awesome, but it is for those with a soft stomach.

Through out my time in Prague, I probably consumed a liter of Absinthe. At no time did I hallucinate, hurt myself or others, nor did I go crazy. The chemical thujone, that was blamed for alleged hallucinations in the early 1900s was actually found to be present in Absinthe from the time in very small quantities, and scientists have stated that the allegations about Absinthe made back then were false. Just another example of the government depriving people of something amazing, not because it will kill you, but simply because they were afraid of it. I strongly advise you to try absinthe. It is available in the United States. For it to be sold in the US is has to be Thujone free, so if you doubt my statements about hallucinations, you do not have to worry, because there would be no chance of that if you find it in the USA.