Hello Holland! Lets just say the Netherlands was a pleasant surprise. I didnt expect much from this country...it was a last minute stop-over, but man I loved it! What isnt there to love in a country that is known for cheese, windmills, bikes, tulips, being below sea level, clogs, red light districts and the legalization of marijuna? My personal favorite was the cheese. I bought a huge block of stinky old gouda and ate it in one sitting. Despite the fact that my stumach did not enjoy this afterwards, it was wonderful.
I ended up staying here with one of Bens friends from highschool, Ivan. Super nice guy who took the time to be my personal tour guide over the past three days. It did take me awhile to realize that I wasnt in Amsterdam though. I arrived in the airport (which was a half hour outside the city as they usually are), followed my directions to hop on a train to Den Haag, and then another one to Zootemetor Oost. That afternoon I went into Den Haag with him, which is the capital and important political center of the Netherlands. It took me about two hours of wondering around here before I stated " wow this really doesnt look like how I pictured Amsterdam". I was met with a "umm thats because were not in Amsterdam...". ohh what? I had to be shown a map before I understood. Den Haag was a half hour away from the airport in the opposite direction from Amsterdam. Then it made more sense! So I didnt get to spend as much time in amsterdam this way but I did get to see more of Holland. Den Haag was an interesting city with a lot of political history. My personal favorite was the giant (and I mean giant) blow up head of George Bush that sat in the middle of city hall. It was part of an art exhibit. The reason for blowing up a head of George bush? Well the artist simply described it as "its because there is nothing in there and I thought I would give a visual interpretation of the term 'airhead'". Pretty brilliant...and dont worry I took pictures. I also went to a traditional Dutch fishing village through the countryside. Holland really is a beautiful country...It is soooo green here. Driving down the road there are cannals on either side with boats cruising along, windmills in the distance and big gouda and clog factories everywhere.
As for Amsterdam. I spent two full days cruising around this city and it really blew my mind. It actually moved up into the number 2 spot of my all time favorite cities. So far this list looks like...1. Barcalona 2. Amsterdam 3. Naples and Istanbul (tied). Of course the red light district, sex museum and coffee shops were all cool, but the city just had such a unique and alive vibe to it. I loved all the cannals...had no idea that Amsterdam is like a more modern, better functioning and larger version of Venice. I loved all the bikers, the laid back atmosphere and beautiful buildings. This is the kind of city that I could live in...other then the fact that its expensive. When I walked past the downtown University I actually though "maybe they have some kind of education masters program...in english".
Anyhow I do need to begin wrapping this up since I have to catch my flight back to Canada soon! Crazy how fast time has gone by here...I actually hacve a hard time believing its been 5 months. So I bid everyone farwell! Thank you for reading my ramdon ramblings...I know it probably wasnt easy at times. I would say I miss you but I will be seeing you all (well maybe not all but some!) in less the 24 hours.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Hello! Yes Please!
I arrived in Amsterdam yesterday morning very tired and covered in spider bites. I have seen the sun rise too many times during this past month! I left at 3:00 in the morning from Istanbul (where lets note the weather was a balmy 30 degrees) and landed at 8:00 in the morning in Amsterdam where it was 15 degrees and raining. My body does not know how to handle cold! It doesnt help that I have no long pants anymore either...But before I launch into Amsterdam I need to do Turkey a bit more justice (1 short blog for 10 days doesnt even begin to describe it...).
Turkey went far too fast...I could have easily spent another month there, lounging with my feet up and drinking tea. The Turkish people were wonderful...actually all European people are wonderful but Turkish people really struck me as kind and well intentioned. Compared to Greeks too as a whole they are much more gentle, quiet, polite and believe it or not more organized. Side note...I have this theory that you can judge a country a lot based on two things; 1. Their public transportation and 2. their toilets. Compared to Greece, Turkey's transportation was a dream...their buses were airconditioned, they had waiters who served you tea and cookies in little bow ties and white shirts, they checked that you were back on the bus after every stop and left on time. Wow. In Greece I STOOD for 5 hours on my trip to Kalambaka. Not only did I stand but I stood with my 20 pound backpack on in a crowded little hallway with about 10 other people. At every stop people would scream at me in Greek to move away from the door (so they could leave) but where do you go when theres no where to go!?!? I was so happy I didnt understand the language that day. Regardless I find it hard to imagine nice, soft spoken, bow tie wearing men comping around with cookies there. I watched this one little Turkish girl, about 3 years old, quietly eat her icecream cone, lick her fingers clean and sit patiently waiting while her parents red their newspapers for about half an hour. I cannot picture any child from North America doing this...Three year olds do not sit quietly unless they have a Nintendo Ds or the likes of in their hands...On the other hand in Greece kids yelled at old ladies, cut people off on their bikes, and push down their younger siblings. I actually had one kind come up and hit me on the head with his plastic gun and then give me this cute "Sorry lady but I dont speak that language" look when I told him off. The parents just ignore it. It would be ignorant for me to call it bad parenting but the prior daycamp leader in me reaaaally wanted to restore order.
And while the Turkish people were really very kind they would pull the wool over a blind mans eyes just to stick their hands in his back pocket. We learned very quickly that everyone is always trying to rip you off. Thjey are always nice about it though...when you call them on it they simply apologize, smile and correct the mistake. For example, for lunch we owed 7Lira...the man gave us a cheque for 9lira...we gave him the 7lira and he smiled, couted it and said thank you. It was never made into a big deal but if they could they would screw you over big time. For example...at the Treehouses in Olympos one guy tried to charge an extra 100Lira for an upgraded room. The reason? It had a TV (which it actually didnt when we saw the room). Later a different lady charged us 40 lira for the exact same room. The only other barrier that I didnt expect was that no one spoke English. Now that may sound ignorant...I know you cant expect someone to speak your language but I became accostomed to it. I tried to learn German in Germany, Italian in Italy and EVERYONE spoke to me in English all the time! Even when I did my best to put together a sentence in Greek. Learning Turkish in ten days is a little like trying to lick your elbow...impossible. And even Ben who can speak 5 languages didnt get very far. Although granted his pronounciation was much better then mine. Whenever our Turkish family taught us a word they would go "Bravo Ben!" and then say it slower with syllabels to me. Ouch. I have learned that two things dont come naturally to me...languages and direction.
I also need to describe the Turkish bath (the one I mentioned previous blog). It was a process I wont forget. First of all it was done in German...which (believe it or not) I understood! It was like coming home to listen to German spoken again. Anyway, the whole process took almost the whole day and by the end I felt like I would fall over I was so jello-legged. The process starts with a 10 minute sweat in the hammon. At first I felt fine...nice and relaxed...but after about 8 minutes I started staring down the door willing our German bather to come back! She did eventually and thats when I learned that the rest of our bath process (2 hours) will take place in the sweat room. Holy mother of god I didnt think I would make it. First part is your scrub down...you lay on your back, with cold water poured occasionally over you and are literally scrubed from head to food by what feels like sandpaper. Not going to lie...the amount of dead skin that comes off is disgusting and impressive all at once. If anyone asks me where my tan went I can honestly say...I left it in the Olympos hammon. I actually walked out of there two skin shades lighter. Sad to say goodbye to my tan but very happy with my soft skin. After the scrub down you have the washing section, where you are covered from head to toe in soft bubbles (about 1 foot high) that smell like honey and jasmine. Then you are washed (gently) and massaged (mmm...). The last stage is having your hair shampooed and then being escorted to a roof-top jacuzzi with pillows, bar and view of the ocean. Our German bather told us "If you can survive a Hammon you can survive life". I think I believe her.
On to Istanbul! Ben and I were asked two quetions here...1. Are you married? and 2. When are you getting married? I felt like I was getting drilled by his Nonna again! The blue mosque, topika palace and Agia Sofia were all beautiful but my favorite by far was the spice market and grand bazaare. The guy who we bought spices from took Ben aside and gave him his buisness card...he told him "When you two get married call me and I will come to Canada". Ha! I lauged but then again thought it was cute he was so serious. The grand bazaar and spice market were crazy. So busy and colourful and crowded. Everywhere you walk you get " HELLO YES PLEASE!" basically meaning come here and buy my things please please!!! We usually got this in French or Spanish tho...apperently we look French or Spanish. Ben would speak to them in French or Spanish too which egged them on of course. The barganing was crazy. Things that started at 180Lira we bought for 15. They would moan and complain "I am going hungry" or (personal favourite) "You are breaking my balls!!!" but really in the end we were still getting ripped off. Lets just say my backpack is now stuffed beyong belief with pillow cases, backgammon boards, spices, pashminas etc...Everything was beautiful and I could have spent the budget from my entire trip within a two block radius. I was not a very good barginer tho...actually I sucked because I either got upset (oh the woes of taking something too personally) or too prideful. Sometimes if someone eventually went down to my price I would walk away thinking "No way! They gave me such a hard time theres no way they deserve my buisness...they can stare at my back and see all the money they are losing!!!" Foolish foolish me. Its all a game and you can never take a game personally!
Needless to say I loved every minute of it...even the ones I hated at the time.
Turkey went far too fast...I could have easily spent another month there, lounging with my feet up and drinking tea. The Turkish people were wonderful...actually all European people are wonderful but Turkish people really struck me as kind and well intentioned. Compared to Greeks too as a whole they are much more gentle, quiet, polite and believe it or not more organized. Side note...I have this theory that you can judge a country a lot based on two things; 1. Their public transportation and 2. their toilets. Compared to Greece, Turkey's transportation was a dream...their buses were airconditioned, they had waiters who served you tea and cookies in little bow ties and white shirts, they checked that you were back on the bus after every stop and left on time. Wow. In Greece I STOOD for 5 hours on my trip to Kalambaka. Not only did I stand but I stood with my 20 pound backpack on in a crowded little hallway with about 10 other people. At every stop people would scream at me in Greek to move away from the door (so they could leave) but where do you go when theres no where to go!?!? I was so happy I didnt understand the language that day. Regardless I find it hard to imagine nice, soft spoken, bow tie wearing men comping around with cookies there. I watched this one little Turkish girl, about 3 years old, quietly eat her icecream cone, lick her fingers clean and sit patiently waiting while her parents red their newspapers for about half an hour. I cannot picture any child from North America doing this...Three year olds do not sit quietly unless they have a Nintendo Ds or the likes of in their hands...On the other hand in Greece kids yelled at old ladies, cut people off on their bikes, and push down their younger siblings. I actually had one kind come up and hit me on the head with his plastic gun and then give me this cute "Sorry lady but I dont speak that language" look when I told him off. The parents just ignore it. It would be ignorant for me to call it bad parenting but the prior daycamp leader in me reaaaally wanted to restore order.
And while the Turkish people were really very kind they would pull the wool over a blind mans eyes just to stick their hands in his back pocket. We learned very quickly that everyone is always trying to rip you off. Thjey are always nice about it though...when you call them on it they simply apologize, smile and correct the mistake. For example, for lunch we owed 7Lira...the man gave us a cheque for 9lira...we gave him the 7lira and he smiled, couted it and said thank you. It was never made into a big deal but if they could they would screw you over big time. For example...at the Treehouses in Olympos one guy tried to charge an extra 100Lira for an upgraded room. The reason? It had a TV (which it actually didnt when we saw the room). Later a different lady charged us 40 lira for the exact same room. The only other barrier that I didnt expect was that no one spoke English. Now that may sound ignorant...I know you cant expect someone to speak your language but I became accostomed to it. I tried to learn German in Germany, Italian in Italy and EVERYONE spoke to me in English all the time! Even when I did my best to put together a sentence in Greek. Learning Turkish in ten days is a little like trying to lick your elbow...impossible. And even Ben who can speak 5 languages didnt get very far. Although granted his pronounciation was much better then mine. Whenever our Turkish family taught us a word they would go "Bravo Ben!" and then say it slower with syllabels to me. Ouch. I have learned that two things dont come naturally to me...languages and direction.
I also need to describe the Turkish bath (the one I mentioned previous blog). It was a process I wont forget. First of all it was done in German...which (believe it or not) I understood! It was like coming home to listen to German spoken again. Anyway, the whole process took almost the whole day and by the end I felt like I would fall over I was so jello-legged. The process starts with a 10 minute sweat in the hammon. At first I felt fine...nice and relaxed...but after about 8 minutes I started staring down the door willing our German bather to come back! She did eventually and thats when I learned that the rest of our bath process (2 hours) will take place in the sweat room. Holy mother of god I didnt think I would make it. First part is your scrub down...you lay on your back, with cold water poured occasionally over you and are literally scrubed from head to food by what feels like sandpaper. Not going to lie...the amount of dead skin that comes off is disgusting and impressive all at once. If anyone asks me where my tan went I can honestly say...I left it in the Olympos hammon. I actually walked out of there two skin shades lighter. Sad to say goodbye to my tan but very happy with my soft skin. After the scrub down you have the washing section, where you are covered from head to toe in soft bubbles (about 1 foot high) that smell like honey and jasmine. Then you are washed (gently) and massaged (mmm...). The last stage is having your hair shampooed and then being escorted to a roof-top jacuzzi with pillows, bar and view of the ocean. Our German bather told us "If you can survive a Hammon you can survive life". I think I believe her.
On to Istanbul! Ben and I were asked two quetions here...1. Are you married? and 2. When are you getting married? I felt like I was getting drilled by his Nonna again! The blue mosque, topika palace and Agia Sofia were all beautiful but my favorite by far was the spice market and grand bazaare. The guy who we bought spices from took Ben aside and gave him his buisness card...he told him "When you two get married call me and I will come to Canada". Ha! I lauged but then again thought it was cute he was so serious. The grand bazaar and spice market were crazy. So busy and colourful and crowded. Everywhere you walk you get " HELLO YES PLEASE!" basically meaning come here and buy my things please please!!! We usually got this in French or Spanish tho...apperently we look French or Spanish. Ben would speak to them in French or Spanish too which egged them on of course. The barganing was crazy. Things that started at 180Lira we bought for 15. They would moan and complain "I am going hungry" or (personal favourite) "You are breaking my balls!!!" but really in the end we were still getting ripped off. Lets just say my backpack is now stuffed beyong belief with pillow cases, backgammon boards, spices, pashminas etc...Everything was beautiful and I could have spent the budget from my entire trip within a two block radius. I was not a very good barginer tho...actually I sucked because I either got upset (oh the woes of taking something too personally) or too prideful. Sometimes if someone eventually went down to my price I would walk away thinking "No way! They gave me such a hard time theres no way they deserve my buisness...they can stare at my back and see all the money they are losing!!!" Foolish foolish me. Its all a game and you can never take a game personally!
Needless to say I loved every minute of it...even the ones I hated at the time.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Merhaba Turkey
Well we have been ın Turkey for almost 10 days now and ıts beautıful and dıfferent. Safe to say I love ıt...although Im not too sure Turkey loves me back! Its warmıng up to me now but we dıd not get off on the rıght foot. Lets just say Im lucky to be ın Turkey at all. It took us two days three ferrıes (one 19 hours long) two long bus rıdes, a metro, another bus and some wonderıng around for three hours lookıng for another ferry that dıdnt exıst. So we were boardıng the fınal 1 hour ferry that wıll take us from Kos (Greece) to Bodrum (Turkey) when the passport control guys run ınto a lıttle problem wıth my passport. They told me that I was only allowed to stay ın Europe for 90 days...meanıng I had technıcally overstayed my welcome by 1 month. Somehow I managed to convınce them that I was an ınternatıonal student (whıch I maybe kında technıcally am...but not really) wıthout any proof. To make a long story short I was very very lucky. I wrote out a nıce long blog descrıbıng the whole process 5 days ago however the computer I was on crashed and ıt was lost. So! I wıll spare you all the detaıls lets just say that run-ıns wıth the law and I dont mıx well. I am not a crımınal by heart. If border control hadnt let me through...they would have fıned me 1000 Euro and arrested and deported me. I was thankıng my lucky stars that I was ın a nıce hotel room ın Turkey that nıght!
As for Turkey ıtself...ıt ıs so dıfferent from the rest of Europe. Refreashıngly dıfferent actually. We spent the fırst nıght ın Bodrum, whıch ıs a busy port cıty wıth tons and tons of people walkıng around. The entıre beach was lıned wıth bean bag chaırs and hookas. We dıdnt stay long here though...less then 12 hours before we were on the bus and headıng towards a small fıshıng vıllage called Koycegız. Ben and I had suuuuuuuch an amazıng tıme here! I thınk we were the only two tourısts ın the entıre town. Our fırst day here we sat on pıllows by the lake, drank chı (Turkısh black tea) played backgammon and ate wonderful seafood and Turkısh pancakes. The atmosphere here ıs so much more relaxed. The waıters look lıke Turkısh versıons of Calıfornıa beach bums, and they walk around and serve you wıthout shoes on (thıs ıs defınıtly my country). Its also o.k to sıt cross legged at your chaır, or to put your feet up on the table. Makes me love ıt even more. Our second day ın Koycegız we went on a boat tour that took us to a famous 42km turtle beach, mud baths, hot sprıngs and past the famous kıngs tombs of a sunken cıty. On the way back home (pıcture cruısıng across a brıght blue lake wıh the sun settıng) I danced on the roof of the boat wıth the Turkısh women. Dont worry I have vıdeo footage. Can you ever ımagıne somethıng lıke that happenıng ın Canada? Just turnıng the roof of a boat (not guard raıls or anythıng) ınto a dancefloor, grandmas and teenagers alıke? At the end of our danceparty one of the famılıes ınvıted Ben and I over for a homemade Turkısh dınner that nıght. They wanted theır chıldren (aged 10,11,14,16,17) to practıce theır Englısh wıth us. It was such a random fun nıght...they trıed to teach us Turkısh (of whıch I remember hello and thank you now) and we trıed to teach them englısh. It just ended up beıng a lot of laughıng and huggıng and eatıng amazıng food (all grown ın the garden behınd the house). Turkısh people are amazıngly kınd...and I havent even been too hasseled to buy a carpet yet.
The rest of thıs has to be brıef (Im scared the computer wıll cut me off agaın) but after Koycegız we headed to Olympos, whıch was Turkısh hıppıe vacatıon land. Here we stayed ın treehouses, went to a beautıful beach, smoked shısha and yes of course played more backgammon (were actually gettıng quıte good now). The beach was beautıful and the sea lıfe amazıng! We bought goggles and dıd some snorkel-less snorklıng...where we saw an octopus, eel, stıngray, neat fısh and explored thıs really neat cave. Favourıte part of Olympos though was our Turkısh bath! It was done by a German lady...how odd eh? It actually made me feel so at home to hear German spoken agaın! I wısh I could descrıbe every detaıl of ıt...but sınce I can not do ıt justıce now Ill leave ıt for another tıme.
Now were ın Istanbul and havıng an amazıng tıme. Thıs really ıs a cool cıty...busy and beautıful. Only one more day here and then Im off to Amsterdam before headıng home! God how fast tıme has gone by. Only 5 more days untıl Im home! I wıll probably send one more update before then, but as much as Im not lookıng forward to leavıng here I am lookıng forward to seeıng you all agaın! love and mıss ya.
As for Turkey ıtself...ıt ıs so dıfferent from the rest of Europe. Refreashıngly dıfferent actually. We spent the fırst nıght ın Bodrum, whıch ıs a busy port cıty wıth tons and tons of people walkıng around. The entıre beach was lıned wıth bean bag chaırs and hookas. We dıdnt stay long here though...less then 12 hours before we were on the bus and headıng towards a small fıshıng vıllage called Koycegız. Ben and I had suuuuuuuch an amazıng tıme here! I thınk we were the only two tourısts ın the entıre town. Our fırst day here we sat on pıllows by the lake, drank chı (Turkısh black tea) played backgammon and ate wonderful seafood and Turkısh pancakes. The atmosphere here ıs so much more relaxed. The waıters look lıke Turkısh versıons of Calıfornıa beach bums, and they walk around and serve you wıthout shoes on (thıs ıs defınıtly my country). Its also o.k to sıt cross legged at your chaır, or to put your feet up on the table. Makes me love ıt even more. Our second day ın Koycegız we went on a boat tour that took us to a famous 42km turtle beach, mud baths, hot sprıngs and past the famous kıngs tombs of a sunken cıty. On the way back home (pıcture cruısıng across a brıght blue lake wıh the sun settıng) I danced on the roof of the boat wıth the Turkısh women. Dont worry I have vıdeo footage. Can you ever ımagıne somethıng lıke that happenıng ın Canada? Just turnıng the roof of a boat (not guard raıls or anythıng) ınto a dancefloor, grandmas and teenagers alıke? At the end of our danceparty one of the famılıes ınvıted Ben and I over for a homemade Turkısh dınner that nıght. They wanted theır chıldren (aged 10,11,14,16,17) to practıce theır Englısh wıth us. It was such a random fun nıght...they trıed to teach us Turkısh (of whıch I remember hello and thank you now) and we trıed to teach them englısh. It just ended up beıng a lot of laughıng and huggıng and eatıng amazıng food (all grown ın the garden behınd the house). Turkısh people are amazıngly kınd...and I havent even been too hasseled to buy a carpet yet.
The rest of thıs has to be brıef (Im scared the computer wıll cut me off agaın) but after Koycegız we headed to Olympos, whıch was Turkısh hıppıe vacatıon land. Here we stayed ın treehouses, went to a beautıful beach, smoked shısha and yes of course played more backgammon (were actually gettıng quıte good now). The beach was beautıful and the sea lıfe amazıng! We bought goggles and dıd some snorkel-less snorklıng...where we saw an octopus, eel, stıngray, neat fısh and explored thıs really neat cave. Favourıte part of Olympos though was our Turkısh bath! It was done by a German lady...how odd eh? It actually made me feel so at home to hear German spoken agaın! I wısh I could descrıbe every detaıl of ıt...but sınce I can not do ıt justıce now Ill leave ıt for another tıme.
Now were ın Istanbul and havıng an amazıng tıme. Thıs really ıs a cool cıty...busy and beautıful. Only one more day here and then Im off to Amsterdam before headıng home! God how fast tıme has gone by. Only 5 more days untıl Im home! I wıll probably send one more update before then, but as much as Im not lookıng forward to leavıng here I am lookıng forward to seeıng you all agaın! love and mıss ya.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Help! I'm stuck in Greece and I can't get out!
Yup. Literally stuck in Greece. You know...you would think that after three months of backpacking I would be getting better but I am apparently getting worse at planning. This is my theory: The high season of August has screwed over my easy-going backpackers mind-set. When I first started out in May everything was so simple. You book last minute or you don't book at all and it still works out. Well yesterday I went to go book our ferry from Athens to Samos (which will then take us over to Turkey) and was told the next available ferry is August 17!!!!!!!!!!!! ha! I fly out of Istanbul on the 23rd!!!!!!!!! How ridiculous. It's high season in Greece and NO ONE is staying on the mainland....everyone is going to the islands (which doesn't help me!) So basically there are two options I'm debating between...paying an extraordinary amount to take a very loooooong ferry in three days and or just showing up at the port and hoping there are cancellations. Problem with the second one is there may not be any cancellations and then....? If anyone has some genius brainwaves about this predicament please send them to me! Otherwise I may have to take up permanent residence in Greece...life as a beach bum prehaps? If you don't see me at the end of August then you know this is the road I went down!
Other not so great news...because of my ferry brain fart we've missed our Turkey tour. I've been getting a little tired of all the planning that comes with traveling. I do think it makes the experience better however I was looking forward to just jumping on a bus in Turkey and paying some professionals to do all the work for me! Well now Turkey is looking like I'll have to plan a 10 day blitz...so another favor: For anyone whose been to Turkey and has advice about places/accommodation/travel means that would also be appreciated! Funny how I planned to spend two weeks in Greece and a month in Turkey....I have now been in Greece for over a month and am looking at 10 DAYS in Turkey! Oh my horrible planning.
Now to get off my soapbox (I apologize). I've actually been having an amazing time in Greece. 5 days ago I picked up Ben from Athens airport, and then we took off with two of his highschool friends (Stef and Con...the two Athens boys who hosted me for a couple nights) to their beautiful house in Kiffalonia. Kiffalonia is an island on the Western side of Greece...basically as far away as possible from Turkey. Since being here our days have had a very set itinerary: 1. go to the beach 2. eat dinner 3. have a nap 4. stay out until 6:00 in the morning. Then wake up at 1:00 the next day and repeat. The Greek people have a crazy way of life. Everyone stays up late. I mean moms, babies, children, old men and women...restaurants don't even open until 10:00pm. To fight this system would be very detrimental. The schedule from your normal life doesn't matter...when you're here you do as the Greek people do. It's a fun life style but tiring. The last three mornings I've watched the sun rise. Last night there was a group of us sitting on the beach, having beers and singing along to the guitar as the sun was rising over the mountain. It was beautiful...one minute there were shooting stars everywhere and one minute later the entire sky was on fire. But the most wonderful thing about late nights is early morning bakeries. In Victoria our late night post-dance snack is greasy 99cent pizza... In Greece its home baked buns, cheese pies, spinach pies etc...made at 5:00am fresh from the oven. Stay up all night, eat buttery pastries and go to sleep. I've never known a better end to an evening. Also a word about the beaches here: They are rated 3 best in the WORLD! Watch Captain Corellis mandolin...that was filmed here. The water isn't crystal clear but rather this really really vibrant, almost cloudy bright blue. I thought it looked a little like koolaid with far too much powder dumped in.
Off to organize my life! Please send me good-luck-get-out-of-Greece-soon vibes!
Other not so great news...because of my ferry brain fart we've missed our Turkey tour. I've been getting a little tired of all the planning that comes with traveling. I do think it makes the experience better however I was looking forward to just jumping on a bus in Turkey and paying some professionals to do all the work for me! Well now Turkey is looking like I'll have to plan a 10 day blitz...so another favor: For anyone whose been to Turkey and has advice about places/accommodation/travel means that would also be appreciated! Funny how I planned to spend two weeks in Greece and a month in Turkey....I have now been in Greece for over a month and am looking at 10 DAYS in Turkey! Oh my horrible planning.
Now to get off my soapbox (I apologize). I've actually been having an amazing time in Greece. 5 days ago I picked up Ben from Athens airport, and then we took off with two of his highschool friends (Stef and Con...the two Athens boys who hosted me for a couple nights) to their beautiful house in Kiffalonia. Kiffalonia is an island on the Western side of Greece...basically as far away as possible from Turkey. Since being here our days have had a very set itinerary: 1. go to the beach 2. eat dinner 3. have a nap 4. stay out until 6:00 in the morning. Then wake up at 1:00 the next day and repeat. The Greek people have a crazy way of life. Everyone stays up late. I mean moms, babies, children, old men and women...restaurants don't even open until 10:00pm. To fight this system would be very detrimental. The schedule from your normal life doesn't matter...when you're here you do as the Greek people do. It's a fun life style but tiring. The last three mornings I've watched the sun rise. Last night there was a group of us sitting on the beach, having beers and singing along to the guitar as the sun was rising over the mountain. It was beautiful...one minute there were shooting stars everywhere and one minute later the entire sky was on fire. But the most wonderful thing about late nights is early morning bakeries. In Victoria our late night post-dance snack is greasy 99cent pizza... In Greece its home baked buns, cheese pies, spinach pies etc...made at 5:00am fresh from the oven. Stay up all night, eat buttery pastries and go to sleep. I've never known a better end to an evening. Also a word about the beaches here: They are rated 3 best in the WORLD! Watch Captain Corellis mandolin...that was filmed here. The water isn't crystal clear but rather this really really vibrant, almost cloudy bright blue. I thought it looked a little like koolaid with far too much powder dumped in.
Off to organize my life! Please send me good-luck-get-out-of-Greece-soon vibes!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Meteora
Whatever I was looking for in Greece I definitly found it in Meteora! Lets just say I came for two nights and stayed 6 (but I do have a problem with leaving places...good thing I dont really plan ahead)... O.k so I will attempt to describe Meteora. It's in a region of Greece called Thessaly (mainland Greece about 5 hours North of Athens), and for whatever reason that geology cant really explain, it's home to massive monumental limestone rock towers that literally jut out of an otherwise normal looking valley. If you havent googled Meteora images do that now because I really cant describe them!!! They literally look like they were just randomly placed here by god or a tornado or some other catostrophic event. So basically what happend is in 60AD (approx)when Christians were being persecuted in Greece, the rocks caves became sort of a safe-haven, hiding spot for the criminal hermits. The caves themselves are a whole other story...the rocks are covered in them. They look like someone took a spoon and dug out little scoops everywhere. Eventually the Christians began building monartaries on top of the rock towers for protection and to be closer to god (of course). Now there are stairs (alot of stairs) that climb up to the towers but before if you wanted to enter you would climb inside a net and they would haul you up (for half an hour, spinning thousands of feet in the air). There was 21 monastaries at one time, but you can only visit 6 of them now...and those 6 are less like monastaries and more like monastary museums for tourists. But regarless beautiful and incredibly spiritual. On a side note...some of the monastaries weren't built ontop of rocks but inside them. You look at a flat rock face and there is a monastary in there just as flat as the rock surface. It looks like the rock is hugging it...but really its just been built inside a large cave opening. Crazy!!! The first thing you read when entering Meteora is "YOU ARE ENTERING A HOLY PLACE" and man does it feel like it. I would challenge anyone to sit there (it feels like on top of the world) and not feel at least the smallest tug of spirituality. Its impossible, the place is so alive with it.
On my first night here I met George, the hotel managers son. Turned out to be good luck for me because he has personally invested in being my personal tour guide over the past four days! I have seen the most amazing things. The sunset from the highest peak of Meteora, the tiny town of Kalistraki, eaten grandmas home made spinach and berry pies. Yesterday his grandma gave me a cooking lesson: on the menu was greek stuffed peppers. She explained everything to me in Greek...I tried to write down what she was doing (and help) and the end result was the most amazing stuffed peppers I have ever tried. I will attempt to make them again in Canada but no garantees that they will be nearly so tasty! Yesterday I also went to a Mountain region, a two hour car ride away from Kalampaka (the town Im staying in). It actually kind of looked like Canada...it was incredibly isolated, in the mountains (the temperature dropped 20 degrees) with the most beautiful beautiful torquoise lakes. It was so far from anything else...you could yell into the mountains and hear your voice echo for 6 seconds after. Also there were animals everywhere! fox, wild pigs, turtles, horses, sheep and goats...man I love the goats! I was standing on a hill, when up comes about 30 goats all bahhing their little hearts out AND being followed by a little old man goat herder. He had the walking stick and bell and all. It was incredible. So needless to say this place also stole my heart a little bit. On the way home I had the best meal of my life. The restaurant was just picnic tables on a wooden platform built over a river in the middle of no where. When you ordered your fish (and you had to order fish because thats all they serve) they go down to the river and literally FISH out your lunch. Then they gut it, grill it up for you and serve it whole, eyeballs and everything, with olive oil and oregano. It was quite the experience....I named my fish Ted.
The other thing I really have to comment on is Greek culture...it is my big fat Greek wedding X 10000000000. I was talking to a local the other night about Greek weddings and he asked if I'd seen the movie, I said yes...and he replied with "take that movie times it by 100 and your still no where close to how crazy Greek weddings are". He had been to one the night before...800 people and a party that went until 11:00 am the next day! The people here are in no rush to do anything...the men sit outside their stores all day, coffee in one had and cigarette in the other, The women wear long skirts and cross themselves everytime they see me wearing short shorts. They ALL cross themselves when they find out that I'm travelling on my own. haha its hilarious. Its just not somethig thats done in Greek society...first of all people dont take off for 5 months to begin with and furthermore young women should never travel on their own. The result of this? A huge group of men and women who feel its their personal responsibility to take care of me! My hotel manager actually asked me to come check in at night so he knows I'm home safe. Moreso its nice to have people here to talk with. If I feel like conversation I can wonder down to the kabob place to have a chat with the old man there, to my favorite restaurant where I know the two owners and their two-year old twins, or the hotel where I play backgammon with George or his dad (yes I have learned how to play backgammon). The conversation is great too...I feel like I know the entire course of Greek history, mostly focused on the bad blood between Turkey. The Greeks really get into a rage when I say thats where I'm going next! But most of the time I like just being on my own. I've done a lot of mountain climbing (todays hike was exhausting...two hours of straight up), reading, writing, singing alone on mountain tops, sitting in caves during thunderstorms and taking an obscene amount of pictures. Its really lovely and I cant seem to make myself leave!!!
Well this is probably long-winded enough for one day...sorry...I'm actually amazed that anyone other then my mom bothers to read them :)
On my first night here I met George, the hotel managers son. Turned out to be good luck for me because he has personally invested in being my personal tour guide over the past four days! I have seen the most amazing things. The sunset from the highest peak of Meteora, the tiny town of Kalistraki, eaten grandmas home made spinach and berry pies. Yesterday his grandma gave me a cooking lesson: on the menu was greek stuffed peppers. She explained everything to me in Greek...I tried to write down what she was doing (and help) and the end result was the most amazing stuffed peppers I have ever tried. I will attempt to make them again in Canada but no garantees that they will be nearly so tasty! Yesterday I also went to a Mountain region, a two hour car ride away from Kalampaka (the town Im staying in). It actually kind of looked like Canada...it was incredibly isolated, in the mountains (the temperature dropped 20 degrees) with the most beautiful beautiful torquoise lakes. It was so far from anything else...you could yell into the mountains and hear your voice echo for 6 seconds after. Also there were animals everywhere! fox, wild pigs, turtles, horses, sheep and goats...man I love the goats! I was standing on a hill, when up comes about 30 goats all bahhing their little hearts out AND being followed by a little old man goat herder. He had the walking stick and bell and all. It was incredible. So needless to say this place also stole my heart a little bit. On the way home I had the best meal of my life. The restaurant was just picnic tables on a wooden platform built over a river in the middle of no where. When you ordered your fish (and you had to order fish because thats all they serve) they go down to the river and literally FISH out your lunch. Then they gut it, grill it up for you and serve it whole, eyeballs and everything, with olive oil and oregano. It was quite the experience....I named my fish Ted.
The other thing I really have to comment on is Greek culture...it is my big fat Greek wedding X 10000000000. I was talking to a local the other night about Greek weddings and he asked if I'd seen the movie, I said yes...and he replied with "take that movie times it by 100 and your still no where close to how crazy Greek weddings are". He had been to one the night before...800 people and a party that went until 11:00 am the next day! The people here are in no rush to do anything...the men sit outside their stores all day, coffee in one had and cigarette in the other, The women wear long skirts and cross themselves everytime they see me wearing short shorts. They ALL cross themselves when they find out that I'm travelling on my own. haha its hilarious. Its just not somethig thats done in Greek society...first of all people dont take off for 5 months to begin with and furthermore young women should never travel on their own. The result of this? A huge group of men and women who feel its their personal responsibility to take care of me! My hotel manager actually asked me to come check in at night so he knows I'm home safe. Moreso its nice to have people here to talk with. If I feel like conversation I can wonder down to the kabob place to have a chat with the old man there, to my favorite restaurant where I know the two owners and their two-year old twins, or the hotel where I play backgammon with George or his dad (yes I have learned how to play backgammon). The conversation is great too...I feel like I know the entire course of Greek history, mostly focused on the bad blood between Turkey. The Greeks really get into a rage when I say thats where I'm going next! But most of the time I like just being on my own. I've done a lot of mountain climbing (todays hike was exhausting...two hours of straight up), reading, writing, singing alone on mountain tops, sitting in caves during thunderstorms and taking an obscene amount of pictures. Its really lovely and I cant seem to make myself leave!!!
Well this is probably long-winded enough for one day...sorry...I'm actually amazed that anyone other then my mom bothers to read them :)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
On my own again (sang to the tune of "on the road again")
So I'm on my own again...Carolyn caught a ferry to Athens two days ago (to fly home) and I caught one to another Greek island, Naxos. Needless to say it was a very teary goodbye!!! I think I cried (not tear trickling but actual crying) for the first half hour of my ferry. Once I started it just didnt seem to stop...I got hit by my first real wave of homesickness then too (but it passed thankfully!). Our last week in Santorini SPED by. We did a lot of exploring the island on Atvs, sunset watching and donkey riding. We also hiked up Santorini's active volcano and swam in the hotsprings that were lukewarm at best and stank like rotting eggs, not the most pleasant experience. Riding a donkey up a hill was however worth every penny! For whatever reason my donkey had a real competitive streak and every time it was passed be another donkey it would literally run until it was in the lead again. I should mention that it didnt seem to care whatsoever about its driver during these moments and would plow my legs into the walls or other donkeys.
Naxos is a very picturesque island. It is also entirely Dutch and German. I would bet money that I am the only Canadian here. It has beautiful white sand beaches, really shallow and really blue lukewarm water and very friendly people. But after three days here I'm ready to leave...its a little boring in all honesty. Other then go to the beach or spend a ridiculous amount on boat tours there is really nothing else to do. I've been trying to take advantage of the slow pace and relax but I've had just about enough beach bumming after Santorini. Today I went to the beach, sat in the shade and read my book for about 5 hours...I wont go to the beach if I cant find a nice shady spot to sit in...lying in the sun just doesn't interest me anymore! Plus...this really is the worst time to be here. All the Greek people are out-numbered by European vacationers and you really dont see ANY Greek culture. Just Euro culture with Greek buildings on a Greek island. I chose to come to the Greek islands to recharge and take a break from the crazy whirlwind that is backpacking but...I feel like I've done that now. Plus the first week of August I will be on another Greek island (Kiffalonia) with Ben and his friends Stef and Con. So all this contributes to my decision to head into mainland Greece for the next week. Its more then a little impractical (money and time wise) but I want to see Moteora and some other smaller Greek towns, which according to all the Greek people I've met is much more the "real" Greece. I also have a new mission (given to me by these two awesome American friends we made in Santorini) and that is to crash a Greek wedding. Haha I will keep you updated on how that goes!
On another note...I have successfully completed the two requirements of "Julia traveling on her own" 1. To get utterly and hopelessly lost for a significant period of time and 2. Have dinner with a very nice middle aged man. I didn't really realize how bad my sense of direction was before traveling. Yesterday I decided to take a quick walk before breakfast...aand found my way back 2.5 hours later. It's embarrassing how lost I was! Maps don't even help me thats how bad I am. I need my navigator (aka Carolyn) back! As for the dinner...every time I go for dinner on my own I end up in a conversation with someone (usually older men since they seem to be the only ones who go for dinner on their own). Last night I met Yannis, a Greek highschool teacher who actually used to teach in Montreal. We had a really interesting conversation about Greek words (how every scientific word has a greek orgin: My big fat greek wedding anyone?) and about the differences between Greek and Canadian school systems.
So! Tomorrow I am back to Athens and then to mainland Greece...I will let you know how it goes! Miss you all...sorry that these blogs aren't more personal but its challenging to keep everyone updated. xox
Naxos is a very picturesque island. It is also entirely Dutch and German. I would bet money that I am the only Canadian here. It has beautiful white sand beaches, really shallow and really blue lukewarm water and very friendly people. But after three days here I'm ready to leave...its a little boring in all honesty. Other then go to the beach or spend a ridiculous amount on boat tours there is really nothing else to do. I've been trying to take advantage of the slow pace and relax but I've had just about enough beach bumming after Santorini. Today I went to the beach, sat in the shade and read my book for about 5 hours...I wont go to the beach if I cant find a nice shady spot to sit in...lying in the sun just doesn't interest me anymore! Plus...this really is the worst time to be here. All the Greek people are out-numbered by European vacationers and you really dont see ANY Greek culture. Just Euro culture with Greek buildings on a Greek island. I chose to come to the Greek islands to recharge and take a break from the crazy whirlwind that is backpacking but...I feel like I've done that now. Plus the first week of August I will be on another Greek island (Kiffalonia) with Ben and his friends Stef and Con. So all this contributes to my decision to head into mainland Greece for the next week. Its more then a little impractical (money and time wise) but I want to see Moteora and some other smaller Greek towns, which according to all the Greek people I've met is much more the "real" Greece. I also have a new mission (given to me by these two awesome American friends we made in Santorini) and that is to crash a Greek wedding. Haha I will keep you updated on how that goes!
On another note...I have successfully completed the two requirements of "Julia traveling on her own" 1. To get utterly and hopelessly lost for a significant period of time and 2. Have dinner with a very nice middle aged man. I didn't really realize how bad my sense of direction was before traveling. Yesterday I decided to take a quick walk before breakfast...aand found my way back 2.5 hours later. It's embarrassing how lost I was! Maps don't even help me thats how bad I am. I need my navigator (aka Carolyn) back! As for the dinner...every time I go for dinner on my own I end up in a conversation with someone (usually older men since they seem to be the only ones who go for dinner on their own). Last night I met Yannis, a Greek highschool teacher who actually used to teach in Montreal. We had a really interesting conversation about Greek words (how every scientific word has a greek orgin: My big fat greek wedding anyone?) and about the differences between Greek and Canadian school systems.
So! Tomorrow I am back to Athens and then to mainland Greece...I will let you know how it goes! Miss you all...sorry that these blogs aren't more personal but its challenging to keep everyone updated. xox
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Opa! Welcome to Greece
It took us two over night ferries, one very long train ride and a two-night stay in Athens but we made it to Santorini! Our travells were fairly eventful, both good and bad. On the first overnight ferry from Italy to Greece, we decided to splurge the extra 10 Euros for what they call "airplane seats". They are exactly what they sound like...a room full of airplane seats with a little more the usual space. Well by the time we made it back to our airplane seats there was some old man snoozing away in mine, so being the friendly citizen I am I decided to just camp out on the floor anyways. When I woke this man had gotten off his chair, snuggled up to me and was snoring in my face. He was louder then the ferry horns I swear to god. Needless to say...I spent the entire night poking him in the back until he stopped snoring long enough for me to sleep (which wasnt a lot). Im pretty sure he hated me but I wasnt really the biggest fan of him either. Anyway we eventually landed at 11:30 after about 2 hours of sleep and got on a 5 hour train to Athens. The only interesting thing about the trains was that these HUGE june beetle looking things kept hitting the open windows and flying inside the compartment. A few of them landed on some Asian toursits which was hilarious!They almost tried to jump from the train.
When we eventually got to Athens we hit a bit of a brick wall...we were supposed to be staying with two of Bens friends but they didnt answer the phone! So we were stuck in the train station, with no idea where we were or where we were going. That was one of those "you should have planned this better" moments. This was where we met the first of many amazingly nice greek people. According to greek people, we've just been lucky because most people (greek people) are not that nice, especially for foreign people. But we were blown away with greek hospitality...including... Amazing greek women number
1. Lady on the train who offered to help us find our stop and explained how Athens transport system works. Amazing Greek women number...
2. This lady at the train station who not only helped us work the greek pay phone card BUT stayed and called with us (helped us leave a message in greek) and gave us her cell phone number in case we didnt get through to our friends.
3. Asked a women where a payphone was, and not only did she help us search but when we couldnt find one, went into a store and asked the manager if we could use his phone. Last was...
4. A women who saw us waiting outside the train station with our packs on, stopped and asked if she could give us a lift somewhere.
We eventually got through to Stef and Con and made it out to their house. Talking about amazing greek people...I cant even begin to describe how wonderful these boys were to us. They cooked us food, bought us drinks, gave us their room, helped us organize our travel plans and ferries, plus took us out and showed us around Athens. We spent two days with them and loved it. One of the nicest things was taking a break from feeling like the tourist. We didnt even bother going to see the acropolis or the parthenon and I couldnt have cared less. Instead we drank warm wine with honey and warm liquor with honey, ate amazing greek food, learned some greek words (the most important being Malaka:wanker), listened to greek hiphop and watched the sunrise from a beach bar at 6:30 in the morning. First and only time I think I will be kicked out of a club at closing: 8:30am. Also I have to go on a little tangent about greek food here....its delicious. Feta soaked in olive oil and oregano, fried eggplant, calamari, octopus in vinigar, fried cheese, greek salad...all washed down with ouzo. Stef and Con swear that greek oilve oil is the best in the world and that Italian olive oil is actually Greek anyways. So far I agree. I could drink bottles of it. But then again anything other then pasta and pizza is tasting pretty amazing right now. Oh to eat meat and veggies again! Dont get me wrong...they had meat and veggies in italy but they were always twice the cost of pizza and pasta.
O.k so onto Santorini! We took another 12 hour night ferry to get here...and thought we would be smart this time by buying "deck" tickets (then our plan was to sleep on the floor in the airplane carrier room. However, deck on this ferry ment "deck" as in outdoor deck. It wasnt too bad until a wind kicked up at 3:30 in the morning. I think I put on every piece of clothing I owned...which wasnt much consider I dont even have long pants. All the other back packers out there had hardcore sleeping bags and tents...and then there was Carolyn and I wrapped up in our little sheets. Un-prepared to say the least! I think I got 20 minutes of sleep but saw a beautiful sunrise and finished an entire novel. Santorni itself is beautiful. We are paying 10 Euro a night to stay in the "holiday beach resort" and it literally is a beach resort. Theres a beautiful pool, gardens and beach bar. Plus they decided to upgrade us to a privet room for free! That means for the first time in 2 months Im not sharing a room with at least 6 other individules. The room is pretty average but for us it feels like pure luxery. We have our own shower (although its only 50cm across) and its clean enough that we dont need to wear flipflips. Plus new towels every day and they make the beds. unreal. The resort is on Perissa beach, which is the famous black sand beach...and the sand is actually black. It gets so hot that if you stand on it with bare feet your skin will blister. Its really busy too...the whole thing is lined with lawn chairs and umbrellas that you pay 7 Euros to rent for the day.
Yesterday we rented an ATV and explored the entire island...which was very impressive. We went all the way up to Oia, which has the most dramatic sunsets and scenery. This place perfectly embodies the white washed, blue topped image that people have of the greek islands. It was almost surreal to look at. We also drove along wine roads past a super windy beach called paradise beach, went to the bigger town of Fira and checked out the red and white sand beaches. Theres a ton more to tell but Im getting tired of typing and Carolyn is getting impatient for dinner! She says shes not but she is :)
Oh important other note! We sang kareoke last night...famous rendition of our Greece lightening days. Lets just say we should let memories be memories BUT we got a free pina colada!
When we eventually got to Athens we hit a bit of a brick wall...we were supposed to be staying with two of Bens friends but they didnt answer the phone! So we were stuck in the train station, with no idea where we were or where we were going. That was one of those "you should have planned this better" moments. This was where we met the first of many amazingly nice greek people. According to greek people, we've just been lucky because most people (greek people) are not that nice, especially for foreign people. But we were blown away with greek hospitality...including... Amazing greek women number
1. Lady on the train who offered to help us find our stop and explained how Athens transport system works. Amazing Greek women number...
2. This lady at the train station who not only helped us work the greek pay phone card BUT stayed and called with us (helped us leave a message in greek) and gave us her cell phone number in case we didnt get through to our friends.
3. Asked a women where a payphone was, and not only did she help us search but when we couldnt find one, went into a store and asked the manager if we could use his phone. Last was...
4. A women who saw us waiting outside the train station with our packs on, stopped and asked if she could give us a lift somewhere.
We eventually got through to Stef and Con and made it out to their house. Talking about amazing greek people...I cant even begin to describe how wonderful these boys were to us. They cooked us food, bought us drinks, gave us their room, helped us organize our travel plans and ferries, plus took us out and showed us around Athens. We spent two days with them and loved it. One of the nicest things was taking a break from feeling like the tourist. We didnt even bother going to see the acropolis or the parthenon and I couldnt have cared less. Instead we drank warm wine with honey and warm liquor with honey, ate amazing greek food, learned some greek words (the most important being Malaka:wanker), listened to greek hiphop and watched the sunrise from a beach bar at 6:30 in the morning. First and only time I think I will be kicked out of a club at closing: 8:30am. Also I have to go on a little tangent about greek food here....its delicious. Feta soaked in olive oil and oregano, fried eggplant, calamari, octopus in vinigar, fried cheese, greek salad...all washed down with ouzo. Stef and Con swear that greek oilve oil is the best in the world and that Italian olive oil is actually Greek anyways. So far I agree. I could drink bottles of it. But then again anything other then pasta and pizza is tasting pretty amazing right now. Oh to eat meat and veggies again! Dont get me wrong...they had meat and veggies in italy but they were always twice the cost of pizza and pasta.
O.k so onto Santorini! We took another 12 hour night ferry to get here...and thought we would be smart this time by buying "deck" tickets (then our plan was to sleep on the floor in the airplane carrier room. However, deck on this ferry ment "deck" as in outdoor deck. It wasnt too bad until a wind kicked up at 3:30 in the morning. I think I put on every piece of clothing I owned...which wasnt much consider I dont even have long pants. All the other back packers out there had hardcore sleeping bags and tents...and then there was Carolyn and I wrapped up in our little sheets. Un-prepared to say the least! I think I got 20 minutes of sleep but saw a beautiful sunrise and finished an entire novel. Santorni itself is beautiful. We are paying 10 Euro a night to stay in the "holiday beach resort" and it literally is a beach resort. Theres a beautiful pool, gardens and beach bar. Plus they decided to upgrade us to a privet room for free! That means for the first time in 2 months Im not sharing a room with at least 6 other individules. The room is pretty average but for us it feels like pure luxery. We have our own shower (although its only 50cm across) and its clean enough that we dont need to wear flipflips. Plus new towels every day and they make the beds. unreal. The resort is on Perissa beach, which is the famous black sand beach...and the sand is actually black. It gets so hot that if you stand on it with bare feet your skin will blister. Its really busy too...the whole thing is lined with lawn chairs and umbrellas that you pay 7 Euros to rent for the day.
Yesterday we rented an ATV and explored the entire island...which was very impressive. We went all the way up to Oia, which has the most dramatic sunsets and scenery. This place perfectly embodies the white washed, blue topped image that people have of the greek islands. It was almost surreal to look at. We also drove along wine roads past a super windy beach called paradise beach, went to the bigger town of Fira and checked out the red and white sand beaches. Theres a ton more to tell but Im getting tired of typing and Carolyn is getting impatient for dinner! She says shes not but she is :)
Oh important other note! We sang kareoke last night...famous rendition of our Greece lightening days. Lets just say we should let memories be memories BUT we got a free pina colada!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Oh island life
Just got back from Ischia...a beautiful island in the South of Italy, just by Naples. To put it lightly it was a little piece of heaven on earth. Its an old volcanic island with one tall peak, covered in thick, green forests and surrounded by white, sand beaches and clear water. Not to mention that the towns had tons of small city character and hotsprings...lots and lots of hotsprings. Our days there went something like this...
day one - arrive at noon, check in and spend the rest of the day lying on the beach and swimming in the sea. The water was warmer then bath water! It almost wasnt refreashing to go in. The beach itself was beautiful but it was incredibly overcrowded with Italians from Naples. This was pretty entertaining, it almost started to become normal that men wear nut huggers and women wear dental floss bottoms. I took a few pictures and 5 minutes later an Italian man came up to me and started demanding "Did you take a picture of me???" I said no no just of the beach but he keep asking and asking...until finally his friend clarified with "WILL you take a picture of me"! haha so I took some pictures and his email address to send them to him.
day two - hiked up to the tallest point on the Island. It took about 1 hour of uphill hiking....we had a lot of those "this better be worth it" moments...which it was. The top was the most beautiful view I have ever seen...beat Mt. Vesuvius and cinque terre believe it or not. You actually stand on this rock outcrop where you were above everything else. Its a 360 degree view of greenery, towns, twisted roads and ocean. Stunning! It was so high up that your actually standing in the clouds.
day three - We spoiled ourselves and went to the town spa. 13 different pools of different temperatures...some in caves, some hot cold, some aromatherapy and reflexology...not to mention gardens and a privet beach. We met some Australian friends there that bought us lunch and helped us drink three bottles of wine!
day four - Natural hotsprings. This goes right to the top of my "coolest things I have seen or done" list. This boiling, and I mean actually physically boiling, water seeps out of the rocks right at the oceans edge. You hike down this steep hill, down a cliff and then at the bottom people have created these inlet pools where the hot water mixes with the saltwater = hotspring pools. The water can actually get so hot that it blisters your skin...in a tiny pool of just hotspring water one guy was hardboiling eggs. How rediculous and amazing is that? We hung out and soaked there all morning.
We met some really great people there AND ate some amazing cheap Italian food. Im pretty sure life doesnt get better then island life. Now were back in Naples for the night and EXHAUSTED! haha travelling and relaxing takes a lot out of you. Although Carolyn and I sat down today to do some calculations and figure we walk or hike at least 7k a day. No wonder my feet always hurt. Tomorrow we catch an early train tp Bari (on the other side of the boot) and then take an overnight ferry to Patras (Greece!) From there we have no idea what were doing...but assuming that we need to take a bus to Athens and then another ferry to Santorini. So after the next two days of solid travelling I believe I will be sending my next update from Greece! Although I havent even left Italy Im already sad about the idea. Its safe to say I fell in love with it. After some careful consideration I also may have to retract my previous statement about Italian men. During the past three days they have ALL met and exceeded the stereotype. In Naples watching an outdoor dance show a group if Italian POLICE officers put on the romeo charm with..."you have such beautiful feet, such beautiful eyelashes, I could get lost in your eyes and please be my american dream" etc etc complete with dramatic gestures. We were like "shouldnt you be doing your job of crowd control and not harassing young canadians?" It was all in good fun but I couldnt keep it together when one of them said "I could bathe in your beauty" I told him he was full of shit (which he didnt understand) until we re-phrased it as "you are a producer of shit". Hilarious! Although he didnt think so.
ok so Im off...Wish Carolyn and I luck in not strangling each other in the next 72 hours! Ciao for now!
day one - arrive at noon, check in and spend the rest of the day lying on the beach and swimming in the sea. The water was warmer then bath water! It almost wasnt refreashing to go in. The beach itself was beautiful but it was incredibly overcrowded with Italians from Naples. This was pretty entertaining, it almost started to become normal that men wear nut huggers and women wear dental floss bottoms. I took a few pictures and 5 minutes later an Italian man came up to me and started demanding "Did you take a picture of me???" I said no no just of the beach but he keep asking and asking...until finally his friend clarified with "WILL you take a picture of me"! haha so I took some pictures and his email address to send them to him.
day two - hiked up to the tallest point on the Island. It took about 1 hour of uphill hiking....we had a lot of those "this better be worth it" moments...which it was. The top was the most beautiful view I have ever seen...beat Mt. Vesuvius and cinque terre believe it or not. You actually stand on this rock outcrop where you were above everything else. Its a 360 degree view of greenery, towns, twisted roads and ocean. Stunning! It was so high up that your actually standing in the clouds.
day three - We spoiled ourselves and went to the town spa. 13 different pools of different temperatures...some in caves, some hot cold, some aromatherapy and reflexology...not to mention gardens and a privet beach. We met some Australian friends there that bought us lunch and helped us drink three bottles of wine!
day four - Natural hotsprings. This goes right to the top of my "coolest things I have seen or done" list. This boiling, and I mean actually physically boiling, water seeps out of the rocks right at the oceans edge. You hike down this steep hill, down a cliff and then at the bottom people have created these inlet pools where the hot water mixes with the saltwater = hotspring pools. The water can actually get so hot that it blisters your skin...in a tiny pool of just hotspring water one guy was hardboiling eggs. How rediculous and amazing is that? We hung out and soaked there all morning.
We met some really great people there AND ate some amazing cheap Italian food. Im pretty sure life doesnt get better then island life. Now were back in Naples for the night and EXHAUSTED! haha travelling and relaxing takes a lot out of you. Although Carolyn and I sat down today to do some calculations and figure we walk or hike at least 7k a day. No wonder my feet always hurt. Tomorrow we catch an early train tp Bari (on the other side of the boot) and then take an overnight ferry to Patras (Greece!) From there we have no idea what were doing...but assuming that we need to take a bus to Athens and then another ferry to Santorini. So after the next two days of solid travelling I believe I will be sending my next update from Greece! Although I havent even left Italy Im already sad about the idea. Its safe to say I fell in love with it. After some careful consideration I also may have to retract my previous statement about Italian men. During the past three days they have ALL met and exceeded the stereotype. In Naples watching an outdoor dance show a group if Italian POLICE officers put on the romeo charm with..."you have such beautiful feet, such beautiful eyelashes, I could get lost in your eyes and please be my american dream" etc etc complete with dramatic gestures. We were like "shouldnt you be doing your job of crowd control and not harassing young canadians?" It was all in good fun but I couldnt keep it together when one of them said "I could bathe in your beauty" I told him he was full of shit (which he didnt understand) until we re-phrased it as "you are a producer of shit". Hilarious! Although he didnt think so.
ok so Im off...Wish Carolyn and I luck in not strangling each other in the next 72 hours! Ciao for now!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
I heart Naples
Done with Rome and onto Naples! I have to say...even though we did some really neat things...saw some amazing history and culture, I didnt fall in love with Rome. It was a great city though, beutiful but huge and hot and I think I would need a lot more time there to really appreciate it. Naples on the other hand is huge, messy, crowded, crazy, totally over-run and over populated, really dirty and everything that people have said that it would be. It was love at first sight for me. Traffic is the nost INCREDIBLE thing I have ever seen...and I have seen some pretty bad traffic in Mexico etc. There are scooters everywhere and they squeeze through traffic anywhere they can fit, going up onto sidwalks, ripping through red lights etc. We saw one man on a scooter with a 6 month baby on his knee...neither one of them wearing a helmet...and another women driving with two kids behind her, two infront and a dog sitting at her feet! Seriously who needs a family SUV when you have a tiny scooter that can fit 6. You wont get anywhere walking unless your seriously ballsy. You basically have to walk out into the most rediculous traffic with confidence and just hope (or pray) that the cars will stop. They usually do, or they sweerve around you. Our first night here we walked into the OldTown section to just stroll and explore, which was amazing. For the first time since in a long time, we walked for almost two hours without seeing a single other tourist. There were just Italian people doing their own buisness, playing soccer in squares, washing streets, having coffee, yelling at each other...all with cigarettes having out the corner of their mouths. I just love how all the buildings are crammed together, with churches squeezed between...it just feels so much more real and authentic. I went for a solo walk through the streets to take some pictures but I ended up putting my camera away after 5 minutes for two reasons...1. With my big camera in a poor area I felt like I was screaming 'Im a wealthy tourist!!! please Mug Me' and 2. I felt like an intruder...like it was rude to take pictures of these people who were just living their lives. Despite Naples bad reputation...we havent once felt like its dangerous walking around here (we havent even bothered putting our money belts on)
YESTERDAY! We travelled to Pompeii to see the ruins and then hiked up Mt. Vesuvius (the volcanoe that did Pompeii in). The ruins were neat but much bigger then I was expecting..it was quite the treck around. I think I liked hiking up Vesuvius more. It gives you a beautiful beautiful view of all of Naples and the Almalfi coast...although none of my pictures turned out because of the smog from Naples. TODAY! We did a tour of the underground tunnels in Naples. It was incredible...basically Naples is three cities ontop of each other. Way back, people werent allowed to build outside the city walls so eventually the buildings begin to be stacked up...we went through a trap doorin the bottom of someones house...into the old greek and roman theatre. These people literally build an entire neighborhood ontop of these ancient buildings. You can see old pillars built INTO the walls of normal apartments! So after we saw the theatre...we walked 40m underground into the old aqueducts that were turned into bomb sheltars during world war 2. Very cold and very neat!
Final monumental moment of Naples...the PIZZA. We went to 'the best pizza place in Naples' today for lunch...and it lived up to my expectations. For 7 Euro you get the LARGEST most AMAZING pizza imaginable. It was literally hanging off the sides of this huge plate and they serve it to you burning hot and uncut, so its this messy production of trying to cut it and not burn your mouth and stuff your face ALL at the same time. Brief side note speaking of expectations...Italian men have so far not lived up to their reputation of being dirty cat calling pricks. Actually in comparision to Spanish men they are perfect perfect gentlemen plus very lovely to look at...
YESTERDAY! We travelled to Pompeii to see the ruins and then hiked up Mt. Vesuvius (the volcanoe that did Pompeii in). The ruins were neat but much bigger then I was expecting..it was quite the treck around. I think I liked hiking up Vesuvius more. It gives you a beautiful beautiful view of all of Naples and the Almalfi coast...although none of my pictures turned out because of the smog from Naples. TODAY! We did a tour of the underground tunnels in Naples. It was incredible...basically Naples is three cities ontop of each other. Way back, people werent allowed to build outside the city walls so eventually the buildings begin to be stacked up...we went through a trap doorin the bottom of someones house...into the old greek and roman theatre. These people literally build an entire neighborhood ontop of these ancient buildings. You can see old pillars built INTO the walls of normal apartments! So after we saw the theatre...we walked 40m underground into the old aqueducts that were turned into bomb sheltars during world war 2. Very cold and very neat!
Final monumental moment of Naples...the PIZZA. We went to 'the best pizza place in Naples' today for lunch...and it lived up to my expectations. For 7 Euro you get the LARGEST most AMAZING pizza imaginable. It was literally hanging off the sides of this huge plate and they serve it to you burning hot and uncut, so its this messy production of trying to cut it and not burn your mouth and stuff your face ALL at the same time. Brief side note speaking of expectations...Italian men have so far not lived up to their reputation of being dirty cat calling pricks. Actually in comparision to Spanish men they are perfect perfect gentlemen plus very lovely to look at...
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
hot hot hot!
Its smokin hot here. I take it back when I said I had never sweated as much as I did in Cinque Terre...Rome is hotter. Even the locals are complaining about the heat! This is our third full day here, and so far we've checked out the Vatican, the Colloseum, Palentine Hill and the Roman Forum (and almost died from heat stroke several times). Today the Spanish Steps, Trivie fountain and Pantheon are on the agenda, along with some shopping and aimless strolling. Our first two nights here we stayed in the Roma Camping Village, but yesterday we moved into more downtown Rome with a couch surfing host Biagio. Its a great setup...we have our own room in a beautiful beautiful apartment and Biagio cooks dinner for us in the evenings! Tonight hes making us his speciality...some kind of Italian stuffed fish. This morning I woke up (early because the sun was burning my legs off already at 8:00), walked to the open market and bought eggs, fruit and pasteries for breakfast. I actually managed to do everything without using any English or having to ask if they speak English! I am by no means saying my Italian is very good (since Ive basically only mastered the numbers, please, thank you, yes, no, I understand and I dont speak italian) but you can pick up a lot with gestures, and I love the feeling of being surrounded by Italian people rather then packs of tourists.
Going to the Vatican the other day was quite the experience...it was a religious holiday so the Musuem and Sistine Chapel was closed, but we went to St. Peters Basillica (the most impressive church in Italy), where the pope was doing a ceremony. It was really quite incredible...9:00 in the morning and there are hundreds and hundreds of people sitting outside in the square watching the Pope on giant TV screens and listening to the music coming from the church. Gave us goosebumps actually, although I thought it was strange to see the Pope on giant hi-tech TV screens. Anyway, so were sitting there hanging out when all of a sudden people start running to one side of the square. Carolyn and I had no idea what was going on but decided to run anyways! In recent experience whenever crowds run, theres usually a reason (going to miss the train etc) so its generally better to join. I dont know how well it worked in this case buuut...they were letting just some people into the church where the pope was. So we got our elbows up and made it in (it was hilarious to see nuns literally pushing each other out of the way to get inside). Inside though you couldnt see the pope at all, and it was just over crowded with dumbstruck looking tourists. Made me feel a little claustrophobic so I left. Carolyn though snuck by the guards and managed to snag a picture of the pope (even though he looks so tiny you can hardly see him).
Yesterday we went to visit Ben's Nonna...which ended up being quite the treck because we got very lost, but really fun once we made it there, AND we got stuck in the tiny tiny elevator at our apartment. We actually had to call the elevator guys but it unstuck itself after about 15 minutes. Then we got into a fight with Biagios Italian grandma...she wouldnt let us out of the elevator, but I was freaking out at this point and wanted to be the furthest possible from that elevator. But Italian grandmas are persistent and when she started yelling at me in Italian and pointing her finger into my chest I relented and got back on the elevator.
Ok so 3 more days in Rome and then were off to Naples!
Going to the Vatican the other day was quite the experience...it was a religious holiday so the Musuem and Sistine Chapel was closed, but we went to St. Peters Basillica (the most impressive church in Italy), where the pope was doing a ceremony. It was really quite incredible...9:00 in the morning and there are hundreds and hundreds of people sitting outside in the square watching the Pope on giant TV screens and listening to the music coming from the church. Gave us goosebumps actually, although I thought it was strange to see the Pope on giant hi-tech TV screens. Anyway, so were sitting there hanging out when all of a sudden people start running to one side of the square. Carolyn and I had no idea what was going on but decided to run anyways! In recent experience whenever crowds run, theres usually a reason (going to miss the train etc) so its generally better to join. I dont know how well it worked in this case buuut...they were letting just some people into the church where the pope was. So we got our elbows up and made it in (it was hilarious to see nuns literally pushing each other out of the way to get inside). Inside though you couldnt see the pope at all, and it was just over crowded with dumbstruck looking tourists. Made me feel a little claustrophobic so I left. Carolyn though snuck by the guards and managed to snag a picture of the pope (even though he looks so tiny you can hardly see him).
Yesterday we went to visit Ben's Nonna...which ended up being quite the treck because we got very lost, but really fun once we made it there, AND we got stuck in the tiny tiny elevator at our apartment. We actually had to call the elevator guys but it unstuck itself after about 15 minutes. Then we got into a fight with Biagios Italian grandma...she wouldnt let us out of the elevator, but I was freaking out at this point and wanted to be the furthest possible from that elevator. But Italian grandmas are persistent and when she started yelling at me in Italian and pointing her finger into my chest I relented and got back on the elevator.
Ok so 3 more days in Rome and then were off to Naples!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
When in Rome!
We made it to Rome! And it only took us 1 train then a bus...then another train...then the metro...then another bus. We could have taken one fast train, but we saved almost 60$ going the slow, random transportation route. I have to say were getting pretty good at working public transportation and manouvering deals. I dont want this to seem like Im complaining...because Im not...but backpacking is hard work, and I mean hard work in the most satisfying andworthwhile way possible but its exhausting! I really understand why people take organized tours...you dont have to think that way! But there is really something to be said about doing it yourself too...you get to shop around for deals, you get to have random arguments with ticket sales men (in Italian), you sometimes get on the wrong train, or the right train just going in the wrong direction and you keep a flexible schedule. For example we loved Tuscany sooo we tacked on a few extra days. Anyway I love it, its amazing but sometimes you are just so tired...other backpackers think Im crazy when I say that Im backpacking for three and a half months...sometimes I think Im a little crazy too actually. Anyways...im going to attempt to recap on Italy so far.
First of all, it is bloody hot here! And we are heading South in the two hottest months...bright idea...probably not. In Cinque Terre I have never sweated so much in my entire life. You couldnt stand barefoot on the rocks or your feet would actually blister AND we checked the temperature one night...900 in the evening, in the shade...over 30 degrees still. I havent worn pants or a cardigan in over three weeks now. Anyways, we woke up early to do the 6 hour hike between the five towns (Montorosson, Vernazza, Corgnilia, Montorolo and Riomaggiore) because we thought it would be smart to do the toughest part of the hike in the morning, which was smart because by 930 it was already 30 degrees! The hike was wonderful though...it takes you up above each one of the five tiny towns, and you have the most breathtaking view of the hills and the ocean. I think overall the hike took us 3.5 hours, not including the stops for lunch and swimming. Apperently the record for the hike is 1.5 hours...that person was a friggin psycho. My feet were bleeding with blisters before we even reached the second town, so I did the easy part of the hike (between Corgnilia, Montorolo and Riomaggiore in flipflops). Theres a really cute pathway between Montorolo and Riomaggiore called Ville d amore (I think)...basically its a lovers lane. There are still no major roadways that connect cinque terre with the outside world, and until they built the train between the five towns, the walking trail and boats were their means of communication. So lovers used to meet in the tunnel connecting the two towns. The entire place is covered in graffetti and locks...I guess its some popular thing to lock a lock on bridges etc with your lover. A couple asked me to take pictures of them while they locked their lock together (aww cute). We saw the same thing in Florence actually.
Everything just keeps getting better...and although its hard to choose a favorite...so far its Tuscany. We stayed in this little hill town called Certaldo...not really a popular place for backpackers, in fact the train conductor looked at us like we were crazy when we got off there. But its been the highlight of our trip so far. The guest house is actually one of the really beautiful and now rare old farmhouse, vineyards called Fattoria Bassetto. The building we stayed in was over 700 years old, and full of random pathways, attic rooms etc and really beautiful. Walking down the hallway made you feel like you were drunk...it had little hills and potholes, and everything was origional cracked paint and old wooden furniture. There were lots of other buildings too...and an old underground hallway that was full of wooden wine barrells. To top it off there was gardens, hammocks, a pool and a beautiful view of the Tuscan countryside. Couldnt really ask for anything more! The first night we were there was the most incredible night Ive had backpacking so far. We threw an 18 person BBQ...with delicious food...bruchetta, stuffed peppers, pasta, salads, anti/pasta, cheese and bread, olives, a whole chicken, pan friend potatoes, burgers and about 15 bottles of Certaldos finest red wine. Everyone cooked together, ate dinner outside by candel light, drank and sang songs to the guitar. It was one of those nights where everyone clicked and came together in the most amazing way...dont even think words can begin to describe it. It was just this incredible mix of music, laughing and genuine human connection (basically what every backpacker is looking for). We spent four days hanging out with these people, biking around Tuscany and exploring the area...but in the most slow paced relaxing way possible. Some interesting highlights included...watching the football game between Turkey and Germany (Germany won wahoo!) on the street with a group of old Italian men and women. When we asked what the score was, they started grabbing seats for us and insisted that we join them. I love how open Italian people are. On the other hand, we had this crazy (and very drunk) Italian man lose it on Carolyn and I for accidentaly putting her purse ontop his cell phone. I tried saying sorry and explaining that I dont speak Italian, but he finally just stuck up his middle finger and said Fuck You!...Pretty clearly explained how he was feeling. We also watched the Miss Italia contest...not on purpose but stumbled upon it on the street.
Finally we spent a day in Florence with a friend kirk. Beautiful but very hot city. We went into the Duomo...and the Uffizi, which were both really neat. My favorite part of the day though, was randomly walking up a hill and finding this amazing look out point over all of Florence...as the sun was setting. It was breathtaking. We were having such a fun time there that we somewhat forgot about getting home to Certaldo (about an hour away). By the time we were back at the train station, the next train to Certaldo was at 500 in the morning! It worked out in the end...we took one train, a bus and then hitchhiked the last 15 minutes, but for awhile we thought we would be spending a night in the fields!
Anyway, now in Rome...but we havent seen any of Rome yet. Were staying in a camp ground just outside the Vatican, but it feels like a resort with tropical music and a swimming pool. Tomorrow were going to go check the Vatican out.
So much is going on its hard to keep up with it all! I hope everyone is doing well..I miss you all tons
First of all, it is bloody hot here! And we are heading South in the two hottest months...bright idea...probably not. In Cinque Terre I have never sweated so much in my entire life. You couldnt stand barefoot on the rocks or your feet would actually blister AND we checked the temperature one night...900 in the evening, in the shade...over 30 degrees still. I havent worn pants or a cardigan in over three weeks now. Anyways, we woke up early to do the 6 hour hike between the five towns (Montorosson, Vernazza, Corgnilia, Montorolo and Riomaggiore) because we thought it would be smart to do the toughest part of the hike in the morning, which was smart because by 930 it was already 30 degrees! The hike was wonderful though...it takes you up above each one of the five tiny towns, and you have the most breathtaking view of the hills and the ocean. I think overall the hike took us 3.5 hours, not including the stops for lunch and swimming. Apperently the record for the hike is 1.5 hours...that person was a friggin psycho. My feet were bleeding with blisters before we even reached the second town, so I did the easy part of the hike (between Corgnilia, Montorolo and Riomaggiore in flipflops). Theres a really cute pathway between Montorolo and Riomaggiore called Ville d amore (I think)...basically its a lovers lane. There are still no major roadways that connect cinque terre with the outside world, and until they built the train between the five towns, the walking trail and boats were their means of communication. So lovers used to meet in the tunnel connecting the two towns. The entire place is covered in graffetti and locks...I guess its some popular thing to lock a lock on bridges etc with your lover. A couple asked me to take pictures of them while they locked their lock together (aww cute). We saw the same thing in Florence actually.
Everything just keeps getting better...and although its hard to choose a favorite...so far its Tuscany. We stayed in this little hill town called Certaldo...not really a popular place for backpackers, in fact the train conductor looked at us like we were crazy when we got off there. But its been the highlight of our trip so far. The guest house is actually one of the really beautiful and now rare old farmhouse, vineyards called Fattoria Bassetto. The building we stayed in was over 700 years old, and full of random pathways, attic rooms etc and really beautiful. Walking down the hallway made you feel like you were drunk...it had little hills and potholes, and everything was origional cracked paint and old wooden furniture. There were lots of other buildings too...and an old underground hallway that was full of wooden wine barrells. To top it off there was gardens, hammocks, a pool and a beautiful view of the Tuscan countryside. Couldnt really ask for anything more! The first night we were there was the most incredible night Ive had backpacking so far. We threw an 18 person BBQ...with delicious food...bruchetta, stuffed peppers, pasta, salads, anti/pasta, cheese and bread, olives, a whole chicken, pan friend potatoes, burgers and about 15 bottles of Certaldos finest red wine. Everyone cooked together, ate dinner outside by candel light, drank and sang songs to the guitar. It was one of those nights where everyone clicked and came together in the most amazing way...dont even think words can begin to describe it. It was just this incredible mix of music, laughing and genuine human connection (basically what every backpacker is looking for). We spent four days hanging out with these people, biking around Tuscany and exploring the area...but in the most slow paced relaxing way possible. Some interesting highlights included...watching the football game between Turkey and Germany (Germany won wahoo!) on the street with a group of old Italian men and women. When we asked what the score was, they started grabbing seats for us and insisted that we join them. I love how open Italian people are. On the other hand, we had this crazy (and very drunk) Italian man lose it on Carolyn and I for accidentaly putting her purse ontop his cell phone. I tried saying sorry and explaining that I dont speak Italian, but he finally just stuck up his middle finger and said Fuck You!...Pretty clearly explained how he was feeling. We also watched the Miss Italia contest...not on purpose but stumbled upon it on the street.
Finally we spent a day in Florence with a friend kirk. Beautiful but very hot city. We went into the Duomo...and the Uffizi, which were both really neat. My favorite part of the day though, was randomly walking up a hill and finding this amazing look out point over all of Florence...as the sun was setting. It was breathtaking. We were having such a fun time there that we somewhat forgot about getting home to Certaldo (about an hour away). By the time we were back at the train station, the next train to Certaldo was at 500 in the morning! It worked out in the end...we took one train, a bus and then hitchhiked the last 15 minutes, but for awhile we thought we would be spending a night in the fields!
Anyway, now in Rome...but we havent seen any of Rome yet. Were staying in a camp ground just outside the Vatican, but it feels like a resort with tropical music and a swimming pool. Tomorrow were going to go check the Vatican out.
So much is going on its hard to keep up with it all! I hope everyone is doing well..I miss you all tons
Friday, June 27, 2008
Venice, Cinque Terre and Tuscany...
Italy is beautiful and crazy and I am completley in love with it so far. Since I last updated Carolyn and I have trecked from Milan to Venice (then from Venice back to Milan...), over to Cinque Terre, then to Pisa and finally to Tuscany, where we are staying in a small town called Certaldo (technically still in Florence). God where to start!!!
Venice was surreal. We spent only two nights there, so it was a bit of a whirwind tour, but it was everything that comes to mind when you think about Venice...beautiful, romantic, odd (in a good way) and a little bit smelly. Out stay here started off on an interesting note too...We had literally JUST stepped outside the train station and were gawking at Venices main canal, when I heard a voice I recognized, turned my head and saw Logan going into the train station (easy to spot because hes a good head taller then everyone else) For those of you who dont know...Logan is a good friend from highschool. We did one of those screaming runs towards each other and he picked carolyn and I up, with big backpacks and everything. It was unreal! We saw each other less then a minute and then he had to run and catch his train to Austria. Crazy start to a crazy city! Even after spending two nights in Venice I still couldnt really figure out how it works...it looks like the houses are floating on the water! I learned that Venice is actually an island (shaped like a fish!), built up of clay thats been stacked up on old river sediment deposits, that its also actually slowly sinking and that its population has been cut in half the past 30 years. On any day of the year Venetians are outnumbered by tourists.
ok. I do have muuuuch more to say about Venice and Italy in general but I have just been informed that my time on the computer is up! This is what makes communication frustrating. But a few quick other points...
Cinque Terre was probably the most beautiful place that I have ever seen. A little too touristy again but right on the Mediteranean Ocean and hot, simple, stunning. We did the hike between the 5 towns and I dont think I have ever sweated that much in my entire life...
Pisa we saw the leaning tower and then that was it! I think we spent 2 hours there...but the leaning tower was actually even cooler then I thought it would be.
Now for the past 4 nights we've been staying literally under the Tuscan sun. It is beautiful, but more then the scenery the place is a haven for backpackers. Theres only 16 people, bbqs, a swimming pool, gardens, hammocks and the most unreal red wine and slow paced lifestyle. We were only supposed to stay 2 days here but we extended it to 4. Did a day trip into Florence yesterday which was really beautiful too.
Sorry this is much shorter then I wanted it to be!!! We head to Rome tomorrow morning and maybe they will have longer internet service :)
Venice was surreal. We spent only two nights there, so it was a bit of a whirwind tour, but it was everything that comes to mind when you think about Venice...beautiful, romantic, odd (in a good way) and a little bit smelly. Out stay here started off on an interesting note too...We had literally JUST stepped outside the train station and were gawking at Venices main canal, when I heard a voice I recognized, turned my head and saw Logan going into the train station (easy to spot because hes a good head taller then everyone else) For those of you who dont know...Logan is a good friend from highschool. We did one of those screaming runs towards each other and he picked carolyn and I up, with big backpacks and everything. It was unreal! We saw each other less then a minute and then he had to run and catch his train to Austria. Crazy start to a crazy city! Even after spending two nights in Venice I still couldnt really figure out how it works...it looks like the houses are floating on the water! I learned that Venice is actually an island (shaped like a fish!), built up of clay thats been stacked up on old river sediment deposits, that its also actually slowly sinking and that its population has been cut in half the past 30 years. On any day of the year Venetians are outnumbered by tourists.
ok. I do have muuuuch more to say about Venice and Italy in general but I have just been informed that my time on the computer is up! This is what makes communication frustrating. But a few quick other points...
Cinque Terre was probably the most beautiful place that I have ever seen. A little too touristy again but right on the Mediteranean Ocean and hot, simple, stunning. We did the hike between the 5 towns and I dont think I have ever sweated that much in my entire life...
Pisa we saw the leaning tower and then that was it! I think we spent 2 hours there...but the leaning tower was actually even cooler then I thought it would be.
Now for the past 4 nights we've been staying literally under the Tuscan sun. It is beautiful, but more then the scenery the place is a haven for backpackers. Theres only 16 people, bbqs, a swimming pool, gardens, hammocks and the most unreal red wine and slow paced lifestyle. We were only supposed to stay 2 days here but we extended it to 4. Did a day trip into Florence yesterday which was really beautiful too.
Sorry this is much shorter then I wanted it to be!!! We head to Rome tomorrow morning and maybe they will have longer internet service :)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Si como no?
Today we left Valencia and flew to Milano Italia! It was about time to leave Valencia...don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful time there but that time was definitly up. Valencia itself was not my favorite city. Besides from the fact that people were speaking Spanish it was easy to forget you were in Spain. Instead it felt more like L.A or some other large, dirty city that prioritizes beaches and the night life. We went out partying a totaly of three nights while we were there and I think the earliest we were ever home was 4:30 in the morning! Thats crazy for me. Call me lame but I love a good party and then a good nights rest of being in bed by at least 1:30-2:00...but when in Spain party like the Spanish people si como no?!? So to sum it all up...in Valencia we tanned, we shopped, we partied, we watched a wicked dolphin show at the arts and science center and we ate good spanish food. There were a few other monumental moments as well...including tanning topless on the public beaches. At first this was slightly unnerving, then pretty liberating and finally very normal. Actually normal to the point where I could walk around or go swimming without a second thought. Out of curiosity can you even legally tan topless in Canada?? Carolyn and I were having this debate...I said yes she said not in public places. Nudity doesn't seem to be a big problem here and I seriously enjoy this mentality. In Barcelona we saw this completley naked older man just walkin down the road, strutting his stuff. He actually even went up to someone and bummed a cigarette and a light. That seemed a little out of the ordinary but I didn't see too many people even give him a second glance. Some other recent changes include that I now drink espresso (because its considered a crime here if you dont, PLUS people dont listen to you when you say you dont want a coffee!) and I am even listening to (and enjoying) some electronic music. Prehaps Europe is having a bad effect on me?
In other news...Carolyn and I are testing out couch surfing for the first time tonight. Man is it nice. We are staying with a very nice 35 year old man named Carlo and his rooommate. If you havent heard of couch surfing look it up! It's a genuis idea. Basically its a way to connect people of different cultures and countries with one another. So Carlo lets us stay on his couch for free, and we in turn have nice convsersation over dinner and some bottles of wine. Then in the future if he needs a place to stay in Canada we open up our couch for him. You make connections with people all over the world this way, plus you meet local people who show you the good sights, the good restuarants and some things they dont write in the tourist books. For example, for tonights dinner we went to a gay bar. You buy one drink during happy hour and then its unlimited food from the buffet for the rest of the evening. Good food too! Risotto, tomatoes and cheese, salads mmm Italian food.
Tomorrow it's off to possibly one of the most romantic places in the world...Venice! Hopefully next time I write I can include some Italian phrases although I wont lie...the combination of German, Spanish, English and Italian could get messy!
In other news...Carolyn and I are testing out couch surfing for the first time tonight. Man is it nice. We are staying with a very nice 35 year old man named Carlo and his rooommate. If you havent heard of couch surfing look it up! It's a genuis idea. Basically its a way to connect people of different cultures and countries with one another. So Carlo lets us stay on his couch for free, and we in turn have nice convsersation over dinner and some bottles of wine. Then in the future if he needs a place to stay in Canada we open up our couch for him. You make connections with people all over the world this way, plus you meet local people who show you the good sights, the good restuarants and some things they dont write in the tourist books. For example, for tonights dinner we went to a gay bar. You buy one drink during happy hour and then its unlimited food from the buffet for the rest of the evening. Good food too! Risotto, tomatoes and cheese, salads mmm Italian food.
Tomorrow it's off to possibly one of the most romantic places in the world...Venice! Hopefully next time I write I can include some Italian phrases although I wont lie...the combination of German, Spanish, English and Italian could get messy!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Hola Espana
Sooo much has happened since my last blog! I apologize but the internet latley has been few and far between. Right now I'm writing this sitting in the middle of a parking lot on Carolyn's friends laptop (in Valencia Spain too I might add). A little random but it's the only area around their house that recieves and internet connection. But before I dive into Spain I will backtrack a little bit and finish our final week in Germany.
Let's just say by the end of my two month stay, Germany felt like home! Regardless of the fact that I can't speak the language I was still using all the common conversation German phrases ( I swear you can get by pretending to speak german by only using the words genaoux (spelled wrong but meaning exactly) Ah so (ah yes), and yaya (which can mean kiss my ass when said correctly). My last week in Germany was spent with family in Dortmund. I picked Carolyn up at the Frankfurt airport (at 6am gah) and then we took the most round-about, but cheapest, trip up to see our aunt Giesela (actually our second aunt) our second cousin Lara, and our honorary extended family that came with them including our new cousin Rahieme. Dortmund was not the most extrodinary city to explore but the people made it amazing. Over the course of four days we...made a trip out to a small old german town, spent a day by the lake, watched the sex in the city movie in German! went shopping, went to the market, had family dinners and spent the day in Aunt Giesela's grade two classroom! The kids were adorable and asked for our autographs at the end of the day. I think they may have had the distorted idea that we were someone famouse but nevertheless, cute kids. Once again I have never met such kind and generous people...family who we had never met before first of all agree to take us in but then also completley re-arrange their lives to spend time with us and pay for everything! It was very hard to leave...but eventually we did and made our way down to Stuttgart.
Segway...on our trip down to Stuttgart we decided to do some reconnecting with our German roots so we went to Sankt Sebastian, a tiny little town on the Rhine river. Here is where Carolyn and I's great Opa is buried (although we couldnt find his grave anywhere and trust me we looked), and where our grandparents were married. The town itself is a tiny hiccup...2,000 population, one church, one beirgarten (of course) and one bakery. The church was the highlight of this trip...it was actually quite incredible to stand in the place where our grandparents were married some 55 years ago. It's a beautiful little church too that literlly is placed right beside the river. It took 6 trains and two buses to literally visit the middle of nowhere but it was incredible. After we took the pretty scenic train down the Rhine river...man was that amazing. Really bright green hills, vineyards, a winding river and a little town and castle approximatley every 5 minutes. I had a serious case of castle snobbery by the end of Germany...I saw 43 castles in two months.
Spain is so different. I think I would have less culture shock going from Canada to Spain then Germany to Spain. I don't even want to think about the number of times I said danke instea of gracias. But Spain is wonderful. Carolyn and I spent two nights in Barcelona, in the hostel penthouse since Carolyn has connections apperently! Two days in Barcelona was too fast. It is such a busy, ecclectic, diverse, beautiful city...I can see why people visit and never leave. In Barcelona we went on a pubcrawl, laid on the beach, did a bike tour, ate paella and sangreia and wandered the streets. For me the bike tour was the highlight...It was four hours and tok us all over the city, to the University area, the poorer area, the prostitute street, all the main plazas (and the not well known ones ), the gothic quarter, the churches, castles, fountains, parks and all of Dalis works. Dali is mindblowing..Ive seen a lot of churches lately but nothing even comes close to his church in Barcelona...its surreal. The bike tour was also not for those bikers who are faint of heart! Started easy enough but by the end your biking in heavy traffic with crazy Spanish drivers.
After Barcelona we bussed down to Valencia...a more southern metropolis beach town. Were staying with two of Carolyns friends from softball Becky and Jen. Really really nice girls. Here we've done a combination of lying on the beach and partying. People here are CRAZY! Nuts. No one goes out to party before two in the morning...clubs are open until 8:00am. Last night we ate dinner and started getting ready at 1:00, we were ate the club by 2:30, in by 3:00....we left there at 5:00 and went to a new club until 6:00! We got home at about 6:30am..which in all actuality for Spanish clubbing is considered a early night. Crazy crazy people here. I'm not cut out for it, but for one night it was fun. Other then that I have a cold and we have three more days in Spain until Italy!
Love and miss you all...keep sending me your life updates!
Let's just say by the end of my two month stay, Germany felt like home! Regardless of the fact that I can't speak the language I was still using all the common conversation German phrases ( I swear you can get by pretending to speak german by only using the words genaoux (spelled wrong but meaning exactly) Ah so (ah yes), and yaya (which can mean kiss my ass when said correctly). My last week in Germany was spent with family in Dortmund. I picked Carolyn up at the Frankfurt airport (at 6am gah) and then we took the most round-about, but cheapest, trip up to see our aunt Giesela (actually our second aunt) our second cousin Lara, and our honorary extended family that came with them including our new cousin Rahieme. Dortmund was not the most extrodinary city to explore but the people made it amazing. Over the course of four days we...made a trip out to a small old german town, spent a day by the lake, watched the sex in the city movie in German! went shopping, went to the market, had family dinners and spent the day in Aunt Giesela's grade two classroom! The kids were adorable and asked for our autographs at the end of the day. I think they may have had the distorted idea that we were someone famouse but nevertheless, cute kids. Once again I have never met such kind and generous people...family who we had never met before first of all agree to take us in but then also completley re-arrange their lives to spend time with us and pay for everything! It was very hard to leave...but eventually we did and made our way down to Stuttgart.
Segway...on our trip down to Stuttgart we decided to do some reconnecting with our German roots so we went to Sankt Sebastian, a tiny little town on the Rhine river. Here is where Carolyn and I's great Opa is buried (although we couldnt find his grave anywhere and trust me we looked), and where our grandparents were married. The town itself is a tiny hiccup...2,000 population, one church, one beirgarten (of course) and one bakery. The church was the highlight of this trip...it was actually quite incredible to stand in the place where our grandparents were married some 55 years ago. It's a beautiful little church too that literlly is placed right beside the river. It took 6 trains and two buses to literally visit the middle of nowhere but it was incredible. After we took the pretty scenic train down the Rhine river...man was that amazing. Really bright green hills, vineyards, a winding river and a little town and castle approximatley every 5 minutes. I had a serious case of castle snobbery by the end of Germany...I saw 43 castles in two months.
Spain is so different. I think I would have less culture shock going from Canada to Spain then Germany to Spain. I don't even want to think about the number of times I said danke instea of gracias. But Spain is wonderful. Carolyn and I spent two nights in Barcelona, in the hostel penthouse since Carolyn has connections apperently! Two days in Barcelona was too fast. It is such a busy, ecclectic, diverse, beautiful city...I can see why people visit and never leave. In Barcelona we went on a pubcrawl, laid on the beach, did a bike tour, ate paella and sangreia and wandered the streets. For me the bike tour was the highlight...It was four hours and tok us all over the city, to the University area, the poorer area, the prostitute street, all the main plazas (and the not well known ones ), the gothic quarter, the churches, castles, fountains, parks and all of Dalis works. Dali is mindblowing..Ive seen a lot of churches lately but nothing even comes close to his church in Barcelona...its surreal. The bike tour was also not for those bikers who are faint of heart! Started easy enough but by the end your biking in heavy traffic with crazy Spanish drivers.
After Barcelona we bussed down to Valencia...a more southern metropolis beach town. Were staying with two of Carolyns friends from softball Becky and Jen. Really really nice girls. Here we've done a combination of lying on the beach and partying. People here are CRAZY! Nuts. No one goes out to party before two in the morning...clubs are open until 8:00am. Last night we ate dinner and started getting ready at 1:00, we were ate the club by 2:30, in by 3:00....we left there at 5:00 and went to a new club until 6:00! We got home at about 6:30am..which in all actuality for Spanish clubbing is considered a early night. Crazy crazy people here. I'm not cut out for it, but for one night it was fun. Other then that I have a cold and we have three more days in Spain until Italy!
Love and miss you all...keep sending me your life updates!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Talking with hands and feet
Since my last post I have travelled from Nurnberg to Wurzburg and now am in the wonderful metropolis of Frankfurt. The last of my stay in Nurnber was much improved... I managed to not get lost once in my final 24 hours! On my last night I went out to a nice little Italian cafe on my own, sat and read my book and splurged on dinner with caprese, bruchette, risotto, white wine, persecco etc. Here I met Eugene, possibley the most lovable italian man on the face of the planet. First he wouldn't let me not finish my dinner and then he wouldn't let me leave when I asked for my bill! Instead he brought me Italian liquor (rammazzoti I think?) that was so potent I literally had to choke it down. Let's just say that Eugene was looking out for me because half way through the evening (keep in mind I stayed here for about 5 hours) he made me join his young italian friend and an older German man who were both eating alone too...and then he made them(and I literally mean made because he didn't give them much of a choice) pay for my entire dinner/drinks! haha so I walked away full, slightly drunk and with an extra 35€ in my pocket. The last thing Eugene told me when I walked away was 'you have the nose of an angel'...I told him he should refrain from using that line on too many girls.
After Nurnberg I travelled onto Wurzburg, the land of wine and churches! Here I stayed with my moms second cousin ElVira and her husband Richard...who I had never met before. Talk about amazing people...Never having met me before, having only met my mom and nana briefly the year before, they not only took me in for the weekend but they planned two days packed with sightseeing and paid for my entire stay. And of course I loved Wurzburg because it's just like the Okanogan...only in Germany and with some churches and ancient archetecture. The area if famous for white wine (which I sampled in plenty) and its plethora of churches. Apperently...you could go to a different church every Sunday for two years and never repeat churches. How crazy is that? We walked up to the fortress on my second day and with the view of the city you could count over 30 steeples on any one side.
So the challenge with staying with Elvira and Richard was the communication. Let's just say that after 6 weeks of living in Germany I am a little short of being fluent in German! I am however a pro at saying hellow, how are you, I would like one pretzle please, shit (shiza!) bless you and goodbye. For goodbye everyone here says Cheews! I have no idea if that's spelled correctly but that's how it sounds...and really it's the most incredible sounding word for goodbye. It always sounds happy! You can be listening to two people having an arguement and then randomly they say 'cheews' like their in the best mood possible. I love it! I'm adopting it for when I come back to Canada so watch out...But back to my communication break-down...whoever said that language barriers don't exist was full of it. I've gotten by so far with a combination of the following...using my hands (and feet when necessary), speaking my limited German but more often then not speaking English. But Elvira could speak a little bit of English, I can understand about 50% of German, and Richard could understand about 50% of English...so somewhere in the middle there we found common ground. On the Sunday we travelled to Aschuffenberg, a smaller city about an hours drive, to visit with Elvira's mom and dad (my nanas cousin) Loni and Karl. Here is where the communication really got tricky! Although by the end of the day I had taught Loni some English and my German vocabulary had expanded. They are also truley lovely people. We looked at old photographs, had lunch in a castle (of course...we need to remember that were in Germany here), lounged in the backyard, ate icecream and attempted conversation. It's incredible to think that just a few days ago I hadn't ever met these people and that only a few weeks before that I hadn't really heard their names before. Yet they treated me like family...and I know that we are family but like family members that have known each other our entire lives. That's one thing I've noticed about travelling alone...people really reach out to you. I have met soo many people so far! Restuarants, trains, hostels whatever...doesn't seem to matter, theres always people to talk with. For that I'm really glad the past little bit has been on my own, I don't think I would have made some of the connections with people that I have so far.
This next part will have to be short because my computer is counting down the time (only 8 minutes left!!!) I arrived in Frankfurt yesterday afternoon, and haven't been overly impressed so far. My hostel is in the red light district (again!) but it's a lot less sketchy. Overall the city has an interesting mix of modern buildings (the tallest skyscrapers in Europe) and old ancient buildings...but it just has the feel of any big city, which I'm not the biggest fan of. Although I had a really wonderful dinner last night, met an English man and two other men from Canada and we had a great discussion about diffferent school systems. So since everything has been such a whirlwind the past couple weeks, I decided to spend today in a nice botanical garden spa! I ended up going with two other Canadian guys from my hostel (dave and shane) but of course we took the wrong train and instead landed in this tiny tiny German town about an hour away from where we needed to be. So my spa idea went out the window and instead we hiked through this really old fortress/prison, which was actually really cool! We somehow scaled the walls of this one part, and got into the old tower that was blocked off from visitors. Challenging for me since I was wearing a dress and flip flops but I still managed. Then we had a nice lunch in the town and went swimming in the river.
Ok thats the speedy version of my life over the last couple days. I need to send this off before my time runs up (17 seconds!) Tomorrow I pick carolyn up from the airport, and we head off to Dortmund!
After Nurnberg I travelled onto Wurzburg, the land of wine and churches! Here I stayed with my moms second cousin ElVira and her husband Richard...who I had never met before. Talk about amazing people...Never having met me before, having only met my mom and nana briefly the year before, they not only took me in for the weekend but they planned two days packed with sightseeing and paid for my entire stay. And of course I loved Wurzburg because it's just like the Okanogan...only in Germany and with some churches and ancient archetecture. The area if famous for white wine (which I sampled in plenty) and its plethora of churches. Apperently...you could go to a different church every Sunday for two years and never repeat churches. How crazy is that? We walked up to the fortress on my second day and with the view of the city you could count over 30 steeples on any one side.
So the challenge with staying with Elvira and Richard was the communication. Let's just say that after 6 weeks of living in Germany I am a little short of being fluent in German! I am however a pro at saying hellow, how are you, I would like one pretzle please, shit (shiza!) bless you and goodbye. For goodbye everyone here says Cheews! I have no idea if that's spelled correctly but that's how it sounds...and really it's the most incredible sounding word for goodbye. It always sounds happy! You can be listening to two people having an arguement and then randomly they say 'cheews' like their in the best mood possible. I love it! I'm adopting it for when I come back to Canada so watch out...But back to my communication break-down...whoever said that language barriers don't exist was full of it. I've gotten by so far with a combination of the following...using my hands (and feet when necessary), speaking my limited German but more often then not speaking English. But Elvira could speak a little bit of English, I can understand about 50% of German, and Richard could understand about 50% of English...so somewhere in the middle there we found common ground. On the Sunday we travelled to Aschuffenberg, a smaller city about an hours drive, to visit with Elvira's mom and dad (my nanas cousin) Loni and Karl. Here is where the communication really got tricky! Although by the end of the day I had taught Loni some English and my German vocabulary had expanded. They are also truley lovely people. We looked at old photographs, had lunch in a castle (of course...we need to remember that were in Germany here), lounged in the backyard, ate icecream and attempted conversation. It's incredible to think that just a few days ago I hadn't ever met these people and that only a few weeks before that I hadn't really heard their names before. Yet they treated me like family...and I know that we are family but like family members that have known each other our entire lives. That's one thing I've noticed about travelling alone...people really reach out to you. I have met soo many people so far! Restuarants, trains, hostels whatever...doesn't seem to matter, theres always people to talk with. For that I'm really glad the past little bit has been on my own, I don't think I would have made some of the connections with people that I have so far.
This next part will have to be short because my computer is counting down the time (only 8 minutes left!!!) I arrived in Frankfurt yesterday afternoon, and haven't been overly impressed so far. My hostel is in the red light district (again!) but it's a lot less sketchy. Overall the city has an interesting mix of modern buildings (the tallest skyscrapers in Europe) and old ancient buildings...but it just has the feel of any big city, which I'm not the biggest fan of. Although I had a really wonderful dinner last night, met an English man and two other men from Canada and we had a great discussion about diffferent school systems. So since everything has been such a whirlwind the past couple weeks, I decided to spend today in a nice botanical garden spa! I ended up going with two other Canadian guys from my hostel (dave and shane) but of course we took the wrong train and instead landed in this tiny tiny German town about an hour away from where we needed to be. So my spa idea went out the window and instead we hiked through this really old fortress/prison, which was actually really cool! We somehow scaled the walls of this one part, and got into the old tower that was blocked off from visitors. Challenging for me since I was wearing a dress and flip flops but I still managed. Then we had a nice lunch in the town and went swimming in the river.
Ok thats the speedy version of my life over the last couple days. I need to send this off before my time runs up (17 seconds!) Tomorrow I pick carolyn up from the airport, and we head off to Dortmund!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Hostel on acid
So this is how I am going to introduce the city of Nurnberg...by introducing my hostel. Lets just keep in mind here that this is the first place I am traveling to on my own...which is such a change! I left Munich yesterday, caught the two hour train to Nurnberg (northeast of munich) which is the second largest city in Bavaria. It is one thing to stay with a friend and do some sightseeing on your own...it is quite another thing to actually physically travel by yourself. First thing to know, it is incredibly how and muggy here right now. It actually reminds me of a really humid day in downtown Toronto. I get on the train yesterday, fell asleep asap and woke up covered in sweat and alone on the train. No idea where I was (what city or country!) or where everyone else went. So naturally I panicked, grabbed my things, jumped off the train (which wasn't easy considering I have a giant backpack, my camera bag and my shoes weren't on) ran up to the first person I saw and started blabbering away in English asking her where I was, what happened to the train going to Nurnberg etc? Think I scared the crap out of her..but luckily there was a nice man who overheard and assured me that it was the right train, going to Nurnberg and that it had only left Munich 10 minutes ago. I was slightly embarrassed at this point, but I will blame the hot weather for my disorientation! The rest of the train ride passed fairly uneventfully.
So once in Nurnberg I had to find me hostel. These are the directions the website gave me. Turn left outside the Hbf(trainstation) , walk 400m along a brick wall, turn right at the opera house, then turn left down the first alley way (the alley way should have been my warning sign). No street names or anything! Of course I get lost, but at this point I can ask for directions in German so that wasn't too hard. Walked into my hostel with two other guys, and first thing one of them says is 'wow this is sketchy', which was my thoughts exactly! The walls here look like they were painted by someone on an acid trip. No lie. My room is called the 'Italian Ambassy, its a large room painted bright lime green, purple, orange and red with 8 bunkbeds, steel bars on the windows plus those spiked things that stab people who try to climb through. Very welcoming! My roommates on the other hand are wonderful. There is a group of 12 year old Italian boy scouts and their leaders (side note: who ever heard of staying in a hostel for boyscouts!?!? aren't they supposed to be roughing it in the outdoors? europe is different...), a brazilian student (who I am going for drinks with tonight) and a group of students from a university in Kansas on a study tour. Plus an American couple and an old man who just nods at me when I say hi. The italian boys were nice enough to wake me up this morning by tickling my nose with feathers. Never a dull moment! They say hello, by the way (two of them are watching me type this right now)
So after settling into my sketchy accommodation, I headed out (with a poketmap) to explore Nurnberg. Walked for what felt like forever and finally found a nice platz with churches, a bridge over the river and an Italian restaurant for dinner. It was really enjoyable sitting by myself, eating tomatoes, cheese, drinking wine and people watching. Strange at the same time to have no one to talk with...I found myself narrating my day (sad to admit) But I found all you need to do is sit with confidence, look like your supposed to be there by yourself and instantly your more comfortable. After my dinner I was approached by a young Turkish man who asked me out for icecream...he seemed nice enough but I declined just to be on the safe side. So I started walking back since I couldn't entirely remember where my hostel was and it was starting to get dark outside. Well 'couldn't entirely remember' is the understatement of the year!!! I walked for almost 2 hours in circles. You know that sinking stomach feeling you have when you just spent the last half hour walking away from a particular landmark, then you turn a corner and it's right in front of you again? Three times with one landmark! I couldn't bloody get away from this one church...every road I took led me in a circle back to the same place. With the help of my poketmap I finally made it back to the street my hostel was on...only to realize I had no idea whether I need to go left or right. The old city part of Nurnberg is laid out like a circle, with an old fortress wall going all around the sides. My hostel is on the outskirt street that encircles that entire area. Eventually I put my problem solving cap on and walked outside the fortress walls...once I was there I could see the opera house which I knew was close to my hostel. So I turned left. And walked right into the red light district of Nurnberg. I wanted to cry...but I didn't! I laughed instead and just decided to blaze on through. It was what I expected to see in Amsterdam...not Nurnberg. There was actually red lights! Every window had a women leaning out and catcalling...which wasn't as disturbing as the types of men you see walking the dark ally. Creepy would describe them. But nevertheless I made it down the road to my hostel, completely unharmed although I was mentally preparing myself to pull out my swiss army knife if I needed to! About 10 minutes later I'm sitting in my hostel, having a beer when some guy runs into the common room and yells 'DID you guys know were staying in the RED LIGHT DISTRICT? Don't go that way unless you want to pay for sex!!!' haha I can imagine the abuse he got walking down the road because even I was getting harassed by the women!
Needless to say I've painted a pretty bad picture of Nurnberg, but it's actually a really beautiful city (I've just been a comedy of errors!) Today I did a war tour of the city that showed where the rallies used to be, a holocaust museum and where the Nurnberg trials were held. Connecting the history to the places is quite unreal. This afternoon I went to the fresh market, bought cheese, bread and veggies for lunch, and took some more pictures of course. Then decided to wonder back to call Elvira, my moms second cousin (I think) who I'm going to go stay with in Wurzburg tomorrow. And did you think I could make it back to the hostel? Nope! Walked in circles again...ended up in the red light district AGAIN! Although it was totally fine to walk through during the day.
So that concludes my stay in Nurnberg thus far. Lets hope I can make it through this evenings dinner and drinks without venturing into sketchy areas!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The last of Munich
So today I finally said goodbye to Munich and moved on two hours North-East(ish) to Nuremberg. Before I get into Nuremberg though I'll finish up with my last of Munich stories...
After I left my host family on Sunday (which was done with way too many tears for my liking) I went to stay with a friend Philip, who interestingly enough I only briefly met in Mexico three months ago. He lives in downtown Munich, about a 10 minute walk away from Englisher Garten (which is actually the largest inner city park anywhere) and another 10 minute walk away from the old city downtown (which is home to the glockenspiel and vitallienmarket). Perfect location for some final sightseeing! Because his place is so amazing it's one of those 'revolving door' apartments that constantly has a ridiculous number of people crammed inside. It's a three roomed place with three official roommates and about another 6 unofficial roommates! All males, all loud German mid-20s males, who drank like fish and smoked like chimneys. None of them seem to work a 'regular' job but they are cooks, artists, musicians and the 'laborers of love' as they put it. Gentlemen too though of course...they let me have my own bedroom even though it meant 4 of them had to sleep on the floor. They speak a combination of German, Italian, Spanish, English and stay up until at least 4 in the morning doing a combination of the following...chain smoking, playing poker, drawing, drinking and discussing politics. Lets just say I was more then a little lost. I could barley keep up with the language changes, yet alone the conversation! Such a contrast to the quiet family life in the countryside!
Right now I love this lifestyle though. This is the way I think everyone should travel and experience new places, by staying with people who live there and better yet the people who have lived there their entire lives. You get to eat at the good places, see the sights but only the ones that are worth it and meet tons of german people, not just other backpackers. Don't get me wrong...I love meeting other backpackers too but for the sake of seeing more culture, staying with someone tops the list. Over the last couple of days I visited the beirgartens (obviously), watched the river surfers, walked downtown, went for coffee and croissants at Philips aunts chocolate shop, went to a neat nightclub, drove out to the 'beverly hills' area of Munich (man was that impressive..), went to a rooftop bbq and spent the afternoon by the river with friends where we played cards and listened to people play the guitar. Also..just in case anyone is interested...it's true when people say that Germans are liberal with clothing. I felt over-dressed wearing a bathing suit. I was pretty attached to my country-side lifestyle but since staying in Munich, I can see a lot more of the beauty in the city. Munich's a very pretty city and a very safe city...it was described to me as compared to the preppy high school kid, who always looks good and well put together. A socialite I suppose. Where in contrast a city like Berlin is like the scrappy kid with dirty knees that has a little more struggle and a little more character. Makes Berlin sound pretty interesting eh? I would love to go there too.
Just a couple highlights to finish this off...
Most interesting things were 1. Sleeping two nights ago with Philips roommates greek grandmother, who kept yelling things in greek and gripping my arm in the middle of the night. She showed up randomly without calling and insisted that we share a room (ladies together was more appropriate!) She didn't really understand that I don't speak greek or German and would ramble on and on...the only think I could say was 'yah yaya' hoping that I wasn't offending here. Hilarious little women though. When I left she kissed both my hands, my feet and stroked my face. Second most interesting event was... 2. Getting ticks. That was fun (not really)! It hurts to pull them out! One was under my knee (which philips brother removed) and the other one was in the groin region...which Philips brothers girlfriend removed! After that I had to spend the morning in the Doctors office making sure they weren't infected (if they are they can make you go mental) So all taken care of now..although I am the most paranoid person now!
O.K so that was my three days in Munich...now for Nurnberg...
Sunday, May 25, 2008
wow my first blog! And it only took me six weeks...
o.k so first off I apologize to everyone for my delayed blogging and lack of updates! It's been a whirlwind since being here (but I know that's no excuse!). I'll go back to the beginning a little bit and start with school.
So the school I was teaching at (and I say was with emphasis because I love that I can now use the past tense) was beautiful and amazing and quite the teaching experience. It's called the Bavarian International School (Bis) and the school itself is actually in an old Schloss (castle) from teh 1700s. I got the shaft to the middle school building (which was attached to the castle) but I did still get to go eat my lunch in the schloss every day! The entire building has been preserved so you pass these ancient ancient sculptures, paintings and beautiful archetecture on your way to class. Some of the classrooms are pretty amazing too..for example the gold room (which is basically just an ornate room covered in gold) is where high schoolers have art. Can you imagine sitting in a room covered entirley in gold for art class? unreal. It felt surreal being there most of the time. I was staying a 5 minute bike ride away, through the field in the German countryside. So in the mornings I would wake up, grab my bike and ride first through a forest beside a river, then through a horse pasture and finally to this giant castle in the distance. It sums up Germany though...green fields and castles! Anyways back on track...at the school I was teaching grades 6,7,8 math and science with my mentor teacher Phil. Interesting guy....Australian who used to have 40 snakes and do snake shows. Just before I left he got a baby corn snake for the classroom...which I didn't mind that much until I watched it eat the baby mouse. He's a great teacher. And I say the great part with emphasis because he really truley is one of those few great teachers. A good person to learn from but a hard act to follow I found. I'll start off by saying that the teaching was challenging. Really really good students from good families but some of the logistics made it difficult...including the fact that I had seven different classes (90 names to remember!) and a really challenging rotating schedule where I had to move rooms every class, and teaching the same lessons to different classes! This one day I was getting so pissed that one of my grade seven science classes didn't finish their homework...so i was off on a teachers rant about how the expectation is that homework is finished and I expect the same respect as any other teacher blah blah blah...when one kid in the back raises their hand and very politley says...'miss wolfenden...you didn't assign this for homework' and then comes the realization that I assigned the homework to my other grade seven class. I don't even want to think about how often that happened! Overall though I loved working with middle schoolers. They are SUCH a funny, energetic and totally loveable age. The grade 8's are cocky and have hella attitude fun in their own way. And the grade 6's are just wonderful and lovely. Some of my favorite memories...grade 8 boy raising his hand in class and asking 'Miss Wolfenden...would you ever date a younger man? which took a lot of effort not to give him a smart ass response! Another time I'm doing a research period in the library with one of my grade 6 science classes on body systems. So this one kid is researching the reproductive system (on a dare for two euro) and he asks me 'Miss wolfenden I understand what the system does, but I'm struggling with the ovum and testis can you help?' So I start trying to explain things and we get into a really good discussion about sperm and why the testis are outside the body etc. (and you have to picture this kid valentin I'm talking to...he's the popular, good looking kid with a slang english accent having a serious conversation about sperm) when this other student ben puts his hand on my arm (he's literally shaking with laughter) and says ' O.k I tried really hard to be mature but do you realize how utterly rediculous you two sound?' I honestly couldn't stop laughing...I tried to pull the mature teacher card after that but I was literally giggling like any other one of the grade sixes. So that said it was fun. I am however soooooooooooooooooooo happy that it's finished. Because I was teaching more advanced classes (grade 7 science was doing what we do in grade 9 science in canada) every night I had to lesson plan and study for what I was teaching. Plus I helped after school with math fun club (no laughing please!) , track and field, and I was the honorary yearbook photographer for after school events. Which was an incredible amount of fun, but made for some working long nights and weekends. It was neat too to figure out how international schools work...I hate to play the connections card but it helped with making contacts for different itnernational schools. I had offers to come back and teach in Germany, Taipai and China...pretty incredible! O.K so that doesn't even begin to describe the past 6 weeks of teaching but it's the best I've got right now.
As for the rest of it...the family that I've been staying with is incredible. I don't think I could have lucked out anymore. Theres the two parents Karin and Stephen and two daughters Alisha (13) and Josepha (10) and the dog Yula...whose name sounds a lot like mine in German (Gulia) confusing at times. I think part of the reason why I haven't felt homesick at all, is thanks to being a part of a family here. It's helped to have a home here (and a mom that could help with things when I was confused upset etc.). The girls are a riot too...Alisha has typical 13 yr old attitude but shes got a gem of a personality and love her laugh. And Joshepha is just the sweetest brightest girl...she makes cakes (with really complicated recipes) by herself for every occasion! It's really amazing. The family also has a beautiful, old home that they've just finished completley rennovating themselves. It's an old school house from the 1700s that has a river that runs through the backyard. Beauitful! So there I go lucking out again. The area here is called Haimhausen, which is so small that most people from Munich have never heard of it. It's a really rural area (about 20 minutes north of downtown Munich) that's close to Dachau. Most of the teachers thought I was crazy for wanting to stay in Haimhausen but I absoloutly love it. I love being able to go for a bike ride every day or take the dog for a walk through the park. We had about 2 weeks of incredible weather and all we did was bike to the nearby lake (10 minutes), lay on the grass and have picnics of bread, cheese, tomatos and wine. We went swimming too, which was bloody freezing. Everything here just has a nice laid-back pace to it. For example yesterday (my last full day with the family) I biked to the nearby flower fields with Joshepha to pick a boquet. Basically you walk through the field and pick your own flowers and then leave whatever money you think is fair in a bucket (the german people have an incredible honor system). Then we jumped in the river with boogie boards...which left me frozen for the rest of the day. After that Hannes (a friend who lives 5 minutes away) and I went for a walk and took some pictures in the park, then we had a family dinner and roasted marshmellows on the fire outside. That's what days are like here...and that's why I'm sad it's my last day! But no doubts in my mind that backpacking will be equally amazing.
Few last things before I take off...I haven't talked much about Germany itself. As a country (well speaking only about Bavaria because I haven't been outside that area yet) it's incredible. I don't think I could ever live here permenently (germans are so anal about some things!) but these things I really fell in love with...
-Biergartens (and wine gardens in salzburg). There everywhere and amazing. It's really an incredible feeling to sit outside in the sun and have an unlimited supply of cold beer
- Wiessbier! Funny that the first two things on my list are beer! It's literally (no lie) cheaper then water here. But wiessbier is a wheat beer that tastes amazing
- Beer for breakfast. I know realize that this may seem like overkill on the beer but it's just so tasty! I went for a Bavarian breakfast at a friend Lars's house...it was wiesswurst sausage (veal sausages that have to be eaten befoer noon) with sweet mustard and beer at 9 in the morning. Most satisfying breakfast possible I think...
- How incredibley efficient germans are!!! And how they have bizzare rules for everything that are never enforced but everyone follows anyways. For example the trains are expensive and no one ever checks for tickets...yet everyone alwas buys them. Example of bizzare rules...you HAVE to have a red A-frame roof on EVERY house!
- Unlimited speeds on highways. If you see a section that has a circle with a line through it...watch out because cars pass you going over 260KM.
- Bike riders. There everywhere! There's no such thing as public parking lots for cars but they do have public parking lots for bikes...everyone bikes everywhere
- The honor system...I mentioned it before but if you lock your bike up, people laugh at you. There is such little crime here
- Spargel (WHITE ASPARAGUS!) amazing!!!! thats all I have to say...if you haven't eaten white asparagus you haven't really lived.
There is tons of other things but those are the important ones for right now! So today I leave my family and go into Munich for a few days to stay with a friend Phil. After that it's on to different parts of Germany to visit distant relatives (who I've never met before). So hopefully I will update more regularley so there not all crazy long to read like this one.
love you all and miss you all!
So the school I was teaching at (and I say was with emphasis because I love that I can now use the past tense) was beautiful and amazing and quite the teaching experience. It's called the Bavarian International School (Bis) and the school itself is actually in an old Schloss (castle) from teh 1700s. I got the shaft to the middle school building (which was attached to the castle) but I did still get to go eat my lunch in the schloss every day! The entire building has been preserved so you pass these ancient ancient sculptures, paintings and beautiful archetecture on your way to class. Some of the classrooms are pretty amazing too..for example the gold room (which is basically just an ornate room covered in gold) is where high schoolers have art. Can you imagine sitting in a room covered entirley in gold for art class? unreal. It felt surreal being there most of the time. I was staying a 5 minute bike ride away, through the field in the German countryside. So in the mornings I would wake up, grab my bike and ride first through a forest beside a river, then through a horse pasture and finally to this giant castle in the distance. It sums up Germany though...green fields and castles! Anyways back on track...at the school I was teaching grades 6,7,8 math and science with my mentor teacher Phil. Interesting guy....Australian who used to have 40 snakes and do snake shows. Just before I left he got a baby corn snake for the classroom...which I didn't mind that much until I watched it eat the baby mouse. He's a great teacher. And I say the great part with emphasis because he really truley is one of those few great teachers. A good person to learn from but a hard act to follow I found. I'll start off by saying that the teaching was challenging. Really really good students from good families but some of the logistics made it difficult...including the fact that I had seven different classes (90 names to remember!) and a really challenging rotating schedule where I had to move rooms every class, and teaching the same lessons to different classes! This one day I was getting so pissed that one of my grade seven science classes didn't finish their homework...so i was off on a teachers rant about how the expectation is that homework is finished and I expect the same respect as any other teacher blah blah blah...when one kid in the back raises their hand and very politley says...'miss wolfenden...you didn't assign this for homework' and then comes the realization that I assigned the homework to my other grade seven class. I don't even want to think about how often that happened! Overall though I loved working with middle schoolers. They are SUCH a funny, energetic and totally loveable age. The grade 8's are cocky and have hella attitude fun in their own way. And the grade 6's are just wonderful and lovely. Some of my favorite memories...grade 8 boy raising his hand in class and asking 'Miss Wolfenden...would you ever date a younger man? which took a lot of effort not to give him a smart ass response! Another time I'm doing a research period in the library with one of my grade 6 science classes on body systems. So this one kid is researching the reproductive system (on a dare for two euro) and he asks me 'Miss wolfenden I understand what the system does, but I'm struggling with the ovum and testis can you help?' So I start trying to explain things and we get into a really good discussion about sperm and why the testis are outside the body etc. (and you have to picture this kid valentin I'm talking to...he's the popular, good looking kid with a slang english accent having a serious conversation about sperm) when this other student ben puts his hand on my arm (he's literally shaking with laughter) and says ' O.k I tried really hard to be mature but do you realize how utterly rediculous you two sound?' I honestly couldn't stop laughing...I tried to pull the mature teacher card after that but I was literally giggling like any other one of the grade sixes. So that said it was fun. I am however soooooooooooooooooooo happy that it's finished. Because I was teaching more advanced classes (grade 7 science was doing what we do in grade 9 science in canada) every night I had to lesson plan and study for what I was teaching. Plus I helped after school with math fun club (no laughing please!) , track and field, and I was the honorary yearbook photographer for after school events. Which was an incredible amount of fun, but made for some working long nights and weekends. It was neat too to figure out how international schools work...I hate to play the connections card but it helped with making contacts for different itnernational schools. I had offers to come back and teach in Germany, Taipai and China...pretty incredible! O.K so that doesn't even begin to describe the past 6 weeks of teaching but it's the best I've got right now.
As for the rest of it...the family that I've been staying with is incredible. I don't think I could have lucked out anymore. Theres the two parents Karin and Stephen and two daughters Alisha (13) and Josepha (10) and the dog Yula...whose name sounds a lot like mine in German (Gulia) confusing at times. I think part of the reason why I haven't felt homesick at all, is thanks to being a part of a family here. It's helped to have a home here (and a mom that could help with things when I was confused upset etc.). The girls are a riot too...Alisha has typical 13 yr old attitude but shes got a gem of a personality and love her laugh. And Joshepha is just the sweetest brightest girl...she makes cakes (with really complicated recipes) by herself for every occasion! It's really amazing. The family also has a beautiful, old home that they've just finished completley rennovating themselves. It's an old school house from the 1700s that has a river that runs through the backyard. Beauitful! So there I go lucking out again. The area here is called Haimhausen, which is so small that most people from Munich have never heard of it. It's a really rural area (about 20 minutes north of downtown Munich) that's close to Dachau. Most of the teachers thought I was crazy for wanting to stay in Haimhausen but I absoloutly love it. I love being able to go for a bike ride every day or take the dog for a walk through the park. We had about 2 weeks of incredible weather and all we did was bike to the nearby lake (10 minutes), lay on the grass and have picnics of bread, cheese, tomatos and wine. We went swimming too, which was bloody freezing. Everything here just has a nice laid-back pace to it. For example yesterday (my last full day with the family) I biked to the nearby flower fields with Joshepha to pick a boquet. Basically you walk through the field and pick your own flowers and then leave whatever money you think is fair in a bucket (the german people have an incredible honor system). Then we jumped in the river with boogie boards...which left me frozen for the rest of the day. After that Hannes (a friend who lives 5 minutes away) and I went for a walk and took some pictures in the park, then we had a family dinner and roasted marshmellows on the fire outside. That's what days are like here...and that's why I'm sad it's my last day! But no doubts in my mind that backpacking will be equally amazing.
Few last things before I take off...I haven't talked much about Germany itself. As a country (well speaking only about Bavaria because I haven't been outside that area yet) it's incredible. I don't think I could ever live here permenently (germans are so anal about some things!) but these things I really fell in love with...
-Biergartens (and wine gardens in salzburg). There everywhere and amazing. It's really an incredible feeling to sit outside in the sun and have an unlimited supply of cold beer
- Wiessbier! Funny that the first two things on my list are beer! It's literally (no lie) cheaper then water here. But wiessbier is a wheat beer that tastes amazing
- Beer for breakfast. I know realize that this may seem like overkill on the beer but it's just so tasty! I went for a Bavarian breakfast at a friend Lars's house...it was wiesswurst sausage (veal sausages that have to be eaten befoer noon) with sweet mustard and beer at 9 in the morning. Most satisfying breakfast possible I think...
- How incredibley efficient germans are!!! And how they have bizzare rules for everything that are never enforced but everyone follows anyways. For example the trains are expensive and no one ever checks for tickets...yet everyone alwas buys them. Example of bizzare rules...you HAVE to have a red A-frame roof on EVERY house!
- Unlimited speeds on highways. If you see a section that has a circle with a line through it...watch out because cars pass you going over 260KM.
- Bike riders. There everywhere! There's no such thing as public parking lots for cars but they do have public parking lots for bikes...everyone bikes everywhere
- The honor system...I mentioned it before but if you lock your bike up, people laugh at you. There is such little crime here
- Spargel (WHITE ASPARAGUS!) amazing!!!! thats all I have to say...if you haven't eaten white asparagus you haven't really lived.
There is tons of other things but those are the important ones for right now! So today I leave my family and go into Munich for a few days to stay with a friend Phil. After that it's on to different parts of Germany to visit distant relatives (who I've never met before). So hopefully I will update more regularley so there not all crazy long to read like this one.
love you all and miss you all!
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