I have very much neglected this little blog for the past week,as I was a bit consumed with coming back to Barcelona last Sunday and sweet talking all of my friends to let Sari and me crash on their couches. and everyone completely came through and were so wonderful to us! Coming back to Barcelona was almost like coming home. Familiarity, the best metro in the world, loads of people that I love, and of course, patatas bravas (which are sorrily lacking in Boston, I hear). Sari and I stayed with our TEFl friend Carolyn at her apartment, which was beyond amazing of her. She lives about 4 blocks from my old apartment which was somewhat surreal, but I immediately felt myself relax as I realized I knew where I was going for the first time in a few weeks!
Monday was spent in a bit of Barcelona nostalgia( how can you have nostalgia if you have only lived in a place for 4 months? apparently its possible). We roamed around near La Rambla, Gothic Quarter, hit up our favourite gelato place for some wicked tiramisu gelato, and generally just enjoyed the energy of one of my favourite cities on Earth (thus far). We ended up going out Barcelona touristy style that night with Carolyn, her cousin Katie who is also staying at the apartment, and Carolynś Peruvian roommate Liz. We went to the most ridiculous bar called Chupitos which features over 500 different kinds of shots. I think the best was probably the Boy Scout, which featured an exciting method of roasting a marshmallow on the bar and then taking a shot that tastes like butterscotch. A little ridiculous but a hysterical night, and we actually stayed out until 3 AM, I was so proud of myself!
Tuesday was a wonderful chill day, as we went to the Castelldefells beach which is about 15 minutes outside the city but of course we got on the wrong train and ended up in the opposite direction, so 2 hours later when we finally hit up the beach, it was bliss. Loads of gross seaweed and some bratty kids who kicked sand at me, but otherwise a really nice day. I then went back to my old apartment to visit with my roommates and to pick up the rest of my junk, and it surprisingly wasnt weird at all to see them, or to be back in my old stomping ground. I felt.. nothing, no attachment to the place, which is definitely a good thing. I did realize my pack rat tendencies have followed me to Spain as I definitely have an entire suitcase of things I need to go through and throw in the street gutters.
I actually will have to finish this at a later date, as I currently am in San Sebastian, which is a GORGEOUS town on the northern coast of Spain, in the Basque region, and am here for 3 days with Sari and Nate. Hasta luego!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Oh! Valencia
Currently in Valencia: city of paella, a ridiculous hostal, and the most amazing aquarium that I´ve ever visited. Sari and I met up with Jenny on Thursday night, after we took a very meager bus ride from Alicante, only 2 hours compared to the hellish bus ride of 8 hours that we´d had from Malaga to Alicante. Score!
Upon first glance, Valencia is gorgeous. Light coloured buildings, and its the 3rd biggest city in Spain but feels completely accessible by walking everywhere.Thursday found us mostly roaming around the area of our hostal and checking out the numerous plazas with fountains, and ducking into a cathedral or two which are always breathtaking. Jenny arrived a bit later than us on Thursday and we celebrated being back together with a wonderful meal of nachos and a brownie sundae that made me want to cry, at this tacky American style restaurant. A bit weird to be in an American place and then to step back out onto the spanish sidewalks, but kind of amazing. We had an early night, just kicking it with some fellow travelers at our hostal bar. There are about 200 people staying here, its kind of out of control! But there´s air conditioning at night so who really cares.
Friday was a delightfully cloudy day, so we walked from our hostal through the Central Park of Valencia all the way to the Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias (city of arts and sciences) to check out the supposed best and biggest aquarium in Europe. And it was AMAZING. Some of the many aquatic sights we saw were seahorses and dwarf seahorses that were the size of my thumbnail, sea dragons, tons of sharks that swam over your head as you walked down a tunnel, beluga whales, penguins, walruses, and loads of amazing fish. It was enough to make me contemplate learning to scuba dive! maybe..
Afterwards we continued our exploration of the city, which is fairly compact, and made a lovely dinner of lentils and veggies in the hostal kitchen. We then went to this hole in the wall cafe called Cafe del Duende, where it seemed like nothing special until this rather heavyset gentlemen came onto the tiny stage and started playing a haunting flamenco melody, and a flamenco singer began singing and there was a man and a woman who alternated flamenco dancing, inspiring all sorts of emotions from the crowd, unbelievable. We stood there, mesmirized for 2 hours before we realized how much time had past. It made me ache for Spain, although I am still here. It was the strangest, most bittersweet feeling. The flamenco show was definitely one of my top ten favourite Spanish experiences.
Today we didn´t really have a plan so we checked out some markets, more plazas and cathedrals, chilled here at the hostal, and are planning on heading out later to the bohemian, funky neighborhood called Barrio El Carmen. Really a wonderful weekend, but I´m starting to vibrate with tension about heading back to Barcelona tomorrow for a few days. Ole!
Upon first glance, Valencia is gorgeous. Light coloured buildings, and its the 3rd biggest city in Spain but feels completely accessible by walking everywhere.Thursday found us mostly roaming around the area of our hostal and checking out the numerous plazas with fountains, and ducking into a cathedral or two which are always breathtaking. Jenny arrived a bit later than us on Thursday and we celebrated being back together with a wonderful meal of nachos and a brownie sundae that made me want to cry, at this tacky American style restaurant. A bit weird to be in an American place and then to step back out onto the spanish sidewalks, but kind of amazing. We had an early night, just kicking it with some fellow travelers at our hostal bar. There are about 200 people staying here, its kind of out of control! But there´s air conditioning at night so who really cares.
Friday was a delightfully cloudy day, so we walked from our hostal through the Central Park of Valencia all the way to the Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias (city of arts and sciences) to check out the supposed best and biggest aquarium in Europe. And it was AMAZING. Some of the many aquatic sights we saw were seahorses and dwarf seahorses that were the size of my thumbnail, sea dragons, tons of sharks that swam over your head as you walked down a tunnel, beluga whales, penguins, walruses, and loads of amazing fish. It was enough to make me contemplate learning to scuba dive! maybe..
Afterwards we continued our exploration of the city, which is fairly compact, and made a lovely dinner of lentils and veggies in the hostal kitchen. We then went to this hole in the wall cafe called Cafe del Duende, where it seemed like nothing special until this rather heavyset gentlemen came onto the tiny stage and started playing a haunting flamenco melody, and a flamenco singer began singing and there was a man and a woman who alternated flamenco dancing, inspiring all sorts of emotions from the crowd, unbelievable. We stood there, mesmirized for 2 hours before we realized how much time had past. It made me ache for Spain, although I am still here. It was the strangest, most bittersweet feeling. The flamenco show was definitely one of my top ten favourite Spanish experiences.
Today we didn´t really have a plan so we checked out some markets, more plazas and cathedrals, chilled here at the hostal, and are planning on heading out later to the bohemian, funky neighborhood called Barrio El Carmen. Really a wonderful weekend, but I´m starting to vibrate with tension about heading back to Barcelona tomorrow for a few days. Ole!
Alicante, I´d rate you an A
Alicante! First stop on the Spain adventure tour of Sari and Shannon. After taking a horrendous 8 hour bus ride from 1 AM until 9 Am (my idea, thought it would save money. Which it did, but I just lost my sanity instead). We landed in Alicante, bleary eyed but excited to be in a medium-sized city that is blissfully right on the Mediterranean sea. We lucked out and ended up in this amazing hostal, La Milagrosa, with our own room and AIRCON. Plus lots of sinks to do laundry in, and a terrace on the roof complete with a kitchen and views of the mountains.
Our first day, Tuesday, was spent meandering through the streets, sleeping on the beach, and attempting to stay awake.Alicante isn´t that big so we were able to get a good feel for the city, and how relaxed the atmosphere was there. We made dinner for the first time in weeks, which was a huge plus. Wednesday had us feeling much more rested, so we checked out the castle (not sure what castle, but just a castle) that loomed over our hostal on this sandy coloured mountain, very gorgeous. Views of the clear water and all of Alicante from the castle, too. We spent some much needed Sari and Shannon time, each chilling on the beach for a bit, before reconvening and walking down the beach promenade where all these market stalls offered various wares, and stumbled upon a bandshell that was playing all of these old Spanish songs, and hordes of old people with fans were sitting in chairs or getting up to dance adorably with their partners. We must have stood there for about an hour, feeling giddy at being back in Spain and seeing all of these incredibly happy people, dancing to Spanish oldies. Fabulous. We ended the restful day with some white wine and a ridiculous salmon dinner that we made ourselves. Loved Alicante!
Our first day, Tuesday, was spent meandering through the streets, sleeping on the beach, and attempting to stay awake.Alicante isn´t that big so we were able to get a good feel for the city, and how relaxed the atmosphere was there. We made dinner for the first time in weeks, which was a huge plus. Wednesday had us feeling much more rested, so we checked out the castle (not sure what castle, but just a castle) that loomed over our hostal on this sandy coloured mountain, very gorgeous. Views of the clear water and all of Alicante from the castle, too. We spent some much needed Sari and Shannon time, each chilling on the beach for a bit, before reconvening and walking down the beach promenade where all these market stalls offered various wares, and stumbled upon a bandshell that was playing all of these old Spanish songs, and hordes of old people with fans were sitting in chairs or getting up to dance adorably with their partners. We must have stood there for about an hour, feeling giddy at being back in Spain and seeing all of these incredibly happy people, dancing to Spanish oldies. Fabulous. We ended the restful day with some white wine and a ridiculous salmon dinner that we made ourselves. Loved Alicante!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Back to Spain, mi patria!
Felt like I should write another quick post after the last debbie downer and ungrateful sounding one. We are currently killing time before heading to the RyanAir airport and going to Malaga, Spain. Our plan as of now is to take a midnight train (going anywhere?)from Malaga to Alicante and then make our way up the coast, heading to Barcelona where we can crash with some of our lovely friends for free for a few days.
I have less than 3 weeks left in Spain, and although it has crossed my mind from time to time to head home early, the amount it would cost to change my ticket would be equivalent to how much I would be spending here, so I think the best thing to do is stick it out. Yes, things have been difficult, but I expected that. I did not expect the pounding of my heart when I stood in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, or the way I got goosebumps when I realized I could see all the way down to the bottom of the sea in Cinque Terre. This is worth it, this is one of those trips you dont get to experience very often, so Im going to enjoy every last second.
This has been such a learning experience, one that I will ALWAYS remember. I have learned so many things, some things that probably wont manifest themselves until months later, when I am in my new role as a poor, sweatpant-clad grad student(just kidding about the sweatpants, gross).
I am beyond grateful for the support, love and virtual hugs sent to me. I am also so ridiculously excited to be back in a country where I can speak the language, eat patatas bravas, and maybe see Gerard Pique from Barca who will realize we are soulmates and marry me immediately.
Hasta luego!
I have less than 3 weeks left in Spain, and although it has crossed my mind from time to time to head home early, the amount it would cost to change my ticket would be equivalent to how much I would be spending here, so I think the best thing to do is stick it out. Yes, things have been difficult, but I expected that. I did not expect the pounding of my heart when I stood in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, or the way I got goosebumps when I realized I could see all the way down to the bottom of the sea in Cinque Terre. This is worth it, this is one of those trips you dont get to experience very often, so Im going to enjoy every last second.
This has been such a learning experience, one that I will ALWAYS remember. I have learned so many things, some things that probably wont manifest themselves until months later, when I am in my new role as a poor, sweatpant-clad grad student(just kidding about the sweatpants, gross).
I am beyond grateful for the support, love and virtual hugs sent to me. I am also so ridiculously excited to be back in a country where I can speak the language, eat patatas bravas, and maybe see Gerard Pique from Barca who will realize we are soulmates and marry me immediately.
Hasta luego!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Bologna has a first name, its s-k-e-t-c-h-y
Succumbing to huge pangs of homesickness that have threatened to overwhelm me for a few days now. This city is merely making it worse. We cme into town today to try to find something to eat to no avail, only found about 3 or 4 places besides creepy kebab shops, and we are in the center of the city! Both Sari and I keep getting continually creepy vibes from some of the sketchy men roaming around. Normally I would just forget about sketchy men (story of my life in Barcelona) but after being followed the other day, and feeling as if we were just being followed before we ducked into this internet cafe, I am very done with Italy. I want familiarity, I want Spain, and I want a really big hug.
We got to Bologna (supposedly renowned for its amazing bolognese sauce, but have yet to find that) yesterday afternoon and it seemed very promising, with all these walkways with high archways and relly pretty red buildings. We are staying in this ridiculous place called the Citta della Camping, which has chalets, bungalows and places to park your camper, should you have one. Sari and I are playing the perfect married couple and staying in this tiny bunglow that has AIRCONDITIONING and is immaculately clean, score! Theres a swimming pool, pizzeria and bar in the little camp ground, and to get into the city we have to walk through cornfields and take a bus. Not the best idea ever, but its saving us some money, I suppose. After checking in, we went back to the center of the city which is really beautiful, but everything was.. closed. at 8 PM on a Saturday night. what?! We were also slight idiots as we didnt bring the bus schedule and ending up walking back through the cornfields in the dark.. really fun!
Both of us are trying to make the best of this Gringo Domingo and to appreciate being in Italy, but its slightly difficult today. We went to have lasagne with bolognese sauce, and found the lasagne was completely frozen in the middle. I dont thnk Ive ever laughed so much about ridiculous situations in my life. VERY much looking forward to getting on a plane tomorrow and heading to Malaga, Spain, and then figuring things out from there.
I wish I was more optimistic and sounding incredibly excited to be here, I just cant find it in me today.
We got to Bologna (supposedly renowned for its amazing bolognese sauce, but have yet to find that) yesterday afternoon and it seemed very promising, with all these walkways with high archways and relly pretty red buildings. We are staying in this ridiculous place called the Citta della Camping, which has chalets, bungalows and places to park your camper, should you have one. Sari and I are playing the perfect married couple and staying in this tiny bunglow that has AIRCONDITIONING and is immaculately clean, score! Theres a swimming pool, pizzeria and bar in the little camp ground, and to get into the city we have to walk through cornfields and take a bus. Not the best idea ever, but its saving us some money, I suppose. After checking in, we went back to the center of the city which is really beautiful, but everything was.. closed. at 8 PM on a Saturday night. what?! We were also slight idiots as we didnt bring the bus schedule and ending up walking back through the cornfields in the dark.. really fun!
Both of us are trying to make the best of this Gringo Domingo and to appreciate being in Italy, but its slightly difficult today. We went to have lasagne with bolognese sauce, and found the lasagne was completely frozen in the middle. I dont thnk Ive ever laughed so much about ridiculous situations in my life. VERY much looking forward to getting on a plane tomorrow and heading to Malaga, Spain, and then figuring things out from there.
I wish I was more optimistic and sounding incredibly excited to be here, I just cant find it in me today.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Trashy beach town in Italy? yes please!
Quick sidenote: I just wrote a very lengthy, amazing blog post and clicked post.. and it was completely erased. This might not be as good, just a disclaimer.
Alright Rome, I got the point. You clearly wanted me to get on a train Wednesday afternoon and head for the gorgeous yet slightly Jersey Shore-ish coastal town of Riccione, I got it!
Changed our plans late on Tuesday night and decided to check out of Rome early and head somewhere near the water. Currently are staying in this tiny, very trashy beach town of Riccione which is on the sea and filled with vacationing Germans and Italians. Our hostal is wonderful, complete with AIRCON and 2 blocks from the beach. Our friend Stacy arrived last night to spend 2 days here with us, which is super amazing! She just moved to Switzerland last week to be an au pair for a year, and I've missed her so much since I last saw her in Barcelona 3 months ago. The past 2 days here have been so relaxing, exactly what we all needed. Plus I've been able to do more laundry in the sink, which is a huge plus.
Tuesday was a lovely day in Rome, despite the sweltering heat, and we made the most of it. After our wandering around Vatican City and figuring out our next move. We walked from our hostal through the city and passed by this area with huge Roman ruins, where all these cats live. Supposedly it's where Julius Ceaser was killed, and the cats are protecting his soul. Kind of creepy, but totally adorable cats. We crossed the bridge into Trastavere, the lively and funky part of Rome with lots of neat bookstores and outdoor restaurants, where we indulged in farfalle and icy cold white wine before decided to walk to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night. On our way, Sari realized she lost her camera but when we went all the way back to Trastavere, it was nowhere to be found. Put a slight damper on the evening, but just chalked it up to another traveling experience so as not to get incredibly frustrated about it.
Wednesday Sari went to the Sistine Chapel while I was a bit overly ambitious and went to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon and Piazza Navona. I was really glad I had the chance to see all these things, even though it was about 95 degrees outside and I was walking everywhere. I really love the city of Rome so much, and I wish that I could have maybe done something different to enjoy myself more, but I think we made the most of it. We then got on the wrong train and ended up in a random station for 2 hours before getting on the right train for another 6, finally ending up where we are now, Riccione! REALLY glad we changed our original plans of going to Perugia and came here instead, as being by the water and being in the same place for 3 nights is wonderful.
Yesterday was a lazy day of swimming, eating, more swimming, gelato-ing and waiting for Stacy to arrive, when we then got an amazing dinner of spicy sausage pizza and salad, and ended up wandering the beach at night, marveling at how GORGEOUS and clear the sky was. I feel very relaxed, very happy we have another night here. I think our big plan consists of going to get gelato tonight, and then renting one of those 4 person bike cars to explore the town some more. Big plans!
Tomorrow Stacy heads back to Switzerland and Sari and I are going to Bologna until Monday, where we fly to Malaga in Andalucia, Spain. Oh Spain, how I miss you! I miss Spanish, I miss the country, everything. But as much as I'm excited to be traveling more, I'm beginning to feel the stirrings of being ready to go home in exactly 3 weeks. I can't believe I wrote that, but it's true. I think just all the moving around, living out of a suitcase, makes me want some sort of stability and familiarity, so I will be very ready to go back home and see so many people I've loved and missed this entire time.
Better go decide which gelato flavours I'm going to enjoy, ciao!
Alright Rome, I got the point. You clearly wanted me to get on a train Wednesday afternoon and head for the gorgeous yet slightly Jersey Shore-ish coastal town of Riccione, I got it!
Changed our plans late on Tuesday night and decided to check out of Rome early and head somewhere near the water. Currently are staying in this tiny, very trashy beach town of Riccione which is on the sea and filled with vacationing Germans and Italians. Our hostal is wonderful, complete with AIRCON and 2 blocks from the beach. Our friend Stacy arrived last night to spend 2 days here with us, which is super amazing! She just moved to Switzerland last week to be an au pair for a year, and I've missed her so much since I last saw her in Barcelona 3 months ago. The past 2 days here have been so relaxing, exactly what we all needed. Plus I've been able to do more laundry in the sink, which is a huge plus.
Tuesday was a lovely day in Rome, despite the sweltering heat, and we made the most of it. After our wandering around Vatican City and figuring out our next move. We walked from our hostal through the city and passed by this area with huge Roman ruins, where all these cats live. Supposedly it's where Julius Ceaser was killed, and the cats are protecting his soul. Kind of creepy, but totally adorable cats. We crossed the bridge into Trastavere, the lively and funky part of Rome with lots of neat bookstores and outdoor restaurants, where we indulged in farfalle and icy cold white wine before decided to walk to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night. On our way, Sari realized she lost her camera but when we went all the way back to Trastavere, it was nowhere to be found. Put a slight damper on the evening, but just chalked it up to another traveling experience so as not to get incredibly frustrated about it.
Wednesday Sari went to the Sistine Chapel while I was a bit overly ambitious and went to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon and Piazza Navona. I was really glad I had the chance to see all these things, even though it was about 95 degrees outside and I was walking everywhere. I really love the city of Rome so much, and I wish that I could have maybe done something different to enjoy myself more, but I think we made the most of it. We then got on the wrong train and ended up in a random station for 2 hours before getting on the right train for another 6, finally ending up where we are now, Riccione! REALLY glad we changed our original plans of going to Perugia and came here instead, as being by the water and being in the same place for 3 nights is wonderful.
Yesterday was a lazy day of swimming, eating, more swimming, gelato-ing and waiting for Stacy to arrive, when we then got an amazing dinner of spicy sausage pizza and salad, and ended up wandering the beach at night, marveling at how GORGEOUS and clear the sky was. I feel very relaxed, very happy we have another night here. I think our big plan consists of going to get gelato tonight, and then renting one of those 4 person bike cars to explore the town some more. Big plans!
Tomorrow Stacy heads back to Switzerland and Sari and I are going to Bologna until Monday, where we fly to Malaga in Andalucia, Spain. Oh Spain, how I miss you! I miss Spanish, I miss the country, everything. But as much as I'm excited to be traveling more, I'm beginning to feel the stirrings of being ready to go home in exactly 3 weeks. I can't believe I wrote that, but it's true. I think just all the moving around, living out of a suitcase, makes me want some sort of stability and familiarity, so I will be very ready to go back home and see so many people I've loved and missed this entire time.
Better go decide which gelato flavours I'm going to enjoy, ciao!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Rome-ing around in the ridiculous heat
Apparently the secret to staying cool in the ridiculous Roman heat is 1/2 liters of ice cold white wine and pounds of gelato. As well as hiding out in bookstores, internet cafes and hotel lobbies.
Arrived in Rome yesterday and after jumping for joy for a few minutes, we went to our first hostel which immediately made us stop jumping. Really gross, really hot (were promised air con but no such luck, only a barely working fan) and the room was about the size of my foot. We dumped our stuff and set out to see the beautiful city of Rome (which is so much better than Florence its not even funny). We managed to make it to see the Colloseum, Roman Forum and the Victor Emmanuelle(sp) before we started feeling dizzy from the heat and had to head back to our hostal to take cold showers (or at least I did. Sari had to go to a town outside of Rome to pick up her lost passport, yikes). I felt sick all day because its over 100 degrees, and we tried to be such good sports about it but its very miserable here. Miserable, in Rome! It,s like an oxymoron. We did have a really wonderful dinner last night where a man seranaded us in Italian and Spanish. Everyone thinks we are Spanish and keep congratulating us on Campeones del Mundo! I miss Spain.
Today we moved to another hostal, going to check in there soon and hope they also weren,t lying when they said they have aircon as well. We checked out Vatican City, said a big hello to the Pope who was probably hanging out in aircon himself, and had a delicious margherita pizza and white wine at this little hole in the wall pizzeria. Tonight we are buying some paninis and heading to the Trevi Fountain as it gets dark, and a tiny bit cooler
We had originally planned on staying in Rome until Thursday but its so unbearable that we are attempting to change our plans and go to the coastal town of Rimini for the next few days, keep you posted on that.
A fun occurrance: yesterday, upon arrival of Rome, a very drunk man with the longest cigarette ash ever proceeded to push his pelvis against me on the sidewalk. I threw some choice words at him, but had to laugh. Welcome to Roma!
I really do love this city. The feel of it- its so welcoming and historical and you can walk EVERYWHERE. Not as many Americans and Australians here as were in Florence, that was unbelievable. I do like running into fellow travelers and sharing stories about where we have just come from, and where we are going. Most of the Australians I meet are traveling for over 6 or 9 months, its insane! I,m super glad and grateful to get the chance to do this, but it does take some getting used to. I felt very homesick for familiarity yesterday but that has since passed, which I am glad about.
Off to check out our hostal and enjoy Roma (and some more gelato, let,s be honest!)
Arrived in Rome yesterday and after jumping for joy for a few minutes, we went to our first hostel which immediately made us stop jumping. Really gross, really hot (were promised air con but no such luck, only a barely working fan) and the room was about the size of my foot. We dumped our stuff and set out to see the beautiful city of Rome (which is so much better than Florence its not even funny). We managed to make it to see the Colloseum, Roman Forum and the Victor Emmanuelle(sp) before we started feeling dizzy from the heat and had to head back to our hostal to take cold showers (or at least I did. Sari had to go to a town outside of Rome to pick up her lost passport, yikes). I felt sick all day because its over 100 degrees, and we tried to be such good sports about it but its very miserable here. Miserable, in Rome! It,s like an oxymoron. We did have a really wonderful dinner last night where a man seranaded us in Italian and Spanish. Everyone thinks we are Spanish and keep congratulating us on Campeones del Mundo! I miss Spain.
Today we moved to another hostal, going to check in there soon and hope they also weren,t lying when they said they have aircon as well. We checked out Vatican City, said a big hello to the Pope who was probably hanging out in aircon himself, and had a delicious margherita pizza and white wine at this little hole in the wall pizzeria. Tonight we are buying some paninis and heading to the Trevi Fountain as it gets dark, and a tiny bit cooler
We had originally planned on staying in Rome until Thursday but its so unbearable that we are attempting to change our plans and go to the coastal town of Rimini for the next few days, keep you posted on that.
A fun occurrance: yesterday, upon arrival of Rome, a very drunk man with the longest cigarette ash ever proceeded to push his pelvis against me on the sidewalk. I threw some choice words at him, but had to laugh. Welcome to Roma!
I really do love this city. The feel of it- its so welcoming and historical and you can walk EVERYWHERE. Not as many Americans and Australians here as were in Florence, that was unbelievable. I do like running into fellow travelers and sharing stories about where we have just come from, and where we are going. Most of the Australians I meet are traveling for over 6 or 9 months, its insane! I,m super glad and grateful to get the chance to do this, but it does take some getting used to. I felt very homesick for familiarity yesterday but that has since passed, which I am glad about.
Off to check out our hostal and enjoy Roma (and some more gelato, let,s be honest!)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I,m a Plus Girl
Taking reprieve in another internet cafe to escape the stifling heat of Florence once more. I think this Gringo Domingo will be a pretty good one, considering there is a swimming pool at our hostal, we found a place that is showing the movie Eclipse (don,t judge) and there,s the ridiculously exciting Spain vs. Holland game tonight! Viva la Furia Roja!
Florence is beautiful. We,ve walked nearly everywhere since its a pretty compact city, and saw all the mains sights like Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, random piazzas, cheap panini,s, loads of turists, and reveled in the gorgeous colour of the buildings. Everything is so light looking, painted in creamy colours and light green. That being said, we,re definitely looking forward to hitting up Rome tomorrow and staying there for 3 days, with a day trip to Siena sometime in there!
A slightly ridiculous thing: last night Sari and I were placed in 2 different hostal rooms on the Plus Girls floor. Now, that basically means we were lucky enough to be placed on a floor designed to protect our feminity. Pink hallways, a vanity desk in each room, places to put your makeup, and little kits that consist of makeup remover, nail files and anything else we might need to stay as girly as possible. Annoying to my feminist side, but also very comfortable, clean and air conditioned so I,m totally down with it!
Off to another air conditioned venue of some sort, ciao!
Florence is beautiful. We,ve walked nearly everywhere since its a pretty compact city, and saw all the mains sights like Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, random piazzas, cheap panini,s, loads of turists, and reveled in the gorgeous colour of the buildings. Everything is so light looking, painted in creamy colours and light green. That being said, we,re definitely looking forward to hitting up Rome tomorrow and staying there for 3 days, with a day trip to Siena sometime in there!
A slightly ridiculous thing: last night Sari and I were placed in 2 different hostal rooms on the Plus Girls floor. Now, that basically means we were lucky enough to be placed on a floor designed to protect our feminity. Pink hallways, a vanity desk in each room, places to put your makeup, and little kits that consist of makeup remover, nail files and anything else we might need to stay as girly as possible. Annoying to my feminist side, but also very comfortable, clean and air conditioned so I,m totally down with it!
Off to another air conditioned venue of some sort, ciao!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Sketchy Pisa, lovely Cinque Terre, and sweaty Florence
As I write this, I,m trying to figure out this italian keyboard and to not focus on the sweat dripping down my back. I,ve probably thought this before, but honestly i can,t remember when i was as hot as this. Just got to Florence last night amidst a bit of Italian drama. Let me back up a bit..
So, left Paris on Wednesday to jet to Pisa, luckily with no passport problems. I was a little worried because technically you can only stay in the Schengen countries of Europe for 3 months and I,m well over that, but there have been no problems, hopefully it stays that way! Got to Pisa and walked from the airport, which was a little strange since it was right in the middle of the town, and met up with my travel buddy Sari at this somewhat decent hostal that was only about, oh 88 degrees F inside. We walked down a sketchy deserted street to this nondescript pizza place to watch the spain vs. germany game, and then hustled home. Pisa is not great! We didn,t even make it to the Leaning Tower since it was on the other side of town and we decided to just get to Cinque Terre instead. Apparently we didn,t miss much, or at least I,d like to think that!
Thursday bruoght us to one of the most lovely, gorgeous places I,ve ever been- CInque Terre. We stayed in the first town, Riomaggiore, and the towns are exactly what you,d imagine- rows of pastel coloured houses staggered in the mountain rocks, overlooking water that is almost torquouise, you can see right down to the bottom and see all the schools of fish. Everyone was so HAPPY looking there! not a huge town by any means, maybe only 10 restaurants or so, and all uphill! Our hostal was a tiny little apartment that we shared with people from Australia, China,England and Montreal, and had steps right down the cove where you can rent kayaks and snorkels. Thursday we did a bit of the Cinque Terre hike, with which you can hike to the other towns of Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, but we only made it as far as Manarola. You have to walk high up on a sort of cliff walk, breathtaking. We swam in a cove in Manarola, and there were all these tiny blue fish at our feet, so ridiculous! Rest of the day was spent eating loads of fruit, and eating pizza and wine on a cliff to watch the sunset. Both Sari and I were in disbelief pretty much tne entire day.
The trains went on strike from Thursday night til Friday night, which somewhat wrecked our plans to leave for Florence on Friday morning, so nistead we went kayaking in the morning which was the highlight of this trip so far. Apparently I have some pretty diesel arm strength, who knew? We then went swimming in our town of Riomaggiore, jumping off some cliffs into the amazingly clear water. After a lunch and another sweaty hike up through the town, we decided to chance it and went to the train station to see if anything was running, and lucked out! Grabbed a train to La Spezia and then miraculously got on a train to FLorence, getting in by 8 PM! Most trains were cancelled, so we were seriously grateful.
Our first couchsurfing experience in Florence last night was.. interesting. It was free, and trhe mission behind the YMCA type place we stayed was that its a hostal during the summer and houses homeless people during the winter. Love the mission, hated the place. Took us over an hour to find it. No fan, our room was in this weird compartment type thingie with a sliding door, and there was like 20 of them.. and people left their shoes outside the door. Creeped us both out, so we tried to ply ourselves with Italian beer to go to sleep but instead both spent a sweaty, sleepless night. Fun!
Today finds us both in better spirits, having moved to a somewhat swanky hostel called Plus Hostal that features a swimming pool, 2 bars, laundry (!) and my bed is a full size, which feels gargantuan. Here for 2 nights then probably going to Rome. Hoping Florence manages to enchant me, so far all I,ve noticed is how many tourists there are, how crowded it is, but did enjoy seeing the Duomo and the market again.
Off to air conditioning, ciao!
So, left Paris on Wednesday to jet to Pisa, luckily with no passport problems. I was a little worried because technically you can only stay in the Schengen countries of Europe for 3 months and I,m well over that, but there have been no problems, hopefully it stays that way! Got to Pisa and walked from the airport, which was a little strange since it was right in the middle of the town, and met up with my travel buddy Sari at this somewhat decent hostal that was only about, oh 88 degrees F inside. We walked down a sketchy deserted street to this nondescript pizza place to watch the spain vs. germany game, and then hustled home. Pisa is not great! We didn,t even make it to the Leaning Tower since it was on the other side of town and we decided to just get to Cinque Terre instead. Apparently we didn,t miss much, or at least I,d like to think that!
Thursday bruoght us to one of the most lovely, gorgeous places I,ve ever been- CInque Terre. We stayed in the first town, Riomaggiore, and the towns are exactly what you,d imagine- rows of pastel coloured houses staggered in the mountain rocks, overlooking water that is almost torquouise, you can see right down to the bottom and see all the schools of fish. Everyone was so HAPPY looking there! not a huge town by any means, maybe only 10 restaurants or so, and all uphill! Our hostal was a tiny little apartment that we shared with people from Australia, China,England and Montreal, and had steps right down the cove where you can rent kayaks and snorkels. Thursday we did a bit of the Cinque Terre hike, with which you can hike to the other towns of Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, but we only made it as far as Manarola. You have to walk high up on a sort of cliff walk, breathtaking. We swam in a cove in Manarola, and there were all these tiny blue fish at our feet, so ridiculous! Rest of the day was spent eating loads of fruit, and eating pizza and wine on a cliff to watch the sunset. Both Sari and I were in disbelief pretty much tne entire day.
The trains went on strike from Thursday night til Friday night, which somewhat wrecked our plans to leave for Florence on Friday morning, so nistead we went kayaking in the morning which was the highlight of this trip so far. Apparently I have some pretty diesel arm strength, who knew? We then went swimming in our town of Riomaggiore, jumping off some cliffs into the amazingly clear water. After a lunch and another sweaty hike up through the town, we decided to chance it and went to the train station to see if anything was running, and lucked out! Grabbed a train to La Spezia and then miraculously got on a train to FLorence, getting in by 8 PM! Most trains were cancelled, so we were seriously grateful.
Our first couchsurfing experience in Florence last night was.. interesting. It was free, and trhe mission behind the YMCA type place we stayed was that its a hostal during the summer and houses homeless people during the winter. Love the mission, hated the place. Took us over an hour to find it. No fan, our room was in this weird compartment type thingie with a sliding door, and there was like 20 of them.. and people left their shoes outside the door. Creeped us both out, so we tried to ply ourselves with Italian beer to go to sleep but instead both spent a sweaty, sleepless night. Fun!
Today finds us both in better spirits, having moved to a somewhat swanky hostel called Plus Hostal that features a swimming pool, 2 bars, laundry (!) and my bed is a full size, which feels gargantuan. Here for 2 nights then probably going to Rome. Hoping Florence manages to enchant me, so far all I,ve noticed is how many tourists there are, how crowded it is, but did enjoy seeing the Duomo and the market again.
Off to air conditioning, ciao!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Merci pour les crepes, Paris!
Bonjour! My mom is currently on her way to the CDG airport to fly back to Chicago, while I spent some quality time on the internet, until my flight to Pisa leaves at 6 PM. A day in Paris, what to do, what to do..
This week has been wonderful. The dinner party we went to on Sunday night is called "Dinner at Jim's", and is run by some American who has these dinners every Sunday and has for the past 30 years. There are usually some 50 people there, all strangers eating and mingling. We went, and it turned out to be pretty alright! met some really interesting people- a group of Parisian ladies who were there mostly to practice their English, an Australian guy who comes every so often to meet "the ladies", a couple who are traveling through Paris before moving to Scotland, and this neat girl Olivia who is actually going to Mt. Holyoke in Mass in the fall, and is a fellow feminist and travel addict. The food was mediocre but the ambiance was really neat, I would definitely reccommend going if you are ever in Paris on a Sunday!
Monday was another crystal clear day, not so hot, so we headed to Montmartre, where the huge Sacre Couer is on a hill, and wandered through the slightly run down neighborhoods. The highlight of Montmarte was the butter and sugar crepe we bought from a street vendor, and walking past the seedy Moulin Rouge. We had Croques Monseiurs with Roquefort cheese near the Opera house, and it was beyond words. After a quick trip into Galeries Lafeyette (a department store complete with stained glass windows), we headed home for a quick nap. We thought about checking out the elusive Deux Magots or the Cafe Flor, where all the literary types used to hang back in the day (like Satre, Scott Fitzgerald, Simone de Beauvoir) but they seemed lame and touristy so we didn't partake. We ended up on the Ille Sant Louis, the little island behind Notre Dame, where we had the best crepes of our life and met this woman named Dorothy and her boston terrier, Kennedy, who has been living in Paris for 30 years (the woman, not the dog). On the way home, crossing the bridge over the Seine, we got a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower all illuminated, really beautiful.
Tuesday began with a trip to the Le Parisienne boulangerie so I could continue my obsession with macaroons- got cafe, pistache, vanille, chocolat, framboise and citron and they were AMAZING. We went to the Marais district, which is supposedly the gay/jewish/funky area but it wasn't at all, at least what we saw. Kind of disapointing- we saw tons of chain stores, a few falafel places and Jewish bakeries, and the English bookstore The Red Wheelbarrow which was neat, but otherwise it was kind of like we were in Lincoln Park, Illinois. To cheer ourselves up, we went on a boat ride on the Seine with a HUGE group of British teenagers behind us, and a HUGE group of French 4 year olds in front of us, who were better behaved than the teenagers. Saw the Eiffel Tower from the water, up close and personal, and it's just so gorgeous. We then stopped in a creperie for a salted caramel and nutella crepe with 2 Kirs( our favourite tiddle here), and then after a quick packing/nap time, we hit up an italian restaurant near St. Michel that was fabulous. Some gelato on the Ille Sant Louis, and a walk over the bridge to see Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower at night, and we were ready to say au revoir to Paris and our really wonderful time here.
Today I'm heading to Pisa to meet up with my travel buddy, Sari, and starting to feel the stirrings of being ready to be on the move move move. I heard it's wicked hot though in Italy, not so stoked for that.
Paris is an amazing city, not sure I could ever live here- apart from the language part, it just seems a difficult city to integrate into. But I did successfully order stamps in French, so maybe..
Au revoir, Paris. Ciao, Italia!
p.s To make your own Kir, mix either Chardonnay or Champagne with Creme de Cassis (blackberry liquer, I believe) until it looks dusty purple. Delish!
This week has been wonderful. The dinner party we went to on Sunday night is called "Dinner at Jim's", and is run by some American who has these dinners every Sunday and has for the past 30 years. There are usually some 50 people there, all strangers eating and mingling. We went, and it turned out to be pretty alright! met some really interesting people- a group of Parisian ladies who were there mostly to practice their English, an Australian guy who comes every so often to meet "the ladies", a couple who are traveling through Paris before moving to Scotland, and this neat girl Olivia who is actually going to Mt. Holyoke in Mass in the fall, and is a fellow feminist and travel addict. The food was mediocre but the ambiance was really neat, I would definitely reccommend going if you are ever in Paris on a Sunday!
Monday was another crystal clear day, not so hot, so we headed to Montmartre, where the huge Sacre Couer is on a hill, and wandered through the slightly run down neighborhoods. The highlight of Montmarte was the butter and sugar crepe we bought from a street vendor, and walking past the seedy Moulin Rouge. We had Croques Monseiurs with Roquefort cheese near the Opera house, and it was beyond words. After a quick trip into Galeries Lafeyette (a department store complete with stained glass windows), we headed home for a quick nap. We thought about checking out the elusive Deux Magots or the Cafe Flor, where all the literary types used to hang back in the day (like Satre, Scott Fitzgerald, Simone de Beauvoir) but they seemed lame and touristy so we didn't partake. We ended up on the Ille Sant Louis, the little island behind Notre Dame, where we had the best crepes of our life and met this woman named Dorothy and her boston terrier, Kennedy, who has been living in Paris for 30 years (the woman, not the dog). On the way home, crossing the bridge over the Seine, we got a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower all illuminated, really beautiful.
Tuesday began with a trip to the Le Parisienne boulangerie so I could continue my obsession with macaroons- got cafe, pistache, vanille, chocolat, framboise and citron and they were AMAZING. We went to the Marais district, which is supposedly the gay/jewish/funky area but it wasn't at all, at least what we saw. Kind of disapointing- we saw tons of chain stores, a few falafel places and Jewish bakeries, and the English bookstore The Red Wheelbarrow which was neat, but otherwise it was kind of like we were in Lincoln Park, Illinois. To cheer ourselves up, we went on a boat ride on the Seine with a HUGE group of British teenagers behind us, and a HUGE group of French 4 year olds in front of us, who were better behaved than the teenagers. Saw the Eiffel Tower from the water, up close and personal, and it's just so gorgeous. We then stopped in a creperie for a salted caramel and nutella crepe with 2 Kirs( our favourite tiddle here), and then after a quick packing/nap time, we hit up an italian restaurant near St. Michel that was fabulous. Some gelato on the Ille Sant Louis, and a walk over the bridge to see Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower at night, and we were ready to say au revoir to Paris and our really wonderful time here.
Today I'm heading to Pisa to meet up with my travel buddy, Sari, and starting to feel the stirrings of being ready to be on the move move move. I heard it's wicked hot though in Italy, not so stoked for that.
Paris is an amazing city, not sure I could ever live here- apart from the language part, it just seems a difficult city to integrate into. But I did successfully order stamps in French, so maybe..
Au revoir, Paris. Ciao, Italia!
p.s To make your own Kir, mix either Chardonnay or Champagne with Creme de Cassis (blackberry liquer, I believe) until it looks dusty purple. Delish!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Paris, je'taime!
Quick update as I am in PARIS and we're on our way to the Rodin museum and then to a dinner party at this guy named Jim's house (more on that later). Happy 4th of July!
Some quick highlights- got here safe and sound on Friday after being up all night and seeing a cockroach in the Girona airport. No customs at the Paris Beauvais Airport (!) and after taking an hour bus ride from the airport, met my mom at a cafe near St. Michel, where we are staying! We're staying in this amazing Parisian apartment that is a block away from Notre Dame cathedral and we can hear the bells every hour, and get to the Seine river in about 1 minute.
Friday was spent meandering along the Seine, trying not to die of heat since it was about a million degrees, and we had an amazing lunch at Lauduree tea room, complete with a violet puff pastry for me and a chocolate gaunache for my mom, and waiters wearing suits and calling us mademoiselle and madame every 2 minutes. C'est bien!
We also had a picnic in the Luxembourg gardens which is almost as beautiful (if not moreso) than Hyde Park in London or Central Park in NYC, which is a tough statement to make! We ended the evening with a stroll along the Seine and popping into Notre Dame which was completely dark as they were showing some movie, it was kind of eerie but so neat to be in there sans 100000 other people!
Saturday was rainy so after a breakfast of croissants and french press coffee, we went to a little market near our apartment to pick up a kilo of cherries, and proceeded to pop into some bookstores, had a quick lunch at a hallway of a creperie, and then made our way to the Pere Lachaise cemetary where we saw the graves of Oscar Wilde(covered in lipstick kisses, which I added to), Edith Piaf, Collette and Jim Morrison, which had 5 guards standing watch to make sure no one does drugs or has sex on his grave anymore, too bad.
Later in the afternoon, we had some Nutella crepes and Kir, and for dinner found an amazing Italian place near St. Michel area to watch the Spain vs. Paraguay game with some other Americans, French, and Spainards! It was lovely to linger over dinner for about 2 hours, no one bothered us. Everyone was out and about in the streets, it's such an awesome, open atmosphere. We popped into the Shakespeare and Company bookstore near Notre Dame that has English books, and was really out of control, I wanted to buy everything.
I love this city. Being back here after 5 years makes me so happy, so glad to be sharing it with my mom, too!
Some quick highlights- got here safe and sound on Friday after being up all night and seeing a cockroach in the Girona airport. No customs at the Paris Beauvais Airport (!) and after taking an hour bus ride from the airport, met my mom at a cafe near St. Michel, where we are staying! We're staying in this amazing Parisian apartment that is a block away from Notre Dame cathedral and we can hear the bells every hour, and get to the Seine river in about 1 minute.
Friday was spent meandering along the Seine, trying not to die of heat since it was about a million degrees, and we had an amazing lunch at Lauduree tea room, complete with a violet puff pastry for me and a chocolate gaunache for my mom, and waiters wearing suits and calling us mademoiselle and madame every 2 minutes. C'est bien!
We also had a picnic in the Luxembourg gardens which is almost as beautiful (if not moreso) than Hyde Park in London or Central Park in NYC, which is a tough statement to make! We ended the evening with a stroll along the Seine and popping into Notre Dame which was completely dark as they were showing some movie, it was kind of eerie but so neat to be in there sans 100000 other people!
Saturday was rainy so after a breakfast of croissants and french press coffee, we went to a little market near our apartment to pick up a kilo of cherries, and proceeded to pop into some bookstores, had a quick lunch at a hallway of a creperie, and then made our way to the Pere Lachaise cemetary where we saw the graves of Oscar Wilde(covered in lipstick kisses, which I added to), Edith Piaf, Collette and Jim Morrison, which had 5 guards standing watch to make sure no one does drugs or has sex on his grave anymore, too bad.
Later in the afternoon, we had some Nutella crepes and Kir, and for dinner found an amazing Italian place near St. Michel area to watch the Spain vs. Paraguay game with some other Americans, French, and Spainards! It was lovely to linger over dinner for about 2 hours, no one bothered us. Everyone was out and about in the streets, it's such an awesome, open atmosphere. We popped into the Shakespeare and Company bookstore near Notre Dame that has English books, and was really out of control, I wanted to buy everything.
I love this city. Being back here after 5 years makes me so happy, so glad to be sharing it with my mom, too!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Adios, Barcelona!
Adios, Barcelona! Leaving in 2 hours for the bus station to take me to the airport. Keeping in mind the motto, "i'll sleep when i'm dead" because I'm already exhausted. Thanks to Jenny for letting me watch bad TV to stay awake!
Gracias por 4 meses increibles, Barcelona. See you again in 4 weeks!
Yayay for beginning my traveling portion! Bonjour, Paris!
Gracias por 4 meses increibles, Barcelona. See you again in 4 weeks!
Yayay for beginning my traveling portion! Bonjour, Paris!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
TravelFest 2010 Itinerary (more or less)
Thought it might be a good idea to post where I'm going to be (as far as I know) because I'm most likely going to forget where I need to be on what date. What a whirlwind!
Very glad to be leaving my sweaty room but feeling quite anxious about leaving tomorrow morning, just want to make sure everything is all set up and packed and such. I'm bringing my bitsy rainbow duffel, since RyanAir only allows you to have one bag- which doesn't even include a purse or something! lame. But as long as that bitsy bag and I get to Paris safe and sound tomorrow, that'll be lovely. C'est tres bien!
July 2nd- head to Paris to stay with my mom (!) until July 7th when I go to Pisa, Italy and meet up with my travel buddy, Sari!
July 7th- July 9th: Pisa, Cinque Terre on July 8th, leave Pisa July 9th for Florence
July 9th-12 FLORENCE
July 12th-13th Leave Florence, go to SIENA
July 13th- 15th Leave Siena, go to ROMA
July 15th-17th Leave Roma to PERUGIA
July 17th- 19th Perugia to BOLOGNA, end of trip in Italy
July 19th we fly to Malaga, Spain and then.. I have no idea. Probably Malaga, Alicante, Valencia (all along the eastern coast of Spain) and then flying up to Northern Spain and checking out Santander, Bilbao and San Sebastian, eee!
I'm dirty and tired just thinking about it, but also exhilarated! I hope to continue blogging as I travel, keep everyone posted on my whereabouts and what have you. Better go tidy up my room and pack up some more so I can spend my last day roaming around a bit more!
Very glad to be leaving my sweaty room but feeling quite anxious about leaving tomorrow morning, just want to make sure everything is all set up and packed and such. I'm bringing my bitsy rainbow duffel, since RyanAir only allows you to have one bag- which doesn't even include a purse or something! lame. But as long as that bitsy bag and I get to Paris safe and sound tomorrow, that'll be lovely. C'est tres bien!
July 2nd- head to Paris to stay with my mom (!) until July 7th when I go to Pisa, Italy and meet up with my travel buddy, Sari!
July 7th- July 9th: Pisa, Cinque Terre on July 8th, leave Pisa July 9th for Florence
July 9th-12 FLORENCE
July 12th-13th Leave Florence, go to SIENA
July 13th- 15th Leave Siena, go to ROMA
July 15th-17th Leave Roma to PERUGIA
July 17th- 19th Perugia to BOLOGNA, end of trip in Italy
July 19th we fly to Malaga, Spain and then.. I have no idea. Probably Malaga, Alicante, Valencia (all along the eastern coast of Spain) and then flying up to Northern Spain and checking out Santander, Bilbao and San Sebastian, eee!
I'm dirty and tired just thinking about it, but also exhilarated! I hope to continue blogging as I travel, keep everyone posted on my whereabouts and what have you. Better go tidy up my room and pack up some more so I can spend my last day roaming around a bit more!
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