Since the last time I blogged, I have had 2 bus rides, gotten onto and off one plane, crossed three borders and had an incredibly long day on a train. So unfortunately, there is not much new to report. I hopped on the bus from Pamukkale to Istanbul and somehow managed to make it through the ten hour ride. I slept some of the way, but being cramped into the window seat I can't say it was very good sleep. Don't get me wrong, the Turkish buses are quite nice, with their Turkish soap operas and bus attendent service that give you food and drinks along the way, but ten hours is a horribly long time to be on a bus.
I made my way to Istanbul and got on the bus into Sultanahmet, which would take me to the tram which would take me to the subway which would get me to the Airport for my flight five hours later. And of course, I screwed up again and got off at what I thought would be a short cut but landed me clear across the city on the opposite side of where I wanted to be. It ended up taking me over two hours to the airport, but only cost me 4.50 Lira...whereas a cab would've cost me 40, so I guess I came out on top in the end.
From there I ended up in Sarajevo...and wow! It was more of a culture shock than Turkey. I stepped off the plane with gray skies above and a bone chilling cold that could only mean that I was in Eastern Europe. The city is small and haunted with these shelled out buildings from the recent war as well as thriving with the spirit of new beginnings as they rebuild these structures a few at a time. It was incredibly moving to seeing some of these things knowing the horrors that happened here just in my lifetime. The night train that I was hoping to catch to Budapest no longer exists, so I ended up staying in the Turkish district of Sarajevo for the night. I just wandered the streets and took care of some business that needed to be attended (aka toiletry and granola replenishing as well as a good night's sleep).
I got up at 5am and went to the train station the next morning and was so happy to meet a nice couple from Seattle that were just finishing up the trip of a lifetime in Eastern Europe. They'd spent the last three weeks on a road trip with a Bosnian couple they knew (refugees now living in the states) traveling from Bosnia to Montenegro to Istanbul and back again staying in local homes and learning about the culture and how the wars in the 90s affected them. They were also getting on the 11 hour train to Budapest and I had the pleasure of staying in their cabin on the train. I learned a lot just from our conversations and it made the train ride somewhat bearable. Had I been stuck in a car with a bunch of people speaking Bosnian all day...probably about the foreigner in their car...I probably would've freaked and got off. Either way, by 7 last night I made my way to the most San Franciscan city I've found yet.
A friend of mine from Italy is here in Budapest and I was lucky enough to have my hostel and transport there taken care of on my arrival. The hostel is great and there are quite a few cool people here on the Pest side of the city. Today we spent the day wandering around and enjoying some of the sites that I know nothing about (it's officially off my radar as it's not in my book...but I kind of like it). With it's street side cafes and Union Square type plazas I feel like I am home and am happy to be sitting still for a moment. I'm going to relax and enjoy myself here for a couple of days and hopefully figure out how the next few weeks will get me back to Rome for my trip home. I can't believe how much I have managed to accomplish in such a short time, but wish I could have done more. I still have two weeks...I'll make sure to do it up right as I make my way south.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Teşekkür ederim Turkey!
Thank you Turkey!!! Wıth ıts landscapes that rıval Yosemıte and the overwhelmıng kındness of ıts people, I have had a fantastıc tıme ın Turkey and I wıll mıss ıt ıncredıbly. I have seen mountaınous terraın and prıstıne beaches, valleys of farmland spannıng for mıles and some of the most beautıful sunsets over the Medıterranean. The people here are always wearıng a smıle, wıll go out of your way to help you and make you feel at home when you dont know where youve ended up on a nıght bus ın the mıddle of nowhere. I have loved thıs last week.
To begın wıth, shortly after the last tıme I blogged, I managed to roll an ankle and fall onto a pretty hefty rock my last nıght ın the treehouses. There was concern for a moment that I have permanently damaged my knee as ıt was the sıze of a softball the next mornıng...but as Im wrıtıng thıs the paın has somewhat gone away. I thınk Im just goıng to end up beıng one of those women whose knee starts achıng every tıme ıts about to raın. Im a clutz...I saw ıt comıng...my own damn fault.
So I hobbled away from the treehouses and got onto my boat for a three day, four nıght cruıse through the Medıterranean to Fethıye. As these are advertızed as party boats and thats what Id been hearıng from others, thats kınd of what I expected, but got exactly the opposıte. There were only 5 passengers on the boat...a fun Canadıan couple, me and two crotchety old women who just bıtched about the crew the whole tıme. I dıdnt let them spoıl my fun though! The crew was great....teachıng us Turkısh words, takıng us to pırate bars run on petrol generaters and showıng us how to play backgammon (I suck!). We spent each day swımmıng and fıshıng and muckıng about the boat. Can I tell you how awesome my tan ıs rıght now?!? I got to drıve a jetskı out ınto the sea to watch the sunset and have a beer...I attempted fıshıng, but faıled mıserably to catch dınner. I made the capıtan dock ın the harbor at Fethıye on the last nıght so that we could get away from the party poopers, and he and the chef took us for a nıght out on the town for a last hoorah. The last mornıng, I had to skıp Turkısh breakfast (one more tomato or cucumber and I mıght dıe) and start jumpıng from the boat ınto the clearest water Ive ever seen ınstead. It was an ıncredıble last day!!!
After I got off the boat, I wandered Fethıye for a couple hours and then caught the bus up to Pamukkale whıch ıs where I resıde for the afternoon before takıng the overnıght bus up to Istanbul. I endured breakfast thıs mornıng just because ıt was free (Im realızıng that ıf food ısnt readıly avaılable and served to me, Im forgettıng to eat :\) Thıs town has these amazıng calcıum deposıts (lıke mountaıns made of the stuff! Its crazy!!) wıth the ancıent cıty of Heırapolıs sıttıng atop them. I told you all Im not much of a hıstory buff, but seeıng these old theaters and graveyards from 352 AD kınd of blew my mınd. And the calcıum pools all around ıt are saıd to have healıng powers. As I walked down them (no shoes allowed) I waded ın a couple of the pools...soakıng my knee and my mosquıto bıtten legs hopıng that the spırıt of thıs ancıent cıvılızatıon wıll heal my many wounds.
I had a room to myself last nıght ın a real hotel. I have to say, ıt was a lıttle weırd. I had my own room on the boat, but slept on the deck every nıght, so that doesnt count. Im used to people beıng around all of the tıme...but I got a great nıght sleep. After all of the relaxatıon I just had, ıt sounds lıke Ive got a couple of travel days ahead of me. Im goıng to attempt to get out of Sarajevo rıght after I get there to head up to Budapest to meet some people that I met earlıer ın the trıp. Earlıest I can get there ıs Sunday....woot! Planes, traıns and automobıles...thıs ıs my lıfe! I love ıt!
To begın wıth, shortly after the last tıme I blogged, I managed to roll an ankle and fall onto a pretty hefty rock my last nıght ın the treehouses. There was concern for a moment that I have permanently damaged my knee as ıt was the sıze of a softball the next mornıng...but as Im wrıtıng thıs the paın has somewhat gone away. I thınk Im just goıng to end up beıng one of those women whose knee starts achıng every tıme ıts about to raın. Im a clutz...I saw ıt comıng...my own damn fault.
So I hobbled away from the treehouses and got onto my boat for a three day, four nıght cruıse through the Medıterranean to Fethıye. As these are advertızed as party boats and thats what Id been hearıng from others, thats kınd of what I expected, but got exactly the opposıte. There were only 5 passengers on the boat...a fun Canadıan couple, me and two crotchety old women who just bıtched about the crew the whole tıme. I dıdnt let them spoıl my fun though! The crew was great....teachıng us Turkısh words, takıng us to pırate bars run on petrol generaters and showıng us how to play backgammon (I suck!). We spent each day swımmıng and fıshıng and muckıng about the boat. Can I tell you how awesome my tan ıs rıght now?!? I got to drıve a jetskı out ınto the sea to watch the sunset and have a beer...I attempted fıshıng, but faıled mıserably to catch dınner. I made the capıtan dock ın the harbor at Fethıye on the last nıght so that we could get away from the party poopers, and he and the chef took us for a nıght out on the town for a last hoorah. The last mornıng, I had to skıp Turkısh breakfast (one more tomato or cucumber and I mıght dıe) and start jumpıng from the boat ınto the clearest water Ive ever seen ınstead. It was an ıncredıble last day!!!
After I got off the boat, I wandered Fethıye for a couple hours and then caught the bus up to Pamukkale whıch ıs where I resıde for the afternoon before takıng the overnıght bus up to Istanbul. I endured breakfast thıs mornıng just because ıt was free (Im realızıng that ıf food ısnt readıly avaılable and served to me, Im forgettıng to eat :\) Thıs town has these amazıng calcıum deposıts (lıke mountaıns made of the stuff! Its crazy!!) wıth the ancıent cıty of Heırapolıs sıttıng atop them. I told you all Im not much of a hıstory buff, but seeıng these old theaters and graveyards from 352 AD kınd of blew my mınd. And the calcıum pools all around ıt are saıd to have healıng powers. As I walked down them (no shoes allowed) I waded ın a couple of the pools...soakıng my knee and my mosquıto bıtten legs hopıng that the spırıt of thıs ancıent cıvılızatıon wıll heal my many wounds.
I had a room to myself last nıght ın a real hotel. I have to say, ıt was a lıttle weırd. I had my own room on the boat, but slept on the deck every nıght, so that doesnt count. Im used to people beıng around all of the tıme...but I got a great nıght sleep. After all of the relaxatıon I just had, ıt sounds lıke Ive got a couple of travel days ahead of me. Im goıng to attempt to get out of Sarajevo rıght after I get there to head up to Budapest to meet some people that I met earlıer ın the trıp. Earlıest I can get there ıs Sunday....woot! Planes, traıns and automobıles...thıs ıs my lıfe! I love ıt!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Mecca
Right now I am having a beer on a platform surrounded by pilliows in a valley filled with orange trees and treehouses with rocky cliffs sheltering us from the rest of the world. There is a beach just 10 minutes away that's bottom can be seen clearly when it's over thirty feet deep. This is complete heaven!
My arrival here can't be described quite as well. I left Istanbul a couple days ago and flew down to Antalya, on the southern coast. My travel agent gave me pretty good details and I made my way to shuttle to the bus station with no problems from the airport. Now, I was told I needed to make my own way to Olympos, so I got on the bus that was clearly marked 'Otogar - Bus Station'. The bus filled up as I sat there for a half hour and finally departed for what I thought would be an easy ride. The driver kept stopping and people kept getting off...and there was one person left on it, with no bus station in sight, and no one speaks English in this area. I got up the nerve to ask what was going on as it was starting to get dark and I had no clue of the bus schedule to where I was going. When I asked this guy, and he translated in Turkish, the bus driver seemed to get really mad and opened the door and yelled 'taxi!'...being the stubborm bitch that I am...I said no...I paid for the bus to the bus station...it should take me there...and with that, the driver got stopped at a light and jumped out of the bus to let this other guy drive. He eventually dropped me in a field across the way from the bus station and just pointed the direction I needed to head...it was awesome with my pack and flip flops...let me tell you!!! Anyway, made it to the bus station and apparently, there was a bus to Olympos in 3 minutes that I hopped on. After over an hour in a crowded van....just saying 'Olympos' every time the driver looked my way, I was dropped off at a convenience store in the middle of nowehere with a sign that said 11 km to Olympos right outside of it. I waited there for a half hour while furiously scribbling in my journal and giving myself about a 60% chance of making it to my destination that night (it was 9pm...I was seriously considering asking the store owner if I could sleep on his floor if all else failed) when a bus pulled up, grabbed my bag from me, asked me for three Lira and where I was going. By 10pm, I had made it to hippie mecca.
I wish I could've seen the ride down here, because I hung out that night around a campfire with loads of people knowing that there were mountains all around me, but only being able to see the shadows in the moonlight. I was shown to my room, in not a real treehouse, but a cute bungalow amidst the trees. The treehouses don't really exist, but whoever marketed them that way is brilliant! I woke up the next morning and saw the rocky cliffs around me and the beautiful blue sky and knew I would be happy here. And I have been since.
I've been hanging with two of the girls in my room and one staying right below us....all Aussies, of course. We spent the first day on the beach soaking in the sun and swimming all day followed by a night hike to the flames at Chimera...this natural gas wonderland with fires burning (from what I hear) eternally (I'm pretty sure they light them each morning though). Today we all woke up and climbed a Turkish mountain for 3.5 hours...which was incredible! I can't wait to upload the pictures! We followed our very sweaty hike with a couple hours on the beach and a bottle of wine just got set down in front of me to keep us full until dinnertime. The food here is free and fantastic and the atmosphere is everything a wannabe hippie could ask for.
I was actually supposed to get on the boat this morning, but since I was the only one booked on it, I was delayed by a day. I leave tomorrow morning at 10am and am completely happy that I got to spend one more day with my new friends enjoying the Turkish countryside. Can I say that I am in awe of the women that I have met on this trip?! So many women of all ages traveling alone and dreaming the same dreams I have had for the past 10 years. It makes me feel good for myself and the girls that do this from all over the world. It has been wonderful bonding with them and I feel like I have learned so much from the spirit we all share.
Dinner is about to be served and the sun is going down quickly. Jason Mraz is playing in the background and I'm thinking of the Rix wedding I enjoyed just two months ago. I have a feeling this evening will be filled with stories and pictures and sad goodbyes will be had in the morning. But as I'm at the halfway point of this crazy European extravaganza, a couple more days of relaxation and then Eastern Europe awaits!
My arrival here can't be described quite as well. I left Istanbul a couple days ago and flew down to Antalya, on the southern coast. My travel agent gave me pretty good details and I made my way to shuttle to the bus station with no problems from the airport. Now, I was told I needed to make my own way to Olympos, so I got on the bus that was clearly marked 'Otogar - Bus Station'. The bus filled up as I sat there for a half hour and finally departed for what I thought would be an easy ride. The driver kept stopping and people kept getting off...and there was one person left on it, with no bus station in sight, and no one speaks English in this area. I got up the nerve to ask what was going on as it was starting to get dark and I had no clue of the bus schedule to where I was going. When I asked this guy, and he translated in Turkish, the bus driver seemed to get really mad and opened the door and yelled 'taxi!'...being the stubborm bitch that I am...I said no...I paid for the bus to the bus station...it should take me there...and with that, the driver got stopped at a light and jumped out of the bus to let this other guy drive. He eventually dropped me in a field across the way from the bus station and just pointed the direction I needed to head...it was awesome with my pack and flip flops...let me tell you!!! Anyway, made it to the bus station and apparently, there was a bus to Olympos in 3 minutes that I hopped on. After over an hour in a crowded van....just saying 'Olympos' every time the driver looked my way, I was dropped off at a convenience store in the middle of nowehere with a sign that said 11 km to Olympos right outside of it. I waited there for a half hour while furiously scribbling in my journal and giving myself about a 60% chance of making it to my destination that night (it was 9pm...I was seriously considering asking the store owner if I could sleep on his floor if all else failed) when a bus pulled up, grabbed my bag from me, asked me for three Lira and where I was going. By 10pm, I had made it to hippie mecca.
I wish I could've seen the ride down here, because I hung out that night around a campfire with loads of people knowing that there were mountains all around me, but only being able to see the shadows in the moonlight. I was shown to my room, in not a real treehouse, but a cute bungalow amidst the trees. The treehouses don't really exist, but whoever marketed them that way is brilliant! I woke up the next morning and saw the rocky cliffs around me and the beautiful blue sky and knew I would be happy here. And I have been since.
I've been hanging with two of the girls in my room and one staying right below us....all Aussies, of course. We spent the first day on the beach soaking in the sun and swimming all day followed by a night hike to the flames at Chimera...this natural gas wonderland with fires burning (from what I hear) eternally (I'm pretty sure they light them each morning though). Today we all woke up and climbed a Turkish mountain for 3.5 hours...which was incredible! I can't wait to upload the pictures! We followed our very sweaty hike with a couple hours on the beach and a bottle of wine just got set down in front of me to keep us full until dinnertime. The food here is free and fantastic and the atmosphere is everything a wannabe hippie could ask for.
I was actually supposed to get on the boat this morning, but since I was the only one booked on it, I was delayed by a day. I leave tomorrow morning at 10am and am completely happy that I got to spend one more day with my new friends enjoying the Turkish countryside. Can I say that I am in awe of the women that I have met on this trip?! So many women of all ages traveling alone and dreaming the same dreams I have had for the past 10 years. It makes me feel good for myself and the girls that do this from all over the world. It has been wonderful bonding with them and I feel like I have learned so much from the spirit we all share.
Dinner is about to be served and the sun is going down quickly. Jason Mraz is playing in the background and I'm thinking of the Rix wedding I enjoyed just two months ago. I have a feeling this evening will be filled with stories and pictures and sad goodbyes will be had in the morning. But as I'm at the halfway point of this crazy European extravaganza, a couple more days of relaxation and then Eastern Europe awaits!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
How the hell do you get out of Turkey?!
I know I just posted. But I just spent so much money I want to cry...and the ınternet ıs free.
So Ive started havıng nıghtmares because I have no ıdea where I am or how Im goıng to get out of here. I just got here...and I dont want to leave yet, but goıng to the ınterıor of Turkey and not beıng able to fınd my way out because I dıdnt plan ahead ıs scarıng the hell out of me. And everyone I speak wıth has no clue how to get out of here eıther! So today I dıd the unthınkable...I went to a travel agent. I told you, theyre everywhere here...so I just sucked ıt up and had them plan the my escape from Turkey for me.
So tomorrow I fly down to Antayla, on the southern coast to stay ın the famous Olympus treehouses for two nıghts. Then Im doıng a three day party boat\cruıse through the sea and then busıng back up through a couple towns ın the ınterıor of Turkey to Istanbul. It doesnt sound lıke much, but Ive seen the pıctures and heard the storıes and thıs ıs absolutely somethıng I have to do whıle Im here. Just waıt, Ill post pıcs...youll see.
And as for gettıng out of Turkey...crazy enough, the cheapest flıght that gets me anywhere near Croatıa ıs Sarajevo...so Bosnıa, here I come! Totally not somewhere I expected to end up and probably not somewhere Ill stay for long, but my book ıs tellıng me that there are buses and traıns to Dubrovnık from there...so lets gıve ıt a whırl!
So after blowıng through a ton of money, I am offıcıally not spendıng any more money today. The 1 lıra corn on the cob ıs the way ıts goıng. And luckıly there ıs an Aussıe gırl sıttıng next to me thats ın the same boat...so her and I have just decıded to sneak beers to the terrace for the afternoon.
Woot! Lovıng lıfe and cant waıt to see the beach tomorrow!!!
So Ive started havıng nıghtmares because I have no ıdea where I am or how Im goıng to get out of here. I just got here...and I dont want to leave yet, but goıng to the ınterıor of Turkey and not beıng able to fınd my way out because I dıdnt plan ahead ıs scarıng the hell out of me. And everyone I speak wıth has no clue how to get out of here eıther! So today I dıd the unthınkable...I went to a travel agent. I told you, theyre everywhere here...so I just sucked ıt up and had them plan the my escape from Turkey for me.
So tomorrow I fly down to Antayla, on the southern coast to stay ın the famous Olympus treehouses for two nıghts. Then Im doıng a three day party boat\cruıse through the sea and then busıng back up through a couple towns ın the ınterıor of Turkey to Istanbul. It doesnt sound lıke much, but Ive seen the pıctures and heard the storıes and thıs ıs absolutely somethıng I have to do whıle Im here. Just waıt, Ill post pıcs...youll see.
And as for gettıng out of Turkey...crazy enough, the cheapest flıght that gets me anywhere near Croatıa ıs Sarajevo...so Bosnıa, here I come! Totally not somewhere I expected to end up and probably not somewhere Ill stay for long, but my book ıs tellıng me that there are buses and traıns to Dubrovnık from there...so lets gıve ıt a whırl!
So after blowıng through a ton of money, I am offıcıally not spendıng any more money today. The 1 lıra corn on the cob ıs the way ıts goıng. And luckıly there ıs an Aussıe gırl sıttıng next to me thats ın the same boat...so her and I have just decıded to sneak beers to the terrace for the afternoon.
Woot! Lovıng lıfe and cant waıt to see the beach tomorrow!!!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Munchen to Istanbul...
Oktoberfest was an absolute blast! I got to hang with my two favorite boys and drink the largest beers ever all day while wearing a German drindl in a big beer hall. Really, how does life get better than that?!?
My first night in town was kind of a bust due to the fact that I was unbelievably tired. We wandered around Munich, made our way up to the top of one of the towers...had some very big beers and at what I think is spatzel (excuse my spelling), some amazing kind of German mac'n cheese. We hung around for a while and I said I was going up to my room to splash some water on my face, and when Brad said "alright, see you in the morning" I just scoffed at him...so of course, I went to my room and crashed out at 9:30pm from lack of sleep. This is the problem with sleeping in airports, you lack the motivation to make it very far the next day. So I woke up at midnight to realize that there were 3 Italian twentysomethings coming into my room, new roommates. They were harmless, but drunk and annoying...thank god they passed out quickly after getting back...and I was able to gain vindication by my alarm going off bright and early at 7:30 the next morning. Don't you just love the hostel lifestyle?
The next day we woke early and put on our drindls and leiderhosen and headed to the tents to try to get in right away....little did we know that Hippodrom didn't open til 10. So we mucked around for a bit and were there right as the door opened and had some of the first beers in the place. We met some new people and drank the day away. I was of course dragged onto the scariest, highest swing ride ever after we left the tents that afternoon. It was all good fun with German music, and costumes and loads of people everywhere. I would love to say that it all ended with a night of crazy debauchery and ridiculousness, but after spending 9 euros per beer plus food....we were all wiped out. We somehow managed to get our stuff from the first hostel and take it to our new digs on the other side of town. Brad napped, and Darin and I found the most beautiful old cemetery across the street and strolled through that for a bit. After that, there was a lot of sleeping and internet uploads....then some dinner...and that's pretty much it. It was a great time, and the one day that I got there seemed like plenty. We the sheer amount of carnage on the streets that morning (i.e. I've never seen so much vomit in my life), I was cool with just making it an afternoon affair. I had to get to Turkey early the next morning.
You all know how bad my fear of flying is, and I have to say that with all of this, I think I've gotten better. I even keep the window open now! The flight was flawless and the landscapes were beautiful. I need to make it up to Croatia and Slovenia before I leave this continent. From the plane, it was just beautiful, green, rolling hills and peaked mountains as far as you can see.
I arrived in Istanbul and somehow managed to make it to my hostel. Everyone seems incredibly nice...maybe too nice...I'm just cynical like that. I had about 5 people help me with directions and all of them were wrong (but kept getting me closer) except the last one. Either way, I made it, the hostel seems nice and there are tons of people all over this street that seem cool. I went over and saw the Blue Mosque today and wandered through a gorgeous park all the way to the Maramar sea. It was late by the time I got here...so it will be an early night and early mornıng to get as much in as possible. I'm still not sure how long I'll be in Istanbul or where I'll head from here.
Some things I've learned about Turkey so far...
-- They don't believe ın street signs, traffic lights, speed limits, etc.
--The Italian machismo that I thought I'd get ın Italy...it all right here in Turkey.
--When you're near a tourist site you will get many men wanting to give you information as to what you should be doing, but insist that they are definitely not guides.
--If you want to be a travel agent, move here...I've already gotten a job offer to be one...I would run the travel agency while the owner sells carpets on the side.
--Everyone wants you to eat at their restaurant...everyone...these Turks are the best marketers/pushiest salesmen I've ever met. (But they're telling the truth, the food actually is the best!)
--Istanbul is by far the most beautıful city that I have seen yet...and I've only seen one small street, two mosques, a park, and the view of the sea.
My first night in town was kind of a bust due to the fact that I was unbelievably tired. We wandered around Munich, made our way up to the top of one of the towers...had some very big beers and at what I think is spatzel (excuse my spelling), some amazing kind of German mac'n cheese. We hung around for a while and I said I was going up to my room to splash some water on my face, and when Brad said "alright, see you in the morning" I just scoffed at him...so of course, I went to my room and crashed out at 9:30pm from lack of sleep. This is the problem with sleeping in airports, you lack the motivation to make it very far the next day. So I woke up at midnight to realize that there were 3 Italian twentysomethings coming into my room, new roommates. They were harmless, but drunk and annoying...thank god they passed out quickly after getting back...and I was able to gain vindication by my alarm going off bright and early at 7:30 the next morning. Don't you just love the hostel lifestyle?
The next day we woke early and put on our drindls and leiderhosen and headed to the tents to try to get in right away....little did we know that Hippodrom didn't open til 10. So we mucked around for a bit and were there right as the door opened and had some of the first beers in the place. We met some new people and drank the day away. I was of course dragged onto the scariest, highest swing ride ever after we left the tents that afternoon. It was all good fun with German music, and costumes and loads of people everywhere. I would love to say that it all ended with a night of crazy debauchery and ridiculousness, but after spending 9 euros per beer plus food....we were all wiped out. We somehow managed to get our stuff from the first hostel and take it to our new digs on the other side of town. Brad napped, and Darin and I found the most beautiful old cemetery across the street and strolled through that for a bit. After that, there was a lot of sleeping and internet uploads....then some dinner...and that's pretty much it. It was a great time, and the one day that I got there seemed like plenty. We the sheer amount of carnage on the streets that morning (i.e. I've never seen so much vomit in my life), I was cool with just making it an afternoon affair. I had to get to Turkey early the next morning.
You all know how bad my fear of flying is, and I have to say that with all of this, I think I've gotten better. I even keep the window open now! The flight was flawless and the landscapes were beautiful. I need to make it up to Croatia and Slovenia before I leave this continent. From the plane, it was just beautiful, green, rolling hills and peaked mountains as far as you can see.
I arrived in Istanbul and somehow managed to make it to my hostel. Everyone seems incredibly nice...maybe too nice...I'm just cynical like that. I had about 5 people help me with directions and all of them were wrong (but kept getting me closer) except the last one. Either way, I made it, the hostel seems nice and there are tons of people all over this street that seem cool. I went over and saw the Blue Mosque today and wandered through a gorgeous park all the way to the Maramar sea. It was late by the time I got here...so it will be an early night and early mornıng to get as much in as possible. I'm still not sure how long I'll be in Istanbul or where I'll head from here.
Some things I've learned about Turkey so far...
-- They don't believe ın street signs, traffic lights, speed limits, etc.
--The Italian machismo that I thought I'd get ın Italy...it all right here in Turkey.
--When you're near a tourist site you will get many men wanting to give you information as to what you should be doing, but insist that they are definitely not guides.
--If you want to be a travel agent, move here...I've already gotten a job offer to be one...I would run the travel agency while the owner sells carpets on the side.
--Everyone wants you to eat at their restaurant...everyone...these Turks are the best marketers/pushiest salesmen I've ever met. (But they're telling the truth, the food actually is the best!)
--Istanbul is by far the most beautıful city that I have seen yet...and I've only seen one small street, two mosques, a park, and the view of the sea.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Barcelona in an nutshell
Hannah, Steve and my big night out on the town ended up in this cute bohemian neighborhood that we'd heard of called Gracia. We did dinner and drinks, mingled with the locals and hit up the rock and roll bar to play some darts. I convinced this guy to teach me Spanish pool, which just so happened to be the longest game EVER. Hannah was convinced that he was just letting me win in the beginning, until she realized that, no, he was just really bad. We ended the night trying to speak Spanish with a couple of people in the bar and generally just enjoying the laid back atmosphere of the area. We got some tips on beaches close by for the next day and called it a night sometime in the wee hours of the morning.
The following day was a rough start, but I ended up rallying the troops and getting us to the beach in Sitges, about 30 miles south of Barcelona, before 1pm. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, the sun was shining and the water was cool, but refreshing. I loved it! So far the Mediterranean has been more than I expected. It's clear waters and soothing waves have been a dream. We spent the entire afternoon lying in the sand and then made our way back into the city.
I have to say, the hardest part about traveling up until now has been leaving behind all of these amazing people I meet at each stop. In Florence I met loads of friends, in Cinque Terra I had the apartment with Kitty for two days, and in Barcelona, I've had not only Hannah and Steve, but I met a great couple of people in the hostel. You befriend these people and you hear about their lives and what they think and where they're from and they become a part of the experience each city brings....and then they are gone. I met Mike and Zahar in Barcelona and they became wonderful friends to drink, eat and just generally hang out with during my down time. I really enjoyed it and I was sad to leave that place.
On my last day, I wandered up to Parc Guell, this stunning park with beautiful view of the entire city and the sea. I slowly made my way through there and then decided to walk straight through the city to go meet Hannah and Steve for lunch. The walk over was perfect, with Ipod blaring and all, until I was standing at a cross walk and somehow a bumble bee came up and stung me on my stomach. It really friggin hurt! Luckily, I found a place to run into the bathroom to check it out, and shortly after, a cold beer bottle next to it made it feel just fine. It hasn't swollen too much. Just more of an itchy annoyance than anything. We had an absolutely delicious lunch and a few drinks while doing our last stroll up La Rambla, I introduced Hannah and Steve to my new friends in Barcelona, and then I headed off to the airport.
Nothing too bad about the sleeping in airports bit this time around. Except my flight from Barcelona up to Gatwick was through a thunderstorm. Apparently we have what is generally termed as a "normal misapproach" landing. During this, all of the landing gear is down, you can see the ground, and the pilot freaks out and aborts the entire landing, taking you straight back up into the air at an alarming rate...only to go back and try again. Yeah...for a person who hates flying, I was pretty terrified. Luckily the anti-anxiety meds had kicked in at the time and I was feeling alright. Apparently due to weather conditions in London, the pilot was attempting some sort of manual landing due to the fog...and he it took him two tries to figure it out. Probably the scariest flight ever...
After getting a few hours of sleep in the airport in England, I caught my flight down to Munich and Germany seems wonderful. Brad and Darin met me in the lobby of the hostel, and the 40 bed dorm is worse than it sounds. Luckily there was a screw up and now we are in 4 bed dorms above the chaos of the bar below...life is a lot better than it was 30 minutes ago. All of the girls and boys in Munich are wearing their Drindls and leiderhosen....and I just went out and got myself one for tomorrows festivities. I'm hoping to get some pictures to you guys before I leave Germany. Oktoberfest will definitely be an experience.
The following day was a rough start, but I ended up rallying the troops and getting us to the beach in Sitges, about 30 miles south of Barcelona, before 1pm. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, the sun was shining and the water was cool, but refreshing. I loved it! So far the Mediterranean has been more than I expected. It's clear waters and soothing waves have been a dream. We spent the entire afternoon lying in the sand and then made our way back into the city.
I have to say, the hardest part about traveling up until now has been leaving behind all of these amazing people I meet at each stop. In Florence I met loads of friends, in Cinque Terra I had the apartment with Kitty for two days, and in Barcelona, I've had not only Hannah and Steve, but I met a great couple of people in the hostel. You befriend these people and you hear about their lives and what they think and where they're from and they become a part of the experience each city brings....and then they are gone. I met Mike and Zahar in Barcelona and they became wonderful friends to drink, eat and just generally hang out with during my down time. I really enjoyed it and I was sad to leave that place.
On my last day, I wandered up to Parc Guell, this stunning park with beautiful view of the entire city and the sea. I slowly made my way through there and then decided to walk straight through the city to go meet Hannah and Steve for lunch. The walk over was perfect, with Ipod blaring and all, until I was standing at a cross walk and somehow a bumble bee came up and stung me on my stomach. It really friggin hurt! Luckily, I found a place to run into the bathroom to check it out, and shortly after, a cold beer bottle next to it made it feel just fine. It hasn't swollen too much. Just more of an itchy annoyance than anything. We had an absolutely delicious lunch and a few drinks while doing our last stroll up La Rambla, I introduced Hannah and Steve to my new friends in Barcelona, and then I headed off to the airport.
Nothing too bad about the sleeping in airports bit this time around. Except my flight from Barcelona up to Gatwick was through a thunderstorm. Apparently we have what is generally termed as a "normal misapproach" landing. During this, all of the landing gear is down, you can see the ground, and the pilot freaks out and aborts the entire landing, taking you straight back up into the air at an alarming rate...only to go back and try again. Yeah...for a person who hates flying, I was pretty terrified. Luckily the anti-anxiety meds had kicked in at the time and I was feeling alright. Apparently due to weather conditions in London, the pilot was attempting some sort of manual landing due to the fog...and he it took him two tries to figure it out. Probably the scariest flight ever...
After getting a few hours of sleep in the airport in England, I caught my flight down to Munich and Germany seems wonderful. Brad and Darin met me in the lobby of the hostel, and the 40 bed dorm is worse than it sounds. Luckily there was a screw up and now we are in 4 bed dorms above the chaos of the bar below...life is a lot better than it was 30 minutes ago. All of the girls and boys in Munich are wearing their Drindls and leiderhosen....and I just went out and got myself one for tomorrows festivities. I'm hoping to get some pictures to you guys before I leave Germany. Oktoberfest will definitely be an experience.
Friday, September 18, 2009
I will not let it rain on my parade...
It was a long and tiring journey to Barcelona from Cinque Terra, but I made it. The train ride to Milan was rainy and pretty slow, but the weather broke just in time for the most beautiful, glowing sunset over the Mediterranean. The hills and valleys covered in trees and spotted with buildings amidst the green made up some of the best landscapes I've seen yet. I met a nice couple along who have been traveling for a year that gave me some good insight into the places I am looking to go. We chatted for a while and it made the 4.5 hour train ride a little more bearable.
I have to say, nobody has told me anything good about Milan, but riding the bus through it to the airport intrigued me a little bit. It's tree lined streets, trolley cars and muni-looking trams made it look a lot like San Francisco. It seemed to have any edginess that I like, so maybe it would be worth a day trip if I have to fly back that way at some point.
So here is the problem with thinking you can sleep in airports....other people. I got to the airport and was relieved to see those welcoming benches with no armrests just waiting for me to settle into....and luckily they were right where I needed to check in about 5 hours later. As soon as I laid down, the cleaning guy saw me and the others trying to sleep in the area and set out to prevent this by making as much noise as possible. I'm sure he took some sort of sick pleasure in driving that zamboni machine by me about 5 times for no good reason. After about an hour of that, he took off and I just started to doze when these three Spanish guys decided to come in and invade my area...banging their bags down and going in and out of them. They were soon joined by two Slovenian high school girls with a big bottle of vodka. Now, had this been my idea to booze it up in the airport all night before a flight, everyone else could go to hell and I'd be happy...but dammit, I didn't think of it first and these two chicks were just annoying. Anyway, I ended up getting a couple of hours of shut eye there and then slept pretty much the whole way over to Barcelona.
I met Hannah and Steve at the airport yesterday, and luckily the were feeling pretty tired as well, so no crazy touring was necessary upon our arrival into the city. We wandered around La Rambla for a bit, went out to lunch in one of Picasso's old haunts and hit up an outdoor bar for some sangria later in the afternoon. Being exhausted, we separated for the rest of the day and I came back to take a much needed ciesta.
My hostel here is nice, very small, but good people (and FREE internet!!!). I'm in a great neighborhood with lots of bars and restaurants. After my nap yesterday, I woke up to a fiesta of paella and sangria going on with everyone hanging out. I made the mistake of sitting right next to the chef and as he heaped spoonfuls of (what looked like) sausage filled paella on my plate, I didn't really know what to do. Not to be rude, I pushed the pork to the side of my plate and just dealt with it. I didn't want to offend, and I know it will probably happen again at some point in my travels.....don't be getting any ideas though....I will not give up my vegatarian ways!!!
This morning I woke up early and did a huge walking tour around Barcelona. I feel very comfortable in this city. The streets are beautiful and the neighborhoods give it a homey feel. It's easy to get around and there is lots to do and see. On my way over to Sagrada Familia, it started to pour on me...this is the fifth day in a row that I've had to deal with the rain. I think I'm just following it around the Mediterranean. Rest assured, I didn't let that stop me from doing anything...I simply bought an umbrella and just dealt with wet feet in my flip flops (my feet still haven't forgiven my new walking shoes since the hike at Cinque Terra). I got lost in the narrow streets of the Barrio Gothic , got denied at the Cathedral due to my sleeveless top, and took a couple of hours to explore the National Museum. The sun is now shining and my six hour walk felt wonderful. It time for a ciesta and hopefully a night out on the town.
I have to say, nobody has told me anything good about Milan, but riding the bus through it to the airport intrigued me a little bit. It's tree lined streets, trolley cars and muni-looking trams made it look a lot like San Francisco. It seemed to have any edginess that I like, so maybe it would be worth a day trip if I have to fly back that way at some point.
So here is the problem with thinking you can sleep in airports....other people. I got to the airport and was relieved to see those welcoming benches with no armrests just waiting for me to settle into....and luckily they were right where I needed to check in about 5 hours later. As soon as I laid down, the cleaning guy saw me and the others trying to sleep in the area and set out to prevent this by making as much noise as possible. I'm sure he took some sort of sick pleasure in driving that zamboni machine by me about 5 times for no good reason. After about an hour of that, he took off and I just started to doze when these three Spanish guys decided to come in and invade my area...banging their bags down and going in and out of them. They were soon joined by two Slovenian high school girls with a big bottle of vodka. Now, had this been my idea to booze it up in the airport all night before a flight, everyone else could go to hell and I'd be happy...but dammit, I didn't think of it first and these two chicks were just annoying. Anyway, I ended up getting a couple of hours of shut eye there and then slept pretty much the whole way over to Barcelona.
I met Hannah and Steve at the airport yesterday, and luckily the were feeling pretty tired as well, so no crazy touring was necessary upon our arrival into the city. We wandered around La Rambla for a bit, went out to lunch in one of Picasso's old haunts and hit up an outdoor bar for some sangria later in the afternoon. Being exhausted, we separated for the rest of the day and I came back to take a much needed ciesta.
My hostel here is nice, very small, but good people (and FREE internet!!!). I'm in a great neighborhood with lots of bars and restaurants. After my nap yesterday, I woke up to a fiesta of paella and sangria going on with everyone hanging out. I made the mistake of sitting right next to the chef and as he heaped spoonfuls of (what looked like) sausage filled paella on my plate, I didn't really know what to do. Not to be rude, I pushed the pork to the side of my plate and just dealt with it. I didn't want to offend, and I know it will probably happen again at some point in my travels.....don't be getting any ideas though....I will not give up my vegatarian ways!!!
This morning I woke up early and did a huge walking tour around Barcelona. I feel very comfortable in this city. The streets are beautiful and the neighborhoods give it a homey feel. It's easy to get around and there is lots to do and see. On my way over to Sagrada Familia, it started to pour on me...this is the fifth day in a row that I've had to deal with the rain. I think I'm just following it around the Mediterranean. Rest assured, I didn't let that stop me from doing anything...I simply bought an umbrella and just dealt with wet feet in my flip flops (my feet still haven't forgiven my new walking shoes since the hike at Cinque Terra). I got lost in the narrow streets of the Barrio Gothic , got denied at the Cathedral due to my sleeveless top, and took a couple of hours to explore the National Museum. The sun is now shining and my six hour walk felt wonderful. It time for a ciesta and hopefully a night out on the town.
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