11:20 pm: Last night was an amazing night! The flamenco show was incredible. The band and the dancers were really talented. It was definitely worth the money. We were there for a couple hours enjoying the show and having some delicious sangrias and then while Britt's parents left for their hotel, Britt, Nat and I decided to go out and check out some bars. We wanted to stay near Nat's hotel which unfortunately wasn't in a very lively exciting nightlife area. We went to a jazz bar that my guidebook recommended. The Capiniheras (spelling?) were delicious and the bar itself was amusing but it wasn't that exciting. After that we walked down the street and were hounded by people trying to get us into their bars since I think we were the only ones out walking around. We walked by a lively bar blasted 90 music and knew we had found our bar lol. The place was full of drunk old people dancing ridiculously and we quickly found out that it was a work party. We decided that this could turn into some hilarity so we ordered some Mojitos (which were insanely strong) and waited. Before we knew it we were dragged onto the dancefloor with these people as they took Britt's camera and were taking pics with us. We should them all of our ridiculous dance moves (Nat even invented a new move that night - The Darkwing Duck). I have a feeling they were just as entertained by us as we were of them. We eventually had had enough and left. We walked by Cher's Karaoke bar and went inside after the guy outside practically begged us to go in. It was the sketchiest bar ever! The girls used the bathroom and then we just left. The best part about the place was the statue of Brian that we found in the hallway. In reality I think it was a statue of a pilot but he looked insanely similar to Brian. Around 3 am we wakled Nat back to her hotel and then Britt and I went back to our hostel. We noticed that one thing lacking in Madrid is places to eat in the middle of the night. Nothing is open! I could definitely have gone for some Stobies.
This morning we woke up super early and checked out of our hostel. I'm leaving tonight and Britt is going to stay in her parents hotel for the night and then meet me in Lisbon in the morning. We carried our bags to the Mumford's hotel to keep them there during the day. We went to get some delicious treats for breakfast and then we went to the Prado museum. We had a guided tour of the museum for an hour and then did our own exploring for a couple hours after. I saw some amazing artwork, especially a lot of the Spanish art by Goya and Velasquez. My personal favourite pieces were the Garden of Earthly Delights, Saturn Eating his Children, and a German paintin on the 3 ages of Man (I'll have to google the artist and name of that one). After the museum we went to this authentic paella restaurant my guidebook recommended. It was absolutely amazing! We've been talking about paella (or as I like to say Pie-Yay-Ya)since we've been in Spain and it was well worth the wait. It was so delicious and I even tried eating mussels for the first time (and loved them!). After lunch, the Mumfords decided to check out the Royal Palace and I decided just to walk around and look for souvenirs. Unfortunately I didn't end up getting very much at all. Most souvenirs are so crappy and useless. All the nice things are either too big or too fragile to take home in my backpack. After the tour of the Royal Palace, I met back up with the Mumfords. Britt's parents went back to the hotel and the three of us went to the Renia Sofia museum of modern art. It was free since it was after 7 pm which was an unexpected bonus. I'm not a huge fan of modern art (I can stick a pop can on a stick and call it art too) but we really only went to see Picasso's collection which included his masterpiece, the Guernica. It was really an amazing piece of art. After that we went to the hotel and I packed up my things and said goodbye to Britt's parents and Natalie. Next time I see them we'll be back in London, Ontario, going about our normal lives. It was really awesome to spend a week halfway across the world with them and Britt's parents are just so nice and accomodating. i felt like their unofficial son on family vacation with them. I'm taking the night train to Portugal and Britt will be meeting me there tomorrow when her flight leaves in the morning.
Soooo I almost got pickpocketed on the metro!!! This couple got on and stood really close to me on either side of me. It was packed on the metro so I didn't think anything of it. They kept pressing up against me and talking to eachother to distract me. the woman had a shirt draped over her arm so i couldnt see her hands. When we were approaching the next stop, the woman got way to close to me than I was comfortable with. I automatically knew something was up. I moved my side back in front of me and made eye contact with her. She told her friend to get off and they ran off the metro once the doors opened. I looked down and notcied 2 zippers on my bag were halfway unzipped. Luckily I nad read in my guidebook always to put a piece of clothing over all my stuff in my bag so they would have to dig deep to get anthing. They didnt take anything and all my most valuable stuff was in my money pouch in my pants but the fact that she unzipped my bag without me knowing was scary. I felt really violated. You always read about this stuff and think it wont happen to you but I guess anything can happen. I was upset with myself for taking so long to realize what was happening. The funny thing was that 2 stops later, a guy walks on the metro with no bags or anything and a shirt draped over his arm. He started making his way towards me. I immediately and non-subtly moved my side bag in front of me, stared him right in the eye and never stopped eye contact with him. As expected, he gave me a dirty look and got off at the next stop. Apparently this happens more often than i thought.I'll definitely be more aware of this in future travels.
I'm currently on my night train to Lisbon. Unfortunately, there were no more beds available so I'm just in a regular seat. The crappy thing is that when you're in a sleeper couchette, they come wake you up before your stop but in the regular seats, no one comes to wake you up, its your responsibility. So of course, I'm paraniod of sleeping past my stop. Furthering my bad luck with travel companions, I'm sitting beside an old foreign guy. Would it be that much to ask to have some young person who speaks english to talk to? It's almost midnight and no one is sleeping yet. Hopefully they turn the lights off soon. It's been an eventful day and I am beyond tired. Fingers crossed that I wake up when I need to!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Day 15: Madrid with the Mumfords
9:00 am: Already been awake for 4 hours ugggh. Britt and I woke up at 5 am to get on the metro. I said goodbye to her as she got off to get on the shuttle bus for the airport. She's flying to Madrid and I'm taking the train. If all goes well, we'll end up in Madrid at the same time and meet at the hostel. I'm on the train now so hopefully her flight leaves on time. It looks like it might rain (just our luck). Hope to get a lot of sightseeing done and then we're meeting Britt's parents tonight for a Flamenco show which I'm really looking forward to.
8:00 pm: I got into Madrid half an hour early. The train ride was really nice. It was a nice new train and since i was on it around 9am it was full of business people going to work. They were playing the proposal on the train. It was in Spanish but I got the gist of what was going on in the movie. It was really cold when I arrived this morning. I found the hostel easily and threw my luggage in the holding room and set out exploring. I did some window shopping and saw the Opera house, the royal palace (saw the changing of the guards), the cathedral, and Plaza Mayor. I was on my way back to the hostel to see if Britt and Nat were there and i found them sitting at a table outside eating delicious treats. We checked into our room and did some sightseeing. We had a picnic lunch and then met up with Britt's parents. We went to a bar to watch the second half of Spain's world cup match. The atmosphere at the bar was awesome. At one point, there was a chocolate shop down the street on fire and no one got up to look at it. The game was much more important lol. After the game (which Spain lost) we walked around some more. We saw Plaza D'Espanya and explored a really cool Egyptian temple in the park (the stones were brought from Egypt and they built in in the park). Me and Britt have just gotten back to the hostel and we are getting ready to meet up with the others for our Flamenco show.
8:00 pm: I got into Madrid half an hour early. The train ride was really nice. It was a nice new train and since i was on it around 9am it was full of business people going to work. They were playing the proposal on the train. It was in Spanish but I got the gist of what was going on in the movie. It was really cold when I arrived this morning. I found the hostel easily and threw my luggage in the holding room and set out exploring. I did some window shopping and saw the Opera house, the royal palace (saw the changing of the guards), the cathedral, and Plaza Mayor. I was on my way back to the hostel to see if Britt and Nat were there and i found them sitting at a table outside eating delicious treats. We checked into our room and did some sightseeing. We had a picnic lunch and then met up with Britt's parents. We went to a bar to watch the second half of Spain's world cup match. The atmosphere at the bar was awesome. At one point, there was a chocolate shop down the street on fire and no one got up to look at it. The game was much more important lol. After the game (which Spain lost) we walked around some more. We saw Plaza D'Espanya and explored a really cool Egyptian temple in the park (the stones were brought from Egypt and they built in in the park). Me and Britt have just gotten back to the hostel and we are getting ready to meet up with the others for our Flamenco show.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Day 14: Last day in Barcelona :(
9:30 am: Last night was by far my favourite night of the trip. Park Guell is amazing and full of crazy Gaudi art. We climbed to the top of a hill with a giant cross on it and we just sat there drinking and eating delicious treats that Brian brought while we watched the sun set and Barcelona get lit up at night. It was a gorgeous view and I'm glad I got to spend a moment like that with friends. As the wine kept flowing, hilarious discussions ensues including a glorious rant by myself on why I hate the wind (if only I could remember it so I could blog about it). There was also plenty of singing including a non-stop performance of four songs from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We stumbled back to the apartment around midnight and we were really craving some grease. We went to this pizza place and I had an entire pizza to myself topped with ground beef (it looked like diarrhea but tasted fantastic). It was nice having some pizza. I haven't had any greasy food in so long!
We fell asleep around 2 last night.
Nat left for Girona this morning for work but she will be meeting us in Madrid tomorrow. Brian has also left for work so its just me and Biskal today. We are going exploring...if she ever gets ready...geez.
11:30 pm: Biskal and I had a sweet adventure day. Our first stop in the morning was a search for delicious treats lol. I'm addicted and am going to miss fresh pastries every morning when i go home (Tim Hortons does not compete at all). As soon as we left the apartment and got to the end of the street we already needed to bust out the map because we were lost. I didnt realize how much we were relying on Nat and Brian for directions haha. We set off for the Royal Palace which apparently no one in Barcelona knows its location. As soon as we got there we knew why no one knows it. First off the building is not that impressive as far as palaces go. Secondly, the place was completely deserted. The only living creatures around besides us were the hundreds of birds mating all around us. It was disgusting. We spent 30 minutes pretending we were on Lost and taking pictures in the bushes lol. That is why I love Britt lol. Then we found a play ground and played on it for a bit. Apparently, the Spanish royal family is not popular in Barcelona and they know better than to actually live here so the palace is never used. After our royal adventure, we walked to FC Barcelona stadium. I was considering taking a guided tour inside but figured it was just a waste of money. It was still cool to see from the outside though. Then we went on an epic walk up a massive hill to the Olympic Grounds which was really really cool. I got to go into my first Olympic Stadium!! Then we decided to take the cable car from the hill to the beach which was also amazing. We had incredble views of Barcelonetta (Barcelona's beach) and the rest of the city. It was a hilarious ride due to 1) Britt's fear of heights and her squeals every time the car shook and 2) the old British ladies having a converation about tomatoes. It was nice to get to a beach finally on this trip even though it is cool and overcast. Ever since we've been in Barcelona, Brian has been telling us about "naked man" who apparently is always at the beach just pacing up and down nude and everyone knows who he is. And guess who the first person we see is when we get to the beach? NAKED MAN lol. Hilarious. We sat on the beach for a bit and dipped our feet in the Meditteranean. We walked along the beach for a while and Biskal stepped on a half-buried rock, taking off a good chunk of her toe nail.
Next we went to the Ramblas so I could get a shot glass (we realized that if you ask the chop owner the price and then say that its too expensive and start walking away, they'll sell it at half the price they were asking). Then we went to Desigual, a clothing store with some really cool lame clothes that I love and in typical Biskal and Piskal fashion, we walk out of the changerooms with the same shirt on lol. We bought our matching shirts and got back to the apartment around 5 and went to the grocery store to get some dinner and to get some beer for the guys as a thank you gift for letting us stay with them the last 3 days. We ate and Britt had a nap while I did some reading on Lisbon. Brian came home and we watched Niel Patrick Harris. Dr. horrible which I had never seen and loved it. Then we spent the rest of the night chilling and wacthing tv. We were thinking of going out tonight but decided just to stay in since Britt and I both had colds right now and we have to be up at 5 am tomorrow. It's sucks that we'll no longer have Brian on our adventures. It's too bad he lives in Calgary, he would have fit nicely in the group. Anyways, bed time. Heading to Madrid tomorrow!
We fell asleep around 2 last night.
Nat left for Girona this morning for work but she will be meeting us in Madrid tomorrow. Brian has also left for work so its just me and Biskal today. We are going exploring...if she ever gets ready...geez.
11:30 pm: Biskal and I had a sweet adventure day. Our first stop in the morning was a search for delicious treats lol. I'm addicted and am going to miss fresh pastries every morning when i go home (Tim Hortons does not compete at all). As soon as we left the apartment and got to the end of the street we already needed to bust out the map because we were lost. I didnt realize how much we were relying on Nat and Brian for directions haha. We set off for the Royal Palace which apparently no one in Barcelona knows its location. As soon as we got there we knew why no one knows it. First off the building is not that impressive as far as palaces go. Secondly, the place was completely deserted. The only living creatures around besides us were the hundreds of birds mating all around us. It was disgusting. We spent 30 minutes pretending we were on Lost and taking pictures in the bushes lol. That is why I love Britt lol. Then we found a play ground and played on it for a bit. Apparently, the Spanish royal family is not popular in Barcelona and they know better than to actually live here so the palace is never used. After our royal adventure, we walked to FC Barcelona stadium. I was considering taking a guided tour inside but figured it was just a waste of money. It was still cool to see from the outside though. Then we went on an epic walk up a massive hill to the Olympic Grounds which was really really cool. I got to go into my first Olympic Stadium!! Then we decided to take the cable car from the hill to the beach which was also amazing. We had incredble views of Barcelonetta (Barcelona's beach) and the rest of the city. It was a hilarious ride due to 1) Britt's fear of heights and her squeals every time the car shook and 2) the old British ladies having a converation about tomatoes. It was nice to get to a beach finally on this trip even though it is cool and overcast. Ever since we've been in Barcelona, Brian has been telling us about "naked man" who apparently is always at the beach just pacing up and down nude and everyone knows who he is. And guess who the first person we see is when we get to the beach? NAKED MAN lol. Hilarious. We sat on the beach for a bit and dipped our feet in the Meditteranean. We walked along the beach for a while and Biskal stepped on a half-buried rock, taking off a good chunk of her toe nail.
Next we went to the Ramblas so I could get a shot glass (we realized that if you ask the chop owner the price and then say that its too expensive and start walking away, they'll sell it at half the price they were asking). Then we went to Desigual, a clothing store with some really cool lame clothes that I love and in typical Biskal and Piskal fashion, we walk out of the changerooms with the same shirt on lol. We bought our matching shirts and got back to the apartment around 5 and went to the grocery store to get some dinner and to get some beer for the guys as a thank you gift for letting us stay with them the last 3 days. We ate and Britt had a nap while I did some reading on Lisbon. Brian came home and we watched Niel Patrick Harris. Dr. horrible which I had never seen and loved it. Then we spent the rest of the night chilling and wacthing tv. We were thinking of going out tonight but decided just to stay in since Britt and I both had colds right now and we have to be up at 5 am tomorrow. It's sucks that we'll no longer have Brian on our adventures. It's too bad he lives in Calgary, he would have fit nicely in the group. Anyways, bed time. Heading to Madrid tomorrow!
Day 13: Another awesome day in Barcelona
9:00 am: Tapas dinner last night was delicious yet again and we had plenty and plenty of wine with it. After dinner we said goodbye to Britt's parents. They were heading to Granada and will meet up with us in Madrid later on wednesday. Brian, Nat, Britt and I went to Montjuic (the mountain where they have the big fountain). It has a music and lights show and it was absolutely stunning to look at in front of the huge majestic building. We had a good time there taking pics and then we met up with Graham and went to a bar to meet with some people in their program. The bar was a bit sketch (an old wine cellar run by guys with tatoos and skullets) but it was a lot of fun. We had sangria for the first time. It tastes like juice and we quickly went through 4 jugs of it. We were definitely feeling it near the end. We left around two because we were exhausted and because Brian had to work super early in the morning. We ended up getting 5 hours of sleep so that's an improvement from the last couple of nights. Nat, Biskal and I are on our way to get some delicious treats and then we are doing some exploring.
7:00 pm: we picked up our treats and decided we would go up to Tibidabo mountain. The whole experience was ridiculous and hilarious. First off we walked all the way to the funicular and thought we were awesome because we got there at 9:30 only to find out it didnt open till 10:45. So we sat in a park and ate our treats surrounding by the barks and howling of what sounded like 100 dogs in the nearby mountain. When it finally opened, we paid 4 euros each to take a 1.5 minute ride (we probably could have walked it). When we got to the amusement park, we immediatly saw a massive church. We went inside and there was an English mass going on and everyone was singing Amazing Grace. I guess this is where teh tourists go to church. The amusement park itself was even more bizarre. We were the only ones there, none of the rides were running, half the park was blocked off and there were dead ends everywhere and they were playing the creepiest music the whole time. It was something straight out of Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark. Britt took a pic of the deserted carousel and was mocked by some carneys. It was one big weird experience. The views from the top were great but it was pretty foggy out. So Tibidabo was a bust but it definitely provided some funny memories. After that we realized that mine and Britt's cameras were dying so we went back to the apartment to get Nat's cam and then went to the Ramblas for lunch. We had some good eats including our favourit Barcelona staple: patatas bravas mmmmm. For dessert we had churros dipped in Spanish hot chocolate (which was as thick as nutella). We ended up eating until 3 (like true Europeans) so needless to say, the first half of the day was not that productive.
After lunch, we began our afternoon of Gaudi. Gaudi architecture is incredible. His buildings are a mixture of Alice and Wonderland and Dr. Seuss. So much geometry and colours. We walked by an apartment he designed that looked like a fish. It looked so out of place with the buildings beside it. Next we went to the Predrera (a huge house he desinged for a wealthy family). The best part was the roof which was full of giant sea shell sculptures and statues that look like the clone troopers in star wars. It was really really neat. Then we went to his most famous work, one of the symbols of Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia. By far the most amazing church I have ever seen in my life. Soooo much detail everywhere. It's huge with massive twisted spires. The front is adorned with carvings of the stations of the cross mixed with (in typical Gaudi fashion) giant frogs, geese, and bundles of colored fruit and vegetables. The back wall depicted more religious imagery including dead babies dangling from the church. In the front is a giant statue of Jesus tied to a pole with whip markings all over him. Definitely a crazy church. You could stare at it for an hour and still not see everything. Gaudi dies before it was finished and it has been under construction for over 100 years with no end in sight. All the construction machinery and vehicles have become part of the site itself. They keep saying it will be open as an actual church soon but who knows. We walked inside and climbed the tower for better views of the outside of the church. When we were finally able to peel are eyes away from this masterpiece we met up with Brian at the metro, It's been raining off and on all day. Still can't believe I got stuck with rain in Barcelona. Tonight we're goint to Park Guell (also designed by Gaudi) to watch the sunset.
7:00 pm: we picked up our treats and decided we would go up to Tibidabo mountain. The whole experience was ridiculous and hilarious. First off we walked all the way to the funicular and thought we were awesome because we got there at 9:30 only to find out it didnt open till 10:45. So we sat in a park and ate our treats surrounding by the barks and howling of what sounded like 100 dogs in the nearby mountain. When it finally opened, we paid 4 euros each to take a 1.5 minute ride (we probably could have walked it). When we got to the amusement park, we immediatly saw a massive church. We went inside and there was an English mass going on and everyone was singing Amazing Grace. I guess this is where teh tourists go to church. The amusement park itself was even more bizarre. We were the only ones there, none of the rides were running, half the park was blocked off and there were dead ends everywhere and they were playing the creepiest music the whole time. It was something straight out of Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark. Britt took a pic of the deserted carousel and was mocked by some carneys. It was one big weird experience. The views from the top were great but it was pretty foggy out. So Tibidabo was a bust but it definitely provided some funny memories. After that we realized that mine and Britt's cameras were dying so we went back to the apartment to get Nat's cam and then went to the Ramblas for lunch. We had some good eats including our favourit Barcelona staple: patatas bravas mmmmm. For dessert we had churros dipped in Spanish hot chocolate (which was as thick as nutella). We ended up eating until 3 (like true Europeans) so needless to say, the first half of the day was not that productive.
After lunch, we began our afternoon of Gaudi. Gaudi architecture is incredible. His buildings are a mixture of Alice and Wonderland and Dr. Seuss. So much geometry and colours. We walked by an apartment he designed that looked like a fish. It looked so out of place with the buildings beside it. Next we went to the Predrera (a huge house he desinged for a wealthy family). The best part was the roof which was full of giant sea shell sculptures and statues that look like the clone troopers in star wars. It was really really neat. Then we went to his most famous work, one of the symbols of Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia. By far the most amazing church I have ever seen in my life. Soooo much detail everywhere. It's huge with massive twisted spires. The front is adorned with carvings of the stations of the cross mixed with (in typical Gaudi fashion) giant frogs, geese, and bundles of colored fruit and vegetables. The back wall depicted more religious imagery including dead babies dangling from the church. In the front is a giant statue of Jesus tied to a pole with whip markings all over him. Definitely a crazy church. You could stare at it for an hour and still not see everything. Gaudi dies before it was finished and it has been under construction for over 100 years with no end in sight. All the construction machinery and vehicles have become part of the site itself. They keep saying it will be open as an actual church soon but who knows. We walked inside and climbed the tower for better views of the outside of the church. When we were finally able to peel are eyes away from this masterpiece we met up with Brian at the metro, It's been raining off and on all day. Still can't believe I got stuck with rain in Barcelona. Tonight we're goint to Park Guell (also designed by Gaudi) to watch the sunset.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Day 12: Barcelona with the Mumford Family
8:00 am: Tapas dinner last night was delicious. Basically just little appetizers (pieces of breads with various toppings). You just fill your plate with as much as you want and they count the number of toothpicks you have to charge you at the end. It's neat having all that variety but I don't feel like its that filling unless you spend a lot (but that's probably me just being used to N. American portion sizes). After dinner we met up with some of the people Nat works with to go to the forest bar. They were all really nice and friendly and spoke great english so it felt easy to hang out with them. In the summer in Girona, they set up these outdoor bars in the forest. Its a gorgeous old forest filled with makeshift bars complete with dance floors, strobe lighting, djs, etc. It was really cool. Drinks were 10 euros (aaah!) but they did make them very strong. It was hilarious hearing some of the music and seeing the dance moves. Europeans are either way ahead of the trends or really behind when it comes to music. The last time I saw a choreographed dance to "Saturday Night" was in Gr. 7 haha. It's too bad we were so tired because we ended up leaving early (and by early I mean 3 am). We woke up this morning at 6 to catch the train to Barcelona (after we got some delicious treats of course). We're all hung over/exhausted which has made for an interesting train ride. I'm anxious to meet Brian's roommates today.
8:15 am: Britt sat down in her train seat and it collapsed! Best part of the morning so far lol
8:00 pm: Great day in Barcelona so far. We went from the train station and met up with Britt's parents at their hotel. The 5 of us went on a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter at 10 am. It wasn't too pricey and it was really informative. I learned a lot of history and saw a bunch of cool squares, churches, buildings etc. One particular highlight was a churchyard full of geese (apparently the geese used to be used as security. Whenever someone entered the courtyard, they would honk loudly and wake everyone up). We met a digruntled goose that I named Gargamel. After the tour we went for tapas lunch. Had some delicious food (patatas bravas are my new favourite). Don picked up the tab which was really nice of him. The Mumfords have been awesome to me so far and it really feels like I'm traveling with family which is amazing. They have this tradition in Catalonia where all their bread is scrubbed with tomatoes so it has the flavour of tomato but no actual tomatoes in any of the sandwiches.
After lunch we explored another church and then parted ways. Britt, Nat and I walked along the Ramblas (the gigantic shopping street in Barcelona). They sell all kinds of things here including random animals like piegons, squirrels, ducks, chipmunks, etc. It's also full of street performers and extremely annoying vendors. There are these guys that put weird whistles in their mouths and then make these annoying duck noises, pretending they dont know where the sound is coming from. Then they try and sell them to you and they are all super sketchy and sleazy. I walked behind one for a while and make the quacking noise on my own. I dont think they liked me. I can see why the Ramblas is one the streets with the highest incidence of pickpocketing. Its just so easy to get distracted and its completely packed with people. After our walk we went back to Britt's parents hotel and had an epic 3 hour nap all in the same bed. I didnt think I could justify napping when traveling but I seriously would not have lasted the rest of the day without it. Traveling Europe does not leave you a lot of time to sleep lol. After our nap we brought all our stuff to Brian's. We mey his roommates Matt and Graham and they ended up being cool guys. It's nice how they are chill with us staying at their place. We've just been chillling and now we are getting ready to meet Ma and Pa Mumford for dinner (9:30 dinner....I dont think i can get used to this).
8:00 am: Tapas dinner last night was delicious. Basically just little appetizers (pieces of breads with various toppings). You just fill your plate with as much as you want and they count the number of toothpicks you have to charge you at the end. It's neat having all that variety but I don't feel like its that filling unless you spend a lot (but that's probably me just being used to N. American portion sizes). After dinner we met up with some of the people Nat works with to go to the forest bar. They were all really nice and friendly and spoke great english so it felt easy to hang out with them. In the summer in Girona, they set up these outdoor bars in the forest. Its a gorgeous old forest filled with makeshift bars complete with dance floors, strobe lighting, djs, etc. It was really cool. Drinks were 10 euros (aaah!) but they did make them very strong. It was hilarious hearing some of the music and seeing the dance moves. Europeans are either way ahead of the trends or really behind when it comes to music. The last time I saw a choreographed dance to "Saturday Night" was in Gr. 7 haha. It's too bad we were so tired because we ended up leaving early (and by early I mean 3 am). We woke up this morning at 6 to catch the train to Barcelona (after we got some delicious treats of course). We're all hung over/exhausted which has made for an interesting train ride. I'm anxious to meet Brian's roommates today.
8:15 am: Britt sat down in her train seat and it collapsed! Best part of the morning so far lol
8:00 pm: Great day in Barcelona so far. We went from the train station and met up with Britt's parents at their hotel. The 5 of us went on a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter at 10 am. It wasn't too pricey and it was really informative. I learned a lot of history and saw a bunch of cool squares, churches, buildings etc. One particular highlight was a churchyard full of geese (apparently the geese used to be used as security. Whenever someone entered the courtyard, they would honk loudly and wake everyone up). We met a digruntled goose that I named Gargamel. After the tour we went for tapas lunch. Had some delicious food (patatas bravas are my new favourite). Don picked up the tab which was really nice of him. The Mumfords have been awesome to me so far and it really feels like I'm traveling with family which is amazing. They have this tradition in Catalonia where all their bread is scrubbed with tomatoes so it has the flavour of tomato but no actual tomatoes in any of the sandwiches.
After lunch we explored another church and then parted ways. Britt, Nat and I walked along the Ramblas (the gigantic shopping street in Barcelona). They sell all kinds of things here including random animals like piegons, squirrels, ducks, chipmunks, etc. It's also full of street performers and extremely annoying vendors. There are these guys that put weird whistles in their mouths and then make these annoying duck noises, pretending they dont know where the sound is coming from. Then they try and sell them to you and they are all super sketchy and sleazy. I walked behind one for a while and make the quacking noise on my own. I dont think they liked me. I can see why the Ramblas is one the streets with the highest incidence of pickpocketing. Its just so easy to get distracted and its completely packed with people. After our walk we went back to Britt's parents hotel and had an epic 3 hour nap all in the same bed. I didnt think I could justify napping when traveling but I seriously would not have lasted the rest of the day without it. Traveling Europe does not leave you a lot of time to sleep lol. After our nap we brought all our stuff to Brian's. We mey his roommates Matt and Graham and they ended up being cool guys. It's nice how they are chill with us staying at their place. We've just been chillling and now we are getting ready to meet Ma and Pa Mumford for dinner (9:30 dinner....I dont think i can get used to this).
Day 11: Let The Spanish Adventure Begin
11:00 am: Finally some luck with travel companions. I got into my sleeper compartment on the train last night and there were two college guys my age there from the States. We had a 4 person-berth but there was only three of us so we got to use the extra bunk for our backpacks. We talked for a couple hours and exchanged travel stories. Everyone is always so amazed when they hear I'm traveling alone. I really don't see it as anything spectacular but I guess it is a pretty big deal. We decided to go to sleep around midnight. I had read in all my research that Spanish trains cannot be trusting when it came to staying on scehdule and that was completely accurate. We didn't arrive in Girona until 2 hours later than when we were due to arrive. I don't know how that is possible unless in the middle of the night the drivers took a siesta for a couple hours. I didn'r expect the girls to still be there two hours later so when I got to the train station I started making my way to Nat's place using the directions i had written down from Google maps. I was just getting to the house when they saw me on the street and looked very relieved. Apparently they got to the station 15 minutes later than when I told them to be there and they assumed that I had gotten off and walked to the house. When they didnt find me there, they went back to the station and waited for an hour but since there aren't any updated schedules at the station they had no idea if i had arrived or not. So naturally they thought I was roaming the city lost and alone. Their plan was to get a bunch of paper and write "Pasquale, follow the arrows" and were going to put them up around the city giving me the directions to the house haha. Needless to say, we were all happy to see eachother when I appeared on the street.
It was really awesome seeing them there. It's weird seeing friends and knowing that you are halfway across the world from home. It's going to be awesome traveling with them for this last week of my trip. We're at Nat's place right now. It's nice just to be able to throw my stuff on the floor and not worry about lockers or anything. I've just eaten an entire box of chocolate for breakfast lol. Now we're about to go to the weekend market!
7:00 pm: It has been a great day so far in Girona. We went to the market and walked around exploring while we waited for Nat's friend Brian to arrive from Barcelona (we will be staying at his place while we are there). We decided we were going to have a picnic lunch so we bought watermelon, strawberries, bread, cheese and delicious Fuet sausage (I quickly became addicted...i need to find this when I get home). We went back to the house to cut everything up and then went to the train station to pick up Brian. I didn't know what to expect but he is a really friendly and hilarious guy. It was good to know that the stranger we'll be living with for three days is legit lol. We had a great picnic in the park and then Nat gave us a walking tour of the city. She's been there long enough and knows so much that she should get a part-time job as a tour guide there. Girona is a beuatiful city. It's full of old stone buildings with ancient city walls and churches. The trees here are so cool and there are so many flowers everywhere. The city is really old and full of myths and legends (including kissing the ass of a lion statue). We walked for a while and got some amazing views of the city along the ancient walls. We ended up at a delicious Gelato shop. After that Brian introduced us to what would quickly become a daily tradition in Spain: the Spanish bakeries. We went and got delicious pasteries or what we liked to call "delicious treats". The weather is gorgeous, it sucks that it's supposed to get crappy tomorrow.
We just ran out to the grocery store for some wine. I love Spain lol! We got 4 bottles and 2 boxes of wine for 8 euros!! The boxes were only 50 euro cents each. The quality of this insanely cheap wine will be determined in about 5 minutes. We're going to go out for a tapas dinner around 10. I cannot handle Spanish schedules. Stores close around 1 for lunch and don't open again until 4 (they really take lunch seriously). Dinner doesn't happen until 10 pm but it's common to eat at midnight. Then you start pre-drinking at 1 or 2 (when we usually call it a night back home) and then go to the bar around 3 and stay until 6 am. Crazy! There is no way I can last until 10 for dinner. That is going to have to be dinner number 2. I'm am going to get huge in Spain haha. Anyways, going to start some wine and find some food to hold me off until 10.
It was really awesome seeing them there. It's weird seeing friends and knowing that you are halfway across the world from home. It's going to be awesome traveling with them for this last week of my trip. We're at Nat's place right now. It's nice just to be able to throw my stuff on the floor and not worry about lockers or anything. I've just eaten an entire box of chocolate for breakfast lol. Now we're about to go to the weekend market!
7:00 pm: It has been a great day so far in Girona. We went to the market and walked around exploring while we waited for Nat's friend Brian to arrive from Barcelona (we will be staying at his place while we are there). We decided we were going to have a picnic lunch so we bought watermelon, strawberries, bread, cheese and delicious Fuet sausage (I quickly became addicted...i need to find this when I get home). We went back to the house to cut everything up and then went to the train station to pick up Brian. I didn't know what to expect but he is a really friendly and hilarious guy. It was good to know that the stranger we'll be living with for three days is legit lol. We had a great picnic in the park and then Nat gave us a walking tour of the city. She's been there long enough and knows so much that she should get a part-time job as a tour guide there. Girona is a beuatiful city. It's full of old stone buildings with ancient city walls and churches. The trees here are so cool and there are so many flowers everywhere. The city is really old and full of myths and legends (including kissing the ass of a lion statue). We walked for a while and got some amazing views of the city along the ancient walls. We ended up at a delicious Gelato shop. After that Brian introduced us to what would quickly become a daily tradition in Spain: the Spanish bakeries. We went and got delicious pasteries or what we liked to call "delicious treats". The weather is gorgeous, it sucks that it's supposed to get crappy tomorrow.
We just ran out to the grocery store for some wine. I love Spain lol! We got 4 bottles and 2 boxes of wine for 8 euros!! The boxes were only 50 euro cents each. The quality of this insanely cheap wine will be determined in about 5 minutes. We're going to go out for a tapas dinner around 10. I cannot handle Spanish schedules. Stores close around 1 for lunch and don't open again until 4 (they really take lunch seriously). Dinner doesn't happen until 10 pm but it's common to eat at midnight. Then you start pre-drinking at 1 or 2 (when we usually call it a night back home) and then go to the bar around 3 and stay until 6 am. Crazy! There is no way I can last until 10 for dinner. That is going to have to be dinner number 2. I'm am going to get huge in Spain haha. Anyways, going to start some wine and find some food to hold me off until 10.
Day 10: A sweet day in Lausanne
7:19 pm: I ended up just doing some studying last night and then going to bed. I woke up at 8 this morning and checked out. I got a 9:00 train and sat with this artist around my age from Poland. He was really interesting. He's traveled all over the world for his work and lives out of a suitcase. Told me a lot about Poland's history and how they were coping since the recent plane crash. It was nice to have someone my age to talk to on the train because lately I've been stuck with foreign grumoy old people. Hopefully I get some people I can talk to in my sleeper couchette on the train tonight.
I got into Lausanne around 11 am and walked to the Olympic Museum. Lausanne is beautiful. Swiss mountains and the gorgeous Lake Leman all with a french flair (bakeries and accordians everywhere). I've never been to a steeper city though in my life! It's literally one giant hill. Everyone who lives here must have buns of steel. Because it's so steep, there is a major temperature difference wether you are at the top or bottom of the city. I think it was one degree celsius difference for every couple kilometers but i can't remember. Lusanne is the official Olympic capitial and the museum was awesome. This was the main reason I chose this city. They had all the torches and medals from all the Olympics, sporting equipment and clothes donated by athletes , manuscripts from the first modern Olympics and tons of video footage. I've been an Olympic buff since the Atlanta Games so it was really an awesome experience to be surrounding by so much memorabelia. I spent over 3 hours there and then just walked along the lake. They have a nice beach (all grass and no sand) but you have to pay to go there. I did some reading by the water and then just walked around the city, went to the Cathedral, and did some window shopping. Just like Zurich, I can't afford anything here. Why is Switzerland so damn expensive? A burger and fries at a regular little restaurant is $20. That's ridiculous. I ended up going to the hot and ready section of the grocery store and got a couple ham and cheese croissants for $1.50 (they were being sold on the street for $5). I have 3 hours until my train leaves for Spain. My legs are incredibly sore from walking in this city and I've pretty much seen everything so I am just waiting at the station now. I checked the weather online and it is supposed to rain in Barcelona! I'm pissed!! My entire trip has been sunny and insanely hot and now when I'm going to a city with a nice beach its supposed to rain. I'm so excited to meet up with Nat and Britt tomorrow. Traveling solo has been a bit harder this trip and I know we are going to have a blast together. Britt and I are so much alike that I couldn't think of a better travel partner. Hopefully they'll meet me at the train station when I arrive but I have the directions to Nat's place just in case.
I got into Lausanne around 11 am and walked to the Olympic Museum. Lausanne is beautiful. Swiss mountains and the gorgeous Lake Leman all with a french flair (bakeries and accordians everywhere). I've never been to a steeper city though in my life! It's literally one giant hill. Everyone who lives here must have buns of steel. Because it's so steep, there is a major temperature difference wether you are at the top or bottom of the city. I think it was one degree celsius difference for every couple kilometers but i can't remember. Lusanne is the official Olympic capitial and the museum was awesome. This was the main reason I chose this city. They had all the torches and medals from all the Olympics, sporting equipment and clothes donated by athletes , manuscripts from the first modern Olympics and tons of video footage. I've been an Olympic buff since the Atlanta Games so it was really an awesome experience to be surrounding by so much memorabelia. I spent over 3 hours there and then just walked along the lake. They have a nice beach (all grass and no sand) but you have to pay to go there. I did some reading by the water and then just walked around the city, went to the Cathedral, and did some window shopping. Just like Zurich, I can't afford anything here. Why is Switzerland so damn expensive? A burger and fries at a regular little restaurant is $20. That's ridiculous. I ended up going to the hot and ready section of the grocery store and got a couple ham and cheese croissants for $1.50 (they were being sold on the street for $5). I have 3 hours until my train leaves for Spain. My legs are incredibly sore from walking in this city and I've pretty much seen everything so I am just waiting at the station now. I checked the weather online and it is supposed to rain in Barcelona! I'm pissed!! My entire trip has been sunny and insanely hot and now when I'm going to a city with a nice beach its supposed to rain. I'm so excited to meet up with Nat and Britt tomorrow. Traveling solo has been a bit harder this trip and I know we are going to have a blast together. Britt and I are so much alike that I couldn't think of a better travel partner. Hopefully they'll meet me at the train station when I arrive but I have the directions to Nat's place just in case.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Day 9: A sausage costs how much?!?!
2:11 pm: My train from Zagreb to Zurich was an epic 15 hours. Luckily i slept through most of it and I think I'm almost caught up on sleep. Arrive in Zurich around 10 and found my hostel really easily. I've been exploring since. Zurich is gorgeous (like everywhere else in Switzerland). Pristine water, mountains, cheese shops, tons of swans...it's sooo nice. The river splits the city in half so it's all waterfront promenades and bridges. Saw some nice churches and squares, parks etc. Other than a beautiful city, I'm finding that Zurich doesn't have much else to offer. It's really just a financial district and is mostly visited for business. Everything is INSANELY expensive. I got a sausage from a street vendor (with no bun) for $8! Looks like I'll be having dinner from the grocery store. Bahnofstrasse is considered the most expensive street in Europe. I'm not sure if I would agree but it is definitely way out of my price range. I haven't had much luck shopping in general anyway. I don't think European stores carry size XS in shirts and the smalls are always so big. It's kind of annoying. I'm just waiting until 3 pm so I can check into my room and hopefully meet some people because I already feel like I've seen everything there is to see. The plan for tomorrow is to take a morning train to Lausanne and check out the Olympic Musuem before my night train to Girona to meet up with Britt and Natalie.
7:05 pm: Not having very good luck in Zurich. This hostel is really not great for a solo traveller. Its mostly full of foreigners and old people. Needless to say I haven't really met anyone here. thankfully I only planned one day here. Looks like it might be an early night. This might give me a good excuse to study for my MCATs since I lugged the books with me on this trip but haven't studied that much. I've been really good traveling solo last year and most of this trip but it's nights like these where I regret not having a friend come with me. But in two days I'll have Biskal with me and it will be amazing!
7:05 pm: Not having very good luck in Zurich. This hostel is really not great for a solo traveller. Its mostly full of foreigners and old people. Needless to say I haven't really met anyone here. thankfully I only planned one day here. Looks like it might be an early night. This might give me a good excuse to study for my MCATs since I lugged the books with me on this trip but haven't studied that much. I've been really good traveling solo last year and most of this trip but it's nights like these where I regret not having a friend come with me. But in two days I'll have Biskal with me and it will be amazing!
Day 8: A lazy afternoon in Zagreb
9:50 am: Last night was a great last night in Budapest. I ate at the hostel at met some new arrivals (an Aussie, two Brits and a girl from Wales - now that is an interesting accent). After dinner we got ready to go to the other hostel's party. The theme of the night was "the morning after the night before) so basically everyone had messy hair, unbottuned shirts, smeared makeup and some people chose to wear just underwear. It was a really cool idea. The hostel has a really nice outdoor bar and they had drink specials all night as well. I met a lot of interesting people and had a really good time. I stayed out until 2 and then went back to our hostel with Zareena (a nice girl I met from the UK) and Carlos and Veronica from Venezuela. I only got about 2.5 hours sleep and then was up at 4:30 to get ready to leave. I'm on the train as we speal. So far so good on this train. As far as I know I won't need another bus adventure. This is the first time I'll be arriving in a city with no plans on what to do or see. I'll probably just get a tourist map and walk around. I'm not sure if there's even that much to do in Zagreb and I'll only be there for a couple hours. I should get there at 1pm and then I need to be on my overnight train at 6:30 en route to switzerland. Hopefully I can just leave my luggage at the train station in Zagreb instead of lugging it around with me.
3:42 pm: I got into Zagreb 45 minutes late. Security at the border was ridiculous. Five different police officers (both Hungarian and Croatian) came by to examine my passport and then custom agents came by to do the same. They must have a lot of problems at this border. The train station has great lockers so I can store my backpack until I need to get back. Zagreb is actually a really nice city. Not a ton of sites but really charming. The tourist office gave me a really good map with a free walking guide on it. I've just been exploring the last couple hours. I was mistaken for some Italian on tv so that was really cool. I thought I looked Euro today and apparently I was right lol. I have about two more hours until I need to go back to the station. I wish my train wasn't late so I could have had more time to explore. I'm just at a restaurant waiting for my lunch. I need to find a shot glass before I leave as well and probably get some food for my train ride tonight. I'm looking forward to the epically long night train for a much needed sleep. I should arrive in Zurich tomorrow morning around 9. Anyways, my chicken and gnocchi have just arrived.
4:15 pm: chicken and gnocchi just made my day. Delicious.
3:42 pm: I got into Zagreb 45 minutes late. Security at the border was ridiculous. Five different police officers (both Hungarian and Croatian) came by to examine my passport and then custom agents came by to do the same. They must have a lot of problems at this border. The train station has great lockers so I can store my backpack until I need to get back. Zagreb is actually a really nice city. Not a ton of sites but really charming. The tourist office gave me a really good map with a free walking guide on it. I've just been exploring the last couple hours. I was mistaken for some Italian on tv so that was really cool. I thought I looked Euro today and apparently I was right lol. I have about two more hours until I need to go back to the station. I wish my train wasn't late so I could have had more time to explore. I'm just at a restaurant waiting for my lunch. I need to find a shot glass before I leave as well and probably get some food for my train ride tonight. I'm looking forward to the epically long night train for a much needed sleep. I should arrive in Zurich tomorrow morning around 9. Anyways, my chicken and gnocchi have just arrived.
4:15 pm: chicken and gnocchi just made my day. Delicious.
Day 7: Busy Day in Budapest
9:00 am: Last night was a ton of fun. Karaoke was hilarious. The most random songs were performed from classis "bar songs" to Celine ballads to Showtunes to Hungarian pop songs. There were deifintely some unique acts lol. The drink specials at the bar were ridiculous. For the first hour we were there, cocktails were only 400 Ft which is just over $2 and they were strong (the Long Island Iced Teas were deadly). After happy hour, we got 3 beers for 500 Ft (works out to about $1 a beer). I met a lot of cool people (mostly Aussies of course). We ended up staying out till 3 and I'm pretty sure I passed out as soon as I hit my pillow. I'm just about to do more sight seeing but I need to find food fast! I've barely eatne the last two days.
5:00 pm: Had a huge walking day today! Went to a bakery and got some pastries for breakfast and then made my way to St. Istvan's Cathedral and climbed the tower for some great views of Pest. Also saw St. Istvan's hand which is preserved in the chapel. I walked to Chain bridge and crossed over to Buda. There is such a huge difference compared to Pest. Pest is the "downtown" of Budapest: very busy, touristy, trendy, tons of trafffic. Buda is full of hills, nature trails, castles, etc. I walked to Buda Hill and roamed around the Castle (had some amazing views of the Parliament buildings). Then made my way to Gellert Gill and had an epic climb to the top to the Citadel which had a view of the city well worth the climb. It's been so hot today. I bought way more water than I would have liked to, including a very over-priced bottle at the top of Gellert Hill but it's been necessarry. At the base of the hill is the Rock church which is basically a church built into a cave (it was pretty cool - dont see that every day). Then I went back to Pest and checked out the Great Market (huge indoor market). walking by the meat stall was interesting (lots of tongues, noses, cheeks, hearts, and other stuff you dont see at the market back home). I bought a couple packages of hot paprika (i'm sure it's a tourist gimmick but Hungary is known for its paprika so I figured I would get it). Also saw some real Absinthe and was very close to buying some but I don't know if I'm allowed into Canada with it and I wasn't going to spend so much money only to have it taken away at the airport. The rest of the afternoon I just browsed the shops along the streets and bought a shot glass to add to my collection. I need to start buying some souvenirs soon but they all seem so useless. People can only have so many magnets, key chains, bottle openers etc. Plus I can't get anything too big because my backpack is already full. I think I'll end up waiting till I get to Spain to buy them. I'm about to have a nap because the sun has just drained my energy. It's too late to go inside the Terror House but I'm not too disappointed (I got enough of a Nazi/Communist experience on last year's trip). The only other major thing I didn't do was the Turkish Baths. Its the biggest thing Budapest is known for and everyone says you HAVE to do it when you're here but since I'm only here for such a short time I didn't want to spend half the day taking a bath. I wish I could stay here one more day (there really is a lot to do). Apparently Elton John is in town tonight. I would have loved to see him if I had known. Tonight we're going to the sister hostel to party (they have a courtyard and outdoor bar there). But for now, its sleepy time.
5:00 pm: Had a huge walking day today! Went to a bakery and got some pastries for breakfast and then made my way to St. Istvan's Cathedral and climbed the tower for some great views of Pest. Also saw St. Istvan's hand which is preserved in the chapel. I walked to Chain bridge and crossed over to Buda. There is such a huge difference compared to Pest. Pest is the "downtown" of Budapest: very busy, touristy, trendy, tons of trafffic. Buda is full of hills, nature trails, castles, etc. I walked to Buda Hill and roamed around the Castle (had some amazing views of the Parliament buildings). Then made my way to Gellert Gill and had an epic climb to the top to the Citadel which had a view of the city well worth the climb. It's been so hot today. I bought way more water than I would have liked to, including a very over-priced bottle at the top of Gellert Hill but it's been necessarry. At the base of the hill is the Rock church which is basically a church built into a cave (it was pretty cool - dont see that every day). Then I went back to Pest and checked out the Great Market (huge indoor market). walking by the meat stall was interesting (lots of tongues, noses, cheeks, hearts, and other stuff you dont see at the market back home). I bought a couple packages of hot paprika (i'm sure it's a tourist gimmick but Hungary is known for its paprika so I figured I would get it). Also saw some real Absinthe and was very close to buying some but I don't know if I'm allowed into Canada with it and I wasn't going to spend so much money only to have it taken away at the airport. The rest of the afternoon I just browsed the shops along the streets and bought a shot glass to add to my collection. I need to start buying some souvenirs soon but they all seem so useless. People can only have so many magnets, key chains, bottle openers etc. Plus I can't get anything too big because my backpack is already full. I think I'll end up waiting till I get to Spain to buy them. I'm about to have a nap because the sun has just drained my energy. It's too late to go inside the Terror House but I'm not too disappointed (I got enough of a Nazi/Communist experience on last year's trip). The only other major thing I didn't do was the Turkish Baths. Its the biggest thing Budapest is known for and everyone says you HAVE to do it when you're here but since I'm only here for such a short time I didn't want to spend half the day taking a bath. I wish I could stay here one more day (there really is a lot to do). Apparently Elton John is in town tonight. I would have loved to see him if I had known. Tonight we're going to the sister hostel to party (they have a courtyard and outdoor bar there). But for now, its sleepy time.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Day 6: What is going on? Does anyone speak English?
9:20 am: What the hell have I gotten myself into? I boarded the train at 6:50 and we set off for Budapest. My guidebooks warned that train travel in eastern Europe can be problematic but I thought there would be no problems. The train ticket inspector asks to see my ticket and sees that I'm going to Budapest and tells me that I need to get off the train at 9 am at Pragasko station and get on a bus. This was supposed to be a direct train trip all the way there. I thought he must be mistaken but he keeps saying to get off the train at 9. His English was minimal and offered no other information although he did seemed concerned at how terrified and confused I looked. So I was faced with the dilemma of getting off the train like this guy said and possibly be stranded in the Slovenian countryside where NO ONE speaks English or I take a chance and stay on the train and it takes me who knows where. I was really starting to freak out and there wasn't anyone around me that spoke english. 9:00 comes around and the inspector comes to me and tells me I'll be alright and to get off the train here. I ended up trusting him since this was his job and I grabbed my backpack and got off. He pointed to a bus down the street and I went and tried to ask the bus driver what was going on. he obviously didn't speak English (of course not) so I just said Budapest over and over. He nodded, grabbed my bag and threw it in the bus' luggage compartment. So I just got on this random bus and put my faith that it was going to Budapest. 5 minutes into the bus ride I heard someone speaking English. It was music to my ears. I pride myslef in being able to cope fine in non-English countries. My french is better than most, I understand quite a bit of Italian and I can recognize and speak the basics in Spanish and German but Slovenian and Hungarian is a totally different ball game. I followed the voice to the back of the bus and there was an old British couple there. I asked what was happening and they explained that the railroad was under construction and so we had to travel by bus until we reaches a part where the tracks weren't dug up and then get on another train to Budapest. I decided I was just going to follow these two for the rest of the journey. i wonder how late we'll be. They better not cancel my hostel reservation. I've had zero luck with trains so far on this trip. Train travel here is difinetly not as consistent and reliable as in western Europe.
10:00 am: I feel like I am in the twilight zone. The bus driver put on a Slovenian pop cd and apparently its a really popular one because everyone on the bus is dancing and singing along. This is something straight from a movie. I'm sure I will look back on this and treasure the experience but now I'm just hoping we get on the right train.
12:20 pm: Got off the bus and made it onto the train for Budapest. Hopefully no more surprises. I just asked someone on the train and apparently we're only going to arrive an hour late so that's good. I am sufficiently parched. It is hot as hell and there is no food or drink cart on this train.
8:00 pm: Arrived in Budapest around 5 pm. As soon as I got off I was a bit overwhelmed. Its a huge city but without the English that I am used to in other cities. The metro was easy enough to understand and I got to the hostel with no problems. It is ridiculously hot and I arrived at the hostel in a big sweaty mess. The staff here are all extremely friendly and most are Brits or Aussies. The one guy gave me a map and circled all the places I should go and wrote down tips for me. He told me there was no way I could get the full Budapest experience in just a day and a bit but I'll just do my best. Unfortunately I won't have time to try the famous thermal baths but that gives me another reason to come back one day. I checked in and did some exploring in Pest (Budapest is divided into Buda and Pest). I saw the Terror House, the Great Synagogue, and St. Istvan's Cathedral. I walked to the Parliament buildings and to the Danube river. I walked along Vaci Utca, the main shopping drag. I did a lot in a few hours. The map was great so I had very few navigational problems. When I was reading about Budapest in my guidebook it warned of a tourist scam where women approach lone men and ask where they're from, start chit chatting with them and invite them for a drink at a bar of her choice. once there, the unsuspecting guy gets a bill for thousands of dollars and is surrounded by a bunch of thugs who demand payment or else the guy gets beat up and jumped, or worse. Of course as I'm walking around someone comes up and asks for directions. I tell her I'm not from here and she asks where I'm from. I told her and she said she had friends in Montreal. We chat a bit and then she asks if I want to get a drink because she knows a good place. Immediately I clue into what is happening. I looked her right in the eye and forcefully say leave me alone and walk away. Thank god for my previous research. I'm back at the hostel now getting ready because the hostel staff is taking us out to a karaoke bar in an hour. I need to go get food now since the only thing I ate today was some pringles for breakfast. I've met some great people here already (mostly Americans and Aussies as per usual). Definitely looking forward to tonight.
10:00 am: I feel like I am in the twilight zone. The bus driver put on a Slovenian pop cd and apparently its a really popular one because everyone on the bus is dancing and singing along. This is something straight from a movie. I'm sure I will look back on this and treasure the experience but now I'm just hoping we get on the right train.
12:20 pm: Got off the bus and made it onto the train for Budapest. Hopefully no more surprises. I just asked someone on the train and apparently we're only going to arrive an hour late so that's good. I am sufficiently parched. It is hot as hell and there is no food or drink cart on this train.
8:00 pm: Arrived in Budapest around 5 pm. As soon as I got off I was a bit overwhelmed. Its a huge city but without the English that I am used to in other cities. The metro was easy enough to understand and I got to the hostel with no problems. It is ridiculously hot and I arrived at the hostel in a big sweaty mess. The staff here are all extremely friendly and most are Brits or Aussies. The one guy gave me a map and circled all the places I should go and wrote down tips for me. He told me there was no way I could get the full Budapest experience in just a day and a bit but I'll just do my best. Unfortunately I won't have time to try the famous thermal baths but that gives me another reason to come back one day. I checked in and did some exploring in Pest (Budapest is divided into Buda and Pest). I saw the Terror House, the Great Synagogue, and St. Istvan's Cathedral. I walked to the Parliament buildings and to the Danube river. I walked along Vaci Utca, the main shopping drag. I did a lot in a few hours. The map was great so I had very few navigational problems. When I was reading about Budapest in my guidebook it warned of a tourist scam where women approach lone men and ask where they're from, start chit chatting with them and invite them for a drink at a bar of her choice. once there, the unsuspecting guy gets a bill for thousands of dollars and is surrounded by a bunch of thugs who demand payment or else the guy gets beat up and jumped, or worse. Of course as I'm walking around someone comes up and asks for directions. I tell her I'm not from here and she asks where I'm from. I told her and she said she had friends in Montreal. We chat a bit and then she asks if I want to get a drink because she knows a good place. Immediately I clue into what is happening. I looked her right in the eye and forcefully say leave me alone and walk away. Thank god for my previous research. I'm back at the hostel now getting ready because the hostel staff is taking us out to a karaoke bar in an hour. I need to go get food now since the only thing I ate today was some pringles for breakfast. I've met some great people here already (mostly Americans and Aussies as per usual). Definitely looking forward to tonight.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Day 5: Ljubljana aka The Ghost Town
1:00 am: My train arrived in Salsburg at 11 pm and I was supposed to get on the train for Slovenia at midnight but now it is delayed and won't be coming until 2 am. Gaaaaah! This train station is beyond sketchy. Because it's the middle of the night, the interior is closed so I'm waiting out here in the cold for my train. It's completely deserted except for two or three people. If there was one place where I was going to be murdered on this trip, this is it.
6:30 am: Finally arrived in Ljubljana!! My train came at 2 and I haven't slept yet because of my paranoia that I was going to sleep past my stop. I am exhausted. Unfortunately I can't get into my hostel room until two so I've dropped my bags off and am about to do some exploring. This place is definitely not as Westernized as everywhere else in Europe I've been to.
10:00 am: Is it time to go yet? Ljubljana is BORING! There really is not much to see or do at all. The guidebooks really exaggerate the sights here because they really aren't that great. It is Sunday so that might explain why no one is around but perhaps I'm just not used to a small city. The place definitely has charm. The bridges with dragons on them and the castle and old buidlings is what I expected from eastern Europe but for a solo traveler its really boring. And its definitely harder to meet people here because not as many english travelers come here. Apparently Slovenia isn't a hotspot for tourism yet. There's a town named Postonja about an hour away where you can go cave exploring so since I've pretty much seen all of Ljubljana in 4 hours, I think i'll go check it out.
4:30 pm: The cave was actually pretty cool! I guess this wasn't a wasted destination since not many people can say they took a train ride and walking tour through a huge cave. The travel guide failed to mention that the cave is a 30 min walk from the train station. With very few English signs and very few locals who speak english it was quite the adventure but I found it (Ps I think i was the only person there without blond hair and pastey skin). Anyway, the cave was beautiful although unfortunately photos were prohibited. The train ride through the train would definietly not have passed safety guidelines in N. America. I'm a whopping 5'6, and I had to duck a few times to avoid getting hit by stalactites (or are they stalagmites? I can't remember which ones come down from the ceiling). It was gorgeous though. At the end of the walking tour they had a tank full of these crazy white rare salamanders that I've seen on Planet Earth. Seeing them was definitely the highlight of the day. I've walked back to the main train station now to get back to Ljubljana and of course the next train isn't for another 2 hours. Tanning time! Apparently long waits at deserted train stations is the theme of the trip.
10:00 pm: got back to the hostel at 8 and checked in. I'm staying in a huge room with 12 matresses on the floor (no bed frames). I would not recommend it but it's apparently the only good hostel in town. I can't say that I reccomend Ljubljana in general. But I did say that I wanted to go somewhere atypical and that not many people see so I'm happy for the experience. This place does liven up at night and the city looks really pretty and charming all lit up. the million statues all over the place are all creepily dimly lit. I just wandered and enjoyed it. This place probably wouldn't have been so boring if i wasn't alone. this is the first time in my two Europe experiences that I've felt lonely in my travels. usually I meet people no problem but English is not common at all here. I'm heading to bed no since I need to be up at 5 am. Can't wait to leave and go to Budapest!
6:30 am: Finally arrived in Ljubljana!! My train came at 2 and I haven't slept yet because of my paranoia that I was going to sleep past my stop. I am exhausted. Unfortunately I can't get into my hostel room until two so I've dropped my bags off and am about to do some exploring. This place is definitely not as Westernized as everywhere else in Europe I've been to.
10:00 am: Is it time to go yet? Ljubljana is BORING! There really is not much to see or do at all. The guidebooks really exaggerate the sights here because they really aren't that great. It is Sunday so that might explain why no one is around but perhaps I'm just not used to a small city. The place definitely has charm. The bridges with dragons on them and the castle and old buidlings is what I expected from eastern Europe but for a solo traveler its really boring. And its definitely harder to meet people here because not as many english travelers come here. Apparently Slovenia isn't a hotspot for tourism yet. There's a town named Postonja about an hour away where you can go cave exploring so since I've pretty much seen all of Ljubljana in 4 hours, I think i'll go check it out.
4:30 pm: The cave was actually pretty cool! I guess this wasn't a wasted destination since not many people can say they took a train ride and walking tour through a huge cave. The travel guide failed to mention that the cave is a 30 min walk from the train station. With very few English signs and very few locals who speak english it was quite the adventure but I found it (Ps I think i was the only person there without blond hair and pastey skin). Anyway, the cave was beautiful although unfortunately photos were prohibited. The train ride through the train would definietly not have passed safety guidelines in N. America. I'm a whopping 5'6, and I had to duck a few times to avoid getting hit by stalactites (or are they stalagmites? I can't remember which ones come down from the ceiling). It was gorgeous though. At the end of the walking tour they had a tank full of these crazy white rare salamanders that I've seen on Planet Earth. Seeing them was definitely the highlight of the day. I've walked back to the main train station now to get back to Ljubljana and of course the next train isn't for another 2 hours. Tanning time! Apparently long waits at deserted train stations is the theme of the trip.
10:00 pm: got back to the hostel at 8 and checked in. I'm staying in a huge room with 12 matresses on the floor (no bed frames). I would not recommend it but it's apparently the only good hostel in town. I can't say that I reccomend Ljubljana in general. But I did say that I wanted to go somewhere atypical and that not many people see so I'm happy for the experience. This place does liven up at night and the city looks really pretty and charming all lit up. the million statues all over the place are all creepily dimly lit. I just wandered and enjoyed it. This place probably wouldn't have been so boring if i wasn't alone. this is the first time in my two Europe experiences that I've felt lonely in my travels. usually I meet people no problem but English is not common at all here. I'm heading to bed no since I need to be up at 5 am. Can't wait to leave and go to Budapest!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Day 4: Sunny Days in Vienna
11 am:
Last night was super! Yes i still use the word super. The bar at the hostel is great. Met some neat people but unfortunately alcohol has caused me to forget all their names. Went down to the bar at six for happy hour (which is misleading because happy hour actually lasted 3 hours). You can't go wrong with 1 euro beers. Met up with my german roommate. He wasn't the greatest guy to go to a bar with. He seemed really nice but he was very quiet and shy and dare i say socially awkward. Plus he didn't know much English so it took so much work to get him to talk (AND he ordered stew at the bar!?! First off, who does that? Secondly and more importantly, why is there stew at the bar? It was a bizarre series of events). So needliess to say as soon as some english-speaking people came to the bar, I ditched him (felt kinda bad but at least he got a good stew). Met a couple from S. Carolina and a hilarious guy from New Zealand who's dream it is to drive tractors in Canada. We made good use of our happy "hours". Along with 1 euro beers, the other drink special was Fizzy Vodka. We ordered one each and it turned out to be a shot of vodka followed by a shot of jello powder (ridiculous...reminded me of my botched attempt at Jello shooters at the cottage one year). Our bartender was absolutely amazing. He was super french, super flamboyant, and super awesome. And he gave me a bunch of drinks for free so he's good in my books. Later in the night we played Name That Tune at the bar which i was terrible at since i know hardly any songs and my reaction time was quite slow after all the drinks. But the guy from New Zealand was awesome at it and kept getting the songs right. Eventually, he couldn't handle any more free shots so he gave me the ones he was winning. It was definitely good times and I definitely slept well that night. Does the fact that I didn't leave a bar stool once from 6 pm to 3 am make me an alcoholic?? I don't know nor do i care. All i know is that next time i party back home we're doing Fizzy Vodka shots.
I checked out of my room an hour ago but I can use the hostel for anything until i need to leave. Breakfast here was awesome and I was definitely hungry. Nutella was consumed in epic proportions. I should just travel with it on an I.V. I am sufficiently satiated and am ready for some more sight seeing. It looks gorgeous outside (i secretly hope its raining back home). If i dont come back with a tan i'll be sufficiently disgruntled.
7:00 pm:
Had a sweet day. Walked to the flea market (on the way i stopped for 15 minutes to listen to a polka band equipped with leiderhosen and everything). the market was full of crap but it was still a cool experience. I made the mistake of wearing grey today and it was sooooo hot. i was sweating buckets. I literally had sweat dripping down my body. I took the metro to Prater Park and explored the park and the fairgrounds attached to it. Then went to the Danube river and met some people from Brazil. Hung out with them for a bit by the water and we walked along the boarwalk. It's lined with bars and water trampolines, dance areas, etc. It would probably be an awesome place to hang out on summer nights (vienna's version of the jersey shore).
Later in the afternoon I went to Schonbruun Palace. It was awesome. Of course you have to pay ridiculous prices to go inside so i just walked around the courtyard and the gardens instead. i had a really cool experience there. As i was walking out of the Palace into the Palace grounds in the back the have a huge hill with a buildling similar to a long Arc de Triomphe on top. It looks awesome looking up at it from below. Just as I saw it and was taking in its grandeur, an orchestra starting playing the theme song from Star Wars and it was blasting on all the speakers around the grounds. The epic music plus the views actually gave me goosebumps. i walked all the way up the hill (in my grey shirt which was basically a sponge by the time i got up there) and got some epic views of Vienna and the Palace below. They also have a rose garden and a zoo on the Palace grounds.
My guidebook recommended that I try Mafioso pizza (the best in Vienna) so i got some. It was pretty delicious but nothing compares to the heavenly pizza i had in naples last year. Vienna is by far the coffee capital of Europe, it runs through their veins. Alas, even here, I can't find a coffee that I actually like. Although it doesn't help that everything here is ridiculously strong. My train leaves in an hour so I'm heading over to the station now. Vienna was definitely a great city but I don't think it'll make my list of places i would want to return to.
9:00 pm:
On the train at last (it was delayed almost an hour). I'm due to arrive in Salzburg after midnight and then get on another train to Ljubljana at 1:30 am. My sleep pattern is gonna get messed up again because I paranoid of falling asleep on trains in case i sleep past my stop and end up somewhere in Russia or something. The kid three seats in front of me is driving me crazy. There should be a special train for children so no one else has to deal with them. I have become quite the jaded traveler lately. My patience for obnoxious/stupid/rude people has been running thin. But if countless years on the gem that is the LTC has taught me anything, it's that these type of people are to be expected on public transport. Anyway, excited for Slovenia tomorrow but i bit nervous since i heard no one speaks english there.
Last night was super! Yes i still use the word super. The bar at the hostel is great. Met some neat people but unfortunately alcohol has caused me to forget all their names. Went down to the bar at six for happy hour (which is misleading because happy hour actually lasted 3 hours). You can't go wrong with 1 euro beers. Met up with my german roommate. He wasn't the greatest guy to go to a bar with. He seemed really nice but he was very quiet and shy and dare i say socially awkward. Plus he didn't know much English so it took so much work to get him to talk (AND he ordered stew at the bar!?! First off, who does that? Secondly and more importantly, why is there stew at the bar? It was a bizarre series of events). So needliess to say as soon as some english-speaking people came to the bar, I ditched him (felt kinda bad but at least he got a good stew). Met a couple from S. Carolina and a hilarious guy from New Zealand who's dream it is to drive tractors in Canada. We made good use of our happy "hours". Along with 1 euro beers, the other drink special was Fizzy Vodka. We ordered one each and it turned out to be a shot of vodka followed by a shot of jello powder (ridiculous...reminded me of my botched attempt at Jello shooters at the cottage one year). Our bartender was absolutely amazing. He was super french, super flamboyant, and super awesome. And he gave me a bunch of drinks for free so he's good in my books. Later in the night we played Name That Tune at the bar which i was terrible at since i know hardly any songs and my reaction time was quite slow after all the drinks. But the guy from New Zealand was awesome at it and kept getting the songs right. Eventually, he couldn't handle any more free shots so he gave me the ones he was winning. It was definitely good times and I definitely slept well that night. Does the fact that I didn't leave a bar stool once from 6 pm to 3 am make me an alcoholic?? I don't know nor do i care. All i know is that next time i party back home we're doing Fizzy Vodka shots.
I checked out of my room an hour ago but I can use the hostel for anything until i need to leave. Breakfast here was awesome and I was definitely hungry. Nutella was consumed in epic proportions. I should just travel with it on an I.V. I am sufficiently satiated and am ready for some more sight seeing. It looks gorgeous outside (i secretly hope its raining back home). If i dont come back with a tan i'll be sufficiently disgruntled.
7:00 pm:
Had a sweet day. Walked to the flea market (on the way i stopped for 15 minutes to listen to a polka band equipped with leiderhosen and everything). the market was full of crap but it was still a cool experience. I made the mistake of wearing grey today and it was sooooo hot. i was sweating buckets. I literally had sweat dripping down my body. I took the metro to Prater Park and explored the park and the fairgrounds attached to it. Then went to the Danube river and met some people from Brazil. Hung out with them for a bit by the water and we walked along the boarwalk. It's lined with bars and water trampolines, dance areas, etc. It would probably be an awesome place to hang out on summer nights (vienna's version of the jersey shore).
Later in the afternoon I went to Schonbruun Palace. It was awesome. Of course you have to pay ridiculous prices to go inside so i just walked around the courtyard and the gardens instead. i had a really cool experience there. As i was walking out of the Palace into the Palace grounds in the back the have a huge hill with a buildling similar to a long Arc de Triomphe on top. It looks awesome looking up at it from below. Just as I saw it and was taking in its grandeur, an orchestra starting playing the theme song from Star Wars and it was blasting on all the speakers around the grounds. The epic music plus the views actually gave me goosebumps. i walked all the way up the hill (in my grey shirt which was basically a sponge by the time i got up there) and got some epic views of Vienna and the Palace below. They also have a rose garden and a zoo on the Palace grounds.
My guidebook recommended that I try Mafioso pizza (the best in Vienna) so i got some. It was pretty delicious but nothing compares to the heavenly pizza i had in naples last year. Vienna is by far the coffee capital of Europe, it runs through their veins. Alas, even here, I can't find a coffee that I actually like. Although it doesn't help that everything here is ridiculously strong. My train leaves in an hour so I'm heading over to the station now. Vienna was definitely a great city but I don't think it'll make my list of places i would want to return to.
9:00 pm:
On the train at last (it was delayed almost an hour). I'm due to arrive in Salzburg after midnight and then get on another train to Ljubljana at 1:30 am. My sleep pattern is gonna get messed up again because I paranoid of falling asleep on trains in case i sleep past my stop and end up somewhere in Russia or something. The kid three seats in front of me is driving me crazy. There should be a special train for children so no one else has to deal with them. I have become quite the jaded traveler lately. My patience for obnoxious/stupid/rude people has been running thin. But if countless years on the gem that is the LTC has taught me anything, it's that these type of people are to be expected on public transport. Anyway, excited for Slovenia tomorrow but i bit nervous since i heard no one speaks english there.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Day 3: Vienna
6 am:
ended up getting a Shepherd's Pie for dinner and it was supreme. I fricken love shepherd's pie. I would become a shepherd if it meant i could eat that all the time. Although sheep are kindy creepy...they're like walking clouds that sound like Chewbaca. Anyway, after dinner i met a really nice couple my age from Chicago and we ended up hanging out at the hostel, drinking and sharing travel stories. We met up with a bunch of other Americans and starting comparing countries and I was absolutely shocked to find out that Americans don't have ketchup chips (gasp!). I know, it makes my heart cry too. I feel sorry that they have been denied the wonder that is the ketchup chip. Decided not to go out since I had to be up at this ungodly hour and I was actually quite tired from travelling. I stayed up till about 2 anyway and woke up two hours later to get ready for my flight. I'm currently in the airport getting ready to fly to Vienna. Austria...land of Hitler and Schwarzenegger...here i come!
12 pm:
The flight was really good. Took less than two hours and it was smooth flying. EasyJet turned out to be a good choice. It was raining when i got in but it looks like it might be stopping. The hostel here is awesome! Wombats is a great hostel chain (i stayed with them in Berln last year). Both are equally impressive. I'll be hitting up the WomBar tonight for sure! I just checked in now and met a German guy in my room (I forget his name already). Off to see the city!
5:00 pm:
Just did 5 hours of walking! My legs are crying. The street our hostel is on is one huge shopping street. It was packed. It had your typical stores like H&M and Zara but i think my favourite store was Sexy Looks which sold fahionable sex clothes and accessories. And people don't think of it as any different than any other clothing store. Europeans are just so much more relaxed about these things. I saw the Museum Square which was gorgeous, the Parliament buildings, Liechenstein Palace, the Spanish Riding School, Peterskirche, St. Stephans Cathedral, the Opera house, Karlskirche, and the Naschmarkt. Sooo many things to see. Its a beautiful city and there's always something going on outside: outdoor concerts and BBQs, fuseball tournaments, dancing etc. I just had some Bratwurst sausage (delicious!!). I'm going to take a quick nap now since i'm exhausted but i need to get up at 6 because that's when happy hour starts at the bar!
ended up getting a Shepherd's Pie for dinner and it was supreme. I fricken love shepherd's pie. I would become a shepherd if it meant i could eat that all the time. Although sheep are kindy creepy...they're like walking clouds that sound like Chewbaca. Anyway, after dinner i met a really nice couple my age from Chicago and we ended up hanging out at the hostel, drinking and sharing travel stories. We met up with a bunch of other Americans and starting comparing countries and I was absolutely shocked to find out that Americans don't have ketchup chips (gasp!). I know, it makes my heart cry too. I feel sorry that they have been denied the wonder that is the ketchup chip. Decided not to go out since I had to be up at this ungodly hour and I was actually quite tired from travelling. I stayed up till about 2 anyway and woke up two hours later to get ready for my flight. I'm currently in the airport getting ready to fly to Vienna. Austria...land of Hitler and Schwarzenegger...here i come!
12 pm:
The flight was really good. Took less than two hours and it was smooth flying. EasyJet turned out to be a good choice. It was raining when i got in but it looks like it might be stopping. The hostel here is awesome! Wombats is a great hostel chain (i stayed with them in Berln last year). Both are equally impressive. I'll be hitting up the WomBar tonight for sure! I just checked in now and met a German guy in my room (I forget his name already). Off to see the city!
5:00 pm:
Just did 5 hours of walking! My legs are crying. The street our hostel is on is one huge shopping street. It was packed. It had your typical stores like H&M and Zara but i think my favourite store was Sexy Looks which sold fahionable sex clothes and accessories. And people don't think of it as any different than any other clothing store. Europeans are just so much more relaxed about these things. I saw the Museum Square which was gorgeous, the Parliament buildings, Liechenstein Palace, the Spanish Riding School, Peterskirche, St. Stephans Cathedral, the Opera house, Karlskirche, and the Naschmarkt. Sooo many things to see. Its a beautiful city and there's always something going on outside: outdoor concerts and BBQs, fuseball tournaments, dancing etc. I just had some Bratwurst sausage (delicious!!). I'm going to take a quick nap now since i'm exhausted but i need to get up at 6 because that's when happy hour starts at the bar!
Day 2: Loving London
6 pm:
England!! Arrived in London around noon after the longest flight. I luckily slept through the entire journey once we finally got into the air (after the in-flight meal of course). Why would I want to miss spicy rice chicken and two-bite brownies? I actually don't mind airplane food, at least they feed us. By the time i got out of the airport and took the train into town it was around 2 pm so I checked into my room. Hostels in London are kindy old and dingy but London itself is old and dingy so it's fitting. The weather is gorgeous right now (so very unlike London). I think everyone in the city is outside. My hostel was in Westminister so I decided to stick around that area, especially since I saw so much of the other parts of London last year. Went to St. James' park and explored the Palace area. As far as palaces go, Buckingham isn't so impressive but it still beats where I live so I can't really diss it. The park is awesome. It's nice to see a green side of London since the rest of the place is so industrial. Headed over to Picadilly Circus and Soho. It was absolutely packed. Good weather equals hordes of tourists and locals flooding the streets. I proceeded to try and do some shopping but apparently I don't fit into anything. London must be the capital of the men's skinny jean because I can't find a single pair of jeans that fit my apparently fat ass. Spent the rest of the afternoon exploring downtown and searching for my idol, Amy Winehouse but had no luck. That would seriously be amazing if I found her and we went out for a bottle or two (or three) of wine. London is definitely one of my favourite cities though. Each neighbourhood is just so different and has so much to offer. And somewhere Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is waiting for me. I firmly believe that my invitation was lost in the mail when I turned 11. Damn owl. Also, the people in London just seem so much cooler than the rest of us. Maybe its their quirky fashion or or their hipster attitude but I can't explain it. I have to say that listening to little children speak with a British accent is amazing!! I kept waiting to hear "Charlie bit my finger" but my ears weren't rewarded such a treat. Speaking of treats, I'm off to find some dinner. Perhaps some bangers and mash?
England!! Arrived in London around noon after the longest flight. I luckily slept through the entire journey once we finally got into the air (after the in-flight meal of course). Why would I want to miss spicy rice chicken and two-bite brownies? I actually don't mind airplane food, at least they feed us. By the time i got out of the airport and took the train into town it was around 2 pm so I checked into my room. Hostels in London are kindy old and dingy but London itself is old and dingy so it's fitting. The weather is gorgeous right now (so very unlike London). I think everyone in the city is outside. My hostel was in Westminister so I decided to stick around that area, especially since I saw so much of the other parts of London last year. Went to St. James' park and explored the Palace area. As far as palaces go, Buckingham isn't so impressive but it still beats where I live so I can't really diss it. The park is awesome. It's nice to see a green side of London since the rest of the place is so industrial. Headed over to Picadilly Circus and Soho. It was absolutely packed. Good weather equals hordes of tourists and locals flooding the streets. I proceeded to try and do some shopping but apparently I don't fit into anything. London must be the capital of the men's skinny jean because I can't find a single pair of jeans that fit my apparently fat ass. Spent the rest of the afternoon exploring downtown and searching for my idol, Amy Winehouse but had no luck. That would seriously be amazing if I found her and we went out for a bottle or two (or three) of wine. London is definitely one of my favourite cities though. Each neighbourhood is just so different and has so much to offer. And somewhere Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is waiting for me. I firmly believe that my invitation was lost in the mail when I turned 11. Damn owl. Also, the people in London just seem so much cooler than the rest of us. Maybe its their quirky fashion or or their hipster attitude but I can't explain it. I have to say that listening to little children speak with a British accent is amazing!! I kept waiting to hear "Charlie bit my finger" but my ears weren't rewarded such a treat. Speaking of treats, I'm off to find some dinner. Perhaps some bangers and mash?
Friday, June 4, 2010
Day 1: Toronto\London UK
7:24 pm:
There's no turning back now! My ride here was to say the least, excruciating. It took sooo long to get here (traffic was insane). And by here i mean pearson airport. I took Robert Q and the bus was absolutely packed (no seats empty at all). And just my luck the person who sat beside me was a 'seatmate of size'. I was plastered against the window the whole ride while his obese form slowly absorbed my body. I better be beside a twig on the plane. Security was a breeze. I think this is the first time i've never been checked or had my bags checked. Thankfully i checked in to my flight online before i left cuz i got to bypass a huge line. Currently I'm getting dinner in the airport because i doubt they will have a dinner on a 10 pm flight. Chicken Tenders await!!! Ill probably spend the next two hours studying for the MCATs. That's right! I study on a Euro trip. that'S just how i roll. But that's it for now. So far so good (except almost being eaten by Lardo McGee but I#ll forgive and forget.
8:30 pm: Airport chicken tenders suck
12:30 am: My plane should have left 2.5 hours ago but there was a problem with the plane's generator. The fact that's its been this long and still not fixed is worrisome. Why am i gonna be on the real life version of Lost? I would HATE to be stuck on an island with these people. I would have to find a way to harness my very own smoke monster to dispose of them. the guy beside me is nice but a) he is indeed a larger fellow and b) he keeps taking over my space! No one needs to spread their legs that wide (its almost indecent) And he#s lying with his chair reclined all the way back so the woman behind him can't even get out. Total ignorance of plane etiquette. Even worse is the kid in front of me. I#ve never heard whining like this before, he took it to a whole new level. I just want to give his seat a roundhouse kick but i can't because of the guy's sprawling limbs beside me. Can you tell its been a frustrating night? lol. I just want to get this show on the road (or in this case, off the road). But London awaits and I do love that city so much, especially since the weather is supposed to be unnaturally nice.
There's no turning back now! My ride here was to say the least, excruciating. It took sooo long to get here (traffic was insane). And by here i mean pearson airport. I took Robert Q and the bus was absolutely packed (no seats empty at all). And just my luck the person who sat beside me was a 'seatmate of size'. I was plastered against the window the whole ride while his obese form slowly absorbed my body. I better be beside a twig on the plane. Security was a breeze. I think this is the first time i've never been checked or had my bags checked. Thankfully i checked in to my flight online before i left cuz i got to bypass a huge line. Currently I'm getting dinner in the airport because i doubt they will have a dinner on a 10 pm flight. Chicken Tenders await!!! Ill probably spend the next two hours studying for the MCATs. That's right! I study on a Euro trip. that'S just how i roll. But that's it for now. So far so good (except almost being eaten by Lardo McGee but I#ll forgive and forget.
8:30 pm: Airport chicken tenders suck
12:30 am: My plane should have left 2.5 hours ago but there was a problem with the plane's generator. The fact that's its been this long and still not fixed is worrisome. Why am i gonna be on the real life version of Lost? I would HATE to be stuck on an island with these people. I would have to find a way to harness my very own smoke monster to dispose of them. the guy beside me is nice but a) he is indeed a larger fellow and b) he keeps taking over my space! No one needs to spread their legs that wide (its almost indecent) And he#s lying with his chair reclined all the way back so the woman behind him can't even get out. Total ignorance of plane etiquette. Even worse is the kid in front of me. I#ve never heard whining like this before, he took it to a whole new level. I just want to give his seat a roundhouse kick but i can't because of the guy's sprawling limbs beside me. Can you tell its been a frustrating night? lol. I just want to get this show on the road (or in this case, off the road). But London awaits and I do love that city so much, especially since the weather is supposed to be unnaturally nice.
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