Lost Earlobes and Such
Yesterday I left the hostel intent on wandering Amsterdam. Then it poured. There is film festival (only documentaries) going on right now so I decided to see a film. But it was hard to choose since the descriptions were in Dutch. So things clear up and I decide to continue plan A. It turns out Amsterdam is wonderfully scenic. It is built completely around all of these canals and there are lots of flower markets. So I spent the day wandering, the weather kept alternating between sunny skies and pouring rain so I kept dashing in and out of shops. Its not as cold as Berlin. Thank goodness. On the otherhand there is no snow. I got The Two Towers. I finished the Fellowship and decided there would be no waiting until I'm at home with my pre-purchased volumes.
I made a vegetable stew. Which I think will last me the rest of my stay. It's a bit bland (and I dropped half the tomatoes on the floor) but its nice to save a bit of money on food if not on accomidations.
Today at breakfast i met an Austrailian girl, Sarah, from Melbourne. She wears green cowboy boots and doesn't seem to give too much thought to mathing...so I knew I would like herfrom the git-go. We went to the Van Gogh museum which was very interesting I thought. I was sad they didn'thouse Starry Night (is that what its called?) but they had a pretty good collection and his life story is really fascinating. He was really an eccentric character and did go mad at the end. He was pretty much a self made artist. And he wrote this amazing amount of letters almost all to his younger brother who financially supported him his entire life. And who died (of greif?) shortly after he shot himself. Theo(his brother) was only 34 and had only been married a couple of years with a one year old son (Vincent).
Then we went to see the "World Premiere" of a short doc about adopted Dutch children (7 total) who go to visit for the first time their drug addicted birth mother which turns out anticlimactic. But sadly probably not unlike many reunions. It was called "Mum" and all the kids and their Dutch parents were there. Then the main film "A Love Apart" about a Nigerian girl's arranged marriage. The ritual of her lying in a tent for weeks before the wedding not allowed to talk or move really so that she is super-weak (submissive?) for her wedding day I found a bit distressing. Of course she was willing and you can chalk it up to culture. But it many of the people of the community did not approve of arranged marriages for their own daughters and were not continuing the custom in that way. So it was interesting. Very non-Western. And the camels galloping through the desert were truely bizzare.
Tomorrow, I have loads to do. I've hardly taken any pictures. I was just inthe kitchen with 10 other people... none of the same nationality. I love it.
Amsterdam
I arrived in Amsterdam last night. Our train was delayed because of "engine trouble" and we went though a fair bit of snow. But it is dry here and i did find my hostel. It's still very cold and I don't know what I want to do other than the Anne Frank house, maybe the Van Gogh museum and there's supposed to be a film festival going on right now. And shop. Ahhh. The door is open and I'm freezing. Yay for free internet and free breakfast and a kitchen. But the actual dorms are pretty cramped. Cold, its so cold.
Ausgang baby!
Tomorrow afternoon (I´m going to cram in my daylight hours) I am leaving Berlin for Amsterdam. I will be sorry to leave because I have a had a really nice past couple of days. Yesterday, I went on the all-day walking tour. They didn´t take the all-day part lightly so I spent from 11 in the morning to 7 at night and I left a stop short because I had to make my opera. We had a pretty good group. Including an older woman I met in Prague, Rosemary (from New Mexico), who is going to Warsaw to visit her nephew and have her face lifted. Two Canadians, two Austrailians, two Londoners, two other Americans and a girl from Singapore, Kirsten, who I spent today with as well. Kirsten, is studying in Vienna this semester and is on holiday for a few days. We made it all around the city starting in the Jewish quarter and ending conveinently right next to the Opera house where all the books were burned. Our tour guide, Victoria (from Brighton but her father is German) was fantastic so I will struggle to keep in my brain some of the great stories about the history of Berlin. We went to a really good exposition on the Stasi, the secret police that went to extremes to keep incredibly detailed files on any "suspicious persons" which apparently meant a third of Berlin. Towards the end of the trip we also made a detour to a chocolate shop. Full of chocolate statues and hot chocolate... the later of which I got.
My opera was quite nice. I could see the whole of the stage if I leaned over and put my face against the railing... and I did. I don´t know where I got the idea that "Passion" was based on "Tosca"...they both have female leads of the same name but it is definitely NOT the same story. There were three acts, and three very different extravagant sets. They even had subtitles, but they were in German and absolutely no use to me. From what I could gather, Mario the handsome but cheeky young painter is in love with Tosca. He lives in a monastary for an unknown reason and is pulled out and put in prison for some dearly loved cause. Unbeknowst to him, the man who had him arrested had alterior motives. He too was in love with Tosca! And tries to use Mario and his position to take cruel advantage of her. So she stabs him to death. But not before cleverly getting him to sign something saying she can see Mario one last time. So she goes to see him and he´s happy and says something like "Tosca, my darling, even though you are a fat and middle aged opera singer and I am a strapping young man, I love you. But I cannot give up my principles!" Then he is shot to death by a firing squad. Tosca, who apparently didn´t catch what he was saying before hand. Thinks he is just playing and when she figures out he is dead... boy is she upset. So when the guard comes back she sings some high notes and jumps out the window. THE very dramatic END. I quite liked it. The orchestra was nice and they did loads of typical opera poses. Oh, and everyone bowed. And bowed and bowed. They bowed at the end of each act. And then for about 20 minutes at the end. At least. Yes, true opera fashion.
Today Kirsten and I met up and went to a flea market. This was actually much closer to the flea markets we have at home. Everyones actual old junk. Then we went to an outdoor exhibit on the Gestapo and Nuremburg trails. It was very good but WAY too cold. We only did about half of it and then read some of the books inside. We went to a Chinese/ Kabab place (everytings /Kabab here. And I had a huge portion of sweet and sour tofu. Good stuff. Then we found the Sony center where (Yeeeeeeees!) HARRY POTTER was playing! So I went to see Harry Potter and Kirsten went to see the Exorcism of Emily Rose. It was great. It took them 30 minutes to get through the commercials (all in German) and preveiws. Then we got a 10 minute intermission halfway through. The theatre was ultra modern there was a guy playing the piano where you bought your popcorn. And Harry Potter was amazing. I don´t think I could have waited.
Achtung baby!
Last night I caught the train to Berlin. On the train I met a girl named Katrina, who is from Belgium but is living in Berlin working. She´s a professional cello-ist (cellist?) and was coming home from an audition. It was interesting to talk to her since she´s a bit older (29) and similarly trying to make a living of performing. But I think she´s doing quite well, she has done tons of travelling and she has a CD coming out soon. Musicians have to go through the same sorts of job seeking processes as actors. And so of course it can be frustrating. Her mother lived in Buffalo, New York for a while (though she´s originally from Germany) so we talked a bit about the States.
I found my hostel soon enough and went to sleep as soon as I could. I was exhausted.I woke up late and it was SNOWING! It´snowed all day and it´s really nice, abeit cold. I went to coffee house and had a pastry that I still have some of in my bag because it is too sweet to eat much of at one time. While I was there and warm I tried to plan my day. I started out by heading to Reichstag and then to Brandenburger Tor. Right around where the wall was. But I couldn´t tell what was remains and what was just construction. I think I´m going to take a tour tomorrow since I have such a short time here. That way I can´t have missed too much by breezing past and not seeing more than a big building or statue. Today I did a good job of sightseeing. I´m trying to take my mother´s advice and look at the rest of my trip as the start of a sizable 3 week European adventure instead of the tail end of a 3 month one. It´s hard not to get lazy with the short days. But today did a fair bit. I stuck to the Berlin Mitte section of town where my hostel is located. That´s the middle of Berlin, sort of bearing east. It used to be divided by the Berlin Wall.
I went to the opera house and got a ticket for "Tosca" the Pucchini opera that "Passion" the Sondheim musical is based on. It only cost me €4 and I´m pretty excited considering A) it´s all in Italian and B) I was assured by the man who sold me the seat that I would not be able to see a thing. Ha. Next to the opera house a giant Christmas fair is going on. They were finishing up putting a small iceskating ring up and most of the vendors and rides are all already there. There´s a ferris wheel and a roller coaster and a scrambler. And cotton candy and candy apples. And even a few cheesy/scary games you can win prizes from. So I took a stroll through. Then I went out to Museum Island. I didn´t actually go into any of the museums. I also saw the Berliner Dom which is the Protestant version of all the ornate Catholic churches I´ve seen.
I decided to go into an exhibit on Anne Frank. Partially becaues I was freezing. But it was excellent. I really like exhibits more than museums. They tend to be smaller and concentrate on only one thing. So when you leave a couple hours later you really have seen the WHOLE thing. I just feel like I learn and retain more compared to when I´m overwhelmed and scattered. It was in German but I watched a 30 minute documentary in English and the English guide covered almost all of the writing on the exhibit. I knew quite a bit of the information having read Anne Frank´s diary at least twice and having studied the Holocaust. But it´s still so striking to realize that these things, that to my mind are just distant stories,
actually happened. It´s spooky. In the background of the pictures of Hitler and the Nazi soliders there were many of the same sights
I saw today.At several times during the exhibit I had a pang where I either felt I might throw up or cry. One of these times was looking at a replica of was the newspaper ad Otto Frank put in (among a thousand others) looking for his daughters. He lost his entire family. And this is only one persons story. One of six million. It´s just bewildering. And the really disturbing part to me is it wasn´t that long ago. 100 years ago Anne Frank wasn´t even born. I know there have been many, many other atrocities in history and some are still going on. And it seems they all come down to people making the assumption that THEY can say that one life is more valuable than another. Whether because of religion or race or lifestyle or just fear of something different than themselves. It´s a dangerous line of thought. And it is prevelant in our society.
Off the soap box. After the Anne Frank exhibit I went to the supermarket so I am about to go back to the hostel and eat. I´m up to date on my pictures! Hoorah. I should have downloaded that Easy Upload thing MUCH sooner.
Mock Thanksgiving in Prague!
Yesterday I spent all day with my new friend Jackie. She is from L.A. (originally Mexico) and traveling almost the exact same time/route as me! But she's leaving in a week instead of three. We explored the Old Town Prague. The weather is still not holding out for me. It's cold and cloudy but no snow. On our way to Old Prague we wandered into a Aqua-Therm convention. We suspect that the lady didn't make us pay because she could tell we had no idea what we were trying to get into. Which was true. We thought it was a fair type thing. We at the park looking for the ferris wheel and iceskating promised. But we found an aquatherm convention about heating and toilets and such. It was great. A mingle with real Czechs who had no idea what we were doing there.
I got new glasses. And so have lessened my reliance on duct tape. Also tons of yarn and wooden knitting needles which are way better than metal or plastic as it turns out.
We decided to fix ourselves a little Thanksgiving dinner last night... since neither of us will be home or anywhere especially conducive to the holiday today. We made mashed potatos, green beans, a zucchini and tomato dish, rolls, salad (that we never made it around to eating), she made chicken, and wine out of box for less than a dollar. It was delicious. It was classy. It was fun... though the preparation was a bit long. Then we went downstairs where we listened to real Irish folk music. Courtesy of three wee lads from Ireland, Cormmack, Rory and Brian. These boys imparted the little Thanksgiving knowledge that it was NOT infact Chris Columbus who discovered America. (No!!!) IT WAS an IRISHMAN (of course). A monk by the name of Saint Brandon. He rowed across the Atlantic on a little boat. And they even sang us a song about it. And I can't laugh about it because it isn't funny IT'S TRUE. But our box wine was hilarious. We had a really good/late night hanging out with our Irish blokes. They even sang a few songs I knew. Vincent (Don McLean) and the Tiny Sparrow song (I don't remember the actual name). And Cormmack knew Eva Cassidy. I tried to tell them about Peter, Paul and Mary and American folk music. Rory wrote all the names I gave him down. But he's not a Bob Dylan fan so that caused a bit of a rift in the relationship. At least for me. So then I had to make him write down a list of terrific Bob Dylan songs that everyone should love. I think he will be won over yet.
Today I'm heading to Berlin. And we have heaps of left overs to eat before we leave. In the Thanksgiving tradition.
In Praha
I arrived in Prague last night. I actually tried to blog twice in Budapest and the computer shut down on me halfway through TWICE. Different computers even. I guess it wasn't meant to be. The last day in Budapest I spent wandering around Buda and Margit Island (the huge-island park where everyone goes on sunday to bring their dogs/children). It was snowing in Budapest when I left. And its not snowing here! But its cold and cloudy so maybe it will come. The train was long. I got crammed in with a bunch of students and a teacher it looked like. I coulnd't understand anything they were saying but they were very funny. Halfway through the trip they broke out the alcohol and offered me a drink.
When I arrived in Prague it was dark. The metro seemed nice but everything else seemed sketchy. Luckily I found an Austrailian couple going the same place. Ironically as soon as I got into my room, in walked another Austrailian couple I had met in Corfu. Beck and Rob (thats not his name but someing like that. So now I've seen 3 backpackers twice by mere chance. Really only two since these are together. There seems to be tons to do here. Second hand stores and ice skating (I never made it to the one in Budapest) and loads of cafes and sights. I think I'll go for a bit of a wander.
Et tu, Saturday?
So I didn't do much yesterday. I didn't manage to make it out of the hostel until after 1. And things start closing at 1, 2, and 3 on Saturdays... if they are open at all. Which I didn't really prepare for. So I'm here another day! Hoorah. I did use my few hours of sunlight yesterday (it's dark at 4:30) to trek around down Vaci utca. The pedestrian street with all the shops. So I got a scarf and tobaggon (beanie/touke) and some postcards and other odds and ends which mean that I have to go back to the ATM machine to fund myself today. It was nice and the weather was gorgeous again. And I looked at the weather in Prague and it said "Snowstorm". I hope I see snow! Today I'm taking care of business. And going ice skating.
The Baths
Madeleine and I met up yesterday and followed through with our plan of going to the baths. Despite the fact the weather was gorgeous. As it is today. I have never been happier that CNN.com is completely inaccurate about the weather in Budapest. The baths were amazing. It was crowded. Mostly old people and tourists. First we went to the outside ones (yes, OUTSIDE) which took a bit of nerve. The air was cold but the water was HOT. At least in the first pool. The worst part was getting up the courage to get out and try to make it to the next outdoor pool. The second outdoor pool we did not get in because it was the lap pool and did not have an acceptible warmth factor. The third was a current pool. Meaning (I just made up the name) there were currents that pushed you along in it. There was a circle in the middle. The inner circle became a jacuzi, bubbling every 10 minutes or so. The outer was a whirl pool. It was a little like a ride because the water shooting out was enough to make you loose control and go faster than you meant. We were ran into and did some running into people ourselves. Then we went to the indoor pools. Which were ten fold. I didn't really count but there were a bunch. Each seemed to be a different temperature. There were people doing water aerobics and a whirlpool that was not warm enough. There were also saunas which are not for the faint of heart.
We didn't end up leaving until nearly 6. And we got there about noon. So it took a full day. We splurged a bit on Hungarian pedicures which it turns out has not much to do with painting your nails. More taking off your skin. It didn't hurt or anything, actually feels nice now...but we were a little freaked out.
Then I went home and ate dinner at my hostel and took a nap. I ended up going out with a big group last night. We didn't even leave until nearly 2. So I walked home through Budapest at 6 o'clock this morning with a Serbian and a Bulgarian. I won't pretend I'm not proud I can say that. Just try to trump it. Needless to say I am tired. I have so much left to see here and only one day! I honestly would probably stay another if I thought anything would be open on Sunday. Apparently "Hello" in Hungarian is pronounced "See you".
Pest
Despite being promised 5 days or rain and flurries, today was a beautiful day in Budapest. I met up with Madeline but it was too pretty outside to go to the baths just yet..plus she hadn't bought a bathing suit. We're going tomorrow. Today we did a bit of wandering. We found an amazing, huge market. Food on the bottom, clothes and souveneirs on top. I'll probably go back and grab some fresh produce. We went by the Danube river which was windy and cold. Then we went by St. Stephen's Bascilica and saw the good saint's mummified hand. Which was a bit gross, though beautifully incased. Then we went by the famous Opera House... where we are going to either see Romeo and Julia (yes Julia in Hungary), the ballet or Rigelleto. Then we walked down to the city park past many famous buildings that we didn't bother checking on the map. In the park there is an ice skating rink (also a plan) and the baths that we are going to tomorrow. We ate at a nice restuarant. Mostly because we were starving. I got vegetable soup and ravioli with paprika cream sauce. I hear they put paprika in everything here so I didn't want to miss out. After that we went on a quest for a bathing suit. And I visited Madeline's hostel which got an influx of 12 Spanish boys.
I've already decided to stay an extra day. I love my hostel. It is very laid back. Last night I did yoga with the other lodgers, led by the guy in the bed next to me (for Dad: duh,not the same bed). I can't really figure out if he works here or is just lodging here extensively. He's practically a contortionist and loads us up on loads of Eastern thought and strange foods. Right now I am waiting for my laundry to run. I just can't face going back to handwashing everything. Tomorrow, I want to go to the Statue park. And take a communism tour. We didn't cross the river to Buda today but stayed in Pest. I want to go the island in the middle of the river especially if I get another sunny day. Flurries are still in the forecast.
Budapest.
I'm here! At an internet cafe. I should be at my hostel using the free internet except for I didn't write down the correct directions and so spent an hour wandering around. But one strange apricot-and-chocolate-bits McFlurry later, I am feeling up to trying again. I met a girl from Florida on the train this morning, Madeline. We also met Walter Frey, an old German man who practiced his English on us. Madeline and I are meeting up tomorrow to go to the thermal baths. OOh.
Salt (eng. traslation) burg
Yesterday I slept most of my day away. I decided to go out at 4 and buy some clothes. I bought: a coat, socks (which is good because I only had 1.5 pairs left and had been wearing the same ones for almost a week), these funny cotton tights, gloves, and a longsleeve shirt. Now I feel much warmer. Even last night I saw several things (a church I think we sang at and the mountain wall and the Mozart museum) that I recognize. Which is a bit odd to think about since I only saw them once and it was 8 years ago. The familiarity is nice. Though its a distant one.
I almost went out with some funny Londoners and Aussies in my room but I had a headache from all the talking. But this morning I woke up feeling much better and the sun was out! So I rented a bike. Salzburg is very bike and pedestrian friendly. It´s almost un-European of them. Everyone stops at stoplights and the walkers don´t start walking until the little green man lights up. Anyway at first I couldn´t get anywhere. I kept on winding up close to where I started. I set out again and found the downtown area. I climbed the many, many stairs to go inside the fortress. The oldest complete castle in Europe or something like that. Their claim to fame is that the castle has NEVER been successfully attacked. What they mean is that it was only taken once, surrendered without a fight to Napoleon. I took an audio tour. My first. Because I´m cheap and this one was included. It was pretty interesting. And I saw the Salzburg Bull... the Organ, which my guide book says is called that because its horribly off key. The audio guide admitted it only playd F major triads but mentioned nothing about that being unpleasant. The fortress also had a marionnette museum. Marionettes are creepy. It also had spectacular veiws of Salzburg.
Everyone is decorating for Christmas. A tree had even been erected in the time it took me to get back off the mountain. And there was iceskating. I biked around a bit while the sun went down and of course got myself lost just in time for complete darkness. But with the help of two friendly Salzburgers and my trusty map I managed to make it home, albeit cold.
I decided to spring for the (sort of pricey) hostel dinner. Everyones been talking about how good they are. The portions are huge. I got vegetable and spinach and cheese schnitzel or struddle or something like that. And salad. And potatos and veggies. It was terrific. And now I´m fat and happy and I want to sleep. I´m going to wake up early tomorrow morning to catch the first train to Budapest.
Officially Ill.
Yesterday proved frustratingly nonproductive. It turns out Germany closes on Sundays. So I had loads of clothing stores, T-mobiles (with one particularly big T-mobile) and supermarkets just sitting there mocking me. I seriously considered staying the night in Munich and going to Salzburg later today. But I couldn´t be bothered to change my plans. And I was too cold to stay in Munich any longer. I took a big walk around the city. Saw the glockenspeil and the castle and somesort of marching band parade. Stopping in at the occasional Starbucks or McDonalds to regather my strength.
I got into Salzburg around 7 and found my way to the hostel fairly easily. I met a Canadian brother/sister wonder team (Lucas and Ashley) who I talked to and exchanged money with (they had just been to Budapest). Then I turned in for an early night. I haevn´t seen much of Salzburg yet (except the inside of C&A... but didn´t buy much because they don´t take credit cards...I´ll have to go back). I think I´ll take a look around this afternoon and maybe go for a nap. I want to see the city... but its SO cold.
In Munich
I got in to Munich about an hour ago. Paid €1.10 to use the W.C. ( I tried to rectify the situation by stealling half a roll of toilet paper to blow my nose on). Yesterday was a very COLD day in Venice. So instead of doing any of the planned things I mostly wandered around trying to decide on warmer clothes to buy. This wasn´t altogether bad since it turns out there´s not too much to do in Venice but shop. Karen left around noon so from then on I wandered around the city. It started getting darker and colder around 4pm so I got on the nearest ferry and took it to the end of the line. This happened to be the island Lido. Which I think would be nicer on a warmer meeting. As it was I found a shop to try on several winter coats and hats but came away with nothing. I also stopped by the attached grocery store for dinner. Paid €2 for 20 minutes of internet which was the best deal I could find. That´s even with discount. Now I´m paying €2 for 2 hours. Which is more like it. Plus this was the only thing open at 6:30 when I got into town. It was an uncomfortable night on the train. I chose a €5 seat over a €25 couchette. Which I stand by. But they came and checked my ticket FOUR times. These Germans/Austrians don´t mess around. Then when I finally was able to lay down for a bit these 4 dressed up Germans came busting in, chain smoking (in the closed compartment) and trying out new cellphone rings. It´s 4:30 in the morning. Just as I think I´ve come up with a plan to ruin the guy-accross-from-me´s all white tux I realize they´ve gotten quiet and not too much longer they leave. I think I´m coming down with a cold. And my bleeding heart gave away two cold medicine pills to one of the funny guys (studying in Milan...not dodgy)I met in the train station last night. Never again. I also met a girl and her grandmother from Indiana last night in the train station. They were going to Zurich. Today my goals are clear: buy warm clothes (within budget and within storage space), wear said clothes, maybe see a sight, get to Salzburg.
Ja.
Pace.
Karen and I got a beautiful day today in Venezia though when we got up and were kicked out of our hostel (9:30 am) the fog was still too thick to see. We went to the market to get stuff for lunch and ran into (several times today) children banging pots and pans. And singing occassionally. They turned out to be raising money for their school. We had 24 hour passes on the vaporetti (waterbuses) so we decided to take a long one down the canal to see what we could see. We met an Aussie couple from Sydney on a month long around-the-world honeymoon. Venice is truely amazing... I really have no idea how it is not all underwater.
Later we went to Murano and saw some glass blowing. Then we wandered into the "show room" and then basically told we weren't supposed to be there but we could stay anyway. So we took a quick walk back to the door and left. Then the guy came and found us in the little gift shop and insisted we come back and see the show rooms. There were glass light fixtures/chantelliers everywhere. He took us up to see these glass horse heads which cost about $100,000 American. We got to talking to the guy (who told me his name...I'm pretty sure it began with an F and ended with an O)Maybe Fabritzio. He was dreamy. And he says he's a stock broker and is trying to sell his house in West Palm. I look exactly like his girlfriend from when he was 18. So I got a kiss on the head and a marriage proposal out of him so all together it wasn't a bad haul.
We spent most of the evening wandering around Venice proper. We went to San Marco where the pigeons will cover you for a little bit of feed. We didn't do it...but it was fun watching everyone else be attacked. Then we went on an hour long trek to retrace our steps and find this chocolate cake we saw in the window of a bakery. Man, it was good.
Tomorrow I'm spending another day in Venice and then taking the overnight to Munich just for the day. I'll spend the next night in Salzburg. Probably at the Yoho, Mom and Dad.
I finished "The Hobbit" and am debating whether to just continue on and go through "The Fellowship of the Rings". Decisions.
In Venice!
Two straight days of travelling later...I'm alive. After my last post in Corfu karma kicked in and it was cloudy. But we watched DVDs and played dominos and went to the beach all the same. And Karen (from Alberta, Canada) moved into my room and we decided to travel to Venice together. Our ferry plans took a frustrating turn yesterday. We woke up to catch a taxi at 5:15am to catch the 7:00am ferry to Venice that didn't sail that day. In fact there were NO ferries at all to Italy from Corfu (off-season is a bit of a hassle on Greek islands). So we went to Igoumenitsa where we caught the 8:00 PM ferry overnight to Ancona where we caught the noon train to Bologna and then Venice. We actually spent a nice day in Igoumenitsa with Sam (New Zealand) and Mike (from Poland). The sun came out and we rented a car and went to the beach and exploring around the island. Sam broke her arm in 3 places while at the Pink Palace so they were just finally making it off the island. We also had a good cheap meal at a port restuarant.
The ferry wasn't as nice as the one on the way over here. By which I mean they actually made me sleep on the DECK. Like outside. On plastic benches. Luckily, the deck steward took pity and let us sleep inside next to the stairs/elevator. It was still pretty uncomfortable and cold. Also we were on the same part of the ships as the dogs. Everyone looked like hobos. It's been a rush of trains since. We got into Venice around 5pm and took the waterbus to our hostel. Which is pretty nice and just across the canal from the center of town. My new schedule is as follows: Munich, Salzburg, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Frankfurt(Sweinfurt), Dublin, London. I may add Budapest. Karen went and says was nice, safe, and cheap. Love!
Corfu
As it turns out Corfu is somewhat of a ghost town except in the summer (when its wild). The first night I was here I went down to the village (The Pink Palace is not actually in Corfu town) to try to find an ATM and NOTHING was open. It was almost spooky because you can tell things WERE open not so long ago. But all their aren't drinks in the coolers and there are newspapers over the doors. I found one Mexican resturant and a couple of people rummaging inside a dark travel agency building.
Yesterday I met three Canadian guys at breakfast and we all went "quading". This is the equivalent of 4-wheeling. It was tons of fun. And I got to see a huge part of the island I wouldn't have seen otherwise. They have really cool trees here. And everythings hills and valleys. We found 13th century Byzantine fortress ruins and an abandoned monastary which seemed to be at the highest point around. We could see the end of the island. We ate lunch near the lake/cove. There is a really good chance we were the only customers all day and definitely up to that point. There was a small sign saying they were open and when we asked the woman if she served food we got a "sure, why not?" sort of answer. It was funny. The food was very good. The boys got kabab type things and fries and I got a veggie pizza. There was no menu we had to try to negotiate the menu with the woman and her English was very broken...and of course our Greek was nonexistant. She had a very hard time understanding that I didn't eat meat:) There were a huge amount of cats around. We ate out side. The woman's mother who she told us "is 80 years old" helped get the table ready. The guys, John(ny), Pete(r), and Mike are all in the Salvation Army brass band at home. Trombone, tuba, and 1st cornet respectively. They are really good guys. While we were getting our quads ready a guy came in on the Pink Palace bus who Johnny knew in high school. It was very bizarre. He was starting his first day of work there.
It got sort of cold last night after a nice warm day as usual. I'm paying 7.50 euro right now to have everything that is cloth washed. Seriously, my rain jacket and the clothes I have on now are the only things that made it out of the pile. I think I've been a bit spoiled lately on the clothes washing thing. I'm planning on ditching some of my summer clothes and obtaining some wintery ones as soon as I get off the island.
It gets dark SO EARLY here. The sun is going down by 5:30 and its as pitch-dark-as-it-will-get by 6:30. Free dinner, which is FANTASTIC (and a relief because nothing else is open), starts at 8:30 and I'm always starving. Today for breakfast we had a Greek omlets. I still have my room to myself... and I really think it will keep. Which is so nice for a change. Luckily I don't have much to spend money on as I don't have much because there are no ATMs. I may have stayed too long here because the day I was planning on travelling you can't actually catch a ferry until midnight. Oops. I hope the weather holds. I'm heading down to the beach!
Tropical Island Paridise? Check.
I'm in Corfu! And it only took 12 hours and 50 euro to get here! I'm staying at the Pink Palace. Where I got a free shot of bright pink ouzo when I checked in (about 8:30 in the morning my time) then I got free breakfast.And it was eggs! But I'm going to ask them to leave out the hotdog tomorrow. And I get dinner free too. They have a vegetarian option and I hope hope its Greek Salad. Because I've heard those are amazing in Greece. I just spent 3 hours on the beach reading The Hobbit. Its getting good. Right now I have the room all to myself. There are only 3 other beds(no bunks) and we have a little porch. Man, this is great. I haven't met anyone yet except the guy from Florida who picked me up and the very funny owner of the hostel, Magda who drove only me on the big Pink Palace van/bus listening and singing to loud Greek music and swearing at her brother on the phone. I had company on the train from Rome, a guy named Julio, who gave me the name of an easy to make Tuscan veggie soup. He's studying in Switzerland but is from Italy. Last night in Bari I met this another guy named Lemi who helped me find my way to the ferry. The first ferry was very posh and it was exciting to watch BBC World News in English. Of course it was the only thing to watch so it started repeating. I kept sleeping on limbs and had to wake up at 4am to get off the ferry at Igomenistia so it wasn't altogether comfortable. I had to take ANOTHER ferry to Corfu, less huge. It was very disheartening to walk of ferry #1 and see only a huge parking lot. I ended up having to walk to the other port which wasn't too far and luckily it was almost 6 Greek time.But still dark. I've had the greatest weather lately. I hope it keeps. I thought I got myself a dog this afternoon. "Spice" or "Mogly", a black and white dog followed me around for hours. The water is completely clear here. Also there are lots of jutting rock formations. Pebbles AND sand. Mostly sand. Hoorah. Also I saw a random donkey in feild next to the beach. The Pink Palace is huge.
In Short.
Still having a great time in Rome. Yesterday I went to see the Collesseum, the Forum, did Anceint Rome up right. Today I went with Robyn (from Salt Lake City) and Julie (from Wisconsin) to the Vatican. I thought the Sistine Chapel would be bigger... and rounder. But still very cool. Having great weather. Sorry so short, 1am curfew. Also, probably won't be able to call tonight Mom. Sorry, I'm hopeless. Tomorrow I'm catching the overnight ferry to Greece! Hoorah for Corfu and the beach! Yeeeeeees. I love Rome... did I say that?
Roma: Day 1
Last night I checked into my hostel, Gulliver's House. Which is very nice and centrally located (Thanks Peggy!). I met a girl from North Carolina who left early this morning to catch her flight home and is probably already there now... which is mindboggling. Also two Aussies who are travelling together who I may go with to Vatican City tomorrow. Today, I wandered around on my own. It was overcast and even started to rain a bit but I managed to do some sightseeing anyway. I took a Let's Go walking tour. A bunch of things were closed today because it's "All Saint's Day". And they didn't do much for Halloween that I could tell. Sarah says that "Rome is still too Catholic for Halloween". I hope I am never that Catholic. So I walked down Via Nationale to Museo Capitolini. Then back to watch Monsters Inc. at the hostel because it was getting dark. Today I saw the Spanish Steps, The Pantheon (which I got into just in time to look around before they closed), Plazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain (if you throw in two coins you are supposed to fall in love in Rome... which I didn't do... couldn't risk it), this chubby Italian boy playing the accordian and singing which was hilarious/adorable and I ran by the Collesseum. I really like Rome. It's nice to be back in a big city. I probably said that about getting out of the big cities at some point but now I'm happy to be back in. Mom and Dad, I promise to call tonight. So sit by your phone.
