Well this is not quite as exciting as some of my other posts, but I figured it needed to be fit in somewhere. I left Sorento in Italy, which is on the south western side and had to make my way over to the eastern side of the country to catch a ferry to Greece. Of course, my travel day it would be raining, so my day began at 7:30 am while standing in the rain to catch a bus into the train station. Due to the rain, the bus was running late and what should have taken about 15 minutes to get there ended up taking about an 1 1/2 hours. I think there were ants going quicker than us! Upon arriving at the station, this train was also running late, so I jumped on the next on and arrived in Naples, where I had to connect with another train to Bari where the ferryport is. I got my ticket and my train was set to leave at 2:30 where I had to change in the journey and had a half an hour time between train changes. Of course, the train got delayed and I was getting a bit anxious because there is exactly 1 ferry to Greece each day and I did not want to miss it and half to waste another day of valuable time waiting around for the ferry. We all boarded the train when they came around and hearded us all off, why I am not sure as they were all speaking in rapid Italain and the locals were having a fit with the train workers. About 15 minutes later we all got hearded back on the train and I was franctically looking at the time because now my time between trains was down to 15 minutes and I knew the train would be moving slower due to the rain. I arrived at the station with 10 minutes to spare because the connecting train was running late.
I finally arrived in Bari around 7pm that night (a journey that should have only taken about 5 ended up taking 12). I was a bit anxious because now I had 1 hour to make my way to the port, get a ticket(cause of course I had no reservation yet) and board. I went and asked about buses there. The good news was that there was one that went directly to the port. The bad news was that it did not arrive until 7:25 and it was a 23 minute ride there. That was cutting it extremely close. A minute or so later, I saw these 2 American looking guys about my age running over doing what appeared to be the same thing I was, trying frantically to get to the port in time cause they did not want to spend the night in Bari and I heard them speaking English. Keep in mind, it is still raining so all of this is taking place among wet feet and clothes. I asked them if they were headed to the ferry port to catch the ferry to Greece and they said yes. I suggested that we share a cab and so we hopped in a cab to go cause it was after 7pm. We got way over charged because they knew we were not Italian, they knew the ferry leaves at 8 and there is only one and obviously, we had no options but to take a cab so we were stuck between a rock and a hard place. After negotiating a bit, we jumped and and got there around 7:40pm. All 3 of us go running into the ticket office purchase our tickets and jump on board 10 minutes before departure. A bit of a stressful day!
On the ferry, I met a mother and daughter headed to Athens, a guy from Japan, a guy from Brazil, and a guy from Chile and all of us were headed to Athens, so we made our way together to the train station, to the next train station where we had to change and then to the Metro with the help of a very friendly local who luckily spoke English cause the Greek alphabet is way different than ours and not everything is written in the English way. Finally, around 7pm, we arrived at our hostel and boy was that great to see!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The Amalfi Coast of Italy
Well, my stint in Italy ended down on the Amalfi Coast. I based myself in the small town of Sorrento which is about an hour south of Naples and there are only about 20,000 people who live there. It is rather touristy, but it is still a great place. My travels there began by taking 2 trains to get there. When I got off in the actual town of Sorrento, I met up with a couple who was going to the same place I was, so we tried to figure out the buses together there. I then saw another couple who I had traveled to my last 2 places with because our travel schedules happen to be the same so together, the 5 of us attemped this. We got directed to the main square and then down more cause apparently what we thought was the main square actually was not. Then we figured out that you had to go into the bar to get the bus tickets (because that is where I would usually think of to buy bus tickets is at the local bar!!!). Once we finally arrived, we grabbed a really yummy dinner at the campground restaurant that was super cheap!
The next day, I took the bus ride down the Amalfi Coast from Sorento, through another small little town and then ending in Amalfi. I actually did it more for the bus ride than to see the towns because the view from the road was supposedly gorgeous and boy was it! This road though was absolutely insane and I am not sure how it was managed to be built and how the bus drivers drive it everyday. It is the equivalent of the Ortega Hwy, only more curvy with no lines to mark the 2 lanes, much narrower so that at times only 1 car or bus can fit through, the drop is much higher down into the water, and the road actually is built hanging over the cliff so at times there is nothing underneath the road. It is a real knuckle girpping ride of which I started to feel a bit quesy, but the view was amazing. We were perched high up looking down on the most beautiful coastline of azure and blue in the world. I took some incredible pictures.
My last day there, I headed off to check out Pompei about an hour away. This is the town that was ruined by a volcano and buried under hot lava in the first century. It was really somthing to see. The ruins truly are an entire town to walk through and you follow a map with an explaination of what everything was used for. The creepiest thing is that the excavators have made plaster casts of some of the victims who had died there so you can actually see facial expressions and there body possitions and stuff. That was kinda strange and the kids ones were sad, but overall it was great to see. Some of the things were better preserved than in Rome. There were some houses that were just amazing with colorful frescos on the walls and elaborate mosaics on the floor. I spent about 5 hours there and still could not see the whole town!
Italy was great and I really liked it. My last stop there is going to be Venice, but not until I have seen some other countries, so off to Greece I go....
The next day, I took the bus ride down the Amalfi Coast from Sorento, through another small little town and then ending in Amalfi. I actually did it more for the bus ride than to see the towns because the view from the road was supposedly gorgeous and boy was it! This road though was absolutely insane and I am not sure how it was managed to be built and how the bus drivers drive it everyday. It is the equivalent of the Ortega Hwy, only more curvy with no lines to mark the 2 lanes, much narrower so that at times only 1 car or bus can fit through, the drop is much higher down into the water, and the road actually is built hanging over the cliff so at times there is nothing underneath the road. It is a real knuckle girpping ride of which I started to feel a bit quesy, but the view was amazing. We were perched high up looking down on the most beautiful coastline of azure and blue in the world. I took some incredible pictures.
My last day there, I headed off to check out Pompei about an hour away. This is the town that was ruined by a volcano and buried under hot lava in the first century. It was really somthing to see. The ruins truly are an entire town to walk through and you follow a map with an explaination of what everything was used for. The creepiest thing is that the excavators have made plaster casts of some of the victims who had died there so you can actually see facial expressions and there body possitions and stuff. That was kinda strange and the kids ones were sad, but overall it was great to see. Some of the things were better preserved than in Rome. There were some houses that were just amazing with colorful frescos on the walls and elaborate mosaics on the floor. I spent about 5 hours there and still could not see the whole town!
Italy was great and I really liked it. My last stop there is going to be Venice, but not until I have seen some other countries, so off to Greece I go....
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Roma!
Well, I spent 3 days in Rome and it was amazing. I left my last campsite in Tuscany with this couple in their 20s I had met and they were going to the same place I was in Rome, SO we traveled there together on the trains. We arrived there at the campsite after a long day of travel and got situated. The following day, I headed into town and checked out the Vatican Museum. I might have been scared off because the line wrapped around the block for miles except that i had met some people the day before who said that it actually only takes about a hlaf an hour. It was not as bad as it looked. I wandered around the museums looking at the amazing collection of art on display there and was in complete awe of the paintings and sculptures. I then made my way to the Sistine Chapel and just stood in there staring for a while. It really was unbelieveable. Afterwards, I headed into St. Peters Bascilica and could not believe how grand and ornate it was. It was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. It really was a work of art within itself. I sat outside in St. Peters Square for a while just kinda taking it all in nad had to remind myself that i really was in Rome. I next went to see the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. I almost did not go and i am so glad I did. This fountain took up the entire plazza and was just beautiful. That night i hiked up to a hill overlooking Rome and watched the sunset. It was such a great day.
My second day there, I headed off to explore the Roman Forum, the Coluseum, and Palatine HIll. You can see by looking at all of these ruins in the middle of modern day Rome,what a grand city this was at one time. It is almost hard to comprehend that they are thousands of years old when the oldest thing in our country is only 200 years old. They werejust gorgeous though and I think I tookway too many pcitures,but it was worth it.
I really really had a great time there, looking at all of the old buildings and sights. It was amazing!!!
My second day there, I headed off to explore the Roman Forum, the Coluseum, and Palatine HIll. You can see by looking at all of these ruins in the middle of modern day Rome,what a grand city this was at one time. It is almost hard to comprehend that they are thousands of years old when the oldest thing in our country is only 200 years old. They werejust gorgeous though and I think I tookway too many pcitures,but it was worth it.
I really really had a great time there, looking at all of the old buildings and sights. It was amazing!!!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Under the Tuscan Sun
Well, I got to spend a glorious 4 days in the beautiful region of Tuscany in France. My time there began with spending 2 nights in Florence. After arriving from Pisa, I jumped on the bus and headed up to the camping village I was staying at. As I got off, I hear someone yelling my name. Now, the number of people I know over here in Italy is very limited, so it kinda startled me. I turned around and it was this girl named Carly who I had met at the last hostel I was at. It was nice to see a familiar face. I got checked in and then we went and grabbed a really yummy dinner before heading into town to walk around for the evening. The camping ground we were staying at was really nice because it was set up on this hill overlooking the entire city of Florence, but it was only a 15 minute walk into town.
There are these camping villages called Plus Camping all over Italy and they are the cheapest things around and for the most part they are great. The only thing that is kinda a bummer is that the house tents, which is where I have been staying since I do not have my own tent, have no electricity. It is just a hard wood floor with 2 or 3 beds in it and a heavy duty tent over it, but it works for $12 a night.
I spent an entire day walking around Florence taking in the city and looking at all of the buildings there. They do have some nice ones. Unfortunately, the museums were all on strike the day I was there, so I did not get to go in any and I was bummed that I missed the David, but that will have to be on my next trip.
Aftere Florence, I headed about a half an hour away to a town called Figline. A couple of girls that I had met had recommened this place. It is another one of the Plus Camping Villages, but it is the nicest one and it is truly like a resort. They have 3 pools, a waterslide, horseback riding, 5 restaurants, a gelato store, a supermarket, a spa, a gym, and they organize excursions too. It was great. It is set up in the hills surrounded by greenery and it is just beautiful. The first day I arrived, I got there in the afternoon so I did not do too much. The following day, I went into town to the famers market and then that afternoon did one of their tours. It was a bus tour through the region of Chianti, up in the hills of Tuscany. There were amazing views of the countryside, vineyards, and olive groves. We went to a winery where they told us about making wine and showed us around, including the cellar downstairs, then we did a bit of wine tasting. On the way back, we stopped in one of the small towns up there. The whole region is jsut stunning and gorgeous. Words really cannot describe the beauty of it!
There are these camping villages called Plus Camping all over Italy and they are the cheapest things around and for the most part they are great. The only thing that is kinda a bummer is that the house tents, which is where I have been staying since I do not have my own tent, have no electricity. It is just a hard wood floor with 2 or 3 beds in it and a heavy duty tent over it, but it works for $12 a night.
I spent an entire day walking around Florence taking in the city and looking at all of the buildings there. They do have some nice ones. Unfortunately, the museums were all on strike the day I was there, so I did not get to go in any and I was bummed that I missed the David, but that will have to be on my next trip.
Aftere Florence, I headed about a half an hour away to a town called Figline. A couple of girls that I had met had recommened this place. It is another one of the Plus Camping Villages, but it is the nicest one and it is truly like a resort. They have 3 pools, a waterslide, horseback riding, 5 restaurants, a gelato store, a supermarket, a spa, a gym, and they organize excursions too. It was great. It is set up in the hills surrounded by greenery and it is just beautiful. The first day I arrived, I got there in the afternoon so I did not do too much. The following day, I went into town to the famers market and then that afternoon did one of their tours. It was a bus tour through the region of Chianti, up in the hills of Tuscany. There were amazing views of the countryside, vineyards, and olive groves. We went to a winery where they told us about making wine and showed us around, including the cellar downstairs, then we did a bit of wine tasting. On the way back, we stopped in one of the small towns up there. The whole region is jsut stunning and gorgeous. Words really cannot describe the beauty of it!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Cinque Terre & Pisa, Italy
Well my first stop in Italy was in the national park of Cinque Terre. It is this area of 5 small towns clinging to the cliffs in the Italian Rivera surrounded by green hills and vineyards. I arrived there and met a girl on the train from Canada who was my age and headed there also. Then once we got there, we met a boyfriend & girlfriend from Australia, and 2 other girls from Australia. We all happened to be staying at the same hostel so we headed off there together. Now you have to love small towns because we got there around 4 and the office was closed from 4 to 6 for whatever reason, so we went and grabbed a yummy pasta dinner before heading back.
The next day we did a 5 hour, 12 mile hike between all of the towns. It was very beautiful, but very hard. It took us through the hills and had some amazing views of the ocean and the cliffs and the towns as you came into them. It began easy and then got harder as you went. We were getting pretty tired. On the way, there was this older couple on the trail who had managed to drop their camera and memory stick down into some brush over the side of the path, which was a bit of a drop after the brush. They were trying so hard to get it and a bunch of us saw what they were trying to do. So.....we ended up making a big human chain and lowering one of the girls down into the brush to get it for them. They were so thrilled and excited that it was retrieved they kept thanking everyone and giving the girls who went down kisses and saying "Grazie! Grazie!"
After that little adventure, we kept going and almost quit after we reached the 4th town cause we were so tired and the water was looking really good. We toughed it out though and kept going. Between the 4th and 5th town, it was pretty much and hour straight up stairs and hills and then an hour straight down. The path at that point was so narrow that there were times when only 1 person could fit through so you had to wait until people came through and then you could go. There were also times it was litterally a straight drop down. If one of us had slipped, you could have been seriously hurt. By the time we hit the last town, we were exhausted and never so excited to see anything in our lives! We sat down at the first place we saw and grabbed some Brucetta and wine.
That night, we made a yummy pasta dinner with pesto. This region of Italy is the birthplace of pesto, so it was really amazing. We then all went and grabbed dessert, met a newlywed couple on their honeymoon who joined us, met another couple our age who joined us, and met another gyu from Minesotta who joined us. By the end, we had quite the group.
The next day, we headed out for some snorkeling. The water was beautiful and blue and clear. You could see tons of fish and we just swam through them. They were all over. The water here is supposed to be the most beautiful outside of the Greek Isles. Luckily, some of us got in earlier, so we only had to aviod a few jellyfish. Later on, when we were laying out, they were swarming the water and a couple of people in our group became victims and got stung.
The few days I was there was really great, but this area unfortunately has become very touristy. It is quite beautiful though.
I left with the couple from Canada we met and we all went to Pisa together. They were staying there for the night and I had to transfer trains there anyways on my way to Florence. I dropped my stuff in their room and we all headed off to see the leaning tower. There is not much to see in Pisa, but the leaning tower. So we went, looked around a bit and of course took some pictures of us " holding up" the tower. Then we grabbed some lunch together before I continued on to Florence.
This stop was great just because all of us that met in Cinque Terre happened to get along great and loved hanging out together. It was lots of fun and we got to see some amazing sites!
The next day we did a 5 hour, 12 mile hike between all of the towns. It was very beautiful, but very hard. It took us through the hills and had some amazing views of the ocean and the cliffs and the towns as you came into them. It began easy and then got harder as you went. We were getting pretty tired. On the way, there was this older couple on the trail who had managed to drop their camera and memory stick down into some brush over the side of the path, which was a bit of a drop after the brush. They were trying so hard to get it and a bunch of us saw what they were trying to do. So.....we ended up making a big human chain and lowering one of the girls down into the brush to get it for them. They were so thrilled and excited that it was retrieved they kept thanking everyone and giving the girls who went down kisses and saying "Grazie! Grazie!"
After that little adventure, we kept going and almost quit after we reached the 4th town cause we were so tired and the water was looking really good. We toughed it out though and kept going. Between the 4th and 5th town, it was pretty much and hour straight up stairs and hills and then an hour straight down. The path at that point was so narrow that there were times when only 1 person could fit through so you had to wait until people came through and then you could go. There were also times it was litterally a straight drop down. If one of us had slipped, you could have been seriously hurt. By the time we hit the last town, we were exhausted and never so excited to see anything in our lives! We sat down at the first place we saw and grabbed some Brucetta and wine.
That night, we made a yummy pasta dinner with pesto. This region of Italy is the birthplace of pesto, so it was really amazing. We then all went and grabbed dessert, met a newlywed couple on their honeymoon who joined us, met another couple our age who joined us, and met another gyu from Minesotta who joined us. By the end, we had quite the group.
The next day, we headed out for some snorkeling. The water was beautiful and blue and clear. You could see tons of fish and we just swam through them. They were all over. The water here is supposed to be the most beautiful outside of the Greek Isles. Luckily, some of us got in earlier, so we only had to aviod a few jellyfish. Later on, when we were laying out, they were swarming the water and a couple of people in our group became victims and got stung.
The few days I was there was really great, but this area unfortunately has become very touristy. It is quite beautiful though.
I left with the couple from Canada we met and we all went to Pisa together. They were staying there for the night and I had to transfer trains there anyways on my way to Florence. I dropped my stuff in their room and we all headed off to see the leaning tower. There is not much to see in Pisa, but the leaning tower. So we went, looked around a bit and of course took some pictures of us " holding up" the tower. Then we grabbed some lunch together before I continued on to Florence.
This stop was great just because all of us that met in Cinque Terre happened to get along great and loved hanging out together. It was lots of fun and we got to see some amazing sites!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Bonjour...
That is about the extent of my french! Not really, as I have picked up a few words, but not much more. Well let me warn everyone that this is going to be a bit of a longer entry since I have a few places to share about.
Once I finished my time in Spain, I headed off to the French Riviera for some days of basking in the glorious sun. Let me just say, I could spend a whole 3 months here and be happy. I stayed in Nice, which is not my favorite town, But it makes a great base to get to the other towns around here. Nice itself does not have very nice beaches. They are not pebbly, they are lfat out rocky and you really can not lay comfortably on them. I explored the town some my first night there, but after 11 hours on a train from Barcelona, I was not in too much of a mood to do anything. The one thing I did find in Nice that I was super stoked on was Cacao ice cream. Now for those of you who do not now, Cacao is this amazing drink that it made in Nicaragua and I hardly ever see anything anywhere that is Cacao. As I was wandering one night around Nice, I stumbled accross this ice cream place that caught my eye because it must have had at least 60 flavors of ice cream, one of which was Cacao, so I had to get some and it was great!
I went to Monacco the next day, which is the worlds 2nd smallest country next to Vatican City. That place was great! It is like the Beverly Hills of the French Riviera. The streets all all perfectly manicured and lined with palm trees. It is a very clean city and the whole harbor is lined with private yatchs. I got there and went to see the changing of the guard at the palace and from there, there were some beautiful views of the city and the water. I then went to an aquarium they had there because one of my guidebooks recommended it and for students, it was not that much. It had the best collections of coral I have ever seen and so many types of fish. I actually enjoyed it much more than the Monterray Aquarium. While I was there, I of course had to go check out the famous Casino Monte Carlo and see it in all its glory. That is a truly ornate building and very nice looking on the outside. There is even "Approrpiate Attire" required to get in, although they did not explain what that was. The guard did not seem to like my flip flops because he kept pointing at them and saying something to me. Finally, he just waved me through and let me in. Outside the casino, I had to take a picture becuase the cars lined up were: Bentely, Bentely; Lamborguini, Mercedes, and Mercedes and as I was taking the picture, another Lamborguini pulled up.
The water there is a beautiful blue color. It is extrenely clear and very shallow for a long ways out. There are not big waves, but just the right size that you can bob up and down in them. It is clear and then goes to turquoise and finally a crystal clear deep blue color. I am heading there tomorrow to do some tanning.
My 2nd day, I went and checked out Cannes. That was a great day. I got there, found a beach, and passed out the entire day. I met some girls from the UK on my way there, so I hungout with them all day, which was nice. I walked around the town a bit at the end of the day, but there was not too much to see there. I did go and see the auditorium where the Cannes Film Festival is held and the handprints outside like the ones that are at Mans Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
My roomates at this hostel were 5 Irish guys who I swear were speaking a different language even though they swear it was English! They were all friends and talked to fast, it was really hard to keep up. They just laughed at me and would slow it down when I got lost (as I frequently did). They were lots of fun though.
After 3 nights, I headed to Avigon in Provence, France. I really enjoyed it. It is a very old city that is built along the Rhone River and it is a walled City with only 4 or 5 entrances. The city itself is a tanlge of old streets and passageways that I got lost in. Normally that does not bother me except there are only 2 public restrooms in the town and I needed to find one and was having issues due to being lost! There is an old church and Papal Palace there and this wonderful park overlooking the enture countryside and river. My 2nd day there, I made good use of this park by taking a nap in it. I also went to Arles, another city in Provence just about 30 minutes away. I walked around and happened to be there when there was a Spanish fesitval going on and they let loose some bulls to run through the streets. That was interesting. Unfortunately, I did not get to see any lavendar fields in bloom because I missed the blooming season by about a month or so, but I took the bus back to Avigon and got to see some of the French countryside and it was beautiful and green. There were lots of farms and plants growing and the air in Provence smelled very crisp and fresh.
I headed back to the French Riviera for 2 more nights where I will spend tomorrow taking in some sun in Monacco before I am off to Italy.
Au revoir for now;
Once I finished my time in Spain, I headed off to the French Riviera for some days of basking in the glorious sun. Let me just say, I could spend a whole 3 months here and be happy. I stayed in Nice, which is not my favorite town, But it makes a great base to get to the other towns around here. Nice itself does not have very nice beaches. They are not pebbly, they are lfat out rocky and you really can not lay comfortably on them. I explored the town some my first night there, but after 11 hours on a train from Barcelona, I was not in too much of a mood to do anything. The one thing I did find in Nice that I was super stoked on was Cacao ice cream. Now for those of you who do not now, Cacao is this amazing drink that it made in Nicaragua and I hardly ever see anything anywhere that is Cacao. As I was wandering one night around Nice, I stumbled accross this ice cream place that caught my eye because it must have had at least 60 flavors of ice cream, one of which was Cacao, so I had to get some and it was great!
I went to Monacco the next day, which is the worlds 2nd smallest country next to Vatican City. That place was great! It is like the Beverly Hills of the French Riviera. The streets all all perfectly manicured and lined with palm trees. It is a very clean city and the whole harbor is lined with private yatchs. I got there and went to see the changing of the guard at the palace and from there, there were some beautiful views of the city and the water. I then went to an aquarium they had there because one of my guidebooks recommended it and for students, it was not that much. It had the best collections of coral I have ever seen and so many types of fish. I actually enjoyed it much more than the Monterray Aquarium. While I was there, I of course had to go check out the famous Casino Monte Carlo and see it in all its glory. That is a truly ornate building and very nice looking on the outside. There is even "Approrpiate Attire" required to get in, although they did not explain what that was. The guard did not seem to like my flip flops because he kept pointing at them and saying something to me. Finally, he just waved me through and let me in. Outside the casino, I had to take a picture becuase the cars lined up were: Bentely, Bentely; Lamborguini, Mercedes, and Mercedes and as I was taking the picture, another Lamborguini pulled up.
The water there is a beautiful blue color. It is extrenely clear and very shallow for a long ways out. There are not big waves, but just the right size that you can bob up and down in them. It is clear and then goes to turquoise and finally a crystal clear deep blue color. I am heading there tomorrow to do some tanning.
My 2nd day, I went and checked out Cannes. That was a great day. I got there, found a beach, and passed out the entire day. I met some girls from the UK on my way there, so I hungout with them all day, which was nice. I walked around the town a bit at the end of the day, but there was not too much to see there. I did go and see the auditorium where the Cannes Film Festival is held and the handprints outside like the ones that are at Mans Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
My roomates at this hostel were 5 Irish guys who I swear were speaking a different language even though they swear it was English! They were all friends and talked to fast, it was really hard to keep up. They just laughed at me and would slow it down when I got lost (as I frequently did). They were lots of fun though.
After 3 nights, I headed to Avigon in Provence, France. I really enjoyed it. It is a very old city that is built along the Rhone River and it is a walled City with only 4 or 5 entrances. The city itself is a tanlge of old streets and passageways that I got lost in. Normally that does not bother me except there are only 2 public restrooms in the town and I needed to find one and was having issues due to being lost! There is an old church and Papal Palace there and this wonderful park overlooking the enture countryside and river. My 2nd day there, I made good use of this park by taking a nap in it. I also went to Arles, another city in Provence just about 30 minutes away. I walked around and happened to be there when there was a Spanish fesitval going on and they let loose some bulls to run through the streets. That was interesting. Unfortunately, I did not get to see any lavendar fields in bloom because I missed the blooming season by about a month or so, but I took the bus back to Avigon and got to see some of the French countryside and it was beautiful and green. There were lots of farms and plants growing and the air in Provence smelled very crisp and fresh.
I headed back to the French Riviera for 2 more nights where I will spend tomorrow taking in some sun in Monacco before I am off to Italy.
Au revoir for now;
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Hola de España
Well, I am back in Spain for the moment. I arrived from Portugal in Sevilla and was there over night. I stayed in this great hostel that is in a refurbished house that was built in the 1800s. It had a lot of character and was not too big, just the right size. While there, I walked all around town and saw the 3rd largest cathedral in Europe, the old palace, and a ton of beautiful parks. There was also some great winding streets in the old part of town that were perfect for wandering around, some of there are so narrow that I could touch both walls at the same time with my hands. I was only there 2 nights and on my 2nd night there a group of us went out to see Flamenco dancing at this little place. It was very impressive. The way they were moving was unbelievable and i know my hips definately do not move like that! Afterwards, a some of us decided to hangout longer and got home around 3. It was one of those nights where I had just enough time to grab a shower and a couple hours of sleep before I had to be up and out the door again to grab my train.
I arrived in Granada a bit tired from lack of sleep, but other than that had no problems. I had planned on only being here a night, but there were no trains available until 2 days later, so I am here 2 days.
I went today to see the Alhambra, a huge Islamic Palace set up above the city. It was really spectacular. The intricate work of tile and carvings on the walls are so detailed that it must have taken forever to finish. There are some beautiful gardens up there also that I wandered through and lingered in for a while. I then headed back to town and wandered around exploring. There is a large influence here from Islamic countries, which is very interesting. There are many shops here catering to that.
Apparently, I blend in very well here, because I keep getting asked repeatedly where things are around town. I then have to explain that I am not from here because they all look puzzled when I do not know. I even had some girl ask me where the post office was on the day I arrived while I had my backpack on my back, purse on my front, a small bag in my hand, and clearly was a backpacker, not a local. She clearly could barely speak Spanish, so I switched to English, to which she looked very relieved and she happened to ask where the post office was, which I had just passed so I was able to help her.
I sat down for a while this afternoon and did some reading and drawing in one of the areas where it is nice and quiet with a fountain there, but ended up having to move, due to having some guy sit down next to me who would not quit pestering me. This city has been nice and even though it is small in comparison to others, it still feels much like a big city. I am here until tomorrow when I will be jumping on the night train to Barcelona.
I arrived in Granada a bit tired from lack of sleep, but other than that had no problems. I had planned on only being here a night, but there were no trains available until 2 days later, so I am here 2 days.
I went today to see the Alhambra, a huge Islamic Palace set up above the city. It was really spectacular. The intricate work of tile and carvings on the walls are so detailed that it must have taken forever to finish. There are some beautiful gardens up there also that I wandered through and lingered in for a while. I then headed back to town and wandered around exploring. There is a large influence here from Islamic countries, which is very interesting. There are many shops here catering to that.
Apparently, I blend in very well here, because I keep getting asked repeatedly where things are around town. I then have to explain that I am not from here because they all look puzzled when I do not know. I even had some girl ask me where the post office was on the day I arrived while I had my backpack on my back, purse on my front, a small bag in my hand, and clearly was a backpacker, not a local. She clearly could barely speak Spanish, so I switched to English, to which she looked very relieved and she happened to ask where the post office was, which I had just passed so I was able to help her.
I sat down for a while this afternoon and did some reading and drawing in one of the areas where it is nice and quiet with a fountain there, but ended up having to move, due to having some guy sit down next to me who would not quit pestering me. This city has been nice and even though it is small in comparison to others, it still feels much like a big city. I am here until tomorrow when I will be jumping on the night train to Barcelona.
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