So, here starts my life in Sydney. I arrived and headed straight to work the next day. So much for catching up on jetlag!
We have been working on a project called the WotNext music tour. Basically, it takes Kram from Spiderbait (Black Betty remix a few years back) and Geoff Young from TCO, inserts them into a VW Kombi from the 70's and they travel around Australia finding undiscovered musical talent. Then, we have showcase events where there are bands from the area and they play. Where TCO comes in is we shoot the event and upload it to the wotnext website (think YouTube for music) and people can vote. The winner is decided based on votes and downloads.
Eh, voila! That is wotnext. Apart from that we are doing some work for the FFA (Football Federation Australia) shooting a documentary from turning 1 non-football fan into one. Lachlan, the 6'5" barrister is the non-fan, accompanied by Con and Leon, 2 boys from Liverpool and Amy, the chiquita that has connections to the fan section.
Lachlan got to meet David Beckham briefly when he came to Sydney. He stood up in the middle of the press conference and just asked Becks his question. Then, we went to the Sydney FC - LA Galaxy game and got to shoot. I took stills, which hopefully will be in The Australian (USA Today equivalent newspaper) on Monday. The game was great, though LA lost 5-3, at least we got to see an incredible Beckham free-kick. It is even more insane when you see it in person. There is no way a goalie could stop the bend.
Up next for work is putting together something for Myer, the department store, Purina and MakePovertyHistory in Africa.
So, picking up from where I left off the stories in Africa...
So, after Jinja, Uganda (you have to say it like that. One can't just say Jinja, you have to put in the locator, it has a nice ring to it) we headed off to the waterfalls in Uganda. We saw our first hippos and crocs on the way to the falls. We took the boat and then hiked up to the top of the falls to look down at the raging water. Insane! And it was about a million degrees out, which is always pleasant. After that we headed to our first game drive. I will never forget the first time I saw a giraffe in the wild. It was pretty far away, but I was still in awe of the size and grace of it. Little did I know, we were about to see a few hundred more.
We pretty much saw every type of wildlife possible, except the big cats. We were just hoping for some elephants when we were driving back to catch the ferry. Just off the side of the road on my side of the ferry was a herd of them! We stopped and took some photos. It was insane to think that we had to have a guide with an AK-47 just to scare them off in case they attacked us. I am pretty sure that if the elephant wanted to cause us pain, nothing could stop it.
After that, we went to catch the night ferry across the river. We had to wait while the ferry loaded up on the other side of the river. There were some hippos nearby but as long as they were in the water we weren't worried. A few minutes passed and then I realize that Stuart had been saying something. I realized he had been standing watching the hippos and said, Hippo, out-of-water. Hippo, out-of-water! Little did we know one of them had crept close to the bus and our safety. Luckily we got back into the bus and caught the ferry away from Africa's most dangerous animal!
The next day we were about to embark on one of the longest drives of the trip. Pretty much 15 hours in a crappy bus to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Oy!
Nothing I say can describe what it feels like to be in a car that long, doing nothing but dozing and looking out the window. Looking back on it, I can't believe I survived Africa without my ipod, seeing as how it died in Greece. But somehow I managed. We arrived in Kampala, a freaking bustling metropolis and headed to our hotel, Jeliza.
Oh, Jeliza.
We get there and go to our rooms. Not the best hotel ever, but by African standards it was alright. We immediately took a nap and got showered up before eating dinner at the hotel. We got there and ordered, and I think took the girl by surprise. 10 people ordering food was probably the most business they had had in a long time. So, I order spaghetti bolognaise. Who knew it was going to take... an hour and 15 minutes. And I was one of the first. Literally, another hour goes by and maybe 1 person's food comes. All in all, it took 3 hours for the meal to complete. Absolutely laughable. And, the best part was all of our food came out with plastic wrap on it, as if it had been cooked somewhere else and they had just brought it to us.
The next day, we realized we no longer had running water in our room. And, our light bulb was not working in our room. Christine asked the reception if she could fix the light and what was the concierge's response? "Do you really need a light?" Yes! It is Africa! And we need to SEE in our HOTEL ROOM!
So, we got it fixed, sort of. And the water still was not working. The next day we had several options to go around and see the sights of Kampala. The idea of getting into another cramped car that stunk and waiting in traffic all day did not appeal to me. So, instead I proposed we go to the mall. Karen and Bob accompanied me, and we ended up having a great day! I bought a canvas map of Africa, we got pedicures, we checked internet, we ate Japanese food. It was an incredibly relaxing day. Then, we headed back to Jeliza, the now infamous hotel.
Whenever you take a taxi in Africa, you have to build in the time it takes to fill up for gas. Every time. Why? Because there is so much theft of cars that nobody ever fills up their tank more than the bare, BARE minimum. I'm talking, they put in 1 liter. And then they stop and fill up. 20,000 Ugandan shillings is about $15 US. That would last them about 2 weeks. But instead, they put in 1,000 shillings. Just when you think you aren't going to have to stop for gas, the taxi driver pulls in to the station and you wait.
So, we finally get back to Jeliza, which is by now the bane of our existence. We find out, there is still no water. And what is worse, the construction on the place continues. Jackhammers starting at 7am. Dust everywhere. And, the water had to be brought in by truck. But, the truck pulled in before our bus pulled out. So we wait. So Africa. By this time I wanted to shoot someone. Karen asked the concierge biyatch if she could have a bucket of water to bathe with. The lady was like, I will help you. We can work together. Oh. My. Jeliza then became adopted as a swear word. For the rest of the trip, whenever things went poorly we would say, Jeliza!
After that, we went out in Kampala seeing as how it is the safest of the African cities we would go to. The night life left a little something to the imagination. We basically had a few expensive drinks (even expensive for Western standards) and danced around. I am going to be in somebody's graduation video as the white girl dancing around. Then we left and went back to the... place we were staying. The next day we were heading out. Thank GOD. I am sure when we left nobody ever wanted to return.
Jinja, Uganda. Who Knew?
So, after our favorite trip to Lake Vicky in Kisumu we headed off to Jinja, Uganda. The border crossing was a mess. After we walked through no-man's land, we piled 10 of us and all our luggage into the small minivan. It was so cramped. I jumped in to the front seat with Alphonce and our driver in the hopes of a little extra leg room.
After 50 meters of chaotic driving in streets full of bicycles, we approached a man on a bike carrying another man on the back. After being in a third world country for some time and driving in Egypt as well, I was nervous when we approached the bike. I gasped but it was too late as we heard the sick crunch of something under our tires. I froze for a moment and then asked Alphonce if I should open the door. I was terrified that a bloody body would be smushed under the wheel, but as I opened it I saw only bike frame. The man luckily had escaped from the tire, but he was still in bad shape. We drove him to the hospital and then waited at the police station, aka a big hut in the middle of the town.
The man turned out to have only a broken leg and our driver was prosecuted. Thank god that was the extent of the damage.
After we switched vans, we finally made it to our hotel, the Paradise on the Nile. It was in Jinja, apparently the adrenaline capitol of Africa. The next day we planned to sort out what activities we were going to do. I was after the horseback riding, of course, and river rafting. The only problem was, the rafting was Class V rapids, and though I have a lot of experience rafting, I have never seen a V.
So, the next day we sort out horseback riding. Only a ride on the back of a motorbike, a walk down to the river, a boat ride, a walk across an island, another boat ride (this boat was sinking) another 10 minute walk and we were at the stables. Ay carumba, Africa. But we showed up and the Brits working there put me on a horse named Dramatic. She was great from the start. The only forseeable problem on the ride would be another horse that was a stallion possibly wanting to mount her. Just my luck.
So we go along, no worries and then stop when our guides horse began acting up. Lo and behold, the stallion gets too close and starts sniffing my poor Dramatic. She started freaking out and I managed to kick her up and go into a nearby field while Christine got her horse under control. After that, I was able to go one on one with the local guide for a few canters. It was amazing. At one point, Dramatic saw a small stick in the road and we jumped! The rest of the ride was great, a few more exciting moments of running up hills and then it was back to the commute across the river.
In the afternoon we all decided to go quad biking (aka 4-wheeling) in the same area. It then decided to rain like hell after we had gotten on our bikes. The mud was everywhere, which promised to be great fun, but then it started hailing. We went back to the house to wait out the storm and 30 minutes later we emerged. The quad biking was going to be excellent, everything was soaking wet. Things started out great. We were tearing up the roads and spinning our tires. After a few hours, we really felt comfortable on our bikes. And then disaster hit.
I ran into a crop of turnips.
But it was okay. A few seconds and I was back on my way.
And then disaster hit again.
Stuart ran into a thatch of bushes.
But he was okay.
And that is where the evening ended. Oh, I almost forgot. Then we went to watch Christine nigh bungee jump, and then we crowded 9 people into a Toyota Corolla for a few minutes to the other side of town and back to Paradise.
After 50 meters of chaotic driving in streets full of bicycles, we approached a man on a bike carrying another man on the back. After being in a third world country for some time and driving in Egypt as well, I was nervous when we approached the bike. I gasped but it was too late as we heard the sick crunch of something under our tires. I froze for a moment and then asked Alphonce if I should open the door. I was terrified that a bloody body would be smushed under the wheel, but as I opened it I saw only bike frame. The man luckily had escaped from the tire, but he was still in bad shape. We drove him to the hospital and then waited at the police station, aka a big hut in the middle of the town.
The man turned out to have only a broken leg and our driver was prosecuted. Thank god that was the extent of the damage.
After we switched vans, we finally made it to our hotel, the Paradise on the Nile. It was in Jinja, apparently the adrenaline capitol of Africa. The next day we planned to sort out what activities we were going to do. I was after the horseback riding, of course, and river rafting. The only problem was, the rafting was Class V rapids, and though I have a lot of experience rafting, I have never seen a V.
So, the next day we sort out horseback riding. Only a ride on the back of a motorbike, a walk down to the river, a boat ride, a walk across an island, another boat ride (this boat was sinking) another 10 minute walk and we were at the stables. Ay carumba, Africa. But we showed up and the Brits working there put me on a horse named Dramatic. She was great from the start. The only forseeable problem on the ride would be another horse that was a stallion possibly wanting to mount her. Just my luck.
So we go along, no worries and then stop when our guides horse began acting up. Lo and behold, the stallion gets too close and starts sniffing my poor Dramatic. She started freaking out and I managed to kick her up and go into a nearby field while Christine got her horse under control. After that, I was able to go one on one with the local guide for a few canters. It was amazing. At one point, Dramatic saw a small stick in the road and we jumped! The rest of the ride was great, a few more exciting moments of running up hills and then it was back to the commute across the river.
In the afternoon we all decided to go quad biking (aka 4-wheeling) in the same area. It then decided to rain like hell after we had gotten on our bikes. The mud was everywhere, which promised to be great fun, but then it started hailing. We went back to the house to wait out the storm and 30 minutes later we emerged. The quad biking was going to be excellent, everything was soaking wet. Things started out great. We were tearing up the roads and spinning our tires. After a few hours, we really felt comfortable on our bikes. And then disaster hit.
I ran into a crop of turnips.
But it was okay. A few seconds and I was back on my way.
And then disaster hit again.
Stuart ran into a thatch of bushes.
But he was okay.
And that is where the evening ended. Oh, I almost forgot. Then we went to watch Christine nigh bungee jump, and then we crowded 9 people into a Toyota Corolla for a few minutes to the other side of town and back to Paradise.
Out of Africa
Sung to the tune of Toto's Africa...
Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
So sorry I have not blogged during my entire tour of Africa. Internet was patchy if non-existent in most places. I have seen some crazy things and I enjoyed my time here, though I may have grumbled along the way. I have plenty of stories that I journaled about which will make it on the blog in the coming weeks.
The highlights include:
Carla's horseback ride in Jinja, Uganda
The time we hit a man with a bus in Uganda
Bumpy roads numbered 67, 78 and 436.
The first time I saw a giraffe (or 15 of them)
My encounter with a leopard
An inquisitive-hostile-bush pig meets Carla's tent
Class 5 Rafting
Hearing a lion roar from 5 miles away
The first time I heard Toto's Africa playing
Negotiating the Nairobi markets
As I said, there are too many stories to name now but rest assured, my faithfuls, there is some good material coming. And without further ado, I will dive in to number one entitled, For Stress Free Writing...
For Stress Free Writing, Use Crown Pens
I flew into Kenya from Addis Ababa, and before that from Rome. The Rome adventure included the Italians as previously mentioned. I met a really cool Canadian woman who helped me to unwind. So then after negotiating a taxi price I made it to the hotel. It was in a quiet part of town near the University. I met the group comprised of 2 Missourians, a family of 3 Chinese Canadians, another Chinese man who lives in Canada, 2 Brits in their 20's and Alphonce our Tanzanian guide.
We had the opening meeting and got the trip sorted out. Our plan for the next day was to get up early to catch a bus to Kisumu, the 3rd largest city in Kenya. Never heard of it? Neither had I. So we get to the bus station via one stinky taxi ride. The bus rolls up. It is a coach bus with all the windows blacked out. As I ascended the steps in the bus I almost gagged from the smell. The body odor was horrendous not to mention the fact that there were 50 people and absolutely no air movement to speak of. I sat down and got the whole seat to myself. We took off and after a few minutes the gentle rocking lulled me to sleep.
Wa-bam. Wham. I jolted awake. It seems we had left the immediate outskirts of Nairobi and were on the "highway." I looked down the aisle and almost screamed as we swerved to miss an oncoming bus. It seems that though Kenya was a British colony and they are supposed to drive on the left side, all the drivers are tempted over to the right. The oncoming traffic wants to drive on their right. We want to drive on our right. Why don't they simply change sides of the road? That would prevent things like the last minute swerve from happening. But no, that would be logical. More logical would be to pave roads. But that is an entire other blog entry.
So we continue on like this for 5 more hours. Seriously, 5 more. We stop at a small gas station to eat lunch. Lunch choices were either a sketchy looking buffet (no thanks, the bus stinks enough) or the supermarket. I was excited with the prospect of eating some Kenyan snacks. I chose carefully a box of cream cookies. For about 35 cents, you can't be wrong.
But I was.
Since the selection in the store was limited to cookies or bread, I thought I chose wisely and safely. The cookies were the grossest sweet I have ever eaten. Manufactured sugar covered in sugar. You know that feeling you get on your teeth when you eat something so sugary that they start to hurt? Yeah. Exactly.
That was my lunch. We get back in the bus. The stink has intensified in the afternoon heat. I forgot to mention the noise. Apparently the bus driver thinks we like the talk radio on really really loudly. Two African woman discussing... who should paint a house. For 2 hours. On full blast. Nobody was enjoying it.
Another 4 more hours and we roll in to Kisumu. It was a booming metropolis. No, I'm just kidding. Another stinky taxi ride and we are at the New Victoria Hotel, right on Lake Victoria. It was simple to say the least. But at least it was quiet and had a bathroom. If you compare the alternative to camping, the NVH was a palace. After showering we had dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was mostly Indian food which turned out to be good. The next day we planned to go out on Lake Victoria and take a boat ride to an island with a crazy monkey population.
The next day emerges. We ride the boat that looks like it would have been condemned in the United States around 30 years ago. But it has a GAP sticker on it (the tour company) so it must be relatively safe, right? We head out and spot a hippo on the way. It was about 200 meters away from us and we were trying really hard to get pictures of it. Eluded. Then they started telling us about this crazy plant called Hyacinth that is taking over the Lake Vicky as we affectionately called her. The Hyacinth apparently was blocking the way to the island. So after a few hours on the boat, we turn around and go to this small island that has a fishing colony. It was interesting to see. Every tree we saw our local guide identified and then told us the genus and species name. Who knows if he was right. After a few more hours we headed back to Kisumu town and our lovely hotel.
That concludes day 2. And right before bed we got a lovely visit from Alfred the gecko hanging out in our room. It was an adventure trying to get him out of our room but some creative towel throwing encouraged his departure.
Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
So sorry I have not blogged during my entire tour of Africa. Internet was patchy if non-existent in most places. I have seen some crazy things and I enjoyed my time here, though I may have grumbled along the way. I have plenty of stories that I journaled about which will make it on the blog in the coming weeks.
The highlights include:
Carla's horseback ride in Jinja, Uganda
The time we hit a man with a bus in Uganda
Bumpy roads numbered 67, 78 and 436.
The first time I saw a giraffe (or 15 of them)
My encounter with a leopard
An inquisitive-hostile-bush pig meets Carla's tent
Class 5 Rafting
Hearing a lion roar from 5 miles away
The first time I heard Toto's Africa playing
Negotiating the Nairobi markets
As I said, there are too many stories to name now but rest assured, my faithfuls, there is some good material coming. And without further ado, I will dive in to number one entitled, For Stress Free Writing...
For Stress Free Writing, Use Crown Pens
I flew into Kenya from Addis Ababa, and before that from Rome. The Rome adventure included the Italians as previously mentioned. I met a really cool Canadian woman who helped me to unwind. So then after negotiating a taxi price I made it to the hotel. It was in a quiet part of town near the University. I met the group comprised of 2 Missourians, a family of 3 Chinese Canadians, another Chinese man who lives in Canada, 2 Brits in their 20's and Alphonce our Tanzanian guide.
We had the opening meeting and got the trip sorted out. Our plan for the next day was to get up early to catch a bus to Kisumu, the 3rd largest city in Kenya. Never heard of it? Neither had I. So we get to the bus station via one stinky taxi ride. The bus rolls up. It is a coach bus with all the windows blacked out. As I ascended the steps in the bus I almost gagged from the smell. The body odor was horrendous not to mention the fact that there were 50 people and absolutely no air movement to speak of. I sat down and got the whole seat to myself. We took off and after a few minutes the gentle rocking lulled me to sleep.
Wa-bam. Wham. I jolted awake. It seems we had left the immediate outskirts of Nairobi and were on the "highway." I looked down the aisle and almost screamed as we swerved to miss an oncoming bus. It seems that though Kenya was a British colony and they are supposed to drive on the left side, all the drivers are tempted over to the right. The oncoming traffic wants to drive on their right. We want to drive on our right. Why don't they simply change sides of the road? That would prevent things like the last minute swerve from happening. But no, that would be logical. More logical would be to pave roads. But that is an entire other blog entry.
So we continue on like this for 5 more hours. Seriously, 5 more. We stop at a small gas station to eat lunch. Lunch choices were either a sketchy looking buffet (no thanks, the bus stinks enough) or the supermarket. I was excited with the prospect of eating some Kenyan snacks. I chose carefully a box of cream cookies. For about 35 cents, you can't be wrong.
But I was.
Since the selection in the store was limited to cookies or bread, I thought I chose wisely and safely. The cookies were the grossest sweet I have ever eaten. Manufactured sugar covered in sugar. You know that feeling you get on your teeth when you eat something so sugary that they start to hurt? Yeah. Exactly.
That was my lunch. We get back in the bus. The stink has intensified in the afternoon heat. I forgot to mention the noise. Apparently the bus driver thinks we like the talk radio on really really loudly. Two African woman discussing... who should paint a house. For 2 hours. On full blast. Nobody was enjoying it.
Another 4 more hours and we roll in to Kisumu. It was a booming metropolis. No, I'm just kidding. Another stinky taxi ride and we are at the New Victoria Hotel, right on Lake Victoria. It was simple to say the least. But at least it was quiet and had a bathroom. If you compare the alternative to camping, the NVH was a palace. After showering we had dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was mostly Indian food which turned out to be good. The next day we planned to go out on Lake Victoria and take a boat ride to an island with a crazy monkey population.
The next day emerges. We ride the boat that looks like it would have been condemned in the United States around 30 years ago. But it has a GAP sticker on it (the tour company) so it must be relatively safe, right? We head out and spot a hippo on the way. It was about 200 meters away from us and we were trying really hard to get pictures of it. Eluded. Then they started telling us about this crazy plant called Hyacinth that is taking over the Lake Vicky as we affectionately called her. The Hyacinth apparently was blocking the way to the island. So after a few hours on the boat, we turn around and go to this small island that has a fishing colony. It was interesting to see. Every tree we saw our local guide identified and then told us the genus and species name. Who knows if he was right. After a few more hours we headed back to Kisumu town and our lovely hotel.
That concludes day 2. And right before bed we got a lovely visit from Alfred the gecko hanging out in our room. It was an adventure trying to get him out of our room but some creative towel throwing encouraged his departure.
463 Steps
Last night was an interesting one. I went to dinner with Sam the Canadian and Neil the Brit. We had a really cool dinner that went on for hours just around the corner from our hostel. Then Neil had to get his train ticket so we walked to Termini to get it. After that, you guessed it, we ended up in the bar back at the hostel.
I am pretty sure besides Big 12 or Harpo's I have never frequented a bar 3 times in 3 days. But it was a good place to hang out and chill and meet other travelers.
So anyway, the aforementioned bartender was there (already the night had improved) and we sat down and started talking. If you have spent any time with me on this trip you know my frustrations with the Canadian flag. It really irks me. But I had a nice long conversation with Sam about the differences between Canadians and Americans and why there is such animosity there. It turns out 2 other Americans were sitting next to us and so they joined in the conversation as well.
After a few more rounds, we had life sorted out. And that's when things really started getting interesting. Neil had left by this point but earlier in the night he was talking about the best bands in the world. I volunteered Dave Matthews as one of them and he said he had never heard of Dave. I was incredulous so then I looked for some DMB on Adrian the Bartender's iPod. Unfortunately, no dice.
The rest of the night was fun and uneventful for the most part. I headed off to Florence this morning. After I got slightly lost leaving the train station I found my hostel. It is built in a really old building, possibly an old castle. Oh wait, no. It smells, so make that the old castle's stables. And I ring this doorbell and open the medieval door. It is dark and I cannot find the light switch to save my life. Then, I saw it was supposed to be on the 1st floor. I ascended into the darkness. And there was no sign or anything. So I called out, Hellooo? and this small voice responded back, Hi. That was it, nothing about come up, go down, turn the lights on, yes you are in the right building, no you didn't just walk into a random old apartment complex... it could go on and on.
But I made it and the room is just about as bad as I imagined. Hopefully I can get the hell out tomorrow and go stay at a different one because it creeps me out thinking I have to stay there. First of all, it is just a huge room reminiscent of the ward they kept Nona in in Como. Second, it smells. Bad. Third, there maybe one other person in the room. Not a good sign that this place is nice.
So after I got settled in I headed out into town. I managed to find the markets, not hard, and more miraculously managed to not buy anything. I went to the Duomo and walked up it. 463 steps... creepy. But the view was amazing and I was glad I did it.
Alright, off to sort out what to do tomorrow seeing as how I need a new room...
I am pretty sure besides Big 12 or Harpo's I have never frequented a bar 3 times in 3 days. But it was a good place to hang out and chill and meet other travelers.
So anyway, the aforementioned bartender was there (already the night had improved) and we sat down and started talking. If you have spent any time with me on this trip you know my frustrations with the Canadian flag. It really irks me. But I had a nice long conversation with Sam about the differences between Canadians and Americans and why there is such animosity there. It turns out 2 other Americans were sitting next to us and so they joined in the conversation as well.
After a few more rounds, we had life sorted out. And that's when things really started getting interesting. Neil had left by this point but earlier in the night he was talking about the best bands in the world. I volunteered Dave Matthews as one of them and he said he had never heard of Dave. I was incredulous so then I looked for some DMB on Adrian the Bartender's iPod. Unfortunately, no dice.
The rest of the night was fun and uneventful for the most part. I headed off to Florence this morning. After I got slightly lost leaving the train station I found my hostel. It is built in a really old building, possibly an old castle. Oh wait, no. It smells, so make that the old castle's stables. And I ring this doorbell and open the medieval door. It is dark and I cannot find the light switch to save my life. Then, I saw it was supposed to be on the 1st floor. I ascended into the darkness. And there was no sign or anything. So I called out, Hellooo? and this small voice responded back, Hi. That was it, nothing about come up, go down, turn the lights on, yes you are in the right building, no you didn't just walk into a random old apartment complex... it could go on and on.
But I made it and the room is just about as bad as I imagined. Hopefully I can get the hell out tomorrow and go stay at a different one because it creeps me out thinking I have to stay there. First of all, it is just a huge room reminiscent of the ward they kept Nona in in Como. Second, it smells. Bad. Third, there maybe one other person in the room. Not a good sign that this place is nice.
So after I got settled in I headed out into town. I managed to find the markets, not hard, and more miraculously managed to not buy anything. I went to the Duomo and walked up it. 463 steps... creepy. But the view was amazing and I was glad I did it.
Alright, off to sort out what to do tomorrow seeing as how I need a new room...
My Nap In Ostia Antica
Arrival in Roma. Check.
Arrival at hostel. Check.
Exploration of the city. Check.
Meeting new friends. Check.
It seems the only thing I haven't done yet in Rome is go out. But that changes tonight.
The hostel I am staying at offers free pizza every night at 8:30. What poor traveller in their right mind could possibly pass that up? So I walk in to the bar, a somewhat crowded room, and pick a table with 3 friendly looking girls sitting at it. Apparently they really looked friendly because another girl who didn't know them had just sat down as well.
So, it turns out Abby and Emma are from Britain. They study classics at Birmingham Uni, a perfect match for my sight-seeing in Rome. So we had a great night of drinking somewhat overpriced beer and talking about their travels.
The next day we got up really early and went to the Colosseum. It was really cool to see but I have to say not as awe-inspiring as I thought initially. After seeing Aida performed in the Verona Colosseum, just walking around another one wasn't as cool, but still worth it to go. Then we walked all around the Palatine and the Forum. After that, we grabbed some food and headed off on the train to Ostia Antica, the old Roman port town.
I was extremely tired from getting back from Egypt and not sleeping much for a week. So, after we walked around for a while and then got food I decided to take a nap. The only problem was I had some criteria for the nap.
1. On a bench - not on the ground
2. Somewhat out of the way so as not to be disturbed
3. Not some place I would get yelled at
4. Half shade, half sun
After perusing through the streets for a few minutes I chose to lie on a stone block. It fit the criteria well and I settled in, putting my bag under my head.
And then the dream began.
I was a Roman citizen, walking around the city. I just wanted to buy some bread but everyone kept telling me that they didn't sell bread in the port. It was so lucid I swear I was there. And then I woke up to some German tourists walking by and I was so confused.
After we headed back into the city, the girls and I got ready for the night. We were all going to go eat dinner together but I got talking to the bartender whom I had joked with the night before. He is Aussie, from Melbourne... and he got his degree in journalism as well. He pretty much wants to do exactly the same thing I am doing down in Sydney. And as if that weren't crazy enough, he plays soccer. Defensive Center Mid. Crazy!
So after another busy day today where we went to see the Vatican here I sit. No free pizza again, tonight I will pay for my dinner. (Which will probably consist of pizza)
We got up early and went to the Vatican thinking we would beat the crowd. Turns out, no, we were in the middle of the crowd. After 2 hours of waiting we hustled through to see the Sistine Chapel. At least I can say I've done it. After that, a brief jaunt over to St. Peter's and then a leisurely lunch.
Off to Firenze tomorrow and probably a crazy night tonight.
Arrival at hostel. Check.
Exploration of the city. Check.
Meeting new friends. Check.
It seems the only thing I haven't done yet in Rome is go out. But that changes tonight.
The hostel I am staying at offers free pizza every night at 8:30. What poor traveller in their right mind could possibly pass that up? So I walk in to the bar, a somewhat crowded room, and pick a table with 3 friendly looking girls sitting at it. Apparently they really looked friendly because another girl who didn't know them had just sat down as well.
So, it turns out Abby and Emma are from Britain. They study classics at Birmingham Uni, a perfect match for my sight-seeing in Rome. So we had a great night of drinking somewhat overpriced beer and talking about their travels.
The next day we got up really early and went to the Colosseum. It was really cool to see but I have to say not as awe-inspiring as I thought initially. After seeing Aida performed in the Verona Colosseum, just walking around another one wasn't as cool, but still worth it to go. Then we walked all around the Palatine and the Forum. After that, we grabbed some food and headed off on the train to Ostia Antica, the old Roman port town.
I was extremely tired from getting back from Egypt and not sleeping much for a week. So, after we walked around for a while and then got food I decided to take a nap. The only problem was I had some criteria for the nap.
1. On a bench - not on the ground
2. Somewhat out of the way so as not to be disturbed
3. Not some place I would get yelled at
4. Half shade, half sun
After perusing through the streets for a few minutes I chose to lie on a stone block. It fit the criteria well and I settled in, putting my bag under my head.
And then the dream began.
I was a Roman citizen, walking around the city. I just wanted to buy some bread but everyone kept telling me that they didn't sell bread in the port. It was so lucid I swear I was there. And then I woke up to some German tourists walking by and I was so confused.
After we headed back into the city, the girls and I got ready for the night. We were all going to go eat dinner together but I got talking to the bartender whom I had joked with the night before. He is Aussie, from Melbourne... and he got his degree in journalism as well. He pretty much wants to do exactly the same thing I am doing down in Sydney. And as if that weren't crazy enough, he plays soccer. Defensive Center Mid. Crazy!
So after another busy day today where we went to see the Vatican here I sit. No free pizza again, tonight I will pay for my dinner. (Which will probably consist of pizza)
We got up early and went to the Vatican thinking we would beat the crowd. Turns out, no, we were in the middle of the crowd. After 2 hours of waiting we hustled through to see the Sistine Chapel. At least I can say I've done it. After that, a brief jaunt over to St. Peter's and then a leisurely lunch.
Off to Firenze tomorrow and probably a crazy night tonight.
This May Be A Stupid Question But Is That The Nile? and My Price in Camels
Okay, here are just a few funny stories from the 10 days that were Egypt.
Day 1. After arriving via the "Death Cabs for Carla" to the hotel, I met with Mom. We went to this guy named Ali's shop because he had every tour sorted out. Mom had made friends with him when she was waiting for me to arrive. We went and bought cartouches at his store. A cartouche is the Egyptian symbol of your name in hieroglyphics. He wanted us to buy pretty much everything in the store but we needed to get back to the hotel and we didn't want to buy everything the first day. Let me tell you that Ali had some weird disease where he had no body hair. And his eyebrows were tatooed on. He looked like Yule Brenner as Ramses in the 10 Commandments.
We go to the meeting and who greets us but Shady, our tour leader. He is about 6'5'' and very handsome. We sit down as the only people at the meeting so far and I looked out of the rooftop view. There was a river. I was tired. It was hot. Stupidly or rather, Carla-esquely, I asked if it was the Nile. Insert snort of indignation from Shady. Then, I ordered a Coke. Our waiter seemed to be missing a few screws and though we were virtually the only people in the entire restaurant, it took him about 20 minutes and 5 requests for the Coke for it to come. Shady already had one sitting on the table, unopened and gave it to me. There was a Coke. I was tired. It was hot. I opened the Coke with one hand not realizing the pop top lids are different. The Coke went flying all over his paperwork and me. Fantastic, already off to a great start.
After that, the night was quite uneventful. The next day we went to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.
I went into the tomb of the second Pyramid. Let me set the scene for you: It is about 100 degrees, there are tourists everywhere. Far off (or not so far off) a camel bellows. There are Egyptian men and children selling everything. You are accosted by the smell of some sort of feces. And then, you go into this tiny little shaft with hundreds of people in front and behind you. So, I'm walking down into the darkness and I don't know why but I expected it to be cooler under the ground. So. Wrong. As I walk, my head is dangerously close to a Spanish man's butt. I hope he hasn't had enough time in Egypt to eat anything disagreeable. And we walk. And walk. And we are stooped over at a 90 degree angle. The steps finally level out and you can virtually stand. Then the smell hits your nostrils. It is something between sweaty tourists, mummified organs and barley. Not exactly sure where the barley is coming from. Then, we have to walk uphill. The butt is getting closer to my face and I am terrified he will abruptly stop and I will have to apologize profusely. Finally, the passage opens into the main chamber. It is tall and dark. But still, 150 degrees. Scrawled on the wall is the name of the Italian who discovered countless relics in Egypt... Marco something B_____. Funny, huh?
We trek back up the shaft and I can say I was inside the Pyramids.
The next day we went to Saqqara and the step Pyramid. Nothing too exciting happened except for the two-toothed man on a donkey who wanted me to take his picture. He just kept saying, Hey! and laughing his horrible laugh. I was too horrified to take a picture, not to mention then I would have to pay him. I think I may have taken one off the hip shot and immortalized two-tooth for everyone to see. Lord knows I have his image branded in my head. Heh heh heh!!! Hey!
We were on a cruise ship on the Nile for 3 nights and somehow we got upgraded to a 5-star boat. It was great and took us out of the abject poverty for part of the day. We had a dress up party where everyone was supposed to wear traditional dresses. They are called galabrias and everyone sells them in their shops. So we all wear them, all the people in our group. Apparently, the rest of the tour boat didn't get the Memo because they showed up dressed normally. And they stared at us. Mom had gotten this beaded hat thing with tassles that hung down all around her head. She was having a blast as anyone who has ever gone to a wedding with my parents knows. Dancing all around and doing the crazy camel move from belly-dance class, she was a riot. Also there was Sandy dancing, doing a crazy version of the bop I guess. Sandy wanted some lessons in Bellydance and so Mom told her about a move where you put your arms up and paint the corners. After a while, Sandy asked Mom if she could paint the front, her arms were getting tired of painting the corners.
We all got a little too tipsy but had a blast doing it. Shady did a traditional bellydance for men and taught Mark the Pohm how to do it as well. It was crazy to think boys could move their hips like that. Look out, Shakira.
And meanwhile, during this whole escapade on the boat there was a character so lovable, so eccentric that we named her Miss Marple. She was elderly, alone and the cutest thing ever. Everytime she would see me, her face would light up and she had this funny little grin on her face. She was everywhere and nowhere at once. She always made appearances and we started looking for her around the boat. The best thing was, she always appeared! The night of the fancy dress party, Bingo was supposed to happen in the main room before dancing. Miss Marple was all set for Bingo but nobody else was. After an hour of waiting around they announced Bingo was cancelled. Her face looked as if she had just taken a drink of water from the Nile. And then she saw all of us and she was so confused the old dear.
We had 2 overnight train trips to and from Cairo. The first involved a screaming toddler (my favorite) and the second involved a snoring moose-man with a we-Pod. Both were memorable experiences which I think I will gladly no do again.
So after all of that, Mom and I ended up back in Cairo. We took an afternoon to go see Dave and Colleen Daughenbaugh, 2 expatriates living just outside of Cairo in Maadi. It was hellish getting there by taxi.
Mistake number 1, we took our cabs to the BAH-zar to try and get a nicer cab to go out there. Wrong. After we commissioned a cab that looked relatively nice on the outside, it was crap on the inside. My window was broken. It smelled and had no AC. The cab driver picks us up and then stops a few minutes down the road. In to the cab comes a large sack of potatoes, literally, and then 2 women resembling large sacks of potatoes. They start shouting with the cab driver and one of them is his mother. Egyptians always sound angry when they talk to eachother. They could just be saying, Hi, how is your day going? but it sounds like I hate you and you smell bad and I am sweating under my burqa! They continue this as we make a huge loop into the city. We eventually turn around a roundabout and go precisely past where we were picked up. Uugh! I am really getting pissed! Especially when suddenly the cab driver decides he has a problem with the phlegm built up for years in the back of his throat and decides to clear it out.
Spit. Yell. Honk. Hot. Stop the Car. Spit. Yell. Honk. Spit. Honk. Honk. Yell. Yell. Yell.
After we drop off the "ladies" as I will call them, we made it to Maadi and after several questions of direction, to Colleen's house. That was the most memorable cab drive of my life. Spit.
Not too much more, my patient readers. Just one last ditty about how I almost managed to get an Egyptian-Italian husband who lives in Addis Ababa? He sat next to me on the plane. He thought he knew me, yadda yadda. I told him I played soccer, and I think he fell in love right there. He asked if I had a husband or boyfriend. I lied and said I had a strapping Australian boyfriend meeting me in Rome. He still persisted and gave me his phone number in the off chance I will ever be in Addis. Little did he know, I am actually flying through Addis Ababa on my way to Kenya. Conveniently, that stayed out of the conversation.
When the customs officer in Cairo asked me if the man standing next to my was my husband, I replied no. He asked why not? After a brief pause, I said nobody could afford me.
I am worth too many camels.
Day 1. After arriving via the "Death Cabs for Carla" to the hotel, I met with Mom. We went to this guy named Ali's shop because he had every tour sorted out. Mom had made friends with him when she was waiting for me to arrive. We went and bought cartouches at his store. A cartouche is the Egyptian symbol of your name in hieroglyphics. He wanted us to buy pretty much everything in the store but we needed to get back to the hotel and we didn't want to buy everything the first day. Let me tell you that Ali had some weird disease where he had no body hair. And his eyebrows were tatooed on. He looked like Yule Brenner as Ramses in the 10 Commandments.
We go to the meeting and who greets us but Shady, our tour leader. He is about 6'5'' and very handsome. We sit down as the only people at the meeting so far and I looked out of the rooftop view. There was a river. I was tired. It was hot. Stupidly or rather, Carla-esquely, I asked if it was the Nile. Insert snort of indignation from Shady. Then, I ordered a Coke. Our waiter seemed to be missing a few screws and though we were virtually the only people in the entire restaurant, it took him about 20 minutes and 5 requests for the Coke for it to come. Shady already had one sitting on the table, unopened and gave it to me. There was a Coke. I was tired. It was hot. I opened the Coke with one hand not realizing the pop top lids are different. The Coke went flying all over his paperwork and me. Fantastic, already off to a great start.
After that, the night was quite uneventful. The next day we went to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.
I went into the tomb of the second Pyramid. Let me set the scene for you: It is about 100 degrees, there are tourists everywhere. Far off (or not so far off) a camel bellows. There are Egyptian men and children selling everything. You are accosted by the smell of some sort of feces. And then, you go into this tiny little shaft with hundreds of people in front and behind you. So, I'm walking down into the darkness and I don't know why but I expected it to be cooler under the ground. So. Wrong. As I walk, my head is dangerously close to a Spanish man's butt. I hope he hasn't had enough time in Egypt to eat anything disagreeable. And we walk. And walk. And we are stooped over at a 90 degree angle. The steps finally level out and you can virtually stand. Then the smell hits your nostrils. It is something between sweaty tourists, mummified organs and barley. Not exactly sure where the barley is coming from. Then, we have to walk uphill. The butt is getting closer to my face and I am terrified he will abruptly stop and I will have to apologize profusely. Finally, the passage opens into the main chamber. It is tall and dark. But still, 150 degrees. Scrawled on the wall is the name of the Italian who discovered countless relics in Egypt... Marco something B_____. Funny, huh?
We trek back up the shaft and I can say I was inside the Pyramids.
The next day we went to Saqqara and the step Pyramid. Nothing too exciting happened except for the two-toothed man on a donkey who wanted me to take his picture. He just kept saying, Hey! and laughing his horrible laugh. I was too horrified to take a picture, not to mention then I would have to pay him. I think I may have taken one off the hip shot and immortalized two-tooth for everyone to see. Lord knows I have his image branded in my head. Heh heh heh!!! Hey!
We were on a cruise ship on the Nile for 3 nights and somehow we got upgraded to a 5-star boat. It was great and took us out of the abject poverty for part of the day. We had a dress up party where everyone was supposed to wear traditional dresses. They are called galabrias and everyone sells them in their shops. So we all wear them, all the people in our group. Apparently, the rest of the tour boat didn't get the Memo because they showed up dressed normally. And they stared at us. Mom had gotten this beaded hat thing with tassles that hung down all around her head. She was having a blast as anyone who has ever gone to a wedding with my parents knows. Dancing all around and doing the crazy camel move from belly-dance class, she was a riot. Also there was Sandy dancing, doing a crazy version of the bop I guess. Sandy wanted some lessons in Bellydance and so Mom told her about a move where you put your arms up and paint the corners. After a while, Sandy asked Mom if she could paint the front, her arms were getting tired of painting the corners.
We all got a little too tipsy but had a blast doing it. Shady did a traditional bellydance for men and taught Mark the Pohm how to do it as well. It was crazy to think boys could move their hips like that. Look out, Shakira.
And meanwhile, during this whole escapade on the boat there was a character so lovable, so eccentric that we named her Miss Marple. She was elderly, alone and the cutest thing ever. Everytime she would see me, her face would light up and she had this funny little grin on her face. She was everywhere and nowhere at once. She always made appearances and we started looking for her around the boat. The best thing was, she always appeared! The night of the fancy dress party, Bingo was supposed to happen in the main room before dancing. Miss Marple was all set for Bingo but nobody else was. After an hour of waiting around they announced Bingo was cancelled. Her face looked as if she had just taken a drink of water from the Nile. And then she saw all of us and she was so confused the old dear.
We had 2 overnight train trips to and from Cairo. The first involved a screaming toddler (my favorite) and the second involved a snoring moose-man with a we-Pod. Both were memorable experiences which I think I will gladly no do again.
So after all of that, Mom and I ended up back in Cairo. We took an afternoon to go see Dave and Colleen Daughenbaugh, 2 expatriates living just outside of Cairo in Maadi. It was hellish getting there by taxi.
Mistake number 1, we took our cabs to the BAH-zar to try and get a nicer cab to go out there. Wrong. After we commissioned a cab that looked relatively nice on the outside, it was crap on the inside. My window was broken. It smelled and had no AC. The cab driver picks us up and then stops a few minutes down the road. In to the cab comes a large sack of potatoes, literally, and then 2 women resembling large sacks of potatoes. They start shouting with the cab driver and one of them is his mother. Egyptians always sound angry when they talk to eachother. They could just be saying, Hi, how is your day going? but it sounds like I hate you and you smell bad and I am sweating under my burqa! They continue this as we make a huge loop into the city. We eventually turn around a roundabout and go precisely past where we were picked up. Uugh! I am really getting pissed! Especially when suddenly the cab driver decides he has a problem with the phlegm built up for years in the back of his throat and decides to clear it out.
Spit. Yell. Honk. Hot. Stop the Car. Spit. Yell. Honk. Spit. Honk. Honk. Yell. Yell. Yell.
After we drop off the "ladies" as I will call them, we made it to Maadi and after several questions of direction, to Colleen's house. That was the most memorable cab drive of my life. Spit.
Not too much more, my patient readers. Just one last ditty about how I almost managed to get an Egyptian-Italian husband who lives in Addis Ababa? He sat next to me on the plane. He thought he knew me, yadda yadda. I told him I played soccer, and I think he fell in love right there. He asked if I had a husband or boyfriend. I lied and said I had a strapping Australian boyfriend meeting me in Rome. He still persisted and gave me his phone number in the off chance I will ever be in Addis. Little did he know, I am actually flying through Addis Ababa on my way to Kenya. Conveniently, that stayed out of the conversation.
When the customs officer in Cairo asked me if the man standing next to my was my husband, I replied no. He asked why not? After a brief pause, I said nobody could afford me.
I am worth too many camels.
Flumping and More in Egypt!
This will be the world's shortest blog entry.
Tonight we are in Luxor. We head on an overnight train (my favorite) back to Cairo. This week we went to the Pyramids, the Sphinx, Karnak, Abu Simbel, the Temple of Edfu and many many more. This morning we woke up at 3:30am and rode hot air balloons over the Nile and Luxor.
Internet is patchy which is why I haven't blogged but there are many crazy episodes to come including the night we all got a bit crazy at the "Fancy Dress Party."
Egypt is amazing, even amidst all the blazing heat and offers for anything under the sun. Great time, filled with even greater people.
Time to go buy some more cartouches!
Tonight we are in Luxor. We head on an overnight train (my favorite) back to Cairo. This week we went to the Pyramids, the Sphinx, Karnak, Abu Simbel, the Temple of Edfu and many many more. This morning we woke up at 3:30am and rode hot air balloons over the Nile and Luxor.
Internet is patchy which is why I haven't blogged but there are many crazy episodes to come including the night we all got a bit crazy at the "Fancy Dress Party."
Egypt is amazing, even amidst all the blazing heat and offers for anything under the sun. Great time, filled with even greater people.
Time to go buy some more cartouches!
Artemis Quotes
Because we loved Artemis so much, here are a few of our favorite quotes from her:
After eating, "Excuse mee. I just eat, so I burp."
On the phone when we have a question, "Iz okaay, just a friend. No important, I hang up."
On which restaurant to eat at, "All de same. All good. (same shit)"
To French customers, "I am so-ah happy becuz we don't-a c-have France peeple. I want to make-a the connection."
About her eldest son, "He iz my favorite."
On carrying the luggage to the car, "My husband-a do it. You are womans. He carry it for you."
After eating, "Excuse mee. I just eat, so I burp."
On the phone when we have a question, "Iz okaay, just a friend. No important, I hang up."
On which restaurant to eat at, "All de same. All good. (same shit)"
To French customers, "I am so-ah happy becuz we don't-a c-have France peeple. I want to make-a the connection."
About her eldest son, "He iz my favorite."
On carrying the luggage to the car, "My husband-a do it. You are womans. He carry it for you."
The World's Highest Man Made Cactus
Maggie and I rented an ATV and I can honestly say it was top 5 for my Greece trip experiences. The thing was blue and it was a trip to drive. We started out driving over to Kamari Beach and then up to Ancient Fira. After the first jaunt the road turned into rough stones, but Blue handled it just fine. Coming down was another story.
At the top we met a man who had just hiked up the mountain from Perissa on the other side. He set off as we stayed on top and took more pictures so he had a bit of a headstart but we caught up with him on the way back down. I didn't want to burn the brakes out on the ATV so I put it into neutral and coasted down. But this man was running down the hill and beating us on the ATV. He was my hero.
After that, we headed over to Akrotiri where the ruins are. But 2 years ago Akrotiri had a serious accident and I believe killed 2 tourists. So the sight is shut down at least for the season. After that, we tooled on over to what we thought was this really cool lighthouse. Turns out, not so cool of a lighthouse and then the gas light started flashing. We then headed down to the Red beach, black beach and white beach. I was concerned we weren't going to make it out considering there are hardly any petrol stations on that side of the island. The whole way after the trip to the red beach I was really concerned we would have to walk to get gas. Maggie said I became really quiet and got nervous. We ended up pulling in and filling up the tank... for 7 euros. And it was full for the whole next day. Thank god for small engines!
We then decided to do some wine tastings, but the really cool places were closed for the season. We passed a Mexican Restaurant named Senor Zorba's on the way down and decided to go back and have dinner there. We walked in and saw a small plaque stating this was the location of the World's Highest Man Man Cactus as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Only problem was, there was no cactus to be seen.
We ordered bean burritos and hoped for the best. I went to the bathroom and noticed inside the walls were covered in Colorado license plates. I asked the cook why they had them all the way in Santorini and he told me that his boss was originally from Colorado. Bingo, insert great tasting Mexican food all the way in Greece. And it was amazing!
We sat and watched the sunset and then headed back into Perissa to get cleaned up to go out. After a bottle of champagne between the two of us, we caught the bus into Fira. As of 3 weeks ago, Perissa was packed. Now, on a Saturday night we were the only 2 people on the bus. We weren't expecting much for the night. We decided to stop and have a drink on the way to Koo club, where the waiter from the previous night had recommended we go. We stopped at this bar called the 2 Brother's and had sangria. Not 10 minutes in were we sent over shots of Ouzo, yes, thanks, from 2 guys. I am pretty sure the guy talking to me had a tooth, but I couldn't be certain. Maggie's worked for the Port Authority and could have stepped out of SuperTroopers. We hiked it out of there and headed to Koo.
Wow, what a scene. Maggie and I marvelled where all these good looking, seemingly wealthy young people had emerged from. A night of dancing (I asked the DJ's bouncer if I could request a song and his reply was, No.) and then we headed back down to the bus at 4:00 am.
We got up the next day to check out and hang out around Perissa. Artemis lovely told us wherever we go for breakfast would be good. Same shit. (This quote stuck with us from our taxi driver in Lefkada who could have been Gene Simmons from Kiss, we aren't sure)
We spent the day hunting for my Bust that I wanted to send home and shopping in Fira. Getting the bus back to Perissa was a mess because we didn't hear the man eating the Pita Gyro say Perissa.
After that, we headed to the port at 9 to catch the ferry back to Athens. Apparently the only seats left were Business Class which is why it was so expensive. So Maggie and I, worn and weary from our adventures, slept in the BC cabin which was no different than coach except for it's fancy name. At 1 am we rolled up to Piraeus in search of our hotel. I was bound and determined to walk to it instead of taking a cab. But after we walked for 20 minutes and ended up in a sketchy ghetto area, we wanted to take a cab. Problem: nobody knew our hotel. Problem: we were too close for cabs to want to drive us. Problem: we had no idea where it was.
Finally this crazy cab driver (after getting yelled at by a car full of cops) picked us up. He had no idea where to go, or what the English language was. Dimotiko we kept telling him. Round and round he kept driving. Uugh, I was so pissed off at damn Greek cab drivers by this point I just wanted to get out but we had to make it to the Argo.
Finally we made it. Just enough time for Mags to shower in my room, head back to the airport and for me to get 3 hours of sleep. I woke up the next morning and headed for the hour long bus trip to the airport. Everybody in Greece had the same idea as me though and I had to stand the whole way, meanwhile trying to avoid puking from motion sickness and puking from the horrid B.O. somebody near me was emitting.
I made it to the airport, long story short. Then, I landed in Egypt. (Isn't it amazing how much faster it is to tell the story as opposed to living the story) I was supposed to get picked up by a man who lived in Rockford and now lives in Cairo. But I didn't see him. And I am a white, western girl traveling alone in Egypt. Smart, I know. After 30 or so Egyptian men approached me for a ride I made a friend. Not hard to do. I guess I semi-trusted him and so got a cab to my hotel. An hour later... we were still no where to be found. The name of the hotel was Pharoah's Hotel. I got dropped off at Pharoah's Egypt Hotel. After the cab driver left, I figured out it was the wrong one.
So, I got in another cab to my correct hotel. Get excited, my cab driver was straight out of Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nimh. He was quite eccentric and his car was even worse. Whereas my previous cab had air conditioning, doors and seat belts, this one had windows that wouldn't close, half doors and a smoking driver. 20 minutes later I was dropped off in front of the Pharoah's. I went in to check it was the right one before letting him leave.
Phew.
So here is where I am. Cairo, connected with my Mom and so psyched to see the Pyramids and other ancient things I have waited my whole life to see. It is bloody hot and everyone has a friend/uncle/cousin who has the best deal on paintings/jewelry/internet. It's like Bangkok all over again...
Artemis quotes
At the top we met a man who had just hiked up the mountain from Perissa on the other side. He set off as we stayed on top and took more pictures so he had a bit of a headstart but we caught up with him on the way back down. I didn't want to burn the brakes out on the ATV so I put it into neutral and coasted down. But this man was running down the hill and beating us on the ATV. He was my hero.
After that, we headed over to Akrotiri where the ruins are. But 2 years ago Akrotiri had a serious accident and I believe killed 2 tourists. So the sight is shut down at least for the season. After that, we tooled on over to what we thought was this really cool lighthouse. Turns out, not so cool of a lighthouse and then the gas light started flashing. We then headed down to the Red beach, black beach and white beach. I was concerned we weren't going to make it out considering there are hardly any petrol stations on that side of the island. The whole way after the trip to the red beach I was really concerned we would have to walk to get gas. Maggie said I became really quiet and got nervous. We ended up pulling in and filling up the tank... for 7 euros. And it was full for the whole next day. Thank god for small engines!
We then decided to do some wine tastings, but the really cool places were closed for the season. We passed a Mexican Restaurant named Senor Zorba's on the way down and decided to go back and have dinner there. We walked in and saw a small plaque stating this was the location of the World's Highest Man Man Cactus as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Only problem was, there was no cactus to be seen.
We ordered bean burritos and hoped for the best. I went to the bathroom and noticed inside the walls were covered in Colorado license plates. I asked the cook why they had them all the way in Santorini and he told me that his boss was originally from Colorado. Bingo, insert great tasting Mexican food all the way in Greece. And it was amazing!
We sat and watched the sunset and then headed back into Perissa to get cleaned up to go out. After a bottle of champagne between the two of us, we caught the bus into Fira. As of 3 weeks ago, Perissa was packed. Now, on a Saturday night we were the only 2 people on the bus. We weren't expecting much for the night. We decided to stop and have a drink on the way to Koo club, where the waiter from the previous night had recommended we go. We stopped at this bar called the 2 Brother's and had sangria. Not 10 minutes in were we sent over shots of Ouzo, yes, thanks, from 2 guys. I am pretty sure the guy talking to me had a tooth, but I couldn't be certain. Maggie's worked for the Port Authority and could have stepped out of SuperTroopers. We hiked it out of there and headed to Koo.
Wow, what a scene. Maggie and I marvelled where all these good looking, seemingly wealthy young people had emerged from. A night of dancing (I asked the DJ's bouncer if I could request a song and his reply was, No.) and then we headed back down to the bus at 4:00 am.
We got up the next day to check out and hang out around Perissa. Artemis lovely told us wherever we go for breakfast would be good. Same shit. (This quote stuck with us from our taxi driver in Lefkada who could have been Gene Simmons from Kiss, we aren't sure)
We spent the day hunting for my Bust that I wanted to send home and shopping in Fira. Getting the bus back to Perissa was a mess because we didn't hear the man eating the Pita Gyro say Perissa.
After that, we headed to the port at 9 to catch the ferry back to Athens. Apparently the only seats left were Business Class which is why it was so expensive. So Maggie and I, worn and weary from our adventures, slept in the BC cabin which was no different than coach except for it's fancy name. At 1 am we rolled up to Piraeus in search of our hotel. I was bound and determined to walk to it instead of taking a cab. But after we walked for 20 minutes and ended up in a sketchy ghetto area, we wanted to take a cab. Problem: nobody knew our hotel. Problem: we were too close for cabs to want to drive us. Problem: we had no idea where it was.
Finally this crazy cab driver (after getting yelled at by a car full of cops) picked us up. He had no idea where to go, or what the English language was. Dimotiko we kept telling him. Round and round he kept driving. Uugh, I was so pissed off at damn Greek cab drivers by this point I just wanted to get out but we had to make it to the Argo.
Finally we made it. Just enough time for Mags to shower in my room, head back to the airport and for me to get 3 hours of sleep. I woke up the next morning and headed for the hour long bus trip to the airport. Everybody in Greece had the same idea as me though and I had to stand the whole way, meanwhile trying to avoid puking from motion sickness and puking from the horrid B.O. somebody near me was emitting.
I made it to the airport, long story short. Then, I landed in Egypt. (Isn't it amazing how much faster it is to tell the story as opposed to living the story) I was supposed to get picked up by a man who lived in Rockford and now lives in Cairo. But I didn't see him. And I am a white, western girl traveling alone in Egypt. Smart, I know. After 30 or so Egyptian men approached me for a ride I made a friend. Not hard to do. I guess I semi-trusted him and so got a cab to my hotel. An hour later... we were still no where to be found. The name of the hotel was Pharoah's Hotel. I got dropped off at Pharoah's Egypt Hotel. After the cab driver left, I figured out it was the wrong one.
So, I got in another cab to my correct hotel. Get excited, my cab driver was straight out of Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nimh. He was quite eccentric and his car was even worse. Whereas my previous cab had air conditioning, doors and seat belts, this one had windows that wouldn't close, half doors and a smoking driver. 20 minutes later I was dropped off in front of the Pharoah's. I went in to check it was the right one before letting him leave.
Phew.
So here is where I am. Cairo, connected with my Mom and so psyched to see the Pyramids and other ancient things I have waited my whole life to see. It is bloody hot and everyone has a friend/uncle/cousin who has the best deal on paintings/jewelry/internet. It's like Bangkok all over again...
Artemis quotes
Don't Ever Bet Against Me
Mags and I fiiiinally made it to Santorini. We took a ferry at the crack of dawn and made it down, sleeping the whole way. And by sleeping I mean curling up in obscure positions where some body part falls asleep at least 10 minutes in and you have to readjust, fall back asleep and repeat the whole process over again.
We made it to our lovely hotel/hostel which is really cheap and the owners are amazing. The woman's name is Artemis and her husband is so cute as well. She was giving us the low-down on what to do around Perissa and the island and she burped a few times.
In her broken English, "Exscuse mee. I just aaate. Dis is why I..."
Our kind of girl.
So then Mags and I got unpacked (We get to stay 2 whole days!) and walked over to the beach. We ate at my favorite restaurant again and realized we hadn't really eaten anything that day. I ate a whole pizza and it was dericious. We then headed back to the hotel to sort out how to get to Oia for the famous sunset.
After waiting for a bus for a long time in the sweltering, yes sweltering 40C degree heat we got on a bus. The buses here are a cut above; coach with air conditioning. How they maneuver through the streets is beyond me. We made it to Thera where we caught another bus to Oia and walked around to watch the sunset. Mags and I stopped at a cafe overlooking the sight and drank Vinsanto, a sweet dessert wine, and waited for the sun to set. It was special, again. We got some great shots of the sun setting through our small wine glasses which may be one of my top pictures I have taken yet.
After that we made our way slowly back to Perissa and went to the beach to go eat dinner.
This is where things got interesting. Our waiter was cute and could tell we sat down close to the tv projecting the AC Milan-Sevilla Euro Cup final. He asked me who I was supporting and I said AC because I have some Italian futbol loyalties. At that point, AC was losing 1-0. I said that AC would come back and win 3-1 and he agreed that if they did, our meals were free. If not, they were double the price.
If you know anything about me, you know NEVER TO BET AGAINST ME. 1 goal down, 2 and then the third from none other than my favorite player Kaka. He got a bit nervous and turns out our meal wasn't free. But, we did get enormous free Mythos (mythical) beers out of the thing. And we scored info on where to go out in Thera tonight.
Off to rent an ATV and tool around the island. I am sure it will provide plenty of information for the next blog...
We made it to our lovely hotel/hostel which is really cheap and the owners are amazing. The woman's name is Artemis and her husband is so cute as well. She was giving us the low-down on what to do around Perissa and the island and she burped a few times.
In her broken English, "Exscuse mee. I just aaate. Dis is why I..."
Our kind of girl.
So then Mags and I got unpacked (We get to stay 2 whole days!) and walked over to the beach. We ate at my favorite restaurant again and realized we hadn't really eaten anything that day. I ate a whole pizza and it was dericious. We then headed back to the hotel to sort out how to get to Oia for the famous sunset.
After waiting for a bus for a long time in the sweltering, yes sweltering 40C degree heat we got on a bus. The buses here are a cut above; coach with air conditioning. How they maneuver through the streets is beyond me. We made it to Thera where we caught another bus to Oia and walked around to watch the sunset. Mags and I stopped at a cafe overlooking the sight and drank Vinsanto, a sweet dessert wine, and waited for the sun to set. It was special, again. We got some great shots of the sun setting through our small wine glasses which may be one of my top pictures I have taken yet.
After that we made our way slowly back to Perissa and went to the beach to go eat dinner.
This is where things got interesting. Our waiter was cute and could tell we sat down close to the tv projecting the AC Milan-Sevilla Euro Cup final. He asked me who I was supporting and I said AC because I have some Italian futbol loyalties. At that point, AC was losing 1-0. I said that AC would come back and win 3-1 and he agreed that if they did, our meals were free. If not, they were double the price.
If you know anything about me, you know NEVER TO BET AGAINST ME. 1 goal down, 2 and then the third from none other than my favorite player Kaka. He got a bit nervous and turns out our meal wasn't free. But, we did get enormous free Mythos (mythical) beers out of the thing. And we scored info on where to go out in Thera tonight.
Off to rent an ATV and tool around the island. I am sure it will provide plenty of information for the next blog...
Little People, Big Characters Part Deux
So, the next day in Kefalonia we decided to go to the famous Myrtos beach. We asked our very nice hotel concierge how to get there. She called us a cab and we met Gus. Gus thought up a crazy way of making money by driving us around all day. He would drive us to Myrtos for 20 euros, later go back to the hotel in Sami and pick up our luggage, drive back to Myrtos and get us and then drive us over to Fiskardo to catch our next ferry to Lefkada. We made it there with plenty of time to spare, chilled out and got a coffee and then got on the boat.
The boat was not as luxury as our first one. In fact, it was quite dull. But we got to watch the sunset as we motored over to Lefkada. We got into Vasiliki around 9 at the same time. My Lonely Planet guide (aka my BIBLE right now) recommended this hotel that was relatively cheap. It had good views and was close to the ferry dock. We miraculously found it but they had no rooms. They referred us over to Apollo Hotel, 200 meters up the road that was sure to have rooms. We walked in and by miracle of miracles, they had a room available. My Grandma Oney always tells me that I lead a 'Charmed Life' and I think I am feeling the full effects of it. The hotel was even cheaper than the first! We went to dinner in town right on the water at this Italian/Greek Restaurant. They served us massive amounts of pasta and we actually got doggie-bags to bring it home.
We went back to the hotel and a motor bike passed us. As we were waiting at reception for the concierge (aka Euro Baby's Red-Haired Twin accd to Maggie) the man on the motor bike turns around. He may or may not have fallen in love with me in that instant and was like, let's go have a drink! What are you doing now? Maggie and I promptly replied that we were going to sleep.
After a great sleep, we wandered around town. We sorted out getting a bus to Lefkada town where we are now. We are going to take a cab down to the airport and take a regional flight to Athens. Tonight we will stay there before catching a high speed ferry down to Santorini for the next few days. I didn't have time to blog before now but now all my faithful's are caught up on our details.
The boat was not as luxury as our first one. In fact, it was quite dull. But we got to watch the sunset as we motored over to Lefkada. We got into Vasiliki around 9 at the same time. My Lonely Planet guide (aka my BIBLE right now) recommended this hotel that was relatively cheap. It had good views and was close to the ferry dock. We miraculously found it but they had no rooms. They referred us over to Apollo Hotel, 200 meters up the road that was sure to have rooms. We walked in and by miracle of miracles, they had a room available. My Grandma Oney always tells me that I lead a 'Charmed Life' and I think I am feeling the full effects of it. The hotel was even cheaper than the first! We went to dinner in town right on the water at this Italian/Greek Restaurant. They served us massive amounts of pasta and we actually got doggie-bags to bring it home.
We went back to the hotel and a motor bike passed us. As we were waiting at reception for the concierge (aka Euro Baby's Red-Haired Twin accd to Maggie) the man on the motor bike turns around. He may or may not have fallen in love with me in that instant and was like, let's go have a drink! What are you doing now? Maggie and I promptly replied that we were going to sleep.
After a great sleep, we wandered around town. We sorted out getting a bus to Lefkada town where we are now. We are going to take a cab down to the airport and take a regional flight to Athens. Tonight we will stay there before catching a high speed ferry down to Santorini for the next few days. I didn't have time to blog before now but now all my faithful's are caught up on our details.
Little People, Big Characters
Maggie and I finally met up in Athens. Let me describe the event fully:
I was dead asleep in the hostel room. She touched my leg and I sat bolt upright. I then hugged her, Lauren and Lauren's sister (whom I have never met) I didn't have my contacts in and I was so confused to see Maggie in Greece. But it was so fun! We decided to go out for coffee and walk around Athens.
We went to a place and had Frappe's which the girls apparently hate. I don't mind them but there is really no American equivalent. It is iced coffee with this weird foam on the top that is very bitter. I like it, Maggie and Lauren hated it. But anyway it made for an interesting afternoon.
After that we walked around and shopped. There were way more stores than I imagined and some of them sell real brand stuff, like Chanel and Prada. And there are also other random fakes as well. It was confusing but it was a lot of fun to see Athens. Everywhere we were we looked up and saw the Acropolis. We ended up then walking to a cafe to have some early dinner/late lunch. Of course the restaurant was busy because it was Sunday and it was probably the only one open that served food within a 40 km radius. The Greek man that seated us placed us right next to a table of other Greek men, who all had disconcerting grins on their faces. We sat down and ordered some appetizers. Right after that we were given shots of Ouzo, the Greek aperitif equivalent.
Oy.
The men then started asking us where we were from. We said Chicago. They said Al Capone. We gave them half answers and had to sip part of our Ouzo. It was disgusting. After our food came and eventually the men left, we put the Ouzo out of sight and out of mind. My throat still burns when I think about the nasty taste. Ick.
Then the day continued. We stopped by Lauren and Elyse's hotel to check up on their stuff. They were leaving late that night and didn't want to pay for the hotel room so they had left their bags in the lobby. We went back to our hostel and got dressed for dinner.
Let me describe the hostel to you. It was in the middle of town, great location and really friendly staff. The rooms were big and air conditioned. Day 1 I moved in and one of the guys, I will refer to him as Black Shirt gave me crap for taking the lift up one floor. He makes appearances later on in the week.
So we met up with the girls I had gone sailing with and got dinner at this place called the Noodle Bar. Thai food!!!! YAY! After probably eating too much we wandered back to the hostel and I passed out from being so tired. Lauren and Elyse left in the middle of the night to catch their 7am flight back to the states.
Next Day: We get up and get ready to go. I am waiting downstairs for Maggie when Black Shirt again makes an appearance. This time he has ample space to get by me but puts his hand on the small of my back and says excuse me to get by. Red flag. Mags and I went back to the Acropolis. I had never been and we hiked up. It was so close to our hostel it was ridiculous. We saw the Theatre of Dionysus, the Parthenon, the Agora and all sorts of other things on the Acropolis. It was crazy to see this place that I wanted to go see for so long. We got up pretty early to go see it all to avoid the rush and the heat.
After that Maggie and I continued to wander around Athens shopping as we went. We stopped for lunch and had Greek salads and this feta cheese thing that was amazing. I can say by far that the food here is amazing. I have tried almost everything and I have never been disappointed.
We went back to the hostel to nap during the heat of the day and then headed out to the Temple of Zeus and the National Gardens which specialize in trees. The Temple was really cool, I could not even imagine what it would have been like when it was complete. Now it is mostly a few columns and others that have subsequently collapsed. There are also rampant cats everywhere in Greece and on our way over to the gardens we stopped and petted about 40 kittens. Gross I know, they probably have diseases. But they are so cute!
As we were strolling through the gardens we stopped to take tons of pictures. We saw this small group of people stopped and pointing at something. We looked down and saw 2 turtles. They looked like they were fighting. I have seen all sorts of turtle behavior having them for most of my childhood but this was bizarre. I couldn't tell if they were fighting or mating. And then it became obvious... it was turtle sex. Ew. I made a video that Maggie and I plan on putting on to YouTube but it was disturbingly hilarious.
After our sunset at Syntagma Square we got dressed up (relatively, we are traveling) and went to the roof top bar of the hostel. We were seriously hanging out, drinking and "shooting the $hit" while overlooking the Parthenon. Top experience for sure. We ended up talking to these Aussie boys, of course, who were from Melbourne. They were great guys and we ended up drinking a little too much Ouzo. At 12 the hostel kicked us off the roof because the neighbors complain. We went around the corner to another bar that was chill.
As we were hanging out, who walks in but Black Shirt. I recognized him in pictures at the hostel as one of the owners/managers. Turns out, he is an owner. And he has a pretty famous sister with the same name as mine. Crazy, huh. We hung out for the rest of the night.
The next morning, feeling no so hot, Mags and I headed off to catch a train to Patra and then a ferry to Kefalonia. The taxi driver took us on a round-about way to the train station, stopping to pick up a random lady off the street momentarily and then finally depositing us 5 minutes before our train had to leave. It was a nice train but we were still confused if it was the right one. After riding it for 2 hours, it stopped at Kiato and we had to change trains. Though there was no information that said this. It just stopped, and we followed the crowd.
This train was a bit sketchier and Maggie thought we were going to fly off the tracks at least 3 times. We made it to Patra with plenty of time to catch the ferry to Kefalonia. It was a reaally nice boat and I slept the whole way practically. In the middle of the lounge, on the floor. All 6 feet of me. Heh...
As we got off the boat in Kefalonia at 9:30 at night, I was praying we would be able to get a room for the night. We wandered down and the first hotel was full. He referred us to another hotel 100m down the road. We walked in and asked if they had any available rooms. They did, and a double was only 60 euros, not much more than a hostel. Phew.
Here ends part 1 of the Ionian Travel Expedition. Part 2 will resume momentarily.
I was dead asleep in the hostel room. She touched my leg and I sat bolt upright. I then hugged her, Lauren and Lauren's sister (whom I have never met) I didn't have my contacts in and I was so confused to see Maggie in Greece. But it was so fun! We decided to go out for coffee and walk around Athens.
We went to a place and had Frappe's which the girls apparently hate. I don't mind them but there is really no American equivalent. It is iced coffee with this weird foam on the top that is very bitter. I like it, Maggie and Lauren hated it. But anyway it made for an interesting afternoon.
After that we walked around and shopped. There were way more stores than I imagined and some of them sell real brand stuff, like Chanel and Prada. And there are also other random fakes as well. It was confusing but it was a lot of fun to see Athens. Everywhere we were we looked up and saw the Acropolis. We ended up then walking to a cafe to have some early dinner/late lunch. Of course the restaurant was busy because it was Sunday and it was probably the only one open that served food within a 40 km radius. The Greek man that seated us placed us right next to a table of other Greek men, who all had disconcerting grins on their faces. We sat down and ordered some appetizers. Right after that we were given shots of Ouzo, the Greek aperitif equivalent.
Oy.
The men then started asking us where we were from. We said Chicago. They said Al Capone. We gave them half answers and had to sip part of our Ouzo. It was disgusting. After our food came and eventually the men left, we put the Ouzo out of sight and out of mind. My throat still burns when I think about the nasty taste. Ick.
Then the day continued. We stopped by Lauren and Elyse's hotel to check up on their stuff. They were leaving late that night and didn't want to pay for the hotel room so they had left their bags in the lobby. We went back to our hostel and got dressed for dinner.
Let me describe the hostel to you. It was in the middle of town, great location and really friendly staff. The rooms were big and air conditioned. Day 1 I moved in and one of the guys, I will refer to him as Black Shirt gave me crap for taking the lift up one floor. He makes appearances later on in the week.
So we met up with the girls I had gone sailing with and got dinner at this place called the Noodle Bar. Thai food!!!! YAY! After probably eating too much we wandered back to the hostel and I passed out from being so tired. Lauren and Elyse left in the middle of the night to catch their 7am flight back to the states.
Next Day: We get up and get ready to go. I am waiting downstairs for Maggie when Black Shirt again makes an appearance. This time he has ample space to get by me but puts his hand on the small of my back and says excuse me to get by. Red flag. Mags and I went back to the Acropolis. I had never been and we hiked up. It was so close to our hostel it was ridiculous. We saw the Theatre of Dionysus, the Parthenon, the Agora and all sorts of other things on the Acropolis. It was crazy to see this place that I wanted to go see for so long. We got up pretty early to go see it all to avoid the rush and the heat.
After that Maggie and I continued to wander around Athens shopping as we went. We stopped for lunch and had Greek salads and this feta cheese thing that was amazing. I can say by far that the food here is amazing. I have tried almost everything and I have never been disappointed.
We went back to the hostel to nap during the heat of the day and then headed out to the Temple of Zeus and the National Gardens which specialize in trees. The Temple was really cool, I could not even imagine what it would have been like when it was complete. Now it is mostly a few columns and others that have subsequently collapsed. There are also rampant cats everywhere in Greece and on our way over to the gardens we stopped and petted about 40 kittens. Gross I know, they probably have diseases. But they are so cute!
As we were strolling through the gardens we stopped to take tons of pictures. We saw this small group of people stopped and pointing at something. We looked down and saw 2 turtles. They looked like they were fighting. I have seen all sorts of turtle behavior having them for most of my childhood but this was bizarre. I couldn't tell if they were fighting or mating. And then it became obvious... it was turtle sex. Ew. I made a video that Maggie and I plan on putting on to YouTube but it was disturbingly hilarious.
After our sunset at Syntagma Square we got dressed up (relatively, we are traveling) and went to the roof top bar of the hostel. We were seriously hanging out, drinking and "shooting the $hit" while overlooking the Parthenon. Top experience for sure. We ended up talking to these Aussie boys, of course, who were from Melbourne. They were great guys and we ended up drinking a little too much Ouzo. At 12 the hostel kicked us off the roof because the neighbors complain. We went around the corner to another bar that was chill.
As we were hanging out, who walks in but Black Shirt. I recognized him in pictures at the hostel as one of the owners/managers. Turns out, he is an owner. And he has a pretty famous sister with the same name as mine. Crazy, huh. We hung out for the rest of the night.
The next morning, feeling no so hot, Mags and I headed off to catch a train to Patra and then a ferry to Kefalonia. The taxi driver took us on a round-about way to the train station, stopping to pick up a random lady off the street momentarily and then finally depositing us 5 minutes before our train had to leave. It was a nice train but we were still confused if it was the right one. After riding it for 2 hours, it stopped at Kiato and we had to change trains. Though there was no information that said this. It just stopped, and we followed the crowd.
This train was a bit sketchier and Maggie thought we were going to fly off the tracks at least 3 times. We made it to Patra with plenty of time to catch the ferry to Kefalonia. It was a reaally nice boat and I slept the whole way practically. In the middle of the lounge, on the floor. All 6 feet of me. Heh...
As we got off the boat in Kefalonia at 9:30 at night, I was praying we would be able to get a room for the night. We wandered down and the first hotel was full. He referred us to another hotel 100m down the road. We walked in and asked if they had any available rooms. They did, and a double was only 60 euros, not much more than a hostel. Phew.
Here ends part 1 of the Ionian Travel Expedition. Part 2 will resume momentarily.
Oh, Bless!
My goodness. I don't even know where to begin to describe the last week of sailing.
The three Australian sisters were absolutely a blast. The islands were fantastic. The memories are still vivid. But I will begin my story with Helena's perennial comment, Oh, Bless!
Helena is from England. She is a school teacher. We love her. We pronounce her name Helener because that is the way English people and Aussies pronounce things, with the inevitable -r on the end. We had a blast talking to her about anything from her students to John's lack of knowledge about women. (John will be getting his own story soon) I seriously cannot imagine the trip without her wit and sarcasm.
Patrick our skipper is from New Zealand. He always kept a few tricks up his sleeve, such as his ability to produce bottles of alcohol seemingly from random places around the boat. He also was good for a laugh talking about former passengers. The story about the 82 year old woman who had short term memory loss and a drinking problem was my personal favorite. And not to disappoint, he also managed to keep it under wraps that he is engaged and going to get married to a Brazilian girl in October.
The Aussies are from Sydney! Two of them work in London right now but Bromwyn is moving back to Sydney soon. She was a nurse for Chelsea... yeah. Her sister Larissa works in London and probably will stay for another year or so. Sarah was the eldest sister. She was the quietest but I could sense she knew how to push her younger sister's buttons. The first few days of sailing with them was a blast because the wind just died. The water was flat and we would stop and have a swim off the boat in the middle of the Aegean!
John. Oh John. He was from a smaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall town near Chicago. So small I have never heard of it. He travels several weeks a year, alone. He has no family and is in his 60's. He acts as if he is poor but he's not. He is the most random person I have ever met in my life but despite all of that we all still managed to enjoy his company. He also had an obsession with ferry boats. Since the Aegean is filled with island hopping tourists, there are many boats daily between them. Every time, and I do mean, EVERY time he saw a ferry boat he would say in his monotone drawl, "There's a ferry 20 degrees to our port. It looks like a High Speed 2." Patrick would either nod or disagree. But by the end of the week we had all unwittingly become members of the John Cramp Ferry Boat Spotting School. Later he confessed to Katie that he does not have an obsession with ferry boats, but he is simply afraid they will run us over. Every time he points them out he is concerned Patrick will steer us into one of them. Needless to say it kept us amused for hours.
So one night we were out and we anchored off the coast of Serifos I concocted a game to compete with everyone. It was called the Fender Olympics. The fenders are the buoys you hang from the side of the boat to stop the boats from rubbing into eachother. They were about a meter long and white. So, we had a game where we tried to ride the fenders like a bull. It was quite tricky until after hours of trying, Patrick jumped on and told us the secret. Instead of locking your ankles together, you keep them floating by your side. Genius. Anyway, then there were different levels of difficulty. It came down to Bromwyn and me over the swinging of the rope attached to the buoy. She got points for style, I got points for athletic ability. It was great fun.
But all in all, the trip was amazing. We saw so much more than I had expected to see. And I met some great people. I am back in Athens now for a few days meeting up with Fezekas. She should be coming to our hostel at any moment. The suspense is growing but after that I think we will head to the Ionians and Corfu. I hear good things and the 6 hour bus trip staring us in the face should prove many fun blogs as well.
The three Australian sisters were absolutely a blast. The islands were fantastic. The memories are still vivid. But I will begin my story with Helena's perennial comment, Oh, Bless!
Helena is from England. She is a school teacher. We love her. We pronounce her name Helener because that is the way English people and Aussies pronounce things, with the inevitable -r on the end. We had a blast talking to her about anything from her students to John's lack of knowledge about women. (John will be getting his own story soon) I seriously cannot imagine the trip without her wit and sarcasm.
Patrick our skipper is from New Zealand. He always kept a few tricks up his sleeve, such as his ability to produce bottles of alcohol seemingly from random places around the boat. He also was good for a laugh talking about former passengers. The story about the 82 year old woman who had short term memory loss and a drinking problem was my personal favorite. And not to disappoint, he also managed to keep it under wraps that he is engaged and going to get married to a Brazilian girl in October.
The Aussies are from Sydney! Two of them work in London right now but Bromwyn is moving back to Sydney soon. She was a nurse for Chelsea... yeah. Her sister Larissa works in London and probably will stay for another year or so. Sarah was the eldest sister. She was the quietest but I could sense she knew how to push her younger sister's buttons. The first few days of sailing with them was a blast because the wind just died. The water was flat and we would stop and have a swim off the boat in the middle of the Aegean!
John. Oh John. He was from a smaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall town near Chicago. So small I have never heard of it. He travels several weeks a year, alone. He has no family and is in his 60's. He acts as if he is poor but he's not. He is the most random person I have ever met in my life but despite all of that we all still managed to enjoy his company. He also had an obsession with ferry boats. Since the Aegean is filled with island hopping tourists, there are many boats daily between them. Every time, and I do mean, EVERY time he saw a ferry boat he would say in his monotone drawl, "There's a ferry 20 degrees to our port. It looks like a High Speed 2." Patrick would either nod or disagree. But by the end of the week we had all unwittingly become members of the John Cramp Ferry Boat Spotting School. Later he confessed to Katie that he does not have an obsession with ferry boats, but he is simply afraid they will run us over. Every time he points them out he is concerned Patrick will steer us into one of them. Needless to say it kept us amused for hours.
So one night we were out and we anchored off the coast of Serifos I concocted a game to compete with everyone. It was called the Fender Olympics. The fenders are the buoys you hang from the side of the boat to stop the boats from rubbing into eachother. They were about a meter long and white. So, we had a game where we tried to ride the fenders like a bull. It was quite tricky until after hours of trying, Patrick jumped on and told us the secret. Instead of locking your ankles together, you keep them floating by your side. Genius. Anyway, then there were different levels of difficulty. It came down to Bromwyn and me over the swinging of the rope attached to the buoy. She got points for style, I got points for athletic ability. It was great fun.
But all in all, the trip was amazing. We saw so much more than I had expected to see. And I met some great people. I am back in Athens now for a few days meeting up with Fezekas. She should be coming to our hostel at any moment. The suspense is growing but after that I think we will head to the Ionians and Corfu. I hear good things and the 6 hour bus trip staring us in the face should prove many fun blogs as well.
S_mmer Is Not The Same Without 'U'
Note: This blog contains some material not appropriate for young children. Ahem, alcohol.
Mykonos...dear Mykonos.
2 days ago we sailed into Mykonos. The whole group was ready to be done with the first leg and the sailing was especially rough. We made it in and finally got sorted. The plan was to unload our stuff and go into town for the day. The port is about 2.2km from town, so we had to take a taxi in.
Helena, Katie, Emily and I went into town and shopped. It was an all day event for which I forgot my camera. Uugh! The scenery and the quaintness of Mykonos is everywhere. We walked into this store and found ourselves in the middle of a handmade shoe department. They were beautiful leather sandals everywhere. I ended up buying a pair of black strappy ones that are flat for 20 euros. And the coolest part is that the woman selling us the shoes was married to the man who made the shoes.
We continued to shop, stopping to eat and then starting again. I bought a silver chain bracelet that has the typical Greek waves symbol. So cute.
Then we headed back to our boat to get showered for the night out. I wore my red dress which was killer with my silver sandals. So, we hopped on a bus with the new group and headed back into town.
Let me just say, the 3 Australian girls we picked up are so cool! They are so much more fun than the older couple last week. We also have John, a man from a small town near Chicago as well. He will be getting his own blog entry dedicated specifically to him. Yeah. Yeah.
After dinner of fabulous Rigatoni with 4 cheeses, we started drinking. We went to this bar called the Scandinavian. It was full of tasty drinks and even tastier waiters. They were from around the world. Did I mention Mykonos has a huge gay population? We wandered back down to the harbor to drink some of our own vodka. After having about 1 shots worth, I made a huge error and accidentally flung the vodka bottle into the harbor. There was no rescuing it. So, Katie went to buy us another bottle.
As she was gone, 3 boys sidled up to us. They started looking at us but I couldn't tell if they spoke English. Finally they made their move and introduced themselves. 2 were from a small town up north and the cutest one, Christos was from Athens. We hung out with them for a while and then headed back to the Scandinavian bar. We danced there with shirtless gay men. Then at 2am we headed to Argo, another dance club. It was crazy that no people were there yet! But we had a good time anyways.
At 6am, finally, we wanted to take a cab home. Only problem was there were no cabs. We stayed at the cab stand for about a half an hour and saw 1 cab. And there was a long line in front of us. So, Christos, Emily, Katie, her boy Helias and I started walking home. In our intoxicated state it was fun. But the sun was starting to come up! We finally made it home and I have coordinated to hang out with Chris in Athens. But somewhere along the way we lost Katie.
The next morning after about 3 hours sleep we got up. It turns out, Katie got on a scooter with some random Greek guy and he gave her a ride back to the boat. She got there about 45 minutes before us. But the walk was extremely memorable, as well as the night.
And the title of this blog refers to a shirt Christos was wearing. Appropriate!
Mykonos...dear Mykonos.
2 days ago we sailed into Mykonos. The whole group was ready to be done with the first leg and the sailing was especially rough. We made it in and finally got sorted. The plan was to unload our stuff and go into town for the day. The port is about 2.2km from town, so we had to take a taxi in.
Helena, Katie, Emily and I went into town and shopped. It was an all day event for which I forgot my camera. Uugh! The scenery and the quaintness of Mykonos is everywhere. We walked into this store and found ourselves in the middle of a handmade shoe department. They were beautiful leather sandals everywhere. I ended up buying a pair of black strappy ones that are flat for 20 euros. And the coolest part is that the woman selling us the shoes was married to the man who made the shoes.
We continued to shop, stopping to eat and then starting again. I bought a silver chain bracelet that has the typical Greek waves symbol. So cute.
Then we headed back to our boat to get showered for the night out. I wore my red dress which was killer with my silver sandals. So, we hopped on a bus with the new group and headed back into town.
Let me just say, the 3 Australian girls we picked up are so cool! They are so much more fun than the older couple last week. We also have John, a man from a small town near Chicago as well. He will be getting his own blog entry dedicated specifically to him. Yeah. Yeah.
After dinner of fabulous Rigatoni with 4 cheeses, we started drinking. We went to this bar called the Scandinavian. It was full of tasty drinks and even tastier waiters. They were from around the world. Did I mention Mykonos has a huge gay population? We wandered back down to the harbor to drink some of our own vodka. After having about 1 shots worth, I made a huge error and accidentally flung the vodka bottle into the harbor. There was no rescuing it. So, Katie went to buy us another bottle.
As she was gone, 3 boys sidled up to us. They started looking at us but I couldn't tell if they spoke English. Finally they made their move and introduced themselves. 2 were from a small town up north and the cutest one, Christos was from Athens. We hung out with them for a while and then headed back to the Scandinavian bar. We danced there with shirtless gay men. Then at 2am we headed to Argo, another dance club. It was crazy that no people were there yet! But we had a good time anyways.
At 6am, finally, we wanted to take a cab home. Only problem was there were no cabs. We stayed at the cab stand for about a half an hour and saw 1 cab. And there was a long line in front of us. So, Christos, Emily, Katie, her boy Helias and I started walking home. In our intoxicated state it was fun. But the sun was starting to come up! We finally made it home and I have coordinated to hang out with Chris in Athens. But somewhere along the way we lost Katie.
The next morning after about 3 hours sleep we got up. It turns out, Katie got on a scooter with some random Greek guy and he gave her a ride back to the boat. She got there about 45 minutes before us. But the walk was extremely memorable, as well as the night.
And the title of this blog refers to a shirt Christos was wearing. Appropriate!
Binomial Nomenclature
We like to name things. To say the least.
Here is a short description of what we have come up with so far:
Wendy Peppercorn - she is the name for the gang plank. For those of you who never had a childhood or like my parents, have no knowledge of pop culture, Wendy comes from The Sandlot. She was the lifeguard that Squints made a daring move for in the pool. I am not sure how we named her the gang plank other than the fact that she was always a risk somebody was willing to take. Appropriate.
Norman Johnson - the name of the dinghy. Norman came about because I was thinking of the time I read the book, The Life of Pi. In it, the tiger has a strangely commonplace name like our state of the middle ground dinghy. I couldn't remember what it was, so I threw out Norman Johnson. It stuck.
Richard Parker - I remembered the name of the tiger! And we named the van Richard Parker that we drove around in. It was a beast to say the least and more than one moment I spent thinking how Richard Parker was the last thing I was going to see alive.
Dimitrious the Succulent - our boat's name is Dim, but we wanted to spice it up and give it a more descriptive adjective. We saw a sign that said succulent spaghetti or something like that so I wanted to keep that great word in our daily vocabulary.
Here is a short description of what we have come up with so far:
Wendy Peppercorn - she is the name for the gang plank. For those of you who never had a childhood or like my parents, have no knowledge of pop culture, Wendy comes from The Sandlot. She was the lifeguard that Squints made a daring move for in the pool. I am not sure how we named her the gang plank other than the fact that she was always a risk somebody was willing to take. Appropriate.
Norman Johnson - the name of the dinghy. Norman came about because I was thinking of the time I read the book, The Life of Pi. In it, the tiger has a strangely commonplace name like our state of the middle ground dinghy. I couldn't remember what it was, so I threw out Norman Johnson. It stuck.
Richard Parker - I remembered the name of the tiger! And we named the van Richard Parker that we drove around in. It was a beast to say the least and more than one moment I spent thinking how Richard Parker was the last thing I was going to see alive.
Dimitrious the Succulent - our boat's name is Dim, but we wanted to spice it up and give it a more descriptive adjective. We saw a sign that said succulent spaghetti or something like that so I wanted to keep that great word in our daily vocabulary.
Naxos = Octopi
So, after spending just a little over a day in Naxos it is safe to assume the island has one purpose... to feed tourists Octopus. There were so many around hanging on clotheslines, grilling on a spit as you walk by the restaurant, and my favorite, hanging above your head as you walk through the white cobbled streets.
I could not want anything further from Octopus to eat so naturally, Naxos was a bit hellish.
Just kidding, it was a lot of fun. We ended up renting a van to take us around the island. We drove through the middle to this really old distillery for Citron alcohol. Then we headed up to this really cute old village where it was basically a photog's heaven. After that, we went to this really local secluded beach and ate lunch. By the way, 2 euro pita gyros are a staple in any traveler's diet in Greece. They are delicious, and nutritious.
So after that we drove along the mountain road back to the port to head off to Paros, another island. The swell was up pretty high so the ride over was so much fun. And as we went along we were jellyfish spotting. They are brown here. Hmm, maybe they are suntanned as well.
Landing in Paros, we hopped off the Wendy Peppercorn, (our name for the gang plank) and ran over to the old Venetian port. It is basically a fort rock structure but the light couldn't have been better. Katie and I wandered around Paros for a few hours, looking in all the shops and just soaking up the atmosphere. Most of the shops are quite pricey but the quality is not there. Kind of bizarre.
Then later we went out for dinner and a drink. The first spot we ended up at was amazing. It was called Del Mar, and it was literally coming out of the sea. There was a retainer wall for the water a mere foot from the first chairs and tables. All night we watched the waves crash on the wall and then move their way up to our feet. They came close, but we never got wet.
From there we went back to the port front where it seemed it was the place to see and be seen. I got a club sandwich, which was interesting. We chilled out and then made it back to the boat to sleep.
Today we are sailing to Rinia, an island off the coast of Mykonos. After that we head into Mykonos where the real partying begins. Oh dear... I hope they don't serve Octopus.
I could not want anything further from Octopus to eat so naturally, Naxos was a bit hellish.
Just kidding, it was a lot of fun. We ended up renting a van to take us around the island. We drove through the middle to this really old distillery for Citron alcohol. Then we headed up to this really cute old village where it was basically a photog's heaven. After that, we went to this really local secluded beach and ate lunch. By the way, 2 euro pita gyros are a staple in any traveler's diet in Greece. They are delicious, and nutritious.
So after that we drove along the mountain road back to the port to head off to Paros, another island. The swell was up pretty high so the ride over was so much fun. And as we went along we were jellyfish spotting. They are brown here. Hmm, maybe they are suntanned as well.
Landing in Paros, we hopped off the Wendy Peppercorn, (our name for the gang plank) and ran over to the old Venetian port. It is basically a fort rock structure but the light couldn't have been better. Katie and I wandered around Paros for a few hours, looking in all the shops and just soaking up the atmosphere. Most of the shops are quite pricey but the quality is not there. Kind of bizarre.
Then later we went out for dinner and a drink. The first spot we ended up at was amazing. It was called Del Mar, and it was literally coming out of the sea. There was a retainer wall for the water a mere foot from the first chairs and tables. All night we watched the waves crash on the wall and then move their way up to our feet. They came close, but we never got wet.
From there we went back to the port front where it seemed it was the place to see and be seen. I got a club sandwich, which was interesting. We chilled out and then made it back to the boat to sleep.
Today we are sailing to Rinia, an island off the coast of Mykonos. After that we head into Mykonos where the real partying begins. Oh dear... I hope they don't serve Octopus.
Dimitrios the Daring
So, since I haven't blogged in a few days, it is natural to assume I have been on a boat.
A 50' Bavaria Yacht to be exact.
And it's name is Dimitrios. So far on the trip, I have been seasick and ill, went swimming almost everywhere in the Aegean, went cliff jumping and that was just yesterday. On the tour we have 2 couples, one from Serbia who live in Canada and the other who are German/Serbian and live in Athens. Go figure.
Then, I am roommates with an English woman and there are 2 girls from Wisconsin to round out the crew. Our skipper is from New Zealand.
The first day we just hung out in Santorini's Marina Vlihada where we got dinner at this crazy taverna on the cliff. After sleeping so soundly, we headed out on the water for Folegandros. We made it there after virtually motoring the whole way. I don't even think we had the sails out. After that, we moored and put the wooden gang plank out. We actually have a gang plank. We got off the boat and walked over to the beach where we could swim. We all took showers in the water and then washed the salt off on the boat. I don't think I have ever taken such a public bath.
We hung out by the marina for a bit and then headed up to the Hora to watch the sunset. The Hora is the main town area, separate from the harbor where most of the island's inhabitants live. They are really small islands, this one's permanent population was 270 people, plus goats. The next day we got up leisurely and waited to get water in the boat. It was a process only the patient could handle seeing as how many people were bribing the water man to fill up their boats first.
We then headed out to sea, to do a bit of sailing. We had the main sail up and the Genoa (the jib as it's called when it overlaps the main sail) and started flying. It was so much fun. At one point, Patrick, our skipper told us to walk up to the prow of the boat and hang on. We were heeling over and the water was just spraying us as we hung on. It was a blast.
After we made port in Skinoussos we had to blow up the dinghy to get to land. I named the dingly Norman Johnson, because I couldn't remember the name of the tiger in the book the Life of Pi. Our yacht is pretty nice and I would say large, but compared to the luxury liners that were rolling in, it seemed tiny. Their dinghys were probably worth more than our boat. Crazy! There was a really huge one 2 away from us and we thought the blonde bombshell on the back was a celebrity. So, I busted out my camera with zoom lens and started taking pictures of her. Turns out, we didn't know her.
After the most overpriced, underserviced dinner ever we took the Norman Johnson back out to our boat for the night. I passed out I was so tired.
Today we sailed on over to Amargos where we are having a day on the land. I got internet, we are going for coffee and we all sent international faxes. heh.
Greece is a photographers dream! Tomorrow we head to Naxos which should be a 22 year old American's dream...
A 50' Bavaria Yacht to be exact.
And it's name is Dimitrios. So far on the trip, I have been seasick and ill, went swimming almost everywhere in the Aegean, went cliff jumping and that was just yesterday. On the tour we have 2 couples, one from Serbia who live in Canada and the other who are German/Serbian and live in Athens. Go figure.
Then, I am roommates with an English woman and there are 2 girls from Wisconsin to round out the crew. Our skipper is from New Zealand.
The first day we just hung out in Santorini's Marina Vlihada where we got dinner at this crazy taverna on the cliff. After sleeping so soundly, we headed out on the water for Folegandros. We made it there after virtually motoring the whole way. I don't even think we had the sails out. After that, we moored and put the wooden gang plank out. We actually have a gang plank. We got off the boat and walked over to the beach where we could swim. We all took showers in the water and then washed the salt off on the boat. I don't think I have ever taken such a public bath.
We hung out by the marina for a bit and then headed up to the Hora to watch the sunset. The Hora is the main town area, separate from the harbor where most of the island's inhabitants live. They are really small islands, this one's permanent population was 270 people, plus goats. The next day we got up leisurely and waited to get water in the boat. It was a process only the patient could handle seeing as how many people were bribing the water man to fill up their boats first.
We then headed out to sea, to do a bit of sailing. We had the main sail up and the Genoa (the jib as it's called when it overlaps the main sail) and started flying. It was so much fun. At one point, Patrick, our skipper told us to walk up to the prow of the boat and hang on. We were heeling over and the water was just spraying us as we hung on. It was a blast.
After we made port in Skinoussos we had to blow up the dinghy to get to land. I named the dingly Norman Johnson, because I couldn't remember the name of the tiger in the book the Life of Pi. Our yacht is pretty nice and I would say large, but compared to the luxury liners that were rolling in, it seemed tiny. Their dinghys were probably worth more than our boat. Crazy! There was a really huge one 2 away from us and we thought the blonde bombshell on the back was a celebrity. So, I busted out my camera with zoom lens and started taking pictures of her. Turns out, we didn't know her.
After the most overpriced, underserviced dinner ever we took the Norman Johnson back out to our boat for the night. I passed out I was so tired.
Today we sailed on over to Amargos where we are having a day on the land. I got internet, we are going for coffee and we all sent international faxes. heh.
Greece is a photographers dream! Tomorrow we head to Naxos which should be a 22 year old American's dream...
D.I.T
Yesterday I went on the traditional day tour of Santorini. That includes a Volcano tour (All you Mizzou ppl know how I loooove me some Volcanoes) swimming in a hot caldera, taking a tour of a small village on another island named Thirassia and then going to Oia for the "Famous Oia Sunset."
The first part included a bus from the hostel down to the port of Akrotiri. I have never seen a huge bus packed with people clambering down such a steep hill! There were about 20 switchbacks to get through before we made it down. I didn't get sick, but I was a bit anxious about crashing and flying off the cliff.
Then, they just sort of point and yell at you to go to certain boats. There is no real direction and you could probably go on whichever boat you wanted. I went on this huge sailboat, which turns out just motors. So me and about 400 of my newest closest friends squashed onto this blazing hot boat bound for the volcano. Santorini has a violent past of eruptions and the middle of the island virtually sank in some time ago. Then the water from the sea rushed in and that is how the island became 4 islands. So we went to the part which is the cinder cone, but since the volcano is active but has violent eruptions, there is no lava and no cool photos. Only heat. Blazing heat. I walked for 45 minutes among throngs of tourists and got to the top, only to realize the view was the same as from the 10 minute long walk. I headed back to the boat sweaty and dirty.
Then I sat down next to a girl who was really cool. We started talking and she was a student from L.A. We ended up hanging out for the rest of the day.
The caldera was nice to swim in, better because we were so sweaty. And then we headed to lunch at Thirassia. It turns out Phaedra (that was her name) is half Greek, even though she has red hair and freckles. So we went to this little restaurant LITERALLY right on the water and had the best Pita-Gyros of my life. Seriously, the best! And then we got the bill, less than 5 euros each! The gyros were 1.70. Insane!
We headed back to the boat, anxious for the last part of our tour, the sunset in Oia.
So anytime you see famous pictures from Santorini it is the shot with the blue church and the sea. Sometimes there is a sunset in the background. It is so famous that you take massive tours up there. But to get up to Oia on the cliffs from the sea you can either walk up a steep hill or...
RIDE A DONKEY!
So, naturally, we rode donkeys.
I have never gone on such a wild ride. First of all, my donkey looked about 50 years old and was already breathing hard when I got on him, from the right side. Second of all, all day long the donkeys walk up and then run down. Third of all, my donkey had a twinkle in his elderly eye and I knew I was in for some fun.
So we start riding and it is hard work staying on the pathetic little thing. My stirups were about a foot to short, so my legs were sticking out weirdly. You don't have reigns because, let's be honest, you couldn't control a donkey anyway. So you hold on to this little horn type handle and pray you don't die. I was second in line and the donkey in front of me with a Spanish woman on it was quite slow. My donkey agreed. The race began.
He was going left. He was going right. He was in the donkeys butt. Then the really steep part came and he was trotting, yes Trotting! up the hill. In all this haste, the Spanish woman was screaming. In my donkey's quest to run up the hill he was pushing her donkey over into the wall. I was having the time of my life, fully trusting in Old Blue as I called him...her...it. Whatever. But I thought she was going to die of a heart attack. And the only English the donkey man could say was Lady, No problem! So, I am calming her down as I ride next to her in Spanish and the donkey man continues to hiss, chant, spit and shout to get the donkeys moving. At the end, we got off the donkey, my knees were sort but my adrenaline could not have been pumping faster. What a rush.
And the scenery was Amazing. Top 5 of my life. We walked around and I started making jokes about the donkey. Since other people had just ridden as well, I really started going on with this Aussie.
Our conversation:
Me: What if the donkeys want to quit? They just say, fuck it, I am jumping off this cliff, passenger and all?
Phil: Yeah, or they could want to break their own leg. They could run into a wall.
Me: And did you see the donkeys the guide was dragging behind him? I think it was a Donkey In Training.
Phil: A DIT! I've heard about those! They have to pass a really hard fitness test. Then they get certified to be a real donkey. Unfortunately by the time they pass all the tests they are elderly and almost always die within the year.
It continued like this for a while. Phaedra and I continued to walk down the street until we got to the spot. Like, the famous sunset spot. Since it was around 6, we had a few hours to wait. We found a little nook that was shaded and out of the way but guaranteed we had the best view. After about 15 minutes, Phil meandered up with Tally, his cousin. They sat down with us and we just chilled for 2 hours until the sunset. It was so cool, we were all just taking the piss out of life and especially the donkeys.
Afterwards we took our buses back to our respective hostels and agreed to meet up later. They came to my hostel and we went to dinner on the beach. Both of them are in the Aussie army and are on leave from Iraq. Gross. But it was one of the most fun days ever. Sadly, the left today to go to Rome but I am sure we will hang out when they come to Sydney next year. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!
The first part included a bus from the hostel down to the port of Akrotiri. I have never seen a huge bus packed with people clambering down such a steep hill! There were about 20 switchbacks to get through before we made it down. I didn't get sick, but I was a bit anxious about crashing and flying off the cliff.
Then, they just sort of point and yell at you to go to certain boats. There is no real direction and you could probably go on whichever boat you wanted. I went on this huge sailboat, which turns out just motors. So me and about 400 of my newest closest friends squashed onto this blazing hot boat bound for the volcano. Santorini has a violent past of eruptions and the middle of the island virtually sank in some time ago. Then the water from the sea rushed in and that is how the island became 4 islands. So we went to the part which is the cinder cone, but since the volcano is active but has violent eruptions, there is no lava and no cool photos. Only heat. Blazing heat. I walked for 45 minutes among throngs of tourists and got to the top, only to realize the view was the same as from the 10 minute long walk. I headed back to the boat sweaty and dirty.
Then I sat down next to a girl who was really cool. We started talking and she was a student from L.A. We ended up hanging out for the rest of the day.
The caldera was nice to swim in, better because we were so sweaty. And then we headed to lunch at Thirassia. It turns out Phaedra (that was her name) is half Greek, even though she has red hair and freckles. So we went to this little restaurant LITERALLY right on the water and had the best Pita-Gyros of my life. Seriously, the best! And then we got the bill, less than 5 euros each! The gyros were 1.70. Insane!
We headed back to the boat, anxious for the last part of our tour, the sunset in Oia.
So anytime you see famous pictures from Santorini it is the shot with the blue church and the sea. Sometimes there is a sunset in the background. It is so famous that you take massive tours up there. But to get up to Oia on the cliffs from the sea you can either walk up a steep hill or...
RIDE A DONKEY!
So, naturally, we rode donkeys.
I have never gone on such a wild ride. First of all, my donkey looked about 50 years old and was already breathing hard when I got on him, from the right side. Second of all, all day long the donkeys walk up and then run down. Third of all, my donkey had a twinkle in his elderly eye and I knew I was in for some fun.
So we start riding and it is hard work staying on the pathetic little thing. My stirups were about a foot to short, so my legs were sticking out weirdly. You don't have reigns because, let's be honest, you couldn't control a donkey anyway. So you hold on to this little horn type handle and pray you don't die. I was second in line and the donkey in front of me with a Spanish woman on it was quite slow. My donkey agreed. The race began.
He was going left. He was going right. He was in the donkeys butt. Then the really steep part came and he was trotting, yes Trotting! up the hill. In all this haste, the Spanish woman was screaming. In my donkey's quest to run up the hill he was pushing her donkey over into the wall. I was having the time of my life, fully trusting in Old Blue as I called him...her...it. Whatever. But I thought she was going to die of a heart attack. And the only English the donkey man could say was Lady, No problem! So, I am calming her down as I ride next to her in Spanish and the donkey man continues to hiss, chant, spit and shout to get the donkeys moving. At the end, we got off the donkey, my knees were sort but my adrenaline could not have been pumping faster. What a rush.
And the scenery was Amazing. Top 5 of my life. We walked around and I started making jokes about the donkey. Since other people had just ridden as well, I really started going on with this Aussie.
Our conversation:
Me: What if the donkeys want to quit? They just say, fuck it, I am jumping off this cliff, passenger and all?
Phil: Yeah, or they could want to break their own leg. They could run into a wall.
Me: And did you see the donkeys the guide was dragging behind him? I think it was a Donkey In Training.
Phil: A DIT! I've heard about those! They have to pass a really hard fitness test. Then they get certified to be a real donkey. Unfortunately by the time they pass all the tests they are elderly and almost always die within the year.
It continued like this for a while. Phaedra and I continued to walk down the street until we got to the spot. Like, the famous sunset spot. Since it was around 6, we had a few hours to wait. We found a little nook that was shaded and out of the way but guaranteed we had the best view. After about 15 minutes, Phil meandered up with Tally, his cousin. They sat down with us and we just chilled for 2 hours until the sunset. It was so cool, we were all just taking the piss out of life and especially the donkeys.
Afterwards we took our buses back to our respective hostels and agreed to meet up later. They came to my hostel and we went to dinner on the beach. Both of them are in the Aussie army and are on leave from Iraq. Gross. But it was one of the most fun days ever. Sadly, the left today to go to Rome but I am sure we will hang out when they come to Sydney next year. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!
Opa! Opa. Opa?
Upon arrival into Santorini, I went to bed.
The next day... I went to the beach at Perissa. Black sand, blue water, rocky scenery! It was amazing. I walked around and found a Thai restaurant, but their Thai food was only served for dinner! I got a chicken salad anyways, and it was fabulous.
Afterwards, I walked around and took photos along the beach. I bought the Lonely Planet guide to the Greek Isles, which is pretty good. It should come in handy in the next 2 weeks. Then I read my books and chilled out. The Canadian girls made it back into our room and I somehow finagled an invitation to dinner with them. It turns out, they were there with 4 other girls so I was rolling deep with Canucks.
During dinner, I was confused because I had been in Greece for more than 24 hours and still had not heard my first Opa! They don't say it when they are drinking, they don't say it when they are eating. When do they say it??? After a lengthy dinner in which it took the restaurant 2 hours to make our drinks and food, we went to happy hour at the bar across from our hostel. 2 euros buys you a shot of racca, which is like grappa, and a Greek beer. Mmm... not! We chilled until it ended and then headed to the beach to go out.
There is one cool bar where most everyone goes because it is open late. It is called The Beach Bar. Creative, I know.
We went there and the girls really wanted to go to Fera and go out. They seemed to be a little boy crazy, but I made friends with Sefia the original girl from my hostel. So we stayed and then started dancing. It turned into a whole night affair where boys would surround us and dance, timidly ask us our names in broken English, and then we would dance away from them only to be approached 5 minutes later.
We met a Greek boy named Yanni and after watching me dance for a bit he yelled, Opa! I was so happy to have heard my first Opa of the trip.
The next day... I went to the beach at Perissa. Black sand, blue water, rocky scenery! It was amazing. I walked around and found a Thai restaurant, but their Thai food was only served for dinner! I got a chicken salad anyways, and it was fabulous.
Afterwards, I walked around and took photos along the beach. I bought the Lonely Planet guide to the Greek Isles, which is pretty good. It should come in handy in the next 2 weeks. Then I read my books and chilled out. The Canadian girls made it back into our room and I somehow finagled an invitation to dinner with them. It turns out, they were there with 4 other girls so I was rolling deep with Canucks.
During dinner, I was confused because I had been in Greece for more than 24 hours and still had not heard my first Opa! They don't say it when they are drinking, they don't say it when they are eating. When do they say it??? After a lengthy dinner in which it took the restaurant 2 hours to make our drinks and food, we went to happy hour at the bar across from our hostel. 2 euros buys you a shot of racca, which is like grappa, and a Greek beer. Mmm... not! We chilled until it ended and then headed to the beach to go out.
There is one cool bar where most everyone goes because it is open late. It is called The Beach Bar. Creative, I know.
We went there and the girls really wanted to go to Fera and go out. They seemed to be a little boy crazy, but I made friends with Sefia the original girl from my hostel. So we stayed and then started dancing. It turned into a whole night affair where boys would surround us and dance, timidly ask us our names in broken English, and then we would dance away from them only to be approached 5 minutes later.
We met a Greek boy named Yanni and after watching me dance for a bit he yelled, Opa! I was so happy to have heard my first Opa of the trip.
My Own Personal Bus
In the last few days we spent in Como, many exciting things happened. We went to Switzerland and bought amazingly cheap luxury items, we went shopping at the market in Como where I got an "imitation leather" jacket, and Marco and Ila got engaged.
Sorry if I was the one to break the news to you, but if you didn't know already, you must be unreachable.
Yes, it was lovely. We had it all planned out. (Marco and I) We were walking up to this really old lighthouse looking over Como. At some point, Marco would tell me to go take some "photographs" and I would wait about 1 minute and then emerge, taking pictures of the whole proposal. Ila didn't really know what was going on, and didn't even realize that I was behind her taking pictures. Her reaction was an obvious yes, and she promptly started... sweating.
These are classic Ila reactions. She either sweats, or she doesn't get it. For instance, Marco and I were talking about how during the war his Nona would walk to Switzerland for work and every time she would come back 'pregnant.' Then we talked about how she would sell the cigarettes she smuggled in to other people. Well, Ila didn't really understand. After a few confused moments she asked, "How many kids does your Grandma have?"
So then on Tuesday evening, Marco and Ila went to the hospital to tell Nona about their engagement. She was happy for them for about 25 seconds and then started complaining about the nurses. She is a hellion.
That night we went out to have ice cream and celebrate my last night with the Koalas. Ila got nervous, another classic reaction, and ordered Straciacella and Crema Nutella. She actually managed to not order completely disgusting food but those are still Nona-flavors.
Wednesday morning arrived. I finished packing and we headed to Milano airport. I said goodbye and jumped in the queue for Alitalia to Athens. Nothing exciting happened on that flight but when I got to Athens I have a regional flight booked to Santorini. After waiting for a couple of hours, I was about to board my plane when the flight attendant told me I needed a paper ticket. Apparently the bonehead who checked me in didn't make sure I had it with me and just processed me anyway. I didn't have an e-ticket which meant I was out of luck. After nervous waiting for about 15 minutes and our bus to our flight heading to the plane, we zipped back up to the Olympic Airlines desk and I was issued another ticket. I don't know what angel was on my shoulder for that one. But after all that, I was given my own personal bus. I have always wondered what people had to do to get their own private shuttle to their plane.
Uugh.
A short skip down to Thira and then I got in a Mercedes Benz cab to my hostel. I am in a room with 3 other girls, 2 from Canada and 1 Aussie. I think today I am going to Perissa Beach, which is black sand. It is supposed to be 200 m from the hostel but I hear it is a 10-minute walk. I guess they judged the distance according to a turtle.
On another note, Maggie Fezekas and I are going to be doing up Athens in a couple weeks! Crazy excited for that. I think tomorrow I will go on a day trip to the Volcano, swim in a caldera (I just love volcanoes!) and watch the famous sunset at Oia. What a life!
Sorry if I was the one to break the news to you, but if you didn't know already, you must be unreachable.
Yes, it was lovely. We had it all planned out. (Marco and I) We were walking up to this really old lighthouse looking over Como. At some point, Marco would tell me to go take some "photographs" and I would wait about 1 minute and then emerge, taking pictures of the whole proposal. Ila didn't really know what was going on, and didn't even realize that I was behind her taking pictures. Her reaction was an obvious yes, and she promptly started... sweating.
These are classic Ila reactions. She either sweats, or she doesn't get it. For instance, Marco and I were talking about how during the war his Nona would walk to Switzerland for work and every time she would come back 'pregnant.' Then we talked about how she would sell the cigarettes she smuggled in to other people. Well, Ila didn't really understand. After a few confused moments she asked, "How many kids does your Grandma have?"
So then on Tuesday evening, Marco and Ila went to the hospital to tell Nona about their engagement. She was happy for them for about 25 seconds and then started complaining about the nurses. She is a hellion.
That night we went out to have ice cream and celebrate my last night with the Koalas. Ila got nervous, another classic reaction, and ordered Straciacella and Crema Nutella. She actually managed to not order completely disgusting food but those are still Nona-flavors.
Wednesday morning arrived. I finished packing and we headed to Milano airport. I said goodbye and jumped in the queue for Alitalia to Athens. Nothing exciting happened on that flight but when I got to Athens I have a regional flight booked to Santorini. After waiting for a couple of hours, I was about to board my plane when the flight attendant told me I needed a paper ticket. Apparently the bonehead who checked me in didn't make sure I had it with me and just processed me anyway. I didn't have an e-ticket which meant I was out of luck. After nervous waiting for about 15 minutes and our bus to our flight heading to the plane, we zipped back up to the Olympic Airlines desk and I was issued another ticket. I don't know what angel was on my shoulder for that one. But after all that, I was given my own personal bus. I have always wondered what people had to do to get their own private shuttle to their plane.
Uugh.
A short skip down to Thira and then I got in a Mercedes Benz cab to my hostel. I am in a room with 3 other girls, 2 from Canada and 1 Aussie. I think today I am going to Perissa Beach, which is black sand. It is supposed to be 200 m from the hostel but I hear it is a 10-minute walk. I guess they judged the distance according to a turtle.
On another note, Maggie Fezekas and I are going to be doing up Athens in a couple weeks! Crazy excited for that. I think tomorrow I will go on a day trip to the Volcano, swim in a caldera (I just love volcanoes!) and watch the famous sunset at Oia. What a life!
Frederico the Goat, Tweet Tweet and Jimmy
Yesterday, Marco took Ila and me to walk around Como and explore his hometown. We walked around by the lake and went down to the pier. We went among many old villas and the views were incredible. When Marco was 12, he had a tryout with a professional team in Como. There is a picture of him, (all legs and hair) hanging on his wall. We walked by the stadium and it was open by a miracle. We sort of invaded it and I got to run up the top of the bleachers and take a picture out over the lake.
Then the next day we went for a walk up to this really old castle looking over the whole region. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and was pretty hungry when we started our ascent. We walked for about an hour straight uphill. Literally. When we finally made it to the top (Ila sweating and Marco with boundless energy) we had an amazing view. There was the remnants of an old castle and we climbed up it to see to Milano. After we were scared getting back down, Marco helped us as we were being complete weenies.
Then on our way home we were walking, Marco slightly in front and Ila a little ahead of me. We saw this man sitting on the side of the road and then heard this scratching noise in the bushes. Out ran a billy goat who promptly started squirming and chasing his own tail! Ila was so scared she ran behind me, thinking the goat was going to attack us. Marco started talking to the man and apparently the goat lived on the mountain. The man had named him Frederico because a few years ago he had befriended the goat. The man had gone up to the mountain to bury his last German Shepherd, and he met the goat. The goat was extremely friendly and wanted to play. Thus, Frederico.
As we were standing there talking, we pet the goat as if he were a dog. He was chasing his own tail and biting it. At one point, he got so excited to play that he head butted Marco in the knee. Marco: "God damn it, Frederico! I know you are excited but take it easy!"
We parted ways with nothing but fond memories of the goat.
Later that night we went to get Aperitivo, which is something like cocktail hour in the States. We went to the main piazza in Como and met up with many of Marco's friends. All of them fabulous Italians, that is except for Tweet Tweet.
His name was Vincent.
He was a disaster.
He apparently was sort of friends with the guys but not really. He was a bit odd and had this mad habit of not realizing people's personal space. He would sidle up really close to you. You would try to back away but he would just keep coming. Apparently, sometimes he gets about 4 inches from your face without realizing it. Fabio, one of Marco's friends, was able to reel him in more and would periodically yell at him to move back or be quiet. We started calling him Tweet Tweet because he was like a little bird, always following them around.
And then during the middle of the evening, I see a man walking his pet... guinea pig. I thought it was a rat and then I realized it had more crazy fur. For some reason, as I am yelling, Rat! Rat! it ran straight to my feet. The man had to yell at it to walk with him and then he picked it up and put it on his neck.
And Jimmy. Ah... Jimmy.
He is Marco's delightful friend whom at first we all thought was gay but it turns out is a ladies man. He is a SHARK! He chases girls all around but without success. And he is the nicest guy! He was a riot and spoke a little english, but he said it would improve with his consumption of alcohol. We then went to a town barbeque, up the road.
Almost to Switzerland! We got out and walked up another mountain and were met by hundreds of Comanzci and other Italians from around the area. We ate pork, which is a specialty of the area and watched fireworks. Then, there is a huge bonfire where they literally burn the mountain. I have never seen such a humongous fire! Afterwards, we ate some "traditional cake" which looked chocolate but was in fact fruit cake and then headed on home.
Today we went for a boat tour around Como. It was beautiful and I got some great shots of the Villas. I picked out Villa Carlita which I will buy after I make my first million. We passed by George Clooney's villa, but I couldn't pick it out of the crowd. After lunch at Menaggio, we headed back to Como and to the apartment. Time to prepare ourselves for shopping tomorrow!
SHOES
I needed shoes in Italy. They only have 40, which is equivalent of US size 9. Ehh... Anyways I finally found a CUTE pair. They are seriously HOT and they were only 20 Euros. Bravo, Como, Bravo!
Then the next day we went for a walk up to this really old castle looking over the whole region. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and was pretty hungry when we started our ascent. We walked for about an hour straight uphill. Literally. When we finally made it to the top (Ila sweating and Marco with boundless energy) we had an amazing view. There was the remnants of an old castle and we climbed up it to see to Milano. After we were scared getting back down, Marco helped us as we were being complete weenies.
Then on our way home we were walking, Marco slightly in front and Ila a little ahead of me. We saw this man sitting on the side of the road and then heard this scratching noise in the bushes. Out ran a billy goat who promptly started squirming and chasing his own tail! Ila was so scared she ran behind me, thinking the goat was going to attack us. Marco started talking to the man and apparently the goat lived on the mountain. The man had named him Frederico because a few years ago he had befriended the goat. The man had gone up to the mountain to bury his last German Shepherd, and he met the goat. The goat was extremely friendly and wanted to play. Thus, Frederico.
As we were standing there talking, we pet the goat as if he were a dog. He was chasing his own tail and biting it. At one point, he got so excited to play that he head butted Marco in the knee. Marco: "God damn it, Frederico! I know you are excited but take it easy!"
We parted ways with nothing but fond memories of the goat.
Later that night we went to get Aperitivo, which is something like cocktail hour in the States. We went to the main piazza in Como and met up with many of Marco's friends. All of them fabulous Italians, that is except for Tweet Tweet.
His name was Vincent.
He was a disaster.
He apparently was sort of friends with the guys but not really. He was a bit odd and had this mad habit of not realizing people's personal space. He would sidle up really close to you. You would try to back away but he would just keep coming. Apparently, sometimes he gets about 4 inches from your face without realizing it. Fabio, one of Marco's friends, was able to reel him in more and would periodically yell at him to move back or be quiet. We started calling him Tweet Tweet because he was like a little bird, always following them around.
And then during the middle of the evening, I see a man walking his pet... guinea pig. I thought it was a rat and then I realized it had more crazy fur. For some reason, as I am yelling, Rat! Rat! it ran straight to my feet. The man had to yell at it to walk with him and then he picked it up and put it on his neck.
And Jimmy. Ah... Jimmy.
He is Marco's delightful friend whom at first we all thought was gay but it turns out is a ladies man. He is a SHARK! He chases girls all around but without success. And he is the nicest guy! He was a riot and spoke a little english, but he said it would improve with his consumption of alcohol. We then went to a town barbeque, up the road.
Almost to Switzerland! We got out and walked up another mountain and were met by hundreds of Comanzci and other Italians from around the area. We ate pork, which is a specialty of the area and watched fireworks. Then, there is a huge bonfire where they literally burn the mountain. I have never seen such a humongous fire! Afterwards, we ate some "traditional cake" which looked chocolate but was in fact fruit cake and then headed on home.
Today we went for a boat tour around Como. It was beautiful and I got some great shots of the Villas. I picked out Villa Carlita which I will buy after I make my first million. We passed by George Clooney's villa, but I couldn't pick it out of the crowd. After lunch at Menaggio, we headed back to Como and to the apartment. Time to prepare ourselves for shopping tomorrow!
SHOES
I needed shoes in Italy. They only have 40, which is equivalent of US size 9. Ehh... Anyways I finally found a CUTE pair. They are seriously HOT and they were only 20 Euros. Bravo, Como, Bravo!
It's a Joke, Laugh!
Ila and I are now in Como, Italy. It is fabulous weather and it was so good to reunite the koalas (my nickname for Marco and Ila) Yesterday we walked around downtown Como and took pictures and window shopped. My flip flops are toast and we are looking for some supportive cute sandals for me. The only problem is Italians have midget feet.
And I want a pair of Birkenstocks that just have 1 simple strap, and according to Italians with midget feet, they are ugly. So thus a dilemna was born.
I think we walked into so many shops looking for the same pair of shoes but when Marco asked the people if they have size 41 or even, gasp, 42, they were shocked and said no. Today we are going to the House of Shoes to look for shoes for giants. I hope we will have better luck.
And after walking around and house-hunting for Villa Carla, we headed back home to rest for a bit. We were going to meet up with Marco's friends for a drink later in town. After dinner we headed back to the city and met up with Alberto and Stefano, two of Marco's friends. We walked around by the lake and since Stefano hadn't eaten, we went to a "Mexican" Restaurant for dinner.
Here is what I learned from that dinner:
Chardonnay in Italy is sparkling.
Pierrina's are tacos, with raw meat in them.
Also, Italians created everything in the world. The wheel? Italy. The Internet? Italy. The United States? Italy.
And then we got onto the topic of making jokes. They weren't translating that well and after every joke that Alberto made, he would look at me and say, It's a joke! Laugh!
Eventually, I got a few of the jokes. And they got some of mine. So we left the Mexican restaurant and came home to go to sleep.
The next few days should be very exciting, considering we are going outlet shopping at Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci and others in Switzerland. It should prove fabulous. Ciao!
And I want a pair of Birkenstocks that just have 1 simple strap, and according to Italians with midget feet, they are ugly. So thus a dilemna was born.
I think we walked into so many shops looking for the same pair of shoes but when Marco asked the people if they have size 41 or even, gasp, 42, they were shocked and said no. Today we are going to the House of Shoes to look for shoes for giants. I hope we will have better luck.
And after walking around and house-hunting for Villa Carla, we headed back home to rest for a bit. We were going to meet up with Marco's friends for a drink later in town. After dinner we headed back to the city and met up with Alberto and Stefano, two of Marco's friends. We walked around by the lake and since Stefano hadn't eaten, we went to a "Mexican" Restaurant for dinner.
Here is what I learned from that dinner:
Chardonnay in Italy is sparkling.
Pierrina's are tacos, with raw meat in them.
Also, Italians created everything in the world. The wheel? Italy. The Internet? Italy. The United States? Italy.
And then we got onto the topic of making jokes. They weren't translating that well and after every joke that Alberto made, he would look at me and say, It's a joke! Laugh!
Eventually, I got a few of the jokes. And they got some of mine. So we left the Mexican restaurant and came home to go to sleep.
The next few days should be very exciting, considering we are going outlet shopping at Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci and others in Switzerland. It should prove fabulous. Ciao!
I Didn't Want To End Up Looking Like A Gay Spaniard
The other night we finally made it to Canela, the best restaurant in Barcelona and also one of the cheapest.
The restaurant claims it's food is, 'Creative Mediterranean Cuisine'
Yes, it was! No ham in sight. I ordered ravioli with shrimp and some sort of cheese garlic sauce. It came, with the shrimpies looking alive. Heads, tails, shells, butts, everything. They actually tasted amazing though. And then I began in on the rav's. At this point, it was a little warm in the restaurant. There was air conditioning but we weren't sitting very close to the unit. I ordered a coke and it came, but not with ice because Europe exiled ice back in the 1700's.
I continue to eat the very tasty food when I realize I am eating hot peppers. I started sweating. As in, full on, soccer in the summer in Missouri sweating. I think I am having a reaction to the food. It was really not good. Ila and Martin were of course, laughing at me but I really couldn't cool down. I stopped eating what I thought were the peppers and after about 20 minutes and some water, I began to cool down.
Literally, if you don't believe me, ask Martin. I made him feel my leg which was covered in sweat. He was disgusted.
The rest of the meal was fabulous, even though my veal was a bit tough. Ila's chicken thing was great and Martin had really good duck. Then we even ate dessert. After all of this, you would think we paid a fortune. But we managed to leave the restaurant only 23 euros lighter, each. Wow! I think we are going to return there for our last meal in Barcelona tomorrow night. Note to self: unless carrying an ice pack and a hankerchief, avoid red peppers in Spain. Unless you have been eating spicy food for a while and aren't out of shape like me!!!
During the conversation, we came across the topic of hair cuts. We were explaining to Martin the disgust Americans feel towards The Mullet. And how it is somehow very fashionable to have a mullet here.
Martin just recently got a haircut. And he was well aware of the "Spanish look." He also lives in the area we do, known as Boys Town. He went to the hair salon after looking up specific words for "Normal" "Haircut" "All-one-length" and "No Mullet!" (I took some liberty with which words Martin actually looked up, although I am guessing they were pretty close to these)
He went to the salon and it turns out, the girl who was cutting his hair was German. Thus, he ended up telling her exactly what he wanted. In his words, he was deathly afraid of coming out of the salon "Looking like a Gay-Spaniard!"
Thank God the world is flat.
The restaurant claims it's food is, 'Creative Mediterranean Cuisine'
Yes, it was! No ham in sight. I ordered ravioli with shrimp and some sort of cheese garlic sauce. It came, with the shrimpies looking alive. Heads, tails, shells, butts, everything. They actually tasted amazing though. And then I began in on the rav's. At this point, it was a little warm in the restaurant. There was air conditioning but we weren't sitting very close to the unit. I ordered a coke and it came, but not with ice because Europe exiled ice back in the 1700's.
I continue to eat the very tasty food when I realize I am eating hot peppers. I started sweating. As in, full on, soccer in the summer in Missouri sweating. I think I am having a reaction to the food. It was really not good. Ila and Martin were of course, laughing at me but I really couldn't cool down. I stopped eating what I thought were the peppers and after about 20 minutes and some water, I began to cool down.
Literally, if you don't believe me, ask Martin. I made him feel my leg which was covered in sweat. He was disgusted.
The rest of the meal was fabulous, even though my veal was a bit tough. Ila's chicken thing was great and Martin had really good duck. Then we even ate dessert. After all of this, you would think we paid a fortune. But we managed to leave the restaurant only 23 euros lighter, each. Wow! I think we are going to return there for our last meal in Barcelona tomorrow night. Note to self: unless carrying an ice pack and a hankerchief, avoid red peppers in Spain. Unless you have been eating spicy food for a while and aren't out of shape like me!!!
During the conversation, we came across the topic of hair cuts. We were explaining to Martin the disgust Americans feel towards The Mullet. And how it is somehow very fashionable to have a mullet here.
Martin just recently got a haircut. And he was well aware of the "Spanish look." He also lives in the area we do, known as Boys Town. He went to the hair salon after looking up specific words for "Normal" "Haircut" "All-one-length" and "No Mullet!" (I took some liberty with which words Martin actually looked up, although I am guessing they were pretty close to these)
He went to the salon and it turns out, the girl who was cutting his hair was German. Thus, he ended up telling her exactly what he wanted. In his words, he was deathly afraid of coming out of the salon "Looking like a Gay-Spaniard!"
Thank God the world is flat.
La Playa, La Plage, The Beach
Today's episode will focus primarily on that beacon of hope known to all Spaniards as... the beach.
Barcelona has many city beaches. Unfortunately, it also has many tourists and citizens who GO to these beaches. And even more unfortunate is that many people have cultivated businesses on these beaches selling anything you could think of under the sun. Literally.
So you are sitting on this hot beach, just next to the city, lathering on the sunscreen when you hear what I refer to as the "Barcelona Beach Chant." It goes a little something like this:
Agua, Fanta, Cerveza, Cola
Cola, Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola Light
Cold Bier, Agua my friends
Interspersed with drink suggestions is:
Masaje, Massage?
Masaje, chicas?
And, my personal favorite:
Emmmm---panadas!
Emmmmm---panadas!
EMM---PANADAS!
You mix these all together and throw in a few coco's, the occasional Tatuaje (tatoo) and Vestidas! Faldas! Pantalones! And you are on your way to Chanting.
The problem with all these businesses as we recently found out is that they are in fact, illegal.
I got a massage (NOT THAI!) from a small Asian woman. When I was done, Ila got one as well. Smothered in baby oil and half-asleep, Ila was enjoying the rub down. That is, until it abruptly ended. I look over and see a policeman tap the Asian on the shoulder and then tell her in Spanish, "If you want to make money, go somewhere else."
She was taken over to another officer and stood there, sort of looking guilty, sort of smiling. Then we realized that there was no more humming or chanting. We looked around and not an Asian, Pakistani or Indian was in sight! Silence had fallen on Barceloneta, and it felt weird. After about 20 minutes and the Police officer escort, somehow the Asian emerged from the beach as I knew she would. (to collect the 5 euros Ila owed her)
So what is the moral of this story? Well, for the Asian I am sure it is something along the lines of Don't sweat the petty stuff, and don't pet the sweaty stuff. For the rest of the beach-goers, I'm sure in those short 20 minutes without access to overpriced drinks and cheap masaje-massages made us all realize that we have become accustomed to this lifestyle and as much as we hate it, we need it. At least, when we are at the beach.
But I also need to mention one little factoid not previously discussed that is a vital part of the beach chant. The medusa warnings!
It reads, since we have heard it about 25,000 times: The yellow flag indicates the detection of jellyfish. While swimming, please stay away from Jell-A-fish. If you are allergic, do not swim.
And then this announcement is spoken in Catalan, Castellano, German and French. Since the word for jellyfish in virtually all those languages is Medusa, we made a little joke about the Asian masseuses after the police exile.
"The Policeman indicates the detection of Masseuses. While sun-bathing, please stay away from Masseuses. If you are allergic, do not get a massage."
And then shortly after there was the re-emergence of the Masseuses. I guess those yellow flags will be up all summer...
Barcelona has many city beaches. Unfortunately, it also has many tourists and citizens who GO to these beaches. And even more unfortunate is that many people have cultivated businesses on these beaches selling anything you could think of under the sun. Literally.
So you are sitting on this hot beach, just next to the city, lathering on the sunscreen when you hear what I refer to as the "Barcelona Beach Chant." It goes a little something like this:
Agua, Fanta, Cerveza, Cola
Cola, Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola Light
Cold Bier, Agua my friends
Interspersed with drink suggestions is:
Masaje, Massage?
Masaje, chicas?
And, my personal favorite:
Emmmm---panadas!
Emmmmm---panadas!
EMM---PANADAS!
You mix these all together and throw in a few coco's, the occasional Tatuaje (tatoo) and Vestidas! Faldas! Pantalones! And you are on your way to Chanting.
The problem with all these businesses as we recently found out is that they are in fact, illegal.
I got a massage (NOT THAI!) from a small Asian woman. When I was done, Ila got one as well. Smothered in baby oil and half-asleep, Ila was enjoying the rub down. That is, until it abruptly ended. I look over and see a policeman tap the Asian on the shoulder and then tell her in Spanish, "If you want to make money, go somewhere else."
She was taken over to another officer and stood there, sort of looking guilty, sort of smiling. Then we realized that there was no more humming or chanting. We looked around and not an Asian, Pakistani or Indian was in sight! Silence had fallen on Barceloneta, and it felt weird. After about 20 minutes and the Police officer escort, somehow the Asian emerged from the beach as I knew she would. (to collect the 5 euros Ila owed her)
So what is the moral of this story? Well, for the Asian I am sure it is something along the lines of Don't sweat the petty stuff, and don't pet the sweaty stuff. For the rest of the beach-goers, I'm sure in those short 20 minutes without access to overpriced drinks and cheap masaje-massages made us all realize that we have become accustomed to this lifestyle and as much as we hate it, we need it. At least, when we are at the beach.
But I also need to mention one little factoid not previously discussed that is a vital part of the beach chant. The medusa warnings!
It reads, since we have heard it about 25,000 times: The yellow flag indicates the detection of jellyfish. While swimming, please stay away from Jell-A-fish. If you are allergic, do not swim.
And then this announcement is spoken in Catalan, Castellano, German and French. Since the word for jellyfish in virtually all those languages is Medusa, we made a little joke about the Asian masseuses after the police exile.
"The Policeman indicates the detection of Masseuses. While sun-bathing, please stay away from Masseuses. If you are allergic, do not get a massage."
And then shortly after there was the re-emergence of the Masseuses. I guess those yellow flags will be up all summer...
Flaming Shots
Tonight, we went to a bar called Espit Chupitos. And it was a bar that serves Flaming Shots.
Seriously, an entire wall of choices. To start the night we had Harry Potter. And then the rest are a blur of blue flames and sugar.
Ay de mi. We hung out with Tomas from Ila's classes (Danish) and he turned out to be a really nice guy. And there was an American group with one girl who was really annoying. Go figure.
Hasta manana!
Seriously, an entire wall of choices. To start the night we had Harry Potter. And then the rest are a blur of blue flames and sugar.
Ay de mi. We hung out with Tomas from Ila's classes (Danish) and he turned out to be a really nice guy. And there was an American group with one girl who was really annoying. Go figure.
Hasta manana!
Dancing Is My Cardio
The other night we went out with Martin to this club on the beach. Check that, it was a club, next to the beach but both were separate entities.
So we went there and after receiving some mis-information about free cover, free champagne AND a free drink, we managed to procure a spot on a white couch. The ambience was a mix of eclectic oriental (hence the parisol lights) and chic. Very nice. Martin knows our taste so well.
After our free champagne (yes, one glass of Cava was included) we were choosing what to drink next. I wanted to buy a bottle of Cava, because let's face it. It is Spain, and the drink is made here. It couldn't have been that expensive, Right? Wrong. 65 Euros. Eeek, so we opted for 10 euro Cosmos instead. I didn't have to fork over that much though because I had found 5 euros lying on the floor. Hmm... cosmic kharma?
So anyways, then the crowd began to file in. Many cute boys. And cute girls. Everyone at the place was very good-looking! The music began to blare... shockingly Phil Collins began to belt out Take a Look at Me Now! (I had just listened to it minutes before departing our apartment)
I really felt in the mood to dance. After all, they were mixing some great 80's songs with great dance hits. So we started to hit it. Hard. The dance floor was huge but there were so many people it was crazy! There was this one Finnish or Danish guy dancing sort of close to us but we couldn't tell if he was gay or not and wanted our attention. He was a riot to dance with. Then there was the Ostrich. A girl dancing in a style reminiscent of the awkward half-mammal half giant bird. She ended up finding her giant gorgeous beef-cake later. All was well in the land of Rhythm until I started pouring sweat.
Now as you may know, I had a similar experience in Paris. This thankfully was much more subdued than that party. But I was pretty disgusting, soaking through my linen dress. After I could no longer give Umbrella it's proper dues, we decided to head home. Our taxi-driver over charged us and took us the wrong way. And 3 short hours later we were back in school.
Tonight we are heading to a bar where they serve flaming drinks. Literally. Everything is on fire. And their speciality is chupitos (shots.) Martin is picking us up at 11, and we are heading there. Possibly a club later? But as he already informed us, it will be humid. Oh great, I am going to be sweating again. At least it counts as exercise.
So we went there and after receiving some mis-information about free cover, free champagne AND a free drink, we managed to procure a spot on a white couch. The ambience was a mix of eclectic oriental (hence the parisol lights) and chic. Very nice. Martin knows our taste so well.
After our free champagne (yes, one glass of Cava was included) we were choosing what to drink next. I wanted to buy a bottle of Cava, because let's face it. It is Spain, and the drink is made here. It couldn't have been that expensive, Right? Wrong. 65 Euros. Eeek, so we opted for 10 euro Cosmos instead. I didn't have to fork over that much though because I had found 5 euros lying on the floor. Hmm... cosmic kharma?
So anyways, then the crowd began to file in. Many cute boys. And cute girls. Everyone at the place was very good-looking! The music began to blare... shockingly Phil Collins began to belt out Take a Look at Me Now! (I had just listened to it minutes before departing our apartment)
I really felt in the mood to dance. After all, they were mixing some great 80's songs with great dance hits. So we started to hit it. Hard. The dance floor was huge but there were so many people it was crazy! There was this one Finnish or Danish guy dancing sort of close to us but we couldn't tell if he was gay or not and wanted our attention. He was a riot to dance with. Then there was the Ostrich. A girl dancing in a style reminiscent of the awkward half-mammal half giant bird. She ended up finding her giant gorgeous beef-cake later. All was well in the land of Rhythm until I started pouring sweat.
Now as you may know, I had a similar experience in Paris. This thankfully was much more subdued than that party. But I was pretty disgusting, soaking through my linen dress. After I could no longer give Umbrella it's proper dues, we decided to head home. Our taxi-driver over charged us and took us the wrong way. And 3 short hours later we were back in school.
Tonight we are heading to a bar where they serve flaming drinks. Literally. Everything is on fire. And their speciality is chupitos (shots.) Martin is picking us up at 11, and we are heading there. Possibly a club later? But as he already informed us, it will be humid. Oh great, I am going to be sweating again. At least it counts as exercise.
Alice In Wonderland on Crack
Today after class Ila and I actually did some tourism things around Barcelona.
We headed off to the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell. As we emerged from the metro stop where just 2 years before I had seen a woman walking her pet duck, we saw the grotesquely shaped church. I took some pictures and we continued to walk around the massive structure.
Then we headed off to Parc Guell which was an adventure in itself. The metro stop is a good mile, mile and a half from the actual park. But, that hill is not a mere walk in the park, so to speak. It is a full on hike up winding traffic filled Barcelona streets. We got lost only a few times and had to ask where we were going. One man we asked directions to gave me directions in Catalan, undiscernable.
So we finally make our way up and the air is amazingly fresh up there. It is way above the city and the view is amazing. You can still see all the construction on the Sagrada Familia and the mountains. After we walked around and took more pictures at the scene of L'Auberge Espanol, we headed back down into town.
We got home and realized we didn't want to eat our food anymore. I mean honestly, no matter what Marco says, I cannot eat pasta every day. So we broke down and decided to go and try this good restaurant called Canela. Well, it was 8:15 and we thought we may be the only people eating in the place but it was worth the shame. Turns out, they don't even open until 8:30. Espana! Dios mio! So we then walked to this sushi place by our house, but it was only takeout.
Finally, we walked 3 short steps past our front door and walked into a Taiwanese restaurant. I don't know if I have mentioned this, but I am DYING for some SPICE! We walk into this tunnel like place and emerge at family dinner for Taiwan. Literally, the only non-Asians in the place.
But the food was mildly spicy (freaking blazing spicy compared to Spanish food) and we were so happy. Yay! Food baby was on the move.
We headed off to the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell. As we emerged from the metro stop where just 2 years before I had seen a woman walking her pet duck, we saw the grotesquely shaped church. I took some pictures and we continued to walk around the massive structure.
Then we headed off to Parc Guell which was an adventure in itself. The metro stop is a good mile, mile and a half from the actual park. But, that hill is not a mere walk in the park, so to speak. It is a full on hike up winding traffic filled Barcelona streets. We got lost only a few times and had to ask where we were going. One man we asked directions to gave me directions in Catalan, undiscernable.
So we finally make our way up and the air is amazingly fresh up there. It is way above the city and the view is amazing. You can still see all the construction on the Sagrada Familia and the mountains. After we walked around and took more pictures at the scene of L'Auberge Espanol, we headed back down into town.
We got home and realized we didn't want to eat our food anymore. I mean honestly, no matter what Marco says, I cannot eat pasta every day. So we broke down and decided to go and try this good restaurant called Canela. Well, it was 8:15 and we thought we may be the only people eating in the place but it was worth the shame. Turns out, they don't even open until 8:30. Espana! Dios mio! So we then walked to this sushi place by our house, but it was only takeout.
Finally, we walked 3 short steps past our front door and walked into a Taiwanese restaurant. I don't know if I have mentioned this, but I am DYING for some SPICE! We walk into this tunnel like place and emerge at family dinner for Taiwan. Literally, the only non-Asians in the place.
But the food was mildly spicy (freaking blazing spicy compared to Spanish food) and we were so happy. Yay! Food baby was on the move.
On The Subject of Muggle Porn
Alright, so alas, I have finished the last Harry Potter novel.
I will not spoil it for anyone but it was quite sad saying goodbye to Harry. As the days led up to the release of the book, my thirst for Harry was almost incessant. I became obsessed with checking MuggleNet, my favorite website, for more theories and facts about Harry's Wizarding World.
Ila refers to this information as "Muggle Porn"
Muggles are the name given to non-wizarding people, for those of you who don't read the series.
Anyways, I thought it was worth mentioning in the blog.
And another small side note, Ila's new favorite thing at the beach is to compare boobs with other girls. There are many topless Spaniards and other Euros and she will spy on them and comment on their diversity. But today, she wanted me to spy on a girl and see if theirs looked the same. I drew the line. I am not a personal boob-spyer.
Also at the beach as I mentioned before, we saw the Beach Whale. Well, today I will give her another name... The Calabaza with Legs. Calabaza is Spanish for Pumpkin.
Literally, she stood up today, weighing in at roughly 450 pounds (210 kilos), Topless, and rubbing oil all over her flubbery tan body.
ICK!
I couldn't stop myself from staring. She was monstrous. I don't know what possesses someone like that, clearly morbidly obese, clearly not beach material, clearly older enough to be in AARP, to strip down to only a muu muu for butts. Literally, her suit was fabric, stretched to the max, and it was pulled down to reveal enormous boobs. Thankfully, she turned out to sea when she was oiling up her front side. I can only hope no one was taking a picture from the cruise boat sailing by.
Oy vey.
I will not spoil it for anyone but it was quite sad saying goodbye to Harry. As the days led up to the release of the book, my thirst for Harry was almost incessant. I became obsessed with checking MuggleNet, my favorite website, for more theories and facts about Harry's Wizarding World.
Ila refers to this information as "Muggle Porn"
Muggles are the name given to non-wizarding people, for those of you who don't read the series.
Anyways, I thought it was worth mentioning in the blog.
And another small side note, Ila's new favorite thing at the beach is to compare boobs with other girls. There are many topless Spaniards and other Euros and she will spy on them and comment on their diversity. But today, she wanted me to spy on a girl and see if theirs looked the same. I drew the line. I am not a personal boob-spyer.
Also at the beach as I mentioned before, we saw the Beach Whale. Well, today I will give her another name... The Calabaza with Legs. Calabaza is Spanish for Pumpkin.
Literally, she stood up today, weighing in at roughly 450 pounds (210 kilos), Topless, and rubbing oil all over her flubbery tan body.
ICK!
I couldn't stop myself from staring. She was monstrous. I don't know what possesses someone like that, clearly morbidly obese, clearly not beach material, clearly older enough to be in AARP, to strip down to only a muu muu for butts. Literally, her suit was fabric, stretched to the max, and it was pulled down to reveal enormous boobs. Thankfully, she turned out to sea when she was oiling up her front side. I can only hope no one was taking a picture from the cruise boat sailing by.
Oy vey.
It's Been Awhile
I have been in Barcelona for the last few days, and I regrettably have not blogged. We are staying at an apartment that is on a very busy street that is loud all the time. And for the first few days we were here Ila was sick.
So, on to the exciting news: Spanish School.
Both Ila and I are going to a school called SpeakEasy for Spanish classes. We go to school 4 hours a day, from 9-1 every day of the week. I love my teachers and the class is only 3 other people, so we got to speak a lot.
There are 3 students - 2 from the US and 1 from Norway. One of the guys from the US, we will refer to him as D, may be the most annoying person I have ever met.
Remember when you are little and you are at school and there is that kid that is just weird. You don't know exactly what it is, but they are different and odd and you don't want to sit next to them at the lunch table? D is like this. He laughs this really annoying laugh like, heh huh heh huh, kind of Beevis and Butthead reminiscent. And besides that, he asks approximately 4,208 questions each class. So the first day he wasn't in class and we moved quite quickly. After his presence was added, we move much slower. Think Galapagos Turtle pace.
So, in the middle of our class he interrupts to ask how to spell all these vocabulary words (like spanish is really hard to figure out how to spell.) I thought I was the only one who wanted to punch him upside his giggling head but then I commiserated with some of my classmates outside of class. Turns out, they can't stand D as much as me.
Ila's class is much bigger and she says there are much greater discrepancies in the level of Spanish some of the people have. Some are very good speakers and some are ridiculously slow. The slow ones make it hard for the rest of the class. And for some reason she keeps getting stuck being partners with one of the bad ones named Rupert. Apparently, he is awful.
A couple of days this week after class we went to the beach. It's is about a 30 minute bus ride to Barceloneta, and the bus literally drops us off steps from the beach. There are lots of people there and the water is nice. The first day we went was really rough though because the tide was coming in. There were rips and even surf! So, not so much swimming. But the second day was much nicer. We were washing our feet off at the showers and unfortunately a mob of Brazilian guys was there as well. They were like, "Where are you frommm? What is your naaaaame?" and without further ado, began splashing us with water. It was insane! We had to run away to get away from the craziness.
And then we had a horrible bus ride. Apparently all of Barcelona has run out of deodorant. And they were riding the bus with us. Ila was going to puke, I was somehow managing to keep my butt planted on this bar which I was pretending was my seat, and then this lady just struck up conversation with me. It turns out she is a German TV show host of travel shows and documentaries. Crazy! So we talked a bit and she got off at the market.
We made it home and Ila no longer felt like puking. Shocker!
One of the boys in Ila's class, Martin, wanted to go out. So we met up with him (because he lives just 1 block away) and went to go get dinner on the beach with some other friends from class. Spanish food, mmm. not. Ila and I cannot stand the food. It is nearly all gross and fried. So hopefully tonight we are going to try some international asian cuisine. I NEED SPICES!!!
So then after the dinner we all went out for drinks and it was nice. The next night (Since it was 2am and we were tired) we promised to go out with Martin and actually party and stay out late. We went to his apartment (on the 6th floor, with a breeze and a balcony) and had a little wine and cheese party with his roommate and him. It was really chill and relaxing. Then we headed out to this club called The Elephant.
We took the metro quite a few stops when Martin directed us to get off. We emerged from the station and looked around. We were in the boon docks. It was the University area, so we started walking. We didn't want to take a cab because it would have been only like 5 euros, and it didn't seem worth it.
As we were walking, we passed by...a prostitute. Ila and I were both shocked. We had never seen one up close before! And Ila thinks her "skirt" was actually a belt. Hooker butt cheeks! After we walked for what seemed like forever we made it to the club.
It was amazing!
It was this huge semi-outdoor Thai style club. It was a garden and lush and there were couches, as well as a dance floor. We managed to procure a couch and sat there talking for hours. Then Martin really wanted to dance. So we headed to the dance floor and danced for a while.
Ila's feet were hurting and we were both getting tired (4am) so we all decided to take a cab home. It ended up being really cheap and then we said goodnight to our Martin.
I haven't released the best part of my last 2 days... I bought the 7th and final Harry Potter book. And I have already finished it. Ila is grateful I am finally done, seeing as all I have done in the last 2 days is read. It was great, but I am so sad to think Harry is done with his adventures. Ah well, enjoy it!
So, on to the exciting news: Spanish School.
Both Ila and I are going to a school called SpeakEasy for Spanish classes. We go to school 4 hours a day, from 9-1 every day of the week. I love my teachers and the class is only 3 other people, so we got to speak a lot.
There are 3 students - 2 from the US and 1 from Norway. One of the guys from the US, we will refer to him as D, may be the most annoying person I have ever met.
Remember when you are little and you are at school and there is that kid that is just weird. You don't know exactly what it is, but they are different and odd and you don't want to sit next to them at the lunch table? D is like this. He laughs this really annoying laugh like, heh huh heh huh, kind of Beevis and Butthead reminiscent. And besides that, he asks approximately 4,208 questions each class. So the first day he wasn't in class and we moved quite quickly. After his presence was added, we move much slower. Think Galapagos Turtle pace.
So, in the middle of our class he interrupts to ask how to spell all these vocabulary words (like spanish is really hard to figure out how to spell.) I thought I was the only one who wanted to punch him upside his giggling head but then I commiserated with some of my classmates outside of class. Turns out, they can't stand D as much as me.
Ila's class is much bigger and she says there are much greater discrepancies in the level of Spanish some of the people have. Some are very good speakers and some are ridiculously slow. The slow ones make it hard for the rest of the class. And for some reason she keeps getting stuck being partners with one of the bad ones named Rupert. Apparently, he is awful.
A couple of days this week after class we went to the beach. It's is about a 30 minute bus ride to Barceloneta, and the bus literally drops us off steps from the beach. There are lots of people there and the water is nice. The first day we went was really rough though because the tide was coming in. There were rips and even surf! So, not so much swimming. But the second day was much nicer. We were washing our feet off at the showers and unfortunately a mob of Brazilian guys was there as well. They were like, "Where are you frommm? What is your naaaaame?" and without further ado, began splashing us with water. It was insane! We had to run away to get away from the craziness.
And then we had a horrible bus ride. Apparently all of Barcelona has run out of deodorant. And they were riding the bus with us. Ila was going to puke, I was somehow managing to keep my butt planted on this bar which I was pretending was my seat, and then this lady just struck up conversation with me. It turns out she is a German TV show host of travel shows and documentaries. Crazy! So we talked a bit and she got off at the market.
We made it home and Ila no longer felt like puking. Shocker!
One of the boys in Ila's class, Martin, wanted to go out. So we met up with him (because he lives just 1 block away) and went to go get dinner on the beach with some other friends from class. Spanish food, mmm. not. Ila and I cannot stand the food. It is nearly all gross and fried. So hopefully tonight we are going to try some international asian cuisine. I NEED SPICES!!!
So then after the dinner we all went out for drinks and it was nice. The next night (Since it was 2am and we were tired) we promised to go out with Martin and actually party and stay out late. We went to his apartment (on the 6th floor, with a breeze and a balcony) and had a little wine and cheese party with his roommate and him. It was really chill and relaxing. Then we headed out to this club called The Elephant.
We took the metro quite a few stops when Martin directed us to get off. We emerged from the station and looked around. We were in the boon docks. It was the University area, so we started walking. We didn't want to take a cab because it would have been only like 5 euros, and it didn't seem worth it.
As we were walking, we passed by...a prostitute. Ila and I were both shocked. We had never seen one up close before! And Ila thinks her "skirt" was actually a belt. Hooker butt cheeks! After we walked for what seemed like forever we made it to the club.
It was amazing!
It was this huge semi-outdoor Thai style club. It was a garden and lush and there were couches, as well as a dance floor. We managed to procure a couch and sat there talking for hours. Then Martin really wanted to dance. So we headed to the dance floor and danced for a while.
Ila's feet were hurting and we were both getting tired (4am) so we all decided to take a cab home. It ended up being really cheap and then we said goodnight to our Martin.
I haven't released the best part of my last 2 days... I bought the 7th and final Harry Potter book. And I have already finished it. Ila is grateful I am finally done, seeing as all I have done in the last 2 days is read. It was great, but I am so sad to think Harry is done with his adventures. Ah well, enjoy it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)