Well... Madrid has been a pleasant surprise to a wonderful ending. I was told before coming to Madrid that there isn´t a whole lot to do or see. Most people really just enjoy Barcelona and Seville (which are two of the places I really wanted to go). I decided not to do much of the museum scenes, since I´m a little burned out on those. So, I´ve just been laying low and walking around the city.
First, my hostel is in a wonderful location. It´s practically in the center of the city in a cute little neighborhood. It´s one of the nicer ones I´ve been in and has pretty comfortable beds (which was NOT the case in Greece)! It is about a 5 minute walk from my favorite place in the city (at least that I´ve seen). It is this really big park. It is absolutely beautiful. It is wonderfully landscaped and extremely clean. In fact, all of Madrid that I´ve seen is very clean. It´s probably the cleanest city I´ve been in since being over here.
I had so much fun at this park yesterday. It was filled with people everywhere. Friends, families, couples, and everything in between. Many people were entertaining the crowds. There were many different dancers (I took videos of a few with my camera). There were magicians, and just all sorts of people. I loved everything about it. I think the thing I liked about it most, is that people weren´t begging for money. They were simply entertaining just because they were having fun doing it. Every single city I´ve been in, it has been overwhelming how many people come up and ask for money. Like I owe them something? Not here. The culture is so relaxed and laid back. They enjoy each other, probably better than anywhere else I´ve seen. I wish it didn´t have to end.
Today has been a lot like my day yesterday. I´ve just been walking around looking at the city and absorbing every last thing I can before leaving. I went back to the park and spent a few hours there. I thought it was going to rain today, but the weather is actually perfect. Blue skies and in the mid 90´s.
My flight leaves tomorrow around 1pm here (which is 7am in Indiana). I have a layover in Dallas, and then will get into Indianapolis around 11pm. I´m excited to see everyone (and to just have my cell phone back... oh how I´ve missed it)!!! Back to reality, right?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saved the Best for Last
My time in Greece far exceeded my expectations. Jen and I walked A LOT!!! It seems we saw everything in the city that you could possibly see, multiple times. It was wonderful, but extremely hot. The ruins throughout Athens really are amazing, but I have to admit that they begin to all look the same to me.
So, with that being said, we decided it was time to get out of the city for a little bit and see an island. I think the island we went to was called Agina (but I´ll have to check with Jen to be sure). Anyway, it was only about an hour ferry ride from Athens. We couldn´t have had better weather! Not a cloud in the sky the entire day... it was hot, but we had the breeze from the ocean to cool us down. First thing we did when arriving on the island was rent a 4-wheeler (which only cost 30 euro for the entire day!!!) This was the best idea of the whole trip!! We rode around the island all day, stopping off at various beaches or just spots that had a pretty view. We swam in the ocean a lot!! The water was all different shades of blues and turquoise and crystal clear!!! It was probably the best day of my entire trip!! Since we were outside all day, we definitely got our fair share of sun... I have some wonderful and ridiculous tan lines... Everything about the day was perfect and I defintely didn´t want it to end.
For our last full day in the city, we just laid low, did some shopping, and ate wonderful greek cuisine!! I absolutely love greek food!! It´s so delicious and full of flavor!!! I was sad to leave Greece and Jen. But she´s now on a month long excavation on the Greek islands!! How fun?!?!? I just arrived in Madrid not too long ago. Unfortuntely, this will be my last stop before coming home. Due to things over here being expensive (more than I planned for), I have decided to cut my trip short about a week and come home. Even though I´m pretty bummed out about it, it just gives me motivation to plan and save for my next trip here!! Europe is such a big place and there is no possible way to see everything at once!!! My flight gets home late T uesday night, but I´m excited and ready to see everyone! I have a lot of pictures to share and will get those posted as soon as I get home!!
So, with that being said, we decided it was time to get out of the city for a little bit and see an island. I think the island we went to was called Agina (but I´ll have to check with Jen to be sure). Anyway, it was only about an hour ferry ride from Athens. We couldn´t have had better weather! Not a cloud in the sky the entire day... it was hot, but we had the breeze from the ocean to cool us down. First thing we did when arriving on the island was rent a 4-wheeler (which only cost 30 euro for the entire day!!!) This was the best idea of the whole trip!! We rode around the island all day, stopping off at various beaches or just spots that had a pretty view. We swam in the ocean a lot!! The water was all different shades of blues and turquoise and crystal clear!!! It was probably the best day of my entire trip!! Since we were outside all day, we definitely got our fair share of sun... I have some wonderful and ridiculous tan lines... Everything about the day was perfect and I defintely didn´t want it to end.
For our last full day in the city, we just laid low, did some shopping, and ate wonderful greek cuisine!! I absolutely love greek food!! It´s so delicious and full of flavor!!! I was sad to leave Greece and Jen. But she´s now on a month long excavation on the Greek islands!! How fun?!?!? I just arrived in Madrid not too long ago. Unfortuntely, this will be my last stop before coming home. Due to things over here being expensive (more than I planned for), I have decided to cut my trip short about a week and come home. Even though I´m pretty bummed out about it, it just gives me motivation to plan and save for my next trip here!! Europe is such a big place and there is no possible way to see everything at once!!! My flight gets home late T uesday night, but I´m excited and ready to see everyone! I have a lot of pictures to share and will get those posted as soon as I get home!!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Greece
Well... as amazing as Rome and Italy were, it is time to move on to the next country... GREECE!!!!! Sorry for the delay in updating this. I have gotten quite a few emails of worry, hoping that I made it ok, which I did!!
I flew into Athens, but my flight arrived in the middle of the night, and I had to wait at the airport for about 10 hours for my friends flight to come in. It was not very fun to sleep in the airport. First, when I arrived, I made a few phone calls to people back home and mistakenly had taken out my journal at the pay phone. Then, on accident, I left it there. I realized it about 5 minutes after I had walked off, but it was long gone. I, of course, freaked out because it has all of my detailed memories of this trip, people I've met, contact information, and whatnot. I began crying, out of sadness, but probably out of exhaustion, too. The employees at the airport were confused and tried to help, but it was no use. I finally calmed down, but I'm still pretty bummed out!
Jen (my old roommate and friend who is traveling with me through Greece, Athens specifically) finally made it to Greece. Her flight was delayed an hour, and then it took about an hour for her to get through customs. But I was so happy to see her!! I've been having a wonderful time on this trip and have loved every second of it, but have missed people from home. So, it is nice to have her here with me this week. She studied last year in Athens, so I feel like I have a personal tour guide!! We've been all over Athens, mostly on foot, and let me tell you ... it's a big city!!! The first day she was showing me where she used to live and the school she went to. Then, we tried to find a pay phone so she could call home (because she had not told them she made it yet...) but had a lot of trouble. Then, of course, like in every other country I've been in, we got lost. But it was ok. We both were just tired and sleep deprived.
Yesterday was a lot of fun. We went all over Athens during the day and looked at some of the many ruins throughout the city. We climbed up the Acropolis, which has just amazing views, and ended the day taking a bus 0ut to this one ruin about 2 hours outside of the city to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, we didn't actually watch the sunset because the last bus to take us back into the city left before it was down. But it was still really pretty, right off the coast, with crystal clear blue waters.
Athens, and Greece in general, is much different than the other European countries I've traveled to. Some things are similar, but for the most part, Greeks have a very different culture. It's wonderful and different. The Greek women are awesome. They are so helpful. The Greek men, well, they are very pushy, like to rip you off, and are perverts, but we just ignore them. Today we are meeting up with a girl I met in Italy, so that will be fun. And Jen keeps telling me all the places she wants me to see. Unfortunately, we don't get to stray too far from Athens because of time and money. But tomorrow we are going to some of the closer islands around!! I'll just have to save some of the more popular islands, like Crete, for another time since it is about a 10 hour ferry ride from Athens.
The weather here is extremely wonderful. Blue skies with no clouds in sight. The downfall is the heat. Not that I mind hot weather, but at 9 in the morning it's already in the mid 90's and gets well over 100 in the afternoon. Let's just say we drink water constantly!!! I will try to give more updates soon!! I hope everything is going great back home!
I flew into Athens, but my flight arrived in the middle of the night, and I had to wait at the airport for about 10 hours for my friends flight to come in. It was not very fun to sleep in the airport. First, when I arrived, I made a few phone calls to people back home and mistakenly had taken out my journal at the pay phone. Then, on accident, I left it there. I realized it about 5 minutes after I had walked off, but it was long gone. I, of course, freaked out because it has all of my detailed memories of this trip, people I've met, contact information, and whatnot. I began crying, out of sadness, but probably out of exhaustion, too. The employees at the airport were confused and tried to help, but it was no use. I finally calmed down, but I'm still pretty bummed out!
Jen (my old roommate and friend who is traveling with me through Greece, Athens specifically) finally made it to Greece. Her flight was delayed an hour, and then it took about an hour for her to get through customs. But I was so happy to see her!! I've been having a wonderful time on this trip and have loved every second of it, but have missed people from home. So, it is nice to have her here with me this week. She studied last year in Athens, so I feel like I have a personal tour guide!! We've been all over Athens, mostly on foot, and let me tell you ... it's a big city!!! The first day she was showing me where she used to live and the school she went to. Then, we tried to find a pay phone so she could call home (because she had not told them she made it yet...) but had a lot of trouble. Then, of course, like in every other country I've been in, we got lost. But it was ok. We both were just tired and sleep deprived.
Yesterday was a lot of fun. We went all over Athens during the day and looked at some of the many ruins throughout the city. We climbed up the Acropolis, which has just amazing views, and ended the day taking a bus 0ut to this one ruin about 2 hours outside of the city to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, we didn't actually watch the sunset because the last bus to take us back into the city left before it was down. But it was still really pretty, right off the coast, with crystal clear blue waters.
Athens, and Greece in general, is much different than the other European countries I've traveled to. Some things are similar, but for the most part, Greeks have a very different culture. It's wonderful and different. The Greek women are awesome. They are so helpful. The Greek men, well, they are very pushy, like to rip you off, and are perverts, but we just ignore them. Today we are meeting up with a girl I met in Italy, so that will be fun. And Jen keeps telling me all the places she wants me to see. Unfortunately, we don't get to stray too far from Athens because of time and money. But tomorrow we are going to some of the closer islands around!! I'll just have to save some of the more popular islands, like Crete, for another time since it is about a 10 hour ferry ride from Athens.
The weather here is extremely wonderful. Blue skies with no clouds in sight. The downfall is the heat. Not that I mind hot weather, but at 9 in the morning it's already in the mid 90's and gets well over 100 in the afternoon. Let's just say we drink water constantly!!! I will try to give more updates soon!! I hope everything is going great back home!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
When in Rome...
Do as the Romans! Right? I absolutely love Rome! It is one of the most moving and inspiring places I've ever been. There is just so much history in everything you come across on the streets. On my first full day, I did a lot of tourist things such as the Vatican Museum, Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill.
First, the Vatican Museum is just amazing! I love the history of Catholicism and everything that goes with it. The art and statues were awesome. And the Sistine Chapel, although very crowded, was beautiful. Close to the Vatican is St. Peter's Basilica, but I chose not to go in until today because I wanted to go to mass. From the Vatican, I wandered the streets for a bit, passing the many piazzas and fountains of Rome. I headed toward the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill (which seem to be across town from the Vatican), so it was a pretty long walk. But, like everything else I've seen in Rome, these ancient monuments were... unreal. I am absolutely amazed at the history of these ruins and what all went on back in those days. It was so cool!
Next (by this time it was about 6:30pm), I headed back to the hostel for my FREE dinner! I started talking with some people in the hostel, heard about things they had seen, stuff they had done, and whatnot. I was planning on going on a night walk through Rome, since most of the buildings, fountains, and monuments are lit up at night, and invited a few people to come with me. There were four of us in all, and it was just fun evening. We walked pretty much all over, drank a bottle of wine, ate some gelato, and enjoyed the warm night air of Rome. It was simply magical.
Today, I got up early, along with another girl who wanted to go to mass at the Basilica, and spent the entire morning there. Mass was really cool. Extremely crowded. And in French?!?! I was a little surprised at that, too. But it was quite an interesting experience. Next, we climbed the dome of the Basilica and saw the amazing views of Rome. It was awesome! From there, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked the streets of Rome, seeing some of the smaller things that are off the beaten path. It was just a wonderful day and made me fall completely in love with Rome. I can't wait to come back and see more!!!
Tomorrow I head to Greece and am meeting a friend there for the week! I'm really looking forward to it!!!
First, the Vatican Museum is just amazing! I love the history of Catholicism and everything that goes with it. The art and statues were awesome. And the Sistine Chapel, although very crowded, was beautiful. Close to the Vatican is St. Peter's Basilica, but I chose not to go in until today because I wanted to go to mass. From the Vatican, I wandered the streets for a bit, passing the many piazzas and fountains of Rome. I headed toward the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill (which seem to be across town from the Vatican), so it was a pretty long walk. But, like everything else I've seen in Rome, these ancient monuments were... unreal. I am absolutely amazed at the history of these ruins and what all went on back in those days. It was so cool!
Next (by this time it was about 6:30pm), I headed back to the hostel for my FREE dinner! I started talking with some people in the hostel, heard about things they had seen, stuff they had done, and whatnot. I was planning on going on a night walk through Rome, since most of the buildings, fountains, and monuments are lit up at night, and invited a few people to come with me. There were four of us in all, and it was just fun evening. We walked pretty much all over, drank a bottle of wine, ate some gelato, and enjoyed the warm night air of Rome. It was simply magical.
Today, I got up early, along with another girl who wanted to go to mass at the Basilica, and spent the entire morning there. Mass was really cool. Extremely crowded. And in French?!?! I was a little surprised at that, too. But it was quite an interesting experience. Next, we climbed the dome of the Basilica and saw the amazing views of Rome. It was awesome! From there, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked the streets of Rome, seeing some of the smaller things that are off the beaten path. It was just a wonderful day and made me fall completely in love with Rome. I can't wait to come back and see more!!!
Tomorrow I head to Greece and am meeting a friend there for the week! I'm really looking forward to it!!!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Cinque Terre Continued...
Almost missed my train to Rome. But I made it and am here now! Yay!
Back to Cinque Terre. Like I was saying, the hike was just wonderful and beautiful and amazing! After finishing the walk, I was so tired, there would be no possible way for me to walk back again. I decided to take a break in Monterosso (the last of the 5 towns I came to on my hike), eat some lunch, have some gelato, and stare off into the prettiest waters around! I decided to take the train back to my hostel so I could get my bathing suit and towel and come back to the beach!
Once I got back to my hostel, the cleaning people had already been there, and they mistakenly took my towel!! So, I had to go to the office (which was down the street from my room) and tell them of the incident. Luckily they gave me a new towel, but mine will be lost forever.
I laid out on the beach for a few hours. The weather was perfect blue skies and temperatures in the mid-80's! After the beach, I went back to shower (I really needed it after that hike!!) Luckily, two of the people in my room I hung out with the night before were back from their day hiking (they were going to walk the trail opposite of me because it's supposed to be easier starting at Monterosso instead of where I started, which is why we didn't all go together). The previous night we all went to the market, bought some deli meat, bread and cheese, and watched the sunset together (each with our own bottle of wine, of course). So, we decided to do the same thing again, only in one of the other towns. It was so pretty! We had a wonderful time and shared our different experiences about traveling and just life in general! I was sad to leave them today!
Now, I'm in ROME!!! I'm not going to start any of the tourist things until tomorrow since I got in late in the afternoon. Actually, right now I am doing laundry. You know how in the States we have "Laundry and Tan" places, well here they have "Splash and Net" places! Kind of interesting! I will keep everyone up to date as much as possible! See everyone soon!
Back to Cinque Terre. Like I was saying, the hike was just wonderful and beautiful and amazing! After finishing the walk, I was so tired, there would be no possible way for me to walk back again. I decided to take a break in Monterosso (the last of the 5 towns I came to on my hike), eat some lunch, have some gelato, and stare off into the prettiest waters around! I decided to take the train back to my hostel so I could get my bathing suit and towel and come back to the beach!
Once I got back to my hostel, the cleaning people had already been there, and they mistakenly took my towel!! So, I had to go to the office (which was down the street from my room) and tell them of the incident. Luckily they gave me a new towel, but mine will be lost forever.
I laid out on the beach for a few hours. The weather was perfect blue skies and temperatures in the mid-80's! After the beach, I went back to shower (I really needed it after that hike!!) Luckily, two of the people in my room I hung out with the night before were back from their day hiking (they were going to walk the trail opposite of me because it's supposed to be easier starting at Monterosso instead of where I started, which is why we didn't all go together). The previous night we all went to the market, bought some deli meat, bread and cheese, and watched the sunset together (each with our own bottle of wine, of course). So, we decided to do the same thing again, only in one of the other towns. It was so pretty! We had a wonderful time and shared our different experiences about traveling and just life in general! I was sad to leave them today!
Now, I'm in ROME!!! I'm not going to start any of the tourist things until tomorrow since I got in late in the afternoon. Actually, right now I am doing laundry. You know how in the States we have "Laundry and Tan" places, well here they have "Splash and Net" places! Kind of interesting! I will keep everyone up to date as much as possible! See everyone soon!
Cinque Terre
Italy is so wonderful. From Venice on to Florence and now Cinque Terre. My experiences keep getting better. Cinque Terre is the prettiest place I have ever seen in my entire life! Maybe I've said that before about other places, but seriously, this tops all of them.
For those that aren't familiar with Cinque Terre, it is five small towns off the coast of Western Italy that have a walking trail linking them all together. The trail between the towns takes about 5 hours, in all, to walk from start to finish and is 9 km long.
Yesterday morning, my plan was to walk one way, get to the last town by lunch time, eat and then hike the whole trail again back. Well, that didn't exactly happen. It took me about 4 hours to walk the entire thing. It was hard and strenuous at times, but it's the best thing I've done yet on this trip. The views and sights are simply perfect. It's away from all the hustle and bustle from the other tourist cities and all you hear is the ocean crashing up against the rocks. I took so many pictures, but they do absolutely no justice to what I actually saw.
I have to catch the train now, but will write more about the rest of my experience soon!
For those that aren't familiar with Cinque Terre, it is five small towns off the coast of Western Italy that have a walking trail linking them all together. The trail between the towns takes about 5 hours, in all, to walk from start to finish and is 9 km long.
Yesterday morning, my plan was to walk one way, get to the last town by lunch time, eat and then hike the whole trail again back. Well, that didn't exactly happen. It took me about 4 hours to walk the entire thing. It was hard and strenuous at times, but it's the best thing I've done yet on this trip. The views and sights are simply perfect. It's away from all the hustle and bustle from the other tourist cities and all you hear is the ocean crashing up against the rocks. I took so many pictures, but they do absolutely no justice to what I actually saw.
I have to catch the train now, but will write more about the rest of my experience soon!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Under the Tuscan Sun
Things here only keep getting better and better. I arrived in Florence yesterday, and of course, just like the last few days of traveling, it was chilly, rainy, and just no fun (meaning the weather is no fun, not the place). Surprisingly, I found my hostel without any trouble! The staff was wonderful and so friendly! (I have found that to be true with everyone in Italy) I didn't do too much in Florence yesterday because of the rain and the fact that I didn't get there until the late afternoon.
My hostel is nice, kind of small, but home-like. They include a free breakfast and dinner everyday! So, I was excited to have dinner and meet everyone there! It was just pasta, nothing special, but good (and FREE)! Everyone in my hostel has been really nice and interesting. There are a couple guys from London, quite a few from Cananda, and then some from the good old USA. There were about 12 of us squished around a small 4 person kitchen table eating, drinking wine, and just enjoying each others company! It was really nice! I began talking with two people in particular from Canada and pretty much hung out with them the rest of the evening. They invited me to go to Pisa with them today, so I was pretty excited about that!
This morning, however, my plans changed last minute. While I was waiting to use the bathroom (there are only 2 for about 24 people), I was looking at brochures in the hallway. I noticed one was a bike tour through Tuscany that has tours daily. I jumped to it. I invited the Canadians, but they weren't interested, so I was on my own for this one!
I was suppose to have a reservation for this tour, but luckily they let me come anyway. There were about 25 people in the tour, all around my age with the exception of one couple from Sydney in their 60's. They put us in a bunch of vans and drove us out to the countryside of Tuscany. Thank God the weather was amazing! The ride alone was just breath-taking!
We arrived at a castle, where we got to tour it, do a wine tasting and olive oil tasting (the castle is also a winery and makes olive oil - the best I've ever had in my entire life!!!), and jump on our bikes through the country side!! It was amazing. Words can't even begin to describe just how wonderful this tour was. There were three tour guides, two from Scotland and one from California. They were so funny and friendly. We were split between the guides and got to ride all through the country (about 15 miles by the end). Half way through, we stopped at a small family-run resturaunt for lunch, where we were served a full three-course meal (included in the price of the tour... and so was the wine tasting before)! It was so delicious! Plus, more wine!! You can never go wrong with that! It was just such a wonderful day that I wish I could relive over and over again! Tuscany is beautiful!
I leave tomorrow for Cinque Terre. So, in the end, I didn't really see much of the tourist things in Florence, which is okay with me. It is a very pretty city, and just walking through it is enough for me (that is, until next time I come, of course!) I'm really looking forward to Cinque Terre, which I hear is just amazing! I will get to hike between 5 small little towns right off the western coast of Italy!! Hopefully the weather will be just as good as it was today!!!
My hostel is nice, kind of small, but home-like. They include a free breakfast and dinner everyday! So, I was excited to have dinner and meet everyone there! It was just pasta, nothing special, but good (and FREE)! Everyone in my hostel has been really nice and interesting. There are a couple guys from London, quite a few from Cananda, and then some from the good old USA. There were about 12 of us squished around a small 4 person kitchen table eating, drinking wine, and just enjoying each others company! It was really nice! I began talking with two people in particular from Canada and pretty much hung out with them the rest of the evening. They invited me to go to Pisa with them today, so I was pretty excited about that!
This morning, however, my plans changed last minute. While I was waiting to use the bathroom (there are only 2 for about 24 people), I was looking at brochures in the hallway. I noticed one was a bike tour through Tuscany that has tours daily. I jumped to it. I invited the Canadians, but they weren't interested, so I was on my own for this one!
I was suppose to have a reservation for this tour, but luckily they let me come anyway. There were about 25 people in the tour, all around my age with the exception of one couple from Sydney in their 60's. They put us in a bunch of vans and drove us out to the countryside of Tuscany. Thank God the weather was amazing! The ride alone was just breath-taking!
We arrived at a castle, where we got to tour it, do a wine tasting and olive oil tasting (the castle is also a winery and makes olive oil - the best I've ever had in my entire life!!!), and jump on our bikes through the country side!! It was amazing. Words can't even begin to describe just how wonderful this tour was. There were three tour guides, two from Scotland and one from California. They were so funny and friendly. We were split between the guides and got to ride all through the country (about 15 miles by the end). Half way through, we stopped at a small family-run resturaunt for lunch, where we were served a full three-course meal (included in the price of the tour... and so was the wine tasting before)! It was so delicious! Plus, more wine!! You can never go wrong with that! It was just such a wonderful day that I wish I could relive over and over again! Tuscany is beautiful!
I leave tomorrow for Cinque Terre. So, in the end, I didn't really see much of the tourist things in Florence, which is okay with me. It is a very pretty city, and just walking through it is enough for me (that is, until next time I come, of course!) I'm really looking forward to Cinque Terre, which I hear is just amazing! I will get to hike between 5 small little towns right off the western coast of Italy!! Hopefully the weather will be just as good as it was today!!!
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