Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Final Post
Which is actually just more about the journal; it's fully typed out now, and available here. Next time you get bored, check it out. There's a bit of swearing, but otherwise I think it should be appropriate for pretty much any reading environment.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Journal
As promised/threatened, I've been typing up my actual journal from the trip; it seemed like a semi-productive way to take a break from labeling pictures. Start with the Intro, then work your way up from the bottom. And check back fairly regularly, because I'll be trying to get more up at least every couple of days. Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Home, Sweet Home
After a very long day of travel on October 15th--flying out of Rhodes at 07:00 EEST, being stuck in the airport at Athens for nine hours, and finally landing in London at 07:20 BST/GMT--and the better part of the 16th spent flying from London to Vancouver, and then Seattle, I finally made it back to the good old United States of America. I was really hoping to make it all the way back on the 15th, but couldn't get my flights lined up... stupid Olympic Air. I had attempted to buy a ticket out of Rhodes that lined up better with my other flights, but they didn't like my credit card. Or my debit card. Or my parents' credit cards. And then I found out that they won an award from the European Regional Airline Association as Regional Airline of the Year. The extra day in transit did have one bright side though: I was able to meet Robert Carlyle, who plays Dr. Nicholas Rush on Stargate Universe. He was on the same flight back to Vancouver, so I was able to shake his hand and chat with him for a bit before getting ready to board.
You can actually clear American customs in Vancouver--I guess to save time on the other end?--and it actually ended up being more of a pain to get there than it was to get through. I had to show my boarding pass to about 8 different people (just in case you somehow managed to make it through the previous seven people without showing it) and go through Canadian security (where my bag got searched... apparently the Guinness candle I got for mom freaked the scanner out). When I actually got to customs the guy asked me where I was heading, if I had a job, then talked politics with me for awhile when I told him I had just resigned my council position, before stamping my immigration card and waving me through.
My old college roommate David met me at Sea-Tac, and we hopped some light rail and a bus back to his place. I spent a couple nights there recuperating, which was great... I really didn't feel like hopping the train home right away, after all the traveling I had done in the last couple days. I got to spend some time with other friends as well, and had a great time playing Dominion and drinking (and then going out for another drink; the cajun tots at McMenamins are really good). On the afternoon of the 18th I got on a bus (it was supposed to be a train, but there was a derailment holding it up) back to Wenatchee, got picked up by dad, and got to sleep in my own bed for the first time in over a month.
Total time away from home: 37 days
Total time out of the US: 34 days
Total miles walked: A LOT... I actually lost 5-10 pounds while over there
Right now I'm going through all of my pictures, trying to get as many as possible labeled before I start forgetting what things are. I'll be putting more of them up with the others at that point, but even after repeats there are over 1200 of them, and there's no way I'm posting them all. I do also still plan on typing out my journal from the trip on another blog... I'll throw up a link when the first part of that is ready to go.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Rhodes!
I love this island, but I should have booked one less day here. Either that or won the lottery before coming, so I could explore the whole thing. Got in Tuesday afternoon just a couple hours too late to do the wall walk (and the next one isn't until Saturday), so I ended up doing the northwest section of the old dry moat instead. It's hard to tell what's original and what's not (more on that later), but the walls are almost completely intact, as is the retaining wall for the glacis. There are a bunch of old stone cannonballs (I'm assuming from the 1522 siege) laying around down there, and those were really cool to see. After that I wandered out to the Fortress of Saint Nickolas, which guards one side of the harbor where the Colossus stood. From there I wandered/got lost in the Old Town on the way back to my room, and ended up walking up the road where some of the different "langues" (the Knights were divided by language) kept their inns.
Today was, I guess, the big day. I slept in a bit, had some almonds for breakfast, then walked up to the Palace of the Grand Masters of the Knights of Saint John. It was amazing to be there, and the architecture was cool, but it was actually a fairly disappointing visit. A lot of it was closed off to the public, and most of the exhibits were similar to the things I had seen at the Byzantine Museum in Athens a few days ago. Still, it was somewhere I couldn't not go. From there I walked around the city and did the rest of the dry moat, then returned to the hostel to rehydrate and cool off. It's been pretty humid all day, and with the weather in the high 70s and low 80s, that makes for a very sweaty Daniel. Luckily the room is air conditioned, so I worked on my postcards before grabbing a gyro (bit more expensive here, but comes with fries) for lunch/dinner, then spent the rest of the rest of the evening reading before coming down here for a beer and some blogging. I've got no USB access though, so no pictures and probably no more posts until I get back to the States. For those who are interested, I'll probably be setting up a separate blog and typing up my journal as well, which should fill in some gaps. It's a bit more... raw? I'm not sure if that's the right word, but the blog was designed for general audiences, and I definitely swear in my journal. I'll keep you posted on that.
For now, a quick check of the blogs, then reading, then bed. Try not to break the country (or let the Democrats break it) before I get home.
Today was, I guess, the big day. I slept in a bit, had some almonds for breakfast, then walked up to the Palace of the Grand Masters of the Knights of Saint John. It was amazing to be there, and the architecture was cool, but it was actually a fairly disappointing visit. A lot of it was closed off to the public, and most of the exhibits were similar to the things I had seen at the Byzantine Museum in Athens a few days ago. Still, it was somewhere I couldn't not go. From there I walked around the city and did the rest of the dry moat, then returned to the hostel to rehydrate and cool off. It's been pretty humid all day, and with the weather in the high 70s and low 80s, that makes for a very sweaty Daniel. Luckily the room is air conditioned, so I worked on my postcards before grabbing a gyro (bit more expensive here, but comes with fries) for lunch/dinner, then spent the rest of the rest of the evening reading before coming down here for a beer and some blogging. I've got no USB access though, so no pictures and probably no more posts until I get back to the States. For those who are interested, I'll probably be setting up a separate blog and typing up my journal as well, which should fill in some gaps. It's a bit more... raw? I'm not sure if that's the right word, but the blog was designed for general audiences, and I definitely swear in my journal. I'll keep you posted on that.
For now, a quick check of the blogs, then reading, then bed. Try not to break the country (or let the Democrats break it) before I get home.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Belated Venice
So, I was going through my posts to check for comments (which you lazy bums haven't been providing), and just realized I never had a post for Venice. Without further ado, here it is.
Thank goodness for inattentive conductors. My ticket was for Venice Mestre back on the mainland, but the directions to my hostel were from Venice Santa Lucia out on the island... so I definitely stayed on for an extra stop. Assuming I even could have figured out the right bus to take, getting off at Mestre probably would have cost me an extra 20-30 minutes worth of bus ride and who knows how many euro. From the main station out on the island there it was only about a five minute walk to my hostel reception; apparently they rent out properties around the island, but I got lucky and ended up above the main office with a view of the Grand Canal. My room had a slope to it, but I figured since the building hadn't collapsed yet I was probably okay.
Just did a bit of exploring that evening; even with a map, Venice is a maze. Next morning I got up and had a breakfast of "toast" (more like a couple of packaged crackers) with jam, then set out for Saint Mark's. I ended up taking the scenic route (again with the maze thing) and made it there just in time for high tide to start flooding the square. It wasn't so bad when I first got there, but after an hour or so there was just a small area in the middle that was dry, with the rest of the square being 3-6" under water. I had been warned about the smell in Venice, but it wasn't actually bad until that point. Travel tip: if you're in Venice, make sure to avoid high tide.
I stood in line for a bit to get into the church and found out it was closed til noon for "religious purposes," so I made my way over to the Campanile and paid 8 euro to go to the top of that. It was a ripoff, but at least it provided some nice views. Still had some time to burn when I got back down, so I snagged lunch (pizza and a hot dog) from some cafe down one of the zillions of tiny streets and made my way back to St. Mark's to eat it. They've got platforms set up in some places so you can avoid the flood, but I would have had to walk several blocks around to get back to them as well as wading through crowds of people who didn't seem to know what they were doing, so I decided to cut through the giant puddle. It might have been okay if it were a short walk, but I probably had to go about 50 or 60 yards before I got back to dry land; it was at this point that I discovered my shoes were more water resistant than water proof. I'm not sure if they were always that way and I was overestimating them, or if they're just old and beat up enough that the water got through. Either way, not a pleasant experience... I'm not sure my poor shoes will ever smell the same.
After lunch I got back in line for the church and stood there for about half an hour before finding out that they won't let you in with a backpack. Not just "We're going to check your backpack to make sure you don't have anything dangerous," but "You can't come in." I didn't really feel like walking across the island to my hostel to drop it off, then back to St. Mark's, then back again after, so I said "screw it" and moved on. I was also hoping to visit the Doge's palace but there was an entry fee for that, so I contented myself with a few pictures of the outside. Back to the hostel to work on postcards, out to some cafe for dinner (spaghetti carbonara)--I swear I must have the worst luck when it comes to picking Italian places, because I prefer Olive Garden to pretty much anything I got over here--and then reading before bed.
Thank goodness for inattentive conductors. My ticket was for Venice Mestre back on the mainland, but the directions to my hostel were from Venice Santa Lucia out on the island... so I definitely stayed on for an extra stop. Assuming I even could have figured out the right bus to take, getting off at Mestre probably would have cost me an extra 20-30 minutes worth of bus ride and who knows how many euro. From the main station out on the island there it was only about a five minute walk to my hostel reception; apparently they rent out properties around the island, but I got lucky and ended up above the main office with a view of the Grand Canal. My room had a slope to it, but I figured since the building hadn't collapsed yet I was probably okay.
Just did a bit of exploring that evening; even with a map, Venice is a maze. Next morning I got up and had a breakfast of "toast" (more like a couple of packaged crackers) with jam, then set out for Saint Mark's. I ended up taking the scenic route (again with the maze thing) and made it there just in time for high tide to start flooding the square. It wasn't so bad when I first got there, but after an hour or so there was just a small area in the middle that was dry, with the rest of the square being 3-6" under water. I had been warned about the smell in Venice, but it wasn't actually bad until that point. Travel tip: if you're in Venice, make sure to avoid high tide.
I stood in line for a bit to get into the church and found out it was closed til noon for "religious purposes," so I made my way over to the Campanile and paid 8 euro to go to the top of that. It was a ripoff, but at least it provided some nice views. Still had some time to burn when I got back down, so I snagged lunch (pizza and a hot dog) from some cafe down one of the zillions of tiny streets and made my way back to St. Mark's to eat it. They've got platforms set up in some places so you can avoid the flood, but I would have had to walk several blocks around to get back to them as well as wading through crowds of people who didn't seem to know what they were doing, so I decided to cut through the giant puddle. It might have been okay if it were a short walk, but I probably had to go about 50 or 60 yards before I got back to dry land; it was at this point that I discovered my shoes were more water resistant than water proof. I'm not sure if they were always that way and I was overestimating them, or if they're just old and beat up enough that the water got through. Either way, not a pleasant experience... I'm not sure my poor shoes will ever smell the same.
After lunch I got back in line for the church and stood there for about half an hour before finding out that they won't let you in with a backpack. Not just "We're going to check your backpack to make sure you don't have anything dangerous," but "You can't come in." I didn't really feel like walking across the island to my hostel to drop it off, then back to St. Mark's, then back again after, so I said "screw it" and moved on. I was also hoping to visit the Doge's palace but there was an entry fee for that, so I contented myself with a few pictures of the outside. Back to the hostel to work on postcards, out to some cafe for dinner (spaghetti carbonara)--I swear I must have the worst luck when it comes to picking Italian places, because I prefer Olive Garden to pretty much anything I got over here--and then reading before bed.
Ugh
If you ever feel the need for a good workout, climb up Lycabettus Hill. It's about 900 feet high, which makes it about 400 feet taller than the Acropolis... it was kind of weird looking down on it. It was also a good half hour walk from my hostel, and probably half of that was uphill. I may ask the hostel receptionist if there's anything (free) left worth seeing later, but I think most of today will be spent in rest.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Athens!
I was wrong, there are regular computers here. Win!
Athens and I got off on the wrong foot, but things have definitely improved. First, I didn't read the directions to my hostel right, so I ended up taking a bus (took over an hour) instead of the metro (which is cheaper, and would have taken half as long). The bus let me off one metro stop away from where I needed to be, so I had to take the metro anyways... and ended up hopping on the wrong one. I finally got turned around, got where I needed to be, and got checked in. It was a bit after 7:30 at that point, so I got settled in and spent the rest of the night chilling.
Oh, one nice bit about the first day though: Greece definitely takes the lead for easiest customs to clear. There were four different doors, two for EU citizens and two for US/other citizens. All four of them lead directly to the airport exit; apparently there is a guy there who can stamp your passport, but I missed him. Maybe on the way back through I can get that.
As the postcards will imply when they start showing up, yesterday was the big day. Had a quick breakfast at the hostel (not great, but free) and set out for the Acropolis. It's only about a 15 minute walk from my hostel but that's pretty much all uphill, so I definitely got in my workout. Got some great pictures of the Parthenon from multiple sides, but they really don't do it justice... that place is amazing. I think it would be impressive no matter where it was, but set up on a hill where you can see it from miles away makes it even more so. I also went around the base of the Acropolis and got to see a few of the old "sacred caves," as well as the theaters of Dionysus and Herod Atticus.
From there it was down through the Agora, the old political and commercial center of Athens. Most of it is completely in ruins now, but out along the edge of it is the Temple of Haphaestus which was mostly intact. One thing I didn't like though: grafitti. It was all over the place in Rome and Venice as well, but for the most part people kept it away from the historical sites. Not so much here. I didn't see any up on the Acropolis, but there was some scattered around the Agora. Really, people? It's bad enough that you spraypaint everywhere else, do you have no respect for your country's history?
After that it was time for a lunch break. I ended up at some little place along the road outside the Agora, with what is apparently a traditional meal of meatballs. They were actually more like meat blobs, but they were reasonably priced and pretty dang good... a well seasoned mix of beef, pork and lamb. And unlike Venice, they didn't charge an arm and a leg for water. When I finished, the manager was really helpful in getting me pointed towards my next destination: Pnyx and Philopappou Hills, home to some of the early settlements around Athens. Mostly they just provided some more great views, but Philopappou Hill is supposedly the site of Socrates' prison cell; I got a picture just in case it actually was.
Spent last night up on the rooftop bar of the hostel, trying to get some good pictures of the Parthenon (I'll need to try again tonight, they came out blurry) and drinking a bit too much beer with an Israeli guy and an Irish girl. Good times were had, but I regretted it a bit this morning... think I'll be taking it easy tonight.
Tomorrow is Lycabettus Hill, the highest point in Athens. I'm assuming that will pretty much wear me out, but I may wander through the flea market as well before coming back to the hostel to rest up, make sure everything is charged, and get ready for Rhodes. It seems strange that my trip is almost over (six nights left: 2 here, 3 on Rhodes, and one in London because I couldn't get my flights lined up properly), but I'm definitely ready to be home. I'm getting worn out, and I miss people, I miss my computer, and I miss actually understanding most of what's going on around me. I'm glad I did this though; if you ever get the chance, you should as well.
Pictures!
Athens and I got off on the wrong foot, but things have definitely improved. First, I didn't read the directions to my hostel right, so I ended up taking a bus (took over an hour) instead of the metro (which is cheaper, and would have taken half as long). The bus let me off one metro stop away from where I needed to be, so I had to take the metro anyways... and ended up hopping on the wrong one. I finally got turned around, got where I needed to be, and got checked in. It was a bit after 7:30 at that point, so I got settled in and spent the rest of the night chilling.
Oh, one nice bit about the first day though: Greece definitely takes the lead for easiest customs to clear. There were four different doors, two for EU citizens and two for US/other citizens. All four of them lead directly to the airport exit; apparently there is a guy there who can stamp your passport, but I missed him. Maybe on the way back through I can get that.
As the postcards will imply when they start showing up, yesterday was the big day. Had a quick breakfast at the hostel (not great, but free) and set out for the Acropolis. It's only about a 15 minute walk from my hostel but that's pretty much all uphill, so I definitely got in my workout. Got some great pictures of the Parthenon from multiple sides, but they really don't do it justice... that place is amazing. I think it would be impressive no matter where it was, but set up on a hill where you can see it from miles away makes it even more so. I also went around the base of the Acropolis and got to see a few of the old "sacred caves," as well as the theaters of Dionysus and Herod Atticus.
From there it was down through the Agora, the old political and commercial center of Athens. Most of it is completely in ruins now, but out along the edge of it is the Temple of Haphaestus which was mostly intact. One thing I didn't like though: grafitti. It was all over the place in Rome and Venice as well, but for the most part people kept it away from the historical sites. Not so much here. I didn't see any up on the Acropolis, but there was some scattered around the Agora. Really, people? It's bad enough that you spraypaint everywhere else, do you have no respect for your country's history?
After that it was time for a lunch break. I ended up at some little place along the road outside the Agora, with what is apparently a traditional meal of meatballs. They were actually more like meat blobs, but they were reasonably priced and pretty dang good... a well seasoned mix of beef, pork and lamb. And unlike Venice, they didn't charge an arm and a leg for water. When I finished, the manager was really helpful in getting me pointed towards my next destination: Pnyx and Philopappou Hills, home to some of the early settlements around Athens. Mostly they just provided some more great views, but Philopappou Hill is supposedly the site of Socrates' prison cell; I got a picture just in case it actually was.
Spent last night up on the rooftop bar of the hostel, trying to get some good pictures of the Parthenon (I'll need to try again tonight, they came out blurry) and drinking a bit too much beer with an Israeli guy and an Irish girl. Good times were had, but I regretted it a bit this morning... think I'll be taking it easy tonight.
Tomorrow is Lycabettus Hill, the highest point in Athens. I'm assuming that will pretty much wear me out, but I may wander through the flea market as well before coming back to the hostel to rest up, make sure everything is charged, and get ready for Rhodes. It seems strange that my trip is almost over (six nights left: 2 here, 3 on Rhodes, and one in London because I couldn't get my flights lined up properly), but I'm definitely ready to be home. I'm getting worn out, and I miss people, I miss my computer, and I miss actually understanding most of what's going on around me. I'm glad I did this though; if you ever get the chance, you should as well.
Pictures!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Whoops
Reason #47 for everything to be stored properly: you'll know which batteries are fully charged and which aren't. Normally I store the two differently, but apparently got sidetracked at some point and forgot to to that. My batteries died on me today at St. Peter's, so I popped in a backup set... which also died about 5 minutes later. Backup set number two did the same thing. Luckily it was at a decent break point (I had already been through the Vatican Museum and most of the Church, and it was lunch time), but it still threw my day off. I had been planning on going straight to Castel Sant'Angelo from there since it's only about a five minute walk, but I had to come back to the hostel to recharge at least one set of my batteries... the others can wait until tonight.
Other than the early morning today has been pretty good. My reservation for the Vatican Museum wasn't until 8:30, but I got there early enough that I was able to get in with the 8:00 group... hooray for less time standing around! The museum itself was actually fairly odd; the first several sections were all Egyptian stuff (which I had just seen a bunch of at the British Museum a few weeks back), and most of the rest was random statuary. They did have a few rooms in the old papal apartments that had been painted by Raphael though, and those were cool too see. After wandering through all of that, it was on to the main attraction: the Sistine Chapel. It's not actually as big as I imagined it, but that might just be due to the zillions of people who were crammed in there, looking up at the ceiling. But despite the crowds, and the heat, and the dim lighting, it was simply amazing. It's one of those things I've been reading about since I first learned about Rome and the Renaissance, and I was standing right there in the middle of it. Note: if you ever plan on visiting the Vatican, make reservations online first! I'm very glad I did. The only reason I had to wait at all was because I got there before it opened; when I came out a couple hours later, the non-reservation line must have been at least four people wide and close to half a mile long, if not more than that. The reservation costs you an extra 4 euro, but I personally found that well worth it.
After finishing at the Vatican I walked down to St. Peter's Basilica, which is ridiculously huge and impressive. First goal: climb to the top! Stood in line for a bit, then paid my 5 euro to climb the 551 steps to the top. For an extra 2 euro you could take an elevator, but it only saved you about 230 steps, and it's just not quite the same experience. There aren't really many places to stop and rest, but one of them is on the inside, right at the base of the dome. It provides a great (although not very complete, due to the size) view of the church. Climbing up the rest of the way was a strange experience... until they cut into the middle when you're most of the way up, a good section of that last stretch of the climb has the outer wall leaning in towards you, making it feel like you've got to lean in while you're climbing the stairs. That was a really awkward sentence, but I can't really think of a better to write it. Hiking back down was a bit easier, but still not fun. When I got to the bottom I wandered around the main section of the church (which is free to enter) until my camera batteries died, then went down to see some of the papal tombs... they won't let you take pictures down there anyways, so I wasn't really missing anything. Didn't really see many I recognized (but some sections were closed off), although supposedly the Apostle Peter is buried there, and there was a pretty good sized group around the tomb of John Paul II.
Here's a link to some more pictures while I'm waiting for my batteries to charge. Castel Sant'Angelo is open until 19:00 so time shouldn't be an issue, but I'd still like to make it back here at a decent time, and preferably while it's still light. The drivers here are insane, and I'd like them to be able to see me as well as I can see them.
Also! Italian pizza = awesome. Italian spaghetti/ravioli/lasange = pretty alright... I've had better at home. I probably should have waited until I'm out of Italy to say that, but oh well; if I disappear, you know what happened.
Other than the early morning today has been pretty good. My reservation for the Vatican Museum wasn't until 8:30, but I got there early enough that I was able to get in with the 8:00 group... hooray for less time standing around! The museum itself was actually fairly odd; the first several sections were all Egyptian stuff (which I had just seen a bunch of at the British Museum a few weeks back), and most of the rest was random statuary. They did have a few rooms in the old papal apartments that had been painted by Raphael though, and those were cool too see. After wandering through all of that, it was on to the main attraction: the Sistine Chapel. It's not actually as big as I imagined it, but that might just be due to the zillions of people who were crammed in there, looking up at the ceiling. But despite the crowds, and the heat, and the dim lighting, it was simply amazing. It's one of those things I've been reading about since I first learned about Rome and the Renaissance, and I was standing right there in the middle of it. Note: if you ever plan on visiting the Vatican, make reservations online first! I'm very glad I did. The only reason I had to wait at all was because I got there before it opened; when I came out a couple hours later, the non-reservation line must have been at least four people wide and close to half a mile long, if not more than that. The reservation costs you an extra 4 euro, but I personally found that well worth it.
After finishing at the Vatican I walked down to St. Peter's Basilica, which is ridiculously huge and impressive. First goal: climb to the top! Stood in line for a bit, then paid my 5 euro to climb the 551 steps to the top. For an extra 2 euro you could take an elevator, but it only saved you about 230 steps, and it's just not quite the same experience. There aren't really many places to stop and rest, but one of them is on the inside, right at the base of the dome. It provides a great (although not very complete, due to the size) view of the church. Climbing up the rest of the way was a strange experience... until they cut into the middle when you're most of the way up, a good section of that last stretch of the climb has the outer wall leaning in towards you, making it feel like you've got to lean in while you're climbing the stairs. That was a really awkward sentence, but I can't really think of a better to write it. Hiking back down was a bit easier, but still not fun. When I got to the bottom I wandered around the main section of the church (which is free to enter) until my camera batteries died, then went down to see some of the papal tombs... they won't let you take pictures down there anyways, so I wasn't really missing anything. Didn't really see many I recognized (but some sections were closed off), although supposedly the Apostle Peter is buried there, and there was a pretty good sized group around the tomb of John Paul II.
Here's a link to some more pictures while I'm waiting for my batteries to charge. Castel Sant'Angelo is open until 19:00 so time shouldn't be an issue, but I'd still like to make it back here at a decent time, and preferably while it's still light. The drivers here are insane, and I'd like them to be able to see me as well as I can see them.
Also! Italian pizza = awesome. Italian spaghetti/ravioli/lasange = pretty alright... I've had better at home. I probably should have waited until I'm out of Italy to say that, but oh well; if I disappear, you know what happened.
Monday, October 4, 2010
At the end of the line
For those of you not Facebook stalking me, I've decided that Rhodes will indeed be the last stop on my trip. I've enjoyed it, and now that I'm starting to recover from my sickness I'm enjoying it more; but by the time I'm finished I'll have been out of the US for just over a month, and I'm ready to be home.
Also, for those of you not satisfied with the few pictures I've been uploading from my trip, I'm willing to stick everything on a DVD and send it your way. I've got plenty of blanks from when they were on sale, but I won't complain if you decide to chip in for shipping. :)
For those of you that do want them, a question: do you want everything--the good, the bad, and the ugly--or would you prefer to wait until I've weeded out the repeats, the blurry ones, etc.? Let me know in the comments.
Also, for those of you not satisfied with the few pictures I've been uploading from my trip, I'm willing to stick everything on a DVD and send it your way. I've got plenty of blanks from when they were on sale, but I won't complain if you decide to chip in for shipping. :)
For those of you that do want them, a question: do you want everything--the good, the bad, and the ugly--or would you prefer to wait until I've weeded out the repeats, the blurry ones, etc.? Let me know in the comments.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Smeagol hates the yellow face...
As much as I complained about everywhere else being too much like Seattle, I think I preferred that to the heat. I'm not sure what the temperature was today while I was walking around the city, but it's 70 right now and the high for tomorrow is 79. I ended up going through three bottles of water and wishing I had more.
Woke up this morning feeling slightly better, but still not great; I think the antibiotics are finally starting to gain ground on the sinus infection or whatever it is I've got. Since this is the first of three full days I've got here (got in early enough yesterday that it could've been four, if I felt up to it) I decided I had to get out and see stuff anyways. The guys at the front desk of the hostel recommended doing the ancient section of the city today, so I went for that. First stop was actually a short trip back to the main train station to hit up an ATM and pick up a Roma Pass: 25 euro gets you three days worth of transport on the metro/bus system, free entry to the first two museums/archaelogical sites you visit (not counting the Vatican), and reduced ticket prices to any other sites you visit after that. I generally prefer metro/subway systems to buses, but Rome may change my mind on that... this has got to be the worst metro system I've ever been on. It's got fairly long waits between rides (10+ minutes in one case), and the two lines only connect in one place (Termini, the main train station), which means that for a few stations out from there all the cars are crammed full. On the bright side that means it's too cramped for anybody to even think about stealing from you (the last warning I got before leaving the hostel was to "watch out for gypsies and pickpockets"); on the not-so-bright side, none of the people I was scrunched up against were attractive females. Oh well.
First stop: the Colosseum. Some day when I'm rich I'd like to try buying a private tour that will take me to the basement levels and what's left of the top level, but even the first and second levels are incredibly impressive. There should actually be quite a bit more of it left, but with the fall of the empire and the rise of Christianity (which made the fights much less appreciated) it fell into disuse and people started raiding it for building supplies. Most of what they took was the marble veneer, but they also went after the iron supports that the Romans had put in to help it withstand shocks, like the earthquake that finally knocked down a large section of the walls.
Second stop: the Palatine Hill, home to the old imperial palace and, in theory at least, the original hut of Romulus. The views from the top were fairly impressive, and we got to see part of something that they actually just discovered in the last year or so: Nero's dining hall. It was apparently used for extra long feasts or celebrations, and would rotate along with the sun to keep the room well lit and providing a good view. How crazy is that? From there it was down the back side and into the Forum, home to the original temple of Vesta and the shrine/temple to Julius Caesar, among other things. Unfortunately most of it is in ruins, but again, still very impressive. From there I wandered over to the Tiber, crossed over one of the bridges and came back by way of an island in the middle, then walked to what used to be the Circus Maximus. Originally a stadium for horse and chariot races that could seat upwards of 300,000 spectators, now it's just a depression in the ground with the remains of a track visible. I walked most of a lap (they've got one of the ends closed off for drainage/restoratation) because I'm crazy like that, then caught the metro back as close as I could to the hostel, rehydrated, and took a nap.
Not sure yet what tomorrow will bring... either the Vatican or one of the other sections of the city, depending on what the hostel folk recommend. Now to wait for the pictures to finish uploading....
Woke up this morning feeling slightly better, but still not great; I think the antibiotics are finally starting to gain ground on the sinus infection or whatever it is I've got. Since this is the first of three full days I've got here (got in early enough yesterday that it could've been four, if I felt up to it) I decided I had to get out and see stuff anyways. The guys at the front desk of the hostel recommended doing the ancient section of the city today, so I went for that. First stop was actually a short trip back to the main train station to hit up an ATM and pick up a Roma Pass: 25 euro gets you three days worth of transport on the metro/bus system, free entry to the first two museums/archaelogical sites you visit (not counting the Vatican), and reduced ticket prices to any other sites you visit after that. I generally prefer metro/subway systems to buses, but Rome may change my mind on that... this has got to be the worst metro system I've ever been on. It's got fairly long waits between rides (10+ minutes in one case), and the two lines only connect in one place (Termini, the main train station), which means that for a few stations out from there all the cars are crammed full. On the bright side that means it's too cramped for anybody to even think about stealing from you (the last warning I got before leaving the hostel was to "watch out for gypsies and pickpockets"); on the not-so-bright side, none of the people I was scrunched up against were attractive females. Oh well.
First stop: the Colosseum. Some day when I'm rich I'd like to try buying a private tour that will take me to the basement levels and what's left of the top level, but even the first and second levels are incredibly impressive. There should actually be quite a bit more of it left, but with the fall of the empire and the rise of Christianity (which made the fights much less appreciated) it fell into disuse and people started raiding it for building supplies. Most of what they took was the marble veneer, but they also went after the iron supports that the Romans had put in to help it withstand shocks, like the earthquake that finally knocked down a large section of the walls.
Second stop: the Palatine Hill, home to the old imperial palace and, in theory at least, the original hut of Romulus. The views from the top were fairly impressive, and we got to see part of something that they actually just discovered in the last year or so: Nero's dining hall. It was apparently used for extra long feasts or celebrations, and would rotate along with the sun to keep the room well lit and providing a good view. How crazy is that? From there it was down the back side and into the Forum, home to the original temple of Vesta and the shrine/temple to Julius Caesar, among other things. Unfortunately most of it is in ruins, but again, still very impressive. From there I wandered over to the Tiber, crossed over one of the bridges and came back by way of an island in the middle, then walked to what used to be the Circus Maximus. Originally a stadium for horse and chariot races that could seat upwards of 300,000 spectators, now it's just a depression in the ground with the remains of a track visible. I walked most of a lap (they've got one of the ends closed off for drainage/restoratation) because I'm crazy like that, then caught the metro back as close as I could to the hostel, rehydrated, and took a nap.
Not sure yet what tomorrow will bring... either the Vatican or one of the other sections of the city, depending on what the hostel folk recommend. Now to wait for the pictures to finish uploading....
Saturday, October 2, 2010
When in Rome...
Well, I made it here in one piece. Honestly though, I'm not sure I'll ever use a sleeper car on a train again... they had 6 of us crammed into a very little room on uncomfortable "beds;" I think I might have slept better in one of the regular seats. It was a friendly group though, and almost all of them spoke English, so I guess it could have been worse.
Munich was an interesting experience. It's something I'd like to do again, but not without some beer buddies that can rent out a room all to ourselves; it doesn't take long to get tired of drunk people during Oktoberfest. The first evening there I wandered down to the wiesn, the sight of the original celebration 200 years ago, then back to the first hostel (definitely the nicer of the two I stayed in) to do my laundry and rest up, since I was hoping to meet Dave for beers the next day. The room itself was only 4 beds, and I ended up sharing it with a couple from Iceland and some random girl that wandered in around 01:00. Got checked out early the next morning, then dropped my bags off at the next hostel (pretty ghetto by comparison), and made my way over to Marienplatz for the three hour walking tour--luckily the weather wasn't rough enough to toss the ship about. We had a good guide again, and saw a lot of the major sites: the Old and New Town Halls (and the old town hall is actually newer than the new town hall, since it was bombed in WWII and rebuilt after); the royal palace; the Church of St. Peter (which, I kid you not, has a no hats/cell phones/eating/"pocket pool" sign on the door... the explanation our guide was given when she asked about it was "the devil is in your pants"); the site of the Beer Hall Putsch, where Hitler launched his (failed) coup attempt before getting tossed in jail and writing Mein Kampf; and the Glockenspiel, which is fairly similar to the one in Leavenworth.
When that was finished I grabbed lunch and actually checked into my hostel, got settled in, and tried to track down Dave without any success. At that point I was feeling pretty crappy--Munich was, I hope, the height of my cold--but being in the home of Oktoberfest, I did what any person would: I went for a beer. It was only about a 15 minute walk to the Hofbrauhaus, so I made my way to the biergarten there for what would end up being my only beer of the holiday. It was pretty dang good, but those liters will get to you pretty quick: I had a pretty decent buzz going, and even after going to the bathroom before leaving, my bladder was still almost ready to explode when I got back to the hostel. Went to bed around 21:00 and got about four good hours of sleep in, before spending the rest of the night being woken up by a horrible cough and lots of drunk people. Even the ones who actually spoke English were almost impossible to understand. I came very close to giving up and going home again, but after sending an email home the folks recommended I try getting in to see a doctor, and avoid attempting to fly home in my condition. Spent the rest of the night feeling like crap, got up for breakfast, then walked over to a doctor. Unfortunately I had to swing by the station and pay for a storage locker first, since the hostel's luggage room was full. Go figure. It was a bit pricey (140 euro between the appointment and the medication), but the doctor spoke enough English that we were able to get things figured out, and if it means I'm healthy enough to enjoy the rest of my trip (or even most of it), it was worth it. The rest of the day was spent snoozing/journaling/reading at the station before my night train took off.
The hostel here was a bit out of the way and tricky to get to (Rome is also not so good with the street signs), but the guy who runs it is a champ. Right away he took my bags and asked if he could get me some coffee or tea or anything; I said tea would be great, and he pointed me at some computers to use while I waited, and five minutes later somebody brought in a tray with my own little pot of tea, a glass of orange juice, and two croissants. Winners! A lot of the reviews for this place said he was great at helping you plan your visit in Rome based on how many days you have too, so even though I'm losing this one to rest, I think I'll be able to get a lot out of this stop.
Also, pictures! Not a lot because the upload is really slow, and some will be repeats of what I stuck into previous posts, but bear with me. Hopefully I'll get some from Rome up on my last day here, but that my wait until Venice. Stay tuned!
Munich was an interesting experience. It's something I'd like to do again, but not without some beer buddies that can rent out a room all to ourselves; it doesn't take long to get tired of drunk people during Oktoberfest. The first evening there I wandered down to the wiesn, the sight of the original celebration 200 years ago, then back to the first hostel (definitely the nicer of the two I stayed in) to do my laundry and rest up, since I was hoping to meet Dave for beers the next day. The room itself was only 4 beds, and I ended up sharing it with a couple from Iceland and some random girl that wandered in around 01:00. Got checked out early the next morning, then dropped my bags off at the next hostel (pretty ghetto by comparison), and made my way over to Marienplatz for the three hour walking tour--luckily the weather wasn't rough enough to toss the ship about. We had a good guide again, and saw a lot of the major sites: the Old and New Town Halls (and the old town hall is actually newer than the new town hall, since it was bombed in WWII and rebuilt after); the royal palace; the Church of St. Peter (which, I kid you not, has a no hats/cell phones/eating/"pocket pool" sign on the door... the explanation our guide was given when she asked about it was "the devil is in your pants"); the site of the Beer Hall Putsch, where Hitler launched his (failed) coup attempt before getting tossed in jail and writing Mein Kampf; and the Glockenspiel, which is fairly similar to the one in Leavenworth.
When that was finished I grabbed lunch and actually checked into my hostel, got settled in, and tried to track down Dave without any success. At that point I was feeling pretty crappy--Munich was, I hope, the height of my cold--but being in the home of Oktoberfest, I did what any person would: I went for a beer. It was only about a 15 minute walk to the Hofbrauhaus, so I made my way to the biergarten there for what would end up being my only beer of the holiday. It was pretty dang good, but those liters will get to you pretty quick: I had a pretty decent buzz going, and even after going to the bathroom before leaving, my bladder was still almost ready to explode when I got back to the hostel. Went to bed around 21:00 and got about four good hours of sleep in, before spending the rest of the night being woken up by a horrible cough and lots of drunk people. Even the ones who actually spoke English were almost impossible to understand. I came very close to giving up and going home again, but after sending an email home the folks recommended I try getting in to see a doctor, and avoid attempting to fly home in my condition. Spent the rest of the night feeling like crap, got up for breakfast, then walked over to a doctor. Unfortunately I had to swing by the station and pay for a storage locker first, since the hostel's luggage room was full. Go figure. It was a bit pricey (140 euro between the appointment and the medication), but the doctor spoke enough English that we were able to get things figured out, and if it means I'm healthy enough to enjoy the rest of my trip (or even most of it), it was worth it. The rest of the day was spent snoozing/journaling/reading at the station before my night train took off.
The hostel here was a bit out of the way and tricky to get to (Rome is also not so good with the street signs), but the guy who runs it is a champ. Right away he took my bags and asked if he could get me some coffee or tea or anything; I said tea would be great, and he pointed me at some computers to use while I waited, and five minutes later somebody brought in a tray with my own little pot of tea, a glass of orange juice, and two croissants. Winners! A lot of the reviews for this place said he was great at helping you plan your visit in Rome based on how many days you have too, so even though I'm losing this one to rest, I think I'll be able to get a lot out of this stop.
Also, pictures! Not a lot because the upload is really slow, and some will be repeats of what I stuck into previous posts, but bear with me. Hopefully I'll get some from Rome up on my last day here, but that my wait until Venice. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
So sleepy...
Pictures at the top and in the reverse order I uploaded them, because this keyboard and computer suck. More on that in the post....
From left to right: Mel, Dave, Alex, Me. Maybe the camera was drunk too? 
My friend the hungry gargoyle
My friend the bored gargoyle
Part of the Ossuary in the Paris Catacombs.
The Eiffel Tower at night.
Me and the Arc de Triomphe. I think that expression means my feet were already hating me.
Me and the Eiffel Tower. I'm not sure what that expression means.
Napleon's Tomb! 
Me out front of the Louvre.Also, German keyboards are even wierder than the ones back in the UK... the Y and Z switched places, they've got extra keys for ö, ä, and ü, and a lot of the punctuation is shifted around, which means I probably won't be able to type nearly as much as I'd hoped.
Anyways, I survived Paris. My first day there I got in about 16:00, and spent the rest of the evening getting settled in and drinking with some of the folks from the room, mostly Aussies and Canadians. Next morning I got up for a free walking tour of the city that went by/through most of the major sites without actually going into any of them. There were quite a few that I really didn't care about, but we ended up seeing Notre Dame, the Louvre, Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, a few of the old palaces, and the Opera Garnier, which I believe is where Phantom of the Opera was originally set. We finished up near Les Invalides, home to the French Veteran's Hospital, Military Museum, and Napoleon's Tomb, which is the only reason I paid (€9) to go in. The tomb was fairly impressive, but I decided to wander the museum for awhile to get my money's worth. From there I walked over to the Eiffel Tower to get some pictures, but didn't feel like waiting in line to go up. After that I went up to the Arc de Triomphe for some closer shots... I was actually going to cross over and get right under it, but they wanted €9 for that as well, so I decided to pass. I suppose I could have tried running over, but that would have been like Frogger on crack: it's a 10-lane roundabout, and the only place in Paris where your car insurance doesn't apply. I had another metro ticket on me, but I decided to be cheap and walk back to the hostel. Unfortunately I can be very stubborn, because it wasn't long before I was regretting that decision. It ended up taking me almost two hours to walk back, which meant that I spent about nine hours on my feet that day. On the bright side, Paris, unlike all the cities I visited in the UK, actually figured out how street signs work, and put them on almost every corner; the walk back was easy at least, if not quick.
When I got back I chugged some water, then got a fruit smoothie (for vitamins), a baguette (for cheap/good filler) and a good strong beer (to try numbing my feet) for dinner. I had just finished when a couple of the Canadian guys from the room and a Coloradan from another room decided that we needed to drink, so we went on a beer run (or three) and spent the rest of the night down in the common room with the Canadian and English girls from the room, and some random Aussies we met down there. I finally gave up a bit after 3:00, but found out the next day that the rest of the group kept going until 5:30... crazy people.
Next morning we got up a bit late, for obvious reasons. My original plan was to walk down to Notre Dame to thoroughly explore that before going to stand in line for the Eiffel Tower, but mz feet disagreed with me. Dave & Asher (the Canadian guys) were going to the Catacombs, so I joined them for that instead. It was fairly cool--especially the ossuary where all the old bones are stacked up in the wall--but not a fun place to be with a cold: it was fairly stuffy, and there were places that the ceiling was dripping and leaving puddles on the floor. After that and lunch we split up; they went to visit the Jewish Quarter, and I went to Notre Dame. The church itself is free to enter, so it's well worth your time if you ever find yourself in Paris. The stained glass and architecture are both very impressive, and of course you've got the gargoyles all along the outside. The line wasn't too long so I paid €8 to climb 400+ steps up the west end towers (although it's free for EU citizens under 26). The views from the top are great, and you can get a close up on a lot of the gargoyles as well.
That took long enough that I decided to skip the Eiffel Tower... I can always go up that some other time. I still need to actually see the Louvre and Moulin Rouge, so maybe I'll tack a couple days there onto some future trip. I was originally planning on going to bed early but got talked into playing a drinking game with Dave and the Canadian girls (Mel & Alex) from the room. Good times were had, probably because I didn't play past midnight. This morning I had to get up at about 5:30 to catch my train to Munich, where I am now. I'll be going to bed early tonight and getting up for the free walking tour here tomorrow, then meeting Dave to get some beer in me. Oktöberfest FTW!
Pictures! Just a few stuck down at the bottom, since this compy doesn't have Picasa either. Stupid computers. Stupid keyboards. It's a wonder they can get anything done over here.
PS: By "bottom" I obviously mean "top," but I'm leaving that sentence there to show that I tried.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Still alive
Busy day though, and getting up early for my train to Munich tomorrow,
so thre may not be a full post from Paris.
so thre may not be a full post from Paris.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Better, but not good
As my Facebook status indicated, I went through a pretty decent quantity of Jameson last night with some Spanish guys and a German dude; even though that meant getting to bed later than planned (and slightly wobbly), it was the best night's sleep I've had so far in Dublin, and I woke up feeling improved, though still not 100%.
Yesterday I decided I'd had enough sitting around feeling like crap, and decided to walk around feeling like crap instead. I walked down to Trinity College first to see the Book of Kells and get some pictures of the campus... Taryn, one of the waitresses from the Wok About, actually went to school there for a couple years. It was a bit after 11:00 when I got done there, and I decided I was functional enough to walk up to the Jameson Distillery for the tour there. I got picked as one of the volunteers to do a taste comparison between Irish Whiskey (Jameson), Scotch Whisky (Johnny Walker Black) and American Bourbon (Jack Daniels) at the end. Despite being the only one to choose the Scotch as my favorite, I ended up with a personalized diploma declaring me to be a Certified Irish Whiskey Taster. The distillery isn't active like Oban was (all of their production is now done down in Cork), but it was still a fairly interesting tour.
Today I walked by Christ Church Cathedral (kind of cool), and actually went in to St. Patrick's Cathedral. That's actually the burial place of Jonathan Swift (who was Dean there for a couple decades), which was cool since I'm currently reading Gulliver's Travels. The timing there was great too, because just as I was getting ready to leave they said a prayer for travelers (me!) and sick people (also me!). From there I wandered down to the main stop of the day: the Guinness Storehouse. The tour was self-guided, which meant you had to pay a bit more attention but could do the whole thing at your own pace. Part way through I ran into Salim, who was in Dublin on business and staying at the same hostel, and we finished the tour up together. The view from the top is great, but it was way too crowded to get any good pictures.
And speaking of pictures... the computers here at the hostel don't have the Picasa software on them, and I don't want to install it, so I'm just going to throw a few in down at the bottom of the post and get more up when I'm in Paris, hopefully. I'm a bit disappointed that I wasn't well enough to spend more quality time in Dublin, but Ireland is definitely a place I want to come back to.
RIP, good sir.
Yesterday I decided I'd had enough sitting around feeling like crap, and decided to walk around feeling like crap instead. I walked down to Trinity College first to see the Book of Kells and get some pictures of the campus... Taryn, one of the waitresses from the Wok About, actually went to school there for a couple years. It was a bit after 11:00 when I got done there, and I decided I was functional enough to walk up to the Jameson Distillery for the tour there. I got picked as one of the volunteers to do a taste comparison between Irish Whiskey (Jameson), Scotch Whisky (Johnny Walker Black) and American Bourbon (Jack Daniels) at the end. Despite being the only one to choose the Scotch as my favorite, I ended up with a personalized diploma declaring me to be a Certified Irish Whiskey Taster. The distillery isn't active like Oban was (all of their production is now done down in Cork), but it was still a fairly interesting tour.
Today I walked by Christ Church Cathedral (kind of cool), and actually went in to St. Patrick's Cathedral. That's actually the burial place of Jonathan Swift (who was Dean there for a couple decades), which was cool since I'm currently reading Gulliver's Travels. The timing there was great too, because just as I was getting ready to leave they said a prayer for travelers (me!) and sick people (also me!). From there I wandered down to the main stop of the day: the Guinness Storehouse. The tour was self-guided, which meant you had to pay a bit more attention but could do the whole thing at your own pace. Part way through I ran into Salim, who was in Dublin on business and staying at the same hostel, and we finished the tour up together. The view from the top is great, but it was way too crowded to get any good pictures.
And speaking of pictures... the computers here at the hostel don't have the Picasa software on them, and I don't want to install it, so I'm just going to throw a few in down at the bottom of the post and get more up when I'm in Paris, hopefully. I'm a bit disappointed that I wasn't well enough to spend more quality time in Dublin, but Ireland is definitely a place I want to come back to.
RIP, good sir.
Original lease signed by Sir Arthur Guinness. He was apparently a very optimistic man, because it's for a term of 9000 years.
Me in the main square at Trinity College. It was crowded with "freshers" who were finishing up with registration and signing up for the various clubs/societies/etc.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Jameson Irish Whiskey. Our guide pronounced it as a weird sort of combination of "Jay-messon" and "Jamm-esson" that it was impossible for me to replicate.
Me in the main square at Trinity College. It was crowded with "freshers" who were finishing up with registration and signing up for the various clubs/societies/etc.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Jameson Irish Whiskey. Our guide pronounced it as a weird sort of combination of "Jay-messon" and "Jamm-esson" that it was impossible for me to replicate.That's all for now. Next you hear from me I'll either be at the airport, or in Paris!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Character building, or something like that
You have no idea how close I was to giving up yesterday. I felt like crap because of my cold, it was dumping rain when I got off the bus in Dublin, and like all the other cities I've been to here in Europe, there is a distinct lack of street signs, so I managed to walk several blocks past my hostel before I found a map on a wall somewhere. I was amazingly tempted to head back to the airport, buy a ticket home, and just try and get refunds for as much of the trip as I could. As nice as it is to be here on my own, getting to pick my own schedule, it's hard not having somebody around to provide a morale boost when things aren't going well. For now though, I'm going to stick it out, until I really don't think I can continue any more. I think that will all depend on how Dublin turns out.
Oban was fun, although I do kind of wish I had just jumped straight to Dublin from Edinburgh. I think I'd be better rested, and if nothing else it means I could have avoided Glasgow completely. First day there I wandered around a bit then took a walk up Battleship Hill with some folks from the hostel, to watch the sunset over the Isle of Mull. That probably would have worked better if we could have seen the sun through all the clouds, but the view was nice anyways. Next day I attempted to sleep in a bit (most of the rest of the folks in my room must've been going on a tour or something, because they all got up at the same time, turned on the lights, and carried on conversations while I was trying to sleep); even without that, I decided I had the energy to climb up to McCaig's Tower, out to Dunollie Castle, and then have lunch before going on the distillery tour in the afternoon. We had kind of a weird group, but our guide was good, and we got to try some of the 10-year cask-strength (I think around 63% ABV) Oban... you could still taste the same flavor, but most of it was quickly covered up by the burning of the alcohol. We also got to keep our tasting glasses this time, so I've got that and an actual drinking glass I picked up as my only souvenirs so far.
The only real bright spot in yesterday, oddly enough, was going through customs in Ireland. I had to be at the station in Oban by 8:00 to catch my train, ride that down to Glasgow, then catch a combination of busses and trains from there to the airport. I was also stuck with all my luggage for quite awhile there... I got in about five hours before my flight left, and they don't even post the location you're supposed to check in at until about two hours before. The flight itself was uneventful, even if I did feel like a zombie for most of the day. So, customs. After getting the third degree when landing at Heathrow, Dublin was a nice change.
Me: Hello.
Customs: How long are you here for?
Me: Four nights.
Customs: Holiday?
Me: Yup.
Customs: *Stamp.* Enjoy your stay.
Getting through security in Glasgow was amazingly quick too, although I guess that city is terrible enough that nobody would bother doing anything bad to it. I think the only time I even had to show my passport was when I checked my bag, other than that it was just a quick glance at my boarding pass and me getting waved through.
As I mentioned in the last post, today will hopefully be a recovery day, and the next couple days I'll be able to get out and get some pictures. I do have USB access but getting on the computers here is pricey (€2 for 45 minutes), so I'll probably just throw up a few on the last day.
For now I'm going to try walking off some of this excess heat in the cool air outside, then grab another cuppa tea and either read for awhile or attempt a nap.
Oban was fun, although I do kind of wish I had just jumped straight to Dublin from Edinburgh. I think I'd be better rested, and if nothing else it means I could have avoided Glasgow completely. First day there I wandered around a bit then took a walk up Battleship Hill with some folks from the hostel, to watch the sunset over the Isle of Mull. That probably would have worked better if we could have seen the sun through all the clouds, but the view was nice anyways. Next day I attempted to sleep in a bit (most of the rest of the folks in my room must've been going on a tour or something, because they all got up at the same time, turned on the lights, and carried on conversations while I was trying to sleep); even without that, I decided I had the energy to climb up to McCaig's Tower, out to Dunollie Castle, and then have lunch before going on the distillery tour in the afternoon. We had kind of a weird group, but our guide was good, and we got to try some of the 10-year cask-strength (I think around 63% ABV) Oban... you could still taste the same flavor, but most of it was quickly covered up by the burning of the alcohol. We also got to keep our tasting glasses this time, so I've got that and an actual drinking glass I picked up as my only souvenirs so far.
The only real bright spot in yesterday, oddly enough, was going through customs in Ireland. I had to be at the station in Oban by 8:00 to catch my train, ride that down to Glasgow, then catch a combination of busses and trains from there to the airport. I was also stuck with all my luggage for quite awhile there... I got in about five hours before my flight left, and they don't even post the location you're supposed to check in at until about two hours before. The flight itself was uneventful, even if I did feel like a zombie for most of the day. So, customs. After getting the third degree when landing at Heathrow, Dublin was a nice change.
Me: Hello.
Customs: How long are you here for?
Me: Four nights.
Customs: Holiday?
Me: Yup.
Customs: *Stamp.* Enjoy your stay.
Getting through security in Glasgow was amazingly quick too, although I guess that city is terrible enough that nobody would bother doing anything bad to it. I think the only time I even had to show my passport was when I checked my bag, other than that it was just a quick glance at my boarding pass and me getting waved through.
As I mentioned in the last post, today will hopefully be a recovery day, and the next couple days I'll be able to get out and get some pictures. I do have USB access but getting on the computers here is pricey (€2 for 45 minutes), so I'll probably just throw up a few on the last day.
For now I'm going to try walking off some of this excess heat in the cool air outside, then grab another cuppa tea and either read for awhile or attempt a nap.
I blame Glasgow
For those of you who aren't Facebook stalking me too, the only times I
ever remember getting sick while traveling, Glasgow has been involved.
The first time we actually stayed there a few days; this time all it
took was a short stopover there on my way from Edinburgh out to Oban.
Today is a recovery day... I just hope I get well soon enough to
actually get out and enjoy Dublin. Bigger post to follow later.
ever remember getting sick while traveling, Glasgow has been involved.
The first time we actually stayed there a few days; this time all it
took was a short stopover there on my way from Edinburgh out to Oban.
Today is a recovery day... I just hope I get well soon enough to
actually get out and enjoy Dublin. Bigger post to follow later.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
And then....
Last full day in Edinburgh today. I turned my alarm back on and got at up the much more recent hour of 9:15... would've been earlier, but Edinburgh on the weekends is really loud. Walked down to Princes Street Gardens for some more of the Archery World Cup finals--today was the recurve bow and the team events. Stuck around there til about 12:00, then headed over to the Frankenstein Pub for a Franky Burger (6oz patty, lettuce, carmelized onion, bacon, mayo & bbq sauce) and a pint of Guinness, which filled me up quite well and gave me some energy for my ascent of Arthur's Seat. I didn't take the quick/hard way up, but I did manage to pick one of the harder routes anyways... go figure. Today was also the first time it really rained in Edinburgh, which made the footing a bit interesting, but the view from the top was well worth it. That took up several hours, so from there it was back to the hostel for a shower and some rest, then down to the train station to pick up my tickets for Oban so I wouldn't have to worry about that tomorrow. I think I'll spend the rest of tonight getting everything together and making sure I'm packed & ready, then get in some reading before bed; just finished The Jungle Books, and started on The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Also, a few more pictures went up. Enjoy!
Also, a few more pictures went up. Enjoy!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The schedule
Assuming I remembered it correctly, here's my full schedule:
London: 13-16 September
Edinburgh: 16-20 September
Oban: 20-22 September
Dublin: 22-26 September
Paris: 26-29 September
Munich: 29-31 September
Rome: 01-05 October
Venice: 05-07 October
Athens: 07-11 October
Rhodes: 11-14 October
London: 13-16 September
Edinburgh: 16-20 September
Oban: 20-22 September
Dublin: 22-26 September
Paris: 26-29 September
Munich: 29-31 September
Rome: 01-05 October
Venice: 05-07 October
Athens: 07-11 October
Rhodes: 11-14 October
After that, if I have any money left I'll attempt to see Istanbul,
Berlin, and Amstedam, in that order of priority.
Maybe later....
Slowly, but surely, I'm getting some pictures up. These computers are hellas slow though... it took close to 5 minutes just to upload the first set of five, so for now I'll probably just go with my favorites, viewable here. You'll have to wade through the pictures from London first, but since I've only seen a few comments on those, I don't feel bad for you at all.
Somehow during the course of the day yesterday, I managed to turn my alarm off. When I finally got tired of tossing and turning this morning, I looked at my watch and saw that it was 11:30, which meant that Stirling Castle was definitely out of the picture. Bummer! So I ended up wandering around the town instead. Went through the Princes Street Gardens, caught part of an archery tournament (which turned out to be the finals in the Archery World Cup, for recurve & compound bows) and saw history made, albeit in an unfortunate fashion; the American finished second, making his Italian competitor the first guy ever to repeat as world champion. I think tomorrow is either the team events or whatever bow they weren't shooting today, and I hope to catch some of that as well. When they finished up I climbed to the top of the Sir Walter Scott Monument, which was pretty crazy. It had less steps than the Fire Monument in London, as well as multiple levels that you could stop off on, but the stairs were much more narrow as well... I actually barely fit through the door on the top level. Great views from the top, though. After that it was up to Calton Hill, home of the Nelson Monument, the old observatory, and the Scottish National Monument, which for some reason looks Greek. Paid a brief visit to the Old Calton Cemetery to see David Hume, then made my way back to the hostel to rest up. I think tonight I may just grab dinner from a grocery store, and save the Frankenstein Pub for tomorrow, after more archery and before Arthur's Seat.
I may post again tomorrow, but don't expect anything until Oban or Dublin.
Somehow during the course of the day yesterday, I managed to turn my alarm off. When I finally got tired of tossing and turning this morning, I looked at my watch and saw that it was 11:30, which meant that Stirling Castle was definitely out of the picture. Bummer! So I ended up wandering around the town instead. Went through the Princes Street Gardens, caught part of an archery tournament (which turned out to be the finals in the Archery World Cup, for recurve & compound bows) and saw history made, albeit in an unfortunate fashion; the American finished second, making his Italian competitor the first guy ever to repeat as world champion. I think tomorrow is either the team events or whatever bow they weren't shooting today, and I hope to catch some of that as well. When they finished up I climbed to the top of the Sir Walter Scott Monument, which was pretty crazy. It had less steps than the Fire Monument in London, as well as multiple levels that you could stop off on, but the stairs were much more narrow as well... I actually barely fit through the door on the top level. Great views from the top, though. After that it was up to Calton Hill, home of the Nelson Monument, the old observatory, and the Scottish National Monument, which for some reason looks Greek. Paid a brief visit to the Old Calton Cemetery to see David Hume, then made my way back to the hostel to rest up. I think tonight I may just grab dinner from a grocery store, and save the Frankenstein Pub for tomorrow, after more archery and before Arthur's Seat.
I may post again tomorrow, but don't expect anything until Oban or Dublin.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Post, but no pictures... yet.
Finally made it into the "internet lounge" here at the hostel, but unfortunately it was mostly full and I ended up with a ghetto computer that has no available USB ports; hence, no way to upload pictures. I'll try again tomorrow though, and make sure I get one of the better ones.
Yesterday was a really, really long day. I set my alarm for 06:30 and got up slightly after that to shower. After making sure I had everything packed, I was checked out and on my way shortly after 07:00, in case one of the tube stations on the way wasn't up and running. They all were though, and I made it to Victoria Station without any hitches, and more than an hour before I actually had to be there. Unfortunately, when my ticket said that my bus would depart from Victoria Station (which is home to both buses, trains, and the tube), it actually meant the other part of the station, more than two blocks away. The signs on the way weren't overly helpful either, so all the sitting around I did to make sure I wasn't horribly early actually worked against me... I finally found where I needed to be right as boarding started, so it all worked out in the end.
After spending about nine hours on the bus we pulled into Edinburgh. The time it took kind of makes me wish I had taken the train, but since the ticket was only £14 it was hard to pass up. After getting turned around (my directions were based on coming into the train station for some reason, which is on the other side of one of the major streets they referenced) a bit I made it to the hostel shortly after 19:00. That gave me just enough time to check checked in, settled in, and remember how to use my legs before the hostel's pub crawl started. I wasn't originally planning on going, but since I skipped a pub crawl in London to get up early for Edinburgh, I had to give it a go. For the most part, it wasn't really worth it... I only liked two of the bars we went to, and the few folk that I met and actually got along with left for Glasgow this afternoon. After stopping for fish & chips we made it back to the hostel about 03:00; that wouldn't have been so bad on it's own, but a good chunk of the guys in my room decided it would be a good idea to get up at 08:00 and make a bunch of noise before they took off.
Running out of time here, but since I'm basically just wasting time until my laundry is done, no big deal. I should be posting again tomorrow, and pictures will be included... again, likely by link to my Picasa albums. Let me know if the first one didn't work for you.
Yesterday was a really, really long day. I set my alarm for 06:30 and got up slightly after that to shower. After making sure I had everything packed, I was checked out and on my way shortly after 07:00, in case one of the tube stations on the way wasn't up and running. They all were though, and I made it to Victoria Station without any hitches, and more than an hour before I actually had to be there. Unfortunately, when my ticket said that my bus would depart from Victoria Station (which is home to both buses, trains, and the tube), it actually meant the other part of the station, more than two blocks away. The signs on the way weren't overly helpful either, so all the sitting around I did to make sure I wasn't horribly early actually worked against me... I finally found where I needed to be right as boarding started, so it all worked out in the end.
After spending about nine hours on the bus we pulled into Edinburgh. The time it took kind of makes me wish I had taken the train, but since the ticket was only £14 it was hard to pass up. After getting turned around (my directions were based on coming into the train station for some reason, which is on the other side of one of the major streets they referenced) a bit I made it to the hostel shortly after 19:00. That gave me just enough time to check checked in, settled in, and remember how to use my legs before the hostel's pub crawl started. I wasn't originally planning on going, but since I skipped a pub crawl in London to get up early for Edinburgh, I had to give it a go. For the most part, it wasn't really worth it... I only liked two of the bars we went to, and the few folk that I met and actually got along with left for Glasgow this afternoon. After stopping for fish & chips we made it back to the hostel about 03:00; that wouldn't have been so bad on it's own, but a good chunk of the guys in my room decided it would be a good idea to get up at 08:00 and make a bunch of noise before they took off.
Running out of time here, but since I'm basically just wasting time until my laundry is done, no big deal. I should be posting again tomorrow, and pictures will be included... again, likely by link to my Picasa albums. Let me know if the first one didn't work for you.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
On the bright side, a cannibal probably wouldn't like them either.
I hate my legs right now. I hate them so much that I'm actually almost looking forward to spending most of tomorrow on a bus up to Edinburgh. I started my walk at about 09:00 this morning, completely forgetting how big London is. If the link works, this is a rough (and much more efficient) map of my route from today. I didn't actually start at the British Museum, but my hostel is literally right around the corner from it... I can look out my window and see one of the wings right across the street. So, in order: St. Paul's, Millennium Bridge, London Bridge, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Bridge again, the Fire Monument, then back past the hostel to the British Library at about 17:30. I'm a bit disappointed that I forgot my pedometer at home (although it's fairly uncomfortable, so I guess it's not all bad), but Google Maps estimated the total distance at 11.9 miles. I'm thinking I should have gotten in a little more practice before I came... my 4 mile walks around the outside of Waterville just aren't cutting it.
And now we're on to the part where I use bullet points, because I still have to eat and make sure I'm packed up, since I'm leaving pretty early tomorrow.
British Library Sightings
- first draft of Handel's "Messiah"
- Mozart's wedding contract
- Beethoven's tuning fork
- Photo of Scott's Antarctic expedition team, as well as his journal
- Charles Dodgson's (aka Lewis Carroll) diaries
- notes on architecture by da Vinci
- a Gutenburg Bible
- the Dering Roll (c. 1270), which contains 324 English coats of arms.
- the Magna Carta (turns out there are actually 4 original copies; two at the museum, and the others at different locations in England)
That's not all, but I left out most of the stuff that I recognized from last time. And yes, I did say hello to Austen's desk and manuscript for you, Alyssa.
Also, pictures! I'm too tired/sore to try cramming them into a blog post, so head on over here to see them in all their glory. Once again, you may have to change the .co.uk to .com... I'm really not sure how that'll work. I'll attempt to post at least a few from each stop, but most of them probably won't go up until I get home.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Various and sundry things.
1) I did indeed make it through customs okay. The lady at the counter looked at me a little funny when she saw my immigration card (even though I'm not technically immigrating) said "none" for occupation, but once I showed her my ticket receipts that showed I was indeed getting the heck out of Dodge at some point she stamped my passport and waved me through. And oddly enough, Iceland was a bit tricky to get through as well. We had to go through the same sort of security screening as our initial flight out of Seattle (even those of us who were just hopping another flight out, and at US airports would never have left the secure area), and my passport ended up getting stamped twice (and the folks I was next to on the plane said theirs were checked/stamped thrice).
2) I had a whole post ready to go on the nook, then somehow managed to scroll to a part of the screen that didn't cover any of the buttons, so I lost it. I think as much as possible now, I'll be posting from hostel computers/internet cafes. I'm still really glad I got the nook, but using the wifi on it drains the battery really quick, and the adapters I've got (made in China!) are useless so far. I'm thinking about picking another one up today, but I may just charge it here on the computer and wait till Edinburgh to see what the outlets are like there.
3) I was going to apologize for the typos caused by the fact that I can't see the whole screen at once while typing on the nook, but lost that comment too. I'm not sure how much better it'll be on the computer, though... the shift and enter keys are different sizes than I'm used to, and a lot of the keyboard symbols are in different places. As usual, I'll just have to do my best and hope I don't confuse anybody too bad.
4) Most of the first round of postcards are done, and ready to be mailed. Not sure how to go about getting postage for them yet, but since I still need to find some for a couple people, that can wait for another day.
5) The computers here do have card readers, so I may try and post a few pictures. There will be a few on the blog, but most of them will probably be linked to my Picasa account, where you can see some pictures from a few of my other trips. If the links for those act funny, try replacing the .co.uk with a plain old .com. Wait till tomorrow night (or I guess afternoon, for most of you) to look for those.
6) So far I've wandered through the National Gallery (short stop since art isn't really my thing, but it's hard to justify not visiting free major museums like that), got a few good shots of Parliament/Big Ben and Westminster (which I'm also tempted to visit the inside of, but I've seen it before, and not sure if I feel like paying the £18 or so to go back in), and then spent a good four hours or so wandering the British Museum today. That was actually better than I remembered it, although a lot of it is still fairly repetitive. As cool as it is that we still have pottery from thousands of years ago, there's only so much of that you can look at without going crazy. I think my favorite this time was the Egyptian section, especially since I'd been re-watching Stargate: SG-1 with one of the bros. I think I'm going to head down to Buckingham Palace later today for some pictures (even though I slept too long to make it to the changing of the guard), and save the British Library and the Tower of London for tomorrow, when I should be more awake.
That's all for now... think I'm going to try catching up on some blogs/comics/news/etc. while I wait for the nook to charge a bit more.
2) I had a whole post ready to go on the nook, then somehow managed to scroll to a part of the screen that didn't cover any of the buttons, so I lost it. I think as much as possible now, I'll be posting from hostel computers/internet cafes. I'm still really glad I got the nook, but using the wifi on it drains the battery really quick, and the adapters I've got (made in China!) are useless so far. I'm thinking about picking another one up today, but I may just charge it here on the computer and wait till Edinburgh to see what the outlets are like there.
3) I was going to apologize for the typos caused by the fact that I can't see the whole screen at once while typing on the nook, but lost that comment too. I'm not sure how much better it'll be on the computer, though... the shift and enter keys are different sizes than I'm used to, and a lot of the keyboard symbols are in different places. As usual, I'll just have to do my best and hope I don't confuse anybody too bad.
4) Most of the first round of postcards are done, and ready to be mailed. Not sure how to go about getting postage for them yet, but since I still need to find some for a couple people, that can wait for another day.
5) The computers here do have card readers, so I may try and post a few pictures. There will be a few on the blog, but most of them will probably be linked to my Picasa account, where you can see some pictures from a few of my other trips. If the links for those act funny, try replacing the .co.uk with a plain old .com. Wait till tomorrow night (or I guess afternoon, for most of you) to look for those.
6) So far I've wandered through the National Gallery (short stop since art isn't really my thing, but it's hard to justify not visiting free major museums like that), got a few good shots of Parliament/Big Ben and Westminster (which I'm also tempted to visit the inside of, but I've seen it before, and not sure if I feel like paying the £18 or so to go back in), and then spent a good four hours or so wandering the British Museum today. That was actually better than I remembered it, although a lot of it is still fairly repetitive. As cool as it is that we still have pottery from thousands of years ago, there's only so much of that you can look at without going crazy. I think my favorite this time was the Egyptian section, especially since I'd been re-watching Stargate: SG-1 with one of the bros. I think I'm going to head down to Buckingham Palace later today for some pictures (even though I slept too long to make it to the changing of the guard), and save the British Library and the Tower of London for tomorrow, when I should be more awake.
That's all for now... think I'm going to try catching up on some blogs/comics/news/etc. while I wait for the nook to charge a bit more.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
On the way
Through security and waiting at my gate now. Got freaked out for a
minute when I was checking in; the UK is apparently paranoid about
people going there to be bums, and won't let you fly into London
without documentation showing that you're leaving. I don't have a
return ticket yet since I'm not sure when it will be time to head
home, but I printed out all the info on my hostels/flights/etc., and
the folks at the ticket counter said that should be good. I guess
we'll find out in about 12 hours, eh?
minute when I was checking in; the UK is apparently paranoid about
people going there to be bums, and won't let you fly into London
without documentation showing that you're leaving. I don't have a
return ticket yet since I'm not sure when it will be time to head
home, but I printed out all the info on my hostels/flights/etc., and
the folks at the ticket counter said that should be good. I guess
we'll find out in about 12 hours, eh?
Friday, September 10, 2010
A Note on Pictures
I know that's what a lot of you are looking forward to, but my nook won't let me post them. I do have a USB adapter for my camera's SD cards though, so if I find a friendly internet cafe I'll be sure to put up as many as I can.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Too bad I'm not Catholic
Huh. Turns out the Pope is arriving in Edinburgh at the same time I am. However, he'll also be giving a service in Glasgow; and while the city could certainly use it, the fact that he's going there on purpose might mean that he's a bit crazy.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Greece!
I was worried I'd be short on money before I was able to make it there, but after going over my finances it looks like I'll be able to pull it off. I'll be spending four nights in Athens and then heading out to Rhodes for three more nights. I think this is going to be one of my favorite stops of the trip; in college I did a research paper on the Ottoman siege of the island in 1522, and actually got to give a guest lecture on it back at Whitworth a few years later.
I'm also hoping to make it to Turkey to see Istanbul, but I'm not going to plan that part out... if it happens, it happens. As decent as the money situation looked, I have to keep in mind that the Euro is still around $1.30, so my money won't be worth quite as much.
For those of you interested, I'm using Hostelworld to plan out my stays in the various cities I'm visiting. It's a nice service, and the user reviews are (for the most part) really helpful in choosing a hostel to stay at.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Heart of the Empire
They say that all roads lead to Rome, and mine is no different. I'll be spending four nights there at a hostel that's a bit off the beaten path, but the owners got really high marks for helping people plan out their visit based on how much time they have. It's about half an hour walk from the train station, and although I may disagree at the time, the exercise will do me good. After that it's on to Venice for a couple nights, and then to Greece by ferry... still need to get that part figured out. Money seems to be disappearing quicker than I'd like so I may have to call it quits after Greece (including another ferry out to Rhodes), but I'd really like to make it to Istanbul too; we'll have to see how things pan out. Who knows? Maybe one of my favorite fortune cookies ever--"A blonde from afar has something in store for you"--will come true, and I'll meet a sugar mama who'll let me travel more.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
But what about...? Why aren't you going...? How can you not see...?
As you may have noticed already, and definitely will by the time I start posting from overseas, I'll be skipping over quite a few places in the countries I'll be visiting. My basic plan is for this to be the traveling equivalent of a world history class: covering little bits and pieces of as many areas as possible. On it's own, I'm not a huge fan of world history for exactly that reason... you never get to spend enough time covering any one topic/location. However, it does usually give you at least an idea of what areas you would like to focus on. Unless things in life go terribly wrong and I end up living in a van down by the river, this won't be my last trip to Europe, and I'm hoping that it will give me an idea of places that I want to spend more time in on my next visit.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
On to the Continent
On September 26th I'll be leaving Dublin and arriving in Paris, to spend three nights. That's a day longer than I had originally planned on staying, but it doesn't look like the train ride to Munich is all that bad, so I'll head straight there afterwards and catch the last five days or so of Oktoberfest. As much as I enjoy beer and brats I think that many days of them would ruin me, so I plan on exploring the rest of Bavaria a bit as well. From there it's down into Switzerland to visit relatives and recuperate before crossing the Alps and invading Italy. No elephants will be involved, unfortunately.
Paris should be an interesting stop. I plan on skipping the Louvre, since I'm a fan of neither art (with a few exceptions) nor standing in line. The Eiffel Tower is a must... I love high places, although I'm always tempted to spit from them. I also plan on visiting Notre Dam and the Arc de Triomphe, and maybe the Moulin Rouge (hopefully that's the English language version) if I'm feeling especially brave/saucy.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Testing, testing
Attempting to publish a post by email via my nook, so I know if it's
possible during the parts of my trip where I don't have access to a
computer.
possible during the parts of my trip where I don't have access to a
computer.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
To beer, or not to beer? That is the question.
Oktoberfest runs from September 18 - October 4 this year. I'll be leaving Dublin on September 26, which means if I tweak my plans a bit and either fly there directly, or head there right after Paris, I could catch the tail end of it.
Pros
- Oktoberfest!
- In Germany!
Cons
- Change in plans would make my loop around Europe a bit trickier.
- It's probably been impossible to get a room anywhere near it for months now.
I guess we'll see how I'm feeling at that point... I really don't want to get too much planned out in advance, so that I've got plenty of freedom to switch things up for events/places like this. Any thoughts?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Part Next
Not sure if it actually counts as Part II, since I still won't be to the continent. I decided to skip Glasgow (mostly because I hate it) and spend an extra night in Edinburgh... looks like there are a couple distilleries in the area for scotches I haven't tried yet, so those may be worth a visit. I'll be spending the next couple nights in Oban, giving me time to visit the distillery (probably my favorite) and spend a bit of time wandering the town. Unfortunately, it looks like the Laphroaig distillery out on Islay will have to wait for my next visit; it's too much of a pain to get to and from by public transit, and I really don't think I'd do so well with a rental car over there. Much of my driving is done by habit/muscle memory/whatever, and if I ever got tired or distracted I'd probably revert to driving on the right side of the road and wreak all sorts of havoc.
Also unfortunately, I don't actually get to skip Glasgow completely, but luckily it's a quick stop. I'll be hopping a train for the city in the morning, getting there in the afternoon, and taking off for Dublin that evening. My hostel is just a few blocks from Trinity College, which I hear all sorts of good things about. As I mentioned before I'll also be stopping by the Guinness brewery, and hopefully the Jameson distillery as well; don't like it as well as Laphroaig, but it's a consistently good whiskey. I'll be spending four nights there, so I'll probably be taking a few day trips too.
That's it for now, but stay tuned for more exciting updates!
Monday, July 12, 2010
And so it begins
And unlike my other blogs, I'll probably use the shift key on a fairly regular basis. Unless you stumbled upon this site accidentally, you're probably aware that I'm planning a trip to Europe at the end of this summer. I've been unemployed since the end of February and figured that this would be the best time to do it: while I've got no kids or job tying me down, and before I run out of money and have to rejoin the real world. I'm hoping to be there for at least a month, and unless you've decided to come along, this will be the best way to keep up with where I'm at and what I'm doing.
Part I: The Big Picture
Right now, most of what I've got is a general idea of where I want to go. I'll be starting out in the UK since I've been there before and am at least semi-familiar with it; England and Scotland will be the main features, with Ireland (where I haven't been) a definite stop and Wales (haven't been there either) a possibility. From there it's on to Paris for a couple of days--preferably via the Chunnel--and then most likely down to Switzerland, where I'm hoping to meet some relatives and rest up for a few days before moving on. I've been told by several people that I need to get into Spain as well... it's definitely not at the top of my list, but if I do make it there I'll probably continue down into Portugal to see Lisbon and the remains of the Lines of Torres Vedras, and possibly down to Gibraltar as well. Otherwise, I'll continue through Switzerland into Italy to see Rome and Venice, then take a ferry to Greece (if there is still a Greece) to see Athens and Rhodes. Since I'm hoping study Byzantine history when I finally get my ass in gear and get to grad school, I also want to spend some time in Istanbul (was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul not Constantinople) and see what's left of several once-great empires. After that it's up through eastern Europe, with possible stops in Prague and Vienna, before visiting a few of the castles dotted around Germany and then finishing up in Berlin. Unless, of course, by some miracle I still have some money, in which I'll swing through the Netherlands to Amsterdam and up through Denmark to Copenhagen, and I'll head home from there.
Part II: The Little Picture
So far I've got the first little part of my journey actually planned out. My flight leaves Sea-Tac on the afternoon of September 12, and after a brief stop in Iceland puts me down in London the next morning. I'll be spending three nights there in a hostel right across from the British Museum, then hopping on a bus up to Edinburgh for another three nights in another hostel, this one just a couple blocks from the castle. After that I plan to head to Oban to visit the distillery, although I may have to spend a night elsewhere (either one more in Edinburgh, or maybe [yikes!] Glasgow) so the hostel there will have an opening and I don't have to spring for a hotel or B&B. I'm also hoping to make it out to Islay to visit the Laphroaig distillery, but it's looking a bit tricky to get to and from there, so I may just head straight to Ireland from there. In Ireland I plan to base myself out of Dublin; I want to visit the Guinness brewery and Trinity College (home of the Book of Kells), and based off information from a friend who's spent time there it sounds like Ireland is smaller than I thought, so day trips shouldn't be hard to pull off.
Part III: Then What?
Still working on that part. I'm trying to walk a fine line between planning everything out ahead of time--which, barring any horrible accidents that put me behind schedule, would maximize security--and figuring things out on the go, which would make things a bit more stressful and possibly more expensive, but would leave me plenty of freedom to change my mind and make it easier to adapt to anything that may come up.
Thus ends the first post. I'm guessing that all the others will be significantly shorter, at least initially. I plan on taking a copious amount of pictures but won't have any way to upload them until I get home, so I'll probably insert them later, and you'll have to read through everything again to see what I was talking about.
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