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!
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