Pictures are up... http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2310199&l=02ad9&id=2003754
No tags, no captions.. sorry!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
This is not travel... its adventure!
Ciao!
Before we startwith the Italian let me just tell you that I never thought that going from Greece to Napoli(Italy) could be harder than actually leaving the US! Roberto might blog about it so if you read his blogit might be more detailed but to make a long story short...
We woke up at 6AM, got ready walked for 20 minutes to the metro station. Waited for a metro. Changed metros in a different station. Then it turned out the metro we took wasnt quite how we thought it would be so we sat around and waited some more.. we got to the freaking airport at 8.40 for our 9am flight. After much fighting and too much money wasted, we got tickets for a flight to Rome at 6.15PM! We stayed in this small and crowded airport all freaking day! I paid 12 euros for a lame pizza and salad. There was this nasty drunk man who was spitting around and downing whole pints of whiskey while screaming into a dead cellphone... once we arrived in Rome, we missed the train into the city by less than 1 minute. After we waited another 30 minutes we took the train, transfered (running) to a train to Napoli just to end up getting there at 11.50PM when metros stoppedrunning. We didnt know where the hostel actually was and it was crazy.. a true adventure!
The hostel we are in has an ok view... and we have nice roommates but that doesnt even begin to make up for the fact that "breakfast"(rock hard bread and fake coffee) isnt the best and that if you wash your hair in the shower the entire bedroom floor will be flooded. The toilet is kinda clean so that helps. The hostel is in this shady street (scary stuff) and it is plagged with OLD ppl... i mean on their50s at least. I dont mind old ppl but its just sketchy to have all these ppl in a YOUTH hostel you know. Oh and did I mention... internet is 5 euros an hour (that is like 7 dollars!!!) Thats why we are in this shaddy neighbourhood with crappy internet and even worse keyboard!!! (sorry for the typos)
Anyways... yesterday heading to Pompeii was crazy. We got on the wrong train (again) and a 30 minutes ride took about 1hour and 45 minutes instead. It rained, and I didnt bring my jacket (duh!!!). But the ruins and stuff were amazing! Well worth the trip. We then visited some museums and stuff. Took tons of pictures, once we use an internet place that has decent computers ill upload.
Today was another adventure. We woke up early and headed to Capri to TRY and see the island. After thecraziest 90 minutes on a boat EVER we got off, made this huge line just to get right back on the boat and return! The weather was horrible and so that was teh last boat back for the day. The main things we were gonna see like the grotto were closed so we just headed back. The ride back wasnt as terrible but ppl still were throwing up everywhere. Kinda nasty! We made it like amazing troopers. As confort we had chinese food and went to the hostel to just hang out.
Tomorrow we head to Roma... as much as I love adventures Im ready foir travel.
Ciao!
Anwyays... 1 minute left! I gotta log off.. story to be continued!
Sorry!
Before we startwith the Italian let me just tell you that I never thought that going from Greece to Napoli(Italy) could be harder than actually leaving the US! Roberto might blog about it so if you read his blogit might be more detailed but to make a long story short...
We woke up at 6AM, got ready walked for 20 minutes to the metro station. Waited for a metro. Changed metros in a different station. Then it turned out the metro we took wasnt quite how we thought it would be so we sat around and waited some more.. we got to the freaking airport at 8.40 for our 9am flight. After much fighting and too much money wasted, we got tickets for a flight to Rome at 6.15PM! We stayed in this small and crowded airport all freaking day! I paid 12 euros for a lame pizza and salad. There was this nasty drunk man who was spitting around and downing whole pints of whiskey while screaming into a dead cellphone... once we arrived in Rome, we missed the train into the city by less than 1 minute. After we waited another 30 minutes we took the train, transfered (running) to a train to Napoli just to end up getting there at 11.50PM when metros stoppedrunning. We didnt know where the hostel actually was and it was crazy.. a true adventure!
The hostel we are in has an ok view... and we have nice roommates but that doesnt even begin to make up for the fact that "breakfast"(rock hard bread and fake coffee) isnt the best and that if you wash your hair in the shower the entire bedroom floor will be flooded. The toilet is kinda clean so that helps. The hostel is in this shady street (scary stuff) and it is plagged with OLD ppl... i mean on their50s at least. I dont mind old ppl but its just sketchy to have all these ppl in a YOUTH hostel you know. Oh and did I mention... internet is 5 euros an hour (that is like 7 dollars!!!) Thats why we are in this shaddy neighbourhood with crappy internet and even worse keyboard!!! (sorry for the typos)
Anyways... yesterday heading to Pompeii was crazy. We got on the wrong train (again) and a 30 minutes ride took about 1hour and 45 minutes instead. It rained, and I didnt bring my jacket (duh!!!). But the ruins and stuff were amazing! Well worth the trip. We then visited some museums and stuff. Took tons of pictures, once we use an internet place that has decent computers ill upload.
Today was another adventure. We woke up early and headed to Capri to TRY and see the island. After thecraziest 90 minutes on a boat EVER we got off, made this huge line just to get right back on the boat and return! The weather was horrible and so that was teh last boat back for the day. The main things we were gonna see like the grotto were closed so we just headed back. The ride back wasnt as terrible but ppl still were throwing up everywhere. Kinda nasty! We made it like amazing troopers. As confort we had chinese food and went to the hostel to just hang out.
Tomorrow we head to Roma... as much as I love adventures Im ready foir travel.
Ciao!
Anwyays... 1 minute left! I gotta log off.. story to be continued!
Sorry!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
odd-ities
yasis (thats hello in greek)
In the last 10 days that I have been in Greece I have learned to not go into anything with expectations. As much as I expected things to be different all the way over here, I still cant help but be surprised at how some basic things are completely different. Everything... from going to the bathroom to recycling!
Finding the bathroom is never hard.. there are a million signs with WC and simple arrows. The problem comes after you find it... I either cant close the door, lock myself in, am scared off with threatening signs or the most adventurous: I cant figure out how to flush!! I have tried to document all these "WCs" through pictures because honestly you wouldnt believe me otherwise. Some interesting pictures will follow sometime during the next few days (i left my camera in my room and if I get up from the computer i gotta get back in line).
Other interesting things that dont really have cool pictures to go along with are just some of their processes...
1. Learn the word "logari esmoh parakalo" - that means "The bill please". You can sit at a restaurant for endless hours once you are done and noone will bring you a check. We have always had to ask for it.
2. Payment - plastic apparently is an american thing. Restaurants, stores, hostels and even hotels... so many places dont take plastic. This morning we were told to fork over 185euros cash. No plastic, so never mind playing it "safe" and not carrying green ones on you.
3. Water Conservation - the showers are crazy! Apparently Greeks either have more than 2 hands or they really dont mind turning the water on and off. The shower "head" is really just a hose. You gotta hold it when you shower so if you need to wash your hair or anything else you gotta put that thing down... "turn off" the water and then turn it back on when you are ready to rinse. not to mention the fact that the showers are miniscule! There can be no fat ppl here bcuz they seriously just wouldnt fit! (picture to come)
4. Recycling - there are soooo many recycling bins everywhere and always pretty signs telling you to recycle. There are smart cars everywhere also. Water conservation is pretty big too... see number 3 above. HOWEVER, you should see the luxury buses that take us around (again.. pictures soon). These gigantic gas guzzlers polluting the environment.. I just dont get it!
There are so many things.. but my 30 minutes are up. So I'll write some more later!
Heading to Italy tomorrow (Sunday may 27) but hopefully Ill get the pictures up before then!
for now..
andio! (goodbye in greek)
<3 Pree
In the last 10 days that I have been in Greece I have learned to not go into anything with expectations. As much as I expected things to be different all the way over here, I still cant help but be surprised at how some basic things are completely different. Everything... from going to the bathroom to recycling!
Finding the bathroom is never hard.. there are a million signs with WC and simple arrows. The problem comes after you find it... I either cant close the door, lock myself in, am scared off with threatening signs or the most adventurous: I cant figure out how to flush!! I have tried to document all these "WCs" through pictures because honestly you wouldnt believe me otherwise. Some interesting pictures will follow sometime during the next few days (i left my camera in my room and if I get up from the computer i gotta get back in line).
Other interesting things that dont really have cool pictures to go along with are just some of their processes...
1. Learn the word "logari esmoh parakalo" - that means "The bill please". You can sit at a restaurant for endless hours once you are done and noone will bring you a check. We have always had to ask for it.
2. Payment - plastic apparently is an american thing. Restaurants, stores, hostels and even hotels... so many places dont take plastic. This morning we were told to fork over 185euros cash. No plastic, so never mind playing it "safe" and not carrying green ones on you.
3. Water Conservation - the showers are crazy! Apparently Greeks either have more than 2 hands or they really dont mind turning the water on and off. The shower "head" is really just a hose. You gotta hold it when you shower so if you need to wash your hair or anything else you gotta put that thing down... "turn off" the water and then turn it back on when you are ready to rinse. not to mention the fact that the showers are miniscule! There can be no fat ppl here bcuz they seriously just wouldnt fit! (picture to come)
4. Recycling - there are soooo many recycling bins everywhere and always pretty signs telling you to recycle. There are smart cars everywhere also. Water conservation is pretty big too... see number 3 above. HOWEVER, you should see the luxury buses that take us around (again.. pictures soon). These gigantic gas guzzlers polluting the environment.. I just dont get it!
There are so many things.. but my 30 minutes are up. So I'll write some more later!
Heading to Italy tomorrow (Sunday may 27) but hopefully Ill get the pictures up before then!
for now..
andio! (goodbye in greek)
<3 Pree
Friday, May 25, 2007
Europe Trip
So here I am... after 16 months of planning, finally on my europe trip. Im done with school, way not ready to start work and now Im making Europe my playground!
So for about 8 weeks (May 16-July 13)I shall see so much of Europe... My itinerary goes something like this...
Start off in Greece (Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Delos, Nafplion, Epidaurus, Mycenae)
Fly off to Italy and start from the South... stay in Napoli and see Capri, Pompeii, the Almafi Coast, Sorrento. Then go to Roma and Vatican City. Go my way up... Firenze, Siena, Pisa, Cinque Terra, Milano... detour to Insbruck in Germany (to see the castles in Bavaria), go to Munich, jump over to Austria for Wien then head back to Venezia for some huge art show on June 10th.
From there head to beautiful Praha, back to Germany for Berlin then fly to Budapest (and back to Berlin). Then see... Amsterdam, Black Forest / Romantic Road, Alsace Region in France, Provence, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and then finish it all in England. WOW! I need to take a breath now...
Anyways, I will try as much as I can to update the blog, putting pictures, stories and funny memories.
If you like some postcards from here and you still havent emailed me your address just send it over and I will do my best to send you some gorgeous pictures of places that remind me of you...
Alright.. time to go back to the playground!
Talk to you soon!
Pree
So for about 8 weeks (May 16-July 13)I shall see so much of Europe... My itinerary goes something like this...
Start off in Greece (Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Delos, Nafplion, Epidaurus, Mycenae)
Fly off to Italy and start from the South... stay in Napoli and see Capri, Pompeii, the Almafi Coast, Sorrento. Then go to Roma and Vatican City. Go my way up... Firenze, Siena, Pisa, Cinque Terra, Milano... detour to Insbruck in Germany (to see the castles in Bavaria), go to Munich, jump over to Austria for Wien then head back to Venezia for some huge art show on June 10th.
From there head to beautiful Praha, back to Germany for Berlin then fly to Budapest (and back to Berlin). Then see... Amsterdam, Black Forest / Romantic Road, Alsace Region in France, Provence, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and then finish it all in England. WOW! I need to take a breath now...
Anyways, I will try as much as I can to update the blog, putting pictures, stories and funny memories.
If you like some postcards from here and you still havent emailed me your address just send it over and I will do my best to send you some gorgeous pictures of places that remind me of you...
Alright.. time to go back to the playground!
Talk to you soon!
Pree
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