Welcome to what is surely the largest music festival in the world!!! The best worst part of the trip. Boy, were we ill-prepared for this event! Took the wrong train, got off at the wrong gate once on the right train, couldn't find Philip... sheesh! Not to mention that we hadn't actually purchased wrist bands since we were only able to stay for a couple of days, so we had to sneak in. And by sneak in, I mean we had to jump a fence. A tall one. I was more or less tossed over... good times! But we made it! Getting off the train, I couldn't help but wonder what on earth all these people were doing with dolly-cart after dolly-cart loads of beer. Now I understand. And I unabashedly participated to my fullest potential. I'm not sure how I survived on basically nothing but Tuborg and Carlsberg for over 48hours, but hey, I'm alive. And it was fantastic. Because this adventure was so incredible, I think it will be easiest if I just list some of the most memorable points:
1. Gaining a new appreciation for port-a-potties... most people just pee'd along the outer fence of the grounds, which made for a swampy and stinky situation after the first day... and the festival is a week and a half long.
2. Being taught how to properly squat and pee by a Danish girl... and yes, I got it down now!
3. Drunk and loud people everywhere. All the time.
4. Susanne Sundfør... great show.
5. Walking around in leggings and a bikini top, and not being ashamed even in the slightest.
6. Attending a birthday party at another group's campsite... music and dancing. Liberating.
7. Late night kebab and hookah... the kebab was a mistake, as I found out the next day.
8. Wake up at 9am, have a light breakfast, nap in the grass till 11am, get up, drink beer all day.
9. A lot of our group's beer getting stolen... that sucked.
10. Ultimate exhaustion on the train ride home to pass out and sleep for an entire day.
Once we made it home, I think I really did sleep for most of the day. Then an iced coffee made everything better! :) As miserable as I was during parts of my Roskilde experience, I would absolutely love to go back someday, for the entire festival, much better prepared for all it entails!!
30 June, 2010
27 June, 2010
Mikkeller = True Happiness (25/26-June)
Our attempts at visiting a beach with a jumping platform today were made in vain, as the water temperature was too cold and they weren't letting people swim. Boo. Oh well, more laying around in the grass and enjoying being alive. We also had entertainment--a creepy guy trying to strike up conversation with two young girls. Later on, we met up with Anders and his brother (Peter), as well as another Fulbrighter (Adam). And then the "icing" began... AJ iced Anders upon our arrival to the apartment. It was pretty hilarious, and I got a good pic of Anders taking a knee to chug that Ice. After a while, Anders innocently left to go to the bathroom, but magically returned with an Ice for AJ! Good work, Anders. Oh but wait, as soon as AJ stood up, tears in his eyes from chugging his Ice, Anders presented him with ANOTHER ONE. Priceless. That's rough. After some dinner at an excellent Indian restaurant, we decided to start the night at Mikkeller (said like mick-uh-luh). This place might be the best thing about Copenhagen, and it is AJ and Ander's favorite bar. Rightfully so, as I quickly learned. I don't know what they put in their beer, but "Mikkeller drunk" is an entirely different kind of experience from any other type of drunk you can imagine. In a good way. Since AJ's time in Copenhagen was coming to a close, the boys wanted to take him to get a Dirty Draught. Once they convinced me to approve of this plan (like I said... Mikkeller drunk!), off we went to the sketchiest bar I will likely ever visit. I am not going to explain what the Dirty Draught is here, but you can either use your imagination or ask me sometime if you are really dying to know. All I know is that I never want to experience this again. We hit a few more bars over the course of the evening, and I discovered the game Meier (said like Maya) Meier--good times, and I learned that I am pretty good at bluffing! :) Playing this game and having more beer is what we did into the wee hours of the morning. We didn't leave until 6:30am. Talk about a great night!!
Saturday required that I sleep in, so I did. Then we went to the Carlsberg Brewery for a tour. Yes, I went on a brewery tour and got 2 free beers... me, AJ, and my MASSIVE hangover. I wasn't joking about the beer intake. Anyway, it was a self-guided tour, and I really liked it. Learned some interesting little beer tidbits and got to see their beer collection (largest in the world, amounting to over 19,000 unopened bottles of beer!) We were so tired and hungover, we didn't do much else that day. But we DID get iced vanilla coffees... my life has been forever changed, and iced coffee will never be as good once I am home. They make this stuff fresh. I'm talking freshly ground coffee beans and using actual vanilla ice cream. When I go back, I will likely go to that cafe every single day just to get an iced coffee. Mmm, just talking about it makes me want to go get one now!
That night, I watched The Green Butchers. Highly entertaining. And highly Danish. :) Great film.
Saturday required that I sleep in, so I did. Then we went to the Carlsberg Brewery for a tour. Yes, I went on a brewery tour and got 2 free beers... me, AJ, and my MASSIVE hangover. I wasn't joking about the beer intake. Anyway, it was a self-guided tour, and I really liked it. Learned some interesting little beer tidbits and got to see their beer collection (largest in the world, amounting to over 19,000 unopened bottles of beer!) We were so tired and hungover, we didn't do much else that day. But we DID get iced vanilla coffees... my life has been forever changed, and iced coffee will never be as good once I am home. They make this stuff fresh. I'm talking freshly ground coffee beans and using actual vanilla ice cream. When I go back, I will likely go to that cafe every single day just to get an iced coffee. Mmm, just talking about it makes me want to go get one now!
That night, I watched The Green Butchers. Highly entertaining. And highly Danish. :) Great film.
25 June, 2010
CASTLES and FIRES and NIELS BOHR, oh my!!! (22-24-June)
CASTLE DAY!!! Perfect day for a Princess like me! hahaha :) We spent much of the day exploring several castles in Copenhagen, all different and all beautiful. I got some of my favorite pictures from the summer on this day. The castle grounds were all so gorgeous and perfectly primped. I felt like I was in a movie, or that someone like me shouldn't get to enjoy something so beautiful. But there it was, on a perfect summer day in my favorite city in the world. We enjoyed some smørrebrød for lunch (look it up), and later found a fruit stand with fresh Belgian strawberries. Now, I am very picky about my strawberries, I'll have you know. These were the most unbelievably perfectly delicious strawberries I have ever had. Ever. In my life. It was such a lovely day.
FIRE DAY!!!! It was the summer solstice today, which means that everyone in Copenhagen gets together in this square where a gigantic fire tower is set up and stands around the fire while drinking beer and listening to music. Jealous? You should be, because it was awesome. Apparently, it was not the best summer solstice celebration for the Danes, but I was seriously loving every second of it. I finally got to meet AJ's friend, Anders, that night. After hearing so much about it him, it was great to have a face to go with name (and hilarious stories). We had a fantastic time, even the guy who thought it would be a great idea to try to climb the burning fire tower and had it all topple down underneath him...
NIELS BOHR DAY!!!!! Ok, for those of you who are not geeky science freaks like AJ and me, you will probably not care about this at all. Fortunately for us, AJ's roommate is good friends with a physicist who works at the Niels Bohr Institute. AMAZING!! Niels Bohr is a big effing deal, and not just anyone can walk into the Institute... but we had a personal escort and tour guide. The outside of the building has a light system set up and the lights emit random flashes, but it is all powered by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Tell me that isn't badass... it's awesome. Check it: Niels Bohr Institute After that delightfully dorky treat, we strolled around some parks in the city and laid in the grass, got some Chinese for dinner, and then went to the other Philip's apartment for another soccer game. It was so cool to be in Copenhagen with someone who had been living there and had a group of friends to hang out with!
FIRE DAY!!!! It was the summer solstice today, which means that everyone in Copenhagen gets together in this square where a gigantic fire tower is set up and stands around the fire while drinking beer and listening to music. Jealous? You should be, because it was awesome. Apparently, it was not the best summer solstice celebration for the Danes, but I was seriously loving every second of it. I finally got to meet AJ's friend, Anders, that night. After hearing so much about it him, it was great to have a face to go with name (and hilarious stories). We had a fantastic time, even the guy who thought it would be a great idea to try to climb the burning fire tower and had it all topple down underneath him...
NIELS BOHR DAY!!!!! Ok, for those of you who are not geeky science freaks like AJ and me, you will probably not care about this at all. Fortunately for us, AJ's roommate is good friends with a physicist who works at the Niels Bohr Institute. AMAZING!! Niels Bohr is a big effing deal, and not just anyone can walk into the Institute... but we had a personal escort and tour guide. The outside of the building has a light system set up and the lights emit random flashes, but it is all powered by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Tell me that isn't badass... it's awesome. Check it: Niels Bohr Institute After that delightfully dorky treat, we strolled around some parks in the city and laid in the grass, got some Chinese for dinner, and then went to the other Philip's apartment for another soccer game. It was so cool to be in Copenhagen with someone who had been living there and had a group of friends to hang out with!
22 June, 2010
København, du gamle hore! (19-21-June)
Let me first say this: I will consume more beer in the next 10days in Copenhagen than I have in my entire life combined up to this point. Because THAT is just how much Danes love their beer. And I love it, too.
So great to be back in Copenhagen!!! And a nice break for me and Clare since we didn't have to do much thinking when we flew in--AJ met us right at the metro stop! After a bit of resting and getting readied up, we, of course, went to the BEST shwarma restaurant just a couple blocks from his apartment. I could eat there EVERY DAYYYY!!!! So good. We made our way to the "beach" across from the Opera House, then, to meet up with AJ's roommate and watch the Denmark v Cameroon soccer game on a humongous projector screen that was set up for the public! After some convincing, we decided to stay out for the entire game even though we were exhausted and Clare had to leave very early in the morning--like 4am wake-up call early! We knew we made the right decision--Denmark won!!!! I think it was because 1. we were there and 2. I got Clare one of those ridiculous hotdogs-in-a-sleeve-bun thing---hahaha, so priceless! And we still managed to get a ketchup cup at the bottom, despite out attempts to avoid that. In the morning, I dropped Clare off at the S-train to take her to the airport at a bright and early 6:20am. What a bittersweet moment! After spending 3weeks together, 24/7, now I won't even get to see her beautiful face for over 3weeks more. Thank goodness we had the absolute BEST time of our lives together!!! :)
AJ and I just relaxed for the most part, since it was Sunday. Did a bit of walking around, and I finally got the climb the spiral church tower! That really was fun, and I got some of the most amazing pictures up at the top. What a great view of Copenhagen! Next, we decided to take the boat tour of the harbor--if you go to Copenhagen, you MUST do this. Grab yourself a 6pack of beer, a loaf of bread, and have an awesome time cruising around. By the time you get back an hour or so later, you've got a full belly and a nice buzz! ;) AJ introduced me to some Danish movies on the trip, and that night I watched Adam's Apple. I really enjoyed it, though I don't think many people at home would care to watch it, haha. I'd like to get a copy for my DVD collection, anyway.
The next day, we did some shopping and got some groceries for the week. I also had to get a few "warmer" items (like jeans and a sweatshirt and close-toed flats) because it was so chilly in Copenhagen!! It was a lazy day for the most part, and AJ worked on some writing for the lab and I did some reading. I had just picked up Barbara Kingsolver's latest novel, The Lacuna--PHENOMENAL read, by the way! That evening, we went to a BBW at Philip and Janine's apartment (where AJ used to live when Philip was in the US) with a group of their friends. Could I find better people if I tried? I think not. Good food and even better conversation. It was a night I was truly present for... enjoying each moment, taking it in, and not thinking about what I was going to do tomorrow. Very hygge. Look it up, but you'd have to go to Copenhagen to really experience it.
Love København.
So great to be back in Copenhagen!!! And a nice break for me and Clare since we didn't have to do much thinking when we flew in--AJ met us right at the metro stop! After a bit of resting and getting readied up, we, of course, went to the BEST shwarma restaurant just a couple blocks from his apartment. I could eat there EVERY DAYYYY!!!! So good. We made our way to the "beach" across from the Opera House, then, to meet up with AJ's roommate and watch the Denmark v Cameroon soccer game on a humongous projector screen that was set up for the public! After some convincing, we decided to stay out for the entire game even though we were exhausted and Clare had to leave very early in the morning--like 4am wake-up call early! We knew we made the right decision--Denmark won!!!! I think it was because 1. we were there and 2. I got Clare one of those ridiculous hotdogs-in-a-sleeve-bun thing---hahaha, so priceless! And we still managed to get a ketchup cup at the bottom, despite out attempts to avoid that. In the morning, I dropped Clare off at the S-train to take her to the airport at a bright and early 6:20am. What a bittersweet moment! After spending 3weeks together, 24/7, now I won't even get to see her beautiful face for over 3weeks more. Thank goodness we had the absolute BEST time of our lives together!!! :)
AJ and I just relaxed for the most part, since it was Sunday. Did a bit of walking around, and I finally got the climb the spiral church tower! That really was fun, and I got some of the most amazing pictures up at the top. What a great view of Copenhagen! Next, we decided to take the boat tour of the harbor--if you go to Copenhagen, you MUST do this. Grab yourself a 6pack of beer, a loaf of bread, and have an awesome time cruising around. By the time you get back an hour or so later, you've got a full belly and a nice buzz! ;) AJ introduced me to some Danish movies on the trip, and that night I watched Adam's Apple. I really enjoyed it, though I don't think many people at home would care to watch it, haha. I'd like to get a copy for my DVD collection, anyway.
The next day, we did some shopping and got some groceries for the week. I also had to get a few "warmer" items (like jeans and a sweatshirt and close-toed flats) because it was so chilly in Copenhagen!! It was a lazy day for the most part, and AJ worked on some writing for the lab and I did some reading. I had just picked up Barbara Kingsolver's latest novel, The Lacuna--PHENOMENAL read, by the way! That evening, we went to a BBW at Philip and Janine's apartment (where AJ used to live when Philip was in the US) with a group of their friends. Could I find better people if I tried? I think not. Good food and even better conversation. It was a night I was truly present for... enjoying each moment, taking it in, and not thinking about what I was going to do tomorrow. Very hygge. Look it up, but you'd have to go to Copenhagen to really experience it.
Love København.
18 June, 2010
Adio, Greece! (17/18-June)
Another great beach day!! We rented the nice chairs again--cheap and comfy. Ok, so there was a guy on the beach every day, and he sold donuts. Huge donuts covered in sugar. We resisted the first day, but decided to indulge since we were, after all, in Greece! :) Once we decide to do this, he is nowhere to be found. Panic ensued. We even made up a song to bring him back to us... he finally came back to our beach and we quickly bought donuts. One covered in sugar, the other filled with little pockets of CHOCAOLTE! Woooohoo, good stuff!!
Since it was our last full night in town, we got all dressed up, all fancy-like, and went back to Michael's for dinner. He was so glad to see us and wanted us to come back for drinks later, haha. (We got their fried zucchini tonight--out of this world!!!) We got some good pics of how cute we looked, too, out on the beach. Then we went back to our hotel restaurant to hang out with Alexander and the Greek hottie, lol. Oh, also, walking down the street to the beach... it was like we had friends and people knew us because all the bartenders/restaurant people would wave and say "Hey, America!" as we passed, hahaha, loved it. Anyway, ordered some baklava--just shoot me now so I can die happy. Sheesh was that delicious. Might have to try to make some at home, and would surely do it no justice.
On our last day, we had to find the post office to send some things home and make room in our packs! Better to do it now than in Copenhagen, cost-wise, but that is the ONLY reason it made sense to visit a post office in Greece. What a disaster! The workers were not helpful and would not sell me a box for my things! They only have display ones, and wouldn't give me one of those, and apparently don't sell them? What?? They told us to go around to the nearby stores to ask and find a box--HAHA, are you kidding me? So we tried, and failed. Ridiculous. Thankfully, our Frank of Greece showed up at the post office and helped us out--brought us a good box and got everything shipped. For $90! Eek!
Did a bit of shopping and walking around town, watched a couple futbol games and just relaxed before heading to the airport. We got a set of cards and played War and Go Fish. Clare had a legendary game of Go Fish--I think I made a couple of matches, and then she just matched up every single last card after that. Insane. In the meantime, Alexander comes around our table every 10-15mins and squeezes Clare's shoulder... much to her dismay. hahaha. Then the Greek hottie showed up (he works there, too) and we just sat around till it was time to leave. And because of Clare's smooth skills, we got a picture we him. God, we crack me up!!
OFF TO DENMARK!!! OMG OMG OMG so excited!! :)
Since it was our last full night in town, we got all dressed up, all fancy-like, and went back to Michael's for dinner. He was so glad to see us and wanted us to come back for drinks later, haha. (We got their fried zucchini tonight--out of this world!!!) We got some good pics of how cute we looked, too, out on the beach. Then we went back to our hotel restaurant to hang out with Alexander and the Greek hottie, lol. Oh, also, walking down the street to the beach... it was like we had friends and people knew us because all the bartenders/restaurant people would wave and say "Hey, America!" as we passed, hahaha, loved it. Anyway, ordered some baklava--just shoot me now so I can die happy. Sheesh was that delicious. Might have to try to make some at home, and would surely do it no justice.
On our last day, we had to find the post office to send some things home and make room in our packs! Better to do it now than in Copenhagen, cost-wise, but that is the ONLY reason it made sense to visit a post office in Greece. What a disaster! The workers were not helpful and would not sell me a box for my things! They only have display ones, and wouldn't give me one of those, and apparently don't sell them? What?? They told us to go around to the nearby stores to ask and find a box--HAHA, are you kidding me? So we tried, and failed. Ridiculous. Thankfully, our Frank of Greece showed up at the post office and helped us out--brought us a good box and got everything shipped. For $90! Eek!
Did a bit of shopping and walking around town, watched a couple futbol games and just relaxed before heading to the airport. We got a set of cards and played War and Go Fish. Clare had a legendary game of Go Fish--I think I made a couple of matches, and then she just matched up every single last card after that. Insane. In the meantime, Alexander comes around our table every 10-15mins and squeezes Clare's shoulder... much to her dismay. hahaha. Then the Greek hottie showed up (he works there, too) and we just sat around till it was time to leave. And because of Clare's smooth skills, we got a picture we him. God, we crack me up!!
OFF TO DENMARK!!! OMG OMG OMG so excited!! :)
16 June, 2010
Go Greek! (15/16-June)
Sooo... definitely the best beach Clare and I have seen. AMAZING! LOVE IT! Please don't make me leave! And it was less than a 10min walk from the hostel! Freaking awesome. I'm pretty sure we were in paradise. Which says a lot considering someone told us there were way better beaches about 25km away. Oh well, we were perfectly happy! :) We got some serious tan lines, and maybe a tad bit burnt! Oops! It was worth it for a real beach with sand and crystal clear water! It was so gorgeous! And seeing your feet on the bottom was pretty cool!!!
After a day well-spent, we showered up and had dinner at a restaurant that we'd seen at the beach--open deck right out on the sand pretty much! We call this place "Michael's" because that was our server's name and he was kinda in love with Clare Bear! haha... we got a pic with him, too! :) Their food was outstanding-- shrimp pasta, greek salad, stuffed vine leaves (a new FAVE item!), and grilled veggies with a bit of cheese from Cyprus (or so I was told). Oh, and they gave us BUTTER with our bread--first time the entire trip! THANK GOD FOR BUTTER!!!! hahaha, we'd been so deprived! ;)
Clare talked her way into getting a beer glass for free from Michael. Such skills. Stopped at another place, Prime, for a drink on the walk back where she doubled her earnings with another glass from the bartender. So proud. So jealous. I am just not that smooth, haha. Getting back to our hotel, Alexander was working again and he greeted us with handshakes and cheek kisses. So funny! And then we had another drink with him and 2 other guys--dear lord, one of them was pretty much the textbook definition of a Greek God. LOL. Seriously, though... god status. We probably stared. Oh well.
The next day, after breakfast (which wasn't very impressive, but decent enough and included in the hostel price!), we went to Knossos to learn about the Minoan civilization and the Minotaur. So disappointed I didn't see it, haha, but it was interesting. Unbelievably hotttttt that day, we barely survived the tour! Afterwards, we hit a gyro shop across the street. Everything was fresh, including the apple juice I ordered. I'm talking the dude picked up a few whole apples off the table and turned it into juice for me. Amazing. And the gyros were out of this world!!!! I took a pic of them, haha.
After the short bus ride back into town, we accidentally found our way to the old Venetian fortress on the harbor. Not too much there in the way of tourism, but cool to see and being near the water is always nice. Always. Mmm, another fantastic day in the lives of Erin and ClareBear!
After a day well-spent, we showered up and had dinner at a restaurant that we'd seen at the beach--open deck right out on the sand pretty much! We call this place "Michael's" because that was our server's name and he was kinda in love with Clare Bear! haha... we got a pic with him, too! :) Their food was outstanding-- shrimp pasta, greek salad, stuffed vine leaves (a new FAVE item!), and grilled veggies with a bit of cheese from Cyprus (or so I was told). Oh, and they gave us BUTTER with our bread--first time the entire trip! THANK GOD FOR BUTTER!!!! hahaha, we'd been so deprived! ;)
Clare talked her way into getting a beer glass for free from Michael. Such skills. Stopped at another place, Prime, for a drink on the walk back where she doubled her earnings with another glass from the bartender. So proud. So jealous. I am just not that smooth, haha. Getting back to our hotel, Alexander was working again and he greeted us with handshakes and cheek kisses. So funny! And then we had another drink with him and 2 other guys--dear lord, one of them was pretty much the textbook definition of a Greek God. LOL. Seriously, though... god status. We probably stared. Oh well.
The next day, after breakfast (which wasn't very impressive, but decent enough and included in the hostel price!), we went to Knossos to learn about the Minoan civilization and the Minotaur. So disappointed I didn't see it, haha, but it was interesting. Unbelievably hotttttt that day, we barely survived the tour! Afterwards, we hit a gyro shop across the street. Everything was fresh, including the apple juice I ordered. I'm talking the dude picked up a few whole apples off the table and turned it into juice for me. Amazing. And the gyros were out of this world!!!! I took a pic of them, haha.
After the short bus ride back into town, we accidentally found our way to the old Venetian fortress on the harbor. Not too much there in the way of tourism, but cool to see and being near the water is always nice. Always. Mmm, another fantastic day in the lives of Erin and ClareBear!
14 June, 2010
Kalispera, Greece!!
Airport day, for real! Yippee!! And no Alessandra this morning! :) The wonderful woman on duty did her job, too--took the key, checked the computer, confirmed on the books, made sure we paid, and THEN SAID, "Ok, you're all set!" THANK YOU, lady!
Flew from Venice to Athens to Heraklion, and we are now 7hrs ahead of everyone at home. This was probably the easiest bus and hotel route we'd had so far! And the driver knew right where we were going. What a relief! The room was nice, clean, and had air conditioning! The attached restaurant is where we could have breakfast in the morning, and we decided to eat there when we arrived and got settled. Fried zucchini and tapas, chicken with rice and veggies. Pretty good! Alexander (server who we hung out with all week, haha... what a cute little old man!) brought us a fruit/cake/jello thing for dessert and a small carafe of some type of liquor... he called it "huraki" and said he made it. And it was on the house! HOLY SHIT will that stuff put some hair on your chest!! Hot damn! Of course, Clare took it down like a champ with little complaint--so proud of her. I, on the other hand, thought it was the end of my life. We saw similar alcohol in stores later, called ouzo and it is 80proof. If any of you ever try it, let me know... you will not believe I even took a shot of this stuff!! Goosebumps for the rest of the night, for sure.
Whew! What a day! Welcome to Greece!!!!!!
Flew from Venice to Athens to Heraklion, and we are now 7hrs ahead of everyone at home. This was probably the easiest bus and hotel route we'd had so far! And the driver knew right where we were going. What a relief! The room was nice, clean, and had air conditioning! The attached restaurant is where we could have breakfast in the morning, and we decided to eat there when we arrived and got settled. Fried zucchini and tapas, chicken with rice and veggies. Pretty good! Alexander (server who we hung out with all week, haha... what a cute little old man!) brought us a fruit/cake/jello thing for dessert and a small carafe of some type of liquor... he called it "huraki" and said he made it. And it was on the house! HOLY SHIT will that stuff put some hair on your chest!! Hot damn! Of course, Clare took it down like a champ with little complaint--so proud of her. I, on the other hand, thought it was the end of my life. We saw similar alcohol in stores later, called ouzo and it is 80proof. If any of you ever try it, let me know... you will not believe I even took a shot of this stuff!! Goosebumps for the rest of the night, for sure.
Whew! What a day! Welcome to Greece!!!!!!
13 June, 2010
Bitch Alessandra! (13-Jun)
That f-ing bitch Alessandra screwed us again. Seriously. I wish we had taken a picture of her so I could show you her stupid face... ugh. (Brace yourselves for a reallll good laugh on this story!)
So, off to the airport today. Had breakfast and turned our key in to... Alessandra. She didn't actually check us out, just smiled and went back to what she was doing. Went to the bus stop and arrived at the airport. Flight on Aegean to GREECE!! It wasn't posted on the big screens yet, though, so I stood with our stuff while Clare went to find their service desk. So I'm going through all of our travel papers... our flight is for the 14th of June, a Monday. We were certain that today was the 14th, but I also knew that today was SUNDAY. Shit shit. What is going on? I scramble to find Clare's phone to check on the day... son of a beach, it's Sunday the 13th. BAHAHAHAHAHA... so our flight is definitely not until tomorrow. You've GOT to be kidding me! THAT, my friends, is how blissfully unaware we were of the day and time during this trip!!! Better than showing up a day late, I guess!!!
Buy more bus tickets to go BACK to the hotel. While waiting around, a few young guys starting talking to us and asking our names/where we were from... FINALLY, a good-looking Italian guy who whispers in my ear, "bellissima"!!! I about died! That is seriously all I wanted from Italy, though, hahaha... so woohoo! So funny. Anyway, made it back to Hotel Palladio in a fit of laughter, which ended promptly when we spotted that f-ing bitch Alessandra STILL at the desk. (ps--her full name is actually 'f-ing bitch Alessandra, in case you were wondering!) Seriously, go home already! If she had done her job properly, she would have seen that we should not have been checking out that day and could have asked/stopped us! Hmpf... knowing her, she would have seen it and still said nothing. Ugh. Hate her. lol
Might have went back to Palladio Ristorante for lunch and had MORE gnocchi with mushroom sauce, haha--sooooo delish! We couldn't help it! Pretty much just lazed around the hotel, did some journaling and reading, and Clare napped, of course! :) Ok here is where we get pathetic, but we didn't even care. We went BACK to the restaurant for dinner!!! LOL... in the same outfits, too!! We are awesome. I'm pretty sure the workers were laughing at us and telling the other customers the deal, and they were laughing at us, too. Oh well. It was pretty funny. Oh, and we got MORE GNOCCHI!!! I mean, who knows when we will be in Italy again, so we might as well savor it every chance we get! And savor we did!!! We ate it all and were stuffed to maximum capacity. What is wrong with us??
Got ready for our ACTUAL travel day the next morning and went to sleep. Hooray for Greece--so excited!!
So, off to the airport today. Had breakfast and turned our key in to... Alessandra. She didn't actually check us out, just smiled and went back to what she was doing. Went to the bus stop and arrived at the airport. Flight on Aegean to GREECE!! It wasn't posted on the big screens yet, though, so I stood with our stuff while Clare went to find their service desk. So I'm going through all of our travel papers... our flight is for the 14th of June, a Monday. We were certain that today was the 14th, but I also knew that today was SUNDAY. Shit shit. What is going on? I scramble to find Clare's phone to check on the day... son of a beach, it's Sunday the 13th. BAHAHAHAHAHA... so our flight is definitely not until tomorrow. You've GOT to be kidding me! THAT, my friends, is how blissfully unaware we were of the day and time during this trip!!! Better than showing up a day late, I guess!!!
Buy more bus tickets to go BACK to the hotel. While waiting around, a few young guys starting talking to us and asking our names/where we were from... FINALLY, a good-looking Italian guy who whispers in my ear, "bellissima"!!! I about died! That is seriously all I wanted from Italy, though, hahaha... so woohoo! So funny. Anyway, made it back to Hotel Palladio in a fit of laughter, which ended promptly when we spotted that f-ing bitch Alessandra STILL at the desk. (ps--her full name is actually 'f-ing bitch Alessandra, in case you were wondering!) Seriously, go home already! If she had done her job properly, she would have seen that we should not have been checking out that day and could have asked/stopped us! Hmpf... knowing her, she would have seen it and still said nothing. Ugh. Hate her. lol
Might have went back to Palladio Ristorante for lunch and had MORE gnocchi with mushroom sauce, haha--sooooo delish! We couldn't help it! Pretty much just lazed around the hotel, did some journaling and reading, and Clare napped, of course! :) Ok here is where we get pathetic, but we didn't even care. We went BACK to the restaurant for dinner!!! LOL... in the same outfits, too!! We are awesome. I'm pretty sure the workers were laughing at us and telling the other customers the deal, and they were laughing at us, too. Oh well. It was pretty funny. Oh, and we got MORE GNOCCHI!!! I mean, who knows when we will be in Italy again, so we might as well savor it every chance we get! And savor we did!!! We ate it all and were stuffed to maximum capacity. What is wrong with us??
Got ready for our ACTUAL travel day the next morning and went to sleep. Hooray for Greece--so excited!!
12 June, 2010
Love Venice (12-June)
For our last day in Venice, we decided to visit a beach! So we made our way into the city and hopped on a water taxi to take us to the small island of Lido. We must have picked the longest boat route possible because I think we rode around for over an hour, haha. At least we got seats on the back (and open-air section!) of the boat!! There were about 10-11seats out there, but probably nearly 20 idiot people trying to squish in the standing room to take pictures. Sooo annoying, and we were hardly able to see anything ourselves because of it! They were stumbling all over and bumping into people... one guy stepped, and stood for a while, on my foot. Another chick was literally half-sitting/leaning ON Clare, pushing her part way off her seat. Ridiculous, yet somehow amusing. One girl and her boyfriend seemed to think they were in the middle of a big-time photo shoot. Oh well... what an adventure! :)
Stopped for lunch and then headed to the beach!! It was a public beach with lots of "stuff" set up for the people (ie: restaurants, volleybaall courts, chairs, restrooms, etc). The down-side? I think anyone who lived anywhere near Venice was there that day! haha, it was so crowded and made it kinda hard to relax. It didn't help that a big group of total douchebag dudes decided that playing a full-on game of futbol would be a great idea! So there we sit, wondering when it would be our turn to get hit in the head with their damn soccer ball... they were kicking it into tons of people, and even a small child! With NO apology, moving the game, or (the best idea!) putting an end to it altogether. The mother started yelling at them and removed the sticks they'd placed in the sand as goal markers, haha! Those a-holes put them right back and kept playing! These guys were real pieces of work, lemme tell ya. Then they hit some other lady and her husband tried to pick fights with them for the next half an hour... quality entertainment! :)
I got in the water because, c'mon, I'm in Venice!! Unfortunately, it was fairly dirty with debris/trash, but it still felt nice and I couldn't pass up the opportunity! After a bit, we headed back and I took a nice nap on the water taxi to the main island. Showered up and had dinner at the restaurant near our hotel. We discovered that their gnocchi is OUTSTANDING, and that mushroom sauce is even MORE outstanding! Mmm... I'm salivating just thinking about it!! hehe... A+ for sure!
11 June, 2010
STRIKE! (11-June)
So all public transit was on strike this day. Which is awesome since we bought a 3-day pass yesterday. Stupid Alessandra!!! She coulda told us... it was a planned strike. Oh well. We definitely made a day of it! :)
We decided to get smashed on the dock just down the road from our hotel. Bought 2 bottles of wine (Thanks, Tracy, for the pocket knife with corkscrew!!!) and laid out our towels, and the drinking began. Played "would you rather" for hours, haha. What an awesome day. The weather was perfect and it was great to just lay around and drink wine all day with my best friend. :) After most of the wine was gone, a guy from the bar across the street came down with 3 beers. He was working there, apparently. Marco. Nice guy. He invited us to come up to the bar in an hour or so because they were having a party. Awesome! Thanks, Marco!
After a quick wardrobe change (of course!), we went to the party. They had lots of wine and beer, which we didn't pay for, and fresh, thin sliced prosciutto! Marco greeted us and sat us down at a table with a bunch of his friends. It was so much fun and everyone was so nice and friendly. It was kind of a big party! The prosciutto was amazing and we couldn't stop eating it. And the beer, mmm... San Souci, I believe they said the brand was. Wow, was it great!
So after a while, we realize that we are at Marco's BIRTHDAY PARTY! haha, he didn't even tell us! They gave him 7 gifts, which had some significance but we aren't sure what. And then they carried him off to throw him in the canal. And then we had a brief limbo contest. (PS...Clare and I? Wasted. Especially this girl. Haha...)
To spare you the details, we left rather abruptly when I started to not feel the best. :) Oops! It was worth it though, because it was suchhhhh a fantastic day! And we got to go to an Italian guy's birthday party! Heck yes! Can't beat that.
We decided to get smashed on the dock just down the road from our hotel. Bought 2 bottles of wine (Thanks, Tracy, for the pocket knife with corkscrew!!!) and laid out our towels, and the drinking began. Played "would you rather" for hours, haha. What an awesome day. The weather was perfect and it was great to just lay around and drink wine all day with my best friend. :) After most of the wine was gone, a guy from the bar across the street came down with 3 beers. He was working there, apparently. Marco. Nice guy. He invited us to come up to the bar in an hour or so because they were having a party. Awesome! Thanks, Marco!
After a quick wardrobe change (of course!), we went to the party. They had lots of wine and beer, which we didn't pay for, and fresh, thin sliced prosciutto! Marco greeted us and sat us down at a table with a bunch of his friends. It was so much fun and everyone was so nice and friendly. It was kind of a big party! The prosciutto was amazing and we couldn't stop eating it. And the beer, mmm... San Souci, I believe they said the brand was. Wow, was it great!
So after a while, we realize that we are at Marco's BIRTHDAY PARTY! haha, he didn't even tell us! They gave him 7 gifts, which had some significance but we aren't sure what. And then they carried him off to throw him in the canal. And then we had a brief limbo contest. (PS...Clare and I? Wasted. Especially this girl. Haha...)
To spare you the details, we left rather abruptly when I started to not feel the best. :) Oops! It was worth it though, because it was suchhhhh a fantastic day! And we got to go to an Italian guy's birthday party! Heck yes! Can't beat that.
10 June, 2010
Ah, Venice! (10-June)
Easy bus ride to Venice from the hotel... it is just how you imagine it with all the canals and bridges and stone walk ways. Breathtaking and surreal. The extremely well-dressed men didn't hurt the scenery, either. Haha. Clare and I decided that there must also be prerequisites for men to become Gondoliers--must be able to sing and must be at least a 7 out of 10 for hotness. Anyway, it felt like we'd walked onto a set for a movie.
Pasta and wine for lunch. Lots of walking around the island, shops, snacks, etc. They are really big on this Venetian glass, most of which is made on Murano from the looks of it. It is quite beautiful, but very common and every shop seems to have the same thing, but it's all gorgeous. Made our way to San Marco and the Plaza and Basilica and everything. Definitely the most ornate church I've seen in Europe! Incredible. No pics, though--weren't allowed to have cameras out in there!
Hooray for gelato... I think we had some everyday! And I don't feel bad about it one bit. :) Found a great cafe for dinner right on the water and had gnocchi with a sausage/mushroom sauce. Talk about DIVINE. I think everything I ate in Italy was the best food I've ever had. Seriously. So good.
Got extremely lost and turned around trying to make our way back to the bus terminal. Nooootttt a fun night in particular, but hey, we made it back to the hotel alive and without forking out too much money on a taxi. lol... it was a nightmare, but we were laughing about it the next day, so oh well. All part of the fun! :)
Pasta and wine for lunch. Lots of walking around the island, shops, snacks, etc. They are really big on this Venetian glass, most of which is made on Murano from the looks of it. It is quite beautiful, but very common and every shop seems to have the same thing, but it's all gorgeous. Made our way to San Marco and the Plaza and Basilica and everything. Definitely the most ornate church I've seen in Europe! Incredible. No pics, though--weren't allowed to have cameras out in there!
Hooray for gelato... I think we had some everyday! And I don't feel bad about it one bit. :) Found a great cafe for dinner right on the water and had gnocchi with a sausage/mushroom sauce. Talk about DIVINE. I think everything I ate in Italy was the best food I've ever had. Seriously. So good.
Got extremely lost and turned around trying to make our way back to the bus terminal. Nooootttt a fun night in particular, but hey, we made it back to the hotel alive and without forking out too much money on a taxi. lol... it was a nightmare, but we were laughing about it the next day, so oh well. All part of the fun! :)
09 June, 2010
Au revoir, France! Ciao, Italy! (8/9-June)
Some shopping in France was to be had... found some great shoes and a few other items of clothing. They really like their "sailor" themed things in France and everything was striped with anchors, etc. Interesting, but I embraced it fully. Ha.
I think we ate sandwiches (super delicious sandwiches on freshly baked baguettes... mmm) just about every single day. They were cheap and tasty, so why not? We could not get enough of them! I must say, after such a great start in Spain, we weren't in love with France when we arrived but we definitely warmed up to it and had a fantastic time. Saw some great stuff and did a whole lot of walking around the city.
At dinner our last night, I got pasta with some thin slice of breaded meat. No idea what it was. I was expecting fish, but it definitely wasn't fish. Our best guess was some kind of pork, so I'm going with that. It was good, anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Packed up our stuff and rested up for an early-morning flight to Italy!
Venice Marco Polo airport was the best foreign airport arrival we've had, by far. Easy transport to the hotel and had no trouble getting there. The receptionist at the hotel, on the other hand... well, let's just say it didn't take long before we were hating on her. Damn Alessandra. Ugh. lol
Alessandra's first offense? Being stupid. Clare's phone wasn't working and she needed to email her mom to say we got there safe and sound so we ask Alessandra if there is an internet cafe nearby... no. Not her fault. Is there wifi/internet available at the hotel? Yes, but you have to pay to use the cable. Ok, except Clare has a phone and an ethernet cable won't plug into a cellphone, which we have shown Alessandra but she brings us the cord anyway. Stupid. Not going to work, but thanks. Alessandra, is there a public computer in the hotel that guests may use? No.... awesome, ok. So we walked around the corner to the elevator and what do we see at the end of the hall? A public computer with hotel guests on it... Seriously, Alessandra? So stupid. And no, it wasn't because she didn't understand our English, trust me. The internet was 3Euro for 30minutes, which is ridiculous. Thankfully, Clare's phone picked up the signal just before she paid... stupid Alessandra.
I think we ate sandwiches (super delicious sandwiches on freshly baked baguettes... mmm) just about every single day. They were cheap and tasty, so why not? We could not get enough of them! I must say, after such a great start in Spain, we weren't in love with France when we arrived but we definitely warmed up to it and had a fantastic time. Saw some great stuff and did a whole lot of walking around the city.
At dinner our last night, I got pasta with some thin slice of breaded meat. No idea what it was. I was expecting fish, but it definitely wasn't fish. Our best guess was some kind of pork, so I'm going with that. It was good, anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Packed up our stuff and rested up for an early-morning flight to Italy!
Venice Marco Polo airport was the best foreign airport arrival we've had, by far. Easy transport to the hotel and had no trouble getting there. The receptionist at the hotel, on the other hand... well, let's just say it didn't take long before we were hating on her. Damn Alessandra. Ugh. lol
Alessandra's first offense? Being stupid. Clare's phone wasn't working and she needed to email her mom to say we got there safe and sound so we ask Alessandra if there is an internet cafe nearby... no. Not her fault. Is there wifi/internet available at the hotel? Yes, but you have to pay to use the cable. Ok, except Clare has a phone and an ethernet cable won't plug into a cellphone, which we have shown Alessandra but she brings us the cord anyway. Stupid. Not going to work, but thanks. Alessandra, is there a public computer in the hotel that guests may use? No.... awesome, ok. So we walked around the corner to the elevator and what do we see at the end of the hall? A public computer with hotel guests on it... Seriously, Alessandra? So stupid. And no, it wasn't because she didn't understand our English, trust me. The internet was 3Euro for 30minutes, which is ridiculous. Thankfully, Clare's phone picked up the signal just before she paid... stupid Alessandra.
07 June, 2010
Sugiton (7-June)
Sugiton. Pronounced something like "sue-gzhee-tohn." Words cannot describe this place, for many reasons.
Sugiton is a little beach/inlet a little ways outside of Marseille. We were told we must go there because it is so beautiful, and it definitely is a gorgeous place. Very secluded. However, we were NOT prepared for the serious trek that was required to reach this little area of paradise. We put on our bathing suits and cover ups, flip flops, packed a bag with the essentials including some food and water, and got on the bus. 30minutes to end of the route, then we were told it was about a 45minute walk from the bus stop to get there. Ok, no problem.
We start this walk... it's through a national park, kinda mountainy, mostly rock/gravel path. Pretty nice. Very hot but a decent breeze. An hour into this hike, we are still not there. We can SEE the water, but have no idea how we are going to get there. At a few points, we thought we were really close or maybe only 10minutes away, but we just kept walkinggggg... we get to this point with a sign pointing that Sugiton is "down" this way. Here is where some rock-climbing/cliff-scaling skills would have come in reeaalll handy. Or at least some damn tennis shoes. haha, then we realized a family with two little boys just made this climb, plus we had already been walking for over an hour, so it was too late to turn back.
Some seriously scary moments and feeling physically defeated, but we finally made it to the water and rocks (not a sandy beach, just steep limestoney rocks). And what a sight it was... stunning. My dad would have loved this entire adventure, so I took lots of pictures of the entire journey.
We settled down on some rocks, but still weren't actually at the water. More climbing down steep rocks was required, but we made it. In flip flops and dresses, no less. The water was freezing, but again, we'd come too far not to get in and swim around. Clare even climbed up a rock and jumped off--so proud of her! :)
The walk back was easier in some ways because we knew exactly what to expect and it went a bit faster. But we didn't want to leave because we didn't want to have to make the walk back at all, haha. I think our legs were sore for 3 days after all this. Ridiculous.
Definitely worth it.
Sugiton is a little beach/inlet a little ways outside of Marseille. We were told we must go there because it is so beautiful, and it definitely is a gorgeous place. Very secluded. However, we were NOT prepared for the serious trek that was required to reach this little area of paradise. We put on our bathing suits and cover ups, flip flops, packed a bag with the essentials including some food and water, and got on the bus. 30minutes to end of the route, then we were told it was about a 45minute walk from the bus stop to get there. Ok, no problem.
We start this walk... it's through a national park, kinda mountainy, mostly rock/gravel path. Pretty nice. Very hot but a decent breeze. An hour into this hike, we are still not there. We can SEE the water, but have no idea how we are going to get there. At a few points, we thought we were really close or maybe only 10minutes away, but we just kept walkinggggg... we get to this point with a sign pointing that Sugiton is "down" this way. Here is where some rock-climbing/cliff-scaling skills would have come in reeaalll handy. Or at least some damn tennis shoes. haha, then we realized a family with two little boys just made this climb, plus we had already been walking for over an hour, so it was too late to turn back.
Some seriously scary moments and feeling physically defeated, but we finally made it to the water and rocks (not a sandy beach, just steep limestoney rocks). And what a sight it was... stunning. My dad would have loved this entire adventure, so I took lots of pictures of the entire journey.
We settled down on some rocks, but still weren't actually at the water. More climbing down steep rocks was required, but we made it. In flip flops and dresses, no less. The water was freezing, but again, we'd come too far not to get in and swim around. Clare even climbed up a rock and jumped off--so proud of her! :)
The walk back was easier in some ways because we knew exactly what to expect and it went a bit faster. But we didn't want to leave because we didn't want to have to make the walk back at all, haha. I think our legs were sore for 3 days after all this. Ridiculous.
Definitely worth it.
06 June, 2010
Bonjour! (5/6-June)
We made it to France with basically no problems. RyanAir was an adventure, and actually not nearly as bad as we had somewhat anticipated. They played a nice little tune with a congratulatory message to themselves when we landed and were 5minutes ahead of schedule. Good job.
So the airport at Marseille, now that we've flown in and out from there, makes a lot of sense. But when you fly in on a shit airline, it seems to be the worst airport ever because you are in a separate terminal with no view of the rest of the airport. Thank goodness we found some friendly people, who also had no idea where to go or what to do, but we managed to get ourselves taxis to take us into the city... 63Euro later (CRAP!), we arrived at the hotel. It was pretty nice--no complaints. The traffic in Marseille is pretttty insane... definitely saw some vespas on the sidewalk nearly running people over. Not much to do since we arrived on a Sunday and most things are closed, but we found a good place for dinner at least.
Took a tram tour up to Notre Dame de la Garde and WOW, the views of the city from up there are stunning. You could see everything. Walked around a lot, saw another Cathedral and the harbor... very relaxed atmosphere. The people seemed a lot more considerate, for whatever reason. And they love sailor-inspired things when it comes to fashion, so lots of stripes and knots and what not... the one thing we hated was that tons of people had these awful Birkenstocks on (not that Birkenstocks are all awful, but these particular ones were), and men and women were all wearing the same, white style of these shoes. Not a fan. But that's ok.
So the airport at Marseille, now that we've flown in and out from there, makes a lot of sense. But when you fly in on a shit airline, it seems to be the worst airport ever because you are in a separate terminal with no view of the rest of the airport. Thank goodness we found some friendly people, who also had no idea where to go or what to do, but we managed to get ourselves taxis to take us into the city... 63Euro later (CRAP!), we arrived at the hotel. It was pretty nice--no complaints. The traffic in Marseille is pretttty insane... definitely saw some vespas on the sidewalk nearly running people over. Not much to do since we arrived on a Sunday and most things are closed, but we found a good place for dinner at least.
Took a tram tour up to Notre Dame de la Garde and WOW, the views of the city from up there are stunning. You could see everything. Walked around a lot, saw another Cathedral and the harbor... very relaxed atmosphere. The people seemed a lot more considerate, for whatever reason. And they love sailor-inspired things when it comes to fashion, so lots of stripes and knots and what not... the one thing we hated was that tons of people had these awful Birkenstocks on (not that Birkenstocks are all awful, but these particular ones were), and men and women were all wearing the same, white style of these shoes. Not a fan. But that's ok.
05 June, 2010
Muy fucking bien. (4-June)
So on our 2nd to last night in Spain, a group of 5 British guys got put in the room next to ours. At first, we were annoyed because we had had the hostel floor to ourselves and when you are sharing a bathrooms with strangers, having none around is nice, haha. But it also makes meeting people really easy and fun. So we end up going out for dinner/drinks with these guys. They are hilarious and most of the night involved us making fun of each others' accents.
Let me just say... I am officially a person who can say I have partied all night long, till the sun came up, and then some. These guys were crazy and we were out until 7am or so. Awesome. Overall, a very fun time and a night Clare and I will definitely never forget. Not something I think I want to do again any time very soon, ha, but it was kinda about time I guess. They taught me a new drinking/chugging technique called "gumballing". Not very difficult, but apparently something very impressive to do in the UK.
Let's get to the title of this post. It is, in essence, the new and everlasting quote of the lives of Erin and Clare. So there is this guy in Malaga who "sings" for money in the streets, all day, every day. If you go there, you will see him. We named him Mozart. We had told the guys about him so they could keep an eye out, but when we went out to dinner with them our last night in the city, he showed up right by our restaurant! It was priceless... they even gave him a slow clap before his got started near our table. Now when I say this guy sings, what I mean is that he strains what vocal cords he has left, making a grunting rhaspy noise until it looks as though the veins in his neck are going to burst. Anyway, we all pitched in some coins to give to him for when he finished, and we were clapping and one of the guys said, "muy fucking bien" with a genuine intensity that was just too funny to truly explain. Clare and I loved it and have adopted the phrase wholeheartedly. She also got a GREAT video of Mozart, so maybe I can figure out how to post it on here or at least get it on facebook for anyone who is interested. It is a must-see.
All in all... Spain was muy fucking bien. On to France! :)
ps-- Bob & Keith: You guys always tell me the best cure for a hangover is another drink. I tried it. I can't believe I waited this long, haha, works like magic! I should have listened long ago!
Let me just say... I am officially a person who can say I have partied all night long, till the sun came up, and then some. These guys were crazy and we were out until 7am or so. Awesome. Overall, a very fun time and a night Clare and I will definitely never forget. Not something I think I want to do again any time very soon, ha, but it was kinda about time I guess. They taught me a new drinking/chugging technique called "gumballing". Not very difficult, but apparently something very impressive to do in the UK.
Let's get to the title of this post. It is, in essence, the new and everlasting quote of the lives of Erin and Clare. So there is this guy in Malaga who "sings" for money in the streets, all day, every day. If you go there, you will see him. We named him Mozart. We had told the guys about him so they could keep an eye out, but when we went out to dinner with them our last night in the city, he showed up right by our restaurant! It was priceless... they even gave him a slow clap before his got started near our table. Now when I say this guy sings, what I mean is that he strains what vocal cords he has left, making a grunting rhaspy noise until it looks as though the veins in his neck are going to burst. Anyway, we all pitched in some coins to give to him for when he finished, and we were clapping and one of the guys said, "muy fucking bien" with a genuine intensity that was just too funny to truly explain. Clare and I loved it and have adopted the phrase wholeheartedly. She also got a GREAT video of Mozart, so maybe I can figure out how to post it on here or at least get it on facebook for anyone who is interested. It is a must-see.
All in all... Spain was muy fucking bien. On to France! :)
ps-- Bob & Keith: You guys always tell me the best cure for a hangover is another drink. I tried it. I can't believe I waited this long, haha, works like magic! I should have listened long ago!
03 June, 2010
What day is it??
Ok, Clare and I seriously debated for a solid 15mins at dinner today as to what day of the week it is today... literally, we truly and honestly were clueless. No idea. So confused.
It was awesome.
If you haven´t had the chance to go on a trip where you DO NOT wear a watch and actually lost track of the days, you MUST do it. Talk about utter relaxation and simply enjoying where you are at the moment.
It was awesome.
If you haven´t had the chance to go on a trip where you DO NOT wear a watch and actually lost track of the days, you MUST do it. Talk about utter relaxation and simply enjoying where you are at the moment.
Loving España!
¡Hola! Spain is wonderful and Clare and I are really loving it! Malaga is great... lots of cafes, the beach is a short walk, lots of shopping. Basically, everything we need for a vacation! :) I think some people think we are crazy for staying in Malaga for this long, but we are happy and just enjoying every minute of it. It is not as busy a city as others, from what we hear, but we are not into the hustle and bustle of things right now anyway. We don´t even take a watch with us for most of the day. So liberating!! Definitely a huge change from the typically overscheduled lives we lead at home!
To back track for a second... we had plane problems and arrived here about 12hrs later than expected. Because of this, all of the information desks at the airport were closed, as we arrived after 10pm. And, for some reason, NO ONE else could offer us a city map! We got on the bus in a hurry after exchanging some money and decided to figure it out when we got to our stop. As we are looking for our street name on a map we found (mall style), a nice gentleman comes to ask where we are trying to find. He ended up helping us find the place, even calling the hostel to ask for directions because HE didn´t even know our street and he was a local guy! Yes, yes, we were very cautious and paying close attention to where we were going--no worries. But seriously, we would have NEVER found this place without his help. Clare and I decided that he was our first (and hopefully, only?) major miracle. AND... here´s some irony for you. We also decided he must have been sent our way because at just that moment, both of our bosses (both named Frank) must have been thinking about us... the guy helping us was also named Frank. RIDICULOUS. I´ve never known so many guys named Frank and all of a sudden, I know three! haha... lame, I know, but whatev.
Interesting tidbits:
1. Lots of people singing or playing the accordian for change... quite talented, in most cases. Besides one guy who ´´sings´´... I think we got a good video of him. Hilarious.
2. Business Hours. There are none? No rhyme or reason for a place being open or closed. Open during busy/lunch hours, and again for dinner... ok, this makes sense for Spain, but there is no uniformity to it. So confusing.
3. Banks. Only open until about 1-2pm! Lines are long... ALWAYS. And I haven´t seen a transaction of any kind take less than 5minutes. Also, if you want to sit rather than stand in line, you can and everyone will still acknowledge your place in line.
4. Restaurants. This seems to be hit or miss, but sometimes we have really fast service, and other times it takes 10-15mins to even get our drinks. At ´checkout´ time, we have had to ask for our check every single time. Not sure if that´s just how it goes here, or they just sit and mingle much longer than we are accustomed to.
5. Beaches, and fashion in general. People wear absolutely whatever they want. Everyone. It is not so matchy-matchy, and definitely not what people at home would consider body-type appropriate. They have no shame, and it´s kinda awesome.
6. People. Not the cheeriest folks I´ve run into... not much laughing or smiling in general. Unfortunate, because Clare and I are doing both of those things about 98% of the time, haha... some guy actually mocked us a couple night ago because we happened to be laughing as we walked past and he started cackling to make fun... he´s just jealous he wasn´t walking around with us. hahaha
Ok, that´s a lot for one post. Clare was just getting showered up and I thought I´d give anyone who reads this something to read! :) lol... hope all is well at home! We miss all of you and are always thinking of you. Oh, and if you don´t recognize us when we get back, it´s probably just because we´ll seem to have changed races, hahaha... soooo tan after just a few days. LOVE IT!! :)
To back track for a second... we had plane problems and arrived here about 12hrs later than expected. Because of this, all of the information desks at the airport were closed, as we arrived after 10pm. And, for some reason, NO ONE else could offer us a city map! We got on the bus in a hurry after exchanging some money and decided to figure it out when we got to our stop. As we are looking for our street name on a map we found (mall style), a nice gentleman comes to ask where we are trying to find. He ended up helping us find the place, even calling the hostel to ask for directions because HE didn´t even know our street and he was a local guy! Yes, yes, we were very cautious and paying close attention to where we were going--no worries. But seriously, we would have NEVER found this place without his help. Clare and I decided that he was our first (and hopefully, only?) major miracle. AND... here´s some irony for you. We also decided he must have been sent our way because at just that moment, both of our bosses (both named Frank) must have been thinking about us... the guy helping us was also named Frank. RIDICULOUS. I´ve never known so many guys named Frank and all of a sudden, I know three! haha... lame, I know, but whatev.
Interesting tidbits:
1. Lots of people singing or playing the accordian for change... quite talented, in most cases. Besides one guy who ´´sings´´... I think we got a good video of him. Hilarious.
2. Business Hours. There are none? No rhyme or reason for a place being open or closed. Open during busy/lunch hours, and again for dinner... ok, this makes sense for Spain, but there is no uniformity to it. So confusing.
3. Banks. Only open until about 1-2pm! Lines are long... ALWAYS. And I haven´t seen a transaction of any kind take less than 5minutes. Also, if you want to sit rather than stand in line, you can and everyone will still acknowledge your place in line.
4. Restaurants. This seems to be hit or miss, but sometimes we have really fast service, and other times it takes 10-15mins to even get our drinks. At ´checkout´ time, we have had to ask for our check every single time. Not sure if that´s just how it goes here, or they just sit and mingle much longer than we are accustomed to.
5. Beaches, and fashion in general. People wear absolutely whatever they want. Everyone. It is not so matchy-matchy, and definitely not what people at home would consider body-type appropriate. They have no shame, and it´s kinda awesome.
6. People. Not the cheeriest folks I´ve run into... not much laughing or smiling in general. Unfortunate, because Clare and I are doing both of those things about 98% of the time, haha... some guy actually mocked us a couple night ago because we happened to be laughing as we walked past and he started cackling to make fun... he´s just jealous he wasn´t walking around with us. hahaha
Ok, that´s a lot for one post. Clare was just getting showered up and I thought I´d give anyone who reads this something to read! :) lol... hope all is well at home! We miss all of you and are always thinking of you. Oh, and if you don´t recognize us when we get back, it´s probably just because we´ll seem to have changed races, hahaha... soooo tan after just a few days. LOVE IT!! :)
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