I finally had to leave Florence. My San Diego friends were done with spring break, and Roman girl had to go on a school trip thing south. Getting from Florence to Barcelona by train is easier said than done. After I wished Mitra a safe journey I went to the train station and got on the first train I saw going North. I ended up in Pisa, then took another train north to Genova. Took a train south to Nice, stopped there looked around. The south of France is really beautiful.. seriously. Its like a movie or something. I took a train from Nice to Toulouse and then from Toulouse I had to backtrack and get to Narbonne and from Narbonne I got to Barcelona. I was planning on sleeping in a park or something in Nice because I thought I had missed the night train to Toulouse, but luckily I made it. I was feeling a little anxious and didnt get any sleep on the trains. The total train time was about 26 hours. I also didnt have a chance to get any real food during the trip.
Traveling like this can get a little hectic and crazy but I have my gear, and I have my money. The worst that could happen would be getting on a wrong train and ending up somewhere foreign and unique, and getting to my destination a day later. No big deal. What an adventure I am on. I have felt so blessed by God this last week and a half. Unfortunately that great feeling was stripped away from me.
This is the low point of my trip. 26 hours on a train, 28 hours without food, and only being able to rest my eyes for an hour or so. When I got to Barcelona of course I was starving so I started to look for food. I was pretty delirious and ended up down an alley. I was approached by someone who was being pretty nice, asked me where I was from, he told me I look English. Then Bam, my head is slammed against the wall and held there. Before I know it both my arms are being held against the wall as well and then someone grabs my feet from under me and flips me to the ground. My camera is pulled out of my hand. They struggle trying to get my pack off, which is strapped to me across the chest and the waist. A few seconds go by and they are gone. I didnt know what hit me, it took me a while to make sense of everything. Did I still have my money, did they get my passport? What is missing?
I realize that my camera is gone, my pictures are gone. I didnt have a chance to back them up or anything. The precious memories that this trip was all about were somewhat stripped from me. There were so many times I found myself saying.. I cant wait to show this picture to my children, or to my family, or to my friends at home. The faces of the people Ive met along the way are going to slowly drift away. I dont know what to do.
I went from an extreme high point of my trip having companionship and friendship, having fun every day and loving Florence. To an extreme low point, getting mugged being tired and hungry and feeling bitterly alone.
I havent felt this bad for a really long time. I dont know if I should come home a little early. I dont know if I should buy a new camera. I only have 3 weeks left anyway. This is the first time I have truely missed home. I want to cry. I have now felt every conceivable emotion while on this trip and unfortunately this is the worst one of all. There have been plenty of times on my trip where I have felt lost and confused, but I could always find help. When I am slammed and held against a wall there was no one there to help me. Hopelessness is the emotion that I never want to feel again. I dont really feel like doing anything. I woke up today at noon, the most Ive slept in the whole trip and I went to a computer. I am in a beautiful city with a beach and instead of seeing all the work of Gaudi or laying on the sand I am in front of a computer. I know Ill feel better eventually, but every time I see something and grab for my camera and every time I think back on where I have been and realize I dont have any pictures of it I get depressed again. Could really use your prayers.
-Kyle
Edit: I may have found a way to feel a little better, which would be to splurge and buy tickets to the Barcelona vs. Munich soccer match. It doesnt get much better than that, definately a once in a life time experience.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Florence
Florence was some of the best times of my life. I met some girls from San Diego, while in Rome, and decided to tag along with them and go back to Florence. There really is something magical about the city. Apparently there is a statue in Florence and if you rub its nose the story says that you will come back to the city. I did this without knowing the story, and thought it was really cool that it actually worked. I was sure to rub it again because I will come back to that city.
Anyway the girls I was with were a lot of fun. Very happy go lucky, the more the better type of people. I was a little worried at first that I would be interrupting their vacation by me being there but I got lots of reassurance that I was more than welcome to be with them. I ended up staying on their floor a couple of nights which means I saved about 20 euros by not getting a hostel. I am getting good at not paying for rooms. I met someone named Bob Crocker who is about 50 years old and works 6 months of the year and travels the other 6. He is all about sleeping under the stars. All his friends say that the number of toys (he means jet skiis, trucks, boats, guns etc.) a man has is what determines how good of a life they have. Bob thinks its based on how many nights you have slept under the stars. By that he means without a tent, just sleeping with a tarp over you and a sleeping bag around you. He had quite an interesting perspective on life. Anyway..
In the beginning of the week though I was still staying in a hostel, and we were staying out pretty late every night just having fun. Not serious partying, just hanging out and laughing type of stuff. I was getting back to my Hostel pretty late/early in the morning and every time I would book another night. This is because I would always just book one night because I didnt know where I would end up the next day. I ended up getting to know the front desk people quite well because of this. One night in particular, which I will talk about more later, I got home really early, and the girl at the front desk saw me come in, threw me a key and told me I was all checked in, I just needed to move my luggage. I moved my luggage into the room and realized that I had a queen size bed with a flat screen TV in front of me, a private shower and bathroom, and a pretty decent view. I was getting VIP status. She upgraded me for free also so I was paying just as much as I would if I was staying in a dorm. That night we went out to a couple places and I met a girl from Rome. She was very pretty, quaint, and spoke good English, with a cute italian accent. We went to Pisa together the next day. Basically some of the crazier funner times of my life and I would love to share the story when I get home.
I would meet Katie, Melissa, and Mitra for lunch every day, and we would usually hang out the rest of the day doing all the things that Florence has to offer. The view from Piazza Michaelangelo is one of the things that Ill never forget. Hiking up there with a bottle of wine and just relaxing and appreciating the views and the conversation with a couple of friends is my idea of a good night.
I am pretty sure I have been to every museum and every place of interest in Florence by now. I dont feel rushed at all any more. I love just sitting in a piazza and having a cup of coffee. There is a certain swagger that comes from being in Florence.. at least for me. I am getting hit on like crazy. Older Italian women especially, its a little creepy. I walked by the Duomo and had all the artists shouting at me. It was pretty funny. Hearing ¨David Michaelangeo be my model¨ yelled at you is just a bit of a confidence booster.
I saw a flier for a rock show one night that was on the very edge of town. I got there, had some wine, but apparently was really early. I went into the warehouse that it was being held at and was told to come back at 11. So I walk around a bit and see a giant sign with Florence and an X through it.. meaning I am about to leave Florence, so I went back. Got to the venue at about 1030 and all the band members were in there. I was invited in, and sat down at these giant last supper type tables. I didnt really know what was happening until bowls and bowls of pasta appeared out of no where and I was given a plate and spooned a giant mound of food. There was so much wine there as well, in the biggest jugs Ive seen. So I am sitting and having dinner with all these musicians who speak really good English just talking and having a good time before the show. The show starts and its just really heavy music with no lyrics. Think italian explosions in the sky. Really cool night.
I went wine tasting another night with myself and 9 girls in a 13th century Italian wine cellar. We got to taste really good balsamic vinegar, really good olive oil (which they made you drink). A different type of salame for every wine, and some great aged parm cheese. I of course impressed everyone with my wine knowledge, and picking out flavours, even if I was pulling a Greg some of the time and just BSing. They especially liked the ¨oh yeah I can tell this was aged in an oak barrel, with a leather strap¨. The Chianti region is beautiful. Santa Croche is beautiful.
We took a day trip to Cinque Terre and it is easily one of the most beautiful places in the world. Go on google and look at the pictures. The cliff towns are all so well preserved and awe inspiring. The hike from the bottom town to the top was a little tough at times but very rewarding. I was very impressed that the girls were able to do the hike without too much of a break. I took my backpack and carried around all our food and clothes and shoved everyones purse in there so they wouldnt have to carry anything. It reminded me of Dad on our family trip to the Grand Canyon. We stopped in every town and relaxed or had a cup of coffee. Bought some sandwiches or local wine. The local wine by the way is some of the best Ive had on this trip. The whole hike is through the vineyards for the most part and the cliffs are littered with vines. We hiked down to the Ocean and layed out for a bit, I found a nice big rock to sit on. There was a waterfall that I went under to wash off and cool down. In the last town me and Mitra actually went into the Ocean which was beyond freezing. We have a picture of us soaking wet and freezing while someone is sitting on the beach in a jacket and scarf, just to give a little perspective.
The girls from San Diego are definately going to be friends for a long time. I am really happy about meeting them and I think its cool to meet them in this situation. I dont think they are the type of people that I would just become friends with if we met at a coffee house, or walking around on the street. Hopefully that means I am getting over a little bit of judgementality and vanity. Hanging out with them for so long made me learn alot about myself. ´Our eyes look outward, but we need the eyes of someone else to help us look inward´.
I started thinking alot about what I was going to do for the next month. I have seen pretty much everything that I really wanted to see on this trip. I have experienced all that I was thinking I would experience. And it only took 2 months. If you look at the route that I took I think it would look like it would take 4. There is so much about Florence that I love. If I had a job there I dont think I could ever leave. I could easily be a barista or something at a coffee shop. We´ll see.
Anyway the girls I was with were a lot of fun. Very happy go lucky, the more the better type of people. I was a little worried at first that I would be interrupting their vacation by me being there but I got lots of reassurance that I was more than welcome to be with them. I ended up staying on their floor a couple of nights which means I saved about 20 euros by not getting a hostel. I am getting good at not paying for rooms. I met someone named Bob Crocker who is about 50 years old and works 6 months of the year and travels the other 6. He is all about sleeping under the stars. All his friends say that the number of toys (he means jet skiis, trucks, boats, guns etc.) a man has is what determines how good of a life they have. Bob thinks its based on how many nights you have slept under the stars. By that he means without a tent, just sleeping with a tarp over you and a sleeping bag around you. He had quite an interesting perspective on life. Anyway..
In the beginning of the week though I was still staying in a hostel, and we were staying out pretty late every night just having fun. Not serious partying, just hanging out and laughing type of stuff. I was getting back to my Hostel pretty late/early in the morning and every time I would book another night. This is because I would always just book one night because I didnt know where I would end up the next day. I ended up getting to know the front desk people quite well because of this. One night in particular, which I will talk about more later, I got home really early, and the girl at the front desk saw me come in, threw me a key and told me I was all checked in, I just needed to move my luggage. I moved my luggage into the room and realized that I had a queen size bed with a flat screen TV in front of me, a private shower and bathroom, and a pretty decent view. I was getting VIP status. She upgraded me for free also so I was paying just as much as I would if I was staying in a dorm. That night we went out to a couple places and I met a girl from Rome. She was very pretty, quaint, and spoke good English, with a cute italian accent. We went to Pisa together the next day. Basically some of the crazier funner times of my life and I would love to share the story when I get home.
I would meet Katie, Melissa, and Mitra for lunch every day, and we would usually hang out the rest of the day doing all the things that Florence has to offer. The view from Piazza Michaelangelo is one of the things that Ill never forget. Hiking up there with a bottle of wine and just relaxing and appreciating the views and the conversation with a couple of friends is my idea of a good night.
I am pretty sure I have been to every museum and every place of interest in Florence by now. I dont feel rushed at all any more. I love just sitting in a piazza and having a cup of coffee. There is a certain swagger that comes from being in Florence.. at least for me. I am getting hit on like crazy. Older Italian women especially, its a little creepy. I walked by the Duomo and had all the artists shouting at me. It was pretty funny. Hearing ¨David Michaelangeo be my model¨ yelled at you is just a bit of a confidence booster.
I saw a flier for a rock show one night that was on the very edge of town. I got there, had some wine, but apparently was really early. I went into the warehouse that it was being held at and was told to come back at 11. So I walk around a bit and see a giant sign with Florence and an X through it.. meaning I am about to leave Florence, so I went back. Got to the venue at about 1030 and all the band members were in there. I was invited in, and sat down at these giant last supper type tables. I didnt really know what was happening until bowls and bowls of pasta appeared out of no where and I was given a plate and spooned a giant mound of food. There was so much wine there as well, in the biggest jugs Ive seen. So I am sitting and having dinner with all these musicians who speak really good English just talking and having a good time before the show. The show starts and its just really heavy music with no lyrics. Think italian explosions in the sky. Really cool night.
I went wine tasting another night with myself and 9 girls in a 13th century Italian wine cellar. We got to taste really good balsamic vinegar, really good olive oil (which they made you drink). A different type of salame for every wine, and some great aged parm cheese. I of course impressed everyone with my wine knowledge, and picking out flavours, even if I was pulling a Greg some of the time and just BSing. They especially liked the ¨oh yeah I can tell this was aged in an oak barrel, with a leather strap¨. The Chianti region is beautiful. Santa Croche is beautiful.
We took a day trip to Cinque Terre and it is easily one of the most beautiful places in the world. Go on google and look at the pictures. The cliff towns are all so well preserved and awe inspiring. The hike from the bottom town to the top was a little tough at times but very rewarding. I was very impressed that the girls were able to do the hike without too much of a break. I took my backpack and carried around all our food and clothes and shoved everyones purse in there so they wouldnt have to carry anything. It reminded me of Dad on our family trip to the Grand Canyon. We stopped in every town and relaxed or had a cup of coffee. Bought some sandwiches or local wine. The local wine by the way is some of the best Ive had on this trip. The whole hike is through the vineyards for the most part and the cliffs are littered with vines. We hiked down to the Ocean and layed out for a bit, I found a nice big rock to sit on. There was a waterfall that I went under to wash off and cool down. In the last town me and Mitra actually went into the Ocean which was beyond freezing. We have a picture of us soaking wet and freezing while someone is sitting on the beach in a jacket and scarf, just to give a little perspective.
The girls from San Diego are definately going to be friends for a long time. I am really happy about meeting them and I think its cool to meet them in this situation. I dont think they are the type of people that I would just become friends with if we met at a coffee house, or walking around on the street. Hopefully that means I am getting over a little bit of judgementality and vanity. Hanging out with them for so long made me learn alot about myself. ´Our eyes look outward, but we need the eyes of someone else to help us look inward´.
I started thinking alot about what I was going to do for the next month. I have seen pretty much everything that I really wanted to see on this trip. I have experienced all that I was thinking I would experience. And it only took 2 months. If you look at the route that I took I think it would look like it would take 4. There is so much about Florence that I love. If I had a job there I dont think I could ever leave. I could easily be a barista or something at a coffee shop. We´ll see.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Italy so far
Well when I got to Italy I was exhausted. I spent about 3 hours walking around from hostel to hostel looking for a room to stay in until Bryce got here the next day. Finally found a place with ice cold showers and a rock hard matress to stay at. It definately beat the previous 4 nights I had where I didnt have a hostel at all. I thought that when Bryce got here I would be able to relax because I wasnt going to be traveling around a lot, but I was wrong. After Bryce got here, which was an adventure in itself from what he told me, we went on a hard core mission to see everything we possibly could. As soon as he got here we got some of the most amazing pizza we have ever had, and attempted to go on a walking tour with a guide, but instead ended up doing it ourselves. We did all the ancient Rome stuff that day. My favourite was the Colloseum. Its so unbelievable the stuff that went on in there. I think what made it better was the fact that we watched Gladiator that night just by coincidence. Apparently I have gotten really good at walking because Bryce could hardly keep up with my pace. I guess thats what happens when you do nothing but walk everywhere for a couple of months. Bryces legs and feet were sore, but he kept up quite well.
The best part of hanging out with my brother in Rome was watching him experience all the weird quirky stuff about traveling that I have become used to. His first time using the subway I could see that he was really excited and unsure of what exactly to do. Crossing the street for him was a challenge and eventually he learned to just follow me like a little duckling. Not gunna lie, Im pretty good at crossing the street now. The locals even follow me; a true sign of an accomplished traveler. I also took for granted how easy EuRail pass makes traveling. Watching Bryce have to wait in lines to buy train tickets and validate them (Which he forgot to do once and got a huge fine) makes me realize just how awesome EuRail is.
The Vatican was simply amazing. The museum and the sistine chapel were breathtaking. St Peters Bastilica took me by complete suprise. The inside of it is awe inspiring, I cant describe the way it makes me feel. Bryce brought me a couple of good books to read as well, which I was desperate for.
All the churches here are amazing. The David is really awesome, which I wasnt expecting it to be, I thought it would just be another statue. My favourite though is a statue of Michael slaying Satan. Such an epic statue, I think Ill buy a mini one to put on my desk at home.
Florence and Siena are in my opinion superior to Rome. Rome of course is awesome to see the art and the history of, but the feel of the city is a bit dirty and not what I would consider authentic Italian. Florence is an awesome city, and I love how walkable it is. Siena is beautiful, has some of the most amazing views so far this trip, and the plaza that I cant remember the name of, where people are just sprawled out on the ground, is one of my favourite places so far this trip. I could lounge there for hours in the sun. Speaking of the sun its such a relief to have some warm sunny weather, even though its raining right now; at least it gives me a chance to get on the computer ;). I did get a little sunburned on my face due to not seeing that much sun in a while. I am a big fan of Italy but for the most part Im not really into the people here. The food is ridiculous, me and Bryce ate quite well while we were here. The Gelato is amazing as well, unless you get tricked into buying a cone for 9 euros. My favourite flavours are banana and melon.
My favourite part of Florence was just having a bottle of Chianti and listening to some guy play guitar and sing covers of Oasis in front of the Uffizi at night. Free awesome concert baisically. Anyway it was an awesome experience to have my brother here with me for a week, and we had a lot of good times, and good memories.
Anyway I went from Rome to Florence to Rome and now I am back in Florence. I met someone that goes to school in Florence right now so I think Ill hang out here for a bit. This is the beauty of traveling alone and with no itinerary, I wouldnt have it any other way. I think Ill day trip to Cinque Terre and then go to Nice, followed by Barcelona, try and get a plane to Ireland for cheap, then get back to London to fly home. I think it would be cool to be in Barcelona for Easter, but Ill have to check and where there are any big festivals. I have a month to do that so I get to take it nice and slow. Of course the last time I had an idea of where I was going I ended up in Bosnia, so wel see where I end up next.
Once again sorry for not posting that often, just been so busy with stuff to do and things to see. I have been meeting some really cool people which is good. There is so much I could write about Italy but simply dont have the time. Thanks for keeping me in mind
Kyle
The best part of hanging out with my brother in Rome was watching him experience all the weird quirky stuff about traveling that I have become used to. His first time using the subway I could see that he was really excited and unsure of what exactly to do. Crossing the street for him was a challenge and eventually he learned to just follow me like a little duckling. Not gunna lie, Im pretty good at crossing the street now. The locals even follow me; a true sign of an accomplished traveler. I also took for granted how easy EuRail pass makes traveling. Watching Bryce have to wait in lines to buy train tickets and validate them (Which he forgot to do once and got a huge fine) makes me realize just how awesome EuRail is.
The Vatican was simply amazing. The museum and the sistine chapel were breathtaking. St Peters Bastilica took me by complete suprise. The inside of it is awe inspiring, I cant describe the way it makes me feel. Bryce brought me a couple of good books to read as well, which I was desperate for.
All the churches here are amazing. The David is really awesome, which I wasnt expecting it to be, I thought it would just be another statue. My favourite though is a statue of Michael slaying Satan. Such an epic statue, I think Ill buy a mini one to put on my desk at home.
Florence and Siena are in my opinion superior to Rome. Rome of course is awesome to see the art and the history of, but the feel of the city is a bit dirty and not what I would consider authentic Italian. Florence is an awesome city, and I love how walkable it is. Siena is beautiful, has some of the most amazing views so far this trip, and the plaza that I cant remember the name of, where people are just sprawled out on the ground, is one of my favourite places so far this trip. I could lounge there for hours in the sun. Speaking of the sun its such a relief to have some warm sunny weather, even though its raining right now; at least it gives me a chance to get on the computer ;). I did get a little sunburned on my face due to not seeing that much sun in a while. I am a big fan of Italy but for the most part Im not really into the people here. The food is ridiculous, me and Bryce ate quite well while we were here. The Gelato is amazing as well, unless you get tricked into buying a cone for 9 euros. My favourite flavours are banana and melon.
My favourite part of Florence was just having a bottle of Chianti and listening to some guy play guitar and sing covers of Oasis in front of the Uffizi at night. Free awesome concert baisically. Anyway it was an awesome experience to have my brother here with me for a week, and we had a lot of good times, and good memories.
Anyway I went from Rome to Florence to Rome and now I am back in Florence. I met someone that goes to school in Florence right now so I think Ill hang out here for a bit. This is the beauty of traveling alone and with no itinerary, I wouldnt have it any other way. I think Ill day trip to Cinque Terre and then go to Nice, followed by Barcelona, try and get a plane to Ireland for cheap, then get back to London to fly home. I think it would be cool to be in Barcelona for Easter, but Ill have to check and where there are any big festivals. I have a month to do that so I get to take it nice and slow. Of course the last time I had an idea of where I was going I ended up in Bosnia, so wel see where I end up next.
Once again sorry for not posting that often, just been so busy with stuff to do and things to see. I have been meeting some really cool people which is good. There is so much I could write about Italy but simply dont have the time. Thanks for keeping me in mind
Kyle
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Dubrovnik and Ljubljana
The bus ride to Dubrovnik was long but amazing. The Croatian coast is amazing. Everything is a mix between Eastern European and Italian it seems. The food, the people, everything. The city of Dubrovnik itself is amazingly beautiful, and I dont think I could have been there at a more perfect time. The weather was sunny, and the tourist crowd was not there yet. I felt like we had the city all to ourselves. I think that when someone asks me what city they need to include when they visit Europe, Dubrovnik is on the list. Really... once I can upload pictures, anyone who hasnt seen Dubrovnik will be in awe. Its a real good place to just chill out and relax. The seafood was ridiculous the views are unbeatable. The strangest part of the city was when we ventured outside of the main area and went to a Croatian farm run by some crazy man, and when we visited the fortress on top of the mountain looking down on Dubrovnik. They show the footage of Dubrovnik being attacked at the fortress and its insane to think that the city was under siege not too long ago.
The next stop was Ljubljana which is in Slovenia. This city wasnt even on my radar to begin with, but I am glad we made the stop. It seemed like a Vienna, with some nice water walks and nice buildings.
Well for the last 2 days I have taken an 11 hour bus ride, a 5 hour train ride, another 5 hour train ride, and a 6 hour train ride so that I could get back to Rome. I havent stayed in a hostel the last 2 nights, slept a little on the transportation as well as in the train stations. I stink, I need to shave, I need some sleep. But thought I would do laundry first and blog while that is going on. I am in Rome now, just waiting for Brother to get here in the morning. Im sure I missed a ton in the last couple posts but it had been soooo long since I said anything so I decided to just throw some stuff down. I am not going to be traveling like I did the last couple weeks, so I shouldnt have any more of those gaps like that.
The next stop was Ljubljana which is in Slovenia. This city wasnt even on my radar to begin with, but I am glad we made the stop. It seemed like a Vienna, with some nice water walks and nice buildings.
Well for the last 2 days I have taken an 11 hour bus ride, a 5 hour train ride, another 5 hour train ride, and a 6 hour train ride so that I could get back to Rome. I havent stayed in a hostel the last 2 nights, slept a little on the transportation as well as in the train stations. I stink, I need to shave, I need some sleep. But thought I would do laundry first and blog while that is going on. I am in Rome now, just waiting for Brother to get here in the morning. Im sure I missed a ton in the last couple posts but it had been soooo long since I said anything so I decided to just throw some stuff down. I am not going to be traveling like I did the last couple weeks, so I shouldnt have any more of those gaps like that.
Eastern Europe Tour
The last couple of weeks have been exhausting to say the least. I got a nice rest from snowboarding when I was in Vienna, and while there ran into a couple people I had met earlier. I went to the Opera and walked around the city a lot. There is a lot to see in Vienna but unfortunately it was really windy the whole time I was there. I think thats normal for Vienna though. Staying in my room was a guy from Australia named Sean and we seemed to get along quite well. Eventually we made plans to go to Budapest together.
Budapest-
What an amazing city. There is so much to do and see here, its overwhelming. Budapest is one of the places that I would tell everyone I wanted to go, and almost everyone would say how much they loved it or how many good things they have heard about the city. So my expectations were high to begin with. Budapest is full of amazing statues, lots of history, massive monuments, and of course the weird public baths. I spent a good 6 hours in the baths in total, which are these large thermal pools, each pool containing different minerals and different temperature water. The majority of the people in the baths are old men with giant pop bellys but there are a good amount of younger people as well. Everyone is so relaxed in the pools and the saunas it was definately a cultural experience. Budapest has some of the nicest, most beautiful people I have seen as well. Everyone is willing to help. There are also some really cool bars and places to hang out, that have a great vibe to them. Its not a city full of pretentious snoody people that go to their expensive hang out places to feel better than others. Its a great town. Eventually after talking with Sean we decided that we had a good time together and should travel all through Eastern Europe until I had to be in Rome and he had to go back to Prague, where he was working.
Next stop was Romania, not much to say specifically except that there were stray dogs everywhere. The people are typical Eastern European. We stayed the night there and decided to pack up to Serbia the next day.
Serbia was an experience. The bus ride took so long to get to Belgrade, and once again we had no idea what to expect. We kind of just assumed we would figure out what we wanted to do and see in Belgrade once we got there. We ended up staying 2 nights in total, and were pleasantly suprised with the city. Luckily my friend Mina who is from Serbia told one of her friends that we were coming to the city and she was nice enough to show us around. There is nothing like a local tour guide, and Slavika did a great job showing us around. The coolest parts of the city are the giant white church that you can see from almost every part of the city. St. Slavas is the worlds largest orthodox church and our hostel was about 25 meteres from it. The other part of the city is the fortress, which is nice to visit. I did notice that the Serbians dont talk that much about the war compared to the Bosnians and Croatians. The weirdest/coolest part of Serbia though was that when me Sean and Slavika walked into the ? Cafe which is the oldest in the city, I heard my name full name called out for the first time in a while. "Kyle Healy?" I turned around and Colin O'Leary my cousin. I was in shock, first of all I am lucky if I get to see him once every couple of years because he lives in New York and goes to school at Yale, and secondly I had no idea he was going to be in the Balkans. Unfortunately he was getting ready to leave Serbia and we had just got there. It was still a pretty cool experience though. Next stop was going to be Bosnia.
Sarajevo was not what we were expecting, but we didnt really know what to expect. First we had no idea that it was in the mountains, oops. We also didnt know that it was so dangerous. I had never had so many people ask me "Why are you here". Like we were crazy for being in Bosnia. The first thing you notice is all the grave sites packed full of grave stones. Over 11000 people died in Sarajevo while the city was surrounded by the Serbian army. We learned alot about the war and how no one could go out during the day because of snipers. There is a part of the city called sniper alley where there are still bullet holes from them. The apartment buildings look like they were just under attack, holes in them and massive caliber bullet holes in them. It was a freaky site. There are still so many buildings that are in ruins and have not been repaired yet. The city seems to be doing well despite the war but the people are still a little cold. The food was good as well. There were a couple of scary experiences including every time we crossed the border in and out of bosnia, a total of about 9 times, for various reasons. The worst one was when we got our passports checked the guy got a real strange look on his face. He made the bus stop for about an hour and called in reinforcements. We got our backpacks disassembled and the contents layed out in front of them, and they went through everything we owned. They then had the dogs come and smell everything. While this was going on the soldiers still had our passports and seemed like he wasnt going to give them back. Eventually he did though and we were on our way. It was freaky because they carry some pretty big guns with them and I had a really bad vibe that he was going to plant some sort of drugs on us or something. It was creepy. Another situation was when we were just exploring the ruins of one of the buildings, and looking at shrapnel on the ground, just wandering around, we stumbled into a mine field that still had not been cleared of mines. The only thing telling us this was a thin line of yellow tape that looks like it had been there for ages. Some local man started yelling and waving his arms at us to get out, but of course we had no idea what he was saying so we walked closer to him, he freaked out more, and somehow we got the message that we should go out the way we came in. Pretty strange experience. Anyway we decided to go to Dubrovnik as soon as possible.. knowing that would be a nice oasis away from the crazyness.
Budapest-
What an amazing city. There is so much to do and see here, its overwhelming. Budapest is one of the places that I would tell everyone I wanted to go, and almost everyone would say how much they loved it or how many good things they have heard about the city. So my expectations were high to begin with. Budapest is full of amazing statues, lots of history, massive monuments, and of course the weird public baths. I spent a good 6 hours in the baths in total, which are these large thermal pools, each pool containing different minerals and different temperature water. The majority of the people in the baths are old men with giant pop bellys but there are a good amount of younger people as well. Everyone is so relaxed in the pools and the saunas it was definately a cultural experience. Budapest has some of the nicest, most beautiful people I have seen as well. Everyone is willing to help. There are also some really cool bars and places to hang out, that have a great vibe to them. Its not a city full of pretentious snoody people that go to their expensive hang out places to feel better than others. Its a great town. Eventually after talking with Sean we decided that we had a good time together and should travel all through Eastern Europe until I had to be in Rome and he had to go back to Prague, where he was working.
Next stop was Romania, not much to say specifically except that there were stray dogs everywhere. The people are typical Eastern European. We stayed the night there and decided to pack up to Serbia the next day.
Serbia was an experience. The bus ride took so long to get to Belgrade, and once again we had no idea what to expect. We kind of just assumed we would figure out what we wanted to do and see in Belgrade once we got there. We ended up staying 2 nights in total, and were pleasantly suprised with the city. Luckily my friend Mina who is from Serbia told one of her friends that we were coming to the city and she was nice enough to show us around. There is nothing like a local tour guide, and Slavika did a great job showing us around. The coolest parts of the city are the giant white church that you can see from almost every part of the city. St. Slavas is the worlds largest orthodox church and our hostel was about 25 meteres from it. The other part of the city is the fortress, which is nice to visit. I did notice that the Serbians dont talk that much about the war compared to the Bosnians and Croatians. The weirdest/coolest part of Serbia though was that when me Sean and Slavika walked into the ? Cafe which is the oldest in the city, I heard my name full name called out for the first time in a while. "Kyle Healy?" I turned around and Colin O'Leary my cousin. I was in shock, first of all I am lucky if I get to see him once every couple of years because he lives in New York and goes to school at Yale, and secondly I had no idea he was going to be in the Balkans. Unfortunately he was getting ready to leave Serbia and we had just got there. It was still a pretty cool experience though. Next stop was going to be Bosnia.
Sarajevo was not what we were expecting, but we didnt really know what to expect. First we had no idea that it was in the mountains, oops. We also didnt know that it was so dangerous. I had never had so many people ask me "Why are you here". Like we were crazy for being in Bosnia. The first thing you notice is all the grave sites packed full of grave stones. Over 11000 people died in Sarajevo while the city was surrounded by the Serbian army. We learned alot about the war and how no one could go out during the day because of snipers. There is a part of the city called sniper alley where there are still bullet holes from them. The apartment buildings look like they were just under attack, holes in them and massive caliber bullet holes in them. It was a freaky site. There are still so many buildings that are in ruins and have not been repaired yet. The city seems to be doing well despite the war but the people are still a little cold. The food was good as well. There were a couple of scary experiences including every time we crossed the border in and out of bosnia, a total of about 9 times, for various reasons. The worst one was when we got our passports checked the guy got a real strange look on his face. He made the bus stop for about an hour and called in reinforcements. We got our backpacks disassembled and the contents layed out in front of them, and they went through everything we owned. They then had the dogs come and smell everything. While this was going on the soldiers still had our passports and seemed like he wasnt going to give them back. Eventually he did though and we were on our way. It was freaky because they carry some pretty big guns with them and I had a really bad vibe that he was going to plant some sort of drugs on us or something. It was creepy. Another situation was when we were just exploring the ruins of one of the buildings, and looking at shrapnel on the ground, just wandering around, we stumbled into a mine field that still had not been cleared of mines. The only thing telling us this was a thin line of yellow tape that looks like it had been there for ages. Some local man started yelling and waving his arms at us to get out, but of course we had no idea what he was saying so we walked closer to him, he freaked out more, and somehow we got the message that we should go out the way we came in. Pretty strange experience. Anyway we decided to go to Dubrovnik as soon as possible.. knowing that would be a nice oasis away from the crazyness.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Budapest Pictures
awesome statue/monument, one of the most enjoyable so far
Climbed that and got amazing pictures of the city, could see everything it was awesome.
Vienna Pictures
WINGS + SWORD YES
friends, after the opera so i was still dressed up, only one person wanted to go with me to it. I actually liked it a lot.
i went to the opera
Supposedly the best chocolate torte in the world. Ive had better chocolate cake tbqh
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
