OK quick post because I am running out of time...
The Greek Islands were amazing. Lots of beach time! I also got to ride a quad bike, snorkel near reefs, climb a volcano, watch the best sunset in the world, and swim in hot springs! Oh ya, and to get up and down from the port you can ride a mule. I cant really describe the Greek Islands because they are so pretty, youll have to look at my photos.
Anyways, after 2 and a half days of travel: 2 ferries, a bus, and two trains... I am now in Venice. The city is great to wander (and get lost) in! Ive visited San Marcos square and the Basillica.
Sorry for the shortness of this post!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Rome and Athens
So my last post was just the first day I was in Rome...
I spent 3 more days in Rome after that. One day was spent seeing the Roman Ruins, the Palantine, and the Collesium. Basically, in the middle of Rome there is an area where the center of the old Roman Empire used to be. One part are ruins of temples built for the Gods, and places where other semi-famous Romans lived. The Palantine is raised higher and it consists of the old houses of Roman Emporers from year 50 - 100 AD... so Nero, Augustus, all those guys. Then next to all these ruins is the Colesseum.
The Colesseum was built by the Flavian family, considered a Roman Dynasty. The Flavians held Rome when it became the largest empire in the world, and used booty from sacking areas in Africa, Asia, and Europe to fund their projects... The Colesseum being the most fantastic of these. You can see the different types of seating inside (high, middle, and lower classes). Half of the floor of the stadium remains, where animal versus animal and man versus animal, etc fights took place! The other half is uncovered and you can see where these prisoners would have lived.
The third day in Rome was spent visiting the other famous sites that are a little less time consuming: Trevvi fountain, the Pantheon, Piazzas and finally drinking on the Spanish steps at night.
Then we had to make our way to Greece. We took a train from Rome to Bari, a ferry from Bari to Patras, and then 2 trains to Athens. On the way we made friends with a guy from Seattle, a girl from NYC and a girl from Montreal. We spent over 30 hours travelling together. Now we're all in Athens together. Last night we went out for Souvlaki and Baklava!
Today I saw some pretty old things! Like the Acropolis built in 500 BC. Also the original Olympic stadium. Its a lovely (not) 37 degrees in Athens. My skin has gotten so dark that more and more people mistake me for an Italian!
I spent 3 more days in Rome after that. One day was spent seeing the Roman Ruins, the Palantine, and the Collesium. Basically, in the middle of Rome there is an area where the center of the old Roman Empire used to be. One part are ruins of temples built for the Gods, and places where other semi-famous Romans lived. The Palantine is raised higher and it consists of the old houses of Roman Emporers from year 50 - 100 AD... so Nero, Augustus, all those guys. Then next to all these ruins is the Colesseum.
The Colesseum was built by the Flavian family, considered a Roman Dynasty. The Flavians held Rome when it became the largest empire in the world, and used booty from sacking areas in Africa, Asia, and Europe to fund their projects... The Colesseum being the most fantastic of these. You can see the different types of seating inside (high, middle, and lower classes). Half of the floor of the stadium remains, where animal versus animal and man versus animal, etc fights took place! The other half is uncovered and you can see where these prisoners would have lived.
The third day in Rome was spent visiting the other famous sites that are a little less time consuming: Trevvi fountain, the Pantheon, Piazzas and finally drinking on the Spanish steps at night.
Then we had to make our way to Greece. We took a train from Rome to Bari, a ferry from Bari to Patras, and then 2 trains to Athens. On the way we made friends with a guy from Seattle, a girl from NYC and a girl from Montreal. We spent over 30 hours travelling together. Now we're all in Athens together. Last night we went out for Souvlaki and Baklava!
Today I saw some pretty old things! Like the Acropolis built in 500 BC. Also the original Olympic stadium. Its a lovely (not) 37 degrees in Athens. My skin has gotten so dark that more and more people mistake me for an Italian!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Italia
Hello!
So I have been in Italy for the past little while, and its been quite the adventure.
The first place I went is called Cinque Terre, and its five fishing villages on the West coast of Italy. You can hike between all 5 villages. Its 10 kms and some of it is really tough but I definitely got some of the best photos so far. The villages are very authentic Italian: Everyone knows each other and all the older people sit on chairs along the street. I also met people from Vancouver who were here for a wedding (one of the friends was marrying someone from the village), and we went out for drinks with them which was really fun!
After I went to visit my friend Marryn who is living and working in Siena this summer. It was kind of fortunate because Geoff had an allergic reaction to an Italian bug and we stayed until 4 am in the Siena hospital. Luckily Marryn could translate for Geoff who ended up getting a Cortisone shot and an IV drip. Siena just had its town festival, which is a bareback horserace. Each neighbourhood has a horse in the race, and whichever one wins gets bragging rights for the year. However, each neighbourhood has a week long block party, which was pretty fun to see.
Now Im in Rome!
And who else is in Italy right now? The G8.
So of course, when I went to Vatican City today to the Sistine Chapel, it was closed!
Barack Obama was inside!! Luckily we got to see Barack leaving the chapel and driving out of Vatican City!
Anyways, after I saw St. Peters Basillica (where the Pope comes out)! Tomorrow I will see the Sistine chapel and the Colleseum!
So I have been in Italy for the past little while, and its been quite the adventure.
The first place I went is called Cinque Terre, and its five fishing villages on the West coast of Italy. You can hike between all 5 villages. Its 10 kms and some of it is really tough but I definitely got some of the best photos so far. The villages are very authentic Italian: Everyone knows each other and all the older people sit on chairs along the street. I also met people from Vancouver who were here for a wedding (one of the friends was marrying someone from the village), and we went out for drinks with them which was really fun!
After I went to visit my friend Marryn who is living and working in Siena this summer. It was kind of fortunate because Geoff had an allergic reaction to an Italian bug and we stayed until 4 am in the Siena hospital. Luckily Marryn could translate for Geoff who ended up getting a Cortisone shot and an IV drip. Siena just had its town festival, which is a bareback horserace. Each neighbourhood has a horse in the race, and whichever one wins gets bragging rights for the year. However, each neighbourhood has a week long block party, which was pretty fun to see.
Now Im in Rome!
And who else is in Italy right now? The G8.
So of course, when I went to Vatican City today to the Sistine Chapel, it was closed!
Barack Obama was inside!! Luckily we got to see Barack leaving the chapel and driving out of Vatican City!
Anyways, after I saw St. Peters Basillica (where the Pope comes out)! Tomorrow I will see the Sistine chapel and the Colleseum!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Barcelona and South of France
Hello!
I spent a couple days in Barcelona, it was a fun and interesting city.. I did a walking tour one day and here are some highlights: Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonian region in Spain. They dont think of themselves as Spanish, and in fact, they dont even speak Spanish. Franco (ex dictator of Spain) actually tried to stop them from having their own language. He used to execute people for speaking Catalan... Anyways, Barcelona only became touristy after they got the 1992 olympics.
One of Barcelonas claims to faim is that Antonio Gaudi, a super famous architect lived there and did a ton of stuff in the city. Gaudis last work was Sagrada Familia and its still in the process of being built.
Right now Im in Nice, I got here late last night... Today I went to Monaco, maybe you saw me on TV?? Waving to Lance Armstrong?? Yes it was the first leg of Tour de France!!! Pretty exciting! And of course I stopped in the Monte Carlo when I was there.. I couldnt afford to gamble though!
I spent a couple days in Barcelona, it was a fun and interesting city.. I did a walking tour one day and here are some highlights: Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonian region in Spain. They dont think of themselves as Spanish, and in fact, they dont even speak Spanish. Franco (ex dictator of Spain) actually tried to stop them from having their own language. He used to execute people for speaking Catalan... Anyways, Barcelona only became touristy after they got the 1992 olympics.
One of Barcelonas claims to faim is that Antonio Gaudi, a super famous architect lived there and did a ton of stuff in the city. Gaudis last work was Sagrada Familia and its still in the process of being built.
Right now Im in Nice, I got here late last night... Today I went to Monaco, maybe you saw me on TV?? Waving to Lance Armstrong?? Yes it was the first leg of Tour de France!!! Pretty exciting! And of course I stopped in the Monte Carlo when I was there.. I couldnt afford to gamble though!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Madrid
Hola!
So I am now in Madrid... Madrid is a very different city than what I´ve seen in Europe so far. For starters, hardly anyone speaks English. Or French, which is really frustrating considering everyone in France and Portugal spoke at least one of these languages! They also have siesta here, so everything shuts down for like 3 hours in the afternoon. And its hot. It said that it was 38 degrees today downtown!
Anyways, Madrid has a great park that everyone in the city seems to hang out in. There are puppet shows, row boats, fortune tellers, dancers, and all sorts of exciting stuff. I also watched a bullfight at Plaza des Torros. It was cool but kind of sad. A bull chases a few matadors, then he gets stabbed by a guy on a horse... which makes him more angry... and then a matador is chosen to actually fight the bull. And they go back and forth for a while until the matador stabs him. If the bull is stabbed between the eyes he gets a standing ovation!
Other than that I´ve been getting used to Spanish time... which means not eating until 10 or 11 at night, and staying out until 4ish.
I will be in Barcelona for Canada Day!
So I am now in Madrid... Madrid is a very different city than what I´ve seen in Europe so far. For starters, hardly anyone speaks English. Or French, which is really frustrating considering everyone in France and Portugal spoke at least one of these languages! They also have siesta here, so everything shuts down for like 3 hours in the afternoon. And its hot. It said that it was 38 degrees today downtown!
Anyways, Madrid has a great park that everyone in the city seems to hang out in. There are puppet shows, row boats, fortune tellers, dancers, and all sorts of exciting stuff. I also watched a bullfight at Plaza des Torros. It was cool but kind of sad. A bull chases a few matadors, then he gets stabbed by a guy on a horse... which makes him more angry... and then a matador is chosen to actually fight the bull. And they go back and forth for a while until the matador stabs him. If the bull is stabbed between the eyes he gets a standing ovation!
Other than that I´ve been getting used to Spanish time... which means not eating until 10 or 11 at night, and staying out until 4ish.
I will be in Barcelona for Canada Day!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Portugal
I haven´t been able to update recently because of lack of Internet... here´s why:
I took a train from France to Lisbon. Lisbon, Portugal´s capital is pretty small... about 500,000 people compared to 12 million in Paris. It´s sort of like San Francisco... there are giant hills and you have to jump on trams to get anywhere. I went to the Castelo Sao Jorge... A castle that was built in the 1100s while Portugal was ruled by Arabs. The walls were still intact and you could see all over Lisbon because the castle was of course on top of a giant hill.
Portugal has great food and drink for really cheap, and dinners are a big affair... I´m talking like 2 or 3 hours with a lot of restaurants having a singer to entertain you.
After 2 days in Lisbon we took a train to the very Southern tip of Portugal, where there is a beautiful medival beach town called Lagos. Lagos has city walls from the olden days, and the streets are all cobblestone. The beaches there are gorgeous! There are little sand inlets surrounded by giant cliffs that jut out into the Ocean. You can swim in the holes in the cliffs, its kind of like a giant beach playground!
And a quick bus ride away are Atlantic breakers... which meant more surfing!! I didn´t get stung by a jellyfish this time. Anyways, the Internet in Lagos was really expensive, so I waited until now to update my blog.
I just got to Madrid... I met some Americans on the train here and we´re going to a bullfight. Torro torro!!! Adios.
I took a train from France to Lisbon. Lisbon, Portugal´s capital is pretty small... about 500,000 people compared to 12 million in Paris. It´s sort of like San Francisco... there are giant hills and you have to jump on trams to get anywhere. I went to the Castelo Sao Jorge... A castle that was built in the 1100s while Portugal was ruled by Arabs. The walls were still intact and you could see all over Lisbon because the castle was of course on top of a giant hill.
Portugal has great food and drink for really cheap, and dinners are a big affair... I´m talking like 2 or 3 hours with a lot of restaurants having a singer to entertain you.
After 2 days in Lisbon we took a train to the very Southern tip of Portugal, where there is a beautiful medival beach town called Lagos. Lagos has city walls from the olden days, and the streets are all cobblestone. The beaches there are gorgeous! There are little sand inlets surrounded by giant cliffs that jut out into the Ocean. You can swim in the holes in the cliffs, its kind of like a giant beach playground!
And a quick bus ride away are Atlantic breakers... which meant more surfing!! I didn´t get stung by a jellyfish this time. Anyways, the Internet in Lagos was really expensive, so I waited until now to update my blog.
I just got to Madrid... I met some Americans on the train here and we´re going to a bullfight. Torro torro!!! Adios.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Biarritz
Hello famille!
Im in Biarritz, using a French keyboard, so this post is difficult to write!
Biarritz is a nice town on the West coast of France. There is a lot of nice grill restaurants, parks, and most of all the best surfing in France. The Ocean has been nice for good surfers and bad for beginners like me!
yesterday my board hit me in the face; so i have a little bruise on my nose.. I also received a nice jellyfish sting on my foot... i didnt know that there were jellyfish here, so I didnt mention that my foot was burning until somebody else saw one!!! There was still a couple good stands for me though..
Tonight I am on the overnight train to Lisbon, Portugal.
Im in Biarritz, using a French keyboard, so this post is difficult to write!
Biarritz is a nice town on the West coast of France. There is a lot of nice grill restaurants, parks, and most of all the best surfing in France. The Ocean has been nice for good surfers and bad for beginners like me!
yesterday my board hit me in the face; so i have a little bruise on my nose.. I also received a nice jellyfish sting on my foot... i didnt know that there were jellyfish here, so I didnt mention that my foot was burning until somebody else saw one!!! There was still a couple good stands for me though..
Tonight I am on the overnight train to Lisbon, Portugal.
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