In order to get to Frankfurt, we had to take a train, then a bus, and then another train. On our way there, we went through the countryside of Switzerland which was so beautiful. The mountains rose high on either side of the road, and small waterfalls cascaded off their steep rock faces. We wound our way through the valleys and were kept company by the quiet villages spread throughout the hillsides.
We arrived in the bustling Basel (in Switzerland) train station with an hour to wait before our next train. We were told that we didn't need a reservation, but the train turned out to be packed. There were a few empty seats, but they were all reserved. So we walked up and down the aisle several times searching for empty seats while trying to avoid hitting people in the face with our obnoxious backpacks. We ended up taking two reserved seats. However, since they were reserved, Annalea ended up getting bumped from her seat. Thankfully I got to keep my seat, so we ended sharing. She sat on my lap with our bags beneath our feet. It was a very cozy situation and we tried our best not to squish the guy beside us. We eventually we sat in more spacious seats after after a family of four got off.
Around 10:00pm we arrived in Marburg, Germany. We hadn't originally planned on going there, but after meeting the three boys in Rome who were studying there, it became part of our itinerary. You see, before we parted ways with them in Rome, we found out that they were living in Marburg, near Frankfurt. Two of them were leaving in a couple days, but one of them, Grayson, was staying there another week or so. We realized that we could be in Germany around that time so Grayson therefore invited us to come stay with him. This would mean free accommodation, as well as being able to hang out with him again. So we took him up on his offer and headed for Marburg. Now, in case you're thinking that this was a very naïve move, staying with a guy we'd just met in his cozy dorm room, then know this: we both felt that he was a trustworthy guy, who was very down to earth and grounded. If either of us has felt even a tinge of uneasiness on the situation, then obviously we wouldn't have gone. So, once we arrived in Marburg, Grayson met us at the train station and walked us to his dorm.
The next day, we went to visit a park in Kassel (about an hour from Marburg on train). We walked up about 530 steps to get to Hercules Castle, then walked around the park to see some waterfalls, some ruins and another castle. Everything was vibrant green and incredibly lush. That night we went out for drinks and I had a shot of Jäger for the first time (not bad...), as well as some German beer. The next day we packed up and made our way to our friend's house in Bad König (also near Frankfurt).
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Kids and Canolis; Fashion and Factories
On our way up to Milan, we made a stop in Reggio Emilia. The reason for this was that Annalea wanted to visit the birthplace of an influencial Early Childhood Education philosophy. She wanted to visit a preschool there, to see this philosophy in practice. However, we had arrived in the town too late in the afternoon and by the time we eventually found a preschool, the kids were getting ready to go home (a busy time in a preschool day) so we were unable to get a tour. It was still nice to see Regio Emilia, which is a very sweet little town, quite quiet and untouristy. Before we left, we found a little café and sat outside to enjoy a canoli (ricotta cheese, chocolate, and candies cherries/orange pieces, wrapped in a crunchy crêpe-like pastry) which was so delicious. We then hopped on the train and headed for Milan.
We checked into the hostel around 7:00pm and then ate some dinner. Since there was free wifi there (a very precious rarity) we Skyped some friends, revised our travel itinerary again, and checked our emails. We went to bed (I slept on a very springy mattress) and then left the next morning. Before we headed out though, we did go and see the Duomo, which is the third largest Cathedral in the world, and the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. We could only stay there for literally ten minutes before we had to run and catch our train. It was an amazing structure. The walls were decorated with detailed stained glass windows and the columns lining the sanctuary had carvings of saints on them. On top of that, the ceilings were 60 meters high! The outside was pale stone and was covered in intricately carved scenes and sculptures. Pointy steeple-like structures lined the edge of the roof. It was beautiful! We hurried back to the train station, almost missing our train, and then headed in the direction of Frankfurt.
We checked into the hostel around 7:00pm and then ate some dinner. Since there was free wifi there (a very precious rarity) we Skyped some friends, revised our travel itinerary again, and checked our emails. We went to bed (I slept on a very springy mattress) and then left the next morning. Before we headed out though, we did go and see the Duomo, which is the third largest Cathedral in the world, and the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. We could only stay there for literally ten minutes before we had to run and catch our train. It was an amazing structure. The walls were decorated with detailed stained glass windows and the columns lining the sanctuary had carvings of saints on them. On top of that, the ceilings were 60 meters high! The outside was pale stone and was covered in intricately carved scenes and sculptures. Pointy steeple-like structures lined the edge of the roof. It was beautiful! We hurried back to the train station, almost missing our train, and then headed in the direction of Frankfurt.
When in Rome...check out a whole bunch of old stuff.
We arrived in Rome on Saturday night and took a half hour bus ride out of Rome to the campground where we were staying. There we checked in to a mobile home kind of thing. The next day we had planned on catching the first bus into the city. However, due to sleeping through the alarm plus moving slowly that morning, we managed to miss three buses and ended up getting into Rome two hours later than we'd hoped. So we didn't see very much on the first day, although we did see the Roman Baths which were really quite amazing. It turns out that the Romans invented spas comparable to ones used today. They had gyms, masseuses, hot and cold baths, change rooms, and pretty much everything else that is used in modern pool complexes. We spent the rest of the afternoon roaming (hehe) around, then went back to the campground.
The next day was far more productive on the whole ancient sightseeing front. We started the day by doing a tour of the Vatican, including St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine chapel. It was all absolutely incredible. It was really unbelievable seeing such famous architecture and artwork right in front of my eyes. It was so amazing. On that tour we met three guys from the States and ended up going for lunch with them. We hung out with them for the rest of the day since we were all heading to the same stuff. We saw the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and then finished the day with a bottle of wine on the Spanish Steps (unfortunately I don't like wine, so I had water--not as classy).
The following morning, Annalea and I went to see the Colosseum. It was mind-boggling to see and walk around something so significant to the ancient Roman world. Actually, many bricks were taken from the Colosseum to build the churches in Rome, including the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica. This, as well as the result of an earthquake, are why only half of the Colosseum is actually still standing at its original height. Still, it was easy to imagine gladiators entering the arena in front of the some 500 000 spectators. We did a tour of the Colosseum as well as the Forum and Palatine Hill. They were all so remarkable. Once the tours were over, we met up with the three guys from the day before and went for pizza (the first pizza Annalea and I have had this trip!). Afterwards we went to see the tomb of the unknown soldier, then we walked along the river. Then we saw Castello San Angelo and walked around the streets of Rome trying to find some food. This ended up taking a long time since we were specifically looking for crêpes which were very hard to find as it turned out. Eventually, we found a place and indulged ourselves in the delicious flavours. I had a savory bacon, mozzarella, tomato crêpe, then a sweet one which had an abundance of Nutella and white chocolate inside it. They tasted amazing! Then we all headed to the Metro station where we had to say goodbye as we parted ways.
The next day, Annalea and I took a day trip from Rome to Naples and then on to Pompeii. Before going in to see the ruins, we took a bus up to Mt. Vesuvius. This is the volcano which erupted in August, 79 AD, covering the town of Pompeii in volcanic ash, killing the people and freezing them in the positions in which they died. The bus took us up 1000m and then we walked the remaining 200m or so to the top. It was spectacular. The top of the mountain was shrouded in fast-moving, white clouds. Steep, rough cliffs dropped far down into the huge crater, while patches of vegetation climbed their way up the rock faces. I was blown away (hehe) by the incredible natural beauty. We headed back down the mountain and caught the bus into town.
We only had an hour to look around Pompeii, since we spent more time than we had anticipated on Mt. Vesuvius. So, we wandered the ancient cobblestone streets and were captivated by the eerie charm of the city. We also saw three body casts made from the originals found in the same positions. There was a pregnant woman lying on her stomach, a man crouching and covering his mouth, and a dog curled up in a distressed
position. It was fascinating, and kind of chilling. It was weird to imagine how the night before the eruption may have been. I would guess that it was just an ordinary evening, probably peaceful as the people naturally assumed that they would safely wake up the next morning. The fear and panic that would have accompanied the volcano's awakening must have been unbearable. After navigating our way through the maze of streets, we took the train back into Naples for dinner.
We, of course, went for pizza since Naples is the founding place of pizza. We went to one of the pizzerias recommended by our Lonely Planet book, which is apparently very popular among locals as well. While we eating the amazing, big, double mozzarella pizza we saw a picture on the wall of Julia Roberts eating pizza in the same restaurant. I thought the picture looked familiar from a scene in the movie, Eat Pray Love. We asked one of the staff and sure enough, it is the restaurant where they go for pizza in the movie. It was also very cool to watch the guy make up our pizza then cook it in the big wood fire oven. Such a cool place and sooooo delicious! And the pizza, which was very big, only cost us €5 ($6.50)!!! Amazing!
We headed back to Rome, back to the campground, then packed up our bags since we were leaving the next morning for Milan.
The next day was far more productive on the whole ancient sightseeing front. We started the day by doing a tour of the Vatican, including St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine chapel. It was all absolutely incredible. It was really unbelievable seeing such famous architecture and artwork right in front of my eyes. It was so amazing. On that tour we met three guys from the States and ended up going for lunch with them. We hung out with them for the rest of the day since we were all heading to the same stuff. We saw the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and then finished the day with a bottle of wine on the Spanish Steps (unfortunately I don't like wine, so I had water--not as classy).
The following morning, Annalea and I went to see the Colosseum. It was mind-boggling to see and walk around something so significant to the ancient Roman world. Actually, many bricks were taken from the Colosseum to build the churches in Rome, including the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica. This, as well as the result of an earthquake, are why only half of the Colosseum is actually still standing at its original height. Still, it was easy to imagine gladiators entering the arena in front of the some 500 000 spectators. We did a tour of the Colosseum as well as the Forum and Palatine Hill. They were all so remarkable. Once the tours were over, we met up with the three guys from the day before and went for pizza (the first pizza Annalea and I have had this trip!). Afterwards we went to see the tomb of the unknown soldier, then we walked along the river. Then we saw Castello San Angelo and walked around the streets of Rome trying to find some food. This ended up taking a long time since we were specifically looking for crêpes which were very hard to find as it turned out. Eventually, we found a place and indulged ourselves in the delicious flavours. I had a savory bacon, mozzarella, tomato crêpe, then a sweet one which had an abundance of Nutella and white chocolate inside it. They tasted amazing! Then we all headed to the Metro station where we had to say goodbye as we parted ways.
The next day, Annalea and I took a day trip from Rome to Naples and then on to Pompeii. Before going in to see the ruins, we took a bus up to Mt. Vesuvius. This is the volcano which erupted in August, 79 AD, covering the town of Pompeii in volcanic ash, killing the people and freezing them in the positions in which they died. The bus took us up 1000m and then we walked the remaining 200m or so to the top. It was spectacular. The top of the mountain was shrouded in fast-moving, white clouds. Steep, rough cliffs dropped far down into the huge crater, while patches of vegetation climbed their way up the rock faces. I was blown away (hehe) by the incredible natural beauty. We headed back down the mountain and caught the bus into town.
We only had an hour to look around Pompeii, since we spent more time than we had anticipated on Mt. Vesuvius. So, we wandered the ancient cobblestone streets and were captivated by the eerie charm of the city. We also saw three body casts made from the originals found in the same positions. There was a pregnant woman lying on her stomach, a man crouching and covering his mouth, and a dog curled up in a distressed
position. It was fascinating, and kind of chilling. It was weird to imagine how the night before the eruption may have been. I would guess that it was just an ordinary evening, probably peaceful as the people naturally assumed that they would safely wake up the next morning. The fear and panic that would have accompanied the volcano's awakening must have been unbearable. After navigating our way through the maze of streets, we took the train back into Naples for dinner.
We, of course, went for pizza since Naples is the founding place of pizza. We went to one of the pizzerias recommended by our Lonely Planet book, which is apparently very popular among locals as well. While we eating the amazing, big, double mozzarella pizza we saw a picture on the wall of Julia Roberts eating pizza in the same restaurant. I thought the picture looked familiar from a scene in the movie, Eat Pray Love. We asked one of the staff and sure enough, it is the restaurant where they go for pizza in the movie. It was also very cool to watch the guy make up our pizza then cook it in the big wood fire oven. Such a cool place and sooooo delicious! And the pizza, which was very big, only cost us €5 ($6.50)!!! Amazing!
We headed back to Rome, back to the campground, then packed up our bags since we were leaving the next morning for Milan.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Somewhere between a dream and reality...
The place we stayed in Santorini was unbelievably wonderful. Upon entering a gate to get inside the walled apartment area, we were surrounded by the typical white stone walls and blue doors and windows of the two-story buildings. The ivory buildings rose up meeting the unscathed blue sky while stone staircases wound their way down from the second floor. A pool was in the open courtyard as well as lounge chairs. The sun was setting and so a beautiful, golden light was cast atop the walls and upon the windows.
The next day, we rented ATVs, and toured the island. We went to the Red Sand beach, then to a lighthouse and lookout point, then walked around one of the towns which is known for its blue and white houses and buildings. This town was so beautiful not only because of the dramatic contrast between the colour of the buildings and the colour of sky. It was amazing also because it was situated right on the edge of the sea on a steep mountain side that fell softly into the glistening water. It was so peaceful and just so gorgeous.
Our second day began with more ATVing for the remaining two hours which we had left on our rental. We drove up several switchbacks up to the top of a mountain. We could only stay a couple minutes due to time, but it was still so beautiful. There were two towns below us, the vast sea stretching around us, and mountains rising majestically beside us. The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent on the Black Sand beach, which had very soft, but very hot sand. We laid on the sun chairs for awhile and swam in the cool, refreshing water of the Aegean Sea. That evening, we all (that is Sonja, Surya, who came with us from Ios, and two people we met from the dorm room where we were staying) went for a hike up the same mountain which we had driven up earlier. We took a different route to the one we'd taken earlier, though, so we saw this amazing rock face which was kind of a rusty orange colour. It was remarkable! It's height, colour, and texture/patterns astounded me. We finished hiking to the top of the maintain and happened to get there just as the sun was slipping behind billowy, beautiful clouds. So for our last night on Santorini, we unintentionally caught a sunset from a mountaintop. How perfect :)
The next day we woke up really early in hopes of seeing the sunrise, but by the time we reached the beach, it had already risen. It was still really beautiful though. We took a ferry off the island that afternoon to Athens and on the eight hour ride there, we met a lovely Irish couple. We chatted with them for awhile, then ended up playing Bananagrams with them for most of the way. We stayed in a hostel that night, then took a train then a bus to get to Patra. From there, we took a fifteen and a half hour ferry to Bari, Italy. In the ferry terminal we met this really nice guy, named Niki, from Toronto. We hung out with him for most of the way there which was nice. We arrived safely in Bari the next morning, then made our way to Rome.
The next day, we rented ATVs, and toured the island. We went to the Red Sand beach, then to a lighthouse and lookout point, then walked around one of the towns which is known for its blue and white houses and buildings. This town was so beautiful not only because of the dramatic contrast between the colour of the buildings and the colour of sky. It was amazing also because it was situated right on the edge of the sea on a steep mountain side that fell softly into the glistening water. It was so peaceful and just so gorgeous.
Our second day began with more ATVing for the remaining two hours which we had left on our rental. We drove up several switchbacks up to the top of a mountain. We could only stay a couple minutes due to time, but it was still so beautiful. There were two towns below us, the vast sea stretching around us, and mountains rising majestically beside us. The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent on the Black Sand beach, which had very soft, but very hot sand. We laid on the sun chairs for awhile and swam in the cool, refreshing water of the Aegean Sea. That evening, we all (that is Sonja, Surya, who came with us from Ios, and two people we met from the dorm room where we were staying) went for a hike up the same mountain which we had driven up earlier. We took a different route to the one we'd taken earlier, though, so we saw this amazing rock face which was kind of a rusty orange colour. It was remarkable! It's height, colour, and texture/patterns astounded me. We finished hiking to the top of the maintain and happened to get there just as the sun was slipping behind billowy, beautiful clouds. So for our last night on Santorini, we unintentionally caught a sunset from a mountaintop. How perfect :)
The next day we woke up really early in hopes of seeing the sunrise, but by the time we reached the beach, it had already risen. It was still really beautiful though. We took a ferry off the island that afternoon to Athens and on the eight hour ride there, we met a lovely Irish couple. We chatted with them for awhile, then ended up playing Bananagrams with them for most of the way. We stayed in a hostel that night, then took a train then a bus to get to Patra. From there, we took a fifteen and a half hour ferry to Bari, Italy. In the ferry terminal we met this really nice guy, named Niki, from Toronto. We hung out with him for most of the way there which was nice. We arrived safely in Bari the next morning, then made our way to Rome.
P-A-R-T-Y? Because it's Ios.
Ios as it turned out was very much a party island. Of course it was a beautiful place, but most people go there for the nightlife not to tour around. First we checked into where we were staying, which was incredibly cool and well laid out. It was a combination of bungalows, a campground, and a resort. We stayed in a lovely little white-walled, blue-trimmed bungalow. There was a mini-market, a bar and restaurant very close by. Beside the restaurant was the pool which was surrounded by lounge chairs and a couple hammocks and pillows. The beach was right in front of the whole area with sun chairs and bamboo umbrellas. It was so picturesque.
After settling in, we ate some dinner, got ready for the night, and then went to get our party on. Two Bacardi Breezers, five shots, and one Slammer Hammer (the Slammer Hammer involves putting on a helmet, chugging a glass of tequila/sprite (I think), and then getting hit on the head by the bartender with either a hammer, Heineken case, or fire-extinguisher-looking-thing), and lots of dancing later, Annalea and I walked home in the beautiful early morning light about 6:00am. We went to bed for a couple hours, then checked out of our room, and then laid on the beach for the afternoon. In the early evening we took a ferry from there to the very beautiful island of Santorini.
After settling in, we ate some dinner, got ready for the night, and then went to get our party on. Two Bacardi Breezers, five shots, and one Slammer Hammer (the Slammer Hammer involves putting on a helmet, chugging a glass of tequila/sprite (I think), and then getting hit on the head by the bartender with either a hammer, Heineken case, or fire-extinguisher-looking-thing), and lots of dancing later, Annalea and I walked home in the beautiful early morning light about 6:00am. We went to bed for a couple hours, then checked out of our room, and then laid on the beach for the afternoon. In the early evening we took a ferry from there to the very beautiful island of Santorini.
It's all Greek to me
We began our first full day in Athens by walking Surya to the ferry port because she was going to Ios (one of the Greek islands) that day. After that, we went on a really great walking tour. It was so amazing to see such ancient, historic sites. We started in one of the main squares and saw the Monastiraki (little Monastery). We then went to the Roman Agora (marketplace) which was constructed in the first century BC, then saw the library of Hadrian, the remains of ancient public toilets, and the tower of the winds. After that, we headed to the Classical Agora, laid out in 530 BC, where we saw the altar of the twelve gods, a fountain house, the Council House, courts, the shrine of the Mother of the Gods, and the Temples of Hephaestus, Zeus Phratios, Apollo Patroos, and Athena Phratia. This was the same agora where Socrates taught.
We continued our walk heading up to Mars Hill which is the place Paul (from the Bible) apparently preached from and which is now known as the make-out spot for young Athenian couples). We then walked up the path to the incredible Acropolis which sits proudly on the rocky mountaintop. Here we saw the Parthenon, which was amazing, as well as the Temple of Nike. We also stood at a lookout point where there was an amazing view of the vast city below. After this, we headed to the Amphitheater of Dionysius where public assemblies were held in the late third century AD. Our next stop was Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. After that, we walked by the Panathenaic Stadium, and then finished the tour outside the Parliament building where we saw the changing of the guard.
That night Sonja, Annalea, and I all went for dinner at this great little restaurant for Annalea's birthday celebration, since her actual birthday was spent in such a bogus manner. We had some really delicious Greek food, then walked around Athens for a bit, and then went back to the hostel.
The next day we had a slow start then walked around the city for the afternoon. We went to the Archeological Museum, and on the way there almost walked into a dangerous ghetto neighbourhood, but were thankfully warned to go back by a stranger passing by. We went to some gardens and a market, and then we were going to go see the National Gardens by the Parliament buildings. However, as we climbed the stairs from the subway into the main square above, we realized we had stumbled into the heart of a protest. There were hundreds of people crowding the square, many waving Greek flags, and towards the front and closer to the Parliament buildings people were shouting some Greek word in unison. It was still quite calm, despite the shouting, though police were lining the edges in case it got ugly. We asked a girl what was going on and they were apparently yelling "Thieves! Thieves! Thieves!" in regards to some debt that the government had. It was all very exciting. It also meant the gardens were closed, so after a few minutes we left. After going for dinner, we went back to the hostel for the remainder of the night. We left Athens early the next morning and headed for the island of Ios.
We continued our walk heading up to Mars Hill which is the place Paul (from the Bible) apparently preached from and which is now known as the make-out spot for young Athenian couples). We then walked up the path to the incredible Acropolis which sits proudly on the rocky mountaintop. Here we saw the Parthenon, which was amazing, as well as the Temple of Nike. We also stood at a lookout point where there was an amazing view of the vast city below. After this, we headed to the Amphitheater of Dionysius where public assemblies were held in the late third century AD. Our next stop was Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. After that, we walked by the Panathenaic Stadium, and then finished the tour outside the Parliament building where we saw the changing of the guard.
That night Sonja, Annalea, and I all went for dinner at this great little restaurant for Annalea's birthday celebration, since her actual birthday was spent in such a bogus manner. We had some really delicious Greek food, then walked around Athens for a bit, and then went back to the hostel.
The next day we had a slow start then walked around the city for the afternoon. We went to the Archeological Museum, and on the way there almost walked into a dangerous ghetto neighbourhood, but were thankfully warned to go back by a stranger passing by. We went to some gardens and a market, and then we were going to go see the National Gardens by the Parliament buildings. However, as we climbed the stairs from the subway into the main square above, we realized we had stumbled into the heart of a protest. There were hundreds of people crowding the square, many waving Greek flags, and towards the front and closer to the Parliament buildings people were shouting some Greek word in unison. It was still quite calm, despite the shouting, though police were lining the edges in case it got ugly. We asked a girl what was going on and they were apparently yelling "Thieves! Thieves! Thieves!" in regards to some debt that the government had. It was all very exciting. It also meant the gardens were closed, so after a few minutes we left. After going for dinner, we went back to the hostel for the remainder of the night. We left Athens early the next morning and headed for the island of Ios.
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