(and by "Lucille" i mean "Prague".)
apparently i haven't updated this once since i've been in Prague. sorry about that.
so, let's see... i stayed one night in a party hostel. crappy beds and loud kids and totally not my scene. and i mean really crappy bed. orphanage-style bed frames, and lawn-furniture pads instead of mattresses. bleh. the second hostel is much, much better. Chili Hostel, look it up.
the only bad thing i can say about this hostel is that breakfast isn't free, and there's no elevator. staying on the sixth floor isn't so easy with 30 lbs on your back when you arrive and leave the city. anyway.
i've seen castles and the Sedlec Ossuary and wandered the streets of Prague for days. I've spent a good deal of my nights with other hostelers, for maybe the first time since i started travelling i've felt like i made friends. which was very, very nice after a month of Single Serving Friends. anyway.
HelpX finally came through! i'm going back to Italy tomorrow! staying the night in Florence, then taking a train to Cortona where i'll apparently be picked up by the couple that runs the olive grove where i'll be working. not sure what the internet status is, or completely clear on the work or sleep situation, so it's one big adventure all around. don't even know how long i'll be there, or if i'll be paid anything at all besides food & shelter. adventure.
i had goulash the other night, and i've also tried Budvar. goulash is a traditional Czech meal, ridiculously filling and not too heavy on taste. it was good. Budvar is one of the first beers made in Czech, created in Czech, and either stolen or exported as Budweiser. but it tastes very different.
i've not been eating much breakfast, and pasta pretty consistently for dinner. tonight i have pasta with bolognese sauce, and an apple. delicious!
oh! they sell Communist Army & Navy belts at some souvenir shops here! i wants one! the Navy belt has a silver buckle with the Communist logo over an anchor, and a black belt. DO WANT! i'd buy one but it's about $40. so i'll google or ebay it and see what's what before i commit. (edit: just checked. yeah, it's on ebay for $30, free shipping. and it's totally awesome. BUY ME ONE!)
oh! on Sunday night i watched Straw Dogs at an expat coffeehouse. that was kinda odd. great great movie, but being in Prague, surrounded by Americans, most of whom live there, and none of them talked to me and i talked to none of them, i dunno. it was nice. i didn't even realize i missed the cinema experience. also i ate "Real American beef chili", and it was great.
one day i paid 500 Czech crowns for a Communism & Underground Bunker tour, along with four of my hostelmates. the Communism part was kind of boring and mostly not worth it, but the Underground Bunker was awesome! we were led all throughout one that is apparently rented out for parties and concerts and such, then we were each given a beer (which we quickly dubbed either Bunker Beer or Communist Unity Beer), and shown photos of Communist events in Prague. the rise, the fall, the death, everything. it was surprisingly somber. then party time again when we were allowed to try on authentic gas masks and communist army uniform jackets & hats. so i can now proudly say there is a photo in existence of me in a gas mask. i get to check (Czech?) that off my list. so it was good, generally.
almost forgot to talk about Kutna Hora and the Sedlec Ossuary. Kutna Hora is the town where the Ossuary is, FYI. very sleepy, friendly, rather nice town. if i come back to Czech Republic, i may stay in Kutna Hora just for the general feel of the place. so, Sedlec. sorry Alina, the skulls were all tagged like cows or expensive items at the store. so no skull for you. i was a little disappointed in the local gift shops, too. not nearly weird or morbid enough for the attraction they're leeching off of. anyway. back to Sedlec. you walk in, pay 50 crowns (about $2 at most), then go down the stairs. immediately at the bottom, on the right, is the name of the decorator, spelled out in bones. right in front of you is a chandelier made up of at least one of every single bone in the human body. in the four corners, fenced off, are free-standing pyramids of human bones. skulls and tibias and scapulas oh my. at the four corners around the chandelier are small towers with skulls and a few other bones tastefully arranged up them, until they culminate in a statue of a cherub. the statue is usually holding an actual human skull. to the left of the stairs is apparently some royal shield, formed out of bones. it's completely bizarre and more than a little morbid and i took plenty of pictures. no postcard this time, mom, don't worry. after the Ossuary i walked around Kutna Hora with a random Canadian i met walking there. it was a good day all around.
today so far: had breakfast and wandered the town with the French & German & Assyrian kids who were in my hostelroom last night. we napped in a park. it was much fun, but i don't have any proof that it happened. then i wandered to a mall, one of the first i've seen in all of Europe. that was okay, but definitely something i don't miss. i bought a flashlight to replace the one i lost, and another pair of sunglasses to replace my first replacement pair, which themselves got scratched up. good times. soon is dinner, then, i dunno. it's my last night in Prague, i wanna do something special. on the other hand, i've been staying up too late lately, and i'm a little under the weather. we'll see how i feel after eating, i guess. wish me luck!
man, Prague is stupid cheap. if you ever get the chance, you need to come here. so much history and culture, so little money. i think, of all the places i've seen thus far in my travels, Prague may be my favorite. well, factoring out the families i've stayed with and that. (sorry Mel & Nicola!)
so i guess that's it for this update. let me know if i missed anything, yeah? thanks for coming!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
greetings, my furry little donkeys!
this kezboard is totallz messed up. the quick brown fox jumped over the layz dog. +ěščřžýáíé (that was the numbers row. man, foreign keyboards are WEIRD.)
so, hi. i´m in Prague!
last night: after i got my hostel and flight to Prague sorted, i booked a hostel for one night, my last night in Rome. i wish i´d known about this hostel earlier, because it was awesome. ran into some dudes who i first met in London, that was weird. my last night in Rome was spent properly: karaoke. the drunks thought i was awesome.
this morning was mostly just a morning. packed, got to the airport, was worried i´d miss my flight, bought a travel guide about the Czech Republic, may have fallen asleep on the plane, got a bit lost finding the hostel. by the way, two things: i´m getting kind of tired of staying in hostels on the edge of town. they´re shady, hard to find, and usually too warm.
second thing: i don´t understand why people feel the need to applaud when the plane lands. the pilot´s just doing his job. it´s not like he just saved your life or pulled off a wicked hard guitar solo. do you applaud when the bus driver stops at the bus stop? no. do you applaud when the chef doesn´t give you food poisoning? no. so why applaud the pilot? i don´t get it. moving on.
an Italian girl met a girl from Prague on the plane. they spoke english. it was weird.
oh, one quick thing: European women. everyone you´ve ever heard talk about them sazs that they´re more beautiful than American women, right? well i figured it out. they´re not reallz more beautiful, they´re less ugly. and there are more of the upper end than in America, and fewer of the lower end. to sum up: the uggos are less ugly and fewer than in America, the hotties are more plentiful but not more hot. okay, glad we got that straightened out.
i saw three women breastfeeding in public while i was in Rome. which is two more than i´d ever seen anywhere ever. ever.
today, after i checked into my hostel, i went out for a Czech meal. no mom, i´m not eating out every meal, i just figured it´d be nice to eat some local fare on my first night. anyway. i had a delicious pork steak with grean beans and onions, and i ate the garnish too. then i had head cheese with red onions. i´m not sure what head cheese is, but i don´t want to google it, in case it´s something bad.
tonight i drank a pint of the world´s first lager, in the city that created the world´s first lager. it´s okay to be jealous.
i have with me a general European phrasebook/dictionary. i noticed tonight that it´s missing what is, without a doubt, the single most important phrase one can ever learn in a foreign language: "how do you say ____?"
also, Rick Steves was right: don´t be afraid to make a fool of yourself. when the check came i pointed to my phrasebook, the phrase "the meal was delicious, thank you." the waiter said the phrase, then i had to point to "could you please speak more slowly?" he laughed, then repeated it until i was able to say it back to him. we had a moment. he appreciated that i wasn´t just wantonly butchering his language, and i learned a useful phrase. win-win!
there´s no smoking ban here. so the restaurant where i ate actually had a non-smoking area. i giggled when i realized. and eating in a smoking restaurant wasn´t nearly as bad as the anti-smoking propaganda and my memory makes it seem. just sayin.
there´s a "night clubs" about two blocks away from this hostel, called Sweet Paradise. no, i´m not sure what it really is, nor do i want to know. and yes, all the signs for it call it a "night clubs". what´s the Czech version of Engrish called?
right. that´s it. tomorrow i´m going to see the local castle, and try to apply for a Chinese visa. then Friday i´m going to the Sedlec Ossuary (google it.)
goodnight all!!
this kezboard is totallz messed up. the quick brown fox jumped over the layz dog. +ěščřžýáíé (that was the numbers row. man, foreign keyboards are WEIRD.)
so, hi. i´m in Prague!
last night: after i got my hostel and flight to Prague sorted, i booked a hostel for one night, my last night in Rome. i wish i´d known about this hostel earlier, because it was awesome. ran into some dudes who i first met in London, that was weird. my last night in Rome was spent properly: karaoke. the drunks thought i was awesome.
this morning was mostly just a morning. packed, got to the airport, was worried i´d miss my flight, bought a travel guide about the Czech Republic, may have fallen asleep on the plane, got a bit lost finding the hostel. by the way, two things: i´m getting kind of tired of staying in hostels on the edge of town. they´re shady, hard to find, and usually too warm.
second thing: i don´t understand why people feel the need to applaud when the plane lands. the pilot´s just doing his job. it´s not like he just saved your life or pulled off a wicked hard guitar solo. do you applaud when the bus driver stops at the bus stop? no. do you applaud when the chef doesn´t give you food poisoning? no. so why applaud the pilot? i don´t get it. moving on.
an Italian girl met a girl from Prague on the plane. they spoke english. it was weird.
oh, one quick thing: European women. everyone you´ve ever heard talk about them sazs that they´re more beautiful than American women, right? well i figured it out. they´re not reallz more beautiful, they´re less ugly. and there are more of the upper end than in America, and fewer of the lower end. to sum up: the uggos are less ugly and fewer than in America, the hotties are more plentiful but not more hot. okay, glad we got that straightened out.
i saw three women breastfeeding in public while i was in Rome. which is two more than i´d ever seen anywhere ever. ever.
today, after i checked into my hostel, i went out for a Czech meal. no mom, i´m not eating out every meal, i just figured it´d be nice to eat some local fare on my first night. anyway. i had a delicious pork steak with grean beans and onions, and i ate the garnish too. then i had head cheese with red onions. i´m not sure what head cheese is, but i don´t want to google it, in case it´s something bad.
tonight i drank a pint of the world´s first lager, in the city that created the world´s first lager. it´s okay to be jealous.
i have with me a general European phrasebook/dictionary. i noticed tonight that it´s missing what is, without a doubt, the single most important phrase one can ever learn in a foreign language: "how do you say ____?"
also, Rick Steves was right: don´t be afraid to make a fool of yourself. when the check came i pointed to my phrasebook, the phrase "the meal was delicious, thank you." the waiter said the phrase, then i had to point to "could you please speak more slowly?" he laughed, then repeated it until i was able to say it back to him. we had a moment. he appreciated that i wasn´t just wantonly butchering his language, and i learned a useful phrase. win-win!
there´s no smoking ban here. so the restaurant where i ate actually had a non-smoking area. i giggled when i realized. and eating in a smoking restaurant wasn´t nearly as bad as the anti-smoking propaganda and my memory makes it seem. just sayin.
there´s a "night clubs" about two blocks away from this hostel, called Sweet Paradise. no, i´m not sure what it really is, nor do i want to know. and yes, all the signs for it call it a "night clubs". what´s the Czech version of Engrish called?
right. that´s it. tomorrow i´m going to see the local castle, and try to apply for a Chinese visa. then Friday i´m going to the Sedlec Ossuary (google it.)
goodnight all!!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
i am officially out of cotton swabs!
i bought a 30-pack of cotton swabs for my trip, and today i used the last one! i've been travelling for one month. *tiny happy dance*
still in Rome, this is supposed to be my last day. waiting to hear back from a lady with a job and place to stay somewhere in Italy. if i don't hear back soon i will either have to cut my losses or stay here another day. we'll see. i can get a plane to Prague for about €80 today. which is silly cheap. i'll give her a few more hours. i do need to buy more cotton swabs, after all. she has time.
saw the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica yesterday. i'm starting to think i don't react to stuff like most people do. it was impressive, yeah, but i wasn't blown away. got a few pictures of the Sistine Chapel, even though photos are strictly prohibited there. but that's not really enforced, so i guess it's cool. saw a lot of sculpture and paintings and surprisingly not a lot of depictions of Hell. anyway.
outside St. Peter's i ran into a girl who's staying at my hostel. we had some dinner together and walked back to the hostel. that was okay. then i played solitaire and ate a real dinner. tried to decipher a local newspaper using only a "European Phrase Book", but dang it's too hard. gave up, played more solitaire, read a bit, went to bed.
i've taken a lot of pictures so far, one of Jesus being really scared, and hopefully i'll be able to upload them somewhere soon.
i think that's all i did yesterday. have no real idea what i'll do today. i'm pretty much out of things i want to see here. well, there's always more to see, but i've hit the big ones. dunno.
right. here we go!
still in Rome, this is supposed to be my last day. waiting to hear back from a lady with a job and place to stay somewhere in Italy. if i don't hear back soon i will either have to cut my losses or stay here another day. we'll see. i can get a plane to Prague for about €80 today. which is silly cheap. i'll give her a few more hours. i do need to buy more cotton swabs, after all. she has time.
saw the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica yesterday. i'm starting to think i don't react to stuff like most people do. it was impressive, yeah, but i wasn't blown away. got a few pictures of the Sistine Chapel, even though photos are strictly prohibited there. but that's not really enforced, so i guess it's cool. saw a lot of sculpture and paintings and surprisingly not a lot of depictions of Hell. anyway.
outside St. Peter's i ran into a girl who's staying at my hostel. we had some dinner together and walked back to the hostel. that was okay. then i played solitaire and ate a real dinner. tried to decipher a local newspaper using only a "European Phrase Book", but dang it's too hard. gave up, played more solitaire, read a bit, went to bed.
i've taken a lot of pictures so far, one of Jesus being really scared, and hopefully i'll be able to upload them somewhere soon.
i think that's all i did yesterday. have no real idea what i'll do today. i'm pretty much out of things i want to see here. well, there's always more to see, but i've hit the big ones. dunno.
right. here we go!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
9 minute update, GO!
hi! i'm in Rome! i have yet to see the Pope, but i'm sure it's just a matter of time, right? he lives here, there've got to be some great Pope-spotting areas. anyway.
tomorrow i'm going to St. Peter's Basilica. should be good.
let's see... in Rome... what have i done... oh yeah!
i toured the Coliseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, an odd little crypt, and i ate dinner at Piazza Navona. oh! and today i went into the Pantheon. The Parthenon is in Athens.
my life isn't changed, as somebody *ahem* assured me it would be, simply by being in Rome. but i am rather tan and i've been told several times that i look like a native. in my dressing, as well as my skin-tone.
that reminds me! i ran into a newlywed couple while i was looking for the crypt, and the three of us spent the rest of the day together. we amused each other. at least, i assume so. they amused me and i'm pretty sure they amused themselves. anyway. that reminded me of a thought i've had several times throughout this trip: i think it might be more fun if i weren't alone. oh well.
um... so i'm not sure where i'm going next. i've put a few lines out on some websites, but if they don't bite it'll either be a RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP city such as Prague (i think i might go to Prague. i don't know if you figured that out by the several times i've mentioned it, but now you know) or back to the US. but i dunno. i kinda feel like my trip isn't done. i can't go back yet, there's more to come. or something. i dunno.
i started making a list last night of Things I Miss, and Things I Don't Miss. inspired by the snoring jerk in the room with me. not an interesting list, but it's mine.
right, i think that's, no wait! it's ten minutes! dang! bye!
tomorrow i'm going to St. Peter's Basilica. should be good.
let's see... in Rome... what have i done... oh yeah!
i toured the Coliseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, an odd little crypt, and i ate dinner at Piazza Navona. oh! and today i went into the Pantheon. The Parthenon is in Athens.
my life isn't changed, as somebody *ahem* assured me it would be, simply by being in Rome. but i am rather tan and i've been told several times that i look like a native. in my dressing, as well as my skin-tone.
that reminds me! i ran into a newlywed couple while i was looking for the crypt, and the three of us spent the rest of the day together. we amused each other. at least, i assume so. they amused me and i'm pretty sure they amused themselves. anyway. that reminded me of a thought i've had several times throughout this trip: i think it might be more fun if i weren't alone. oh well.
um... so i'm not sure where i'm going next. i've put a few lines out on some websites, but if they don't bite it'll either be a RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP city such as Prague (i think i might go to Prague. i don't know if you figured that out by the several times i've mentioned it, but now you know) or back to the US. but i dunno. i kinda feel like my trip isn't done. i can't go back yet, there's more to come. or something. i dunno.
i started making a list last night of Things I Miss, and Things I Don't Miss. inspired by the snoring jerk in the room with me. not an interesting list, but it's mine.
right, i think that's, no wait! it's ten minutes! dang! bye!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
greetings, my (plural noun) of (verb)!
i spent all day in Cinque Terre. it's ridiculously pretty, but i realized something today: i can barely swim. what the hell am i doing in the ocean?!?
but yeah. i swam. i think i lost a Euro in the ocean. and i jumped off a high rock thing into water. once.
after i updated last night i went to bed and decided a sleep mask would've been a good idea. alas.
fun fact: the Amsterdam airport specifically prohibits nunchucks.
remind me, if i ever find someone i'm interested in for more than a week (slight exaggeration. slight.), to take them here. seems like it'd be a very romantic place.
dinner tonight was Trofie al Pesto, which was just some funny-shaped noodles in pesto sauce. it was good. looking around at the tables and the diners, i thought if i had a girl here, the only thing missing would be that song from Lady And The Tramp. you know the one. instead i'm alone and hearing "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)". there was a way to tell that story funnier, but i missed it. oh well.
i realized tonight that i know how to say "thank you" and "you're welcome" in Italian, but i don't know "i'm sorry." i wonder if that fact reveals anything about my character?
man, this travel blog actually has very little travel information in it. if i were you, i'd want my money back.
i bought new sunglasses today. not thrilled with them, but they were the cheapest pair i could find that i didn't absolutely hate. and then my earbuds broke. well, the left side doesn't transmit sound unless you pinch the base of the cord in just the right way. crap.
i bought a new book: Chuck Palahniuk's Snuff. it's short but good so far. donated my last book to a fellow traveller who just finished his. we didn't trade, i'd rather not read The Great Gatsby again.
i'm thinking about going to Prague next, but i'll probably stay another night here, just so i have time to research it. figure out costs, see if i can't crash a couch, look into jobs, that sort of thing. a fellow traveller suggested Southeast Asia because it's apparently stupid cheap, so i'm looking into that as well. i dunno. where do you think i should go? (and yes, i actually expect a response. i know you all have places you think everyone should visit, or that you'd really like to go some time. out with it. if you tell me, i may go, then we'll have loads of stuff to talk about when i get back, and you can visit a foregin country vicarously through me. it'll be great.) so yeah. where should i go next? the polls are open!
i spent all day in Cinque Terre. it's ridiculously pretty, but i realized something today: i can barely swim. what the hell am i doing in the ocean?!?
but yeah. i swam. i think i lost a Euro in the ocean. and i jumped off a high rock thing into water. once.
after i updated last night i went to bed and decided a sleep mask would've been a good idea. alas.
fun fact: the Amsterdam airport specifically prohibits nunchucks.
remind me, if i ever find someone i'm interested in for more than a week (slight exaggeration. slight.), to take them here. seems like it'd be a very romantic place.
dinner tonight was Trofie al Pesto, which was just some funny-shaped noodles in pesto sauce. it was good. looking around at the tables and the diners, i thought if i had a girl here, the only thing missing would be that song from Lady And The Tramp. you know the one. instead i'm alone and hearing "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)". there was a way to tell that story funnier, but i missed it. oh well.
i realized tonight that i know how to say "thank you" and "you're welcome" in Italian, but i don't know "i'm sorry." i wonder if that fact reveals anything about my character?
man, this travel blog actually has very little travel information in it. if i were you, i'd want my money back.
i bought new sunglasses today. not thrilled with them, but they were the cheapest pair i could find that i didn't absolutely hate. and then my earbuds broke. well, the left side doesn't transmit sound unless you pinch the base of the cord in just the right way. crap.
i bought a new book: Chuck Palahniuk's Snuff. it's short but good so far. donated my last book to a fellow traveller who just finished his. we didn't trade, i'd rather not read The Great Gatsby again.
i'm thinking about going to Prague next, but i'll probably stay another night here, just so i have time to research it. figure out costs, see if i can't crash a couch, look into jobs, that sort of thing. a fellow traveller suggested Southeast Asia because it's apparently stupid cheap, so i'm looking into that as well. i dunno. where do you think i should go? (and yes, i actually expect a response. i know you all have places you think everyone should visit, or that you'd really like to go some time. out with it. if you tell me, i may go, then we'll have loads of stuff to talk about when i get back, and you can visit a foregin country vicarously through me. it'll be great.) so yeah. where should i go next? the polls are open!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
BACON!!!
this keyboard is much closer to what i'm used to. hooray!
hi, i'm in Corniglia (google it). i walked up 382 steps to get here and i'm staying two nights. it's ridiculously beautiful. even if it is a pain in the ass to get here.
last night: stayed in hotel, as i posted yesterday. it was nice. both Burn Notice and Supernatural in German. although, they weren't as much fun as i'd hoped, because i didn't already know the episodes. i guess Arnold Shwarzenegger (spelling?) in Espanol just kind of set a high bar.
this morning: BACON!!! and real coffee and orange juice and scrambled eggs and sausage and sheep cheese! it was the best breakfast i've had since Ogbourne St. George. delicious!
got to the airport, checked in, had time to kill. would've bought a Germany button for my bag (my lone souvenir and proof of travel), but they were €4. smurf that.
oh! the van driver from the hotel to the airport was a crazy person. she'd whistle a little tune then have half a conversation. it was weird. yes, a bluetooth headset would explain the conversation, but there's no explaining the whistling that immediately preceeded EVERY conversation.
i brushed my teeth for the first time today after i arrived in Italy. i felt gross and self-conscious. but now it's okay.
in the Munich airport i watched an old man get up and walk away from the wheelchair he was just sitting in. i should've taken it for a ride. silly cripple, just walking away from his only means of transportation.
i composed a little poem when we landed, about being in Italy, but it's not appropriate for civilized conversation.
oh! the Italians have Ikea! proof that they're not all mindless bloody savages!
i've finished my fourth book of the trip. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. bought it yesterday, went through it like a fat girl through cake. donated it to one of the other hostelers. now i guess i'll have to actually talk to people to amuse myself. this will not end well.
today: took the train three times back and forth, until i finally got on one that went to Corniglia. that was fun. ate dinner-ish, went for a quick swim in the ocean, and now i'm so bored my nipples are about to fall off. so there's that.
...and i think i've overstayed my €1 for 15 minute internet agreement. time to settle up, then maybe walk around town in the dark and hope i don't fall down, down, down, into the ocean. hopefully the ocean doesn't want me today.
hi, i'm in Corniglia (google it). i walked up 382 steps to get here and i'm staying two nights. it's ridiculously beautiful. even if it is a pain in the ass to get here.
last night: stayed in hotel, as i posted yesterday. it was nice. both Burn Notice and Supernatural in German. although, they weren't as much fun as i'd hoped, because i didn't already know the episodes. i guess Arnold Shwarzenegger (spelling?) in Espanol just kind of set a high bar.
this morning: BACON!!! and real coffee and orange juice and scrambled eggs and sausage and sheep cheese! it was the best breakfast i've had since Ogbourne St. George. delicious!
got to the airport, checked in, had time to kill. would've bought a Germany button for my bag (my lone souvenir and proof of travel), but they were €4. smurf that.
oh! the van driver from the hotel to the airport was a crazy person. she'd whistle a little tune then have half a conversation. it was weird. yes, a bluetooth headset would explain the conversation, but there's no explaining the whistling that immediately preceeded EVERY conversation.
i brushed my teeth for the first time today after i arrived in Italy. i felt gross and self-conscious. but now it's okay.
in the Munich airport i watched an old man get up and walk away from the wheelchair he was just sitting in. i should've taken it for a ride. silly cripple, just walking away from his only means of transportation.
i composed a little poem when we landed, about being in Italy, but it's not appropriate for civilized conversation.
oh! the Italians have Ikea! proof that they're not all mindless bloody savages!
i've finished my fourth book of the trip. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. bought it yesterday, went through it like a fat girl through cake. donated it to one of the other hostelers. now i guess i'll have to actually talk to people to amuse myself. this will not end well.
today: took the train three times back and forth, until i finally got on one that went to Corniglia. that was fun. ate dinner-ish, went for a quick swim in the ocean, and now i'm so bored my nipples are about to fall off. so there's that.
...and i think i've overstayed my €1 for 15 minute internet agreement. time to settle up, then maybe walk around town in the dark and hope i don't fall down, down, down, into the ocean. hopefully the ocean doesn't want me today.
Monday, July 12, 2010
FREE DINNER WOOHOO!
greetings from airport-esque Munich!
i äm borrowing the hotel's computer so i can't be long. plus the keyboard on this thing is freaking confusing.
my plane out of Amsterdam got delayed due to weather, so i missed my second plane to Genoa. the airline comped me a free hotel room, with dinner and breakfast. i am happy with this beyond all reasonable explanations.
my plane is at 9am tomorrow so i can't stay up late, but this place has a sauna!
from Genoa i'm planning on train-ing to Cinque Terre (google it), where i will spend no more than three days. promise. after that, who knows? maybe home, maybe not. right now that thought excites me, in three days it'll probably terrify me.
as a test, hereäs what happens when i trz to tzpe without looking at the kezs.
the "z" and "y" are switched, the @ is on the Q, the ? is on the number row at the top, cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria!
mental note: i really need to stop putting in my mouth things which are not meant for my mouth. today's item: a 2 Euro coin. i'll add to this list as i go.
oh, food! for lunch i had *shudder* Burger King. it was literally the cheapest meal in the Amsterdam airport. (that place is expensive! €5 for a freakin' sammich!) i prayed for forgiveness from the Travelling Gods, for the crap 'merican meal.
dinner, which i just had, was... pasta with some kind of chicken sauce, grilled bell peppers, potatoes prepared in some way, and i think it was some kind of gumbo but i'm not sure. related note: i still don't like potato salad, even in Germany.
more people are being bussed in by the minute. i'm expecting that little girl who glared at me in the airport any minute now.
so, the moral of the story: fly Lufthansia if you're flexible on dates and like free hotels. don't fly them if you need to be somewhere at a specific time. but whatever happens, enjoy!
i äm borrowing the hotel's computer so i can't be long. plus the keyboard on this thing is freaking confusing.
my plane out of Amsterdam got delayed due to weather, so i missed my second plane to Genoa. the airline comped me a free hotel room, with dinner and breakfast. i am happy with this beyond all reasonable explanations.
my plane is at 9am tomorrow so i can't stay up late, but this place has a sauna!
from Genoa i'm planning on train-ing to Cinque Terre (google it), where i will spend no more than three days. promise. after that, who knows? maybe home, maybe not. right now that thought excites me, in three days it'll probably terrify me.
as a test, hereäs what happens when i trz to tzpe without looking at the kezs.
the "z" and "y" are switched, the @ is on the Q, the ? is on the number row at the top, cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria!
mental note: i really need to stop putting in my mouth things which are not meant for my mouth. today's item: a 2 Euro coin. i'll add to this list as i go.
oh, food! for lunch i had *shudder* Burger King. it was literally the cheapest meal in the Amsterdam airport. (that place is expensive! €5 for a freakin' sammich!) i prayed for forgiveness from the Travelling Gods, for the crap 'merican meal.
dinner, which i just had, was... pasta with some kind of chicken sauce, grilled bell peppers, potatoes prepared in some way, and i think it was some kind of gumbo but i'm not sure. related note: i still don't like potato salad, even in Germany.
more people are being bussed in by the minute. i'm expecting that little girl who glared at me in the airport any minute now.
so, the moral of the story: fly Lufthansia if you're flexible on dates and like free hotels. don't fly them if you need to be somewhere at a specific time. but whatever happens, enjoy!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
i've been in this city too long.
i'm leaving tomorrow, and it's not too soon.
currently aiming for Italy, the Cinque Terre. just need to find the cheapest flight and hostel, and i'll book it. also, having my credit card on me would be mighty helpful.
i heard my last name pronounced perfectly yesterday, by a woman who spoke broken english. it was weird, but kinda cool.
also in the weird but cool category: my hostel room has a tv and it's usually on. i was lying about yesterday and i swear i heard "Most Awesome ekta alba inte Ever!". the bilingual thing is kinda weird. but cool.
right. my plans for the rest of the day, in roughly chronological order: food, book flight and hostel, read about Italy, hopefully learn some Italian, bed. notice only one "food"? yeah, me too.
sorry this one's short and not very amusing. ill try to have a better one for you next time.
currently aiming for Italy, the Cinque Terre. just need to find the cheapest flight and hostel, and i'll book it. also, having my credit card on me would be mighty helpful.
i heard my last name pronounced perfectly yesterday, by a woman who spoke broken english. it was weird, but kinda cool.
also in the weird but cool category: my hostel room has a tv and it's usually on. i was lying about yesterday and i swear i heard "Most Awesome ekta alba inte Ever!". the bilingual thing is kinda weird. but cool.
right. my plans for the rest of the day, in roughly chronological order: food, book flight and hostel, read about Italy, hopefully learn some Italian, bed. notice only one "food"? yeah, me too.
sorry this one's short and not very amusing. ill try to have a better one for you next time.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Laundry Day 3: Dream Warriors
next time i go travelling, i'm gonna learn or write a bunch of songs on guitar so i can keep up with the stoned hippies.
hello all! today is laundry day, so it's sort of like my day off. which is nice. i'm doing nothing but this, seeing nothing interesting, not getting pelted by rocks or roses thrown by locals, just a lazy day.
Wednesday: did nothing interesting, really. wandered around the city, saw a park. there is nothing free in this city except oxygen and heat. so i got a lot of both.
Thursday: saw Anne Frank's house. worry not: my cold, dead heart felt nothing, admitted nothing. but i did have a bit of something in my eye towards the end. they don't allow cameras in AnneFrankHuis, so there are no photos. i actually skipped out of the tour after Anne Frank died. everything after that was sentimental crap about how parent's rarely know their children's true feelings and thoughts, and how through awareness we can prevent Nazis from returning without becoming Nazis ourselves, and won't you please give generously to the Anne Frank Foundation? and then there's the gift shop. bleh.
Thursday night: went to a coffeeshop that's apparently sort of famous, i guess. i had a hot chocolate and a bag of chips. talked for a little bit to some Spaniards, but they had the worst english of anyone i've met here so far, and that was boring. met some British girls and was unable to get a word in edgewise for a while. then i wandered the Red Light District. i availed myself of no one's services. but it was an interesting sight. i was actually looking for some place called The Grasshopper, but i didn't find it until after i'd given up looking. i bought some generic but sufficiently spicy pseudo-chinese food and was looking for my bus-stop when i happened upon it. may go back tonight, but more likely it'll be tomorrow.
i then walked into a circle of hippies/gypsies/homeless kids/travellers/whatever, sitting around smoking and playing guitars. so i sat and sang a bit and played Karma Police and that was okay. it was 2am when i got to Centraal Station (not a typo) for my bus, so it was 3am by the time i got to my hostel. i missed breakfast this morning, so the leftover chinese-ish food in my bag is totally calling my name.
i think that's mostly it, really. running out of money (send money). job-hunting time or tuck-tail-and-return-to-the-US time coming soon. it's too early to come back, so i'm gonna push my luck a bit, i think. (send luck) oh, if anybody has any friends or family in Europe who might be able to help me out, don't hesitate to let me know!
alright, i'm gonna sit under this desk and eat and cry for a bit. have a good day, thanks for stopping by!
hello all! today is laundry day, so it's sort of like my day off. which is nice. i'm doing nothing but this, seeing nothing interesting, not getting pelted by rocks or roses thrown by locals, just a lazy day.
Wednesday: did nothing interesting, really. wandered around the city, saw a park. there is nothing free in this city except oxygen and heat. so i got a lot of both.
Thursday: saw Anne Frank's house. worry not: my cold, dead heart felt nothing, admitted nothing. but i did have a bit of something in my eye towards the end. they don't allow cameras in AnneFrankHuis, so there are no photos. i actually skipped out of the tour after Anne Frank died. everything after that was sentimental crap about how parent's rarely know their children's true feelings and thoughts, and how through awareness we can prevent Nazis from returning without becoming Nazis ourselves, and won't you please give generously to the Anne Frank Foundation? and then there's the gift shop. bleh.
Thursday night: went to a coffeeshop that's apparently sort of famous, i guess. i had a hot chocolate and a bag of chips. talked for a little bit to some Spaniards, but they had the worst english of anyone i've met here so far, and that was boring. met some British girls and was unable to get a word in edgewise for a while. then i wandered the Red Light District. i availed myself of no one's services. but it was an interesting sight. i was actually looking for some place called The Grasshopper, but i didn't find it until after i'd given up looking. i bought some generic but sufficiently spicy pseudo-chinese food and was looking for my bus-stop when i happened upon it. may go back tonight, but more likely it'll be tomorrow.
i then walked into a circle of hippies/gypsies/homeless kids/travellers/whatever, sitting around smoking and playing guitars. so i sat and sang a bit and played Karma Police and that was okay. it was 2am when i got to Centraal Station (not a typo) for my bus, so it was 3am by the time i got to my hostel. i missed breakfast this morning, so the leftover chinese-ish food in my bag is totally calling my name.
i think that's mostly it, really. running out of money (send money). job-hunting time or tuck-tail-and-return-to-the-US time coming soon. it's too early to come back, so i'm gonna push my luck a bit, i think. (send luck) oh, if anybody has any friends or family in Europe who might be able to help me out, don't hesitate to let me know!
alright, i'm gonna sit under this desk and eat and cry for a bit. have a good day, thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
i'm thinking of a Ray Charles song...
Greetings from Amsterdam!
the library here is absolutely amazing! 8 stories, Space Chairs!, restaurant at the top, it's great. i could spend all day in here, if i never got hungry.
the time is now 1pm, so good morning to most of you, and good day to the rest.
got in to Amsterdam from Luton airport at around 9pm. due to "machine failure", we were sent from Baggage Belt 21 (remember that, it's important later) to Baggage Belt 13. we then waited for no less than 2 hours for our luggage to arrive. at several points during that time i honestly wondered if i'd ever see my luggage again, maybe my luggage caught fire, or maybe my bag broke the Baggage Belt? eventually i wandered back to Baggage Belt 21 to find that all our luggage had been waiting here for us this whole time! sneaky airline, delivering baggage where they said they would! i then spent maybe half an hour trying to remember enough faces to tell as many people as i could that their bags were at Belt 21. most didn't believe me, and as far as i know they are still waiting at Baggage Belt 13.
anyway. from the airport i got on a train to Sloterdijk, then caught the number 14 bus to 'Plein 40-45. my hostel is right beside the stop, so that was easy. ta-da!
yesterday i met and spent the day with a German named Katja. we mostly just wandered around a bit lost. not much to speak of, really. went to bed early.
today: will be mostly spent wandering around as well. going to the Anne Frank House later, and i have a postcard to send, as soon as i find a post office. i still also have to buy myself a souvenir. (no, that's not a codeword)
it's an odd feeling, beng surrounded by people who speak a different language. although i was very amused when i went into a Burger King yesterday and realized i understood almost every word spoken at the register. not that i picked up any restaurant dutch, but that it was all broken english. "whopper, supersize, coke." "ketchup, mayo, extra?" so at least i know i'll be able to survive myself on fast food. unless i'm not able to survive on fast food, that is.
one little note: this computer is convinced i'm misspelling every second word. it amuses me.
well, that's it for today. i'm off like a prom dress!
the library here is absolutely amazing! 8 stories, Space Chairs!, restaurant at the top, it's great. i could spend all day in here, if i never got hungry.
the time is now 1pm, so good morning to most of you, and good day to the rest.
got in to Amsterdam from Luton airport at around 9pm. due to "machine failure", we were sent from Baggage Belt 21 (remember that, it's important later) to Baggage Belt 13. we then waited for no less than 2 hours for our luggage to arrive. at several points during that time i honestly wondered if i'd ever see my luggage again, maybe my luggage caught fire, or maybe my bag broke the Baggage Belt? eventually i wandered back to Baggage Belt 21 to find that all our luggage had been waiting here for us this whole time! sneaky airline, delivering baggage where they said they would! i then spent maybe half an hour trying to remember enough faces to tell as many people as i could that their bags were at Belt 21. most didn't believe me, and as far as i know they are still waiting at Baggage Belt 13.
anyway. from the airport i got on a train to Sloterdijk, then caught the number 14 bus to 'Plein 40-45. my hostel is right beside the stop, so that was easy. ta-da!
yesterday i met and spent the day with a German named Katja. we mostly just wandered around a bit lost. not much to speak of, really. went to bed early.
today: will be mostly spent wandering around as well. going to the Anne Frank House later, and i have a postcard to send, as soon as i find a post office. i still also have to buy myself a souvenir. (no, that's not a codeword)
it's an odd feeling, beng surrounded by people who speak a different language. although i was very amused when i went into a Burger King yesterday and realized i understood almost every word spoken at the register. not that i picked up any restaurant dutch, but that it was all broken english. "whopper, supersize, coke." "ketchup, mayo, extra?" so at least i know i'll be able to survive myself on fast food. unless i'm not able to survive on fast food, that is.
one little note: this computer is convinced i'm misspelling every second word. it amuses me.
well, that's it for today. i'm off like a prom dress!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
hello! since im travelling all day tomorrow, i figured i'd update now, let you all know what's going on. although updating by phone was probably a horrible idea.
today i did naught but book flight and hostel for Amsterdam. it was a great day.
tomorrow i spend most of the day in London, flight is at 7pm. might try to find a barber to trim the back of my head. dunno.
if you haven't heard from me by Wednesday, i'm either dead or in a coffee shop somewhere. cheers!
today i did naught but book flight and hostel for Amsterdam. it was a great day.
tomorrow i spend most of the day in London, flight is at 7pm. might try to find a barber to trim the back of my head. dunno.
if you haven't heard from me by Wednesday, i'm either dead or in a coffee shop somewhere. cheers!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Hello and welcome, race fans!
how was that? pretty good opener, eh? i thought of it all on my own! *beams with pride*
right. so today i walked along The Ridgeway (google it), from Ogbourne St. George (google it) to Avebury (don't google it, i'll explain in a bit.) took me three hours, call it 9 to 10 miles. beautiful scenery, lots of animal droppings. The Ridgeway, i mean. Avebury is the next paragraph. apparently The Ridgeway is some ancient footpath leading (presumably) to Avebury. what i've heard is that it's not so much a trade route as it is just a path to the stone circle. creepy, ooooooooooooooooh!
Avebury: a tiny village town built around/beside standing stones, much like Stonehenge but smaller and you can touch them. equally mysterious, though. terribly mysterious. and i hear they can cut guns in half! with their mind! ...wait, got distracted there. anyway. i touched many stones, but alas, i didn't develop super powers, nor did i meet any witches, Sorceror's Supreme, ancient forbidden gods, nor (and this is the most disappointing) any Doctors. oh well.
while in Avebury i ate at the only restaurant in town, a pub called The Red Lion. decent place, i suppose. good food, cold beer, it hits all the selling points. i ate some sork sausage thing with mashed potatoes and "root vegetable crisps" in red onion gravy. it was nice. then i walked to the store, bought a take-away sandwich and a bag of crisps. went back to The Red Lion, had a last beer and filled my water bottle (with water, duh) and was on my way.
on the way back to Ogbourne St. George i saw many sheep. some had numbers spray painted on their sides, so i can only assume they're racing sheep. so when next i see Nicola or Chris i'm going to ask when and where the Sheep Races are held, and i'm gonna see if i can't win some money. also: the movies lied to us. i tried the "Bah Ram Ewe" thing from Babe: didn't work. at all. not even a little. i even tried saying to the sheep "Bah Weep Grah Nah Weep Ninnibong", but i guess Big Red gum doesn't work as well as Energon Cubes, for this too was denied. alas and alack.
the trek back took me about 4 hours, the extra hour due to having to walk through Ogbourne St. George (google it again, i know you've forgotten). when i got back to the house where i'm staying, the 8 year old asked me what i'm doing tomorrow. i looked at my feet and said "hopefully, nothing." actually, at this point i sort of hope i never walk again. some aloe for my neck would be nice, though. (send aloe) as for my actual plans for tomorrow: dunno. i think i heard something about church in the morning, but i dunno. and i still have to plan where i'm going next and how i'm getting there. i guess i have a full day of sitting on my arse tomorrow, better get plenty of rest!
i dunno. how'd i do guys? informative and entertaining enough for you? leave your feedback in the comments section!
how was that? pretty good opener, eh? i thought of it all on my own! *beams with pride*
right. so today i walked along The Ridgeway (google it), from Ogbourne St. George (google it) to Avebury (don't google it, i'll explain in a bit.) took me three hours, call it 9 to 10 miles. beautiful scenery, lots of animal droppings. The Ridgeway, i mean. Avebury is the next paragraph. apparently The Ridgeway is some ancient footpath leading (presumably) to Avebury. what i've heard is that it's not so much a trade route as it is just a path to the stone circle. creepy, ooooooooooooooooh!
Avebury: a tiny village town built around/beside standing stones, much like Stonehenge but smaller and you can touch them. equally mysterious, though. terribly mysterious. and i hear they can cut guns in half! with their mind! ...wait, got distracted there. anyway. i touched many stones, but alas, i didn't develop super powers, nor did i meet any witches, Sorceror's Supreme, ancient forbidden gods, nor (and this is the most disappointing) any Doctors. oh well.
while in Avebury i ate at the only restaurant in town, a pub called The Red Lion. decent place, i suppose. good food, cold beer, it hits all the selling points. i ate some sork sausage thing with mashed potatoes and "root vegetable crisps" in red onion gravy. it was nice. then i walked to the store, bought a take-away sandwich and a bag of crisps. went back to The Red Lion, had a last beer and filled my water bottle (with water, duh) and was on my way.
on the way back to Ogbourne St. George i saw many sheep. some had numbers spray painted on their sides, so i can only assume they're racing sheep. so when next i see Nicola or Chris i'm going to ask when and where the Sheep Races are held, and i'm gonna see if i can't win some money. also: the movies lied to us. i tried the "Bah Ram Ewe" thing from Babe: didn't work. at all. not even a little. i even tried saying to the sheep "Bah Weep Grah Nah Weep Ninnibong", but i guess Big Red gum doesn't work as well as Energon Cubes, for this too was denied. alas and alack.
the trek back took me about 4 hours, the extra hour due to having to walk through Ogbourne St. George (google it again, i know you've forgotten). when i got back to the house where i'm staying, the 8 year old asked me what i'm doing tomorrow. i looked at my feet and said "hopefully, nothing." actually, at this point i sort of hope i never walk again. some aloe for my neck would be nice, though. (send aloe) as for my actual plans for tomorrow: dunno. i think i heard something about church in the morning, but i dunno. and i still have to plan where i'm going next and how i'm getting there. i guess i have a full day of sitting on my arse tomorrow, better get plenty of rest!
i dunno. how'd i do guys? informative and entertaining enough for you? leave your feedback in the comments section!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Day... eh, forget it.
Greetings, my spazmodic squirrels of love!
i've got at least two days worth of happenings for you! but first, i have to go to the bathroom.
there. much better. so, where were we? oh yes! hi, i'm in Ogbourne St. George today. google it. i'm staying with Mel's sister for the weekend, because she's not far from Avebury. on Monday i'm pretty sure i'm off to Amsterdam! wheee!!
let's see... what did i do yesterday and today? well... not much, really. oh wait! i did laundry yesterday. and played Neil's guitar, so that was good. man, this is a really boring one. maybe you should just come back tomorrow, hopefully it'll be interesting.
oh wait! there were a few things today that i thought were interesting. like the creepy leering guy with a button-down shirt just barely buttoned and one nipple showing, he was following some young girl, completely obviously leering and i think he might've been talking to himself. he was fun.
also, last night i went out and drank and did karaoke and drank and danced and got lost on the way home and it was a dumb idea to begin with. luckily this morning i managed to sweat out my hangover, by running from Mel's to the bus stop and just barely making it on time. also had to run to the travel agency's office and plead with them to print out another copy of my bus pass since i stupidly left mine at Mel's and left the key inside. whoever that lady who helped me, she's awesome.
before the drinking and karaoke and getting lost, i wandered down to the beach in search of The Best Fish N Chips In Brighton. i was directed to this place called The Regency. i had a choice of cod, plaice or haddock. i chose plaice randomly. it was great. although ordering fish'n'chips at the Regency is a bit like going to a foreign restaurant and ordering the most americanized meal you can, a bit "why are you bothering me with this? there's a McDonald's down the street" sort of thing. not their fault, i just felt a bit that way. anyway.
today was my second, third and fourth bus rides in England. the third was finally the sort of experience that people in the US seem to fear public transport being. loud kids, annoying passengers, the air is full of the scent of sickly sweet feces. it was great.
the fourth bus was my first city bus in the UK. all previous busses took me from city to city, but this one was just inside the township. it was okay. except for when i didn't know where my stop was and the driver neglected to let me know and i had to wait until someone else wanted on to figure out i'd missed it and i started the 3 or so mile walk back to the last bus stop but i wasn't sure where it was buti was sure i was going in the right direction so Nicola had to come pick me up. except for that, it was a decent bus ride. i dunno.
got to Nicola's, she made me pasta, then after the game Chris, Nicola's husband, took me to get some curry. we drove in to town, ordered the curry, then nipped off to a pub to pass the time. we were late picking up the curry. then back to Nicola's, and eating curry in front of the TV and now this. ta-da!
be sure to join us again tomorrow, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!
i've got at least two days worth of happenings for you! but first, i have to go to the bathroom.
there. much better. so, where were we? oh yes! hi, i'm in Ogbourne St. George today. google it. i'm staying with Mel's sister for the weekend, because she's not far from Avebury. on Monday i'm pretty sure i'm off to Amsterdam! wheee!!
let's see... what did i do yesterday and today? well... not much, really. oh wait! i did laundry yesterday. and played Neil's guitar, so that was good. man, this is a really boring one. maybe you should just come back tomorrow, hopefully it'll be interesting.
oh wait! there were a few things today that i thought were interesting. like the creepy leering guy with a button-down shirt just barely buttoned and one nipple showing, he was following some young girl, completely obviously leering and i think he might've been talking to himself. he was fun.
also, last night i went out and drank and did karaoke and drank and danced and got lost on the way home and it was a dumb idea to begin with. luckily this morning i managed to sweat out my hangover, by running from Mel's to the bus stop and just barely making it on time. also had to run to the travel agency's office and plead with them to print out another copy of my bus pass since i stupidly left mine at Mel's and left the key inside. whoever that lady who helped me, she's awesome.
before the drinking and karaoke and getting lost, i wandered down to the beach in search of The Best Fish N Chips In Brighton. i was directed to this place called The Regency. i had a choice of cod, plaice or haddock. i chose plaice randomly. it was great. although ordering fish'n'chips at the Regency is a bit like going to a foreign restaurant and ordering the most americanized meal you can, a bit "why are you bothering me with this? there's a McDonald's down the street" sort of thing. not their fault, i just felt a bit that way. anyway.
today was my second, third and fourth bus rides in England. the third was finally the sort of experience that people in the US seem to fear public transport being. loud kids, annoying passengers, the air is full of the scent of sickly sweet feces. it was great.
the fourth bus was my first city bus in the UK. all previous busses took me from city to city, but this one was just inside the township. it was okay. except for when i didn't know where my stop was and the driver neglected to let me know and i had to wait until someone else wanted on to figure out i'd missed it and i started the 3 or so mile walk back to the last bus stop but i wasn't sure where it was buti was sure i was going in the right direction so Nicola had to come pick me up. except for that, it was a decent bus ride. i dunno.
got to Nicola's, she made me pasta, then after the game Chris, Nicola's husband, took me to get some curry. we drove in to town, ordered the curry, then nipped off to a pub to pass the time. we were late picking up the curry. then back to Nicola's, and eating curry in front of the TV and now this. ta-da!
be sure to join us again tomorrow, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!
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