After a little hiatus I'm back for a breif update. We're back in Athens and its our last day. Katherine's doing well and she's a tropper with that foot of hers. The Orthopeadic dr here said it was fine. Its a fracture. She hobbles around as best as she can and yesterday we even went for a little walk through the market place (with an ice cream break in the middle). Last night we saw Evita which was excellent and a perfect evening event for us. Tonight Katherine flies out back to London around 7 pm. I fly to Tel Aviv as well but not till 2 am - yes it is a bizzarre middle of the night flight which gets me in at 4:15 am. Horrible nights sleep and horrible idea except that this flight was an easy $400 cheaper than anything else. Ah the life and decision making of a student.
Today the plan is to hang out in a cafe and have a nice lunch- our last meal together and enjoy the hot hot weather. Should be a nice end to a really really nice trip together (except of course the break).
As I go from hot weather to hotter weather, Enjoy the sunshine.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Ios Adventure
This short update is brought to you buy the friendly health centre of ios island in the Cyclades of Greece. Yes katherine and I paid a visit there this morning after she took a deceivingly simple stumble last night. Well after xray confirmation she has indeed broken her foot. Yes you can believe it for it is true. So no dancing tonight but a cast doesn't much get in the way of suntanning though it does prevent her from taking a full body dip in the pool to cool off.
Now for the silver lining (you know what kind of girl I am) the broken foot makes Katherine and I the most popular girls at the pool with numerous visitors and curious inquisitors. Aka all the hot guys are coming up and chatting with us.
Enjoy the sunshine - you know we will ;-)
Now for the silver lining (you know what kind of girl I am) the broken foot makes Katherine and I the most popular girls at the pool with numerous visitors and curious inquisitors. Aka all the hot guys are coming up and chatting with us.
Enjoy the sunshine - you know we will ;-)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Greece- Athens and Ios
Well it has been an amazing, blistering hot day in Ios Greece. After spending a day touring Athens' major sites, Katherine and I headed off to Ios Greec- one of the Islands in Cyclades of southern Greece. With a promise of hot beach weather during the day and a rockin party island at night, this island was recommended to us by the hostel workers in Athens. We have 3 nights here at the cheapest hostel I've stayed at so far (8 euro a night) and then after an overnight ferry back to Athens and one last night in Athens, we'll say our goodbyes and go our separate ways. That is of course after a few party nights like last night. It feels a lot like spring break with the hoards of young people drinking poolside during the day in their swimsuits followed by clubbing at night. It is a lot of fun though unlike many who decide to stay for the season, 3 nights will be plenty for my taste.
Our last night in Athens consisted of a nice dinner out with our American roomies, Mike and Chris to this beautiful rooftop terrace restaurant which had an amazing view of the city. I had traditional Moussaka which was so delicious! Yesterday we took a 7 hour ferry from Pireaus (the port in Athens) here to Ios. We stopped at many little islands along the way all of which looked the same with little white houses climbing the hillside just as you would expect to see.
It is amazingly beautiful here and we are enjoying just lazing in the sun and hanging out.
Enjoy the Sunshine
Our last night in Athens consisted of a nice dinner out with our American roomies, Mike and Chris to this beautiful rooftop terrace restaurant which had an amazing view of the city. I had traditional Moussaka which was so delicious! Yesterday we took a 7 hour ferry from Pireaus (the port in Athens) here to Ios. We stopped at many little islands along the way all of which looked the same with little white houses climbing the hillside just as you would expect to see.
It is amazingly beautiful here and we are enjoying just lazing in the sun and hanging out.
Enjoy the Sunshine
Friday, May 21, 2010
Phase 2 - Greece
So I am in Athens now with Katherine. We got here last night after meeting up in the London Gatwick airport. Last night consisted of a taxi from the airport because public transit was not running, dinner at "God's Restaurant" which was very yummy traditional Greek food but a little pricey. Then we headed to the rooftop bar at our hostel which had amazing views of the acropolis but was closing followed by the other pub near out hostel which was having a karaoke night. Kath went up and sang it's raining men which was fabulous of course. We stayed there till it closed at midnight and then headed to bed for the night.
After one of the rougher nights I've had in a hostel complete with opening doors and snoring, we woke up to catch our free breakfast followed by a 2.5 hour walking tour around the main sights of Athens. It was a great introduction to get us orientated to the city a little bit. After the tour we headed for a closer look at the Acropolis and the Parthenon. It was amazing to see it in person! Then we headed to the ancient agora which the marketplace and social hubbub of the city in ancient times. After that we ventured thru the Athens flea market full of little shops. It was lovely until it started to rain and so we headed back to the hostel where kath is now taking a nap. She is jet lagged afterall and we've just spent 6 hours walking around the city. Tonight we need to make some plans for tomorrow and decide what island we want to go to. Should be great.
We got some sun today and the weather is set to be hotter than elsewhere in Europe. Yay!
Enjoy the sunshine
After one of the rougher nights I've had in a hostel complete with opening doors and snoring, we woke up to catch our free breakfast followed by a 2.5 hour walking tour around the main sights of Athens. It was a great introduction to get us orientated to the city a little bit. After the tour we headed for a closer look at the Acropolis and the Parthenon. It was amazing to see it in person! Then we headed to the ancient agora which the marketplace and social hubbub of the city in ancient times. After that we ventured thru the Athens flea market full of little shops. It was lovely until it started to rain and so we headed back to the hostel where kath is now taking a nap. She is jet lagged afterall and we've just spent 6 hours walking around the city. Tonight we need to make some plans for tomorrow and decide what island we want to go to. Should be great.
We got some sun today and the weather is set to be hotter than elsewhere in Europe. Yay!
Enjoy the sunshine
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Relaxing in London
So my time here in London has been focused around sleep, food, regrouping for part 2- Greece and spending time with friends i seldom see due to distance.
Ventured out to see Maddy (i was late- oh dear) and we grabbed a quick sandwich before heading back to the studio where I got to watch some of her rehearsal. I ahdn't seen her in something like 4 years and watching her work was so great. We've known eachother 10 years now and its so wonderful to see her development as an artist. She's also sporting a half British Accent which i can't help but giggle at. Hey I picked up an Argentinian accent after one day with Chony, its no surprise that Maddy's picked it up after living here for almost 7 years.
After I left Maddy's rehearsal I ventured back to Sergei's place and started doing some research on Greece. After a couple hours, Kat stumbled in much to my surprise. I wasn't expecting either of them back for at least a few more hours. She had tripped and sprained her ankle! So we got her set up with ice and elevation and her laptop so she could finish some work she still had to do. The silver lining for me was that I got to spend a bunch of time with her just hanging out and chatting which was great. It was really nice to get to know her a little better and it is always so fabulous when a friend that you care for dearly has found a partner that is great.
Later I had to tackle a few ToDo's including spending some time on the phone with TD Bank to clear up some things. After speaking with Bobbi and making plans for wednesday night, Sergei and Kat planned dinner and when he was ready to head home around 9 pm, kat and I made potatoes and salad and Sergei brought some chicken home. Kat was not very good at resting her ankle while letting me prepare dinner- yes a true hostess and a sweetheart. Sergei brought her flowers when he got home which was just the sweetest thing! So btw dinner included cavier appetizers, white wine, and truffel oil mashed potatoes with fresh dill. What can I say- I love you both but you live very differntly from me :) So the evening escaped from us as we dined and chatted and then very tired, headed to bed.
That's all :)
Enjoy the Sunshine
Ventured out to see Maddy (i was late- oh dear) and we grabbed a quick sandwich before heading back to the studio where I got to watch some of her rehearsal. I ahdn't seen her in something like 4 years and watching her work was so great. We've known eachother 10 years now and its so wonderful to see her development as an artist. She's also sporting a half British Accent which i can't help but giggle at. Hey I picked up an Argentinian accent after one day with Chony, its no surprise that Maddy's picked it up after living here for almost 7 years.
After I left Maddy's rehearsal I ventured back to Sergei's place and started doing some research on Greece. After a couple hours, Kat stumbled in much to my surprise. I wasn't expecting either of them back for at least a few more hours. She had tripped and sprained her ankle! So we got her set up with ice and elevation and her laptop so she could finish some work she still had to do. The silver lining for me was that I got to spend a bunch of time with her just hanging out and chatting which was great. It was really nice to get to know her a little better and it is always so fabulous when a friend that you care for dearly has found a partner that is great.
Later I had to tackle a few ToDo's including spending some time on the phone with TD Bank to clear up some things. After speaking with Bobbi and making plans for wednesday night, Sergei and Kat planned dinner and when he was ready to head home around 9 pm, kat and I made potatoes and salad and Sergei brought some chicken home. Kat was not very good at resting her ankle while letting me prepare dinner- yes a true hostess and a sweetheart. Sergei brought her flowers when he got home which was just the sweetest thing! So btw dinner included cavier appetizers, white wine, and truffel oil mashed potatoes with fresh dill. What can I say- I love you both but you live very differntly from me :) So the evening escaped from us as we dined and chatted and then very tired, headed to bed.
That's all :)
Enjoy the Sunshine
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Paris day 2 and on to London
My second day in Paris. To say the least it was a fabulous day! I met a couple girls at the hostel who decided to accompany me on the Versailles tour. So we all got up and had breakfast and headed out for Place Sant-Michele for 11 am so that we could catch the tour. Jessie from Wisconsin was one of my roommates at the hostel- she's been studying in Germany. Priscilla is from Brazil and studying in Lyon, France- she's in architecture.
So we headed out of the hostel to navigate the Paris metro system, which considering its complexity is extremely easy to figure out. As we headed towards our meeting place Priscilla gave each of us a traditional good luck bracelet from Brazil that you make 3 wishes on. It was so sweet!
So we caught our tour to Versailles and headed out on the RER system- about a half an hour's ride outside of Paris. It was GORGEOUS! took lots of pictures of the inside and out. Our tour took us all through the gardens which were huge and beautiful. Today the Versailles Palace includes about 2000 acres of land. Back in the day when Louis XIV was living there it had closer to 50 000 acres which included plenty of land for hunting. The gardens were magnificent and having the tour gude through them was exellent. Because we were there on a Sunday, the fountains were turned out and there was classical music playing. I know it sounds cheesy but it was actually very lovely and there was a choreographed water show to the music which was actually just beautiful! After a tour of the gardens we headed inside the palace and took a free audio tour which led us through the different rooms including the world's most expensive hallway, the famed Hall of Mirrors. Pretty increadible! We had a glorious day too. One of the best I've had on my travels yet.
So as things wrapped up at Versailles around 5:30- yes we were there a total of 6 hours, we headed back to central Paris on the RER again and we made a pit stop for me to Grand Du Nord where the Eurorail leaves Paris for London. I thought I'd book my train thru the chunnel a day earlier. Not to be. The first price i could find was a huge 245 Euro for a 2.5 hour train. No way can I afford that! So I stood in line (I had been at a kiosk) and when speaking to the man and asking for the cheapest train the next day, was given a quote of 183 Euro, still out of my price range... So with a little stress in my system (travel uncertainty can be a little stressful) we headed back to the hostel so I could do a little internet research. I had planned my trip along the route I did so that I could take the chunnel back. That was kinda the point to ending this part in Paris. So I booked a bus which was only 45 euros but took up to 9 hours. Funny how you pay less for them serving you for longer. I had been given some (wrong) information that the buses drive through the chunnel. Not the case, the bus drove onto a ferry and I went over the channel rather than thru the channel tunnel. Oh well, you can't do it all on every trip. I had to leave some things missed so that I know I'll come back.
So with a bus ticket booked and feeling a bit relieved, the three of us headed out for one nice dinner in Paris. It was all of our last nights and with the help of Lonely Planet with found a really sweet small local restaurant in the charming area of Montmarte called Cafe Marie. Enroute to finding this restaurant we ran into Markus, a vancouverite who was on our Versailles tour. He joined us for dinner which was great. So the 4 of us went to a traditional French restaurant where I had French onion soup (just called onion soup here) and Beef Bouriguignon with apple pie to finish. We shared a bottle of wine and a whole lot of laughs. It was a fabulous evening. From there, a little later than planned, we headed for the Eiffel Tower, which I had not seen up close yet. We arrive at about 11:45 which was perfect because we got our pictures and then at midnight the twinkles came on. Every night on the hour every hour, the eiffel tower glitters. It actually is quite beautiful. From there we headed back to our hostels and the evenign ended perfectly.
What a fabulous day to end the solo part of my trip.
The next day I spent almost entirely on the bus travelling thru the beautiful french countryside to London. Relatively uneventful other than the very sweet Brazillian family who i met on the bus. They also gave me a Brazil bracelet. It was a couple and one of thier mother's who were visiting their children in Paris and London. It was funny because the grandmother kept speaking to me in portugese and I had no idea what she was saying to me but she was very sweet.
When I arrived in London, I found my way to Sergei's workplace on the tube and after a short wait for him to finish work, we walked back to his beautiful flat. Amazingly, he ended up not having to go back to work (it was already after 8 pm) and a half an hour later Kat came home from work too and the 3 of us got to have dinner together and hang out and catch up. It was such a nice evening. I wish they were closer by and we could hang out more often.
So after a fabulous nights sleep in a room of my own, in a large bed, I woke up and said goodbye to the two of them for their day's work. Today I get to see my friend Maddy for lunch, who I haven't seen in about 4 years or so, and a friend Bobbi who I went to university in Calgary with.
Another great day. I'm keeping it low key here in London and resting so that Greece is fabulous when Kath and I go there next.
I can't believe my trip is half over!
Enjoy the sunshine
So we headed out of the hostel to navigate the Paris metro system, which considering its complexity is extremely easy to figure out. As we headed towards our meeting place Priscilla gave each of us a traditional good luck bracelet from Brazil that you make 3 wishes on. It was so sweet!
So we caught our tour to Versailles and headed out on the RER system- about a half an hour's ride outside of Paris. It was GORGEOUS! took lots of pictures of the inside and out. Our tour took us all through the gardens which were huge and beautiful. Today the Versailles Palace includes about 2000 acres of land. Back in the day when Louis XIV was living there it had closer to 50 000 acres which included plenty of land for hunting. The gardens were magnificent and having the tour gude through them was exellent. Because we were there on a Sunday, the fountains were turned out and there was classical music playing. I know it sounds cheesy but it was actually very lovely and there was a choreographed water show to the music which was actually just beautiful! After a tour of the gardens we headed inside the palace and took a free audio tour which led us through the different rooms including the world's most expensive hallway, the famed Hall of Mirrors. Pretty increadible! We had a glorious day too. One of the best I've had on my travels yet.
So as things wrapped up at Versailles around 5:30- yes we were there a total of 6 hours, we headed back to central Paris on the RER again and we made a pit stop for me to Grand Du Nord where the Eurorail leaves Paris for London. I thought I'd book my train thru the chunnel a day earlier. Not to be. The first price i could find was a huge 245 Euro for a 2.5 hour train. No way can I afford that! So I stood in line (I had been at a kiosk) and when speaking to the man and asking for the cheapest train the next day, was given a quote of 183 Euro, still out of my price range... So with a little stress in my system (travel uncertainty can be a little stressful) we headed back to the hostel so I could do a little internet research. I had planned my trip along the route I did so that I could take the chunnel back. That was kinda the point to ending this part in Paris. So I booked a bus which was only 45 euros but took up to 9 hours. Funny how you pay less for them serving you for longer. I had been given some (wrong) information that the buses drive through the chunnel. Not the case, the bus drove onto a ferry and I went over the channel rather than thru the channel tunnel. Oh well, you can't do it all on every trip. I had to leave some things missed so that I know I'll come back.
So with a bus ticket booked and feeling a bit relieved, the three of us headed out for one nice dinner in Paris. It was all of our last nights and with the help of Lonely Planet with found a really sweet small local restaurant in the charming area of Montmarte called Cafe Marie. Enroute to finding this restaurant we ran into Markus, a vancouverite who was on our Versailles tour. He joined us for dinner which was great. So the 4 of us went to a traditional French restaurant where I had French onion soup (just called onion soup here) and Beef Bouriguignon with apple pie to finish. We shared a bottle of wine and a whole lot of laughs. It was a fabulous evening. From there, a little later than planned, we headed for the Eiffel Tower, which I had not seen up close yet. We arrive at about 11:45 which was perfect because we got our pictures and then at midnight the twinkles came on. Every night on the hour every hour, the eiffel tower glitters. It actually is quite beautiful. From there we headed back to our hostels and the evenign ended perfectly.
What a fabulous day to end the solo part of my trip.
The next day I spent almost entirely on the bus travelling thru the beautiful french countryside to London. Relatively uneventful other than the very sweet Brazillian family who i met on the bus. They also gave me a Brazil bracelet. It was a couple and one of thier mother's who were visiting their children in Paris and London. It was funny because the grandmother kept speaking to me in portugese and I had no idea what she was saying to me but she was very sweet.
When I arrived in London, I found my way to Sergei's workplace on the tube and after a short wait for him to finish work, we walked back to his beautiful flat. Amazingly, he ended up not having to go back to work (it was already after 8 pm) and a half an hour later Kat came home from work too and the 3 of us got to have dinner together and hang out and catch up. It was such a nice evening. I wish they were closer by and we could hang out more often.
So after a fabulous nights sleep in a room of my own, in a large bed, I woke up and said goodbye to the two of them for their day's work. Today I get to see my friend Maddy for lunch, who I haven't seen in about 4 years or so, and a friend Bobbi who I went to university in Calgary with.
Another great day. I'm keeping it low key here in London and resting so that Greece is fabulous when Kath and I go there next.
I can't believe my trip is half over!
Enjoy the sunshine
Monday, May 17, 2010
Blip
I'm too tired right now to blog properly so I will find time in the next couple days to fill in.
In short my second day in Paris/Versailles was fabulous! I'm in London now and finished a very lovely evening with my dear friends.
Will write soon
Enjoy the sunshine
In short my second day in Paris/Versailles was fabulous! I'm in London now and finished a very lovely evening with my dear friends.
Will write soon
Enjoy the sunshine
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