Onward and Upward

Yesterday we set sail and said our goodbyes to our beloved Santorini....I shall see you again soon I'm sure! It's been more then perfect the time I spent there.
I packed snacks, and downloaded a new iBook and was ready for the long 8 hour ferry. It felt MUCH longer when you don't sleep most of the way...on the way over it leaves first thing in the morning and it's great cause you can just curl up and sleep the time away but the ones going back to Athens don't leave until 3:30 pm and arrive at 11:30 pm so you'd be really screwed for nighttime if you slept the whole way.

As soon as we departed I dove full on into my new book by Louise Hay and Cheryl Richardson....two woman who are quickly becoming my favorite authors. It was an easy read and it took me into myself, my thoughts and patterns. It was so good I didn't put it down and after a few hours I'd read all 238 pages of it :).....and still had 4 hours left....ugh.
But we finally arrived back in Athens, a place we weren't so excited to see but tried our best to change our negative that's towards the city.
We booked a hostel within minutes to the ferry post so we could settle into our private 3 person rom, Chelsea, Roberto and I and we drifted off into the night.

This morning started around 8:30 as we replaced our things and Roberto and I headed for the door. I had to go pickup my temporary passport and Roberto was flying off to Berlin....so Chelsea held down the fort back at the hostel.
It was nice to ride the subway with someone as being back in Athens is was hard not to be a little edgy...especially when carrying all of your belongings when moving from place to place. But all was well. I said my goodbyes and wished Roberto well and like that he was gone.
I only had a few more stops til I reached my destination and was within a short walk to the new hostel. I dropped my things and set off to the embassy as I couldn't check in there until 2 pm. Made it to the embassy and not long before I was holding that beautiful white temporary passport in my hands. I finally feel complete. I have spent the last 13 days regrouping, resting, rebuilding my stash of electronics and finally with my passport and I reunited I was ready for the next adventure.
13 days ago I wanted to be on the next plane outta here but now....I'm not ready to come home. Now I'm thinking of the 22 days I technically have left on my backpack trip and trying to come up with a plan to stay. All I need is an income so where can I find a job?
Funny how things change....when I started this trek back in October my plan was to do it big because it's my once in a lifetime, something I have talked about doing for pretty much as long as anyone has known me. Now I can't imagine this being it. I adore travel and for the most part I feel it suits me well. I have more lessons to learn, challenges to face, people to meet and random different cuisines to try. I must find away to keep traveling....if not right away then as soon as possible.
I want to come home and visit with family and friends, give my dog a squish and maybe try to shove her in my backpack and then be gone again. Hmmm I wonder if this could become real....we shall see.
A traveller at heart and not content to sit still very long it's the perfect solution. Your world is constantly changing when you travel and some people thrive for it? I am one of them.

So with my belongings back in order I find myself with the pep in my step returned, my head held high and I'm ready to face the world. Things may knock me down and throw me around for awhile but I am strong willed and whole hearted and it sure won't take me outta the game.
Besides....what would life be if it was all just rainbows and butterflies anyway....
Cheers to that!

Merry Christmas from Santorini Greece!

Christmas Bliss!!! Chelsea and I have been on Santorini for 5 days now and were joined by Roberto 2 days ago. We met him at our couchsurfer, Digenis's house back in Athens and he decided to join us over the Holidays :)
We have done a lot of takin it easy since weve been here haha. We sleep in late, go to bed early and we tend to make daily trips down to the local baker that's open 24/7, the Greeks sure love to bake!! Mmmmmm.
We rented a car yesterday and drove all over the Island. We went to see the red sand beach, walked around Fira, ventured up into Oia and took fabulous pictures and watched the sunset from the best place in the world....as they advertise it. It's easy to find your way around as there are only main roads to go on so getting from village to village is simple. We drove the length of the island back into our little homestead of Perissa.

I love Santorini and can only imagine what it's like when it's booming in the summer. I equally love being here in off season as its so where I needed to be right now. It's quiet, peaceful and beautiful. Only a few shops are open where we are staying in Perissa which is perfect. It kind of looks like a ghost town at the moment.
It's been sunny the past few days but REALLY windy! That's ok though...just makes for fun hair in photographs haha.

This morning is Christmas....Merry Cristmas to all my family and friends back home. I love you and miss you so know that I'm thinking about you today.
We made a pact when we got here that on Christmas day we'd go swimming so this morning Chelsea, Roberto and I got up, walked down to the Aegean ocean and RAN in! It took my breath away at first but after a few minutes it was no colder then our water back home in the summer time. It's defiantly not quite a polar bear swim in Greece when it's still about 15 degrees out....even though the locals sure thought we were nuts! People kept driving by and looking at us silly folk floating on the waves and having a grand ol time. I personally couldn't think of a better way to have welcomed Christmas morning in a beautiful place, with great people and a perfect sunshiny day <3
I hope to post some photos again soon!!!!
Love you and miss you all xoxoxoxox

Time to Reflect

Well it's been a week since the whole shebang went down. I had to wait it out in Athens for 5 days longer then we wanted to be in Athens. Chelsea was a trooper and stayed there with me. Although we lost a lot of our adventurous spirits after that we stuck pretty close to home...home at the time being our couchsurf hosts.
I found I was afraid to venture out on my own in Athens and living in a state of fear is not fun nor in anyway healthy as then you simply attract more of it into your life. So "I put on my big girl panties" as my mom would say and did what I had to do. I walked half an hour to the Canadian Embassy when I had to for all the logistics and back again. It was tough but I did it and am all the stronger for it. I went out when I had to and stayed in when I could.

The day my visa card arrived in Athens and my passport replacement request had been sent out was a relief....it meant that everything I could do for now was done and we could get the heck out of dodge.
By the time I got home from the Embassy, ate dinner, headed for the mall to restock on some of my stolen items and got home again it was 11:30pm. We decided we wanted out of here ASAP and were bound and determined to be on the next ferry....at 7:25 am which meant being at the docks to buy a ticket at 6:25. It took an hour to get there from where we were staying so after sleeping for only 3 hours we made the trek and arrived on time to be on that boat.
Ahhhh we could breathe, we were on our way out. Out of Athens, out of chaos and out of fear.

I have since learned this is all pretty new for the Greek people as they too are taken by surprise of all the thieves. It's all come about since Greece was made to join the European Union which they entered into already in debt. They covered it up as not to look bad but in doing so their bad situation turned worse. People who were already poor now had nothing and with the increase of immigrants coming into Greece from Romainia, Albaina and Pakistan things were looking grim. Even people who had Government jobs were not getting paid their wages so thing like garbage men just stopped working and the garbage piled up. They called it a white strike....people weren't actually striking but they weren't working or doing anything for that matter. It's all very sad really.
For me this is just a bad experience, one I will carry on from and return back home and be away. But for the people here this is everyday life and what they have to live with.

It's so easy to ramble on here as I have so much to say but this is not at all where I intended to go with this entry.

My reflections.....as stated in one of my most favorite quotes "Not all who wander are lost" While traveling, getting lost is part of the adventure and as my friend Chelsea commented....I have now been lost in every country I've stepped foot in. And in turn lost myself along the way. It takes courage, strength, and desire to step out of your comfort zone and face the world on your own. You have to be willing to see the world as it is and not as you want it to be or imagined it to be.
Learning to watch yourself and your actions becomes much more apparent when you have someone else who is able to hold that mirror up to look back at yourself. Going at this alone I felt strong, capable, independent and I still do though through it all I've learned just how much I appreciate good company and good friends. Without a friend this easily couldve taken me out of the game as I was rocked to the core and ready to throw it all away and come home. Traveling means you are out of your element ALL the time. Nothing is familiar. Every morning you wake up in a different place your forced to start over and when that's something you've never been faced with its an interesting challenge. I'm starting to understand now why they say traveling changes people. It's not so much the act of travel but the experience and growth you achieve during those times, both good and not so good. Either way it's stil
An experience to be had.
Being robbed wasn't just about losing my material possessions, it was about being violated and broken open. Yes in the big scheme of things it was all just stuff and important documents that although inconvenient can all be replaced with time and money. I am safe, I am still here and I'm carrying on. I have the power of choice....I can choose to let this break me or I can pick up the pieces and keep going. There's were days it was tough but thanks to my mom for being so supportive both emotionally and financially even though I'd have to wake her up in the middle of the night her time to talk, for Chelsea, my new friend who became my "sugar momma" while I had nothing to my name and listening to my countless renditions of what could have been and what I'm gonna do about it, for all the people who wrote me messages of strength and encouragement....you are the ones behind me who helped me get throught it. So for that I send thanks to each and everyone one of you, you will never really understand just how much of an impact you made on me.

Setting foot on Santorini is just what I needed. It's given me time to sleep, breathe, take time out from the world and FEEL everything that's going on. Up until now I'd really had to be frozen in time just to survive. I am so sensitive to the world so although this would be traumatic for any person, for me this was mind blowing. Just being in big cities is overwhelming so this adventure has been mountainous....if that's a word haha. So being here has allowed me to open again, let go of the fear that was surrounding me, drop the attitude towards strangers for fear they might hurt me and I'm in the process of returning to myself.
Well....I've now lost count to all the times I've been lost and lost myself....but not all that wander are lost...and here I am!

I really really HATE Athens!

I woke up in the morning and wasn't in any rush.  My flight wasn't until 5 pm but George was heading out so we left the house at 11 am.  I figured I'd go in search of breakfast before hanging out in a coffee shop til it was time to head to the airport.  Chelsea said she'd join me so off we went to find Starbucks cause they always have wifi.  She offered to carry my little backpack since I was carrying my huge pack and all my stuff cause I was heading to the airport and she only had her purse cause she was staying for the day.

I figured it would be better to find a Starbucks on my route to the airport rather then back tracking to the one we already knew so we headed in the general city center direction and got off at Omonia square.  We walked around the circle twice trying to find one, asked a few locals when a nice man who was from Canada but now lives there pointed us inthe direction.  Before leaving he told us to be careful.
So off we went around the corner and we should find it....nope.
We gave up, we were ready to head to the next main square so were walking back to the subway when something nasty splashed on our backs and sides.  The man behind us started pointing up in the sky and saying it's the birds that pooped on us.  Chelsea began to freak out.....I tried to tell her to nevermind and let just get to where we are going.  A few steps around the corner we stopped to wipe it off.  The man had napkins so we were thankful for something to wipe it off with.  It all went so fast but I'll tell it how I remember it to be, Chelsea may have another story.
I just wanted to find food by this point so was trying to just get this all over with as fast as possible and move on.  Chelsea was turning around trying to wipe stuff off herself, the man kept giving us napkins and talking loudly about the birds, there were lots of people around as this place as crazy.   There was at least 2 other people talking "at us" in Greek and we had no idea what they were saying.  The man told Chelsea to help me and clean me off too.  There was a man selling something on the corner who kept staring at me and almost yelling at me in Greek.  Suddenly it felt like the people multiplied and it got even louder.  Next thing I knew Chelsea took off running down into the metro and I realized my bag was gone.  I didn't even know Chelsea took it off.  And like that it all changed....
I sprinted through the train station with my 45 pound backpack and my pulled calf muscle that happened a few days before screaming "SOMEONE STOLE MY BAG"  I had a cop then running with my up the escalator and back onto the other wide of the square.  People were pointing and yelling yet the cop stopped and told me to wait.  All I could think of was you stupid, lazy, good for nothing cop.  I'm injured with an excessaive amount of extra weight and I could have easily kept going yet he was tired and so he stopped.....&*%^&^$%UIHJBBGFR$%#$#$.  From there I tried to gather myself, headed for the police station to make a report and then it was off to the embassy for me.

Since then I haven't done much.  Was saved by an amazing couch surfer named Giorgos who took us in for 2 nights and was so considerate.  We had an amazing big soft bed with feather pillow and a feather douvet to lay in.  I pretty much didnt move until the next evening to go get dinner.
After 2 nights there he send us onto another host named Digenis and have since been staying at his place.  I've been back and fourth to the embassy, spending lots of time on email cancelling bank cards, phone contracts, visa account, trying to get new documents....what a nightmare!
I feel completly violated having my things ripped from me.  I know they are just things and can be replaced but it just sucks BIG TIME.  In that bag I had...My passport, my purse which had my wallet, bank cards, visa, drivers liscence, 300 euros cash and 50 pounds of cash, my i phone, ipod, my computer, my camera, my perscription glasses and many other little things that made travelling easier.  I know it's stupid to have everything all in one place but that bag is ALWAYS attached to my body.  I learned my lesson back in paris and if i ever had to put it down I made sure to put it around my leg or arm or what have you.  Chelsea was trying to lend a helping hand that day and I just wish I saw her put it down or I would have held onto them.  I have been killing myself with the "could have done, should have done" but I know it's useless time spent.  I also had little things that just made life easier to travel....a lock to use in hostels, my travel pillow, my umbrella, a bunch of little souveniers from places and the bag itself....which is proving slightly difficult to find a one shoulder sling back that doesn't look easy to steal....
I'll write more later but for now this all I want to reflect back on that day.
I'm pretty depressed, I'm not sleeping well, I'm getting even more sick again and I know all of this is weighing on Chelsea who was travelling with me for fun....this isn't much fun so I would understand if she doesn't stick around.  For the time being she's my life saver....taking care of me, loaning me money, just giving me someone to talk to.  All the feelings going around are just hard to deal with.
UGH...tomorrow is another day....

I don't like Athens...

We found our way to George's house, settled our things and then headed for coffee at Starbucks.  From there we watched a movie, chatted and called it a night.
Although we wanted to get up early we decided not to set an alarm for a change and let our bodies wake up when they wanted to.....well that meant 11:30am!!!  Half the day was gone.  We got up and organised and think it was close to 1 before we got out of the house.  We headed back to Starbucks to research our options, most of the places were closing at 3 so we just walked around and explored the city before finding dinner and returning back to Georges.
Day 3 in Athens we got up early and headed for the Acropolis.  It was a perfect sunny day so we set out to explore.  We were getting a hung of the metro lines and arrived in no time.  I took a good hour to actually buy my ticket and head inside as I was having much too fun giving the stray dogs some love and basking in the sun with them.  Eventualy we climbed way up to the top, stood where soo many people before us have, took many many pictures and breathed in the serenity that it The Acropolis.  It's massive in size, beautiful in arcitechture and always neat to think what life must have been like back when it was built...
It was so nice to be way up above the city, standing on this huge mass of marble, it was so calming and a nice oasis away from the dirty smelly city.
I really don't like Athens.  The people are rude, everyone looks dead...stone faced and numb, the city is very dirty, it's actually smells bad everywhere and over all it just sketches me out.  People definatly don't rule the streets like in some places.....here everyone is in cars, theres soooo much smog in the sky and good luck finding a cross walk.  Even when you do there's no telling for sure if the cars are actually going to stop.  I've been honked at, hollared at...even the public bus driver shook his fist at me while I was crossing the crosswalk on a green crosswalk light while he was waiting to turn right.  RUDE RUDE RUDE!!!!
I don't like Athens....
We had many places we wanted to see in Athens after the Acropolis but with it being so nice out we wanted to do that tomorrow and head for the beach.
We caught the subway as far out as it goes and asked some locals where to go.  We ended up walking a ways but eventually found the ocean.  It wasn't quite a beach but we could sit by the water and watch the sailboats pass by, smell the clean ocean air and watch the crazy parachute people with engines on their backs flying through the sky doing all kinds of stunts.
Would have been slightly more relaxing without that noise however being by the water we were in paradise.  It was getting clear Chelsea and I needed an excape from the city.
Aftrer watching the sun set behind the mountain we made our back into town, found some dinner and back again to Georges.  He had plans for the evening so we just had a night in.
This was my last night in Athens as I was off Cairo to visit Sara tomorrow and Chelsea was going to hang around this area.....but maybe more outside the city until I get back on the 21st.

Our alarms were set for 5:30 AM. Yawn! We had packed our things the night before so all we had to do was get ready and check a few details for couchsurfing online.
The Roman gods were roaring this morning and we woke up to pouring down rain, rattling thunder and crazy fork lightening that lit up the sky.
We checked out and got ready for our dash in the weather to head for our train.
We opened the door....and we ran. Instantly soaked and squealing from the thunder it was quite the weather experience this morning. Being that Chelsea and I are pretty positive people we giggled and San along the way. This was one for the story books!
We managed to sweep in, grab our tickets and jump on the train with about 2 minutes left to departure. Ahhhh we made it.
We were off to the airport and heading for Greece.
Waiting in line at the airport we saw part of the roof where it had collapsed and the rain was dropping through. The power kept flickering and we were starting to wonder if we'd be delayed. With no notices we lined up for our flight when they mentioned it would be delayed half hour boarding. Well an hour later we finally boarded and the plane and an hour and 40 mins later we were off. Due to my good skills of sleeping on public transport I was again out like a light before take off. Chelsea on the other hand is not so gifted so she doesn't always arrive at the new port as rested as I am.

Landing in Athens we gathered our things and hit the floor to search the public wifi. When your traveling free wifi hot spots become your best friends. We were sending out couch requests in hopes to find a place to stay and to our excitement someone replied. So with the directions he sent us we headed into the direction of downtown Athens to meet George, our host.

As much as we didn't feel like getting up early we set our alarms to get up and at er.
Rome wasn't built in a day but we set out to explore it in one! First destination was the Trevi fountain...figured if I came this far it was worth a short to throw my coin into the fountain in hope you'll make a quick return to Rome and find love along the way....I threw two coins haha.
We mingled through the many bustling tourists and onto our next sight to see. We past by many columns that stretched up to the sky. I'm not sure of the significance of all the columns but there must be one. We stood and stared at the Pantheon and I took pictures with the horses and carriages. I pretty much take pictures of every horse I see haha.
We strolled through old town and stood in awe of all the ruins. What a magnificent place Rome must have been back then and of course it still is.
Next we headed for the Colleseum. Just when we arrived the skies opened up and the gods poured down on us. Everyone ran for cover, the carriage drivers blanketed up their horses and umbrellas popped up in every direction. We ran for shelter against the Colleseum walls where we were approached by a man dressed like a Gladiator. We chatted him up until the rain settled down and we mentioned we were looking for a place to find lunch. He escorted us across the road to the restaurant as he was going the same way....not everyday you get escorted to lunch by a gladiator in Rome haha.
We had a wonderful salad with super service and I topped it off with the mother of all desserts....yummy.
After seeing many of the top sites on our list we walked around just taking it all in before heading ba k to the hostel for a relaxing night as we knew we'd be up early in the morning.

Ready, Set, Dash!

We got up, grabbed snacks and hit the train for what we knew was going to be a fast paced day. We hopped on the train to La Spezia where we'd find our next train to Pisa. We had an hour to wait and so we sat....guess it would have helped if we checked the train schedules last night when we had wifi...oops.
We caught our 2 hour train to Pisa and knew we only had about 2 and a half hours to get to the tower, take pics and get back for our train to Rome. So we found a place to store our luggage and we briskly marched in the direction of the tower. We joined the hundreds of other tourists in making the fun poses of pushing and holding up the tower. Once we were happy with our shots we dashed back for train with minutes to spare. And then we sat for our 4 hour train ride to Rome. Because of the lack of wifi we were winging a place to stay for tonight. We wrote down a few names of hostels and decided we'd start with The Yellow...known to be a cheap party hostel we thought it was a good start. SUCCESS! We found a bed. We were tired and ready to sit, we grabbed dinner at the hostel bar and delved into our computer before hitting the hay.
Sweet dreams world :)

Great room, great view!

Ok well it's going to take me a bit to get caught up. I was outside wifi for awhile so had written 3 or 4 posts to upload later on my computer but 2 days ago all my things were stolen so no longer have my computer, posts or pictures..more about that later. For now I'll try to go back in time and recapture the words I wrote.

Day 2 in Cinque Terre we took our time climbing out of bed, showered, and headed for town. We picked up some fresh fruit for breakfast and headed for the train to Monterosso al Mare. Monterosso was also hit by the flash floods back in October but not nearly as bad as Vernazza. Vernazza was still evacuated so we were not able to visit there but only pass by on the train and see the devastation mother nature had caused the little village.
Arriving in Monterosoo we couldn't believe still what a mess the storm made and we were there a month after it happened. The streets and beach were still dirty, some doors were still sandbagged. Machinery lined the streets where they were digging, clearing debris and repairing.
Not many shoppes were open and the place was quiet. Still beautiful with all the destruction I can't even fathom how amazing this little seaside town is in all it's glory. We were getting hungry and without much open we decided to catch the train back to Cornelious.
We stepped off the train with our surprise to the village being WAY up on the hill side and so we began to climb. I always feel so out of shape when I hit the hills but appreciate the excessive!
The views from the top over the bright blue water were stunning and the fresh air filled our lungs made me feel alive. I just love this place was about the only thing that occupied my mind.
We took lots of photos and made the climb down the 300 and something stairs back to the station. We caught one more train back to Manarolawalked around and then made the trek back along the water into our little town of Riomaggiore. Turns out wifi was working again in the only little bar that has wifi so we sat and caught up online over a glass of wine. We were later joined by two men from China that shared a bottle of wine with us. One spoke good English the other spoke none so it was interesting and fun.
They ended up offering us some snacks so we sat and visited and exchanged stories about where'd we'd been, our countries and the many other topics travelers tend to cover.
We said goodbye to our new Chinese friends as we told the bartender we'd be back to visit. We hung out with him for awhile before calling it a night! Back to our great little room with a great little view :)

Best place in the world....Cinque Terre

Tonight I am writing to you from one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.  It’s a tropical area with little villages built on mountainous rocks towering over the bright blue Mediterranean ocean below…..a little place called Cinque Terre.

It was a place I wanted to visit before I started this trip, however back in October 2 of the 5 villages were hit pretty bad with a big storm and flooding causing water and 9 ft of mud to pour over their amazing little towns.   So with that in mind I didn’t think it was a place I was going to get see this time around.  After meeting a few people along the way that still went,  Chelsea and I decided we were up to trying.  We left Florence first thing this morning and bought the first train ticket to La Spezia in the direction of Cinque Terre.  It’s a little over a 2 hour train ride and from there it was only an 8 minute train to get to the village we were hoping to stay in.  We came with no reservation and only a few names of places to try.  After all it’s off season how hard can it be?!

The game of finding a place to stay for current day you are on is a lot more fun with a partner in crime.  So far it hasn’t been a feeling I’ve enjoyed on my own, but with company I have a slightly higher sense of adventure to live a little more on the edge ha-ha.

It really was no problem….3 minutes walk from the train station we hit the first hostel which the door was open but they appeared closed.  After asking a local about it he sent us a few more meters up the hill where he said there was a place.  Well BINGO….a woman was there to show me the room.   Chelsea spotted another once across the street so she went there to check it out and I followed the woman up 3 flights of stairs and walked into a room I knew we would call home.  It’s like a higher end hotel room back home….huge bed, TV, closet, two doors that open up onto balconies, bathroom with shower and towels….we were heaven.  For $50 euros a night which we could split between us we were sold!

We wasted no time sprucing up before jetting out to catch the sunset in this colorful little place.

We walked the seaside between Riomaggiore and Manorla which is about 100 ft up from the water and takes only 25 minutes on a beautiful rock pathway.  During peak season they charge you 7 euro but this time of year it was free.  It was lined with lovers catching the days last light, countless locks were hung from ever railing and overhead tree they could find to signify their love and that they were there <3  soooo cute!

We took numerous pictures and wandered around Manorola for a bit before dark and then headed home.  We were on a missing to find dinner and have a “do nothing” kind of evening.  We both could use the extra sleep time.

We ate at a quaint little restaurant we luckily found still open as most were closed and no wifi to be found in sight.

I had my first taste of real Italian spaghetti and pesto and it was divine!

Sitting here writing this while Chelsea is sleeping, I’m fresh and clean out of the shower sitting here looking at the room we are in.  Pure bliss.  I couldn’t be happier in this moment.  Funny though…you can tell we are backpackers as soon as our stuff hit the floor and the room was ours it was like our bags exploded from end to end.  After living in hostels for the last month and a half and always having to put things away so they don’t get stolen, it’s a GREAT feeling to sprawl out, organize things and just let er fly!

I now know why people have said that Cinque Terre is one of their most favorite places on earth….pretty sure it’s going to be mine too!

We have decided to stay here for 2 nights and lose a night in Rome, that way we have all day tomorrow to explore some of the other villages.

Don’t worry we are taking pictures galore!!!

Ciao Bella!

Firenze = Florence

Florence is a great city and I can now see why so many like it.  It's busy enough and has all the "normal" amenities you need but also has the Italian traditional lifestyle to it.  The buildings are breathtaking and the streets are quaint and mostly cobblestone.  Gelato stores line every other corner as do the Italian men waiting to call you inside.
The Christmas markets are to die for and being female always helps haha.  "Special price for you, for you today almost free" is what you hear alot of.  "Beautiful smile....half price!"  I think that was my favorite haha.
The scent of genuwine Italian leather makes me weak in the knees....not just missing the horses but that scent just reminds me of goodness.  Trying to decide if I should cave in and indulge in my first leather jacket as there are so many choices, colors and styles.

The other night we went our with 2 couples from our hostel.  Jumped around to a few different pubs mostly.  Had some in depth conversations which always satisfy my soul.
On the way home we got ushers to go to this little side street where a crowd of Americans mostly were huddled around  a door.  The said door would open and close at random intervals taking orders one at a time.  Now this is the interesting part.....it looked about as sketchy as a drug deal, people whispering to be quiet, keep it down ect.....all for a.....SECRET BAKERY!!!!  They were selling delicious crossiants filled with Nutella for 1 euro and these things were flying off the shelves.  Such a random thing but so funny, and sooooo good!!
We wandered back to our hostel and finally climbed into bed around 4 am....yawn.

We all slept in yesterday as a result.  We woke up to a mostly sunny day though so wasted no time at all getting out into it.  We went to Accedamia to get our first glimpse of Michelangelo's David....such a massive, triumphant statue.  I had no idea he was so HUGE!
hen we wandered the streets, browsed the Christmas markets and headed for home.  Chelsea is a super cook and we made a yummy chicken salad which is what we both had been craving for days.  It was delicious!!!
We searched out plans for the next leg of our trip as we leave Florence tomorrow.  It's been really nice to stay in one spot for 4 whole nights!!
It's an even nicer day today then yesterday so out we go!
TTFN

Bedbugs=1, Shawna=0

Got up early this morning and said goodbye to The Museum....both good and shady experiences there.  Staff were fun and entertaining and overall the building was pretty cool.. Downfalls.....not the cleanest joint or most well run and I have experienced bed bug bits because of it....GROSS.  It's bound to happen when you travel as pretty much every hostel has had bedbugs at some point in time.  I only have a few bites so I'm PRAYING they didn't get into my things....that will be awful if I transfer them.  I was told to get peppermint oil as they don't like so I'm gonna be on that tomorrow like white on rice!

I was so excited to be heading to a new place, this time with Chelsea my travel buddy who decided to join me through the rest of Italy and into Greece.  YAY!!!   We navigated our way through the windy venice maze (with a thankyou to google maps) and actually made it on time to catch our train to Florence.  It was the first time it was in the "cars" so there were 6 seats facing each other.  Not alway easy to move around in that small of space with a backpack but once settled it was a good ride.  As per my usual I was alseep within minutes of departure but was woken up as the sun hit my face through the window as we approached a town in between our two destionations.  It was so nice to feel the warmth but we knew it would be short lived as the forecast for Florence was rain.  

We arrived at the station and found a bus to our destination about 10 minutes away.  The immediate beauty of Florence is stunning...even under the cover of raindrops.
With a little bit of map searching and spinning in circles we headed in a direction we were sure was the way....it was not.  Lucikly not far off our path a nice Italian man who didnt speak a word on english, pointed us the right way and 15 minutes later we found our hostel.  After ringing the bell to no avail we were super excited when the door swung open though it was just one of the other hostellers.....either way we were inside!  We looked up....many many many flights of stairs and the packing questions came back into my head...1.Do you HAVE to have it? 2. Can you buy it in Europe? and 3 Are you willing to carry it uo 101 stairs......Well at this point I was ready to say goodbye to my backpack but I took a deep breath and started the climb....working off all the chocolate from Switzerland!!
We reached the very top of the stairs to find the door to our hostel with another damn bell.....that no one answered.  Apparently we forget there was a lockout at this hostel.  Anyway it was only about 30 minus before someone came to check us in so it wasn't too bad.

We took a few hours to just chill out as it had been awhile since we had done that.  Then headed out for dinner and for our first real experience of Florence.  The streets are all light up for Christmas and people are out and about.  There is everything we could ever need close by which is super nice.  Found a great little spot for dinner with HEALTHY food and walked around for a while.
On our way back we of course had to sample the gelato.....tonight I had coffee and triple choclate.  Back in Venice I had creme caramel and some hazelnutty type one.  I love gelato!  The fresh kind anyway.

We returned for our hostel for a quiet night so we can both get some sleep and be ready for the next fun filled 3 days in Florence!
I had a glorious shower which made me feel slighty better after the bedbug episode though I can't stop scratching just at the thought of bugs being in my things....ick ick ick.
Operation peppermint oil....here I come!!!

Helllo Italy - Venezia :)

Well I wrote a HUGE post the other day and when I was finished I went to spell check it and somehow managed to delete the whole thing so I was mad grrrrr.

I won't go into as much detail as I did before as so much has happened!  For now I'll give you the gist of it.
I was in Interlaken Switzerland and went hiking in the Swiss Alps....Beautiful!
I caught the train to Venice, Italy and was very proud for having 2 changes onto 3 different trains over 7 hours and I made them all ON TIME and in the right direction!  YAY me.

I arrived in Venice and went out the first night with the crew from the hostel.  Good times.
My first full day here Chelsea one of the girls from the hostel and I explored this amazing city. 
It's like one giant maze where dead ends end at water.  Maps don't help as the roads don't make any scence and when it looks like your going straight your not haha.
I love the italian language and could listen to it all day!
I ate my first Italian pizza and a few different kinds of gelato....yummmm.
It rained today so wasn't as nice to walk around all day but we did it anyway....hmm wet feet are probablly not the best thing for my cold that seems to be taking a vengence over me....ugh.
That's about as creative as I get tonight as I'm getting pretty sleepy.  Had a big yummy dinner at the hostel for 5 euros with everyone thats staying here and we got into the wine....it is cheaper then water here you know....
I will write better next time I promise...after I stop being mad for losing my amazingly written post haha.
Ciao Ciao!

What dreams may come

Today didn't consist of all that much besides travelling within.  I've mentioned before how much time travelling alone gives you time to be in your own company to think.  
   I slept in this morning and enjoyed waking up nice and slow.  Selina had to go to class early so I was in no rush to do much of anything.  I got up, showered, got organised, cleaned the dishes to do my part for staying there, packed all my things back away and headed to town.  Managed to get a few little "gifties" together and sent off....keep an eye out in your mailboxes folks....12-14 days ;)
Wandered around a little longer before it was time to head back and gather my things.
Selina came home around 4 and we headed for my train.  Was happy she came to see me off as the transit system still is not my favorite place to face alone.
I found and boarded my train....was only like a 2 hour ride to Interlaken with a change of trains in Berne.
Riding the train I sat in my thoughts.....what to do next, where to stay, how much money I have left (this occupies much of my time lately as Switzerland is SOOOOO expensive!!!)  I had to pay 2 franks to go pee the other day....2 franks!  Thats like $3.50 or something crazy.  And a meal at Burger King was 14.90 franks!!!  OY!
So I will definatly be looking to couchsurf a few more times as money has a way of disapearing way too fast.
I've also been thinking alot about what happens once I get back home.  Bills to pay, back to routine, this no longer sounds fun after my recent decisions of should I hike in the Swiss Alps today or venture onto Italy and visit the canals by boat in Venice.....sigh.  Way more charming and glamorous don't you think?
Travellers....how do you return home after 3 months away?  I have always heard travel changes you but don't think I ever realized just how much truth there is in that statement.  When I started this 3 month Eurotrip it was going to be "my once in a lifetime" but now that's something I just cannot fathom.  I want to see more of the world, meet more of the people, breathe in the culture and taste the food.   I always thought I was a wanderer before....well now the desire to wander is even greater and I'm not too sure what to do about that!
Not all that wander are lost.....

I've been missing the horses.  I think it's almost time I find my way back to a job doing what I love.  Just need to find the right position for me.  Something where I can still have a work/life balance and not push my body so hard.  Well there's the intention so I'll go of the outcome and see what happens

Ahhh there I go again.   Thinking about the future.  STOP.  Ok...I'm supposed to focus on today....well today is almost over as it's 11:30 and my bunk mates are bustling about.  I arrived the the BEST hostel ever this evening, it looks like a cheaper hotel.  Everything is clean staff are friendly and the beds are big and comfy with huge lockers in the room and a balcony....you know how hot I always am....well to be able to step out into the fresh mountain air is something I really love.  Ahhhh such a good feeling!  We even have a bathroom attached...though that, although convieniant I don't always like.....I'm a lady, with tummy troubles, in a foreign country eating foreign food....you do the math lol.

Anyway am planning to hit the Alps tomorrow.  Both my mind and my waistline could use a break from the people, the city and the tasty snacks you find all along the way.  Tomorrow I'm going to strap on my running shoes, take my camera and have an adventure in the mountains just me, myself and I....YAY!!  I want to slow down, need to slow down, breathe, take in the world around me and RELAX.

Well I could ramble for hours tonight as I have lots on my mind but the little chinese guy next to me keeps peeking at me from under his covers so I think my keyboard ticking is keeping people awake.

Oh hostels....

Goodnight world....zzzzzz

Lovely girls!!

Said goodbye to France and caught the train to Zurich Switzerland.  I was so excited to be couchsurfing at a girls place....yay!  I arrived to the station and met Selina, my beautiful, bubbly new host.  She was so kind and her place was perfect!  We had a nice night chatting, eating some Swiss chocolate and watched Eat, Pray, Love.  It made me reflect on my travels and made me realize I haven't taken enough time to slow down and enjoy my experiences.  Just like in life back home I always rush to get here and there.  I need to SLOW DOWN, breathe, taste food and take in the atmosphere more.  I get so energized and anxious with so many people buzzing about the streets around me I need to take some time to ground myself and not let their energy get to mine.  Otherwise before I know I'll be home again and my travels will seem nothing more then a dream.

Movie night with Selina :)

Today Selina had time to show me around Zurich.  We went to the old town, walked along the water.  Had a hotdog in this amazing pretzel type bread with a type of tartar sauce....mmmm.  Walked through some Christmas markets and gazed in the windows of all the pretty swiss chocolate stores.  She also said I had to try this thing called Maroni...I think it's a chestnut that they cut a slice into and then roast.  It's really warm and kind of has a consistancy of a potato but it's slighty sweet.  It's a big thing over here and she was amazed I had never tried it.   It was good, though not my first choice in tasty snack.
Also I think what my girlfriends have told me is true....there are good looking men here and I wish I was staying longer to get to know some of them!  Note to self....return to Switzerland!

Selina had class at 4ish so she left me to my own devices and I walked around some more, took some pictures before following my map back to the bus and back to the apartment.   I layed down for a nap....the first real nap I've taken since being away and it was glorious!  I woke up at 6 when she came home again and we headed out to the cafe where she works to meet with her friends for dinner and coffee.  I had a spinach and feta quiche and a warm chai tea...yummy.  It was so nice to be around a table of ladies listening to them chatter about life, love, and happenings.  I soooo need more girls around me!  I truly miss my girlfriends that I do have....though don't have the connection these ones do.  Most of them grew up together and are very close, like sisters it seemed.  Beautiful girls!
We returned home to relax for the evening and I've been planning what to get up to tomorrow.  I also head to Interlaken tomorrow so have been checking hostels, things to do ect as well as the next step.....ITALY!
I'm not ready to leave Zurich and Selina's but maybe it's just all the more reason to return again someday!

Chateau Versailles

After a glorious nights sleep I got up this morning to Abdeiliah making crepes....yummy!  After breakfast i got organised and took the train to St Lazare station to meet the girls as we were heading to Versailles for the day which is about 30 minutes away by train.
What a beautiful little town.  We walked along the store fronts peering into all kinds of shops.  Wandered through a saturday market with all kinds of goodies before making our way to the Chateau Versailles.  What a ginormous palace and the gardens so stunning!  Can't even immagine what it's like in the summer with all the flower and fountains running!  We got our tickets and made our way through the rooms and corridors.  What a breahtaking place and to believe people lived there so many years ago!  The history of all the kings, queens, guards, marie antionette ect that live there is too facinating to describe.
The famous hall of mirrors is something that must been seen to understand how grand it all is.
We spent many hours in there before heading out for a late lunch and thn heading back to Paris.   On the ride back the girls and I talked about Twighlight and how we wanted to see the new one that just came out so we made a plan, made sure it was in english and found the way to get to the theatre just in time for a 6:05 show.  YAY what a great day!  Made it back by 9 pm, Abdul and I had dinner and now I'm catching up on my online duties before heading off to sleep and onto Switzerland tomorrow!!!

Fast little criminal

Paris is like any other city with it's different sights, sounds, smells ect but there is something different about the "city of love"  For such a huge city, everything is built grand and open so what usually seems cramped and chaotic...here its just normal, not over crowded (most places anyway)
The history and arcitecture are incredible and all the stories of acient times that come with it.

Yesterday I got up at 7 and headed for the city as my host was leaving so I needed to as well.  I thought I'd use the early morning as a time to hit up Mcdonalds for some free wifi time.  Id been there for an hour or so when a dodgy woman came up the stairs asking for money.  She appeared to be known by staff as one immediatly gave her a nudge and told her to leave.   I went back to what I was doing.  Normally I have nothing out except my computer but this time I had my phone out as I was texting at the same time so I put it down on the pad of paper I was writing on right beside my paper.  About 15 minutes or so later she came back up this time with a green piece of paper with writing on it asking for money.  She put the paper beside me and I said no no no no and kept looking at my computer screen and then she went away.  I looked down and noticed my phone wasn't there....it took a second to register as I looked in my purse first to make sure I didn't put it away....then I freaked and JUMPED down the two flights of stairs screaming "SHE STOLE MY PHONE SHE STOLE MY PHONE"  I caused a rukus in Mcdonalds and everyone started talking loud in french and one poor woman thought I was pointing at her.  When everyone just looked around frazzled I wasn't sure what to do....then realizing I had just left my computer wide open up stairs as well as my backpack with my purse, passport and everything back upstairs I bounded up there as fast as humanly possible.  I asked loudly if anyone could watch my things as I had just watched a computer for another guy but he had since left.  Everyone shook their heads and said "no englais"  So I paniced and started shoving things into my backpack, grabbed my coat, scarf, bag, pulled my power cord out of the wall and with it trailing behind me jumped back down the stairs in a frienzy.  One little french woman came up to me speaking very fast and was pretty demanding about it telling me "police police police you stay"  I wanted to run out those doors so fast as she couldn't have gone far.  Then another little french man not speaking much english told me to stay as well so I calmed myself and put everything back in my bag.  That's when the big gorgeous man dressed all in motorcyle gear came in and was on his phone as well as his walkie talking was going off in his pocket.  He told me "fine fine, you come" so I follwed him across the street while he's still on his cell phone talking to police.  We got over to the other side which ir right where you go to get on the metro lines and two other civilian looking people, also with radios, were standing with two ladies, one of which is the one who stole my phone.  I hollared at her "you stole my phone, give me back my phone"  She said she had nothing but eventually her friend handed it back over to the big burly police man.  Everyone was still going on and on in very fast french so I was a little confused and only catching every other word....when the police car pulled up and I had to get in the back.  But it was a normal car, not scary in the back like our police cars back home.  They told me I was going to give a statement and all was fine.  So headed to the police station, told them what happened and about an hour or so later I left with my phone in hand and very grateful to all the people who helped me in record time!  Whew!

So by this time I was late to meet Lauren, Lindsay and their mom and the louvre, so I got directions and headed there.  Took me awhile to chill out after that and I have to say I'm no longer very nice to people because here you get apprached ALOT.....to give money, sign something for "pretending to be deaf people" or guys hand you cards with writing on them to distract you while they steal.  No way.  I clutch my bag, I don't look at them and I walk briskly by shaking my head and saying NO.  I learned my lesson!!

Got to the Louvre in all it's glory.  You could easily spend a week in there looking at all the exhibits but we saw what we could and then headed for the Eiffel Tower as we wanted to be there at sunset.  The girls had the hop on off bus tickets so I said I'll meet them there and I took the metro.  I'm learning to love the metro :)
The girls forgot to consider traffic so got there about 2 hours after I did haha.  In the meantime I took hundreds of picutres as well as helped other tourists get their perfect shot with the tower as well.  Finally just as the sun set they arrived and we got in line to head to the top.  We timed it perfectly as we got to be at the top of the tower at 7 pm when it sparkled and we all stood and awwwwed with delight!  What an intense, thrilling, challenging day and here we were where things couldn't be more better.
After the tower we headed for dinner in a cute little bistro before I ran off to pack my things and head to meet my new couchsurf host.  I was late leaving and ended up not finding my way there until 11:30 pm.  Bless his heart he's super duper kind and was waiting for me with freshly ordered pizza :)  We chatted for awhile and then I had a long hot shower and headed for bed in my OWN room on a big couch/bed.....the end to an incredible day in Paris!!

Little life lessons in Paris

Left Antwerp on a 6 hour bus ride....got harrassed by a guy for an hour who insisted I come with him to Tunesia.  Kept touching me, trying to hold my hand and kiss my arm....finally told him to leave me alone and go back to his seat.  I'm not good at being mean but this is starting to become a lesson that repeats itself!
Got held up at the border so the heavily armed police could check the bags coming from Amsterdam....all was good and we were back on our way.

I arrived in Paris at 8 pm and made my way through the metro directions Miguel, my second couchsurf host had left me.  Paris is actually really easy to navigate, much to my surprise, as usually I hate using the metros but I have it completly figured out here...yay me!
Arriving at Miguel's was a bit eye opening.  He told me he lived in a very small place and that I would be sleeping on the floor but I figured that was fine as he lives 10 minutes from the Eiffel tower....perfect.
Well firstly it was a million degrees...I'm always hot as is and everywhere in Paris seems to have the heat CRANKED even though this is the warmest place I've been lately!  C'mon people!!!
No kidding less then 5 minutes later we hit the town.  Met up with one of his girlfriends, Laur who was super nice!  She took me to some shops and showed me the lights of Paris.   She is a local here and was very informative.  I got my first glimpse of the stunning lit up and sparkly Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe, the main streets and many more places....all on my first night!
Arrived back at Miguels at 2 am ......I slept on the hardwood floor with only my silk sleep sheet and some of my clothing I piled underneath.  Way less then ideal however I wasn't going to climb into his tiny single bed with him even though he offered.  Jeesh!  I keep saying I want to meet a man yet am so totally turned off/discusted and down right angry with the way some men attempt to treat women.  GAH!  I won't rant anymore about that on here....  He is a very nice guy and very helpful....introduced me to his friend and showed me around the whole first evening I arrived which was great to see and have someone who speaks french to the locals.

This morning I peeled myself off the floor....in a fair amount of pain I could hardly get up.  It's been awhile since I slept on a floor like that haha.  But not letting anything get me down I looked on the bright side.  I had a roof over my head and I was safe in a foreign place.  I got ready fairly quickly and headed out the door the same time he did for the day.  I managed to meet up with Crystal, a local girl from back home YAY and her dad.  We went for breakfast/lunch and then to the church Montmartre Basilique du Sacre-Coeur and wandered around the little shops in the squares behind it.  There were many artists set up selling their work...soo stunning but much over my backpacker budget!
 Around 4 I said goodbye to them and set out to meet Lauren and Lindsay and their mom, the two sisters I hung out with back in Ireland!  I love when travellers cross paths again and again :)  We met up outside the Louvre and walked down to the big lit up ferris wheel thing and took a ride to see all above Paris.  It was foggy but still a great view!  From there we wandered through the pretty Christmas markets and ate a kebab and some chocolate puffy things...yummm.

We parted ways and they headed back to their hotel and I wandered the rest of the way down Champs - Elysees on my own to the Arc de Triomphe which is where I climb back on the Metro and make my way back to Miguels.  I opted to go in search of wifi so ended up in a good old Mcdonalds not far from where I'll be staying....so here I write to you.  Quite a day and a fair amount to relfect on.  So many lessons and challenges  that come up while your travelling.  So far nothing I can't handle though it's interesting to watch the lessons repeat themselves.  All part of helping me grow into the savvy world traveller I set out to be!!
See me roar!!   ;)

Antwerpen

I landed in Antwerp last night.  I was so excited I managed to take the right train/tram combinations and got to where I was supposed to be.  I was a little apprehensive as it was the first time I was going to try "couchsurfing"  but much to my delight, my host Wesley was a fabulous first time choice!  He came to meet me where I got off the tram and he was fun, welcoming, happy and we had the best conversation.  He lives in a huge old house with 3 other guys.  We headed out to a funky little jazz bar for the evening with his friends and I got to sample a few different kinds of Belgian beer.  Yep beer IS better in Belgium!

Today we took the bikes out and rode through the city.  Wes showed me around to the historic sights.   We also went to the new museum as you can go all the way to the top and look out over Antwerp.
I haven't ridden a bike in years let alone ride bikes ever how these guys do it.  Bikes own the road here and I'm not used to riding within inches of cars and people.  It was a little nerve wracking as I wobbled on that bike.  They seem to keep them so steady and straight but I kept wobbling....not something that you want to be doing as you hear a car approaching up from behind....but I survived and it was the best way to experience the city!!  Such FUN!
But boy oh boy do my butt bones hurt....I don't know if it was the fact I was riding a boys bike and the seat was pretty narrow or what but YOWZAS!  I'm gonna feel that one tomorrow haha.
After sightseeing we headed to a neat little restaurant for dinner where Wes said we had to get the baked potatos.  They were the most AMAZING baked potatos filled with chicken, mushrooms, spinnach and cheese all in a cream sauce....drool!  It was even better then it sounds!  I love the tiny salad in comparison lol

We wandered back to where we parked the bikes and rode back home...the whole way I kept shifting and trying to sit different ways as my butt bones felt like they were going to pop through my skin haha.
Had a nice relaxing evening and am off to Paris tomorrow!!  I'm so lucky to be on this adventure.  It's something everyone should do once in their lifetime!  Pure bliss....travelling just feels like home to me :)
Onto the next destination!
Ta Ta!

Waffles, Chocolate and Fries....Oh My !

I'm finally getting caught up.  My past two hostels either haven't had wifi, it never worked or it was crazy expensive so I've been writing and saving my blog entries and posting them when I finally get online.  So bare with me :)  They will come!

Today was my first full day in Bruges.  Lovely town but the people really don't send out friendly vibes.  I smile and say hello to most people and I rarely get smiles back....hmmmpfh fine then!  Not letting it affect me so I just keep on my merry way!
When I told a friend about that he said "hunny welcome to Europe"  surely ALL europeans aren't unhappy and dispise tourists do they?  I don't feel Canadians respond the same way to tourists at all....over all we are pretty open adn welcoming aren't we?  Maybe that's why I find it strange.  I had a conversation with a guy at the hostel back in Amsterdam about a girl he dated, and broke up with because she was too nice and she was Canadian.  He pointed at me and said "your way too nice....ALL the time"  I don't think I'm THAT nice....well maybe I am haha.

Anyway Bruges is made of of old school buildings, cobblestone streets, little canals and many restaurants.    Ohh the food, even my guide book says that Belgium is not a place you'll ever go hungry and in most cases if you could die from calorie intake alone....Belgium would kill you.  French fries were invented here, there's truffles and praline chocolates on every corner and waffles with every kind of topping immaginable including....you guessed it...chocolate!!
Most people speak Flemish (Dutch) or French.  Much like Amsterdam I can't even begin to pronounce the words written on street signs.  They speak with a sound made in the back of your throat like your trying to cough up a lugie....you think that would make your throat hurt speaking like that?
 Talked with a local in the burger joint last night who's been here all his life.  He said the people are old school as well and didn't have many nice things to say about Bruges haha.
It was a crisp but sunny day today...again I'm still so thankfull for the weather as I've officially been travelling for one month today and have only had like 1 day of rain....amazing!!!

I wandered the streets all morning and enjoyed getting lost.  I set out to find a travel adapter as I must have left mine in Amsterdam though my roomate says she didn't see it.  Much to my dismay I was told everything is closed on Sundays but to try a store called Saturn by the train station.  Success !  It was open.  Saturn was like an even bigger version of Future Shop!!!  But I just browsed besides finding and buying my new adapter.

From there I took pictures as I went.  Walked thru the town centre, into some little shops that were open and took in the air that is Bruges.  There's a bit of a funky smell you catch every now and again.  I'm guessing it's from all the water ways.  I really had no idea Amsterdam and Belgium were built on so much water!
The sun has gone now so I've taken cover in a local pub where there's free wifi whoo hoo.  I intend to park my butt here until as late as possible before heading back to my hostel as there's nothing to do there.  I'm also researching the next leg of my trip.
Tomorrow I take the train to Antwerp where I'm being hosted....my first couchsurf...yay sooo exciting!  I'll be spending 2 days there before heading onto Paris where I have another couch lined up for 3 days.
I have a bit of a travel dilemma at the moment as the train from Antwerp to Paris is almost $300!  Thats so not in my budget so I'm looking into passes, for trains busses ect.  So if any of you have advice please let me know!
Cheers!

Wheels on the bus go round & round

Well the past day has been slighty eventuful.  Yesterday I made the decision to book the trip to Bruges.  I walked into town in Amsterdam til I found a Mcdonalds with wifi and I sat there for a few hours to sort it all out haha.  I booked a bus ticket and confirmed a hostel that was 25 euros a night….not excited but at least it meant I had a place to sleep.

Got up early this morning so I had time for my free breakfast and to print my ticket before leaving.  Made my way to the train station and thankfully got on the right train to the bus station.  Had a 6 hour long bus ride with the most annoying little girl sitting behind me who liked to sing really fast and really loud in a language I couldn’t understand.  To make it worse she had a cough that sounded like that terrible barking and while standing up singing would then proceed to couch in my general direction.  Gross.  Everyone around me is sick, 3 girls in my room last night were all hacking and sneezing and now I feel even worse today.  Nope backpacking sure isn’t glamourous at all…..

But I finally made it to the Bruges, had a good 25 minute walk or so to find the hostel and luckily I made it just before dark.  Upon dropping my things off I wanted to head to town to find food as all I had all day were snacks.  I found the city centre and got lost along many cobblestone streets.   Everything here is old and beautiful though the people didn’t seem overly friendly.  After reading a map made by young locals it doesn’t seem to be the overall impression either….the locals don’t like to be bothered with tourists hmmmm.

From what I have seen there is nothing “newish” here….no Mcdonalds, no Starbucks, nothing I recognize.  Everything is in Duth/Flemish and French.  OY!

I managed to find some kind of burger joint that resembled a Mcdonalds and ate there.  The prices in this place are WAY to high for my budget so it’s a good thing I only have one full day and 2 nights here!

It’s really cold tonight, the coldest its been on my trip so far and usually I embrace the cool weather!  I happily strolled down the dark windy streets, meandering at my own pace after being cooped up in a bus all day.  I enjoyed the fresh air.  I do have to say that although the slower pace here is nice after Amsterdam I almost felt safer walking alone in the dark there because there were always so many people and tons of lights.  Here I found myself on pretty dark roads a few times with no one in sight.  Probablly fine but feels kinda eerie in the misty evening.  But I made it back to my hostel safely.  Guess it’s going to be an early night as I don’t have wifi and the hostel is filled with old people that just bussed in…..strange.

It’s clean, spacious and quiet but nothing special and certainly not a place with any kind of character.  It resembles more of an army camp….with old people lol.

But it’s a place to sleep, I’m not on a park bench in the cold and I’m really excited to look around in the day light tomorrow.  Minus the fact the unfriendly guy at the front desk informed me tomorrow is Sunday and everything is closed.   Hmmmm.  Double hmmm because I left my darn adapter to plus everything in and charge it, in Amsterdam so now I have to go in search of a new one.  Easy to find in big cities….have a feeling not so fun to find here.  Well at least it gives me something to focus on tomorrow.

2 nights here and then I’m off to Antwerp.  Got a conformation back from Wesley, my first couch surfer host….yay exciting.  Seems like a super nice guy and is going to show me around!  Don’t worry Dad they come with references haha ;)  He checks out.

Had lots of time to reflect on the bus today.  On my travels, on how I’m doing, on life.  Lots of time to be in your head when your alone.  But thus far I haven’t regretted the decision to travel alone one bit.  Yes at times I miss someone to take photos with or to know the person your sitting next to on the bus but being alone really forces me to put myself back into the world after being kind of introverted the past few years.  It’s not easy and I certainly don’t have it down pat yet.  Things defiantly start to get more fun when I put myself out there.

Anyway kind of rambling cause I have nothing else to do but I don’t have much battery left on here so I might as well catch up on some sleep tonight.

Miss you all.  Hope things are well and your keeping warm back home.  I hear it’s been snowing brrrrr.

Much love xoxox

I Will be back!

Oh Amsterdam.  What an interesting place.  I must visit again sometime.  I have loved the time I’ve spent here though I would love to come back with friends as it would be MUCH more fun.   There is always something to do, there are people out at all hours of the day and night.  Young and old they are all mixed in together.  The amount of people on bikes and bikes chained to…everything….are amazing.   It’s easier to get run over by a bike then the trams or the cars…though the trams are nuts as is.  People walk along the tracks that run un marked through the streets, they beep when they are approaching and people part to the sides as the trams pass by mere inches from people.  Frightening!

 I can see now how only 2 or 3 days in once place really isn’t much time.  If you want o explore and fit everything you possibly can into those days then there’s no room for sitting on the internet and planning….especially when the wifi never works in the hostel which is a HUGE pain.  So I’d have to go hunt out Starbucks and McDonalds.  After finally getting online today and realizing I don’t have a place to stay tomorrow night I gave up on doing anything this evening so I could get the basics sorted out.   I was starting to worry a little. The hostel situation wasn’t looking good as everything in this area skyrockets on the weekends so the cheapest hostel was 50 euros!!  I had sent out some couch surf requests but hadn’t heard much back so I made the plan to head to Bruges in Belgium tomorrow and found a hostel for $25/night…still way over my budget but at least it’s a place to sleep.  Was starting to think I’d be taking up a park bench somewhere….just kidding!!  I heard back from a guy in Antwerp so long as everything works out he will be my first couch surf host….YAY!

Then came the fun of figuring out how to get to Bruges….hmmm.  The easiest way is the train however the cheapest and longest way is the bus….done!  So I booked a ticket and despretly hope I can find my way from point A to point B tomorrow as it all seems a little confusing.   No one said traveling is easy….and it sure aint!

So if everything stays the same I’ll be spending 2 nights in Bruges, 2 night in Antwerp then onto Paris where I’m looking to couchsurf as well.  Takes a bit more time to plan however think that is going to have to be my focus from here on out as money is quickly dwindling and I’m not even buying anything….simply just eating and sleeping….I so DO NOT have enough money to get me through the next two months which has got me thinking what to do.  Might have to cut some places out?  Can’t really come home early as my final flight is non refundable non transferable.  Well….guess I’ll worry about that more once my funds hits the red zone.

The hostel here is nice, I’m in a 4 bed female dorm and the beds are soooo comfy.  It’s very noisy outside from the bars in the area and well, it’s Amsterdam so everyone is high on something and the things you hear are quite interesting.  Last night a girl (with a really good voice) sang :”Whats love got to do, got to do, got to do with it…..what’s love got to do got to do got to do with it) over and over and over.  Not sure how she still had a voice the way she was belting it out.  Finally people started yelling at her to shut it….thanks goodness lol.

I’ve felt pretty safe here though as to be honest I was kind of intimidated about in the beginning.  But because there’s soooo many people out all the time it never really feels scary, even when the people can be dodgy.  I’ve been out wandering the streets by myself everynight past 11 and made out just fine.

I went to check out the Rjyskmusuem (spelling?) during the day.  Was beautiful to see though I need to learn a lot more about art history!  I didn’t feel it was worth the 12.50 euro entry fee.  I’m on a tight budget so that’s about the only activity I could do while in Amsterdam.  I walked….ALOT.  Got my picture taken with the IAMsterdam sign.  Ate the local goodies and just sat and watched time pass by.  Yep Amsterdam is a neat and mind boggling place.  Don’t know when but I will so be back!

Last night one of the girls from the hostel and I ventured into the red light district to check it out.  Now that was an experience!  Red lights, mostly naked girls that tap on the windows as you walk by and the shady men that visit those places….gross.  No need to elaborate more haha.

Anyway it’s late again and I have to be up early…wish me luck en route tomorrow.  Talk to you in Bruges!!

I AMsterdam

I made it!  I was traveling pretty much all day today.  Left the hostel around 9:30 am, got the 10 o clock bus to Belfast.  Had some time to eat lunch and walk around (with my heavy backpack in tow)  Caught the 2:15 bus to the Airport.  Had awhile to wait to board my 6 o clock flight.  Landed in Amsterdam at 8:30ish….I lost another hour of my life as I crossed another time zone so am now 9 hours ahead of home I believe.

I didn’t rush out of the airport as I decided I wanted to eat and get everything organized there before setting out to find my hostel at 10 pm in Amsterdam!  Yikes!

Nothing like jumping in full force.

Managed to get on the right train to Central Station….yay me.  This part of traveling is probably much easier for those that have ventured off the island and been forced to use public transit for me, the total oblivious to trains, trams and busses this is the worst part and I dread it everytime I board one.   So far I haven’t made any huge mistakes but at this part in the game I still get nervous about it.  When does that go away?  Maybe I’m just too sensitive on the topic….I dunno it just stressed me out. From the central train station the the 5-10 minute walking directions sounded pretty easy.  Apparently not so as I ended up walking around for a good 45 mins with my damn heavy backpack so by this time I felt like with every step that my feet are being grinded against the pavement.  I weaved in and out of streets as wizzing biclyes went by and whofts of marijuana smoke slithered out of the cafes.  Oh boy do I feel far from Canada at this point!  I can’t even begin to pronounce the Dutch signs and although most people speak English it doesn’t seem to be the first language they try when speaking to you….it at least seemed that way tonight anyways.  But people were friendly.  A few pointed me in the wrong direction hence walking for such a long time but at least they tried.

From the few places I’ve seen tonight it’s even harder to navigate then Ireland, there’s even less street signs and even fewer cross walks.  I thought people were bad for ignoring signs in Ireland….well there weren’t all that many signs to look at here for people just cross whenever.  And there’s tram tracks all over the place, from every direction I didn’t even know which way to look to see if they were coming haha.  And the bikes…..bikes EVERYWHERE.  Not sure I’m ready to jump in and ride around like they do.

Finally at 11:15 pm I made it to St. Christophers Hostel.   I have to walk through a very busy bar to get to reception…..that should be fun for tomorrow but tonight think I might just hit the sack.  I apparently a booked a 4 person female dorm which looks more hotel style with real single beds….quite nice.  It’s technically next door to the main hostel and up some pretty intense stairs.  But there’s only two rooms at the top for a total of 8 people I think and a bathroom/shower just outside.  The only thing is they only have wifi down in the bar.  I hate that as it’s a bar not a place to be sitting on your computer…..at least that’s how I feel and I need some computer time to arrange the next part of my trip.  For now I am writing this from my room and then will quickly upload it when I head down.

I think that’s about all to report for today.  I miss Ireland already but am uber excited to explore Amsterdam in all it’s hustle and bustle.  The sound level of the bar downstairs is increasing…..earplugs it is!  But after a long day it’s just too much excitement for me to face tonight.

Sweet dreams all.

Girls just wanna have fun

Since arriving back from the tour I've been relaxing mostly.  I'm starting to get sick again....someone told me to go get some Actifed so might try that tomorrow!  ICK.  Why do I have such a crappy immune system.....sigh.

(Lauren & Lindsay the fabulous sisters!!)

The past two days I've been hanging with Lauren and Lindsay, the two girls from Seattle that I met on the pub crawl and that were also on the 3 day tour.  We've been shopping, exploring, eating and hanging out.  What fun!  I just love Dublin and could easily live here.  Although I am still extremely lucky with the weather as in my 3 weeks abroad I've still only hit one day of rain....amazing in October/November I know!!
I didn't spend too much money shopping as 1, I don't have much money to spend and 2, I don't have room in my backpack haha.  So I splurged on some earrings, a scarf, some new undies and make up.  Girlie I know!  It's been fun!  Oh I also bought a cute pair of tall flat boots and skinny jeans because EVERYONE around here is wearing boots and I stick out like a sore thumb in my runners.
I have found the secret as to why everyone here looks amazing all the time and although there are plenty of high end expensive stores there is also PENNEYS!  My new favorite obsession.  You can buy everything at Penneys.  Men's, Women's and kids.  Everything from comfy casual clothes to fancy nights out to underwear to stylish winter coats for.....CHEAP.  Everything is ridiculously cheap!  So I can see myself adding to my wardrobe and having to send some stuff home or leave it behind as the deals and fashions are too good to pass up.  I tried to refrain today as I found out there's another one in Amsterdam so I can go through with this flight and then buy one of those nice coats on the other side.  At this rate I am going to be that traveller wearing everything imaginable on the airplane like I talked about in my first few blog posts haha.  The best part....I'm loving it!  I normally hate shopping but here it's been nice break from sightseeing and running around all day everyday.  This is me putting it out to the world that from now on I promise to spend a little more money on fashion and try to look half as good as European people look!
I still want to buy my Ireland sweatshirt but I suppose I'm out of time and after seeing how I can look it has made me want to spend the money on nice clothes rather then a memorabilia sweatshirt.....so we'll see.
I also got my makeup done today which was a nice way to pamper myself.  The deal was if you bought two products you got your makeup done for free so I got some primer and foundation.  Here's to hoping my cheap make up brushes and I can apply it as good as she can!

I was supposed to go back to Belfast today as I fly to Amsterdam tomorrow but I love the Abbey Court hostel and Dublin so much I wanted to stay.  So I'm taking the 9 or 10 o clock bus tomorrow to Belfast and then my flight to Amsterdam is around 6ish I think.
This hostel is paradise and I'm going to be sad to leave.  Every evening I've been sitting in the hammock room catching up on uploading pictures, writing my blog and researching for my next country to head to.  It's been fantastic.  It's right in the middle of everywhere I want to be and although breakfast is still only toast and cereal the staff are super and it's so clean.  Last night, and I think tonight too I've been alone in my 12 person dorm room after it being full the first night so am really enjoying my temporary privacy.  Being able to change my undies without trying to move as fast as light before someone comes in is a nice switch.....ahh the little things lol. :)

I just booked a flight to Egypt for December....yay soooo excited!  I'm going to visit a friend there for 6 days.  Love totally unplanned side trips! Whoo hoo.
Well next time I'll talk to you will be from Amsterdam
Adios!