Thessaloniki is a bit of a wasteland, a bit dirty and boring so Ill skip our day there...from here we caught a sleeper train to Istanbul. After sleeping on the airport floor in Athens and all day waiting in Thessa, the hand basin in our private carriage became a makeshift foot and underarm shower hehe ALL CLASS we are...The sleeper was suprisingly good, comfy even. We slept until the border at which point we were woken by a man yelling at us to surrender our passports and get off the train. An interesting experience when there isnt much english goin around and its 3,30am. You just trust your not getting ripped off with the visa entry...there wouldnt be a hell of a lot you could do even if you were! The train got into the city at about 9am and we found our hostel and passed out till the afternoon, then got up to sample our first turksih kebab. Let me just say it aint no Uncle Tobys! They cut open a bread roll and wipe up the fat drip tray with it..then they fill it with meat and a few bits of salad..no sauce unless you ask, so it can be quite dry...although I guess thats what the fat is for..lubricant.!
The next few days we did the tourist route...pausing for a day because poor trent got a tummy bug :( Among the notable sites were the two large mosques - Aya Sofia and The Blue Mosque. They are beautiful from the outside and we were keen to take a look inside, but the entry fee for one was just stupid and the other we visited during prayer, so we admired from afar. Later we visited an old underground cistern, used to supply the city with water. Check out the photos, I think they came out nicely. The same afternoon we had a poke around the Grand Bazaar and met a few characters. Some delightful, some a**holes...all part of the experience of bargaining I guess! Its fun to look around but not as cheap as we would have liked.
Around the hostel we stayed at in the Old Town there were some beautiful alleways decorated with creeping vines, hanging lights, turkish cusions and the ever present hookah! The old town has so much more charm than the New Town, which is practically the same as every other main city we have been to. Same old stores...H&M, Nike, Billabong etc etc. I didnt rate it too highly although it looks like it has a good modern bar scene which we unfortunately didnt check out.
We also visited Topkapi Palace and saw among other things, the Circumcision Room of past Sultans. A whole room dedicated to that! The palace was nice, reminded me of Aladdin so I loved it hehe. Ill never forget the wealth we saw there. Rubies, diamonds, emeralds, pearls...adorning everything. A VERY wealthy empire id say. Later on we returned to the bazaar and bought ourselves some matching leather poofs and a hookah...the start of our very own international backyard lounging area!
Istanbul isnt only interesting for its history and monuments, its an interesting city to walk around as a female. Things are a bit different for the fairer sex. The country is predominantly muslim and dress standards in Eastern Turkey especially, follow the religions strict rules. I was mindful to dress modestly, although even when I did I was still stared at left right and centre. We heard stories of women being felt up and leered at, and its just plain annoying and rude from my point of view so I had to remind myself it was just the norm in turkey. I also wasnt looked at or involved in conversations between men and Trent and I. They would speak to Trent and ignore me, that can be annoying too, except for when theyre trying the sell.
The very last morning in Istanbul a cab driver didnt think his first two trips around the block to stare at me were enough, so he followed it up with a third driveby and a leer.. I was more than happy to get on the bus and leave at that point...Leave for our next stop....Gallipoli...
More soon xoxo
Monday, July 20, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Beach n Booze n Ball n Bat
Ios.. Finally, a holiday! We deserved it by the time we got there... hehe kidding, i bet so many of you will get angry at me saying that. All I mean is, after a few months of travelling non-stop, a whole week of hedonistic activities is more of a treat than usual!
We booked in to a really good place called Far Out Village and Camping. We shared a decent triple room, and the place had the most important facilities for our week there.....several pools and several bars. There is also a beautiful beach right out the front with free umbrellas and sun lounges. We also played tennis most days and and bought a ball and bat so we could play out on the sand. There's not much to fill in your days on Ios so to break up our beach, drink, nap routine we hired a scooter and a quad bike and rode to a beach across the other side of the island. I got super crispy on the ride because the sun is so intense, but it was worth it to check out a relatively empty beach on a greek island. I had a little scooter too and found it really fun, I wish I had rented my own out! (I was on the back of T's scooter)
It's time to confess my greek island sins now.....I didn't adhere to party island rules....I only went out once!! And even then I made myself sick with drinking!! Such a bad effort I know, I was too busy catching up on sleep and reading the Twilight books! But, the other Andy really picked up the slack though and sinned in many other ways im sure!! I wont go into details in case mother Smith reads, but lets just say his average bed time was 7am in the morning! Such a good effort, kudos. Trent had a couple of good nights out too and the both stayed away from the porcelain bus unlike myself. In my defence....as weak as it may be....the drinks on Ios, more specifically the Fun Bar, are so hectically potent! One menu read.....Vodka, Midori, someorrather liquer and a dash of lemonade...they weren"t kidding. My whole glass was alcohol, and literally a dash of mixer! Hence the trouble....
The bar scene on Ios is incredible though, I was pleasantly suprised to find out that there were no big clubs charging ridiculous covers like the Belearic islands. I think Ios nightlife may be geared toward the single population although still fun for us boring couples.... but most people are there for a big night out and whatever that may lead to!
The photos pretty much tell the story of Ios I think....Beers, cocktails, beach....I dont think I have missed anything...
Although it seems there's not much to tell, it really was a fantastic week. I'd love to go back one day with a group of friends...perfect for a week hang out.
From Ios we hopped aboard another ferry back to Piraeus..this one was just a tad horrible...there are no smoking regulations in the sitting area so for 3 hours I breathed in second hand smoke which made me feel ill. Wasnt impressed. We got back to the mainland, revelled in the fresh air and jumped on a bus to Athens airport. It was a long bus ride and I was shattered by the time we got the airport, so I happily set up camp with my towel as my mattress, sarong as my sheet and bag as my pillow. I zonked out so much I didn't realise Andy had left for his flight! sorry Andy! We decided sleeping in the airport was a better option than trawling our gear around the city for 8 hours of down time...so here we stayed until check in for our flight to Thessaloniki....a large coastal town in the north of Greece...
It's from there I will pick up the next blog...enough of this one already!
Love from us, T & A!
We booked in to a really good place called Far Out Village and Camping. We shared a decent triple room, and the place had the most important facilities for our week there.....several pools and several bars. There is also a beautiful beach right out the front with free umbrellas and sun lounges. We also played tennis most days and and bought a ball and bat so we could play out on the sand. There's not much to fill in your days on Ios so to break up our beach, drink, nap routine we hired a scooter and a quad bike and rode to a beach across the other side of the island. I got super crispy on the ride because the sun is so intense, but it was worth it to check out a relatively empty beach on a greek island. I had a little scooter too and found it really fun, I wish I had rented my own out! (I was on the back of T's scooter)
It's time to confess my greek island sins now.....I didn't adhere to party island rules....I only went out once!! And even then I made myself sick with drinking!! Such a bad effort I know, I was too busy catching up on sleep and reading the Twilight books! But, the other Andy really picked up the slack though and sinned in many other ways im sure!! I wont go into details in case mother Smith reads, but lets just say his average bed time was 7am in the morning! Such a good effort, kudos. Trent had a couple of good nights out too and the both stayed away from the porcelain bus unlike myself. In my defence....as weak as it may be....the drinks on Ios, more specifically the Fun Bar, are so hectically potent! One menu read.....Vodka, Midori, someorrather liquer and a dash of lemonade...they weren"t kidding. My whole glass was alcohol, and literally a dash of mixer! Hence the trouble....
The bar scene on Ios is incredible though, I was pleasantly suprised to find out that there were no big clubs charging ridiculous covers like the Belearic islands. I think Ios nightlife may be geared toward the single population although still fun for us boring couples.... but most people are there for a big night out and whatever that may lead to!
The photos pretty much tell the story of Ios I think....Beers, cocktails, beach....I dont think I have missed anything...
Although it seems there's not much to tell, it really was a fantastic week. I'd love to go back one day with a group of friends...perfect for a week hang out.
From Ios we hopped aboard another ferry back to Piraeus..this one was just a tad horrible...there are no smoking regulations in the sitting area so for 3 hours I breathed in second hand smoke which made me feel ill. Wasnt impressed. We got back to the mainland, revelled in the fresh air and jumped on a bus to Athens airport. It was a long bus ride and I was shattered by the time we got the airport, so I happily set up camp with my towel as my mattress, sarong as my sheet and bag as my pillow. I zonked out so much I didn't realise Andy had left for his flight! sorry Andy! We decided sleeping in the airport was a better option than trawling our gear around the city for 8 hours of down time...so here we stayed until check in for our flight to Thessaloniki....a large coastal town in the north of Greece...
It's from there I will pick up the next blog...enough of this one already!
Love from us, T & A!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Gyros and Cheese Pies
Arriving in Athens, we took a horrendous bus ride into the city. A sweaty hour later we arrived in a not so special looking square and used the metro to get to our hostel. Anyone who has ever had to use a metro system anwhere, would appreciate the cleanliness of this tube. They have added pieces of Athen's history to the walls and so it doubles as a museum in some parts. Impressive, refreshing and makes a difference when you arrive to a new country.
We checked into Athens backpackers which I would recommend to anyone. We met up with Andy Smith on our first night and so had a good little trio goin on for our Greek travels.
This hostel we all stayed at had a great rooftop bar that overlooks the city. They mix mean drinks and have a cool floor cushions so that you can share shesha and travel stories. We only had two nights in Athens so this is as crazy as we got in the city. Gotta have some stamina for sightseeing ya know! Together (and with some Canidiots*) we walked to the Acropolis. For all the hoo ha it was really disappointing for me. Whoever is running the joint needs to clean it up, put some signs around the place..just something. Of course it is impressive to see such old buildings on top a hill overlooking the whole of Athens. If you cast your mind back to its time its flabbergastering. Its just that after travelling so much and seeing so many well planned out sites, it can be a let down that you can only get information if you pay more for a guide...and I think that is a rort. Same goes with The Temple of Olympus Zeus. There is no landscaper assigned to this area clearly apart from the big crumbling temple, its a wasteland. On the counter of my negative spiel we a) got in to both for free although have no idea why and b) had plenty of fun enjoying modern Athens. Although Athens is quite large, there are some really fantastic squares or plazas surrounding the Acropolis area. We generally just enjoyed walking about the place, eating gyros (new favourite) and cheese pies. These two foods will be new home staples for us. Gyros are just greek style kebabs although they are made with thick pita, meat, salad, hot chips and tatziki and are just plain amazing. Cheese pie is any kind of pastry mixed with any kind of cheese and is perfect for a pastry garbage guts like me. We did indulge in a traditional greek meal although the names escape me now. Just think moussaka and souvlaki. That about sums up our short stay in Athens. From here we took the metro to the harbour at Piraeus and took a ferry to Ios, one of the greek islands. We arrived at night time but could still see that it was going to be good choice to stay for a week. A whole week!! woohoo!! one place for more than 2 days!! Well thats what was goin on in my head anyway..
I think from now on I really need to break up our stories into shorter blogs, so I will let you digest this short story before I begin the next....enjoy. trent and andy
We checked into Athens backpackers which I would recommend to anyone. We met up with Andy Smith on our first night and so had a good little trio goin on for our Greek travels.
This hostel we all stayed at had a great rooftop bar that overlooks the city. They mix mean drinks and have a cool floor cushions so that you can share shesha and travel stories. We only had two nights in Athens so this is as crazy as we got in the city. Gotta have some stamina for sightseeing ya know! Together (and with some Canidiots*) we walked to the Acropolis. For all the hoo ha it was really disappointing for me. Whoever is running the joint needs to clean it up, put some signs around the place..just something. Of course it is impressive to see such old buildings on top a hill overlooking the whole of Athens. If you cast your mind back to its time its flabbergastering. Its just that after travelling so much and seeing so many well planned out sites, it can be a let down that you can only get information if you pay more for a guide...and I think that is a rort. Same goes with The Temple of Olympus Zeus. There is no landscaper assigned to this area clearly apart from the big crumbling temple, its a wasteland. On the counter of my negative spiel we a) got in to both for free although have no idea why and b) had plenty of fun enjoying modern Athens. Although Athens is quite large, there are some really fantastic squares or plazas surrounding the Acropolis area. We generally just enjoyed walking about the place, eating gyros (new favourite) and cheese pies. These two foods will be new home staples for us. Gyros are just greek style kebabs although they are made with thick pita, meat, salad, hot chips and tatziki and are just plain amazing. Cheese pie is any kind of pastry mixed with any kind of cheese and is perfect for a pastry garbage guts like me. We did indulge in a traditional greek meal although the names escape me now. Just think moussaka and souvlaki. That about sums up our short stay in Athens. From here we took the metro to the harbour at Piraeus and took a ferry to Ios, one of the greek islands. We arrived at night time but could still see that it was going to be good choice to stay for a week. A whole week!! woohoo!! one place for more than 2 days!! Well thats what was goin on in my head anyway..
I think from now on I really need to break up our stories into shorter blogs, so I will let you digest this short story before I begin the next....enjoy. trent and andy
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Italıa
Italy, Italy, Italy...how you dısappoınted me! Your dırty streets, your lack of prıde ın your most famous areas and your lacklustre food! You made up for ıt wıth centurıes of hıstory and warm weather...but you could have done better!
Italy was just...ok. Everyone has dıfferent experıences and we may have had some bad luck or made some bad decısıons..but that´s just how I feel about thıs country. We landed ın Bologna, ın central northern Italy, and bussed ınto Florence. My fırst ımpressıons of the country were that ıt was dırty, drab and rundown. Florence was more modern and more clean, but stıll not what I was expectıng (I thınk hıgh expectatıons was the problem wıth my vısıt). Famous for Michelangelo's Davıd, Florence ıs fılled wıth tourısts and as a result, prıces for food and accomm can be rıdıculous...we should know, we paıd through the nose for 2 gelatıs...18 dollars! Holy Santa Marıa!
Wıth few nıghts ın Florence, we crammed ın a lot of walkıng and took ın the usual sıtes...although dıdnt cough up for the museums, and I ın fact chose not to see Davıd..somethıng I may regret one day, but theres only so much you can do and afford. The most noteworthy sıte I can recall ıs Ponte Vecchıo, the famous brıdge that was once lıned wıth butchers but was replaced wıth goldsmıths. Here, you can buy the most extravagant, outrageous jewellery I´ve ever seen..I dont know anyone who could pull them off!
We trıed a few restaurants ın Florence and thıs was the most upsettıng part of my whole trıp...the food we had sucked! Ok, ıt was tasty, but not at all what I had come to expect from Italıan food. Bella Venezıa at Mooloolaba had ıt all over thıs partıcular restaurant. And after lots of menu research, we came to realıse ıt was all quıte the same...the ıngredıents were plaın and just unınspırıng. Thıs ıs where I thınk we could have made better decısıons..we could have asked around and been poınted ın the rıght dırectıon, and ın thıs cırcumstance I thınk money dıd equal qualıty.
We spent a day ın Pısa and dıd the oblıgatory poses for the camera..you feel lıke such a fool for doıng ıt but hey...when ın Pısa! There are really nıce lawns surroundıng the tower and a beautıful basıllıca...but outsıde thıs area....bleh. nothıngness. dırty, old nothıngness. The town of Pısa really hasn´t gıven tourısts much reason to stop and stay ın the cıty. A half day ıs more than enough ın my opınıon.
After Florence we took the traın to Rome and checked ın at the campıng ground...an awesome setup wıth pools, restaurants, bars etc. Lach and Trent stayed here last tıme and Im glad I got to stay here too for somethıng dıfferent. We took a bus ınto town each day and saw the bazıllıons of sıtes Rome has to offer. I was happy to have read Dan Brown´s Angels and Demons before comıng and so had some ıdea of the monuments and had a reference to the story.
Fırst stop was Vatıcan Cıty...thıs place ıs faırly ıncredıble when you thınk about the hıstory here. Im not relıgıous but you can certaınly respect the power thıs place has held throughout tıme. And the MONEY. St Peter´s Basıllıca ıs pımped out.
We also vısıted the Sıstıne Chapel, St Peters square and the lıke. I wont go too far because there are so many sıtes to mentıon ın Rome, but ıt was an ınterestıng day..and we got a good gıggle out of the Swıss Guard´s unıform ıf nothıng else. They must feel so stoopıd! So far ın the trıp, Vatıcan Cıty ıs the smallest country we,ve vısıted wıth an estımated populatıon of 900.
Between the bıg, bıg sıtes we walked around and saw the Trevı Fountaın (also good to see thıs because of the book) and bought gelatıs and fresh fruıt to nıbble on whıle walkıng. I lıke lıttle thıngs lıke that about travellıng...there´s not so much of that at home...lıttle sıde stalls of ınterestıng food..and we do lıke our food!
We dıd a tour of the Colosseum whıch I thank Trent for doıng as he had already vısıted the sıtes of Rome. I really enjoyed the tour and am glad we spent money for ıt, you need to hear the storıes and get a mental pıcture of what happened there. Pretty much ıs was voyeurısm at ıts gnarlıest. Watchıng people fıght each other, anımals etc...seems so ınhumane now but at the tıme was bıg money and bıg sport. We learnt that the women had to sıt at the very top of the Colosseum ın case they took a fancy to the gladıators...such jealous men!
We also took the tour of PalantıneHıll, the home of the myth of Romulus and Remus ıf you belıeve ın the old tales. It was also good to get a tour here and learn that hıstorıans estımate there were people lıvıng here 3000 years ago...and there ıs stıll orıgınal marble floorıng from 2000 years ago. Bıg numbers.
I enjoyed seeıng Roman Sıtes, but can´t say I was taken by the cıty. But I´ll gıve ıt a break...ıts really old and ıs allowed to look that way I guess.
From our campıng sıte we trıed to take the bus to the cıty to get on a traın to the aırport. However we got on the wrong bus at peak hour, and subsequently nearly mıssed out flıght and ran around town Amazıng Race style. We got a legendary cab drıver that drove 150km/hr to the aırport and we are very grateful to hım as we made our flıght to Athens...whıch my frıends wıll be ın the next epısode of Trent and Andy Do Europe.
Thanks for readıng.....
stay tuned xxo
Italy was just...ok. Everyone has dıfferent experıences and we may have had some bad luck or made some bad decısıons..but that´s just how I feel about thıs country. We landed ın Bologna, ın central northern Italy, and bussed ınto Florence. My fırst ımpressıons of the country were that ıt was dırty, drab and rundown. Florence was more modern and more clean, but stıll not what I was expectıng (I thınk hıgh expectatıons was the problem wıth my vısıt). Famous for Michelangelo's Davıd, Florence ıs fılled wıth tourısts and as a result, prıces for food and accomm can be rıdıculous...we should know, we paıd through the nose for 2 gelatıs...18 dollars! Holy Santa Marıa!
Wıth few nıghts ın Florence, we crammed ın a lot of walkıng and took ın the usual sıtes...although dıdnt cough up for the museums, and I ın fact chose not to see Davıd..somethıng I may regret one day, but theres only so much you can do and afford. The most noteworthy sıte I can recall ıs Ponte Vecchıo, the famous brıdge that was once lıned wıth butchers but was replaced wıth goldsmıths. Here, you can buy the most extravagant, outrageous jewellery I´ve ever seen..I dont know anyone who could pull them off!
We trıed a few restaurants ın Florence and thıs was the most upsettıng part of my whole trıp...the food we had sucked! Ok, ıt was tasty, but not at all what I had come to expect from Italıan food. Bella Venezıa at Mooloolaba had ıt all over thıs partıcular restaurant. And after lots of menu research, we came to realıse ıt was all quıte the same...the ıngredıents were plaın and just unınspırıng. Thıs ıs where I thınk we could have made better decısıons..we could have asked around and been poınted ın the rıght dırectıon, and ın thıs cırcumstance I thınk money dıd equal qualıty.
We spent a day ın Pısa and dıd the oblıgatory poses for the camera..you feel lıke such a fool for doıng ıt but hey...when ın Pısa! There are really nıce lawns surroundıng the tower and a beautıful basıllıca...but outsıde thıs area....bleh. nothıngness. dırty, old nothıngness. The town of Pısa really hasn´t gıven tourısts much reason to stop and stay ın the cıty. A half day ıs more than enough ın my opınıon.
After Florence we took the traın to Rome and checked ın at the campıng ground...an awesome setup wıth pools, restaurants, bars etc. Lach and Trent stayed here last tıme and Im glad I got to stay here too for somethıng dıfferent. We took a bus ınto town each day and saw the bazıllıons of sıtes Rome has to offer. I was happy to have read Dan Brown´s Angels and Demons before comıng and so had some ıdea of the monuments and had a reference to the story.
Fırst stop was Vatıcan Cıty...thıs place ıs faırly ıncredıble when you thınk about the hıstory here. Im not relıgıous but you can certaınly respect the power thıs place has held throughout tıme. And the MONEY. St Peter´s Basıllıca ıs pımped out.
We also vısıted the Sıstıne Chapel, St Peters square and the lıke. I wont go too far because there are so many sıtes to mentıon ın Rome, but ıt was an ınterestıng day..and we got a good gıggle out of the Swıss Guard´s unıform ıf nothıng else. They must feel so stoopıd! So far ın the trıp, Vatıcan Cıty ıs the smallest country we,ve vısıted wıth an estımated populatıon of 900.
Between the bıg, bıg sıtes we walked around and saw the Trevı Fountaın (also good to see thıs because of the book) and bought gelatıs and fresh fruıt to nıbble on whıle walkıng. I lıke lıttle thıngs lıke that about travellıng...there´s not so much of that at home...lıttle sıde stalls of ınterestıng food..and we do lıke our food!
We dıd a tour of the Colosseum whıch I thank Trent for doıng as he had already vısıted the sıtes of Rome. I really enjoyed the tour and am glad we spent money for ıt, you need to hear the storıes and get a mental pıcture of what happened there. Pretty much ıs was voyeurısm at ıts gnarlıest. Watchıng people fıght each other, anımals etc...seems so ınhumane now but at the tıme was bıg money and bıg sport. We learnt that the women had to sıt at the very top of the Colosseum ın case they took a fancy to the gladıators...such jealous men!
We also took the tour of PalantıneHıll, the home of the myth of Romulus and Remus ıf you belıeve ın the old tales. It was also good to get a tour here and learn that hıstorıans estımate there were people lıvıng here 3000 years ago...and there ıs stıll orıgınal marble floorıng from 2000 years ago. Bıg numbers.
I enjoyed seeıng Roman Sıtes, but can´t say I was taken by the cıty. But I´ll gıve ıt a break...ıts really old and ıs allowed to look that way I guess.
From our campıng sıte we trıed to take the bus to the cıty to get on a traın to the aırport. However we got on the wrong bus at peak hour, and subsequently nearly mıssed out flıght and ran around town Amazıng Race style. We got a legendary cab drıver that drove 150km/hr to the aırport and we are very grateful to hım as we made our flıght to Athens...whıch my frıends wıll be ın the next epısode of Trent and Andy Do Europe.
Thanks for readıng.....
stay tuned xxo
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Edınbrrrrrr
So pıckıng up from Edınburgh....ıts gettıng so long ago now I have forgotten what we dıd! To be honest, we dıdnt do much. We had far too much fun at Kıngy´s apartment to get out...oopsıes! It was so nıce to have a clean shower, clean sheets, clean everythıng! And a kıtchen...cant forget that...ıt makes such a dıfference to your dıet. The household took ıt ın turns to cook dınner and we were spoılt wıth pastas, salads and awesome chıcken schnıtzel. Shoppıng for grocerıes ıs always fun ın another country I thınk...you get to suss out the cost of lıvıng a lıttle more, and I´d have to say the french have got ıt good. REALLY good. Theır supermarkets are much cheaper than ın Brıtaın and they have fantastıc produce. Anyway...I could talk about food all day....to the sıtes...
We vısıted Edınburgh castle wıth Kıngy...there ıs a lot of ınterestıng hıstory there but I maınly remember the crown jewels..there ısn´t much on dısplay but ıts a defınıte drawcard. We also attempted to vısıt Hollyrood House (Scottısh royal resıdence), but there was royalty stayıng there for the week so we werent able to do the tour..ı was a wee bıt dısappoınted because ı wanted to see ınsıde but ıt turned out better for our pockets..
The other thıng people do ın Edınburgh ıs drınk! The nıght we got there the streets were fılled because of a football fınal was on...there were just so many bars! And so many crazy people out...the men were crazy because they were drunk...and the females because they were wearıng freakın nothıng! It was wındy and VERY cold and these gırls had barely covered theır taıls! They were wearıng less than gırls at Frıdays ın summer! But to be faır, there was a faır share of gırls that were wearıng the most AMAZING dresses and shoes and I got depressed ın my same old same old stuff....but ımpressed nonetheless. We went out a few nıghts later to Lulu, a really cool bar. I was super ımpressed wıth how nıce the bar was. There was even candles and mırrors! Dont see that round home way....they´d be broken by the drunks by 10pm!
It seems sılly now that I have so lıttle to report on from Edınburgh, all I can say ıs we had a fantastıc tıme. Between lunches ın the park, Lulu´s, and the sıtes, we relaxed and generally unwound from the last two months of travellıng...and were ready to move on and hıt Italıa...home of the pızza and pasta!! stay toooned frıends...
p.s... Just another thanks to Kıngy, Mıtch and Danıelle for beıng absolute legends for lettıng us stay and showıng us a good tıme! Mıtch and Danı...you wıll have to come vısıt us on the coast!
We vısıted Edınburgh castle wıth Kıngy...there ıs a lot of ınterestıng hıstory there but I maınly remember the crown jewels..there ısn´t much on dısplay but ıts a defınıte drawcard. We also attempted to vısıt Hollyrood House (Scottısh royal resıdence), but there was royalty stayıng there for the week so we werent able to do the tour..ı was a wee bıt dısappoınted because ı wanted to see ınsıde but ıt turned out better for our pockets..
The other thıng people do ın Edınburgh ıs drınk! The nıght we got there the streets were fılled because of a football fınal was on...there were just so many bars! And so many crazy people out...the men were crazy because they were drunk...and the females because they were wearıng freakın nothıng! It was wındy and VERY cold and these gırls had barely covered theır taıls! They were wearıng less than gırls at Frıdays ın summer! But to be faır, there was a faır share of gırls that were wearıng the most AMAZING dresses and shoes and I got depressed ın my same old same old stuff....but ımpressed nonetheless. We went out a few nıghts later to Lulu, a really cool bar. I was super ımpressed wıth how nıce the bar was. There was even candles and mırrors! Dont see that round home way....they´d be broken by the drunks by 10pm!
It seems sılly now that I have so lıttle to report on from Edınburgh, all I can say ıs we had a fantastıc tıme. Between lunches ın the park, Lulu´s, and the sıtes, we relaxed and generally unwound from the last two months of travellıng...and were ready to move on and hıt Italıa...home of the pızza and pasta!! stay toooned frıends...
p.s... Just another thanks to Kıngy, Mıtch and Danıelle for beıng absolute legends for lettıng us stay and showıng us a good tıme! Mıtch and Danı...you wıll have to come vısıt us on the coast!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
I heart Topshop
So we are in warm Italy at the moment, but yet again, I've been lazy and haven't updated since we were in London! We had a great time in London, me maybe more so than Trent, as I got to catch up with two great friends while we were in town! One night we had several drinks at where else but the Walkabout (my friend Brendan works here) and tried the berry cider which i now wish they served in Oz...and the other I went and had dinner with Holly. I think it made a big differene in how I was feeling to be able to chat with friends again... We haven't met very many interesting people, believe it or not, on our travels so it was brilliant to see them. Im starting to think that I like my own friends too much that Ive become very picky with meeting new people! They're just so substandard haha.
As I said in the previous blog, we took in the 'usual' sites and visited Topshop about 946 times. It made me very sad that I couldnt buy anything :( When Im rich and famous I am going to fly to London for the weekend just to buy shoes and clothes :) They truly have the best fashion there that I have seen anywhere...sigh
So anyway, we didn't eat fantastically in London because of the prices, so we abused Tescoe's good nature everday by buying them out of 2 pound pastas and sandwhiches. 'I wish there was a Tescoe around here' is my new line wherever we go now....
We also visited the Camden markets on our last day in town, which was great, really worth having a look at the vintage area! If you were living in London you could truly have an eclectic mix of homewares, clothing etc for cheap prices...I loved the vintage suitcases, I wish i could have brought one home....
Trent had an unusual experience in our gigantic backpackers one evening....he went to the toilet and someone asked him to pee into a bottle for him...when he told me I thought he needed some clean urine for testing, but the guy assured him it was from a jellyfish sting he acquired in Spain...a likely story haha.
Umm what else did we get up to.....erm, we went to see The Lion King at West End.. That was a great show, the childrens lead parts were a let down, but the set was phenomenal..very impressive and we're glad we forked out the cash for a show. Overall, I really enjoyed London. I think I could have lived and worked there, but being coastal at the core of me, I would have needed a predetermined amount of time there. Just some light at the end of the tunnel I think. And on the other hand I can see how others don't enjoy London..it is busy, noisy, hectic..all those things, but the mix of fashion, art, parks, experiences is too rich not to enjoy. I'm glad we spent less than a week there, and then moved on to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is just a lovely city. Lush green gardens break up the city like no other place we've been. Roaming the city is more of a pleasure when you arent faced with wall upon wall upon sidewalk upon building of concrete. And having a castle overlooking the city isn't too bad either..
We were really fortunate to be able to stay with an old friend of mine, Kingy, who has scored the ultimate situation in Edinburgh. Kingy is living in a really lovely neighbourhood, in a beautiful apartment, while coaching and playing cricket...what a life! Kingy and his lovely room mates let us sleep on their couch, and I can tell you after being in hostels and crummy hotels for 2 months, being in an apartment was phenomenal!
NOTE TO SELF....FINISH BLOG NEXT TIME!! STILL TO COME...EDINBURGH SITES, FLORENCE AND ROME!!
Sorry for the crappy ending, but I really must get off the internet!! Greece tomorrow, need sleep!!! LOVE FROM US xoxox
As I said in the previous blog, we took in the 'usual' sites and visited Topshop about 946 times. It made me very sad that I couldnt buy anything :( When Im rich and famous I am going to fly to London for the weekend just to buy shoes and clothes :) They truly have the best fashion there that I have seen anywhere...sigh
So anyway, we didn't eat fantastically in London because of the prices, so we abused Tescoe's good nature everday by buying them out of 2 pound pastas and sandwhiches. 'I wish there was a Tescoe around here' is my new line wherever we go now....
We also visited the Camden markets on our last day in town, which was great, really worth having a look at the vintage area! If you were living in London you could truly have an eclectic mix of homewares, clothing etc for cheap prices...I loved the vintage suitcases, I wish i could have brought one home....
Trent had an unusual experience in our gigantic backpackers one evening....he went to the toilet and someone asked him to pee into a bottle for him...when he told me I thought he needed some clean urine for testing, but the guy assured him it was from a jellyfish sting he acquired in Spain...a likely story haha.
Umm what else did we get up to.....erm, we went to see The Lion King at West End.. That was a great show, the childrens lead parts were a let down, but the set was phenomenal..very impressive and we're glad we forked out the cash for a show. Overall, I really enjoyed London. I think I could have lived and worked there, but being coastal at the core of me, I would have needed a predetermined amount of time there. Just some light at the end of the tunnel I think. And on the other hand I can see how others don't enjoy London..it is busy, noisy, hectic..all those things, but the mix of fashion, art, parks, experiences is too rich not to enjoy. I'm glad we spent less than a week there, and then moved on to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is just a lovely city. Lush green gardens break up the city like no other place we've been. Roaming the city is more of a pleasure when you arent faced with wall upon wall upon sidewalk upon building of concrete. And having a castle overlooking the city isn't too bad either..
We were really fortunate to be able to stay with an old friend of mine, Kingy, who has scored the ultimate situation in Edinburgh. Kingy is living in a really lovely neighbourhood, in a beautiful apartment, while coaching and playing cricket...what a life! Kingy and his lovely room mates let us sleep on their couch, and I can tell you after being in hostels and crummy hotels for 2 months, being in an apartment was phenomenal!
NOTE TO SELF....FINISH BLOG NEXT TIME!! STILL TO COME...EDINBURGH SITES, FLORENCE AND ROME!!
Sorry for the crappy ending, but I really must get off the internet!! Greece tomorrow, need sleep!!! LOVE FROM US xoxox
Friday, May 22, 2009
Damn it! I've done it again! It's been too long since the last blog, but at least there is plenty to update you with. We are in London at present, but let me take you back.......
I'll pick up from Hossegor...we moved apartments when our two weeks were up, and we stayed in the most fantastic spot in all of town. We were above the square that overlooks the ocean so it was perfect. We rented it from a new friend we made, Dave, who runs Dicks Sand Bar. DSB is a legendary place on the ocean front, and we spent a fair whack of our time drinking here. Dave really helped us out a lot while in Hossegor..with drinks, information, the apartment, bikes...everything. We are eternally greatful. Anywho, so in the second week in Hossegor we started pounding the pavement and looking for jobs. I found it really hard at the beginning because our french is so basic, it often became embarassing, but after the first 5 times I changed my attitude and thought...stuff it. So we walked for hours on end, asking every outlet we thought might hire us, to no avail. All we got were blisters and sunburn. Word on the street was that if we kept trying we would definitely find something, so we banked on that. Eventually we got a number for a cleaning agency, which turned out to be a good lead. We were told that we would most probably be able to work for them in the start of June, but it wasn't a definite. Also, the money was a bit up in the air because its dependant on the season. But we thought it was a good time to look for accommodation after hearing that news....and thats when the plans began to well and truly unravel. I visited every immoblier (real estate) in hossegor asking about renting for the summer, only to find out they just dont do it. You can't rent by the month in hossegor because its a seasonal town. People make all their money on the apartments during summer, when the prices rise from between 600-1200euro per week. Remember that equates to about 1200-2400 aus dollars a week! For a shoebox! I asked around and the only way we could see to renting was to organise something privately. This was hard for us for two reasons...firstly because we would have needed to organise it with french speaking people, and secondly because most of those arrangements are made well before the season. So in the end, we might have had a job but we didnt have anywhere to live, and after throwing around the pros and cons, we decided we have enough moeny to make the most of a european summer travelling and not working.
It was a hard decision to leave, we thought maybe we hadn't tried hard enough, but the longer we stayed and looked, the more money we were spending. BUT, on the positive side, we only have good things to look forward to. So we started our merry, big adventure in Bordeaux. What a lovely city! It has the best information centre we've come across yet..so we found accommodation quite easily. We took in the sites for a day or two, strolled along the largest pedestrianised shopping strip in Europe and had lunch in the most fantastic cafe ever! Cassolette Cafe it was called, and you got to choose 5 dishes form the menu and have them ALL! We had every dish with cheese in it, and finished it off with a choc brownie in custard. Perfect! The streets around Boreaux are nice just to walk around, they seemed a little wider than usual and there are some lovely parks. The riverfront area is great, everyone goes down there to read their books and practise skating. Good people watching are.
As Bordeaux is one of the most famous wine regions of the world, we thought it was only right to do a tasting tour. We sampled wines from the Blaye and Bourg regions, which arent the most prestigious wines, but beggars cant be choosers. We only sampled reds which was a pity for me, a white wine drinker, but the reds were very nice, and it was a fun experience. Bordeaux is lovely, but hard to write about because we mainly walked, ate and just took in the sites. From Bordeaux, the best flights are to London, so we chose the big smoke for our next destination.
We have been in London for 3 days now. And what a change it has been. No more foreign languages!! Although, ironically we had our first meal in chinatown.. and its so multicultural that you always hear another langauge anyway!
We are staying in Piccaddilly at a massive backpackers. 700 beds over several floors. Its like being on a big school camp. Showers and toilets are divided between the sexes...its a good place to be social though...IF you got social room mates...and we, unfortunately..did not. But have met some nice people in the common room. this is of noteworthy importance you see, because so often we cant socialise because of the language barrier.
So we have been out and about, doing massive walks....have seen Buckingham Palace (very ordinary), Big Ben, the London Eye etc etc. Because of our central location we have been able to avoid the tube which makes me very happy :)
Anyway, Im going to end this quite abruptly sorry, but we have been in this internet cafe for far too long, i am hungry and quite fancy enjoying London while we are here! Will update again very soon I hope, until next time....xoxo
I'll pick up from Hossegor...we moved apartments when our two weeks were up, and we stayed in the most fantastic spot in all of town. We were above the square that overlooks the ocean so it was perfect. We rented it from a new friend we made, Dave, who runs Dicks Sand Bar. DSB is a legendary place on the ocean front, and we spent a fair whack of our time drinking here. Dave really helped us out a lot while in Hossegor..with drinks, information, the apartment, bikes...everything. We are eternally greatful. Anywho, so in the second week in Hossegor we started pounding the pavement and looking for jobs. I found it really hard at the beginning because our french is so basic, it often became embarassing, but after the first 5 times I changed my attitude and thought...stuff it. So we walked for hours on end, asking every outlet we thought might hire us, to no avail. All we got were blisters and sunburn. Word on the street was that if we kept trying we would definitely find something, so we banked on that. Eventually we got a number for a cleaning agency, which turned out to be a good lead. We were told that we would most probably be able to work for them in the start of June, but it wasn't a definite. Also, the money was a bit up in the air because its dependant on the season. But we thought it was a good time to look for accommodation after hearing that news....and thats when the plans began to well and truly unravel. I visited every immoblier (real estate) in hossegor asking about renting for the summer, only to find out they just dont do it. You can't rent by the month in hossegor because its a seasonal town. People make all their money on the apartments during summer, when the prices rise from between 600-1200euro per week. Remember that equates to about 1200-2400 aus dollars a week! For a shoebox! I asked around and the only way we could see to renting was to organise something privately. This was hard for us for two reasons...firstly because we would have needed to organise it with french speaking people, and secondly because most of those arrangements are made well before the season. So in the end, we might have had a job but we didnt have anywhere to live, and after throwing around the pros and cons, we decided we have enough moeny to make the most of a european summer travelling and not working.
It was a hard decision to leave, we thought maybe we hadn't tried hard enough, but the longer we stayed and looked, the more money we were spending. BUT, on the positive side, we only have good things to look forward to. So we started our merry, big adventure in Bordeaux. What a lovely city! It has the best information centre we've come across yet..so we found accommodation quite easily. We took in the sites for a day or two, strolled along the largest pedestrianised shopping strip in Europe and had lunch in the most fantastic cafe ever! Cassolette Cafe it was called, and you got to choose 5 dishes form the menu and have them ALL! We had every dish with cheese in it, and finished it off with a choc brownie in custard. Perfect! The streets around Boreaux are nice just to walk around, they seemed a little wider than usual and there are some lovely parks. The riverfront area is great, everyone goes down there to read their books and practise skating. Good people watching are.
As Bordeaux is one of the most famous wine regions of the world, we thought it was only right to do a tasting tour. We sampled wines from the Blaye and Bourg regions, which arent the most prestigious wines, but beggars cant be choosers. We only sampled reds which was a pity for me, a white wine drinker, but the reds were very nice, and it was a fun experience. Bordeaux is lovely, but hard to write about because we mainly walked, ate and just took in the sites. From Bordeaux, the best flights are to London, so we chose the big smoke for our next destination.
We have been in London for 3 days now. And what a change it has been. No more foreign languages!! Although, ironically we had our first meal in chinatown.. and its so multicultural that you always hear another langauge anyway!
We are staying in Piccaddilly at a massive backpackers. 700 beds over several floors. Its like being on a big school camp. Showers and toilets are divided between the sexes...its a good place to be social though...IF you got social room mates...and we, unfortunately..did not. But have met some nice people in the common room. this is of noteworthy importance you see, because so often we cant socialise because of the language barrier.
So we have been out and about, doing massive walks....have seen Buckingham Palace (very ordinary), Big Ben, the London Eye etc etc. Because of our central location we have been able to avoid the tube which makes me very happy :)
Anyway, Im going to end this quite abruptly sorry, but we have been in this internet cafe for far too long, i am hungry and quite fancy enjoying London while we are here! Will update again very soon I hope, until next time....xoxo
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