Here's a teaser of what's to come...
(Our trip can be pretty much summarized into these two pictures...lol)
These were taking shortly after seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris, France
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Home Sweet Home
Great to be back. I promise to give a full detailed recap of the trip, along with photos (once I sort through all 3000+ of them..zomg) and Nam's account of the trip (once I nag him 1029348 times).
Here's a teaser of what's to come...
(Our trip can be pretty much summarized into these two pictures...lol)
These were taking shortly after seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris, France
Here's a teaser of what's to come...
(Our trip can be pretty much summarized into these two pictures...lol)
These were taking shortly after seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris, France
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Inbetweens and Austria
So as it turns out, we were unable to get a seat on the Vienna overnight, so we had to go in the afternoon AND book a hostel for the night in Vienna cause we werent going to be on a train. --German keyboard has the Y and Z mixed up, making it really really confusing, since i have Ys in my usernames, emails, last name and even password. gahhh.
Will have to blog about Venice later, as I dont have the money/time to pay for internet right now. got bored of venice quite fast, actually... it was nice for a bit, but it's expensive! spent a lot on food/gifts there.
extending our vienna stay for a bit; not leaving til tmrw (Sunday) night as we couldnt get a train out earlier. shoot. just realized i could have booked a bus instead...ah darn. oh well.
Italy has given me more mosquito bites in a few days time than any other camping trip ive ever taken. i shit you not, i look like i have chicken pox. 4-5 on my face (and eye!) and at least 40 everywhere else. ahhhhsöldfkjasdlkfja.
Cant believe our trip is winding down so quickly. i know ive posted quite a few blog entries (although not nearly as much or as detailed as i had wanted to), and in retrospect, there are a lot given that ive just been gone 2 wks (TWO WEEKS?! seriously, it seems like we've been gone for AT LEAST a month) It's saturday afternoon here, and by Wednesday morning, we'll be on our way back to Toronto, and then seeing everybody at camping, which i am thoroughly looking fwd to =)
SPEAKING OF CAMPING...
(as im too lazy and too short on time to send out individual emails)
-- DRIVERS: i need licence plate numbers!
Dont make me hunt you down when i get back. you'll be getting calls at 5 in the morning cause of my jet lag.
Still unable to post pictures, darn. will try again at next computer lab.
Will have to blog about Venice later, as I dont have the money/time to pay for internet right now. got bored of venice quite fast, actually... it was nice for a bit, but it's expensive! spent a lot on food/gifts there.
extending our vienna stay for a bit; not leaving til tmrw (Sunday) night as we couldnt get a train out earlier. shoot. just realized i could have booked a bus instead...ah darn. oh well.
Italy has given me more mosquito bites in a few days time than any other camping trip ive ever taken. i shit you not, i look like i have chicken pox. 4-5 on my face (and eye!) and at least 40 everywhere else. ahhhhsöldfkjasdlkfja.
Cant believe our trip is winding down so quickly. i know ive posted quite a few blog entries (although not nearly as much or as detailed as i had wanted to), and in retrospect, there are a lot given that ive just been gone 2 wks (TWO WEEKS?! seriously, it seems like we've been gone for AT LEAST a month) It's saturday afternoon here, and by Wednesday morning, we'll be on our way back to Toronto, and then seeing everybody at camping, which i am thoroughly looking fwd to =)
SPEAKING OF CAMPING...
(as im too lazy and too short on time to send out individual emails)
-- DRIVERS: i need licence plate numbers!
Dont make me hunt you down when i get back. you'll be getting calls at 5 in the morning cause of my jet lag.
Still unable to post pictures, darn. will try again at next computer lab.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
So here I am in a computer lab, finally, with 36 minutes left on my paid account. After checking my email, facebook, twitter, etc. I decide to do what I really bought this internet time to do: upload my pictures as I have been promising to do ever since I arrived. (I even bought a USB card reader!) But lo and behold, they disabled the usb port and wont allow me to upload my pictures. I think some sort of of anti-terrorism, for the same reason that Italy has made a law requiring all computer labs to get your passport or driver's licence --rolls eyes--
Still not a real qwerty keyboard, but at least most of the keys are the same. We're leaving Rome via train to Venice in about three hours. Enough for dinner and some computer time.
Rome has been absolutely spectacular. I can't believe that we're halfway through our trip already!
Saturday:
The only word to describe the airport in Girona (about 1.5 hrs from Barcelona; cheaper) was clusterfck. But we had left early and had plenty of time to wait for the flight. Flight was smooth, save for the obnoxiously loud group of guys in the plane who didnt shut up for the hour and a half. Apparently cheering like it's a football/soccer game as the plane is landing is a tradition, to celebrate that the piece of shit budget airline actually took off and landed in one piece haha. That was our last flight before we leave. Only trains from here to Prague.
We got to our hostel around 2:30ish and were pretty burnt out from the RyanAir flight from Barcelona. Went to see the Fontana di Trevi (I'm working off an Italian map, hence the Italian names) and the Piazza Mignanelli. I wish I could show you guys a map, but you can google it or wait for my pictures hehe..
Sunday:
We were supposed to go to Vatican City today, but Nam wasn't feeling well the night before/day of, so we didn't wake up as early as we had liked, and, knowing that it would be crazy crowded for Sunday mass, opted to go to the Colliseum and Palatine Hill instead (ruins). The ruins were absolutely incredible, especially considering that there was still so much that hadn't been excavated yet. We took a tour for both, and it was well worth it.
Monday:
Made our way to Vatican City to see St. Peter's Basillica, the Vatican museum, and the Sistine Chapel. Again, we opted to go with a tour group to avoid the lines. Unfortunately, the first tour guide we had had a really heavy Italian accent (we were promised a native English speaker), so we got a refund and found a different tour group. The Sistine Chapel is breathtaking, and craning my neck for even 10 minutes or so hurt like crazy; I can't imagine Michelangelo doing it for years (no, he did not paint it on his back).
Vatican City operates like their own country, minting their own coins, delivering their own mail, etc. Apparently their mail system is more reliable than the rest of Italy's we mailed a bunch of postcards from Vatican City. If you haven't sent me your address yet and you want one, e-mail me your address!
Tuesday (today):
Checked out of our hostel, but left our bags there so we didn't have to carry it around all day. Went to the Pantheon (google it; it's architecturally amazing) and re-visited the Fontana di Trevi (this time, we each threw a coin into the fountain) and did some quick souvenir shopping. We also saw the Bernini's Four Fountains, which are four fountains (duh) situated in the four corners of a busy intersection. Finally, we stopped by the Piazza Della Repubblica and the Fontana del Tritone. Overall, it's been a pretty chill day, and now we're just waiting to be able to get into our overnight train, which will arrive in Venice around 5:30 am tomorrow.
I desperately wish I could upload pictures!! Hopefully I'll be able to do it when we arrive in Venice. We ran out of room on our 4gb card and finally bought another 4gb. Considering that we've only just reached the halfway mark, I expect to have it filled up by the time we return home!
Still not a real qwerty keyboard, but at least most of the keys are the same. We're leaving Rome via train to Venice in about three hours. Enough for dinner and some computer time.
Rome has been absolutely spectacular. I can't believe that we're halfway through our trip already!
Saturday:
The only word to describe the airport in Girona (about 1.5 hrs from Barcelona; cheaper) was clusterfck. But we had left early and had plenty of time to wait for the flight. Flight was smooth, save for the obnoxiously loud group of guys in the plane who didnt shut up for the hour and a half. Apparently cheering like it's a football/soccer game as the plane is landing is a tradition, to celebrate that the piece of shit budget airline actually took off and landed in one piece haha. That was our last flight before we leave. Only trains from here to Prague.
We got to our hostel around 2:30ish and were pretty burnt out from the RyanAir flight from Barcelona. Went to see the Fontana di Trevi (I'm working off an Italian map, hence the Italian names) and the Piazza Mignanelli. I wish I could show you guys a map, but you can google it or wait for my pictures hehe..
Sunday:
We were supposed to go to Vatican City today, but Nam wasn't feeling well the night before/day of, so we didn't wake up as early as we had liked, and, knowing that it would be crazy crowded for Sunday mass, opted to go to the Colliseum and Palatine Hill instead (ruins). The ruins were absolutely incredible, especially considering that there was still so much that hadn't been excavated yet. We took a tour for both, and it was well worth it.
Monday:
Made our way to Vatican City to see St. Peter's Basillica, the Vatican museum, and the Sistine Chapel. Again, we opted to go with a tour group to avoid the lines. Unfortunately, the first tour guide we had had a really heavy Italian accent (we were promised a native English speaker), so we got a refund and found a different tour group. The Sistine Chapel is breathtaking, and craning my neck for even 10 minutes or so hurt like crazy; I can't imagine Michelangelo doing it for years (no, he did not paint it on his back).
Vatican City operates like their own country, minting their own coins, delivering their own mail, etc. Apparently their mail system is more reliable than the rest of Italy's we mailed a bunch of postcards from Vatican City. If you haven't sent me your address yet and you want one, e-mail me your address!
Tuesday (today):
Checked out of our hostel, but left our bags there so we didn't have to carry it around all day. Went to the Pantheon (google it; it's architecturally amazing) and re-visited the Fontana di Trevi (this time, we each threw a coin into the fountain) and did some quick souvenir shopping. We also saw the Bernini's Four Fountains, which are four fountains (duh) situated in the four corners of a busy intersection. Finally, we stopped by the Piazza Della Repubblica and the Fontana del Tritone. Overall, it's been a pretty chill day, and now we're just waiting to be able to get into our overnight train, which will arrive in Venice around 5:30 am tomorrow.
I desperately wish I could upload pictures!! Hopefully I'll be able to do it when we arrive in Venice. We ran out of room on our 4gb card and finally bought another 4gb. Considering that we've only just reached the halfway mark, I expect to have it filled up by the time we return home!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
My written journal hasn't been much better than my online one; our days have been jam packed and I'm usually too tired to blog via my iPod when we get back. Nam isn't feeling well tonight, so he's asleep right now, giving me a chance to catch up on my writing. I have a terrible memory, so I'll have to recap through the pics on my camera, even though I can't post them yet.
Barcelona:
Aquarium-- lots of fish (duh). There's a moving path that takes you underneath the aquariums, which is pretty cool. Got to see lots of sharks, rays, tuna, etc.
Boqueria-- super big outside market with fresh foods, fruit, seafood, meats, etc. We try to go to restaurants only once, as to give other places a chance, but there was one seafood bar there where we simply had to go twice! Mussels and razor clams. Mmmmm. Also bought six passion fruits for 1.50 euro!! Soo good!
Gaudi-- saw a few of his works, took pictures of the outside, but neither of us were particularly interested in paying 20+ euros to wee the inside, so we'll just pretend we went in ;)
Bulls-- went to see the arena where the bull fights are held. Small museum, super smelly. Got to see the bulls too! The arena is huge. Wish we could have seen an actual bull fight.
Chocolate museum-- name is self explanatory. History and traditions of chocolate. Lots of chcolate displays too. Even our ticket in was a chocolate bar!!
Beach-- spent our last day in Barcelona lazing and relaxing by the beach. Aside from the unjust chair rentals, it was a pretty sweet day of just sun and sand. Yes, it was awesome.
Las Ramblas-- the heart of Barcelona. My fav part of the city. It's a long pedestrian strip full of craftsmen, artists, performers, vendors and restaurants. Definitely super touristy, but our hostel was right off the strip, so we went up and down often. Looooved it!!
Barcelona:
Aquarium-- lots of fish (duh). There's a moving path that takes you underneath the aquariums, which is pretty cool. Got to see lots of sharks, rays, tuna, etc.
Boqueria-- super big outside market with fresh foods, fruit, seafood, meats, etc. We try to go to restaurants only once, as to give other places a chance, but there was one seafood bar there where we simply had to go twice! Mussels and razor clams. Mmmmm. Also bought six passion fruits for 1.50 euro!! Soo good!
Gaudi-- saw a few of his works, took pictures of the outside, but neither of us were particularly interested in paying 20+ euros to wee the inside, so we'll just pretend we went in ;)
Bulls-- went to see the arena where the bull fights are held. Small museum, super smelly. Got to see the bulls too! The arena is huge. Wish we could have seen an actual bull fight.
Chocolate museum-- name is self explanatory. History and traditions of chocolate. Lots of chcolate displays too. Even our ticket in was a chocolate bar!!
Beach-- spent our last day in Barcelona lazing and relaxing by the beach. Aside from the unjust chair rentals, it was a pretty sweet day of just sun and sand. Yes, it was awesome.
Las Ramblas-- the heart of Barcelona. My fav part of the city. It's a long pedestrian strip full of craftsmen, artists, performers, vendors and restaurants. Definitely super touristy, but our hostel was right off the strip, so we went up and down often. Looooved it!!
just walked into our hostel in Rome. Beautiful.
Airplane ride from Barcelona to Rome= loudest, most obnoxious group of ppl EVER. Who screams,cheers, claps and jumps like you're at a soccer game as the plane is starting to land??
Super hot here, but that's nothing new. Haven't gotten a chance to send post cards yet. Will do soon. Wifi is better here, but still no USB to upload pics. Times like this I wish I had an iPhone lol..
Last days of Barcelona updates coming soon. Nap time for now :)
Airplane ride from Barcelona to Rome= loudest, most obnoxious group of ppl EVER. Who screams,cheers, claps and jumps like you're at a soccer game as the plane is starting to land??
Super hot here, but that's nothing new. Haven't gotten a chance to send post cards yet. Will do soon. Wifi is better here, but still no USB to upload pics. Times like this I wish I had an iPhone lol..
Last days of Barcelona updates coming soon. Nap time for now :)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Finally got a hold of a real computer, but cant stay on for long. stupid international keyboard again.
Crazy hot here! probably low 30s. Went to the Barcelona aquarium today, saw lots of fishies!
There are hookers everyyyywhere.
wifi here is slow. we have taken over 700 pictures, and i want to post up at least a few highlights, but the computer is restricted. sigh. next time, i promise!
Crazy hot here! probably low 30s. Went to the Barcelona aquarium today, saw lots of fishies!
There are hookers everyyyywhere.
wifi here is slow. we have taken over 700 pictures, and i want to post up at least a few highlights, but the computer is restricted. sigh. next time, i promise!
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