a post of pictures

a night in florence

Riomaggio, Cinque Terre (where we are staying)

Ciao America

Novalja, Pag

So I will start off from where I left off. We made it to Novalja, Pag and completely lucked out at the only hostel on the island called the Big Yellow House which was located right on the water. The picture above is the view from our room. I must admit that the actual town of Novalja is not the classiest. I don't think a lot of Americans make it over to the island either because a lot of people were shocked we made the treck over there. Near Novalja is a beach called Zrce Beach that is basically the Ibiza of Croatia. We went to the beach on a bus that played blaring techno the entire way there.

 After spending a few days enjoying the beaches (interestingly enough the best beach was at a campsite), we decided to take a kayaking trip in Zadar. Lizzie and I shared a kayak. While I believe we both individually could kayak in a straight line, our poor coordination skills caused us to zig zag down the river. We still were very pleased at the end of our trip because we got to jump off a 45 foot waterfall and I kayaked down a 12 foot waterfall.

After Croatia, Lizzie and embaraked on a 24 hour journey to Naples. Naples was errr ok...but after talking with some people at our hostel, we decided to take our trip elsewhere. We made some friends in the hostel and a group of us headed to Sorrento the next day to try out our first camping site. Right when we got to Sorrento, we dropped off our bags and headed to Pompei, the town that is in ruins from a volcanic eroption. Pompei was very cool to see. It really amazed me that there was still wood in the buildings from such a long time ago. After Pompei, we went back to our campsite and headed down to the water with our new friends from Naples. We decided to ignore the sign that said the beach closes at 7 and made our way down the hill to the rocks on the water. After enjoying some delicious wine and cheese (that we shared with some seagulls), we took a dip in the ocean and headed back up to our cabins. We learned that the beach really does close at 7 since they had lock the gate to the campsite. We made our way out after some intensene climbing up dirt hills and a whole crew of Italian children to help us escape. We were quite famous at breakfast the next day among the children. We took a ferri to Capri the next day. First, we heckled with many boat owners to get the best deal to take us around the island. We finally found a descent deal from an American women and scheduled to return later that day to start our trip. We waited for quite awhile to get on a bus to Anacapri. The roads in Capri are tres tiny and our big bus zoomed along sharing the road with other buses and driving along a veryyy steep cliff. We got to the town in one piece and made our first stop at a Pizzeria where we ate the most delicious margherita pizzetes and enjoyed a view of a mansion overlooking the water with a vineyard (basically my dream home).

We shopped around and I bought a pair of sandals that were specially made to fit my foot. There are little shops all over Capri for this and they make the shoes in 20 minutes.

After shopping and sampling quite a bit of limoncello, we set out on our boat trip to cruise around the island. We swam through many grottos, went cliff jumping of course, and even got in the blue grotto which was amazing. It is a cave all light up in a luminous blue color. Capri might have been my favorite day of the trip. Once we returned to Sorrento, we cleaned up and enjoyed a farewell dinner with our new friends where there was a band playing American songs in very Italian accents.
 

Boating in Capri

taking on eastern europa

Praha

I am just sitting at our hostel waiting to leave the beautiful Prague. Almost every person I talked to about backpacking through Europe has told me this was one of their favorite cities and I must agree that it is quite beautiful. We arrived to the cutest hostel called Sir Tobys that is very pub/cottage esque. A little exhausted, we decided to grab a late lunch and relax at our hostel the first evening. The free nutella crepe night also lured us to stay in for the night. It is 3 days later and I still can not look at a crepe. I never thought I would see the day when I can't look at Nutella due to overload. The one thing the 4 of us are good at is taking FULL advantage of a free meal over here. There currently is a international theatre design show going on in Prague and it seems our hostel has attracted quite a few of these people. While very interesting, we have found they more enjoy to sit around and talk intellectual literature and theatre.

FREE patries the bakery gave us at 3 am

We headed out the next day on our FREE walking tour. We walked around the old town and Jewish district and learned quite a bit about the history and legends of Prague. We went to the Prague castle and the church attached had the most amazing stainedglass windows I have ever seen. So many colors and detail. That evening, we went to a traditonal Czech restaurant. Christina, Liz, and I split a massive platter of duck, ribs, sausage, pork, cabbage, and potato dumplings. It was suuper cheap and one of my favorite feast of the trip. Later that night, we went on a bar crawl (I mean Prague is known for its night life). As mentioned in my first post, I am not opposed to staying here if the opportunity were to present itself. Christina and I were offered jobs as bar crawl guides...we are playing that one by ear right now...The next day we headed to a monastery perched at one of the highest points in Prague that makes their own beer. The IPA was delicious and we got some great views of the city and castle. We did not have enough time in Prague. I would have loved to stay one more night but we had to hurry on to catch a train to Budapest.

turkish baths

Budapest was a last minute decision. After speaking with some fellow backpackers, we decided we would be missing out by not making our way over to more of Eastern Europe. First of all, the city is completely not what I was expecting. Honestly, it was one of the most beautiful cities I have been to in Europe. I know I say that about a lot of places but Budapest blew us away. We only had 1 full day so we decided to do a bike tour so we could see as much of the city as possible. The architecture was old and beautiful. The history also was very interesting because everything was so recent. They were just freed from Soviet control in 1989. But enough with the history lessons, Budapest nightlife is also one of the best in Europe. Prepared to take full advantage of that, we stayed at the Instant Groove! Party Hostel. I think they focused so much on having a good time at the hostel that they forgot to turn the AC on. After relaxing in the baths (a massive area filled with all different kinds of pools, baths, waters with minerals, etc.), we made our way out last night with a 6 am train to catch. We made it...barely. I am currently in Zagreb, Croatia at the bus station waiting for a bus to Pag, Croatia.

Note: this post was written about a week in a half ago. 

My current city is Cinque Terre

the land of beer and wienershcnetzel

Well round 2 in Munich was definetly a success! As many of you know, I was in Munich while abroad for Oktoberfest...I have mentioned it was one of the best weekends of my life but this time around Munich still impressed my high standards. Once we arrived, Liz and I wondered the city...tried to go in some churches and got kicked out of one for wearing shorts and a tank. We walked to the English Gardens and wondered our way over to the beer garden. We finally met up with Christina and Maggie and went out to relive our memories at Haufbrauhaus. The following day was Lizzies birthday. We went on Mike's Bike Tour and made some friends while wondering around the city (making a pit stop at the beer garden of course). I guess we made the cut and were invited to celebrate Lizzies birthday in Mike's Bike garage that evening. The next day was very rainy but we still made our way to Dachau, the concentration camp outside Munich.

Next Stop: Praha

long overdue...



Cap d'Ail

 Sorry for the major delay in blogging but we have been without free computers for awhile and have honestly been having too much fun to make time to blog. Liz and I just arrived in Munich to meet back up with Shat and Mags. I will pick up where I left off in Nice when we went to Cap d'Ail. As the way our trip has been going, a simple bus ride to the beach of course turned into a series of unplanned events. We obviously are not experienced at riding on a bus as Christina took a diving tumble down the bus flailling her arms with no intention to hold herself back from falling face forward at an immediate stop. We stood up (holding on this time) ready to get off at our stop with the bus driver would not open the door at the stops in Cap d'Ail, so we ended up taking the bus into Monaco (a few miles from Cap d'Ail...at least it seemed like that). After we wondered around Monaco searching for the beach, we found a beach that was not ideal as we would have been catching some rays next to a large construction sight...not chic. We continued walking along the coast (I must admit I was cursing under my breath to the bus driver) when all of a sudden we ended upon a small path along the coast that was built into the cliffs. Very Cinque Terre esque. We walked the path for about 3 miles until we came along a cove in Cap d'Ail. Of course the minute we arrived at the beach, it started raining but the hike made it all worthwhile. Maggie was dissapointed to miss swimming in the cave next to the cove, but we still sat on the beach eating a baguette in the sprinkling rain and then continued our meal in a restaurant on the beach and then began our return home.

The following day we left for Canne to spend a night before Aix en Provence. I booked a hotel for us that was only 100 dollass (tres cheap for Canne). Thinking we found ourselves quite the deal, we began to question our confidence as we embarked on the 4th hill to the hotel (away from the city center). Our hotel ended up being a ways away from the city. Once we arrived, we discovered that the reception was not open until 5 pm. So we took our packs to the beach and enjoyed some fun in the sun before we headed to check in and finally see the city of Canne. When we checked in, there was no reservation under our name (damn cheaphotels.com). Liz and I went on a search for an Internet cafe a little frustrated that nothing seems to go the right way over here. Once we found the cafe, in the rush of my excitment, I ran up a flight of concrete stairs and tripped. Well of course my clumsiness comes out when I have a bottle of wine in my purse. Thankfully I saved my phone and camera before they were soaking in the vin. Thank goodness, I dont think I could bare calling my father one more time to tell him I broke something. That night we headed into Canne to experience the night life and walk around. We found our way into the city, tres backpacker style is all I am going to say. After wondering around and enjoying a few beers, we decided to relive my times in Vegas and check out the casino. It is a little scary when I am the one teaching my friends about gambling. Upon walking in we discovered that my skills were not as sharp I had thought they were. We couldn't even figure out how to work the slot machines. Feeling a little out of place (probs were the only backpackers in there), we headed back to our stylish hotel for a good night sleep before we seperated for a few days in the morning.

Aix-en-Provence

Christina and Maggie went off to Paris and Amsterdam, while Liz and I went to Aix-en-Provence and Interlaken. Aix was beyond beautiful. The minute we arrived, we split a meal from the Menu du Jour which consisted of a 3 course meal that was one of the best of the trip so far. Brushetta, fish cooked in ratatouille, and an apple tart for dessert...delicious! Later exploring the city, we happened upon the Cathedral. As we were looking around, we noticed a small outdoor garden area. The door was locked to access but a French tour guide that was giving a tour let us in. We were imagining that we would just take a quick peek. Definetly not the case...the guide locked the door behind us and we presumed to wait to get out until she was finished with the tour. We got to listen to her explain each individual column (there were about 50). The following day, we went to the outdoor market filled with food, clothes, vintage knick knaks, and traditonal provencal fabrics. I got a pair of vintage sunglasses and a old gold bracelet from Paris that I decided I wanted after the man had packed up his truck...thankfully he was nice enough to unpack his car to get it out for me.

That evening, we went to our last dinner and I had the pleasure of sitting next to a new friend, Zaza, an adorable black lab. The couple next to us were from Sweden and said they never went on a trip with out Zaza. Obviously, I got along with them very well. We headed to Interlaken for a nice long  train ride. We have actually gotten the hang of the trains. They are nice to take a day to relax, sleep, and catch up on some reading. We always pack a bagutte filled with meat and cheese to prevent us from having to a buy another not so good egg, chicken, and a lot of mayo sandwich from the train food cart.

My new friend Zaza

We arrived in Interlaken and took a nice little hike to Balmers, our hostel. Definetly the best hostel we have ever stayed. It had a big beer garden were you could find everyone from 5-6 pm (during happy hour), a relaxation room with hammocks, a tent village with a hot tub, and the only bar in town open until 2 am that everyone in town goes. We arrived in the late afternoon, so we decided to begin my birthday celebrations early and enjoy happy hour and our first burger of the trip. The next day, June 13, a very special day in this world, we went canyoning. Jumping off 30 ft. cliffs, sliding down waterfalls, belaying down cliffs. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. We headed back to the headquarters of the canyoning company to hang out and get some bread, cheese, and beer. Word got around that is was my birthday and the staff forced me to funnel a beer, which was not a success as I can not chug beer for the life of me...After spilling all over me, we said ciao to our new friends and headed home to make some brats for dinner. We enjoyed celebrating my birthday at the bar and hanging out with our canyoning guides and new friends. The following day, Lizzie and I were awoken by  some new friends in the hostel that convinced us after a very long night to go hiking to Hardar Kulm, a very steep 2 hour hike. We ended up hiking with a bunch of people from UGA that ended up being some of Lizzies friends from school and some other people that we met throughout our time at Balmers. The hike was work but the views were amazing. Interlaken is in a valley surrounded by mountains and two lakes on either side of it. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my entire life. We got to the top of the mountain and everyone threw together the snacks we brought up and we drank Montagne wine. On our last day in Interlaken, Lizzie and I rented bikes and rode on a trail around the town and the lakes. We picnied and laid out by the lakes and headed to bed early to wake up for Munich the next day.

I am currently trying to figure out how to load pictures on this computer so check back soon for pics and a Munich blog!

nice to be in nice

Well Nice has been lovely to say the least. I really have realized I am living the rough life when I gaze over the glistening Mediterranean sea. Yesterday we sadly awoke to a cloudy rainy day (not what you want to see when you are at the beach, especially on Shatzys bday!). We sucked it up and trekked out to explore the Old Town of Nice. We stopped along the Flower and Fruit market. For anyone who knows me, they know I am a sucker for markets. This one was extra special because it had samples. Sundried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, miel (honey), and so much more. We then headed over to the "castle." I put that in quotation because there is no castle, it is more a lot of magnificent views and gardens. At the very top, there is a huge waterfall that made climbing all of the stairs in unsupportive shoes worthwhile. FINALLY, the sun came out and we headed to catch some rays at the beach where Maggie and I swam in the below freezing water. Some people we met told us you can open your eyes under the water which I thought was crazy to do in saltwater but it worked. It is so clear here. We enjoyed our first decent out to dinner experience for Shatzys bday of Moules Provencale (mussels with pesto and some other delicious things with a side of fries to dip in the broth) DELICIOUS! We were originally planning to continue the celebration on a train to Monaco but unfortunately we did not make it in time. So we instead went to a Boulangerie and stuffed our faces with delicious pastry desserts and a bottle of wine (which Maggie and I opened with out a cork screw I might add). We went out with some new hostel friends who thought I was an Aussie! Today we will head to Villefrance and Cap d'Ail to relax on the beach and swim in caves. As I said, life is rough. Tata for now!

14 hours later...

(Cerbere, France)

We have finally arrived to Nice after 14 hours of travel. As Lizzie and I have strived to maintain a spontaneous trip here in Europa, we have also failed to follow the proper reservations for certain train tickets that as we discovered today...are required. After enjoying my last night in Barcelona with some new Canadian friends, I rolled out of bed this morning at 7 am to make our 9 am train ride that turned out to be non-existent or full (our Spanish is still a bit rough). They informed us that we would have to take 3 trains over a 14 hour period. Well our first destination was a town on the French border called Cerbere. We found out our final train that we would take to Nice was full and we could not get a ticket and would have to try and get the conductor to let us on when we got to Nimes (where the train left from). With 2 hours to kill, we decided to explore the city of Cerbere which was located on the coast. As we hiked up and down hills with our backpacks (that for some reason seems to grow everytime I pack it), no one was in sight. I felt like I was in a movie and the world had just ended, it was completely unoccupied. As we got to the city center, we finally found a few restaurants opened and saw maybe a total of 30 people spread out in the town. We inhaled a delicious pizza (with creme fraiche? but it was good!) and set back on our hike to the train to Nimes. We arrived to Nimes with a total of 10 minutes to find a way on the Nice train. The ticket line was SO long, everyone else that was working there did not speak any English. The only person that did speak English informed as that we definetly needed a ticket but that he didn't know how to get it. We got on the train to try and find the conductor and couldnt find him. Before we could think of what to do next, the train started moving. There was an area on the train with tables that a few people were at so we went and just sat down on the ground praying to God they would not come around and check tickets. I was terrified that we were going to get kicked off and left in some random town like Cerbere. Thankfully we made it to Nice without them checking for tickets and enjoyed a rather interesting ride talking to French people that we barely understood a word they were saying. 


Nice has been beautiful. Lizzie and I have enjoyed a lovely day on the beach. The beaches are all rocks here and since our backpacking budget does not fit the fancy chairs, we did have to take some time to rearrange to our comfort but we made it work. Christina and Maggie arrive tonight and tomorrow is Christinas birthday! Celebration for the next 2 nights is definetly in order. Ciao for now my friends!

cafe con lecho

After 12 hours of travel, we finally made it to Madrid! Running on 2 hours of sleep, Lizzie and I decided to explore the city. We happened on El Museo Prado and made the bold decision to walk amongst the 2 floors of I must say endless old art. While I make it seem like such a burden to see  Las Meninas, Adam and Eve, and The Garden of Earthly Delights, our favorite, we were walking around a museum at 4 am our time which really has never been an activity I have embarked on at that hour. In our state of delerium we decided to head back for a quick nap and shower. That afternoon we wondered over to El Parque del Buen Retiro and rowed boats in the beautiful lake, we did feel a bit like we were on a romantic date but the scenery was priceless. That evening, we hung out and mingled at the hostel. We decided to get our rest up  for our freinds and fellow crew members, Maggie and Christina, to arrive the next morning. Once we met up with Maggie and Christina, we headed to El Museo Reina Sofia where we got to see a lot of Picasso, Dali, and some others whose names I dont particularly remember. We spent awhile trying to figure out the works of Picasso, particularly Guernica. None of us really understood how the painting related to the Spanish Civil War but we did make a fun game of I Spy out of it. While I probably have not made it seem as fabulous as it was, I truly enjoyed El Museo Reina Sofia. That afternoon we went to the Cathedral across from El Palacio Real. They had really cool ceilings that were much different than the normal cathedral.We then headed back to El Parque del Buen Retiro to enjoy some wine and a nice view. We returned to our hostel to hang at the hostel bar where the crew began to introduce ourselves to Madrid. As Lizzie already mentioned in her blog, we had some cuts and bruises that night but we sure did get to know Madrid and Madrid got to know the crew. I must say we have been paying for that today but we powered through and enjoyed a leisurely lunch where we replinished our energy with El Menu del Dia (a three course meal thorughout Spain where my first course was a large pasta dish) We then went on some casual real estate shopping at El Palacio Real, the palace that heald Juan Carlos II. While we found it a bit small, I suppose it could fit the four of us all right. We went out later to hunt for the Templo de Debod which ended up being a failure and only a 4 mile hike. We went to El Mercado San Miguel for dinner and enjoyed my favorite meal I have ever had in Spain (besides when my parents came to Barca and I actually went to a decent meal for once). Tomorrow we head to Barcelona to relive our abroad days and take a trip to Costa Brava. Our experience in Madrid has been amazing. We have stayed at an amazing hostel with a lot of people and have not stopped laughing and making things interesting since we got here. Our Spanish is a little rough, Lizzie even referred to cafe con leche as cafe con lecho. Thats what minoring in Spanish and studying in a Spanish speaking country for 2 months gets you. Ciao for now my fellow Americanos. More updates to come of our crazy adventures in Europa.

Check out Christina´s Blog!

Also, pictures to come hopefully in Barcelona. There is nowhere to hook up my camera here!

bon voyage

The day is growing near that I will return to the beautiful land of Europa with my dear amiga, Lizzie. We survived living in a closet for 3 months in Barcelona, so hopefully we can rough it again with our lives on our backs. In order to prolong our entry into the job market and real world, we will embark on a 6 week adventure galavanting through Europe on Eurail. We hope our trip is filled with spontaneous stops but we do have a rough route that we plan to travel. Even after visiting Europe a few times, I still struggle with the endless places and opportunities to visit. I may have to follow the steps of my Uncle Tom and find a cucumber farm to work in order to prolong my trip.

I hope to keep this blog updated as much as possible hopefully with pictures. So stay tuned as you all sit at your office desks, I hope this can be your gateway to vicariously live through our lives before we have to buckle down and join you in the real world.

Follow Lizzie's blog: here.

First stop: Madrid.