It has been great to see Ashley. Of all my friends, she is the most unlike me. She is as witty and blunt as it gets and is one of the most quotable people I know... her brain just works in a different and much more creative way than mine. I told her last week that if she were in a book, the introduction of her character would include the phrase "undeniably cool."
We mostly just relaxed and cooked and finished getting her settled (i.e. went to Ikea). There is an amazing open air farmer's market in Barcelona (butchers, fresh seafood, cheese stands, and really high-quality, cheap fruits and vegetables). We've only bought produce so far, but it has been fun to walk around.
My train pass was ending, so I went to Madrid for 36 hours and really enjoyed the walking tour there. As we were moving from one sight to another, the guide said to us, "And we are passing the American embassy on our right." He simultaneously gestured toward a McDonald's. :)
Jeff and I met back up in Barcelona without a hitch and have adapted a very relaxed schedule. We have gone to the beach twice, but also did a Gaudi tour. Gaudi was an eccentric Spanish architect. At one house I told Jeff I felt like I was at Disneyland and then at the next at The Grinch's summer house.
We have ran into WAY more Americans in Barcelona than any other city, especially at the hostel we're at now. Maybe it's because it boasts a gym (which is a massive embellishment). Jeff's first night in Barcelona we stayed at a huge party hostel and when we got to our room it was empty. A girl came in and after exchanging names, Jeff asked where she was from and she said "Portland". We quickly figured out it was her first night in Europe because experienced Oregonians know that 99 percent of the people you come across in Europe will require much more explanation. She lucked out having fellow Oregonians who knew her hometown as her first roommates. We just looked at her incredulously and then laughed. We have eased into the habit of saying something along the lines of, "The US" and then upon further prodding of location: "Portland, Oregon... the state directly north of California." Without the followup description we are given a vague "Oh, okay" with an uncertain nod.
In any case, I am making plans to stock up on musli to take home and cook "American breakfast" for my friends in Copenhagen one last time while I am there for 36 hours before flying home.
I am beyond excited to get back home after a fun, but long trip. I will spend a few days in Seattle with Julie and then head back to Portland to get everything in order before I start work two weeks from tomorrow! As I told Ashley the other day, I think I have been a 30-year old since I wad 12, so I am very excited to start work and finally begin my career. A twinge of nervousness popped up a couple days ago, but I think that will settle once I get a couple weeks in.
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone when I get home. My mom is joining my dad in Europe a couple days after I get back and I have secured permission to have a BBQ/ beer pong day while they're gone... I am thinking it'll be the last weekend of September because both OSU and UO football are on the road. Let me know if you have a date preference.
Also, Jeff and I were talking about volunteering options for me now that I will have a permanent location. Right now I am leaning towards Big Brother, Big Sister... maybe with a Spanish-speaking child to help me practice. I'm also considering trail clean-ups or something basketball related. Let me know if you have any ideas for me!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Sevilla & La Tomatina
I had planned to go to Salamanca from Rota to couchsurf with some students there, but stopped in Sevilla for a night. I didn't finish getting checked into my hostel until about 4:30pm and set out on a whirlwind tour of the city for three or four hours. I went to the Palace of Alcazar, which dates back to the year 913. Hmmm... I wish I had grown up on a farm so I could estimate the acreage of the garden, but it was huge! These pictures only show a fraction.
My favorite thing in Sevilla was the Plaza de Espana. Even though it was under construction, I was still able to enjoy the tile mosaics. There is a tiled alcove representing each of the provinces of Spain. (If I had to guess, I'd say there are about 40.)
My hostel is Sevilla is part of the same group that my Greek hostel is in: "World Famous Hostels". After exploring the city, I went back to the hostel for Paella night. It was really good and now the only other major thing I need to find is authentic gazpahcho! I saw it in the store today, but I want to hold out for the real deal. I had an 11:30 train to Madrid the next morning, so I woke up and was the first one at the cathedral. It is the world's largest gothic cathedral and contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. It also has a tower that you can go up and see the city from. I had the platform to myself because I was so early.
Some of the people I was hanging out with at the hostel mentioned that they were going to La Tomatina, the tomato fight in Buñol. I had completely forgotten about it! So I changed my plans and went from Sevilla to Madrid to Valencia. When I got there, it quickly became clear that there would be nowhere to stay. I knew people partied the whole night before the festival in Buñol, so I just headed there and met some people along the way. The outdoor clubs, etc the night before were fun, but I was really tired the next day. The actually fight doesn't start until after they blow a horn at 11 and squeeze five (European-sized) semi trucks into already jam-packed streets. I am glad I was able to experience and I can say I did it, but between being sleep-deprived, dehydrated, and not having goggles to protect my eyes, I ended up not enjoying it all that much. I kind of got stuck in the middle of the crowd and people are literally compressing from all sides for hours... to the point that it was hard to breathe.
I was so tired that I decided I didn't want to move around too much more and just wanted to go to Barcelona to see my friend Ashley from undergrad. So, long story short, I am here and it feels fantastic to have clean clothes and not have to lock my bag. Plus, I definitely took a "Hollywood shower" this morning... it was like 20 minutes. I finally feel clean after a few too many days of dirty clothes and sparse showers!
My favorite thing in Sevilla was the Plaza de Espana. Even though it was under construction, I was still able to enjoy the tile mosaics. There is a tiled alcove representing each of the provinces of Spain. (If I had to guess, I'd say there are about 40.)
My hostel is Sevilla is part of the same group that my Greek hostel is in: "World Famous Hostels". After exploring the city, I went back to the hostel for Paella night. It was really good and now the only other major thing I need to find is authentic gazpahcho! I saw it in the store today, but I want to hold out for the real deal. I had an 11:30 train to Madrid the next morning, so I woke up and was the first one at the cathedral. It is the world's largest gothic cathedral and contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. It also has a tower that you can go up and see the city from. I had the platform to myself because I was so early.
Some of the people I was hanging out with at the hostel mentioned that they were going to La Tomatina, the tomato fight in Buñol. I had completely forgotten about it! So I changed my plans and went from Sevilla to Madrid to Valencia. When I got there, it quickly became clear that there would be nowhere to stay. I knew people partied the whole night before the festival in Buñol, so I just headed there and met some people along the way. The outdoor clubs, etc the night before were fun, but I was really tired the next day. The actually fight doesn't start until after they blow a horn at 11 and squeeze five (European-sized) semi trucks into already jam-packed streets. I am glad I was able to experience and I can say I did it, but between being sleep-deprived, dehydrated, and not having goggles to protect my eyes, I ended up not enjoying it all that much. I kind of got stuck in the middle of the crowd and people are literally compressing from all sides for hours... to the point that it was hard to breathe.
I was so tired that I decided I didn't want to move around too much more and just wanted to go to Barcelona to see my friend Ashley from undergrad. So, long story short, I am here and it feels fantastic to have clean clothes and not have to lock my bag. Plus, I definitely took a "Hollywood shower" this morning... it was like 20 minutes. I finally feel clean after a few too many days of dirty clothes and sparse showers!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Spain
Wine tasting in Bordeaux ended up consisting of staying there one night, buying a couple bottles at a convenience store and taking a train to Spain to enjoy the wine there. Fine by us.
When we arrived in San Sebastian last Saturday, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that it was the first day of "semana grande". We're still not really sure why they have a celebratory week, but enjoyed world-class fireworks every night (from distances not considered safe in the US... it was cool to be so close). Every night, another country or region of Spain put on 20 minutes of gran finale quality fireworks and at the end of the week local judges choose a winner. They also had evening parades of about eight 30-ft tall figures being carried by single people who danced and twirled around. They also had 15 people dressed up in costumes wearing masks that were like over-sized bobbleheads. They went around hitting children with balloons on ropes and parents tried to steer their children to get hit... I really want to find out the reasoning for this! Everyone was laughing and having a good time though.
We took a week of intensive Spanish classes and now have one week to practice as we travel before heading to Barcelona where they speak a different dialect. Jeff went hiking with a buddy from his class and went to the Gugenheim in Bilbao and I went to the southern coast to couchsurf with an American who is a naval officer at the base here in Rota. His apartment is approximately 10 feet from the beach promenade. We went out to tapas the night I got here and tried sherry from this region (very raisiny). Yesterday, I went to the beach for a couple hours and then came back and read part of a biography of Teddy Roosevelt (it felt great to have access to an English book again!) from his balcony that overlooks the beach. Last night, we met up with two friends of his who live on the naval base and went to town for dinner.
Now, I'm heading to Sevilla for a day and then to couchsurf and practice Spanish in Salamanca for a few days. Not really sure when I will meet back up with Jeff?
I fly to Seattle September 10th and will be in Portland September 12th or 13th!
When we arrived in San Sebastian last Saturday, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that it was the first day of "semana grande". We're still not really sure why they have a celebratory week, but enjoyed world-class fireworks every night (from distances not considered safe in the US... it was cool to be so close). Every night, another country or region of Spain put on 20 minutes of gran finale quality fireworks and at the end of the week local judges choose a winner. They also had evening parades of about eight 30-ft tall figures being carried by single people who danced and twirled around. They also had 15 people dressed up in costumes wearing masks that were like over-sized bobbleheads. They went around hitting children with balloons on ropes and parents tried to steer their children to get hit... I really want to find out the reasoning for this! Everyone was laughing and having a good time though.
We took a week of intensive Spanish classes and now have one week to practice as we travel before heading to Barcelona where they speak a different dialect. Jeff went hiking with a buddy from his class and went to the Gugenheim in Bilbao and I went to the southern coast to couchsurf with an American who is a naval officer at the base here in Rota. His apartment is approximately 10 feet from the beach promenade. We went out to tapas the night I got here and tried sherry from this region (very raisiny). Yesterday, I went to the beach for a couple hours and then came back and read part of a biography of Teddy Roosevelt (it felt great to have access to an English book again!) from his balcony that overlooks the beach. Last night, we met up with two friends of his who live on the naval base and went to town for dinner.
Now, I'm heading to Sevilla for a day and then to couchsurf and practice Spanish in Salamanca for a few days. Not really sure when I will meet back up with Jeff?
I fly to Seattle September 10th and will be in Portland September 12th or 13th!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Maybe There's More to France Than Baguettes
I've been slacking on my blog updates because I feel like I'm simply not funny enough to make them interesting without pictures! :)
It was quite a struggle to meet back up with Dad and Jeff, but it was obviously really comforting when we finally did connect. I rode the ferry from Greece to Italy with three Spanish guys and they taught me how to play a Spanish card game. Spain uses a different deck with different suits (e.g. sticks) and numbers 1-7 and 10-12. Their face cards are different too (a 10 is a "girl"). At least they kept me entertained before we set up camp on the floor of the ferry restaurant.
I previously thought France was one of my least favorite European countries, but I had only really been to Paris, Marseilles, and Nice. After four days of traveling, I was pretty delirious the first evening with Dad and Jeff, but I was taken aback by the beautiful views of nearby cliffs when I woke up the next morning. We stayed at a bed and breakfast outside of Annecy (a 2018 Olympic site candidate) on a cheese farm. Dad helped out on the farm (mostly in the garden) for four days before we got there to practice his French and the family liked him a lot. It was refreshing to meet some down-to-earth French people and they were extremely friendly and welcoming. We woke up every morning to a freshly-made tart, an array of specialty cheeses, fresh apple juice, homemade jam, straight-out-of-the-cow milk, and sometimes fresh yogurt.
They knew I was tired, so we skipped hiking on my first day and went to Chateau de Menthon, which was the castle of Saint Bernard (famous for his assistance to travelers, dog, and refuge). It is still inhabited by a descendant. The current inhabitant is a retired engineer (I appreciated that he worked even though he inherited a castle, etc.) and his father was in the French parliament and an advisor in WW1.
Now, I enjoy hiking, but maybe not quite to the level that Dad and Jeff do. It's just not a productive vacation day to Dad without a hike. He adjusted to a Jeff-and-Lisa itinerary to maximize his time with us though... that basically means putting in relaxing days of just hanging out in the city about every other day.
On my first trip to Europe, Julie, Mom and I coined the term "clike". It is a hike that is so steep that it is almost a climb. We developed this phrase while dragging roller suitcases (just carry-on, but still!) up a rooty incline to our former-castle hostel up a German mountainside. Dad and Jeff took me on numerous clikes, frequently unintentionally. I learned to not let the phrase, "Don't worry; it will just be a short two-hour hike..." get me too excited. Two hours? Ya right, maybe if you stay on the initially intended trail, but who would want to do that?!?!
"Oh I think if we take this other path just to the top of this hill, we'd have an even BETTER view... the paths probably meet back up anyway. "
Or my personal favorite, which led to 1.5 hours of climbing down a landslide-prone hill of rocks to get about 15 minutes farther down the path:
"Lets go up this way, it looks like it spreads out the incline over a longer span."
We really did have some awesome views both of and out from Mont Blanc, of a cirque with waterfalls, an intensely blue mountain lakes, multiple fauna (some antelope-type things were loving our path), and some beautiful rocky mountainsides.
Yesterday was rainy so we went indoor rock climbing. Jeff goes all the time at home, but I don't think I've ever done it. Jeff had to re-teach me to belay since it had been a while. He said I was pretty natural at it for being new to it (but maybe he was just saying that because he wants me to start up the hobby at home.) My forearms are super sore today since I haven't really done anything requiring arm strength for about three months!
We've also had some excellent food in the last week, including random concoctions by Jeff and me in our kitchen. Without recipes we made ratatouille-esqe vegetable/sausage soup, fresh ravioli with pesto and sausage, a parmesan-herb crusted white fish (although we don't know what kind of fish it was), fresh gnocchi with vegetables, and broccoli with herbed goat cheese a la my German friend Lisa. We went out to some casual restaurants and had things like honey-Reblechon pizza, Croque Madame (toast, ham, cheese, and egg), and mountain-refuge omelets. We also went to some fancy restaurants and had beignets (which were not at all like at home), shredded salad (which was excellent), escargot, garlic mussels, and raclette.
Jeff and I had both had raclette in Switzerland before, served as a dish of a melted cheese with onion, pickles, and meat. The menu said that the fondue and raclette had to be ordered by at least two people at the table for them to give it to you. Okay, weird. Well, it made sense as the waiter emerged from the kitchen. I wish I had a picture of the looks on our faces when he brought out a large plate of charceturie (an array of specialty sliced meats), onions, and pickles... and then there was the approximately two-pound wedge of cheese on a swinging metal platform next to a 8" charcoal cage. This contraption was conveniently placed on the open spot on my side of the table. I spent the next hour and a half perfecting the process of allowing an outer layer of cheese to melt, slicing us some, taking a few bites and then repeating it. It was entertaining to say the least. Jeff and I thought of the "...and you ate a whole wheel of cheese? I'm not even mad. I'm impressed" quote multiple times. Then we split the best creme brûlée I've ever had. :)
Today Jeff and I head to Bordeaux to do some wine tasting... although we've had quite a few different wines on our own at this point. Dad is heading to the Grenoble area to stay with a French penpal of his who is a retired school principal. Sunday Jeff and I are moving on to Spain to take intensive Spanish classes in San Sebastian, which is a beach town. Jeff is pretty good, but I took German, so I am excited to get my Español on!
I'm getting extremely excited to come home soon!
It was quite a struggle to meet back up with Dad and Jeff, but it was obviously really comforting when we finally did connect. I rode the ferry from Greece to Italy with three Spanish guys and they taught me how to play a Spanish card game. Spain uses a different deck with different suits (e.g. sticks) and numbers 1-7 and 10-12. Their face cards are different too (a 10 is a "girl"). At least they kept me entertained before we set up camp on the floor of the ferry restaurant.
I previously thought France was one of my least favorite European countries, but I had only really been to Paris, Marseilles, and Nice. After four days of traveling, I was pretty delirious the first evening with Dad and Jeff, but I was taken aback by the beautiful views of nearby cliffs when I woke up the next morning. We stayed at a bed and breakfast outside of Annecy (a 2018 Olympic site candidate) on a cheese farm. Dad helped out on the farm (mostly in the garden) for four days before we got there to practice his French and the family liked him a lot. It was refreshing to meet some down-to-earth French people and they were extremely friendly and welcoming. We woke up every morning to a freshly-made tart, an array of specialty cheeses, fresh apple juice, homemade jam, straight-out-of-the-cow milk, and sometimes fresh yogurt.
They knew I was tired, so we skipped hiking on my first day and went to Chateau de Menthon, which was the castle of Saint Bernard (famous for his assistance to travelers, dog, and refuge). It is still inhabited by a descendant. The current inhabitant is a retired engineer (I appreciated that he worked even though he inherited a castle, etc.) and his father was in the French parliament and an advisor in WW1.
Now, I enjoy hiking, but maybe not quite to the level that Dad and Jeff do. It's just not a productive vacation day to Dad without a hike. He adjusted to a Jeff-and-Lisa itinerary to maximize his time with us though... that basically means putting in relaxing days of just hanging out in the city about every other day.
On my first trip to Europe, Julie, Mom and I coined the term "clike". It is a hike that is so steep that it is almost a climb. We developed this phrase while dragging roller suitcases (just carry-on, but still!) up a rooty incline to our former-castle hostel up a German mountainside. Dad and Jeff took me on numerous clikes, frequently unintentionally. I learned to not let the phrase, "Don't worry; it will just be a short two-hour hike..." get me too excited. Two hours? Ya right, maybe if you stay on the initially intended trail, but who would want to do that?!?!
"Oh I think if we take this other path just to the top of this hill, we'd have an even BETTER view... the paths probably meet back up anyway. "
Or my personal favorite, which led to 1.5 hours of climbing down a landslide-prone hill of rocks to get about 15 minutes farther down the path:
"Lets go up this way, it looks like it spreads out the incline over a longer span."
We really did have some awesome views both of and out from Mont Blanc, of a cirque with waterfalls, an intensely blue mountain lakes, multiple fauna (some antelope-type things were loving our path), and some beautiful rocky mountainsides.
Yesterday was rainy so we went indoor rock climbing. Jeff goes all the time at home, but I don't think I've ever done it. Jeff had to re-teach me to belay since it had been a while. He said I was pretty natural at it for being new to it (but maybe he was just saying that because he wants me to start up the hobby at home.) My forearms are super sore today since I haven't really done anything requiring arm strength for about three months!
We've also had some excellent food in the last week, including random concoctions by Jeff and me in our kitchen. Without recipes we made ratatouille-esqe vegetable/sausage soup, fresh ravioli with pesto and sausage, a parmesan-herb crusted white fish (although we don't know what kind of fish it was), fresh gnocchi with vegetables, and broccoli with herbed goat cheese a la my German friend Lisa. We went out to some casual restaurants and had things like honey-Reblechon pizza, Croque Madame (toast, ham, cheese, and egg), and mountain-refuge omelets. We also went to some fancy restaurants and had beignets (which were not at all like at home), shredded salad (which was excellent), escargot, garlic mussels, and raclette.
Jeff and I had both had raclette in Switzerland before, served as a dish of a melted cheese with onion, pickles, and meat. The menu said that the fondue and raclette had to be ordered by at least two people at the table for them to give it to you. Okay, weird. Well, it made sense as the waiter emerged from the kitchen. I wish I had a picture of the looks on our faces when he brought out a large plate of charceturie (an array of specialty sliced meats), onions, and pickles... and then there was the approximately two-pound wedge of cheese on a swinging metal platform next to a 8" charcoal cage. This contraption was conveniently placed on the open spot on my side of the table. I spent the next hour and a half perfecting the process of allowing an outer layer of cheese to melt, slicing us some, taking a few bites and then repeating it. It was entertaining to say the least. Jeff and I thought of the "...and you ate a whole wheel of cheese? I'm not even mad. I'm impressed" quote multiple times. Then we split the best creme brûlée I've ever had. :)
Today Jeff and I head to Bordeaux to do some wine tasting... although we've had quite a few different wines on our own at this point. Dad is heading to the Grenoble area to stay with a French penpal of his who is a retired school principal. Sunday Jeff and I are moving on to Spain to take intensive Spanish classes in San Sebastian, which is a beach town. Jeff is pretty good, but I took German, so I am excited to get my Español on!
I'm getting extremely excited to come home soon!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Greece! (Corfu and Athens)
After some ferry complications on my way to Greece, I spent two days on the island of Corfu, one day in Athens, and then another day back on Corfu. The hostel is famous for it's booze cruise, but most of the attendees were about 20 and the activities sounded a bit immature and/or vulgar. So, instead I did a kayak tour for five hours on one day. It included a cliff jump. The cliff seemed rather daunting from the top, but once we were in the water and looking back up at it, we realized it was only 30 feet or so. We also stopped to do some snorkeling, which was extremely unexciting. There were a few small, grey fish, but I quickly decided I would rather relax on the beach than waste my time looking at some rocks and seaweed.
I did a quad tour the next day. I don't do a lot of four-wheeling at home, so I had a lot of fun and found that I became comfortable with the steering quite quickly. We went up to the highest point on the island to have lunch and take pictures and played "wasp baseball", which is esentially trying to swat as many wasps with your sandal as possible.
Speaking of sandals... I only brought two pairs of footwear on the trip: one pair of running shoes and one pair of athletic flip flops. They suggested we do the quad tour in flip flops because we were going to stop at the beach. Well, mine wouldn't start with the button on the handle, so I had to kick start it. I definitely broke a flip flop in the process. I was lucky it happened before we left the parking lot because I was able to just run and put on shoes really quick. Another girls' broke halfway through! Anyway, the point of sharing this was to point out that I discovered that it is quite hard to find women's sandals in MY SIZE in Greece. I eventually found a pair that will work as a temporary solution.
I found them in ATHENS, which was my next destination. I had repeatedly heard two things about Athens: 1) it's dirty and 2) you can see everything in one day. Both were accurate. I took an overnight bus from my hostel and arrived in Athens around 7am and then left at 10pm on the return bus back to hostel. I didn't feel like planning or stressing, so I did a five-hour walking tour.
I have always wanted to go to Greece because I had seen pictures of and heard about my parents' trips. I didn't think it was going to be possible this summer, but I am glad it worked out. The Parthenon was obviously impressive, but I actually liked the structure across the acropolis better. It is unique in that it has a set of columns in the shape of women, rather than the traditional styles. It's where Poseidon and Athena competed for the gods to win the right to name and rule the city. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and made a salt water fountain spring up. At the time, the gods did not understand the importance of water and were more impressed by the olive tree that Athena was able to sprout because it represented future agricultural success. We also saw the 1896 Olympic sight (where the first modern-day Olympics were held), which is now rarely used. In 2004 it was only used for smaller events like archery.
I was surprised to find out that dolmas (aka grape leaves) are a winter product and was unable to have any. However, I did enjoy spanikopita, baklava, and gyros. I also learned that Americans say tzatziki wrong. I have always prnounced it ta-zee-kee, but they pronounce it more similar to how it is spelled. Also, the baklava I had not-surpisingly put the baklava I made for a sixth grade project to shame. Spanikopita was my favorite thing I had though (i.e. spinach pie in a thin pastry dough).
Connecting back up with dad and Jeff could be tricky. We are meeting in about 24 hours and have not really concluded on a time or place. Plus, between the two of us, there's a pretty good chance that either Jeff or I will get delayed. Hopefully it will work out!
I did a quad tour the next day. I don't do a lot of four-wheeling at home, so I had a lot of fun and found that I became comfortable with the steering quite quickly. We went up to the highest point on the island to have lunch and take pictures and played "wasp baseball", which is esentially trying to swat as many wasps with your sandal as possible.
Speaking of sandals... I only brought two pairs of footwear on the trip: one pair of running shoes and one pair of athletic flip flops. They suggested we do the quad tour in flip flops because we were going to stop at the beach. Well, mine wouldn't start with the button on the handle, so I had to kick start it. I definitely broke a flip flop in the process. I was lucky it happened before we left the parking lot because I was able to just run and put on shoes really quick. Another girls' broke halfway through! Anyway, the point of sharing this was to point out that I discovered that it is quite hard to find women's sandals in MY SIZE in Greece. I eventually found a pair that will work as a temporary solution.
I found them in ATHENS, which was my next destination. I had repeatedly heard two things about Athens: 1) it's dirty and 2) you can see everything in one day. Both were accurate. I took an overnight bus from my hostel and arrived in Athens around 7am and then left at 10pm on the return bus back to hostel. I didn't feel like planning or stressing, so I did a five-hour walking tour.
I have always wanted to go to Greece because I had seen pictures of and heard about my parents' trips. I didn't think it was going to be possible this summer, but I am glad it worked out. The Parthenon was obviously impressive, but I actually liked the structure across the acropolis better. It is unique in that it has a set of columns in the shape of women, rather than the traditional styles. It's where Poseidon and Athena competed for the gods to win the right to name and rule the city. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and made a salt water fountain spring up. At the time, the gods did not understand the importance of water and were more impressed by the olive tree that Athena was able to sprout because it represented future agricultural success. We also saw the 1896 Olympic sight (where the first modern-day Olympics were held), which is now rarely used. In 2004 it was only used for smaller events like archery.
I was surprised to find out that dolmas (aka grape leaves) are a winter product and was unable to have any. However, I did enjoy spanikopita, baklava, and gyros. I also learned that Americans say tzatziki wrong. I have always prnounced it ta-zee-kee, but they pronounce it more similar to how it is spelled. Also, the baklava I had not-surpisingly put the baklava I made for a sixth grade project to shame. Spanikopita was my favorite thing I had though (i.e. spinach pie in a thin pastry dough).
Connecting back up with dad and Jeff could be tricky. We are meeting in about 24 hours and have not really concluded on a time or place. Plus, between the two of us, there's a pretty good chance that either Jeff or I will get delayed. Hopefully it will work out!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Some other random thoughts:
I read three books between Heidelberg and Marseille, but I haven't been able to find a book in English to start back up. Here's a quote from a book I borrowed from the French girl, it's referring to playing the Oregon Trail computer game back in middle school: "I would load up the wagon with people I loathed, like my math teacher. Then I would intentionally lose the game, starving her or fording a river when I knew she was weak." :) My favorite of the three was The Bretheren by John Grisham.
When people ask where I'm from, I normally reply that I am "from The States". It seems like the Europeans use the term "American" more than I do. Don't get me wrong, I'm patriotic, I just don't usually use that word to describe myself.
Jeff and I have agreed that for the last couple weeks, it has been about 10 degrees hotter than our ideal temperature... in Celsius.
My parents are ultimate planners, but it wasn't until my dad got a reminder to check in for his flight that he realized that he thought his flight was a day later than it actually was. He made it to France though and we can't wait to see him in a week!
When people ask where I'm from, I normally reply that I am "from The States". It seems like the Europeans use the term "American" more than I do. Don't get me wrong, I'm patriotic, I just don't usually use that word to describe myself.
Jeff and I have agreed that for the last couple weeks, it has been about 10 degrees hotter than our ideal temperature... in Celsius.
My parents are ultimate planners, but it wasn't until my dad got a reminder to check in for his flight that he realized that he thought his flight was a day later than it actually was. He made it to France though and we can't wait to see him in a week!
About halfway through!
Our time in Florence was delayed twice due to our laziness... we just don't enjoy long train rides. When we left Marseilles, we saw the beach in Nice as we were pulling into the station and decided to stay there for two nights. We mostly just relaxed, but we did go to an archaeology museum and up to a chateau that overlooked the city. A Turkish guy came with us and talking with him about the different parts of Turkey made me wish I had time to go. We had socca (a tortilla-type thing, made with olive oil and a special flour) and farcis (like stuffed mushrooms, but with other vegetables such as tomato, onion, and zucchini). After the chataeu we went to the beach, which had pebbles instead of sand. It was our first time in the Medditerranean! It was predictably quite warm, but surprisingly salty... seemingly more so than the Pacific Ocean. So that was one thing off the to-do list!
Our next attempt to get to Florence came up short as well. We decided to stop in Milan for two days. We didn't really want to do all the shopping that Milan is known for, but we did go see the gothic-style duomo (aka cathedral... most Italian cities have a duomo and accompanying plaza). While making dinner in our hostel kitchen (with extra garlic because we heard it keeps away the mosquitoes), we met a bunch of people. Long story short, we decided it would be a good night for beer pong! We played with an American, a Canadian who looked like a 6'5" Jesus, four Germans who go to an American school in Berlin, an Australian girl from Nepal, and a Scottish guy. The Canadian had the most elaborate beer pong shot wind-up I've ever seen... it took about seven seconds and lots of twisting and leaning. We only allowed it because it was ridiculously effective. The Germans knew the rules surprisingly well, but were not very skilled (although I considered one to be the German version of BT, for those of you who know that reference). I guess that is precisely the reason we bought ping pong balls... to spread it to Europe and improve the competition. As usual, it was a very impromptu game... the idea was suggested at 8:55 and the store closes at 9:00. We rushed to the store and got there right at 9, but luckily an Italian girl who just wanted to buy water got there at the same time and was able to coerce the store worker to let just her and Jeff in. As Jeff was walking in he asked over his shoulder how many he should buy. At the time there were four of us planning to play, so I said 30. He comes out four minutes later holding two large cases of Heineken, announcing that he bought 30 for €40. We all thought they were kind of expensive until we realized he had bought 30 half-liter bottles. :) Long story short, I teamed up with an 18-yr old American who had toured around with us that day and ran the table for four games... then the alcohol started to hit us a bit and we lost our touch. Still, when I can make two-thirds of the cups for my team and beat a team where fratastic Jeff is the weaker player, it's a proud night.
One of my friends from undergrad studied abroad in Florence, so she had lots of good tips. I had the gelato that she dubbed "the best in Florence" twice (Jeff had it three times) and it lived up to it's reputation... the melon and house special were particularly good.
The duomo in Florence is gorgeous, with white, pink, and green marble. I've never seen anything like it and it is the fourth largest cathedral in the world. We climbed over 400 stairs, including some very narrow and windy passages, to see the huge and varying painting inside the top of the duomo's dome. We also were able to go on the outside balcony to enjoy a view of the city. We also saw the Boboli Garden and extensive Uffizi museum.
Today (Saturday) we saw Micheangelo's "David" sculpture. It is huge... maybe fifteen feet. It was built out of extra marble that was left over from the duomo and it is amazing to think about how large the original piece of marble probably was. We also did an afternoon trip to Pisa, which is only 80 minutes from Florence. It was definitely the most touristy I've felt and we basically took the obligatory pictures, had gelato and then left.
Since I successfully introduced Jeff to gnocchi (my favorite Italian pasta) our first night here, I think we are going to search for pizza tonight and then hopefully head back to the hostel for some beer pong with some Australian guys we met yesterday who have been travelling since April.
Tomorrow will be the first time Jeff and I split up. It'll be good to have a break from each other and I've already been to Rome. So, while he's there, I am heading to Greece for four or five days before we meet up with our dad to do some hiking in southern France.
This would be much less boring with pictures... sorry.
Our next attempt to get to Florence came up short as well. We decided to stop in Milan for two days. We didn't really want to do all the shopping that Milan is known for, but we did go see the gothic-style duomo (aka cathedral... most Italian cities have a duomo and accompanying plaza). While making dinner in our hostel kitchen (with extra garlic because we heard it keeps away the mosquitoes), we met a bunch of people. Long story short, we decided it would be a good night for beer pong! We played with an American, a Canadian who looked like a 6'5" Jesus, four Germans who go to an American school in Berlin, an Australian girl from Nepal, and a Scottish guy. The Canadian had the most elaborate beer pong shot wind-up I've ever seen... it took about seven seconds and lots of twisting and leaning. We only allowed it because it was ridiculously effective. The Germans knew the rules surprisingly well, but were not very skilled (although I considered one to be the German version of BT, for those of you who know that reference). I guess that is precisely the reason we bought ping pong balls... to spread it to Europe and improve the competition. As usual, it was a very impromptu game... the idea was suggested at 8:55 and the store closes at 9:00. We rushed to the store and got there right at 9, but luckily an Italian girl who just wanted to buy water got there at the same time and was able to coerce the store worker to let just her and Jeff in. As Jeff was walking in he asked over his shoulder how many he should buy. At the time there were four of us planning to play, so I said 30. He comes out four minutes later holding two large cases of Heineken, announcing that he bought 30 for €40. We all thought they were kind of expensive until we realized he had bought 30 half-liter bottles. :) Long story short, I teamed up with an 18-yr old American who had toured around with us that day and ran the table for four games... then the alcohol started to hit us a bit and we lost our touch. Still, when I can make two-thirds of the cups for my team and beat a team where fratastic Jeff is the weaker player, it's a proud night.
One of my friends from undergrad studied abroad in Florence, so she had lots of good tips. I had the gelato that she dubbed "the best in Florence" twice (Jeff had it three times) and it lived up to it's reputation... the melon and house special were particularly good.
The duomo in Florence is gorgeous, with white, pink, and green marble. I've never seen anything like it and it is the fourth largest cathedral in the world. We climbed over 400 stairs, including some very narrow and windy passages, to see the huge and varying painting inside the top of the duomo's dome. We also were able to go on the outside balcony to enjoy a view of the city. We also saw the Boboli Garden and extensive Uffizi museum.
Today (Saturday) we saw Micheangelo's "David" sculpture. It is huge... maybe fifteen feet. It was built out of extra marble that was left over from the duomo and it is amazing to think about how large the original piece of marble probably was. We also did an afternoon trip to Pisa, which is only 80 minutes from Florence. It was definitely the most touristy I've felt and we basically took the obligatory pictures, had gelato and then left.
Since I successfully introduced Jeff to gnocchi (my favorite Italian pasta) our first night here, I think we are going to search for pizza tonight and then hopefully head back to the hostel for some beer pong with some Australian guys we met yesterday who have been travelling since April.
Tomorrow will be the first time Jeff and I split up. It'll be good to have a break from each other and I've already been to Rome. So, while he's there, I am heading to Greece for four or five days before we meet up with our dad to do some hiking in southern France.
This would be much less boring with pictures... sorry.
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