tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46725515444366636892024-03-13T09:44:09.077-05:00wide open worldnicole.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16921133766424124631noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-61535005854788510572013-01-19T10:34:00.003-05:002013-01-20T10:21:22.155-05:00a little haven in Hampi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The enigma surrounding Hampi is enticing enough by itself, but given that Amanda and Ben were there, and given that I had just survived 8 hours on the Hell Train, it was all the more extraordinary to be there! Crossed by wooden boat over to Hampi Island, tramped through the rice paddies in the rain with all my stuff towards the guesthouse Goan Corner, and soon enough saw some other Westerners, some cows and a few goats headed my way. And then there they were in the flesh, The Tulin's! SO happy to see some smiley faces from home, it made all the wretchedness of the day of travel just disappear. </div>
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Hampi is the home of the former Jijayanagara Empire, a super power in south India from 1336 - 1646, and now the home of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first settlement there dates to about the time of Christ, and when you survey the landscape it certainly feels like you are in another world in another time. There are millions of granite boulder dotting the terrain, leaving you to wonder how in the world they got like that in the first place?! The answer is part mystery and part combination of fault lines, cracks, and wind over millions of years. Throw in lush rice paddy fields, temples and ruins, coconut and mango trees, cows and monkeys, rivers and reservoirs, rock climbers and motor bikes - the result is one seriously special place in the middle of southern India! </div>
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The weather is a bit hazy at this time of year...</div>
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Manda and Ben had already been in Hampi a week and I have a feeling they would have stayed there for the rest of their lives if they could have (don't blame them!) since they are passionate rock climbers. They had picked a very groovy little place to stay called Goan Corner, right smack in the middle of the rice paddies and very near good climbing. The rooms are about 300 rupees ($6), the staff is incredible (they all know your name from the second you walk in the door and keep a tab for you for food), the vibe is irie, the common area incredibly mellow and great for gathering, the setting wholly harmonious. </div>
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Goan Corner</div>
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My crib </div>
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Another dynamite thing about Goan Corner, if I haven't already convinced you to stay there, is the other people calling it "home" as well. Rock climbers from around the world, staying anywhere from a week to the full 6 months of their visa practically, the community is tight knit and whether you're a rock climbing enthusiast or a noob or anywhere in between, you're sure to feel welcomed among the supportive group of people that rock climb around the globe! </div>
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Ben!</div>
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Mandles</div>
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Andy from Australia </div>
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Viri from Argentina</div>
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Agnus from Texas/England </div>
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Cody from Canada</div>
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Shreyas from Bangalore</div>
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I gave it a go</div>
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Lots of beautiful sunsets on the rocks!</div>
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There are other things to do in Hampi besides rock climb..... like climb the 570 stairs to the Hanuman Temple (believed to be the birthplace of Hanuman, a Hindu deity, ape like, central character in the Ramayana). </div>
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Love how they asked to take the photo and then none of them are even looking or smiling except Manda.</div>
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"Just one snap"</div>
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Amazing 360 views from the top!</div>
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A little chai after everything you do makes life sweeter! Literally, you might have diabetes if you stay here too long. Worth it ;)</div>
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My love for this girl knows no bounds.... seriously one of the most beautiful people inside and out I've ever had the pleasure of calling my friend!</div>
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Head to the Baba Cafe for some unusual conversation (among many other things!) with the toothless, toupeed Baba. Warning: meals take 2 hours. </div>
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The Virupaksha Temple</div>
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Cows and dogs inside the temple</div>
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The monkeys actually tried to fight the cow for a second... only in India.</div>
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The beautiful temples and ruins of magical Hampi</div>
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Some sites around town</div>
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Motor biking around Hampi is the way to go - there's hardly any traffic, there's gorgeous scenery all around, and the bikes are 100 rupees ($2) per day.</div>
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Beautiful swim in a beautiful reservoir</div>
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Horsin' around Goan Corner with everyone's favorite little resident globe trotter, Tiger from Barcelona</div>
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Few more rock climbing pics, cause these guys are all so goooood!</div>
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This is what they were attempting to climb... I can't even fathom how...</div>
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Hampi was an immense experience, one I'm so glad I got to share with good friends and new friends alike! Unfortunately, there are iron-ore mines in the area, and a recent demand boom in the international market for iron-ore has put Hampi under threat. Let's hope progression can hold off long enough to keep this place inspiring generations to come. </div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"Travel is more than seeing the sites; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." - Miriam Beard</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-36650856534554109842013-01-19T03:09:00.001-05:002013-01-20T12:33:35.324-05:00train trauma<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Left the little oasis of Varkala and headed in the direction of Hampi (via Goa) to meet Amanda and Ben! Amanda and I have been friends since way back in the Cicero's/university days, and her and Ben had recently finished 2 years living and working in Romania with the Peace Corp. Before they started their next adventure (teaching in China) they decided to stop in India and travel a bit.... perfect timing! </div>
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My first train ride in India, from Varkala to Goa (19 hours) was really enjoyable - got a "sleeper class" ticket, so I had an actual seat and a bed for when the evening rolled around. No AC (more expensive), but I loved the windows and doors all being wide open, warm air breezing through, scenery zipping by, ample opportunity to do one thing I really love while in transit which is play good music on the ipod and watch the country roll by. Had a couple of hours of deep conversation with a young guy (20) who's a law student in Kerala, he really schooled me on history, politics, customs, culture, entertainment, etc - his intelligence was completely inspiring! Also, met a guy working in Chennai who was traveling with his whole family, and they were generous enough to offer me some of their food they brought and wake me at 4:45 a.m. when we were near my stop (I have no phone, watch, alarm clock...). All in all, a very pleasant journey through Kerala's gorgeous backwaters!</div>
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In Goa, asked for a train ticket to Hampi and immediately was thrown a little piece of paper and told to pay 84 rupees ($1.75) for the 8 hour journey. Now, something in me knew this was <i>too</i> cheap, but, I have no physical Lonely Planet guide book, it's only a PDF on my netbook, so I didn't bother checking into it, just waited a couple hours for the train and hopped on. I had unknowingly just stepped onto my first "general class" train in India. I am just gonna go ahead and quote exactly what I wrote about it in my journal:</div>
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"At 8 the train came - sweet Jesus! The general car was <u>packed</u>! That's an understatement. There were 2 levels of sleeper, each with 5 people in 3 seats. Each 2 person seat by the window had 4. All aisles were full, people even sitting on laps on the floor. Standing only in the aisle between the cars. Total shit show. I was able to put my bag against the wall and even sit on it for a while. It was right by the open door so at least I had a good view. After an hour or so (the whole time I was contemplating getting off and booking a new train...) at one of the stops SO many new people got on, it was absurd. I was pressed against 2 young (like 15) girls with babies, they were filthy and not wearing diapers and the girls were playing like babies themselves. Luckily that just lasted an hour and neither of them peed or pooped on my bag and I was able to sit on it again. Saw an old man's dick when he was re-doing his lungi. Had some chai. A few people attempted to speak English with me. Eventually had these little fried veggie things on small sandwich rolls. The food in the "poor" part of the train is inexpensive and not nutritious in the least. Every stop I just prayed there weren't a million new people pushing in. </div>
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At the 5 hour mark a guy got on who could speak English well enough, he's a Sanksrit teacher. Some young guys also came on - one rubbed my face, the other touched my boob. "Don't touch!" was all I could say. After another hour I tried to get out when the teacher did so I could move to the sleeper class (I didn't care about paying any amount at that point!) but I literally couldn't get out! So many people were pushing to get in that it was physically impossible. Was a stampede. At that point, I was shoved against a wall, purse was around the corner, smashed and pulled against the wall. Small bag on back getting pushed in every direction as well. Horrible. I yelled out "owww!' and "fuck!", but of course all that meant nothing. Was able to stand straight eventually, so smashed in I couldn't put both feet on the ground and had to hold on to the wall to stand. Sweet little boy was sobbing near me. Teenage boys on the floor were tugging at my pants/pulling them down. I was so frustrated... when people asked me "where? where?" all I could say was "out! out!" and point to the door. At the second to last stop, with 30 minutes left before Hospet, I managed (with the help of a few guys) to squeeze/push my way out. They lifted my bag overhead and chucked it out (would have been impossible for me to carry it out). Was raining, I ran like hell down the train, every compartment was totally packed. Found a sleeper car only moderately packed, so dipped in there and stood in the corner for the last half an hour. Holy hell - STRESS!"</div>
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Upon arrival in Hospet, I paid 200 rupees for a rickshaw to go the 30 minutes (almost 3 times what I just paid for 8 hours) to Hampi. The driver sped through the rain and puddles on the dirt roads like it was a video game and played some trashy Akon song for me once I said I was American. For some reason it was the most comforting thing in the world and I felt my nerves slooooowly easing back to normality.<br />
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Scariest Halloween ever, and the first and last long distance "general class" train I will ever take in India. It was so full I didn't dream of getting out my camera and taking a photo, but here's a few I got from Google so you can just imagine............be grateful. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-62830249229189791042013-01-18T10:26:00.002-05:002013-01-20T10:11:41.759-05:00Easing into India ~ Varkala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Finally, finally, finally.... INDIA!</div>
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The avid travelers mecca. The backpackers most glorious dream and worst nightmare all rolled into one. The serene and the smelly, the spiritual and the down right dangerous, the delicious and the disgusting, the elation and the food poisoning, bring it all on. I had been craving the cultural experiences as much as the dodgy situations for a while... Europe was a blast, but I still needed something <i>more. </i>That's the thing when you've been around the world - it takes a little more to shock, a little more to wow and a little more to unnerve you every year, every month, every country, every hostel. </div>
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So finally, on October 24th 2012, I landed in India! Trivandrum, to be exact, in the south western part of the country in the state of Kerala. I chose to start in the south as the weather stays warm all year round, knowing the north would be getting very cold in no time. The 3 flights it took to get there (Tbilisi > Baku > Doha > Trivandrum) went by without a hitch, watched an episode of<i> How I Met Your Mother</i>, watched one of my favorite documentaries, <i>Life In A Day</i>, and had my last glass of wine in a good, long while. </div>
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Upon walking out of the deserted airport at 5 a.m., I was "greeted" by a brick wall of Indian people, all silent and (seemingly) staring at me while waiting for their loved ones to come out of the airport and go home. I busted out a laugh... not exactly what I was expecting to see when walking out of the door while it was still dark out! On the 1 hour taxi ride to Varkala the sun started to come up and for the first time I could see the red, dirt roads, the towering palm trees everywhere, the men walking around in <i>lungis</i> (a sarong, worn in hot climates), the women in <i>saris</i>, the tea stalls everywhere on the side of the road, the people walking around barefoot or on bicycle --- oh my God, I thought my heart was going to burst with excitement... back in ASIA! It was at that moment, after that feeling, that I realized no other place in the world suites me so much as this continent. We stopped and had a chai on the side of the road and eventually I got dropped at the Shiva Garden Guesthouse, where I promptly passed out for 5 hours without even realizing I had closed my eyes. Woke mid-day to explore this beach town and my first locale in India. Not a bad intro!</div>
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A typical day in Varkala - breakfast at <i>Cafe del Mar</i>, beach, lunch at any one of the places along the cliff, beach, <i>Juice Shack</i> for a fresh drink, nap, dinner at <i>Ottupura</i>, the cheapest veggie restaurant in the area.</div>
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The north cliff, lined with restaurants, cafes and shops.</div>
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During the mandatory power cut from 6:30 - 7:30, all meals are by candle light. Awww. With Caroline from NYC at the Chill Out Lounge.</div>
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Classic! Indian people are always in groups, holding hands and fully clothed while in the water, I love it!</div>
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Private room at Shiva Garden, 250 rupees ($5). The family who owns the place is incredibly sweet, the vibe is super chill, the home made Kerala food is excellent! </div>
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Surely all of India won't be as aesthetically pleasing or as incredibly simple as Varkala, but for the first week of a 6 month stay....I'll take it! </div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"The most exquisite paradox: as soon as you give it up, you can have it all." - Ram Dass</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-49026423696186656692013-01-17T23:58:00.002-05:002013-01-20T10:09:51.857-05:00Sighnaghi and Davit Gareja: Georgia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It’s hard not to want to head east of Tbilisi towards the world’s oldest wine growing regions (since 6000 BC!) We couldn’t resist…made our way to
Sighnaghi, not even 2 hours away by mini-bus. The town has an oddly new, but
meant to look old, feel to it. I’m not sure that anyone actually lives there; it’s
clearly a very touristy destination. Yet it’s not over the top in any way, it
still feels quaint and authentic somehow. Cobble stone streets, colonial style
buildings, very clean – Sighnaghi is a yuppie wine and culture lover’s dream.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Found a nice homestay for 20 euros a night each, including
three home cooked meals and all you can drink wine. Met a Finnish couple there,
Helena and Jussi, had some nice afternoon wine, bread and very fresh cheese.
Perfect way to start the day!</div>
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Sauntered around town and who did we run into but Llew and Sarah,
classic. We went to a place called Pheasant’s Tears, which produces their own
organic wine. Got a quick run-down of how things work with traditional Georgian wine production The wine is stored in clay vessels and then buried, topped with a wooden lid and left underground to ferment. Some of the vessels are real works of art, a testament to how important wine making is and has been to the people there.Since Russia put an embargo on Georgian wines in 2006, they have adapted the style to appeal more to Europeans (so not as sweet).<br />
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Between the 4 of us we split 2 wine tastings since they
were pretty pricey (9 euros per tasting). Sat outside and relished in the fall
day – had 2 whites, one of which didn’t taste a thing like a white, and 2 reds,
one of which was very berry heavy and I loved it. Ritchie hates ‘posh shit like
this’, so we continued our mosey around the old brick wall that circles the
city (used to be a fortress).<br />
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It’s a really serene and enchanting area. Stumbled
upon a restaurant with a bamboo roof and a view over the whole valley, decided
to dip in for a change of pace… cold beer! There were some friendly (and
wasted) Russian girls next to us who provided a lot of entertainment. We
learned a new way to toast drinks from one of them : “cheers…. to you…. me…. and
petroleum!” Crazy, drunk Russians, always good for something. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Back at our homestay we had a true feast for dinner, the
dishes never stopped coming and the jugs of wine never seemed to get empty. A
miracle! And after another delicious breakfast the following day, we headed out
with Helena and Jussi to visit Davit Gareja on the way back to Tbilisi.<br />
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We hired the owner of the guest house to drive us the 2 hours to Davit Gareja and drop us in Tbilisi after, and as we cruised along with this funny and friendly man, the landscape got more remote and desert like, finally leaving us feeling like we really were in the "middle of nowhere". Davit Gareja is a monastery complex founded in the 6th century, at the border of Georgia and Azerbaijan. The most impressive part is that everything is carved out of the rock, including these cave/living area places all along the backside of the ridge. </div>
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Look close, Ma! We're in Azerbaijan!</div>
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These are the chatty guards who let us step into Azerbaijan, telling us to come back and visit the capital, Baku, which assuredly is much different than here.</div>
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Road to Tbilisi</div>
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Even shepherd's gotta take care of business</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." - Chris McCandless, Into the Wild</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-42482838881335577972013-01-17T08:23:00.001-05:002013-01-20T09:56:36.006-05:00Perfect Day in Kazbegi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We'd spent some unbelievable time in the Caucasus already, so now to see the mountains themselves! A day trip to Kazbegi from Tbilisi is a few hours in a mini-bus...a few tight, curvy, mountainous, stunning hours. Once we arrived to the center of town we made our way up to the 14th century Gergeti Trinity Church (Sameba Monastery). And UP is really what the hike was, about 1.5 hours ascent. Even though there was crisp, fall weather, once you were in the direct sunlight in the altitude it got quite warm. Good thing I wore skinny jeans.<br />
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Sameba Monastery: 2,170 metres/7,120 feet<br />
Mount Kazbek: 5,033 metres/16,521 feet<br />
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Mout Kazbek, "Ice Mountain"</div>
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Kazbegi was so elating, it left us singing this tune all day long!</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"You're gonna reap just what you sow." - Lou</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-55342557076421888662013-01-16T09:12:00.000-05:002013-01-20T10:04:35.218-05:00Georgia on my mind: Tbilisi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Right, back to Georgia. Walked back over that same bridge, very chill border.</div>
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First thing a guy approached us asking if we wanted a taxi to Tbilisi (less than 1 hour away). Nah, we told him, we'd take the mini-bus, it'd be cheaper. He offered the ride for "4" lari, which is 2 euros. We hopped on it and enjoyed the quick ride to the capital. Got there and handed him a fiver - no dice, he "meant 40". While 4 was certainly way too cheap, 40 was through the roof expensive. We tried to explain "you said 4....1,2,3,4" but to no avail, he just kept making hand motions and implying 40 was in fact what he expected for the ride. While Ritchie fought with him I set my bag just behind the taxi and sat on it, making it so he'd have to run me over if he wanted to leave. 20 euros for a taxi ride in no way fits into my backpacker budget. I was ready to camp out there all night if need be to get to that 4 lari he quoted us, but we eventually all came to the agreement to meet in the middle at 20 lari. He was pissed, but that's what happens sometimes when things get lost in translation.</div>
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Decided on the spot to try a place called "Why Not?" Hostel, and despite the daft name, the place was actually quite cool. 10 euros a night including breakfast, nice common area and a very spacious dorm that felt like a huge attic. </div>
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Took to wandering around Tbilisi toward Old Town - we both agreed that Tbilisi is utterly livable and would be a perfect place to spend a summer. The buildings are a mix of old and new, although the new still have such character and charm about them. There's a very educated and artistic feel to the city and it's people, a general amiable ambiance seems to follow you everywhere. Loads of cafes and little restaurants, and the food proved to be top-notch, lots of veggies, spices (but not spicy), garlic, nuts and pomegranates. Delicious! Also, eastern Georgia is the oldest wine producing country in the world, so you can find home made wine everywhere - from boutique wine shops all over the city, to the little road side stalls selling wine out of a recycled liter bottle to huge 5 liter water containers holding the sweet, sweet drink of the gods. All the ingredients for a great city!<br />
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Shavteli Street<br />
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The funky clock tower attached to the puppeteer theater</div>
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The ultra modern Peace Bridge</div>
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Old Town</div>
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Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba)</div>
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View from our dorm room</div>
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<i>badrijani nigzvit</i> - eggplant with a walnut & garlic paste topped with pomegranate. YUM!</div>
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Rustaveli street market</div>
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<i>vegetable ragout </i>- so many nice spices...delectable </div>
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Van for sale as is, score!</div>
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The exotic 'trash tree', spotted randomly throughout the city</div>
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Roman baths...since Ritch got told "pull up your pants" about a dozen times by strangers, maybe he's finally listening...</div>
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Good to know</div>
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Lots of inviting little streets like this</div>
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A vegetarian is never short on good options in Georgia</div>
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Lamb, sweet onions, spices and pomegranate </div>
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What you get after consuming too much Georgian booze.</div>
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We took a couple of small trips from Tbilisi as well, and finally ended our 2 weeks of travel together there before parting ways. The city really is a brilliant mix of old and new, a "Eurasian" country who seems to be gunning for admittance to the EU. Inspiring you to want to sit in a cafe and and embrace your intellectual side, while at the same time encouraging you to gather some friends and have a few drinks over outstanding traditional food. Can't ask for more from a city, in my opinion. </div>
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But one thing first.... D-Day. Ol' dreadlock cutting day. Literally though, old. 11 years with these bad boys. Ritchie warmed his Edward Scissor hands up and did some practice karate chops while I mentally prepared (drank a small bottle of cognac) myself for what was about to go down.</div>
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Last ever picture with dreads, October 20th 2012.</div>
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Hand a nice little bathroom hair cutting session with some good folks and some good music and plenty of drinks</div>
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Our classic bar, Bude. Kind of a dive, but you can order vodka by the liter for something ridiculously cheap like 5 bucks. Ritchie and Sam (England).</div>
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Able to wear a hat properly for the first time in 11 years.</div>
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Feeling the wind against your head for the first time in a decade is an unbelievable thing! :)</div>
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Cable car ride up the hill</div>
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Epic two weeks in Armenia and Georgia.... we learned a few things...</div>
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A few things from the bible as well</div>
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We parted ways once more, 2 heathen world traveling bums destined to have more adventures in the future. As I headed back to Yerevan to pick up my India visa, I shed a tear at the metro station while saying goodbye and got told something like "Don't be another crying bald chick wandering around Armenia for an Indian visa." Cheeky.</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>“I AM IGNORANT of absolute truth. But I am humble before my
ignorance and therein lies my honor and my reward.” – Kahlil Gibran</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-54854942626376337032013-01-15T12:02:00.004-05:002013-01-20T09:50:09.717-05:00the Book of Nature<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sometime in the middle of October...</div>
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Rocked up at the last second to the mini-van leaving for Lake Sevan, just as the weather turned total shit. Found out just then the lake is 2,000 meters above sea level, it would be really cold and not many places to stay were open anymore. Perfect. That informative Peace Corp volunteer then hooked us up with a taxi driver she knew who spoke no English and over charged us by taking the hotel room money directly, certainly pocketing some of it for himself. Even better. There is not much that cold beer, insightful conversation with a great friend and some good ol' fashioned crayfish doesn't cure! </div>
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Party of 1</div>
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Yum?</div>
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Nice bedtime stories of rapists and killers while bundled in our sleeping bags....zzzzzz! </div>
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Beautiful morning on Lake Sevan.</div>
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The President's vacation house</div>
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Now that's what's up with it! </div>
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9th century monastery of Sevanavank</div>
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These orange berries are either poison or the most popular road side fruit in Armenia.</div>
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Made our way with our personal little conniving taxi driver friend (don't hate the playa, hate the game) to Dilijan National Park. Amazing autumnal action. Headed to Nina B&B, a homely little guest house run by the super welcoming Nina, who makes massive meals for you all day long. </div>
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One more side of giardia, coming right up! </div>
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Dilijan</div>
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Hiking with Llew and Sarah, a couple we'd met in Yerevan and ran into again here.</div>
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All these cow pictures are unherd of.</div>
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Left Dilijan stuffed thanks to Nina, and our heathen mindsets and lifestyles may have changed the lives of some very religious Israeli girls we shared our cabin with, who knows. One can only hope. </div>
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Headed off to the Debed Canyon, stood by the side of the road about 10 minutes before a Camry pulled over and told us to get in. The older man who was getting chauffeured moved to the front, stopped to buy us soda and ice cream and took us directly to our next guest house. Thanks, old man! Hitch hiking in Armenia was proving to be no problem whatsoever. </div>
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Ran into Llew and Sarah again at Iris Guesthouse and made our way to the Sanahin Monastery. While waiting for the cable car up the mountain we saw a wedding party pull up to a church with what we thought was a dead dog tied to the hood of the car. As soon as they were all inside the church we bolted over to the car, only to find it was a fox skin. Lame! I wanted to see some crazy Armenian shit going down first hand.</div>
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Old mining town. The area is kind of poor and run down, the monastery was more like ruins than anything. But it was peaceful and really quiet up the mountain</div>
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Trash eatin' cows</div>
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Family tomb stone </div>
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Back at Iris' Guesthouse, the owner, Irina, also had a mission to get us full and drunk. Lots of veggies and vodka. Next day we headed to Haghpat Monastery in a taxi with Llew and Sarah, again a really placid place in the sleepy countryside.</div>
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Reverend Richard, savin' souls! </div>
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Representin' for the Cardinals and Mashtots himself</div>
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Next we made a move over to Akhtala Monastery, which had a really isolated and stunning location, making the 10th church seem all the more ancient. </div>
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Beautiful frescoes </div>
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From there we parted with Llew and Sarah, promptly got picked up by some guys in a BMW and driven to the road which leads to the border of Georgia. Were immediately picked up again by a guy who spoke no English and took us all the way to the end of Armenia, further then where he was probably going, as he turned around and went back after he dropped us. The Armenian people we met were very hospitable to us. There were plenty of signs that women there generally don't have much say in their lives, but traveling there was a really interesting experience that I feel fortunate to have had! </div>
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Where else would you see these kinds of cognacs and candies? </div>
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We'll keep trying to find out.</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>To gain all while you give,</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>To roam the roads of lands remote,</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>To travel is to live." </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>-Hans Christian Anderson</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-52838358401136071652013-01-14T09:00:00.001-05:002013-01-20T09:59:12.328-05:00following the Bible trail in Armenia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Khor Virap ("<i>deep well</i>") is the most visited pilgrimage site in Armenia, a country chock full of monasteries. St. Gregory was imprisoned in a well here for 13 years and left to die amongst poisonous snakes, surviving only because an old woman dropped some bread into the pit for him due to visions she had in her dreams telling her to do so. When it was discovered he was miraculously alive, and he subsequently cured the king, the king proclaimed Christianity as the official religion of the country, thereby making Armenia the first Christian country in the world (301 AD).</div>
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The backdrop of the monastery is the prominent Mt. Ararat (Turkey), the mountain where Noah's Ark landed after the great floods (book of Genesis). My Christian educational roots made it impossible to not be completely ecstatic to be here....Ritchie didn't exactly share the theological thrill. </div>
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The pit responsible for the spread of Christianity. Ritchie responsible for the spread of.... a few things...</div>
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Mt. Ararat is a dormant volcano</div>
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A dove brought the olive branch back to Noah, signaling there was dry ground and it was okay to come out of the ark.</div>
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Some brushing up</div>
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Cemetery just near the monastery </div>
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Most of the cemeteries in Armenia have pictures of the people on the outside of the tombs, kinda creepy.</div>
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View of Khor Virap and Mt. Ararat while walking on the road to hitch hike back to Yerevan</div>
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Another day trip from Yerevan that we took was to Etchmiadzin, the spiritual center for Armenians. Located there is a religious complex: churches, cathedrals, seminaries, museums and more - a veritable Christian playground. </div>
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St. Gayane Church of 630</div>
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The Holy Lance, used to pierce Christ's side to see if he was dead</div>
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Various Biblical relics</div>
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Wood carving by John the Baptist</div>
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Piece of the cross</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"Peculiar travel suggestions are like dancing lessons from God." - Tom Robbins</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-68874447503623936472013-01-13T06:27:00.003-05:002013-01-20T09:47:05.867-05:00Mini-van to Yere-van: Armenia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Up at 7 a.m. in Batumi, ready to face the day! Planned to take a mini-bus to Tbilisi (capital of Georgia), and then either stay there or head straight to Yerevan (capital of Armenia), depending on the time. At 8 a.m. went to the only cafe open on a Sunday for breakfast nearby. Sat down, asked for something vegetarian, looked around and realized everyone in there was wasted. Tall, fresh beers and long, nasty cigarettes everywhere. Inhaled the food, along with a little of the general vileness in the air, and got the hell outta there. </div>
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First sign on the mini-bus. Hmmm?</div>
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Our cramped little mini-bus arrived to Tbilisi around 3:30, so decided to just stay there for the night and stretch my legs a bit and relax. Had found a place online to stay if need be, so hopped a taxi there. Hostel Georgia was the name. By far the cheapest place in town, they were charging 5 euros a night for a bed plus a meal plus all you can drink wine! Wow... a dump. A real straight up dingy, dark, dump. But hey, *free wine*. Threw my stuff down and wandered, came upon the most bizarre market, was more like a huge family reunion picnic feel, everyone bbqing the meats that were for sale, people playing Arabian sounding music all over, people were giving me free food, no idea what that was all about! </div>
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Next day went for mini-bus at 9 a.m. for Yerevan. It had left early (early? really?). Next one at 11. After waiting 2 hours, and holding down a "decent" seat, they told us we'd be moving to a smaller van that was already completely and totally packed to the brim with people and fruit. The two seats left were the two worsts ones in the way back, so I picked the least worst one and settled in. After 5 minutes the van stopped to pick up someone on the side of the road, and the driver was shouting at me to move into the worst seat, aka, the "fruit coffin". I stayed firm with my "no!" and then other people were telling me to move to the coffin seat too. "No, no, no!" I said. "Why me?" I knew the answer to the "why me" and that is because I'm a woman and the passenger getting in was a man. It's a man's world in this region, no doubt! They'd have to bury me alive in that fruit coffin cause there's no way I was moving. I waited 2.5 hours, he waited 5 minutes.</div>
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The man ended up resigning to the coffin, awkwardly sighing and shifting every minute or so, letting me know in his not so subtle way how annoyed he was. Too bad, so sad. We all had the next 6.5 hours of being hot, cramped and miserable until we finally got to the border of Armenia, which was a pretty gorgeous area - lush, green and mountainous, you walk on a bridge over a river to get to the border itself. Love border crossings like that, reminded me of Costa Rica. $10/US for the visa, simple. Arrived to Yerevan at 5:30 p.m., taxi to Hostel Envoy and just a few hours later the one and only Richard Pillar arrived! The reason I was in this crazy country to start with. He arrived lacking any luggage, not cause he's that much of a tramp (well, he is) but because Air France lost his things. That's what you get for taking a nice airline.</div>
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Next day at the Indian Embassy found out I needed a flight booked before procuring a visa. "Let's go see this treacherous hell hole" was Ritchie's response. Indeed we did. Some site seeing in Yerevan - a mix of totally dilapidated and seemingly modern.....but the progression is really only skin deep.</div>
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the fountains all over the place that apparently carry giardia</div>
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the yellow van to Yerevan</div>
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The Matenadaran - an ancient manuscript repository. Ol' Mashtots himself in front.</div>
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"what's up with it?"</div>
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made of ivory</div>
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love old maps</div>
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a little more giardi and the beautiful Cascade Complex that overlooks the city</div>
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The most famous sculptor of Colombia, Botero. Bizarre to see his big busted work here.</div>
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the artsy side</div>
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the dismal side</div>
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Republic Square</div>
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St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral</div>
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Love these wee little cars</div>
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Opera Square</div>
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What kind of a place is this? Fishing for cigs?? They're everywhere too.</div>
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Calumet, coolest bar in Yerevan</div>
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Between the 4 of us weirdos not sure who paid the massive tab, but it wasn't us.</div>
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the Blue Mosque</div>
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Have stayed in a million hostels - never one with a built in Bible</div>
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Metro (sexual)</div>
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Had some good ol' fashioned times in Yerevan, yeaaaah boi. Time for our running social commentary to make moves though, the world is vast.</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"See the World. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask for no guarantees, ask for no securities." - Ray Bradbury</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-55774922181601917732013-01-13T03:26:00.001-05:002013-01-20T09:42:52.800-05:00a peak into Batumi, Georgia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Left Turkey on a gorgeous (although cramped) mini-bus ride to Batumi, Georgia. The ride was inexpensive (10 euros) and took us all along the coast of the Black Sea for 3 or 4 hours. I thought crossing this border might prove to be a pain in the ass, but it was very straight forward. Not only that, but no visa was needed for Georgia like I thought. Not only that, I had found some hidden U.S. dollars rolled up in some other currency in the bottom on my bag (I must have hid it so well even I forgot it was there). Score! Rocked up to Georgia feeling pretty dang good. On the second mini-bus from the border to town someone told me I was beautiful, then I got to the hostel and it was cheaper than advertised (when does that happen?), then upon wandering around I saw an unattended dumpster fire right in the middle of the street. Yes! Days like this are almost too good to be true. </div>
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Batumi is a coastal border town that's very popular with wealthy Russians in the summer. Shiny new Sheraton's, Radisson's and casinos are condensed in the center, but it was very quiet while I was there in September, even though the weather was still really pleasant. Some of the buildings looked almost colonial, while others were completely ex-Soviet block looking. Georgians are known for their hospitality and I had many people stop to chat while wandering around.<br />
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grape vines draped all over</div>
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The sea view is beautiful, but there are SO many cranes nearby</div>
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Loungin' at the Black Sea</div>
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Thoroughly glad for a nice stopover in Batumi! Already feeling like Georgia is gonna be the bees knees.</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind." - Seneca</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-78975900389964582572013-01-13T02:33:00.001-05:002013-01-20T09:41:02.639-05:00tiny piece of Turkey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Opted for a few days in Turkey to break up the trip from Munich to Armenia. After searching every possible route, it was cheapest to fly from Germany to Trabzon, in north east Turkey. Waiting in the airport, I couldn't even read or write, it was like the words were in another language. Could have been the haze from all the German beers the previous days, the confusion about how to travel without Elisa after spending every waking moment together for 2 months, the fact of leaving not just one country for another but one chapter of life to start a new one. Before I knew it was in Istanbul having a nice (and much needed) coffee at the airport before setting off for Trabzon.</div>
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Arrived in the main square there to be promptly met by Basar, my local Couch Surfing host. I'm pretty sure I scared him when he offered a hand shake and I went in for a big hug. What can I say, it had been a long day. Him and his flat mate are both engineers, and as he had to work early the next morning he slept after a bit of us chatting at his place. I followed suit and passed out on the couch, only to be woken up in the middle of the night by music/praying from the nearby mosque. I had forgotten all about that custom, guess I haven't been around mosques since Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia times. Sounded so hauntingly exotic to me at that point I didn't even mind being woken up!</div>
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In the morning made my way to the Sumela Monastery, a Greek Orthodox monastery founded in 386 AD, built into the side of a huge cliff. The bus ride was so sensational - winding through the mountains, little towns and mosques all along the way, houses of all shapes and sizes dotting the hillside. What a stark contrast from where I had just been! </div>
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There are rooms for the guards, the students, a bakery, a kitchen and a library </div>
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Some colorful frescoes in the Rock Church as well</div>
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Beautiful views</div>
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Great walking in the area</div>
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Back in Trabzon, enjoyed just walking around - there are shops, markets, bazaars and stalls everywhere! My first time at the Black Sea as well.</div>
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Basar showed me a great coffee place, Edward's Coffee, all decked out with an Americana theme. Also, the delicious dish <i>cig kofte</i> (finely ground bulgar, tomatos and a red pepper paste, wrapped in lettuce).</div>
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A very pleasant quick trip to Turkey as a transition to the Caucasus!</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the Universe." - Anatole France</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-77230907141436142013-01-13T00:54:00.001-05:002013-01-20T08:45:40.192-05:00Oktoberfest: Munich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What can I really say about Oktoberfest? There's one thing that goes on and you know what that is. </div>
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Munich is a charming city though, went there to stay with Denise and Phillip, who were so kind enough to give us a warm welcome with a place to stay, a home cooked meal and some wine! Great way to start off a weekend of drinking.</div>
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sunny fall day</div>
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Marine Platz</div>
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Spent the day walking and <i>dirndl</i> shopping, but found a little time to squeeze in going over to the Oktoberfest on that first day. Elisa used to work in Munich so we went her company's table for a beer - can't believe these tables reserve a year in advance! You can't get a beer unless you have a place to "sit", so we were in luck.</div>
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Was also surprised by how family oriented the festival grounds were, so many kids rides and booths everywhere. Massive beer tents, huge roller coasters, families, drinks - quite the festivities! </div>
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inside a tent</div>
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Starting off Day 2 right - with a proper German Oktoberfest breakfast!</div>
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The main event - Elisa and I trained for 2 months for this! </div>
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*last time my "real" sunglasses were ever seen*</div>
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Day drinking at its finest</div>
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just as the Cardinals made the playoffs! PROST!</div>
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from day drinking to night drinking</div>
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another feast</div>
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My old friend from SMU in Singapore, Mr. Thomas Mack!</div>
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What an incredible way to end two months of travel in Europe! </div>
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So blessed to have such great friends and now such incredible memories. </div>
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Was very hard to say goodbye to this blondie - guess I'll just have to meet her again soon rather than later! </div>
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Summer 2012</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"<i>Ich sitze hier und trinke mein gutes Wittenbergisch Bier und
das Reich Gottes kommt von ganz alleine.</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Translation: I sit here and drink my good Wittenberg Beer,
and the Kingdom of the God comes all by itself." - Martin Luther</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-16935420078274218612013-01-13T00:53:00.000-05:002013-01-20T09:26:49.308-05:00city of dreams: Berlin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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During our 3 flights from Croatia to Germany 3 thing
confiscated: my wine opener in Zagreb (what’s a travel wino to do without that
in her purse?), Elisa’s bottle of duty free Captain Morgan in Vienna (lesson
learned – do not try to separate a German and their alcohol) and a crazy
looking knife I picked up in Italy, a near replica of the one my bother got me
that was confiscated at the airport in Mexico when I forgot to put it in my
checked bag (guess I wasn’t meant to have that knife). But finally after 5
years of wanting to be there……BERLIN! <o:p></o:p></div>
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The home of the one and only Elisa Schlodder! So after 6
weeks of backpacking around, we finally had a place to rest our bones, unpack
our bags and do massive amounts of laundry. A place to go grocery shopping and
cook for ourselves (and by cook for ourselves I mean Elisa cook for the both of
us), a cozy place to hang out, a ‘new’ wardrobe to raid. Ahhh, Berlin, love you
already!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hostess, care giver and friend extraordinaire: some typical
breakfasts by Elisa, after a coffee delivered to the bedside. What a gal! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Julia (Elisa’s flat mate I’ve known since San Diego times)
and I worked on some small details her master thesis, then first night out on
the town! <o:p></o:p></div>
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With Ian (Madrid, Croatia and now Germany....summer travel buddy!) and Julia at Luzia's<o:p></o:p></div>
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During my 2 weeks in Berlin we saw and did SO much. It was
to the point near the end where I was begging Elisa to have a night “in” and
not do anything, of which she firmly refused. Of course, now I am glad that she
had such a persistent attitude, because we really did cover so much ground of
this mind-blowing city. Berlin is teeming with history, there are interesting
and historical things to see and do all over the place, it’s unparalleled when
coming from the mid-west of the United States! Arising from the somber history
is a resilient spirit – the art that engulfs the entire city is pulsating with
expression. The somewhat rebellious essence of the people shines through in
little ways all the time. The need to create and re-create can be felt within
the progressive stance that is rolling right through the city like a freight
train. There is something magnetic about it, something raw and dynamic and so
incredibly enticing. The people are <i>real</i>,
for lack of a better word, and their very livable home has to be one of the most
hip cities in the world! <o:p></o:p></div>
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World Time Clock at Alexanderplatz</div>
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the famous "television tower", tallest structure in Germany</div>
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So many street musicians</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The symbol of Berlin, the bear. They are everywhere in the city - some large and colorful, some on flags, some on beer bottles, some randomly hanging out like these guys</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Berlin Cathedral (the <i>Berliner Dom</i>), located on Museum Island</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">At the time, the most common vehicle of East Germany, the Trabi</span></div>
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Brandenburg Gate (the <i>Brandenberger Tor</i>), a former city gate, much of which was destroyed during WWII. Located very near the Berlin wall, it was restored from 2000 - 2002. </div>
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Gendarmenmarkt</div>
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Konzerthaus Berlin</div>
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Checkpoint Charlie - name given by the Western Allies to the best known Berlin Wall crossing between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War<br />
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piece of the wall</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Solar, a swanky roof top bar with sweeping city views and sky high prices</span></div>
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Wirtshaus Hasenheide, an amazing breakfast place, 4.90 euros all you can eat. Delicious breads, cheeses, fish, meat, Mediterranean dishes, plenty of veggie options, desserts - very impressive!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Charlottenburg Palace - the last royal palace left in Berlin<o:p></o:p></div>
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East Side Gallery, largest open air gallery in the world. 1.3 km stretch of the Berlin Wall with paintings from 105 artists, a memorial to freedom<br />
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Club of the Visionaries<o:p></o:p><br />
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Party at Ian’s and off to Kater Holzig, an old soap factory turned club with an
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Mauerpark – live entertainment, huge flea market, public karaoke. All the makings of a great park!<br />
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Victoria Park<o:p></o:p><br />
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Templehof - used to be one of Europe's main airports during WWII to access West Berlin. On former Knights Templar land (hence the name <i>Temple</i>hof), the now closed airport is a city park. There are fairs in the hangar, festivals in the summer, community gardens in the middle. People hang out, bike, skate, play music, bbq - very chill place!<br />
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Platoon Kunsthalle, an art gallery made from cargo shipping containers<br />
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Sony center<br />
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Gedachtniskirche - a church damaged during a bombing raid in 1943, parts left in ruins to serve as a memorial<br />
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Made my way solo to the Jewish Museum – tons of information about Jewish people and
their volatile history with the Germans, with lots of stories of individual families.
The Holocaust Tower was the most moving thing – you enter into a nearly pitch
dark room with huge ceilings, all made of concrete, so a very cold and immense
feeling. There is a sliver of light coming in from the top and also a ladder
that reaches to the ceiling, but it starts about 20 feet from the ground, so
there is no way to reach it. The feeling while standing inside that room is
powerful and what it represents is heartbreaking. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Outside the museum is the Garden of Exile, which symbolizes
the feeling of the Jewish people expelled
from their homes and families and the utter displacement that they encountered
after. Huge concrete slabs all at an angle, all around you. So when you walk
through you feel disoriented, dizzy and even sick to your stomach if you focus
too much. Again, a very poignant exhibition that makes you wonder how such
atrocities continue to exist, even present day in some countries, in this modern interconnected world! The ultimate
reminder, for me anyway, was the importance of loving and sympathizing with
your fellow man. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Happy to be alive after that. And happy to have met up with
two old friends that night! Bar hopping in Neukolln</div>
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Anna from Russia, we met in Chiang Mai at an NGO<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thomi - our Spanish friend from studying in Amsterdam, so good to see him again, he hasn't changed a bit!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Many bars have this look – like a Grandparent’s basement
from 1960, so charming! Only drawback, you can still smoke inside, leaving you
feeling like (and stinking like) it really is 1960.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="st">Hackesche Höfe</span><br />
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Hackescher Markt<br />
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Indian summer beer along canal<br />
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<i>Kunsthaus Tacheles</i> (Art House Tacheles), a house that has been “occupied” for over 10 years. When the Berlin wall came down the artists took it over and gave it the name "Tacheles", Yiddish for "straight talking".<br />
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My friend Andrew from UMSL lives in Berlin and Elisa and I had met with him the week before at <span style="text-align: left;">Aufsturz for a beer and some catching up. So good to see him (and his Cardinals hat)! He'd invited me to tag along to see a football game, so I met him</span> and some of his colleagues to head to the match with them – Hertha HSC v. Dresden! They were all kinds of excited about
Hertha, which made me excited as well. The matches are held at Olympic Stadium
(“built by an Austrian jerk”, as Andrew put it), which is quite an impressive
place made even more sensational by the enthusiasm of all the fans outside. Big
beer drinking crowds outside, everyone singing, flying flags and chanting
inside. Ran to our seats and joined in – what amazes me the most about the
football matches that I’ve seen in other countries is the unification of the
fans. Everyone sings the same songs at the top of their lungs, all the chants
get started and picked up by the whole stadium in no time. I love Cardinals baseball,
and our fans really are the best, but I feel like we’re lucky if we get a “wave”
going throughout the crowd during the regular season. Was wonderful to be next
to an old friend for this match (and they won!)</div>
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Pergamon Museum – first thought on walking in: shocking. There is a
whole Roman alter re-constructed in the main room. To the left is a room of
Athena – huge statue, columns, alters, all massive and incredible! Another
impressive room has all the Greeks from mythology listed like a giant family
tree, from floor to ceiling and the ceiling was a mirror. Made it feel even
more overwhelming and vast, what rich history! I stood in that room in awe for
quite a while. Another highlight is the re-constructed Ishtar Gate from Babylon…..
its bright blue hue had me delighted, all the Christian schooling in my past
contributing to that!<br />
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Reichstag – where the Parliament meets. There’s a huge dome
made of windows, it’s very high tech and provides perfect panoramas as you walk
up, up, up! Learned a bit of history from the audio guide and had an excellent
view the whole time!<br />
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Back to the Bradenburg Gate (and the best pretzel ever from a cafe just near there!)<br />
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Holocaust Memorial<br />
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bar's name translation: Your Place or Mine <br />
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Admiralsbridge (<i>Admiralsbrücke</i>)<br />
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Also made our way to the Weinerei one night to meet Andrew, his wife and friends. It's a place with a nice “homey” feel to it, tables and
couches for groups or couples. The menu has 10 or 12 wines, you drink what you
want and then give what you feel it’s worth in the end. They had a small buffet
with some simple but tasty pasta, salad and bread as well. Great concept!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Stattbad Wedding – an old pool center turned club. 12 euros
to enter, there was a DJ in the bottom of the swimming pool and one in the
boiler room. We spent most of our time in the boiler room, dancing and drinking
and breaking Club Mate with vodka bottles, whoops! Turns out Thom Yorke
(Radiohead) was doing a late night DJ set in the pool after their show that
night – we passed through there at the end, but hadn’t realized it was him
DJing. Still, we were there, man, we were there!<br />
<br />
(well, sort of) <br />
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some random art around Berlin</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last night in Berlin was fortunate enough to meet up with
two lovely girls I’ve know from previous travels. Carmen and I met in Thailand,
some of my first days in Chiang Mai were with her and her friend Julika just
when I’d moved there. And Sevi and I met when Ritchie and I arrived in Yangon,
Myanmar, and then we met up again in Chiang Mai when she passed through. Love
the reunions!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Carmen</div>
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Sevi</div>
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I really fell in love with this city during my time here –
it’s not just about the sites and the places, although those are great, but it’s
really about the feel. Getting to know all the nooks and crannies, all the
little cafes and shops, all the performances and music and things that make is
such a unique place, and one that I will always hold so close to my heart!<br />
<br />
And THIS girl is who made it all possible!! Love ya with all my heart, amiga!<br />
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Berlin....<i>du bist ein schatz</i>! You are the best! <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." - St. Augustine </b></span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-57409736089237656782013-01-10T22:43:00.000-05:002013-01-20T08:30:35.055-05:00Pag Town and Novalja, Pag Island - Croatia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Caught a bus from Pula to Riejka, to connect us to Pag. A
per usual the last times we’d been in transit, the ride was as pretty as a
picture.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And as per usual too, Elisa was one of the cool kids holdin’
it down in the back of the bus<o:p></o:p></div>
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We arrived to Riejka to find out there were no more buses to
Pag that day, only to Zadar. Just like in Pesaro, we were told the schedule
changes completely after summer season. If once there were 5 buses a day, now
there were only a few a week! We had no choice so went past Pag to Zadar, where
we found out there were no more buses back to Pag that night once we arrived.
Classic. Split a taxi with 2 guys from Wales and made it to Pag Town late in
the evening. Met Benjamin, the guy we had arranged to rent an apartment from
through Home Away. The price was $150 for 4 days and apparently included
getting drunk the first night too, cause that’s what we did, sitting in front
of the place chit chatting over beer and a local grape based liquor. <o:p></o:p></div>
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our place<o:p></o:p></div>
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Morning breakfast -
that travel French press sure has come in handy!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rented a scooter, did a run to the grocery store to stock
up, then set off to enjoy the island<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pag town itself is cute and cozy – not a whole lot going on,
but was nice to have some peace and quiet after a raging weekend of music. The
landscape is bizarre, there are mountains/hills everywhere, but it’s all really
dry and rocky, making it seem like you are on the Moon. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Cruised around until we came upon a nice beach…. to say the
least!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Santa Maria<o:p></o:p></div>
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Life is SO good! Very blessed to be in such a spectacular
place with one of my favorite people in the world! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Beautiful summer (wait….no it’s not summer anymore,
apparently) night<o:p></o:p></div>
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Malvasia wine is famous in this area, bottle for 70 kuna
(just under 10 euros). Fresh fish and sea food risotto, yum!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Went to a “club”, Disco Magazine, where we were the only 4 people inside. “Not
summer”!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bit of exploring around Pag<o:p></o:p></div>
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Had a couple days of whipping wind and downpour rain. (Ok,
maybe it really isn’t summer). Ate a lot, read a lot, drank a lot, talked a
lot, wrote a lot. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our standard travel meal: lentils, veggies, garlic, spices. Meat
for Ms. Schlodder. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Made a move from Pag Town to Novalija, the “Ibiza of Croatia”.
The party place of the party island of the country. Surely the “it’s not summer”
rules won’t apply here. Elisa’s friend, Sean, owns a hostel in Novalija called
The Big Yellow House, and it happens to be the best place for backpackers to
stay. He’s a super nice and accommodating guy, made us feel so welcome right
off the bat!<o:p></o:p></div>
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first meal in Novalja, seafood pizza! squid drowning in cheese!</div>
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view in front of hostel</div>
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so many great sunsets during our stay in Novalja!</div>
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a very quiet day at Zrec, the main party beach</div>
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from the beach in front of the Big Yellow House, with a view toward the town</div>
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Despite some rainy days tossed in there, really enjoyed the time in Novalja and could see how it would be an amazing place to be during the summer months as well! Big thanks to Big Yellow House, you're the best, great times! </div>
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from the bus heading from Novalja to Zadar</div>
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Time to fly.... Zadar > Zagreb > Vienna > Berlin!</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"Though we travel the World over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." - Ralph Waldo Emerson</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-89376896017504081292013-01-10T09:02:00.001-05:002013-01-20T08:09:27.949-05:00Dimensions electronic festival - Pula, Croatia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Friday, September 7th.</div>
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<b>"Optimist: Person who travels on nothing from nowhere to happiness." </b></div>
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<b>Mark Twain</b></div>
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Looking at the optimistic side of our
back-tracking-ferry-mishap situation, the train from Venice to the border
(Trieste) was remarkable. We curved around the coast and passed cute towns, big
churches and castles, sprawling sea views, so many scenes of beauty and
inspiration that I had dreamed of what Italy would be like. We got our tickets
to Pula and spent the last of our euros on grocery store salads to eat in the
plaza while we waited. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The bus to Croatia took us all along the coast of tiny
Slovenia, and while I was very tempted to count that as country #33 on my list,
alas, I could not since we spent no significant time there. But the drive
through Slovenia and into Croatia was seriously superb – it felt so exotic even
though we were just at the cusp of Europe, so drenched in history because of
all the villages and churches with their pointy little steeples. Loved every
minute of it! If you plan on traveling to any of these three countries (Italy,
Slovenia or Croatia) and have more money than we did (won’t be hard) you should
rent a vehicle instead of taking public transport. There was about a million
times I would have loved to have pulled that bus over to stop and soak it in!<o:p></o:p></div>
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We arrived to Pula and walked to the hostel we’d booked…
options were scarce as the Dimensions Electronic Festival was in town for the
weekend, which is why we came in the first place. Our place was nice though,
seemed to be a large flat that someone stuck about 15 single beds in and called
it a hostel. The woman who owned it was super sweet and helpful, her son was
the one I had been in contact with and the one who got us our wrist bands for
the festival for a fair price (80 euros/weekend). Met Xavier and Steve (Australia) and headed
out to walk around and get some cold adult beverages. Night 1 of Dimensions was
super fun, although no pictures exist. Sometimes it’s better that way. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Next afternoon drug ourselves to the beach – there’s nothing
better than a good swim to take away a hangover. The chilly and refreshing
Adriatic Sea!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Most of the beaches in Croatia are rock beaches, not sand, so
we found one that had large, flat rocks to be the most ‘comfortable’ while
lounging around.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Night 2 of the festival took a little more motivating, but
we pulled ourselves together and got on it. The setup was amazing – an old,
abandoned fort/castle, moat, main stage, beach stage, DJ’s everywhere. An
electronic music lovers dream! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Steve and Xavier</div>
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Kris (Lithuania), Ian (Madrid friend, San Fran), Steve and Xavier</div>
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DJ's in the moat!</div>
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Ian & Erin (San Fran)</div>
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Sunday… ouch. The festival grounds had
things going on in the day so we headed over to the beach for a nice, easy day of some reggae and
hip hop, great change of pace after all that electronic for two days! We had a good crew of people, swam and drank and danced a bit too! From DJ's in a moat to DJ's in a boat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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reggae party in session</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-60759851656584961362013-01-10T00:08:00.000-05:002013-01-20T08:18:13.545-05:00unexpected memories of Pesaro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Haven’t heard of Pesaro, Italy? Neither had we… but we had
come up with what seemed to be a grand idea, to head there for the evening as
it’s right on the coast, and then catch a ferry to Croatia the next morning. I
love entering new countries by boat, and we were certainly happy at the idea of
lounging around on beaches while Europe started to descend into chilly fall
weather. Bought two tickets and hopped on the train!</div>
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After an hour of enjoying the scenery roll by, a guy who
looked too attractive to be a train guard asked us for our tickets, and after
examining them a moment asked me to step aside because there was a problem.
Apparently we had not validated them, so there was the potential that we could
use them again. I told him we were on our way out of Italy… ciao, hasta la
vista, see ya in 5 years when I’ve got more money, etc etc. He said the fine
was 50 euros each. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Fuck.” I said<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Double fuck.” He said with the two tickets in his hand.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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He agreed to settle 2 for 1 on the tickets, so 50 euros in
total. I said I had to talk to Elisa about it, and while he was away we decided
we would either pretend we had no money and see if he could bill us (thought
this was the best option since I’m technically homeless so much of my life). Or
we were going to plead and see if once we got to Pesaro we could have a train
worker there destroy it in some way to ensure we wouldn’t use it again.
Eventually he came back and as soon as I started with a plead, wasn’t even sure
which one it was going to be yet, he quickly marked something on the ticket and
said, with a big smile, that we were okay to continue on with no fine. What
charmers, these Italians! </div>
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Since we had
long ago started converting currency into drinks, we figured that we’d just
saved ourselves about 20 beers each by avoiding those tickets. Salute! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Reached Pesaro and pulled a classic tomato and avocado
sandwich in a plaza move while Elisa went for her more meaty option from the
grocery store. Alessandro from Couch Surfing had agreed to host us for the
evening, so when he turned up we piled our stuff in his car and went to a
restaurant by the water for a bit of food and some drinks. He had just returned
from Egypt and Thailand for scubing diving and was incredibly easy to get along
with. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Nice spot for some spritz!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Turned into a bit of a rainy night, drove to the flat he
shares with his mother over huge rolling hills, such vast open spaces. I could
imagine in the day light on a sunny day it would be a really enchanting scene!
We drove around listening to great music (classic rock! Didn’t even know it
existed in Europe) and went on a seafood spree for dinner – plate of cold fish
(sardines, prawns, white fish), bowl of mussels, pasta with shellfish and
prawns, a massive whole fish, calamari, breaded fish, something that looked
like a crawfish but who knows… fish fish fish! And a liter of white wine. And
some Jager for digestion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The next morning rolled around all too quickly, not nearly
enough time to snap out of that seafood coma. The ferry was supposedly at 8:20,
but when we got there the dock looked deserted. Alessandro asked everyone
around, no one had the same answer about what was up with the ferry or when
another one would be. Apparently since it’s not “summer” anymore (was the first
week of September) everything comes to a halt. This should have been indicative
to us of what was in store for the future, but were still full of optimism deep
down, so we pushed through this hurdle and re-vamped our plans. Back to Venice,
it is! After much searching for routes and boats, our best option was to go
back to Venice and cross to Croatia by land. Since Pesaro was all the sudden a
pretty unnecessary little detour for us, we at least had the chance now to
enjoy the day, as our train didn’t leave till 4 p.m.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alessandro had been such a great host already at that point,
and once we realized we would have to stay he was more than happy to show us
around Pesaro. He works with and loves horses – he used to train them, but now
trains people to train their own horses. His genuine affection for the animals
is deep, and he took us to stables where he used to work. There is a nice view
of the Castle Gradara in the distance.<o:p></o:p><br />
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We made our way over to the castle, the
first proper castle I’ve ever been in. <o:p></o:p></div>
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She deserved it ;)<o:p></o:p></div>
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We finally bid our generous host farewell and hopped on the
train to Bologna. From there got on our train to Venice… or what we thought was
our train to Venice, but what was actually the more expensive high speed train
to Venice. Another train guard telling us we would have to pay 50 euros more
for these tickets. Dios mio. This time we just kept repeating the truth, that
we were totally clueless we had boarded the wrong train. Luckily he didn’t seem
too bothered by it and again we were 20 drinks richer for a train guard’s
laissez-fare attitude. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home." - Basho Matsuo</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-37116491182566560042013-01-09T02:54:00.000-05:002013-01-20T08:06:03.146-05:00la dolce vita - the good life: Rome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Arrived to Rome on a rainy Sunday.Who cares, it’s
ROME! So steeped in history, culture, food and sites, it’s hard not to be
excited about this ancient city. Plus, we were greeted by one of the most
smiley faces of Kiezel – Fabio! Everyone’s favorite Italian in Amsterdam was
now going to be our host for our time in Rome… we sure are lucky girls! Most
important things first: hugs, pizza, wine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Woke up to a gorgeous day for exploring – view from Fabio’s
bathroom<o:p></o:p></div>
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Elisa & I set out, first metro stop: Colosseum. When you
walk above ground this is the first thing you see directly in front of you….impressive!
It always feels so rewarding to see something right in front of you that you’ve
seen in pictures so many times before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">On the stroll towards to city center</span></div>
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Ministry of Heritage and Culture</div>
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And then I heard something like “Excuse me miss, do you come
here often?” and there she was… my soul sister, Veronika D’Anna! We studied
together in Singapore and traveled together to the Philippines, but my love has
extended well beyond that for this chick. I also don’t think I’ve met someone
as in love with their city as she is with Rome, so not only was it incredible
to see her, but even more surreal to be walking around her beloved city with
her! <o:p></o:p></div>
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While casually strolling and walking we reached The Pantheon<o:p></o:p></div>
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And then the charming and gorgeous Piazza Navona shortly
after<o:p></o:p></div>
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Oh, happy day!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The fountain, made by the famous Bernini, is said to have this figure turning away from the church facade because it was created by his (Bernini's) rival, Borromini</div>
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More walkin’, talkin’ and espresso drinkin’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yeah, it was as good as it looks. Potato with truffle sauce,
bacon and cream with pumpkin sauce, fresh veggie with even fresher cheese.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After all that indulgence who couldn’t use a little purging….no
better place to let your guilt be felt and then removed than Vatican City.<o:p></o:p></div>
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St. Peter’s<o:p></o:p></div>
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Such a short but sweet time with Miss Vero! She moved to
Brussels the following morning, so glad we caught her just in the nick of time!
All my love! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Elisa and I continued walking… and walking and walking and
walking and walking. So much art, so many sculptures. All the shops selling
delicious olive oils, balsamics, wines and kitchen accessories almost made me
want to settle down and get a place to live of my own. Almost.</div>
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Loved this funky little shop!<o:p></o:p></div>
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If your gelato addiction has gotten to the point where you’re
not satisfied with the normal amount of choices, head directly to a <i>Della Palm,</i> where there are hundreds to
choose from! <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the most famous, and most stunning, fountains in the world - the Trevi Fountain. If you throw a coin in, you are sure to come back to Rome. 3,000 euros worth of coins go in each day!</div>
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She's coming back for sure</div>
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Plaza Espana<o:p></o:p></div>
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Met back up with Fabio just in time for a perfect sunset
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A most unique view of St. Peter's from the keyhole of Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta</div>
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The three of us, plus Fabio's friend Francesco, headed over to Trastevere for dinner and drinks. Great place for night life, bars and restaurants everywhere. </div>
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Anna-Maria was able to join us as well, we met in Uruguay, another South American reunion in Europe!</div>
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that's <i>amore!</i></div>
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Another day of site seeing at the Galleria Borghese art gallery</div>
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Pictures weren't permitted, so these 2 aren't mine, but the most striking thing inside is the life size <i>Apollo and Daphne</i> sculpture by Bernini. So detailed and with so much history behind it, very moving!</div>
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Fabio's very kind mother cooked us some delicious meals while we were there, including crepes for breakfast, pastas with tomatos from the garden, fresh eggplant and delicious salads with olive oil and balsamic. A surprisingly amazing lemon pasta as well (with grated lemon rinds), yum! Fresh peaches and wine from a family winery. But the topper was the home made <i>tiramisu</i>.... I went to look back in my journal to see what I had written about it that day it was this "good, sweet, baby Jesus, it was off the charts!" </div>
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Such a special time in Rome, a city I will surely visit again (I didn't threw that coin into the Trevi Fountain for nothing, not on this budget!) Many thanks to Fabio and his family, Veronika and Anna-Maria for making it such an unforgettable time!</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"I wandered everywhere, through cities and countries wide. And everywhere I went, the World was on my side." - Roman Payne</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-91358388632276658862013-01-08T03:41:00.000-05:002013-01-20T06:24:05.541-05:00vagabonds in Venice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="text-align: center;">Hopped an early morning flight to Venice….ahh, felt like jet
setting! Leaving the city of canals and beer for the city of canals and wine.
Except once we arrived we couldn’t afford even the cheapest accommodation on
the island and the one </span><span style="text-align: center;">Couch Surfer</span><i style="text-align: center;"> </i><span style="text-align: center;">who
actually wrote me back said he gets a few hundred requests a month in the
summer time. We had one thing going for us…train station sandwiches with this
view!</span><br />
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From jet setting to camping it is! A great place called
Camping Plus Jolly has bungalow “tents” all set up for 9.50 euros/night, a total of about 45 minutes from the city by the time you take the people mover and the
bus. It helps if you are under the age of about 23 when you stay there, as
there are massive groups of kids on packaged tours of Europe who descend every
few days. For the price and the pool it’s worth telling a little white lie when
asked how old you are.</div>
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First Italian pizza (asparagus) -<i> buenisimo</i>!</div>
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There’s really one way to take on Venice and it’s to just
start wandering. The island is small and circular so you can’t get too lost. A
map would be senseless – the little streets that wind around and start and stop
all over the place have no street names anyway. No cars, no trees. There is liquor
and wine for sale absolutely everywhere but no bars. A million boats, a
thousand shops, hundreds of restaurants and cafes, dozens of gelato places and
one featured drink: spritz! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>spritz</i>: presecco, aperol, a little sparkling mineral water, a lot of deliciousness!</div>
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Definitely some daily habits you must pick up<o:p></o:p></div>
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The life aquatic<o:p></o:p></div>
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After walking through all the charming, colorful and unique
little streets of this picturesque city (and no, it didn’t smell like sewage)
it’s a liberating feeling to reach San Marco where everything opens wide up! <o:p></o:p></div>
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A few days later we said<i>
ciao</i> to vibrant Venice and made our way to Rome!</div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no ends to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." - Jawaharial Nehru</span></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-49736231454197114212013-01-06T12:39:00.000-05:002013-01-20T06:20:08.746-05:00Amsterdamned<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The pinnacle of all stops on our summer tour - Amsterdam! Right back where we started
from, exactly 5 years to the day later from when I arrived the first time! 2
very happy chicas!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Back to canals and Dutch people, flower markets and art
galore. Cheese and falafel and Febo, fashion and bikes and Albert Heijn’s. And
Heinekens and coffee shops too, of course! On the train from the airport to
Centraal Station we were as giddy as kids all hopped up on goof balls… a beautiful
blue sky day in the city we’d been away from for so long. Felt just like home! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Met up with Elisa’s friends from Berlin, Julia &
Natascha, who were also there for the weekend. Set out walking, the streets
familiarity came flooding back, so many great memories in this city! Found a
nice spot and lazed along a canal, soaking up some rare Amsterdam sunshine! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Followed by a nice snooze in Vondel Park - the life!<o:p></o:p></div>
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For our first night back we arranged to stay with Manon, my
friend who was my “buddy” when I first came to InHolland, assigned through the
school. 5 years ago she met me at the airport and took me to the dorms, showed
me around and continued to be so sweet and helpful throughout the semester.
Years later while she was traveling in Thailand we were able to meet once
again! Now, during another “first night” in Amsterdam, she took me under her
wing and we stayed with her – what a sweetie! Went to an outdoor film festival,
drank some wine, so great to be back!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The 24<sup>th</sup> is Ritchie’s birthday, so we conserved
our energy for the big night ahead. Met him and his friends and brother at good
ol’ Winston’s, where we’d spent many a nights during our exchange. Was surreal
to see his goofy ass at first, every time I looked over and saw him there it
made me smile so big! From Amsterdam to Thailand and Burma and now back full
circle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Couple days of rain, standard really. Finally braved it and
went out wandering with the boys, back to one of my favorite streets in the
city, the Haarlemerstraat, and eventually to the Rembrandtplein to wait out some
heavy down pours with some wine. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Busted! <o:p></o:p></div>
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We’d heard of a parade/carnival thing going on around the
Amstel area so made our muddy way over. 5 euros to get in, what a bankrupt circus that turned out to be. Nothing
open except the stands selling beer and a tent with people playing kids music.
Decided to make the best of it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The lovely and talented Camelia Sabeva happened to have a
layover in Amsterdam at the end of her month in Europe, so we slammed coffee,
talked rapidly and hugged profusely – love this girl! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then came the moment….the best moment ever….the arrival of
Douglas! 6 months of backpacking around South America with this crazy guy, and
finally to be back in one of the world’s best cities together again. Ooooopa! <o:p></o:p></div>
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2 of my favorite guys in the world! <o:p></o:p></div>
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More city strollin’, reminiscing, dancing, drinking<o:p></o:p></div>
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End of the show. Many thanks to amazing Amsterdam for an
epic reunion!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"There's a part of me that thinks perhaps we go on existing in a place even after we've left it." - Colum McCann</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383892652973104951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-21056352483073567652012-11-29T07:21:00.000-05:002013-01-20T06:16:12.025-05:00bustlin' Barcelona<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The next stop on our Kiezel hopping tour took us to Barcelona to see Guillermo! We put our stuff at his flat and started exploring the city – so much to see!</center>
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The city is so physically attractive, just as I imagined it would be. One thing I really loved about it was the unification of a lot of the buildings. Antoni Gaudi was a Catalan architect who brought modernism to the Catalan city of Barcelona in a beautiful way. He was also skilled in ceramics, stained glass, wrought iron work and carpentry, and as he became a stronger Catholic they called him “God’s architect”. Some of his works are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and you can easily spot their style throughout the city.</center>
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Sagrada Familia – his most famous work. Started in 1882 and still not complete!</center>
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We were fortunate that the night we arrived was part of the Festivals de Gracia in the Gracia neighborhood. The people that live the in area get together and decorate the streets with certain themes, so the result is calles lined with art, mostly from recycled material, music, people and various entertainment, depending on the theme. It felt like walking through the scene of a play everywhere you went, was really an exceptional experience!</center>
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Euro Disney AND Euro Vegas, all in one place</center>
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Some theatrical work in the plazas and some music in the alleys</center>
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You could pay to join in on this massive paella and wine dinner party!</center>
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All the site seeing and oppressive August heat left us in need for some beach time! So crowded, but so great to be there.</center>
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Mojito!</div>
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Estraella Dam in Barcelona…que bueno!</center>
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That night had the brilliant fortune of meeting up with Cass & Nick, two lovely Aussies that I met and traveled with in South America! We met in the south of Ecuador, then again in Peru where we spent the most time together. It was really fun to sit around for some tapas and reminisce about our experiences on another continent… they both brought up how ungodly huge my backpack was (ahem, ahem) and that I was always ordering everything with aji (spicy). Loved to see their smiles again!</center>
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Park Guell - garden complex and architectural park made by Gaudi</center>
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View from the park</center>
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A great quote from Gaudi – “Everything comes from the great book of nature.”</center>
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Occupy Barcelona</center>
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Plaza de Espana</center>
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A little present for papa :)</center>
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Beautiful Barca</center>
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La Boquaria (Mercado)</center>
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And lastly, that devilish Christopher Columbus, pointing arrogantly toward Latin America. </center>
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Was such an amazing trip in Spain, made so memorable by our friends, old and new! This country and culture has appealed to me for a long time, and I really loved the time we had there. Next trip will have to be longer, but this one will surely always stay in my memories! Viva Espana! </center>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted." - Bill Bryson</b></span></center>
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nicole.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16921133766424124631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-90099840468040109442012-11-29T06:03:00.001-05:002013-01-20T10:34:47.838-05:00Rototom Sunsplash 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Castellon, Benicassium, and the Rototom Sunsplash Reggae Festival:</center>
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Left Madrid with big smiles and the satisfaction of a time well had! Almost glad we missed that bus to Vallencia, or else we never would have had the experience. Life works out. Arrived in the evening to Castellon, the town of Alberto. We hadn’t all been together since the days of our student housing, Kiezel, in Amsterdam. So good to see him again, oh my cat! The timing was perfect, as the nearby town of Benicassium was having the 19th annual Rototom, so the next morning we headed there for some beach, sunshine & reggae! Spain + beach + reggae = heaven! </center>
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Rototom Beach</center>
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At the festival grounds</center>
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Andrew Tosh</center>
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Andrew Tosh & Kymani Marley</center>
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Sunrise at the market</center>
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Live music at the beach each day…when it got to hot they were spraying the crowd with huge hoses. But otherwise you can just chill….. chill…… chill…..</center>
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Alberto’s camper</center>
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More festival grounds</center>
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they know their crowd</center>
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Kiezel reggae reunion</center>
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expression and creativity everywhere</center>
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loads of good food!</center>
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Steel Pulse</center>
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Amazing weekend with Alberto… I will definitely be back for another Rototom at some point in my life! </center>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"Don't gain the World and lose your soul... wisdom is better than silver or gold." - Bob Marley</b></span></center>
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nicole.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16921133766424124631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-81559254143471863602012-11-29T04:49:00.002-05:002013-01-20T05:59:05.506-05:00nos vamos a España: Madrid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Spain ~
August 14th – 23rd
The trip to Spain started off with us crossing the border on a WAY overpriced train from France, but being ecstatic nonetheless to be there. The train dropped us at Irun and we were officially there. Who knew the time changed an hour? Not us, so let’s drink some cold cervezas while waiting for the night bus to Vallencia! Salute! Couple bottles of wine in a plaza nearby the station and we were feeling pretty great come 8:30 for the night bus. Wait, what, it’s really 9:30? Shit.</center>
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Found the cheapest room we could in town (still not cheap at 30 euros) and drank a bit more while singing along to catchy music, ignoring the knocks of whomever was knocking on our door, presumably asking us to be quiet. This town is a stop on the Camino de Santiago, the famous pilgrimage through Spain, so we may have been the only non-walkers at the hostel. At some point we really were singing along to songs from the movie Sister Act, so hope the pilgrims could appreciate that at least.<br />
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Round 2 at the station, bright & early, ready to beg to be able to use our tickets and not have to completely buy new ones. The bus company never opened their window though, and while we knew Spanish people were typically a bit late, this was too much. Found out they were closed the whole day because of a holiday in the nearby St. Sebastian. Lovely…..sure it was just lovely…</center>
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Asked another company when their next bus leaving that exciting border town was, and we found out there was one 20 minutes later to Madrid. Sooo, to Madrid we went, determined to make the very most of it! Arrive six hours later, found a cheap hostel, threw our bags down & off to explore the charming capital.</center>
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Paella & rose</center>
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Central Madrid</center>
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People are always offering you one free drink if you come into their bar, so we bar hopped that way a bit. Met Ian (San Francisco) & Kane (pro basketball player in Spain) & had a good ol’ time</center>
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Daytime in Madrid in August is beautiful, albeit incredibly hot…
The massive Plaza Mayor</center>
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Near the Mercado San Miguel ~ curvy street</center>
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All kinds of meat</center>
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The Palace </center>
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Very lovely buildings everywhere, so much detail, color & class</center>
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Grande sangria, grande seesha!</center>
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Tapas, tapas, tapas! </center>
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It’s true.... we love Madrid</center>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." Robert Louis Stevenson</b></span></div>
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nicole.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16921133766424124631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-56223548729009469482012-11-29T00:18:00.000-05:002013-01-20T05:55:54.030-05:00road trippin' in France<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Road trip in France ~
August 11th – 14th:
Took the train from London to Dover, the port town to catch the ferry to France. A little fish n’ chips in front of a pub while waiting to meet Chris, so cliché! </center>
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SO happy to see my old roomie from Thailand after so long! Been missin’ this guy…</center>
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"Many rivers to cross, but I can't seem to find my way over.
Wandering I am lost, as I travel along the white cliffs of Dover." - Jimmy Cliff</center>
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Landed in France & drove about 3 hours to Abbeville to set up camp for the night. Ate food, drank wine, swapped stories, watched stars.</center>
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Day 2 we made our way to La Route du Rock music festival in St. Malo, along the West coast. The car was properly packed!</center>
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Festival camp site. I have never seen so much uniformity in tents… everyone had the Quechua pop up. Everyone. </center>
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Jessica & Chris</center>
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Inside the festival. I wasn’t allowed to bring my camera in but Elisa was able to sneak her’s. Rebel pics.</center>
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Love some Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks! </center>
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Lovin’ this group, too! </center>
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Day 3, from St. Malo we drove to La Rochelle. Was a quick stay in the cute coastal town & then Elisa & I headed on the train to the boarder of Spain very early the next morning. Incredible to see Chris again and so great to meet Jessica! They accommodated us so much & really made the trip down France a memorable one! </center>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles." - Tim Cahill</b></span></center>
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nicole.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16921133766424124631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-16825742004589461252012-09-24T07:52:00.001-05:002013-01-20T05:54:55.048-05:00keep calm and carry on<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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First stop: London!
August 3rd, 2012</center>
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Said goodbye to Nipi in Cordoba, Argentina in December 2010. Reunited again for a week of staying with him in London! Gorgeous first day in England, perfect for the Saturday Portobello Market in Notting Hill. </center>
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Downtown London, view from the Tower Bridge</center>
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With Nicolas & Flor (who I spent time with in Amsterdam & in Paris during exchange)</center>
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More reunions – Chiang Mai friends Natalie & Jonas</center>
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Ben from NOLA, last time we saw each other we were Panicin’ en la Playa, Mexico</center>
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Another beautiful afternoon around London with Nicolas & his girl friend, Mathi</center>
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The very lively Camden area</center>
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The more famous sites of London…
The London Eye</center>
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Big Ben</center>
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Big Ben & houses of Parliament</center>
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Westminster Abbey</center>
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Buckingham Palace</center>
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Piccadilly Circus Area</center>
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Chinatown</center>
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View from the Tate Modern Art Museum</center>
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St. Paul's Cathedral </center>
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Abbey Road Studios (and the famous crossing from the album cover of the same name, which doesn’t look nearly as impressive without four Beatles walking across it!)</center>
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Pubs & teahouses</center>
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And the Princess herself…. Elisa! The start of our 8 weeks of holiday together</center>
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Together again: Denise (Munich, but last seen in Thailand), Nipi & Elisa</center>
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Brotha from another Motha ;)</center>
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The German beauties</center>
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From Amsterdam to London… Fabien! </center>
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Backyard dinner at Denise’s</center>
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Another reunion, with some fellow volunteers from the Escuela Katitawa in Ecuador! Big difference from Salasacca to London, so great to see these guys again!
David & Hannah</center>
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Hayley</center>
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A truly amazing week in one of the most iconic cities in the world, with a big “thanks” to Nipi, Denise, Bulmers & Pimms!</center>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." - Lao Tzu<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></span></div>
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nicole.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16921133766424124631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672551544436663689.post-77340726305406540912012-07-30T10:57:00.001-05:002012-07-30T10:57:18.956-05:00it's a new dawn, it's a new dayGreetings!
After a pretty long break am finally getting back on the road this week, heading to Europe & beyond for an indefinite amount of time. Hopefully no fractures of any bones this time around, would make the trip a lot more pleasant! Will be keeping up on the blog but in a new way.... instead of a lot of writing it will be more pictures with captions that hopefully will convey the story in more or less the same way. The writing was too much to keep up with while traveling and moving all the time, which is why I inevitably quit doing it after a time while on the road.
First up, London! During the Olympics, too. This is going to prove interesting, I'm sure...nicole.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16921133766424124631noreply@blogger.com0