This blog blows, and Im really sorry.
Its really hard to say what you want to say when youre being charged like six dollars for fifteen minutes of internet and need to communicate with your mom about how much money you are being gauged by the american bank you cannot call and complain to.
As a result, you get dashed off gut reactions to places that probably didnt do much to deserve it. Aix really did suck though. I may go back and finesse... I am a writer that requires time, I like to select the right words... haha Im lying. But I could stand to structure them more.
Whatever.
Como is beautiful, but cloudy and a bit chilly. I found out like three hours ago that Halladay pitched a no hitter and screamed and fist pumped and all that.... two days late... Poor Julie had to listen to way more baseball babble than she cared to ever know, but now there are two people in the know in Lago di Como! Wonder if they won last night?
France tomorrow, and thus ending the outrageous consumption of gelato and pizza. Fact: my pants are uncomfortably tight. Luckily Im moving out of my parents house next week and thus will no longer be able to afford food.
I want TexMex. And a TV.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Teeth and Venice is Sinking
Europeans have crappy teeth. Because they smoke, eat pastries, drink coffee, and do not have fluoride in their water, nor whitener in their tooth paste.
Venice is my own personal version of hell, even though its pretty for the first hour. Aside from running around la Fenice, its pretty boring. Theres nothing to do but dodge old ladies, stare at very expensive things made of brightly colored glass, and the birds. OH THE BIRDS! In hell, pidgeons will surround me and swoop low at my face, threatening to poop in my freshly and rarely washed tresses. Little bitches. (We spent the afternoon there yesterday, and it actually wasnt that bad, I had some badass gelato)
Were in Verona though, and Verona is gorgeous. Its the Italian Bordeaux. But coated in opera. Maybe Ill move here.
Our last night in Firenze (see Im Italian now) we saw Traviata. And it was AMAZING. Just, such gorgeous singing. And no offense, but man do I miss listening to real singers... not my friends learning to sing famous arias.... I emailed my voice teach about lessons.
Como today!!!! HIKING AGAIN!!!! I miss clean clothes
Venice is my own personal version of hell, even though its pretty for the first hour. Aside from running around la Fenice, its pretty boring. Theres nothing to do but dodge old ladies, stare at very expensive things made of brightly colored glass, and the birds. OH THE BIRDS! In hell, pidgeons will surround me and swoop low at my face, threatening to poop in my freshly and rarely washed tresses. Little bitches. (We spent the afternoon there yesterday, and it actually wasnt that bad, I had some badass gelato)
Were in Verona though, and Verona is gorgeous. Its the Italian Bordeaux. But coated in opera. Maybe Ill move here.
Our last night in Firenze (see Im Italian now) we saw Traviata. And it was AMAZING. Just, such gorgeous singing. And no offense, but man do I miss listening to real singers... not my friends learning to sing famous arias.... I emailed my voice teach about lessons.
Como today!!!! HIKING AGAIN!!!! I miss clean clothes
Monday, October 4, 2010
Things I Forgot and Things that are New
Barcelona: I had my picture taken for Mercè 2010 promotion. Totally weird, but sorta cool. When the guy asked me if he could take my picture (it was 4 am and I was sitting stubbornly on the street) I questioned him rapidly in English to ensure that he was not going to put it on a website that said Dumb Americans Ruin Festival in Catalòn. After assuring me it was not, I proceded to sit in the street while he snapped 5 or 6 pictures. It has just now occured to me that he could be lying...
Cadaques: I watched my first game of cricket. That game is weird. They dress up like tennis, but its like wussy baseball that actually requires the players to move...
Cinque Terre: Was PHENOMENAL. One of the best parts of the trip, easily. My pictures frustrate me because you cant grasp how effin pretty and steep everything was, my little camera was sweating bullets trying. We hiked the best portions, got blocked out of a few, and met some middle aged Aussies. Also ate the best pesto in the world and had gelato 14 times in about 30 hours. There should be shame, but really theres nothing but pride.
Feeeeeeeerenze: I dig it! The city is touristy, but its beautiful and smells like leather. HOWEVER, the hostel, which is honestly not that bad has some bones to pick. AND THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS. We are sharing a room with 7 other asian girls. And they are ALL pigs!!! They go to bed at 22:00 and wake up at 6:00. YES SIX IN THE GODDAMN MORNING. And they are none too quiet about it, either. Apparently, if they dont turn on all the lights, smash their belongings on the floor, and shriek in their native tongues they will die. And they might, because Julie and I might kill them. Lord knows they dont even do anything, just run to the nearest computer. I went to bed at 3 because I was reading the first book I got my hands on in a month, but I was silent, and just had my little reading lamp on, and I was roused at 6. Luckily, there is free breakfast here, and its ballin.
However, bone numero due is that the one bathroom the 9 of us share has both a toilet and a shower in the same room. And by shower I mean hose and a drain in the floor. Which would be tolerable, but there is something wrong with the toilet. It is FULL of something I did not know humans to be capable of, and smells ungodly.
We are leaving a day early. Bologna and Verona on Wednesday, and Venice and Verona on Thursday, followed by a couple days stalking George Clooney at Lago di Como, then back to France on Sunday.
The best part is that Julie and I still like each other. And just this morning were planning our next absurd vacation.
I am wearing my glasses and my hair in a knot on top of my head until 14:00 when I will take a siesta. The outfit is in protest of bitches wakin me up early on vacation, but Julie thinks its in protest of her since I will be with her all day. I beg to differ. Also, post-siesta Im hopeful someone will have destroyed the thing in the bathroom and I can shower and return to non-ugly state.
Cadaques: I watched my first game of cricket. That game is weird. They dress up like tennis, but its like wussy baseball that actually requires the players to move...
Cinque Terre: Was PHENOMENAL. One of the best parts of the trip, easily. My pictures frustrate me because you cant grasp how effin pretty and steep everything was, my little camera was sweating bullets trying. We hiked the best portions, got blocked out of a few, and met some middle aged Aussies. Also ate the best pesto in the world and had gelato 14 times in about 30 hours. There should be shame, but really theres nothing but pride.
Feeeeeeeerenze: I dig it! The city is touristy, but its beautiful and smells like leather. HOWEVER, the hostel, which is honestly not that bad has some bones to pick. AND THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS. We are sharing a room with 7 other asian girls. And they are ALL pigs!!! They go to bed at 22:00 and wake up at 6:00. YES SIX IN THE GODDAMN MORNING. And they are none too quiet about it, either. Apparently, if they dont turn on all the lights, smash their belongings on the floor, and shriek in their native tongues they will die. And they might, because Julie and I might kill them. Lord knows they dont even do anything, just run to the nearest computer. I went to bed at 3 because I was reading the first book I got my hands on in a month, but I was silent, and just had my little reading lamp on, and I was roused at 6. Luckily, there is free breakfast here, and its ballin.
However, bone numero due is that the one bathroom the 9 of us share has both a toilet and a shower in the same room. And by shower I mean hose and a drain in the floor. Which would be tolerable, but there is something wrong with the toilet. It is FULL of something I did not know humans to be capable of, and smells ungodly.
We are leaving a day early. Bologna and Verona on Wednesday, and Venice and Verona on Thursday, followed by a couple days stalking George Clooney at Lago di Como, then back to France on Sunday.
The best part is that Julie and I still like each other. And just this morning were planning our next absurd vacation.
I am wearing my glasses and my hair in a knot on top of my head until 14:00 when I will take a siesta. The outfit is in protest of bitches wakin me up early on vacation, but Julie thinks its in protest of her since I will be with her all day. I beg to differ. Also, post-siesta Im hopeful someone will have destroyed the thing in the bathroom and I can shower and return to non-ugly state.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Oh yeah...
So we were in Barcelona for Merce, which is Barcelonas birthday, which was awesome! We went to the Picasso museum fo free!, hiked around Parc Guell (no umlaut key in Italy...!!!) and I fell in love with Gaudi, so we went to Sagrada Familia (his church-in-progress) and took some pictures. Two super important things about Barcelona: I met my soul mate, his name is Sergi, he is 31 and Catalòn, and 2. I danced to Goldfrappe with a few thousand other people for free and it was amazing. Barcelona is pretty sketchy though, so we were both paranoid about getting our stuff stolen (which it wasnt) and getting harassed (which we did). Its so so dirty, people piss in the street all the time and everywhere, and its just like, raw and gross. Also fun, and occasionally really beautiful, but a grey place.
Then we went to Cadaques, which is famous simply for being beautiful and Dali lived there for a bit. We showed up and it was just... paradise haha. We had to run, with our backpacks, to the bus station, and got there about two minutes after the bus should have left. Luckily were in Europe so we got to sit on the bus for another ten before it lumbered out of the station. Anyway, we had a beautiful room and tv (we watched Casino Royale in German, its still really good) and the most glorious shower!!!! We just laid in bed and walked around this gorgeous blue and white place. Its sort of weird and amazing, but pictures dont do that place justice. The colors are so vibrant its like the camera cant handle it.
Post Cadaques we had another night in Barcelona.... it was not great... and then we rode three trains to get to Aix-en-Provence in France. Julie and I were both really excited for Aix, but it totally sucked! It was a teensy French town, just like we wanted, but it was booooooringggg. Cezanne painted a little near there or something, but it was not easy to get to, well advertised, or particularly interesting. The only thing to do in Aix was spend money in stores like Cartier and Hermes. Which we obviously would and could not do. Julie did buy a pair of brown suede boots, but she also got eaten alive by some sort of bug that we never found. Homeboy didnt touch me, but she woke up with about 75 bug bites on just one arm. The weirdest part about that was that we were sharing a bed.... The tv was lame too. It was horrible. Also, I finally caved and bought shoes (I wore sandals from Target for the past three full weeks) which I was breaking in in Aix.... horrible. So we were angry for the entirity of that bit of our little adventure.
Five trains later and we were in Genoa, which we were expecting to hate, but didnt!! The guy at the hotel thought I was Italian since I knew enough to straighten out the room and ask where we could eat and was overjoyed, but then I let one little oui slip and I was French!!! Just as exciting!!!! I protested quickly in English, but he liked me better as a European. Julie started speaking in Spanish, and then we gave up and ran away to our room. We ate pizza and fell asleep. Woke up, bought some fruit, and got on a train to Cinque Terre.
Which is where we are now!!!! AND WE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! Originally told that the path was closed to four of the five towns (yikes!!) but even the elderly are hiking it, so well tackle that tomorrow. We have eaten pizza, pesto!!!!!! ravioli!!!!!!!!!!!!! (so so good), and two rounds of gelato already, and Im just so happy to be here! Our hostel is really nice, and perched on a cliff like everything here, its actually insane how steep everything is!
Then we went to Cadaques, which is famous simply for being beautiful and Dali lived there for a bit. We showed up and it was just... paradise haha. We had to run, with our backpacks, to the bus station, and got there about two minutes after the bus should have left. Luckily were in Europe so we got to sit on the bus for another ten before it lumbered out of the station. Anyway, we had a beautiful room and tv (we watched Casino Royale in German, its still really good) and the most glorious shower!!!! We just laid in bed and walked around this gorgeous blue and white place. Its sort of weird and amazing, but pictures dont do that place justice. The colors are so vibrant its like the camera cant handle it.
Post Cadaques we had another night in Barcelona.... it was not great... and then we rode three trains to get to Aix-en-Provence in France. Julie and I were both really excited for Aix, but it totally sucked! It was a teensy French town, just like we wanted, but it was booooooringggg. Cezanne painted a little near there or something, but it was not easy to get to, well advertised, or particularly interesting. The only thing to do in Aix was spend money in stores like Cartier and Hermes. Which we obviously would and could not do. Julie did buy a pair of brown suede boots, but she also got eaten alive by some sort of bug that we never found. Homeboy didnt touch me, but she woke up with about 75 bug bites on just one arm. The weirdest part about that was that we were sharing a bed.... The tv was lame too. It was horrible. Also, I finally caved and bought shoes (I wore sandals from Target for the past three full weeks) which I was breaking in in Aix.... horrible. So we were angry for the entirity of that bit of our little adventure.
Five trains later and we were in Genoa, which we were expecting to hate, but didnt!! The guy at the hotel thought I was Italian since I knew enough to straighten out the room and ask where we could eat and was overjoyed, but then I let one little oui slip and I was French!!! Just as exciting!!!! I protested quickly in English, but he liked me better as a European. Julie started speaking in Spanish, and then we gave up and ran away to our room. We ate pizza and fell asleep. Woke up, bought some fruit, and got on a train to Cinque Terre.
Which is where we are now!!!! AND WE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! Originally told that the path was closed to four of the five towns (yikes!!) but even the elderly are hiking it, so well tackle that tomorrow. We have eaten pizza, pesto!!!!!! ravioli!!!!!!!!!!!!! (so so good), and two rounds of gelato already, and Im just so happy to be here! Our hostel is really nice, and perched on a cliff like everything here, its actually insane how steep everything is!
Cinque Terre > Aix-en-Provence
I really really really miss tv.
Like, so much it hurts. I wanna watch House and Cuddy, I wanna watch Lemon and the gang, I wanna see how Claire and Phil are failing, and I sorta even wanna watch Steve Carrels final run as Michael Scott.
I will miss four episodes of House, and three each of 30 Rock, Mod Fam, and the Office.
Also, really wanna check out Sisterwives, and the new show with Will Arnett courtesy of the geniuses of Arrested Development.
We tried to watch tv in Provence, because that is the most mind-numbingly boring place, and the best thing that entirely french television had to offer in two full days was an episode of Greys Anatomy. Which is another show Im contemplating watching.
I MISS TV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also miss showering being a fun experience... currently Im at a pretty nice hostel in Cinque Terre, and they hand out a shower token every day... you get five minutes of hot water for each token, and if you want more than 5 mins you pay like half a euro for em. I would never ever classify myself as a particularly classy or squeaky clean lady, but man do I love a good hot shower now.
I have a new found appreciation for smoking bans in America. All of my clothing ALL of it smells like cigarettes. I wash it (in the sink of the hotel were in) and it leaves, and then I enter the world and back it comes. Ive actually grown used to it, which bums me out a bit.
I love Cinque Terre though, and I love Julie, and if I were to move to Europe (an idea that i like very very much) it would be great. Because i would have a laptop to watch tv on. and a shower. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like, so much it hurts. I wanna watch House and Cuddy, I wanna watch Lemon and the gang, I wanna see how Claire and Phil are failing, and I sorta even wanna watch Steve Carrels final run as Michael Scott.
I will miss four episodes of House, and three each of 30 Rock, Mod Fam, and the Office.
Also, really wanna check out Sisterwives, and the new show with Will Arnett courtesy of the geniuses of Arrested Development.
We tried to watch tv in Provence, because that is the most mind-numbingly boring place, and the best thing that entirely french television had to offer in two full days was an episode of Greys Anatomy. Which is another show Im contemplating watching.
I MISS TV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also miss showering being a fun experience... currently Im at a pretty nice hostel in Cinque Terre, and they hand out a shower token every day... you get five minutes of hot water for each token, and if you want more than 5 mins you pay like half a euro for em. I would never ever classify myself as a particularly classy or squeaky clean lady, but man do I love a good hot shower now.
I have a new found appreciation for smoking bans in America. All of my clothing ALL of it smells like cigarettes. I wash it (in the sink of the hotel were in) and it leaves, and then I enter the world and back it comes. Ive actually grown used to it, which bums me out a bit.
I love Cinque Terre though, and I love Julie, and if I were to move to Europe (an idea that i like very very much) it would be great. Because i would have a laptop to watch tv on. and a shower. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Stats!!!!! How could I forget!!!!!
So far:
Coolest church: Monastery in Belem. Vasco da Gama's buried there!
Creepiest church: Sacre Coeur. Amelie lied.
Creepiest tomb: Christopher Columbus... google it
Sketchiest place: Madrid at 3AM, or Gare du Nord Metro stop anytime.
Coolest palace: Quinta in Sintra
Best view: Lisbon from the Sintra hills
Most badass tile: Palace in Sevilla, those Moors were so cool even if they couldn't keep their lands together
Best hostel: Travellers House in Lisbon
Worst hostel: wherever we stayed in Madrid, I honestly think it was just some guys' house
Best pastries: Pasteis in Belem, it's like french toast in a puff pastry cup and it's crunchy and gooey and amazing
Best art museum: Modern art museum in Belem
Most boring art museum: Louvre. Thank god we got in for free.
Best place to wander: Three way tie: Alfama in Lisbon, Paris, Seville
Weirdest meal: Lisbon; Huge essentially raw steak covered with a thick slice of ham, a fried egg, and coated in some salty sauce. Served with french fries and white rice
Weirdest encounter at a restaurant: Same place that you can get that steak, I was conversing with a wasted old man in French (he was talking, I was nodding and saying "oui") and Julie had a peddlar come into the resaturant and try to sell her a wind up guinea pig that squeaks.
Most Proud Moment: Having Brits tell me my British accent was perfect, just a bit posh.
Actual Most Proud Moment: When we climbed onto some rock cliffs in Sintra for a view of the Pena palace. It was reeeallyyyy high/windy/awesome
Best meal: Pl. St. Pierre in Bordeaux; sauv blanc of glory, goat cheese salad, some sort of chicken deliciousness, profiteroles
Best meal on accident: Sevilla tapas tonight, we ended up with some amazing food!
Best snack: crepes duhhh Paris :)
Most adventurous thing I've eaten so far: seafood paella in the dark in Seville, and octopus salad in Lisbon
Worst food: Lisbon
Most beautiful park: Luxembourg in Paris
Coolest church: Monastery in Belem. Vasco da Gama's buried there!
Creepiest church: Sacre Coeur. Amelie lied.
Creepiest tomb: Christopher Columbus... google it
Sketchiest place: Madrid at 3AM, or Gare du Nord Metro stop anytime.
Coolest palace: Quinta in Sintra
Best view: Lisbon from the Sintra hills
Most badass tile: Palace in Sevilla, those Moors were so cool even if they couldn't keep their lands together
Best hostel: Travellers House in Lisbon
Worst hostel: wherever we stayed in Madrid, I honestly think it was just some guys' house
Best pastries: Pasteis in Belem, it's like french toast in a puff pastry cup and it's crunchy and gooey and amazing
Best art museum: Modern art museum in Belem
Most boring art museum: Louvre. Thank god we got in for free.
Best place to wander: Three way tie: Alfama in Lisbon, Paris, Seville
Weirdest meal: Lisbon; Huge essentially raw steak covered with a thick slice of ham, a fried egg, and coated in some salty sauce. Served with french fries and white rice
Weirdest encounter at a restaurant: Same place that you can get that steak, I was conversing with a wasted old man in French (he was talking, I was nodding and saying "oui") and Julie had a peddlar come into the resaturant and try to sell her a wind up guinea pig that squeaks.
Most Proud Moment: Having Brits tell me my British accent was perfect, just a bit posh.
Actual Most Proud Moment: When we climbed onto some rock cliffs in Sintra for a view of the Pena palace. It was reeeallyyyy high/windy/awesome
Best meal: Pl. St. Pierre in Bordeaux; sauv blanc of glory, goat cheese salad, some sort of chicken deliciousness, profiteroles
Best meal on accident: Sevilla tapas tonight, we ended up with some amazing food!
Best snack: crepes duhhh Paris :)
Most adventurous thing I've eaten so far: seafood paella in the dark in Seville, and octopus salad in Lisbon
Worst food: Lisbon
Most beautiful park: Luxembourg in Paris
Thevilla, even though they don´t lithp here
Barthelona tomorrow!
I don´t really have a coherent plan for this entry... so let´s see how this goes!
Lagos last weekend... not much to report except that we were both so exhausted that we watched Spiderman and TLC (ten channels that only played four programs. on repeat... haha) in our pensao (inbetween a hotel and a hostel) and carried pizza to our room because we were sick of doing stuff. We laid on the beach on Sunday for about four hours and got appropriately crispy. The Algarve coast is really, really beautiful; it's cliffy and coated in signs that say DANGER, but everyone picks their way down to the coarse sand beaches and swims in the gorgeous water.
I don´t really have a coherent plan for this entry... so let´s see how this goes!
Lagos last weekend... not much to report except that we were both so exhausted that we watched Spiderman and TLC (ten channels that only played four programs. on repeat... haha) in our pensao (inbetween a hotel and a hostel) and carried pizza to our room because we were sick of doing stuff. We laid on the beach on Sunday for about four hours and got appropriately crispy. The Algarve coast is really, really beautiful; it's cliffy and coated in signs that say DANGER, but everyone picks their way down to the coarse sand beaches and swims in the gorgeous water.
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| Praia |Dona |Ana, Lagos, Portugal |
Seville was only a five hour bus ride away (this time there weren't screaming children or adults shouting into their phones, so yay....) so we got here Monday evening, immediately met some timid American girls and cocky English guys in our hostel and went on a bar tour that night. Insanely fun, we went drinking and dancing until 7AM.
Something that really struck me though, was how much people wanted to debate American politics and values with me. Even more surprising, I had no idea I was so patriotic until I was hotly defending our political system and those who voted for Sarah Palin to a Dutch guy. This is coming from a person who actually wants to move to France (although Lisbon is currently in the running, and Seville would be fun/great too...) but the US is my home! And while I haven't agreed with much that happened during.... The Bad Years... (the Reign of Cheney), I appreciate the fact that America chooses to vote for a dumbass to be head of a world super power. He and I were both struggling to understand how I can say I hated Bush and dislike so many core beliefs of the polticial right, but at the same time defend their right to have insane mindsets.
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| It is disheartening/disgusting/hilarious the awful shit that pops up if you type "american woman" into Google images. |
Another thing: Americans seem to go one of two ways abroad; 1. super obnoxious, disrespectfully loud, and inappropriate, which honestly I've experienced to be in the over 50's crowd; or 2. super timid, deer in headlights, and overly apologetic. These people seem to be fake-tellectuals in their 20s.
Fake-tellectual: a person with very little sense of humor, educated at a just-missed-Ivy or actual Ivy league school, who believes that they are culturally relevant by reading books about places and seeing sights, but way too scared to actually experience the places and people that inhabit them.
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| Probably a douche, who does that kind of crap on purpose?! |
Julie and I have no intention of calling ourselves "cultured" because we went to an art museum and an old church. We meet the people we encounter and are just trying to have fun and be happy. We met a couple of American girls that are in Sevilla to teach English, but they are scared to party late (despite the fact taht they have nothing to do the next day), whine about drinking (then don't!), and look down their noses at Julie and I because they went to Tufts. Yes, your school is more acclaimed then JMU, but so what! I guess having a good time makes you stupid, whereas sitting in your room by yourself because you're scared makes you smart. Life is about experiences, baby!
We saw flamenco tonight for free and it was badass. It's got such a fierceness to it! I want to learn, but Julie thinks I'll suck hard. It's just so cool to see a dance that's not about being pretty or graceful, it's about being alive and rhythmic.
The only reason I'm posting so much is because there is a guy snoring in our 10 person dorm room. He is about 18 inches from my face and I'm not having it. I'd get ear plugs, but we have to be up at 7 to eat and catch our train to Barcelona.
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