Its that time again. Chelsea and I left Lucerne and traveled to Munich. One of the main reason I was so excited to be there was because I was going to get some time with my UncleJonny. I rarely see him as we live on opposite sides of the Atlantic and both lead busy lives. Anyway, he works in Munich during the week. We got there, dropped our luggage off at his hotel and settled down for a drink at his local haunt.
The waitress greeted us with a hug, excited that she could me Jonny's niece and then introduced us to everyone that entered the place from then on. Apparently my uncle is friends with the whole of Munich! We had planned to go out to dinner after a few drinks so Chelsea and I didn't eat beforehand. This proved to be a mistake. We ended up drinking uncle midnight and then heading to an amazing restaurant. We got there to find out that the kitchen was closed! So, of course, we sat down for more drinks. The waitresses were awesome and brought us some sausage and cheese but we were too far gone for it to make any difference.
My uncle put us up in a neighboring hotel for the night and we, once again, savored the little things. Having a bathtub (we took long, soaking bath...and washed our clothes in it), having a kitchen (we cooked a meal with fresh veggies and chicken), and having a gorgeous comfy bed (we slept for HOURS). We were very hungover the next day so we just stayed in. That night we realized there was a sauna and spa room in the hotel so we spent a couple hours in there and then went to bed. Chelsea and I are finding that we are either old or crazy. One night we can stay out until 4am and the next we need to go to bed by 8pm. I'm just thankful that Chelsea and my sleep patterns are relatively similar.
We worked out in the hotel gym the next morning and enjoyed the amazing, and free, buffet breakfast at the hotel. We then checked out and headed to a hostel called The Tent just outside the city. On our walk to the hostel, we caught our first glimpse of Munich. We had been so comsumed by savoring hotel life that we didn't leave the building! So finally we walked through Marienplatz on the way to the tram. Its the main shopping street so Chelsea and I were doing some serious temptation fighting.
We had planned to stay one night at The Tent but extended our stay a night as soon as we got there. The Tent is unlike any other hostel I've ever stayed at. It is set up like a campsite. With campgrounds, a bathroom and shower building, a reception building, and a cafeteria. As well as the personal tents, there is one HUGE tent that sleeps 100 people. Its about 100feet by 50feet with high ceilings and packed to the brim with bunkbeds and lockers. There are no walls in the tent so you literally feeling like you're rooming with 99 other people. It can be a problem to fall asleep if you don't have earplugs but it presents amazing opportunities to meet people. Within 3 hours of arriving at The Tent, we had made friends with a couple of Americans that had been there a few days.
We had plans to meet Annabelle, someone we had met while having drinks with my Uncle, at the English beer gardens. Our new friends came along and invited some more American friends of theirs. Little did we know what a night it would be. As soon as we got off the tram at the garden, it started to rain. We went to get a beer anyway but then it started to downpour. Annabelle amayingly invited all 6 of us back to her apartment for drinks and pizza. We ordered both from the midnight delivery system in Munich and proceeded to get drunk. Two of the younger guys were sick and headed home around midnight. At that point, Annabelle decided that we should go to a bar. We got a short taxi ride to her local joint and started drinking and dancing more. The place was underground and tiny but it was full of locals. They stared at us in amazment, wondering how we had found the place.
By 2am Chelsea and I were ready to go home. I pulled out my map and asked the bartender where the nearest tram stop was. It was nowhere close and a dangerous walk for a woman at night. We were stuck there until someone else wanted to leave. I settled in for the longhaul. Finally, the others decided they were ready to go home. At 5AM. We started the long trek back to The Tent, in daylight. We passed a huge fountain in Marienplatz and my friend, Kyle, and I decided to run through it. I don't know if you've ever gotten the urge to run through a fountain but I get it all the time and figured it was the perfect time to quench my thirst. It was really awesome but then we had a soaking wet, 40 minute tram ride back to the tent. We finally got to our beds at 6am, exhuasted and still drunk.
Chelsea and I were determined to do something productive the next day because we still hadn't seen any of the city. I woke her up at noon and we stumbled, tired and hungover, to the concentration camp (Dachau) even further outside the city. I think our state of mind and past few weeks made us even more sympathetic to the plight of the prisoners and we left with a much better apreciation for the simplicity and quality of our lives.
That night we stayed in and cooked dinner with an early bedtime. We caught up on sleep that night and when we woke the next morning, two of our friends invited us down the river. We put on our bathing suits and bought some alcohol. We then spent the day ont the river. Drinking, playing in the freezing water, soaking up the sun and the sights. I got completely burnt but it was worth it for the fun day we had.
Chelsea and I left for Vienna that night. We took the 6 hour overnight train. Now we are staying in another hostel just outside the city. Its a big dissappointment compared to The Tent but we're trying to make the best of it.
Tune in next time to hear of our experience in Vienna. Hope you're all healthy and happy,
Ash
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A whirlwind of countries
Hey All,
Chelsea and I are sitting in an internet cafe in Munich right now. Hungover and sleep derprived but pretty happy indeed. Modern technology means that most of the time, after writing a blog, I get to talk to Steve, my boyfriend, and my family. This does much to boost my spirits if they are down, even if I can barely form a coherent thought.
I last wrote the day before we left Barcelona. We woke up early to catch the train at 9am. We got the train station in a mad rush only to find that the train we were told ran on the weekends didnt exist. The next train was at 1pm. We woke up really early for nothing! Theres nothing worse you can tell a backpacker. Haha. We were severely pissed off and after afew yoga breaths we decided to make the best of our time in Barcelona. We shoved our packs in the train station lockers and ventured to a really awesome part of the city, La Rambla. Its a really long street that has a huge median. IN the median are stalls selling flowers, fruit, and even birds and turtles. Off to the side is one of the biggest covered markets I have ever seen, aside from Asian countries. I stayed in a hostel on La Rambla last time I was in Barcelona but Chelsea had never seen it. We wandered the strip for a couple hours savoring the smells and sights. Its a great experience and Im glad we got to see it.
We finally caught our train and headed to Montpellier, France. We made a stop in Cerbere to switch trains and then again in Lyon, long enough to have lunch. We made it Montpellier around 9pm and overpaid a taxi to take us to the hotel that Chelseas parents got us. There arent any hostels in the town because it is so small and Chelseas dad wanted to make sure that didnt stop us from seeing one of his favorite cities in the world. We gladly accepted his awesome gesture and quickly settled into the fact that we would have a real bed, not a bunk bed, and our own bathroom! It was glorious. My dad and Chelseas dad traveled to Montpellier for a rugby weekend in 2007. Thez both raved about the place and recommended some pubs and restaurants.
The place is absolutely tiny and offers nothing in the form of sightseeing or tourism. It was just what we were looking for. The town was first built by Romans so it had a distinctly Italian feel while still being French. It feels like a movie set, like no town like this could actually be real. We mostly just relaxed while we were there, taking naps and wandering the town in search of baguettes and wine. We stayed there for two nights. On our last night, we went out to a great little pizza place (counter intuitive, I know). Montpellier is VERY expensive and it was the only place that fit our budget. Our waiter, a cute (but too skinny) frenchman told us in broken english that he plans to travel and wanted to talk more about it. We fell for it, hook line and sinker. He met us at the local irish bar when he got off his shift. A friend of his was also there and didnt speak a word of english. Our friend, Luc, expressed a serious interest in Chelsea and started a long string of compliments and very blatant references to what he could do for her in one night. His friend and I just sat their in awe, jaws dropping.
He was a very outgoing kid and Chelsea was stunned. There was a perpetual blush on her face. This only encouraged him. At one point, he got so worked up in telling her she needed a one night stand that he said (excuse my language), 'you need a very big orgasm'. I was stunned and was crying laughing, Chelsea almost fell out of her seat. Anyway, it made for an entertaining last night.
We woke up early the next day to work out and shower. We've actually been pretty good about working out every other day. Running or circuit workouts if we have our own room. Its a great way to see the city, to run around it, and once you get passed the stares from the people in the city, its reallz enjoyable.
We got the train that day from Montpellier to Lucerne, Switerland. When we were planning our stay in Switzerland, I was talking to Chelsea while we were sitting at a couple of computers. We had no idea where to go or what we wanted to do and were being very clumsy about figuring it out. The guy next to me informs me that he is Swiss and recommended that we go to Lucerne. So thats what we did! After getting over the extortionate prices in Lucerne, we were able to appreciate its stunning beauty. Apparently it is a lot like Interlaken but lesser known and more beautiful. The train ride there was a treat in itself. The juxtaposition of the lush green and towering Alps gave us chills.
We got lucky in that there was a huge jazz festival going on while we were there called the Blue Balls Festival (translation problem. Haha). While they have paid concerts in a small theater, they also had an outdoor amphitheater with live music and surrounded by about 30 stalls with all kinds of food, beer, jewelry, and clothing. While we couldnt buy anything, we just wandered around soaking up the atmosphere.
The town is tiny, possible to walk around it in about 45 minutes, so we bought a picnic from the grocery store and found a little park with gorgeous views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps behind it. We laid there for a few hours and went back to our hostel to start drinking. I bought a 3 Franc (about 3 dollars) bottle of wine. It was disgusting but I managed to get about 3 quarters of it down. We went down to the festival again that night, this time a little jollier, and hoped that someone would approach us. We are generallz pretty outgoing but the people in attendace we made up of groups of friends and didnt bode well for us. When no one approached us, we just went to sit up on the stage, which had since been abandoned by the performers. We sat there, contentedly people watching when a woman finally came up to talk to us. She said that her friend really wanted Chelsea number, that he was a really nice guy but just very shy. She gave the woman her email address but told her not to give it to him until he came up to talk to us. After much persuading on her part, he finally approached us and we all talked for about an hour. We went back to our hostel and to bed.
The next morning we got the train from Lucerne to Munich and thats where we are now. More about that in the next post. Hope you are all happy and healthy. Miss you!
Ash
Chelsea and I are sitting in an internet cafe in Munich right now. Hungover and sleep derprived but pretty happy indeed. Modern technology means that most of the time, after writing a blog, I get to talk to Steve, my boyfriend, and my family. This does much to boost my spirits if they are down, even if I can barely form a coherent thought.
I last wrote the day before we left Barcelona. We woke up early to catch the train at 9am. We got the train station in a mad rush only to find that the train we were told ran on the weekends didnt exist. The next train was at 1pm. We woke up really early for nothing! Theres nothing worse you can tell a backpacker. Haha. We were severely pissed off and after afew yoga breaths we decided to make the best of our time in Barcelona. We shoved our packs in the train station lockers and ventured to a really awesome part of the city, La Rambla. Its a really long street that has a huge median. IN the median are stalls selling flowers, fruit, and even birds and turtles. Off to the side is one of the biggest covered markets I have ever seen, aside from Asian countries. I stayed in a hostel on La Rambla last time I was in Barcelona but Chelsea had never seen it. We wandered the strip for a couple hours savoring the smells and sights. Its a great experience and Im glad we got to see it.
We finally caught our train and headed to Montpellier, France. We made a stop in Cerbere to switch trains and then again in Lyon, long enough to have lunch. We made it Montpellier around 9pm and overpaid a taxi to take us to the hotel that Chelseas parents got us. There arent any hostels in the town because it is so small and Chelseas dad wanted to make sure that didnt stop us from seeing one of his favorite cities in the world. We gladly accepted his awesome gesture and quickly settled into the fact that we would have a real bed, not a bunk bed, and our own bathroom! It was glorious. My dad and Chelseas dad traveled to Montpellier for a rugby weekend in 2007. Thez both raved about the place and recommended some pubs and restaurants.
The place is absolutely tiny and offers nothing in the form of sightseeing or tourism. It was just what we were looking for. The town was first built by Romans so it had a distinctly Italian feel while still being French. It feels like a movie set, like no town like this could actually be real. We mostly just relaxed while we were there, taking naps and wandering the town in search of baguettes and wine. We stayed there for two nights. On our last night, we went out to a great little pizza place (counter intuitive, I know). Montpellier is VERY expensive and it was the only place that fit our budget. Our waiter, a cute (but too skinny) frenchman told us in broken english that he plans to travel and wanted to talk more about it. We fell for it, hook line and sinker. He met us at the local irish bar when he got off his shift. A friend of his was also there and didnt speak a word of english. Our friend, Luc, expressed a serious interest in Chelsea and started a long string of compliments and very blatant references to what he could do for her in one night. His friend and I just sat their in awe, jaws dropping.
He was a very outgoing kid and Chelsea was stunned. There was a perpetual blush on her face. This only encouraged him. At one point, he got so worked up in telling her she needed a one night stand that he said (excuse my language), 'you need a very big orgasm'. I was stunned and was crying laughing, Chelsea almost fell out of her seat. Anyway, it made for an entertaining last night.
We woke up early the next day to work out and shower. We've actually been pretty good about working out every other day. Running or circuit workouts if we have our own room. Its a great way to see the city, to run around it, and once you get passed the stares from the people in the city, its reallz enjoyable.
We got the train that day from Montpellier to Lucerne, Switerland. When we were planning our stay in Switzerland, I was talking to Chelsea while we were sitting at a couple of computers. We had no idea where to go or what we wanted to do and were being very clumsy about figuring it out. The guy next to me informs me that he is Swiss and recommended that we go to Lucerne. So thats what we did! After getting over the extortionate prices in Lucerne, we were able to appreciate its stunning beauty. Apparently it is a lot like Interlaken but lesser known and more beautiful. The train ride there was a treat in itself. The juxtaposition of the lush green and towering Alps gave us chills.
We got lucky in that there was a huge jazz festival going on while we were there called the Blue Balls Festival (translation problem. Haha). While they have paid concerts in a small theater, they also had an outdoor amphitheater with live music and surrounded by about 30 stalls with all kinds of food, beer, jewelry, and clothing. While we couldnt buy anything, we just wandered around soaking up the atmosphere.
The town is tiny, possible to walk around it in about 45 minutes, so we bought a picnic from the grocery store and found a little park with gorgeous views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps behind it. We laid there for a few hours and went back to our hostel to start drinking. I bought a 3 Franc (about 3 dollars) bottle of wine. It was disgusting but I managed to get about 3 quarters of it down. We went down to the festival again that night, this time a little jollier, and hoped that someone would approach us. We are generallz pretty outgoing but the people in attendace we made up of groups of friends and didnt bode well for us. When no one approached us, we just went to sit up on the stage, which had since been abandoned by the performers. We sat there, contentedly people watching when a woman finally came up to talk to us. She said that her friend really wanted Chelsea number, that he was a really nice guy but just very shy. She gave the woman her email address but told her not to give it to him until he came up to talk to us. After much persuading on her part, he finally approached us and we all talked for about an hour. We went back to our hostel and to bed.
The next morning we got the train from Lucerne to Munich and thats where we are now. More about that in the next post. Hope you are all happy and healthy. Miss you!
Ash
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Rest of Spain
Hello All,
We leave Spain tomorrow so I figured an update was necessary. We spent three more days in Madrid with Sarah, Aurel, and Dobs mostly just cooking, drinking, and talking. The last day we were there Aurel suggested that we actually see some of the city. So we woke up at the leisurely hour of noon, had some breakfast, and finally got out of the house at 2pm. The great thing about Spain is that even if you don´t see daylight until mid afternoon, they still view it as having the whole rest of the day left. We went to a cafe for some sangria, tapas, and internet access. Then off to the train station to try to figure out eurail tickets. The process of reserving them is not as easy as it sounds and can take hours with the result of not getting on the train you wanted. I´m quickly learning to go with the flow and relax a little. My new motto...whatever it is, its not worth getting angry about. After that we went to La Reina Sofia, a museum that houses tons of Dali and Picasso stuff. It was really cool but we didn´t have long there so it was a little rushed. We also got to see a cool street performance in front of the museum. Thats one good thing about traveling in the summer, there are so many outdoor, free events!
One night Sarah, Aurel, Dobs, Devon, Chelsea, and I cooked dinner, by that I mean I cooked dinner and everyone ate it. We got sufficiently drunk and walked around Madrid to a gorgeous dessert place. I scarfed down a oreo sundae and we took lots of awesome photos.
Chelsea and I left Madrid early on Thursday morning. We ended up having to wait in the Madrid train station for 2 hours and then the Barcelona station for 2 hours. With a 3 hour train ride in between. The ride was pretty cool. The landscape is a lot of desert. I´m not sure what I expected to see riding through Spain but that was not it.
We finally reached our hostel in Barcelona, tired and very sweaty. The people at the hostel were all really cool though and they quickly boosted our spirits. The accomodations here are great with a kitchen and living room on each of the four floors. Chelsea and I decided to attend a hostel event that took us to a club on the seafront. We each drank a bottle of wine before we went out, thinking that we then wouldn´t spend money at the club. We were drunk but not too bad. Then the people we were hanging out with decided it would be a good idea to steal a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar. Needless to say, we left the club almost falling over. The taxi dropped us about a block from our apartment and it still took us 45 minutes walking to find the place. We walked in the wrong direction! On our walk we encountered an couple interesting characters. At one point, we were crossing the street and had to shuffle between a couple of cars. On the sidewalk stood a man, fully dressed, except for his man parts which were sitting, erect and waiting, in his hand. He proceeded to wag them at us so we quickly walked away. When he started to follow us, I used my hard earned street skills and turned around to confront him. I gave him my most intimidated stare and yelled ´NO!´as loud as I could. He freaked out and turning, running, in the other direction. Some serious awesome points for me. I felt like a million bucks. HAHA.
Today we woke us with massive hangovers. We managed to roll out of bed at noon and found that, after throwing up, walking was the only thing that made us feel ok. We walked La Sagrada Familia, Gaudis infamous Cathedral that has been under construction for over 100 years. I stayed outside because I´ve already seen it, and Chelsea went inside and to the top. I enjoyed some people watching in the park inside and had the gorgeous view of the cathedral in the background. We then got on the metro, not a nice experience while drunk, and made it to the beach. The beach in Barcelona is stunning. Really long and with beautiful sand and warm water. We collapsed in the sand, underneath an umbrella, and let the sound of the waves sooth our pounding heads. There were tons of people walking around the beach trying to sell things Chelsea was checking her facebook and read a message from Lisa Prior saying that we should seize every opportunity that arose. At that moment, an woman walked past offering back massages. What better opportunity than that! Haha. Two asian ladies gave us a 15 minute back massage for 5 euro. It worked out all the backpack kinks and only helped to relax us. It also killed the last of the hangover blues.
We hadn´t eaten all day and found a restaurant that was recommended by the lady at our hostel. She said it was a local joint and had the best paella in town. It was a little pricier than our budget but the food was delicious and we have leftovers to last at least another day.
Now we are back at the hostel, going to bed early so we can have an early departure to Montpellier tomorrow. I´m missing home a lot tonight. It probably because I´m fretting about money and consumed by pure exhaustion. All in all though, life is amazing. Chelsea and I were sitting on the beach wondering how our lives could be so great. How do we have opportunities like this and the means to seize them?? Its incredible. Cross your fingers that a good nights sleep gets rid of my sad mood. I miss you all like you wouldn´t beleive.
Hope you´re all having great days.
Ash
We leave Spain tomorrow so I figured an update was necessary. We spent three more days in Madrid with Sarah, Aurel, and Dobs mostly just cooking, drinking, and talking. The last day we were there Aurel suggested that we actually see some of the city. So we woke up at the leisurely hour of noon, had some breakfast, and finally got out of the house at 2pm. The great thing about Spain is that even if you don´t see daylight until mid afternoon, they still view it as having the whole rest of the day left. We went to a cafe for some sangria, tapas, and internet access. Then off to the train station to try to figure out eurail tickets. The process of reserving them is not as easy as it sounds and can take hours with the result of not getting on the train you wanted. I´m quickly learning to go with the flow and relax a little. My new motto...whatever it is, its not worth getting angry about. After that we went to La Reina Sofia, a museum that houses tons of Dali and Picasso stuff. It was really cool but we didn´t have long there so it was a little rushed. We also got to see a cool street performance in front of the museum. Thats one good thing about traveling in the summer, there are so many outdoor, free events!
One night Sarah, Aurel, Dobs, Devon, Chelsea, and I cooked dinner, by that I mean I cooked dinner and everyone ate it. We got sufficiently drunk and walked around Madrid to a gorgeous dessert place. I scarfed down a oreo sundae and we took lots of awesome photos.
Chelsea and I left Madrid early on Thursday morning. We ended up having to wait in the Madrid train station for 2 hours and then the Barcelona station for 2 hours. With a 3 hour train ride in between. The ride was pretty cool. The landscape is a lot of desert. I´m not sure what I expected to see riding through Spain but that was not it.
We finally reached our hostel in Barcelona, tired and very sweaty. The people at the hostel were all really cool though and they quickly boosted our spirits. The accomodations here are great with a kitchen and living room on each of the four floors. Chelsea and I decided to attend a hostel event that took us to a club on the seafront. We each drank a bottle of wine before we went out, thinking that we then wouldn´t spend money at the club. We were drunk but not too bad. Then the people we were hanging out with decided it would be a good idea to steal a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar. Needless to say, we left the club almost falling over. The taxi dropped us about a block from our apartment and it still took us 45 minutes walking to find the place. We walked in the wrong direction! On our walk we encountered an couple interesting characters. At one point, we were crossing the street and had to shuffle between a couple of cars. On the sidewalk stood a man, fully dressed, except for his man parts which were sitting, erect and waiting, in his hand. He proceeded to wag them at us so we quickly walked away. When he started to follow us, I used my hard earned street skills and turned around to confront him. I gave him my most intimidated stare and yelled ´NO!´as loud as I could. He freaked out and turning, running, in the other direction. Some serious awesome points for me. I felt like a million bucks. HAHA.
Today we woke us with massive hangovers. We managed to roll out of bed at noon and found that, after throwing up, walking was the only thing that made us feel ok. We walked La Sagrada Familia, Gaudis infamous Cathedral that has been under construction for over 100 years. I stayed outside because I´ve already seen it, and Chelsea went inside and to the top. I enjoyed some people watching in the park inside and had the gorgeous view of the cathedral in the background. We then got on the metro, not a nice experience while drunk, and made it to the beach. The beach in Barcelona is stunning. Really long and with beautiful sand and warm water. We collapsed in the sand, underneath an umbrella, and let the sound of the waves sooth our pounding heads. There were tons of people walking around the beach trying to sell things Chelsea was checking her facebook and read a message from Lisa Prior saying that we should seize every opportunity that arose. At that moment, an woman walked past offering back massages. What better opportunity than that! Haha. Two asian ladies gave us a 15 minute back massage for 5 euro. It worked out all the backpack kinks and only helped to relax us. It also killed the last of the hangover blues.
We hadn´t eaten all day and found a restaurant that was recommended by the lady at our hostel. She said it was a local joint and had the best paella in town. It was a little pricier than our budget but the food was delicious and we have leftovers to last at least another day.
Now we are back at the hostel, going to bed early so we can have an early departure to Montpellier tomorrow. I´m missing home a lot tonight. It probably because I´m fretting about money and consumed by pure exhaustion. All in all though, life is amazing. Chelsea and I were sitting on the beach wondering how our lives could be so great. How do we have opportunities like this and the means to seize them?? Its incredible. Cross your fingers that a good nights sleep gets rid of my sad mood. I miss you all like you wouldn´t beleive.
Hope you´re all having great days.
Ash
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Run for your lives!!!
I fully intended to write twice a week but am finding it very difficult to find the time!!
I stayed at the Reid's house for three days and had my first real relaxation time in two months. I spent two weeks with them when I was 15 and have since thought of it as a second home. The hustle and bustle means that no one minds if you disappear for a few hours. They're getting used to the fact that I take naps like crazy and will say something if I don't like what they have planned for me. Lizzo is an amazing mum and takes me under her wing whenever I'm there. The three days I was there were made up of seeing old friends and getting some serious rest in. Watching tv and washing windows (by choice!), going out with Becky and her friends. It was a really good time and gave me some much needed time to recharge my batteries. I can't say that I'm looking forward to school in September, but I'm not dreading it anymore. I think that as soon as I'm fully rested, I will start to enjoy the idea of learning again.
I caught the train early on Saturday morning (very early) and climbed on a plane to Madrid! The continental portion of my trip is based almost entirely on the whims of Chelsea (my travel buddy and one of my best friends) and I. Chelsea arrived before me and she, Sarah, and Aurel were at the airport to greet me. I have had the fortune and luck of seeing Sarah about every few months but I haven't seen Aurel since last April and I haven't spent quality time with Chels since December. We went back to Sarah and Aurel's apartment, went shopping for outfits so that we could be completely dressed in white, and went to the grocery store. Then we piled into the rental car and headed to Pamplona for the Festivale San Fermin (otherwise known as the Running of the Bulls).
We left at 6pm and arrived at 11.30pm. Five hours of straight driving and we got out of the car and started drinking immediately. Its hard to explain how incredibly huge this party was. EVERYONE, and I mean everyone, is dressed completely in white with red scarfs tied around their necks. Everyone over the age of 12 is at some level of drunkenness and almost everyone is planning on staying up all night. We wandered the streets of Pamplona clutching our boxes of Sangria and soaking up the atmosphere. This was the last night of the festival and the next morning was the last bull run. Everyone was out to party. From 11.30pm to 6am we attended several free concerts held throughout the town, went dancing at a club, and found the best kebab I've ever tasted. Everyone was in high spirits and it was incredibly surreal. I hadn't slept on my flight or the night before so I was drunk with exhaustion and happiness. The only way I can come close to explaining it is a rugby weekend where everyone is rooting for the same team and the attendance is the size of 1 million people. It's something that you really can't know unless you've been.
At 6am we all flocked to the stadium that the bulls and runners end up in. The run didn't start until 8am but we had to get our seats. We spent the next two hours trying to stay awake and taking pictures to document the epic night. At 8am, a tv screen in the arena showed us the run starting. Men of all ages, dressed in white, stretching and preparing for battle. I soon realized that to run with the bulls makes you more of a man (at least in the eyes of these crazy people) and to touch to bull basically means you're a god. Two people had died during this years week-long festival, but luckily no one died in this run. We did see some blood and some serious injuries, but no deaths.
The run starts outside the stadium and ends in the stadium. Is actually kind of funny watching the thousands of runners filter into the ring and to the edges of the dirt to stay out of the way of the bulls. Then the bulls run through and its all over pretty fast (aside from the unfortunate few who come in contact with the horns). The show isn't over though. The men all stay in the stadium and a smaller, baby bull comes out and in its confusion and desire to be back with its mother, it charges the men in the ring. This is mostly harmless, the worst injury we saw was a man knocked unconscious, and most men get right up and start taunting the bull again. At this point, I was torn between sympathy for the animal and really wishing for the idiots in the ring to get thrown around. It was definitely an experience but I don't know if I could watch it again.
After 6 baby bulls came and went, everyone left the stadium for some much needed sleep. At this point, it was 9am. I had slept 4 hours in the last 48 hours. I was dead. We had a quick picnic and then slept in the car for a couple hours. When we had just enough energy to do the 5 hour drive back, we left. We arrived home, had some dinner, and went back to sleep. I woke up 15 hours later for an awesome couple days in Madrid, but that blog is soon to come.
Love you all. Don't forget to smile, they're contagious.
Besos!
Ash
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The other side of the family....and the country
I last wrote after my first night in Dublin. Although I was still a little tense about being alone, I decided to make the best of it. I spent Saturday wandering the town. I tried not to look at a map and just went where my feet took me. I'm not one for sight seeing. The sights are where the tourists go and that means loads of people. Not to sound snobby, but I'd much rather sit and people watch with a drink in my hand.
After a couple of hours of walking, I realized that Dublin is tiny and there aren't even very many sights to see. The special thing about Dublin is its ambience. The music scene and tyhe heritage. The general happiness of the place. Even though it was raining almost all weekend, there is a happiness about it. So after I circled the city, I had a 4 hour siesta that put the evening at my fingertips. I quickly got ready and headed out on the town. I bought a beer at the local grocery store and headed over to the historical district. That band I like was there again! They weren't going to play for a while though so I found a place to sit on the side walk and watch the world go by.
Its interesting how certain people hate to see others sitting alone. I am one of these people and completely understand the compulsion to sit and talk with them, or at least give them a hug to say "its ok to be alone". Well I came across a group of very drunk Irishmen who did just that. There were about 6 of them, one of them relatively sober, the others EXTREMELY drunk. The one, came to sit and talk to me. I reckon that his original idea was to hit on me but once he realized that I way too young, he settled for just talking to me. His friends immediately spied what he was doing and decided to come and torment us. They were tripping over themselves and falling on top of him. Ruffling my hair and asking me all kinds of rude questions. It sounds like I don't like drunkards and was getting annoying, however this is far from the truth. I love watching drunken people (and being one of them at times) and think its really funny to interact with them. Well this was hilarious, until one of them decided to lay on top of me. I had a beer in my hand and was not going to let it go so I luckily saved it from falling when he toppled me over. I was laying at the bottom of a doggy pile screaming "my beer! watch my beer!" So, as you do, this man grabbed my beer and squeezed the can until it drained over his friend, the relatively sober one. Absolutely hilarious as long as it doesn't get all over me, which it didn't. My new friend bought me a new beer and they went on their merry way (to a strip club, they said).
I spent the rest of the evening listening to my band (I finally bought one of their cds), and having a drink with a hostel roommate. We went to bed early because I was to get up early the next morning.
Sunday was a completely different experience. I wanted to get out of the city to see the Irish countryside that everyone raves about. I managed to find a tour that only takes 12 people in a small-ish van. It was a friendly and intimate affair. I fluttered my eyelashes and snagged the front seat, managing not to get trapped in the back with the group of Slovakians that made up the rest of the tour. Our guide/driver was a man in his 70's with an amazing knowledge of the land and great knack for storytelling. He drove us up and through the highlands, about 2 hours outside the city, stopping every half hour or so for another spectacular view. The car was mostly silent in between stops and it was such a peaceful and quiet place. A great place to get stuck in your own thoughts. Reflect on life and all that. We ended up at an ancient monastery for a couple hours, walking around the gravestones and greenery. It was surprisingly uplifting and unspeakably gorgeous. I fell asleep on the drive back and still managed to sleep for 12 hours that night. How am I so tired!? Its ridiculous.
On Monday, I got a flight back to Britain. Met up with Fotis and George for a couple drinks in London and managed to miss my bus (again) by 3 minutes. Literally. And it was not because I was drunk, I was waiting at the wrong gate. Doh! I wrangled another bus and got into Penarth (my dad's home town) at midnight. Mutti (my grandma) waited up for me and we spent a couple hours catching up. The next day was spent walking around Ikea with Mutti and Sheena (my aunt) looking at couches. I am not being sarcastic when I say that it was really fun.
Today I arrived at the Reid's house. I've only been here 3 hours and its already a whirlwind of activity. I will be here until Saturday when I leave for Madrid.
I'm excited to have a travel buddy from Madrid onward. I am finding that traveling alone gives me way too much time to think. I already think too much and with no one else to distract me, I'm getting trapped in my own head. Thinking about the future and what I'm going to do with my life. Just thinking too far ahead when its really not neccessary. My dad and Steve managed to snap me out of it when I was going crazy last night but I think I just need a nice long drinking session to dumb me down a little bit. Stupid forward-thinking brain.
Hope you're all doing well. Much love.
AAsh
After a couple of hours of walking, I realized that Dublin is tiny and there aren't even very many sights to see. The special thing about Dublin is its ambience. The music scene and tyhe heritage. The general happiness of the place. Even though it was raining almost all weekend, there is a happiness about it. So after I circled the city, I had a 4 hour siesta that put the evening at my fingertips. I quickly got ready and headed out on the town. I bought a beer at the local grocery store and headed over to the historical district. That band I like was there again! They weren't going to play for a while though so I found a place to sit on the side walk and watch the world go by.
Its interesting how certain people hate to see others sitting alone. I am one of these people and completely understand the compulsion to sit and talk with them, or at least give them a hug to say "its ok to be alone". Well I came across a group of very drunk Irishmen who did just that. There were about 6 of them, one of them relatively sober, the others EXTREMELY drunk. The one, came to sit and talk to me. I reckon that his original idea was to hit on me but once he realized that I way too young, he settled for just talking to me. His friends immediately spied what he was doing and decided to come and torment us. They were tripping over themselves and falling on top of him. Ruffling my hair and asking me all kinds of rude questions. It sounds like I don't like drunkards and was getting annoying, however this is far from the truth. I love watching drunken people (and being one of them at times) and think its really funny to interact with them. Well this was hilarious, until one of them decided to lay on top of me. I had a beer in my hand and was not going to let it go so I luckily saved it from falling when he toppled me over. I was laying at the bottom of a doggy pile screaming "my beer! watch my beer!" So, as you do, this man grabbed my beer and squeezed the can until it drained over his friend, the relatively sober one. Absolutely hilarious as long as it doesn't get all over me, which it didn't. My new friend bought me a new beer and they went on their merry way (to a strip club, they said).
I spent the rest of the evening listening to my band (I finally bought one of their cds), and having a drink with a hostel roommate. We went to bed early because I was to get up early the next morning.
Sunday was a completely different experience. I wanted to get out of the city to see the Irish countryside that everyone raves about. I managed to find a tour that only takes 12 people in a small-ish van. It was a friendly and intimate affair. I fluttered my eyelashes and snagged the front seat, managing not to get trapped in the back with the group of Slovakians that made up the rest of the tour. Our guide/driver was a man in his 70's with an amazing knowledge of the land and great knack for storytelling. He drove us up and through the highlands, about 2 hours outside the city, stopping every half hour or so for another spectacular view. The car was mostly silent in between stops and it was such a peaceful and quiet place. A great place to get stuck in your own thoughts. Reflect on life and all that. We ended up at an ancient monastery for a couple hours, walking around the gravestones and greenery. It was surprisingly uplifting and unspeakably gorgeous. I fell asleep on the drive back and still managed to sleep for 12 hours that night. How am I so tired!? Its ridiculous.
On Monday, I got a flight back to Britain. Met up with Fotis and George for a couple drinks in London and managed to miss my bus (again) by 3 minutes. Literally. And it was not because I was drunk, I was waiting at the wrong gate. Doh! I wrangled another bus and got into Penarth (my dad's home town) at midnight. Mutti (my grandma) waited up for me and we spent a couple hours catching up. The next day was spent walking around Ikea with Mutti and Sheena (my aunt) looking at couches. I am not being sarcastic when I say that it was really fun.
Today I arrived at the Reid's house. I've only been here 3 hours and its already a whirlwind of activity. I will be here until Saturday when I leave for Madrid.
I'm excited to have a travel buddy from Madrid onward. I am finding that traveling alone gives me way too much time to think. I already think too much and with no one else to distract me, I'm getting trapped in my own head. Thinking about the future and what I'm going to do with my life. Just thinking too far ahead when its really not neccessary. My dad and Steve managed to snap me out of it when I was going crazy last night but I think I just need a nice long drinking session to dumb me down a little bit. Stupid forward-thinking brain.
Hope you're all doing well. Much love.
AAsh
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Designed to Smile
Hellooooooo,
I can't believe that its been a week since I wrote last. I haven't had a spare fifteen minutes to access a computer and write my life away. So here it is. I left off at my Uncle and Aunt's house. We ended up staying in and cozying up to a movie. Exhausted from....well from doing nothing, I promptly fell asleep. Granted the couch is the size of three queen matresses and was cloaked in cashmere throws. Clearly it was made for Ashley to fall asleep on.
The next morning, my Aunty Lisa picked me up for tea and a ride to the train station. I haven't seen her in about 15 years and it was unreal to catch up with a long lost family member. We are astoundingly similar in our views on life and I'm really happy that we managed to catch up.
I took the train ride from Edinburgh to Markinch and was met by my Aunty Caroly K. As soon as we arrived on the Arnot farm, memories started flooding back. I spent three weeks there before I started high school. Playing the rain, my first alcoholic drink, learning to drive a stick shift, and witnessing a bloated dead cow getting its eyes pecked out by crows (hahah). The place feels like a second home and I love Caroly and Uncle Bill like an Uncle and Aunt (Caroly is my second cousin). I managed to get down to see Uncle Charlie (Caroly's dad) and Aunty Anne (Caroly's sister) on the Monday. Other than that, I hung out with Caroly and Uncle Bill and relaxed from all that doing nothing that went on for the past week.
My bus left St. Andrews Square on Wednesday morning. I figured that this meant it left from St. Andrews. Oh how wrong I was. Apparently, St. Andrews Square is in Edinburgh, a half hour away. I arrived at the St. Andrews bus station five minutes before my bus was meant to leave and then realized that I would clearly miss it. Aunty Carole and Minnie had thankfully stayed to make sure I got on the bus. I hopped back in the car and we ventured back to Aunty Carole's house to schedule a new bus ride. They were all booked for the next two days. Perfect. My only option was an even longer bus ride or an extortionately expensive train or plane ride. Aunty Carole, being the amazing woman she is, treated me to a plane ride down to London. Rather than suffering over 9 hours on the bus, I only spent and hour and half on the plane. AWESOME. It also meant I got to spend the whole day with Aunty Carole, Minnie, and their two dogs. We took a gorgeous walk on the water to get some ice cream and then snuggled up to the rain outside.
I arrived in London on Wednesday evening and took the train to meet Karen and Fotis (Katie's last name). I met them through a family friend (George) when they all came to stay with us in San Diego for a few days. We went back to Karen's house for a couple drinks. The next days we walked all around her town, to the gym for a swim, to her grandma's house for a ridiculously cheesy (ie. yummy), homemade macaroni and cheese followed my rasberries, ice cream, and meringues. We then went to George's house to see him Mum and then back to Karen's for a barbeque. It was great to be around Karen's family but it really made me miss mine. Note to my mum: Can we have a barbeque with everyone when I get home?
I left Karen's the next day and got on another plane to Dublin. That is where I am now. Its my first trip in a foreign city completely alone. Last night I was a bit apprehensive to tour the city without a companion but soon realized that it has its merits. All I have to consider is what I want to do. I can change my mind on a whim and not worry about who it affects. I went out in this historic area called Temple Bar. They are trying to breathe new life into the area and it is full of pubs, restaurants, and street performers. I stumbled across a REALLY good street band comprised of a violinist, 2 bassists, bongo player, and guitarist. I didn't have money to buy a cd but I'm going to see if they're there again tonight. I ate a sandwich in the main square and did some awesome people watching. Then settled into a pub for a guinness and irish band. A canadian man, at least ten years older than me, started conversation. He was a really nice guy but I quickly realized that he was interested in more than good conversation. I listened to a couple more songs and, just as he offered to buy me a drink, I excused myself and walked back to my hostel. It was a really good night. It seems like this city was just designed to make people smile. Everyone is so happy and friendly.
I'm about to find a book store and a grocery store and settle in for more people watching. Love you all. Hope you're all happy and healthy.
Ash
I can't believe that its been a week since I wrote last. I haven't had a spare fifteen minutes to access a computer and write my life away. So here it is. I left off at my Uncle and Aunt's house. We ended up staying in and cozying up to a movie. Exhausted from....well from doing nothing, I promptly fell asleep. Granted the couch is the size of three queen matresses and was cloaked in cashmere throws. Clearly it was made for Ashley to fall asleep on.
The next morning, my Aunty Lisa picked me up for tea and a ride to the train station. I haven't seen her in about 15 years and it was unreal to catch up with a long lost family member. We are astoundingly similar in our views on life and I'm really happy that we managed to catch up.
I took the train ride from Edinburgh to Markinch and was met by my Aunty Caroly K. As soon as we arrived on the Arnot farm, memories started flooding back. I spent three weeks there before I started high school. Playing the rain, my first alcoholic drink, learning to drive a stick shift, and witnessing a bloated dead cow getting its eyes pecked out by crows (hahah). The place feels like a second home and I love Caroly and Uncle Bill like an Uncle and Aunt (Caroly is my second cousin). I managed to get down to see Uncle Charlie (Caroly's dad) and Aunty Anne (Caroly's sister) on the Monday. Other than that, I hung out with Caroly and Uncle Bill and relaxed from all that doing nothing that went on for the past week.
My bus left St. Andrews Square on Wednesday morning. I figured that this meant it left from St. Andrews. Oh how wrong I was. Apparently, St. Andrews Square is in Edinburgh, a half hour away. I arrived at the St. Andrews bus station five minutes before my bus was meant to leave and then realized that I would clearly miss it. Aunty Carole and Minnie had thankfully stayed to make sure I got on the bus. I hopped back in the car and we ventured back to Aunty Carole's house to schedule a new bus ride. They were all booked for the next two days. Perfect. My only option was an even longer bus ride or an extortionately expensive train or plane ride. Aunty Carole, being the amazing woman she is, treated me to a plane ride down to London. Rather than suffering over 9 hours on the bus, I only spent and hour and half on the plane. AWESOME. It also meant I got to spend the whole day with Aunty Carole, Minnie, and their two dogs. We took a gorgeous walk on the water to get some ice cream and then snuggled up to the rain outside.
I arrived in London on Wednesday evening and took the train to meet Karen and Fotis (Katie's last name). I met them through a family friend (George) when they all came to stay with us in San Diego for a few days. We went back to Karen's house for a couple drinks. The next days we walked all around her town, to the gym for a swim, to her grandma's house for a ridiculously cheesy (ie. yummy), homemade macaroni and cheese followed my rasberries, ice cream, and meringues. We then went to George's house to see him Mum and then back to Karen's for a barbeque. It was great to be around Karen's family but it really made me miss mine. Note to my mum: Can we have a barbeque with everyone when I get home?
I left Karen's the next day and got on another plane to Dublin. That is where I am now. Its my first trip in a foreign city completely alone. Last night I was a bit apprehensive to tour the city without a companion but soon realized that it has its merits. All I have to consider is what I want to do. I can change my mind on a whim and not worry about who it affects. I went out in this historic area called Temple Bar. They are trying to breathe new life into the area and it is full of pubs, restaurants, and street performers. I stumbled across a REALLY good street band comprised of a violinist, 2 bassists, bongo player, and guitarist. I didn't have money to buy a cd but I'm going to see if they're there again tonight. I ate a sandwich in the main square and did some awesome people watching. Then settled into a pub for a guinness and irish band. A canadian man, at least ten years older than me, started conversation. He was a really nice guy but I quickly realized that he was interested in more than good conversation. I listened to a couple more songs and, just as he offered to buy me a drink, I excused myself and walked back to my hostel. It was a really good night. It seems like this city was just designed to make people smile. Everyone is so happy and friendly.
I'm about to find a book store and a grocery store and settle in for more people watching. Love you all. Hope you're all happy and healthy.
Ash
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
