I forgot something in my last entry, one of the most essential parts - the quote! I thought that this one was particularly fitting, given all this talk and speculation about food poisoning and weird diseases....

"If you actually look like your passport photo, you aren't well enough to travel." - Sir Vivian Fuchs

Truer words have not been spoken.

'Til India!

Europe Concluded / Phase III

I am in Budapest now where I have met up with Shaina before we start our Asia adventures! I must say that although I loved my solo travelling stint, I am definitely ready to be with someone again now! The past few days since I have been here we have mainly been getting last minute things for India, trying to do some planning, and also trying to not get too freaked out by all of the food-poisoning (the fondly named "delhi belly") and stories of sicknesses that our friends who were there in the summer have been telling us about.... I did however have a chance to go down to Parliament, as I wanted to check out this whole "riot" situation that I am sure you have been hearing about on the news. As always the media has managed to do a good job of making the worst of the situation, as it is mainly a peaceful protest with the few cases of violence being quite limited. (Unlike the massive violence and chaos that has been portrayed on the news). It was actually quite amazing to see such a huge group of people, all assembled outside of the parliament buildings with Hungarian flags - so patriotic.

I am going to jump to the conclusion as the night is late and sleep may be a good idea to counteract the "shock of a lifetime" that we have been told numerous times to expect upon arriving in Delhi. Thus it is on to Phase III of my trip, Phase I being my time in Spain with Tom, Phase II being my solo travel and this, Phase III, India and Southeast Asia with Shaina! Will be updating the blog as much as possible, and as always, love to hear from all of you!

To learning, adventure, and delhi belly....

Plentiful Perogies in Poland

My last stop in Eastern Europe was Poland, before meeting up with Shaina (good friend from Queens Chem Eng who I am travelling to India and Southeast Asia with) in Budapest. Unfortunately I only had time to see one city in this country - Krakow. I decided to go here based on high reccomendations from Sarah¨s Polish flatmates in Barcelona. The city itself is small, which I like, and very interesting as it is one of the few cities in Poland to escape WWII largely with no damage. It is also home to the largest medieval square in Europe - 200m X 200m which is HUGE! Very neat though as it is full of life - cafes, restaurants, shops, buskers, flowers, horse and carriages. I feel I have to mention the hostel that I stayed in here as it was truly incredible - they gave me a cup of tea when I checked in, had an amazing free breakfast (so much cheese!), and did my laundry for FREE!! What a luxury...

I spent a long and emotional day at Auchwitz and Birkenau. As these two former concentration camps are only an 1 1/2 hour drive from Krakow, I felt that although it was an extremely difficult experience, one that I could not avoid. The only word that I can think of to describe it is intense. Despite the warm and sunny fall temperatures, I had icy goosebumps and shivers the entire time, and tears brimming in my eyes all day. Although we have all learned about this in school, seen pictures, read articles etc., I cannot even attempt to explain what it is like when you are physically standing on the ground upon which so many thousands and thousands of innocent people lost their lives..... I only took one picture the entire day, as I definitely will not need any pictures to remind me of the images I saw there. The picture I took was of a quote on the walls of one of the barracks which read: ˝The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.˝ - George Santayna. Enough said.

My last day in Krakow I went to a small town close to Krakow called Wieliczka, which is home to yet another UNESCO site - a Salt Mine. You could not visit the mine without doing a guided tour, so I joined up with the English tour and climbed down 387 stairs to the first level of the mine, at a depth of 64m underground. We were in the mine for about 2 1/2 hours, covering 2km of corridors, ranging in depths of 64 - 130m. However, this is nothing when compared with the entire scope of the mine as it has 300km of corridors ranging down to depths of 326m below ground level! I guess this is what happens when they have been mining the same mine for 700 years! Literally everthing in the mine was made from salt - the steps, floor, various intricate statues carved by the miners, and of course the walls (which I had to lick, just to make absolutely certain it really was salt...which I quickly learned there is no doubt that it is!) The most incredible sight was a huge chapel in the mine, which had been created by 3 miners only, over a time period of 64 years. It was complete with an alterpiece carved from salt, chandeliers made of rock salt, and numerous carvings on the walls reinacting scenes from the bible, as well as the one that impressed me the most - The Last Supper, carved in salt, of course. There were also underground lakes in the mine which had a salt content of 32%, making it impossible to drown in them, as you can only float on the surface. Crazy.

During my short time in Poland I also consumed a lot of periogie - soo delicious and so many different kinds! After only 3 nights in Krakow I boarded a night train to Budapest. 11 hours on the train was so long, but as least I didn´t get my bags stolen or my cabin gassed, or locked into the washroom, as I have heard stories of from other traveler´s I have met who have spent time in Eastern Europe! (Don´t worry Mom and Dad....)

Ciao for now

´It is where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we are.˝
- Joyce Carol Oates

Czech-ing out Prague...

So after a too-short time in Germany, it was onto the Czech Republic. My first stop was Prague, which was only a 2 hour train ride over the border from Konigstein. I had much been anticipating this city after hearing only rave reviews about it from everyone I have met along my trip. It definitely lived up to all of my expectations. I had to keep reminding myself to raise my natural sight up above the annoying abundance of souvenier shops and designer clothing shops in order to take in the beautiful buildings above - I think this city just might rival Barcelona in it´s incredible architecture. (Alhtough I know it is not fair to compare!). Although the crowds of tourists and tour groups were FAR worse then any other city I have been to so far (you really couldn´t get away from them), it is truly a beautiful city, justifying the reason for so many tourists wanting to see it I guess. I spent a morning at Prague castle, which according to the Guiness Book of World Records is the largest castle complex in the world - it was huge, more like a village than a castle! I also ventured into the Strahov Library which was incredible - built in 1679 it had shelves and shelves of such old books, housed in bookcases underneath beautiful frescoed ceilings. There was one collection on trees and tree growing, and each book in the collection was bound in the bark of the tree that it described - so groovy!

On my last morning in Prague I got up at 6am with an Australian girl that was in my room, and we went to the Charles Bridge to watch the sunrise. I had been told that the early morning torture of dragging yourself out of bed was well worth it as both the views and the lack of crazy tourist crowds are great - this couldn´t have been more true, and it was definitley a highlight of my time in Prague, to be able to experience the city without the madness of the swarms of tourists.

I decided to spend 2 nights in Cesky Krumlov, based on the reccomendation by a Canadian guy that was in my hostel in Portugal. After deciding to go here, I only heard subsequent fabulous reviews about it from everyone who had been there, so I thought it was a spot that could not be missed - they could not have been more right - I had found a new haven. This town in southern Czech is very small and is divided mulitple times by the path of a windy river. I couldn't help but feeling the whole time like I was on a movie set - small little shops and cafes that you navigate your way to through windy cobblestone streets and across quaint wooden bridges, with a huge castle (yes, another castle - I have never seen so many castles in my life as I have on this trip!) casting a protective eye on the town. My hostel was fantastic- felt like home! Very small and run by two great Czech women, which was great as I had many a long conversation with them, learning a lot about the country, culture, and people. They had a deck that was literally right over the river; I could have sat out there for days in the sun, reading and writing in my journal. However, time marches on with no regard for this type of preference...

As the town is so small that you can walk from one side to the other in 10 minutes, it did not take long to see it all and get my bearings. The castle was very beautiful, with the most interesting part about it being the moat that surrounded it - not any ordinary moat with water, this moat was home to 2 bears! Yes, bears. They have been living there for 400 years (obviously not the same bears for 400 years....). An interesting spin on medieval castle protection techniques. I ended up meeting a ton of Canadians in Cesky, which was good as it was fun going out for drinks at the eccletic collection of pubs and bars in the town with them (one named "Horror Bar" decorated with skeletons hung from the ceiling as if in flight, dressed in goulish dresses and scraps of fabric, a glass cabinet with bones on display and candles casting eeire shadows on the wall. Interesting place.), however I have to say was felt a little odd to be sitting in Czech Republic at a table with 10 other Candians - not exactly my idea of meeting locals, however.....
I went horseback riding one day which was simply fantastic. Although we walked the entire time it was so great to be back on a horse again (it has been 3 years, before which I was riding 6 days a week) and the views in the countryside were beautiful. I think it was more of a tease than anything else, I miss horses and riding! This place really grew on me, so much that I felt I really couldn't leave after 2 nights ..... so I didn't. At the last minute I decided to stay for one extra relaxing day before heading to Poland. 'Twas a great decision indeed.

My time in the Czech Republic was short, but good to both my wallet and my stomach! Everything was so much cheaper that I could afford to eat out in restaurants - such a luxury! I think it is worth mentioning that I have absolutely no problem now eating alone in a restaurant - maybe a sign that I am getting too used to travelling on my own?

˝I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train.˝ - Oscar Wilde

Pictures!!!!

Inside the Reichstag in Berlin. Such a contrast between historical buildings and modern architecture..

Sea Otter (yes, I know you are thinking "I thought you were in southern europe...). This was at the Oceanarium in Lisbon, at the Expo '99 sight - supposedly the best aquarium in the world.

Cabo da Roca - Europe's most occidental (and windiest!) point! Simply spectacular.

Standing atop the "Castelo Dos Mouros" (Moorish Castle) in Sintra, Portugal.

Sitting on top of the castle (on top of the world?) in Lisbon, Portugal.

Beautiful Porto...I loved this place.

View of Porto - I love those terracotta rooftops!

One of the (many) bridges in Porto, Portugal.

Admiring the spectacular views during my hike in the Montserrat Sierras, close to Barcelona. (Yes, this was awhile ago....)

Germany concluded

Guten tag!

Unfortunately I was only able to spend 3 nights in Berlin before moving on to my next stop, Dresden. I easily could have spent a week or more in Berlin as there is so much to see and take in, however time marches on without regard to such preferences!

Dresden is east of Berlin, close to the border of Czech Republic. I really liked this city a lot, and also could have easily spent more time here. It has a very neat, funky atmosphere with lots of unique cafes, independent clothing stores, sheesha bars, and none of that big-city feel of Berlin or Lisbon. (I have quickly learned on this trip that I feel much more comfortable and at home in the smaller cities.) The hostel I stayed in was called Mondpalast ("Moon Palace") and was complete with lime green walls, drawings of space agey things on the ceiling - interesting. AND the best part of it was - NO bedbugs! Yeehaw.

I spent a lot of time in Dresden just wandering around and getting a feel for the city. I came across a market on Sunday morning which had everything from pretzels to clothing from the German army for sale. I love markets - the mixture of smells teasing your nose, the competing sounds of shouts and words trying to secure the best deal, the chaotic blending of colours, and the constant contrasts of completely dissimilar objects being sold directly next to each other. Although this market was much more low-key than the Turkish market I had gone to in Berlin (I felt like in the span of a 30 minute walk I had been transported straight to the middle east - blonde hair, German chatter and sausage replacd with hijab, arabic and middle eastern food. There is a huge Turkish population in Berlin, as I quickly learned.), it was very quaint and interesting. In the afternoon I rented a bicyle from the hostel and explored the city, German-style. (EVERYone here rides bikes - young, old, trendy , geeky). I felt quite genuine as my bike was one of the tradiional models with high handlebars - cool. The city is split in half by the river, so I crossed the river to explore the southern part of the city. I cruised by another great market with tons of delicious homemade german food, the touristy area with a huge church, opera and old parliament, the huge and beautiful city park, and the VW factory! The city is very beautiful, and was one of the view areas of Germany to escape the war unaffected by the damage.

The next day I returned to the VW factory and took a self guided tour and was amazed at how posh and spiffy this place is - even all of the staff are decked out in the same dark grey pin stripe suits with matcing shirts and ties. You can tell they want to leave an impression with you, and they did a pretty good job of it! The factory is named the "Transparent Factory" as it is all made of glass. This means that you have a great view of the assembly line (hardwood floor, workers clad all in white - so space agey!) The highlight of the tour was the a simulator that they had in which you sat inside an actual Phaeton (their luxury class vehicle that is made in this factory) and "drive" it. Although it felt nothing like an actual car and left me a bit dizzy, it was neat nonetheless! (I asked if I could take it home and was told I could for a price tag of only 3 million Euros....) Unfortuantely the German Hygiene Museum was closed, as I was quite interested as to what this encompassed....will have to save that one for next time!

My last stop in Germany was Konigstein, which is a small town in Saxony Switzerland National Park (which is NOT in Switzerland, but is named that as way back in the day 2 Swiss artists found it so beautiful that they moved there permanently). I made the decision to go here very much on a whim, as I found out about it through a brochure that was lying on the floor in the room of my hostel in Dresden. What sealed the deal for me was the following words on the brochure: "Tired of cities, traffic and travelling? Have a break in the countryside!" Sounded like exactly what I needed between the big cities. What a great decision it was. The hostel was so beautiful - right on the banks of the river and surrounded by green hills and trees. I had a room to myself for 11 euro, with an amazingly comfy bed and a great view - i was lulled to sleep by the sound of silence - amazing. Morning gently nudged me awake with the sound of birds chirping and sweet fresh air wafting through the window. I spent the day hiking in the park which is mainly forested with huge mossy rocks - very different from what I have seen before. I saw the famous 76m long Bastion Bridge, which was built in 1851 and is built amongst the rocks, very high up, seemingly as a part of the rocks. It felt great to trade the crowds of people and tourists with trees and nature - I needed this. That evening I borrowed a bike from the hostel and rode down the small rode which is bordered on one side by the river and the other by small houses and farms, and went to the ferry which crosses the (very narrow) river. I had dinner at a family restaurant and tried a delicious home-cooked meal of "Szegediner Gulasch mit bohmischen" (which I randomly picked off of the menu as everything was in german). So good though! Although I only had 2 nights to spend here, it was a much needed break between Berlin, Dresden, and Prague.

This marks the end of my (short) time in Germany - I will have to come back and explore the southern parts as there is so much more that I didn't have a chance to see (Oktoberfest included!). However, I really enjoyed my time in this country and was able to see 3 very different areas of it. Next stop - Czech Republic!

(for those of you who are wondering where I am now, I arrived in Krakow, Poland last night. Next stop is Budapest)

If anyone feels the urge to send me an email sumamrizing the global news that has occurred in the past 2 months I would be very greatful. It has proved to be quite impossible to stay informed when I haven't seen an English newspaper in 2 months!

"One's destination is never a new place, but rather a new way of looking at things." - Henry Miller

Berlin boasts bratwurst, brrrrr breezes, bedbugs

Guten Tag!

Yikes it seems that I am getting a little behind on my posts! However it is difficult for two reasons: 1) Internet is always at a premium in the hostels, with a line of people waiting to get on and 2) When there is so much to see and do, the last thing I want to do is sit infront of a computer screen! However, back to my time in Deuschland....

It was onto a new phase of my trip; time to say goodbye to the hot and humid air, laid back lifestyle and ocean fragrances of southern Europe and welcome the cooler temperatures of Germany and the much different culture of Eastern Europe. Although I was a little sad to be leaving Spain and Portugal after having spent almost 6 weeks there, I felt ready for a change of scenery, people, culture, food....so much more to see and do! I have quickly come to realize there is never enough time spent in one place, and there is always something to be left for the next trip......

I arrived in Berlin after 27 hours of travel - I was thankful to be able to finally sleep lying down! I must say that I was quite lucky to have had a wonderful introduction to Germany, as the woman I sat next to on the plane was a Berliner and was very enthusiastic in giving me some great trips on where to go/what to do/what to see and then even went so far as to offer me a ride to the center of the city, saving me an easy one hour of travel by train and metro - thank you to the kindness of so many strangers that have helped me out along the way, thus far! Such a random group too, she was travelling with 3 others - 2 other Germans and an Israeli. The 4 of them have a clothing company called "Queen of Darkness" and had been in London putting on a fashion show. So random. My hostel in Berlin was only 10 euro per night - a huge change from the 20 euro I was used to paying in Spain and Portugal (which is still cheap by Canadian standards!). Although growing up in Calgary has made me both quite accostomed to and a fan of cold weather, I think my time in the south has made be a wimp! My entire time in Berlin I was freezing and was wearing all the clothes I brought (which does not consist of a lot when you only have a 40 L pack!). What am I going to do when I arrive back home to Calgary in the middle of December.....yikes!

Although Berlin turned out to be much more to my liking than Lisbon, both cities left me with a very unpleasant gift - once again, I had another duel with bedbugs. (Once again, I was defeated.) They are so evil - they get you right through the sheets, even double layers of sheets!! oh well, I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?.......I hope! Albeit bedbugs, the hostel was small and full of character, and the guy that ran it was a carbon copy of Jack from the tv show Will and Grace (both in physical appearance and in personality), so you can imagine how entertaining my time there was!

I was lucky to stumble across a free walking tour of the city, which I had heard about from someone I met in a hostel in Portugal. I joined it (really, what did I have to lose except for time?) and was SO glad I did. In 3 1/2 hours I easily learned more than I did in all of my European history lessons in grade school! It also was a great way to get a feel for the city and an introduction to all of the main sights. The history in this city is incredible and very sobering, to say the least. The city has a very interesting feel as it is a world of contrasts - buildings remaining from the war (complete with bullet holes) sitting right beside brand new and very modern buildings. Despite the incredible history of this city, it has a very young and funky vibe to it. Quite interesting to say the least. I have to say my time there was quite sobering but a huge learning experience, as I spent most of it seeing the sights such as the East Side Gallery (remaining section of the Wall), Holocaust monument, Checkpoint Charlie Museum, Reichstag etc. During my time there I came across a quote by Mark Twain that I think was very fitting given the events that have occured at this locale: "History never repeats itself, but sometimes it rhymes." ....... something to ponder.

I had the opportunity while in Berlin to visit the apartment building that my grandmother grew up in - what a privilege. Very surreal to be standing infront of the same building and walking down the same street that she would have so many years ago. A very amazing experience.

Of course I took advantage of the German food, and ate more sausage during my time in Germany than I probably have in the past 10 years! I also feel the need to comment on the efficieny of the Germans - they are amazing! Two examples that stand out for me: 1) The trains run EXACTLY on time. If your train is scheduled to leave at 2:17pm it will leave at 2:17, not 2:18 or 2:20. 2) The school vacations occur at a different time in each region of the country, so as to avoid the roads being crowded with traffic and everyone leaving the country for vacation at the same time. Each year the schedule rotates so at some point everyone gets their vacation at the beginning/end of summer. Makes so much sense, doesn't it?!

And that was Berlin in a (very small) nutshell.....coming next: Dresden and Konigstein.

Tschus!

"I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." - Caskie Stinnett

Portugal!

It is probably about time to chat about my time in Portugal, as I am now into the next phase of my trip – Berlin now, and then more of Germany and Eastern Europe! (On that note, the German keyboards switch up the “y” key with the “z” key, so just a word of warning, that those two letters may be interchanged in this posting!)

So I said adios to Spain when I left from Santiago de Compostela on July. 24 and headed to Porto, Portugal. The bus ride was only 2 ½ hours, so I was very surprised to find out after having been in the city for a few hours that there was a 1 hour time change – oops! I can now say that Porto was (easily) my favorite city in Portugal. Although the terracotta rooftops, narrow streets, great coffee, and multitude of panadera (bread) and passteria (pastry) shops reminded me of Spain, it had a much different kind of feel, which took me awhile to pin down. I finally figured out that it was just more cluttered, and had a much more disorganized kind of charm than Spain – I love this about it! Although the buildings were similar in design, they were more run down looking, with the balconies going every which way – not like the neatly arranged rows of balconies I had grown used to in Spain! It was interesting to see the similarities and contrasts between the two countries, given their physical proximity to each other. Porto is centered around the Douro River, which is spanned by numerous huge and impressive bridges – one of them designed by Eiffel! If it is not yet obvious to you by the name, Porto’s claim to fame is……..(I hope you guessed it) their Port wine!! The Douro Valley (Porto and the surrounding region) is in fact the only region in the world that produces Port wine. The other side of the river, Vila Nova de Gaia, is where all of the wine caves are located, most of which offer free tours and tastings. I took advantage of this, and did a really cool tour of the Sandeman cellars – I learned so much about Port! One interesting fact – Port is “fortified” wine, as the stop the fermentation process half way through and add Brandy to it, making the final wine much sweeter and stronger (~20% alcohol) than normal wine. I was feeling quite good after tasting wines from a few of the different places…. After spending a few days in Porto exploring and seeing the sights, I decided that everyone who lives in this city must be incredibly in shape, as the streets are SO steep – the whole day you hike up one narrow street, turn the corner and slide down the next one … and repeat. I liked it – you never knew what was going to be around the bend! The other highlight of my time in Porto was the hostel I stayed in – not only was it beautiful, complete with a patio and garden terrace, but every single person staying in the hostel was a solo traveller! None of us could quite figure out how this came to be, but regardless, it made for an incredible atmosphere and a great group of people. We spent many a hour into the night, sitting on the patio with drinks, surrounded by good conversation. We also went out one night to the bars that are right down on the river, which are so beautiful with the lights on at night! We had 1 litre jugs of Caprinha (Brazilian drink) for 5 euro …. It was literally in something like a plastic Big Gulp slurpee cup, what a deal! Okay, enough about Porto – I guess it is obvious how much I liked it!

My next stop was Lisbon. I wish now that I had planned things a little differently and spent more time in the North, between Porto and Lisbon. However, I must save something for the next trip! I ended up spending 4 nights in Lisbon, as part of my time there was consumed with trying to get everything in order at the Indian Embassy for my VISA. This proved to me extremely frustrating, but I will not go into the details, as I am now in possession of a 6 month multiple entry VISA to India, so I am not complaining! I have to say that I was not extremely impressed by Lisbon. Not that I didn´t like it, but it really didn`t have anywhere near the charm of Porto. However, I saw some of the sights, ate the famous Pasteis de Belem (cream filled tarts sprinkled with cinnamon and icing sugar – incredible, especially when they are hot out of the oven!), and did a great day trip to Sintra. Sintra is one hour from Lisbon, and as soon as you step out of the train you feel as if you have stepped backwards into Medieval times. I immediately liked the town, with it´s brightly coloured buildings, narrow cobbled streets, surrounded by green trees and being watched over by two huge castles up on the hill. One looks as if it is straight out of Disneyland – complete with rounded spires and yellow, blue, and pink coloring! (I did not know that castles like this actually existed in reality!). The other is a Moorish castle that is mainly in ruins, providing a striking contrast to the first one. We hiked up to them to get a closer look, and were rewarded with spectacular views. The Disneyland castle (called Palacio Nacional da Pena) brought to light where the phrase “sitting on the throne” came from - the toilet in the “King´s Quarters” was fully wooden with a high back and armrests! If it had been in any other room than the bathroom, I would have had no idea that it was actually a toilet! From Sintra we took a bus for 45 minutes to Cabo da Roca, which is Europe´s most occidental (I learned that this means West) point. As soon as we stepped off of the bus, we were hit with huge, powerful gusts of wind and as we walked to the edge of the cliffs down into the ocean, the wind became more and more windy (all of us girls who were wearing skirts were having a difficult time remaining decent!). After taking the mandatory tourist picture beside the sign saying “this is Europe´s most occidental point”, we had some time to admire the view, which was just beautiful – the cliffs dropped straight down to meet the white froth of the waves, and because of the angle of the sun the horizon line was fuzzy, giving the whole view a dreamlike quality – wow! The next stop was the town of Caiscais, where we had a delicious and huge Portuguese dinner of Bachalau (Cod fish – the Portuguese have over 200 different recipes with it) and then headed back to Lisbon. Another thing that Lisbon provided me with was my first experience with bedbugs…..”Good night, sleep tight, don´t let the bedbugs bite. If they do, take your shoe and hit them ´til they are black and blue” Sound familiar? Yeah, well I quickly learned that although it may have been a nice bedtime song, that shoe technique unfortunately really doesn´t work – I woke up and was covered in extremely itchy, red, swollen bumps – looked like the chicken pox!! The worst part was that one of them developed into this huge, liquid filled blister on my leg (larger than a twoonie and raised more than an inch off of my skin) – YUCK!!!!!!!! And I thought Canadian mosquitoes were bad…….

My next stop in Portugal was Evora, 2 hours East of Lisbon, and the entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage sight – so I thought it might be worth a stop. The historical part of the town is entirely walled in and the Medievil influence is extremely obvious, with so many monuments and churches. Some of the highlights that I saw were: the Roman Temple which was built in the middle of the 1st century, the Evora Cathedral which was built between 1283 and 1308, and to top all of the sights – the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones). I have never seen anything else like this before – every inch of every wall was covered with bones and skulls. The columns were covered, and the curves of the ceiling were lined with skulls, in an almost decorative fashion – so weird. As eerie as it was, I was strangely fascinated by it. The 24 hours I spent in this town were so interesting and well worth it – a step back in history!

My last stop in Portugal was Lagos (NOT Lagos, Nigeria as some of you have mistaken it for!). Although I originally was not planning on going here, as rumour has it that it is a huge tourist and party town, I could not leave Portugal without seeing it´s Algarve region. I spent 3 nights here, and my time was so relaxing – went to the beautiful beaches, many of which are in grottos (inlets or coves). The highlight of my time here was most definitely SURFING!!!!!! I have always wanted to try it, and this was my chance! We got driven in an old beat up van to the surf beach, which was an hour from Lagos. There were only 3 people in the group and we had two lessons of 1 ½ hours each, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It took most of the morning to get the feel of standing up, but I got the hang of it and was surfing!! I couldn´t believe it, after so many years of wanting to try it out! The afternoon felt much better and was so much fun. I was surprised at how little it felt like snowboarding, as I thought I may have more of an advantage that way. I must say that I definitely have more courage on the snow than in the water though! Such a great day…..cowgirl turned surfer chick?

From Lagos I headed back to Lisbon for one night, to pick up my VISA and then it was on to Seville, Spain to catch a flight to London and then London to Berlin. It was goodbye to Portugal and their delicious pastries and beautiful landscapes. The journey to Berlin proved to be very stressful (at first) and long, but I made it and am now in Germany! More on that to come….(I would love to hear from any of you, so please feel free to leave comments!).

Ciao!

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.”

Adios Spain!

I guess it is about time to wrap up with my time in Spain, seeing as I have been in Portugal for over a week now! I left Barcelona on Aug. 18 and took a night train to Bilbao. This was my first night train experience, and was not bad. I do have to say that I was shocked that I (almost) fit in my bunk, seeing as I seem to tower over most of the people here! I had the day to spend in Bilbao, at the Guggenheim Museum. (If you have never seen any pictures of this museum, now would be a good time to google it!) The trip was worth it simply to see the building, regardless of the exhibits inside. I have really never seen anything quite like it - the undulating forms of the exterior assume the appearance of a fish, as the entire surface is covered with panels of 1/2 mm thick panels of titanium, making it look like fish scales. The combination of the titanium, which constantly changes color depending on the light and wind, the translucent glass panels allowing a view inside, and the use of sandstone, somehow all thrown into crazy shapes and forms, was quite a sight. After spending the day there, I took the bus in the evening to Santander, which is 90 minutes west of Bilbao, and stayed there for 2 nights.

Santander was really beautfiful - right on a bay surrounded by hills (I guess they are called "mountains" here?). I did a lot of walking and exploring and spent a day at the beach relaxing. This was the largest dorm room I had slept in yet - 16 beds! However, it was surprisingly quiet and I haven´t really slept better since! I also fully took advantage of the free breakfast at this place - so much better than what hostels usually provide. They even had steamed milk for coffee and hot chocolate - so gourmet! Unlike the hostels I have been staying in in Portugal, no one at this one spoke English! Made for interesting "conversations" with my limited knowledge of Spanish....

The bus ride to my next destination was incredible - at many points along the way, out the right side of the bus, the only colors were the brilliant blue of the sea, rust brown of the terracotta rooftops and vibrant green foiliage, while on the other side was green, green, and more green - covering mountains and valleys - incredible! I had to keep pinching myself to remember that I was in Spain, not Ireland! About halfway through the trip the bus stopped for a break, and the driver said we would leave at 4:15pm (one hour later). As he was speaking in Spanish, I asked the man sitting next to me, just to make sure I had understood him correctly. I got off the bus, used the washroom in the station, and then headed out to go for a walk. To my horror, as I passed the spot where the bus was parked, I saw it starting to pull away!! I sprinted over to it, knocked on the door and the driver saw me and stopped. (I was freaking out, thinking that I would be left in a random city without by bag!) He then proceeded to explain to me that he was going to park the bus, and he would return in one hour...... ooops....at least I provided some entertainment for the crowd of people standing around and waiting...... stupid tourist who doesn´t speak Spanish. (On this note, I am constantly amazed at all of the Europeans I meet who speak at least 3 languages fluently - it is such a norm for them! It makes me feel very spoiled that my first language just happens to be English, which I am seeing more and more is really a Universal language. I also feel very limited, only speaking one language fluently, and I think I will sign up for some Spanish classes when I return home. I have also had to explain to so many people that although Canada is a billingual country, no, I do not speak French, as I am from Western Canada.....does not make sense to me or to them. I think if we take pride in being billingual, then we should all be able to speak both languages!)

My final stop was Santiago De Compostela, a small city that is the destination for the pilgramage walk that starts in the French Pyranees. I felt like I was defintely the only non-local there that had not done the walk - the entire place was teeming with people in hiking boots, backpacks and walking sticks! The town was great, with very narrow, windy and cobbled streets. I must say that I have not had any problems navigating myself around new places, until I arrived here. The combination of the windy streets, along with the fact that many of the streets changed their name at least 2 or 3 times along their length meant that I found myself walking in circles on numerous occasions! A lot of my time here was spent doing one of my favorite things - putting the map away and wandering down whichever street looks interesting. This town had incredible pastries - Palmera which is a doughy pastry covered in chocolate, and Chocolate con Churros which are these deep fried tubes that you dip in melted chocolate (they eat this for breakfast!) - so yum! I ate one every day! I did a bit of a hike while I was here, up the "mountain" (I guess I am spoiled having grown up in the Rockies, but I have a difficult time calling a lot of these hills mountains..) which had a spectacular view of the town below. On the way down I decided to take a different route, and must have been caught up too much in the beautiful scenery, as I ended up in someone´s backyard - literally amongst their corn stalks!

After 3 days here, it was time to say goodbye to Spain and embark on the next leg of my journey - Portugal. More on that to come......

"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all of your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears." - Glenn Clark