I don't even know where to start... should I start with a description of the crystal clear vibrant waters of Dalmatia? Or the part where I come back from kayaking and biking around remote islands to find my camera is mysteriously missing?
Joy and grief- hand in hand.
After meeting Michelle in Athens, we headed out to the islands for some sun, and ended up huddled in jackets on the beaches for a few days, in between the two sunny ones! I felt quite grown up when I got to drive a rental car from beach to beach on one of those sunny days. Having a travel partner once again makes things like driving a beater-mini-Fiat much more fun.
Nostalgia hit in a bit in Athens when I finally caved and had my first Starbucks. It was amazing. I almost cried. Athens is almost amazing, but not quite as meaningful. The rooftop of our hotel overlooked, or I should say, underlooked the reigning Akropoli hill that towers above the cities wandering narrow streets that hug its base. Filled with history (and tourists) the acropolis is a work to behold. Its not difficult to imagine its political and religious activities looking up at the massive columns of the Parthenon. Its easy to understand the presence of idols and false gods looking at the massive temple of Nike and realize how easily they pass.
After two days in Athens, Dubovnik, Croatia is a rest; my favorite part of this segment, in spite of the drama of travelling for 27 hours straight (including a stop in the not so lovely port city of Bari Italy for 11 hours while waiting for a boat!). I love it. Water. Clean, stone streets. A city fortress of archaic stone hugged by the crystal clear brilliant water. History of war and peace. Trees clinging to cliffs plunging down to the water. Shrapnel freckled churches. Friendly, warm, vibrant hosts. Five star resorts awaiting repair.Very kind people (including the bartender who kept telling me not to cry about my camera and the amazing German kayakers that I went cruised with today). It feels like it could be home; it probably helps that we are lodging in a sobe, or a room in the home of lovely Renata, a Dubrovnik Old Town native. I will miss this place, and hopefully will return shortly, as soon as someone finds my camera!
Michelle and I head out for Bosnia tomorrow, the most unknown segment of the journey in a way. People have said nothing but positive things about Bosnia. I cannot wait for the adventure. For the next three weeks, I will be cruising around various parts of Bosnia and Croatia and then will head back to Italia to catch my flight home.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
When in Rome do as who does??
Rome, ah the city of history and tourists. Quite a shock to the system after 2 weeks at Spannocchia living in a historic house surrounded by woods and pigs. It was hard to leave the farm, Berta (my piglet friend- who by the way LN, gave me the equivalent of a pig hug yesterday which I caught on camera!), and the interns who became "friendterns" to me over the past two weeks. I will always remember the sound of screeching pigs before feeding, the smell of the vineyards in the dewy morning and the feel of grapes squishing in my hand (or my mouth!) and think of my precious time at Spannocchia. The second week the instead of hanging out with pig legs, I had the quintessential Italian farm experience of working in the vineyards with Angelo, the quintessential Italian wine expert, and my new friendtern from Seattle. Some of my favorite memories became picnics of bread, cheese and fresh honey, sitting around the fire in Pulcinelli with the other interns, weekend adventures and cooking with the interns, and either cuddling with Berta on the loungechair or taking her for a walk-run through the Secret Garden.
I already miss the people from Spannocchia and the peace of a nature reserve, especially now that I have jumped into the chaos that is called Rome.
What is one to do in Rome when it is full of tourists? People say, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" but who are the Romans???? I have yet to discover the real beauty of Rome; maybe this is because I am a lover of nature and quiet, or maybe its because I have only been here one day. It would be a great place to come with a tour group... I started Rome with getting lost, as usual, and ended up in jail with a priest from Latin America. No, not a real jail, just the cell that Peter miraculously escaped because angels broke down the door. After I strolled around the historic ruins of the Forum, Colloseum, and Palentino sneaking behind English or Spanish tour groups glean any sort of interesting information here and there.
A post Colleseum cafe and tiramisu gelato revived me enough to see the Basilica di Pietro (in Chains). Michaelangelo's Moses paired with a duo of singers practicing in the church made for a magnificient experience! To be honest, I missed having Rick Steves to guide me around today... but I did learn that there is a temple dedicated to Saturn, the god of chaos and disorder, in the Forum. Maybe this has something to do how chaotic the city is.
Tomorrow I will head to the Vatican and then spend the rest of the time walking around exploring free piazzas and churches. After a short siesta and run in the rain, I ate pasta at the hostel and ended up running into 3 girls from Seattle who actually lived with one of my friends! Tomorrow its off to the Vatican and then to wander the streets looking for interesting places (maybe to Trevi fountain). I will definitely be eating some more gelato before leaving for Greece...
I already miss the people from Spannocchia and the peace of a nature reserve, especially now that I have jumped into the chaos that is called Rome.
What is one to do in Rome when it is full of tourists? People say, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" but who are the Romans???? I have yet to discover the real beauty of Rome; maybe this is because I am a lover of nature and quiet, or maybe its because I have only been here one day. It would be a great place to come with a tour group... I started Rome with getting lost, as usual, and ended up in jail with a priest from Latin America. No, not a real jail, just the cell that Peter miraculously escaped because angels broke down the door. After I strolled around the historic ruins of the Forum, Colloseum, and Palentino sneaking behind English or Spanish tour groups glean any sort of interesting information here and there.
A post Colleseum cafe and tiramisu gelato revived me enough to see the Basilica di Pietro (in Chains). Michaelangelo's Moses paired with a duo of singers practicing in the church made for a magnificient experience! To be honest, I missed having Rick Steves to guide me around today... but I did learn that there is a temple dedicated to Saturn, the god of chaos and disorder, in the Forum. Maybe this has something to do how chaotic the city is.
Tomorrow I will head to the Vatican and then spend the rest of the time walking around exploring free piazzas and churches. After a short siesta and run in the rain, I ate pasta at the hostel and ended up running into 3 girls from Seattle who actually lived with one of my friends! Tomorrow its off to the Vatican and then to wander the streets looking for interesting places (maybe to Trevi fountain). I will definitely be eating some more gelato before leaving for Greece...
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
"There and Back Again" a true Story by Eileen Barnes
Its been a while since I've had the effort and desire to blog, and now that its there, the lack of internet access has prevented it for a while. . . In the last two weeks I left Italy and returned, to the exact same city, and ironically, experience my fifth train ride between the bellisima Cinqueterre villages. Ellie left from Florence, so I took of in my new found 'freedom' to Gimmelwald Switzerland, known as heaven on earth. As my first experience travelling alone I was thankful to meet a lot of Americans for once! I will post pictures which will tell you more about that respite... but it might take a while!
After a fabulous visit with Heather and Justin in Germany, I took a 24 hour journey and landed in another heaven on earth- Spannocchia, Rosia, Italy. www.spannocchia.org has some pictures (not mine though). After two days of meeting 9 interns, many staff members, and hundreds of pigs, I'm feeling a bit more at home here. Farming is definitely challenging work, and the Italian style of 'who knows what's next until it happens' is sometimes a bit confusing. . . And I have learned that I am definitely not a fan of Tuscany's famous Prosciutto after spending two hours cleaning out the room where the pig legs 'cure' (get eaten by little bugs until they taste good!). Its definitely been a learning and stretching experience in many ways, from jumping into an anxiously hungry herd of pigs that weigh more than me, or figuring out how to interact in a group that has already bonded with each other for quite some time. Thankfully, I still have a week and a half to figure it out! Tonight is Pizza night, so I had best go savor some fresh wood oven baked pizza topped with fresh ingredients from the farm.
After a fabulous visit with Heather and Justin in Germany, I took a 24 hour journey and landed in another heaven on earth- Spannocchia, Rosia, Italy. www.spannocchia.org has some pictures (not mine though). After two days of meeting 9 interns, many staff members, and hundreds of pigs, I'm feeling a bit more at home here. Farming is definitely challenging work, and the Italian style of 'who knows what's next until it happens' is sometimes a bit confusing. . . And I have learned that I am definitely not a fan of Tuscany's famous Prosciutto after spending two hours cleaning out the room where the pig legs 'cure' (get eaten by little bugs until they taste good!). Its definitely been a learning and stretching experience in many ways, from jumping into an anxiously hungry herd of pigs that weigh more than me, or figuring out how to interact in a group that has already bonded with each other for quite some time. Thankfully, I still have a week and a half to figure it out! Tonight is Pizza night, so I had best go savor some fresh wood oven baked pizza topped with fresh ingredients from the farm.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Bonjour Paris, Ciao Italy!
Couchsurfing keeps getting more amazing... After leaving our host in London and taking the Eurostar (what Americans call the Chunnel) we arrived to the chaos in the form of a large Parisien train station. . . It was not love at first sight, nor even second. Everything took about twice the amount of time due to the language barrier, and reorientation. After many hours in the trains station, we stored our bags and stroll down the San Martin Canal while waiting to meet Pauline, our next CS host. Being a bit antsy, I took a run down the canal and stumbled upon the largest park in Paris, complete with rolling red raised walkways and waterside cafes. It still felt isolating to not understand everything people were saying!
Fortunately, all of that disapated when we met Pauline and Yvan (her brother), both of whom welcomed us into the flat. Even though we stayed only four nights, it felt like visiting friends who I had known for a long time. We spent the days wandering around the various neighborhoods and soaking up Paris and hung out with our hosts at night. Most of our time spent with them was laughing at their hilarious antics (imagine a French impersonation of Gollum or Little Miss Sunshine!) and talking about life. Trying to see all the sights was fun, but it was really the people that made it the best experience so far!
After Paris, we headed from the big city life to meet up with Linda, our next host in the small mideival town of Colmar, near Germany. She spirited us off to quaint colorful village and we spent the weekend eating delectible French cuisine (my mouth is watering for tarte flambee as I write this!). It was a restful break after the big city spurt. Two days later I found myself watching locals from Basel, Switzerland floated down the Reine clutching inflatable totes with their clothes inside (brilliant!) and wished I could join them!
Then to Italy, Cinqueterra, the beautiful hill towns of the Riviera. . . only it took 13 hours to get there, including getting on the wrong train, passing Riomaggiore (our stop) three times and getting squeezed into rush hour trains with our packs and hundreds of sweaty bodies coming from the beach. Maybe this was providence, because on arrival we found ourselves in a private room with a terraza overlooking to sea and city square instead of a dorm due to an overbooking! Words cannot describe Cinqueterra, except for the crystal clear blue green salty sea that was soooo refreshing after that day of travel. Look for some pictures soon! I am in Siena now and should take a siesta before going to explore...
Ciao!
Fortunately, all of that disapated when we met Pauline and Yvan (her brother), both of whom welcomed us into the flat. Even though we stayed only four nights, it felt like visiting friends who I had known for a long time. We spent the days wandering around the various neighborhoods and soaking up Paris and hung out with our hosts at night. Most of our time spent with them was laughing at their hilarious antics (imagine a French impersonation of Gollum or Little Miss Sunshine!) and talking about life. Trying to see all the sights was fun, but it was really the people that made it the best experience so far!
After Paris, we headed from the big city life to meet up with Linda, our next host in the small mideival town of Colmar, near Germany. She spirited us off to quaint colorful village and we spent the weekend eating delectible French cuisine (my mouth is watering for tarte flambee as I write this!). It was a restful break after the big city spurt. Two days later I found myself watching locals from Basel, Switzerland floated down the Reine clutching inflatable totes with their clothes inside (brilliant!) and wished I could join them!
Then to Italy, Cinqueterra, the beautiful hill towns of the Riviera. . . only it took 13 hours to get there, including getting on the wrong train, passing Riomaggiore (our stop) three times and getting squeezed into rush hour trains with our packs and hundreds of sweaty bodies coming from the beach. Maybe this was providence, because on arrival we found ourselves in a private room with a terraza overlooking to sea and city square instead of a dorm due to an overbooking! Words cannot describe Cinqueterra, except for the crystal clear blue green salty sea that was soooo refreshing after that day of travel. Look for some pictures soon! I am in Siena now and should take a siesta before going to explore...
Ciao!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Skye Team hits Isle of Skye, Bath, & London!
Upon hearing first class passengers designated as "Sky Team" members in the airport, Ellie & I decided that it was an appropriate name for us, as we traveled to the beautiful Scottish Isle of Sky on the West Coast. In our hostel we met another traveller, Dino, a Korean university student, and enjoyed playing games, visiting "my" castle (Eilean Donan) and taking blitz bus tours around the island since it was raining torrents 46 of the 48 hours we were there. Skye is a mecca for hikers, so of course I'm already wanting to go back (with appropriate rain gear).
After Skye we headed out to Edinburgh by train (which is definitely my favoured type of transport!). Its hard to know what to write about we did so much there... it was lively, crowded festival time, so were ended up seeing a couple of shows, including the amazingly hilarious History of Scotland in 60 minutes, in which we learned how Spiderman relates to Scottish legends. Of course I got to run up my favourite Scottish park to the lookout at King Arthur's seat, that overlooks the entire region! We were sad to leave Edinburgh to go to Bath, but when we got there, it was a relief to take in the tranquility, restfulness and beauty of the ancient city for a few days. The best part of the stay was just walking through the outskirts of the city along the canal and taking in the green rolling landscape!
We're in London now, doing Londonesque travel things like seeing a show and the 'sites' like Westminster Abbey. Its still all quite surreal, like its not real because I've seen it all before in a movie!
For those of you wondering about couchsurfing, its been AMAZING. All the hosts we've met have far exceeded what we expected and have welcomed us with warmth and generosity.
One last random note is that after seeing a display here in London about a 33 year old Olympic marathon runner, I'm thinking of taking up training for a marathon (or at least a half!) while I'm travelling over here. . . we'll see about that in the next few weeks though!
Cheers!
After Skye we headed out to Edinburgh by train (which is definitely my favoured type of transport!). Its hard to know what to write about we did so much there... it was lively, crowded festival time, so were ended up seeing a couple of shows, including the amazingly hilarious History of Scotland in 60 minutes, in which we learned how Spiderman relates to Scottish legends. Of course I got to run up my favourite Scottish park to the lookout at King Arthur's seat, that overlooks the entire region! We were sad to leave Edinburgh to go to Bath, but when we got there, it was a relief to take in the tranquility, restfulness and beauty of the ancient city for a few days. The best part of the stay was just walking through the outskirts of the city along the canal and taking in the green rolling landscape!
We're in London now, doing Londonesque travel things like seeing a show and the 'sites' like Westminster Abbey. Its still all quite surreal, like its not real because I've seen it all before in a movie!
For those of you wondering about couchsurfing, its been AMAZING. All the hosts we've met have far exceeded what we expected and have welcomed us with warmth and generosity.
One last random note is that after seeing a display here in London about a 33 year old Olympic marathon runner, I'm thinking of taking up training for a marathon (or at least a half!) while I'm travelling over here. . . we'll see about that in the next few weeks though!
Cheers!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
After two perfect flights, Ellie and I arrived in Aberdeen, Scotland at 9:30 am to a green and foggy land. We caught the first bus to the city without any problems and dropped off right in the middle of downtown. We stashed our bags at the lockers in the train station and set off looking for a place to sit and grab a bit of lunch, since our stomachs didn't quite know what time it was. A bit jet lagged and lacking a full nights sleep, we had the rest of the day to kill before our lovely couchsurfing friend (named Ellie as well) was getting home from work. We meandered about the gray, granite streets to some historical sights, including a beautiful conservatory/garden Duthie Park. . . including some long rest stops on the benches throughout the park.
When we arrived at our Couchsurfing host's she welcomed us graciously and showed us to our room which had not a mattress but a couch in it! Its been brilliantly lovely to stay with people from here, especially since they've been so gracious in telling us how to get around and answering all our questions about Scotland. I can't wait to meet our other hosts and get to know them as well. It is so wonderful to actually get to stay with individuals from the place rather than just seeing the tourist sights.
On Wednesday I got to see my dear friend Bethany's Scottish home about 1 hour out from Aberdeen. We biked through the beautiful countryside to her old house and even got to see the inside! The best part of the afternoon was rope swinging into the river nearby with her family and Scottish family friends. At one point I just floated on my back through the tree branches to the clear blue sky- it felt so free! After drying off, we went to the Brodie's house for a bit of tea with quite a few people who were in town from other parts of Britain. All the Scottish people that we have met so far have been absolutely giving and hospitable!
Today we met the Dearborn's at Dunnotar Castle, which is an amazing ruin right on the water a bit south of Aberdeen. Even though I ended up resting on the grass for a bit while waiting for them, it was great to spend some more time with them and hear more details about the history since there wasn't much information on site at the castle.
Tomorrow we're off to the West Coast for a few days and then to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival. Both Ellie and I are still a bit lagging, so hopefully the day in Kyle will be restful!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
11 days and counting!
As summer bursts to life in Seattle, I'm bursting to start the adventure. . . but at the same time its always nice to get a taste of lovely summer and take some "practice" trips to Vancouver BC and Spokane.
After three visits to the Eastside of Vancouver BC, where poverty, drugs, despair and homelessness appear literally around every corner, it was shocking to visit my friend who lives in the middle of downtown in a highrise in an obviously very affluent area. It gave a better picture to the entire reality of the place and at the same time heightened my sense of the great disparity within the city and the real need for some sort of miracle for these people. Miracles do happen though.
I should know, I guess. For two years, I have fought against blurry vision and goopy, burning eyes, which made it impossible to wear contact lenses for more than an hour or two (hence the fact that I wore glasses everyday). The eye doctor said it was "Tygesons" disease (basically that meant no one knows what caused it nor how to cure it). On Sunday, I visited a friend in Burlington at a place called Tierra Nueva. During the evening service we took communion and the pastor asked if anyone had physical pain. A few of us raised our hands. As he and his wife gave communion, they prayed for my eyes to be healed. Let's just say that for the last three days I have been able see clearly and painlessly with contact lenses for 12-14 hours a a time and even got to go swimming with them in! I haven't even touched my glasses except to put them in the case. Everyday, I sort of wait for the pain to start to let me know that they need to come out, but it never does! I'm starting to believe that this is really for good. It's like a big bottle of freedom dumped over my head . . . and I love being able to live without the limitations and pain of the disease constantly hanging over my head. This might be hard to really believe and a bit crazy, but totally real. I hope that anyone who reads this and experiences physical pain is also healed!
One other gift that comes from being able to see clearly with contacts is that it widens the range of what I can do with photography and had an amazing night photographing downtown Bellevue last night (see the pics on the blog!)
After three visits to the Eastside of Vancouver BC, where poverty, drugs, despair and homelessness appear literally around every corner, it was shocking to visit my friend who lives in the middle of downtown in a highrise in an obviously very affluent area. It gave a better picture to the entire reality of the place and at the same time heightened my sense of the great disparity within the city and the real need for some sort of miracle for these people. Miracles do happen though.
I should know, I guess. For two years, I have fought against blurry vision and goopy, burning eyes, which made it impossible to wear contact lenses for more than an hour or two (hence the fact that I wore glasses everyday). The eye doctor said it was "Tygesons" disease (basically that meant no one knows what caused it nor how to cure it). On Sunday, I visited a friend in Burlington at a place called Tierra Nueva. During the evening service we took communion and the pastor asked if anyone had physical pain. A few of us raised our hands. As he and his wife gave communion, they prayed for my eyes to be healed. Let's just say that for the last three days I have been able see clearly and painlessly with contact lenses for 12-14 hours a a time and even got to go swimming with them in! I haven't even touched my glasses except to put them in the case. Everyday, I sort of wait for the pain to start to let me know that they need to come out, but it never does! I'm starting to believe that this is really for good. It's like a big bottle of freedom dumped over my head . . . and I love being able to live without the limitations and pain of the disease constantly hanging over my head. This might be hard to really believe and a bit crazy, but totally real. I hope that anyone who reads this and experiences physical pain is also healed!
One other gift that comes from being able to see clearly with contacts is that it widens the range of what I can do with photography and had an amazing night photographing downtown Bellevue last night (see the pics on the blog!)
Monday, June 2, 2008
Ahoy Blogging World!
This is the beginning of the adventure. . . the first step of many unknown, adventurous steps into who knows what and who knows where. The countdown has begun: T minus 11 days of teaching until school ends; T minus 8 weeks to the day flight 2523 leaves Seattle for Aberdeen, Scotland. Its a bittersweet time to be leaving a place where I have learned so much and filled with people very dear to my heart. Well, I am still at work so I should probably sign off and grade a few last papers, as the pile is still never ending.
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