So I'm in Nice and ready to set out exploring. First, I must update as it appears I am a little slow with the internets...
The ferry thing is not as sucky as I though as when I went to book, it turns out there ARE more sailings, just from a different place which is actually closer to where I will be in France at the time. So I am not leaving France until September 10th, giving me a little bit of leeway so that I don't go crazy trying to see everything. The updated plan includes seeing Carcasonne and the Cathar ruins, Lascaux II, the castles in the Loire valley, Mont-Saint-Michem, the Bayeux tapestry and, hopefully, Juno Beach on my way out of the country.
So there we go. Antibes was lovely, but the Picasso Museum was closed so I just chilled out around town.
Oh, and my roommates both snored, so that sucked. But tonight, I am alone and prepared for some good sleepy time.
Aurevoir!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Antibes
I know, I know, I'm moving too fast... but that's how it goes. I actually checked the schedule last night for the ferry from France to Ireland and it turns out that my options are very limited and since I was already hoping to spend more time then I had planned in Ireland, I am moving faster through France then I had thought I would. I'm going to still see the things I had wanted to, I'm just going to spend less time in parks, especially since my conversation and card partner is no longer available anyway. So I will, in theory, be on a ferry to Ireland on the evening of September 8th.
I was going to stay here two nights and just do a day trip to Nice tomorrow, but the place was only available for the one night so I've booked a nice little B&B in Nice for tomorrow night. Turned out to be a cheaper place anyway, but that's okay cause Antibes is pretty cool!
I should get going to explore the town and find some food.
Aurevoir!
I was going to stay here two nights and just do a day trip to Nice tomorrow, but the place was only available for the one night so I've booked a nice little B&B in Nice for tomorrow night. Turned out to be a cheaper place anyway, but that's okay cause Antibes is pretty cool!
I should get going to explore the town and find some food.
Aurevoir!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Avignon
My basic purpose is just to let you all know that I couldn't avoid Oliver last night and while his creepy-ness did not lessen, I got through the night perfectly fine. He didn't try anything and I was perfectly safe, although he did knock at my door once I was in bed because he couldn't sleep and wanted to hang out. I feigned asleep-ness and told him, through the door, to go away .
Got to Avignon fine and walked around all night and now I am hungry.
Aurevoir
p.s. I would like to point out to people like Mom, who clearly read too fast, that if you read the last post, that says two hundred and fifty, not twenty five... lol
Got to Avignon fine and walked around all night and now I am hungry.
Aurevoir
p.s. I would like to point out to people like Mom, who clearly read too fast, that if you read the last post, that says two hundred and fifty, not twenty five... lol
Monday, August 27, 2007
Paris - Strasbourg
So we spent a week in Paris and saw lots and lots of stuff and I still need to go back! We spent and entire day in the Louvre, went to the Orsay one evening, a few smaller galleries, a day in Versailles, wandered around the Champs-Elysees. Our last day was going to be killer but we vetoed that in exchange for some chilling out time but still managed to get to La Defense and bqck to the Eiffel Tower again for the night lights. I really had an amazing time and we were too busy to find internet often enough. Plus the keyboards seriously hindered my efficiency and after getting a few e-mail replies out, my time was up! The internet here that I have found in Strasbourg is much more reasonable and I have done some much needed catching up. Really though, the funniest story happend to me today, after Eric left (a sad occasion) and I arrived in Strasbourg.
I had to take a TGV train here, but the supplement was only 3 euro so that wasn't bad, plus I got here by 11 in the morning since I just got up when Eric had to in order to catch his flight. The hostel I wanted to stay at (no reservations) was full but the guy tried to help me out by calling around but everyone else's reception was closed for mid-day. So, I wandered around town and saw some cool old houses and churches and realized that I was pretty much done here so I was going to get on another train to Loire. I decided to wait until I knew if I had a place to stay and the reception at the hostel there was still closed for another hour so I decided (still with the decisions!) to wait at the train station and call again. But, the train wasn't going to be until after 5 and I would have arrived really late, and the guidebook said the hostel didn't like phone reservations so I came back into town and ended up at a slightly expensive hotel, just in comparison to what we usually try for.
As I got into my room, the guy from down the hall called for my attention. He wanted to borrow money because his bank won't let him get any until the 30th. However, we couldn't figure out how he would get it back to me (darn!) because I don't have an address or a phone, and he is going to India after this while I am going South, so we vetoed that plan. At this point he invited me to India, and I declined because I had "told my friend I would go with him," ... "and is this friend better looking than me?" he says... uhhhh, we laughed ('cause he's really not so much). He left and I started tearing up (because I miss Eric and everybody, I know, it's sad...) but then he thought of something so knocked on the door and saw that I was crying and tried to console me and say that it's ok cause I'll see everybody again soon and he has been travelling for 15 years and has had to leave lots of friends and doesn't see them and everything will be all right. After I took a nap he was downstairs so I talked to him again and he claims to have had 250 girlfriends that he has had to leave (but says he wasn't trying to brag) and he told me he really thinks I'm pretty and kept saying my name. He's mid-thirties, France-born Italian and he's kinda creepy cause he is so hard core, seriously. Dude just met me. It's funny though, and I'm supposed to meet him for a drink later at the hotel but we'll see. Other personal details he informed me of included that his parents don't support his job-less travelling, that he is returning to India to be a photographer as he has been on hiatus due to a depression induced stay in a mental hospital. I think there was more in there too, but I'm starting to forget some due to the sheer amount of information I was given. He knows that I am from Victoria, that my name is Danielle, and that my boyfriend returned home this morning but I will see him again in two months. Those are the details he managed to ask for while telling me his life story. I think he is lonely.
Well, aurevoir for now. I am off to Avignon and the Cote d'Azure tomorrow!
I had to take a TGV train here, but the supplement was only 3 euro so that wasn't bad, plus I got here by 11 in the morning since I just got up when Eric had to in order to catch his flight. The hostel I wanted to stay at (no reservations) was full but the guy tried to help me out by calling around but everyone else's reception was closed for mid-day. So, I wandered around town and saw some cool old houses and churches and realized that I was pretty much done here so I was going to get on another train to Loire. I decided to wait until I knew if I had a place to stay and the reception at the hostel there was still closed for another hour so I decided (still with the decisions!) to wait at the train station and call again. But, the train wasn't going to be until after 5 and I would have arrived really late, and the guidebook said the hostel didn't like phone reservations so I came back into town and ended up at a slightly expensive hotel, just in comparison to what we usually try for.
As I got into my room, the guy from down the hall called for my attention. He wanted to borrow money because his bank won't let him get any until the 30th. However, we couldn't figure out how he would get it back to me (darn!) because I don't have an address or a phone, and he is going to India after this while I am going South, so we vetoed that plan. At this point he invited me to India, and I declined because I had "told my friend I would go with him," ... "and is this friend better looking than me?" he says... uhhhh, we laughed ('cause he's really not so much). He left and I started tearing up (because I miss Eric and everybody, I know, it's sad...) but then he thought of something so knocked on the door and saw that I was crying and tried to console me and say that it's ok cause I'll see everybody again soon and he has been travelling for 15 years and has had to leave lots of friends and doesn't see them and everything will be all right. After I took a nap he was downstairs so I talked to him again and he claims to have had 250 girlfriends that he has had to leave (but says he wasn't trying to brag) and he told me he really thinks I'm pretty and kept saying my name. He's mid-thirties, France-born Italian and he's kinda creepy cause he is so hard core, seriously. Dude just met me. It's funny though, and I'm supposed to meet him for a drink later at the hotel but we'll see. Other personal details he informed me of included that his parents don't support his job-less travelling, that he is returning to India to be a photographer as he has been on hiatus due to a depression induced stay in a mental hospital. I think there was more in there too, but I'm starting to forget some due to the sheer amount of information I was given. He knows that I am from Victoria, that my name is Danielle, and that my boyfriend returned home this morning but I will see him again in two months. Those are the details he managed to ask for while telling me his life story. I think he is lonely.
Well, aurevoir for now. I am off to Avignon and the Cote d'Azure tomorrow!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Belgium
So the Belgians love beer and chocolate and so do we! We actually start our day with a waffle usually, but beer and chocolate are not far behind. Throw in some flemish fries in there and you´ve got most of what we eat in a day.
Realized that I had kind of disappeared from the blog for a while there but we´ve just been chilling out and taking it easy. Meeting some nice people while we sit in parks and wander around small cities, preparing ourselves for the craziness that will be Paris really. After Italy, we were so tired and needed time to rest so we are currently resting before entering into the same kind of touristy, museumy atmosphere once again. Brussels and Bruges are both very beautiful places, but I have no idea what the art looks like (other than similar to that of the Netherlands...) but I know how much I LOVE gaufres de liege which are very thick and doughy and sweet. That´s pretty much it but I´m sure more will arise once we arrive in France.
Oh, I had wanted to mention how lovely it was to arrive in Brussels and suddenly understand the strange language everyone was speaking (French!), but as soon as we got to Bruges, they all speak Flemish. Although, they are taught English and French at school so we´re doing okay anyway :D
Aurevoir!
Realized that I had kind of disappeared from the blog for a while there but we´ve just been chilling out and taking it easy. Meeting some nice people while we sit in parks and wander around small cities, preparing ourselves for the craziness that will be Paris really. After Italy, we were so tired and needed time to rest so we are currently resting before entering into the same kind of touristy, museumy atmosphere once again. Brussels and Bruges are both very beautiful places, but I have no idea what the art looks like (other than similar to that of the Netherlands...) but I know how much I LOVE gaufres de liege which are very thick and doughy and sweet. That´s pretty much it but I´m sure more will arise once we arrive in France.
Oh, I had wanted to mention how lovely it was to arrive in Brussels and suddenly understand the strange language everyone was speaking (French!), but as soon as we got to Bruges, they all speak Flemish. Although, they are taught English and French at school so we´re doing okay anyway :D
Aurevoir!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Amsterdam - so far
Been to most of the museums we want to go to here. And the red light district for a bit, and wandered around. Maybe two more if we get bored. Which we will because we left a lot of time in Amsterdam. It's really not that much time though compared to other places, it's about the same. Whatever. Maybe we'll go on a day trip to the Hague.
There's construction and renovations every where we go. They have to do it and stuff but there hasn't been a single place we've been that isn't touched somewhere by either scaffolding or half a museum being closed. The museum bit makes it so we spend less time there though, which works to our favour as we usually spend way too much time in them and when they are half closed they display what they think is the best. I just hope they aren't hiding anything that I might have liked
Okay... going to go find something to do.
There's construction and renovations every where we go. They have to do it and stuff but there hasn't been a single place we've been that isn't touched somewhere by either scaffolding or half a museum being closed. The museum bit makes it so we spend less time there though, which works to our favour as we usually spend way too much time in them and when they are half closed they display what they think is the best. I just hope they aren't hiding anything that I might have liked
Okay... going to go find something to do.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Munich - The Train
So I was going to write about the drinking team in the beer gardens (Scott and Dave, we are so starting something cause it is awesome!), but I could write about the "Disney Castle" or even the Nutella that exploded in my purse (grr). I think, however, that I will tell our story of running over the train tracks.
It was one of those kinds of moments that makes me really sad that it was so exciting that I forgot to take out my camera (ie. no picture). In order to get to the castles, Füssen, we tranferred trains both ways in a place called Buchloe. On the way back, our train arrived around 8:17 and the next train left at 8:21. The sign in Buchloe said that it left from the same track that we arrived at which is confusing: why did we get off the train then? Some of us, seeing as it was 8:20 jumped back onto the train, including two people with bikes. The train started to move, but it was going the wrong way and we all freaked out and tried to open the doors to jump off before it started moving too fast (we were still at the station at this point basically). However, they lock the doors once it's moving so we started to settle down a bit figuring that we would just get off at the next town and come back from there. But then the train stopped. 100 metres from the station and we were sitting there on the tracks with the doors locked. Even if we'd wanted to we couldn't jump off the stopped train and run illegally across the tracks and back to the station. There was a train sitting right next to us on a different set of tracks. It was stopped and clearly meant to move into the same track number we had been on, and then it changed it's direction sign and said that it was bound for München which confirmed that it was in fact the train we were meant to be on. There was a driver in the front of it who did notice that we were waving at him and since our train was pretty much shut down for the night, meaning that no one should be on it, he called over (sounding quite stressed about it) and the driver at the front of our train (many, many cars from where we were) unlocked the doors and so we all jumped out and got helped onto the other train. Trains are very high when you are not at the station, reminiscent of me hopping up into Laura's truck, but worse.
The good thing was that we got to pick our seats on the train. But I guess we had all just missed the conneciton or something (which is stupid because that's all these two trains really do is ship people between Munich and the castles) so we sat at the station in Buchloe until the next leaving time which was 8:55. All around not too bad but we were exhausted from the early morning and the late night (giggly roommates) and walking to the sommerrodelbahn - which was cheaper than the first one I went on - so when we got back to Munich we found some street food, cause it was cheap, checked the internet, and went to bed.
Today we chilled in the Englischer Garten and watched some river surfers which was pretty sweet and now Eric wants to go on a road trip to Tofino when he gets back but before class starts (anyone wanting to go is now warned!).
I think that's enough for now. It's raining again so we're going to finish up and run back to the hostel.
Auf Wiedesehen.
It was one of those kinds of moments that makes me really sad that it was so exciting that I forgot to take out my camera (ie. no picture). In order to get to the castles, Füssen, we tranferred trains both ways in a place called Buchloe. On the way back, our train arrived around 8:17 and the next train left at 8:21. The sign in Buchloe said that it left from the same track that we arrived at which is confusing: why did we get off the train then? Some of us, seeing as it was 8:20 jumped back onto the train, including two people with bikes. The train started to move, but it was going the wrong way and we all freaked out and tried to open the doors to jump off before it started moving too fast (we were still at the station at this point basically). However, they lock the doors once it's moving so we started to settle down a bit figuring that we would just get off at the next town and come back from there. But then the train stopped. 100 metres from the station and we were sitting there on the tracks with the doors locked. Even if we'd wanted to we couldn't jump off the stopped train and run illegally across the tracks and back to the station. There was a train sitting right next to us on a different set of tracks. It was stopped and clearly meant to move into the same track number we had been on, and then it changed it's direction sign and said that it was bound for München which confirmed that it was in fact the train we were meant to be on. There was a driver in the front of it who did notice that we were waving at him and since our train was pretty much shut down for the night, meaning that no one should be on it, he called over (sounding quite stressed about it) and the driver at the front of our train (many, many cars from where we were) unlocked the doors and so we all jumped out and got helped onto the other train. Trains are very high when you are not at the station, reminiscent of me hopping up into Laura's truck, but worse.
The good thing was that we got to pick our seats on the train. But I guess we had all just missed the conneciton or something (which is stupid because that's all these two trains really do is ship people between Munich and the castles) so we sat at the station in Buchloe until the next leaving time which was 8:55. All around not too bad but we were exhausted from the early morning and the late night (giggly roommates) and walking to the sommerrodelbahn - which was cheaper than the first one I went on - so when we got back to Munich we found some street food, cause it was cheap, checked the internet, and went to bed.
Today we chilled in the Englischer Garten and watched some river surfers which was pretty sweet and now Eric wants to go on a road trip to Tofino when he gets back but before class starts (anyone wanting to go is now warned!).
I think that's enough for now. It's raining again so we're going to finish up and run back to the hostel.
Auf Wiedesehen.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Rain
We only left the hostel today to get food and cheap internet cause it is Campbell-River-raining here in Salzburg. It started yesterday while I was in the hostel waiting for Eric to return from a mountain hike that I didn't mention until I knew he was home safe cause I was worried and didn't want anyone else to worry in case I mentioned it and then didn't get back online to post about his safe-ness. Anyway, it was thundering and lightning and he did end up stuck in the rain but he'd seen it coming and rushed down the mountain and so it was mostly just while walking between the villages back to the bus stop that he got completely soaked. Oh, and it's been a while since he climbed around like that so he's pretty sore today, silly boy. We were going to go check out some ice caves today but we didn't want to take a tour cause it's expensive and then we didn't feel like dealing with the weather once we woke up so we played cards with this brother and sister we met from calgary and then the four of us left for, like I said, food and internet.
This isn't the first rain we've encountered or anything. It rained a bit in Rome, again while we were on trains a few times, and it rained one night in Prague. But this is the first time that we've actually had a yucky day due to rain. That's why it was post-worthy.
I did go on the Sound of Music tour yesterday while Eric was mountain-ing and it was pretty cool. One of the non-Sound stops we made was at this summer slide thing which was awesome. It's like the tubes at Mt. Washington to get up (sit on slide, attach to thing that pulls) and then some guy helps at the top to get us situated in the half-tube on our sleds. There was a brake pole and I have to admit that the second half of the ride would have been better if I hadn't got scared around one corner and braked too much... but it was still awesome.
We're going to Munich tomorrow and that should be good. We've decided to stay there longer and go straight to Amsterdam after that, so those of you who are following where I said we might be can make that adjustment, lol.
Having fun!
Auf Wiedesehen
This isn't the first rain we've encountered or anything. It rained a bit in Rome, again while we were on trains a few times, and it rained one night in Prague. But this is the first time that we've actually had a yucky day due to rain. That's why it was post-worthy.
I did go on the Sound of Music tour yesterday while Eric was mountain-ing and it was pretty cool. One of the non-Sound stops we made was at this summer slide thing which was awesome. It's like the tubes at Mt. Washington to get up (sit on slide, attach to thing that pulls) and then some guy helps at the top to get us situated in the half-tube on our sleds. There was a brake pole and I have to admit that the second half of the ride would have been better if I hadn't got scared around one corner and braked too much... but it was still awesome.
We're going to Munich tomorrow and that should be good. We've decided to stay there longer and go straight to Amsterdam after that, so those of you who are following where I said we might be can make that adjustment, lol.
Having fun!
Auf Wiedesehen
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