The final countdown

It is hard to believe that I have been away from New Zealand since January. It is even harder to fathom that I have been to over 20 countries while I have been away. I feel like Johnny Cash's 'I've Been Everywhere' is my theme song.
So, I got back from my Big Chill in Europe mid October and the first thing I did when I got back was sleep and sleep and sleep. I have never wanted to sleep so much. I had to put up with an unfortunate case of 'Where am I?' at least three times a night for the first week or two, as I was so used to being in a different place every other day and sleeping in a tent with at least one other person. It was odd to not share a room when I got back.

When I did settle down, I still tried to make the most of having a car, knowing that once it was gone I was going to be pretty much Consett bound. While I have enjoyed my time in Consett it is not exactly the land of plenty-to-do. So I made the executive decision to go for a walk and drag along Hayley to Alan Bank and Steward Gorge.
Poor girl didn't really stand a chance. Not even I realised how much of a walk the walk was. It was 12.5km and we trudged through mud, up and down hill and even up a gorge. Oops. And when we stumbled across come ancient crumbing rock wall I stopped and gave them a hug much to Hayley's ever embarrassment, I am sure.
It took the better part of the morning to walk up and back and I swear my bum was a good size smaller from all of it.
I had to laugh was we were climbing the gorge, aka a really steep and muddy hill. Hayley stopped at one point and decided that she would just live there. I shouted back, 'No, you can't! There is no where to plug in your hair dryer!' and so we continued. At the top of the gorge we passed the blink-and-you-miss-it ruins of a medieval tower. We continued along to a large rock where we sat and had our packed lunch before deciding how to make our way back down.
It was such a lovely walk, following the river and ancient forest. My favourite part and I believe it was also Hayley's, was when the trees overhead shook their branches and a flurry of leaves fell around us like orange snow. It was a magical moment.

The next weekend, the last weekend owning a car, we drove up to Alwnick. I didn't realise that it was closed, or at least, the castle was closed. That was a shame but come on. It was the school break. Surely you would open it then? Apparently not. We did however, have a good walk around the gardens. They are seriously impressive. Not to mention they have the most amazing treehouse too. We walked over to have a peek in. It is actually a restaurant. How cool is that! There is even rope bridges which I insisted that we cross (play on).
We headed back to Knitsley Farm for a hearty and warming lunch. The weather is starting to turn cold here so hot food is a necessity.

I sold my car the following week on for 325 pounds. It was one of those YAY moments when I know it is one less thing to worry about, but at the same time I felt cheated as the car was really good and had such low mileage on it that if it had been sold in NZ I could have made a lot more money on it. They really have a thing against old cars over here. It is odd. But then they think that a car more than 5 years old is old too. Come on, people. It is a car, not a computer. I also cancelled my insurance and got just under 100 pounds back. Woohoo! I didn't think I was going to get any money back so I am stoked.

I have faced a few problems since I have been back. The main one being boredom and boredom eating. It is really hard to care when you are bored. So in the interests of fighting this bad habit I have been through two massive packets of gum. Probably not too good for me but frankly, I just want to eat chocolate and for a solid week that was all I did. Then I had the break out of all break outs on my face, so we are back to moderation.
Any way, I am counting down the days now. I have backed one of my bags. It weighs a lot. It is full of magnets and tapestries and all sorts. I would be devestated if it went missing in transit. It has all of my souvenirs in it.

The last five days

Five days. Only five. I can't believe that I have been travelling for 41 days all over Europe. I am glad I chose

this tour though. I have meet some amazing people and found out a lot more about myself along the way.
Lauterbrunnan is one of the most beautiful places in the world that I have been to date. Our campsite was set in the Alps at the basin of a series of mountains and waterfalls. The grounds were lushly green and the mountains rose up like giants around us. It was unquestionably inspiring.
We had been given upgrades into cabins while we were there so we had warmth to return to at the end of the day.
Our full day in the Alps was my favourite free day. A group of us did the Murren Loop. We walked into town, stopping to squeal and ooh and aah over the cows in the fields because they all had cow bells on, all of them chiming. We then caught a very fast moving gondola up to the top of the ridge, around 900 metres up. From there we had the choice to walk or to catch the tram. I wanted to walk as did Sam and Amber so we struck out on our own. It was a bit misty but we could still see a few of the sights. It took us an hour and 20 minutes to walk the ridge and when we reached the the town of Murren it was a ghost town. From 12 noon to 3pm they shut all the shops and cafes and restaurants. Nothing is open. And when we walked through the town there was only a handful of people on the streets and a thick fog rolling in. It was something out of a horror movie. I kept expecting a crazy Swiss man to come running down the

mountain with an axe yodelling. At the other end of the town is another gondola so we caught that one down. It moved just as fast only going down and it was a little disconcerting when it started to swing madly between rungs. We even met up with Marika, William, Josh and Nicole on the way down. When we got to the bottom of the mountain we walked back along towards Trummelbachfalles. It was a series of 11 waterfalls inside a mountain.
The waterfalls were great. We caught a rickety old lift up inside the mountain and then walked up the rest, looking at the waterfalls as we went. I have never seen anything like it. When you think that the waterfalls and caverns have formed over thousands and thousands of years, dug out from persistent waters, it is awe-worthy.
After the waterfalls, the others, except for Sam and Amber, caught a bus back, but we walked back to the campsite. I couldn't get enough of the countryside and wanted to spend as much time as I could in it.

The next day we were off again to our second of last stop. Heidelberg. We got into the town in the afternoon and had a couple of hours where I went for a walk up to the castle. It was a steep hill to get up there and we couldn't even go inside the castle, but we could see the grounds. Not to mention the views from up at the castle were fantastic. Back at the bottom I had a look in a few touristy shops before finding the most yummy icecream and sorbet shop. Mmmmm. Sorbet. We got to the campsite and I upgraded to a cabin. I had made the call to stop tents at this point. I am sick of being cold and damp and tired so cabin it was.
The next morning we were up again, bright and early, heading to our final destination of Amsterdam. We

made one brief stop at a town called St Goa on the Rhine River where I bought a stein. It is a limited edition one, stamped and with a certificate and I am treating it as an heirloom and art piece. When I saw it I instantly liked it and it was easy to spend the money. I also got to see the largest free-standing cuckoo clock in the world.
Then we were in Amsterdam. I upgraded to a caravan with Will, Marika, Felicity, Marissa and Ella. Best decision ever. It rained the entire time we were there and it was freezing when we were all wet and damp.
Our full day in Amsterdam started out with a bike ride in Edam. I was not impressed at all. It had been drizzly all morning and by the time we arrived in Edam it was pouring with rain. It should have been cancelled, but no, they went a head with it. I, at least, had my waterproof pants and jacket so I was mostly dry. Others weren't so lucky.
We piled back on the bus and went into the city. Where it rained all day.
The others were all heading off to Anne Franks house so I headed off down the shopping street, my goal to find warm dry places to stay for the day. I didn't actually do much in Amsterdam. I found an exhibition of reproductions of Rembrandts art works. I got to see all 300 pieces in one place which was cool. Next I found a cafe and had a hot chocolate and a cookie. It was one of those places where the locals hang out so it was cheap and warm and dry and tasty. The last thing that I did was go to the sex museum. It was quite funny. Not like the one in Prague where it was more gadgets and toys. This one was more photos and statues. Some of them were quite funny. There was one of a hooker whaking off a guy on a street corner. It is all done with robots and the guy is making the most hillarious sounds. There is another one that you hear first. He goes 'Pssst, hey you' and when you look over to see what it is, this robot opens his coat and flashes you. One the way up the stairs is a series of boobs and bum moulds and when you pass one of them it farts and then there is this mad chuckling.
We all went out for dinner that evening, our last night, and after that about half of us headed into town for  drinks and a dance. It was a great way to end the tour. We didn't get back in till around 3am and then we had to get up at 5.30am.
I was so tired for the whole trip back to London and it was sad to say goodbye to everyone. We have been living in each others space for a month and a half. That is a long time. Last night I slept for 12 hours. I woke up three times trying to figure out where I was. It is going to take a while to get back to normal I think.

The serious and the fun

I have been looking forward to Octoberfest for some time, not for the drinking, oh no, but for the fact that I get to wear the beer-wench outfit.
After leaving Prague, we made a brief stop off at Dachau concentration camp. 30,000 Jews and political

prisoners were killed there. They had a the gas chambers but they were never used. Most of the prisoners there died from hangings or from poor living conditions. If someone was found to have scabies the treatment was to strip them down to their underwear and have them stand in the cold and to keep them confined in one room with other affected people. They were basically left to starve.
It was not as big as Mathausen, where I had been two years ago and the atmosphere was less oppressive. I am not sure why. Maybe it was that I had been to one before and was more able to comprehend it, or maybe it was just different. There was lots of different churches built on the site as well to all the different religious groups who had suffered. From what I understand, in Dachau and the surrounding areas, Jews were pretty much wiped out.

After a wee bit of quiet reflection we arrived into Munich to set up camp. The campsite was so busy. I have never seen so many tents backed in so closely. I spent the first night getting some washing done so that tomorrow I could enjoy the day without worrying about clean clothing.
However, the next morning it was all on. First step, get dressed. I wore my durndel and plaited my hair in pig tails. I was so excited. Next step, head into Munich for a bike ride around the city. I hadn't been on a bike in  at least a year and a half but after a few practice wobbles I was off.
We went around the city first then biked into the park where we stopped for a bit of early lunch and for some, an early stein. We jumped back on the bikes and headed out to the Nudists meadow where two of our group bared all, almost all, and frolicked in the field. We then got the bike tour guide to strip down and ride his bike around. I was tempted to do the same but couldn't quite bring myself to do it. Oh well. There is always next time.
From the bike ride we jumped back on the coach and we were finally off to Octoberfest. We were off to Octoberfest for the following hour and half when the driver got lost. A small group of us ended up having a tipple of schnapps from a hip flask. We are not actually supposed to drink on the bus but what they don't see they don't know.

Drinking a litre Radler (Shandy)

We eventually got into the grounds. I always thought the festival was just a bunch of beer tents but it is so much more. There is a full carnival too with street food, touristy stuff and a rides AND a lot of beer halls.
We headed into the HB hall and it was PACKED. We managed to find a seated spot after some serious scouring but were kicked off it at three when they cleaned that section. It was insane to watch them cleaning. Those men and women work fast and hard. They deserved every tip they get.
It was getting a bit stuffy inside so Marissa, Felicity and I went for a walk around the festival grounds before heading back. By the time we got back it was heaving with people. I have never been somewhere I have been pushed and shoved, having people touching me as I moved past, having people move past in all directions. You know in those movies where the actor is standing still and everyone is moving and the noise is loud, they are looking around everywhere, unable to focus - that was me. It was so bad that at one point I plastered my back up against the wall and looked at the ceiling and practised my calm, deep breathing, because all I wanted to do was cry uncontrollably, I was panicked. I had to get out of there. But I didn't leave. This is one of those things that I have to work on and so I stuck it out, moved back into the crowds, surrounded myself with Contikians and stayed for another hour before I had had enough.
Felicity and I headed back out and by then it was dark. We grabbed a german sausage in a bun and had a walk around the grounds before calling it quits and heading back to the campsite.

The next morning, some people with a tender heads, we were off again, leaving Germany to go to Switzerland. Before we crossed the border into Switzerland we stopped off in the wee country of Lichtenstein, fourth smallest country in the world. I have now been to three of the four (Vatican and Monaco).
We then stopped off at Lucerne on our way where we checked out the Swiss Army knives and chocolates. I am giving some serious thoughts to finding a position teaching at an international school in Switzerland. I really do like it there and it is very pretty.
It is even more pretty up in the Swiss Alps where we stayed for the next two days.

The end is closing in...

We left Croatia and journeyed into Hungary, heading straight to Budapest. I never knew this but apparently Budapest is actually two separate places: Buda and Pest. Buda is the hilly side of the river and on the opposite side is Pest which is flat.
I actually quite liked Budapest and wouldn't mind going back for a few days to explore in a little more detail. I didn't really feel we had enough time. Especially as our bus driver got us a bit lost and we spent a lot longer on the bus than we should have. Not for the first time either.
We went up to Fisherman's Bastion where we got some photos of the city from above then we were

dropped off into the city. Marika, Will, Amber, Sam, Josh, Nicole and I all went for quite a long walk but before we got started on it we were stopped in the most beautiful Christmas shop. I could have bought so much but I behaved. It helped that everything was so expensive, but I think if I travel in the winter again that will be the thing that I collect - ornaments from around the world for my tree.
We forced ourselves out of the shop and then went along the Chain bridge which during the war was completely destroyed. When you see the pictures of what is looked like after the war and what is looks like today, the destruction is really brought home to you. We then walked along the Buda side of the river so that we could look back at Pest and see the Parliament houses. The building is stunning. Very fairytale like I thought. We continued along to the Margaret bridge, crossed back and then walked up through town to Heroes square where we chilled out at a cafe for a few hours while waiting for the bus. I had the best tea there. It was Lemon and Ginger tea, fresh made. It was two wedges of lemon, one of lime and one of orange, two tablespoons of crushed ginger and honey and hot water. Wow is the only word.
That night we had a boat cruise down the Danube river. We got dressed up-ish and jumped on the boat for a buffet meal and cruise. I tried all sorts of different dishes but they only one I liked was the chicken in paprika and sauce. Everything else was just was to liberally sprinkled with paprikia. Waaaaaay to liberally.
After dinner we all jumped back on the bus and got dropped in the centre of town for a pretend hen and stag night. The aim of the game was to get the "bride" as many free shots as we could. It was great fun but I had had enough by midnight-ish so a bunch of us taxied back to the site where it was quite chilly.

The next day, bright and early we left the camp site, all packed up, but instead of heading straight out we stopped off at the Museum of Terror. It is a museum about the history of Hungary and Budapest. The building that houses the museum was once used by the government as a place to take political prisoners during the war and torture them for information. We were only given an hour there and it is one of those places where you really need more like three. We couldn't have gone on Monday, the day before, as the museum was closed, so the pushed back our departure time in order for us to at least see some of it. The museum had information sheets in each room though, so what we did was to look at all the pictures and watch a few of the videos and collect the sheets to read later. Budapest and Hungary has a very dark, very sad history.

From the museum we headed off to Austria. On the way there we crossed over into Slovakia, stopping in Bratislava for lunch. I was quite excited to be back and it is even more pretty during the day time. It is such a Christmasy-town sort of place with lots of coloured windows and markets, not to mention the range of statues, including my favourite 'Man in an a manhole'.

We re-crossed the border out of Slovakia and into Austria where we headed to Vienna. After a freezing cold couple of nights my time in Vienna was spent shopping for warmer clothes and a Durndel for Octoberfest as it was cheaper to get one there than in Munich. I still got to see a bit of Vienna but I was more interested in getting the dress. It was 80 euros but it is a traditional one and I saved 20 euros on it. I had put money aside for it so I didn't feel bad about spending 160 NZ dollars on the dress. I know I will wear it again. It is me. I love to dress up.

Prague was our next stop. I love Prague with a passion. We crossed borders again, this time into the

Cechz Republic. My first priority was, after another cold night, hunting out a new sleeping bag with more warmth. I managed to accomplish that task quite early on so I spent the rest of my day pottering around the city until 4.30ish when I met up with the group and we headed out to one of the old bomb shelters which has recently been re-opened as a museum. We went down 60 metres and walked around only about 25% of the bunkers, the rest being closed off. It was interesting to hear about the cold war and the fear of nuclear bombings. I didn't know that once a month they set off the emergency sirens at the exact same time and day to test them out. Also, apparently all the underground train tunnels double as bomb shelters with huge nuclear strength doors that can shut in sections. Albania has the most, but no longer has the population to need all of them. Not that that is a shock, after being in to Albania. It is not a shock that there was a mass exodus from that country. At the end of the tour we got to try on the gas masks. I think I look quite fetching. I am sure I could get me a fella if I wore one of these every day. Hahaha.

Eastern Europe on Speed

It has been so busy and fast paced that actually finding time to write about my travels is becoming increasingly difficult. Eastern Europe passed in a blur, partially because a lot of the time we were merely passing through and other times I was just too sick to enjoy it.
However, in the interests of keeping up with the blog I will outline each place and my impressions.

First up after Istanbul (bye bye Turkey) was a quick trip into Bulgaria where we just stayed the night. I have

never been so grateful for a hotel room as I was sick as a dog and vomited off and on most of the night. I would have hated to be in a camp site in the freezing toilets worshiping the porcelain seat. I did get to see a few things in Bulgari before the hotel. We were staying in a place called Struga. There was the most beautiful and humble church there. I have been to a lot of churches this year but that is by far my favourite because of the simplicity and peacefulness of the place. It was not opulent or gaudy, it just was what it was. I am gutted that I couldn't take any photos inside. Out on the streets in Bulgaria was interesting for another reason. There was protests on the streets and a lot of closed streets which we avoided. I know for certain that my insurance does not cover me if I blithely walk into a protest.

The next day we were up and off to Macedonia. We stopped in the capital city of Scopja which was a work in progress. Parts of the city looked to be still being built. What had been built though was lovely and the bridges were decorated in statues. There was also this huge statue of Alexander the Great in the main square with a fountain at the base that shot jets of water up in the sky in a uniform fashion. I could appreciate it but I was still feeling like crap, given that I didn't finish throwing up till 4am that day. I was on a strict diet of dry bread and sips of water.

From Macedonia we crossed borders again into Albania this time. Albania is unlike anything I have ever experienced and I didn't feel entirely safe while I was there. The children are feral and a lot of them seem to travel in packs. We stopped in a small town in Albania which was not great and we had to scoff our meals down as they arrived 5 minutes before we needed to be back on the bus. Some of the kids hanging around the bus (they only looked to about 10) had tattoos and were brandishing fake (we could only hope) guns.  In the end some of the local male adults that were at the restaurant actually came up to the the kids and told them off.
The other thing that there was a lot of in Albania was stolen Mercedes Benz cars. They were everywhere. Inb Albania, to register a car as yours you don't actually need to a VIN number so there were a lot of stolen cars driving around with UK plates. I even saw a Porsche like Uncle Jim's. Hope his is still in the Lakes otherwise I know where it is in Albania. I couldn't believe how many car-strip shops were just blatently out on the streets either.
Albania also has a lot of unfinished houses and roads. They just have no money, so a lot of the time the road
we were travelling down was the main street and that was the only one with tarmac on top, the rest being a series of potholes and gravel and dirt.
Driving in and out of Albania I also noticed how many of the farmers do everything by hand. They were out getting in their crops with scythes and horses with wagons. I think in the entire drive I only saw one farm that actually had a machine tractor for the crops. It was another world all together. It is safe to say that we had no intentions of staying in a camp ground in Albania. We stayed in a hotel on top of a hill in a place called Stirna with high walls and security guards and guard dogs on the grounds at all times.

Leaving Albania the next morning we left Albania and travelled through Montenegro which was so different from Albania it was amazing. As soon as we crossed the border the houses were built and finished, the place safer and cleaner and the roads completed. We didn't actually stop in Montenegro that night, but travelled on to Dubrovnik where we set up camp.

Dubrovnik at night

Finally, after a lot of single night stops we were in Croatia, in Dubrovnik where we stayed for three nights. It was so refreshing to stay in one place. The weather was still warm and apart from a torretial down pour on
the first morning, the heat staying up.
Dubrovnik is a very cool place. We arrived in the evening and headed back out after dinner to a few bars for a bit of a crawl. We started in a bar called the Sky Bar which is also called a Bucket Bar because you can buy your cocktails in a beach sand bucket. HUGE! We didn't end up actually crawling that far and I wasn't drinking so it was just fun watching everyone else go crazy and I just danced.
Dubrovnik is a UNESCO world heritage site too so I can tick another one of the list. It is also where they
shot the series Game of Thrones. How cool is that! The town is a walled city made of smooth lime stone. It is something out of a fantasy book with the white stone streets and buildings. On the first day in town, I went for a look around the town and got caught out in the down pour. I managed to stay mostly dry by ducking into a couple of shops. I ended up buying a handmade bracelet in one of them because it was so pretty. I also had lunch in town with Marissa and Felicity. Fish and chips. It was fresh and not battered. Panfried and crispy bottom, cooked with garlic and olive oil. Mmmmmm.
That afternoon I bought a ticket for the walls and walked the 2kms, stopping often to take photos and do the odd sketch. It was incredibly hot on the walls and I ended up stripping off my shirt on the wall and wrapping a scarf around my self like a halterneck because it was so much cooler.
That next day we were out on a boat cruise to a few of the islands off the coast. It was a bit cooler today
and while I had intentions of going swimming, it didn't happen. The waters are cooling. One cool thing I did do while on the cruise though was to buy a little back with a necklace and an oyster. I had to crack open the oyster with a knive and get out the pearl which is now in a little basket of metal. I got a cream one with means happiness.
What I found interesting about the city itself was the history of the place and they way it portrays its version of history in the war with Serbia. Basically, it is all Serbia's fault and Croatia were not at fault at all. I bet if I went to Serbia I would hear another version of history. I went to a museum room that had pictures of what Dubrovnik looked like after the bombings.All the roofing on the buildings is pretty new when you look at the photos. None of the buildings have roofs there.

We left Dubrovnik reluctantly and stopped off at another UNESCO city called Split in Croatia. Split is very unique. We went to the Diocleasian palace which was built a looooong time ago by the emperor Diocleasian but he never saw it completed and the locals didn't really want to live in it as it was too big to heat etc. The locals only moved into it to defend themselves when they were being raided by other countries. Now there are heaps of markets and shops inside but they cannot be changed as when it gained heritage status it had to stay as it was. Neat.

Gobbling up Turkey...

How cool is Turkey. It is pretty cool. It is also very different. I have never seen so many stray dogs or packs of dogs. We drove from Athens to Kavala the first night. We weren't in Turkey yet but all the talk in the campsite was based around getting passport stamps.

We had one stop on our very long drive which was at Thermopylae, the site where the Battle of 300 occured. Yay for me. Go the Spartans!!!

The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn and off again, finally leaving Greece and making our

way over the border into Turkey. We had a pretty emotional day, I guess you could say, as we spent a good few hours driving around and walking around Gallipoli and ANZAC cove. It was very humbling for the spirit to be there on a site, to see where the soldiers landed, and to see what they would have seen but with more shooting. I was also awed by how hopeless they must have felt when you see the huge cliffs and clay mountains that would have been so easily defended. We went to some memorials as well as some graves and I took some photos but the message on this one really got me going. I had to choke back a few sobs.
At one of the sites where they have a dedication to the Turkish and New Zealand soldiers they even had some of the trenches left so that you could see and climb into them.

 After visiting Gallipoli we headed to the campsite which was right on the beach front. It was lovely but it was also a haven for bugs. Ewww.
The next mornin though, we were up and moving yet again, heading off for a full day. Our first stop was actually in the wrong direction to where our final destination was going to be. We went to Troy.
I was super excited about going to Troy and finally seeing the multiple ruins, to see Troy and to see The Troy from all of the stories.
They had a gigantic wooden horse outside, a replica of course. Our guide was amazing and he had even written academic books on it, so his knowledge was great and his sense of humour dry and funny.
From Troy we headed back the way we came and in the late evening arrived into Istanbul (what was once known as Constantinople. Woohoo!
We had two hotel nights in Istanbul so we made the most of being central by heading out to a bar for a drink. I wasn't feeling crash hot and was tired so I had a drink then crashed into bed. On the upside, I was chatted up by the restaurant manager who offered 100 camels and 1000 chickens for me. I am worth quite a lot. Hahaha. Will, Marica's partner, told me I should hold out for 500 camels.
Istanbul is a very vibrant city but I was sure to cover up my body as much as humanly possible without dying of heat so that I didn't get leered at by the Turkish men.

Blue Mosque

We had a walking tour in the morning and we went into the Blue Mosque. Each tile in there is hand painted. I couldn't believe the details involved. Stunning.
We also went to the Spice Markets and the Turkish baths to book in a treatment. I spent 199 Lira ($123
NZD) and got a sauna and scrub, a full body massage, a facial, a manicure and a pedicure. Not a bad
deal! We also went to a Turkish rug seller where they tried to see us hand made rugs for outrageous money. The rugs were beautiful and it is true they are an heirloom piece but really, what backpacker young person has that kind of money. The smallest rug was table mat sized and cost 220 US dollars. They were going to offer all their rugs for 50% off but that is still a lot for a little. All the while they were rolling out rugs we were busy drinking Turkish tea which is a the most diving apple tea you will ever taste. Mmmmmm. Our final stop was the Grand Bazaar.
I have never seen so many shops together. Sadly, Cherie, no goats. There were heaps of watches and jewellery shops but no goat shops.
After the markets I headed back to the Turkish bath house. It was an experience.
We were given a towel and a pair of disposable knickers and stripped down. We then headed down to the steam room. Women were separate from men so there was no need to be shy and I think it is fair to say I have never been known to be shy about baring it all so when we headed into the sauna room, I whipped my towel off and lay down on the marble slabs bare but for a pair of knickers.
The room was very beautiful. It was a domed room with a octagonal low set marble step in the middle for everyone to lie on. Around the outside was water for rinsing off. Also around the outside were some rather large Turkish women whose job it was to scrub us down. Bring. It. On.
I lay there for around 40 minutes, sweating out all the dirt on my skin and then was called over to one of the women who literally scrubbed me down, front and back, head to toe, to remove dead skin and dirt. She then soaped me up and washed and then I was rinsed off and my hair washed.
Next was the massage. Holy crap, it certainly was a massage! I have never had someone's elbow in my back but now I have. I loved every moment, even the moment when my hands curled into fists to stop myself from moving away from the pummelling. I had a mud mask put on and then, finally, my finger and toes were painted prettily.
After the bath I just wanted to sleep. It took about 3 hours all together but I imagine it would be very easy to stay there longer. Obviously there are no photos as it was naked time in the bath house.
That night we all headed out for a Turkish dinner where we watched belly dancing and ate Turkish food. Watching the dancers has given me a new desire to learn. I want to be able to vibrate my stomach the way they do. It is beyond imagination what they can do with their bodies. Cherie, you will have to come with me. You can already roll your stomach! You must teach me how.
Some people headed out after the dinner but I crashed out. I was feeling really tired and wanted to enjoy my night in a hotel after 25 days of camping.

 

Going Greek

I can’t believe how much I have to catch up on! It has been a whirlwind that past week and I have barely had time to think on what I have seen and done let alone write about it.

Firstly, three days on Corfu were amazing and left me feeling rejuvenated to continue on the trip with more. Most of the time in Corfu included swimming on the pebbled beach, wincing at having to walk on said pebbles, drinking cocktails and indulging in sailing.

On our first day we arrived very early so we were able to chill out on the beach. Some people did watersports but I was not one of them. I had no desire to swim amongst the sand and rocks or in the deep water. I sort of paddled about. On the second day we had a boat trip. It started at 10am and finished up at 5.30pm. The whole day we were out on the water, moving from cove to cove to swim and chill out in the sun. Lunch was on the boat. It was great fun and George, whose boat it was, was a very cheeky and inappropriate 62 year old Greek man. The scenery around the islands was fantastic and the waters were a brilliant blue colour. I am proud to say that I managed to jump off the boat at the first stop and swam around for a bit without panicking. It was only when I had to get back on the boat and the boat had shifted into rocky waters that I struggled to get back to the ladder. I had to keep repeating to myself that they were only shadows so that I could swim over one long enough to get on the boat without panicking in the water.

The rest of the day I stayed on the boat because it was too close to the reefs for me to be comfortable. However, I still had a great time and managed to get some great sun burn for my troubles. I had put sunblock on but I really am not sure if it actually works.

That evening we had a Greek dinner. We all got dressed up and headed out to a restaurant where we ate Greek food, danced Greek dances and I even got picked to take part in the plate smashing at the end. Yay! There was a dancer who, as he danced, men with lighter fuel and made a circle of flames around him on the tiled floor. It was great. I also took part in the potato dance. Me and Felicity had to put a potato between our foreheads and follow instructions. We had to have our hands behind our backs while we did it. Heaps of fun.

The third day on Corfu was a free day so I slept in, went for a walk to the touristy shops then chilled out on the beach. In the afternoon I met up with a few of the others and we sat on the beach front drinking cocktails and letting the world pass by. 

It was an early wake up in the morning and it was not the best of calls either. The heavens opened as we were putting our tents down and we were hurridly trying to fold, pack and shove a tent into a bag. By the time we were done we were soaked through to the bone.

It was a long day but we finally arrived at our next stop, one which I have been super excited about - Athens.

The campsite was a bit of a joke. They had stuck us right near the entrance, right by a main road and right where the cars decide to drag race in the middle of the night. It was very loud but I didn't care because I was finally here, in the country that I have studied for years and years and years about to see the Parthenon and the temples of Zeus. 

Parthenon

Our first stop the next morning was to do a drive about the city with a tour guide. It was a great way to see the city and get an interesting history on the place - not the ancient history but the more modern history and the recent recession issues. I was really amazed at the amount of empty houses and buildings. They had simply been abandoned and sat there unused right in the centre of the city. After the bus about town we headed up to the Parthenon. I was so excited I had butterflies as we climbed the stairs and I finally got my first proper look. I was like a kid in a candy shop - I did not know where to look first. We were supposed to meet back at the bus at 12 but I told Claire, the manager, that I would not be joining them. I knew before we even walked up the hill that I would want to spend more time there.

The walk up to the Parthenon was up the original marble stairs that the Greeks would have once climbed in ancient times. I got to walk between great sets of columns that dominated the area and then up the temple of Athena herself, passing by the temple of Nike. I was in my element.

From up there I could see out across Athens and at the bottom of the Acropolis was the Theatre of Dionysus where Aristophanes' plays were once performed. I actually got to walk down there and sit in the theatre too. I was so happy to be there I actually had a moment where I cried a few tears just because I was finally here.

From there I left the ancient site and pootled around the little markets in the agora, the old part of the city, and struck up a conversation with one of the shop owners who makes replicas of the ancient vases. If I had the money and the space I would have gotten one. She showed me how she paints and scratches out the designs. It was really cool. I also found my comedy and tragedy masks. Yay! Now I just need to not break them in my backpack.

I next went to the site of the temple of Zeus where there are only a few columns still standing, though still really impressive. The rest of my afternoon I spent walking the shopping streets. There was a bit of unrest in Athens so there were quite a few police on the streets. The other thing there was a lot of was gypsy children who basically rob, beg and steal. It was fascinating to watch and it made me sad as well to think where their parents are and if there parents are the ones dictating their actions.

The last night in Athens was the night that we said goodbye to three of our travellers, Tesh, Kirsty and Maddie and welcomed 14 new travellers. Suddenly the bus is looking very crowded.

I am looking forward to meeting some new people but at the same time I am a bit tired and don't really want to be social. Sigh.

All things Ancient, including the Mafia

For the last three days I have been chilling out on the beach in Corfu and I have loved every moment of it. I was in desperate need of some R 'n' R, so going to Corfu was perfect for me as well as many of the others on the tour. Quite a few people are starting to get sick from the Contiki cough and I have been struggling for the last few days but now I feel great. It might also help that I have been drinking cocktails today. I feel pretty damned fantastic right now.

Going back a bit though... From Florence, where I purchased an awesome leather belt, we headed off to Rome. I love Rome. I really do. It is one of those places where the buildings never get old (so to speak). This time I finally got to the Roman Forum too. I cannot express how amazing the forum is and I got to walk

down the Via Sacra, which I have heard so much about but never visited before. I also got to finally see the remains of the ruins of the Temple of Vesta and the Temple of Romulus. The city ruins are simply stunning and to have seen it in its heyday would have been awe-inspiring, I imagine, given the scale of the buildings.
I revisited the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain, the Colosseum and the circus maximus, and I walked the streets a fair amount. The highlight was the forum though. Now, having been three times, I finally feel like I have seen Rome and if I was to go back it would be for the forum alone. There is just so much to see that you need to spend a lot more time there than I really had.
Also, when I visited the Colosseum, I had no idea that there was a museum inside, so spent a wee bit of time there, enjoying the sculptures. There was even this ginormous hand and head that had once been part of a statue that stood outside the building. I didn't even know that.
I did, however, have to cringe at some of the stories that our tour manager told of Rome that were wrong. Being an ancient history teacher does mean that I sometimes die a little inside when the stories are mangled.

From Rome we headed down to the Isle of Capri for the day. We left Rome at the crack of dawn. It wouldn't be so bad except for having to put down the tents. It is a pain in the arse.

We ended up missing our original sailing time due to the traffic so we didn't get to the Isle of Capri until a little before 2pm and we had to sail back at 5.50pm. The crossing wasn't too bad from Napoli to Capri, but I could certainly tell we were in Mafia territory. The buildings were so much less than the towns before and the people were poorer in looks and shops. We left that and entered another world entirely on Capri.
Marica, Will and I had all opted out of the optional boat cruise around the island, so we had a bit of lunch and caught the funiculare up to the town of Capri, half way up the hill.
The sights from the top are phenomenal. The seas were a rich blue, the skies clear and the bay spread out with boats.
Up on Capri it is very expensive. The shops are all designer, with big names and famous people coming here to shop and eat. I saw a pair of sandals and thought, I could really do with a new pair - picked them up and then quickly put them down - 160 euros for literally two straps and a bit of sparkle. No thanks. My6 6 pound jandals will continue to prove themselves instead.
We walked around the narrow streets, jumping aside each time there was a little motorised 4-wheeler that runs of electric. It was actually quite nice as it was quiet and clean. No beggars on those streets.
We left the Isle of Capri at around 6pm and travelled back to the mainland. This time we landed in Sorrento.
I have never seen anything quite like it. The  port is at the bottom of a very steep cliff which acts are a natural barrier against invaders. When we got off the boat we actually had to zigzag our way up the cliff face via a narrow set of steps. Amazing. Loved it. Calves were burning by the time I reached the top.

Our next stop on our way out of Italy was to Pompeii. We once more entered Mafia territory. It was a little bit annoying - actually, it was a lot annoying. I had booked myself on the tour of Pompeii because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get in with enough time if I had to line up myself. So I paid the extra 9 euro, on top of the ticket of 11 euros to do the tour. The guide was okay but when I asked if we would go to the Villa of Mysteries I was told no. I was told that I could make the 20 minute run down to the site myself if I wanted to. I would have if we hadn't been led to believe that after the tour we were to have lunch and then we were leaving. Tour ended up finishing at 10.30am. So I left the site with the rest of the group only to find out we have another hour and a half here and that we should all sit down and eat at this one particular restaurant. The place happens to be run by the mafia and Contiki have a deal with them. They send us to buy food there and they don't get beaten up - supposedly.
For me it was way too early to eat so I asked if I could go back inside the site. No. Apparently once you are out you are out. Grrrrrr. Another grrrrr is that they lied to us about the supermarket. We had asked if there was somewhere to buy food and was told there was no where. Turns out it was just down the road but the Mafia don't like us to take our custom elsewhere. Boo efffing hoo! We all went down and got food.

Pompeii itself however is amazing. I really did enjoy it and although I am still bitter about not having enough time due to Contiki-Mafia politics I was amazed at how much is there. I loved that I finally got to walk down the streets and to see the brothel houses that I had read about and seen pictures of. I loved that it was there without glamour or casings. You could see it as it was. I got to see the site where the gladiators trained before being shipped off to Rome and where the sailors would go after months at sea. Funnily enough the red light district of the day
didn't have any written signs pointing you towards it. Instead it just had huge stone penises sticking out of the walls of etched onto the ground pointing you in the right direction, so to speak.
The city also had some amazing buildings that were pretty much standing and they had a bunch of plaster-cast remains of people who had been caught in the eruption. They even have one of a pregnant woman. It is very sad but it is amazing that they are so well preserved.

After Pompeii we drove across Italy to catch an overnight ferry to Greece.
I have never, ever, been so grateful for an upgrade to a cabin on a boat in my life. Seriously. There were people, with bad, bad hygiene and serious problems staring. They just couldn't help themselves it would appear. I told Marissa and Felicity, who I was rooming with, that I wouldn't open the door if they knocked and didn't name themselves. There were some bad types on board and I didn't want myself or them to be caught.
The ferry arrived in to Greece at 4 am and then we transferred to another ferry at 6am before finally arriving at Corfu for three days of RnR.

Directions: Up, Down, Across, Down, Angle, Down

It has been days since I last blogged but in fairness, I haven’t been anywhere near free wifi which is ridiculous. In this day and age, where EVERYWHERE has free wifi in public places the camp sites we have stayed at charge ridiculous amounts. Sure, 2 euros for 24 hours, but I am not paying 3 euros for an hour or 8 for 24 hours of which I will only use it for a small amount of time. Still, at least I am not as bad as the young ones. They literally shout and carry on when they don’t have free wifi. Even worse, they won’t sit in a restaurant without it. That is sad.

Barcelona was a good day and night out. I am loving just taking my time pootling around. So my day out in

Barcelona consisted of me wandering off. I went to Sagrada Familia. It was the most amazing and different looking interior that I have ever seen. It was stunning. Guadi who designed bits of it was amazing in his idea of what the interior and exterior of the church should look like. He used a lot of natural things, like tree trunks and leaves and and animals then he created artistic versions of them. It might possibly be my favourite church interior. The outside is a hodge-podge of this and that, but the inside is indescribable.

After visiting the church, I split up from the two girls I was with and made my way down to La Rambla to check out the sites. It is a long street. Really long. I can’t believe how long it takes to walk it. Along the way, I would cut off down side streets to explore those shops. I spent a few hours hunting down a pair of jean shorts because it is too damn hot here.

In the afternoon I met up with the group and we headed back to the camp for a rest. My feet have never ached so much as they do while here walking everywhere.

That night, despite having walked all day, we all got changed on the bus into dressier clothes and went out for a meal. It was a ginormous meal, consisting of 5 tapas starters of mussels, whitebait, prawns, potato, tuna bake things, squid rings - there was a lot of seafood. As well, there was as much Sangria as we could drink. So we drank and drank and drank. Then came the main, by which point, I actually couldn't eat. I had a few mouthfulls of the bolognaise I had ordered, then pushed it around the plate.

From there we headed out to the bar to celebrate on the guys birthdays. We stayed there till about 1.30am then went to a bar called Opium which had a 30 euro door charge but we got in for free thanks to Kesha, our cook, sweet talking the bouncers. It was a fun night. I ended up making out with a complete stranger for most of the time there on the dance floor. He was pretty gorgeous and, Cherie and Stoy, you will be so proud of me, he was as black as the blackest night. Not exactly my type but he knew what he was about and he kissed like a legend. I went back to the camp ground at around 3am. We were back up at 6am, tents down, breakfast, then on the coach. I think I was still a bit drunk when I woke up. 3 hours wasn't enough but I slept on the bus.

From Barcelona we headed back into the France. We stayed in a camp ground in Antibes and bused into Nice. Before heading into Nice we went to Fragonards, the perfumery. Sigh. I have been there three times now and I am no closer to buying their overprice perfume than I was the last time.

 Nice is, of course, stunning, and wouldn’t be a bad place to stay if I had a few million to throw around on an

apartment on the beach. Not having those things, I had to settle for mooching around and window shopping at the over-price stores before making a beeline for the more manageable side streets. I mean really, who is going to want to pay 6900 euro for a dress? It must be nice to have that sort of money.

In Nice, Katie, Emma and I went for a walk up the hill that stands looking out over the water. It used to be a look out point with a castle, and now there is just a bunch of ruins, cafes and look out points.It was a tame walk up the steps but the heat is a killer here and by the time I got to the top I had soaked my singlet with sweat. It is really difficult in that respect because the others complain when they get sweaty pits. Boohoo for them. Not.

At the top of the look out point is the most stunning vistas of the beaches and city of Nice. There is also a waterfall up there. It helped to relieve some of the heat we were feeling with the mist hitting us. I could hae stood there for hours. The seas were such a rich, inviting blue that I wished I had brought my togs. On an interesting note, the French don’t really have the whole togs- undies rule. If you can see the sea, you are wearing togs. The girls who walked back from the beach to the bus stop in their bikinis got a few funny looks they said.

Katie, Emma and I also went out for some lunch. We wanted a pizza but when we sat down and tried to order one pizza between the three of us we were told we couldn't stay unless we ordered a second meal. We left. It was so rude. We ended up finding a square where we could sit and eat a much cheaper meal.

That night we went out to Monoco and Monte Carlo Casino. I lost 10 Euros and that was all I was willing to spend. I am trying to behave with spending. That is not to say I’m not doing things but that I am not playing loose with cash. It is only day 12 of 46. I have a long way to go.

The next morning we headed from Nice to Venice. We made a brief stop at Verona on the way to see Juliet’s balcony and stretch our legs before we went down Venice to set up camp amidst the hundreds of thousands of mosquitos.

The next morning we headed out into Venice. Again, I have been before and I always promised myself that if I ever went back I would go lose myself in the city streets and canals. So my day consisted of chilling out in St Marks square with the pigeons, then getting lost, ending up back in St Marks and doing a sketch, then getting lost again. It was great and I now feel like I have had a proper time in Venice and no longer need to return there.

I don’t think I have walked this much in a long, long time, if ever, and I have been doing it every day in sandals as it is just too hot to wear my tramping boots.

Florence was my next stop. We had a coach drive to Florence, stopping off at Pisa. It was a nice to see the tower again. It was such a scorching hot day that people were sitting in and following the shadow the tower created. We took some great photos and then headed on down to Florence.

That night, some of the group went out to the Space Electronic disco. I have been there and done that and really had no desire to step in there again.

The next day though, we headed into Florence and had a walking tour first up as well as a leather

demonstration. I was excited to be in Florence because I have been holding out for the last three months in buying a decent leather belt when I knew I was going to be in the leather capital.