Garnerbiker's Journey on planet Earth

This blog started as a trip journal for the summer of 2011 Europe trip of 69 days. My wife Katherine, and I decided to use the entire summer break that teachers get, and go crazy. Everything was new to us. I was surprised at the blog's following. It has now become a tradition to travel on our breaks and blog about it. I write mostly as a journal for myself and students, but also give travel ideas to others that might want to travel like us, or go to the places we have seen. Take a look at what's on here. The experiences that I have had through travel are continuously shaping my life. I recommend you get out there and do it!

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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Istanbul to Sofia, Bulgaria

Istanbul to Sophia, Bulgaria

This is a change of pace for sure. I am in a sleeper car on an international train that fits 3 people in a bunk bed style stacking. We have gone across the border from Turkey into Bulgaria hours ago and now, I think I am caught back up on sleep. At 3:45am the train stopped, we exited, and had to go get stamped out of Turkey. This was a very inefficient process especially at this time in the morning. The attendants were not there and had to arrive from off site. But once things got moving, after 40 mnutes of standing in line, we got stamped and back on the train. We were told not to get too comfortable since the Bulgarian customs agents would be on our train to personally check passports for the entry stamp. There were 3 of them quickly knocking at out compartment door with flashlights in our eyes. The one guy was not sure about Andrew's passport photo showing long hair and his recently short haircut. Oops! After a short wait, while the train was still moving, they game and returned the documents. I believe they got off at the next stop down the line. I am just glad we did not have to get off the train like before and wait in the chilly air. Some of our future border crossings will go like that we are told, and that's just how things go, we're told.

So far, the Bulgarian landscape is mostly farmland and gardens. There were some huge sunflower fields, wheat and rice. The buildings outside the villages are pretty run down with lots of makeshift repairs. There were some shepards with their sheep, a farmer beating a pig, and horse drawn carts that were interesting to my sleepy eyes.

This sleeper rail car is a treat in itself. The three bunks are stacked tight and there is a removable ladder to get to the top two. This reminds me of the old James Bond movies while in the cars fighting off secret assassins. There is a movie set like feeling inside this thing. The writing is all in Cyrillic and the car must be from the late 70's or early 80's. We heard that the Turkish rail lines bought these cars from other countries and refurbished them. Pretty cool. There is a German conductor that likes to speak to himself and give stern orders. The train is slow and stops a lot, but for 42 US dollars, it's a steal to go as far as were are into the heart of Bulgaria. Train travel will be our method of transport in the following weeks. I'll tell you one thing, it's no Turkish bus. Those things were sweet! Hey, at least we can lay down and sleep.

As I write this paragraph, we have made it to the hostel in Sofia. This is the capital of Bulgaria and has a unique town center and is surrounded by some large mountains. The train station could have been a huge wreck with logistics. We were approached by 2 men trying to offer help wearing what looked like uniform pants. Upon further inspection while he was talking to me in Bulgarian, I realized he was a beggar trying to offer help in the station for a tip. With our tougher smarts we have deleloped, we sternly brushed him away and went to a real place for assistance. We were in search for tickets to leave Sofia in a few days and everything in the station was in Cyrillic. Not good. The lady at the info booth directed us to the pre sales ticket booth on the bottom floor. This is the actual place to get tickets, not the place the dudes above were trying to take us. Now here is the dilemma. We are in a communist era building with everything in a language and alphabet we dont understand, and now it is a must to get tickets in advance for a day and place that is very important. So, the books came out, eyes were searching, and I wrote in the notebook what we needed in Cyrillic and the dates. The lady behind the counter did not speak English, but was kind and patient to help us. It helped to write all the info down as she wanted to be sure we purchased the correct tickets. It all worked out with some poor Bulgarian on my part and right now we think the correct tickets in hand. We'll see now if we actually get to Varna along the Black Sea. I really want to get a chance to dive there in the cold water and might not ever have the chance to do so again. It all depends on the correct tickets. We will run them by the office here at the hostel to do a final verification.

Sophia still feels very Eastern in this modern time of change. It seems like the mainstream is yet to hit and life is simple and fun. The streets are packed and the busses work on electricity like in Athens, but they have a cool communist look to them. I will try to snap some shots tomorrow of all this. The entry to our huge hostel complex is through a 2' wide door from the main street. It was a little tricky to find today while rustling maps and keeping the eyes looking around. You buzz in and walk back through a courtyard to the front of the hostel. This might be the most active one we have seen thus far. Tonight was free spaghetti and a glass of beer which made for a nice snack after the authentic Bulgarian cuisine we had a few hours after arrival.

Tomorrow it's up to the Rila monastery for a day trip and we should return by evening. Gotta jet.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Istanbul Day 4

Istanbul Day 4

This day was everything we planned. It all went smoothly with the check out of the hostel and getting on the train out of Turkey. The train was not until 10 pm, so we still had some time to see things. Stacie, our new friend from San Francisco, was able to spend the day with us which made for a pleasant time. We had a slow breakfast and then hung out in the lobby of the hostel for a bit. We all then headed out in search of a Bosphorous cruise. After the walk along the trolley train line, we arrived at the ferry port area of the city. This is a bustling area with shops, people,and many restaurants. We were approached by a man yelling about his cruises he had to offer. He said 15 lira! So, we checked out his map and took a look. Stacie told him that we were in search of the guys down the way a bit that had tickets for 10 Lira. This worked on him like a charm and he told us to hop in the van for a shuttle to his boat and we could all 4 go for 40 Lira. Heck yeah! Our wheeling and dealing in this city had finally paid off thanks to Stacie our Turkish bargaining master. I guess it could have worked on this guy because she was so intent on going to the other guy down the way. Or, it could have been that his van was not full at all and he needed people. Who cares? I feel like we got a deal and it was a wonderful boat ride. The boat went out around the Golden Horn and up the Bosphorous to the second large bridge. The first huge bridge we went under and had a cool sight when we looked up. Along the route we had a huge yacht on the west side of the strait. This thing was so large, it had a helicopter on the back! I guess that's an interesting way to get into port. You just anchor your ship out a ways and take the chopper to land. Wow. After the hour and a half ride we ended up back where we started. The ride was breezy and cool with lots of boat activity to witness. I highly recommend if you can get the price down a bit.

On the way out from the boat ride, we were in search of the famous fish sandwiches at the bridge. We knew that there were restaurants under the bridge, but we came across a crazy frenzy of people congregated around 3 bobbing boats in the harbor. These boats were rocking in the waves all cooking fish on huge grills. I guess we had found the place. The chefs on the boats cooked and prepped the sandwiches and then handed the finished product to the men on the land. This was a feat to see with the boats tilting 15 degrees each direction. We wondered how the fish even stayed on the grill. Finding a place to sit was difficult in the pursuing mayhem. But once seated and ready to eat, Andrew chomped down into an entire fish backbone! Nice work guys. I guess it is customary to leave that in? After wrestling the sandwiches and taking part in the famous event, we headed to a place recommended by a friend of Stacie's. All we had was a name and that this baclava bar was at the end of the bridge to the right.... Ok. We had to ask a few people where it was and after a little foot pursuit, we got there. This was obviously the local hangout for all things baclava. There were glass counters all around and chefs behind them whipping up there special delicacies. We were not sure how to order since there were so many choices. Stacie ended up just grabbing 4 of the chef's favorite and we had a seat. Very yummy stuff! Luckily, we had eaten those fish sandwiches previously, since this stuff was so pricey. It you needed to load up on baklava, you might just break the bank. I had never tried it before and what a great place to do so. Maybe once again sometime, and thank you Stacie for your treat!

Once back at the hostel, this would be our last visit before departing. That was time to get your last WiFi fix and use a restroom without paying for it. That restroom thing is surely getting old. I think the locals all have a trick to get in somewhere or maybe they go in the backs of buildings? Who knows? The hostel lobby is also where I like to reorganize my bag and triple check placements for everything. That is not easy to do out in public where everyone is there to watch you and your gear. We got some drinks at the friendly restaurant just down the street and headed out to the train station. No real dinner, but grabbed some snacks for the train trip.

Istanbul was voted the European capital of culture in 2010, and by just a short visit of 4 full days, I can understand why. There were people of all kinds with varying religions, and races all working together in an intriguing city. Much of Europe is not as diverse as Istanbul, but coming from the USA, you are accustomed to a great mix of people, especially at the universities and large cities. In a modern era with mass transportation and the media, we are able to quickly bombard others with differing ideas and customs. We all have to take on this understanding of human difference and try our best to smoothly work together. Istanbul, to me, seems like a city presenting itself as a role model for others to follow, and I can only hope that they do. For our short time there, it was only a glimpse into the inner workings of a truly great city. Istanbul, you have much to offer, thanks. I just don't like to pay for the toilet.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Istanbul Day 3

Istanbul Day 3

This town is too much. It is difficult to comprehend what my eyes and ears are taking in. We have traversed the monstrous city on foot, rail, bus, and tomorrow, boat. This morning, there was the breakfast on the rooftop, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazar, and the to the train station to get tickets.

The Basilica Cistern is this giant water storage facility under the ground that provided cool drinking water for the Justinian Romans. It was then covered over and not discovered till a few hundred years ago. Now, there are a few fish in there, repaired columns, and a nice temp of about 60 degrees. Hopefully, the pics that I took will do this place justice. What's funny is that it was discovered because homeowners were lowering buckets into the ground to get water and what came back up was water and a few fish. When they fully explored the place they found that some used the giant hole as a dump for corpses. Yummy! Today, it is lit up and kept really clean with a few of the columns being supported with concrete and steel. I think it's a great job still giving the original impression and awe that would be expected with a huge engineering marvel such as this.

After yesterday's adventure to the spice market, today was a romp through the Grand Bazaar. And let me tell you, it is called Grand for a reason. This place had everything from gold and antiques to suits and musical instruments. We must have covered every stretch of space in the building. Some say that this was the first mall ever and it is protected by heavy built walls along the perimeter. At each entry point there was a guard with a metal detector which I never saw being used, even though I might have been a little suspect. Most impressive was the gold. You could buy, in hand, gold bullion at market price or sell to these stations. There were gram sizes up to 1000 gram bars. Even though there was bullion, there was jewelry as well. The lights illuminating the treasure surly made it impressive. It is clear to me now the ever lasting obsession that humans have had with gold. This place has been selling the stuff from the 1400's. This Bazaar was not as packed as the spice market, but seemed to have higher quality merchandise. I have to say I am a little tired of the rip off clothing trying to copy name brands. It's pretty apparent with the knock offs and their poor logos and thin cotton. I have to say, we did not purchase anything from the place. That does not matter. There is no room in my bag and only getting a chicken sandwich on pita bread was enough for me.

Lastly, was the Turkish bath. We took the recommendation from the hostel owner and used the service that picks you up from just out front. When you bring up the whole bath thing to anyone, you get all kinds of responses. I had never been to a Turkish bath and had only heard stories about what happens there. Speaking truthfully, I was a little apprehensive about the whole thing, but upon entering and going with the flow, it worked out fine. Now I feel much more relaxed and clean. Nothing weird goes on in there at all. It is actually a first class treatment and the reputation is something based in fact. Upon entering, you go into a changing room and put on a small towel around your waist. This towel you will have on the whole time and never take off completely. Then, you head into the sauna for a few minutes. After sweating it up a while, you get called into the main room with marble floors and benches. Your attendant takes you over to the faucet, pours water over you, scrubs you a bit with an abrasive sponge, and plops you onto the marble table. This is where the massage is given and some extra scrubbing. My dude, stood on my back and did some yanking of my leg and arm at the same time to crak different joint. Actually, pretty cool. Then, it's back over to the water area for the wash down. The whole place was hot and humid and the heat comes from an underground fire that keeps the whole place rocking. Everything must have been built thoughtful since this bath has been operation from the mid 1400's. No joke. When you are all washed up, it's back to the sauna and then to the cooling pool. The next step is to dry you off. This took a few extra towels and a special attendant too care of this by drying my mopey hair and finished it with a nice head wrap. All in all the bath was a sauna, washing, massage, cooling pool, and a dry off. But, what makes it super interesting was the building it all took place. The cielince were all round, the floors marble, and the walls tile. It was like being in the Grand Palace to get all cleaned up. Nice! No one inside was speaking English. It was all Turkish, so maybe they were making fun of me or talking about my mom, or discussing how much money they are all making. Oh well. Cleanliness is one of the 7 pillars of Islam and it was a great experience to take part in such a ritual. Although a washing like this would talk place about once a week, the other bathings would happen at home or as frequently as possible. Sometimes though, around here, I wonder who is actually bathing at all. Every once in a while you get a whiff of some nasty cloud a danger and want to push them in the direction of the baths. I probably needed the bath as well.

Tomorrow should be a little easier day with a Bosphorous cruise with coffee and preparation to leave on the night train to Sophia, Bulgaria. Once again, it's gunna be tough to leave another great place in search of more adventure.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Istanbul Day 2

Istanbul Day 2

The morning started with me completing the blog from yesterday at breakfast on the rooftop terrace. What a great place do do a little writing. But as I was finishing the last blog, Andrew was hassling me to get it done and get off to the Grand Palace of the Sultans. And did I do that? Yes indeed. We crammed our Turkish breakfast in our faces and headed off to the Palace. It was a short walk from our place in great weather with cool breezes and sunny skies. This place is a walled in fortress for the sultans in the years past which has stood up to the test of time and is a truly beautiful site. The problem is... It is SO big. The grounds are extensive and the architecture is magnificent. Every room had a unique ornate fireplace and many tiles covering the walls with supreme artwork. These guys had the life. There were rooms for concubines and eunuchs and the warriors were bringing in beautiful women to the sultans from the lands that they conquered. Each woman would then bear around 8 children and then partially be part of the royalty. We were trying to figure out where everyone slept in these rooms in the palace. The consensus was that they just hung out in the rooms with carpets and couches. It was a comfortable place and I guess you would nap in the day and party a bit, smoke the whatever, and tend to royal business. Nowhere were there beds of the western European kind.

After that long walk around the palace we headed to the Spice Market. This was just a little walk to the NW from the palace throughout some local busy streets with locals running about. Let me tell you, this was the largest mass of people in a shopping area I have ever seen. Yes, there were spices piled high and a wide variety of tasty morsels, but the vendors were yelling and the energy was intense! I got a few pics of the rows of shops and still had to tell the vendors "no thanks" about a billion times. After exploring the inside market it was time to wander the streets. This is where the locals did their shopping. We saw the equivalent of a home depot Turkish style and a shop that sold chainsaws. Another favorite was the one that sold only rope. In the middle of the street, only a few meters across, we saw guys selling pineapples, belts, spiragraphs that you use with a pen, and numerous fake items. The fake things were mostly Adidas and Abercrombie which makes Andrew feel really great since he used to work there. Most things looked like grey market items or things people made. I never got pick pocketed or hassled real bad even though I was warned about this place. Maybe the Grand Bazaar will be worse? We head there tomorrow. This evening we came back to the hostel and have a new roommate from San Franciso named Stacie. She's a 3rd grade teacher and seems really funny. Never had a pal in the room. We'll see how this goes.

Staying in the tourist area of town has it's pros and cons for sure. Andrew tried to barter with a street vendor that looked like he was shutting down for the night. We were in search of food before bed and it looked like he had a few kabobs left on the rack. He wanted 5 lira each and he offered 10 for three. NO DEAL! He said. Smell you later, we said and got a banana and some food at the local mini market. Wow, how everyone wants to make a deal, but not on your terms. We will try again if we need to. I would love to play their game and beat them sometime. Probably won't happen.

Tomorrow is off to the Grand Bazar, Cisterns, and a Turkish bath. Bring it!!!!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Istanbul Day 1

Istanbul Day 1

This traveling is sure making me sleep well. It seems like more coma like sleeps are becoming the norm. I remember being a little bit younger and visiting friends, being out all night, hitting it hard, and not really sleeping. The next day was going to continue the madness. Normally, that would be a few day stint and you could recover by either ending the fun with going back to work or school. The days on this trip have been similar with the intensity level and there is no real time to recharge your batteries. The nights have ended with a wake up either from the iPod or the sun coming through the window to disrupt my dreams. When this happens, I tend to wake not knowing where I am or what day it is. This is is something I really like to feel because at home, going to work, I am always up before the sun even on the weekends and sleep is never this good. I even leave tons of time for sleep and mostly just end up with a marginal recharge of the body and mind. I might need to set aside some more hours across the next few days to let this happen.

With today's events and sites, I don't even know where to begin. First of all, it is difficult, even after this long, to realize that I am on the other side of the planet and not in the USA. It is a total mental overload with culture, art, environment, and customs. We saw 3 main sites and was able to cover lots of street mileage in the process.

It began with a rooftop terrace Turkish breakfast overlooking the Bospherous strait. The. Asian side of Istanbul is clearly visible as well as the many freighters and boats in the water. Rooftop space is a luxury here, and if you have some, it is used to great degree. Almost every building's roof has tables and chairs and many have restaurant like establishments. The air is not exactly clean with a large city and the sunrise was very colorful.

After breakfast we headed to the Blue Mosque. This is probably the most iconic building of Istanbul standing right in the middle of the city and representing so much of what the city has become. It has 6 giant minarets and many domes creating a wonderful presence for us to take in. The doors are open to visit as long as prayers are not going on and shoes must be removed before entering. The line was substantial, but moved well, and we went right in. The inside is plastered with ornate paintings and stonework that many artisans shed some serious hours creating. The floor was covered in red carpet and had a slight smell of locker room feet, probably because half the people were barefoot and not in socks. Eeeeew! I know that carpets are not difficult to come by around here after seeing all the shops. I guess when it's time to lay down some new, they know where to go. No really, about every third store sells carpets and the other 2 sell food and hooka pipes. I was allowed to take photos of the inside. We'll see how those turn out.

Since the Blue Mosque is so close to Aya Sofya, we went over there next. This is a building that has gone through many different phases and rulers in it's time. It started as the Pope headquarters for Justinian and then was converted to a mosque and is now a museum. There were numerous renovations to clear some of the Muslim artwork to see what Christian work lies beneath. The most interesting works might have been the mosaics of extreme detail depicting Christ and the Virgin Mary. So, the current state of the museum is trying to equally show the history of the 2 religions. A neat part of the building was the front of the church that had the focus point moved just a little bit to face Mecca, as do all mosques. The stonework was extreme with all types being brought in from different lands to add to the lavishness. There are two levels which are accessed by a stadium like stairway. Except, these are made out of stones and spiral around four times. After seeing the ruins in Greece all earthquake shattered, it is hard to believe that this is still standing at all from 450 AD. I guess when something hits here, everything is coming down.

We then got lunch close to the hostel and headed to the Mosaic Museum. After doing some mosaic work of my own in my home, we decided to check out this place and see what it was all about. This museum displays a find of one of the largest mosaics of all time. The Grand Palace had a stretch of floor covered in mosaic tiles that were covered and overlaid for many years. This first class exhibit truly gave you the magnificence the mosaic was built to show. I do not remember the dimensions, but there is a full chunk maybe 30 meters long all depicting animal, nature, and hunting scenes. Most of the tiles were square like pieces about a centimeter or less in width. Totally time consuming, but if it's for the ruler, you had better make it great.

Obviously, there is too much to write about the sites. I guess that I could just post a link in here if you are interested. I would like to just go off in detail about events that show the flavor of the city. The sites tomorrow will be once again involved. This time I might be on the search for funny encounters that will be interesting. The human interaction here is something to be written about. We had dinner and coffee that was a totally new experience. I will try to get something different written down for tomorrow's entry. Let's see what the next day brings.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Selcuk to Istanbul

Selcuk to Istanbul

Today started with a sad departure from Atilla's Getaway. We had breakfast, paid the bill, said goodbyes, and hopped in the van with Carlos. He took us to the bus terminal for the day bus to Istanbul. I was still able to get in a quick game of pool with Shaun, a new pal from Adelaide, Australia. The mornings are the best with cool temps and a gentle breeze. The nights there were so nice, it was just open windows, a fan, and coma like sleep. The local mosque's early morning call to prayer didn't even wake me. Andrew heard it one morning, and I spotted the building from the trail run up the mountain. A different place.

I posted a bit on Facebook about this ride on the Turkish bus, and I will elaborate a bit here in the blog. I knew the reputation of these coach lines and they live up to what I have heard. There is WiFi with in and out service, but good enough to do email and check the blog to post. We have a steward that comes up and down the aisle serving coffee, snacks, and juices. The stops are spaced out just enough to comfortably make restroom breaks and the air-conditioning works like a champ. As I write this there are a few children around me sharing seats with parents which seems to be the norm here. Not a problem, unless they are in a group of 40 coming into my classroom ready to pound on musical instruments. Sheeze! The seats are comfy and windows are huge. The drivers and companies take such pride in the busing that at the rest stops they even wash the bus. The front window has been done every time and the sides once. Wow! There is USB charging and little TVs in the seat back in front of you. Might be overkill, but sure is nice. I have taken the Greyhound bus lines in the states, maybe they should take a note. Or, someone should copy this model and let it fly. Would be nice to travel like this in the states.

On another note, the bathroom situation is a little intriguing. Not only having "squat toilets," you have to pay to use the can. Some places in Greece you had to pay a fee for toilet paper, but in Turkey you have to pay every time you use one. Most places it has been one Turkish Lira and if you don't pay, you get the stink eye. Not cool. So, if you are going out on the town, you must bring a few coins to take care of the bodily functions. This could be a problem if you are visiting local watering holes and blow all your money. I feel a little weird giving some attendant a coin to add to their huge pile just do do my business. Hey, I could go around the back and go in the grass, but a visit to a Turkish jail right not would not be fun. These cops have some serious firepower. More on that later.

Selcuk, Turkey Day 2

Selcuk, Turkey Day 2

This has been a very interesting day. There were sights to see, friends to make, and food to munch. It started out with an early run to the top of the nearby mountain. It was a short run about 45 min, but it took me to a viewpoint that overlooked Selcuk and the sea to the west. I was on a single track hunt, but came up only with bulldozer trails that went straight up the mountain. Never before had I seen such trail work. It caught me a little off guard not having dedicated swithbacks and forest road. This was nothing you could take a car up at all. It still made for a little fun.

After cleaning up, we all met for breakfast in the courtyard at the hostel. There was a large spread of choices which were concocted in the kitchen below with a wonderful attention to detail. Most of us went for the Turkish menemen. It's an egg, pepper, and tomato dish with buttered bread. With a coffee, it really hit the spot. Breakfast is the time to make new friends, discuss trip reports, and say goodbyes. Goodbyes are usually quick and mostly with nothing else involved. You probably will never see that person again ever which makes this a little different. The last evening might have been spent discussing world politics, or their take on Dumb and Dumber. Others, you might exchange emails for hopes of meeting again or to share pictures. The hostel crew thus far has been easy to talk to, and most have been able to speak English. Many are from Canada, but recently we have met a Kiwi, and some Aussies. Very nice people.

The evening pool matches have been a blast. The table is outdoors and overlooks the mountains to the west and the road below. The pool sharks around here are Atilla (the owner) and Carlos (his right hand man, actually lefty). I guess when you have a table at your disposal, you might have some moves. The game of the evenings has been "killer pool". Everyone starts with 3 points and gets one turn to sink a ball after the break. You sink it, you keep your points. You miss, you lose a point. Sink the 8 ball, you get an extra point. 2 balls in in one shot, extra point. It was fun with a dozen or so people and the two masters coming in and cleaning up house. We might have to bring this game back in future hostels on the trip. Oh yeah, we play for money. One Turkish Lira to get in the game. Little less than a US dollar. Good stuff.

Let me tell you a little about our host Atilla. This friendly, gracious host, made us all feel welcome is his traveler's getaway. He is ethnically Turkish but raised in Australia in his younger years. This really makes for an interesting person. He looks Turkish and speaks English with an Australian accent. After many conversations with him, I was able to develop a high respect for a real self made man. He did some work selling carpets in town and had the idea to set up his parent's house as a hostel like getaway. There have been many improvements and additions to the area and grounds. He also has ideas and plans to expand a bit and make things a little more lavish and comfortable. We had a little discussion about business decisions and situations that he has dealt with in the years. He seems to be a man that holds true to his beliefs with good morals and business sense. People in the city area are pleased to do business with him and have treated him well in return. This was a charismatic fellow that has a demeanor that makes you truly wish you met more people like that on this planet. I wish him the best of luck with the business and hopefully many more will experience the hospitality of the man of Selcuk, Atilla. Oh yeah, Carlos isn't that bad either. hahaha

The walk over to Ephesus was well worth the trip. We decided to save 10 Lira each and just walk the few kilometers up the road to get there. The walk also gave us a taste of the countryside and without much of a road shoulder was difficult at times. There were passing busses and taxis from town and many honked to see if we needed a ride. Much of what we saw was orchards full of apricots and peaches. Sometimes there would be a little vendor set up selling the fresh picked fruit. Upon arriving the site, we were bombarded with a few cafes and tourist shops. One of our favorites was the one called "Genuine Fake Watches." The entry to Ephesus was full of people trying to get a take on the wonderful preserved ancient site. After seeing Athens and Delphi, this place was enormous and very intricate. There was a main road decorated with many columns and marble carvings. It seemed to follow the same grade of steepness most of the way. They believe it was used for processions coming into the area. The area that we entered was the rear enterance which gave us a small theater to view. Small only is the term used to compare to the next one that we saw. Coming into the city the day before, we could see a giant theater and we at first believed this was the one that we were climbing around. Just a few steps later we rounded a corner and saw the lasgest theater we have seen thus far. It was giant! They say it could fit about 25,000 and was in pretty good condition. It is in a current state of preservation and is being funded by an Austrian group. There was only a crane and some concrete work going on, but you could still hike around it and through all the passageways. Lots of fun for a relic 2500 years old. The sea was previously higher in the time of Ephesus. You could see where the water might have been, explaining the importance of this port town. After visiting, I really want and need to do more research on the city. Leaving the site left me with more questions than answers. That seems to be what is happening on this trip. I had better get used to it.

Almost forgot a funny conversation with a street vendor exiting Ephesus. We had a backpack and were almost empty of water, but still had enough to get back to the hostel. This guy yells out to us, "Hey, you need a water?". Katherine says, "not right now." He says, "Then when?" Katherine spouts out, "When I finish this one," holding it up to him. He says, "Fine, I will be waiting." That is just a bit of the funny dialogue around here. As I said, you don't really win in a conversation with the street vendors. They have way too much practice and won't back down.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Selcuk, Turkey Day 1

Selcuk,Turkey Day 1

Holy cow! It took some work to get to Turkey. We had to stay at Mykenos, get on the 2 am ferry, with a huge wait at the port, board, crash for a few hours, arrive in Vathy on Samos, get on small ferry to TK, get visa, pay port tax, get in town, find bus, get to Selcuk, and hike up road to hostel. But you know what? After arriving tired, hot, sweaty, hungary, it was totally worth it. We are staying at a little oasis on the top of the mountains in Turkey. The place is run by an Aussie Turk with his buddy. It started as a little house owned by his parents and now is a lush resort-like hostel for travelers. It's out of the main hostels of Selcuk and vicinity, and very peaceful. There are fruit trees all around with plums, apricots, and peaches that we are encouraged to pick. This evening there will be a provided dinner for everyone as well as a breakfast. The grounds are overlooking the Aegean sea in the distance with many mountain peaks visible. A natural spring feeds the swimming pool that has no shallow end. There is a bar, pool table, ping pong, showers, benches, bean bags, hookahs (called nargile in Turkish,) wifi, and comfy beds. What else could we want? .... Maybe a free massage, but that won't happen. There is an older Taiwanese woman that has taken a liking to us and wants to talk travel about the whole area. We ran into her on our way up here from the town walking. She is also doing a huge trip finishing in Berlin to see her son do the marathon there in the city. Good talk, and full of information.

So far, the Turkish people are very friendly and want to be sure that you are having a great time. After leaving the port we were walking through town and a man approached us on a bicycle. As in Greece, I tried to just say hi and walk the other way, but he wanted to see if we had a place to stay. He felt that we were a little cold to him and let us know that in Turkey not everyone is trying to trick you and take your money. So, we then agreed with him and tested his statement and asked were to go for the local bus to Selcuk. He provided us with good info and we were then off in the right direction. Good work dude! After a quick lunch in a hectic bazaar area of town, we headed to the bus station and came into Selcuk. Instead of taking the provided bus, we walked what we were told was 2.5 kilometers. After walking for a really long time with heavy packs, we got here. Thank God. The beating sun has now subsided and we are now left in a beautiful oasis in the Turkish mountains. Way to go team!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Mykonos Day 2

Mykonos Day 2

Wow! I guess we found it, the party island. All the talk in Athens, Santorini, and from friends has turned out to be true. This place is full of college aged people looking to throw down on the party scene. The acomodations said "camping bungalows" and that was an understatement. The rooms were concrete walls with no ventilation and full of mosquiitoes. Yay. We hung out at the pool for a bit, which was nice and then ate some dinner. Swimming during the day was relaxing in the sea with many rocks to climb on and jump off. The water is quite clear and the breeze brings a nice touch. The crowd was up till 2 am with pounding bass and techno music that must be popular here. But right at 2 it turned off and people went home. But then the partiers were making their way back to their "bungalows" with wonderful shouting coming out of them. With no AC and not fan the late night was a little uncomfortable. Nothing like White Sands, NM camping in the middle of the summer with wind and sand, but still rough compared to the nice place on Santorini. That place was sweet.

Now, we have procured tickets to Samos. Little pricey, but will get us that last leg of the trip to Turkey. As I write this, I am bumming free Internet from a shop across the way. We have to kill time here for the 2 am ride. No problems, but just gotta keep the euro spending to a minimum and still get food and drink. This area of Mykonos was built with crazy winding streets to confuse pirates coming on land to reap havoc. Well, it worked for that, and surely keeps us wondering which way to head. The streets are narrow and with the breeze, white walls, intricate paving, make it a cool place to hang. Not sure if we will. Stay at the Paraga Beach Hostel again, but Mykonos is a beautiful island away from the cruise ship docks. That is just madness!

The sea is a bit hoppy with white cap waves and hopefully it will not hinder the ferry ride this morning...at 2 am. Check the Facebook page for the few pics I am posting thus far.

Smell you later!

Mykonos Day 1

Mykonos Day 1

Right now we are on the ferry to Mykenos after a long morning of preparing to leave the island of Santorini.  Our hotel had a shuttle for us at 10:15 am from Perissa to the port.  After traveling across the island once again,viewing the vineyards, we descended the cliffs to the port.  There were quite a few people lined up ready to leave the island and ferries waiting to leave Santorini.  We had a bit of confusion to which one would be ours.  There was a bit of room in the air conditioned terminal which we quickly took up residence.  Prior to this departure, we purchased tickets in town and were given two options: one, was to take an 11:50 ferry or take the 12:00 ferry.  I just said to take the 11:50 and go with that.  Little did we know that this was the super-jet that would haul serious butt and have no deck.  After riding on this guy, which is fast, we do prefer the slower ferry with outside seating and room to walk around.  This positive side to this is that it's fast.  Real fast.  It's a catamaran probably doing 40 knots and smooth as butter.  But there was a cost of 49 €.  Ouch.  Well, it was great to experience it. 

Leaving the island of Santorini was a little tough, I must say, but heading off to a new destination will surely bring excitement.  We are hopping a few islands along the way to get to Mykenos.  Santorini left much to still be explored, but I really appreciate what we were able to see in the brief 3 days there.  Next time, I would love to spend a little time on the black sand beach and visit the wineries.  There were grapes growing all over the island out of what looked to be solely volcanic rock.  It looks like all the terracing that I was talking about was to help the drainage for the grapes.  I will have to research what and how the grapes are farmed.  It looks very interesting.  Some time again, Santorini.

The crowds around here are a diverse international crowd.  Americans are difficult to find, but easy to hear.  They are the only ones that have been yelling at night while everyone is trying to sleep.  Much more on that later.  There is another interesting group here.  That is the British Asian crew.  They come across as self absorbed and are not into the entire picture taking craze as other Asians.  The few that we have seen are interested in guys, and divulging pleasures, only.  The are talking about dinners and drinks that are purchased for them and how they like other places better.  They are not very friendly or up for conversation.  Oh well.  This will be a group to surely eavesdrop upon and gather more intelligence.  The few we have seen have differing tatoos that don't make much sense in English, such as "sucker's dream" across the back of their neck.  On the ferry, it's iPods in, and rest up for the evening's mayhem.  I don't even want to know the stories they will have.  

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Santorini Day 3

Santorini Day 3

Holy geeze weeze! We just got back to the hotel from a tremendous day of diving. This morning we met the dive bus at 10 am and headed to the Caldera Beach. Our gear was already set up for us and had our names on it. We were in a group of 6 divers and 6 snorkelers. Then, we boarded the boat and headed out maybe 5 minutes to a wall area with a return that brought us to a sandy bottom. The guides were a little interesting. One was Greek and looked like he had spent a bit of time in the sun in his day and was still kicking it hard. The other guy was from Sweeden and was a bit of a hard ass. I wanted to be sure of the dive oriole and questioned the depth, and he let me have it. Typical, but he was not Greek, therefore I was not expecting it. We dove with no computers, which was weird, and just went off a tested safe profile. Start deep, and return at a shallower depth and chill around 5 meters for a safety stop. All good. We saw lots of rocks, and that's about it. No, really. We were exploring the central area of the caldera that was all molten at one time and some say covered the ancient city of Atlantis. Maybe? We did see some fish, one bigger than a foot and a half. No worries, the smaller fish were very colorful and quite interesting. The many rocks had a bit of tube sponges, spiral tube worms, sea urchin, and a few starfish. The water was 72 degrees F which is cold for fulll blown coral. Some say that there is nothing to see here, but where will you dive in a volcanic caldera? The views around the dive site were spectacular and the company was interesting from Australia, Sweeden, England, and Austria.

After the hour surface interval back on land, I got a new mask that sealed better and we headed out to the shore reef. This reef was pretty cool with a shore entry through grass and traversed a rock wall for a long distance. We returned a little shallower and came across a giant jug, little sunken boat, and fed fish with a load of bread. Normally, I am not into feeding the wildlife, but this was pretty cool. You just hold out a chunk of break underwater and let the fish have a party. After is feeding frenzy, we headed back to shore and finished our diving for the day. Totally fun.

We met 2 Austrians that came in on a cruise ship and decided to spend their one day on the island underwater enjoying the caldera. They are on a 7 day trip from Athens to Rome, island hopping. Their huge boat only has 350 people on it and everything is included. They were pretty stoked. This couple had just been to Malaysia diving and was planning a trip to come to the local shantytown of Las Vegas. I recommended diving at Catalina Island while traveling through the West Coast. Kelp is something to see if you have never seen it before. We'll see if they make it.

This trip has gone a little too smoothly thus far we think. Tomorrow, we leave to go to the party island of Mykonos only to get Samos, which gives us access to Turkey. There will be a few late night ferries and questionable sleeping circumstances. We just have to go with the flow.

Sorry about the lack of proofreading. I just want to jot stuff down and let it roll. I'll get back soon.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Santorini Day 2.2

Santorini Day 2.2

As I lay here writing this blog, I am extremely tired and needing a good rest, but some things I just have to write down. They can not wait. We made it to the towns of Fira and Oia. To do this, we had to take the public bus to the first town, walk around and check it out, then go to the next town at the extreme north. Oia is the town that is known for the sunsets over the sea and the beautiful buildings built on the cliffs and now we know why. We were there too early for the full on sunset, but that made dealing with crowds better and still provided us with some killer shots. There were the typical tourist shops and there were some super high end jewelry and apparel stores. The cruise ships let off and these two towns are easy access from their port. Easy in distance, not elevation. There is 300 meters of climbing to get to the top of the cliff wall. Some people take a cable car, some walk, some take the car from the large port, and some take donkeys. Now, the donkey thing was pretty funny to see. You have this sunset coming soon and everyone is trying to get to the lookouts to get their shot to show everyone, but the poor donkeys are being packed and raced up the concrete trill to dropp off passengers. On the way down, the wranglers race the donkeys as fast as possible to get them there to get another load of people. We saw this cycle go on a few times while we were perched in our lookout. There was a lot of whipping going on and yelling at the donkeys. The riders looked like they were in more pain getting off that they would have been if they just walked up the cliff. Oh well, at least we were entertained. The towns were beautiful to say the least with the rock walls, blue churches and the white walls, all with the sea in the background. I will post pics when I get the ability to do so.

We booked a scuba dive charter in the morning. They said they are taking us to 2 locations in the caldera of Santorini. We meet at a place 3 min from the hotel and get shuttled to the dive boats. We'll see. Not really sure about renting gear when you have your own that you are really used to. Just have to be extra safe and observant.

The food here has been a little pricey, but we have bought staples from the local for breakfast and some lunches. Morning breakfast is our Greek Breakfast. We make this with hard boiled eggs, tomato, feta, bread, and prosciutto. Pretty good and can get you through till lunch. For lunch, we have located a winner of a place! We call it the 2 Euro Gyro. Just a Gyro with park, feta, tomatoes, French fries, cilantro, etc. But it's funny to say Euro and Gyro when you pronounce them the same way, almost. We will head
Back there tomorrow after diving for sure.

Gotta get some sleep after that trail run, hiking in 2 towns, and the local festivities :P

Santorini Day 1

Santorini Day 1

The morning started out with an early departure from the hostel in Athens. We had to catch the subway and make 2 connections to get the the port of Piraeus. From there we bolted out of the subway, took the stairs up and over the busy highway and saw 2 huge ferries loading with huge lines and cars. Of course we went to the wrong one and had to back track to the other, but it was right next to it. Ferry riding must be something that Greeks love. We have never seen so many cigarettes being smoked. It was like being in the 1980's in the USA. You can't smoke in the ferry, but everyone outside was, or at least it seemed. Also, personal space is something different in Greece, but even more crazy on ferry riding. Bags can go anywhere, you can sit on stairs, block doors, and lay down like you are on an international airplane flight. I am not being negative, it was just interesting. We were in the Mediterranean, which I have never been on before, and the ride was super smooth. Inside you can't really tell that it was moving even with the little chop out there on the water. We made 2 stops. One on Paros and the other on Naxos. These ports were cool and after Paros many people left. When we leave Santorini we have to rock the ferry again. We then go to Mykonos, Samos and then to Selcuk, Turkey. Bring it.

Here is a little gem about finding a restaurant in Greece. The host of the restaurant hangs out in the front and tells you that there food is the best in town and that you have to eat at their place. Every response I give them seems to be wrong and if you don't make eye contact you come off as rude and they will talk about you as you go by in English, of course. You can smile, they let you have it. You can tell them you just ate, they tell you you made a horrible decision. You an tell them you are looking, bad idea. Then they hound you. You tell them you are not hungry, they want to take you in for drinks. But, if you do eat there, like this evening, the guy says come by tomorrow and it will be free to use their umbrellas and chairs out on the black sand beach. So what I have noticed thus far is the Greeks want to play little games and you just have to give it back to them and joke a bit. But I have to remember this, let them win. It's easier.

So, the first glimpse of Santorini was a crazy ride from the port to the east side of the island. You can rent mopeds and four wheelers to cruise around all over. This is the beginning of their busy season, but things seem pretty calm. The beach really is black where we are staying from all the volcanic activity. The entire island is a caldera that erupted violently in the 1950's. Much has been rebuilt, but I plan to take a trail run up to the top of a peak tomorrow to check out some ruins. I might be solo on that. Tomorrow will be sites and sunset pics and the next day we are trying to get two scuba dives in the morning. They offer some guided wreck dives that might be cool. We'll see. The island has no fresh water and everything is desalinated from the ocean. You can't drink the water since it has still too much salt and this makes the showers fun with saltyish water. So, everyone has to drink bottled water. Not cool. It looks like there is some govt help to keep water prices down since it is really cheap on the island.

Wrote too much. Probably boring, but who cares. Gotta get to bed.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Delphi Day 2.2

Delphi Day 2.2

Delphi Day 2.2 was actually 1/2 in Delphi and the other 1/2 in Athens. We took the bus here in the late morning. Since then we have been to the grocery store, checked into our new room, eaten dinner in the rain, met back up with Camille from Quebec, and done a little bit of laundry. Things are looking good for the trip tomorrow to the islands. I wish things are looking good for Camille's sister. She is at the hospital with some stomach issue that got her dehydrated and was not able to eat for quite some time. We ran into Camille and the laundromat and she filled us in on the situation. Geeze! I hope things work out. That's one heck of a way to end the trip for them. She might come by after visiting her in the hospital tonight, but it might get late. Wish them the best!

Katherine did get her authentic spinach pies this evening after a long pursuit for the perfect one. The pouring rain sure made us clinch the decision and pop into a little cafe that happened to have those morsels in the window waiting to be devoured. As we sat to eat the entertainment on the street was so merging else. Everyone was acting like they were melting in the rain. I guess it doesn't rain that much here, but we welcome it from the Vegas dry heat.

We have noticed what looks like actual. Gypsies here in town. There were some children playing accordions and tambourines for tourists in the main area close to us. Some of the vendors would shoe them away and the patrons did not seem to like them. That was the first encounter. The second one was today. I saw one little one reaching in the gutter through a metal grate looking for change. This looked peculiar since there was some special stick used and the technique looked proficient. This had been done many times before. The most recent glimpse was when a motorized tricycle came by in search of the night's garbage. We have seen 3-4 garbage pickers thus far, but these 2 were really good. The girl circled the dumpsters and the dude just waited on the bike like thing and then they drove off. I heard that in Romania we will see the Roma people, no similarity to the name Romania, but gypsie folks that will do these sorts of things. They might be the real deal and it might be worth a euro to get a pic with them. The look different and wild. Cool stuff.

I hope the blog is not that boring thus far. If you have made it here on the page, let me know what you think. The auto correct on this thing is a little weird and it might put in different words. We are having a blast!

Delphi Day 2.1

Delphi Day 2.1

Just got back to the hotel, purchased bus ticket back to Athens, and visited the Delphi museum on top of the hill. But before all that the morning started with the best ever continental breakfast ever. On the lowest floor of the hotel there was a huge spread of juices, cereal, fruit, cheeses, tomatoes (like everywhere) , coffee, tea, croissants, breakfast breads, etc. For 63 euros a night for 3 people, it's difficult to beat.

Last night our street was a happening place. A few people were even running down the street for their evening workout. Others were bring supplies to the many restaurants and there were the typical wandering tourists. Our balcony is on the second floor providing a towering view to take in. Kind of.

We have come to the conclusion that most vendors do not want to give you change. It must be either change is difficult to came by or they just want you to round up to the next euro. Oh well, I like getting my change back. A 2 euro coin is hefty and can get you a bire. Ha.

The Delphi museum had most of the marble carvings and artifacts that were found in digs and that have been donated. They had a lot of the frieze wall from the temple of Apollo and the Athenian vault. Also, there were bronze figurines and a bronze statue of a chariot rider that has been kept almost perfectly intact. There was an earthquake in 300 or so BC that protected it, since it was buried in a pile of ash and debris. The security in the museums is quite impressive. I guess if you did not protect people from Touching everything there would be body oil on the marble. After the cleanig of the marble, that is the last thing you would want.

Gotta jet and catch the bus, drop off some cards, and had back to Athens. Will post later this evening.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Delphi Day 1.2

Delphi Day 1.2

Today was spent with on and off rain walking around the Delphi sites. Our hotel is just a short walk over to the entrance. We started off with lots of rain where I couldn't even use the camera for scare of ruining it. But then, just a little later, I could use it without a problem. There were so many photo opportunities with the impressive mountains in the distance and the sun peeking through the clouds. We could get right up to everything and the Temple of Apollo was by far my favorite. All but 4 of the columns were knocked over. You could just imagine the natural earthquake forced needed to wreck this place. Delphi and Athens have buildings that would not withstand much of an earthquake. I am gunna go ahead and call it, "when the next big one hits, it will probably be much like Haiti". By looking at all these ruins you sure do realize that whatever man makes, nature will destroy in style.

So much for the strike scare this morning. Getting to the bus was not that bad except for the dumb cab situation. The ride through the countryside was pleasant and the bus was comfortable. We did make one stop at a hotel up on a hill with a killer view of the mountains.

When we got back from the Delphi sites, we took a long walk around the town and explored some side streets. That walk did take us up to the highest road overlooking the town and the Sea of Corinth. You could easily see the appeal of the port location with access to Delphi. I was trying to picture the massive boats landing and unloading large amounts of pre carved marble for the temples to be created. I will have to research a little more on the manufacture of the columns and the method of transport before I speak like I know anything. It sure is fun though. There are 4 streets in the town that skirt the steep flank the town is built upon. Then, connecting them are very intricate staircases that are built surely for form and function as well. You could have just slammed a staircase there to go up 50 feet or so, but here they are works of art. Every detail is looker over and the end result is something special.

As for the strikes in Greece, the museum today was shut down, so we had to settle for walking around the sites in the rain. But tomorrow we will go check it out right when it opens and take the bus back to Athens for another night. Then we head to Santorini.

Delphi Day 1

We have just arrived in Delphi to see the oracle. I am at a turning point to choose a new life direction. Hopefully the oracle will lead me in the right direction. This worked for Apollo and should work for me.

This is also the area where Oedipus ran into his father and ended up killing him and marrying his morhter. Geeze! I better not let somwthing like that happen. I guess things could always get worse.

We had an interesting time leaving this morning. The guy in the backpackers hostel in Athens warned us about cabs in the early morning. He said it should be only 10 Euros to get to the Bus Terminal B. Well... We looked at maps and tried to be sure that we were going to the exact location, but something went a little wrong. After a long fast ride with another woman in the car, we ended up at a bus terminal. The wrong one we would soon find out, and he wanted 20 Euros. Ooops! I swore I made it clear where we wanted to go and how much we would want to pay. So we then had to go get another cab to take us to the correct terminal. WE ended up getting to the terminal in time, but shelled out another 10 Euros to get there, for a total of 30 Euros. Stupid Americans! WE swore not to let this happen again and when we get back to the Athens Terminal, we will be sure to walk our tails to the Metro station no matter how far the walk. We just have to get some money back somehow.

AS I sit at the computer in Delphi we are about to head out to the sites. The weather is cool in the mountains and there is a little moisture in the air, perfect for enjoying the ruins and museum.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Athens Day 3.2

Athens Day 3.2

We have just heard that there will be striking across the country tomorrow.  Some city workers and other employees are planning to stay home and not go to work.  This is just great.  We are planning to take a national bus to go to Delphi tomorrow, but we have heard on the Internet that the long travel busses will still be running.  Earlier today, we went to the port terminal to get tickets for Santorini.  On the way back the subway did not stop at the parliament for fear of the crowds stopping the subway.  Great.  I have no idea what will happen tomorrow.  This evening we were out on the patio enjoying some beverages and a motorcycle mob came through throwing pamphlets with a group of 3 police motorcycles following.  They were all honking their horns and chanting something in Greek talk.  Tomorrow might be an interesting day.

Also this evening we went down to the sports bar and met 2 girls that are traveling abroad.  One, Jessica is from Brisbane and is here for a Latin conference.  She was sitting by herself and I invited her to came on over to our table.  Is was great since Andrew event to the bathroom and upon returning saw that a female was chilling in his chair.  He came back and he had a little laugh and little did we know that Jessica had a friend Camille to join us.  Camille is from Quebec and was a great addition to the evening.  She is a mild hockey fan compared to Andrew and had some funny things to say just coming off a trip from the islands.  She will be here for a few more days with a sick sister and then heading back home.  It is amazing who you run into out here! 

I have more to say, but gotta get to bed to then running the morning and try our best to get to Delphi.  We'll see... 

Athens Day 3.1

Athens Day 3.1

Just got back from the Acropolis museum.  I have never been around so much carved marble and pottery.  Some interesting stuff in there were the gold coins and daggers.  The entire museum sits atop an ongoing archaeological dig.  They seem to be digging up some cemetery and religious ground.  Pretty cool.  Sorry to say, there was no photography allowed inside.  So all we have is some pics from the outside.  The upper level was a make-up of the Parthenon with most of the marble that had been broken or destroyed.  Some rich dude from England, named Lord Elgin, ripped most of the stuff off in the 1800's.  We did see the 5 of the 6 Columns of the Athena temple that were being cleaned up with some laser.  The other one is in the British Museum.  It must have been crazy transporting all their spoils.  My biggest amazement might be how all this marble is transported.  Today, we have huge cranes with cables to move all this stuff around.  I have yet to see how they did it back then.  

Next, we are off to the port to get our tickets to Santorini.  Tomorrow we are off to Delphi. 

Monday, June 13, 2011

Athens Day 2.3

Athens Day 2.3

Back at the place now making dinner.  Got some groceries at the local market.  Things are looking and feeling great! Tomorrow we head off tho the museum to see all the good artifacts that have been preserved like pottery and swords.  Well, I hope.  

I have found out how to upload to Facebook and email one photo at a time.  I am using Andrews iPod touch to take photos and upload them, but I really need to get the pics from the Canon S95 uploaded because those will be supa sweet!  Oh well, as of now we will just be teasing everyone with a picture at a time.  I don't have a card reader and don't want to go pay for computer time.  No worries. 

The little sports bar below the suites is great.  This morning we got the free breakfast.  They had hard boiled eggs, toast, coffee, and tomatoes.  I loaded up to get enough fuel to last the day.  We are trying to eat out only one meal to keep the spending low, and so far it has been working out.  The morning sports fare was  3 TVs with rugby.  Cool.

Please let me elaborate.  There are people here from all over the world here to see the sites.  I thought it was crazy at the Grand Canyon with the international crowd, but this is nuts! people watching have been as entertaining as the sites.  

Being on the Euro here has been simple, except that the exchange rate is a little crappy.  My CCard is taken without a problem.  For sure.  The money is a little weird being all different sizes.  The coins are neat, but a 2 euro coin is worth a bit and it feels weird  tipping with a coin.  I will be sure to bring some of those back.

Athens Day 2.2

Athens Day 2.2

We are back for a rest in the room after hiking the Acropolis.  There were tons of people from probably every country in the world.  The ruins were quite impressive as were the restoration projects.  Many have been going on since the 1980s and before.  The whole area up there is built on some pretty hefty marble and limestone.  Lots of reds and whites and tans.  While viewing the ruins, we also have a 360 degree view of Athens.   Out on my run this morning I was battling the humidity, but now is is quite nice.  At times there was a strong breeze that made things more enjoyable.  The entire area was free today, but the museum is closed.  So, tomorrow we will hit the museum and some other sites.  Today, we will get back out there and visit the lower ruins.

One more thing, the view of the Aegean sea from up high was awe inspiring.   Will have to wait a few more days to see that up close.  A 10 hour ferry ride to Santorini might just be a little much.  At least we get to sleep on that boat.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Athens day 2

Athens 2. After a wonderful first day in town, we got a decent nights sleep, and I headed out this morning for a little urban run.  I figured that's the best way to keep the strength up while being out eating questionable food.   Also, it is sure easy to just open the front door of the hostel and go for a run.  This morning I went out to the base of the Acropolis and ran up the Dionyssiou Areopagitou three times.  You come out to a view overlooking the city to the north.  Last night it was spectacular and this morning it was another flavor of the same.  I don't know what to take of the wild dogs.  Along the park areas, there are quite a few.  I know that with bears and some other people eaters, you don't want to run and give them a challenge.  So far, so good.  These dogs are beat and lazy.  I still don't like them running solo.  Never underestimate the power of lazy, disheveled, hungry dogs, or people on a mission.  

This morning we are heading off for breakfast, Acropolis museum, hike up inside the Acropolis, and need to get groceries.  The room has a great kitchen set up and we will probably do dinner here.  I would love to have my "please" and "thank yous" in order.  Better look over that phrase book again.

Athens, day 1

Athens. We made it! After a long grueling plane flight and lack of food and sleep, we are now chilling comfortably in our hostel. We are on the top of the building with a view of the Parthenon. Our deck has an awning and overlooks the street below. I have a feeling that our other lodging will not be this sweet. Here we come Bulgaria!

Here's a funny one. As began to create a beverage from the duty free bag, a girl knocks on the door. I open and she says that she is in need of something her friend left in the room. She then goes over the the knife block and removes a HUGE red handled bread knife. oK then. I was unable to open to top of my duty free purchase and asked her for assistance. Then, after her successful opening, I offered her a taste. She graciously said no and went on her way. That's now the second person that has come in here asking for something. I think they just want to check out the view.

So far our only venture out, other than the ride on the metro, was to get dinner. We took the recommendation from a hostel employee and went to a local Greek place. They had chicken and lamb on big roasters. Mmmmmm. In the restaurant we were a little freak show for the locals. I thought we were being good, but some seemed to stare. We then came back to quickly got out the guide books. Not being able to say please and thank you sure makes you feel dumb out there. Lesson learned.

Tomorrow we will explore the Acropolis and 2 museums. I will have to get the photo thing up and working. We will head to Delphi in a few days and when we leave Athens, we go to santorini. Hopefully we will get in a dive or two.

On the plane.

As I write this, we are on the airplane to Athens, Greece. We have met up with Andrew in Newark and everything has gone very well . On the flight from Vegas we met a new friend Mike. Mike is on his way to
Geneve, Switzerland for a hospitality course lasting 3 weeks. Normally, if you don't know the person in your row, I like to just say hi and let them know to shake you really hard if they need to go to the bathroom. But in this situation, we went the whole flight without talking until the last 30 min or so. We had a lot to talk and joke about and then spent the next 2 hours at the Sam Adams bar/restaurant in the Newark airport. We exchanged stories, and discussed the pig roast that we will have to have in Vegas when we get back.

Another encounter was with a wacky young woman at the restaurant. We all noticed the huge earrings on her that must have been 4-5 inches in diameter. On a small young woman, this looked pretty spectacular. So, we were obviously talking about her and she was showing off and hopping around with some older dudes. But then, I told Mike that she was smiling at him and our group. I checked to see what was on the tv in our direction and if there were other people in the background that she was calling attention to. But no, it was us. She came over all giggly and made some comment about my hair. She liked the "tornado" doo. I thought it was just an eyesore to most people, but some people must dig it. Oh well, I do. She then informed us that she was in Vegas for a hair convention and was returning to Phoenix, and out of nowhere wanted us to visit her "website". Uh huh. I mean, "website". So I jotted the address down and she went on her way with a brief hug and an uncomfortable pat on the head by me. She did have cool braids like a crown.

I now see that the in flight map display shows that we are over the Atlantic. Feelings will be better when we get closer to land, such as Iceland. I can only imagine what that water must feel like right now. Little chilly? Time to rest. I want to get a few hours of rest and then eat the breakfast and we should be in Athens. Yay.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Evening before Takeoff...

Now, as I sit going though the checklists, I believe that we are going to actually make this thing happen. Tomorrow, we get picked up by Mr. Jimbo and head off to the airport. It will be early, but I am sure that there will not be much rest over the night. The excitement is too high. Wrapping up with school today just makes the departure that much greater. Finalizing school, packing up the room, bringing gear home, and finishing up a great recording project with a friend makes this a sweet event. When we headed off to Australia 2 Novembers ago, I went into "vacation" mode right off the bat. Hopefully, that happens on this one. It surely was a feeling of relaxation and bliss. I have a few more items to take care of before we go. The house is overprotected, plants are in order, and the AC is on 88 degrees. Bring it!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

1 week out

Well... This is how it will all begin. My pal just made a really cool blog and knew I would like to follow in his footsteps. With a giant trip coming, this is a great way to keep a journal and keep people in the loop of the latest happenings. I plan to blog as much as possible since the events that will partake will be of great significance, and the world must know about them. Well, at least family and friends that want to see if we are still alive.

The bags are pretty much packed and the itinerary is penciled on a calendar. Whether or not we stick to it and have no problems will be any one's guess.

It is tough to leave a great place with so much to offer. Our previous summer trips have been amazing and action packed, so leaving what you know is great for something different sure leaves you wondering what might happen. I do know that there will be nights that we are not sure where we can hunker down for the night and maybe have to resort to covert shelters. I hear that cardboard boxes work in a pinch. Maybe then.. Vegas provides a great summer locale with the neighboring mountains that provide cool relief from the desert heat. I will just have to wait to venture out when we get back in AUG.