After Austria, we headed to Venice and were back on track with our itinerary. The train station in Venice is a fair bit away from the city center and we had to wait in the rain to get the bus to our hostel in the rain for about an hour. We were exhausted, smelly, wet and ready to eat some Italian food.
We got to Camp Fusina to find that was a trailer park with portable rooms also on the property. At first glance, we were a little worried, but we found our room to be clean and quiet. And it was a private room for 15€ so we were happy. The ferry was expensive so we decided only to see Venice that evening as our train left for Nice the next morning.
So we had 5 hours to spend in Venice- another canal city that is difficult to navigate. We fell in love with the other island surrounding the main one and getting lost between canals. We decided that it was necessary to at least see the Piazza of Pigeons and the main canal. The piazza was overrated and we didn't find it very pretty but did manage to get some great pigeon-scaring pictures.
After getting lost getting out, we ended up at a cute pizza place and lived it up. We ate a full pizza each, drank wine and had some amazing gelato. It ended up being a blast.
The next morning, we headed out to the train station again to start our longest day of travelling. Destination: Nice, France. I'd finally be back to home #2!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Adventuring in Austria
We are alive! And not only in the physical Alex-didn't-turn-out-to-be-a-cereal-killer way, but in a mental way. We are all completely still intoxicated from the massive hike we took yesterday and today.
The Austrian Adventure started out great-complete with Italian pasta, lemon beer, guitar and non-awkwardness. St Anton is such a typical countryside town--sandwiched between a ski resort in a lush green valley. You can actually ski between the towns in the valley in a day and the chair lifts are situated in the middle of the town with stores and bars around them all. Wild flowers are in bloom and we went on a night star-glazing hike in a thunderstorm and ended up frolicking in a field. And that was just adventure number one. The more expensive tickets have already paid for themselves.
Yesterday, we began our supposedly 7 hour, overnight, hike. All were in good spirits and it was beautiful. The first hut we found was decked out to the max (stove, blankets, cards, candles, beds) and we were stoked to see what the mountain had in store for us. The hut had a fresh water pond that you could drink straight out of.
After quenching our thirst, we set off towards peak #1 which had some pretty thick sections of snow. While it started out appearing very doable and even safe, the higher we went, the less secure it all was. Rock climbing, snow hiking, mountain scaling defined the next 2 hours as we zig-zagged towards a false peak and back and then across a chute that turned adventure into brillant stupidity. We had considered turning around to go back to the first hut and just call it a day, but going down became scarier and more dangerous than going up. I will always remember Alex calling out ahead of us "do you feel crazy?" Why, yes. Yes we do. We had hit, quite literally, the point of no return.
So we continued going up; putting all our trust in our fatigued legs and arms. That first peak felt so good. Although our legs were shaking, we were so pumped, nothing else mattered. Until we realized that we had another peak to go before the downhill.
Peak #2 was just as challenging as fatigue had hit us all pretty hard. It was more snowy but not as steep. Our shoes (not hiking shoes, mind you) were soaked and it was getting to be dusk (which lasts about 3 hours in Austria so light wasn't really a primary concern). While I was questioning what the hell we were thinking not turning back 3 hours ago with hut #1, I reached the summit and saw the endles alps. Everything was worth it. It was unbelievable how far that mountain range stretches.
The decent began and we faced 2 hours of non-snowy patches through a ski resort. Dehydration, exhaustion and the fading sunlight kept us on the move--planning to stop at the next hut we saw. Well that hut turned out being a cattle house so we had to make a tiny asent to the 3rd hut. Which was on top of a hill. Overlooking the Eastern Alps for miles. With a pond right there. And a waterfall next to that. The word perfection had never had a more real surreality attached to it.
Alex got the wood stove going in the "winter room" which is open to crazy winter hikers and Steph and I water and tried to get warm. While the hut-stored just-add-water broccoli soup with hot dogs was on the stove, the 3 of us used 12 blankets for 3 people and regained feeling in our feet. The meal was warm, the guitar came out, as did the stars and the night was spend in warmth and laughs.
This morning's hike was a "short" (we started to learn how to not trust Alex's distance perception) ascent to our last peak and down into the valley that would lead us back to St Anton. The peak was muddy, which made it very "dodgy" but the flower fields, pure blue/teal lakes, and promise of downhill pushed us through. We even made it back ahead of schedule.
We were all pushed to our limits and grew so much in the process. I am so proud of Steph for facing her fears and overcoming them. While our bodies are paying for it now and will be for the next few days, the bonds that were formed and the inner strength that was found has created an unnatural high in the most natural form. We are all positively high off of the last few days. I hope it lasts for a very long time to come.
The Austrian Adventure started out great-complete with Italian pasta, lemon beer, guitar and non-awkwardness. St Anton is such a typical countryside town--sandwiched between a ski resort in a lush green valley. You can actually ski between the towns in the valley in a day and the chair lifts are situated in the middle of the town with stores and bars around them all. Wild flowers are in bloom and we went on a night star-glazing hike in a thunderstorm and ended up frolicking in a field. And that was just adventure number one. The more expensive tickets have already paid for themselves.
Yesterday, we began our supposedly 7 hour, overnight, hike. All were in good spirits and it was beautiful. The first hut we found was decked out to the max (stove, blankets, cards, candles, beds) and we were stoked to see what the mountain had in store for us. The hut had a fresh water pond that you could drink straight out of.
After quenching our thirst, we set off towards peak #1 which had some pretty thick sections of snow. While it started out appearing very doable and even safe, the higher we went, the less secure it all was. Rock climbing, snow hiking, mountain scaling defined the next 2 hours as we zig-zagged towards a false peak and back and then across a chute that turned adventure into brillant stupidity. We had considered turning around to go back to the first hut and just call it a day, but going down became scarier and more dangerous than going up. I will always remember Alex calling out ahead of us "do you feel crazy?" Why, yes. Yes we do. We had hit, quite literally, the point of no return.
So we continued going up; putting all our trust in our fatigued legs and arms. That first peak felt so good. Although our legs were shaking, we were so pumped, nothing else mattered. Until we realized that we had another peak to go before the downhill.
Peak #2 was just as challenging as fatigue had hit us all pretty hard. It was more snowy but not as steep. Our shoes (not hiking shoes, mind you) were soaked and it was getting to be dusk (which lasts about 3 hours in Austria so light wasn't really a primary concern). While I was questioning what the hell we were thinking not turning back 3 hours ago with hut #1, I reached the summit and saw the endles alps. Everything was worth it. It was unbelievable how far that mountain range stretches.
The decent began and we faced 2 hours of non-snowy patches through a ski resort. Dehydration, exhaustion and the fading sunlight kept us on the move--planning to stop at the next hut we saw. Well that hut turned out being a cattle house so we had to make a tiny asent to the 3rd hut. Which was on top of a hill. Overlooking the Eastern Alps for miles. With a pond right there. And a waterfall next to that. The word perfection had never had a more real surreality attached to it.
Alex got the wood stove going in the "winter room" which is open to crazy winter hikers and Steph and I water and tried to get warm. While the hut-stored just-add-water broccoli soup with hot dogs was on the stove, the 3 of us used 12 blankets for 3 people and regained feeling in our feet. The meal was warm, the guitar came out, as did the stars and the night was spend in warmth and laughs.
This morning's hike was a "short" (we started to learn how to not trust Alex's distance perception) ascent to our last peak and down into the valley that would lead us back to St Anton. The peak was muddy, which made it very "dodgy" but the flower fields, pure blue/teal lakes, and promise of downhill pushed us through. We even made it back ahead of schedule.
We were all pushed to our limits and grew so much in the process. I am so proud of Steph for facing her fears and overcoming them. While our bodies are paying for it now and will be for the next few days, the bonds that were formed and the inner strength that was found has created an unnatural high in the most natural form. We are all positively high off of the last few days. I hope it lasts for a very long time to come.
Train to St Anton am Arlberg
What. Are. We. Doing? Going to Austria to stay with a friend we made in Amsterdam from New Zealand for a weekend? Passing through Switzerland? How the hell did we end up here?
It's so Pretty!
Lake Como and Menaggio were so pretty. Literally, that is the only way to describe it. Every word to describe its beauty is an understatement. It was so night to get out of a city for 2 nights and to hike.
Our hostel was not as nice as the others, but for 15 euro a night and an outdoor deck looking out over the lake, how can I really complain? The first afternoon was spent waiting for the reception to open by eating some bomb chocolate gelato and taking naps on a bench. Berlin had wiped us out real good so we hit the hay early that night in order to gear up for our hike the next day.
Little did we know that the next day was a national holiday so none of the buses were running to take us to our starting point of a 5 hour hike. So, as usual, Steph and I decide to do the hard thing and walk to the starting place by combining 3 different hiking trails, hoping we were ending up on the right trail. This actually worked pretty well, but we underestimated that the trails we were combining involved going over many different mountains instead of climbing up just one. We never made it to our original destination, but did find some pretty sweet views and ate some good chocolate so all was well.
That night, we stayed at the hostel for dinner. It turned out to be one of my favorite nights of the trip. Not only were we in a beautiful place with the sun setting over the lake, but we were in good company of other Californians, Texans, Kiwis and French-Swiss with live music.
The next morning Steph and I caught a 6am bus to Como to start an adventure that was not in our itinerary. We were going to Austria. What?
Our hostel was not as nice as the others, but for 15 euro a night and an outdoor deck looking out over the lake, how can I really complain? The first afternoon was spent waiting for the reception to open by eating some bomb chocolate gelato and taking naps on a bench. Berlin had wiped us out real good so we hit the hay early that night in order to gear up for our hike the next day.
Little did we know that the next day was a national holiday so none of the buses were running to take us to our starting point of a 5 hour hike. So, as usual, Steph and I decide to do the hard thing and walk to the starting place by combining 3 different hiking trails, hoping we were ending up on the right trail. This actually worked pretty well, but we underestimated that the trails we were combining involved going over many different mountains instead of climbing up just one. We never made it to our original destination, but did find some pretty sweet views and ate some good chocolate so all was well.
That night, we stayed at the hostel for dinner. It turned out to be one of my favorite nights of the trip. Not only were we in a beautiful place with the sun setting over the lake, but we were in good company of other Californians, Texans, Kiwis and French-Swiss with live music.
The next morning Steph and I caught a 6am bus to Como to start an adventure that was not in our itinerary. We were going to Austria. What?
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Berlin: Poor but Sexy
Never has a tour slogan had a more accurate definition of a city. Berlin is poor, but it is sexy. It was such an interesting city. So full of recent disaster, recent discrepancy, recent pain, recent reconstruction. It is every sociology majors dreamland. The contrast between the East and the West and the presence of all the memorials- whether they are over 2,000 cement blocks in a plaza of miniature cobblestones laid out in front of the last known residences of holocaust victims was fascinating. It is nice that there is a presence of the past.
It seems that Germany has rapidly embraced non-suppression and has made very conscious efforts to commemorate the past, but focus and change the future. The amount of pain and strife that Berlin has seen is unfathomable. It is a once in a world opportunity to rebuild an already-modern city. Everything could change and everything did. It was a perfect opportunity after the Cold War to rebuild and recreate. Half the city was destroyed in World War II and again in the Cold war. It is a city sought by foreigners, artists and people looking to live in a cheap European city.
My favorite part of the city was honestly the East Side Gallery. It is the longest left-standing portion of the Berlin Wall and it is painted by difference artists from around the world. It shows the biggest social commentary about the wall and is the most realistic in terms of grasping how huge the wall was. It was truly confining. It felt hopeless. The art brought to life the necessity of not allowing history to repeat itself, to always remember but to continue to live.
I feel like I hit everything in Berlin I wanted to hit. We went on a free walking tour that showed us the historical areas and interesting anecdotes. We went on an "alternative pub crawl" that lead us to bars I will never return to. We saw a concentration camp and became completely overwhelmed with the reality of brutality. While it was one of the most difficult parts of the trip, I feel like I finally bore witness to the holocaust. I never want to return to a concentration camp to visit. It was simply too much for me.
We went on political history tour in order to try and comprehend life under Hitler and grasp how a country could look away from the horrors. We went to a techno club with Texans and danced til dawn-unintentionally. We slept in the Tiergarden. We ate Bratwurst almost every day and tried Schnitzal. We drank, we laughed, we cried and we coped.
This was the last leg of the trip for Ms. Sandy. It was really difficult to say bye to her. But luckily she lives close and I know I will see her soon.
I am currently a few cities behind on this blog. Steph and I are in Austria (and have been for the last 2 nights) visiting a new friend. We leave for Venice tomorrow and then France.
Alright, I am far to tired to be writing after 17 hours of hiking in the last 24 hours. Peace out.
It seems that Germany has rapidly embraced non-suppression and has made very conscious efforts to commemorate the past, but focus and change the future. The amount of pain and strife that Berlin has seen is unfathomable. It is a once in a world opportunity to rebuild an already-modern city. Everything could change and everything did. It was a perfect opportunity after the Cold War to rebuild and recreate. Half the city was destroyed in World War II and again in the Cold war. It is a city sought by foreigners, artists and people looking to live in a cheap European city.
My favorite part of the city was honestly the East Side Gallery. It is the longest left-standing portion of the Berlin Wall and it is painted by difference artists from around the world. It shows the biggest social commentary about the wall and is the most realistic in terms of grasping how huge the wall was. It was truly confining. It felt hopeless. The art brought to life the necessity of not allowing history to repeat itself, to always remember but to continue to live.
I feel like I hit everything in Berlin I wanted to hit. We went on a free walking tour that showed us the historical areas and interesting anecdotes. We went on an "alternative pub crawl" that lead us to bars I will never return to. We saw a concentration camp and became completely overwhelmed with the reality of brutality. While it was one of the most difficult parts of the trip, I feel like I finally bore witness to the holocaust. I never want to return to a concentration camp to visit. It was simply too much for me.
We went on political history tour in order to try and comprehend life under Hitler and grasp how a country could look away from the horrors. We went to a techno club with Texans and danced til dawn-unintentionally. We slept in the Tiergarden. We ate Bratwurst almost every day and tried Schnitzal. We drank, we laughed, we cried and we coped.
This was the last leg of the trip for Ms. Sandy. It was really difficult to say bye to her. But luckily she lives close and I know I will see her soon.
I am currently a few cities behind on this blog. Steph and I are in Austria (and have been for the last 2 nights) visiting a new friend. We leave for Venice tomorrow and then France.
Alright, I am far to tired to be writing after 17 hours of hiking in the last 24 hours. Peace out.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
It is all about the people you meet in the places you go
I Amsterdam. Checked off my list. It was beautiful. I loved being in a canal city and all the bikes scurrying about. But what made Amsterdam really fun was not the coffeeshops or the red light district. It was not the Anne Frank House (even though it was really well done and a great experience) or the tourist sights. It was, hands down, the people in the hostel.
But for good measure, this is what Amsterdam looks like:
On morning 1 we met two Kiwis. That night we met a girl from Australia. And after that, a friend of the Kiwis. We were quite the bunch and shared many laughs, stories, drinks, photos, cards and travel advice. Steph and I may go visit Alex (New Zealand) in Austria next week.
While I feel like we didnt cram our days with things to do, I feel the most connected to Amsterdam and the Flying Pig Uptown Hostel. It has been proven again how much I thrive in the hostel world. I am absolutely infatuated by it. Even though we may never see the people again, they become close friends, and fast. We share the same mindset and similar desires. Hostel friends maz be more similar to me than my friends at home. They may even understand me better as they share the same passion of really seeing the world. As Alex watched Steph and I consider throwing our itinerary out the door, he said he knew exactly how we felt. He understood the Athens Airport experience I had.
Hostel goers form such a specific and permeable community. The ebb and flow ensures no continuity between the people there, but ensures a foundation, a society in which one feels more at home in a foreign country than anywhere else.
So we left Amsterdam in high spirits and renewed perspectives. We are now in Berlin for 5 days and are already impressed. More later!
But for good measure, this is what Amsterdam looks like:
On morning 1 we met two Kiwis. That night we met a girl from Australia. And after that, a friend of the Kiwis. We were quite the bunch and shared many laughs, stories, drinks, photos, cards and travel advice. Steph and I may go visit Alex (New Zealand) in Austria next week.
While I feel like we didnt cram our days with things to do, I feel the most connected to Amsterdam and the Flying Pig Uptown Hostel. It has been proven again how much I thrive in the hostel world. I am absolutely infatuated by it. Even though we may never see the people again, they become close friends, and fast. We share the same mindset and similar desires. Hostel friends maz be more similar to me than my friends at home. They may even understand me better as they share the same passion of really seeing the world. As Alex watched Steph and I consider throwing our itinerary out the door, he said he knew exactly how we felt. He understood the Athens Airport experience I had.
Hostel goers form such a specific and permeable community. The ebb and flow ensures no continuity between the people there, but ensures a foundation, a society in which one feels more at home in a foreign country than anywhere else.
So we left Amsterdam in high spirits and renewed perspectives. We are now in Berlin for 5 days and are already impressed. More later!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
I'll meet you at the Rosetta Stone
So my last night in Ireland was pretty fun: I ended up hanging out with people from Portugal, Canada and the US and had a great time out and drinking Guinness with them.
I then headed to London and could not be more stoked to see Stephanie and Sandy. The first day, we walked the city and saw the regular sights.
The next morning, Stephanie was feeling a little under the weather but pushed through and came to the British Museum with Sandy and I. It was kind of cool to be able to tell Sandy to meet us at the Rosetta Stone. Probably will never say that again!
That night we headed to the Shakespeare Globe theater to try and get returned tickets to As You Like It. We were about to give up, when the worker brought us 3 standing tickets 10 mins into the show. What luck! It was a fantastic show and we laughed so hard we cried a little.
The next day, Stephanie and I moved to the Generator Hostel (where Sandy already was) and it was HUGE! We dubbed it as the Generator City because it had a 700 person capacity.
We strolled Hyde Park, Harrods and saw the changing of the guard. Our lunch that day consisted of us eating some plain rice out of a tupperware container, with baby forks, in front of Buckingham Palace. Lots of funny stares and I am sure we will get more when we do it again!
We met up with Alizee and her friend for drinks that night. It was sad because I think that might have been the last time I will get to see her this trip. (She will be in Greece and Australia when I go back to the Portiers in June).
I saw Liffy, my brothers friend from New Zealand the next morning at the Camden market. It was such a cool place and I wish I could have spent more time there. Talking to Liffy was really fun as well. She is going to Nepal this week for 3 months to work with a prison and children. She is really, very inspiring. I can only hope I can do some of the cool things she is doing sometime.
We caught our plane to Amsterdam, not knowing what to expect, but completely mindboggled that we were going to be in a different country after a 45 min flight.
I then headed to London and could not be more stoked to see Stephanie and Sandy. The first day, we walked the city and saw the regular sights.
First picture of us on the trip..haha
The next morning, Stephanie was feeling a little under the weather but pushed through and came to the British Museum with Sandy and I. It was kind of cool to be able to tell Sandy to meet us at the Rosetta Stone. Probably will never say that again!
That night we headed to the Shakespeare Globe theater to try and get returned tickets to As You Like It. We were about to give up, when the worker brought us 3 standing tickets 10 mins into the show. What luck! It was a fantastic show and we laughed so hard we cried a little.
The next day, Stephanie and I moved to the Generator Hostel (where Sandy already was) and it was HUGE! We dubbed it as the Generator City because it had a 700 person capacity.
We strolled Hyde Park, Harrods and saw the changing of the guard. Our lunch that day consisted of us eating some plain rice out of a tupperware container, with baby forks, in front of Buckingham Palace. Lots of funny stares and I am sure we will get more when we do it again!
We met up with Alizee and her friend for drinks that night. It was sad because I think that might have been the last time I will get to see her this trip. (She will be in Greece and Australia when I go back to the Portiers in June).
I saw Liffy, my brothers friend from New Zealand the next morning at the Camden market. It was such a cool place and I wish I could have spent more time there. Talking to Liffy was really fun as well. She is going to Nepal this week for 3 months to work with a prison and children. She is really, very inspiring. I can only hope I can do some of the cool things she is doing sometime.
We caught our plane to Amsterdam, not knowing what to expect, but completely mindboggled that we were going to be in a different country after a 45 min flight.
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