I got up at 2:30am, checked out by 2:45 and walked to the bus stop. Vancouverians know how to party. The streets were filled with people scarfing down pizza and stumbling home. It was quite entertaining and nice not to be on a desolate street by myself. I had lots of people come and go at the bus stop before my bus arrived. I chatted with quite a few of them, particularly a cute early 20s Australian who just moved to Vancouver 2 months ago. He was waiting for the same bus to head home. After chatting for about 30 minutes he matter-of-factly asked if he could kiss me. You only live once, right? I can officially cross "kiss random Aussie on public bus" off my bucket list.
I got to the airport and tried to help a drunken Asian girl figure out how she should get back home. She meant to get off the bus well before the airport. Good times.
Once I made it into the airport I came to the wonderful realization that my flight is delayed...apparently the plane never showed up last night. So YVR and I will become great friends, for 7 hours. Good thing I have two new books on me.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Demons from hell? I think not.
After a quick breakfast at the hostel I walked across the Granville bridge back over to Granville Island where 'Wild Whales Vancouver' is located. I checked in, signed my life and belongings away, gave them my money, and then headed into the public market for a second coffee and a sandwich to take on the boat.
Drank my coffee overlooking the False Creek and was immediately chatted up by a mom with two small kiddos. On the walk across the bridge two people (males) said "good morning" to me. It's amazing how much attention one gets while alone. I don't think I get this much attention walking around San Francisco though. Maybe I just block it out. I will have to see once I get back.
Anyways, after my coffee I headed back over to WWV to get suited up. They make you wear this space looking jumper suit. It's for the cold and also helps with flotation if you happen to fall into the freezing Pacific. I actually don't think we got to the Pacific. We mainly stayed in the Straits. We were in between Victoria and the San Juan Islands, I know that. Actually I think that's where all the magic happened. On the way to where the whales were sighted very early this morning we saw a seal and a porpoise. Then all of a sudden after close to two hours of mostly water and maneuvering through islands, we arrived. There were several sailboats, yachts, tankers, and other whale watching tours. Near pretty much all of the boats, in between them, around them, EVERYWHERE were Orcas. Or the "Demons from hell" as it so translates. Just 50 years ago we were terrified of these beautiful creatures and it was law to kill them, and now we pay money and spend an entire day just to catch a glimpse. They were so beautiful! I will admit, my eyes got teary. A few times.
Boats aren't allowed to follow the whales or get within 100 yards from them. But there were so many that when our captain would veer left trying to distance us from a set of whales, there would be another set on the other side. Orcas travel in pods, and there are three main ones in the waters that we were in by the San Juan Islands - the J, K, and L pod. Turns out we saw all three pods today, and therefore anywhere from 60-80 orcas! Our guide basically said that he was blown away. They've spent 7 hours before looking to see just two whales. He also said that the last two days they saw lots of whales (not as many as we did though), but that they weren't exhibiting their playful behavior like they were today. Lots of breaching, tail slapping, and even some backdives. So so cool. You could easily tell the difference between the males and females by the shape of the dorsal fins. There were some huge males in those pods. There were also lots of calves. Apparently it takes them a few years to realize that they don't have to stick their heads out of the water in order to breathe. It was fun to see them hopping in and out of the water. When our captain turned the engine off you could hear the blow hole sounds going off all around you. And then they turned on a hydrophone where we could hear all of the sounds they were making in the water. Fascinating. I kick myself now for not thinking to record a bit of the scene.
I could keep going about the whales - but you get the idea. Amazing day. A boat is only allowed to spend 30 minutes watching the whales, so once our time was up we started heading home. Lucky for us the whales happened to be going in the same direction that we were, so we got to watch them for a bit longer.
Then once we left their path we saw two bald eagles. And then two more! Followed by several seals and porpoises. Money well spent, if I do say so myself.
I then got home, said bye to Phil, and headed back out for a bit of exploring. I didn't want to venture too far because I'm pretty tired. This hostel is on Granville, which is a pretty hopping street. A few blocks up they closed the street off for "Viva Vancouver" and a band was performing. Apparently every weekend in the summer they close a few blocks on Granville and do something cool. Then on my loop back towards the hostel I got to watch four cop cars bust a dude in a minivan with lots and lots of drugs. They kept piling bags of weed and some sort of powder onto a roof of one of the cop cars. My guess is he was on his way to sell to the folks enjoying Viva Vancouver.
I was going to eat at a quick and easy spot, but decided to treat myself to a dinner at Sanafir, which is two doors down from the hostel. It was recommended in the guidebook as an international restaurant - kind of a mix between Arabic, Mediterranean, and Indian food. Hands down the best meal I've had in a while. To the point where I'm going to take the time to write them a good review on Yelp. I sat outside and faced the street so I could people watch. A friendly couple chatted me up most of the dinner. We mainly talked about how great the food was, and the similarities and differences between Vancouver and San Francisco.
And now I'm packing up and getting ready for bed. Need to leave the hostel at 3am to catch my 6am flight back to California.
Overall a great trip!
Drank my coffee overlooking the False Creek and was immediately chatted up by a mom with two small kiddos. On the walk across the bridge two people (males) said "good morning" to me. It's amazing how much attention one gets while alone. I don't think I get this much attention walking around San Francisco though. Maybe I just block it out. I will have to see once I get back.
Anyways, after my coffee I headed back over to WWV to get suited up. They make you wear this space looking jumper suit. It's for the cold and also helps with flotation if you happen to fall into the freezing Pacific. I actually don't think we got to the Pacific. We mainly stayed in the Straits. We were in between Victoria and the San Juan Islands, I know that. Actually I think that's where all the magic happened. On the way to where the whales were sighted very early this morning we saw a seal and a porpoise. Then all of a sudden after close to two hours of mostly water and maneuvering through islands, we arrived. There were several sailboats, yachts, tankers, and other whale watching tours. Near pretty much all of the boats, in between them, around them, EVERYWHERE were Orcas. Or the "Demons from hell" as it so translates. Just 50 years ago we were terrified of these beautiful creatures and it was law to kill them, and now we pay money and spend an entire day just to catch a glimpse. They were so beautiful! I will admit, my eyes got teary. A few times.
Boats aren't allowed to follow the whales or get within 100 yards from them. But there were so many that when our captain would veer left trying to distance us from a set of whales, there would be another set on the other side. Orcas travel in pods, and there are three main ones in the waters that we were in by the San Juan Islands - the J, K, and L pod. Turns out we saw all three pods today, and therefore anywhere from 60-80 orcas! Our guide basically said that he was blown away. They've spent 7 hours before looking to see just two whales. He also said that the last two days they saw lots of whales (not as many as we did though), but that they weren't exhibiting their playful behavior like they were today. Lots of breaching, tail slapping, and even some backdives. So so cool. You could easily tell the difference between the males and females by the shape of the dorsal fins. There were some huge males in those pods. There were also lots of calves. Apparently it takes them a few years to realize that they don't have to stick their heads out of the water in order to breathe. It was fun to see them hopping in and out of the water. When our captain turned the engine off you could hear the blow hole sounds going off all around you. And then they turned on a hydrophone where we could hear all of the sounds they were making in the water. Fascinating. I kick myself now for not thinking to record a bit of the scene.
I could keep going about the whales - but you get the idea. Amazing day. A boat is only allowed to spend 30 minutes watching the whales, so once our time was up we started heading home. Lucky for us the whales happened to be going in the same direction that we were, so we got to watch them for a bit longer.
Then once we left their path we saw two bald eagles. And then two more! Followed by several seals and porpoises. Money well spent, if I do say so myself.
I then got home, said bye to Phil, and headed back out for a bit of exploring. I didn't want to venture too far because I'm pretty tired. This hostel is on Granville, which is a pretty hopping street. A few blocks up they closed the street off for "Viva Vancouver" and a band was performing. Apparently every weekend in the summer they close a few blocks on Granville and do something cool. Then on my loop back towards the hostel I got to watch four cop cars bust a dude in a minivan with lots and lots of drugs. They kept piling bags of weed and some sort of powder onto a roof of one of the cop cars. My guess is he was on his way to sell to the folks enjoying Viva Vancouver.
I was going to eat at a quick and easy spot, but decided to treat myself to a dinner at Sanafir, which is two doors down from the hostel. It was recommended in the guidebook as an international restaurant - kind of a mix between Arabic, Mediterranean, and Indian food. Hands down the best meal I've had in a while. To the point where I'm going to take the time to write them a good review on Yelp. I sat outside and faced the street so I could people watch. A friendly couple chatted me up most of the dinner. We mainly talked about how great the food was, and the similarities and differences between Vancouver and San Francisco.
And now I'm packing up and getting ready for bed. Need to leave the hostel at 3am to catch my 6am flight back to California.
Overall a great trip!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Vancouver
I flew up to Portland on the 8th, had a nice time touring the city, had a great visit with my great uncle Bill in Bandon, and then went up to explore Seattle for a few days and met up with several friends and family members for various good-time adventures. Then one of the friends, Phil, and I took the train up to Vancouver on Wednesday the 17th (yesterday).
Once we got into the city and checked into our hostel we went on one of the Frommer's guide book walks - Downtown & the West End. The highlights were English Bay Beach where we sat and people watched for quite a while, and walking around the West End which appeared to be the gay district of town. We settled into a Malaysian restaurant for dinner and called it a pretty early evening.
We spent most of today (Thursday) walking around the city as well. First we followed the Yaletown, Granville Island & Kitsilano walking tour. Took most of the day. The public library looks like a modern Colosseum which I found interesting. Then we had a coffee break after petting the big Great Dane sitting next to the 'Big Dogs' hot dog stand. So cute. We read and sipped coffee by a little marina. Then we hopped on a tiny aquabus on False Creek that took us to Granville Island where we had a nice lunch at the public market. Such a fun spot to people watch. Walking along the water we saw several fishing boats cleaning their daily catch, and a few seals begging in the water. One of them hopped up on the dock for a bit, trying to inch his way closer.
It's amazing how similar Portland, Seattle & Vancouver feel. They have their own character, but lots of similarities. With one last full day on this trip I don't want to jinx myself, BUT the weather has been gorgeous. I did not have to buy a rain jacket (because I forgot mine) or umbrella, nor did I feel the need to buy a "Seattle makes me wet" t-shirt.
Next we strolled over to Kitsilano beach which was very pretty. Has tons of logs that people lean against on the beach. We walked over the Granville bridge back to the hostel for a quick nap. Then we went towards the beginning of the last guidebook tour - Gastown & Chinatown. We didn't follow the entire tour but saw the highlights - the Canada Place where all the cruise ships dock, and the Sam Kee office building - which is 4 feet 11 inches wide. Tiny. We had dinner at a brew pub to sample some of the local beer. Twas good. Then we walked back to the hostel.
I don't know if I'll sleep well tonight because I am SO EXCITED about my day tomorrow. I've been whale-watching several times in my life, but haven't been in about 10 years. And have been wanting to go for quite some time. And I'm finally going! I've seen several types of whales, but I've never seen an orca (well, at least not in the wild), which is most of what I should see tomorrow. So pumped. Phil will spend the day renting a bike and exploring Stanley Park.
Once we got into the city and checked into our hostel we went on one of the Frommer's guide book walks - Downtown & the West End. The highlights were English Bay Beach where we sat and people watched for quite a while, and walking around the West End which appeared to be the gay district of town. We settled into a Malaysian restaurant for dinner and called it a pretty early evening.
We spent most of today (Thursday) walking around the city as well. First we followed the Yaletown, Granville Island & Kitsilano walking tour. Took most of the day. The public library looks like a modern Colosseum which I found interesting. Then we had a coffee break after petting the big Great Dane sitting next to the 'Big Dogs' hot dog stand. So cute. We read and sipped coffee by a little marina. Then we hopped on a tiny aquabus on False Creek that took us to Granville Island where we had a nice lunch at the public market. Such a fun spot to people watch. Walking along the water we saw several fishing boats cleaning their daily catch, and a few seals begging in the water. One of them hopped up on the dock for a bit, trying to inch his way closer.
It's amazing how similar Portland, Seattle & Vancouver feel. They have their own character, but lots of similarities. With one last full day on this trip I don't want to jinx myself, BUT the weather has been gorgeous. I did not have to buy a rain jacket (because I forgot mine) or umbrella, nor did I feel the need to buy a "Seattle makes me wet" t-shirt.
Next we strolled over to Kitsilano beach which was very pretty. Has tons of logs that people lean against on the beach. We walked over the Granville bridge back to the hostel for a quick nap. Then we went towards the beginning of the last guidebook tour - Gastown & Chinatown. We didn't follow the entire tour but saw the highlights - the Canada Place where all the cruise ships dock, and the Sam Kee office building - which is 4 feet 11 inches wide. Tiny. We had dinner at a brew pub to sample some of the local beer. Twas good. Then we walked back to the hostel.
I don't know if I'll sleep well tonight because I am SO EXCITED about my day tomorrow. I've been whale-watching several times in my life, but haven't been in about 10 years. And have been wanting to go for quite some time. And I'm finally going! I've seen several types of whales, but I've never seen an orca (well, at least not in the wild), which is most of what I should see tomorrow. So pumped. Phil will spend the day renting a bike and exploring Stanley Park.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sunny Halifax
Once we checked out we walked around to the backside of the hotel to the lake and sat for a bit. The water was very clear and I enjoyed watching a tiny fish about the size of my pinkie flutter it's fins. It just kind of hovered over a rock near my feet. Wonder if it thought I'd feed it. A mallard then came over to check us out. He swam really close by, stopped on a rock to scratch an itch, and then slowly swam on by.
Then Carol and Megan dropped me off at the hostel downtown as they are heading back to Maine today. The reception was closed for lunch, so I walked over to a nearby park, laid down and read my book for a few hours, using my pack as a headrest. Today was the first warm, completely dry, sunny day I've seen in a long time. Twas fabulous.
After I checked in at 2pm I walked towards the store that had the little wall hanging I saw a few days ago. I stopped for a brief visit at an old cemetery in the middle of downtown Halifax. It was so old I couldn't really read the gravestones. When I entered the store I immediately noticed that the wall hangings I liked weren't in the same spot and I had a little panic. That's when I knew that if they still had them, I needed to buy one. Which I did. I also bought a card of a clothesline watercolor painting. All around PEI and Nova Scotia there are lots of colorful clotheslines. I wanted to try and snap a photo of a good one but never had the opportunity. So framing this card will be just as good. The shop also had a book about the local clothesline culture.
Next I went and had coffee and read my book some more. People watched as well. It is so much nicer walking around Halifax on a sunny day. People were actually out and about, compared to when we walked around a few days ago when it was raining and desolate.
I then headed over to a watch repair shop before they closed to replace my battery. So nice to have my watch back in business.
Wandering a bit more I stopped at a bench and read a few more chapters. I was right by a Boston Pizza chain. While I've mainly seen Bruins jersey wearing fans around, this restaurant had used black tape to cross out 'Boston' on all their doors and wrote in marker 'Vancouver'. They even changed the 'B' to a 'V' in the logo, making it 'Vancouver's Pizza' for the finals.
Having only had a muffin and coffee, at around 4pm I decided to just hold out and wait for Jane's to open for dinner. Canadians eat pretty early; Jane's is open for dinner from 5-9pm. Last night I had a hard time deciding between two dinner options, and all day today as I walked by restaurants I'd peak at the menu to see if anything sounded enticing for later. Nothing seemed as good as Jane's. It was a bit of a walk to the outskirts of town and totally worth it. While a car is pretty much necessary to get around the last few provinces, it was nice to walk all day today. I had another great meal at Jane's. They placed me in the exact same seat I had last night. The other 3 patrons eating dinner on the early side were all sitting by themselves as well, so I fit right in.
Speaking of fitting in, it has been nice to not be a noticeable tourist, both appearance and language wise.
After dinner I walked around the citadel. The locals use the lawns as if it were a regular park. I walked by the common as well where there were several intramural games going on. Lots of soccer, softball, and football. Halifaxians are very active. I walked by lots of joggers, boot camp groups, horseback riders, and several full tennis courts.
I'm now taking a little horizontal break in the hostel before heading over to the Halifax Alehouse to watch game 4. Go Canucks!
When I get home I'll shower and get dressed into my flight attire. Alarm is already set for 3:30am when I'll walk over to the nearby Westin and hop on the Airporter bus.
Canadian adventure to-be-continued in Vancouver in August.
Then Carol and Megan dropped me off at the hostel downtown as they are heading back to Maine today. The reception was closed for lunch, so I walked over to a nearby park, laid down and read my book for a few hours, using my pack as a headrest. Today was the first warm, completely dry, sunny day I've seen in a long time. Twas fabulous.
After I checked in at 2pm I walked towards the store that had the little wall hanging I saw a few days ago. I stopped for a brief visit at an old cemetery in the middle of downtown Halifax. It was so old I couldn't really read the gravestones. When I entered the store I immediately noticed that the wall hangings I liked weren't in the same spot and I had a little panic. That's when I knew that if they still had them, I needed to buy one. Which I did. I also bought a card of a clothesline watercolor painting. All around PEI and Nova Scotia there are lots of colorful clotheslines. I wanted to try and snap a photo of a good one but never had the opportunity. So framing this card will be just as good. The shop also had a book about the local clothesline culture.
Next I went and had coffee and read my book some more. People watched as well. It is so much nicer walking around Halifax on a sunny day. People were actually out and about, compared to when we walked around a few days ago when it was raining and desolate.
I then headed over to a watch repair shop before they closed to replace my battery. So nice to have my watch back in business.
Wandering a bit more I stopped at a bench and read a few more chapters. I was right by a Boston Pizza chain. While I've mainly seen Bruins jersey wearing fans around, this restaurant had used black tape to cross out 'Boston' on all their doors and wrote in marker 'Vancouver'. They even changed the 'B' to a 'V' in the logo, making it 'Vancouver's Pizza' for the finals.
Having only had a muffin and coffee, at around 4pm I decided to just hold out and wait for Jane's to open for dinner. Canadians eat pretty early; Jane's is open for dinner from 5-9pm. Last night I had a hard time deciding between two dinner options, and all day today as I walked by restaurants I'd peak at the menu to see if anything sounded enticing for later. Nothing seemed as good as Jane's. It was a bit of a walk to the outskirts of town and totally worth it. While a car is pretty much necessary to get around the last few provinces, it was nice to walk all day today. I had another great meal at Jane's. They placed me in the exact same seat I had last night. The other 3 patrons eating dinner on the early side were all sitting by themselves as well, so I fit right in.
Speaking of fitting in, it has been nice to not be a noticeable tourist, both appearance and language wise.
After dinner I walked around the citadel. The locals use the lawns as if it were a regular park. I walked by the common as well where there were several intramural games going on. Lots of soccer, softball, and football. Halifaxians are very active. I walked by lots of joggers, boot camp groups, horseback riders, and several full tennis courts.
I'm now taking a little horizontal break in the hostel before heading over to the Halifax Alehouse to watch game 4. Go Canucks!
When I get home I'll shower and get dressed into my flight attire. Alarm is already set for 3:30am when I'll walk over to the nearby Westin and hop on the Airporter bus.
Canadian adventure to-be-continued in Vancouver in August.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
6 foot 2 with eyes of blue
First stop today was to visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. But once we got there and realized that it was free from 5:30-8pm on Tuesdays, we figured it best to save the $30 and come back later.
So we hopped back into the car and drove to Peggy's Cove - a cute little village town. Population ~35 people year round. It's a town that has about three souvenir shops, two art galleries, and one restaurant. After snapping some photos at the lighthouse and walking through the main souvenir shop we had a late lunch and enjoyed some local brew. It started sprinkling a bit, but overall it was a nice day compared to what the forecast predicted.
All throughout PEI and Nova Scotia we've seen tons of lobster traps - both on land and the buoy markers in the water. Curious as to what bait they use to get the lobsters to walk in I just Googled it. Apparently it is usually a piece of fish or chum. Chum consists of fish parts and blood. Delicious.
At the restaurant where we had lunch the table next to us ordered lobster. When the waitress brought over the three live lobster for them to review, they sent them back for larger lobster. When those came back they snapped photos before they were plummeted into boiling water. I couldn't help but be sad. Even after Megan called them the cockroaches of the sea, it was still sad for me.
We wanted to drive to Lunenburg for a short visit, but couldn't fit it in the fun packed day. So we headed back towards Halifax and were stopped for a bit as a little family of raccoons with cute little babies crossed the road. Then we drove up the Bedford Basin to Prince's Lodge. Prince's Lodge was named for the estate Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, resided in while in Halifax in the 18th century. In 1794, Prince Edward arrived to serve in Halifax with his French mistress Julie St. Laurent. The old estate mainly now makes up the Hemlock Ravine Park which has a heart shaped pond known as Julie's pond, constructed by the Duke for his mistress. It had two male mallards and about six female mallards that were clearly used to being fed. They followed us around and were very cute. Made my day. I definitely need to have a pond with a mallard couple when I grow up.
The only building that is still standing from the estate is the music room - a dome shaped structure. We couldn't get too close to it because apparently it is a private residence now.
Then we drove back to the maritime museum for our free entrance. It was entertaining, with the special exhibit about gay Navy sailors of the 1900s which I found impressive, and the Titanic exhibit. Many of the victims from the Titanic are buried in Halifax. While it was a interesting 30 minutes, I'm sure glad we didn't pay $30.
After the museum we went to the Alexander Keith's brewery and sat at the bar. We tried the sampler first - my favorites being the amber and the dark. I got a pint of the amber. We were all entertained by the kilt wearing bartender. Once he knew it was Megan's birthday he decided to pour us all a shot of his specialty which he calls '6 foot 2 with eyes of blue', which is what he is. After our shots and pints, Carol asked if we could buy the pint glass for the birthday girl. Without knowing my klepto history, the girl waitress said "well, if you have a big purse you are all set". And then we asked the bartender if that was ok, and he said he was going to walk to the other side of the bar and what he didn't see didn't happen. So all three of us pocketed our pint glasses. Pretty amusing. Free souvenirs are the best.
Then we went over the Jane's On The Common restaurant, which was recommended by a Halifax policeman that Carol waited on in Maine. When we told the brewery bartender we were going there he couldn't stop raving about the food, so we were pretty excited. It was the first time in a long time where I had quite a few delicious vegetarian options. It was a great dinner.
Afterwards we walked to the fountain on the common which has lights that change color around the fountain.
Then we drove home and had some quality time with Cocoa. She's adorable but not the friendliest lab I've ever met. We pet her for quite a bit and the woman behind the desk threw her treats for a few tricks. Carol even joined in on the trick/treat entertainment. While I want a dog so badly, playing with other pets makes me miss my kitties so much!
We asked the hotel restaurant for three wine glasses so we could enjoy our champagne and two bottles of wine in style, instead of in paper cups. Once we popped open the champagne, upon birthday girl's request we played JLo's new song - On The Floor - and drank every time she said 'On the floor'. Turns out she says it 24 times. We were hoping it was going to be 26 times for Megan's birthday.
My camera is officially on it's death bed. The screen has started to flicker and there is a fuzzy spot in the right hand corner that is not part of the lens. Am hoping the photos will be ok. It looks like the last trip for my cute little blue Nikon. Sad times.
Overall great day. Great night.
So we hopped back into the car and drove to Peggy's Cove - a cute little village town. Population ~35 people year round. It's a town that has about three souvenir shops, two art galleries, and one restaurant. After snapping some photos at the lighthouse and walking through the main souvenir shop we had a late lunch and enjoyed some local brew. It started sprinkling a bit, but overall it was a nice day compared to what the forecast predicted.
All throughout PEI and Nova Scotia we've seen tons of lobster traps - both on land and the buoy markers in the water. Curious as to what bait they use to get the lobsters to walk in I just Googled it. Apparently it is usually a piece of fish or chum. Chum consists of fish parts and blood. Delicious.
At the restaurant where we had lunch the table next to us ordered lobster. When the waitress brought over the three live lobster for them to review, they sent them back for larger lobster. When those came back they snapped photos before they were plummeted into boiling water. I couldn't help but be sad. Even after Megan called them the cockroaches of the sea, it was still sad for me.
We wanted to drive to Lunenburg for a short visit, but couldn't fit it in the fun packed day. So we headed back towards Halifax and were stopped for a bit as a little family of raccoons with cute little babies crossed the road. Then we drove up the Bedford Basin to Prince's Lodge. Prince's Lodge was named for the estate Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, resided in while in Halifax in the 18th century. In 1794, Prince Edward arrived to serve in Halifax with his French mistress Julie St. Laurent. The old estate mainly now makes up the Hemlock Ravine Park which has a heart shaped pond known as Julie's pond, constructed by the Duke for his mistress. It had two male mallards and about six female mallards that were clearly used to being fed. They followed us around and were very cute. Made my day. I definitely need to have a pond with a mallard couple when I grow up.
The only building that is still standing from the estate is the music room - a dome shaped structure. We couldn't get too close to it because apparently it is a private residence now.
Then we drove back to the maritime museum for our free entrance. It was entertaining, with the special exhibit about gay Navy sailors of the 1900s which I found impressive, and the Titanic exhibit. Many of the victims from the Titanic are buried in Halifax. While it was a interesting 30 minutes, I'm sure glad we didn't pay $30.
After the museum we went to the Alexander Keith's brewery and sat at the bar. We tried the sampler first - my favorites being the amber and the dark. I got a pint of the amber. We were all entertained by the kilt wearing bartender. Once he knew it was Megan's birthday he decided to pour us all a shot of his specialty which he calls '6 foot 2 with eyes of blue', which is what he is. After our shots and pints, Carol asked if we could buy the pint glass for the birthday girl. Without knowing my klepto history, the girl waitress said "well, if you have a big purse you are all set". And then we asked the bartender if that was ok, and he said he was going to walk to the other side of the bar and what he didn't see didn't happen. So all three of us pocketed our pint glasses. Pretty amusing. Free souvenirs are the best.
Then we went over the Jane's On The Common restaurant, which was recommended by a Halifax policeman that Carol waited on in Maine. When we told the brewery bartender we were going there he couldn't stop raving about the food, so we were pretty excited. It was the first time in a long time where I had quite a few delicious vegetarian options. It was a great dinner.
Afterwards we walked to the fountain on the common which has lights that change color around the fountain.
Then we drove home and had some quality time with Cocoa. She's adorable but not the friendliest lab I've ever met. We pet her for quite a bit and the woman behind the desk threw her treats for a few tricks. Carol even joined in on the trick/treat entertainment. While I want a dog so badly, playing with other pets makes me miss my kitties so much!
We asked the hotel restaurant for three wine glasses so we could enjoy our champagne and two bottles of wine in style, instead of in paper cups. Once we popped open the champagne, upon birthday girl's request we played JLo's new song - On The Floor - and drank every time she said 'On the floor'. Turns out she says it 24 times. We were hoping it was going to be 26 times for Megan's birthday.
My camera is officially on it's death bed. The screen has started to flicker and there is a fuzzy spot in the right hand corner that is not part of the lens. Am hoping the photos will be ok. It looks like the last trip for my cute little blue Nikon. Sad times.
Overall great day. Great night.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Halifax
We drove into Halifax and spent the day walking around. Mostly in the rain. Supposed to rain all day tomorrow as well.
It's nice to be back in a city. In the grand scheme of cities Halifax is pretty tiny, but after being in NB and PEI it feels huge.
Before heading out for the day I wanted to give some love to Cocoa but she was in the employee break room begging and hoping for snacks. When we got back at night she was doing the same. I hope I get to see her tomorrow. I may have to pick up some scooby snacks to get her attention.
After a delicious Thai lunch we drove to the Public Gardens for a stroll, which is when it started raining. Walking back towards downtown and the Halifax Harbor we hopped in and out of shops to avoid the rain as much as we could. And window shopping is always fun. I found a little art piece that I'm going to think about and see if I still want it on Wednesday. It's a traditional rug hooking made by a couple in their 70s who have been hooking for 60 years. Hooking rugs, not turning tricks. Well at least I hope not.
While at the waterfront we spotted a Cow's ice cream shop - advertised as the best in Canada. It was mighty tasty. They didn't have little tables inside so we huddled under a little awning and enjoyed the rainy scenery of the canal between Halifax and Dartmouth.
A few fun facts:
1) Donairs - a variation of the doner kebab is a rolled up sandwich that originated in Halifax. Carol decided to try one in PEI and had two bites before throwing it away. But there are signs for them everywhere, so we're assuming she just got a bad one. If they have a vegetarian variety I'm destined to get one tomorrow.
2) Alcohol - is pretty expensive here. It's also only sold in liquor stores. I've been on the wagon the last two days, just not feeling it. But I'll have to hit the booze again tomorrow in celebration of Megan's birthday. Want to try some locally brewed beer.
3) Hockey - we're gearing up to watch the 3rd game and have seen lots of Bruins signs and fans in the last three provinces. Finding that odd, I was excited to see that the little newspaper that the hotel set outside our door this morning had an article on the front page about that. The Bruins have a large fan base here because of family ties and historic north-south loyalties. Wonder how the Canucks feel about that. I'm still secretly rooting for them. The article also mentioned the interesting tidbit that before each game the Nova Scotia Transport Minister drops his front false teeth in his Bruins beer mug - part of his pre-game ritual. Interesting.
4) Boston love - apparently people also call Halifax a small Boston. We saw that a bit today while walking around. Best part was when Megan spotted a Cheers. Since it's not legit I bet they don't know everybody's name.
It's nice to be back in a city. In the grand scheme of cities Halifax is pretty tiny, but after being in NB and PEI it feels huge.
Before heading out for the day I wanted to give some love to Cocoa but she was in the employee break room begging and hoping for snacks. When we got back at night she was doing the same. I hope I get to see her tomorrow. I may have to pick up some scooby snacks to get her attention.
After a delicious Thai lunch we drove to the Public Gardens for a stroll, which is when it started raining. Walking back towards downtown and the Halifax Harbor we hopped in and out of shops to avoid the rain as much as we could. And window shopping is always fun. I found a little art piece that I'm going to think about and see if I still want it on Wednesday. It's a traditional rug hooking made by a couple in their 70s who have been hooking for 60 years. Hooking rugs, not turning tricks. Well at least I hope not.
While at the waterfront we spotted a Cow's ice cream shop - advertised as the best in Canada. It was mighty tasty. They didn't have little tables inside so we huddled under a little awning and enjoyed the rainy scenery of the canal between Halifax and Dartmouth.
A few fun facts:
1) Donairs - a variation of the doner kebab is a rolled up sandwich that originated in Halifax. Carol decided to try one in PEI and had two bites before throwing it away. But there are signs for them everywhere, so we're assuming she just got a bad one. If they have a vegetarian variety I'm destined to get one tomorrow.
2) Alcohol - is pretty expensive here. It's also only sold in liquor stores. I've been on the wagon the last two days, just not feeling it. But I'll have to hit the booze again tomorrow in celebration of Megan's birthday. Want to try some locally brewed beer.
3) Hockey - we're gearing up to watch the 3rd game and have seen lots of Bruins signs and fans in the last three provinces. Finding that odd, I was excited to see that the little newspaper that the hotel set outside our door this morning had an article on the front page about that. The Bruins have a large fan base here because of family ties and historic north-south loyalties. Wonder how the Canucks feel about that. I'm still secretly rooting for them. The article also mentioned the interesting tidbit that before each game the Nova Scotia Transport Minister drops his front false teeth in his Bruins beer mug - part of his pre-game ritual. Interesting.
4) Boston love - apparently people also call Halifax a small Boston. We saw that a bit today while walking around. Best part was when Megan spotted a Cheers. Since it's not legit I bet they don't know everybody's name.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Lighthouse galore
We spent most of the day in the car exploring the island. We did get lost. The maps that we have and the road signs were not the most intuitive.
After checking out we got into the car and drove a whole 5 feet out of the parking lot before we spotted a large indoor flea market across the street. Minor detour. I got a vintage looking Coke pint glass that is in both English & French (like everything in Canada). Not a bad 50 cent purchase. Carol scored some plates and a little rooster planter, and Megan sported a new shawl she got there most of the day for warmth. It's cold here - ranging in the 40s and 50s throughout the day.
Our tourist route focused on the east side of the island in King's County since we entered and slept in Queen's County. We did most of the Points East Coastal Drive. The highlights were the red sand and cliffs, and the lighthouses. One particular worth mentioning is the Cape Bear lighthouse where the first distress signal of the Titanic was heard before it sank near Newfoundland.
While there are no deer or moose on PEI, we did see two foxes. One of them was tame-ish and settled by an abandoned shed near the East Point Lighthouse with five of her babies playing and living underneath the shed. Quite cute.
PEI is the smallest of the Canadian provinces. Lots of farmland and beautiful scenery. Not too touristy either which is nice. We didn't make it up to where Anne of Green Gables tourist central is. I don't know if I've read that or not, so may have to pick up a copy.
We saw lots of ravens today and I was kind of baffled why we didn't see lots of seagulls. Then we started noticing that the seagulls were all grazing in the red soil potato fields. Something delicious in the soil apparently.
Speaking of food - Carol was determined to get mussels today. Once we finally found a gas station (we were getting desperate), we spotted Rick's Fish N' Chips and Seafood House across the street. Score. Apparently the mussels were delicious. Megan was bummed that they were out of the lobster roll so she got a fish sandwich. The only vegetarian lunch item was a veggie burger, that they were out of as well. So I got a not very good side salad for lunch. Second time that has happened on this leg of the trip. Hopeful that I'll be able to eat better in Nova Scotia!
Speaking of which we just arrived in Nova Scotia. We're staying a bit outside of Halifax at a Best Western on Chocolate Lake. When I booked the hotel they had a cute chocolate lab on the website. It brought smiles to my face when I checked in and there was an adorable chocolate lab snoozing behind the desk. Pleasant surprise. Will be sure to pet Cocoa tomorrow.
After checking out we got into the car and drove a whole 5 feet out of the parking lot before we spotted a large indoor flea market across the street. Minor detour. I got a vintage looking Coke pint glass that is in both English & French (like everything in Canada). Not a bad 50 cent purchase. Carol scored some plates and a little rooster planter, and Megan sported a new shawl she got there most of the day for warmth. It's cold here - ranging in the 40s and 50s throughout the day.
Our tourist route focused on the east side of the island in King's County since we entered and slept in Queen's County. We did most of the Points East Coastal Drive. The highlights were the red sand and cliffs, and the lighthouses. One particular worth mentioning is the Cape Bear lighthouse where the first distress signal of the Titanic was heard before it sank near Newfoundland.
While there are no deer or moose on PEI, we did see two foxes. One of them was tame-ish and settled by an abandoned shed near the East Point Lighthouse with five of her babies playing and living underneath the shed. Quite cute.
PEI is the smallest of the Canadian provinces. Lots of farmland and beautiful scenery. Not too touristy either which is nice. We didn't make it up to where Anne of Green Gables tourist central is. I don't know if I've read that or not, so may have to pick up a copy.
We saw lots of ravens today and I was kind of baffled why we didn't see lots of seagulls. Then we started noticing that the seagulls were all grazing in the red soil potato fields. Something delicious in the soil apparently.
Speaking of food - Carol was determined to get mussels today. Once we finally found a gas station (we were getting desperate), we spotted Rick's Fish N' Chips and Seafood House across the street. Score. Apparently the mussels were delicious. Megan was bummed that they were out of the lobster roll so she got a fish sandwich. The only vegetarian lunch item was a veggie burger, that they were out of as well. So I got a not very good side salad for lunch. Second time that has happened on this leg of the trip. Hopeful that I'll be able to eat better in Nova Scotia!
Speaking of which we just arrived in Nova Scotia. We're staying a bit outside of Halifax at a Best Western on Chocolate Lake. When I booked the hotel they had a cute chocolate lab on the website. It brought smiles to my face when I checked in and there was an adorable chocolate lab snoozing behind the desk. Pleasant surprise. Will be sure to pet Cocoa tomorrow.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Prince Edward Island
Today we headed first to Boiestown, a tiny rural community that houses the Central New Brunswick Woodsmen's Museum. It was a stop on our adventure because of family history with the museum. The woman that was working there was very nice and chatty. Talked to us about our family and people she knew, and then brought over a man that, after Carol spoke with his wife on his cell phone, we found out is related to us as well. The museum is several buildings, including sample woodsmen cottages, a bunch of old machinery etc. In one of the museum displays there were two wood carved items that my great-grandmother donated to the museum, that her father made. A wooden chain link and a gum box. The museum grounds also has a trout pond. We fed the trout. They seemed happy. No ducks in the pond, to my disappointment.
While at the museum we saw photos and information about the Priceville Footbridge and its collapse in 1939 that killed three people. Carol and I walked across part of the bridge, but with the windy cold weather and knowing the history, we didn't walk the whole thing. Megan stayed in the car. She's terrified of bridges.
Then we drove to Doaktown, another tiny village in rural New Brunswick on the Miramichi river. Our visit to that town was for the Atlantic Salmon Museum, a museum that Louise Bamford and her sister Katherine were heavily involved in. I'm not really sure why a type of fish deserves a museum, but the family connection made it cool. The aquarium wasn't open yet for the season; that would have been nice to see. We asked the girl working there if she knew were Louise and Katherine used to live. A photo of the house is on the cover of The Bamford Saga so we were prepared to drive around, but she knew exactly where to direct us to. I guess in a small town it's easy to be famous. After we snapped a few photos of the house we wanted to find the cemetery where the sisters are buried. Carol went into a convenient store to ask, and two of the other patrons piped up. One mentioned that Louise was his favorite teacher. The other shared that he's the grounds keeper for the cemetery so he escorted us over there. I didn't realize that Louise passed away recently (2008). Katherine died in 1989, just before the publishing of the book. I could have complained directly to the source if I had known beforehand that I was excluded from the book.
Leaving Doaktown we did a photo drive-by of the Homestead Inn, a B&B that is owned by a Bamford.
We had Sunday-Wednesday night booked in Halifax, and left tonight open to see where the day took us and where we might want to lay our heads tonight. Early afternoon we decided we wanted to check out Prince Edward Island. We drove up here and over the 8-mile long Confederation Bridge, which is the world's longest bridge over ice-covered water. Our first little town to visit and see if we could find a hotel was Victoria. The town consists of four blocks, and according to Wikipedia the population in 2006 was 77 people. We took a few photos, hopped back in the car and headed east towards Charlottetown. We ended up stopping in a town beforehand at a Super 8, but I have no idea what the name of the town is.
I have to keep reminding myself that we're in another country. The main difference I've noticed is that instead of Dunkin' Donuts they have Tim Hortons. First time going to one of those, it was good. I did get my Dunkin fill in Maine - always a necessity when I visit the east coast.
Fun wildlife of the day included one turkey, one fox, and one deer.
We're watching game 2 of the Stanley Cup final in the hotel at the moment. While in Maine I was rooting for the Bruins, but now in Canada I feel like I should be rooting for the Canucks.
Tomorrow we're going to explore the island, with the plan of getting lost, and then head to Nova Scotia.
While at the museum we saw photos and information about the Priceville Footbridge and its collapse in 1939 that killed three people. Carol and I walked across part of the bridge, but with the windy cold weather and knowing the history, we didn't walk the whole thing. Megan stayed in the car. She's terrified of bridges.
Then we drove to Doaktown, another tiny village in rural New Brunswick on the Miramichi river. Our visit to that town was for the Atlantic Salmon Museum, a museum that Louise Bamford and her sister Katherine were heavily involved in. I'm not really sure why a type of fish deserves a museum, but the family connection made it cool. The aquarium wasn't open yet for the season; that would have been nice to see. We asked the girl working there if she knew were Louise and Katherine used to live. A photo of the house is on the cover of The Bamford Saga so we were prepared to drive around, but she knew exactly where to direct us to. I guess in a small town it's easy to be famous. After we snapped a few photos of the house we wanted to find the cemetery where the sisters are buried. Carol went into a convenient store to ask, and two of the other patrons piped up. One mentioned that Louise was his favorite teacher. The other shared that he's the grounds keeper for the cemetery so he escorted us over there. I didn't realize that Louise passed away recently (2008). Katherine died in 1989, just before the publishing of the book. I could have complained directly to the source if I had known beforehand that I was excluded from the book.
Leaving Doaktown we did a photo drive-by of the Homestead Inn, a B&B that is owned by a Bamford.
We had Sunday-Wednesday night booked in Halifax, and left tonight open to see where the day took us and where we might want to lay our heads tonight. Early afternoon we decided we wanted to check out Prince Edward Island. We drove up here and over the 8-mile long Confederation Bridge, which is the world's longest bridge over ice-covered water. Our first little town to visit and see if we could find a hotel was Victoria. The town consists of four blocks, and according to Wikipedia the population in 2006 was 77 people. We took a few photos, hopped back in the car and headed east towards Charlottetown. We ended up stopping in a town beforehand at a Super 8, but I have no idea what the name of the town is.
I have to keep reminding myself that we're in another country. The main difference I've noticed is that instead of Dunkin' Donuts they have Tim Hortons. First time going to one of those, it was good. I did get my Dunkin fill in Maine - always a necessity when I visit the east coast.
Fun wildlife of the day included one turkey, one fox, and one deer.
We're watching game 2 of the Stanley Cup final in the hotel at the moment. While in Maine I was rooting for the Bruins, but now in Canada I feel like I should be rooting for the Canucks.
Tomorrow we're going to explore the island, with the plan of getting lost, and then head to Nova Scotia.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Quebec to Maine to New Brunswick
Right before handing over out passports to the border police entering Maine we realized that none of us were born in the U.S. Turns out I was the only one that made their sketch radar peak. They asked me several questions and asked for another form of ID. Apparently the photo that comes up looks vastly different from the photo in my passport.
Once we entered Maine I mentioned that I saw no deer while in upstate New York (which is crazy), and Carol and Megan were saying they haven't seen deer or moose in a long time when BAM! - we saw 6 moose! They were all about the same size, pretty small and so cute. Took plenty of photos.
We had two nights of watching slides with my grandparents during this visit. One of the nights we looked at their photos from when they were in Italy (1959), Spain & Portugal (1978). Was fun to see and recognize some of the main sites. While my grandmother is having trouble with her short-term memory, she busted out lots of stories and anecdotes from their travels.
Today we drove from Greenville to Bangor to pick up a rental car, and then drove from Bangor to New Brunswick. The Canadian officer at this border was the nicest I have ever experienced. He didn't look at our passports and had a chit-chat style with all his routine questions he needs to ask.
We decided to first visit Frederickton, the capital of New Brunswick. Tomorrow we're heading to a few spots where our family (mom's side) stems from. In preparation for our trip we talked to my grandparents, my grandmother's sister, and during the trip we'll reference "The Bamford Saga", a detailed family tree reference book that was published in 1989 by Louise Bamford, my second cousin four times removed. Whatever that means. It was 20 years of research on her part and it includes info from 1764 to 1989. Unfortunately, there is something seriously wrong with page 106. There are a few subtle typos that I can live with, like my mom's middle name, and where some of my cousin's were born. What I cannot live with is the fact that my sister and I are not mentioned! My three aunts are mentioned, with their respective kids listed underneath them. And since three of my cousins are younger than me I know it's not a year thing. My dad's parents are even mentioned. Hmmm. Editing needed.
Frederickton is a pretty sleepy little town at the moment. I imagine it gets a little busier during the summer, but right now it's a bit ghost town-ish. Very quaint and cute though.
The itchy mosquito bites I have literally from head to toe remind me why I love the west coast.
I've been visiting Maine and specifically Moosehead Lake my whole life, but it still gets me awestruck. Beautiful state. "The way life should be".
I'm not going to lie - I love leaving the country and turning my phone off. I am, however, not too pleased that my watch battery is dead. I don't glance at it too often while on vacation, but it is starting to bug me.
Once we entered Maine I mentioned that I saw no deer while in upstate New York (which is crazy), and Carol and Megan were saying they haven't seen deer or moose in a long time when BAM! - we saw 6 moose! They were all about the same size, pretty small and so cute. Took plenty of photos.
We had two nights of watching slides with my grandparents during this visit. One of the nights we looked at their photos from when they were in Italy (1959), Spain & Portugal (1978). Was fun to see and recognize some of the main sites. While my grandmother is having trouble with her short-term memory, she busted out lots of stories and anecdotes from their travels.
Today we drove from Greenville to Bangor to pick up a rental car, and then drove from Bangor to New Brunswick. The Canadian officer at this border was the nicest I have ever experienced. He didn't look at our passports and had a chit-chat style with all his routine questions he needs to ask.
We decided to first visit Frederickton, the capital of New Brunswick. Tomorrow we're heading to a few spots where our family (mom's side) stems from. In preparation for our trip we talked to my grandparents, my grandmother's sister, and during the trip we'll reference "The Bamford Saga", a detailed family tree reference book that was published in 1989 by Louise Bamford, my second cousin four times removed. Whatever that means. It was 20 years of research on her part and it includes info from 1764 to 1989. Unfortunately, there is something seriously wrong with page 106. There are a few subtle typos that I can live with, like my mom's middle name, and where some of my cousin's were born. What I cannot live with is the fact that my sister and I are not mentioned! My three aunts are mentioned, with their respective kids listed underneath them. And since three of my cousins are younger than me I know it's not a year thing. My dad's parents are even mentioned. Hmmm. Editing needed.
Frederickton is a pretty sleepy little town at the moment. I imagine it gets a little busier during the summer, but right now it's a bit ghost town-ish. Very quaint and cute though.
The itchy mosquito bites I have literally from head to toe remind me why I love the west coast.
I've been visiting Maine and specifically Moosehead Lake my whole life, but it still gets me awestruck. Beautiful state. "The way life should be".
I'm not going to lie - I love leaving the country and turning my phone off. I am, however, not too pleased that my watch battery is dead. I don't glance at it too often while on vacation, but it is starting to bug me.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Canadian Creativity
Today was an eventful day. After getting ready we headed out towards the Gare du Palais which looked fancy on the map. Turns out the Gare du Palais is the train station. Yes it's beautiful, but I felt rather silly heading there thinking it was a sight only to realize it was the train station that I arrived in on. We headed inside to have breakfast at a cute little cafe because it was pretty cold today. Colder than any other day I've had on the east coast this trip.
After breakfast we headed to the Marché, an indoor market. Lots of flowers and plants with a delicious looking cheese stand, lots of maple syrup, a few jewelry vendors, among other things.
We then went towards the St. Lawrence River and the antique shop part of town. Luckily we didn't go into any antique shops, for my luggage's sake. We then stumbled across the Église Notre-Dame des Victoires, a cute little church that is apparently the oldest stone church in North America. I haven't been to Switzerland yet, but that entire square felt very Swiss. After that we walked back into the walls of Old Quebec and up to the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, a luxurious hotel. After admiring where the fancy people stay we walked over to the Citadelle, an active military base. Since it's the active station of the Royal 22e Régiment of the Canadian Forces you have to be led around by a guide. It was about an hour tour and very interesting. There were military men outside practicing for the changing of the guards which happens daily in the summer, starting in June. A part of that ceremony involves a goat. Batisse the goat. Word on the street is that Queen Elizabeth II gave the first Batisse the goat to the 22me Régiment as a gift. So of course I asked how many goats there have been since then. They are on Batisse #11, and all of them have been descendants of the original Batisse. Interesting mascot for the military, I think.
After that we walked towards the Parliament, snapped a few photos, and then strolled down the Grande Allée which is the big nightlife/club street. Being late afternoon it was pretty desolate when we were there but I could envision what it is like when it's hoppin'.
Oh, how could I forget - mid Citadelle tour it started raining. Megan and Carol bought a poncho at the gift shop. I had my handy raincoat. It was pretty cold and windy but we were still able to enjoy Québec the rest of the day. What a cute little city. So tiny it's incredible.
After a few hours of chilling in the hostel we walked to the nearest grocery store and bought some wine and snacks for dinner since we had a big lunch. Then at around 10pm we walked outside to experience the theatre fun. I can honestly say that I don't think I've seen anything as cool and unique theatre wise. Ever. I don't think my words or the 100+ photos that Carol took will do it justice. Luckily it's all right near our hostel. It starts in a park a few blocks away with about 10 installations such as - a bunch of coworkers miserable in a boardroom, a married couple bored with each other and not talking at dinner, a lonely old woman shopkeeper, a pregnant woman with fears of being a mother, a man drowning his sorrows at an empty bar (literally drowning his sorrows because he was sitting in the pond in the park on a bar stool) etc. There were more but you get the idea. Each of these displays had speakers around them playing their thoughts. While it was all in French you could easily tell what they were thinking and saying. The body language and expressions were so clear and universal. So amazing. The tulips from the park were used as part of the sets, and they looked so cool with all of the lighting.
Then you walk through several streets of other displays - one of my favorites was called 'balconies'. On the side of a parking garage people were sitting on wrought-iron suspended platforms. They all had microphones that they were speaking into. What I took from that one is how there can be many of us sitting on an apartment building balcony, in our own little worlds, and oblivious to the people and world around us doing the same thing. How we can be self-involved and in our own bubbles.
Next was a display called 'lures' where there were huge lures with a hanging pig, an ice-cream stick, a motorcycle, a golf-ball, etc. From these there were people hanging or sitting on the lures talking and singing. So strange.
That's probably enough description. Trust me it was cool. And luckily it had stopped raining by that point.
Tomorrow morning we need to check out by 10am. We're hopeful that Carol's car is still where we left it (seeing that a car is stolen every 3 minutes in Canada, as I learned in Ottawa). Once we leave this cute little city we're heading north to the Montmorency Falls that are about 12km north of here. The falls, at 275 feet high and 150 feet wide, are the highest in the province of Québec and 98 feet higher than Niagara Falls. We're all pretty excited about that.
After the falls we're driving to Greenville, Maine to hang out with my grandparents and several other fabulous family members.
Will be back to blogging once Carol, Megan, and I head to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Ta ta for now!
After breakfast we headed to the Marché, an indoor market. Lots of flowers and plants with a delicious looking cheese stand, lots of maple syrup, a few jewelry vendors, among other things.
We then went towards the St. Lawrence River and the antique shop part of town. Luckily we didn't go into any antique shops, for my luggage's sake. We then stumbled across the Église Notre-Dame des Victoires, a cute little church that is apparently the oldest stone church in North America. I haven't been to Switzerland yet, but that entire square felt very Swiss. After that we walked back into the walls of Old Quebec and up to the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, a luxurious hotel. After admiring where the fancy people stay we walked over to the Citadelle, an active military base. Since it's the active station of the Royal 22e Régiment of the Canadian Forces you have to be led around by a guide. It was about an hour tour and very interesting. There were military men outside practicing for the changing of the guards which happens daily in the summer, starting in June. A part of that ceremony involves a goat. Batisse the goat. Word on the street is that Queen Elizabeth II gave the first Batisse the goat to the 22me Régiment as a gift. So of course I asked how many goats there have been since then. They are on Batisse #11, and all of them have been descendants of the original Batisse. Interesting mascot for the military, I think.
After that we walked towards the Parliament, snapped a few photos, and then strolled down the Grande Allée which is the big nightlife/club street. Being late afternoon it was pretty desolate when we were there but I could envision what it is like when it's hoppin'.
Oh, how could I forget - mid Citadelle tour it started raining. Megan and Carol bought a poncho at the gift shop. I had my handy raincoat. It was pretty cold and windy but we were still able to enjoy Québec the rest of the day. What a cute little city. So tiny it's incredible.
After a few hours of chilling in the hostel we walked to the nearest grocery store and bought some wine and snacks for dinner since we had a big lunch. Then at around 10pm we walked outside to experience the theatre fun. I can honestly say that I don't think I've seen anything as cool and unique theatre wise. Ever. I don't think my words or the 100+ photos that Carol took will do it justice. Luckily it's all right near our hostel. It starts in a park a few blocks away with about 10 installations such as - a bunch of coworkers miserable in a boardroom, a married couple bored with each other and not talking at dinner, a lonely old woman shopkeeper, a pregnant woman with fears of being a mother, a man drowning his sorrows at an empty bar (literally drowning his sorrows because he was sitting in the pond in the park on a bar stool) etc. There were more but you get the idea. Each of these displays had speakers around them playing their thoughts. While it was all in French you could easily tell what they were thinking and saying. The body language and expressions were so clear and universal. So amazing. The tulips from the park were used as part of the sets, and they looked so cool with all of the lighting.
Then you walk through several streets of other displays - one of my favorites was called 'balconies'. On the side of a parking garage people were sitting on wrought-iron suspended platforms. They all had microphones that they were speaking into. What I took from that one is how there can be many of us sitting on an apartment building balcony, in our own little worlds, and oblivious to the people and world around us doing the same thing. How we can be self-involved and in our own bubbles.
Next was a display called 'lures' where there were huge lures with a hanging pig, an ice-cream stick, a motorcycle, a golf-ball, etc. From these there were people hanging or sitting on the lures talking and singing. So strange.
That's probably enough description. Trust me it was cool. And luckily it had stopped raining by that point.
Tomorrow morning we need to check out by 10am. We're hopeful that Carol's car is still where we left it (seeing that a car is stolen every 3 minutes in Canada, as I learned in Ottawa). Once we leave this cute little city we're heading north to the Montmorency Falls that are about 12km north of here. The falls, at 275 feet high and 150 feet wide, are the highest in the province of Québec and 98 feet higher than Niagara Falls. We're all pretty excited about that.
After the falls we're driving to Greenville, Maine to hang out with my grandparents and several other fabulous family members.
Will be back to blogging once Carol, Megan, and I head to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Ta ta for now!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Ville de Québec
Yesterday once I checked out I headed to the metro station to then get to the train station. Because of the blistery winter weather they get in Montreal, there are lots of underground tunnels that connect to hotels, malls, grocery stores, beauty salons, metro stations etc. Technically you could spend all winter and not have to go outside. These tunnels are a bit hard to navigate though, I think. I'd get lost all the time if I lived there. While not that far away, I found the signage to get from the metro station to the train station a bit confusing.
Train ride was about 3 hours, slept most of the way.
Once I got to Québec City I picked up a map and it took me a while to figure out where the train station was on the map. Once I did I found the street this hostel was on and couldn't see street signs outside to figure out which way to start walking. I didn't feel like trial-and-error walking like I usually do, so I asked a cute construction worker which way to go. He spoke no English but got the gist of what I was asking. It took him quite a while but he finally pointed me in the right direction. Merci merci.
Once I found the hostel and I opened the door I was greeted by a little white dog. Up a narrow staircase I got to the hostel. After I checked in and had my tour, my first thought was - I wonder what Carol and Megan are going to think of this place. It's not the worst hostel I've stayed in, but down there on the totem pole. I'm staying in an 8-bed shared dorm and they are staying in a double by themselves which feels like a palace compared to my room.
Once they settled in it took us quite a while to find a parking lot for their car. Many of the automated ones were closed. We finally found an outdoor lot, said goodbye to the car, and wandered into the Vieux-Québec, the old walled-in part of the city. We walked down Rue Sainte-Jean and found a pub to have a local beer. I forget the name but I got a nice amber ale. Then after a bit more wandering we settled into a restaurant's outdoor spot for dinner.
This morning I set my alarm for 8am and we're getting ready to head out and explore. Only bummer is it rained last night and the sky doesn't look like it's going to behave for us. Fingers crossed.
As I was waiting for them to arrive yesterday I sat outside of the hostel in the sun and read my book. There were trucks and crew setting up a bunch of speakers and TVs outdoors. I asked one of them what was going on and he said that there is a big festival this weekend. On our way home from dinner we got to witness some of it. I just looked it up online. It's the 12th Carrefour International de Théâtre where along several streets there are theatre, dance, visual arts, and music performances. Last night was the sound-check and practice night. The festival is from 9pm-11pm every night so we'll have to make sure to eat an early dinner so we can head back and walk through the streets and watch some of the creativity unfold. I feel bad cause while Carol and Megan's room is very nice, it faces the street, and there is a bar right across the street that apparently was hopping until the wee hours of the morning. My ghetto-room luckily faces the back of the building and was pretty quiet, other than the creaking beds.
Train ride was about 3 hours, slept most of the way.
Once I got to Québec City I picked up a map and it took me a while to figure out where the train station was on the map. Once I did I found the street this hostel was on and couldn't see street signs outside to figure out which way to start walking. I didn't feel like trial-and-error walking like I usually do, so I asked a cute construction worker which way to go. He spoke no English but got the gist of what I was asking. It took him quite a while but he finally pointed me in the right direction. Merci merci.
Once I found the hostel and I opened the door I was greeted by a little white dog. Up a narrow staircase I got to the hostel. After I checked in and had my tour, my first thought was - I wonder what Carol and Megan are going to think of this place. It's not the worst hostel I've stayed in, but down there on the totem pole. I'm staying in an 8-bed shared dorm and they are staying in a double by themselves which feels like a palace compared to my room.
Once they settled in it took us quite a while to find a parking lot for their car. Many of the automated ones were closed. We finally found an outdoor lot, said goodbye to the car, and wandered into the Vieux-Québec, the old walled-in part of the city. We walked down Rue Sainte-Jean and found a pub to have a local beer. I forget the name but I got a nice amber ale. Then after a bit more wandering we settled into a restaurant's outdoor spot for dinner.
This morning I set my alarm for 8am and we're getting ready to head out and explore. Only bummer is it rained last night and the sky doesn't look like it's going to behave for us. Fingers crossed.
As I was waiting for them to arrive yesterday I sat outside of the hostel in the sun and read my book. There were trucks and crew setting up a bunch of speakers and TVs outdoors. I asked one of them what was going on and he said that there is a big festival this weekend. On our way home from dinner we got to witness some of it. I just looked it up online. It's the 12th Carrefour International de Théâtre where along several streets there are theatre, dance, visual arts, and music performances. Last night was the sound-check and practice night. The festival is from 9pm-11pm every night so we'll have to make sure to eat an early dinner so we can head back and walk through the streets and watch some of the creativity unfold. I feel bad cause while Carol and Megan's room is very nice, it faces the street, and there is a bar right across the street that apparently was hopping until the wee hours of the morning. My ghetto-room luckily faces the back of the building and was pretty quiet, other than the creaking beds.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
710 ml
I slept in again this morning. Our room is like a cave that stays very dark. The four people making noise at 5am didn't bother me too much cause I knew I could sleep until whenever I woke up, which was about 10am. Back to setting an alarm tomorrow.
My first order of business today was walking to the Parc du Mont-Royal. As soon as I stepped outside the sky got dark and it started to rain. Luckily it only lasted about an hour. By the time I had an early lunch at Green, a delicious and healthy sandwich and salad shop, it had stopped raining. So I headed back out and hiked up to the Chalet du Mont Royal. You can walk up stairs or walk back and forth up switchbacks. I decided to take the stairs. Phew. Was happy to get to the top and take in the gorgeous view of Montreal. I was prepared for the view not to be great because of the weather, but it turned out to be a blue sky sunny day. A little weird knowing that this was where a previous boyfriend proposed to his girlfriend, but what are you gonna do, I had to see the sight.
A little trivia knowledge (from Wikipedia): "Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French, (Mont Royal in present French)."
After snapping several photos and taking in the scenery, I walked over to a park bench, laid down, and read my book. Canada has been less overwhelming than Europe in a nice way. I don't feel like I have to spend all day rushing to several sights. I've been kind of wandering around like I would if I lived here. Although my foot and leg issues is probably adding to that. One place I thought about going to again was Le Biodôme de Montréal. I went in college as an adult chaperone for a bunch of middle school kids. I remember being so impressed by it that I wanted to relish that memory and not go again with the potential of being disappointed.
Once I had read several chapters I decided to head over to the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal. On the way there I walked through McGill's campus which was kind of fun. Once I got to the basilica I didn't feel like paying to go in so I just admired it from outside. Then I wanted to see the St. Lawrence River, so I walked over there and sat on a bench to people watch. On the way inland I walked through the Vieux-Montréal, the old historic part of town.
When I started to get hungry for dinner I decided to find a grocery store and pick up a bunch of snacks to enjoy tonight and then on my train ride tomorrow. Along with the food I bought a 710 ml Labatt Bleue, or two. My hostel/hotel has a bar but they only have imported beer and the wine I tried the other night was not good. Only problem is you can't drink outside booze in the bar/lounge area. So I ate my little dinner on my bed, which was actually kind of fun. I then remembered that you could borrow movies from the front desk. It was a long day so I just wanted to chill tonight. You can tell by the movie selection that only guys work here. Kind of funny that they were all illegal burned movies as well. I picked Fight Club and headed back to my room. The DVD player in the TV wouldn't open. So I went to return the movie and the guy at the front asked me if I wanted to watch it in the common room downstairs. I didn't know there was one. So now I'm sitting downstairs watching the movie, enjoying my large Labatt Bleue, and relaxing.
Before I forget - they added lots of pink bulbs today taking up now three blocks. I looked it up and this is what I learned: "During the 2011 Aires Libres summer event, 170,000 pink resin balls will be fastened to wires strung out at different levels and through the trees forming a long pink canopy suspended over the St. Catherine street pedestrian zone. The three different size pink resin balls will produce a five-tone hue creating the effect of a long sequenced ribbon. Enjoy unique and festive moments as you stroll under a sky of pink resin balls while experiencing the succession of nine different suspension patterns that stretch over a 1.2km distance between Berri and Papineau streets. A color event that asserts itself in the heart of the Village. Les Boules roses is produced by landscape architect Claude Cormier." Fancy.
Taking a train to Québec City tomorrow afternoon and meeting up with my aunt Carol and cousin Megan. Excited to hang out with them and explore Québec!
Now back to Edward & Brad.
My first order of business today was walking to the Parc du Mont-Royal. As soon as I stepped outside the sky got dark and it started to rain. Luckily it only lasted about an hour. By the time I had an early lunch at Green, a delicious and healthy sandwich and salad shop, it had stopped raining. So I headed back out and hiked up to the Chalet du Mont Royal. You can walk up stairs or walk back and forth up switchbacks. I decided to take the stairs. Phew. Was happy to get to the top and take in the gorgeous view of Montreal. I was prepared for the view not to be great because of the weather, but it turned out to be a blue sky sunny day. A little weird knowing that this was where a previous boyfriend proposed to his girlfriend, but what are you gonna do, I had to see the sight.
A little trivia knowledge (from Wikipedia): "Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French, (Mont Royal in present French)."
After snapping several photos and taking in the scenery, I walked over to a park bench, laid down, and read my book. Canada has been less overwhelming than Europe in a nice way. I don't feel like I have to spend all day rushing to several sights. I've been kind of wandering around like I would if I lived here. Although my foot and leg issues is probably adding to that. One place I thought about going to again was Le Biodôme de Montréal. I went in college as an adult chaperone for a bunch of middle school kids. I remember being so impressed by it that I wanted to relish that memory and not go again with the potential of being disappointed.
Once I had read several chapters I decided to head over to the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal. On the way there I walked through McGill's campus which was kind of fun. Once I got to the basilica I didn't feel like paying to go in so I just admired it from outside. Then I wanted to see the St. Lawrence River, so I walked over there and sat on a bench to people watch. On the way inland I walked through the Vieux-Montréal, the old historic part of town.
When I started to get hungry for dinner I decided to find a grocery store and pick up a bunch of snacks to enjoy tonight and then on my train ride tomorrow. Along with the food I bought a 710 ml Labatt Bleue, or two. My hostel/hotel has a bar but they only have imported beer and the wine I tried the other night was not good. Only problem is you can't drink outside booze in the bar/lounge area. So I ate my little dinner on my bed, which was actually kind of fun. I then remembered that you could borrow movies from the front desk. It was a long day so I just wanted to chill tonight. You can tell by the movie selection that only guys work here. Kind of funny that they were all illegal burned movies as well. I picked Fight Club and headed back to my room. The DVD player in the TV wouldn't open. So I went to return the movie and the guy at the front asked me if I wanted to watch it in the common room downstairs. I didn't know there was one. So now I'm sitting downstairs watching the movie, enjoying my large Labatt Bleue, and relaxing.
Before I forget - they added lots of pink bulbs today taking up now three blocks. I looked it up and this is what I learned: "During the 2011 Aires Libres summer event, 170,000 pink resin balls will be fastened to wires strung out at different levels and through the trees forming a long pink canopy suspended over the St. Catherine street pedestrian zone. The three different size pink resin balls will produce a five-tone hue creating the effect of a long sequenced ribbon. Enjoy unique and festive moments as you stroll under a sky of pink resin balls while experiencing the succession of nine different suspension patterns that stretch over a 1.2km distance between Berri and Papineau streets. A color event that asserts itself in the heart of the Village. Les Boules roses is produced by landscape architect Claude Cormier." Fancy.
Taking a train to Québec City tomorrow afternoon and meeting up with my aunt Carol and cousin Megan. Excited to hang out with them and explore Québec!
Now back to Edward & Brad.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Montréal
Today was very pleasant. It was nice and sunny with a breeze. Much nicer weather than I was expecting.
I walked down rue Sainte-Catherine, one of the main shopping streets. I remember it from my college days. Lots of strip clubs and sex shops along with pretty much any retail store you can think of. I went into Roots and bought a few things for old times sake.
Strolled through the Quartier des Spectacles, through the Centre-Ville, and had lunch at Second Cup, a coffee shop chain. I tried to go to a quaint little bistro but their kitchen was already closed for the afternoon. I sat outside and read my book, My Sister's Keeper.
I then stumbled across where the Canadiens play (hockey team), by the Cathedral Marie-Reine du Monde which is very pretty, and sat in the Dorchester Square and read a few more chapters. The wind started picking up and I was a bit worried it was going to start to pour, so I got up and started strolling some more. Went through the Quartier International which has a very downtown business/conference center feel, and then through the tiny Quartier Chinois (Chinatown), and back to the Quartier Latin where I'm staying. Along Sainte-Catherine close to where I'm staying they were stringing up streamers with pink bulb-like things. I'll have to find out what that's for. I haven't walked to the St. Lawrence River yet, will definitely do that tomorrow. I wanted to get on one of those bus tours tomorrow because the walking today was probably more than I should have done. I need a new leg. But the bus tours only start in late May and run Thursday-Sunday. Walking it is.
Random story for the day - A businessman came into my personal space while I was taking a photo and started talking to me in French and I told him I didn't understand. He then changed to English and asked me if I wanted to be friends. Not sure how to respond I just smiled. He then said that we should hang out tonight. I politely declined. He asked what about tomorrow night, and came up with this big explanation that we were both alone and that we could keep each other company. He also told me that I could call him whenever I come to his country (Egypt). After a few polite attempts didn't work, I finally had to tell him that I'd rather be alone. At least I didn't say I'd rather eat dirt.
Something I find interesting is that in Ottawa and Montreal and I'm sure it'll be the same in Quebec, everything is translated in French & English. To the point where it is sometimes silly.
For example:
1) Some stop signs squish both "Stop" and "Arrêt" on there.
2) The sign outside Starbucks reads "Café Starbucks Coffee".
3) Some street signs say both "Rue" and "Street" around the name of the street.
I'm sure it's sometimes helpful, but in my humble opinion for things like that it's a bit strange.
I walked down rue Sainte-Catherine, one of the main shopping streets. I remember it from my college days. Lots of strip clubs and sex shops along with pretty much any retail store you can think of. I went into Roots and bought a few things for old times sake.
Strolled through the Quartier des Spectacles, through the Centre-Ville, and had lunch at Second Cup, a coffee shop chain. I tried to go to a quaint little bistro but their kitchen was already closed for the afternoon. I sat outside and read my book, My Sister's Keeper.
I then stumbled across where the Canadiens play (hockey team), by the Cathedral Marie-Reine du Monde which is very pretty, and sat in the Dorchester Square and read a few more chapters. The wind started picking up and I was a bit worried it was going to start to pour, so I got up and started strolling some more. Went through the Quartier International which has a very downtown business/conference center feel, and then through the tiny Quartier Chinois (Chinatown), and back to the Quartier Latin where I'm staying. Along Sainte-Catherine close to where I'm staying they were stringing up streamers with pink bulb-like things. I'll have to find out what that's for. I haven't walked to the St. Lawrence River yet, will definitely do that tomorrow. I wanted to get on one of those bus tours tomorrow because the walking today was probably more than I should have done. I need a new leg. But the bus tours only start in late May and run Thursday-Sunday. Walking it is.
Random story for the day - A businessman came into my personal space while I was taking a photo and started talking to me in French and I told him I didn't understand. He then changed to English and asked me if I wanted to be friends. Not sure how to respond I just smiled. He then said that we should hang out tonight. I politely declined. He asked what about tomorrow night, and came up with this big explanation that we were both alone and that we could keep each other company. He also told me that I could call him whenever I come to his country (Egypt). After a few polite attempts didn't work, I finally had to tell him that I'd rather be alone. At least I didn't say I'd rather eat dirt.
Something I find interesting is that in Ottawa and Montreal and I'm sure it'll be the same in Quebec, everything is translated in French & English. To the point where it is sometimes silly.
For example:
1) Some stop signs squish both "Stop" and "Arrêt" on there.
2) The sign outside Starbucks reads "Café Starbucks Coffee".
3) Some street signs say both "Rue" and "Street" around the name of the street.
I'm sure it's sometimes helpful, but in my humble opinion for things like that it's a bit strange.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Bonjour!
I understand pretty much no French so this week should be fun. Will try to pick up a bit.
After a great wedding weekend with wonderful St. Lawrence friends, I peeled myself out of bed at 7am and drove the 4+ hours to Ottawa. The route was through Canton so I stopped at the Blackbird Cafe and had a delicious panini. If only that was open when I was living there. The town was eerily quiet. I think I drove through during the graduation ceremony so everyone was probably on campus.
Once I dropped my rental car off I took a train to Montreal. There was another Enterprise customer waiting to pick up a car as I was dropping mine off. Turns out his car was stolen last night, from his driveway. I learned that a car is stolen every 3 minutes in Canada. Glad nothing happened to my rental! Although come to think of it I never got out of the car while in Canada.
After a quick metro ride from the train station I walked to my hostel. It's nice. Saw two rowdy people getting thrown on the hood of the car and frisked by police outside the metro station. Never a dull moment.
My hostel is in the Latin Quarter and I ventured a few streets over to rue Saint-Denis which has lots of shops, bars, and restaurants. I wanted to stroll slowly home but it was raining and I was sans rain jacket so I booked it home and am going to call it an early night after the very eventful weekend. Only problem is my seven roommates are all bonding, drinking wine and eating snacks in the middle of the room on the floor. Waiting for them to venture out on the town. Hopefully soon.
After a great wedding weekend with wonderful St. Lawrence friends, I peeled myself out of bed at 7am and drove the 4+ hours to Ottawa. The route was through Canton so I stopped at the Blackbird Cafe and had a delicious panini. If only that was open when I was living there. The town was eerily quiet. I think I drove through during the graduation ceremony so everyone was probably on campus.
Once I dropped my rental car off I took a train to Montreal. There was another Enterprise customer waiting to pick up a car as I was dropping mine off. Turns out his car was stolen last night, from his driveway. I learned that a car is stolen every 3 minutes in Canada. Glad nothing happened to my rental! Although come to think of it I never got out of the car while in Canada.
After a quick metro ride from the train station I walked to my hostel. It's nice. Saw two rowdy people getting thrown on the hood of the car and frisked by police outside the metro station. Never a dull moment.
My hostel is in the Latin Quarter and I ventured a few streets over to rue Saint-Denis which has lots of shops, bars, and restaurants. I wanted to stroll slowly home but it was raining and I was sans rain jacket so I booked it home and am going to call it an early night after the very eventful weekend. Only problem is my seven roommates are all bonding, drinking wine and eating snacks in the middle of the room on the floor. Waiting for them to venture out on the town. Hopefully soon.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Ottawa
The weather was nice to me today. It sprinkled here and there but I never had to bust out my rain jacket.
I'm staying very close to the ByWard Market so I hopped into a bakery there for breakfast. Only once inside did I notice the signs outside that said that they sell Obama cookies. I then looked up to one of the counters that had a huge poster size photo of Obama in the bakery and two huge displays with several rows of these cookies. Am assuming he liked them and they since named the cookies after him.
Yep, I just looked it up and here's what the internet says "It took only a few words from U.S. President Barack Obama and the Moulin de Provence bakery in Ottawa's Byward Market is still selling cookies at the rate of 2,000 a day, somewhat more than the 200 or 250 cookies they used to sell each week." I just got a croissant and a coffee today, so I'll have to go back for a cookie tomorrow. Next to the poster sized photo of him was a TV that at first glance I thought was showing the daily news. But quickly I realized that it was a loop of the news coverage of Obama in the bakery on repeat. Pretty funny.
I then walked towards downtown and headed up some stairs to see what was at the top. It was the Major's Hill Park which is hosting part of the Tulip Festival. What a fun surprise. I love tulips and festivals. I walked around there a bit and then headed over to Parliament Hill, definitely my favorite part of Ottawa. So beautiful. After taking several photos I walked over to where the bus tours depart from. Since I'm only here one full day and I'm a bit gimpy, I decided a bus tour was the way to go. It wasn't one of those modern looking buses. Ottawa has rickety old trolleys and falling apart double-deckers. I liked it, part of the charm, but a little surprising for the capital. I hopped in the trolley and did the entire circuit, didn't hop on or hop off. Mainly because most of the sites would require a lot of walking, and well because none of them seemed too intriguing. Seeing them from the trolley was good enough. The tour guide was a retired history professor and quite darling. It was only his second day, and he did a great job. Another reason I didn't want to hop off was because there weren't that many vehicles running, and you had to wait an hour for the next one. But you can only hop on if there are seats, and we had several people trying to get on when they couldn't. They were not pleased.
The tour goes through Ottawa and Gatineau in Quebec. The Rideau Hall seemed like a cool place to visit. It's the main government house, but it was closed today because the prime minister was introducing his new cabinet. Speaking of which, we drove by PM Stephen Harper's residence today, pretty swanky. They also pointed out several embassies and ambassador houses. Quite a few museums were on route, like the aviation museum, the civilization museum, and a natural history museum, but none were calling my name.
I learned from the tour that Holland sends Ottawa 3 million tulips every May as a thank you and it creates the annual Tulip festival. The best-known and most colorful flower festival in the country. The tradition started in 1945 in appreciation of Canada's role in liberating Holland from the Nazis and protecting the royal family.
After the trolley completed it's full loop (90 minutes) I decided to do it again. Figured I'd sit on the other side of the trolley and take in new sites the second time around. Well about half way through round #2 our trolley started making terrible sounds. It broke down. Transmission blew. We were in the middle of nowhere so couldn't walk or hop on a city bus. So we waited over an hour for another bus to come get us. The tow truck got there before our ride did. We were right by the RCMP stables. The RCMP being the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. An officer was there within a matter of minutes directing traffic around us, pretty efficient. Sadly he wasn't mounted, was sporting a popo SUV. The whole thing was quite amusing, you could only laugh. Talked to a few folks and then read a few chapters of my book.
Once we got rescued by the double-decker bus we finished the loop. It was kind of nice to have a new tour guide because he had different commentary. Like when we passed the basilica he said that it's a three year waiting list to get married in there. The big joke is - pick your date and then find your mate.
Two of my favorite sites from the tour:
1) Part of the war memorial's exterior is a large fin-like structure that has tiny windows in the shapes of dashes and dots, a Morse code message that says "Lest we forget". Thought that was pretty cool.
2) I really liked The Man With Two Hats statue, also a gift from the Netherlands.
I then walked back to my hostel to freshen up for my dinner date. My dad reminded me that my parent's friend from high school in Buenos Aires, Deb Martin, lives in Ottawa. She came to pick me up and drove me around a bit before settling into a restaurant called the Canal Ritz which was pointed out on the tour. It's apparently one of Bill Clinton's favorite spots in Ottawa overlooking the Rideau canal. Had a delicious meal and fabulous conversation. Am so bummed that I didn't hang out with Deb when I was at St. Lawrence; great woman.
Four random things to note:
1) I forgot how pretty Canadian geese are.
2) The trolley driver kept saying "eh" and the tour guide kept saying "voilà" as he was guiding in English & French. Was fun.
3) As much as I don't love the cold, I think I'd like to come back sometime mid-winter to skate on the Rideau Canal, the largest ice-skating rink in the world. They drain the canal so the water is only two feet deep.
4) A big reason why I'm visiting Ottawa and Montreal this trip is because I had a different mentality when I came here in college - all I cared about were the bars and shops. So I felt the need to revisit the two cities as an adult with a curious tourist mindset. Glad to be here.
This hostel has a big orange cat that sleeps around the living room common area. I was sitting on a chair that wasn't the most comfortable, so when the cat got up from his couch seat, I swooped in. Well he came back and hopped right on my lap and has been laying here since I've been typing this blog entry. With how much I miss my kitties, I don't feel like I can move. I can also tell several other folks in the room are jealous.
Renting a car tomorrow to drive to Canton, NY since there is no way to get there via transit. Well I could have spent 14.5 hours on a Greyhound bus when it's about a 45 minute drive, but I decided that didn't sound fun. Am meeting up with my good friend Kati and her fiancé Keith. We're having dinner with our favorite SLU professor (Big Al), and then planning on hitting up the two (yes, two) bars in Canton. Should be interesting since it's graduation weekend. Then after wandering around campus and hitting up the bookstore on Friday we're driving to Brant Lake, NY for a fabulous wedding. Back to Canada on Sunday.
I'm staying very close to the ByWard Market so I hopped into a bakery there for breakfast. Only once inside did I notice the signs outside that said that they sell Obama cookies. I then looked up to one of the counters that had a huge poster size photo of Obama in the bakery and two huge displays with several rows of these cookies. Am assuming he liked them and they since named the cookies after him.
Yep, I just looked it up and here's what the internet says "It took only a few words from U.S. President Barack Obama and the Moulin de Provence bakery in Ottawa's Byward Market is still selling cookies at the rate of 2,000 a day, somewhat more than the 200 or 250 cookies they used to sell each week." I just got a croissant and a coffee today, so I'll have to go back for a cookie tomorrow. Next to the poster sized photo of him was a TV that at first glance I thought was showing the daily news. But quickly I realized that it was a loop of the news coverage of Obama in the bakery on repeat. Pretty funny.
I then walked towards downtown and headed up some stairs to see what was at the top. It was the Major's Hill Park which is hosting part of the Tulip Festival. What a fun surprise. I love tulips and festivals. I walked around there a bit and then headed over to Parliament Hill, definitely my favorite part of Ottawa. So beautiful. After taking several photos I walked over to where the bus tours depart from. Since I'm only here one full day and I'm a bit gimpy, I decided a bus tour was the way to go. It wasn't one of those modern looking buses. Ottawa has rickety old trolleys and falling apart double-deckers. I liked it, part of the charm, but a little surprising for the capital. I hopped in the trolley and did the entire circuit, didn't hop on or hop off. Mainly because most of the sites would require a lot of walking, and well because none of them seemed too intriguing. Seeing them from the trolley was good enough. The tour guide was a retired history professor and quite darling. It was only his second day, and he did a great job. Another reason I didn't want to hop off was because there weren't that many vehicles running, and you had to wait an hour for the next one. But you can only hop on if there are seats, and we had several people trying to get on when they couldn't. They were not pleased.
The tour goes through Ottawa and Gatineau in Quebec. The Rideau Hall seemed like a cool place to visit. It's the main government house, but it was closed today because the prime minister was introducing his new cabinet. Speaking of which, we drove by PM Stephen Harper's residence today, pretty swanky. They also pointed out several embassies and ambassador houses. Quite a few museums were on route, like the aviation museum, the civilization museum, and a natural history museum, but none were calling my name.
I learned from the tour that Holland sends Ottawa 3 million tulips every May as a thank you and it creates the annual Tulip festival. The best-known and most colorful flower festival in the country. The tradition started in 1945 in appreciation of Canada's role in liberating Holland from the Nazis and protecting the royal family.
After the trolley completed it's full loop (90 minutes) I decided to do it again. Figured I'd sit on the other side of the trolley and take in new sites the second time around. Well about half way through round #2 our trolley started making terrible sounds. It broke down. Transmission blew. We were in the middle of nowhere so couldn't walk or hop on a city bus. So we waited over an hour for another bus to come get us. The tow truck got there before our ride did. We were right by the RCMP stables. The RCMP being the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. An officer was there within a matter of minutes directing traffic around us, pretty efficient. Sadly he wasn't mounted, was sporting a popo SUV. The whole thing was quite amusing, you could only laugh. Talked to a few folks and then read a few chapters of my book.
Once we got rescued by the double-decker bus we finished the loop. It was kind of nice to have a new tour guide because he had different commentary. Like when we passed the basilica he said that it's a three year waiting list to get married in there. The big joke is - pick your date and then find your mate.
Two of my favorite sites from the tour:
1) Part of the war memorial's exterior is a large fin-like structure that has tiny windows in the shapes of dashes and dots, a Morse code message that says "Lest we forget". Thought that was pretty cool.
2) I really liked The Man With Two Hats statue, also a gift from the Netherlands.
I then walked back to my hostel to freshen up for my dinner date. My dad reminded me that my parent's friend from high school in Buenos Aires, Deb Martin, lives in Ottawa. She came to pick me up and drove me around a bit before settling into a restaurant called the Canal Ritz which was pointed out on the tour. It's apparently one of Bill Clinton's favorite spots in Ottawa overlooking the Rideau canal. Had a delicious meal and fabulous conversation. Am so bummed that I didn't hang out with Deb when I was at St. Lawrence; great woman.
Four random things to note:
1) I forgot how pretty Canadian geese are.
2) The trolley driver kept saying "eh" and the tour guide kept saying "voilà" as he was guiding in English & French. Was fun.
3) As much as I don't love the cold, I think I'd like to come back sometime mid-winter to skate on the Rideau Canal, the largest ice-skating rink in the world. They drain the canal so the water is only two feet deep.
4) A big reason why I'm visiting Ottawa and Montreal this trip is because I had a different mentality when I came here in college - all I cared about were the bars and shops. So I felt the need to revisit the two cities as an adult with a curious tourist mindset. Glad to be here.
This hostel has a big orange cat that sleeps around the living room common area. I was sitting on a chair that wasn't the most comfortable, so when the cat got up from his couch seat, I swooped in. Well he came back and hopped right on my lap and has been laying here since I've been typing this blog entry. With how much I miss my kitties, I don't feel like I can move. I can also tell several other folks in the room are jealous.
Renting a car tomorrow to drive to Canton, NY since there is no way to get there via transit. Well I could have spent 14.5 hours on a Greyhound bus when it's about a 45 minute drive, but I decided that didn't sound fun. Am meeting up with my good friend Kati and her fiancé Keith. We're having dinner with our favorite SLU professor (Big Al), and then planning on hitting up the two (yes, two) bars in Canton. Should be interesting since it's graduation weekend. Then after wandering around campus and hitting up the bookstore on Friday we're driving to Brant Lake, NY for a fabulous wedding. Back to Canada on Sunday.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Oh, Canada
SuperShuttle was 15 minutes early this morning, they got to my apartment at 2:45am. I really could have used those 15 minutes!
Flights to Ottawa were seamless, connected in Chicago and said hello to Oprah.
Good news is my sore throat never developed into a cold. Bad news is my left foot and leg are still very much in pain. I took a bus from the airport downtown and hobbled my way to the hostel which is a converted house. Each room is named after a continent and each bed a site or place in that continent. I'm staying in the 'Europe' room and I was assigned the 'Sagrada Familia' bed. Crazy coincidence. I told the woman that works here that I was just there, but I don't think she got it or even knows what the Sagrada Familia is.
Anyways, going to lay low tonight because of my foot (sad) and eat the fruit that I smuggled in for dinner.
This next trip adventure goes as follows: Ottawa, St. Lawrence/Canton, Brant Lake (wedding and reunion of St. Lawrence friends), Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Greenville (family visit), Nova Scotia. Very excited. While I think all my adventures are fascinating, I'll only blog when outside the U.S.
Flights to Ottawa were seamless, connected in Chicago and said hello to Oprah.
Good news is my sore throat never developed into a cold. Bad news is my left foot and leg are still very much in pain. I took a bus from the airport downtown and hobbled my way to the hostel which is a converted house. Each room is named after a continent and each bed a site or place in that continent. I'm staying in the 'Europe' room and I was assigned the 'Sagrada Familia' bed. Crazy coincidence. I told the woman that works here that I was just there, but I don't think she got it or even knows what the Sagrada Familia is.
Anyways, going to lay low tonight because of my foot (sad) and eat the fruit that I smuggled in for dinner.
This next trip adventure goes as follows: Ottawa, St. Lawrence/Canton, Brant Lake (wedding and reunion of St. Lawrence friends), Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Greenville (family visit), Nova Scotia. Very excited. While I think all my adventures are fascinating, I'll only blog when outside the U.S.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Travel blues
I've been in a somber mood all day. Not ready to leave Europa.
I got to the Lisboa airport two hours early only to find out that the flight was delayed three hours due to mechanical difficulties. Turns out they had to fly in a new plane from some other country.
Flight time to Madrid was only 55 minutes. Met a girl from Budapest in the food court and we kind of hung out during the wait. Was nice. She was here visiting friends that go to the University of Coimbra specifically for the eight days of festivities of the Queima das Fitas.
After we landed in Madrid I hopped on 3 different metro lines to get to the Way Hostel. With all these hostels I've stayed at (Los Amigos Sol Backpackers Hostel, MuchoMadrid, Mad Hostel, Paraiso Travellers Hostel, Mediterranean Youth Hostel, White Nest Hostel, Sevilla Urbany Hostel, Shangri-Lagos Hostel, Yes! Hostel, Way Hostel), another deep-thought I've been having is what I would name a hostel if I owned one.
As soon as I dropped my stuff in the Picasso room I headed straight to the Tierra shop to buy an earthy necklace that I've been thinking about for 3 weeks. Once I did that I wandered through the Plaza Mayor to a Café & Té chain for a vitamin rich smoothie. It was delicious. I then wandered into the Mercado de San Miguel for some over-priced yet scrumptious little tapas. I had a brie cheese with peppers on toast tapa, and a goat cheese & apples on toast tapa. Satisfied with those and my smoothie for dinner, on the way out I saw a croquette stand and so I thought I should check the types they had. Sure enough they had two veggie ones. Finally! Blue cheese and spinach. I got both. Yum.
I've decided that I love having my last night in the same city where I started. When booking this trip and my Italy trip it felt nonsensical to backtrack to my starting point to fly out. But turns out I love it. It's nice to reminisce on my time in Madrid, see some of the sites that I saw (what feels like) so long ago, and to just be in a place where I kind of know where I am when wandering around. I could easily live in Madrid. A very special city.
And while an overnight connection on the way home is generally no bueno, the fact that my cousin Sarah and family live in Dallas is, just well, perfect! Am excited to eat some Mexican and finally get my rice & beans fill.
The guy behind the desk just told me about the Pub Crawl tonight. I laughed. No way Way Hostel. Am going to pop some NyQuil and head to bed shortly. My body still aches from Lisboa and my throat and ears wouldn't let me sleep at all last night. Am hopeful that the 3 freshly squeezed OJs and that smoothie I had today will help a little.
España & Portugal - Te amo. Até a próxima!
I got to the Lisboa airport two hours early only to find out that the flight was delayed three hours due to mechanical difficulties. Turns out they had to fly in a new plane from some other country.
Flight time to Madrid was only 55 minutes. Met a girl from Budapest in the food court and we kind of hung out during the wait. Was nice. She was here visiting friends that go to the University of Coimbra specifically for the eight days of festivities of the Queima das Fitas.
After we landed in Madrid I hopped on 3 different metro lines to get to the Way Hostel. With all these hostels I've stayed at (Los Amigos Sol Backpackers Hostel, MuchoMadrid, Mad Hostel, Paraiso Travellers Hostel, Mediterranean Youth Hostel, White Nest Hostel, Sevilla Urbany Hostel, Shangri-Lagos Hostel, Yes! Hostel, Way Hostel), another deep-thought I've been having is what I would name a hostel if I owned one.
As soon as I dropped my stuff in the Picasso room I headed straight to the Tierra shop to buy an earthy necklace that I've been thinking about for 3 weeks. Once I did that I wandered through the Plaza Mayor to a Café & Té chain for a vitamin rich smoothie. It was delicious. I then wandered into the Mercado de San Miguel for some over-priced yet scrumptious little tapas. I had a brie cheese with peppers on toast tapa, and a goat cheese & apples on toast tapa. Satisfied with those and my smoothie for dinner, on the way out I saw a croquette stand and so I thought I should check the types they had. Sure enough they had two veggie ones. Finally! Blue cheese and spinach. I got both. Yum.
I've decided that I love having my last night in the same city where I started. When booking this trip and my Italy trip it felt nonsensical to backtrack to my starting point to fly out. But turns out I love it. It's nice to reminisce on my time in Madrid, see some of the sites that I saw (what feels like) so long ago, and to just be in a place where I kind of know where I am when wandering around. I could easily live in Madrid. A very special city.
And while an overnight connection on the way home is generally no bueno, the fact that my cousin Sarah and family live in Dallas is, just well, perfect! Am excited to eat some Mexican and finally get my rice & beans fill.
The guy behind the desk just told me about the Pub Crawl tonight. I laughed. No way Way Hostel. Am going to pop some NyQuil and head to bed shortly. My body still aches from Lisboa and my throat and ears wouldn't let me sleep at all last night. Am hopeful that the 3 freshly squeezed OJs and that smoothie I had today will help a little.
España & Portugal - Te amo. Até a próxima!
5 Neighborhood Walks
I am exhausted and my entire body aches. I walked all day today with very few breaks. It was my last full day in Lisbon and really my last full day in Europe. I went a little overboard, but I had to complete the rest of the walking tours!
Walk 1: Baixa
This walk went through the part of town that I've already wandered through as my hostel is in the Baixa neighborhood. Started at the Praca do Comercio, through the Arco do Triunfo and up to the Rossio square. I stopped in the Discoteca Amália, a music shop recommended in my guidebook. I asked the kind woman to help me pick a Fado cd with various artists. Amália Rodrigues is the most famous Fadista; the store is named after her.
Walk 2: Avenida-Parque
The easiest walk by far because there were very few turns. The little maps for the walks are pretty vague so I often get lost trying to follow them. The walk starts at the Rossio square and is a straight shot up the tree-lined Avenida da Liberdade which has lots of fancy designer stores. The Parque Eduardo VII was cool, they were having their annual book fair. I was good and didn't buy one. It was a steady incline through the park and at the top is the Jardim Amália Rodrigues. From there it's a great view of the city all the way to the water.
Walk 3: Rato-Amoreiras-Estrela
Rato was free of tourists which was nice. A simple neighborhood with lots of local shops, not tourist shops. Lots of Brasil shops and restaurants all over Lisbon. It was a walk uphill to Amoreiras, named after the mulberry trees everywhere. Seeing them squished on the ground reminded me of my childhood for some reason. Today was the hottest day I've had this whole trip. I hopped into the air conditioned mall to cool off and have a little snack. Most of the slow-food restaurants were closed cause it was a weird time, and all the local pastelarias just had sweet stuff. So I got some fries at McDonalds. Once I cooled off and felt a bit refueled I headed back out and got lost for a minute trying to take the guided route from Amoreiras to Estrela. The main thing to see in Estrela was the church, but I didn't feel like going in.
Walk 4: Cais do Sodré-Chiado-Bairro Alto
I had already walked around most of these sites but it was fun to do them again. Bairro Alto is where we went to the bars both nights. Cais do Sodré is where I went to catch the train to Belém for that neighborhood walk and visit. And Chiado basically melds with Baixa.
Walk 5: The Alfama
I will admit I didn't really follow this walk because it's the neighborhood that I got a little frustrated lost in while trying to find the Feira da Ladra on Saturday. After glancing over the sites I would have visited, I just went to the two that I hadn't been to yet. One was a view of the city from the Miradouro de Santa Luzia which was cool, and then up to the Castelo de São Jorge. I got up there about 8pm and while it was still open, I wasn't feeling it. It's more about the views than the castle they say. A bracelet vendor from Senegal stopped me and I replied in Portuguese. Big mistake cause then he wouldn't stop talking to me. He was very nice but I was tired. Kept telling me how Brasilians have 'clean hearts' and then he threw a bracelet on my wrist. I told him no thank you, and he said that he insisted and that it was a gift. He wouldn't take it back, so of course on my way back down I handed him the few coins that I had. I already forget what the bracelet means but he said it's a Senegalese symbol of some kind. Friendship maybe.
At this point I tried my best to put one foot in front of the other to get back to the hostel. So tired. I'm on the third floor and this is the first time I used the elevator. Couldn't fathom using the stairs.
I probably should have taken the metro in between each walk to conserve my energy and feet. Oh well.
A few random notes:
1) I was approached by four drug dealers today. Not sure what kind of vibe I was giving off.
2) Ginjinha - I forgot to report on this cherry liqueur. We had it on our pub crawl. Not a fan.
3) Vinho verde - I tried green wine at the Fado bar last night. It was alright, just tasted like a cheap white wine. I'm sure they weren't serving the best brand there.
4) J Lo's 'On The Floor' is completely over-played, which am sure it is in the U.S. right now as well. I will admit that I'm happy she's back in the spotlight.
5) I completely forgot that I have a night layover in Dallas on the way back. Glad I checked today and wasn't surprised at the airport. Gotta love redeeming miles and taking what you can get. Will be nice to have a short and sweet visit with the family!
Flying to Madrid in the morning. It was cheaper and about 9 hours less travel time than taking the train. Easy decision taking easyJet.
Walk 1: Baixa
This walk went through the part of town that I've already wandered through as my hostel is in the Baixa neighborhood. Started at the Praca do Comercio, through the Arco do Triunfo and up to the Rossio square. I stopped in the Discoteca Amália, a music shop recommended in my guidebook. I asked the kind woman to help me pick a Fado cd with various artists. Amália Rodrigues is the most famous Fadista; the store is named after her.
Walk 2: Avenida-Parque
The easiest walk by far because there were very few turns. The little maps for the walks are pretty vague so I often get lost trying to follow them. The walk starts at the Rossio square and is a straight shot up the tree-lined Avenida da Liberdade which has lots of fancy designer stores. The Parque Eduardo VII was cool, they were having their annual book fair. I was good and didn't buy one. It was a steady incline through the park and at the top is the Jardim Amália Rodrigues. From there it's a great view of the city all the way to the water.
Walk 3: Rato-Amoreiras-Estrela
Rato was free of tourists which was nice. A simple neighborhood with lots of local shops, not tourist shops. Lots of Brasil shops and restaurants all over Lisbon. It was a walk uphill to Amoreiras, named after the mulberry trees everywhere. Seeing them squished on the ground reminded me of my childhood for some reason. Today was the hottest day I've had this whole trip. I hopped into the air conditioned mall to cool off and have a little snack. Most of the slow-food restaurants were closed cause it was a weird time, and all the local pastelarias just had sweet stuff. So I got some fries at McDonalds. Once I cooled off and felt a bit refueled I headed back out and got lost for a minute trying to take the guided route from Amoreiras to Estrela. The main thing to see in Estrela was the church, but I didn't feel like going in.
Walk 4: Cais do Sodré-Chiado-Bairro Alto
I had already walked around most of these sites but it was fun to do them again. Bairro Alto is where we went to the bars both nights. Cais do Sodré is where I went to catch the train to Belém for that neighborhood walk and visit. And Chiado basically melds with Baixa.
Walk 5: The Alfama
I will admit I didn't really follow this walk because it's the neighborhood that I got a little frustrated lost in while trying to find the Feira da Ladra on Saturday. After glancing over the sites I would have visited, I just went to the two that I hadn't been to yet. One was a view of the city from the Miradouro de Santa Luzia which was cool, and then up to the Castelo de São Jorge. I got up there about 8pm and while it was still open, I wasn't feeling it. It's more about the views than the castle they say. A bracelet vendor from Senegal stopped me and I replied in Portuguese. Big mistake cause then he wouldn't stop talking to me. He was very nice but I was tired. Kept telling me how Brasilians have 'clean hearts' and then he threw a bracelet on my wrist. I told him no thank you, and he said that he insisted and that it was a gift. He wouldn't take it back, so of course on my way back down I handed him the few coins that I had. I already forget what the bracelet means but he said it's a Senegalese symbol of some kind. Friendship maybe.
At this point I tried my best to put one foot in front of the other to get back to the hostel. So tired. I'm on the third floor and this is the first time I used the elevator. Couldn't fathom using the stairs.
I probably should have taken the metro in between each walk to conserve my energy and feet. Oh well.
A few random notes:
1) I was approached by four drug dealers today. Not sure what kind of vibe I was giving off.
2) Ginjinha - I forgot to report on this cherry liqueur. We had it on our pub crawl. Not a fan.
3) Vinho verde - I tried green wine at the Fado bar last night. It was alright, just tasted like a cheap white wine. I'm sure they weren't serving the best brand there.
4) J Lo's 'On The Floor' is completely over-played, which am sure it is in the U.S. right now as well. I will admit that I'm happy she's back in the spotlight.
5) I completely forgot that I have a night layover in Dallas on the way back. Glad I checked today and wasn't surprised at the airport. Gotta love redeeming miles and taking what you can get. Will be nice to have a short and sweet visit with the family!
Flying to Madrid in the morning. It was cheaper and about 9 hours less travel time than taking the train. Easy decision taking easyJet.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sintra & Fado
Yesterday was a nice day. Woke up to head to Sintra with hostel friends, but they took forever. To leave the hostel and wander around, two of them were always lagging. It was fun but I'm happy I'm back on my own today.
Sintra is a town 40 minutes away via train. It was tentatively on my list but so many people said it's a must-see. The Palacio Nacional da Pena was cool. Lots of the original furniture, paintings, dishes, bedding etc are all still there displayed. It's on a hilltop so we took a bus up to the top and then walked down. I'm glad we did that because walking around all day and down the hill was enough of a workout. On the way down we went to the Castelo dos Mouros. You can walk around the ruins of the Moorish Castle that dates back to the 9th century. If you climb up to the top you can see amazing views of Sintra and the Pena Palace.
After those two visits we wandered back into town which is tourist central. I wanted to try the queijada, a little tart that's described as a kind of cheesecake that they are known for in Sintra. They also had brigadeiros at this little shop, so I got one of those as well. Both delicious.
Once we got back into Lisbon I headed to the local supermarket and picked up some food to cook because they have tupperwares for use here. I got some fresh tortellini but they didn't have pasta sauce, so I got what looked as close to it as I could find. A liquidy ketchup if you will. It wasn't good enough to store for a meal today, sadly. I'm trying to be cheap, but not enough to eat that again. Luckily a hostel friend made a huge delicious salad to share, so I had plenty of that.
Then four of us headed to A Tasca do Chico, a little bar that has Fado every Monday & Wednesday nights for free. It's recommended by the hostel, so when we got there sure enough there were lots of people from our hostel in there. It was very cool to hear Fado live. We listened to three different Fadistas, all male. I'm sure I can buy a cd online but I'm going to try and pick one up here. It was really hot and packed in the bar so I headed outside for some fresh air in hopes that I could hear the Fado from outside. I sat down on a little stoop and this older man started talking to me. I had a great time talking to him and his buddy. One is a taxi driver (Julio), one a semi-retired CNN journalist (John) that went to Berkeley. They told me lots of fun facts and bought me their favorite drink called Panache which is half beer half ginger-ale. A Shandy if you will.
John told me a joke that I will share here. What is the similarity between San Francisco and a box of Kelloggs? After you eat the nuts and the fruits, you still have the flakes.
They were so friendly that I figured they wouldn't mind if I asked them a bunch of questions. Like are Fadistas pretty rare - and the answer is yes, you have to be born to be a Fadista, you can't really learn it.
Since I arrived in Lisboa I've seen kids wearing dark black matching outfits and cloaks everyday all over the city. I asked one of the girls in passing if it was a graduation - and she replied "kind of" but didn't elaborate. So I asked John and Julio about it. Apparently it's a form of initiation that the freshmen in college have to go through. It originates from the University of Coimbra, one of the oldest universities still in operation in Europe. I searched a bit online and came across 'Praxe' on Wikipedia. Look it up if you are curious to read about the types of pranks the freshmen have to do. It's basically simple fraternity style pranks that all freshmen have to complete - creating a loss of social inhibition. For the most part the kids seemed to be having fun, but am sure some of it is mortifying. Kind of cool to witness them wandering around the city, laying on the ground etc.
Once a group of us was ready we headed back to the hostel. I wanted to go straight to bed but we came in right during free shot time. Every night at 11:30 they pour a shot for everyone who is downstairs at the time to take. I was hopeful that we had missed it because it was closer to midnight, but sure enough we walked right into it. The cute Brasilian guy (Franco) that works here was behind the bar so that made it ok.
This hostel has a nice breakfast included in the price, and then the option of the 8 euro dinner every night, a bar, four free mac computers for use, a disco ball that they turn on during free shot time and keep on for the rest of the night. It's a great hostel is what I'm trying to say. Apparently it's rated the first or the third best hostel in Europe (I've been told both by other guests). John and Julio are friends with the owner, so I told them to report back that it is a fabulous place. I'm glad it's basically my last hostel (besides one more night in Madrid). For some travelers this is their first hostel. They are going to be disappointed for the rest of their trip.
After the free shot I got a beer and settled down on the beanbags with six other folks to play a game of Uno. I love Uno and I'm generally not that competitive. But we had about four different countries represented and well they all play Uno with strange rules. There was another girl from California and we tried to correct their weird ways to no avail. A Canadian had the gall to say that Americans were stupid. I retorted sarcastically with - I'm pretty sure Uno is an American game so we're just trying to play by the legit rules. We succumbed to their stupid rules. It got a little heated with all of that, pretty amusing. Best part is I won. Take that stupid rules.
I went to bed and woke up with a really sore throat. It hurt most of yesterday. Going to pick up some cough drops today in hopes that it won't develop into a cold. I don't have time to be sick!
Sintra is a town 40 minutes away via train. It was tentatively on my list but so many people said it's a must-see. The Palacio Nacional da Pena was cool. Lots of the original furniture, paintings, dishes, bedding etc are all still there displayed. It's on a hilltop so we took a bus up to the top and then walked down. I'm glad we did that because walking around all day and down the hill was enough of a workout. On the way down we went to the Castelo dos Mouros. You can walk around the ruins of the Moorish Castle that dates back to the 9th century. If you climb up to the top you can see amazing views of Sintra and the Pena Palace.
After those two visits we wandered back into town which is tourist central. I wanted to try the queijada, a little tart that's described as a kind of cheesecake that they are known for in Sintra. They also had brigadeiros at this little shop, so I got one of those as well. Both delicious.
Once we got back into Lisbon I headed to the local supermarket and picked up some food to cook because they have tupperwares for use here. I got some fresh tortellini but they didn't have pasta sauce, so I got what looked as close to it as I could find. A liquidy ketchup if you will. It wasn't good enough to store for a meal today, sadly. I'm trying to be cheap, but not enough to eat that again. Luckily a hostel friend made a huge delicious salad to share, so I had plenty of that.
Then four of us headed to A Tasca do Chico, a little bar that has Fado every Monday & Wednesday nights for free. It's recommended by the hostel, so when we got there sure enough there were lots of people from our hostel in there. It was very cool to hear Fado live. We listened to three different Fadistas, all male. I'm sure I can buy a cd online but I'm going to try and pick one up here. It was really hot and packed in the bar so I headed outside for some fresh air in hopes that I could hear the Fado from outside. I sat down on a little stoop and this older man started talking to me. I had a great time talking to him and his buddy. One is a taxi driver (Julio), one a semi-retired CNN journalist (John) that went to Berkeley. They told me lots of fun facts and bought me their favorite drink called Panache which is half beer half ginger-ale. A Shandy if you will.
John told me a joke that I will share here. What is the similarity between San Francisco and a box of Kelloggs? After you eat the nuts and the fruits, you still have the flakes.
They were so friendly that I figured they wouldn't mind if I asked them a bunch of questions. Like are Fadistas pretty rare - and the answer is yes, you have to be born to be a Fadista, you can't really learn it.
Since I arrived in Lisboa I've seen kids wearing dark black matching outfits and cloaks everyday all over the city. I asked one of the girls in passing if it was a graduation - and she replied "kind of" but didn't elaborate. So I asked John and Julio about it. Apparently it's a form of initiation that the freshmen in college have to go through. It originates from the University of Coimbra, one of the oldest universities still in operation in Europe. I searched a bit online and came across 'Praxe' on Wikipedia. Look it up if you are curious to read about the types of pranks the freshmen have to do. It's basically simple fraternity style pranks that all freshmen have to complete - creating a loss of social inhibition. For the most part the kids seemed to be having fun, but am sure some of it is mortifying. Kind of cool to witness them wandering around the city, laying on the ground etc.
Once a group of us was ready we headed back to the hostel. I wanted to go straight to bed but we came in right during free shot time. Every night at 11:30 they pour a shot for everyone who is downstairs at the time to take. I was hopeful that we had missed it because it was closer to midnight, but sure enough we walked right into it. The cute Brasilian guy (Franco) that works here was behind the bar so that made it ok.
This hostel has a nice breakfast included in the price, and then the option of the 8 euro dinner every night, a bar, four free mac computers for use, a disco ball that they turn on during free shot time and keep on for the rest of the night. It's a great hostel is what I'm trying to say. Apparently it's rated the first or the third best hostel in Europe (I've been told both by other guests). John and Julio are friends with the owner, so I told them to report back that it is a fabulous place. I'm glad it's basically my last hostel (besides one more night in Madrid). For some travelers this is their first hostel. They are going to be disappointed for the rest of their trip.
After the free shot I got a beer and settled down on the beanbags with six other folks to play a game of Uno. I love Uno and I'm generally not that competitive. But we had about four different countries represented and well they all play Uno with strange rules. There was another girl from California and we tried to correct their weird ways to no avail. A Canadian had the gall to say that Americans were stupid. I retorted sarcastically with - I'm pretty sure Uno is an American game so we're just trying to play by the legit rules. We succumbed to their stupid rules. It got a little heated with all of that, pretty amusing. Best part is I won. Take that stupid rules.
I went to bed and woke up with a really sore throat. It hurt most of yesterday. Going to pick up some cough drops today in hopes that it won't develop into a cold. I don't have time to be sick!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Belém
I was hit by a truck this morning. A truck called Pub Crawl.
Met some nice Brasilian friends in the hostel and they peer-pressured me into going.
It was fun, but man oh man. It was also probably good that I finally got to see the late night scene in one of these cities. There were about twenty of us stumbling around Lisbon, including five crazy Aussie's travelling around Europe for two weeks for a bachelor party. I got home around 5am, I think. Two bars and a nightclub, all had fun dance music and very hopping. I managed to trip on the way home and hurt my knee. Chalking it up to travel battle wounds. I also have a nasty bruise on my arm from my pack.
Anyways, when I was ready to face the day this morning I took the train with a few other hostel folks and got off in Belém. They kept going, destination beach.
Belém is a very nice neighborhood and I did the walking tour from my guidebook. When I asked the guy that works at the hostel how long it would take to walk there he looked at me funny, so I figured it best to follow his instructions and take the train.
Once I hopped off the train I took a stroll through the Jardim do Ultramar, but they may have changed their name to the Jardim Botanico Tropical. Or I may have been in the wrong place entirely. Either way it was a nice walk, lots of trees from all over the world. There were plenty of swans and ducks to keep me fascinated. Watched them for quite a while. And then I had a stare contest with a peacock. I won.
After taking in the natural scenery I headed to the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, famous for their little pasteis (custard tarts). There was quite a line. Once I dug my teeth into the tart I understood why. Delicious.
I then wandered into Starbucks because I met an American couple in the hostel who collect Starbucks mugs from all over and they wanted me to report back if they had the mugs or not. To each their own. I then noticed a veggie sandwich so got one and sat down. An older man came up and sat at my table. He shared that he figured I wanted company, when really I just wanted to sit and people watch. He was very nice and gave me his digits in case I wanted to get dinner sometime. I told him I had plans tonight (which I did at the hostel) and then he said ok tomorrow. I told him I was going to Sintra tomorrow (which I am). And then he said Oh! I'll take you. He told me not to be scared of him, but he finally got the hint. I'm sure he had good intentions but I watch too many crime shows.
I then walked over to the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. It was cool, my favorite part being the church which houses Vasco da Gama's ornate tomb. The monastery was built in the 16th century and just celebrated its 500th year anniversary in 2001/2002. Crazy old.
After that visit I walked over to the riverfront, to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, followed by the Torre de Belém. The tower was built in 1515 to defend the city, but then under Spanish rule in 1580 it became a prison. You can go in it but I wasn't feeling it so I just admired it from the outside. Once I was done soaking up some rays I headed over to the Praça do Império and soaked up some sprays from the fountain in the center when the wind picked up. I read a few chapters of my book there, which I'm having a really hard time getting into (Pride & Prejudice).
By that time it was 7:30pm and time to head back to the hostel to get mentally prepared for my bacalhau dinner.
Dinner was actually delicious. A squash soup, salad, and the cod was all cut up and served almost risotto style. So it was easy to eat and pretend that it wasn't fish. Trying bacalhau in Portugal. Check. Although I know it's not the typical way they serve it, but I'm ok with that. And then brownies for dessert. I lucked out because they served flan lats night. Not a fan of flan. All of that and 3 drinks included (beer, wine or sangria) for 8 euros. Pretty nice. Calling it an early night tonight.
Of note:
1) Rising Cock - now knowing the legend of the rooster I understand the naming of this hostel. But the penis jokes in my head are still funny.
2) Most people that have asked my age assumed that I was 22 or 23. Insert smile here.
3) I thought that smoking was banned indoors, but everywhere we went last night people were smoking inside. Real bummer. My clothes reek.
4) The Ponte 25 de Abril looks a lot like the Golden Gate Bridge so I just looked it up. It was actually built by the same company that built the Bay Bridge, but not the Golden Gate. To my surprise the Golden Gate is older than the 25 de Abril.
5) I was also curious about the Cristo-Rei. Sure enough it was inspired by the Cristo Redentor in Rio. For some reason I thought both the 25 de Abril and Cristo-Rei would be older than the Golden Gate and Cristo Redentor. Not the case. Interesting? I think so.
Met some nice Brasilian friends in the hostel and they peer-pressured me into going.
It was fun, but man oh man. It was also probably good that I finally got to see the late night scene in one of these cities. There were about twenty of us stumbling around Lisbon, including five crazy Aussie's travelling around Europe for two weeks for a bachelor party. I got home around 5am, I think. Two bars and a nightclub, all had fun dance music and very hopping. I managed to trip on the way home and hurt my knee. Chalking it up to travel battle wounds. I also have a nasty bruise on my arm from my pack.
Anyways, when I was ready to face the day this morning I took the train with a few other hostel folks and got off in Belém. They kept going, destination beach.
Belém is a very nice neighborhood and I did the walking tour from my guidebook. When I asked the guy that works at the hostel how long it would take to walk there he looked at me funny, so I figured it best to follow his instructions and take the train.
Once I hopped off the train I took a stroll through the Jardim do Ultramar, but they may have changed their name to the Jardim Botanico Tropical. Or I may have been in the wrong place entirely. Either way it was a nice walk, lots of trees from all over the world. There were plenty of swans and ducks to keep me fascinated. Watched them for quite a while. And then I had a stare contest with a peacock. I won.
After taking in the natural scenery I headed to the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, famous for their little pasteis (custard tarts). There was quite a line. Once I dug my teeth into the tart I understood why. Delicious.
I then wandered into Starbucks because I met an American couple in the hostel who collect Starbucks mugs from all over and they wanted me to report back if they had the mugs or not. To each their own. I then noticed a veggie sandwich so got one and sat down. An older man came up and sat at my table. He shared that he figured I wanted company, when really I just wanted to sit and people watch. He was very nice and gave me his digits in case I wanted to get dinner sometime. I told him I had plans tonight (which I did at the hostel) and then he said ok tomorrow. I told him I was going to Sintra tomorrow (which I am). And then he said Oh! I'll take you. He told me not to be scared of him, but he finally got the hint. I'm sure he had good intentions but I watch too many crime shows.
I then walked over to the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. It was cool, my favorite part being the church which houses Vasco da Gama's ornate tomb. The monastery was built in the 16th century and just celebrated its 500th year anniversary in 2001/2002. Crazy old.
After that visit I walked over to the riverfront, to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, followed by the Torre de Belém. The tower was built in 1515 to defend the city, but then under Spanish rule in 1580 it became a prison. You can go in it but I wasn't feeling it so I just admired it from the outside. Once I was done soaking up some rays I headed over to the Praça do Império and soaked up some sprays from the fountain in the center when the wind picked up. I read a few chapters of my book there, which I'm having a really hard time getting into (Pride & Prejudice).
By that time it was 7:30pm and time to head back to the hostel to get mentally prepared for my bacalhau dinner.
Dinner was actually delicious. A squash soup, salad, and the cod was all cut up and served almost risotto style. So it was easy to eat and pretend that it wasn't fish. Trying bacalhau in Portugal. Check. Although I know it's not the typical way they serve it, but I'm ok with that. And then brownies for dessert. I lucked out because they served flan lats night. Not a fan of flan. All of that and 3 drinks included (beer, wine or sangria) for 8 euros. Pretty nice. Calling it an early night tonight.
Of note:
1) Rising Cock - now knowing the legend of the rooster I understand the naming of this hostel. But the penis jokes in my head are still funny.
2) Most people that have asked my age assumed that I was 22 or 23. Insert smile here.
3) I thought that smoking was banned indoors, but everywhere we went last night people were smoking inside. Real bummer. My clothes reek.
4) The Ponte 25 de Abril looks a lot like the Golden Gate Bridge so I just looked it up. It was actually built by the same company that built the Bay Bridge, but not the Golden Gate. To my surprise the Golden Gate is older than the 25 de Abril.
5) I was also curious about the Cristo-Rei. Sure enough it was inspired by the Cristo Redentor in Rio. For some reason I thought both the 25 de Abril and Cristo-Rei would be older than the Golden Gate and Cristo Redentor. Not the case. Interesting? I think so.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Feira da Ladra
I slept in as planned. When I decided to face the day I headed out to A Brasileira - a coffee shop nearby that is recommended in my guidebook. (Speaking of guidebooks, I highly recommend Frommer's 'day by day, 20 smart ways to see the city' books.)
A Brasileira has a bronze statue of Fernando Pessoa outside of it. Think that's mainly why it's famous. Watched lots of people pose with him. The guidebook warns that the waiters are not very friendly but a few words of Portuguese go a long way. Sure enough when he came up to me he was aloof and as soon as I ordered his tune totally changed. He was curious and asked me how I was Brasilian and that he would have never guessed.
Same thing happened in a shop. The woman working in there was not nice to the tourist before me but very kind to me, even though she knows I'm also a tourist. I was attracted to this shop because they were playing loud Fado (melancholy music famous in Portugal) and they had a sign saying "hand-made by us" outside. So I was curious what they were hand-making. They were tiles. Lots of decorative little tiles everywhere. I bought one. Turns out it was hand-made by the woman in the shop at the time - she was very proud of that one.
The main thing I did today was go to the Feira da Ladra - an outdoor flea market every Saturday and Tuesday. It was easy not to buy anything there, mostly used junk like old video game controllers, vhs and cassette tapes, and random parts to stuff. They did have some book stands and some new items but nothing I wanted to stop my slow wander for.
It took me quite a while to find it. Was proud I didn't ask anyone, figured I had enough time to find it on my own. It's in the Alfama neighborhood and that's all I knew. It's quite a hilly neighborhood.
The weather was pleasant and sunny, and nice and cool in the shade. It's a bit windy though and I flashed people a few too many times for my liking. Will have to whip out pants tomorrow.
I saw Portugal's version of PETA today - called PAN who petition for the benefit of animals and nature. I gave the guy standing by the table with signs attached to him a thumbs up. He smiled.
I went to the local market to pick up some food and beverages to be cheap for the next few days. My hostel serves a dinner every night and I asked them if they ever do a vegetarian dinner. They said that any night they can have a vegetarian option, you just have to tell them in advance. They are serving chicken piri-piri tonight which seems to be pretty popular. I've just been avoiding meat these days for some reason. Although he did convince me that I MUST try the bacalhau while I'm here, and that he was cooking it tomorrow night. He promised it wasn't very fishy and that it was delicious. I told him I'd give it a go since it's advertised everywhere in the restaurants and markets. I also need to try green wine, working myself up to that. It's not actually green in color, they just pick the grapes young and apparently the wine is semi-sparkling.
While I loved the smaller towns, it's nice to be back in the hustle and bustle of a city. I think one of the reasons (besides there being a lot to see) is that it's easier to blend in among the other tourists and being by myself is less noticeable.
A Brasileira has a bronze statue of Fernando Pessoa outside of it. Think that's mainly why it's famous. Watched lots of people pose with him. The guidebook warns that the waiters are not very friendly but a few words of Portuguese go a long way. Sure enough when he came up to me he was aloof and as soon as I ordered his tune totally changed. He was curious and asked me how I was Brasilian and that he would have never guessed.
Same thing happened in a shop. The woman working in there was not nice to the tourist before me but very kind to me, even though she knows I'm also a tourist. I was attracted to this shop because they were playing loud Fado (melancholy music famous in Portugal) and they had a sign saying "hand-made by us" outside. So I was curious what they were hand-making. They were tiles. Lots of decorative little tiles everywhere. I bought one. Turns out it was hand-made by the woman in the shop at the time - she was very proud of that one.
The main thing I did today was go to the Feira da Ladra - an outdoor flea market every Saturday and Tuesday. It was easy not to buy anything there, mostly used junk like old video game controllers, vhs and cassette tapes, and random parts to stuff. They did have some book stands and some new items but nothing I wanted to stop my slow wander for.
It took me quite a while to find it. Was proud I didn't ask anyone, figured I had enough time to find it on my own. It's in the Alfama neighborhood and that's all I knew. It's quite a hilly neighborhood.
The weather was pleasant and sunny, and nice and cool in the shade. It's a bit windy though and I flashed people a few too many times for my liking. Will have to whip out pants tomorrow.
I saw Portugal's version of PETA today - called PAN who petition for the benefit of animals and nature. I gave the guy standing by the table with signs attached to him a thumbs up. He smiled.
I went to the local market to pick up some food and beverages to be cheap for the next few days. My hostel serves a dinner every night and I asked them if they ever do a vegetarian dinner. They said that any night they can have a vegetarian option, you just have to tell them in advance. They are serving chicken piri-piri tonight which seems to be pretty popular. I've just been avoiding meat these days for some reason. Although he did convince me that I MUST try the bacalhau while I'm here, and that he was cooking it tomorrow night. He promised it wasn't very fishy and that it was delicious. I told him I'd give it a go since it's advertised everywhere in the restaurants and markets. I also need to try green wine, working myself up to that. It's not actually green in color, they just pick the grapes young and apparently the wine is semi-sparkling.
While I loved the smaller towns, it's nice to be back in the hustle and bustle of a city. I think one of the reasons (besides there being a lot to see) is that it's easier to blend in among the other tourists and being by myself is less noticeable.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Lisboa
At the bus station this morning a woman walked right up to me and started speaking in German. I smiled and told her I didn't understand. Apparently I look German as well. She asked for my email address so she could practice her English. A bit odd but I gave it to her.
The Eva bus company doesn't mess around. We left a minute early and they had a bus attendant. After a few stops in the Algarve towns we expressed to Lisboa where the attendant walked up and down selling snacks, sandwiches and beverages. Fancy.
It was about a four hour bus ride. Coming into Lisbon we went across the Ponte 25 de Abril where I got to see Portugal's version of the Corcovado. Snapped a few photos. I don't think I'll trek back there to see it.
The bus station connects with the metro station, and after a short metro ride and short walk I arrived at Yes! Lisbon. Nice place. My room has five beds and I somehow managed to get the one that doesn't have a bunkmate. Each bed also has a little curtain for privacy. Pretty swanky.
After settling in I walked to the Praca do Comercio just in time to watch a group of people rally/protest and walk across the square. Something about agriculture.
After sitting on the bus for that long I decided to take a nice long walk. I wandered along the Rio Tejo with the goal of walking to the other main bridge - Vasco da Gama. Turns out it is much farther than I expected. Blisters ensued.
I thought it'd be a pretty walk, but for most of it I walked by shipyards full of shipping containers and factory looking things. The graffiti, litter, and run-down buildings reminded me of Sao Paulo. It finally did get pretty and scenic around the oceanario, casino, a science museum, and several other things. I walked into the Centro Vasco da Gama - a mall. I wanted to see what kind of stores they had. Lots of American chains, both clothing and food. The two most notable things were a kiosk that sold colored toilet paper, and a store called Women'secret. Not just Victoria's here, it's everyone's secret.
I then decided to go to an Indian restaurant in honor of Vasco da Gama, since he established the sea route to India. Not really. I was tired, hungry, and it was close and seemed a better option than fast food or the two Brasilian rodizios.
Most of the walk to that area of town was very desolate. I was the only pedestrian for most of it and got several stares, honks, and a guy even offered to give me a ride. I politely declined. Sketchy. So I decided to take the metro back to the hostel. It turned out it was 12 metro stops away!
I'm going to wake up when I wake up tomorrow. I hope I get up in time for the included breakfast, but so be it if I sleep through it. My favorite days are when I don't have to set an alarm.
The Eva bus company doesn't mess around. We left a minute early and they had a bus attendant. After a few stops in the Algarve towns we expressed to Lisboa where the attendant walked up and down selling snacks, sandwiches and beverages. Fancy.
It was about a four hour bus ride. Coming into Lisbon we went across the Ponte 25 de Abril where I got to see Portugal's version of the Corcovado. Snapped a few photos. I don't think I'll trek back there to see it.
The bus station connects with the metro station, and after a short metro ride and short walk I arrived at Yes! Lisbon. Nice place. My room has five beds and I somehow managed to get the one that doesn't have a bunkmate. Each bed also has a little curtain for privacy. Pretty swanky.
After settling in I walked to the Praca do Comercio just in time to watch a group of people rally/protest and walk across the square. Something about agriculture.
After sitting on the bus for that long I decided to take a nice long walk. I wandered along the Rio Tejo with the goal of walking to the other main bridge - Vasco da Gama. Turns out it is much farther than I expected. Blisters ensued.
I thought it'd be a pretty walk, but for most of it I walked by shipyards full of shipping containers and factory looking things. The graffiti, litter, and run-down buildings reminded me of Sao Paulo. It finally did get pretty and scenic around the oceanario, casino, a science museum, and several other things. I walked into the Centro Vasco da Gama - a mall. I wanted to see what kind of stores they had. Lots of American chains, both clothing and food. The two most notable things were a kiosk that sold colored toilet paper, and a store called Women'secret. Not just Victoria's here, it's everyone's secret.
I then decided to go to an Indian restaurant in honor of Vasco da Gama, since he established the sea route to India. Not really. I was tired, hungry, and it was close and seemed a better option than fast food or the two Brasilian rodizios.
Most of the walk to that area of town was very desolate. I was the only pedestrian for most of it and got several stares, honks, and a guy even offered to give me a ride. I politely declined. Sketchy. So I decided to take the metro back to the hostel. It turned out it was 12 metro stops away!
I'm going to wake up when I wake up tomorrow. I hope I get up in time for the included breakfast, but so be it if I sleep through it. My favorite days are when I don't have to set an alarm.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Lovin' Life
I sat on the beach for most of the day. In the shade. I had a little cove with calm water all by myself. It was fabulous.
Three local girls came into my cove and had a little fashion style shoot of themselves. It was pretty funny to witness.
A lot of topless women at the beach nearby.
I've met several people on this trip who admitted that they didn't like one of the major cities - Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, or Lisbon. I find them all crazy! Granted I haven't been to Lisbon yet but am sure I'll like it.
I had lunch at a little cafe. It looked local from the street but turns out that the owner was from Switzerland. I had a good meal and watched CNN. Got to see my men Obama & Anderson Cooper live.
I then took a little nap at the hostel before heading out to dinner at the Thai restaurant which was very good. I loved the red house wine and asked the waitress what it was so I could try to pick up a bottle in Lisbon. She then brought me the bottle and told me I could finish it. So of course I did. A glass of wine is pretty cheap in Spain & Portugal - average of about 2 euros.
The majority of the other tourists I've met in Italy, Spain & Portugal are from Australia & England. I've told them all that their countries are both on my list. I met a Frenchman today who gave me shit about the war. France is on my list, but not high up there because of their attitude.
I met a Dutch couple today who were sure that I was from Holland. I've been told that I would fit in really well there. Good to know.
Off to Lisboa in the morning!
Three local girls came into my cove and had a little fashion style shoot of themselves. It was pretty funny to witness.
A lot of topless women at the beach nearby.
I've met several people on this trip who admitted that they didn't like one of the major cities - Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, or Lisbon. I find them all crazy! Granted I haven't been to Lisbon yet but am sure I'll like it.
I had lunch at a little cafe. It looked local from the street but turns out that the owner was from Switzerland. I had a good meal and watched CNN. Got to see my men Obama & Anderson Cooper live.
I then took a little nap at the hostel before heading out to dinner at the Thai restaurant which was very good. I loved the red house wine and asked the waitress what it was so I could try to pick up a bottle in Lisbon. She then brought me the bottle and told me I could finish it. So of course I did. A glass of wine is pretty cheap in Spain & Portugal - average of about 2 euros.
The majority of the other tourists I've met in Italy, Spain & Portugal are from Australia & England. I've told them all that their countries are both on my list. I met a Frenchman today who gave me shit about the war. France is on my list, but not high up there because of their attitude.
I met a Dutch couple today who were sure that I was from Holland. I've been told that I would fit in really well there. Good to know.
Off to Lisboa in the morning!
Lagos
I walked to where the bus picks people up to go to Lagos and that's when I realized there is an hour time difference between Spain & Portugal. I knew it beforehand but completely forgot. No harm though, I just checked out and got to Lagos a little earlier than planned.
It was hot yesterday and I finally made use of the hand fan that I brought while on the bus. I met a nice American woman on the bus. She lives in Florida now but grew up in Zimbabwe and has had an apartment in the Algarve for 30 years (she didn't specify which town). She said that this was the perfect time to come, and that in June all the tourists come and then by August all the Portuguese flock south for their beach vacation.
There aren't many stoplights around the Algarve - they seem to love their roundabouts. Grilled sardines are the most popular menu item. Rice & beans apparently are not. I thought I read that somewhere. I'll blame the old guidebook.
Once I got off the bus I headed towards the marina, took a right on the big road, walked past the Shell gas station (which is no longer Shell but luckily still a gas station), past the fresh fish market, past the taxi stand, took a right after the big parking lot, saw the Dois Irmaos bar. And that's where the directions no longer made sense. They didn't use street names in their directions, just landmarks. Only trouble is a lot of those landmarks have either changed names or no longer exist. So I started asking the locals on the street where the Travessa Gil Vicente was. All they could do was point in the direction, but didn't know exactly where it was. So I started asking the shopkeepers. No ideas. Hmm.
My bag was getting really heavy, shoulders were hurting, and I was starting to glisten. So I plopped down at a 'snack bar', sat outside in the shade and had a beer. A large one. After a good amount of people watching and once I felt cooled off I decided to head out again for this supposed hostel. I asked the woman that works at the snack-bar, no idea. This town isn't very big! All the patrons around me were older and not hostel-goer types. But just as I was about to leave two girls sat down and they looked like potential hostel-goers. I couldn't recognize what language they were speaking but hoped that they spoke English. Sure enough they did. They were staying in a hostel. But not mine. They were staying at The Rising Cock. Apparently there is one here too. They let me look at their map, and I was able to locate the street we were on and YES! the street my hostel was on. Not too far away but lots of little turns. I took a photo of the section of the map I needed (quite resourceful if I may say so myself) and managed to find it. I definitely wouldn't have gotten there with the hostel's directions, even if the landmarks were still in place. They definitely need to update the directions on their site. Actually the first thing that they asked me when I arrived was - "was it difficult to find?". I replied yes and told them about my attempts. The guy gave me a high five when I told him I stopped and got a beer during my search.
Shangri-Lagos is a very homey hostel. It's been open 3 weeks. It's also the cheapest hostel I've stayed at (10 euros a night). I picked it based on price and name. Kind of how I pick wine - by the price and the name/label.
Once I settled in I headed back out and walked to the ocean. I snapped a few photos and walked along the road taking in the scenery. At a little statue overlooking the water I ran into those girls. They were happy to hear that I found my hostel.
I walked back towards the little town, it's quite charming. I walked past lots of fish and sardine signs and settled into a pizzeria. I sat outside in the shade and they had this nice instrumental music playing. But I kept hearing this weird sound. I thought it was either a very vocal seagull or perhaps a cat in heat. Took me all of lunch to realize that there was a statue guy at the square about 20 meters from me and he had one of those obnoxious whistles in his mouth. He was using it subtly to try and get people's attention. I'd like to have a few words with the creator of those things.
Walking along the beach the water and sky were so blue that I got the song 'Blue Eyes' by Elton John in my head. And it just came on in the hostel. Coincidence? I think not!
After a short nap I headed back out to the Casa Rosa, the good & cheap place to eat where all the hostels say you must go to. I think they must all be friends recommending each other's places. It was a fun atmosphere with big shared tables. There were 4 veggie options and I chose the burrito because of my craving for beans. It was probably the healthiest burrito I have ever had and it was quite good. The Manchester United game was on so watched that with the other patrons, all tourists. M.U. will take on Barcelona in the Champions League final on May 28th. I'll try to see if I can watch it, definitely will be rooting for Barcelona.
There were four people sitting near me and when a girl walked in one of the guys at the table said "Sorry about last night" and she said "What about last night?" and his reply was "Oh good, you don't remember". Oh boy.
After dinner and several Cristals (beer that apparently the locals drink) I bar-hopped my way home. Lagos is known to be a party town, so I felt the need to check out some of the watering holes, even though most of them were quite empty. Party only gets stared around midnight, but then again there aren't enough people here yet I don't think. My last stop was a bar where only English was being spoken. Will try to find the Portuguese hangouts tonight, but this one was nice and close to my hostel. I spent about three hours chatting with the bartender and his wife. The crowd was older than me by at least 30 years which I enjoyed, nice change of scene.
A guy walked over to me and asked if I wanted to go to a bar. I replied that we're already in a bar. The bartender could not stop laughing. Apparently that's his pickup line. He left and told me he'd try to find a girl elsewhere. I told him good luck, he replied that he didn't need luck. He returned about twenty minutes later solo.
The bartender and his wife told me several interesting things about Lagos. They are British and moved here three years ago. They said it's basically England's Florida where lots of people come to retire because of the year-round sunshine. They also said that in July/August it resembles a small Cancun with all the stumbling drunk kids everywhere. Am sure glad I'm not here during that.
The bartenders wife didn't want me to go so she bought me another beer. I ended up staying there until about 12:30am, way past my planned bedtime.
I also met the very drunk head chef of a Thai restaurant. I promised him I'd go there for dinner tonight.
Based on the little bit of research I did I assumed that Portimão would be more quaint than Lagos because it is less touristy. But it turns out that Portimão is where all of the cruises dock. It also had tons of high-rise apartment buildings. Whoever makes those decisions in Lagos won't allow high-rises. Lagos is a walled town and most of the wall is still standing which is cool. My friends last night told me that someone bought a McDonald's franchise and tried to open one up inside the walls. Those same decision makers vetoed it, so there is one right outside the wall. I love that. Yes it is touristy with lots of little shops, restaurants and bars, but they are really making an effort to keep it low-key and quaint. I hope it stays that way.
It was hot yesterday and I finally made use of the hand fan that I brought while on the bus. I met a nice American woman on the bus. She lives in Florida now but grew up in Zimbabwe and has had an apartment in the Algarve for 30 years (she didn't specify which town). She said that this was the perfect time to come, and that in June all the tourists come and then by August all the Portuguese flock south for their beach vacation.
There aren't many stoplights around the Algarve - they seem to love their roundabouts. Grilled sardines are the most popular menu item. Rice & beans apparently are not. I thought I read that somewhere. I'll blame the old guidebook.
Once I got off the bus I headed towards the marina, took a right on the big road, walked past the Shell gas station (which is no longer Shell but luckily still a gas station), past the fresh fish market, past the taxi stand, took a right after the big parking lot, saw the Dois Irmaos bar. And that's where the directions no longer made sense. They didn't use street names in their directions, just landmarks. Only trouble is a lot of those landmarks have either changed names or no longer exist. So I started asking the locals on the street where the Travessa Gil Vicente was. All they could do was point in the direction, but didn't know exactly where it was. So I started asking the shopkeepers. No ideas. Hmm.
My bag was getting really heavy, shoulders were hurting, and I was starting to glisten. So I plopped down at a 'snack bar', sat outside in the shade and had a beer. A large one. After a good amount of people watching and once I felt cooled off I decided to head out again for this supposed hostel. I asked the woman that works at the snack-bar, no idea. This town isn't very big! All the patrons around me were older and not hostel-goer types. But just as I was about to leave two girls sat down and they looked like potential hostel-goers. I couldn't recognize what language they were speaking but hoped that they spoke English. Sure enough they did. They were staying in a hostel. But not mine. They were staying at The Rising Cock. Apparently there is one here too. They let me look at their map, and I was able to locate the street we were on and YES! the street my hostel was on. Not too far away but lots of little turns. I took a photo of the section of the map I needed (quite resourceful if I may say so myself) and managed to find it. I definitely wouldn't have gotten there with the hostel's directions, even if the landmarks were still in place. They definitely need to update the directions on their site. Actually the first thing that they asked me when I arrived was - "was it difficult to find?". I replied yes and told them about my attempts. The guy gave me a high five when I told him I stopped and got a beer during my search.
Shangri-Lagos is a very homey hostel. It's been open 3 weeks. It's also the cheapest hostel I've stayed at (10 euros a night). I picked it based on price and name. Kind of how I pick wine - by the price and the name/label.
Once I settled in I headed back out and walked to the ocean. I snapped a few photos and walked along the road taking in the scenery. At a little statue overlooking the water I ran into those girls. They were happy to hear that I found my hostel.
I walked back towards the little town, it's quite charming. I walked past lots of fish and sardine signs and settled into a pizzeria. I sat outside in the shade and they had this nice instrumental music playing. But I kept hearing this weird sound. I thought it was either a very vocal seagull or perhaps a cat in heat. Took me all of lunch to realize that there was a statue guy at the square about 20 meters from me and he had one of those obnoxious whistles in his mouth. He was using it subtly to try and get people's attention. I'd like to have a few words with the creator of those things.
Walking along the beach the water and sky were so blue that I got the song 'Blue Eyes' by Elton John in my head. And it just came on in the hostel. Coincidence? I think not!
After a short nap I headed back out to the Casa Rosa, the good & cheap place to eat where all the hostels say you must go to. I think they must all be friends recommending each other's places. It was a fun atmosphere with big shared tables. There were 4 veggie options and I chose the burrito because of my craving for beans. It was probably the healthiest burrito I have ever had and it was quite good. The Manchester United game was on so watched that with the other patrons, all tourists. M.U. will take on Barcelona in the Champions League final on May 28th. I'll try to see if I can watch it, definitely will be rooting for Barcelona.
There were four people sitting near me and when a girl walked in one of the guys at the table said "Sorry about last night" and she said "What about last night?" and his reply was "Oh good, you don't remember". Oh boy.
After dinner and several Cristals (beer that apparently the locals drink) I bar-hopped my way home. Lagos is known to be a party town, so I felt the need to check out some of the watering holes, even though most of them were quite empty. Party only gets stared around midnight, but then again there aren't enough people here yet I don't think. My last stop was a bar where only English was being spoken. Will try to find the Portuguese hangouts tonight, but this one was nice and close to my hostel. I spent about three hours chatting with the bartender and his wife. The crowd was older than me by at least 30 years which I enjoyed, nice change of scene.
A guy walked over to me and asked if I wanted to go to a bar. I replied that we're already in a bar. The bartender could not stop laughing. Apparently that's his pickup line. He left and told me he'd try to find a girl elsewhere. I told him good luck, he replied that he didn't need luck. He returned about twenty minutes later solo.
The bartender and his wife told me several interesting things about Lagos. They are British and moved here three years ago. They said it's basically England's Florida where lots of people come to retire because of the year-round sunshine. They also said that in July/August it resembles a small Cancun with all the stumbling drunk kids everywhere. Am sure glad I'm not here during that.
The bartenders wife didn't want me to go so she bought me another beer. I ended up staying there until about 12:30am, way past my planned bedtime.
I also met the very drunk head chef of a Thai restaurant. I promised him I'd go there for dinner tonight.
Based on the little bit of research I did I assumed that Portimão would be more quaint than Lagos because it is less touristy. But it turns out that Portimão is where all of the cruises dock. It also had tons of high-rise apartment buildings. Whoever makes those decisions in Lagos won't allow high-rises. Lagos is a walled town and most of the wall is still standing which is cool. My friends last night told me that someone bought a McDonald's franchise and tried to open one up inside the walls. Those same decision makers vetoed it, so there is one right outside the wall. I love that. Yes it is touristy with lots of little shops, restaurants and bars, but they are really making an effort to keep it low-key and quaint. I hope it stays that way.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Red buns
Today was exactly what I had hoped for - a nice relaxing day on the beach. It was warm and sunny with the perfect amount of sea breeze.
Praia da Rocha is a beautiful wide beach with fluffy white sand, pretty blue water, and large rock formations, hence the name.
After several hours of sunbathing I had a late lunch at a restaurant right on the beach. There are quite a few that line the edge away from the water, if that makes sense. I've been craving some rice and beans which I know is a staple here, but they don't seem to have it at the restaurants. I ordered a salad with veggies and fruit. Most of the fruit fresh, some canned, all in all it was a tasty lunch.
Once I was done I walked the beach and picked up too many seashells. I did so good yesterday only picking up one! Oh well, they are light and free.
Even though I slathered myself from head to toe with sunscreen I got a bit too much sun in a few places...
Once I was done sunning myself, gazing at the Atlantic, and picking up seashells I headed back to my hotel. I walked to the beach via the town and purposefully strolled down Avenida do Brasil. On the way back I decided to walk by the Arade river, the more scenic route. One of my favorite past-times is to read boat names, so I walked slowly by the docks. What always comes to mind when I do that is what I would name my boat if I had one. I just don't know.
Once I got back I decided to take another bath, taking full advantage of the fancy amenities. Will be back in hostel land tomorrow. The book I'm reading is 'A Long Way Down' by Nick Hornby. It is dark and sarcastic humor so I'm enjoying it. Randomly there are several mentions of September 11th and the Iraq war, seems fitting. Apparently it has been through several hands and several countries, so I'll try to find someone cool to give it to.
I like how quaint this town is and am glad I'm here during the low season - both for the few tourists and for the weather. It was the perfect amount of hot today. It is quite humid as well. I can tell by the curls in my hair. I've only seen one American chain here - Pizza Hut. Happy that there aren't more, or at least I didn't see them. I've seen three locations of a chain called Burger Ranch. I looked it up and Wikipedia says it's the only Portuguese fast-food chain. I won't be going in there for obvious reasons.
Three random things:
1) A lot of hotels claim that they are trying to be environmental and ask that if you are ok with using the same towels twice to leave them hanging, and put ones on the floor if you want them changed. I've been in probably 30+ hotels since this notice has become popular - and this is the FIRST time they actually follow through with it. So proud Made Inn.
2) Key card - when I checked in the guy at the desk let me know that when you leave they ask that you give them your keycard. I laughed and said "oh good, cause I keep losing them". It's 50 euros if you lose it here, yikes. And you may be thinking - since I lost the other two inside the hostel, I could easily lose it in this hotel. Well luckily when you are in the room you are required to put the keycard in a slot for the lights to work - another environmental bonus point for this place.
3) Rooster - in the few souvenir shops here they have lots of ceramic roosters. The same rooster image is the cover of my guidebook. So I decided to consult the internet. There are several stories, but they all seem to have the same gist. The rooster signifies luck, honesty, integrity, trust, and honor. That's a lot to ask of a rooster if you ask me.
Here is what Wikipedia had to say regarding the legend: "One of the many versions of this legend goes that a rich man threw a big party. When the party was over, the rich man noticed that his sterling cutlery was stolen by a guest. He accused a pilgrim and let him go to court. He protested his innocence, but the judge didn't believe him. The judge was about to eat a roasted rooster when the pilgrim said: 'If I am innocent, this rooster will crow three times.' When the pilgrim was about to be lynched, the rooster crowed. The judge released the pilgrim. "
I'm now taking advantage of the TV. There are two British channels - a news station and a movie channel called Men&Movies. A movie called 'Shadow Warriors' with Hulk Hogan just started. Judging it by the first 30 seconds, I changed the channel back to news. Where is the Women&Movies channel I wonder.
Praia da Rocha is a beautiful wide beach with fluffy white sand, pretty blue water, and large rock formations, hence the name.
After several hours of sunbathing I had a late lunch at a restaurant right on the beach. There are quite a few that line the edge away from the water, if that makes sense. I've been craving some rice and beans which I know is a staple here, but they don't seem to have it at the restaurants. I ordered a salad with veggies and fruit. Most of the fruit fresh, some canned, all in all it was a tasty lunch.
Once I was done I walked the beach and picked up too many seashells. I did so good yesterday only picking up one! Oh well, they are light and free.
Even though I slathered myself from head to toe with sunscreen I got a bit too much sun in a few places...
Once I was done sunning myself, gazing at the Atlantic, and picking up seashells I headed back to my hotel. I walked to the beach via the town and purposefully strolled down Avenida do Brasil. On the way back I decided to walk by the Arade river, the more scenic route. One of my favorite past-times is to read boat names, so I walked slowly by the docks. What always comes to mind when I do that is what I would name my boat if I had one. I just don't know.
Once I got back I decided to take another bath, taking full advantage of the fancy amenities. Will be back in hostel land tomorrow. The book I'm reading is 'A Long Way Down' by Nick Hornby. It is dark and sarcastic humor so I'm enjoying it. Randomly there are several mentions of September 11th and the Iraq war, seems fitting. Apparently it has been through several hands and several countries, so I'll try to find someone cool to give it to.
I like how quaint this town is and am glad I'm here during the low season - both for the few tourists and for the weather. It was the perfect amount of hot today. It is quite humid as well. I can tell by the curls in my hair. I've only seen one American chain here - Pizza Hut. Happy that there aren't more, or at least I didn't see them. I've seen three locations of a chain called Burger Ranch. I looked it up and Wikipedia says it's the only Portuguese fast-food chain. I won't be going in there for obvious reasons.
Three random things:
1) A lot of hotels claim that they are trying to be environmental and ask that if you are ok with using the same towels twice to leave them hanging, and put ones on the floor if you want them changed. I've been in probably 30+ hotels since this notice has become popular - and this is the FIRST time they actually follow through with it. So proud Made Inn.
2) Key card - when I checked in the guy at the desk let me know that when you leave they ask that you give them your keycard. I laughed and said "oh good, cause I keep losing them". It's 50 euros if you lose it here, yikes. And you may be thinking - since I lost the other two inside the hostel, I could easily lose it in this hotel. Well luckily when you are in the room you are required to put the keycard in a slot for the lights to work - another environmental bonus point for this place.
3) Rooster - in the few souvenir shops here they have lots of ceramic roosters. The same rooster image is the cover of my guidebook. So I decided to consult the internet. There are several stories, but they all seem to have the same gist. The rooster signifies luck, honesty, integrity, trust, and honor. That's a lot to ask of a rooster if you ask me.
Here is what Wikipedia had to say regarding the legend: "One of the many versions of this legend goes that a rich man threw a big party. When the party was over, the rich man noticed that his sterling cutlery was stolen by a guest. He accused a pilgrim and let him go to court. He protested his innocence, but the judge didn't believe him. The judge was about to eat a roasted rooster when the pilgrim said: 'If I am innocent, this rooster will crow three times.' When the pilgrim was about to be lynched, the rooster crowed. The judge released the pilgrim. "
I'm now taking advantage of the TV. There are two British channels - a news station and a movie channel called Men&Movies. A movie called 'Shadow Warriors' with Hulk Hogan just started. Judging it by the first 30 seconds, I changed the channel back to news. Where is the Women&Movies channel I wonder.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Praia da Rocha
Portimão is a very sleep town at the moment, which is kind of nice and kind of eerie.
I walked around for hours. A lot of 'for sale' and 'for rent' signs that I imagine have to do with the economy. There also seem to be a lot of vacation rentals and apartments that are closed up now, but am sure once high season starts it'll be flocking with people.
I walked along the canal to the Praia da Rocha. I'll probably walk the beach a few times tomorrow. Picked up a shell for my collection, and then wandered back through town towards my hotel. Had some wine at a local cafe before heading home. Watched Portugal's version of the The Price Is Right and then found a news channel that was televising live from The White House. Was glad I could watch a bit of the breaking news...
The language is definitely different here. I've managed to understand a few words here and there. Everyone seems to understand my Portuguese well. Portugal Portuguese is very slurred and mumbled, my best way to describe it. Brasilian Portuguese is much prettier, but of course I'm biased. When I got back to my hotel and asked a question to the woman at the front desk, she literally sat back in her chair in shock that I spoke Portuguese. Was kind of funny.
I walked around for hours. A lot of 'for sale' and 'for rent' signs that I imagine have to do with the economy. There also seem to be a lot of vacation rentals and apartments that are closed up now, but am sure once high season starts it'll be flocking with people.
I walked along the canal to the Praia da Rocha. I'll probably walk the beach a few times tomorrow. Picked up a shell for my collection, and then wandered back through town towards my hotel. Had some wine at a local cafe before heading home. Watched Portugal's version of the The Price Is Right and then found a news channel that was televising live from The White House. Was glad I could watch a bit of the breaking news...
The language is definitely different here. I've managed to understand a few words here and there. Everyone seems to understand my Portuguese well. Portugal Portuguese is very slurred and mumbled, my best way to describe it. Brasilian Portuguese is much prettier, but of course I'm biased. When I got back to my hotel and asked a question to the woman at the front desk, she literally sat back in her chair in shock that I spoke Portuguese. Was kind of funny.
Portimão
Last night after I got home and before I started packing I managed to lose my hostel key card. In a matter of an hour, again inside the hostel. I never lose things! Well, it happens rarely. So I sucked it up and paid the 5 euros for that one and got a new one. I mainly needed it because that's how I got into my locker. I don't use lockers unless I have to, when there is not enough space to leave my luggage on the floor. I usually shove my bag under the bed but since this one was on the floor I couldn't do that.
Anyways, I couldn't really sleep because of the snorers. I couldn't use earplugs because then I wouldn't hear my alarm. The room was an L-shape. Two girls from the other side of the room grabbed their linens and pillow and came over and slept on the floor on my side of the L because of the big snoring offender on their side. That's how bad it was. The guy above me then got up at 3:30am to leave, the girls left at 5am, and I got up at 6am. So all in all not a lot of sleep. Luckily I had two seats to myself on the bus (it was rather empty) and I got a bit of shuteye.
In the Sevilla bus station there were two seats free on either side of this guy. I sat down on one of them and quickly realized why they were both empty and people were standing. The guy was asleep and kept swaying to either side and jolting himself back upright before leaning to the other side. I moved once a seat opened up across from him. Then an old man sat where I had just been and I got to witness someone else experience it. I moved my stuff and motioned for the old guy to come sit next to me. We both watched Mr. Bobblehead and giggled together for 10 minutes. It was amusing enough to take a video of him.
At the Spain/Portugal border two cops hopped on the bus and checked everyone's passports.
I don't think Portimão is a very popular stop for tourists. I was the only one that got off the bus at this stop. Portimão has reportedly one of the best beaches but I have a feeling it is more of a day-trip destination. Excited about that fact. There aren't hostels here that I could find so I'm staying at the Made Inn. It's really nice. Granted anything is really nice after three weeks of hostels. It has a funky vibe to it and everything is shiny and smells new. My room has two twin beds, so one of them is my hangout and suitcase station.
I decided to wash my unmentionables in the sink first so they'd have time to dry. Last laundry day, and it's so much easier to do when you have your own room. I then couldn't stop staring at the tub. I showered last night so felt the need to shower when I got here, but the tub looked so inviting. I put on scalding hot water and washed the basin down a bit (even though it looks new and sparkly clean) and then poured in both Made Inn bath gel bottles into it and made myself a nice bubble bath. Wearing sandals all day trekking around your feet can get pretty gross. So it was nice to soak and clean them up a bit. I tell you I feel the cleanest I have in three weeks. While I never would have thought to take a bath in a hotel, I figured it couldn't be worse than some of the beds and showers I've been in.
It's been sprinkling on and off so I haven't felt too bed about chilling in the hotel for a few hours. I'll head out soon to explore, but this and Lagos are my beach/relax stops, so I don't feel too guilty. It's supposedly going to be nice tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
Anyways, I couldn't really sleep because of the snorers. I couldn't use earplugs because then I wouldn't hear my alarm. The room was an L-shape. Two girls from the other side of the room grabbed their linens and pillow and came over and slept on the floor on my side of the L because of the big snoring offender on their side. That's how bad it was. The guy above me then got up at 3:30am to leave, the girls left at 5am, and I got up at 6am. So all in all not a lot of sleep. Luckily I had two seats to myself on the bus (it was rather empty) and I got a bit of shuteye.
In the Sevilla bus station there were two seats free on either side of this guy. I sat down on one of them and quickly realized why they were both empty and people were standing. The guy was asleep and kept swaying to either side and jolting himself back upright before leaning to the other side. I moved once a seat opened up across from him. Then an old man sat where I had just been and I got to witness someone else experience it. I moved my stuff and motioned for the old guy to come sit next to me. We both watched Mr. Bobblehead and giggled together for 10 minutes. It was amusing enough to take a video of him.
At the Spain/Portugal border two cops hopped on the bus and checked everyone's passports.
I don't think Portimão is a very popular stop for tourists. I was the only one that got off the bus at this stop. Portimão has reportedly one of the best beaches but I have a feeling it is more of a day-trip destination. Excited about that fact. There aren't hostels here that I could find so I'm staying at the Made Inn. It's really nice. Granted anything is really nice after three weeks of hostels. It has a funky vibe to it and everything is shiny and smells new. My room has two twin beds, so one of them is my hangout and suitcase station.
I decided to wash my unmentionables in the sink first so they'd have time to dry. Last laundry day, and it's so much easier to do when you have your own room. I then couldn't stop staring at the tub. I showered last night so felt the need to shower when I got here, but the tub looked so inviting. I put on scalding hot water and washed the basin down a bit (even though it looks new and sparkly clean) and then poured in both Made Inn bath gel bottles into it and made myself a nice bubble bath. Wearing sandals all day trekking around your feet can get pretty gross. So it was nice to soak and clean them up a bit. I tell you I feel the cleanest I have in three weeks. While I never would have thought to take a bath in a hotel, I figured it couldn't be worse than some of the beds and showers I've been in.
It's been sprinkling on and off so I haven't felt too bed about chilling in the hotel for a few hours. I'll head out soon to explore, but this and Lagos are my beach/relax stops, so I don't feel too guilty. It's supposedly going to be nice tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
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