I know you all are humming Cher's little tune in your heads with that title. Don't fight it, it's a good song right? Anyway, if I may backtrack about a week or so I will bring you all up to my last entry which was very stream of consciousness and skips a good deal of experiences, though this one will be much less detailed, and hopefully short and sweet...
Ok this is now a week later. another draft that I started and lit sit on the shelf. I am now in Rimini, Italy with Kevin. We are about to spend our final night of travel here in Europe. Head home (the flat) tomorrow in the morning. The time has flown even since malta but all those experinces seem so long ago.
After Nice Mary and I spent four days in Florence which were really amazing. We had a great time together. Not only are we a pretty good couple (I would say) but good travel partners and work well with decision making and such. I was pretty sick most of the time and thus a bit more amiable and easily swayed to do whatever mary would want. Didnt do as much intense hiking, slept a bit more, but still saw so much. Duomo, Florenian Markets, and the Palacial gardens. Didnàt see any art. Thats right, and i dont want to hear anymore about if from any of you as you spit coffee into your computer screen in disbelief. We somehow managed to spend a lot of time in Florence, birthplace of the Rennaissance movement and mecca for all artists around the world, and we didnt go into any galleries. i am actually kinda proud of that achievement.
met up with the Malta friends in Cinque Terre, all I want to say is that this is one of the coolest places on earth. I will write a blog tomorrow when I get home complete with pictures. Cinque terre is just one of those places best described through pictures if they turn out. Next post will be visually stunning! I promise.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Friends...Old and New
Today I played soccer (football). That for me spells a day of complete and utter happiness, and no more should need to be said. I realize I haven't written for a while, yet i think I will write of the most recent events and work backwards if there is time. Currently, you will find me chillin' in a longish flat on the small but bigger than you would think island of Malta. This is where another parrallel one semester program that Luther has resides so I'm staying with a few friends from back at the old haunt. Rundown of old friends:
Aaron Lurth, my summer roomate after freshman year when i stayed at Luther for that summer doing our little research project that went nowhere. Also drummer in the Brandon Becker Bonanza Band which performed at the annual Luther Cool Aid event. I was the lead singer, and we did a little throwback to some sweet nineties hits.
Nicholas Hedeman, roomate sophmore year, good friend since soccer class of freshman year and he lived on my floor. Loves his BMW. We play raquetball rather often in which I find myself always feeling better after kicking his ass.
Katie Billings, Nick's girlfriend and thus my second roomate sophmore year. Another friend since freshman year and this evening she is cooking for nick and I a delicious chicken scampi.
Getting to see some familiar faces is so rejuvinating and it's been a long time since ive been this happy. They are some good people, and I'm slowly meeting their other flatmates as I stay here for 4 days. They have graciously let me into their humble (and its humble, nothing like our amazing flat in Nottingham but I won't gloat)flat. It's interesting to experience the lifestyle of other students just like me and get a taste of a different flavor for living abroad. malta is a quirky island that grows on you. First impressions may be a bit of surprise and maybe a bit of a let down. I admit thinking on the first day "this is it" and being ready to make the most of it. But with some great guides, this is a place of beauty and has so much to see and do. and don't even get me started on the people. Sweetest kindest folks you'll ever meet. We went this afternoon to go kick a ball around, and a small group of Maltese kids, about 6 asked if we would play them. Up for the challenge, Nick, Ellen (a concordia chica, way cool, and a soccer player back at college) Aaron and myself tentatively accepted ready to be beaten senseless. But they were young and we actually dominated. I haven't touched a soccer ball since last spring when i left luther in May. Still got some speed, but my touch is horrible and the skills were lagging. Felt great to stretch the limbs, and I know tomorrow I will wake up with a sore bum. These guys ranged in age from I'd say about 8-16. They were joking and jabbing and chattering away the whole time. It was entertaining to see them take things so lighthearted and any time anyone fell down they made sure they were all right. They were relentless in their taunting of each other just as young boys should be, and I revelled in their boyish banter. I had a great time, and when we were done, they somehow found a tame rabbit over in the bushes and were petting it joking about calling it bugsy and such and asking me about where I lived and if I wanted it. Of course I couldn't bring him home, but he was cute.
That was the second run in with wildlife today. Earlier, we left around 11 the whole group of us including the Luther runner Mel, to Mdina, a sweet hilltop city with no cars allowed. You had to pass accross a sort of moat to enter just like the big city of VAletta the day before. All the cities are well protected like fortresses. This city was clean and beautiful. This is probably due to the fact that the only people who live in it, have noble blood that can be traced back to the original wealthy knights that established themselves on the island. Best part though is that my friends took me to this famous (to them) little cafe with great views of the island called Fontanella. It has some of the most amazing cakes you may ever taste and a delicious Perugiona Hot Chocolate that can ever touch the lips of man. I couldn't ask for more than this thick chocolate drink and a piece of the hazlenut apple chocolate cake. I hope your mouth is watering by now cuz it should be!
Sadly, the day was perfect up until mid afternoon when we arrived in the craft village outside Mdnina to find that everything had closed up at 2 for the week. I was looking forward to going to see the original Mdnina glassblowers work and purchase some sweet glass sculptures. This art is something that facinates me more than most any other artistic mediums. I have collected a number of dazzling and sweet looking lampwork glass beads. What a talent. So it was a huge letdown for me to find it all closed. Soccer made up for it though.
Well, I will close this entry to follow the train of good scents from the kitchen to the table that is wafting in my direction. I think our chicken is ready and I couldn't be hungrier. I hope you all are feeling great wherever you are in the world and feeling swell! Ciao!
Aaron Lurth, my summer roomate after freshman year when i stayed at Luther for that summer doing our little research project that went nowhere. Also drummer in the Brandon Becker Bonanza Band which performed at the annual Luther Cool Aid event. I was the lead singer, and we did a little throwback to some sweet nineties hits.
Nicholas Hedeman, roomate sophmore year, good friend since soccer class of freshman year and he lived on my floor. Loves his BMW. We play raquetball rather often in which I find myself always feeling better after kicking his ass.
Katie Billings, Nick's girlfriend and thus my second roomate sophmore year. Another friend since freshman year and this evening she is cooking for nick and I a delicious chicken scampi.
Getting to see some familiar faces is so rejuvinating and it's been a long time since ive been this happy. They are some good people, and I'm slowly meeting their other flatmates as I stay here for 4 days. They have graciously let me into their humble (and its humble, nothing like our amazing flat in Nottingham but I won't gloat)flat. It's interesting to experience the lifestyle of other students just like me and get a taste of a different flavor for living abroad. malta is a quirky island that grows on you. First impressions may be a bit of surprise and maybe a bit of a let down. I admit thinking on the first day "this is it" and being ready to make the most of it. But with some great guides, this is a place of beauty and has so much to see and do. and don't even get me started on the people. Sweetest kindest folks you'll ever meet. We went this afternoon to go kick a ball around, and a small group of Maltese kids, about 6 asked if we would play them. Up for the challenge, Nick, Ellen (a concordia chica, way cool, and a soccer player back at college) Aaron and myself tentatively accepted ready to be beaten senseless. But they were young and we actually dominated. I haven't touched a soccer ball since last spring when i left luther in May. Still got some speed, but my touch is horrible and the skills were lagging. Felt great to stretch the limbs, and I know tomorrow I will wake up with a sore bum. These guys ranged in age from I'd say about 8-16. They were joking and jabbing and chattering away the whole time. It was entertaining to see them take things so lighthearted and any time anyone fell down they made sure they were all right. They were relentless in their taunting of each other just as young boys should be, and I revelled in their boyish banter. I had a great time, and when we were done, they somehow found a tame rabbit over in the bushes and were petting it joking about calling it bugsy and such and asking me about where I lived and if I wanted it. Of course I couldn't bring him home, but he was cute.
That was the second run in with wildlife today. Earlier, we left around 11 the whole group of us including the Luther runner Mel, to Mdina, a sweet hilltop city with no cars allowed. You had to pass accross a sort of moat to enter just like the big city of VAletta the day before. All the cities are well protected like fortresses. This city was clean and beautiful. This is probably due to the fact that the only people who live in it, have noble blood that can be traced back to the original wealthy knights that established themselves on the island. Best part though is that my friends took me to this famous (to them) little cafe with great views of the island called Fontanella. It has some of the most amazing cakes you may ever taste and a delicious Perugiona Hot Chocolate that can ever touch the lips of man. I couldn't ask for more than this thick chocolate drink and a piece of the hazlenut apple chocolate cake. I hope your mouth is watering by now cuz it should be!
Sadly, the day was perfect up until mid afternoon when we arrived in the craft village outside Mdnina to find that everything had closed up at 2 for the week. I was looking forward to going to see the original Mdnina glassblowers work and purchase some sweet glass sculptures. This art is something that facinates me more than most any other artistic mediums. I have collected a number of dazzling and sweet looking lampwork glass beads. What a talent. So it was a huge letdown for me to find it all closed. Soccer made up for it though.
Well, I will close this entry to follow the train of good scents from the kitchen to the table that is wafting in my direction. I think our chicken is ready and I couldn't be hungrier. I hope you all are feeling great wherever you are in the world and feeling swell! Ciao!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
My skins getting pink...
I've made it to Nice. Not that it has been that much of a sruggle up til now seeing the great wonders of Ireland and then taking a quick flight over to Grenoble. The happy tones from the last blog will be of a very different color. I have become miserably sick for the last 3 days or so, and this was a lot of the time that I was by myself, which is for the best in some ways. That final night in Dublin after the Pub Crawl I knew I was coming down with something. Headache all day, and my nose was throbbing. Then that night it hit me, and my nose got all stuffy and I was warm and stuffy all the time with no energy. I think that this is the worst sinus infection I have ever gotten in my life. I've been going without medicine which may be why it seems worse and strung out. Last night was the 4th night of restless sleeping and waking up many times each hour and my body becoming ridiculously hot and uncomfortable. As I know any mom out there reading this is thinking, yes, I'll try to find some kind of nasal decongestant today. I am sick of this and its making me a lousy travel buddy.
Flying out of dublin I got to Grenoble late at night and tried to crash early which was fruitless, the next morning waking early I walked around the city, and grew rather fond of it. Grenoble is a very charming city surrounded by mountains on most sides so its the perfect little mountain town nestled in the alpes. Beautiful buildings clean streets, it was just too bad that everything closes down in france on sundays. I left at 11 to go to Marseille with high hopes of beating this sickness and seeing Emily and Kevin who were already there for another full day.
I arrive feeling like crap, and am greeted by a station in shambles more or less. More accurately it is just under construction but they make it impossible to find your way out, and nothing is done in a clean and efficent way as almost every street in this city is being redone. Finally make my way out after not being able to contact neither of my friends, finding on a map that their hostel is out of walking distance outsied the city, i decide to wing it and find some random cheap hotel. After walking for half an hour towards the center I drop into a respecable hotel out of my price range and he directs me to the street where the wooden shacks that my money could buy could be found.
I set off as it wasn't far and immediately was shadowed by this strange red cloaked black man. He walked about 10 feet behind and then came up and started bumping into my hips good natruedly but I didn't like it. Something was wrong with this. He would walk ahead and then circle back around and make another pass, grabbing at the pocket s of my bag. It finally dawned on me the tactics he was using was for pickpockets and i got very nervous. The next hotel i would see i would dodge into. This guy was creepy and relentless and kept pushing me, I finally saw a weather worn sign and crossed the street to get away and would you believe it but he followed me in. I ran up the stairs which he didn't follow and found myself in the dodgiest building you could ever find. It was a hotel where a single was 9 euro. that is unheard of even in hostels these days, so i knew what i could expect, but i had no idea...
I took the room just to get off the streets, scared shitless from creepy and unkind folk wandering about. My door wasn't even on straight with a weak little lock on it. Old newspapers lay on lawnchairs in the room. Rusty sinks, cigarette butts in the corners, brown stained sheets, peeling wallpaper, it was the sorest sight for a room I had ever seen. Now I wanted to escape this room, so i packed my valuables in my little bag, and hesitantly hit the streets to explore. Ever since I as almost pickpocketed I am now edgey constantly wary of everyone, and the streets were packed with strange not necessarly well to do people. There was trash everywhere. Besides a cathedral, a charity haven set up by nuns, and an Arch de Triumph mimicking the one in Paris in its own little way, this city has nothing to offer. I hated it. Matter of fact I have dubbed it the worst city I have visited in Europe thus far, so please dear friends...steer clear.
Nice is the exact opposite. Beautiful sparkling and clean, and the four of us living here for 4 days have gotten an apartment to ourselves for a great price comparable to any hostel, only it is amazing. Clean and perfect for us. Walked along the beaches for a bit. Not hot enought to truly catch some sun but we'll try. This city is seriously amazing and ranks high on my scale. I don't know if its the extreme contrast from the worst in Marseille but it took me 10 minutes of walking its streets to fall in love with it. We are so lucky, and we just went grocery shopping last night, and have gotten food for our 4 days, and have saved tons of money. I'm talking that money spent on groceries wouldn't have gotten us two meals in resturants or anything. We are so lucky. I am ready to be rid of this awful sickness. Some sea air may do me some good, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lie for an hour or two to relax with a box of tissues next to me and popping pills. Hopefully next I write all will be well.
Flying out of dublin I got to Grenoble late at night and tried to crash early which was fruitless, the next morning waking early I walked around the city, and grew rather fond of it. Grenoble is a very charming city surrounded by mountains on most sides so its the perfect little mountain town nestled in the alpes. Beautiful buildings clean streets, it was just too bad that everything closes down in france on sundays. I left at 11 to go to Marseille with high hopes of beating this sickness and seeing Emily and Kevin who were already there for another full day.
I arrive feeling like crap, and am greeted by a station in shambles more or less. More accurately it is just under construction but they make it impossible to find your way out, and nothing is done in a clean and efficent way as almost every street in this city is being redone. Finally make my way out after not being able to contact neither of my friends, finding on a map that their hostel is out of walking distance outsied the city, i decide to wing it and find some random cheap hotel. After walking for half an hour towards the center I drop into a respecable hotel out of my price range and he directs me to the street where the wooden shacks that my money could buy could be found.
I set off as it wasn't far and immediately was shadowed by this strange red cloaked black man. He walked about 10 feet behind and then came up and started bumping into my hips good natruedly but I didn't like it. Something was wrong with this. He would walk ahead and then circle back around and make another pass, grabbing at the pocket s of my bag. It finally dawned on me the tactics he was using was for pickpockets and i got very nervous. The next hotel i would see i would dodge into. This guy was creepy and relentless and kept pushing me, I finally saw a weather worn sign and crossed the street to get away and would you believe it but he followed me in. I ran up the stairs which he didn't follow and found myself in the dodgiest building you could ever find. It was a hotel where a single was 9 euro. that is unheard of even in hostels these days, so i knew what i could expect, but i had no idea...
I took the room just to get off the streets, scared shitless from creepy and unkind folk wandering about. My door wasn't even on straight with a weak little lock on it. Old newspapers lay on lawnchairs in the room. Rusty sinks, cigarette butts in the corners, brown stained sheets, peeling wallpaper, it was the sorest sight for a room I had ever seen. Now I wanted to escape this room, so i packed my valuables in my little bag, and hesitantly hit the streets to explore. Ever since I as almost pickpocketed I am now edgey constantly wary of everyone, and the streets were packed with strange not necessarly well to do people. There was trash everywhere. Besides a cathedral, a charity haven set up by nuns, and an Arch de Triumph mimicking the one in Paris in its own little way, this city has nothing to offer. I hated it. Matter of fact I have dubbed it the worst city I have visited in Europe thus far, so please dear friends...steer clear.
Nice is the exact opposite. Beautiful sparkling and clean, and the four of us living here for 4 days have gotten an apartment to ourselves for a great price comparable to any hostel, only it is amazing. Clean and perfect for us. Walked along the beaches for a bit. Not hot enought to truly catch some sun but we'll try. This city is seriously amazing and ranks high on my scale. I don't know if its the extreme contrast from the worst in Marseille but it took me 10 minutes of walking its streets to fall in love with it. We are so lucky, and we just went grocery shopping last night, and have gotten food for our 4 days, and have saved tons of money. I'm talking that money spent on groceries wouldn't have gotten us two meals in resturants or anything. We are so lucky. I am ready to be rid of this awful sickness. Some sea air may do me some good, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lie for an hour or two to relax with a box of tissues next to me and popping pills. Hopefully next I write all will be well.
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