Longwell Green - Swansea - Gower Peninsula - Cardiff - Peterborough - Ramsey - Birmingham
Dear all,
Here is a quick (ha!) summary (ha! ha!) of my life in Longwell Green, Bristol, England since January...
THE TOWN WHERE I CURRENTLY LIVE
I had always thought that living in a small countryside village like Longwell Green, would be romantic, beautiful, peaceful and exciting.
I was right about the first three. Excitement however, seems to be lacking, simply because there is nothing to do!
So, what is Longwell Green like? It is pretty much a typical old English village, with old stone houses, some still with thatched roofs with occasional moss, medieval wooden painted houses, hilly curved roads, meandering creeks and rivers. The locals are quite friendly, courteous and pleasant. It's really quite nice here if it wasn't so cold and boring...
Being in a town situated halfway between Bristol and Bath means that you hear two types of English accents: the "Jane Austen I am Posh Upper class" accents from Bath area, and the "Aye me lover Pirate working class” accents of the Bristol area. (It's fun getting them to say "Shiver me timbers!" )
THE HOUSE WHERE I CURRENTLY LODGE
I'm currently again lodging at the house of John Barnett, who is a 52yo language teacher. An avid bird watcher, walker, soccer player and fan, John basically works to travel! He's been to over 150 countries around the world, speaks 10 languages, and by the time I leave here in late April, he would have done mini trips to Portugal, Hungary, Germany and Estonia. He is going to do a 6 month trip to South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand later this year, with plans to be in Melbourne to visit when I get back home by December.
Goes to show you're never too old to travel...
We agree that Portugal is the best country in the world, Berlin is one of our favourite cities, but disagree totally on Greece (he hates it, I love it).
He is also my "travel advisor", whilst I am his "IT technical support guy".
THE PLACE WHERE I CURRENTLY WORK
I'm here working again for the Kingswood Partnership Pathfinder Project, a collaboration of 7 schools in the Bristol area, prompted by the government to find ways to combat disaffection, improve learner engagement, reduce drop out rates, and allow learner flexibility and personal choice via use of an extranet system, work related vocational learning practises and personalised learning processes. My job is to train teachers and students to the extranet system, run pilots, and think up, develop, and test ideas, modifications and solutions to meet the above aims.
Beats working for a pittance in a pub...
WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO SINCE JANUARY
Unfortunately not much really, since I’ve been pretty much stuck here working. I've worked in the London British Education Trade Show, went to a football soccer match (Port Vale vs. Swindon), walked through snow, proposed marriage to Cheryl the pretty funny 24yo welsh school librarian (long story – the kids made me do it I swear!), a few parties, visits to friends and some little trips to Wales and parts of England..
A PARTY IN PETERBOROUGH, EAST ANGLIA
Went to Peterborough for Jasmine's birthday party, a 27yo English gal who I met in Lisbon, Portugal last year. A very independent lively vet nurse with an admirable tendency to know what she wants and then does it. She's worked in many places around the world that people dream of, from working at an orphanage in Madagascar, to vet nursing in Ibiza.
The party was also a farewell party as she is going to South America and the Galapagos, followed by Australia. Unfortunately she'd be back in England by the time I get home, but she may come back on a work visa if she can find decent work in Oz.
Peterborough, like most East Anglia towns, has an impressive gothic cathedral to rival Spain and France. It also boasts a Greyhound racing stadium (I made a net loss of 40p) which is where the party was held. That's about all Peterborough seemingly offers though.
RAMSEY - NAMED AFTER A RAM
The party ended up in her little home village of Ramsey, in the only pub that was open till 1am, meaning the whole village was in there drinking - it was that crowded! And apparently it was one of their quieter nights!
Legend speaks about a ram and a bull having a fight on top of a hill. The ram won. For some reason the town though it was such a significant event that it was worth naming itself after it.
Ramsey's "attractions" consist of an onion factory and a new windmill. Hmmm. Actually, it does have the largest Abbey in England (big, bold, beautiful - an interesting place to go to school which it is now used for).
BIRMINGHAM - A SHOPPERS PARADISE
Birmingham is England's second largest city, and indeed a shopper’s heaven, with shopping malls, shopping malls, and shopping malls...and did I mention shopping malls? And if that wasn't enough, there are outdoor shopping malls and walkways (lined with, funnily enough, shops) linking all the malls to each other!
But apart from that, Birmingham does have some impressive neoclassical and gothic Victorian architecture around the joint.
Also a very noticeable large ethnic population - Anglo Saxon people do seem to be the minority.
CARDIFF, THE WELSH CAPITAL
Went to Cardiff to visit Aurore - a 22yo sweet melancholy French girl from Rennes, Brittany. A penchant for creperies, good coffee, soppy movies, fashion, and anything French (just like a typical French girl), she was an au pair who lived nearby and hung out with me before the uncontrollable kids finally made her give up and go live and work in a casino in Cardiff instead! Alors!
Anyway, Cardiff - a university city with its state of the art football stadium that seems to dominate over everything else in the city. Apparently one of the best entertainment venues in Europe is the Millennium centre by the waterfront. Pleasant, but not the most exciting city I’ve been too (but then I’ve been spoilt).
SWANSEA, AN UGLY PRETTY TOWN
During school holidays I Went to Swansea and Gower Peninsula nearby - considered an area of outstanding natural beauty in the UK. Unfortunately, the poor weather and a nasty fever made me ditch my plan to go to the picturesque Brecon Beacons mountain national park afterwards.
Anyway, Swansea... Despite everyone's opinion that it is an ugly town, I thought it wasn't so bad...in certain parts anyway. The town is surrounded by hills that have along its slopes colourful muted townhouses with peaked roofs all lined up close next to each other, facing the sandy beach below which goes out for miles in low tide.
Swansea has not much to see, besides the small ruined castle, the beach, the largest Tesco convenience store I’ve ever seen, and a prison on the beach - meaning that prisoners can smell and hear the beach, but can't see or enjoy it. That'll teach them!
However, Swansea does has a vibrant nightlife, all seemingly centred on a small street in the city centre where a plethora of bars, clubs, pubs, and shivering girls in short skirts and furry boots (fashion similar to Bristol) abound.
In all, I do like Wales... the countryside is beautiful indeed, and the people are extremely friendly and talkative with a great sense of humour. Shame about the lousy weather though.
MY FUTURE PLANS
I'm going to Morocco for 2 weeks during the Easter break, then at the end of April I plan to leave for Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Rep, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, then back to England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, then back home by December this year. That's the idea anyway...
Au revoir!
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
James' German xmas and Berlin New Year
Hildesheim - Hasede - Berlin - Potsdam - Longwell Green (BRISTOL, ENGLAND)
Hey peoples,
Sorry, this is going to be a long one, haven't written for a long while,
So deep intake of breath, and -
stage left to
BREMEN
Left Bremen after having dinner with locals in their student residence, then taken to a club called "The Tower" which was pretty cool... which left me with not much sleep which was bad because I had to meet Charlotte and her family the next day..
CHARLOTTE
For those who don't know, Charlotte is a 22yo German girl I met at CEBIT Trade show when I was working there for a week in Hanover, then we ended up dating when I met up with her in Germersheim, and now just friends (I’ll spare you the details), being invited over to spend xmas with her family...
Anyway, so there I was, emerging at Hildesheim station, tiny flakes of snow drifting down, covering me and the long stemmed rose I had bought with snow like fine icing sugar. I walk, hoping to catch the eyes of my friend waiting for me, and then... I walked right past her*! Whoops!
(*I did the same thing to her in Germersheim. Don't know how or why, I mean, how hard is it to spot a blond haired blue eyed girl in a crowd in Germany anyway? )
Charlotte actually lives in Hasede, a tiny old village in the outskirts of Hildesheim, a small town in the outskirts of Hanover. Nearby is a small forest where, in Autumn, one can go pick and eat wild mushrooms (though some are poisonous).
Charlotte's father is a salesman who LOOKS and ACTS EXACTLY like an older version of Robin Williams (the actor, not Robbie Williams the singer). I kid you not. Funny and kind. The mother is a retired pharmacist, loves to laugh, unfortunately does not speak English so it was difficult to communicate with her without Charlotte around (Charlotte is studying to be a translator).
A GERMAN CHRISTMAS
Christmas in Germany is a lot different to what I expected. In fact, most of the Christmas traditions we know come from the US or England. For example, there is no Christmas turkey, the closest approximation may be a goose. Christmas dinner instead consists usually of various types of sausages, hams, boiled potatoes, and some sort of strange green spinach.
The tree is usually decorated a few days before Christmas, with ornaments made, baked or bought. Real candles are placed on the tree, but only lit on Christmas eve onwards, and only in the presence of other people (for sensible reasons).
Christmas eve is the main day of celebration, with Christmas dinner, followed by the lighting of the candles on the tree. Carols may be sung (I played the piano while they all sung in German), then the opening of presents commences, usually handed in person from the giver to the receiver. All these events are celebrated with much wine and champagne...
Afterwards, should you feel so inclined, you would go to the Christmas Midnight Mass, which was quite nice despite it all being in German. The choir and orchestra would sing/play many hymns, which I tried to sing along with as best I could.
Anyway, when Christmas was over, I farewelled Charlotte and her family and took off to spend New Years in Berlin...
BERLIN NIGHTLIFE
So, there I was again in Berlin, the first place I had visited on my own. Having already done most of the touristy things, I thought I’d instead investigate what Berlin is famous for - the nightlife.
Much money was spent, drinks consumed, beautiful girls met, friends made, and of course lots of fun had! Most nights I didn't get home till 7am.
Some of the places I ended up visiting were:
-A-Trane (an expensive Jazz bar in West Berlin),
-Goldmans Bar (Me and mates cheated on Bingo night by crossing most numbers and yelling out "Bingo!" when a number was called that existed on our card. People were too drunk to notice!)
-Delicious Doughnuts (small groovy place, plays acid jazz etc)
-Mudd (dingy basement off main street, plays alternative music)
-Red Saloon (big nice place, played Britpop when I was there)
-Watergate (Great views on the edge of the River Spree, played good D&B and okish trance when there)
-Tacheles (large squat house in east Berlin, filled with squatter run bars, clubs, even a cinema and art gallery. Awesome trance/techno, chill out room)
-Kulturbrewerei (large place, 13 floors, in the backstreets of East Berlin)
-Dunukler (one of the oldest clubs in East Berlin, played gothic music when I was there)
-Matrix (Huge place, went to student rock night, lots of fun)
THE VERDICT
So, what can I say about Berlin Nightlife? It ROCKS! Berlin has something for everyone, from Goth Rock to Acid Jazz to Drum and Bass to Rock/Pop to Techno/Trance... On New Years it even had an American Country/Western music event - for 50euros!
Berlin has a vast number of clubs, bars and cafes that allow this diversity, due to the fact that Berlin has no real centre. You have the East centre, the West centre, the centre between the two, the Turkish quarter, the Jewish quarter, the student quarter... which means there are always things happening everywhere, anywhere you happen to be.
Combine this with the 24hr kebab stands, brilliant 24hr public transport, and that Berlin is quite a cheap city (especially on the east side), and what you have is a great place to go party!
Berliners are very much into their techno music, and also has a raging gay scene. Indeed, the odds that you would have accidentally walked into a gay club is very high! (I've done it twice!)
NEW YEARS IN BERLIN
So, New Years Eve in Berlin...
Started by having many drinks at the hostel with a bunch of cool hostel folk, then we all went to the Tiergarten in West Berlin and the front of the Brandenburg Gate. It was teeming with people, it was very hard to move through the packed crowd in front of the huge stage they set up where terrible music was played.
We then decided to move to the other side of the Gate to East Berlin to see what it was like there. They had blocked off entrance to the Brandenburg gate unfortunately so we had to walk around it. However, imagine our shock when we crossed to East Berlin and discovered that we couldn't go back to the West side because it was too full!! They had guards and fences allowing the west to come to the east but not the other way around. I don't know if they see how offensive that action was when you look back and see that was the same purpose of the Berlin Wall!
Anyway, so we were stuck in East Berlin, still we had fun, as we waited for the countdown (which was in German of course), I had a good view from a ledge over the crowd, and when it was new year, fireworks were lit (mainly by the crowd than New Year Organisers), sparklers were lit, and I had a bottle of champagne which I shook, opened, and sprayed over peoples heads! It was a great festive atmosphere, yet also a little scary walking down the main street to Alexanderplatz avoiding being hit or injured by the fireworks and crackers people had lit everywhere.
We decided to crash this house party in East Berlin that someone had told us about. We didn't know the actual apartment number though, just the building and street. So what we did was press all the apartment buzzers and ask each one if this was the house party. We woke up three people before the 4th said "Ja" and buzzed us in without asking who we were. It was quite strange being there because we knew no one, and the person who told us about it never showed up. But we all had fun talking to all of them anyway.
Later on, we went down to Watergate club, where we stayed for the rest of the night.
And, if I wasn't tired enough from New Years Eve, the next day (New Years Day), we all went to Tacheles and I didn't go home till 2PM!
TOURISTY THINGS
I did do some touristy things though, mainly things I had missed. The Checkpoint Charlie museum for one, which depicted how people tried to get over the wall, via rope and pulley, tunnels, swimming, rafting to Denmark, construction of home made gliders, planes and even a hot air balloon, modified cars with hidden spaces, stolen identities...one person even escaped between two hollowed surfboards tied to the roof of a car!
The Jewish museum is a must see for those into modern architecture. It was designed as a smashed star of David, with angular walls, floors etc to create the feeling of despair, desolation and disorientation experienced by the Jews.
Did a day trip to Potsdam, just outside Berlin, where a number of beautiful neoclassical/baroque palaces, residences, gardens and parks were built.
SO WHERE AM I NOW?
And now I am back in Longwell Green, Bristol, England, for another few months working to make some money to finance the next part of my travels. Just recently got back from a week in London working at the British Education Technology Trade show. More on that next time I write.
FUTURE TRAVELS
My plans are to leave in mid March to go to Egypt, (possibly Jordan, Israel, Cyprus) to Turkey, then Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia/Czech, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moscow, St Petersburg, Finland, Norway, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, then back home at the end of November.
Phew! Done. It wasn't that bad now was it?
Till next time,
Adios,
James
Hey peoples,
Sorry, this is going to be a long one, haven't written for a long while,
So deep intake of breath, and -
stage left to
BREMEN
Left Bremen after having dinner with locals in their student residence, then taken to a club called "The Tower" which was pretty cool... which left me with not much sleep which was bad because I had to meet Charlotte and her family the next day..
CHARLOTTE
For those who don't know, Charlotte is a 22yo German girl I met at CEBIT Trade show when I was working there for a week in Hanover, then we ended up dating when I met up with her in Germersheim, and now just friends (I’ll spare you the details), being invited over to spend xmas with her family...
Anyway, so there I was, emerging at Hildesheim station, tiny flakes of snow drifting down, covering me and the long stemmed rose I had bought with snow like fine icing sugar. I walk, hoping to catch the eyes of my friend waiting for me, and then... I walked right past her*! Whoops!
(*I did the same thing to her in Germersheim. Don't know how or why, I mean, how hard is it to spot a blond haired blue eyed girl in a crowd in Germany anyway? )
Charlotte actually lives in Hasede, a tiny old village in the outskirts of Hildesheim, a small town in the outskirts of Hanover. Nearby is a small forest where, in Autumn, one can go pick and eat wild mushrooms (though some are poisonous).
Charlotte's father is a salesman who LOOKS and ACTS EXACTLY like an older version of Robin Williams (the actor, not Robbie Williams the singer). I kid you not. Funny and kind. The mother is a retired pharmacist, loves to laugh, unfortunately does not speak English so it was difficult to communicate with her without Charlotte around (Charlotte is studying to be a translator).
A GERMAN CHRISTMAS
Christmas in Germany is a lot different to what I expected. In fact, most of the Christmas traditions we know come from the US or England. For example, there is no Christmas turkey, the closest approximation may be a goose. Christmas dinner instead consists usually of various types of sausages, hams, boiled potatoes, and some sort of strange green spinach.
The tree is usually decorated a few days before Christmas, with ornaments made, baked or bought. Real candles are placed on the tree, but only lit on Christmas eve onwards, and only in the presence of other people (for sensible reasons).
Christmas eve is the main day of celebration, with Christmas dinner, followed by the lighting of the candles on the tree. Carols may be sung (I played the piano while they all sung in German), then the opening of presents commences, usually handed in person from the giver to the receiver. All these events are celebrated with much wine and champagne...
Afterwards, should you feel so inclined, you would go to the Christmas Midnight Mass, which was quite nice despite it all being in German. The choir and orchestra would sing/play many hymns, which I tried to sing along with as best I could.
Anyway, when Christmas was over, I farewelled Charlotte and her family and took off to spend New Years in Berlin...
BERLIN NIGHTLIFE
So, there I was again in Berlin, the first place I had visited on my own. Having already done most of the touristy things, I thought I’d instead investigate what Berlin is famous for - the nightlife.
Much money was spent, drinks consumed, beautiful girls met, friends made, and of course lots of fun had! Most nights I didn't get home till 7am.
Some of the places I ended up visiting were:
-A-Trane (an expensive Jazz bar in West Berlin),
-Goldmans Bar (Me and mates cheated on Bingo night by crossing most numbers and yelling out "Bingo!" when a number was called that existed on our card. People were too drunk to notice!)
-Delicious Doughnuts (small groovy place, plays acid jazz etc)
-Mudd (dingy basement off main street, plays alternative music)
-Red Saloon (big nice place, played Britpop when I was there)
-Watergate (Great views on the edge of the River Spree, played good D&B and okish trance when there)
-Tacheles (large squat house in east Berlin, filled with squatter run bars, clubs, even a cinema and art gallery. Awesome trance/techno, chill out room)
-Kulturbrewerei (large place, 13 floors, in the backstreets of East Berlin)
-Dunukler (one of the oldest clubs in East Berlin, played gothic music when I was there)
-Matrix (Huge place, went to student rock night, lots of fun)
THE VERDICT
So, what can I say about Berlin Nightlife? It ROCKS! Berlin has something for everyone, from Goth Rock to Acid Jazz to Drum and Bass to Rock/Pop to Techno/Trance... On New Years it even had an American Country/Western music event - for 50euros!
Berlin has a vast number of clubs, bars and cafes that allow this diversity, due to the fact that Berlin has no real centre. You have the East centre, the West centre, the centre between the two, the Turkish quarter, the Jewish quarter, the student quarter... which means there are always things happening everywhere, anywhere you happen to be.
Combine this with the 24hr kebab stands, brilliant 24hr public transport, and that Berlin is quite a cheap city (especially on the east side), and what you have is a great place to go party!
Berliners are very much into their techno music, and also has a raging gay scene. Indeed, the odds that you would have accidentally walked into a gay club is very high! (I've done it twice!)
NEW YEARS IN BERLIN
So, New Years Eve in Berlin...
Started by having many drinks at the hostel with a bunch of cool hostel folk, then we all went to the Tiergarten in West Berlin and the front of the Brandenburg Gate. It was teeming with people, it was very hard to move through the packed crowd in front of the huge stage they set up where terrible music was played.
We then decided to move to the other side of the Gate to East Berlin to see what it was like there. They had blocked off entrance to the Brandenburg gate unfortunately so we had to walk around it. However, imagine our shock when we crossed to East Berlin and discovered that we couldn't go back to the West side because it was too full!! They had guards and fences allowing the west to come to the east but not the other way around. I don't know if they see how offensive that action was when you look back and see that was the same purpose of the Berlin Wall!
Anyway, so we were stuck in East Berlin, still we had fun, as we waited for the countdown (which was in German of course), I had a good view from a ledge over the crowd, and when it was new year, fireworks were lit (mainly by the crowd than New Year Organisers), sparklers were lit, and I had a bottle of champagne which I shook, opened, and sprayed over peoples heads! It was a great festive atmosphere, yet also a little scary walking down the main street to Alexanderplatz avoiding being hit or injured by the fireworks and crackers people had lit everywhere.
We decided to crash this house party in East Berlin that someone had told us about. We didn't know the actual apartment number though, just the building and street. So what we did was press all the apartment buzzers and ask each one if this was the house party. We woke up three people before the 4th said "Ja" and buzzed us in without asking who we were. It was quite strange being there because we knew no one, and the person who told us about it never showed up. But we all had fun talking to all of them anyway.
Later on, we went down to Watergate club, where we stayed for the rest of the night.
And, if I wasn't tired enough from New Years Eve, the next day (New Years Day), we all went to Tacheles and I didn't go home till 2PM!
TOURISTY THINGS
I did do some touristy things though, mainly things I had missed. The Checkpoint Charlie museum for one, which depicted how people tried to get over the wall, via rope and pulley, tunnels, swimming, rafting to Denmark, construction of home made gliders, planes and even a hot air balloon, modified cars with hidden spaces, stolen identities...one person even escaped between two hollowed surfboards tied to the roof of a car!
The Jewish museum is a must see for those into modern architecture. It was designed as a smashed star of David, with angular walls, floors etc to create the feeling of despair, desolation and disorientation experienced by the Jews.
Did a day trip to Potsdam, just outside Berlin, where a number of beautiful neoclassical/baroque palaces, residences, gardens and parks were built.
SO WHERE AM I NOW?
And now I am back in Longwell Green, Bristol, England, for another few months working to make some money to finance the next part of my travels. Just recently got back from a week in London working at the British Education Technology Trade show. More on that next time I write.
FUTURE TRAVELS
My plans are to leave in mid March to go to Egypt, (possibly Jordan, Israel, Cyprus) to Turkey, then Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia/Czech, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moscow, St Petersburg, Finland, Norway, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, then back home at the end of November.
Phew! Done. It wasn't that bad now was it?
Till next time,
Adios,
James
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
James visits the German Christmas Markets
Lubeck - Hamburg - Bremen
Gutentag!
A few last things about Scandinavia....
Stockholm: A shoppers paradise, filled to the brim with department stores, gallerias and designer clothes shops. If you can afford it that is.
Copenhagen: A bikers paradise, filled to the brim with bikes left in every nook and cranny in the streets, against shops, congregating in the middle of a square, all seemingly abandoned, but cunningly locked securely. In fact bikes have so much power I think they even get more footpath space than us lowly pedestrians. Speaking of walking my leg has improved a lot since I walked into a lamp post the other day...
And then I went to Germany...
Arrived in Lubeck at night, the best time to really admire the town with the laser lights beaming from the towers of the cathedral in the centre of town to the towers on the beautiful large medieval city gate, almost looking like tightropes made of coloured light. Lubeck is a town that many people don't care to visit: usually they catch a cheap EasyJet or RyanAir flight to its airport and then catch a bus direct to Hamburg, without even stopping to admire this beautiful medieval red brick town, with Romanesque/gothic striking architecture, and the friendly people.
Nobody does Christmas markets like Germany!
And why not, as the markets, much like most Christmas traditions, all mainly stem from Germany itself. After all, isn't that why I’m here now? (Or am I deluding myself and am really here to see about a girl? (who I’m seeing tomorrow) )
So what is a Christmas market? Basically the townsfolk set up wooden huts/stalls decorated with Christmas lights, tinsel, greenery etc, and sell (exquisite expensive) Christmas decorations, candy, gifts, and all sorts of good food and wine. "Gluhwein" is a spicy hot wine, good for the cold days - bratwurst sausage and roast stands, fried potato cakes, battered fish, burgers... sautéed champignons with onion and garlic yogurt sauce is not what I expected to see but it's everywhere...
There's also rides, Ferris wheels, Christmas parades, musicians... In Hamburg even a flying Santa and reindeer - they tied a sleigh to a rope between the town hall and another building on the other side of the square, then a motor dragged it through to the other side. Only problem was once they got to the other side, the only way Santa could go was BACKWARDS to where he started. Which slightly destroyed the illusion of "bye kids, Santa is leaving now" but hey it's the thought that counts!
Hamburg is Germany's 2nd largest city. It also is one of the largest ports in the world, and Hamburg's Reeperbahn has reputedly more prostitutes than Amsterdam.
More expensive too, but hey how would I know?
Still, there's lots more to see in Hamburg. I've been through the famous Alter ElbeTunnel (Old tunnel under the Elbe river), which I have recently noted features in many German film clips!
Not many people are backpacking these days, in fact there's only a tiny few people in the hostels I’ve been in Germany, and they only speak German so I’ve been pretty much on my own these last days.
Bremen is a nice town, has a very dramatic town centre with the twin tall towers of the cathedral imposing itself over the rest of the square - the spectacularly intricately garnished town hall adding to its glory. Not to mention the bright colourful Christmas market in the square itself! And a first for them - they also now have a
medieval Christmas market too!
Visited the Becks Brewery there, where I had consumed many free beverages (which this email is being written under the influence of),
and met some locals, who will show me around Bremen tonight...
Speaking of which I’m about to go meet them, so...
Frohe Weihnachten!
James
Gutentag!
A few last things about Scandinavia....
Stockholm: A shoppers paradise, filled to the brim with department stores, gallerias and designer clothes shops. If you can afford it that is.
Copenhagen: A bikers paradise, filled to the brim with bikes left in every nook and cranny in the streets, against shops, congregating in the middle of a square, all seemingly abandoned, but cunningly locked securely. In fact bikes have so much power I think they even get more footpath space than us lowly pedestrians. Speaking of walking my leg has improved a lot since I walked into a lamp post the other day...
And then I went to Germany...
Arrived in Lubeck at night, the best time to really admire the town with the laser lights beaming from the towers of the cathedral in the centre of town to the towers on the beautiful large medieval city gate, almost looking like tightropes made of coloured light. Lubeck is a town that many people don't care to visit: usually they catch a cheap EasyJet or RyanAir flight to its airport and then catch a bus direct to Hamburg, without even stopping to admire this beautiful medieval red brick town, with Romanesque/gothic striking architecture, and the friendly people.
Nobody does Christmas markets like Germany!
And why not, as the markets, much like most Christmas traditions, all mainly stem from Germany itself. After all, isn't that why I’m here now? (Or am I deluding myself and am really here to see about a girl? (who I’m seeing tomorrow) )
So what is a Christmas market? Basically the townsfolk set up wooden huts/stalls decorated with Christmas lights, tinsel, greenery etc, and sell (exquisite expensive) Christmas decorations, candy, gifts, and all sorts of good food and wine. "Gluhwein" is a spicy hot wine, good for the cold days - bratwurst sausage and roast stands, fried potato cakes, battered fish, burgers... sautéed champignons with onion and garlic yogurt sauce is not what I expected to see but it's everywhere...
There's also rides, Ferris wheels, Christmas parades, musicians... In Hamburg even a flying Santa and reindeer - they tied a sleigh to a rope between the town hall and another building on the other side of the square, then a motor dragged it through to the other side. Only problem was once they got to the other side, the only way Santa could go was BACKWARDS to where he started. Which slightly destroyed the illusion of "bye kids, Santa is leaving now" but hey it's the thought that counts!
Hamburg is Germany's 2nd largest city. It also is one of the largest ports in the world, and Hamburg's Reeperbahn has reputedly more prostitutes than Amsterdam.
More expensive too, but hey how would I know?
Still, there's lots more to see in Hamburg. I've been through the famous Alter ElbeTunnel (Old tunnel under the Elbe river), which I have recently noted features in many German film clips!
Not many people are backpacking these days, in fact there's only a tiny few people in the hostels I’ve been in Germany, and they only speak German so I’ve been pretty much on my own these last days.
Bremen is a nice town, has a very dramatic town centre with the twin tall towers of the cathedral imposing itself over the rest of the square - the spectacularly intricately garnished town hall adding to its glory. Not to mention the bright colourful Christmas market in the square itself! And a first for them - they also now have a
medieval Christmas market too!
Visited the Becks Brewery there, where I had consumed many free beverages (which this email is being written under the influence of),
and met some locals, who will show me around Bremen tonight...
Speaking of which I’m about to go meet them, so...
Frohe Weihnachten!
James
Sunday, December 19, 2004
James embraces Swedish culture with meatballs at IKEA
Hej,
Ah, Scandinavia, the place where a Danish pastry is called "Vienna Bread" a hotdog is French, and the PUB is a department store...
Anyway... a flip of a coin sent me via night bus from Copenhagen to STOCKHOLM! Yay!
First impression of Stockholm was the magnificent array of light illuminating the whole city even at 6am when I arrived by overnight bus. In fact all the towns I passed in the night were brightly lit up by thousands of lights... I hate to see the electricity bill in these parts...
Stockholm is a very beautiful city indeed, with bright earthy yellow, red and orange coloured buildings in the old town amid narrow cobbled streets; large baroque townhouses along the several waterfronts; period romantic old villages and houses in the green open-air museum of Skansen park with the Nordic zoo containing wolverines, reindeer, bears and seals; Christmas markets abound selling xmas paraphernalia and candy amid outdoor ice skating rinks filled with children... including me, not the most graceful ice skater mind you, but I survived unscathed...
The hostel I’m staying at is pretty cool. Located close to the centre of Stockholm, it has a free sauna, free pasta, and free internet! How can you go wrong with that? Met some pretty cool people here too; to name a few: - Daan, a funny 19yo Dutch guy who likes watching MTV with a talent of sweet talking his way through anything - then there's Zoe, a funny 23yo funky Aussie chicky who makes jewellery;
Lorna, a Maltese 30yo woman with a beautiful singing voice; Holly and Jasmine, pretty Aussie sisters 19 and 15 years old who we somehow managed to smuggle into all the clubs and bars we went to even though you needed to be 20 or older to enter (thanks to Daan)...
Watched the Noble Prize winners and participants from all over the world entering the Concert hall where the awards ceremony takes place every year in Stockholm on December 10th. Was uneventful but still nice to be part of such an important global occasion.
Also was there for the Lucia light festival, where a very beautiful girl is crowned St Lucia, who, with her crown of candles, is paraded around Stockholm and then sings with her choir at Skansen, and finalised by fireworks (which were pretty dismal apparently). it was funny how all the guys at the hostel were saying how hot she was until someone mentioned she was only about 14! Whoops!
Anyway, to embrace Swedish culture, guess where I went? That's right, IKEA!! The first designer furniture store they ever made right here in Stockholm! And, to further immerse myself in the Swedish experience, I ate Swedish meatballs in their restaurant! Swedish meatballs are nothing special actually, but still something one has to do...
Didn't get the chance to eat Reindeer though, so I guess I won't feel guilty for having eaten Rudolph this Christmas...
Sweden/Stockholm has a few downsides. One is that you can only go to clubs when you're 23 or older, and even some bars won't let you in unless you're at least 20! Also, you can only buy decent "cheap" alcohol at government run bottle/wine shops called "Superbolaget" (which, following Aussie culture of abbreviating everything, I call it the "SysBo"). Otherwise you would have to pay extortionate prices (12-20 AUD) just for a beer in a bar! Stockholm is very expensive, comparable to London...
Did manage to have a very cheap Saturday night clubbing with hostel folk however. Firstly we bought many bottles of wine from the "SysBo", then made our way to a "cheap" bar in the south of Stockholm. Then somehow, Daan managed to sweet talk the security guard at a very popular Swedish nightclub to let us straight in past the queue for free, and then have her look after our coats
all night! (Because the cloakroom was full) Not sure how he did it but we were all very impressed!
Anyway, I’m writing this in a very tired state having just arrived in Copenhagen from overnight bus (so hope this email makes sense), in order to catch another bus to Lubeck, Germany, later today. Then I’ll go to Hamburg, then Bremen, then Xmas in Hildesheim...
Ah, Scandinavia, the place where a Danish pastry is called "Vienna Bread" a hotdog is French, and the PUB is a department store...
Anyway... a flip of a coin sent me via night bus from Copenhagen to STOCKHOLM! Yay!
First impression of Stockholm was the magnificent array of light illuminating the whole city even at 6am when I arrived by overnight bus. In fact all the towns I passed in the night were brightly lit up by thousands of lights... I hate to see the electricity bill in these parts...
Stockholm is a very beautiful city indeed, with bright earthy yellow, red and orange coloured buildings in the old town amid narrow cobbled streets; large baroque townhouses along the several waterfronts; period romantic old villages and houses in the green open-air museum of Skansen park with the Nordic zoo containing wolverines, reindeer, bears and seals; Christmas markets abound selling xmas paraphernalia and candy amid outdoor ice skating rinks filled with children... including me, not the most graceful ice skater mind you, but I survived unscathed...
The hostel I’m staying at is pretty cool. Located close to the centre of Stockholm, it has a free sauna, free pasta, and free internet! How can you go wrong with that? Met some pretty cool people here too; to name a few: - Daan, a funny 19yo Dutch guy who likes watching MTV with a talent of sweet talking his way through anything - then there's Zoe, a funny 23yo funky Aussie chicky who makes jewellery;
Lorna, a Maltese 30yo woman with a beautiful singing voice; Holly and Jasmine, pretty Aussie sisters 19 and 15 years old who we somehow managed to smuggle into all the clubs and bars we went to even though you needed to be 20 or older to enter (thanks to Daan)...
Watched the Noble Prize winners and participants from all over the world entering the Concert hall where the awards ceremony takes place every year in Stockholm on December 10th. Was uneventful but still nice to be part of such an important global occasion.
Also was there for the Lucia light festival, where a very beautiful girl is crowned St Lucia, who, with her crown of candles, is paraded around Stockholm and then sings with her choir at Skansen, and finalised by fireworks (which were pretty dismal apparently). it was funny how all the guys at the hostel were saying how hot she was until someone mentioned she was only about 14! Whoops!
Anyway, to embrace Swedish culture, guess where I went? That's right, IKEA!! The first designer furniture store they ever made right here in Stockholm! And, to further immerse myself in the Swedish experience, I ate Swedish meatballs in their restaurant! Swedish meatballs are nothing special actually, but still something one has to do...
Didn't get the chance to eat Reindeer though, so I guess I won't feel guilty for having eaten Rudolph this Christmas...
Sweden/Stockholm has a few downsides. One is that you can only go to clubs when you're 23 or older, and even some bars won't let you in unless you're at least 20! Also, you can only buy decent "cheap" alcohol at government run bottle/wine shops called "Superbolaget" (which, following Aussie culture of abbreviating everything, I call it the "SysBo"). Otherwise you would have to pay extortionate prices (12-20 AUD) just for a beer in a bar! Stockholm is very expensive, comparable to London...
Did manage to have a very cheap Saturday night clubbing with hostel folk however. Firstly we bought many bottles of wine from the "SysBo", then made our way to a "cheap" bar in the south of Stockholm. Then somehow, Daan managed to sweet talk the security guard at a very popular Swedish nightclub to let us straight in past the queue for free, and then have her look after our coats
all night! (Because the cloakroom was full) Not sure how he did it but we were all very impressed!
Anyway, I’m writing this in a very tired state having just arrived in Copenhagen from overnight bus (so hope this email makes sense), in order to catch another bus to Lubeck, Germany, later today. Then I’ll go to Hamburg, then Bremen, then Xmas in Hildesheim...
Wednesday, December 8, 2004
Injured James ponders life in a cafe in Copenhagen
Copenhagen - Malmo
Hej!
Still in Copenhagen as you can tell. Why aren't I instead gallivanting around the city or other towns in Denmark you ask? Because I’ve been silly enough to injure my right knee and left calf, that’s why, being to self absorbed enjoying and walking the sights all over Copenhagen, I’ve overexerted my poor legs. Not to mention the sudden transition from hot Melbourne weather to cold Copenhagen weather has not been friendly to one's joints...
Not a good situation to be in, seeing that I’m supposed to be backpacking and all. Health is the most important thing to a backpacker, for without it you cannot really travel. Having said that, it hasn't stopped me and this Italian guy (Antonio) - who had sprained his ankle - from limping to the Carlsberg brewery for the free tour and beers, both limping on the right leg, arms outstretched, yelling "Beer!" in true Zombie like fashion!
As you can see I’m not the only one to have injured myself. In fact, a girl called Marta (Spanish) has injured her foot from walking too much, and Jason (oz) has lost all feeling in his right heel!
Anyway, Copenhagen is an awesome chilled out place. The city is quite sizable, full of gardens, lakes and canals, peaceful, laid back...the streets are clean, people are friendly, and the city at night is a sight to behold.
I love being in the main pedestrian street mall (1.6km long) at 5pm when it's dark, the smell of roasted caramelized peanuts wafting through the crisp cold air; hordes of shoppers in winter coats hustling and bustling past each other clutching shopping, dinner and Christmas presents; the vast multitude of Christmas lights adorning every nook and cranny, tree and building, colours of white, yellow, green and red, illuminating the clean paved cobblestones; buskers playing all sort of music adding to the festival like atmosphere... there's me, sitting by the fountain with a hot chocolate banana crepe in hand keeping me warm... indeed, these are the moments I truly live for, and appreciate more the beauty of life and what it truly is and has to offer if one were to stop and look, listen, touch, taste it...give life it's due attention, for it is surely a magnificent thing, life - a fragile flame so short, and easily, unexpectedly, and tragically extinguished before you know it.
Sights of Copenhagen include “The Little Mermaid” statue, the palaces and castles, the Carlsberg brewery with the famous elephant statues holding up the Carlsberg brewery tower...also the State of Christiania.
The State of Christiania was a "social experiment" run by squatters who took over a large area of land and the city's abandoned army barracks. What they did was turn it into an area that was outside the jurisdiction of the EU and Copenhagen itself - it has it's own laws, no taxes, people live there in free trade in wooden houses and broken down buildings decorated with artistic graffiti. Here you'd find flea markets, hippies, soft drug dealers (hard drugs were abolished years ago), dirt roads, no cars, the feeling you've stepped out of the EU and back in time. In fact, leaving the place you'd read a sign saying "You are now entering the EU". Clever.
Occasional police raids run through the area, but apart from that the state is pretty much left to its own. Probably due to it being a magnet for tourism.
Did a day trip to Malmo in Sweden with Marta, (Spanish). We caught a bus that went over the very long beautiful silver suspension bridge joining Sweden with Denmark,
I think the longest suspension bridge in the world, several kilometres long, indeed a work of art and ingenious architectural engineering... the waters are of artic white blue colour by day, pitch black at night.
Malmo itself is as chilled out as Copenhagen. The 3rd largest city in Sweden, it's the only city I know that has a picturesque open cemetery in the middle of the town square! The architecture of the place is exquisite, copper roofed ornamented buildings, bronze sculptures all over the place, the many bridges, rivers, canals, gardens...a small outdoor ice skating rink set up in one of the smaller prettier German looking squares under the large trees with it's boughs overladen with thousands of Christmas lights...a sea of large red candles - flames floating over the blackness of the grassy banks in the town square at night, awash with colour and light, is a sight to behold.
I meet a lot of interesting characters on my travels, because I have time left I’ll describe a few:
There’s a Japanese guy here called Nory, who speaks perfect English in true American accent. An ex-hard drug dealer in Washington, he's lived all over the world since the age of 4, from Japan to Africa to America to Europe. Only 18 years of age yet I find him to be a quite worldly, generous, funny character. He's going back to Japan soon to work on a farm. As you do.
Marta is the second Spanish person I’ve become quite good friends with after Erik ("Johnny Depp" look-alike from when I was in Lisbon last year). Marta looks a little like Penelope Cruz. Sorta. A great gal, friendly, a vivacious independent spirit with a good sense of humour - one could easily fall in love with her if you weren't careful. She lives in Pamplona, a final year architecture student with a passion for travel as her father is a ship captain who sails all over the world.
Antonio, as I’ve mentioned before, is not your typical Italian stereotype. A RyanAir steward, looks a little like Jude Law (me and my celebrity look-alike observations - it's your fault Emily! ), is witty, good natured, not sleazy, with a soft heart of gold. A good board game player, he was very sad to part company with us at the hostel.
Anyway, time is now running out, so I’ll keep you all posted on my whereabouts through the rest of Denmark and North Germany soon...
Ciao!
Hej!
Still in Copenhagen as you can tell. Why aren't I instead gallivanting around the city or other towns in Denmark you ask? Because I’ve been silly enough to injure my right knee and left calf, that’s why, being to self absorbed enjoying and walking the sights all over Copenhagen, I’ve overexerted my poor legs. Not to mention the sudden transition from hot Melbourne weather to cold Copenhagen weather has not been friendly to one's joints...
Not a good situation to be in, seeing that I’m supposed to be backpacking and all. Health is the most important thing to a backpacker, for without it you cannot really travel. Having said that, it hasn't stopped me and this Italian guy (Antonio) - who had sprained his ankle - from limping to the Carlsberg brewery for the free tour and beers, both limping on the right leg, arms outstretched, yelling "Beer!" in true Zombie like fashion!
As you can see I’m not the only one to have injured myself. In fact, a girl called Marta (Spanish) has injured her foot from walking too much, and Jason (oz) has lost all feeling in his right heel!
Anyway, Copenhagen is an awesome chilled out place. The city is quite sizable, full of gardens, lakes and canals, peaceful, laid back...the streets are clean, people are friendly, and the city at night is a sight to behold.
I love being in the main pedestrian street mall (1.6km long) at 5pm when it's dark, the smell of roasted caramelized peanuts wafting through the crisp cold air; hordes of shoppers in winter coats hustling and bustling past each other clutching shopping, dinner and Christmas presents; the vast multitude of Christmas lights adorning every nook and cranny, tree and building, colours of white, yellow, green and red, illuminating the clean paved cobblestones; buskers playing all sort of music adding to the festival like atmosphere... there's me, sitting by the fountain with a hot chocolate banana crepe in hand keeping me warm... indeed, these are the moments I truly live for, and appreciate more the beauty of life and what it truly is and has to offer if one were to stop and look, listen, touch, taste it...give life it's due attention, for it is surely a magnificent thing, life - a fragile flame so short, and easily, unexpectedly, and tragically extinguished before you know it.
Sights of Copenhagen include “The Little Mermaid” statue, the palaces and castles, the Carlsberg brewery with the famous elephant statues holding up the Carlsberg brewery tower...also the State of Christiania.
The State of Christiania was a "social experiment" run by squatters who took over a large area of land and the city's abandoned army barracks. What they did was turn it into an area that was outside the jurisdiction of the EU and Copenhagen itself - it has it's own laws, no taxes, people live there in free trade in wooden houses and broken down buildings decorated with artistic graffiti. Here you'd find flea markets, hippies, soft drug dealers (hard drugs were abolished years ago), dirt roads, no cars, the feeling you've stepped out of the EU and back in time. In fact, leaving the place you'd read a sign saying "You are now entering the EU". Clever.
Occasional police raids run through the area, but apart from that the state is pretty much left to its own. Probably due to it being a magnet for tourism.
Did a day trip to Malmo in Sweden with Marta, (Spanish). We caught a bus that went over the very long beautiful silver suspension bridge joining Sweden with Denmark,
I think the longest suspension bridge in the world, several kilometres long, indeed a work of art and ingenious architectural engineering... the waters are of artic white blue colour by day, pitch black at night.
Malmo itself is as chilled out as Copenhagen. The 3rd largest city in Sweden, it's the only city I know that has a picturesque open cemetery in the middle of the town square! The architecture of the place is exquisite, copper roofed ornamented buildings, bronze sculptures all over the place, the many bridges, rivers, canals, gardens...a small outdoor ice skating rink set up in one of the smaller prettier German looking squares under the large trees with it's boughs overladen with thousands of Christmas lights...a sea of large red candles - flames floating over the blackness of the grassy banks in the town square at night, awash with colour and light, is a sight to behold.
I meet a lot of interesting characters on my travels, because I have time left I’ll describe a few:
There’s a Japanese guy here called Nory, who speaks perfect English in true American accent. An ex-hard drug dealer in Washington, he's lived all over the world since the age of 4, from Japan to Africa to America to Europe. Only 18 years of age yet I find him to be a quite worldly, generous, funny character. He's going back to Japan soon to work on a farm. As you do.
Marta is the second Spanish person I’ve become quite good friends with after Erik ("Johnny Depp" look-alike from when I was in Lisbon last year). Marta looks a little like Penelope Cruz. Sorta. A great gal, friendly, a vivacious independent spirit with a good sense of humour - one could easily fall in love with her if you weren't careful. She lives in Pamplona, a final year architecture student with a passion for travel as her father is a ship captain who sails all over the world.
Antonio, as I’ve mentioned before, is not your typical Italian stereotype. A RyanAir steward, looks a little like Jude Law (me and my celebrity look-alike observations - it's your fault Emily! ), is witty, good natured, not sleazy, with a soft heart of gold. A good board game player, he was very sad to part company with us at the hostel.
Anyway, time is now running out, so I’ll keep you all posted on my whereabouts through the rest of Denmark and North Germany soon...
Ciao!
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Back in the Other Side of the World.
I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!
Well, here I am again, back doing the backpacking thing again....after being back at home for 1 month!!
Of course, in true James style, something has to go wrong with my car the last days before leaving home. Last time it was a parking ticket. This time it was a car accident. I get to my car after my last night out in the city at 2am to find that someone had smashed the car parked behind mine, which in turn was crashed into the back of my car! Luckily the guy who did it was nice enough to leave their name and number, so it will hopefully sort itself out in the hands of my dad while I’m away for another year or so....
Anyway, had a very long plane trip from Melbourne to London, followed by an EasyJet flight to Copenhagen. Because I was flying the night before my birthday from Melbourne, effectively I had celebrated my birthday 3 times due to the time zone changes, 1 in Oz, 1 in Singapore (stopover), and 1 in London/Copenhagen! However, even though it mentioned the fact it was my birthday to many places in hopes for discounts, I got none! Except an extra bottle of red wine on the plane, but they are all complimentary anyway!! Oh well...
Cold. Dark. Wet. Christmassy. These were the first impressions of Copenhagen in my head as I arrived after a long trip from home. But I’m loving it. More on that in one of my big emails later.
I'm a little worried that a lot of hostels have closed for the winter meaning there will be many places where I won't be able to find a place to stay.
But I’m optimistic that things will work out...
So, plans for the moment are to spend this month in Denmark and north Germany, spending Xmas to New Year with Charlotte and family in Hildesheim, then fly back to Bristol to do some more work till my working holiday visa runs out in May...
Well, here I am again, back doing the backpacking thing again....after being back at home for 1 month!!
Of course, in true James style, something has to go wrong with my car the last days before leaving home. Last time it was a parking ticket. This time it was a car accident. I get to my car after my last night out in the city at 2am to find that someone had smashed the car parked behind mine, which in turn was crashed into the back of my car! Luckily the guy who did it was nice enough to leave their name and number, so it will hopefully sort itself out in the hands of my dad while I’m away for another year or so....
Anyway, had a very long plane trip from Melbourne to London, followed by an EasyJet flight to Copenhagen. Because I was flying the night before my birthday from Melbourne, effectively I had celebrated my birthday 3 times due to the time zone changes, 1 in Oz, 1 in Singapore (stopover), and 1 in London/Copenhagen! However, even though it mentioned the fact it was my birthday to many places in hopes for discounts, I got none! Except an extra bottle of red wine on the plane, but they are all complimentary anyway!! Oh well...
Cold. Dark. Wet. Christmassy. These were the first impressions of Copenhagen in my head as I arrived after a long trip from home. But I’m loving it. More on that in one of my big emails later.
I'm a little worried that a lot of hostels have closed for the winter meaning there will be many places where I won't be able to find a place to stay.
But I’m optimistic that things will work out...
So, plans for the moment are to spend this month in Denmark and north Germany, spending Xmas to New Year with Charlotte and family in Hildesheim, then fly back to Bristol to do some more work till my working holiday visa runs out in May...
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Greek Island Hopping and the Peloponese
Santorini - Foleganoros - Sikonos - Ios - Naxos - Paros - Antiparos - Athens - Nafplio - Mycenae - Corinth Isthmus - Olympia - Gythio - Areopoli - Monemvasia - Sparta - Mystras - Athens
G'day youse guys,
Greeks seem to have a distorted perception of distance/time. For example, Greeks never run buses on time - if it ever arrives that is - basically the buses will arrive when it feels like it! A bus arriving an hour later is not unusual. In fact, one should just ignore the timetables and ask the person at the bus ticket office when the bus will arrive.
Though this has it's problems too, as one person's perception of "5 minutes" is someone elses "20". Same with distance. As a general example I found that 200m=600m, 500m=800m, 800m=1.5km, 1.5km=800m, 2km=get a bus/taxi cause it's a 1hr walk!
Also, the more rushed you are to get to your destination to say, catch a bus (that will turn up on time only if you're in a rush), the shorter the distance they claim it is, and the further away the distance it really is in reality!
But Greece is an absolutely wonderful place!
Anyway... left Santorini to go to Paros with some friend called Dave (Canadian). Because the ferry had to stop at several islands (Folendoros, Sikonos, Ios, Naxos), we decided to jump off the ferry at each stop, take photos of each other standing on the island, then hop back on the ferry, so we can say that we had visited the island. From memory, Folendoros was a small rocky island with a tiny white village; Sikonos was a larger version of such. Ios was even bigger with a nice beach visible. Naxos was the biggest, looking a lot greener and mountainous too.
Paros is a smaller version of Naxos. However we arrived to find it pretty quiet - the Greek islands are now practically dead - there are almost no tourists around and most of the shops and hotels have closed for the coming winter. Also the weather has gotten a little chillier and windier (which is why I skipped Mykonos and Delos and went straight to Athens after Paros/Antiparos).
Anyway, me and Dave befriended an Aussie couple at breakfast in a cafe, which was good because they had a car, so we ended
up getting driven all over Paros and Antiparos.
Antiparos, a smaller island close to Paros, has beautiful white beaches and a stunning cave full of stalagmites which went way down into the ground into an abyss - apparently one of Europe’s best caves. Couldn't agree more. Then we went to the beaches, where we found the best rocks to skip into the water. We then built a tiny stone village and temple reminiscent of Stonehenge, and took a picture of it close up so it looks like an authentic ruin. Sorta.
Afterwards we went back to Paros and went to the marble quarries, where they mined all the marble for the ancient Greek temples and sculptures. Played in the quarry and the caves nearby like little kids, then drove to the highest point for spectacular views of the island at all sides, seeing the staggered rock fences along the contours of the island mountains.
Headed back to Athens the next day, where (again) I ended up with hostel folk on the large rock adjacent to the Acropolis, drinking red wine and trying to take photos of our silhouettes against the lights of the Acropolis.
Next day I left Athens for Nafplio, which is considered one of Greece's prettiest towns. It didn't disappoint. Towering over this little harbour town of earth coloured rooftops and white/yellow walls is a huge rock peninsula which on top sits Palamida Fortress. To reach it you have to climb up over 1000 steps. Up there one can climb over the ramparts and walls of the old fortress to breathtaking views of the town below. Nafplio also boasts a castle which is much lower and closer to town. The place is stunning at night when they light up the walls of both fortress and castle. And, if that's not enough, it has a nice pebble beach on the other side of the peninsula.
Did a day trip to Mycenae, which is the old ancient Minoan city where the great Agamenemon ruled. He was the leader of the Greeks against the Trojans in the 10 year Trojan war, where they were trying to get back the famous Helen of Troy, his brother’s wife, from Paris, who was a prince of Troy. As well as gain a bit more land too of course. Anyway, Mycenae has some impressive ruins, the famous Lions gate, the domed graves of Agamenemon and his wife with a almost Egyptian like triangular entrance portal, the circle graves, the old palace where Agamenemon ruled from...
Went to the Corinth Isthmus to see the beautiful man made Isthmus canal. This canal was made to create a shipping lane right through the Peloponnese, effectively separating it from the mainland and making it technically an island. The result is a narrow strip of bright blue water streaming in a straight line between tall white vertical cliff faces. Pretty cool.
Olympia was next on my list. There is pretty much nothing left of Olympia standing, most of it is just pieces of rubble, though the ancient gymnasium has a corridor of thin pillars standing which looks like something could have been there. Also saw the Temple of Zeus (the floor anyway, and one standing column), without the famous Gold and Ivory 12m statue of Zeus - one of the wonders of the Ancient World. Apparently the Greeks moved it to Istanbul to stop it from being destroyed through war, only to have it destroyed in Istanbul by fire. Greeks must be kicking themselves for that one.
Oh, also ran down the old ancient Olympic stadium, a large rectangular area of dirt/sand basically. And saw the Temple of Hera where they light the Olympic torch.
Anyway, went all the way south to Gythio, which is the port of Sparta. Very picturesque buildings line the harbour, as well as a causeway leading to a little islet where allegedly Paris and Helen consummated their affair before eloping and causing the start of the Trojan War. Some trees, some shrubs, a little Byzantine white church, an old medieval tower, and an old lighthouse currently sits on the islet.
Went down to Areopoli, which is a town in a region south of Peloponese called the Lakonian Mani, famed for it's stone towers dotted along wildflower covered coastline. No wildflowers due to it not being spring, but a nice enough town to walk around noting the architecture.
Then I went to Monemvasia, which is one of my favourite places I’ve been to! Staying in the town of Gefyra, which is a picturesque coastal town with nice beaches, one could look across the ocean to see a huge towering outcrop of rock sitting in the middle of the waters, with a causeway linking the two. Walking across and then behind the rock you come across a dark tunnel. Walk through the tunnel and you emerge into a beautiful semi deserted/ruined Byzantine town, which is hidden from view from the mainland. Couldn't stop taking photos of the place as it is very picturesque, especially climbing up to the top of the rock where an old ruined fortress sits. Most of the houses are in ruins due to a massive earthquake which separated the town from the mainland in the first place.
Went to Sparta, which is where I've always wanted to see after learning about the Spartan civilisation in high school.
The planting of vast multitudes of palm trees in an area where palm trees are not normally found does not detract from the fact that Sparta is a uninspiring boring town. The ancient Spartan ruins themselves at the north of the town are merely disappointing piles of rubble, with no entry fee, no staff, and no security (I climbed over the fence to get in because it was locked up - at 3pm!)
One thing did amuse me though, in the main square of modern Sparta there is a gym, right on top of a fast food restaurant! Crazy Greeks.
Did a day trip to Mystras nearby, which is a large Byzantium deserted city of churches, palaces and a castle on top of the mountain on which the town follows down the slopes to the fortified walls at the bottom. Quite fun to explore amongst the ruins along the dangerously broken down paths to magnificent views at the top of the castle walls.
And Now I'm back in Athens, for my last night in Europe (for a while), before heading to London to catch a plane back home to Melbourne.
So, thus ends this particular chapter of my life. It's been an interesting and memorable 14 months away from home, learning heaps about life, myself, and all that sort of thing that one sees on soppy Academy Award winning movies. Or something like that anyway...
Anyway, looks like I’ll only be home for over a month or so. My plans for the future are to go back to Germany in mid December this year for a German Christmas and New Years, then go back to get more work in Bristol, England until my working holiday visa runs out in May. I will then travel to Egypt, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Moscow, St Petersburg, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, possibly Norway, Denmark, North Germany, Netherlands, then back in England in time to start a teaching degree, which may last a few years including teaching in the UK for a while. Then who knows... Of course all this depends on time, money and luck, but fingers crossed hey?
Until my next adventure,
Adios!
James Lee
G'day youse guys,
Greeks seem to have a distorted perception of distance/time. For example, Greeks never run buses on time - if it ever arrives that is - basically the buses will arrive when it feels like it! A bus arriving an hour later is not unusual. In fact, one should just ignore the timetables and ask the person at the bus ticket office when the bus will arrive.
Though this has it's problems too, as one person's perception of "5 minutes" is someone elses "20". Same with distance. As a general example I found that 200m=600m, 500m=800m, 800m=1.5km, 1.5km=800m, 2km=get a bus/taxi cause it's a 1hr walk!
Also, the more rushed you are to get to your destination to say, catch a bus (that will turn up on time only if you're in a rush), the shorter the distance they claim it is, and the further away the distance it really is in reality!
But Greece is an absolutely wonderful place!
Anyway... left Santorini to go to Paros with some friend called Dave (Canadian). Because the ferry had to stop at several islands (Folendoros, Sikonos, Ios, Naxos), we decided to jump off the ferry at each stop, take photos of each other standing on the island, then hop back on the ferry, so we can say that we had visited the island. From memory, Folendoros was a small rocky island with a tiny white village; Sikonos was a larger version of such. Ios was even bigger with a nice beach visible. Naxos was the biggest, looking a lot greener and mountainous too.
Paros is a smaller version of Naxos. However we arrived to find it pretty quiet - the Greek islands are now practically dead - there are almost no tourists around and most of the shops and hotels have closed for the coming winter. Also the weather has gotten a little chillier and windier (which is why I skipped Mykonos and Delos and went straight to Athens after Paros/Antiparos).
Anyway, me and Dave befriended an Aussie couple at breakfast in a cafe, which was good because they had a car, so we ended
up getting driven all over Paros and Antiparos.
Antiparos, a smaller island close to Paros, has beautiful white beaches and a stunning cave full of stalagmites which went way down into the ground into an abyss - apparently one of Europe’s best caves. Couldn't agree more. Then we went to the beaches, where we found the best rocks to skip into the water. We then built a tiny stone village and temple reminiscent of Stonehenge, and took a picture of it close up so it looks like an authentic ruin. Sorta.
Afterwards we went back to Paros and went to the marble quarries, where they mined all the marble for the ancient Greek temples and sculptures. Played in the quarry and the caves nearby like little kids, then drove to the highest point for spectacular views of the island at all sides, seeing the staggered rock fences along the contours of the island mountains.
Headed back to Athens the next day, where (again) I ended up with hostel folk on the large rock adjacent to the Acropolis, drinking red wine and trying to take photos of our silhouettes against the lights of the Acropolis.
Next day I left Athens for Nafplio, which is considered one of Greece's prettiest towns. It didn't disappoint. Towering over this little harbour town of earth coloured rooftops and white/yellow walls is a huge rock peninsula which on top sits Palamida Fortress. To reach it you have to climb up over 1000 steps. Up there one can climb over the ramparts and walls of the old fortress to breathtaking views of the town below. Nafplio also boasts a castle which is much lower and closer to town. The place is stunning at night when they light up the walls of both fortress and castle. And, if that's not enough, it has a nice pebble beach on the other side of the peninsula.
Did a day trip to Mycenae, which is the old ancient Minoan city where the great Agamenemon ruled. He was the leader of the Greeks against the Trojans in the 10 year Trojan war, where they were trying to get back the famous Helen of Troy, his brother’s wife, from Paris, who was a prince of Troy. As well as gain a bit more land too of course. Anyway, Mycenae has some impressive ruins, the famous Lions gate, the domed graves of Agamenemon and his wife with a almost Egyptian like triangular entrance portal, the circle graves, the old palace where Agamenemon ruled from...
Went to the Corinth Isthmus to see the beautiful man made Isthmus canal. This canal was made to create a shipping lane right through the Peloponnese, effectively separating it from the mainland and making it technically an island. The result is a narrow strip of bright blue water streaming in a straight line between tall white vertical cliff faces. Pretty cool.
Olympia was next on my list. There is pretty much nothing left of Olympia standing, most of it is just pieces of rubble, though the ancient gymnasium has a corridor of thin pillars standing which looks like something could have been there. Also saw the Temple of Zeus (the floor anyway, and one standing column), without the famous Gold and Ivory 12m statue of Zeus - one of the wonders of the Ancient World. Apparently the Greeks moved it to Istanbul to stop it from being destroyed through war, only to have it destroyed in Istanbul by fire. Greeks must be kicking themselves for that one.
Oh, also ran down the old ancient Olympic stadium, a large rectangular area of dirt/sand basically. And saw the Temple of Hera where they light the Olympic torch.
Anyway, went all the way south to Gythio, which is the port of Sparta. Very picturesque buildings line the harbour, as well as a causeway leading to a little islet where allegedly Paris and Helen consummated their affair before eloping and causing the start of the Trojan War. Some trees, some shrubs, a little Byzantine white church, an old medieval tower, and an old lighthouse currently sits on the islet.
Went down to Areopoli, which is a town in a region south of Peloponese called the Lakonian Mani, famed for it's stone towers dotted along wildflower covered coastline. No wildflowers due to it not being spring, but a nice enough town to walk around noting the architecture.
Then I went to Monemvasia, which is one of my favourite places I’ve been to! Staying in the town of Gefyra, which is a picturesque coastal town with nice beaches, one could look across the ocean to see a huge towering outcrop of rock sitting in the middle of the waters, with a causeway linking the two. Walking across and then behind the rock you come across a dark tunnel. Walk through the tunnel and you emerge into a beautiful semi deserted/ruined Byzantine town, which is hidden from view from the mainland. Couldn't stop taking photos of the place as it is very picturesque, especially climbing up to the top of the rock where an old ruined fortress sits. Most of the houses are in ruins due to a massive earthquake which separated the town from the mainland in the first place.
Went to Sparta, which is where I've always wanted to see after learning about the Spartan civilisation in high school.
The planting of vast multitudes of palm trees in an area where palm trees are not normally found does not detract from the fact that Sparta is a uninspiring boring town. The ancient Spartan ruins themselves at the north of the town are merely disappointing piles of rubble, with no entry fee, no staff, and no security (I climbed over the fence to get in because it was locked up - at 3pm!)
One thing did amuse me though, in the main square of modern Sparta there is a gym, right on top of a fast food restaurant! Crazy Greeks.
Did a day trip to Mystras nearby, which is a large Byzantium deserted city of churches, palaces and a castle on top of the mountain on which the town follows down the slopes to the fortified walls at the bottom. Quite fun to explore amongst the ruins along the dangerously broken down paths to magnificent views at the top of the castle walls.
And Now I'm back in Athens, for my last night in Europe (for a while), before heading to London to catch a plane back home to Melbourne.
So, thus ends this particular chapter of my life. It's been an interesting and memorable 14 months away from home, learning heaps about life, myself, and all that sort of thing that one sees on soppy Academy Award winning movies. Or something like that anyway...
Anyway, looks like I’ll only be home for over a month or so. My plans for the future are to go back to Germany in mid December this year for a German Christmas and New Years, then go back to get more work in Bristol, England until my working holiday visa runs out in May. I will then travel to Egypt, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Moscow, St Petersburg, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, possibly Norway, Denmark, North Germany, Netherlands, then back in England in time to start a teaching degree, which may last a few years including teaching in the UK for a while. Then who knows... Of course all this depends on time, money and luck, but fingers crossed hey?
Until my next adventure,
Adios!
James Lee
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