Santiago de Compostella - Leon - Burgos - Bilbao - Pamplona - San Sebastian
Egumom (hello in Euskadi/Basque),
Santiago de Compostella (in Gallicia, north west of Spain) is the destination for people all over the world who do a pilgrimage to see the tomb of St James in the Cathedral situated there. Known as the "Camino de Santiago", People would walk, cycle or horse ride at least 100km from different trails across France, Spain and Portugal. Even George Bush’s daughter has just started the Camino, from a place called Astorgas (which I went through the day she left so I just missed her).
Anyway the mass in the cathedral is more like a show than a sermon. TV screens and speakers are located around the interior of the cathedral. At the end of the mass a huge incense burner called a botafumeria is lit and is hung on a big rope dangling from the domed ceiling. Acolytes would then swing the botafumeria back and forth over people’s heads spreading incense everywhere. Afterwards people would cheer and clap! Even the Bishop on stage took photographs while it was swinging!
Next place I ended up in was Leon. Leon has a cathedral and that’s about it. Though the streets are big and people are very friendly there. The cathedral itself is quite impressive too, with 1800sq metres of stained glass windows lighting up the place.
Went to Burgos next. Guess what is there? Yep. Another cathedral! Not as nice as Leon though, but I only went here because I couldn’t get to the Picos de Europa national park as I was planning to due to no public transport.
The weirdest thing happened in Burgos. I was at a cafe when a crazy looking old woman came up to the table next to me where a couple were sitting and she asked the guy to come with her somewhere. For some reason he obeyed, and ended up walking her to the end of the street and around the corner where he didn’t come back for about 5 minutes, in the meantime me and his girlfriend were exchanging bewildered and amused looks. Never did find out what that was about.
I was disappointed in Bilbao (sorry John), it is quite an ugly industrial city, its only salvation is the brilliantly designed Guggenheim museum, which is a metallic modern work of art cross between a fish and a ship.
Pamplona is famous for the San Fermin Festival, with the running of the bulls and the fiestas they have there. Pamplona otherwise is a nice little town with lots of bars and gardens. People from the Navarra area (Pamplona) are really friendly and pleasant to talk to, though they don’t look Spanish, more half Spanish half French.
San Sebastian is awesome! (Jenny you are so right!)
San Sebastian has some really great beaches, spectacular views in the mountains around it, and the nightlife - let’s just say my average time arriving back home from partying was 5am (for 4 nights in a row, despite my insistence that the next night will be "my short quiet night")! Bars next to bars next to bars, and the whole place parties on EVERY night of the week! Pinxos (Tapas) and Sangria are great quality but pricey.
Stayed in a place called "Pension Aussie". Met a lot of Canadians there.
My next destination is somewhere in France. Not quite sure where yet, I will decide once I cross the border where I want to go (either tomorrow or the day after). And this time I mean it when I say I will have a quite night in San Sebastian....
So, some things about Spain:
· I have to stop saying "oh my god" or "holy crap" when I see something cool in a cathedral/church.
· With all the siestas, fiestas and closed weekends, do Spanish people actually ever work? I wonder how they actually make money?
· When one person honks his or her car horn, everyone else decides to join in. Soon everyone in the street is holding his or her car horns down like a choir or orchestra warming up before a performance. Quite amusing actually.
· Some girls insist on wearing the ¨Michael Jackson 80s look¨ with the leather and metal studs, and 80s style makeup/hair. Scary.
· It’s cheaper to buy beer or wine than soft drinks.
· There is a Plaza de Espana in every major town in Spain.
· In Madrid there is a series of bars called ¨Museu de Jamon¨(museum of ham), with looks like a slaughterhouse with the number of hams hanging around the place.
· Spain has a thing called Plato Combinados, which are meals based on a selection of eggs, hams, chips, sausages, rice, salads, etc, for roughly 5-8 euros. Good stuff!
· Even better are the Menu de dias, (menu of the day) which consists of two full dishes of food, bread rolls, a desert, and a choice of a bottle of wine, soft drink or water. For 6-12 euros it is a bargain, and will fill you up for the rest of the day!
· Free tapas only seem to exist in Granada, though in places mainly north of Spain you can get a discounted price on a tapa if you order a drink with it (the price works almost like getting a free drink with a tapa). Very nice!
Spain in a Nutshell
Spain is what I would describe as "a feast for the senses" in that it has beautiful countryside of mountains, gorges, valleys etc, great music, exquisite variety of foods....And Spanish people know how to party! It is usual for them to start at midnight and go all the way to 7am!
However, Spanish people can tend to be rude when they can’t understand you so it’s essential to learn Spanish especially as most people in Spain can’t speak English. People from Basque and Catalunya are nicer than anywhere else in Spain.
Favourite places: Salamanca, Seville, Barcelona, Monserrat, San Sebastian
Worst places: Madrid, Bilbao
Places with best views: Monserrat, San Sebastian
Best meal: Large paella, roast chicken, chips, bread, bottle of wine, custard desert (Menu de dia) - for 7 euros! (Zaragoza)
Worst meal: Cannelloni that had been microwaved from frozen packet - for 5 euros! (Segovia)
Best nightlife: Madrid, Salamanca, San Sebastian
Best beach: San Sebastian
Best building/monument: Plaza de Espana (Seville)
Overrated tourist attraction: Toledo
Underrated Gem: Plaza de Espana (Seville)
Cool people met:
Christian and Ashton (Canadians met in Seville YHA)
Helena (Spanish girl from Pamplona on Barcelona-Zaragoza bus)
Xavier (French dude in Zaragoza YHA - Kleptomaniac and ex heroin addict, but nice guy)
Mike and Jamison (Canadians met in Madrid YHA)
Catharine (Fun Quebec girl met in Madrid YHA and Salamanca)
Carolina (Brazilian girl met in Madrid YHA)
Marie (Spanish girl from Pamplona on Pamplona-San Sebastian bus)
Simon and Georgie (Australians met in San Sebastian pub)
Inga (German girl from Cologne met in San Sebastian pub)
Christina (Canadian girl met in San Sebastian YHA, great fun and just as nerdy as me)
Erin (Canadian girl met in San Sebastian YHA)
Funniest moment(s):
-Badly coordinated group efforts to climb and steal oranges from trees in broad daylight (Seville)
-Me and Christian getting on Spanish TV by climbing a lamp post while drunk (Seville)
-Guy talking in sleep saying "si, si" and "por favor" - wonder what he was dreaming about? (Madrid)
-Defying the despots in Madrid YHA: "They say we have to all be back by 1:30am! We say, screw them, we all come back at 4am!" *Everyone cheers* (Madrid)
-Mixing drinks for people out of a plastic bag in middle of street (Salamanca)
-Catharine in general (especially when drunk)
-People clapping and cheering in church (Santiago de Compostella)
-Old woman walking off with someone’s boyfriend (Burgos)
-Learning Euskadi from the girls at the tourist info office (Pamplona)
-Me and Christina crashing a wedding afterparty and being the only people dancing on the dance floor (San Sebastian)
Foods tried: (I LOVE SPANISH FOOD) Paella, assorted Tapas, assorted Jamon (serrado, iberico, asado), Tortilla de patatas etc, assorted Bocadillos.
Beverages tried: Estrella Dam, San Miguel, Aguila & Amstel beers, Sangria, wines
Spanish Music: (I LOVE SPANISH MUSIC, its dorky and daggy and tacky but then so am I! - must download from internet when I get home)
"Dargostea din tei" - Ozone (actually Romanian but all the rage in Europe)
"Papi Chulo" – Lorna (actually Italian)
"Soy lo que me das" - Chenoa
"Lola" - Bebe
"Oye el Boom" - Dabid Bisbal
Other cultural experiences: Bull Fight (Madrid), Spontaneous flamenco (Seville), Spanish fiestas/festivals (Seville), late night partying
Best thing about Spain: Food, music, countryside, parties...
Worst thing about Spain: Siestas meaning everything is closed in the middle of the day and on sundays! Rude people.
Saturday, May 8, 2004
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
North Portugal
Coimbra - Porto - Braga - Guimaraes - Viana do Castello - Ponte de Lima
You know what I love about Portugal? I arrive in Coimbra from Salamanca (through some really nice mountainous countryside) with no accommodation, maps or any idea where I am late in the afternoon, and everyone I ask for directions is exceptionally friendly and helpful - even the bus driver didn’t want to charge me when he saw I had no change for the bus!
Anyway, Coimbra is a pleasant university town on the top of a hill, but that’s all there really is in the town. But I did learn something - having done a comparative study of the young female population of Salamanca (Spanish university town) and Coimbra (Portuguese university town), I can easily say that Portuguese girls are prettier and nicer than Spanish girls.
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, but like all places in Portugal, they are more like big towns than cities. Porto is famous for its Port wine, which I indulged myself to as much as I could. There is a lot of construction work going on at the moment due to the fact that Porto will be hosting the Eurocup 2004 next month!
Another example of how nice Portuguese people are: I asked a girl if she knew where the bus stop for the bus I wanted to catch was, and she didn’t know. She runs back to me 10 minutes later to tell me she’s asked around and found out where it is!
I’ve expressed to some people how I am getting tired of looking at churches, so where do I end up going to next? Braga. What is Braga known for? Being the religious capital of Portugal and the City of Churches! However I did enjoy being in Braga, sitting in a cafe in the middle of the main plaza, watching an old woman yell at her husband for about an hour. I did go see a church, the famous Bom Jesus, where pilgrims would walk up the many many many steps up the baroque decorated staircase to the church at the top. However, since I am not a pilgrim (and just plain lazy), I just took the old funicular tramway up the mountain instead. (But I did walk down the steps back at least!)
Guimaraes is considered the birthplace of Portugal. Why that is I’m still not sure, but the historic area and castle ruins are nice, but nothing particularly special at that place.
Viana do Castello is a city by the river and ocean, known as a city of folktales. Though I didn’t really hear any. They do seem to have heaps of shops selling traditional folk clothes though, brightly coloured and decorated red and black dresses with head/neck scarves, aprons and shoes. There is also a cool church called Santa Luiz which is inspired by the Sacre Coeur church in Paris. This church is high up a very big mountain that the city is at the foot of. The views up the top are spectacular and rival the views in Sintra.
More for novelty value rather than comfort, for two nights I chose to sleep on the "Gil Eannes" hospital ship on the river that they converted into a youth hostel and museum. It was alright except I was the only person staying in the hostel, so no one really to say "Ahoy me matey!" to. I was quite disappointed!
My last day in Portugal started with a day trip to Ponte de lima, a beautiful peaceful town, with pretty gardens and an old long roman bridge spanning the river lima, with some mountains in the background. Muito bonito!
Went back to Viana do Castello for a big traditional Portuguese dinner and watched the UEFA Champions League Final to see Porto happily beat Monaco 3-0. As soon as the game was over EVERYONE in the town came out to the main street cheering, singing and chanting football songs and waving Portugal and Porto scarves and flags! Cars came driving through the street honking and flashing the lights and people were rocking the cars - it was an awesome party atmosphere and a great way to end my last day in Portugal, with a street party! Am I lucky or what?
Portugal in a Nutshell
I love Portugal, it is my favourite country (so far), and I will seriously consider settling in the country one day in the future....
Favourite place: Sintra (views, palace, ruins, village, gardens)
Worst place: Portalegre (due to rain and boredom)
Place with best views: Sintra, Ponte de Piade (Lagos), Santa Luiz (Viana do Castello)
Best meal: Nazare fish Casserole (Nazare)
Worst meal: Breakfasts at YHA's
Best nightlife: Lagos, Bairro Alto (Lisbon)
Best beach: Lagos
Best building/monument: Pena Palace (Sintra), Jeronimos Monastery (Lisbon)
Overrated tourist attraction: Belem Tower (Lisbon), Nations Park (Lisbon), Capo de St Vincent (Sagres)
Underrated Gem: Castle gardens (Abrantes), Ponte de Piade coast (Lagos), Castle chapel (Tomar).
Funniest moment(s):
-Enduring "Museum Appariticoes 1917" terrible light and sound show (Fatima).
-Note passed to Jasmine by love-lorn Brazilian guy during Fado performance (Lisbon)
-Watching a Portuguese old guy put on my "Aussie" hat and trying to act Australian. (Portalegre)
Unusual moment(s):
-Watching guy water a park bench (Lisbon).
-Being escorted by group of old people to YHA (Abrantes)
-Sign in cafe: "We have snails" (Viana do Castello)
Scary moment(s):
-Almost losing my luggage on arrival to Lisbon airport.
-Getting a haircut from someone who only speaks Portuguese (Porto)
Foods tried: bacalhau (dried cod fish served in a thousand different ways), Pastel de Natas (and similar custard cream pastries), Caldo Verde (cabbage soup), fish cakes
Beverages tried: Sagres beer, Superbock beer, port wines
Other cultural experiences: Fado performance (Lisbon), Impromptu Football Street Party (Viana do Castello)
Architecture: Manueline. Acelejos tiled walls. Mosaic patterned cobbled pavements, the pattern being
different in each town. Yellow, blue and white painted walls, window frames and doors.
Cool people met:
Erik (Spanish Johnny Depp look-alike)
Jasmine (Eccentric English girl)
David and Kirsten (Americans studying in Granada)
David (Lagos YHA worker)
Biggest rip off:
Handful of dried bananas - 3 euros (Nazare)
Best deal(s):
-3 Monkeys "All day breakfast" cocktail - A cocktail in a pint glass with 6 shots of white spirits - for 2
euros! (Lagos)
Best thing about Portugal: The friendly people, the peaceful beautiful towns and villages...
Worst thing about Portugal: Too far from home back in Australia to visit often.
Anyway, that’s all about Portugal *sob* back into Spain....
You know what I love about Portugal? I arrive in Coimbra from Salamanca (through some really nice mountainous countryside) with no accommodation, maps or any idea where I am late in the afternoon, and everyone I ask for directions is exceptionally friendly and helpful - even the bus driver didn’t want to charge me when he saw I had no change for the bus!
Anyway, Coimbra is a pleasant university town on the top of a hill, but that’s all there really is in the town. But I did learn something - having done a comparative study of the young female population of Salamanca (Spanish university town) and Coimbra (Portuguese university town), I can easily say that Portuguese girls are prettier and nicer than Spanish girls.
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, but like all places in Portugal, they are more like big towns than cities. Porto is famous for its Port wine, which I indulged myself to as much as I could. There is a lot of construction work going on at the moment due to the fact that Porto will be hosting the Eurocup 2004 next month!
Another example of how nice Portuguese people are: I asked a girl if she knew where the bus stop for the bus I wanted to catch was, and she didn’t know. She runs back to me 10 minutes later to tell me she’s asked around and found out where it is!
I’ve expressed to some people how I am getting tired of looking at churches, so where do I end up going to next? Braga. What is Braga known for? Being the religious capital of Portugal and the City of Churches! However I did enjoy being in Braga, sitting in a cafe in the middle of the main plaza, watching an old woman yell at her husband for about an hour. I did go see a church, the famous Bom Jesus, where pilgrims would walk up the many many many steps up the baroque decorated staircase to the church at the top. However, since I am not a pilgrim (and just plain lazy), I just took the old funicular tramway up the mountain instead. (But I did walk down the steps back at least!)
Guimaraes is considered the birthplace of Portugal. Why that is I’m still not sure, but the historic area and castle ruins are nice, but nothing particularly special at that place.
Viana do Castello is a city by the river and ocean, known as a city of folktales. Though I didn’t really hear any. They do seem to have heaps of shops selling traditional folk clothes though, brightly coloured and decorated red and black dresses with head/neck scarves, aprons and shoes. There is also a cool church called Santa Luiz which is inspired by the Sacre Coeur church in Paris. This church is high up a very big mountain that the city is at the foot of. The views up the top are spectacular and rival the views in Sintra.
More for novelty value rather than comfort, for two nights I chose to sleep on the "Gil Eannes" hospital ship on the river that they converted into a youth hostel and museum. It was alright except I was the only person staying in the hostel, so no one really to say "Ahoy me matey!" to. I was quite disappointed!
My last day in Portugal started with a day trip to Ponte de lima, a beautiful peaceful town, with pretty gardens and an old long roman bridge spanning the river lima, with some mountains in the background. Muito bonito!
Went back to Viana do Castello for a big traditional Portuguese dinner and watched the UEFA Champions League Final to see Porto happily beat Monaco 3-0. As soon as the game was over EVERYONE in the town came out to the main street cheering, singing and chanting football songs and waving Portugal and Porto scarves and flags! Cars came driving through the street honking and flashing the lights and people were rocking the cars - it was an awesome party atmosphere and a great way to end my last day in Portugal, with a street party! Am I lucky or what?
Portugal in a Nutshell
I love Portugal, it is my favourite country (so far), and I will seriously consider settling in the country one day in the future....
Favourite place: Sintra (views, palace, ruins, village, gardens)
Worst place: Portalegre (due to rain and boredom)
Place with best views: Sintra, Ponte de Piade (Lagos), Santa Luiz (Viana do Castello)
Best meal: Nazare fish Casserole (Nazare)
Worst meal: Breakfasts at YHA's
Best nightlife: Lagos, Bairro Alto (Lisbon)
Best beach: Lagos
Best building/monument: Pena Palace (Sintra), Jeronimos Monastery (Lisbon)
Overrated tourist attraction: Belem Tower (Lisbon), Nations Park (Lisbon), Capo de St Vincent (Sagres)
Underrated Gem: Castle gardens (Abrantes), Ponte de Piade coast (Lagos), Castle chapel (Tomar).
Funniest moment(s):
-Enduring "Museum Appariticoes 1917" terrible light and sound show (Fatima).
-Note passed to Jasmine by love-lorn Brazilian guy during Fado performance (Lisbon)
-Watching a Portuguese old guy put on my "Aussie" hat and trying to act Australian. (Portalegre)
Unusual moment(s):
-Watching guy water a park bench (Lisbon).
-Being escorted by group of old people to YHA (Abrantes)
-Sign in cafe: "We have snails" (Viana do Castello)
Scary moment(s):
-Almost losing my luggage on arrival to Lisbon airport.
-Getting a haircut from someone who only speaks Portuguese (Porto)
Foods tried: bacalhau (dried cod fish served in a thousand different ways), Pastel de Natas (and similar custard cream pastries), Caldo Verde (cabbage soup), fish cakes
Beverages tried: Sagres beer, Superbock beer, port wines
Other cultural experiences: Fado performance (Lisbon), Impromptu Football Street Party (Viana do Castello)
Architecture: Manueline. Acelejos tiled walls. Mosaic patterned cobbled pavements, the pattern being
different in each town. Yellow, blue and white painted walls, window frames and doors.
Cool people met:
Erik (Spanish Johnny Depp look-alike)
Jasmine (Eccentric English girl)
David and Kirsten (Americans studying in Granada)
David (Lagos YHA worker)
Biggest rip off:
Handful of dried bananas - 3 euros (Nazare)
Best deal(s):
-3 Monkeys "All day breakfast" cocktail - A cocktail in a pint glass with 6 shots of white spirits - for 2
euros! (Lagos)
Best thing about Portugal: The friendly people, the peaceful beautiful towns and villages...
Worst thing about Portugal: Too far from home back in Australia to visit often.
Anyway, that’s all about Portugal *sob* back into Spain....
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Central Spain
Barcelona - Zaragoza - Madrid - Segovia - Toledo - El Escorial - Avila - Salamanca
Hola!
Zaragoza is another "how on earth did I end up here" town for me (like Nazare in Portugal), I had no plans to go there, but I’m glad I did.
Zaragoza is the capital city of Aragon province (insert bad joke relating to Lord of the Rings here), but to me it seemed like a very big country town. It is a beautiful peaceful city by a dirty brown river.
It was good timing to be in Zaragoza because they had a medieval market around the main cathedral for the whole weekend where everyone dressed in medieval costumes and sold medieval stuff.
Also saw the famous basilica of the pillar, which contains a holy marble pillar that had apparently appearing out of nowhere, left behind after a vision of the Virgin Mary disappeared. Yes, people are worshiping a piece of marble, even decorated it and built a huge cathedral/house for it.
Arrived in Madrid next. I don’t really like Madrid that much, and everyone I’ve met in the youth hostel thinks the same thing. But mainly due to the really bad weather we are having. Madrid just has a whole bunch of museums (I’m not really a museum fan), and gardens, one garden has a cool statue called "The fallen angel", apparently the first statue to be dedicated to the devil.
Madrid is known for its museums (which I didn’t go to many of), and its nightlife (which is great but the hostel we stayed at run by really mean people had a curfew of 1:30am - when the nightlife actually starts! That didn’t stop half the hostel mutinying and turning up at 4am, and they had no choice but to let us in.)
Met some really cool people in Madrid, amongst them two Canadians who are "partying" their way around Europe on 10 euros a day, a funny Quebec girl called Catherine who I went to Salamanca with, a Korean girl travelling on her own with limited English (which goes to show those afraid of travelling alone, especially if you're a girl, how easy it is to travel), some Brazilians...
I even had a nice pretty Brazilian girlfriend named Carolina for a few days before we parted to our different destinations, shame really but that’s what happens when you travel, you met people and then you may never see them again. But then you never know what the future holds...
Went to a bullfight in Madrid. It was interesting and I went for the cultural experience and all, but I felt sorry for the bulls (6 of them being teased and killed in one night - how they call that sport I don’t know). The toreadors were all dressed in glitzy outfits and strutted around with their chests out whenever they succeeded in stabbing the bull etc.
The bullfight would start with several toreadors with pink capes teasing the bull. Then horses with men with long spears would try to stab the bull at the back of its neck a couple of times. Then the toreadors would get some long knives with arrowheads and when the bull charged them, would leap out of the way and stick the knives in the back of its neck. Then the main toreador comes out and with a long sword and red cape will continue stabbing the bull at the back of the neck at each charge, finally getting a sharp long sword and driving it in the back of the neck right into the heart! It really is quite horrific! Though sometimes the bulls are allowed to leave and live when the bull gets too tired too quickly before any real damage is done.
Did some day trips to places like Segovia, which is a beautiful walled city with an enormous aqueduct and an alcazar castle with fairy tale cone shaped turrets (apparently Rapunzel's castle), and houses and buildings with Mudegar decorations and carvings on the walls.
Toledo is a nice old Moorish town with a cathedral with so many intricate ornamentation and decorations almost to the point of being over the top! There are also heaps of swords and medieval stuff there too. Tried a fried deer sandwich and marzipan which Toledo is famous for. Yum, good for me, bad for the deer!
El Escorial has a palace, monetary, basilica, gardens, library, and school, which is pretty ordinary but is saved by the absolutely fantastic mausoleum of marble and gold containing dead kings and members of the royal family etc. All these buildings are contained within a huge building structure.
Avila is a extremely well preserved little walled town up at the highest point in Spain. Its 88 towers and walls are virtually complete and intact. Avila claims to be a town left in nostalgia untouched by modern technology and life. Which is why the kids there have mobile phones and the library has a large number of computers. Hey, wait a minute!
Salamanca rocks!!!
Salamanca is one of my favourite towns in Spain. Huge monolithic colossal old buildings, convents, monasteries and the two cathedrals loom over you as you walk the nice streets and gardens of the Spanish university town. The main plaza is meant to be the prettiest plaza in Spain, though I reckon the Plaza de Espana in Seville is.
Anyway Salamanca has an awesome nightlife, entries to the numerous bars and clubs etc are free, and Salamanca has places called Chupetarias which are cheap 1 euro shot bars that apparently don't really exist anywhere else in Spain or the world! And people there party till noon! I did not sleep much in Salamanca.
Spotted the little frog on the wall of the intricately detailed university facade (with lots of help). Apparently if you can find it you will have extremely good luck coming to you and you will get married. So since I got lots of help I suppose does that mean I will get an arranged marriage?!
Salamanca also has the best kebab place in the world, and it is cheap too! I ate nowhere else in the 3 days I was there and was never sick of it! And others I’ve met and introduced to the place think the same too!
I reckon I may have found my calling in life being a travel advisor, because I ended up helping most of the people I met in Madrid with their travel plans, and I also acted as a travel guide for some people I met in Salamanca! It would be nice to be paid for that sort of thing. That, or a world food critic would be my dream job!
Anyway, back into Portugal next....
Hola!
Zaragoza is another "how on earth did I end up here" town for me (like Nazare in Portugal), I had no plans to go there, but I’m glad I did.
Zaragoza is the capital city of Aragon province (insert bad joke relating to Lord of the Rings here), but to me it seemed like a very big country town. It is a beautiful peaceful city by a dirty brown river.
It was good timing to be in Zaragoza because they had a medieval market around the main cathedral for the whole weekend where everyone dressed in medieval costumes and sold medieval stuff.
Also saw the famous basilica of the pillar, which contains a holy marble pillar that had apparently appearing out of nowhere, left behind after a vision of the Virgin Mary disappeared. Yes, people are worshiping a piece of marble, even decorated it and built a huge cathedral/house for it.
Arrived in Madrid next. I don’t really like Madrid that much, and everyone I’ve met in the youth hostel thinks the same thing. But mainly due to the really bad weather we are having. Madrid just has a whole bunch of museums (I’m not really a museum fan), and gardens, one garden has a cool statue called "The fallen angel", apparently the first statue to be dedicated to the devil.
Madrid is known for its museums (which I didn’t go to many of), and its nightlife (which is great but the hostel we stayed at run by really mean people had a curfew of 1:30am - when the nightlife actually starts! That didn’t stop half the hostel mutinying and turning up at 4am, and they had no choice but to let us in.)
Met some really cool people in Madrid, amongst them two Canadians who are "partying" their way around Europe on 10 euros a day, a funny Quebec girl called Catherine who I went to Salamanca with, a Korean girl travelling on her own with limited English (which goes to show those afraid of travelling alone, especially if you're a girl, how easy it is to travel), some Brazilians...
I even had a nice pretty Brazilian girlfriend named Carolina for a few days before we parted to our different destinations, shame really but that’s what happens when you travel, you met people and then you may never see them again. But then you never know what the future holds...
Went to a bullfight in Madrid. It was interesting and I went for the cultural experience and all, but I felt sorry for the bulls (6 of them being teased and killed in one night - how they call that sport I don’t know). The toreadors were all dressed in glitzy outfits and strutted around with their chests out whenever they succeeded in stabbing the bull etc.
The bullfight would start with several toreadors with pink capes teasing the bull. Then horses with men with long spears would try to stab the bull at the back of its neck a couple of times. Then the toreadors would get some long knives with arrowheads and when the bull charged them, would leap out of the way and stick the knives in the back of its neck. Then the main toreador comes out and with a long sword and red cape will continue stabbing the bull at the back of the neck at each charge, finally getting a sharp long sword and driving it in the back of the neck right into the heart! It really is quite horrific! Though sometimes the bulls are allowed to leave and live when the bull gets too tired too quickly before any real damage is done.
Did some day trips to places like Segovia, which is a beautiful walled city with an enormous aqueduct and an alcazar castle with fairy tale cone shaped turrets (apparently Rapunzel's castle), and houses and buildings with Mudegar decorations and carvings on the walls.
Toledo is a nice old Moorish town with a cathedral with so many intricate ornamentation and decorations almost to the point of being over the top! There are also heaps of swords and medieval stuff there too. Tried a fried deer sandwich and marzipan which Toledo is famous for. Yum, good for me, bad for the deer!
El Escorial has a palace, monetary, basilica, gardens, library, and school, which is pretty ordinary but is saved by the absolutely fantastic mausoleum of marble and gold containing dead kings and members of the royal family etc. All these buildings are contained within a huge building structure.
Avila is a extremely well preserved little walled town up at the highest point in Spain. Its 88 towers and walls are virtually complete and intact. Avila claims to be a town left in nostalgia untouched by modern technology and life. Which is why the kids there have mobile phones and the library has a large number of computers. Hey, wait a minute!
Salamanca rocks!!!
Salamanca is one of my favourite towns in Spain. Huge monolithic colossal old buildings, convents, monasteries and the two cathedrals loom over you as you walk the nice streets and gardens of the Spanish university town. The main plaza is meant to be the prettiest plaza in Spain, though I reckon the Plaza de Espana in Seville is.
Anyway Salamanca has an awesome nightlife, entries to the numerous bars and clubs etc are free, and Salamanca has places called Chupetarias which are cheap 1 euro shot bars that apparently don't really exist anywhere else in Spain or the world! And people there party till noon! I did not sleep much in Salamanca.
Spotted the little frog on the wall of the intricately detailed university facade (with lots of help). Apparently if you can find it you will have extremely good luck coming to you and you will get married. So since I got lots of help I suppose does that mean I will get an arranged marriage?!
Salamanca also has the best kebab place in the world, and it is cheap too! I ate nowhere else in the 3 days I was there and was never sick of it! And others I’ve met and introduced to the place think the same too!
I reckon I may have found my calling in life being a travel advisor, because I ended up helping most of the people I met in Madrid with their travel plans, and I also acted as a travel guide for some people I met in Salamanca! It would be nice to be paid for that sort of thing. That, or a world food critic would be my dream job!
Anyway, back into Portugal next....
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Spain - Andalucia and Catalanya
Lagos - Seville - Granada - Valencia - Barcelona - Monserrat
Hola amigos!
Example of people I can’t stand:
American girl to hostel receptionist in Lagos: "Do your sheets pill*? Because I can’t sleep here otherwise!"
*Pill = when clothes or sheets bunch up and get those little cotton balls in them.
Anyway, now I am in Spain!
Ah, Seville. Words to describe Seville are "Wow!", "Wow!", and "Ole!" You can't get any more Spanish than in Seville, and I’m surprised there aren’t many tourists or English-speaking people in the place!
Saw the very very big cathedral of baroque, gothic and Moorish design, the tower of gold, the alcazar and its gardens, and the picturesque Jewish quarter which is nice to wander around the small narrow streets and get lost in, discovering little cafes and plazas within. The architecture of Seville is exquisite, you would find different styles of architecture, from Romanesque and Moorish Mudejar**, to gothic, renaissance, baroque, neoclassical and combinations!
**Mudejar is Moorish square design architecture with Aculejo tiles on the bottom half of the walls and extremely intricate and detailed carved decorations in the top half of the walls. Unreal.
Spanish food = Yum! I had to have some tapas, tortillas de patatas (Spanish omelette with potato and other things), jamon serrano and other assorted style hams, paella of course, and bocadillos (white bread rolls filled with stuff) of various kinds! And of course Seville oranges, which I had fun picking from the trees outside the alcazar with some people I met at the hostel when people weren’t looking...
Despite what people keep telling me, there are no free tapas in Seville. Only in Granada, and I think random places in the north of Spain…
There are horse drawn carriages everywhere in Seville with the brightly coloured red or yellow wheel spokes and the horses with decorated bells dangling off their reins.
Seville nightlife is a little wild, students throng the streets by the riverside and certain areas of the centre, carrying shopping bags of soft drinks and spirits which they mix and drink on the streets. The following morning you would see broken glass and plastic bags everywhere.
There are some annoying hagglers in Seville and other parts of Andalucia. For example one guy kept grabbing some guys foot and scrubbing it with a brush despite repeated "no gracias!" - he was very persistent, complaining that his "bambinos" need food etc. There are also women who give you a rosemary leaf, and then demand money in return. No idea what that’s all about.
It was extraordinary good timing to be in Seville when I got there, as it was the start of the Feria de Abril, (April Festival)! But then Spain/Seville is always having festivals! Actually, I found myself in several festivals by mistake! One was walking into the "Caja Rural del Sur" which was a parade of 50+ decorated horse drawn carriages with men and women in a traditional Spanish dress, their horses strutting proudly down the streets. Another was the day after when I was sitting in the park about to have a picnic lunch on my own when I heard the sound of drums banging, people singing, and then a procession of exotic and traditional dressed and costumed dancers and singers waving flags came down past me and onto the front of the Archaeological museum, there they performed some frenzied, some funny, some promiscuous and some graceful dance routines for the next two hours. It was for some 20 years for Columbia anniversary thing, not quite sure, but it was spectacular!
Anyway, the Feria de Abril was essentially a huge carnival of rides, and tents with eating, drinking and flamenco dancing! They also built this huge arch of wood multiple stories high and covered with lights, just for the Feria! All the women and gorgeous girls are dressed in traditional frilled Spanish dress with polka dots and bright colours, scarves/shawls, flowers in their hair, lots of makeup, and big earrings. Flamenco dancing was everywhere, even in the streets people would spontaneously start clapping a rhythm and do flamenco. It was pretty cool! Saw the lights get switched on at midnight at the start of the festival, waited for imaginary fireworks, got on Spanish TV by climbing a lamp post with a Canadian friend and waving at the camera in the background during an interview, nearly got in a fight, saw the biggest fight between two girls ever which resulted in overturned tables/chairs, clumps of hair on the ground, people running in and out, and the tent almost collapsing! All over some guy apparently. Remind me never to make a Spanish girl jealous!
Anyway, after Seville I went to Granada to see the Alhambra, which has a world-renowned fortress and Mudejar palace and gardens. Met up with some American friends I made at Lagos and they showed/told me some cool places in Granada (like free tapas bars, Sacramento’s mountain caves homeless people live in) that I would never have discovered on my own in the two days I was there.
Caught an overnight bus to Valencia from Granada in the hope of saving money and sleeping on the bus. Not very comfortable and I didn’t get much sleep, so I don’t think I’ll be trying that again any time soon. Anyway I did wake up to a really surreal sight. All around me was a huge flat desert plain with really blue clear sky, but behind me was a big bluish tall mountain with vertical slopes that almost made it look rectangle, standing in the middle of nowhere! To the front of me rising out of the desert plain was a series of narrow flat red and white high-rise buildings. I felt like I was in another planet! And I’m not even sure where that was in Spain. It was somewhere between Murcia and Alicante, but that’s all I know. I don’t think I’ll ever find it again if I come back which is a shame cause it was eerily beautiful and mysteriously alien.
Anyway, reached Valencia to be greeted by bad weather. So no Valencian beaches for me. The hostel I stayed at that weekend was located right in front of the red light district, so it was quite scary walking to and from the hostel even in broad daylight due to the number of drunk Spanish men and unattractive prostitutes trying to talk to you etc. Apart from that though, Valencia is nice, has some nice towers, churches and the cathedral with 1 Romanesque, 1 gothic and 1 baroque side each which was quite interesting (What, couldn’t they decide on a style they liked or something? ) Anyway also saw some cool modern buildings near the port where they have these white curved structures sitting in a pool of water, architecturally more interesting than the museums etc they have inside it.
Now I am in Barcelona. I am staying at Johnny Depp - I mean Erik’s place (the Johnny Depp look-alike friend I made in Lisbon) for a few days which is nice of him because I am saving some money as a result. (Well would have if my phone battery didn’t die, so the money I saved has gone to buying a new battery. Easy come easy go I guess.) Anyway, his place isn’t actually in Barcelona, but in a nice town a easy train ride away called Sant Cugat, which is a nice town with a historical monetary, clean wide streets and apparently "the best looking Spanish girls in Spain" which I am inclined to agree. I wonder if they speak English... That’s the thing about Spanish girls, they are very attractive, but none of them speak English, even in touristy Barcelona! Sort of a catch 22 really. Or more motivation to learn Catalan or Castellan Espanol.
Barcelona seems a lot cleaner and friendlier than when I was last here in last September. And I got to see a lot more things I didn’t have time to see. Like all the Gaudi architecture, which is surreal, colourful, inspired by natural things and in my opinion, "freakishly cool". Park Guell is amazing, Casa Batillo is a colourful almost fairytale surreal house, Sagrada Familiar is a huge temple still under construction and held up with columns "inspired by trees" you’d have to see to believe. Barcelona is full of Gaudi buildings, you typically would walk down the street and think "normal building, normal building, WHAT THE..?!, normal building..." Barcelona is full of sights, and Barcelona knows it, and Barcelona likes to make the most of it by charging an outrageous amount of money to see them (for example, 18 euros to go inside Casa Batillo is ridiculous! Obviously I didn’t go in.)
Saw someone take a photo of a postcard stand. Now that is the meaning of being "cheap"!
Eric took me to some places and bars in the Barri Gothic area of Barcelona. His grandfather owns a little sandwich shop called "Conesa" (his surname) which is reputed to have the best sandwiches in Catalanya. Anyway got some free food from there, and I agree, absolutely delicious! If you ever go to Barcelona, look for this little sandwich shop which is south of the Cathedral.
Went to Monserrat for the day, which is basically a monetary teetering off a cliff face 700m up this huge mountain, which used to be an island millions of years ago. This is why you can find seashells up on the mountains of Monserrat (if you’re lucky that is - I couldn’t find any )
Anyway, next stop is Zaragoza, Madrid, followed by some places in central Spain, Salamanca etc...
Adieu! (Catalan for "bye" - Catalan being a completely different language to Spanish, and has lots of similarities to Portuguese and French)
Hola amigos!
Example of people I can’t stand:
American girl to hostel receptionist in Lagos: "Do your sheets pill*? Because I can’t sleep here otherwise!"
*Pill = when clothes or sheets bunch up and get those little cotton balls in them.
Anyway, now I am in Spain!
Ah, Seville. Words to describe Seville are "Wow!", "Wow!", and "Ole!" You can't get any more Spanish than in Seville, and I’m surprised there aren’t many tourists or English-speaking people in the place!
Saw the very very big cathedral of baroque, gothic and Moorish design, the tower of gold, the alcazar and its gardens, and the picturesque Jewish quarter which is nice to wander around the small narrow streets and get lost in, discovering little cafes and plazas within. The architecture of Seville is exquisite, you would find different styles of architecture, from Romanesque and Moorish Mudejar**, to gothic, renaissance, baroque, neoclassical and combinations!
**Mudejar is Moorish square design architecture with Aculejo tiles on the bottom half of the walls and extremely intricate and detailed carved decorations in the top half of the walls. Unreal.
Spanish food = Yum! I had to have some tapas, tortillas de patatas (Spanish omelette with potato and other things), jamon serrano and other assorted style hams, paella of course, and bocadillos (white bread rolls filled with stuff) of various kinds! And of course Seville oranges, which I had fun picking from the trees outside the alcazar with some people I met at the hostel when people weren’t looking...
Despite what people keep telling me, there are no free tapas in Seville. Only in Granada, and I think random places in the north of Spain…
There are horse drawn carriages everywhere in Seville with the brightly coloured red or yellow wheel spokes and the horses with decorated bells dangling off their reins.
Seville nightlife is a little wild, students throng the streets by the riverside and certain areas of the centre, carrying shopping bags of soft drinks and spirits which they mix and drink on the streets. The following morning you would see broken glass and plastic bags everywhere.
There are some annoying hagglers in Seville and other parts of Andalucia. For example one guy kept grabbing some guys foot and scrubbing it with a brush despite repeated "no gracias!" - he was very persistent, complaining that his "bambinos" need food etc. There are also women who give you a rosemary leaf, and then demand money in return. No idea what that’s all about.
It was extraordinary good timing to be in Seville when I got there, as it was the start of the Feria de Abril, (April Festival)! But then Spain/Seville is always having festivals! Actually, I found myself in several festivals by mistake! One was walking into the "Caja Rural del Sur" which was a parade of 50+ decorated horse drawn carriages with men and women in a traditional Spanish dress, their horses strutting proudly down the streets. Another was the day after when I was sitting in the park about to have a picnic lunch on my own when I heard the sound of drums banging, people singing, and then a procession of exotic and traditional dressed and costumed dancers and singers waving flags came down past me and onto the front of the Archaeological museum, there they performed some frenzied, some funny, some promiscuous and some graceful dance routines for the next two hours. It was for some 20 years for Columbia anniversary thing, not quite sure, but it was spectacular!
Anyway, the Feria de Abril was essentially a huge carnival of rides, and tents with eating, drinking and flamenco dancing! They also built this huge arch of wood multiple stories high and covered with lights, just for the Feria! All the women and gorgeous girls are dressed in traditional frilled Spanish dress with polka dots and bright colours, scarves/shawls, flowers in their hair, lots of makeup, and big earrings. Flamenco dancing was everywhere, even in the streets people would spontaneously start clapping a rhythm and do flamenco. It was pretty cool! Saw the lights get switched on at midnight at the start of the festival, waited for imaginary fireworks, got on Spanish TV by climbing a lamp post with a Canadian friend and waving at the camera in the background during an interview, nearly got in a fight, saw the biggest fight between two girls ever which resulted in overturned tables/chairs, clumps of hair on the ground, people running in and out, and the tent almost collapsing! All over some guy apparently. Remind me never to make a Spanish girl jealous!
Anyway, after Seville I went to Granada to see the Alhambra, which has a world-renowned fortress and Mudejar palace and gardens. Met up with some American friends I made at Lagos and they showed/told me some cool places in Granada (like free tapas bars, Sacramento’s mountain caves homeless people live in) that I would never have discovered on my own in the two days I was there.
Caught an overnight bus to Valencia from Granada in the hope of saving money and sleeping on the bus. Not very comfortable and I didn’t get much sleep, so I don’t think I’ll be trying that again any time soon. Anyway I did wake up to a really surreal sight. All around me was a huge flat desert plain with really blue clear sky, but behind me was a big bluish tall mountain with vertical slopes that almost made it look rectangle, standing in the middle of nowhere! To the front of me rising out of the desert plain was a series of narrow flat red and white high-rise buildings. I felt like I was in another planet! And I’m not even sure where that was in Spain. It was somewhere between Murcia and Alicante, but that’s all I know. I don’t think I’ll ever find it again if I come back which is a shame cause it was eerily beautiful and mysteriously alien.
Anyway, reached Valencia to be greeted by bad weather. So no Valencian beaches for me. The hostel I stayed at that weekend was located right in front of the red light district, so it was quite scary walking to and from the hostel even in broad daylight due to the number of drunk Spanish men and unattractive prostitutes trying to talk to you etc. Apart from that though, Valencia is nice, has some nice towers, churches and the cathedral with 1 Romanesque, 1 gothic and 1 baroque side each which was quite interesting (What, couldn’t they decide on a style they liked or something? ) Anyway also saw some cool modern buildings near the port where they have these white curved structures sitting in a pool of water, architecturally more interesting than the museums etc they have inside it.
Now I am in Barcelona. I am staying at Johnny Depp - I mean Erik’s place (the Johnny Depp look-alike friend I made in Lisbon) for a few days which is nice of him because I am saving some money as a result. (Well would have if my phone battery didn’t die, so the money I saved has gone to buying a new battery. Easy come easy go I guess.) Anyway, his place isn’t actually in Barcelona, but in a nice town a easy train ride away called Sant Cugat, which is a nice town with a historical monetary, clean wide streets and apparently "the best looking Spanish girls in Spain" which I am inclined to agree. I wonder if they speak English... That’s the thing about Spanish girls, they are very attractive, but none of them speak English, even in touristy Barcelona! Sort of a catch 22 really. Or more motivation to learn Catalan or Castellan Espanol.
Barcelona seems a lot cleaner and friendlier than when I was last here in last September. And I got to see a lot more things I didn’t have time to see. Like all the Gaudi architecture, which is surreal, colourful, inspired by natural things and in my opinion, "freakishly cool". Park Guell is amazing, Casa Batillo is a colourful almost fairytale surreal house, Sagrada Familiar is a huge temple still under construction and held up with columns "inspired by trees" you’d have to see to believe. Barcelona is full of Gaudi buildings, you typically would walk down the street and think "normal building, normal building, WHAT THE..?!, normal building..." Barcelona is full of sights, and Barcelona knows it, and Barcelona likes to make the most of it by charging an outrageous amount of money to see them (for example, 18 euros to go inside Casa Batillo is ridiculous! Obviously I didn’t go in.)
Saw someone take a photo of a postcard stand. Now that is the meaning of being "cheap"!
Eric took me to some places and bars in the Barri Gothic area of Barcelona. His grandfather owns a little sandwich shop called "Conesa" (his surname) which is reputed to have the best sandwiches in Catalanya. Anyway got some free food from there, and I agree, absolutely delicious! If you ever go to Barcelona, look for this little sandwich shop which is south of the Cathedral.
Went to Monserrat for the day, which is basically a monetary teetering off a cliff face 700m up this huge mountain, which used to be an island millions of years ago. This is why you can find seashells up on the mountains of Monserrat (if you’re lucky that is - I couldn’t find any )
Anyway, next stop is Zaragoza, Madrid, followed by some places in central Spain, Salamanca etc...
Adieu! (Catalan for "bye" - Catalan being a completely different language to Spanish, and has lots of similarities to Portuguese and French)
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Central Portugal to the Algarve south
Abrantes - Portalegre - Castello de Vide - Evora - Lagos - Capo de St Vincent - Sagres - Lagos
Bom dia outro! (Hello again!)
A thing about Tomar:
Tomar is the only place that has this flower festival which is quite interesting and I wish I had the chance to see. I think it is during Easter and a period in May where the men and women dress up in white shirts, black pants/skirt and a brightly coloured sash (men wear coloured ties to match their partner). The women carry on their heads a tall basket of roughly the same height as themselves, which has intertwined bread loaves and fresh flowers, with a crown on the top and a little ornament at the peak. They then walk down the street in a kind of parade. Not sure what else happens but it would be quite a sight to behold!
Also some things about Portugal:
· There seems to be a lot of stray dogs and cats around.
· Manueline architecture is a style only found in Portugal, decoration based on sea themes like intertwining rope, chains, anchors, sails, coral, shells, fish etc, carved and sculptured in marble and stone in a classical style, found usually in window/door frames, porticos and pillars. Very pretty.
· Aculejos are generally blue tile decorations with drawings and carvings, found everywhere in Portugal on walls, influenced by the moors and Muslims several centuries ago. Also quite pretty.
· Siestas (usually between 12 to 4pm) can be quite annoying as everything except some cafes and tourist attractions close then. So you’re left wandering the empty streets during that time...
· Internet access is free in most places which is why these emails can be so long! In Lagos you can even find them in bars and restaurants which you can use if you buy something.
· The good thing about travelling off-season is the availability of accommodation and shorter queues etc. The downside is that a lot of transport doesn’t run or does run but not at convenient times till the peak season in June. As a result I gave up trying to get to Elvas-Badajov-Alburquerque-Cacares-Merida-Elvas in east west/west Spain, and go ahead with my original plan (Evora).
· Buses aren’t always cheaper than trains I found out, for example, I caught a train from Abrantes to Portalegre which cost 5 euros (1.5hrs), where the bus would cost 8 euros and take longer (2hrs). Unfortunately sometimes you have no choice, for example I had to catch a bus from Portalegre to Castello de vide (10 euros return) and it is only 20 minutes away!
Anyway, back to where I left off...
I left Abrantes to Portalegre the next day. Portalegre is a nice town. They have a castle and a cathedral but I was more impressed with the monastery which I think must have been converted to some military building because I was stopped by some friendly guards. By speaking broken Portuguese they finally understood my intentions and told me that I can look outside but not go in.
I must be learning some Portuguese because I spent a night at the pub with some old Portuguese men watching a quiz show in Portuguese, and I was actually able to answer some of the questions! It helps when you can read the question and guess at the gist of what it is saying, combined with a basic grasp of Portuguese and a language dictionary (which John bought me and has been the most useful book I’ve ever had here! And it also has a food dictionary, which is very important to have with you, otherwise you’ll end up ordering something like cabbage soup (which I did in Nazare, called Caldo Verde (literally “hot green”), which luckily turned out delicious with grated up cabbage, potato and slices of chorizo (spiced sausage) in it) ).
Anyway, went to Castello de Vide and it was quite pretty. There are little fountains everywhere, they say anywhere in the walled town above the plains you can hear the sound of water somewhere! The castle was a pretty ordinary ruined castle but the narrow cobbled hilly streets in all directions and the houses with flowerpots and clothes hanging out from the top balcony of the houses was very picturesque! The description of the town is pretty much what most Portugal towns are like.
Was planning to go to Marvao but didn’t in the end due to really bad weather. So I spent the day indoors in Portalegre sitting in the cafes all day eating pastries, drinking coffees and writing in my journal or reading. Was quite relaxing not having to do anything...
Next stop was Evora. Evora is beautiful, and a tourist attraction for good reason. Approaching the town via bus through a road that goes between the arches of the large aqueduct was pretty dramatic, into the walled town with its many churches and buildings of renaissance, Moorish, Manueline and roman influences, the old university, the squares, monasteries, the chapel made of human bones which was really awesome. It was made in the 16th century by three Franciscan monks. The chapel is made of 5,000 human skulls and even more bones. The priest gave me a free personalised tour which was nice of him, (even though he only spoke Portuguese), and saw things I would have missed like some skulls still had teeth, some had jaws etc. It really is quite morbid, and the smell and touch of the place is quite hard to describe.
Now I am in Lagos, after passing through some nice countryside and towns, the plains, hills and valleys with purple, yellow and white wildflowers, and trees which I think are olive trees). Lagos is quite nice, especially walking along the coast to the rock formations on the coast which is quite pretty (Melbourne people think 12 apostles at Port Campbell but much nicer). The beaches are awesome, not much surf but the rocks formations are pretty. And I have a nice tan now
Made friends with the guy who owns the youth hostel down there (still don’t know his name). Spent some nights discussing history with him, I love history and Portugal is full of it. Portugal used to be the richest country in the world but bad industrial planning, a couple of bad rulers and extremely high ransoms paid from kidnapped princes etc, and now the country is not as rich as other countries in Europe. But then when you think about it every country has its time of grandeur and richness (so I’m waiting for the day the Australia becomes one ). I am a firm believer that it’s not what you see, but the people you meet and the things you learn that make travelling, and indeed life, so much richer and wonderful.
Went down to Capo de St Vincent and Sagres for the day, which is the South Westernmost point of Europe and Portugal facing the Atlantic Ocean. The forts and lighthouses were average, but the spectacular huge waves crashing against the rocks was quite a sight to see. Oh and it’s very windy. The place reminds me of a Greek island with its white painted concrete walls, fences and houses.
Anyway, next stop is Seville, in Spain. I’m cant get accommodation on Saturday night because they are having their famous April Festival then, there so what I plan to do is stash my bag in a locker when I get there and stay up all night. After all it is the Seville April Festival!
Adios!
Bom dia outro! (Hello again!)
A thing about Tomar:
Tomar is the only place that has this flower festival which is quite interesting and I wish I had the chance to see. I think it is during Easter and a period in May where the men and women dress up in white shirts, black pants/skirt and a brightly coloured sash (men wear coloured ties to match their partner). The women carry on their heads a tall basket of roughly the same height as themselves, which has intertwined bread loaves and fresh flowers, with a crown on the top and a little ornament at the peak. They then walk down the street in a kind of parade. Not sure what else happens but it would be quite a sight to behold!
Also some things about Portugal:
· There seems to be a lot of stray dogs and cats around.
· Manueline architecture is a style only found in Portugal, decoration based on sea themes like intertwining rope, chains, anchors, sails, coral, shells, fish etc, carved and sculptured in marble and stone in a classical style, found usually in window/door frames, porticos and pillars. Very pretty.
· Aculejos are generally blue tile decorations with drawings and carvings, found everywhere in Portugal on walls, influenced by the moors and Muslims several centuries ago. Also quite pretty.
· Siestas (usually between 12 to 4pm) can be quite annoying as everything except some cafes and tourist attractions close then. So you’re left wandering the empty streets during that time...
· Internet access is free in most places which is why these emails can be so long! In Lagos you can even find them in bars and restaurants which you can use if you buy something.
· The good thing about travelling off-season is the availability of accommodation and shorter queues etc. The downside is that a lot of transport doesn’t run or does run but not at convenient times till the peak season in June. As a result I gave up trying to get to Elvas-Badajov-Alburquerque-Cacares-Merida-Elvas in east west/west Spain, and go ahead with my original plan (Evora).
· Buses aren’t always cheaper than trains I found out, for example, I caught a train from Abrantes to Portalegre which cost 5 euros (1.5hrs), where the bus would cost 8 euros and take longer (2hrs). Unfortunately sometimes you have no choice, for example I had to catch a bus from Portalegre to Castello de vide (10 euros return) and it is only 20 minutes away!
Anyway, back to where I left off...
I left Abrantes to Portalegre the next day. Portalegre is a nice town. They have a castle and a cathedral but I was more impressed with the monastery which I think must have been converted to some military building because I was stopped by some friendly guards. By speaking broken Portuguese they finally understood my intentions and told me that I can look outside but not go in.
I must be learning some Portuguese because I spent a night at the pub with some old Portuguese men watching a quiz show in Portuguese, and I was actually able to answer some of the questions! It helps when you can read the question and guess at the gist of what it is saying, combined with a basic grasp of Portuguese and a language dictionary (which John bought me and has been the most useful book I’ve ever had here! And it also has a food dictionary, which is very important to have with you, otherwise you’ll end up ordering something like cabbage soup (which I did in Nazare, called Caldo Verde (literally “hot green”), which luckily turned out delicious with grated up cabbage, potato and slices of chorizo (spiced sausage) in it) ).
Anyway, went to Castello de Vide and it was quite pretty. There are little fountains everywhere, they say anywhere in the walled town above the plains you can hear the sound of water somewhere! The castle was a pretty ordinary ruined castle but the narrow cobbled hilly streets in all directions and the houses with flowerpots and clothes hanging out from the top balcony of the houses was very picturesque! The description of the town is pretty much what most Portugal towns are like.
Was planning to go to Marvao but didn’t in the end due to really bad weather. So I spent the day indoors in Portalegre sitting in the cafes all day eating pastries, drinking coffees and writing in my journal or reading. Was quite relaxing not having to do anything...
Next stop was Evora. Evora is beautiful, and a tourist attraction for good reason. Approaching the town via bus through a road that goes between the arches of the large aqueduct was pretty dramatic, into the walled town with its many churches and buildings of renaissance, Moorish, Manueline and roman influences, the old university, the squares, monasteries, the chapel made of human bones which was really awesome. It was made in the 16th century by three Franciscan monks. The chapel is made of 5,000 human skulls and even more bones. The priest gave me a free personalised tour which was nice of him, (even though he only spoke Portuguese), and saw things I would have missed like some skulls still had teeth, some had jaws etc. It really is quite morbid, and the smell and touch of the place is quite hard to describe.
Now I am in Lagos, after passing through some nice countryside and towns, the plains, hills and valleys with purple, yellow and white wildflowers, and trees which I think are olive trees). Lagos is quite nice, especially walking along the coast to the rock formations on the coast which is quite pretty (Melbourne people think 12 apostles at Port Campbell but much nicer). The beaches are awesome, not much surf but the rocks formations are pretty. And I have a nice tan now
Made friends with the guy who owns the youth hostel down there (still don’t know his name). Spent some nights discussing history with him, I love history and Portugal is full of it. Portugal used to be the richest country in the world but bad industrial planning, a couple of bad rulers and extremely high ransoms paid from kidnapped princes etc, and now the country is not as rich as other countries in Europe. But then when you think about it every country has its time of grandeur and richness (so I’m waiting for the day the Australia becomes one ). I am a firm believer that it’s not what you see, but the people you meet and the things you learn that make travelling, and indeed life, so much richer and wonderful.
Went down to Capo de St Vincent and Sagres for the day, which is the South Westernmost point of Europe and Portugal facing the Atlantic Ocean. The forts and lighthouses were average, but the spectacular huge waves crashing against the rocks was quite a sight to see. Oh and it’s very windy. The place reminds me of a Greek island with its white painted concrete walls, fences and houses.
Anyway, next stop is Seville, in Spain. I’m cant get accommodation on Saturday night because they are having their famous April Festival then, there so what I plan to do is stash my bag in a locker when I get there and stay up all night. After all it is the Seville April Festival!
Adios!
Friday, March 19, 2004
Lisbon and Central Portugal
Lisbon - Sintra - Obidos - Nazare - Fatima - Tomar - Abrantes...
Bom dia, como esta?
My arrival in Lisbon (called Lisboa here) was not exactly easy. Firstly I was stuck in passport control for an hour because the officials are so slow! And got in the queue that was the slowest of them all that I ended up somehow being the last person to have their passport looked at. Then I get told by the official that I cant stay in Europe for 7 months without having to leave it a couple of times because I’m only allowed in Portugal for 90 days, but he told me that it applies to all of Europe because all borders are the same based on the Schengen agreement. I think he’s wrong though because other Aussies I’ve encountered have never had problems with that. Oh well, I suppose I can always go to Morocco or Andorra if I want to skip out of the EU and back.
Anyway, then I thought I lost my luggage, because I didn’t know which luggage belt it was on because I was stuck so long in the passport control that all references to my flight on the screens telling you where it is was gone! Luckily enough I spotted it just as I was about to give up hope. Looks like someone up there likes me! (Travel tip: buy a backpack/suitcase that is easily recognised – this way no one walks off with mistaken luggage and your luggage is easy to find amongst the sea of black similar looking suitcases).
Then I get to the Youth hostel only to be told that the reservation number they gave me is wrong. After fixing that up though they then tell me I need a YHA card to stay in the hostel, and the card I was trying to use for it that the travel agent at home told me I could use was not the right one! So I had to pay another 12 euros for a YHA card.
Oh well, I expected that in the first few weeks of travel I will make plenty of mistakes and waste lots of time and money learning from them, so I’m not that worried.
Anyway, Lisbon is very nice, it is on the edge of a very wide river towards the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean. I got to see the Castello de Sao Jorge, which is the castle looming over the city on a hill, the Oceanarium, the Santa Justa Lift (gothic style lift of steel and iron to the top of the hilly area of the city) the cobbled pavements, nice plazas, fountains, monuments and architecture, houses of yellow/white sandstone and terracotta roofing of earthy colours, and Manueline sculptures and acujelos (blue glazed tiles influenced by the moors) found on several buildings. Muito bonito (very beautiful)! There are also a number of nice parks that I spent some of my week in Lisbon reading and listening to music all day (because of the Easter public holidays which meant most things were closed). Actually most of the towns in Portugal are like this.
Was a little disappointed as I thought that Easter was a big thing for Portugal, but Lisbon was very quiet with few people around during it. I think they all went south to the beaches on the Algarve (where I will be heading towards soon). But no big dramatic celebrations, probably should have gone to the smaller traditional religious towns for that.
Met a girl from England called Jasmine, slightly eccentric, a lot of laughs, looks like Nicole Kidman, and very independent. Anyway spent a day with her walking (what turned out to be 6 miles and 3 hours long because according to her "it doesn’t look that far on the map") up to the Belem riverside area to see the huge Jeronomos Monastery/garden, the 24th April Bridge that looks exactly like the golden gate bridge in San Francisco, Belem tower and some green lizards we found while walking. Oh and running through water sprinklers when the caretaker wasn’t looking. Also saw the castle with a guy from Spain called Erik (who looks like Johnny Depp) who I may visit in Barcelona and a guy called Marcos from Austria (who looks like Hugh Jackman/Ewan Macgregor). Seriously it was quite funny meeting 3 people that look like celebrities all in the same week.
Went with Marcos to see some traditional Fado music being performed up in the Bairro Alto area of Lisbon, where its nightlife revolves around. The place up a big hill is full of small cobbled alleyways crisscrossing each other where you would see a plethora of bars and clubs from popular to jazz to traditional salsa. Fado is a type of music played only in Portugal, which consists of melancholy songs sung to the sound of a Portuguese guitar. It is quite nice to hear.
Cervaja (Beer) is really cheap in Portugal. In fact Portugal in general is cheap! A glass costs only 70cents, a 0.5litre pint 1,40euros. The beer itself (Superbock or Sagres) is quite good.
Also tried some traditional Bacalhaus (dried salted cod) for dinner once. I don’t really like fish, but this was really good, battered, covered with onions, carrot and vinegar type gravy sauce, served with salad and fried potatoes. Also tried a Nazare dish, which is 3 types of fish in a casserole of potatoes, onions, tomatoes and herbs. Yum!
Also tried Quaijadas (a special type of cheesecake) which reminds me of sponge cake with honey served in a waffle base, and Pastel de Nates, which is a nice custard cream tart. I love Europe food (and drink)! In fact when I get home I’m going to learn to cook all the nice food I discover here!
Portuguese people seem quite friendly, especially in the countryside. They seem eager to go out of their way to help you. When I was lost in the middle of the night in Abrantes looking for the youth hostel I was escorted by a large group of old men to the place!
I’ve been trying to learn a little Portuguese (Fala poqueno Portuguese), things such as such as "bom dia, pode mi a chave, numero duzentos e sete por favor" which means "hello, can I have the key, number 207 please?" at the youth hostel. I have a long way to go...
Portuguese guy on street: "You want hash?"
Me: "Nao, obrigado" (no, thankyou)
Portuguese guy on street: "You want marijuana?"
Me: "Nao, obrigado" (no, thankyou)
Portuguese guy on street: "You want sunglasses?"
Me: "Como?" (Huh?)
Never knew sunglasses were an illegal drug....
Spent a day in Sintra while I was in Lisbon. Sintra is beautiful and is in fact my favourite place in Portugal. The views up the forest mountain is spectacular, you can see villages all the way to the ocean coast! And the Pena Palace, a splendid palace of yellow, purple and white. There is a particular place in the forest garden called the Queens Bench which you see all the views and the palace in front of you on top of the mountain. I can imagine waiting till sunset and then asking someone to marry me up there with a ring and bottle of champagne - it is very romantic. Also the Moorish castle and the cosy historical centre...I could go on about it but this email is too long...
Anyway, next day I ended up in Nazare which wasn’t what I originally planned. I was planning to stay in Obidos, which is a pretty walled village in castle walls north of Lisbon. However the irregular bus times forced me to go to Nazare so I can get to Tomar the next day.
Nazare is a nice fishing town with a nice sandy beach (though quite shelly) and cliff face, where the old part of town lies, only accessible from the coastal part of town via steps or a vintage tram lift. The locals dress in traditional cotton fabrics of black and yellow with coloured patterned embroidery or prints. They also set up stalls by the beach where you can buy dried fruits, nuts and fish.
Went to Fatima next (which also wasn’t planned), which is the site of the Virgin Mary Apparitions by the three children/Shepard’s/pilgrims and the site of the miracle where 70,000 people saw the "sun dancing".
It was quite an experience seeing people walk on their hands and knees on this marble path to the site of the visitations just outside the grand church built around it. The museum of Apparitions 1917 was quite funny because it was really bad - the sound effects and voice recordings were of terrible quality, and the climatic ending when the recording said "Look at the sun!", there was a pause, the attendant then walked into the room, pressed a button, and then there was a light show of the "sun dancing". Oh well, its the idea that counts!
Went to Tomar afterwards, which the castle/church up the hill was the site of the former headquarters of the Knights Templars, or Knights of Christ. The castle was quite nice but the church was spectacular, with 8 pillars of gold and painted frescos surrounding the altar, and holding up the hexagonal domed circular enclosure. It’s a shame we weren’t allowed to take photos!
Anyway, now I am in Abrantes, which I never heard of before and never planned but thought it a convenient stop overnight before heading to Portalegre this afternoon. Abrantes is nice with its castle and river, but I was most impressed with the gardens outside the castle, with exotic flowers and little ponds with swans etc, and views over the town. What I found unusual was the presence of a skateboard arena with ramps etc just outside the walls of the castle. Even more unusual was that the place had graffiti everywhere except the walls of the castle. Perhaps the youths in the area have pride in their castle or something?
My next places to visit are Portalegre, Castello de Vide, Marvao, possibly Elvas (so I can pop into Spain and visit Albuquerque made famous from bugs bunny cartoons ), Evora, Faro, Lagos, then Seville for a week. After that I might go to Morocco or continue to the east of Spain....
Adeus!
Bom dia, como esta?
My arrival in Lisbon (called Lisboa here) was not exactly easy. Firstly I was stuck in passport control for an hour because the officials are so slow! And got in the queue that was the slowest of them all that I ended up somehow being the last person to have their passport looked at. Then I get told by the official that I cant stay in Europe for 7 months without having to leave it a couple of times because I’m only allowed in Portugal for 90 days, but he told me that it applies to all of Europe because all borders are the same based on the Schengen agreement. I think he’s wrong though because other Aussies I’ve encountered have never had problems with that. Oh well, I suppose I can always go to Morocco or Andorra if I want to skip out of the EU and back.
Anyway, then I thought I lost my luggage, because I didn’t know which luggage belt it was on because I was stuck so long in the passport control that all references to my flight on the screens telling you where it is was gone! Luckily enough I spotted it just as I was about to give up hope. Looks like someone up there likes me! (Travel tip: buy a backpack/suitcase that is easily recognised – this way no one walks off with mistaken luggage and your luggage is easy to find amongst the sea of black similar looking suitcases).
Then I get to the Youth hostel only to be told that the reservation number they gave me is wrong. After fixing that up though they then tell me I need a YHA card to stay in the hostel, and the card I was trying to use for it that the travel agent at home told me I could use was not the right one! So I had to pay another 12 euros for a YHA card.
Oh well, I expected that in the first few weeks of travel I will make plenty of mistakes and waste lots of time and money learning from them, so I’m not that worried.
Anyway, Lisbon is very nice, it is on the edge of a very wide river towards the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean. I got to see the Castello de Sao Jorge, which is the castle looming over the city on a hill, the Oceanarium, the Santa Justa Lift (gothic style lift of steel and iron to the top of the hilly area of the city) the cobbled pavements, nice plazas, fountains, monuments and architecture, houses of yellow/white sandstone and terracotta roofing of earthy colours, and Manueline sculptures and acujelos (blue glazed tiles influenced by the moors) found on several buildings. Muito bonito (very beautiful)! There are also a number of nice parks that I spent some of my week in Lisbon reading and listening to music all day (because of the Easter public holidays which meant most things were closed). Actually most of the towns in Portugal are like this.
Was a little disappointed as I thought that Easter was a big thing for Portugal, but Lisbon was very quiet with few people around during it. I think they all went south to the beaches on the Algarve (where I will be heading towards soon). But no big dramatic celebrations, probably should have gone to the smaller traditional religious towns for that.
Met a girl from England called Jasmine, slightly eccentric, a lot of laughs, looks like Nicole Kidman, and very independent. Anyway spent a day with her walking (what turned out to be 6 miles and 3 hours long because according to her "it doesn’t look that far on the map") up to the Belem riverside area to see the huge Jeronomos Monastery/garden, the 24th April Bridge that looks exactly like the golden gate bridge in San Francisco, Belem tower and some green lizards we found while walking. Oh and running through water sprinklers when the caretaker wasn’t looking. Also saw the castle with a guy from Spain called Erik (who looks like Johnny Depp) who I may visit in Barcelona and a guy called Marcos from Austria (who looks like Hugh Jackman/Ewan Macgregor). Seriously it was quite funny meeting 3 people that look like celebrities all in the same week.
Went with Marcos to see some traditional Fado music being performed up in the Bairro Alto area of Lisbon, where its nightlife revolves around. The place up a big hill is full of small cobbled alleyways crisscrossing each other where you would see a plethora of bars and clubs from popular to jazz to traditional salsa. Fado is a type of music played only in Portugal, which consists of melancholy songs sung to the sound of a Portuguese guitar. It is quite nice to hear.
Cervaja (Beer) is really cheap in Portugal. In fact Portugal in general is cheap! A glass costs only 70cents, a 0.5litre pint 1,40euros. The beer itself (Superbock or Sagres) is quite good.
Also tried some traditional Bacalhaus (dried salted cod) for dinner once. I don’t really like fish, but this was really good, battered, covered with onions, carrot and vinegar type gravy sauce, served with salad and fried potatoes. Also tried a Nazare dish, which is 3 types of fish in a casserole of potatoes, onions, tomatoes and herbs. Yum!
Also tried Quaijadas (a special type of cheesecake) which reminds me of sponge cake with honey served in a waffle base, and Pastel de Nates, which is a nice custard cream tart. I love Europe food (and drink)! In fact when I get home I’m going to learn to cook all the nice food I discover here!
Portuguese people seem quite friendly, especially in the countryside. They seem eager to go out of their way to help you. When I was lost in the middle of the night in Abrantes looking for the youth hostel I was escorted by a large group of old men to the place!
I’ve been trying to learn a little Portuguese (Fala poqueno Portuguese), things such as such as "bom dia, pode mi a chave, numero duzentos e sete por favor" which means "hello, can I have the key, number 207 please?" at the youth hostel. I have a long way to go...
Portuguese guy on street: "You want hash?"
Me: "Nao, obrigado" (no, thankyou)
Portuguese guy on street: "You want marijuana?"
Me: "Nao, obrigado" (no, thankyou)
Portuguese guy on street: "You want sunglasses?"
Me: "Como?" (Huh?)
Never knew sunglasses were an illegal drug....
Spent a day in Sintra while I was in Lisbon. Sintra is beautiful and is in fact my favourite place in Portugal. The views up the forest mountain is spectacular, you can see villages all the way to the ocean coast! And the Pena Palace, a splendid palace of yellow, purple and white. There is a particular place in the forest garden called the Queens Bench which you see all the views and the palace in front of you on top of the mountain. I can imagine waiting till sunset and then asking someone to marry me up there with a ring and bottle of champagne - it is very romantic. Also the Moorish castle and the cosy historical centre...I could go on about it but this email is too long...
Anyway, next day I ended up in Nazare which wasn’t what I originally planned. I was planning to stay in Obidos, which is a pretty walled village in castle walls north of Lisbon. However the irregular bus times forced me to go to Nazare so I can get to Tomar the next day.
Nazare is a nice fishing town with a nice sandy beach (though quite shelly) and cliff face, where the old part of town lies, only accessible from the coastal part of town via steps or a vintage tram lift. The locals dress in traditional cotton fabrics of black and yellow with coloured patterned embroidery or prints. They also set up stalls by the beach where you can buy dried fruits, nuts and fish.
Went to Fatima next (which also wasn’t planned), which is the site of the Virgin Mary Apparitions by the three children/Shepard’s/pilgrims and the site of the miracle where 70,000 people saw the "sun dancing".
It was quite an experience seeing people walk on their hands and knees on this marble path to the site of the visitations just outside the grand church built around it. The museum of Apparitions 1917 was quite funny because it was really bad - the sound effects and voice recordings were of terrible quality, and the climatic ending when the recording said "Look at the sun!", there was a pause, the attendant then walked into the room, pressed a button, and then there was a light show of the "sun dancing". Oh well, its the idea that counts!
Went to Tomar afterwards, which the castle/church up the hill was the site of the former headquarters of the Knights Templars, or Knights of Christ. The castle was quite nice but the church was spectacular, with 8 pillars of gold and painted frescos surrounding the altar, and holding up the hexagonal domed circular enclosure. It’s a shame we weren’t allowed to take photos!
Anyway, now I am in Abrantes, which I never heard of before and never planned but thought it a convenient stop overnight before heading to Portalegre this afternoon. Abrantes is nice with its castle and river, but I was most impressed with the gardens outside the castle, with exotic flowers and little ponds with swans etc, and views over the town. What I found unusual was the presence of a skateboard arena with ramps etc just outside the walls of the castle. Even more unusual was that the place had graffiti everywhere except the walls of the castle. Perhaps the youths in the area have pride in their castle or something?
My next places to visit are Portalegre, Castello de Vide, Marvao, possibly Elvas (so I can pop into Spain and visit Albuquerque made famous from bugs bunny cartoons ), Evora, Faro, Lagos, then Seville for a week. After that I might go to Morocco or continue to the east of Spain....
Adeus!
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
James in Hanover, Celle & Berlin
Gutentag everyone! Wo geht es dir? (how are you?)
Seems like this email list has doubled in size since I left Melbourne over 6 months ago...
It's been an interesting last few weeks, and life has been an emotional roller coaster for me lately due to the passing away of my best friend in a car accident (my thoughts, feelings and details regarding the death of my best friend I wish to not reveal here) and the birth of my sisters first child in Singapore - my first nephew! My parents have flown up from Melbourne to be with my sister and her husband in Singapore for support - they're happy to finally have a grandchild! I am quite envious because I would like to one day settle down and have a family of my own eventually. Maybe I’ll even decide settle down in Europe - you never know what the future holds!
Anyway, after I left Bristol I caught a bus to London, plane to Germany Lubeck, bus to Hamburg, then train all the way to Hanover. Naturally I had to have a hamburger in Hamburg. Just arriving in a foreign country where people speak a different language is quite daunting and scary at first, and trying to ask for a hamburger in Hamburg was more difficult than I thought it would be!
Anyway, I was in Hanover for the CEBIT exhibition show, which was enormous! There are 36 exhibition halls at the show, all the size of a very large warehouse. For Melbourne people, think size of Melbourne Exhibition Building and multiply that 36 times!
Anyway I was there to demonstrate StudyWiz Extranet products for Etechgroup in the Australia Future Park Pavilion. It was pretty interesting, and I got to learn and practice a bit of German at the same time, thanks to John's (my housemate in Bristol) European Dictionary and, learning German phrases from Lynn (German girl working at the Australia pavilion information stand). Because we got free coffee at the place I learnt to ask "Kann ich eine kaffee haben mit milch und zwei zucker und eine pletschein bitte?" = "Can I have a coffee with milk and two sugars and a biscuit please?"
People were impressed with how fast I was learning German since I didn't know any before I arrived, but I’m sure I’ll forget it all once I am in Portugal (which is tomorrow). I'm hoping though that at the end of my big trip I would be able to speak basic different languages. In fact I met this fun pretty German girl Charlotte at a CEBIT party (who is the only person I know outside Melbourne High School who knows the words to Carmina Burana ). Anyway because she can speak different languages I found myself conversing with her in English, Spanish, French and German all at once! "I like to start my sentences in English y termine en espanol!"
The CEBIT show itself was quite an event, especially the parties that went on after each day ended. There would be parties for different countries and companies that were free or by invitation. Free beer and food and music was provided. The great thing about German beer is that you can drink lots of it, it is of great quality, and you don't wake up with a hangover the next morning!
Also tried some traditional currywurst, which is really nice, and simple to prepare. All you do is get a spicy sausage, cut it up, cover it with a ketchup/curry sauce and sprinkle curry powder on the top. Serve it with a brotchen (bread roll) or potato fries with mayonnaise and you're done!
I think what makes travel more memorable and fun is when things don't exactly go to plan and the people you meet. I recall the first night at the CEBIT show my boss Geoff and I were heading home and caught a strassebahn (tram), where I started talking to this German girl Guilia who was heading the same way as us. However the tramline forked at some point and instead of going in the direction we wanted, it went the other way. So we all got off the tram and Geoff suggested that we all walk in the direction we think the place we were staying at was because it wasn't too far off. Anyway, 45 minutes later we all found ourselves standing in front of a large empty field of grass and a dirt track in the middle of the night! It was a miracle we (eventually) found our way home from that point afterwards and is not an experience easily forgotten!
After CEBIT I went for a day to Celle (recommended by John), which is just north east of Hanover. And it was worth it - Celle is beautiful! Walking from the train station at Celle it looks all modern and ordinary, but 15 minutes down the road and gradually it turns into the tranquil old traditional cobbled streets and brightly painted wooden buildings. It was like I had walked into some oil painting or something! Celle is one of the few towns in Germany that apparently was not bombed, so still keeps its original traditional splendour! There are also not many more places like it in Germany these days. It also has a castle, but I was more impressed with the town.
Hanover itself I didn't get to fully explore, but did see the beautiful Herrenhauser gartens (recommended by Lynn) with its marble and bronze sculptures, hidden gardens within gardens and fountains. Unfortunately due to the time of the year the trees were still in winter form so I think I may have to go back and see it again next time I go back to Germany in July!
Anyway, after Celle I went to Berlin....
Ah Berlin! A glorious place, and one of my favourite cities! I stayed there for a week and yet it was not enough - I did not get to see all the things I wanted to see like Potsdam etc.. And I did see a fair amount, from the Tiergarten with the Victory column and the Reichstag in West Berlin with its modern glass dome which you can climb up and see around Berlin, to the Brandenburg gate, Under den Linden, the Fernestrum tower and Alexanderplatz in East Berlin. My favourite building at the moment is the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), you walk down Under den Linden and see all these classical and impressive looking buildings, embassies, libraries and universities, cross the river and you see this huge neo-renaissance building with it's green, gold and black colours. Whenever I walked past it I just had to stop and look at it. I even went inside which is also impressive, and for a bit of "culture" and also in respect of my best friend sat in to hear a church sermon in German. Quite an experience.
Anyway also saw the areas around Preuzler Berg (Jewish quarter), Kreunberg (south east) and Potsdamer Platz, which has only been built 10 years ago on top of where the wall once stood, and is today one of the most interesting architectural modern buildings in the world! You walk into the Platz and you feel disorientated looking up seeing the different angles and edges and dimensions of the surrounding buildings, with this huge glass cone adjoining the surrounding buildings together! There's also some squatter residences, one place is called Taches and it is an ex- department store that squatters have taken over and transformed into a place where it has it's own cinema, shops, cafe and other things. The building itself is covered with graffiti and is very run down, but it is very impressive.
Of course I also went to see Checkpoint Charlie and places where the wall still stood. Also went to some of the museums (as Berlin is the capital of museums), Charlottensburg palace/gardens, and all sorts of places that I don't have time to write about. In 6 days I did a lot of walking, because Berlin is so spread out, and must have walked the equivalent of 10kms a day! You can also tell the more further in east Berlin you go the more you can see the influence of the communist regime on the place with the high rise commission flat housing and the grey dreariness of the place.
Berlin is actually quite cheap despite being the capital of Berlin. You can easily live on Turkish Kebabs and Currywurst for about 2 euros and they are quite filling too! There is also much history in Berlin, the wall being one. I met up with Gunter, a German friend I made at CEBIT who took me around to a nice pub in Kreunberg over good beer and the best grilled chicken in the world, and he told me stories about the Berlin wall and the people who lived through it, stories that you generally never hear about, as well as the terrible there are some that are inspiring, amusing, and beautiful, demonstrating the power and faith and goodness of the human spirit in times of repression, evil and despair.
Berlin is going under extensive redevelopment and building after being bombed to ruins during WWII. It is common to see huge cranes around the city, and there are these pink and purple large water pipes all over the city, over roads and along footpaths, all to pump groundwater to stabilise the water level while the huge excavation and building work is going on I hear.
The nightlife I didn’t get to explore much. I remember the first night me and Callum (Aussie guy I met at Youth Hostel) went searching for pubs and found ourselves in a gay pub. For some reason it didn't dawn on us when we opened the door to find a red velvet curtain hanging over the door, the absence of females and the looks we got from all the guys at the pub until we sat and ordered some beers! We drank those beers pretty fast! Also went to other places like Hackesher Hofe, Oranienburgerstrasse and kurfenstdammstrasse etc...
I had a Berliner. It's just a jam filled donut.
In a nutshell I was very impressed with Germany. Most people are friendly and can speak perfect English, the trains run on time, everything is efficient...the only downside I found was the bad signage in the S-bahns and U-bahns (subways and underground trains) they were quite confusing and often pointed to the general direction of where you wanted to go rather than the specific. Also having to pay to use public toilets was annoying, and they weren't cheap either! Anyway this email is getting quite long so I’ll write about the different beers and other such German things and observations when I’m back in Germany for a month in July!
Anyway, wish I could write more but I’m out of time. I'm currently in London staying at Emily and Iain’s flat at the moment having been into Bristol a few days ago to collect some things and see John and Donna (friend in Bristol who is currently looking after my guitar and making sure it's getting played in my absence. Sigh, miss my guitar already, shame I can't bring it with me around Europe )
Met up briefly with Jana in London as she was coming back from Slovakia to Bristol. Although we still confessed our feelings for each other, we decided to leave it at that since for many reasons we knew it could not work. For example, she wants to live in Slovakia whereas I’d find it quite difficult to do so. Oh well, gotta keep searching…
Met up with Martin (British friend from the Contiki tour I did when I first got here) and his friends and we went to a London club called "Verge" to experience some very British 70's style electronica - not my style of music but interesting I guess to listen to. British people are quite weird I found, at one point I was discussing with someone about how abusing silkworms by boiling them in the silk industry is making baby Buddha cry. Yes I know. (In fact the topic came about because it was the topic of a very popular song in Britain in 197
Anyway, I leave for Lisbon in Portugal tomorrow - the start of my big trip across Europe, starting in Portugal, to Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Croatia to end up in Greece by the end of October! Quite scary actually. It will be difficult in Portugal I think because the language is so hard to understand, in Portugal they speak Portuguese very slurred and fast so even someone who learns Portuguese might have problems understanding it. And I know none at the moment. So fun times ahead hey!?
Tschuss!
Seems like this email list has doubled in size since I left Melbourne over 6 months ago...
It's been an interesting last few weeks, and life has been an emotional roller coaster for me lately due to the passing away of my best friend in a car accident (my thoughts, feelings and details regarding the death of my best friend I wish to not reveal here) and the birth of my sisters first child in Singapore - my first nephew! My parents have flown up from Melbourne to be with my sister and her husband in Singapore for support - they're happy to finally have a grandchild! I am quite envious because I would like to one day settle down and have a family of my own eventually. Maybe I’ll even decide settle down in Europe - you never know what the future holds!
Anyway, after I left Bristol I caught a bus to London, plane to Germany Lubeck, bus to Hamburg, then train all the way to Hanover. Naturally I had to have a hamburger in Hamburg. Just arriving in a foreign country where people speak a different language is quite daunting and scary at first, and trying to ask for a hamburger in Hamburg was more difficult than I thought it would be!
Anyway, I was in Hanover for the CEBIT exhibition show, which was enormous! There are 36 exhibition halls at the show, all the size of a very large warehouse. For Melbourne people, think size of Melbourne Exhibition Building and multiply that 36 times!
Anyway I was there to demonstrate StudyWiz Extranet products for Etechgroup in the Australia Future Park Pavilion. It was pretty interesting, and I got to learn and practice a bit of German at the same time, thanks to John's (my housemate in Bristol) European Dictionary and, learning German phrases from Lynn (German girl working at the Australia pavilion information stand). Because we got free coffee at the place I learnt to ask "Kann ich eine kaffee haben mit milch und zwei zucker und eine pletschein bitte?" = "Can I have a coffee with milk and two sugars and a biscuit please?"
People were impressed with how fast I was learning German since I didn't know any before I arrived, but I’m sure I’ll forget it all once I am in Portugal (which is tomorrow). I'm hoping though that at the end of my big trip I would be able to speak basic different languages. In fact I met this fun pretty German girl Charlotte at a CEBIT party (who is the only person I know outside Melbourne High School who knows the words to Carmina Burana ). Anyway because she can speak different languages I found myself conversing with her in English, Spanish, French and German all at once! "I like to start my sentences in English y termine en espanol!"
The CEBIT show itself was quite an event, especially the parties that went on after each day ended. There would be parties for different countries and companies that were free or by invitation. Free beer and food and music was provided. The great thing about German beer is that you can drink lots of it, it is of great quality, and you don't wake up with a hangover the next morning!
Also tried some traditional currywurst, which is really nice, and simple to prepare. All you do is get a spicy sausage, cut it up, cover it with a ketchup/curry sauce and sprinkle curry powder on the top. Serve it with a brotchen (bread roll) or potato fries with mayonnaise and you're done!
I think what makes travel more memorable and fun is when things don't exactly go to plan and the people you meet. I recall the first night at the CEBIT show my boss Geoff and I were heading home and caught a strassebahn (tram), where I started talking to this German girl Guilia who was heading the same way as us. However the tramline forked at some point and instead of going in the direction we wanted, it went the other way. So we all got off the tram and Geoff suggested that we all walk in the direction we think the place we were staying at was because it wasn't too far off. Anyway, 45 minutes later we all found ourselves standing in front of a large empty field of grass and a dirt track in the middle of the night! It was a miracle we (eventually) found our way home from that point afterwards and is not an experience easily forgotten!
After CEBIT I went for a day to Celle (recommended by John), which is just north east of Hanover. And it was worth it - Celle is beautiful! Walking from the train station at Celle it looks all modern and ordinary, but 15 minutes down the road and gradually it turns into the tranquil old traditional cobbled streets and brightly painted wooden buildings. It was like I had walked into some oil painting or something! Celle is one of the few towns in Germany that apparently was not bombed, so still keeps its original traditional splendour! There are also not many more places like it in Germany these days. It also has a castle, but I was more impressed with the town.
Hanover itself I didn't get to fully explore, but did see the beautiful Herrenhauser gartens (recommended by Lynn) with its marble and bronze sculptures, hidden gardens within gardens and fountains. Unfortunately due to the time of the year the trees were still in winter form so I think I may have to go back and see it again next time I go back to Germany in July!
Anyway, after Celle I went to Berlin....
Ah Berlin! A glorious place, and one of my favourite cities! I stayed there for a week and yet it was not enough - I did not get to see all the things I wanted to see like Potsdam etc.. And I did see a fair amount, from the Tiergarten with the Victory column and the Reichstag in West Berlin with its modern glass dome which you can climb up and see around Berlin, to the Brandenburg gate, Under den Linden, the Fernestrum tower and Alexanderplatz in East Berlin. My favourite building at the moment is the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), you walk down Under den Linden and see all these classical and impressive looking buildings, embassies, libraries and universities, cross the river and you see this huge neo-renaissance building with it's green, gold and black colours. Whenever I walked past it I just had to stop and look at it. I even went inside which is also impressive, and for a bit of "culture" and also in respect of my best friend sat in to hear a church sermon in German. Quite an experience.
Anyway also saw the areas around Preuzler Berg (Jewish quarter), Kreunberg (south east) and Potsdamer Platz, which has only been built 10 years ago on top of where the wall once stood, and is today one of the most interesting architectural modern buildings in the world! You walk into the Platz and you feel disorientated looking up seeing the different angles and edges and dimensions of the surrounding buildings, with this huge glass cone adjoining the surrounding buildings together! There's also some squatter residences, one place is called Taches and it is an ex- department store that squatters have taken over and transformed into a place where it has it's own cinema, shops, cafe and other things. The building itself is covered with graffiti and is very run down, but it is very impressive.
Of course I also went to see Checkpoint Charlie and places where the wall still stood. Also went to some of the museums (as Berlin is the capital of museums), Charlottensburg palace/gardens, and all sorts of places that I don't have time to write about. In 6 days I did a lot of walking, because Berlin is so spread out, and must have walked the equivalent of 10kms a day! You can also tell the more further in east Berlin you go the more you can see the influence of the communist regime on the place with the high rise commission flat housing and the grey dreariness of the place.
Berlin is actually quite cheap despite being the capital of Berlin. You can easily live on Turkish Kebabs and Currywurst for about 2 euros and they are quite filling too! There is also much history in Berlin, the wall being one. I met up with Gunter, a German friend I made at CEBIT who took me around to a nice pub in Kreunberg over good beer and the best grilled chicken in the world, and he told me stories about the Berlin wall and the people who lived through it, stories that you generally never hear about, as well as the terrible there are some that are inspiring, amusing, and beautiful, demonstrating the power and faith and goodness of the human spirit in times of repression, evil and despair.
Berlin is going under extensive redevelopment and building after being bombed to ruins during WWII. It is common to see huge cranes around the city, and there are these pink and purple large water pipes all over the city, over roads and along footpaths, all to pump groundwater to stabilise the water level while the huge excavation and building work is going on I hear.
The nightlife I didn’t get to explore much. I remember the first night me and Callum (Aussie guy I met at Youth Hostel) went searching for pubs and found ourselves in a gay pub. For some reason it didn't dawn on us when we opened the door to find a red velvet curtain hanging over the door, the absence of females and the looks we got from all the guys at the pub until we sat and ordered some beers! We drank those beers pretty fast! Also went to other places like Hackesher Hofe, Oranienburgerstrasse and kurfenstdammstrasse etc...
I had a Berliner. It's just a jam filled donut.
In a nutshell I was very impressed with Germany. Most people are friendly and can speak perfect English, the trains run on time, everything is efficient...the only downside I found was the bad signage in the S-bahns and U-bahns (subways and underground trains) they were quite confusing and often pointed to the general direction of where you wanted to go rather than the specific. Also having to pay to use public toilets was annoying, and they weren't cheap either! Anyway this email is getting quite long so I’ll write about the different beers and other such German things and observations when I’m back in Germany for a month in July!
Anyway, wish I could write more but I’m out of time. I'm currently in London staying at Emily and Iain’s flat at the moment having been into Bristol a few days ago to collect some things and see John and Donna (friend in Bristol who is currently looking after my guitar and making sure it's getting played in my absence. Sigh, miss my guitar already, shame I can't bring it with me around Europe )
Met up briefly with Jana in London as she was coming back from Slovakia to Bristol. Although we still confessed our feelings for each other, we decided to leave it at that since for many reasons we knew it could not work. For example, she wants to live in Slovakia whereas I’d find it quite difficult to do so. Oh well, gotta keep searching…
Met up with Martin (British friend from the Contiki tour I did when I first got here) and his friends and we went to a London club called "Verge" to experience some very British 70's style electronica - not my style of music but interesting I guess to listen to. British people are quite weird I found, at one point I was discussing with someone about how abusing silkworms by boiling them in the silk industry is making baby Buddha cry. Yes I know. (In fact the topic came about because it was the topic of a very popular song in Britain in 197
Anyway, I leave for Lisbon in Portugal tomorrow - the start of my big trip across Europe, starting in Portugal, to Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Croatia to end up in Greece by the end of October! Quite scary actually. It will be difficult in Portugal I think because the language is so hard to understand, in Portugal they speak Portuguese very slurred and fast so even someone who learns Portuguese might have problems understanding it. And I know none at the moment. So fun times ahead hey!?
Tschuss!
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