Porto

In Porto now. Spent the bus trip here beside a Spanish teenager who spent the trip farting, picking his nose and popping his zits.

Sick sick sick sick.

Off to explore!

It is a small world, Charlie Brown

Weirdest event of my trip yesterday.... I have mentioned all the random re-meetings of travellers before (oh, and Awful Casey was in Lisbon too, we went shopping together for touristy junk) but this one takes the cake....

I am sitting in the lounge of the hostel hanging out, and some people come through and go into the kitchen. Then one girl suddenly jumps back out.

´´EC!!!??!´´
´´FIONA!!??´´

I am not sure how many of you know Fiona, we were friends during my dorm daze at UBC. So random, to run into an old college buddy from Vancouver in Portugal..

She´s travelling with some cool Yank dudes she met during her travels. We all hung out that night, partied Barrio Alto style, and went hopped on the train to go to the beach all of today and had a ridiculously good and filling seafood dinner tonight.

Oh, stopped by Sintra as well. I made the girls I was with do the whole hike up the mountain to the top of the castle. It was very pretty, very fairy tale-esque.

I CANNOT believe Fiona is here! Crazy!

Acclimatized

22 degrees in Lisbon = FREEZING!

LisboA

In Lisbon now. So to recap since last time...

Sevilla was cool. Not as cool as Granada, but pretty cool. I met some people I really liked there, probably my first real ´friends´ as opposed to people I just meet travelling and go get drunk with. Terry knows Kate and Adam, the Australians with weak stomachs, and plus there was British Paget who I called ´Patrick´ for the first two days I knew him and an American dude Chris, my ´make plans for the next day while drunk and then decide too hungover to go do it the next day´ buddy. It was kinda sad to leave them. Even more sad when the receptionist girl told me at midnight that I hadn´t paid for my room yet when I clearly remember paying for it, but the guy I paid didn´t write it down so they charged me again.... bastards. And then I lost my sleep sack my sister Jen made for me, and had to sleep on a bare matress in Lagos the next night.

So went to Lagos after Sevilla. Lagos - City of Frat Boys. I ran into so many people I already knew in Lagos. Lynn and Eve, two Irish girls from Granada, Antonia and Shannon, two Aussie girls from Sevilla, two of the five Vapid Aussies from Valencia and Awful Casey, another Sevilla Aussie. And about five million frat boys.

I went out my first night in Lagos with Alex, a Bulgarian guy who was in my room to watch the Portugal football (soccer) game. It was alright. Met a ridiculous drunk mid-30s English guy named John who had decided to move to Lagos and was starting a new job at 10am the next day. At 9pm I could see from how drunk he already was, there was no chance he was making it to his new job. Oh well.

Overall I was not impressed with Lagos. It is most definetly a HUGE party town, but has very little actual Portugese feel to it. It´s all over run with Anglo tourists. It seems a good place to go out and party, but I could do that at home.

So the next morning I went to a different hostel to see if I could get a room there and maybe have a better time. Instead I ran into Aussie Vicky (I swear, this entire trip all I meet are Aussie girls. They´re EVERYWHERE), a girl I had met on the bus from Sevilla to Lagos the day before. She tells me she didn´t have fun in Lagos either, even in her hostel. She said everyone is really obnoxious, so she was going to head to Lisbon a day early. I took out a coin, flipped it, and headed to Lisbon with her.

We got to Lisbon without reservations and ended up in this old couple´s pension, which was very quaint and split a room. Now I´m in the hostel I had reserved for my stay in Lisbon, and she´s in hers. We have wandered Lisbon a bit last night and today and are meeting up to see what else there is to see.

Lisbon seems nice and ACTUALLY Portugese, so I look forward to seeing the sites!

(I had a bunch more bullet point observations, but now cannot remember any of them... maybe later)

Misc.

1. I've been looking for a Spanish-English dictionary my entire time in Spain. This morning I went to the bus station and bought my ticket for Lagos in Portugal, leaving tomorrow morning. I got lost on the way back to the hostel (something very, VERY easy to do in Sevilla) and passed by three bookstores all with Spanish-English dictionaries. heh.
   
2. Road signs are annoying here. They don't have them on poles, they're on sides of buildings. And not at every intersection, just sometimes. And if it's a big street, sometimes not at all.
3. The face of the bezel on my watch came off. It looks more rugged and backpacker-esque now.
4. I have 4 nights at this hostel. The staff have switched which room I'm in every night.
5. Siesta's are essential. It's gotten to 40 degrees the past two afternoons, around 2pm. I've been in Sevilla for a while, but haven't seen that much tourist stuff due to the heat lethargy.
6. Bottled water is cheap here. 27 (euro) cents for 2 litres.

Next stop is...

Portugal!

The plan is:

• 2 nights in Lagos, from what I hear a touristy but fun beach town
• 3 nights in Lisbon, the capital
• 2 nights in Porto, the home of the drink, you guessed it, port

The 2 nights in Lagos are a little iffy, since the place I want to stay has no availability, but they say they reserve rooms for walk-ins. It seemed to work well enough in Seville, I stayed 4 nights without any reservations at all!

Sevilla

I am now in Sevilla, I got in last night from Granada. I didn't have a reservation last night so ended up sleeping on the couch in the common room of the hostel. I had to get up early (well, early for a backpacker - 8:30) and reserve a bed for the next two nights.

This blistering heat is really something.... 37 degrees out. Seistas are very much required. I'm slowly climatizing, I can now handle 30 degrees without issues. I got up early one day in Granada and thought how chilly it was... I found a billboard and it was 18 degrees. Reminds me of a dream I had last night. It was September and I was sitting behind my office desk in Yellowknife, it was awful.

Went on a tapas tour last night with the hostelers. Not being free is seriously a drag. The Sevillians really need to change that. Even the fact that by the end it was 10 girls and me didn't help. BUT the awesome (and free!) flamenco at the last bar was great. It was very passionate, and wow can those guys ever play guitar.

Today I went on a wander around the area my hostel is in. Sevilla's streets are even more convulted and confusing than Granada's. Even with my map it was next to impossible to get around. But I eventually meandered my way to the Cathedral and to Alcazar.

The Cathedral is this massive, massive, MASSIVE church. It has 34 chapels inside it.

Alcazar is the royal residence in Sevilla. The palace itself isn't that impressive (especially after Alahambras in Granada) but the gardens are beautiful. I loved just wandering around and getting lost in them. It's a very intimate space, it's easy to lose yourself there.

All for now! The football (soccer) game is on and this keyboard is configured weird!

Today was Awesome

Granada is a fantastic city. So, SO much better than Valencia. Better architecture, better history and above all, better tapas. For those not in the know, tapas are little snacks that come with your beer. Everywhere else, you order them especially. In Granada, they come with EVERY beer you order. For FREE. And whats more, the longer you stay at one place, the better and better tapas they will bring you. It is simply a amazing system.

I could go on right now about the amazing Moorish achictecture, the overwhelming grandeur of the old Moorish-Catholic palaces, but in truth the whole free food with every meal is the most amazing part of my Granada experience.

Seriously though, everyone must make there way to Granada. I´m not one of those wish-washy travellers who wants to live in every city they visit, but Granada is definetly the exception. I wonder if they need programmers......

Today Sucked

1) I'm still feeling sick.

2) My TX is broken. I don't know how or why... it's been safely in it's case the whole time, in it's own little compartment away from everything else so that it wouldn't get crushed, but this morning I wanted to listen to some music and it just wouldn't turn on. I tried plugging it in, thinking the battery had died even though I just charged it a couple days ago, but nothing.

3) I walked down to the Valencia Centre of Arts and Sciences, this really cool collection of buildings, to find that the art museum was closed for renovations and that the only other thing I wanted to see, the aquarium, cost almost 25 euros to get in. Eep!

4) I tried to deposit some money Robi sent me for May's ultility bills, and was asked a security question. But I must have messed up when I made the question, because the answer I gave I knew was right, but it wasn't the one on the site and now I'm locked out.

I hope tomorrow is better. Blah.

Valencia

Ola!

I can't believe it's been 15 days already. It seems like it's been both shorter and longer than that, if that makes sense. Which it doesn't. Nevermind.

I LOVED Barcelona. I regret only having two days there. It's an amazing, beautiful city. I went to Placa De Espanya and saw their national art museum. It's incredible! If I hadn't known that I was in the middle of Barcelona, I would have thought I had just stumbled upon some jungle fortress in the middle of Peru. They have huge gardens flanking it on either side and it is 251 steps up from street level. I counted 'em! (That's actually a lie. It's 250 steps. I was so pissed off when I got to the top and hit 250, because then it just sounds like I looked at the castle and said "Meh... that's about 250 steps. So how about those escalators?", but NO, I actually did count every last one I walked them all up by my little old self. And adding that one extra step increase my... what was it Terry? "Tough guy, man of the world exterior"? Anyhow.) I also wandered around Las Ramblas, the main shopping/historic/touristy drag. I suppose you could say I ambled around Ramblas. Then I hit the beach for far longer than I intended and now have a slight burn all over. But on a topless beach where guys wander around selling beer as you lay there and women walk around selling massages, how can you not linger?

Both nights in Barcelona I went out with these two Australian girls and three American dudes. They were fun, we enjoyed ourselves. Last night we went out for a light, casual seafood dinner by the beach, a break from our pubcrawling the night before. Of course the night ended up with us wandering the streets with beer in hand, going into a club and not emerging until 7:30 the next morning. I got three hours sleep, and hopped on my train to Valencia.

Now I'm in Valencia. I think Valcenia is to Barcelona as Galway was to Dublin. Less the international city, more actual Spanish. But I can't say I'm really that taken with it right now. It might be because the constant partying is finally taking the toll. I'm super tired, have a sore throat, and spent my first couple hours here playing the UK version of 90's Trivial Pursuit with some stunned British girls.

Me: C'mon, you know this. It was 1994, the fashion trend where you wear clothes that are ragged and disheveled. Just think, big fashion trend, 1994.

Stunned Brit: Well, I don't know! I was only six in 1994!

Me, internal monologue: 6 in 1994? So born 1988, so that makes them.... Oh God, British AND 18?

So we played for a bit, and I got halfway to beating them, despite being tired, braindead and not being from the UK. Then they went off to watch the English football match and I wandered around Valencia's old section. It's... okay. I think I just really need some sleep.

Cheers

What a flurry of posts!

Okay, here's my rough plan for Spain:

Barcelona (2 days)
Valencia (2 days)
Granada (1-2 days)
Malaga (2 days)
Cadiz (1 day)
Seville (2 days)
Madrid (3 days)

Then from Madrid to Lisbon. Some of those may get cut out, since that's a lot of time and travelling. I'm already booked up to Granada, and Cadiz may be cut and possibly a day each from Seville and Madrid.

Assesment

Instead of wandering Barcelona, I decided to do a financial assesment of how I was doing so far (ooo, fun!).

I'm a bit below where I wanted to be at this moment, budget-wise. Of course, my budgetting wasn't too strenous, I just took total number of days in Europe and divided by amount in bank account. And I'm hoping that I'm now done with the more expensive parts of the trip (ie Ireland, England and last minute outfitting in Calgary).

So a little advice from the travellers who have come before. I'm sure some (Devon) will laugh at me for even worrying, but as it stands I should aim for 80 euros per day for the remainder of my trip, which might include Spain, Portugal, southern France (Nice, Marseilles), Czech Republic, Slovakia (maybe), Poland, Germany, Belgium (maybe), Amsterdam. Sound doable?

In Barcelona

I get off the train this morning at Barcelona. Ahhhh, a cooling Barcelona breeze! Such a refreshing feeling after the stiffling heat and mug of Britian and Ireland (that doesn't make sense to me either, but it is true nonetheless). I pulled out my scribbled hostel diretions in my ridiculously tiny travel notebook (thanks Renee!) and quickly became aware of the nessecity of a map. So I bought a map from the train station store (5 euros! outrageous!) and then quickly realized that I was in the wrong station for my directions to make any kind of sense. Turns out only MOST trains go to Estacion Sants, some go to the smaller regional station, Franca. Which is where I was.

So I consulted my handy map and made my way to the nearest metro station. I passed by a HUGE line of Spaniards, two blocks in length, and several lines stretching in all directions. I have no idea what they were in line for, but they were holding forms and seemed willing to wait all day, if nessecesary.

I passed them by and after three left turns, found a metro station. I bought a three day metro pass (the Spanish are much more understanding of my broken Spanish than the French were of my broken French, which is nice), and after a few efficient transfers got the the right station, and began to follow my directions. I walked down Melcior de Palau and passed right by my hostel three times before realizing it was on the second floor, above a furniture store.

The hostel Aleberquinn is very clean and very nice. It doesn't seem like a big party hostel, which may be a nice change. I might even be able to get a proper nights sleep in I can't remember how long. I can't check in just yet, since it's only 11am and the rooms have to be cleaned and vacated, which is why I am where I am, which is sitting in the hostel lobby writing to you fine folk.

My impression of Barcelona (gleaned after a whooping two hours in the city) is positive. It's a little dirtier and gritier than London or Ireland, which gives it a sort of organic charm.

Cheers!

Enroute to Barcelona

Ola!

After 16 hours of train travel, I am in Barcelona! I made my way to Waterloo International Station, (despite the Underground's best attempts to confound my plans with train delays) and hopped on the Eurostar to Paris. It was quick and relatively painless, and I arrived in Paris at about 5pm. I waited around in the lobby of the train station with other erstwhile backpackers and hobos such as myself, then hopped (European trains require much hopping. Mind the gap!) onto the night train to Barcelona. After making an inspection of the entire train, I came to the conclusion that I was put into the one compartment without any other english speakers. There were four of us in VERY tight quarters. One was a friendly enough Frenchman and the other two were rather intimidating looking gangstas (a silver gun necklace? Seriously?). After a drawn out uncomfortable silence (Only to be expected since none of them spoke English I didn't feel like shaming myself with my broken French and/or Spanish) I made my way to the diner car and enjoyed some drinks and sandwiches. Then I wandered back to the compartment and collapsed into my bed.

shitshitshitcrapshit

So this morning I go to the train station to catch the train to Stratford.... to find out there they're having train difficulties..... to the extent that none of their trains are running. So the only recourse is a bus that would put me into Stratford about 45 minutes after the play I was going to see would have ended. So flush that down the toilet, whoosh, goodbye. So I ended up just wandering around London. And today London won a world cup match, so the already stifling Underground was packed with jingoist young English boys waving flags and being even more irritating than normal.

On a positive note, last night was yet another drink-filled adventure. I was hanging out in the Astor Quest lounge and happened to end up drinking with the hostel manager, Jess. Jess is loud, demanding, hates everyone and I love her to death. We ran into some other hostellers and we all went off to a local bar. Good times were had.

Tomorrow I think I'll just idle away, passing time until I leave Monday. The train faisco has put me off England for a while.

Cheers!

Last Day in Galway

I've found an internet cafe with proper web browsers! However, it's run by a Chinese guy and everything on this computer is set for the Chinese language, which makes things a little difficult, but I'm managing.

Galway was very nice. It's an exceptionally beautiful, quaint town. It feels very Irish. Dublin felt Irish as well, but also like any other major city in the world. Although the main street that my hostel is on is very, very touristy. But ah well, it has about a dozen pubs within a few blocks!

Yesterday I want on a tour of the Cliffs of Moher with some American girls I had met the previous night. They were very beautiful, and the tour guide was this old Irishman who loved to laugh at his own jokes. I love the old Irishmen here, with there thick muttonchops and pints of Guiness. It almost seems like the pubs must hire these guys to sit outside their establishments and drink, because they are just SO typically Irish.

Last night I ran into some other people that were on the Cliffs of Moher tour, plus some random hostel girls, and we went to the Kings Head pub and enjoyed some blues/covers from the live band. Then we headed off to this club that was having an 80s night. I wish I had my camera, so that I could capture the ridiculous dancing that took place. Everyone there was SO into it, it was great. The place was also a bit of a meat market, probably due to the high number of drunk English boys. Ah well, it was still fun.

Today I'm taking it easy and planning the next stage of my trip. Right now I'm heading back to Dublin tomorrow to hop on a plane for London. On Saturday I'm taking a day trip from London to Stratford to see Romeo and Juliet performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company (woo!), and then Monday I take off from London for Paris, at Paris jump on the night train for Barcelona and arrive in Barcelona on the 13th. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing from there, possibly heading down the coast to Valencia.

Cheers!

PS - I still need people's addresses for post cards....

Kings Head + 80s club nights = awesome. Going to Barcelona on the 12th. If I can get tickets!

They have this stupid browser in Galway too.... Pubcrawl was awesome, going to wander Galway now. Cheers.

Tonight we're going on the local Backpackers Pub Crawl. Being a Sunday, it should be not as insanely busy at night as it was yesterday. Saliente!

OH! And what's with the English coming to Dublin for random stag/hen parties? We saw (no joke) about 16 last night! They were all rather obnoxious.

Today we wander to many churches and went on a tour of the Guiness (sp?) Brewery. I am sick of that beer now. I've had 5 in the past 24 hours.

Terry and I are now in Dublin. Ireland is very green. We did our own impromptu pub crawl around the Temple Bar district last night.

Terry took us to this random Bangladeshi restaurant (for those who know Terry, this is his 'infamous' Bangladeshi restuarant, rumbles and all).

So... the meeting of the Terry and the Others (Lauren, Danielle, Caroline, Matty) went very well, I think they enjoyed each other immensely.

Wandering Publin - This web browser at the hostel sucks and won't let me type anything in the main text area.

Day 2 of London

I really should start using more interesting names for these blogs, but I write them during the breakfast at the hostel, and am generally not the sharpest in the wee morning hours.

Yesterday I spent the morning in the Tower of London, and went through one of the Yeoman tours, which was as entertaining as expected and made up for the 12 pound price of admission. Then I wandered down the Thames, stopping here and there. Spent a few hours in the Tate Modern Art Gallery, which was suprisingly entertaining. I still have it stuck in my head from childhood that art museums are stuffy, dull places and as such haven't been in one for quite some time. But I found the Surrealism section of Tate amazing. I could get completely lost in a piece, and run through a million emotions and affects in minutes.

I have two holes in the crotch of my pants. Aussie Andy in my hostel room (also my bunk mate) remarked "So you're one pair of jeans are crap, and you're at what... day 2 of your 3 month trip?". Yes Aussie Andy, yes.... Shopping my be required.

I met up with Lauren (UBC friend) and Co (Non-UBC friends) last night in the hostel bar and we chatted and planned for today. They've gone off to the Tower of London for the morning today, and I'm being lazy and hanging out at the hostel until they come back. From there we're meeting up with their friend Matty and my friend (drumroll please).... TERRRRY!! I'm pumped to hang out with Terry in London, and even more pumped to head to Ireland for Terry's birthday. I hope to have some very interesting stories in a weeks time, dear readers!

Day 1 of Touring London

Okay, tehnically my second day in London. But since I spent the first day ferverently trying to stay awake for a continuous 30 hours as opposed to get over my jetlag, I don't think it counts.

And my apologies about the Stella, I was tired and clearly wasn't thinking. I 'll try to do better for my lunch pint.

Cheers