21/04/2011

I haven’t blogged in over two months.

Last time I updated tumblr, I was still in Frankfurt. And if this was your only window into my life, you’d think I was still in Germany. It’s highly unlikely that this would apply to anybody, but it’s a fanciful thought that tickles me more than you would think.

I spent some time going through my old posts, reliving the memories, briefly wondering why I left my blog hanging so. It’s obvious though. I didn’t want to whinge about coming back to New Zealand, the end of my amazing 88 days away. It’s a lovely place in many ways, but it just doesn’t compare. Hello holiday hangover. I hadn’t realised you were still around.

Now I’m sitting here dreaming of my next destination.

10/02/2011

It’s probably good that I’m no longer trying to add titles to my blog entries because it would result in more lame headings such as “Hi-hi Heidelberg!” Yeah, I considered it.

I had a day of rest yesterday and departed for Heidelberg early this morning. We went up a cable car to the famous Schloss, where we met an old man who offered to take us around town. He had lived there for over fifty years, he told us.

It was a bit like having a free, personalised tour guide. He showed us a nice bar, where we had a decent lunch of Bratwurst mit Pommes, and Apfel Schorle. Apfel Schorle is 50% sparkling mineral water and 50% apple juice - possibly one of the most refreshing drinks ever. He paid for our meal, which made us slightly uncomfortable because he was already doing us a massive favour, and really, we should have shouted him. So we promised to take him to a nice cafe later in the day, before we returned to Frankfurt.

We got taken around the first university in Germany. It’s over six hundred years old! Pretty much the age of our entire country threefold. It was much prettier than Auckland University.

All the buildings looked old and prestigious. Not much restoration work needed to be done here- Heidelberg was spared from allied bombing during WWII. 

We walked along the old bridge, where Cynthia and I discovered that the old man had something against German girls, and a not-so-serious fear about getting bitten by dogs and getting hunted down by our boyfriends. 

We each bought a Schneeball from the bakery, even though we didn’t actually know what it was made up of. (It wasn’t literally a snowball.) Mine was cappuccino flavoured. Even though it was quite nice, I prefer the ones you get at Chinese restaurants and sometimes takeaways. You know, that yummy ball of ice cream covered in sponge, briefly fried so the crisp outer contrasts with the frozen ice cream centre. So. Darn. Good. The German one is pastry-y.

The cafe we ended up in was lovely but very busy. A good end to our short time in Heidelberg. I like to think that we really improved that man’s day. He told us he didn’t have any family, no wife, no kids, so I think he enjoys spending his time taking tourists around. He really didn’t want anything either, aside from a promise that we would send him a postcard from New Zealand. He wasn’t trying to scam us, he was just really lonely. He even snuck off to buy us chocolate!

Thinking about it, it’s quite strange how Cynthia and I were willing to allow an old man to show us around Heidelberg, when we both knew that if it had been a middle aged man, we would have declined his offer without a second thought. But I think it might have something to do with the fact that our grandparents live with us, and we know that sometimes, old people just want some company.  

08/02/2011

So, it was someone’s idea of a joke to chuck me in a sleeping cabin with an all male, all French, and all-training-for-priesthood crowd.

It was ok though, they were really lovely and they kept trying to feed me. They had lovely accents too! I’m especially grateful after hearing Cynthia’s story about sharing a cabin with smelly, non English speaking men who had 50kgs of luggage each.    

Talking to them helped me change my perspective on a couple of things. I was expressing my dislike for overzealous tourists with cameras in churches, and how it seems to detract from the sanctity of places. I told them that banning cameras altogether or not allowing flash would best protect the integrity of churches, something I have probably blogged about already. One of them very patiently told me that he understood where I was coming from, but that I should keep in mind that churches were made to be seen. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to visit them, and allowing people to share pictures is one way of increasing their accessibility. And while we both agreed that sometimes tourists can (and often do) act disrepectfully, it really made me reconsider my stance. He would make a good priest, I think.

In the morning, I talked to this other person about languages. He was Italian, but in addition, had mastered French, English, Spanish and German. Talking to him made me understand why some Frenchmen refuse to speak English. It’s more than a matter of pride- in a way, it’s to preserve their own language. The reasoning being, if everybody spoke English, people would not bother learning French. He warned me that pursuing German was not so useful because most Germans speak English really well already. Keep in mind that this came from a man who spent twenty years of his life mastering German. He said he wanted to read German literature as it was - not through translations. He learnt it not because he expected it to get him anywhere. This isn’t going to deter me though - I would really love to pick up where I left off. Germans make such a large effort to learn English, and so I should return the favour. I would also love to begin learning French though, because it is such a beautiful language and I’ve encountered many non-English speakers in Europe who happen to know French. I hope my resolve lasts, because I think it’s really lazy to only speak one language. In a way, I feel that Cantonese doesn’t count, because I didn’t put any effort into learning it. It came with growing up in a Chinese household. And my relatives will testify that my Cantonese is elementary anyway.   

After one flight and two trains, I’m now back in Bad Vilbel. I’ll need to start packing for New Zealand soon. Fun, fun.

07/02/2011

Today marks the beginning of the end of my time in Europe. I’m leaving Athens, and heading back towards Frankfurt, where I might be lucky enough to do a day trip before I depart for New Zealand. I’m flying out of the continent in five days and I’m so reluctant. Every part of me just wants to stay and never leave.

New Zealand is a wonderful place, and I keep telling everyone I meet to travel there, but for me, returning to Auckland means uni, obligations and inevitably, boredom. It just can’t compare to the excitement of seeing something new every single day for three months. Three months without having to do a shred of work. A proper holiday.

I just don’t know how I can be content with being in Auckland again.

Must get a job again and travel more.

06/02/2011

The fantastic weather continued and I was able to walk around in just a light dress. I imagine it was the same sort of weather Auckland was having- even though it’s summer there and winter here.

I bused to Lake Vougliameni, which is naturally heated. The water wasn’t actually that warm though . It was 23 degrees, and I felt so very cold every time I stopped swimming. Which was frequently, because I’m not very good at it. It was also harder work than usual, thanks to the extremely low salt content. Makes you a lot less bouyant. There were little black fishies which supposedly nibble at your feet to remove dead skin cells. I don’t think they were particularly appetised by my feet - they seemed to stay well away from me. I don’t blame them - I don’t think feet are very tasty things either.

Even though it was expensive, especially considering that I didn’t spend a lot of time in the water, I’m really glad I got some use out of my togs and that I did not lug them across the world for nothing. Apparently ‘togs’ is a very Kiwi term. Aussies call them ‘bathers.’ Same deal with ‘jandals’ - they’re called ‘thongs’. Which is strange, given that we use that to refer to underwear. And I’m sure that’s what Sisqo was referring to in that god-awful song of his from the nineties. What we call a ‘kebab’, Australians call ‘yiros’, which is closer to the Greek word (‘giros’). As you might have guessed, I’ve been interacting with a lot of Aussies.

I went to the beach after the lake. Well, a small part of it. They charge for the part you swim in, perhaps to pay the lifeguards. I only dipped my feet in, but it was enough to make me appreciate just how warm the lake was in comparison.

I wanted to go Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon, not realising that it was actually really far away. I was probably half way in between Vougliameni and Sounion by the time I turned back, but I didn’t want to get stuck in Sounion for the night - I wasn’t quite sure when the last bus was, and they don’t list the times on the bus stops either. Not a good idea when you have a flight the next day.

Got mocked about sheep for the first time this trip, and it bothered me more than I thought it would. Grrrr.

And my reputation for making crude jokes is starting to catch up with me - I guess that means it’s time to leave! :P

05/02/2011

Today’s destination of choice was Delphi. I joined the tour offered by our hostel and followed the footsteps of notables such as Leonidas and Alexander the Great in visiting the oracle. Well, the spot where she would have been, anyway. The modern explanation for the oracle’s hallucinogenic state in recieving prophesies is the inhalation of ethylene, released through a gap in the earth, just underneath the seat of the oracle. This hole no longer exists, and has most likely closed due to the movement of the tectonic plates. Ancient sources do mention a ‘fruity smell’ and it is supported by evidence found at the site. It’s all rather fascinating.

We left at 9am on a pale pink mini-bus that looked as if it had been painted in support of raising awareness for breast cancer. The ‘super guide’, as he was advertised, did not arrive in a cape or any masked costume, to my (foreseen) disappointment. He told us after we left that he wasn’t actually a licensed guide. It meant that he wasn’t supposed to tell us information at the archeological sites or at the museum, so he had to impart it during the bus ride, or outside. It was a really basic tour, in that most people probably already knew what he told us, but no matter. It was still rather enjoyable, and it removed the hassle of finding out exactly how to get there.

We walked through Arachova ‘the sky city’ on the way back. It’s extremely small and the main street, already rather narrow, was cluttered with shopkeepers attempting to induce us to enter. The buildings there were really interesting - they looked a bit like coloured cardboard boxes stacked on top of one another.

The Greek scenery on the way to Delphi reminded me a lot of the South Island, in that there were beautiful mountains covered with snow. It was absolutely gorgeous, and the vibrant blue skies added to the picturesque effect.

I’ve discovered the perfect antidote to the call of the open-until-nine stores in Athens is spending time in the lobby of the hostel, chatting to the receptionists and other backpackers. There’s a lot of people around, and despite it being the low season, the hostel is pretty full. I’ve met people from all over, though it’s overrun with Australians. I’m starting to see why some people ask if I’m from Australia - they don’t sound so different from us Kiwis.

One of the guys managed to convince the staff to allow us to watch movies until 6am. Yes, we have a projector! It’s a pretty awesome hostel really. We watched ‘Hook’ and ‘Shaun of the Dead’ until 6am. The normal rule is that we’re not allowed to use it past midnight, which is understandable, given that it’s not far from the first floor of dorms. I think staying at hostels is really my preferred form of accomodation, and it’s not solely because of the cost. It makes every night an interesting night - you never run out of people to talk to.

04/02/2011

Athens has been unexpectedly relaxing for me. I’ve comfortably seen everything on my ‘must-see’ list here, with a few days to spare. The locals are incredibly friendly, and there’s great foody places a minute away from my hostel. To steal Mc Donald’s slogan, “I’m lovin’ it.”

I revisited a lot of the ruins around Athens today - on the walking tour, we had to stand outside the fences, because not everyone had the free admission passes that came with the Acropolis ticket. You don’t miss out too much just looking at the ruins from afar (Acropolis aside), but I had the tickets and I wanted to make use of them.

Climbed Lykavitos Hill after, the tallest in Athens. The view was absolutely stunning, and it’s not really touristy either.

Souvlaki for dinner, plus some amazing chocolate from a store called ”Leonidas”. Yup, life is awesome.     

03/02/2011

I was going on a day trip to Nafplio, but heavy rain resulted in a lack of interest and the tour was called off. Pity. There’s a really decent bungy jumping place there! Second best in the world…supposedly. Not sure if that’s based on height or what. I wonder if I would have done it. I like to think I would have pushed myself to have a go, even though jumping off the platform (and the drop) sounds hellishly scary. I bet Scabbers v.2 was secretly glad to give it a miss. Scabbers v.1 died bungy jumping.   

Instead, I went to the National Archeological Museum. Although it was raining incessantly, Athens, like Rome and Florence, is very walkable, and I stubbornly refused to take the metro. It took a while for me to find, because they had renamed one of the streets! I was so certain I was on the right one, but the name didn’t match…but the museum itself was wonderful. It had the most Greek originals I’d ever seen (well, it IS Greece). I saw THE statue of Poiseidon/Zeus throwing a trident/thunderbolt! You know the one. 

It looks more amazing in real life.

It was a tad disappointing that all the Greek vase rooms were closed due to a lack of guards. Apparently they won’t reopen until next month! Such a pity. But I can’t pretend it was the sole reason I wanted to go, so I guess it’s not like I was too horribly done by. Still, it would have been nice…I’m sure they have at least one of the vases I studied!

The rain didn’t let up, and the walk to the museum almost destroyed my map, so I gave in and caught the metro back. It’s pretty cheap anyway. I’m glad I did, because the stations are beautifully decorated with plaster casts of Greek sculptures and monuments. It was worth it just for that :)

I bought clothes! I know, I know. I don’t have the room for it. But it feels good to be wearing something different, after almost three months of rotating a mere three t-shirts. (For the record, I HAVE been washing them regularly.) 

Through some major coincidence, the Aussies I shared my taxi with are now in my dorm! They leave the day before I do, but we’ll probably hang out and do dinner sometime.

02/02/2011

Chinese New Year today! Not that you’d notice it in Greece or anything :P
I almost forgot about it, actually. Year of the Rabbit. And everytime I say that, I think of Elmer Fudd. “I want to kill the wabbit…”
 
I went on a walking tour around Athens, organised by the hostel I’m staying at. Really basic information, most of which I already knew, but it was good. A chance to meet interesting people, if anything. We stopped by the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, Hadrian’s Arch, Hadrian’s Library, Temple of Zeus, the Zappion, the Olympic Stadium, and climbed the Aeropagus hill, ending up at the Acropolis.

There’s not a lot you can do in a day in Athens, unless you plan it out really well. All major attractions close at 3pm. It’s a running joke that the Greek economy sucks because they’re hardly ever working! Aside from the early closure of places, there’s usually some sort of strike going on.

I’ve found it difficult to resist going shopping, since there’s not a lot else you can do once the museums and archeological sights are closed. This is not a good thing, because I can only take one bag back on the flight back to Rome. Oh the joys of low budget airlines.  

01/02/2011

WOOO! I’m in Athens!!!

Check-in at the Fiumicino airport was a breeze, and I met a couple of fellow travellers who were very friendly. The flight itself was only two hours so I was pretty much there before I knew it!

When I got off the plane, I learnt that the buses and metro weren’t running due to industrial action. Which can be a bit of a pain when you’re trying to get from the airport to the city centre! The only choice was to grab some a few other people and hailing a taxi. Splitting the fare brought the price down, but I was a bit gutted that there weren’t any cheaper alternatives.

I dropped my bag off at the hostel and went straight to the Acropolis. It was a dream come true! It was very windy though, which made it difficult to take pictures. Scabbers’ beret/golf hat almost fell off! I was under the impression that we would be able to walk inside the temples but they were, of course, cordoned off. Should have expected that really. You couldn’t get access the Temple of Athena Nike on top of the hill at all, which made me slightly sad. The views were awe-inspiring. I spent a couple of hours there, and might have stayed longer, had it not starting closing. Saw the remarkably well preserved Theatre of Dionysus on the way down. I wish we could have tested out the acoustics! (Same story, you can’t walk around inside it).

The few hours of snatched sleep were starting to catch up on me, and I was tired, but equally determined to make it to the Acropolis museum, which contains many of the original friezes and pediments of the temples. It was very interesting to see the othet side of the story, having been to the British Museum and seeing constant praise there for Lord Elgin, who stole bits of the Parthenon and brought them to London. The descriptions and commentary at the British museum emphasise that it was necessary in order to preserve them (failing to mention that chipping them off the temple was an act of vandalism in itself!) and how the collection in the British Museum is so much better preserved than the one in Greece. Which is somehow supposed to be justification for them holding onto it… At the Acropolis Museum, the short film mentions him in the passing, in regard to events which contributed to the deterioration of the Parthenon. Definitely a sore spot for both countries, it appears.

I had an amazing sandwich today. I don’t know my bread very well, but it was some sort of hard bread with sunflower seeds on top, filled with grilled vegetables, such as aubergine, squash, and mushroom. It had olive paste and a drizzle of olive oil. Easily the best sandwich I’ve bought overseas. Not horribly overpriced either. There’s a gelato store around the corner from my hostel…I imagine I’ll be going there sometime soon. And there’s a restaurant-cafe which sells KEY LIME PIE. I’ve never had it, but watching it feature so much in episodes of Dexter (first season, I think?) makes me curious.