Istanbul

I'm a terrible blogger - I admit it. I'm so behind, it's not even funny. I'm in Israel at the moment, and have been for over a week, and I haven't even blogged about my two weeks in Turkey, let alone my two nights in Tiranna, Albania - all amazing experiences worth blogging about. There is some sort of  blogging equation or law emerging here - the more bloggable travel experiences one has, the less time (or inclination?) one has to actually write the blog. Andrew's Law of Travel Blogging - you read it here first.

Or maybe I'm just lazy.

Let's talk Turkey (I know, I know...): My two weeks in Turkey were split between sensory-overloading Istanbul, and the peaceful and stunning Cappodocia in the central part of the country. Istanbul did not start out smoothly as I arrived in the middle of a torrential downpour. It was during this downpour that I realized I had left the rain cover for my backpack back in Montenegro (two countries previous). I don't care if I get wet, but it would be crappy if my pack and it's contents got soaked. And I got lost on the way to the hostel (getting lost was easy to do, for me, in Istanbul). But this was when I first encountered the kindness of Turkish people. Despite not speaking English, several people helped me find my hostel - the last person walking me right up to the door. I encountered this friendliness over and over during my time in Turkey.

Plenty of amazing things to see in Istanbul: The Blue Mosque, the Aya Sofya, Topkapi Palace, to name but a few, with the Aya Sofya being my favourite. The Grand Bazaar was interesting and, not surprisingly, jammed with people - mostly tourists it seemed. It was here that I realized I had many more friends in Istanbul than I knew, as I kept hearing vendors call out to me, "My friend, my friend" and then try and get me to "just take a look" at some of their wares. I preferred the Spice Bazaar with it's awesome array of colours and smells. I couldn't resist buying dried strawberries and Turkish Delight.

It's not too often one can say that they took a day trip to another continent, but I did just that. Istanbul straddles both Europe and Asia, divided by the Bosphorus River. It was pretty easy to hop a ferry over to the Asia side - on the ride across, looking south, I saw countless number of oil tankers in the distance. It's a pretty major tanker route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

There's way more I could add, but in the interest of getting this entry posted before 2011, I'm gonna end things there. I've only got a few photos to share with you at the moment - I'll hopefully add more later. I have some issues with dust on the inside of my camera lens, so I'd like to photoshop the dust spots out before adding those photos. And hopefully I'll get my camera fixed at some point...

Near the Grand Bazaar

The Galata Tower - near where I stayed

The Aya Sofya

Aya Sofya

Kotor, Montenegro

And now, to recount my brief but enjoyable visit to a country many of you have never heard of before: Montenegro. Montenegro is a former Yugoslav republic and the last to gain independence - only as recently as 2006. So, I guess it's the youngest country I've ever visited. Or that anyone could visit, for that matter. I spent two nights in the picturesque (to grossly understate it) town of Kotor. It is located on a fjord-like inlet of the Adriatic Sea. Kotor's Old Town - where my hostel was located - has awesome medieval walls that surround the city and go up the mountainside. The highlight of my stay here was my hike up the wall/mountain, and the amazing views that went along with it. I was fortunate have excellent weather for this. Enough talk - check out my photos:

The old town and harbour, from part-way up the wall.

No, I'm not describing a fish I caught.

Croatia

I'm going to recount my two weeks in Croatia out of order, starting with the most last stop: Dubrovnik. The walled Old Town was fantastic. The weather was beautiful as I walked along the wall, much of which overlooks the Adriatic Sea. Spent the late afternoon and evening drinking beer and watching the sunset over the sea with a couple of Finnish girls at a bar at the base of the city walls. I only spent one really solid day in Dubrovnik (two nights), but it was awesome. One of the benefits of not visiting in high season was the excellent accommodation I was able to secure. No hostel for me this time, but a villa, for only about $25/night. Woke up Friday morning and opened the doors of my balcony to a fantastic view of the city and harbour.

View from my balcony in Dubrovnik

Excellent day to walk along the walls of the Old Town.

View of the Old Town from the city walls.

Sunset and beer.

Prior to Dubrovnik, I was in Split. I stayed in a great hostel right within the walls of the Old Town, which was originally the palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian. I met up with a former colleague (I used to work for a living, remember?), Theresa, who happened to be over on a two-week trip. It was cool that our timing worked out. After Split, I went to the island of Hvar, where I spent three days with a couple of Aussie girls I had met at the Split hostel. Hvar was beautiful, the weather in the low 20s and the water warm enough for swimming! Not bad for October.

I guess I'm overdue to show a photo of me with my backpack. Walking up from the harbour on Hvar. About two minutes before I wiped out on some cobblestones. Sliced open my finger. But it's healing.

Chillin' on Hvar. And it's October!

Going back further, a couple of weeks...my first stop in Croatia was the capital of Zagreb. I spent a couple of nights there followed by a visit to Plitvice Lakes National Park, roughly halfway between Zagreb and Split. Plitvice Lakes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is renowned (well, to some) for its series of waterfalls that interconnect the dozen of so lakes. Though the weather didn't exactly co-operate - rainy and a little cool - it was impressive nonetheless. And, because it wasn't high season, it wasn't crowded either.

At Plitvice Lakes. Wearing a toque. Not knowing I'd be swimming in the ocean in four days.

There you have it. A quick catch-up on my two weeks in Croatia.

Dresden, Krakow, Budapest

Okay - so I’ve fallen extremely behind in my blogging. Since I left Prague just over two weeks ago (Sept 27), I’ve been to five cities. In the interest of quickly catching up, I’m going to have to summarize my visit to each. If I try and get too detailed, I won’t be caught up ‘til Christmas. Here goes:

Dresden, Germany

My friend's travel plan was to head to Dresden on her way back to Frankfurt where she would catch her flight home. I was planning on going on to Poland after Prague, but decided to check Dresden out. Kari is an expert at setting up the ride-sharing thing, so it was a stress-free - and cheap - ride back to Germany.

Dresden was nice, but very rainy. We had encountered rain and overcast skies since Prague, and it continued here. The city was nice despite that. It has largely been rebuilt since it was infamously fire-bombed by the Allies during World War II. We visited the impressive re-built Frauenkirche cathedral, which had been completely destroyed. Dresden also has some funky pubs and live music spots. In particular, we found a great place for live music called the Blue Note. Jazz, blues, and a little bit of alt-country as well. I neglected to try currywurst when I was in Berlin, but was sure to try it here. Currywurst is essentially wieners cut into smaller pieces and seasoned with curry sauce. I know, it doesn't sound like much - but I like it.

Mmm...currywurst.

Drinking with the locals (that being the guy in the middle - Marcus)

After Kari left, I stayed one more night to sort out my travel plans to Krakow. That extra night consisted of hanging out at the hostel with a few other travelers (mostly Aussies, of course), having a few drinks, and making them endure my serenading them with the hostel's free-to-use guitar. (Actually, I think everyone had fun - thanks to Daniel and Saffron for being a great audience). The next day, yet more ride-sharing, this time to...

Krakow, Poland

I used the ride-sharing service to get to Krakow,  catching a ride with a Ukrainian guy on his way back to Kiev for a few days. This ride-sharing experience wasn't as, umm, comfortable as the first two, but it WAS interesting. I had to meet the guy, Maxim, on the outskirts of Dresden, just off the Autobahn. He didn’t live in Dresden, but was passing through. Getting to the appointed spot was an adventure in itself (got off at the wrong tram spot, ended walking the wrong way, could find no one who spoke English, etc.) Thankfully, Maxim had told me that the gas station we were meeting at was near the Ikea (Swedish for “everywhere”) - That was helpful when encountering people who could not speak English when asking for directions: I would just say “Ikea?” and gesture as if to say “Do you know where the hell it is?" I ended up finding the station, meeting up with a Ukrainian girl who was also sharing the ride. Maxim ended up being late and then pulling up in a good sized car. Excellent, I thought. But wait, there is no room in his back seat - it’s taken up with spare tires wrapped in plastic. Surely he’ll put those in his trunk I thought to myself as he got out of his car. Maxim then opens his trunk. His far - very far - from empty trunk. How the hell are we gonna get a single piece of luggage in that trunk, let alone two pieces AND make room for another passenger in the back seat? I pictured myself staying in Dresden yet another night. "Is there going to be room?" I ask. "Don't worry, eet weel be fine" he replies, as he somehow starts defying laws of physics and spatiality in re-arranging the car. I look over at Oksana, my Ukrainian fellow-passenger. She rolls her eyes and says "Ees teepical Ukrainian answer". Well, it all worked out. A bit cramped, but not so bad. It was only five-hour drive (!). See below:

My home for a five hour drive - and yes, safety advocates, I was able to use the seatbelt.

See, I fit. Had to hold onto that red suitcase around corners, though.

I only spent two days and nights in Krakow. I spent one day walking around the main square, the Wawel Castel and the Kazimierz (Jewish Quarter). And I had the best borscht and dumplings ever at a restaurant just off the main square. Again, the weather was not cooperating. Very cold, even for Krakow at this time of year, I was told. In fact, I ended up buying a toque (although no one over here calls it that). My second day was a day trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, an hour or so bus ride outside Krakow. The size of Birkenau cannot be comprehended - its larger than I could imagine. The tour guide who led us through the two camps was excellent: knowledgeable, and striking the appropriate tone in giving such a tour, which can't be easy. It's very somber walking around such a place where there was so much appalling suffering and death. I don't know what else to say, so I'll leave it at that.

That same night, I took my first overnight train. With my condolences to Slovakia, which I blew threw in the dark and didn't see, I arrived the next morning at 8:00am in...


Budapest, Hungary

I had plans in Budapest to meet up with two American friends, Kate and Melissa, who I had met in Berlin. We realized our schedules would have us in Budapest around the same time. As well, they sold me on the hostel they were booked into (The Mandala Hostel), as it apparently had yoga classes AND a guitar. Sounds like my kinda place. Except...it did not have yoga classes as advertised. They were down the street and extra. And the guitar...well...it had five rusted strings. The sixth string no longer existed. Sigh. I still played it a little, though - any old port in a storm, you know.

Not to continue complaining about the weather, but the first couple of days in Budapest were rainy and grey and cold. That made it about ten straight days of such weather. It started to dawn on me that we were into fall, and that sun and warmth were not as probable as they had been a month earlier. So, the first couple of days consisted of me fighting a bad cold, complaining about the weather, and being kinda grumpy. Thanks to Kate and Melissa for putting up with me. Happily, on day three, the sun came out - and revealed Budapest in all its glory. People rave about Prague, but I think Budapest compares favourably. Very similar to Prague - amazing architecture - but not as touristy. And Budapest has a more laid-back feel. Highlights included walking around the Heroes Square at night and attending the opera at the stunning Budapest Opera House. My first opera in fact - Norma, by Bellini. I enjoyed it, though I had to read the program at intermission to figure out what was going on - the subtitles displayed on a screen above the stage were in Hungarian only. A synopsis: A tale of forbidden love, resulting in the lovers throwing themselves into a fire at the end. Typical. Only cost around $20. A friend of mine went last minute and got her ticket, in the same box as me, for $3. See - planning ahead doesn't pay. (So, my first soccer game ever is in Liverpool, first opera is in Budapest - not bad places to have those firsts.)

Budapest Opera House

Heroes Square - Budapest

Okay, so it looks like I lied on two counts in the early part of this post - I said I'd stick to summarizing, but it appears I'm incapable of that. Also, I said I'd tell you about my visit to five cities - I've only done three. After Budapest, I went south to the small city of Pecs, Hungary. I was there a couple of days, then was off to Zagreb, Croatia. Perhaps I'll talk more about those brief visits in my next post.

Ride-sharing to Prague

I left Berlin two weeks ago (playing blog catch-up again) after twelve excellent days. I was very lucky to be able to spend that much time there, and might have stayed longer if it hadn't been for a fellow traveler going to Prague that day. Kari, from the Washington, D.C. area, was on a two week trip so, unlike myself, time was of the essence for her and she needed to make the most of it. We met at the hostel in Berlin where we were both staying (I have to put a plug in here for the Riverside Lodge hostel in Berlin. Small and comfortable, located in a great area and the owner Enrico is an excellent guy who takes great care of his guests). I had been planning on going to Prague after Berlin so Kari and I decided to hit the road together. Kari introduced me to mitfahrgelegenheit, which is a free ride-sharing service (as well as fun to say...once you can). People traveling between cities post their info on the website, you contact them, pay them a pre-set free, and voila: the driver gets money for gas and you get cheaper-than-a-train-or-bus travel. Since Kari had done this before, and spoke a little German (not to mention she had a phone, and I didn't) she made the arrangements - securing us a 20 euro (each) ride to Prague (which is a bargain).

Prague. Everything people say about this city is true. Visually stunning. The "poor-man's Paris". There were only two negatives about our three-night stay: First, the crap hostel we stayed at the first night. After the Riverside Lodge, the A&O Hostel in Prague left a lot to be desired. Like character, a good location, and a single staff member who knew how to smile. Well, it was clean - I'll give it that.  We toughed it out the first night, before moving on to the comparatively Hilton-like St. Christopher's hostel. As close to a hotel as a hostel gets. Second, I encountered the first really crappy weather of my trip - very rainy and cool. But Prague still shone through. Highlights included:

• the two excellent (though wet) walking tours we did on Saturday and Sunday. 
• eating dinner on the Friday night - before the rain set in - on a terrace just beneath the open windows of a building where a Mozart performance was taking place.
• a very fun pub-crawl on the Saturday night. Well, until I had that blue shooter - which was the size of two shots, actually - which I think had Absinthe in it. I was holding it together until then. Then, my evening was over. 

Grey and rainy, but Prague still looks good.

Berlin

I've been in Berlin for over a week and a half. I'm starting to see a definite trend in that I tend to stay in one place for long periods of time. Who wants to move around every three days? That's fine for a ten-week trip - but not a ten-month one (or however long it turns out to be). Also, Berlin makes it easy to want to stay for an extended period of time.

I'm staying in the Kreuzeberg area, in an excellent little hostel (only 12 beds) about five U-Bahn (i.e. subway) stops from central Berlin. It's cool, in a grungey-kind of way. Lots of graffitti everywhere, but without the "hood" type of feeling you'd get if you witnessed similar sorts of graffitti in North America. Kreuzeberg is in what was West Berlin, but was an area that drew a lot of  artists and counterculture types in those days - and still does somewhat today.

I went on a couple of excellent walking tours during my first week: the first was overall "main sites" tour, while the second one focused on points of interest for us World War II history nerds. I split my visit to the German History Museum into two different days: the amount of content in that thing was unreal. I also visited the DDR museum, which shows what life was like in East Berlin. Some of the clothing styles were hilarious - they were always a little behind the west, thus explaining their embracing of polyester in the early 1980s (!). As well, saw an interesting - if mentally and emotionally exhausting - exhibit on the Gestapo and SS at the Topography of Terror - the former site of both their headquarters.

I really like the people here - they are very friendly. Most speak English, and aren't hesitant to speak it. Of course, I've made it a personal policy to always start a conversation with my standard "Sprechen sie Englisch?" (Do you speak English?), and ninety percent of the time they do. The other ten percent works out as well - I muddle through, usually by pointing or with sign language. (My other go-to German phrase is "Ich spreche kein Deutsch" - I don't speak German).

The past two days were spent touring around on a bike. There are loads of bicycle rental places here, and a huge urban biking culture. My first week here was mostly rainy and cool, but the last two days were gorgeous. My bicycle rental for the two days was free, due to the fact that I was asked to appear in a video which will appear on the bicycle rental place's website some time in the future. It only took an hour on a Sunday afternoon and was fun. It was basically myself and Nina, a girl who works at the hostel, pretending to go in and rent some bikes. No speaking. I'm interested to see how it turns out - I'll post the link when it becomes available.

A Weekend in Provence

Popped down to Provence - southern France - for the weekend (a little outside Aix-en-Provence, to be more specific) with my friend Michel and his six-year old son. I know that one does not normally use the term "popping down" when describing a distance of 700-some kilometres, but when taking the TGV (high-speed train), it IS actually appropriate. We left on Friday evening, arriving in Aix at around 10pm after only a three-hour train journey.

We spent the weekend with friends of Michel's: Étienne and Stéphanie - wonderful people who were very forgiving of my struggling, though improving, french. They have two kids: a five year-old boy and a three year-old girl. We all went to the beach Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately we couldn't go into the water due to an unusually (at least, I think it's unusual) large amount of jellyfish. The kids didn't seem to mind, as the jellyfish kept them occupied - they sifted dozens of them out of the water (and then buried them in sand, of course). And I added the word for jellyfish to my French vocabulary: "les méduses". Regardless, it was great to be at the beach - it was a gorgeous day in the high-twenties/low-thirties.

Sunday, Michel, myself and the two little guys went to a different beach in the town of Cassis, a little east of Marseille. No jellyfish at that beach that day. The weather was amazing again and the water was an excellent temperature for swimming and snorkeling. We followed that up with a drive up to a cliff which overlooked the town and the beach - a vista which I have to say is the best of my trip, so far. We had lunch in the old port of the town of La Ciotat a little further down the coast. And then back to Paris in the evening. An excellent weekend, and a reminder of how much more awesome-ness there is to France than just Paris.

The beach at Cassis

Overlooking Cassis